《SON OF THE HERO KING》


 Chapter 1 BOOK 1/VOL 1/CH 1: AN INTRIGUING ORDER

    In this world of fantasy and magic, Seven Kingdoms stood tall. Each of them, named after one of the seven sins, each of them representing one of the seven races inhabiting this world.


    Among them, there was the race of humans, and their kingdom was called Lustburg, named after the most hedonistic of all the sins, the sin of lust ¡ª representing the relentless passion and prolific desire the race representing it, humans, instinctually held.


    Presently, in a luxurious room situated at the very top of the royal pce of Lustburg known as the tower of Babel ¡ª a tall tower d in the colors of white and gold, and stylized with archaic artistry ¡ª a young blonde-haired man could be seen sleeping soundly in a grandiose circr shaped bed,rge enough to hold four or five people and still have enough room for them to sleepfortably.


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    ¡°May I enter, your highness?¡±


    Whatever dreams the young man might¡¯ve been experiencing were broken like shattered ss as his eyshes faintly quivered, the abrupt sound of knocking putting an end to his peaceful sleep.


    Slowly opening his eyes, revealing a set of deep blue irises still blurry with sleep, the young man yawned and stretched his arms in the air, before adjusting himself and then his creased attire, making himself presentable enough ¡ª to prevent putting himself in a shameful light ¡ª for whoever may walk in through those doors.


    ¡°You can enter.¡±


    Once the young man permitted entry, a mature woman wearing, from the looks of it, a custom-made maid uniform entered the luxurious room with elegant steps.


    ¡°Good morning, your highness. I hope you¡¯ve slept well.¡±


    The brown-haired maid pinched the sides of her pleated skirt and curtsied in an elegant fashion. Her movements and gestures disyed grace and a sort of artistic perfection in every minute detail, indicating her expertise and devotion to her job as a pce maid.


    She appeared to be in her mid-twenties and looking at her face it was clear that she didn¡¯t wear any form of makeup, yet her slightly tanned face held no blemishes and disyed a somewhat graceful appearance along with sharp features that perfectly showcased the mature charm emanating from her winsome existence.


    At first nce, one would surmise that she was no different from any other woman, sensationally beautiful yes, but no different than any other human being. At least, their opinion would remain the same until they tore their lustful gazes away from her magnificent bountiful breasts, that seemed as heavy as a mountain, and focused on her other ¡®extraordinary¡¯ facial features and characteristics instead.


    Two horns prodded up, from among her healthy brown hair, in curved arcs from either side of her head and paired with the distinctive droopy ears twitching restlessly framing her mature face showcased her racial distinction ¡ª she was a cow woman.


    That was not all, the faint arching movements of a tail could be seen in her each step. Its movement was rhythmical and almost hypnotic. The dark brown, almost ck, tail gently swayed, and the long tail ¡ª with a ck-colored switch ¡ª originated from the circr cutout embedded in her maid outfit.


    Dressed in a peculiar custom-made maid outfit with ck patches stering, aesthetically, all over the goth ck and white dress and ayered pleated mini skirt that did nothing to hide her meaty thighs adding to it the white garter belts hugging said thighs tightly emphasizing them further ¡ª all of her attire just gave her a unique seductive charm akin to a seductress.


    Her chic maid uniform was not exactly decorative or revealing, but her entire body gave off a mature sex appeal thanks to the weighty breasts being partially visible because of the wide-open chest area of the dress hugging said breasts, of humongous proportions, tightly and the plump fleshy thighs revealed between her skirt and white-colored knee-length socks.


    Yawning once again, the young man answered the greeting in a slightly sleepy tone, eyes still droopy with remnant sleep, "Hello, Milia. Good morning. It''s rare for you toe and wake me up. You are the head maid after all. Did something happen? Orders from my aunt perhaps?"


    Despite him being the sole heir to the human kingdom, he never even tried to put on an air of superiority when present in a private setting and always treated the staff of the pce in the most ideal way possible, giving them the respect they deserved. This was even more so for this woman standing in front of him. It was a given really, since she had been his wet nurse from when he was just a newborn.


    She nursed him and took care of him, in a way she was like a mother to him, and indeed¡­ he thought of her as a mother figure, with some mild controversial feelings added to the mix that is.


    "Fufufu. Your highness¡¯ sleepy look is so cute. Perhaps I just wanted to take a look?"


    He simply put on a smile, an extremely charming one, hearing her teasing words.


    It might have worked at first when he was a toddler or when he was going through puberty and less used to her charms and teasing behavior, but it didn''t take him long to adapt to it. Well, if told honestly, he kinda had to force himself to adapt to it so as to not be ashamed at every turn of their interactions, owing to the teasing nature Milia instinctively held when it can to him.


    Though, he had to admit that it was, by no means, an easy task. After all, despite her clothes beingpletely respectable albeit a little short, and mildly skimpy, her voluptuous body made it very alluring nheless. The allure practically doubled whenbined with her motherly aura that appealed to him, and his certain immoral fetishes, immensely.


    The head maid, seeing that her antics were utterly useless, pouted a little in defeat before whining like a spoiled child, putting up an act that drew a contrast with her mature appearance yet was cute nheless.


    "*Boo-hoo* You¡¯ve be so less cute since a few years ago. I miss your blushing and flustered look. *Sigh* Anyway, your guess was right, her majesty indeed wishes to see you."


    "Aunt Lilith wishes to meet with me, at this hour? It¡¯s a bit early but¡­hum¡­alright, I will prepare myself in a jiffy."


    Normally, this was supposed to be the time allotted for his sword training, however, he was sure that his dear aunt wouldn¡¯t disturb his schedule without a reason behind it as the one who even made his schedule so busy and packed was his aunt in the first ce.


    ¡°Understood, I will go prepare the tea. The meeting will be held on the lowest floor.¡±


    Hearing the ce of the meeting, the young man''s sleepy look instantly vanished, a solemn look taking its ce instead as he ruminated over what the contents of their uing discussion might be about. The mention of the floor level made the situation more serious than he previously thought it to be.


    The lowest floor, or the floor of secrets, as some of the maids loved to call it, was a ce in the tower that was only essible to the members of the royal family of Lustburg and their closest confidants.


    It was a secretive ce that was often used to hold meetings that were highly confidential and the acting Queen used said ce as her personal office.


    ¡®I wonder what brought the sudden call.¡¯


    With that thought in mind, the young man dressed himself in his regr princely attire ¡ª consisting of a blue form-fitting shirt, tight white-colored pants, and ck shoes ¡ª and somewhat heavily made his way towards the ce of the meeting, contemting and theorizing some more about the uing talk that would take ce during his visit to his aunt, the acting queen, Lilith.


    -----


    [Lowest Floor]


    ¡°The summon is for you to search for a fianc¨¦e.¡±


    His question was answered with utmost abruptness and slight absurdity, at least that¡¯s what he thought his aunt¡¯s reply to be ¡ª utterly absurd.


    "Fianc¨¦e?"


    He couldn¡¯t help but frown deeply while making that single questioning note with all the incredulity in the world, unconsciously at that, as he looked at the purple-haired woman who sat in front, now facing him after pushing away the mountain after mountains of paperwork that never seemed to decrease no matter which time he hade to converse with her in this confidential room.


    She was his aunt as well as the acting Queen of the Lustburg kingdom, Lilith Luxuria, a woman so utterly attractive and incredibly alluring, downright bewitching even, that he could only admit that she was worthy of her enchanting name.


    If Milia was a woman that emanated a motherly aura, then Lilith was the kind of woman with a body and an aura so very sinful that could make a monk give up on all his ascetic vows just for a single fleeting chance at spending just one night of passion with her.


    It didn¡¯t help at all that she wore a long one-piece dress with such a low cut that her bountiful breasts seemed ready to spill out at any given moment while the sides of her alluringly white and meaty thighs and a part of her hips down to her slender legs was visible due to the sidecut of her incredibly revealing dress.


    In conclusion, his aunt was a creature of sin and lust that was the very personification of allure and desire ¡ª a perfect representative of the kingdom of lust.


    As revealing as her dress was, it also showcased another side of her, a side that would almost make the seductive disy of hers seem like a wonderfully woven lie made to mask the reality of her being.


    Be it her beautifully slender yet well-toned, slightly muscr, arms or the incredibly alluring, and yet again, well-toned legs they were marred with cuts and faint scars of different sizes and shapes spanning all over her body and more hidden by her skimpy dress.


    This, in fact, did nothing to diminish her incredible charm and seductiveness and in some cases further enhanced it. But they couldn¡¯t really hide the life, the journey that she had undertaken all throughout her existence, the fact that¡­her life in itself was a battlefield in which she had to win every battle by sacrificing everything, her body, her spirit, even setting her life on the line just to live on to see the next day.<sub> </sub>


    She was a legendary warrior and apetent ruler, but more than anything she was an incredible person who earned everything in her life through her own convictions and actions, a person who took control of her own pitiful destiny and changed it to what it is currently shaped to be.


    Lilith, seemingly observing his negative reaction to her sudden deration, asked with a slightly bewildered face and faint traces of concern,


    "You do not seem very interested. What might be the problem? If there¡¯s something on your mind, share it with me, I¡¯m willing to listen."


    ¡°I was just thinking that this was quite sudden. Moreover, while it pains me to admit this bitter fact, I do not have any particr target I want to pursue. In fact, there¡¯s only one person that I could even pursue among my acquaintances. At most, I thought that I would end up betrothed with a woman from a Duke house.¡±


    ¡°That¡­.is indeed the case, *Sigh* but what can we do? We cannot take the risk ofcking an heir should anything happen to you. In fact, you should have already had a fianc¨¦e and as you surmised, Athena from the Hignd ducal house was indeed the main candidate for that role. But, I decided to first wait for your awakening. The results of your awakening have arge impact on your life and the subsequent decisions, you are also aware of these facts."


    He could only hide a bitter and somewhat heavy sigh at her tant remark. The fact that he was thest heir of the kingdom was a heavy and sad truth. Indeed, if anything were to happen to him, the kingdom would fall into extreme turmoil. He still had a cousin, Lilith¡¯s daughter, but since she wasn¡¯t a ¡®Blessed¡¯, she had no legitimacy to the throne.


    Lilith tapped the table with her slender fingers, to draw his attention away from the negative thoughts guing his mind,


    ¡°I decided that, rather than rushing toward finding a fianc¨¦e for you, you should first develop more experience on these matters. What do you think?¡±


    "Do you mean that you wish for me to be some kind of yboy?"


    He asked incredulously, even more than when he voiced his doubt about the whole fianc¨¦e fiasco a few moments ago, not believing the implications behind his aunt''s words.


    She only gave a wan smile as a response to his incredulous remark.


    "Not exactly, but something close to it. However, always make sure to discuss it with Milia no matter who you choose. I don''t want you to be ensnared by some weird woman. In fact, one of the main goals of this rather questionable endeavor is to make you more resistant towards women and honey traps.¡±


    He frowned again, this time a bit deeper, he could feel that there was more to the matter at hand, something incredibly serious for a woman like her to give such questionable advice, though he could not really understand what it was, at least not yet.


    He would have to do some serious brainstorming on this matter.


    "I¡¯ll properly consult with Milia to not cause you any trouble."


    He didn¡¯t need a babysitter or a guide just to pick up girls. He was the future king of this kingdom. Women would basically throw themselves at him if he wished so. But, his aunt was right. It was important to be careful when choosing his partners.


    Lilith sighed in relief at his words. Though she was the acting Queen, she had no real power over her nephew, or rather, she did not wish to force him to do anything he didn¡¯t wish to do. Her love for him didn¡¯t allow her to do anything untoward. Thankfully, he had always been a mature and sensible young boy. Far more than he should be in his meager age.


    "Very well. I¡¯ve already exined everything to Milia. You just need to discuss the details with her."


    "I see. If that is all, I¡¯ll be taking my leave. I still have my sword practice to attend to, and you know how Setsuna acts if I¡¯mte. So, I should be going now."


    Just as he was about to stand up and leave, he was stopped midway by Lilith¡¯s abrupt words.


    "Finally, let me give you some advice¡­"


    A gentle, enchanting smile bloomed on her previously stoic and tired face, a very rare disy for someone like her, as she spoke,


    ¡°You can do whatever you want with whoever you want. Just, never forget who you are, please. Never forget what you represent and the people who care about you, that¡¯s all I ask of you, my dear nephew.¡±


    ¡°I will remember, aunt Lilith.¡±


    Nodding silently, his face hinting at how bewildered he was at the sudden heavy direction this talk had undertaken, he left for the training quarters. Inwardly mulling over herst words and wondering what brought them on.


    Lilith didn¡¯t miss that detail, endless emotions shed in her eyes as she looked at her nephew¡¯s departing figure, but all she could do as the door closed and blocked his figure was to sigh heavily and refocus on the endless paperwork, lost in her own steady stream of thoughts and painful memories.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Life was always full of regret and mncholy. A life without any regrets was a boon not many had the fortune of wielding, maybe, there was none.


    ¡®If only I can start all over again...if I could have a second chance to repeat it all. What I wouldn¡¯t give to get that chance.¡¯


    Who never had such thoughts?


    He didn¡¯t believe that there was anyone who lived without any regrets, be it which shape or size it took, there were always regrets. After all, humans were a being inherent with that feeling. Endless regrets and infinite longings were an important part of human life, they helped shape them into bing what they were.


    In the past, he was just an ordinary man that could be found anywhere in the world. The personification of what could be called average.


    He did not have some tragic background. Nor did he have a cool, heroic setting like dying after saving someone from death''s grasp.


    He was just an ordinary teen. Having an ordinary life that wasn¡¯t worth mentioning. He was a person without any expectations or goals in life. Living, just for the sake of living.


    Losing his virginity in a very shitty way. Having a hard time finding a girl he could date. Neversting long, in the rtionship, with said girlfriend once he painstakingly got one.


    A simple and ordinary life, full of regrets and longings. A life that didn¡¯t have much worth in maintaining.


    He had no memory of how he died. He did not even know if he had really died or not. Everything was very hazy, like a dream lost in the clouds of forgotten thoughts.


    Hisst memory of earth was getting dead drunk at some party and taking thest train home.


    Yes, he wasn¡¯t on earth anymore, that much was clear. At first, he had thought that he was reincarnated in some medieval time, but one look at a beast woman was all he needed to understand that this wasn¡¯t the he called home.


    Now, he was the crown prince and sole heir of the kingdom of Lustburg, the next ruler of humanity, as well as the son of the heroic man who saved the entire world through unequal might and irredeemable sacrifices¡ª Mars Luxuria.


    He was Sol Dragona Luxuria¡­ The son of the hero king.


    And this¡­is his tale.


    -------


    ? BOOK 1 : MORTAL REALM


    VOLUME 1: THE WITCH

 Chapter 2 CH 2: MILIA (1)*

    ¡°Sigh~ I am beat!¡±


    Jumping on his bed ¡ª after wiping off the remnants of water droplets left on his body and hair with a towel, Sol released a sigh of contentment as he felt thefy softness of his bed, healing the soreness of his fatigued body, and gradually refreshing his equally exhausted mind.


    Today had been a little rougher than usual, which was understandable with him being distracted after having that remarkably bizarre exchange with his aunt, Lilith, at the start of this day. The contents of the conversation and the ominous ending still persistently resonated within his mind making him feel restless of a tumultuous future ahead.


    After the end of his training session with Ares, he had been, for theck of a better word, forced to listen to numerous boring lessons in preparation for his future role as a king, and consequently, he was now drained ¡ª both mentally and physically, more so than any other day of his life in this world.


    He was so exhausted that he had to take a private shower on his own to refresh himself and release some of the umted fatigue. Truthfully, he would¡¯ve very much preferred just dozing off in his cozy bed as soon as he entered the room but the putrid smell he had piled up all day made him think better. Thankfully, now after making himself reinvigorated with a good bath, he could finally rest.


    However, just as he was about to enter the realm of dreams and serenity, away from all the worldly troubles.


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    ¡­.Someone knocked on the door of his room, interrupting the serene slumber he wished to achieve.


    ¡®Huh? Who woulde to my room at this time of the night?¡¯


    "The door¡¯s open. Come in."


    ¡°Excuse me. Sorry for interrupting you and your sleep, your highness.¡±


    A buxom maid elegantly walked into his room and bowed deeply with a refined curtsy.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you¡­¡±


    He immediately recognized the identity of the intruding maid ¡ª it was Milia, the head maid of the pce, one of the few people in this pce that he truly cared for.


    ¡°So, what do you want, Milia? Any particr reason foring to meet me at this ungodly hour?¡±


    He nonchntly inquired while he sat up in his bed, eyes still droopy, and slightly limpid, from theck of sleep and the previous preparation of trying to enter a slumbering state.


    ¡°Her Majesty informed me about the discussion she had with you this morning.¡±


    "Ah¡­I see. So that''s the case. Well, aunt Lilith advised me to consult with you, specifically, about¡­courting women, I suppose. ording to her words, there aren¡¯t any restrictions aside from noblewomen.


    "I''m a little embarrassed to say this, but I''m honestly lost as to what to do now. You are already aware of my rather¡­limited interaction with people. So¡­do you have any good ideas in mind? Where to even start? How to approach¡­this¡­whatever this is. Help me a little, will you?"


    Seemingly waiting for those exact words to escape Sol¡¯s lips, Milia walked slowly towards him ¡ª a seductive ir added to her formerly refined gait ¡ª with arge, almost creepy, smile etched on her beautiful mature face. The sudden change of her aura made him befuddled.


    "I indeed have many ideas for you to get more experience with women. But, for your first time, her highness specifically asked that you would have intercourse with someone experienced."


    A growing suspicion lingering and rising in the depths of his heart ¡ª since the very start of this chat ¡ª bloomed into reality when he was pushed back on the bed by one of her, slightly tanned, dainty hands. His vision shifted to the ceiling of the room as he was nowid on the bed again, but it didn¡¯t stay there for long and again focused on Milia, now, with an astonished look donning his face.


    "Or...is your highness not willing toy down with an old woman like me?"


    Sol gulped audibly in nervous anticipation, thinking of the ensuing events. He would be utterly lying if he said that he had never harbored any perverted thoughts or carnal fantasies about the buxom head maid.


    Admittedly, Milia had been a mother figure to him in this new life of his, but for reasons unknown, that had been the primary cause for even more unspeakable, lecherous, scenarios to bloom in his mind every now and again, scenarios he was ashamed to even imagine conducting in reality. The allure of taboo pleasure was just that much captivating.


    ¡°You must be exhausted after such a long day, so I am here to give you a massage, your highness.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that, Milia¡­.¡±


    Even though Milia was extremely beautiful, to almost criminal levels, and he indeed had some, questionable forms of, desires toward her, he would never destroy their current rtionship by forcing her to do something she didn''t wish to.


    Milia, fully understanding what he meant by those words, smiled, almost chuckled, as she corrected his misunderstanding of her intentions.


    ¡°You are our master, and it is a maid¡¯s duty to show their utmost hospitality and willingness to serve their masters, what¡¯s more, I really wish, from the bottom of my heart, to give you an evening massage to soothe the day¡¯s weariness.¡±


    The bewitching smile etched on her mature and charming face hid no illusion about the kind of massage he would receive from her. The aura surrounding her transitioned to a besmirching one with each passing second.


    She resumed her seductive gait, slowly, almost teasingly, reaching towards the bed heid on, the moment she reached his position, she halted, then slid down between his legs and crouched on that position.


    The following moment, the charming maid reached out her dainty hands and abruptly began rubbing his crotch, sensually, over the thin fabric of his night trousers.


    Her slender fingers and soft palm felt inexplicably warm even through the fabric and the rapturous sensation quickly brought his member to partial erection inside his tight pants, further tightening the constraints.


    He had to hide a shudder of ecstasy from running throughout his body at the carnal pleasure he was experiencing from her touch alone. Even though he hadn''t been a virgin in his previous life, it was difficult to im that he was experienced in the sexual department. His plight was enhanced by the fact that his current body was still that of a virgin''s andpletely in the middle of his teen years, at least in human terms.


    Expertly removing his pants, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do in this situation, she proceeded to lower his underwear as well.


    The moment she lowered it till his thighs, his, now hardened, member rose up abruptly in a curved arc, after being freed from its rather tight constraints, while gradually growing even harder andrger, settling in a stunning length and girth.


    "Oh, my! This is indeed something an inexperienced woman wouldn''t be able to handle easily."


    Masking a deep shock at the towering size of Sol''s manhood, she ced her hand on the hot throbbing shaft and looked up at him, her eyes upturned, while slowly stroking it up and down at a steady rhythmic pace.


    With the troublesome fabric out of the way, her ridiculously soft palm directly wrapped around his girthy penis, and the wonderfully smooth and pleasantly warm sensation of her fingers assaulted his crotch making him almost groan out of instinct.


    Luckily he still had enough self-control, he couldn''t let himself get lost in pleasure. For, he still needed to speak his mind, topletely clear out all the doubts and uncertainties clouding his mentality about the perverted act they were about to perform.


    ¡°Milia, I want you to know in advance that¡­I don¡¯t want you to do something you don¡¯t genuinely want to do¡­you can stop if you''re forcing yourself to do this¡­¡±


    ¡°But I do want to do this. I am not forcing myself. I''ve always wanted to do this with you, for far longer than you can imagine. Even though I know it¡¯s wrong for me to have thoughts like that towards you, but, I just can''t help it,¡± Her deep ck eyes stared at Sol with a serious expression on her face, devoid of the seductiveness they once held, trying to convey her sincerity to him. ¡°Or is an unattractive woman like me not to your liking? If you are dissatisfied with me, I could call in one of the other maids. As unfortunate as that would be¡­¡±


    Her face sank into deep sorrow as she earnestly pleaded for Sol¡¯s affection. Her once lively and alluring eyes started losing their light, ever so slowly shifting to a lifeless state. Dangerous thoughts started revolving in her head as she had the misconception of being rejected by Sol, of not being attractive enough to win his favor.


    Sol felt a twinge of guilt ache in his chest when looking at her dejected expression, his intentions were to make things clear between them so that there was no room for any misunderstandings in the future. It was never his purpose to reject and undermine her, to make her sad, seeing her saddened look pained his heart and soul. Hence, he hastily replied to correct her.


    ¡°No¡­I would be a fool to be dissatisfied.¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Then please allow me tofort you.¡±


    As if her previous dejected state had been an illusion, a bright smile bloomed on her face recing the previous lifeless look she had donned as her hands reached for the blouse section of her maid uniform and swiftly pulled it down.


    *Gulp*


    He gulped as the fabric covering her massive breasts was removed and their wonderful bowl shape was fully revealed for his eyes to gawk on.


    ¡®The breasts of cow women are truly on another level.¡¯


    The giant breasts defied gravity to stick straight out towards him, settling in a round enamoring shape, and the cherry-colored tips were already hard and erect as if hoping to draw his eyes toward them. Apparently, she was already aroused from their previous interactions, the erect tips of her firm tits being a perfect indicator of that fact.


    Milia blushed in slight embarrassment, her cheeks bing slightly rosy, when he stared at her breasts with such focus and intensity, but she kept her back straight and her chest sticking out as though asking him to pay more attention towards them and in turn toward her.


    The brown-haired maid gently lifted her massive round breasts with both of her hands. She inched closer towards Sol and pressed them towards each other with Sol¡¯s fully-erect manhood smothered in between their lovely shape.


    ¡°Ohh~!¡±


    The smooth, unbelievably soft , and springy texture of her shapely breasts surrounded his heated shaft, making it pulsate in anticipation. The warm and firm titty pressure was so pleasant that he could not help but moan out loud, losing any semnce of self-control he had been trying to put on.


    ¡°It has been rather long since I participated in such a carnal act. Do you like it, your highness?¡±


    She pressed her breasts together firmly and began stroking his hard throbbing rod while turning her pitch-ck eyes up toward him, making way for an unbelievably seductive scene, all for Sol to witness and relish.


    ¡°It feels¡­really good¡­¡±


    ¡°Does it¡­? Then please enjoy it even more¡­¡±


    Sol, entranced by the sight could not avert his gaze away from the beautiful maid and this attention was something Milia relished immensely. Happily, her eyes narrowed into a crescent shape, but her dignified features remained unchanged and her expression was locked in a calm alluring state of a mature enchantress. However, her cheeks looked a bit flushed and she seemed to be breathing a little heavily, her breathing getting more erratic with the passage of time.


    And as she expertly moved her boobs up and down, and gyrated them in different ways to stimte Sol further, small trickles of milk seeped out from her fully erect cherry-colored nipples.


    ¡°Ah, Milia, your milk¡­¡±


    ¡°Nh~¡­ Ites out when I massage them hard enough¡­but the addition of milk should serve as a good lubricant¡­¡±


    He recalled hearing that all cow women began to produce milk in their teenage years. It was a gic trait of theirs inherent in every female of their race, which made them an excellent choice as wet nurses and nannies.


    It was reliable enough that a girl¡¯s firstctation was considered as much of aing-of-age milestone as her first period was, so it was not at all strange for milk to seep out from the breasts of a beautiful adult woman like Milia.


    ¡®To think that I was fed milk from those same boobs when I was a child.¡¯


    The thought brought along with it a nefarious taboo pleasure that further stimted his throbbing member, making him groan louder. A sweet aroma rose from her milk-wet breasts and the speed of the titty friction rose as the milk acted as a proper lubricant. The breasts bounced nicely atop his crotch, rubbing the rod between them all the while.


    The sensation of the wet boobs was too much for Sol''s virgin penis, so his hips began to tremble with immense pleasure, his balls aching for release, but he held it in just to feel this insane pleasure for even a moment longer.


    Each time Milia shook her breasts with force, warm milk endlessly flowed from them, wetting his pulsating shaft and furthering his pleasure and maybe¡­ even hers.


    The sight of the cool andposed woman giving him a heated look while working hard at a titjob was immensely enticing to him. It greatly stimted his male instincts, the powerful pleasure ruled all five of his senses, and he could only think about the rubbing friction of the maid¡¯s tits on his long manhood, giving him the taste of the greatest pleasure of his life.


    The pleasure provided by someone else was very different from masturbating, so he already felt the urge to ejacte rising within his pelvis even though not much time had passed since the start of the enchanting maid¡¯s ¡®massage¡¯.


    Milia held her mouth shut to restrain her sweet voice from leaking out, but she could not stop the asional shuddering hot breaths from escaping her quivering lips. This sight of hers only aroused him further.


    He wanted to experience this pleasure even longer, but he also felt an urge to expel all of his desire right away.


    All the while, Milia continued to attack his manhood mercilessly with her milky breasts.


    ¡°If you keep rubbing like that, I really will cum!¡±


    ¡°Ahh, go ahead, Sol. Please cum¡­ Cum all over my milk-soaked tits!¡±


    He grabbed the sheets tightly, wrinkling them between his balled fists, and tried to hold back the ejaction, but his limit was approaching at breakneck speed. The stimtion was simply too great.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m cumming!!¡±


    He was unable to restrain the desire to ejacte as it forcefully rose from deep within his crotch and he reflexively thrust his hips out.


    The swollen head poked out from between the crevice of her massive breasts and then exploded in a stream of white-hot cum scattering all over Milia¡¯s form.


    ¡°Ahh, i-it¡¯s so hot.¡±


    Milia epted the ejaction with an enraptured expression as it scattered all around, and covered her face and breasts.


    ¡°Are you satisfied?...¡±


    The buxom maid scooped the semen from her body and licked it from her fingers before inching closer to his shuddering manhood and having her tongue crawl along his penis to lick up the rest of the smelly and sticky, cloudy white liquid, kissing and stimting his girthy shaft, squeezing more semen out of the bulbous tip.


    ¡°Yes, very much...¡±


    ¡°I am d to hear that. However, you are still nice and hard down here¡­¡±


    Despite having just ejacted, his penis had not goneid for even a moment. It retained its full hardness and proudly stood up toward the ceiling.


    She grinned as she looked at him with an almost hungry look as though ready to devour him whole. It was the look of a predator finally meeting its prey.


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s time to pass to the main event.¡±


    Looking at her enamoring heated smile of passion, Sol couldn¡¯t help but have a feeling of immense anticipation. He knew that this night would be really memorable.

 Chapter 3 CH 3: MILIA (2)

    Milia ced her round and plump butt over his penis and slowly, ever so slowly, began to lower it.


    Her milky white thighs sank down and thebia sucked in the engorged head of his towering penis.


    "Nn~!"


    Surprisingly, Milia was the first to raise her voice. The tip had not even fully entered her slit yet, but her thin eyebrows twisted and furrowed while sexual moans escaped with her hot breaths.


    Sol, on the other hand, could not say anything at all. He was spellbound by those well-formed hips sliding back and forth, left and right over his pelvis as if taking aim.


    The fact that the skirt of her maid uniform hid everything that was happening below was particrly erotic in his eyes.


    Finally, the mushroom-shaped head lined up perfectly with her secret inner entrance as she began to sink down further.


    He felt a tight ring of soft and warm flesh wrap around his penis and was impressed by the pleasure his aroused penis¡¯ nerves received from the warmth of the soaking wet woman.


    As their union grew deeper, Milia''s lovely body arched backward, unable to wait, as she slowly lowered her hips prompting him to grip her waist and lift his own hips up.


    Her beautiful vagina squeezed tight to deepen their bond. Sol had already cum once, so he knew he didn''t have to fear cumming too soon.


    "Milia¡­"


    "Hah~! Maybe I got a little too worked up after such a long time. That felt way too good."


    Her tone was a joking one, but a look of longing filled her face as she ced her hands on Sol''s stomach and adjusted the depth of her sitting position.


    Her body asionally trembled as if suffering from small jolts of electric shocks, so he could tell how great the pressure building inside her was.


    The beautiful bowl-shaped breasts, sandwiched between her upper arms, bounced and her wavy ck hair fluttered through the air, reflecting the charming moonlight.


    When the head of his penis reached her deepest point, a new honey-like stickiness wrapped around it.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    She gave him a beautiful, almost coquettish, smile as she looked down at him with her knees on the bed, her hips on his crotch, and her hands yfully rubbing his chest.


    Still, Milia was breathing so heavily she could barely ask. She had never felt so full.


    ''Ah, even my husband had never reached so far.''


    Discarding the useless thoughts of herte husband she refocused on the little boy, no, the man she cared so much for.


    Each time the head of his penis pushed into her deepest ce, her ample breasts would shake and her body and soul would writhe in ecstasy, but she still remembered her position as the older one. She couldn''t let herself be swept away in the pleasure¡­ yet.


    ¡°It¡¯s the best thing¡­I¡¯ve ever felt.¡±


    ¡°Really? I am d to hear that.¡­ Ah, your penis is so hot it feels like it''s going to burn my insides.¡±


    She let out a sensual sigh and smiled seductively. She also kept her hips in ce as if to savor the sensation of the penis inside her. It had been so long. More than a decade with only her hand to console herself during the night.


    She couldn''t help but relish the heat that was pervading through her body. Masturbation was nice, but nothing could beat the feeling of the connection between two people.


    Sol stopped holding back and began to thrust his hips up into her twitching and nearly convulsing vagina.


    "I''m so happy I could do this¡­with someone as pretty as you."


    Those sincere words brought a happy smile to her face.


    "Ara~! I wonder how many girls will fall into your clutches with those sweet words of yours."


    She brought her face in close and moved her lips to the side as she began to lick his ear.


    "Ah! M-Milia¡­that tickles."


    "Oh? Fufufu! So Your ear is one of your weak points? You are so cute~!"


    She lowered her head before gently biting on his nipple. She knew that even boys were as sensitive as women in that ce.


    "Kuh~!"


    He subconsciously reached out his hands to fight back.<sub> </sub>


    He grabbed both of her soft breasts, pressing them against his chest.


    Milia did not stop and continued bouncing her plump butt up and down. She stopped licking his nipple and straightened herself in order to give him better ess.


    Her ample breasts jiggled and her milk-seeping nipples danced erotically before his eyes while an obscenely sticky sound came from their union as her love juices soaked them both.


    ¡°Ahh, nhh¡­y-yes. Sol, please suck on my breasts. Drink my milk~!"


    She pleaded as she leaned down while keeping her hips moving up and down, never breaking the rhythm. He was at the mercy of the pleasure from her vaginal flesh roughly rubbing against all the sensitive spots of his penis, and her tongue on his nipple so he obediently grabbed the heavy boobs pushed in front of his face and gently sucked on the nipples.


    ¡°Ah~! Yes! Suck them harder!¡±


    Milia cried out as soon as he started sucking out her milk. The p of flesh on flesh and her moans echoed through the room, which only increased his ever-growing lust.


    The breast of a cow woman would be particrly sensitive during sex. Sol couldn''t even imagine how much pleasure he was bringing her just by doing that.


    "Nn.. Ahh, Sol¡­ You''re such a dirty boy."


    "Milia¡­ The way you wiggle your plump butt is just too lewd."


    She just smiled seductively as her butt started wiggling and gyrating around in circles all on its own. Just as it seemed to be moving right, it would turn left. Meanwhile, her inner flesh continued to gently constrict, stroking the brazen younger boy inside her.


    The creaking of the bed grew louder and louder.


    "Ahh¡­ Milia. I''m cumming again¡­ "


    "Fufufu~!" She tightened her hold on him as she began to elerate, her eyes shining with unconcealed anticipation. "Go ahead. Just let your desire flow¡­"


    Her hair danced wildly just like silk as it flew through the air.


    The pressure around Sol''s penis was simply too great as she continued to tighten herself. He gave onest mighty thrust and buried himself to the hilt in her vagina, hitting her cervix.


    "Ah~!!!!!!"


    The wonderful shock was so great that a low moan left her throat.


    Her entire body was wet and shining with sweat as she tensed up like a beast and breathed out her sensual moans of pleasure.


    Her beautiful breasts jiggled boldly before his eyes and milk squirted out in a rainbow-like arc. The warm milk sshed onto his body and face, so it felt like receiving a milk shower.


    "Ah. Milia¡­ ."


    "Do it! Paint my insides with your sperm. Mark me!!"


    In addition to her sweet moans, her sweet hole begged him by sucking him in, so he sprayed his carnal desire inside it.


    "Ah!!!!!"


    His second load of juices was no less impressive than the first as he fired it into her womb like a bullet.


    They continued pounding their intertwined skin together until he had expelled the veryst drop.


    "...Ahh¡­ "


    ''Sex is really amazing. I feel so full right now.''


    Milia seemed to literally be a zing inferno. A switch flipped inside her as arge grin covered her face.


    "Heheh~! You can keep going, right?"


    A shiver of nervous anticipation went through his spine. Her predatory eyes seemed as if it was about to devour him and frankly, he wished for it


    She didn''t wait for him to answer as she resumed swinging her hips, bringing him a new sensation of pleasure.


    "Let''s continue. This time. I will show you how it''s done."


    That night, Sol got carried away and came inside Milia three times before falling asleep with Milia in his arms since she was totally exhausted.

 Chapter 4 CH 4: HELL HAS NO FURY...(1)

    Having cummed thrice from Milia''s passionate and meticulous attention, Sol had fallen asleep almost immediately. The day''s tiredness, and the mental strain of the pleasure he received, coupled with the strain of the passion-filled exercise was just too much for him to do anything but immediately shuttle to the realm of sleep.


    However, for some unknown reason, as the light of the sun, filtering through the curtains, shined on his shut eyes and began to rouse him from his deep sleep, he felt a wet and warm sensation surrounding his lower body, specifically his hardened meat-b.


    ¡°What is happening?¡±


    Slowly rubbing his heavy eyelids, still drooping with sleep, he looked at his crotch, and immediately, identified the source of the pleasurable feeling originating from his pleasure organ.


    ¡°Good morning, your highness.¡±


    Milia looked up at him with a gentle and slightly lecherous smile, but for some reason, his underwear was pulled down to his knees and his morning wood was held firmly in her dainty hands, shining wet with saliva and other fluids.


    ¡°Right¡­good morning¡­ AS IF!!! What in the name of Luxuria are you doing, right now!?¡±


    ¡°My, why the sudden outburst? I''m giving you a blowjob of course. I came to wake you and found out you were already hard again afterst night. So I thought¡­ Why not?¡±


    Milia''s act made it look like giving a blowjob was a perfectly normal thing to be doing as she took the engorged head of his penis into her mouth. Her warm saliva and rough tongue wrapped around his penis, and immediately after, jolting shocks of immeasurable pleasure ran all over through his sleepy body.


    ¡°Ahh! S-seriously¡­?¡±


    His zing rod was twitching with wanton pleasure and it was already soaked with her saliva and his precum, so she must have been sucking him off for a while already.


    Being woken up by a blowjob from a beautiful maid was the kind of upper-ss luxury that Sol could only have dreamed of in his past life ¡ª never to be enacted in reality. He did wonder deeply if he was, in fact, dreaming this or not, but the sweet, addictive tingling assaulting his lower body was very real and very stimting ¡ª sensations that would be impossible to be felt in a dream, so he had to take the events for what they were; reality.


    ¡°Nh~! You are so hard this morning...*slurp*...And it¡¯s twitching too...such a fantastic cock, you wield, your highness¡­¡±


    Her plump pinkish lips trailing stroked the shaft, the puckered lips intensely sucking at the sensitive head with intermittent rhythm. She seemed to have been trying to milk the cum right out of him with her oral technique, so Sol pleasuringly writhed on the bed from the unbearable pleasure that constantly emanated and spread throughout all his senses.


    Partially because it had been so unexpected for him, he could not fight the urge to ejacte as scalding pleasure took over his entire body, making his body hot and bothered.


    The tip of her ravenous tongue slowly, sensually, crawled from the base to the head as though licking off the precum flowing from the tip, an obscenely wet sound simultaneously rang throughout the room as she resoundingly suck at his top, his precum mixing with the saliva in her mouth.


    ¡°*Slurp*, please cum whenever you are ready¡­ ¡±


    His reactions must have told her he was close because she looked up at him with damp ck eyes and prompted him to ejacte.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming!¡±


    The passionate tongue caresses his penis, so soon after waking up brought him to climax quite easily, easier than he thought possible. Ovee by pleasure, he grabbed the little curved horns peeking out of Milia''s head and used them as a handle to make her take his full length down her musky throat.


    The maid¡¯s eyebrows shot straight up for a split moment, only to rx at the next moment as she soonposed her expression. Then she audibly swallowed all the semen filling her mouth as if that were the only eptable option given this scandalous situation.


    ¡°This really feels great.¡±


    Even after he had finished ejacting, Milia diligently sucked at his rod to take care of the cum remaining in his urethra as if it was the sweetest thing in the world.


    He had cum so muchst night, but she had just milked out, even more, this morning, and the look in her eyes told him that she was up for milking out some more, making him sweat in nervousness.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After she thoroughly cleaned his rod with her tongue, Milia got up and looked at him with her usual mischievous smile,


    ¡°How was it? Did you enjoy my mouth?¡±


    She then tilted her head in wonder as she saw his cock slowly hardening again.


    ''His Stamina is really something else altogether.''


    ¡°Was that not enough to satisfy you? In that case, how about I use my breasts like I didst night? Or would you prefer my vagina?¡±


    He was only a little bit exhausted, given the deep sleep he was able to get, however, Milia misinterpreted his rxed and mute reaction as silent eptance and grew overly excited as she began to frantically remove her maid uniform.


    ¡°It felt good! It felt really, really good!¡±


    ¡°Really? Then tell me what is it that you would like me to do.¡±


    Milia must have thought he was simply too shy to say anything because she was already beginning to bare her breasts to smother his penis between them.


    ¡°I appreciate the thought¡­but I really think we should stop¡­at least for now¡­¡±


    He was really happy that she wanted to pleasure him that much. It was an utterly attractive offer, but sadly he had to refuse because he feared he would drown himself in those blissful feelings and forget about everything else. After all, was said and done, there was an optimal time for everything ¡ª which sadly for him, wasn''t now.


    Milia looked somewhat disappointed and slightly gloomy, her lips curving in a small pout, but otherwise didn''t insist. She knew that she would have many asions to have another night of unrestrained passion with him. Meanwhile, Sol swiftly pulled his underwear up and searched for some of his training clothes.


    ¡°I see¡­ As you wish. Now, your highness, Sol. Her Majesty wishes to have breakfast with you today, but what would you like to do?¡±


    "Hum, Breakfast? Indeed, we didn''t have time to meet each othertely. Yesterday was our first meeting over the span of one week."


    Even though he was the crown prince and his aunt was nothing more than the queen regent, he had a humongous amount of respect and admiration for her.


    It was a given since, like his parents, she was one of the heroes who saved the world from the catastrophic disaster that was about to ravage the fate of the world and everyone that lived in it.


    "Tell her that I will be happy to join her. For now, I need to meet Setsuna for our morning training or she will skin me alive. That girl is way too brutal."


    "Fufufu!" Milia immediately covered her mouth as she let out an elegant and somewhat enigmaticugh. She knew that even though Sol wasining, Setsuna was one of the few people he really trusted and cared for ¡ª and people like those could be counted with both hands.


    "Your sword and training gear are already prepared. Setsuna should be in the garden now, waiting for you to begin your today''s training session today."


    Though Sol would sometimes go down the tower and train with Ares and the other knights, most of the time, he would simply go up in the hanging gardens and train alone with Setsuna, that was the main approach of his growth to this date.


    "Thanks. Please tell the maids to heat my bath and prepare some oil for massage, I am sure I will need it."


    He let out a bitterugh before changing his clothes to suitable ones for training. All this while Milia stood and looked at him with a teasing smile, but Sol didn''t mind.


    Their previous rtionship was already as close as it could get. Afterst night, however, it only became even closer; crossing boundaries that he had been dreaming of crossing for a long time. It would be pretty stupid to still be embarrassed about being seen naked now that they did something so intimate.


    "Okay. I am out."


    Milia stood in the room as she watched Sol depart for his training. She knew that she should have told him to take a bath but at the same time, she thought that this would serve as a boost for a rtionship that should have bloomed ages ago.


    What¡¯s more, it would serve as a lesson for him. After all,


    "How could he forget how sensitive the nose of a beastkin is? Fufufu! I wish I could take a look at her face when she sniffs the scenting from him right now."


    Laughing maliciously, her current form would''ve been enough to make Sol frightened and anxious, as he should be given the future awaiting him¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A few hourster¡­<sub> </sub>


    Sun shone, scattering its blinding brilliance on the lush trees sprawled about the surface of the hanging gardens. Birds chirped the rhymes of nature, twiddling upon various branches of the evergreen trees. Cute, tiny squirrels plucked fruits from the saplings and scurried into the bushes.


    This was nature in all her humble brilliance ¡ª a mesmerizing sight only visible in this unique ce ¡ª the hanging gardens of Babylon¡­


    In the center of such a lively garden, two people could be seen standing adorning training gears. One of them, frantically swinging a sword while the girl beside him was counting each of his swings, the scowl on her face indicating that she was in a very very bad mood.


    ¡°450. Do it again.¡±


    He had thought that he would only have to suffer a little bit, given the slight offense he thought hemitted, unbeknownst of the scent leaking off him¡­


    ¡°450. Change your posture.¡±


    He had already imagined different situations and ways to cope with them in his mind, he felt confident¡­


    ¡°Study your opponents and find their weakness.¡±


    However, it seemed like he had seriously underestimated how angry she would be¡­ little did he know, that the real reason was still unbeknownst to him still¡­


    ¡°455. I know you can do better¡­soe on, swing harder¡­¡±


    Still, he didn''t stop charging his posture as he continued swinging his sword to the perfect rhythm of the sword forms. He had to, for he knew more than anyone else, that this world wasn''t just some happy dream with him being a carefree prince.


    "455. Your swing was too weak. It doesn''t count. Do it again¡­ Come on!!!"


    He knew that this world was a very dangerous ce where life and death could be decided at the drop of a hat. Ultimately, there was a reason why he was an orphan even after being the son of the hero king ¡ª the greatest human to ever exist in all the erasbined.


    ''If even the hero king and his dragoness wife can get killed. Who can avoid this fate? Death does not care about how noble or invincible you may be.''


    As such, even though he knew Setsuna was simply blowing out some steam out of her system. He didn''t stop or chastise her for her unfairness and instead put all his mind and focus on swinging his sword again and again. Until he perfected it, until he couldn''t anymore, until he went beyond his limits¡­ The inhumane and torturous swings continued for about 30 more minutes.


    "990. Just ten more and your third set of 1000 will end."


    His arms felt like they would fall off at any moment. Still, he did not stop and gave his all to perfectly perform the finishing swing.


    "and...1000."


    Those sweet words of release reverberated in his heart like the melodious voice of heaven forgiving a sinner of their eternal damnation.


    *huff* *huff* *huff*


    He stood shakingly as his body was literally bathed in his training shirt, sticking like a second skin to his body. His gait was unsteady and his mind blurry.


    "A-Are you alright?"


    From the side, the worried voice of Setsuna, his beast trainer, sounded almost like an afterthought.


    "Sol!!"


    Finally, he felt his vision darken as he fell into the embrace of mother nature.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ? What woke him up this time wasn''t a wet sensation on his crotch but rather a dainty hand caressing his sweaty forehead. He could also feel the back of his head resting on something pleasantly soft and firm but also warm.


    ''Ap pillow.''


    It was such a pleasant sensation that he wished he could stay like that for all eternity.


    "Are you awake?"


    He would have tried to fake his sleep, but he knew that someone like her should have been able to feel the change in his breathing rhythm.


    He opened his sky blue eyes and looked at the nigh equally blue ones, but of a deeper darker shade, that were fixed on his face. Her beautiful angr face that was generally fixed like a cold mask was now wrought with anxiety.


    He tried to speak but she beat him to it as she barked.


    "Idiot!!"


    He stopped short. He could see her face contort and her body quiver as she tried to keep the tears from falling.


    "Why didn''t you tell me you were past your limits?! You still didn''t awaken after hours passed. Doing something like that could only be harmful to you."


    He let out a bitter smile at her sobering remark. Indeed. Humans were different from the various other races of this world because they could only have ess to mana after their awakening. This was why it was such an important milestone for them.


    Even though Sol was already much stronger than the average Joe, he wasn¡¯t sadly above this restriction.


    "Hahaha! Sorry, sorry. I was just sure I could do it. Heh. Also, seeing from this side, I believe it was worth it."


    Those words, more than anything, made her flushpletely as she stopped berating him before hanging her head in shame; herrge fluffy ear also doing the same and drooping downwards.


    "I am the one who should apologize. I shouldn''t have made your training harder because of jealousy."


    Her words might havee off as a murmur, but he was close enough to clearly hear her.


    "Jealousy?"


    He looked at her quizzically before everything finally clicked in his mind.


    ''Fuck. I forgot she was a wolf.''


    Everything had happened too fast. He had totally forgotten how sensitive the nose of beastkin could be. Even more so for a blue wolf like her.


    Coming at her training with the scent of sex basically radiating out of his pores might have been like a p to her face.


    Her face flushed even more when she understood he got what she meant.


    An awkward silence fell between the two of them. Finally, Setsuna simply sighed and spoke out,


    ¡°Anyway, me being angry doesn¡¯t excuse the fact that I made you push yourself more than you should have. I will do anything for you to forgive me.¡±


    Sol, who was about to tell her to not mind it, stopped short at her words as his thought process crashed.


    Few words held more power than those uttered out by her. He slowly got up and took her hand before pulling her further into the garden, which could also be called a forest.


    Once he reached a ce far enough, he asked again just to be sure,


    ¡°Setsuna, did you say that you would do anything?¡±

 Chapter 5 CH 5: ...LIKE A WOMAN IN HEAT (2)

    ¡°Setsuna, did you say that you would do anything?¡±


    Ostensibly startled and taken aback, a little, due to Sol¡¯s sudden actions and subsequent query, Setsuna floundered briefly but immediately after nodded nheless, a serious expression donning her face. ¡°Of course. What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Then...could you do it to me with your chest?¡±


    Hesitating briefly before mustering his determination, Sol uttered those scandalous yet conspicuous words. Following the night of passion he recently spent with Milia, he had to confess that having his dick sandwiched between tworge breasts was an incredible feeling to experience.


    Setsuna showed a look of pure astonishment before tilting her head a bit in contemtion, trying her best to decipher Sol''s conspicuous words. Moments passed and finally it clicked; her face blushed like a fully ripe tomato, upto her neck, once she realized the hidden meaning behind his words.


    ¡°S-so there is such an act too?... I have studied a bit about the subject in preparation for that fateful day but¡­ I have never heard about it¡­ I see, that''s how it is.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    "Did Milia do it for you¡­the previous night, I mean?"


    Hesitation briefly brewed in Sol''s deep blue eyes; Now musing on how to reply to her difficult remark, Sol found himself floundering, before finally answering with a calming smile shing across his handsome face, arriving at the answer that he found resonating the most with his thoughts.


    "What I did with Milia is something private that I can''t share without her consent. Moreover, I don''t want you to ept my requests just for the sake ofpeting with her. If you don''t like it, I won''t force you to do it¡­ever. In the end, you should already know that I would never ask you to do anything that you would have inner struggles in conducting."


    He knew about her extremepetitive nature and thoroughly understood that he could have easily coerced the sexy wolf girl into giving him what he wanted if he pulled all the right cards in his favor. However, what would even be the use of such a meaningless action? Any sexual activity should be something enjoyable for both participants, not something for one to force upon the other.


    More or less understanding the thoughts running along his head right now, Setsuna could only feelplicated emotions of intertwined jealousy and helplessness coursing in her mind, unable to obtain the information she wanted. Nevertheless, deciding to let go of the matter, she could only sigh at resignation. However, somewhere deep in the depths of her heart, she was also happy Sol answered to her honestly and rebutted her, instead of making use of her contradicting feelings against Milia.


    ¡°I may be inexperienced but I will give it a try, just for you¡­of course¡±


    Having said those words,ced in beastly lust, softly as she spoke them; embarrassment leaking out of her quivering voice, Setsuna grabbed her clothes with a determined look¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m ashamed, but ¡­¡±


    And thereafter, proceeded to expose her chest in one swift motion.


    Initially wearing clothes that showed her sensual cleavage, to a dangerous degree, they slipped out of their constraints with almost nned ease. Still, it was a blessing in itself to be able to see her naked chest without any obstructions barring their lustful glory. Mesmerized at the wonderful sight, he couldn¡¯t help but voice his admiration.


    ¡°It is beautiful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ what you must have said to Milia, too.¡±


    ¡°Though I am guilty to say so, I can''t deny that allegation. However, you must know that I am speaking the truth. Your skin is wonderful, white and has a beautiful pink color on the tips. It''s truly beautiful and mesmerizing.¡±


    ¡°It is shameful to be able to hear praises about your own body.¡±


    ¡°You should get used to it right away. Because I will always praise you. There''s nothing shameful about the truth.¡±


    Setsuna blushed heavily at his unimaginably brazen and blunt remarks. Since she already discarded her top, it was easy to see her blush cover her cheeks and even down to the upper parts of her breast. Her breasts weren''t as big as Milia''s but they were still rtivelyrge and had a nice and firm shape.


    *Gulp*


    Shyly advancing towards Sol, she kneeled in front of him before putting her hands on his belt and removing it from his training trousers.


    When she took off the hook, she pulled it down along with his underwear and eximed in unrestrained awe.


    ¡°It''s much bigger than I remember¡­ ¡±


    Sol chuckled at her words. Thest time they saw each other naked was when they were respectively five and eight. Setsuna being three years older than him.


    ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    ¡°A little bit. Do you remember when we used to take a bath together when we were small? At that time it was only the size of a thumb.¡°


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯tpare it with me when we were still small.¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry ¡­ but there was nothing else topare it with.¡±


    He of course already knew, but hearing her say that still made him feel rather prideful of his growth in that department. Anyone would have the same reaction after hearing those words. He of course had nothing against non-virgins.


    As long as they were loyal during each of their rtionships, girls who fucked a lot of guys weren''t sluts. Still, he had to admit that being the first and sole man for a girl gave a special feeling of conquest that was simply unequal.


    ¡°Would you sandwich it between them?"


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Because it is my role to take care of you. I will not let that thieving cow take you away from me anymore.¡±


    Saying so, she lifted her rtivelyrge breasts and sandwiched his throbbing penis between their firm and smooth snugness.


    His excitement went up a notch with the addition of the soft and smooth touch that seemed to melt him in a moment.


    ¡°Sol¡¯s¡­is very hot...¡±


    ¡°The sticity, it¡¯s soft enough to wrap everything up¡­ Good grief, with such a nice woman in front of my eyes, I¡¯m surprised that I¡¯ve been able to hold back this long.¡±


    ¡°*Giggle* I¡¯ll ept that as apliment, for now, Sol.¡±


    Uttering those words,ced in embarrassment and intertwining excitement, Setsuna drew her chest closer to his legs, wrapping the throbbing shaft fully in their ecstatic embrace.


    Although she did not move yet, he felt pleasure in the smothering pressure of her jouncy milk jugs, and his body was already slightly shivering in anticipation for her following actions.


    ¡°I was quite scared because it is so big, but if you look closely, it''s quite pretty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you liked it.¡±


    ''At least she didn''t call it cute. Please, never let anyone call it cute¡­''


    ¡°I only have to move this way, right?¡±


    ¡°Ooh¡­like that¡­Can you apply a bit more force?¡±


    Maybe because he was craving sex right now, his penis was already producing modicum amounts of precum, different form the amount he had produced this morning during his session with Milia.


    Doing a gentle service all the way, moreover with a virgin as your partner. Sometimes psychological pleasure was much superior to the physical one one would get during intercourse.


    Titjobs by themselves weren''t that pleasurable. Of course, a little bit of lotion could do the trick of smooth movements. But then again anything with a little bit of lotion could feel good. Many people deeply in love with their hands would agree with that statement.


    What made boobjobs so special was the sensation of supreme bliss you received from watching a girl go down on you and sandwich your dick with those magnificent globes of fat.


    p As he looked down at the blushing form of Setsuna, working on his zing rod with an entranced expression, he couldn''t help but sincerely pray in his heart</anda>


    ¡®Whatever deity who brought me into this world. I can only say. You are the fucking best!!!¡¯


    *Giggle*


    ''Hum?'' He could swear that he heard the soft bell-like giggles of a girl, a mature one(?), ringing in his ears.


    "Setsuna, did you hear something, right now?"


    Setsuna, who was giving her full attention to her task tilted her head in abrupt wonder.


    "What are you talking about?"


    "Forget it. Please continue."


    "...Okay."


    Though a bit apprehensive with his sudden question, she still returned to her earnest task.<sub> </sub>


    If Setsuna with her beast senses didn''t hear the voice then it could have only been his imagination. Discarding the rather useless thoughts for another time, or never for that matter, he focused back on the glorious scene of depravity that was transpiring before his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to move again, okay?¡±


    Setsuna, without waiting for his answer, began to guide her chest up and down around his long schlong.


    The soft meat wrapped up the leash and stimted the whole. The ns appeared and disappeared from the valley of her bountiful chest as she stared at him with upturned eyes glowing with affection and lust.


    It was almost too much.


    Setsuna¡¯s cheeks became even redder, as her breathing became rough,ing out in low gasps and pants. Her wolf-like ears were twitching, flopping around erratically mirroring her aroused emotions. It made Sol want to caress and y with them.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing...It¡¯s getting hotter... and bigger.¡±


    ¡°Good, Setsuna. Please continue like that.¡±


    The up and down movement elerated, as her breasts were squashed in indecent shapes, stimting his desire for her.


    Sol was without a doubt obtaining great pleasure. Still, something was missing.


    ¡°It¡¯s not slippery enough, is that it?¡±


    As if reading his thoughts, Setsuna spoke out loud.


    ¡°Setsuna?¡±


    ¡°Sol would like it if I went faster, right?¡±


    He hesitated a little before nodding to her, as her words mirrored his feelings. He understood that she was right. What feltcking was that slippery feeling. Milia had her milk as a lubricant while Setsuna did not.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll make it more slippery. But before this, please forgive me for my graceless behavior.¡±


    Uttering those words in a shy tone, Setsuna opened her mouth marginally. She put out the tip of her tongue softly, dripping out a stream of saliva into her valley.


    His heart fluttered at the thought that such a pretty and serious girl like Setsuna put up with her embarrassment just for him.


    ¡®The usual strong and stoic Setsuna can also look this lewd.¡¯


    While making naughty and sloppy noises, the titfucking became more intense. From the root to the tip, she stimted every part of it deliberately, and the urge to ejacte gradually became more and more apparent..


    ¡°Ah~! Sol..something is dripping from the tip for some time now...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called precum. Ites out when I feel really good.¡±


    ¡°You feel good with me, right? Better than with Milia?¡±


    ¡®What a terrifying question.¡¯


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who is better now, does it? I already said it once, I don¡¯t want you topete with her. You two, both of you, are iparably precious to me.¡±


    She gave a knowing smile to his off-handed remark, obviously seeing through his attempt to skirt around her question. Still, she didn¡¯t pester him more and continued to apply more pressure.


    ¡°Ahh...It wille out soon, Setsuna.¡±


    ¡°!? What should I do?¡±


    He hesitated a little before asking.


    ¡°Could you drink it for me?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes. If it¡¯s for Sol¡­ !¡±


    ¡°Good! Now¡­forgive me for this bit¡­¡±


    Unable to hold back anymore, Sol simply let go of all restraint.


    ¡°Kya!¡±


    She was surprised at first, and some globs of cumnded on her face, but she came close with haste and wrapped her mouth around the engorged head.


    Sol felt like, if there was heaven, then he was there right now. Finally, once he finished, he retired his cock out of her mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t swallow yet. Please show it to me.¡±


    ¡°Ah~!¡± She opened her mouth wide without hesitation and showed him the white cloudy liquid in her mouth. Embarrassment had gone down the window long ago for her and she just did everything he asked instinctively at this point.


    ¡°Now you can swallow.¡±


    *Gulp* *Gulp*


    ¡°Ugh! It¡¯s a little bit bitter.¡±


    Seeing her throat bob up and down as she swallowed his cum before opening her mouth and showing that she had indeed drunk it all was truly an erotic sight that itched his heart and stimted his instincts.


    "Good job. You really are a good girl, Setsuna."


    He patted her head affectionately and enjoyed the vision of her fluffy tail wagging all over in happiness while she closed her eyes and showed a happy smile. The trickle of cum on the side of her face made for an incredibleposition between cuteness and eroticism.


    After a while though, Setsuna''s expression slowly went from calm to aroused. Her breath shortened to a hitch as she leaked intermittent hot sighs,


    ¡°Sol~!¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s up, Setsuna?¡±


    ¡°I... I too... I cannot stand it anymore...¡±


    Setsuna stood up, before showing her back to him as she used a nearby three as a crutch and stuck out her butt to him before looking over her shoulder. Her face was rosy and her eyes vacant, zed over with beastial lust, as if she couldn¡¯t control herself anymore.


    Even though he had just ejacted, he couldn¡¯t help but be hard again.


    Rather than her breasts, the most attractive part about her body was without a doubt her beautifully toned butt. He slowly walked toward her, before gently pulling her into a hug.


    He wanted to make love to her. He really wanted to. Still, It was too soon. He couldn¡¯t waste everything just for a few hours of happiness.


    ¡°I am sorry. You know that we can¡¯t do any form of pration before the bonding ritual.¡±


    The hazy look in her eyes faded as she was brought back to reality. Still, seeing her downcast look, Sol couldn¡¯t help but feel a little guilty. As such, he asked,


    ¡°Do you know about cunnilingus?¡±


    He let out a naughty smile at her look of wonder and confusion.


    Ten minutester. Setsuna was reduced to a quivering mess as she twitched like a vibrator while her thighs werepletely soaked with her juices.


    ¡®Hehe... seems like all those studies back then helped.¡¯


    In his past life, he wasn¡¯t as good-looking as he was now nor was he as well endowed. He wasn¡¯t particrly rich either. The best way for him to make a woman happy was to use his tongue and his fingers.


    ¡®Hum...Next time I will give a payback to Milia.¡¯


    He thought, as he took Setsuna into a princess-carry and exited the garden with a reinvigorated look.

 Chapter 6 CH 6: HEATED BATH

    Done messing a bit with a sexually overdosed Setsuna, Sol nowid down inside the lukewarm water of his bath, prepared for him to rx and blow away some of his fatigue, as his body was being scrubbed clean and tended to by five maids, with luscious bodies that would make any men drool at their mere sight.


    Even though he was originally from the world of modern times, he didn''t feel the slightest bit ufortable being tended upon by the skilled and dainty hands of his maids and in fact relished it, quite a bit. Any man would enjoy being tended upon by willing women, said enjoyment increased proportionally to the beauty of the woman involved.


    His bath was more akin to arge swimming pool full of hot steaming water rather than the traditional bath usually found in the empire''s nobility. The maids bathing him were wearing a mixed assortment of white and ck micro-swimsuits, of his own creation, that barely covered any of their womanly features from the eyes. It made their sights even more tantalizing than them being fully naked.


    ncing at their half-naked and tantalizing forms, his dick couldn''t help but slowly be erect with anticipation of a quick romp. One would need to be gay or a eunuch ¡ª or, perhaps, in full control of their mind ¡ª to not get a hard-on in such a situation. Never mind that he had already cum five times since yesterday.


    Still, simply opting to close his eyes, he paid no further attention to his now aching groin protesting for some much-desired action. It wasn''t his first bath nor his first time getting a hard-on during such baths. Usually, the maids would just ignore it with a professional smile and finish bathing him, ending their task of the day.


    Today, however, proved to not be a usual day, it seemed¡­


    Feeling a soft hand gingerly caressing his shaft, making it throb into life, he opened his slightly perturbed eyes and looked quizzically at the maid who was so bold to manhandle his little brother.


    The figure of a maid with a rather petite build entered his gaze, only answering his queries with a coquettish smile devoid of any fear as she became busy handling his meat b. He never really tried to remember their names since they always rotated their shifts for his bath time.


    Feeling his questioning gaze drop on her, the maid froze, then looking at him she let out a bashful smile, questioning or rather asking for permission.


    "Your highness. Would it be alright for us to take care of you today?"


    Understanding the hidden meaning behind her query, Sol raised an eyebrow at her bold and brazen remark. He had never used his authority to make the servants around him to serve him, sexually or in any forceful way, for that matter, against their own consent and interest.


    The way he was now, in this new life of his, he could be said to be many things ¡ª a rapist, and a tyrant, both surely weren''t among them, and he did not think that anything was exciting about having a quick shag with an unwilling partner.


    "What brought this question? This is rather sudden and unprecedented."


    The maid began to giggle at his statements as one of them, a catgirl, voiced out a response with an impish smile hanging on her luscious pink lips.


    "We always wanted to do it, Nya~!..."


    "We just thought that your highness wasn''t interested in lowly beings like us." Another one, with the pointed ears and the dark skin of a dark elf, continued while licking her dark ruby-colored lips.


    "But yesterday¡­"


    "All the maids heard the sweet moansing from your room and..."


    "Our suspicions were proven correct after seeing Setsuna''s state today..."


    "So we thought we would try our chances."


    He was as impressed and bewildered about their synchronization as he was about their scandalous proposal, that neither hid nor had any intention to mask their desires towards him.


    Five maids. A cat, an elf, and three humans. All of them were rather beautiful and with well-developed bodies.


    He nearly gulped in anticipation, but he refused to show them weakness, preserving his stoic demeanor in front of them.


    ''Seems like I will get to realize one of my dreams. Having an orgy.''


    He let out a charismatic smile, affirming them of their wishes¡­


    "Alright."


    ----


    Done deciding on a suitable order, they synchronously moved towards the part of the bath where the water was shallower than the rest, shallow enough for them to enjoy a depraved session unhindered.


    Lining up in front of him in practiced order, they got down on all fours, and stuck their butts out towards him, eagerly waiting for him to appraise their derriere and do with it as he pleased.


    Viscous streams of steam filled the room, and floating lights, held and weaved together using magical phenomena, illuminated the room, he saw a lewd assortment of a white ass, a brown one, and a beastly ass, protruding a tail from the girl''s tailbone, flickering above her smoothly toned butt with mischievous dexterity.


    Unsure in his mind whether he should call the sight fantastical or breathtaking, he stood mesmerized as the beholder of the hedonistic sight, but one thing he was sure, the dreamlike scenario was more than enough to stir up his animalistic lust.


    Caressing the gals¡¯ bodies to his heart¡¯s content, he inserted his finger in their wet honeypots, enjoying the subtle differences in their makeup and the variances in their reaction to his touch.


    A few moments achingly passed, he was now holding on to a chocte-toned ass and pumping this chocte beauty, of dark elvish origin, from behind like there was no tomorrow.


    His penis, oozing with both of their bodily fluids, was still going rhythmically in and out of her salmon pink vagina, it was an unbelievably obscene sight. The other girls ¡ª hot, naked, and bothered, reeling in the depraved sight ¡ª were all watching the scene in front of them with feverish eyes, quietly whispering amongst each other, a depraved discussion fitting the scenario.


    "A, Amazing¡­..! She is usually such a quiet girl, but now she¡¯s letting out those kinds of voices¡­"


    "Is it really that good?"


    "I mean, just look at it, it¡¯s so thick and sturdy¡­ "


    "Ahh¡­ T-the sex is so indecent it almost seems like two animals are copting with wanton abandon!"


    "If my insides got stirred by such a thing, my stomach would likely tear¡­ How delightful!!!"


    Sol didn''t pay attention to their murmurs, solely focusing on the unceasing moans of the dark beauty under him.


    "Ah~! Please more!! I-It¡¯s reaching, it¡¯s hitting me so deeply!"


    Cornering her intensely as he pumped smoothly from behind, he made her shiver and tremble as she experienced a violent surge of pleasure along with her first-ever internal orgasm, the dark elf¡¯s vagina was convulsing erratically as he finally spurted his thick semen right into the deepest depths of her core.


    All the girls synchronously swallowed their saliva as they eyed him with a mix of curiosity, fear, and¡­desire, as he pulled his still hard and throbbing penis out of the fainted tanned nude body. A mixture of blood and semen immediately began to flow out of her still quivering snatch, her body probably still being rocked by the throes of her repeated orgasms.


    He sported a rather confident grin as he asked them the question, they all were excruciatingly waiting for.


    "Now then, who''s next?"


    Getting red in the face and quickly averting their gazes, the girls eyed each other before one of them finally gathered enough courage to step ahead and go near him.


    Sol didn''t urge any of them. Sex was a willing act of pleasure between two or more people. Forced sex shouldn''t exist.


    He boldly embraced her slender body, of the one that proposed herself, and massaged her rather modest breasts with one hand while his other hand trailed downwards before stirring up her insides.


    It was already quite obvious that she was hoping for such a development as her sweet moans leaked out and fear was quickly reced by a growing sense of pleasure.


    Several voices whispered together in an entangled note all pointing out in an envious tone, their desires to rece the girl ahead, as the rest of the girls could only patiently wait for their turn.


    What followed was a pure storm of relentless lust. As he went all out and vented as much as he liked.


    The girls didn''t mind either. Even though he vented, he still cared enough to make them feel as much pleasure as he could possibly deliver to them. He used his tongue and fingers to bring them to the height of happiness.


    It wasn''t long before they were piled up in a total mess of quivering flesh and echoing moans.


    This time Sol wasn''t behind them but was ratherying down under a mattress specially used for bathing purposes¡­<sub> </sub>


    They straddled his arms, legs, torso, and face. They used their own fingers to spread their pussy lips and pressed the contents against him.


    Then, they all began moving their hips.


    ¡°Ahh!!¡±


    Moans and ecstatic shouts echoed in the wall of the bathroom.


    Girls straddled Sol¡¯s face, limbs, body, and dick and they all rubbed their wet pussy lips against him.


    The girls were essentiallytching their sensitive flesh against his body to masturbate.


    Their juices had already started overflowing as they waited for Sol to stick his manhood inside each of them in turn.


    They produced plenty of love juices, so they quickly smeared his entire body with their shameful nectar. He almost felt like all of the bathwater had been reced with the girls¡¯ love juices already.


    ¡°A-ahn~! Yes! amazing! ¡±


    The girls¡¯ voices echoed through the bath. They were likely aroused by this perverted group masturbation session.


    They seemed to be enjoying themselves even more than normal as each one¡¯s pleasure amplified all the others¡¯ pleasure. It was difficult to believe that those girls were all virgins just a few moments ago.


    ''Ahh, I feel like my entire body is wrapped in their wet flesh¡­ It¡¯s like I¡¯m inside a giant pussy¡­''


    Though disgusted at his own imagination, it was indeed the only way to describe his current state. His naked body was entirely surrounded by the girls¡¯ bodies. He was soaking in feminine flesh more than the bath.


    In that world of utter perversion and unending depravity, his entire body twitched as he felt pleasure from all sides and nerves.


    His penis throbbed violently ¡ª a milky liquid erupted from the tip as he filled the cat girl, that was straddling him, with his copious spunk.


    "Nyaa~! A-Amazingg~!! This is, this is sex¡­? Having sex with a human male feels this good!"


    The girls watched in utter fascination as their friend twitched and moaned like a deranged mess, her eyes rolling up the sockets of her skull, a sign of her immense pleasure, before one of them yanked her out and hastily reced her with herself.


    The cycle continued like that again and again in endless loops.


    In the end, the girls could only beg for Sol to stop.


    Standing naked, his dick hanging freely covered in bodily fluids of too many origins, and the girls covered in his semen and their mixed juices,id on the floor with hazy expressions and smiles full of bliss. Sol only had one thought in his mind, at this depraved sight.


    ''I friggin'' love this life.''


    When he left the bath with a towel rolled around his hips, Sol let out a sigh of deep satisfaction. It was truly an exciting and spiritually rxing event.


    In the bath, what was left were fivepletely exhausted women covered in a veritable shower of semen from head to toe. This was such an erotic sight that he almost went for a new round, but remembering that he still had to attend breakfast he left reluctantly, but not without speaking out some words,


    "I am really satisfied. We need to do it again another time."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Having changed into clothes easier to walk around with ¡ª trousers and a shirt ¡ª Sol began to calmly advance towards the dining room, it was time for lunch.


    Along the way, maids of different races and origins bowed and curtsied to him with respect etched deep into their bones.


    The tower of Babylon was divided into four vertical sections. Upper, middle, lower, and the illustrious underground section.


    Only the closest confidants of the royal family could enter the underground area and the upper part, furthermore, in all of the upper parts, Sol was the sole man taking residence.


    From the guards to the cooks and even the servants. Each and every single one of them was a woman. Most of them were from different races.


    With the enchanting presence of mana, encapsting the world, the difference between genders was practically useless. A dainty little woman could have enough strength to shatter a rock while a muscr and rugged man could be unable to even put a dent in the same.


    ''All the feminists on earth would kill to live in a world like this one.''


    Discarding those humorous thoughts, about his old world, he stopped his gait once he reached arge door decorated invish arcs of gold and silver etchings of ancient aesthetics.


    Despite thevish expanse, it was in no way gaudy. The royal family had to keep appearances. As a noble, being modest wasn''t a virtue. It was a in disy of weakness.


    Humbleness was a taboo in the world of nobles, from time immemorial till the eternal end.


    Thinking so, he finally opened the door to the dining room.


    It was arge room with only a single table as the primary decoration. The ceiling was painted with what looked like a map of the star-filled sky, said stars were shining thanks to aplex array of spells created a few years ago by the court witch.


    ''I need to meet my teacherter.''


    Scanning the room, marveling at the wondrous sight, his eyes went past the maids standing close to the walls before stopping on the sole woman seated at the very edge of the long wooden table.


    She was as beautiful as always. Her long purple hairbined with her ck dress could only emphasize her eternal elegance and enchanting beauty further and further. She was overflowing with the thick pheromones of a mature woman, in the prime of her life.


    As if that wasn''t enough, the dress¡¯ chest was kept boldly open, exposing the lovely curves of her bountiful cleavage. The tworge and soft-looking white mounds of flesh and fat looked on the verge of popping out of the skimpy dress.


    This was truly a woman of sin. This sinful woman who was his aunt gave a swift order after seeing him enter.


    "Girls, you can leave the room. I need to discuss some private matters with my dear nephew."


    "Understood."


    The maids all bowed in unison before walking in perfect synchronization without making the slightest bit of sound.


    Once alone, Lilith, finally let out a faint smile as she indicated with her hand toward the seat on her right.


    "Why are you still standing? Come take a seat."


    His face mirrored hers, a smile marginally broader than Lilith''s sat on his face. He elegantly walked, sitting next to her once he arrived at his seat. Everything from his posture while walking to the one he adopted while seating was visual perfection. The results of years of training in martial arts and etiquette bloomed in his every action.


    He took a look at the table full of beautiful but light dishes before asking with a solemn tone.


    "My aunt, before eating, I believe it''s time for you to exin to me what''s happening."


    He really wanted to understand why she was in so much hurry, throwing so many women at him as she did was too suspicious. Setsuna and Milia aside, those five maids had clearly been given orders even if they pretended otherwise.


    Too weird. Too abrupt. Too¡­fake. He of course knew that he was about to awaken. But it seemed like he was still in the dark about some important information. Information that was fundamentally tied with his origins and his future.

 Chapter 7 CH 7: HEAVY DISCUSSION

    Hearing his sudden question, Lilith, who was about to eat her meal, narrowed her eyes to slits; myriad emotions filtered through them before she elegantly put down her fork and knife, resting her gaze at a serious Sol, more serious than she had ever seen him before.


    She knew for a fact that this question would being her way sooner orter and in fact, was surprised it took so long.


    Silence settled between the two as Lilith searched for the right words to answer Sol, to exin what he desired to learn. She wished for nothing more than for him to understand her woes and the grounds behind her actions.


    Before getting pregnant with her daughter, Lilith had never been interested in motherhood and she believed that she was far from the perfect example of what a mother should and could be.


    Her life was a battlefield and she was a warrior, motherhood never came close to the nature of ughter and destruction she cultivated throughout her life.


    Thus, the inevitable happened when her child was born ¡ª her rtionship with her daughter could only be called strained when put gently but near-freezing cold when told truthfully. Her daughter hated her, and everything she represented, to her core.


    In Sol''s case, however, Lilith tried to always be a little more partial and gentle, however, distances were always drawn between them, distances created by her and kept for reasons she only knew.


    She knew, deep down, that Sol¡¯s growth as the fine man he had now be had very little to do with her upbringing.


    However, for that very reason, if not anything else, was why she had to do it ¡ª tell him what she''s been hiding and enlighten him of the things that were his right to learn.


    ¡°I understand that my orders might seem a little iprehensible to you, and truthfully speaking, perhaps I am reading too much into it, doing things for nothing in particr. Still, I have to do it because I believe this is a necessary step you must eventually go through. At least, I hope for you to know I have your best interest at heart¡­always.¡±


    Sol merely nodded at her words. He had never distrusted Lilith in his life, that notion never came in his mind to begin with. Lilith was the Regent Queen of the nation of Lustburg ¡ª the queen of humanity. Even though she did not possess any legitimacy since she was not a Blessed, there were many alternatives she could''ve found or methods she could''ve created to keep the kingdom under her control or change him into her puppet.


    But she showed no such actions or intentions. Lilith had always taken his well-being as the first necessity.


    Gently taking his hand in hers, Lilith began to exin herself, her woes, her difficulties,s and the basis of her decisions.


    "Sol, every time I look at you, I see the shadow of my elder brother. Be it your tall and muscr frame, or your long golden hair and beautiful crystal blue eyes. There''s absolutely no mistake about you being his child."


    Speaking those words in a doting tone, she slowly caressed his hair with a loving look on her ever stoic face.


    She missed her brother. She really did. He was her rock, her shield, her light. The one who gave meaning to her life in this cold and merciless dog-eat-dog world. Sadly, she would never be able to see him again ¡ª


    ¡ª One of the many many reasons why Sol was so important to her. He was thest memento of her brother, that she dearly loved, perhaps, the only person she loved¡­


    "Sol. You are frankly everything I could ask for and so much more. You are handsome and hard working. You are smart and full of interesting ideas. But¡­"


    Stopping in a trembling hitch, she looked down, down at her free hands, hands coursing with power, yet not enough to be able to protect all she loved. Clenching it hard, hard enough that blood almost seeped out of her dainty hand, she delivered to him the painfully bitter truth, that made it hard for her to sleep at night.


    "It isn''t enough. Like your father, youck the single-minded drive to be stronger, despite your immeasurable talent. The all-consuming desire to stand above the others no matter what. The desire to stand in front of everyone and shadow them with your wide back."


    Ambition ¡ª a feeling, a drive that drove humans toward greatness, fame, and absolution. In order to realize their ambitions, humans could reach new, never before seen, heights and break all limits and surpass themselves.


    "Sol, Mars Luxuria was known as the strongest man ever born. A natural hero. A supreme being that made all the seven kingdoms and their powers tremble at the mere utterance of his name."


    Mars as a Blessed was born inhumanely talented, to the point that some still believed that they had no limits, Lilith being one of them. But his case was a very extreme instance. Everything for him was always smooth sailing. There was nothing he could not do and his growth seemed to have no known limits.


    In thest years of his life, he had even reached a level of power no known human had ever managed to reach and helmed the coalition during thest war against a very powerful enemy.


    Lilith gazed deeply into Sol''s eyes with a mad fervor dominating in hers. So much so that Sol nearly took a step back at the intensity he could see brimming in those beautiful eyes of hers ¡ª almost scaring him at the frightening emotions that reigned in them. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call them to have an almost fanatical glow¡­


    "Sol Dragona Luxuria. You are the heir of this kingdom. You are the future king of Lustburg. More importantly, you are the son of the hero king. The man who saved this world. The man, the hero, who immortalized himself with his deeds. Never forget that. This title isn''t just a boon for you. This is also a curse. A weight. A burden that will try to crush you at every moment of your life."<sub> </sub>


    The fanatical glow in her eyes dimmed before changing into a sad mncholic light, a light that spoke tales of the tiredness, the helplessness, and the pain their wielder held.


    "All your life, you will bepared to your father. It does not matter what you do. When you seed, they will see it as normal and when you fail, they will mock you for being a disgrace.


    "While children are praised for passing grades, you will instead be mocked. They will never care for your struggles and will chalk everything up to your talent and circumstances. They will never ept your merit as they will think that it was to be expected.


    ¡°Sol. I have protected you all those years from the outside. I have hidden you from the world because of my fears of losing you like I lost your father. Even then, I believe that I managed to give you a happy childhood. One even happier than the one I was able to give to my own daughter. But¡­ All of this is about to change.¡±


    Lilith took a deep breath, before saying the final piece.


    "After your awakening, I will not be able to hide you anymore without being used of trying to steal the throne or manipte you. Soon, you will have to face the world by yourself. A world that will be full of expectations for you but, at the same time, a world that, more than anything else, will wish to see you fail and make a fool out of yourself.


    "After you awaken, you will be a man. You will have to fight for your authority. Fight for your life. Fight for your rights. For your kingdom. Your friends and your lovers. Let me ask you¡­ Are you ready?"


    Sol clenched his fist when he heard her utter that question ¡ª a question that seemed to hold the burden of the entirety of humanity.


    Was he ready?


    Sol wanted to say he was. He wished to say that she had nothing to worry about and that he would be able to handle everything alone. However, while his pride wanted to take control, the colder, more pragmatic, and calcting side of his mind that he cultivated over the years had already reached an answer, far before the prideful side of his could take reign of his emotions.


    ¡°No¡­ I am not.¡±


    Softly, he spoke, hanging his head low¡­


    He had been training since he was young. Learned everything from politics to warfare and fights. His theoretical knowledge was at a level few could ever reach.


    But that was all it was. Theory. Theory and practicality would always be different.


    He didn¡¯t want pride and arrogance to be his downfall.


    Hearing him answer thus, Lilith showed a delighted smile, for the briefest of moments. She had no doubt that Sol would be a powerhouse. He was someone full of talent. But in this world, innate talent alone was never enough. The mindset was even more significant than any talent ever could¡­his father was an exemry proof of that statement.


    "Sol, I wish to see you stand at a height so high, that no one would everpare you to your father again. I wish for you to live a life your father never had the chance to live. I wish for you to live in happiness. But more than anything,"


    Her face clouded with immeasurable sadness and unreadable grief as she whispered thest painful words, "More than anything...I wish for you to never make the same mistakes your father did."


    "Mistake?"


    "Sol. Do you know why your father, a man so powerful that all the seven kingdoms feared him, a man who could saunter in and out from the spirit realm as if it was his own backyard, a man who even the goddess acimed, died?"


    Sol gulped heavily, hearing her question. This was a nk point in history. Everyone knew his parents died during the war against the Chimeras while sealing all of them in an alternate dimension.


    But no one knew why Mars had to die¡­ The war was going so well that his death shouldn''t have been necessary, even more so with someone as powerful as his mother by his side.


    "All of this happened because of his naivety. All of this, because he trusted the wrong person¡­


    "The almighty hero of the mortal world, died because of a woman."


    Lilith uttered, and Sol, as he heard those words, felt that the earth crumbled underneath his feet¡­

 Chapter 8 CH 8: HEAVY DISCUSSION (2)

    "A woman?"


    He echoed out loud in absolute bewilderment.


    ''What does she mean?''


    From the situation, he could somewhat guess what she meant but he wanted to hear her exin it, without that there was no way he''d be able to believe the presumptions his mind reached on its own.


    A sad smile, full of mncholy and pain, formed on Lilith¡¯s face; saddening further seeing his incredulous look.


    "Do not underestimate the means of a woman. Do you know this saying? Beauties are the bane of heroes.¡±


    Lilith didn¡¯t dare to enter into details, just thinking about this wretched memory made her heart hurt, and made it hard for her to breathe.


    "I do not wish for you to meet such a stupid end like your father. Your father was very poor at handling women. How to say this¡­ He was too dense? Too easily flustered by women? I never understood why despite all his power he became a total mess when facing a person of the opposite gender."


    She sighed sadly, remembering about Mars and his foolish antiques when it came to women, she continued her exnation, ¡°Since your father sumbed because of such a stupid reason, there¡¯s no way I would let youmit the same mistake.¡±


    She took a deep shuddering breath, the pain she was feeling apparent in her every action, then followed with several more, making her tantalizing cleavage rhythmically move up and down in the process, ¡°Either way, ustoming yourself to women and their charms is an essential part of learning to be a King. Since ancient times, many kings have met their downfall in their lust. You must have a thorough knowledge of female sexuality. Please think of women as nothing more than a decoration for your bed.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Sol tried to protest her words. It was one thing to have a night of fun with women, it was another thing altogether to treat them as nothing more than tools for his pleasure, tools for him to use as he pleased.


    Raising her voice further, with a chilling calm tone, she cut him off.


    ¡°First of all, as the future King and the only Heir to the throne, it is your duty to sire as many children as possible in case anything happens to you. Do you now understand why I have so many beautiful maids all over the pce? All of them are for you to use as you wish.¡±


    Sol cringed a little at the way she worded that point. However, there was nothing he could say against those chilling words, containing nothing but the truth.


    This wasn¡¯t earth. Thew and the way people thought were starkly different. This world was in no way safe and anything could happen at any moment. The royal family was onlyposed of Sol, Lilith, and her daughter with neither of thest two being Blessed.


    If anything were to happen to him, the Kingdom would fall into a long period of unrest and they would most likely get invaded by neighboring countries like their sworn enemies ¡ª Wratharis.


    ¡°I understand. I believe everything you say. But¡­¡±


    He promptly got up and picked up a slice of bread, as he trotted away from the dining room.


    ¡°...I also know that you are still hiding something from me.¡± With those words spoken, he left the dining room without turning back, his steps resounding in the dining hall.


    He already got the answer he wanted and though Lilith had slightly changed the topic, she still gave him much to think about.


    The very moment Sol left the room, a shadow converged and appeared out of nowhere before standing behind Lilith,


    ¡°Your majesty, was it wise?¡±


    Lilith nodded without turning back, showing her awareness of the shadow all along, ¡°Hiding everything would be detrimental. I do not wish to lose his trust while trying to protect him. Also, he is a smart young man. I believe that even if I don¡¯t say everything, he will discover the truth sooner orter.¡±


    ¡°Your majesty¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, do not worry, I would never y around with the life of someone as dear to me, especially Sol. If he is unable to handle the waves that areing, then he isn¡¯t fit to be a King. And if that happens, I will simply take the throne from him and allow him to live the remainder of his life in such luxury that even the greatest kings would be envious of him.¡±


    Lilith did not care slightest about the stability of the kingdom. She had already lost her brother because of his desire to uphold his responsibilities as a King. She would be damned if she let the same thing happen to Sol.


    ¡°...Those are traitorous words you speak, your majesty.¡±


    A sickening chill seemed to cover the entirety of the room as the voice of the woman changed from apathetic to outright ferocious and the shadows began to move erratically, almost ready to devour Lilith whole.


    ¡°Traitorous?¡±


    The chill was immediately drowned out by an evenrger pressure, making the shadowy figure unable to move. Still, the figure emanated no fear.


    ¡°You have been serving the Crown''s Shadow as one of the fingers for as long as I can remember. But, never and I say never again underestimate my love for Sol. This kingdom can burn for all I care. But I will do my best for Sol to live in happiness.¡±


    The shadows stopped moving and the hostility in the air dissipated greatly.


    ¡°Understood.¡±<sub> </sub>


    Arge smile formed on Lilith''s face recing the previous ever-stoic and cold look, she routinely adorned.


    ¡°See? I knew we could understand each other.¡±


    ¡®Two-faced bitch.¡¯


    ¡°Heh. I am sure you must be cursing me inwardly, right?¡±


    The shadow''s face twitched as her thoughts were echoed out loud by Lilith.


    ¡°How could I?¡±


    Lilith looked at the shadow coldly, but, even though she knew she was stronger, she didn¡¯t act in the end.


    Her rtionship with the group known as the Crown¡¯s Shadow was cordial at best. Ultimately, most of the current higher-ups were people saved by her brother from the hell that was their world.


    Right now, rather than saying that they were loyal to the crown, it was better to say that they were loyal to Mars and by extension to Sol.


    ¡®Brother. How could someone with such an unusual charisma be so stupid and weak when dealing with women?¡¯


    She ground her teeth in frustration before throwing the thoughts away, refocusing on the shadow kneeling before her instead.


    ¡°So? I doubt you disturbed me for just that. What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°The supreme daughter of Castitas is on the move. It seems like she grew tired of you finding excuses to separate her from Sol and gave you an ultimatum.¡±


    The shadow immediately vanished after stating the news. They didn¡¯t wish to be currently in the same room as this woman after delivering this message.


    "That woman again¡­"


    -----


    Sol was now on his bed, staring at the regal ceiling of his bedroom, lost in thought. He still had a long day ahead since his breakfast had just finished, but he didn¡¯t have any drive to move anymore. In his mind, the whole conversation between him and Lilith was reying over and over in his head.


    ¡®Did I take this world too easily?¡¯


    He frankly didn¡¯t know. But even if he had, who could me him?


    He was both handsome and talented.


    He was born in the royal family and he was the crown prince.


    He had no evil rtives and was supported by all those he met aside from one heinous exception.


    His father was this world¡¯s savior.


    His mother was a friggin'' dragon.


    Who wouldn¡¯t think that they were some kind of chosen one and that everything revolved around them? The so-called protagonist of the world.


    However, he finally confronted his current situation.


    ¡®Until now I was just a noob ying the damn tutorial.¡¯


    He was just a new yer learning the basics and fighting rabbits while thinking they were werewolves. Now, he finally reached the necessary level and would soon face the true wolves.


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    ¡°Your highness, may I enter?¡±


    He immediately recognized the voice, and a smile crept up his lips.


    ¡°You may.¡±

 Chapter 9 CH 9: MILIA (3)

    Slowly opening the enclosed bedroom door, Milia entered the room, her steps etched with a grace born from years of training.


    "What brings you here?"


    Milia responded, a beautiful smile formed on her lips, her head tilted, a mischievous glint flickering in her calm gaze, "You mean aside from wanting to meet you?"


    Blushing a little at the blunt words spoken, Sol floundered to find an answer to her teasing. Milia could be incredibly forward sometimes and in those rare moments, he would get flustered by her affectionate remarks, no matter how used to her flirtatious antiques he grew to be over the years.


    "Fufufu. It makes me happy to still see you blushing like that. I was worried¡ª"


    "Worried?"


    "¡ªNo, it''s nothing. As for your answer, while I indeed wished to see you. My main purpose ining here was to remind you thatdy Edea expects you at her library for your lesson."


    Abruptly gasping in surefire panic, Sol''s back drenched in cold sweat as he was reminded about the appointment with his teacher, he almost missed it. With the revtion from his aunt, he had totally forgotten that he had to meet his magic teacher every two days for his routine magic lessons. A grateful smile hung on his lips, as he looked at Milia, thankful for reminding him, or else he would¡¯ve been in huge trouble.


    Befitting her title of the witch of time, Edea Asmodeus, or sometimes referred to as Edea of the ¡®Ouroboros¡¯, was incredibly strict with time, favoring punctuality above all else, and hated when her schedule was disturbed by any means and by anyone.


    Sol was about to get up and prepare his book for the uing lessons when a dainty hand touched his chest, stopping himpletely in his tracks. He looked up to see Milia adorning a rather enchanting smile on her face as she seductively coaxed him,scivious intent oozing out of her actions.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go before a few hours. Why don¡¯t we use this time to make you more rxed?¡±


    Sol hesitated briefly, wording out a tentative rebuttal, ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Shhh, listen to me.¡± A finger ced on his lips stopped him from finishing his refutation. Using the palm of her hand, she pushed him on the bed and cooed with a bewitching smile as she mounted him the next moment, still d in her custom maid attire.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything. Justy down, rx, and let me do all the work. Just enjoy the service, your highness.¡±


    Saying so, her nimble hand dexterously entered his pants as she fished out his now slowly hardening mast, adjusting her position over him, slowly lowering herself.


    Since she was still fully wearing her attire, it was impossible to see what was happening under her skirt, but somehow, that single restriction made the situation far more arousing than it could have ever been. Once she finally reached his dick, he was surprised to feel no obstruction barring his schlong from feeling up her drooling snatch.


    ¡°Fufufu~! I was in such a hurry that I forgot to put on my panties.¡±


    The bulbous head of his fully hardened mast slowly parted the drenched lips of her wet pussy, the heat and the slickness making him aware of how wet she already was despite him not even touching her prior to her visit. Then, in one swoop, shepletely lowered herself and buried his penis to the hilt, its head reaching the very depths of her snatch, hitting her cervix.


    ¡°Ah~!¡±


    It was impossible to tell who moaned first but looking at the expression of bliss stered on both of their faces it was clear that both of them did it at nigh the same time.


    ¡°Your highness, you are so very big. Even after having it in me yesterday, I am still not totally ustomed to it.¡±


    She did some slight probing movements with her hips as she spoke those depraved words, stroking Sol''s ego. All this time, Sol could only watch her actions with an entranced expression on his face. Finally, looking at his face with an impish smile, full of mischief, she opened the front part of her maid dress, letting out her bountifully heavy breasts that seemed to defy gravity.


    *Gulp*


    Even though he had yed with them all day yesterday, and even this morning, seeing them dangling freely in front of his eyes made his erect dick harden and swell further. He tried to hold them, but Milia lightly pped his hand away with a kind smile.


    ¡°What did I tell your high-no Sol? Fufufu, let this big sister pamper you today. You just have to rx and enjoy yourself.¡±


    Uttering those reprimanding lines, she started to slowly move her waist up and down again. Every time her body moved in rhythm, a pair of big milk buns danced in front of his eyes, hypnotizing him in theirscivious tempo. She looked as if something was about toe over her, and she started leaking out sweet moans of pleasure.<sub> </sub>


    Her vagina tightened around his zing shaft, violently clenching it within her folds, seemingly never willing to part with it, her movements slowly became faster and faster. The movements of her hips just wouldn¡¯t stop.


    *Smack* *Smack* *Smack*


    Huge waves of pleasure spread from his love rod to all over his body, rocking his mind, their genitals rubbed against one another with wet and obscene sounds.


    The current look on her face, as well as her tightening around his cock, sucked all the spirit away from the boy, leaving him gasping for breath. His eyes were also being stimted by the sight of the maid¡¯s lewdness, and his urge to ejacte rose even further.


    ¡°It¡¯s so good!¡±


    The maid was the first one to let out a scream. With one big swing of her hips, she sat on his pelvis,pletely swallowing his still thrusting meat pole without thinking.


    ''Ah, I¡¯m cumming, too!!''


    Soon, the boy reached his limit. Being eaten by her convulsing vagina he just couldn''t hold it in anymore, his hot cum shot out from the root of his violently throbbing cock.


    As if it was totally natural, he ejacted without any difficulty. The sperm flowed out of him in thick streams.


    ¡°T, there¡¯s still so much!!¡±


    The boy¡¯s back arched abruptly, pushing his penis deeper inside of her, clinging tightly to her body.


    Still, the soft smile of the loving maid and the warmth of her body managed to heal his wavering heart, suffering from the sudden pressure and confusion at the realization of the reality of his life finally settling deep in his psyche.


    All he could do was nod as her spongy and meltingly soft vagina wrapped around his cock seemed to milk all his sperm out of him without even having to move. It felt so good that he wouldn¡¯t mind it even if he stayed like this for a few hours.


    As their climax calmed down, Milia, still connected to Sol, lowered her head as she looked at him with a boundless expression of love and affection brimming in her eyes, before wrapping him in her arms.


    "Sol, those two days must have seemed quite sudden for you. It¡¯s normal to feel a little lost and tired. So, if you are satisfied with me, I am always willing to provide care like this for you. "


    Those words of her brought a peaceful smile to his face as he felt his heart being soothed by her caring words.


    ¡°Thank you, Milia. I¡¯m always helped by your timely support.¡±


    When he patted her headdress and her soft hair gently, Miliaughed with an ¡°Ehehe¡± sound and she was acting all shy and happy as she stuck her cheeks against his chest. ¡°If you say it like that, it makes me feel a little embarrassed... But it also makes me immensely happy.¡±


    Her vagina was burying his penis and just like the movement of her heartbeat, it kept throbbing and squeezing his rod at a constant interval. It gently massaged his cock and Sol felt like he was floating above the clouds, filled with a sense of security as if a motherly figure was taking care of him, his nowid cock once again rising to attention at her care. It was truly a peculiar sensation he would have never associated with sex.


    Without needing to desperately move his waist up and down, he was just enjoying the moment of this calm sex and soft touches; more so than he would have expected, this experience had a mysterious healing effect.


    ¡°Nn ah¡­. I don¡¯t mind if you wish to move now, please do as you will whenever you feel like it, okay?¡±


    ¡°I understand, but for the time being, I would like to just remain like this. When I¡¯m wrapped around by you like this, I somehow feel happy.¡±


    ¡°Me too. Then, let¡¯s just remain like this for a while.¡±


    In this way, they remained connected as one and just dozed off in the supreme bliss of a wonderful nap bathed in their blissful feelings for each other.

 Chapter 10 CH 10: THE WITCH

    Sol couldn¡¯t help but feel a little weak in the legs, walking down towards the private zone reserved for his magic teacher. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Milia was in reality a subus with how she hadpletely squeezed him dry in the span of a few hours.


    ¡®Well, I should focus now.¡¯


    Edea Asmodeus, the witch of time, tentatively known as the Witch of the West.


    Edea was his teacher in magic studies, even though he couldn¡¯t use mana until his awakening. Even then, her teachings weren''t something he could use, he wouldn¡¯t be able to learn witchcraft, for it was something only witches themselves could do. An inmate talent of theirs that set them apart from other humans. Still, he was d to have her as his teacher.


    The distance between the resting quarters of the upper floors and Edea¡¯s domain was quite far so it took him a while to finally reach it, walking at a steady pace as he did. It didn¡¯t help that he was slightly exhausted after his earlier sensuous moments with Milia.


    When he finally stopped his walk, he was now standing in front of a very ordinary-looking wall, so ordinary that one might be puzzled about his next actions. Taking a deep breath, he slowly knocked on the wall three times with a certain rhythm ¡ª a secret code shared between master and disciple. Anyone looking at his actions would have been positively confused and wondered what he was doing. But for Sol, this was nothing more than an old ceremony, that he had to perform every time he came here to study, or perhaps, spend time with his teacher.


    The moment he finished knocking, a weak turquoise light seemingly scanned him from head to toe before the part of the wall he stood in front of, transformed into a ck door, a motif of a scarlet snake eating its own tail was meticulously engraved as an insignia of a certain God beast.


    This was the representation of Asmodeus. One of the fourteen divine divine beasts of this world. In this country, he was a respected entity as the representative of Goddess Luxuria.


    ¡°How long do you n to stand there like a dunce,e in?¡±


    A sweet but regal voice pulled him out of his contemtive musing. He knew that he had already made her wait and one shouldn¡¯t mess around with Time in front of the Witch of Time, now, should they? Straightening his clothes and mustering the brightest smile he could show, he pushed open the door and entered his teacher''s private space ¡ª or world as she liked to call it.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Unlike what one would expect, the door did not lead to an indoor room but something vastly different, something that tugged at the deepest fantasies of the mind.


    ¡®Every time I see this scene I can¡¯t help but marvel at this wondrous sight.¡¯


    On the other side of the door was arge green pasture, seemingly unending as it stretched beyond the horizon¡­


    The wind stirred gently, the sun shined high above in the dreamy blue sky, and a little far away, seated around a white table and sipping tea from a seemingly expensive teacup was what looked like a young girl in her teenage years, not unlike Sol. If one had to choose two words to describe her, it would be white and ck or monochrome if they were to keep it down to one.


    Even from here, the view felt like it was directly taken out of a fairy tale.


    Of course, like all fairy tales, the outward beauty was in fact hiding another darker side.


    Her young appearance and gentle manner would make one mistake her for a weak and helpless girl but there was nothing more wrong than such a sordid assumption. For she was in reality a being far older than the very Kingdom he was an heir of and could be said to be one of the founding members of the nation of Lustburg.


    But for Sol, all those titles did not matter. All he cared for was that she was his dear and irreceable teacher.


    ¡°My, my, are you still going to gawk at your teacher?¡±


    The moment she raised her head, Sol was startled awake by her gaze. If people were asked what her most striking feature was, some people would answer her jet ck dress that seemed to be made out of pure darkness itself, sucking the light out of everything surrounding it. Meanwhile, some would answer, her long white hair that reached her feet and seemed to reflect all light in its purest form.


    But for Sol, what stood out the most was her eyes. Heterochromia, it is called. One of her eyes was as red as a sea of blood, while the other eye was shining gold, reminiscent of the sun.


    As he walked towards her, he slowly genuflected and took her outstretched hand in his as he gave a kiss to her bent fingers.


    ¡°Of course, teacher. You know well how legendary your beauty is.¡±


    A small enigmatic smile formed on her youthful face as she spoke in an amused tone.


    ¡°You are such a flirt, you really remind me of your ancestor. It was also how he tricked me into this tower.¡±


    Sol let out a bitter smile at this usation. He knew that even though she seemed dissatisfied, she didn¡¯t hold any animosity against him. He didn¡¯t understand why though. After all, in her ce, he would have most likely gone crazy if his loved one betrayed him after promising him everything.


    ¡°Fufufu~!! Don¡¯t make such a face. You know very well that I do not see Jupiter''s actions as a slight against me. I have never regretted giving everything I had to him.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Enough about that, I shouldn¡¯t have brought this up in the first ce. The weather is pleasing today, why don¡¯t you have some tea?¡±


    She chided him gently as she pinched his nose with affection.


    Sol frowned a little, before sighing as he got up under the loving look of Edea, she murmured as he took ce in front of her.


    ¡°Each day as I look at you, it fills me with joy. You are growing so well. You are already a little taller than me. I still remember the little kid who entered this zone by ident with his ve but looked at me stubbornly as he protected her behind him.¡±


    ¡°Teacher!! Please stop. No need to remind me of that embarrassing day.¡±


    The door that led to this world could only be opened by the blood of the royal family and no one else. Back then, Sol and Setsuna were ying in this part of the tower when she slightly wounded him identally with her protruded ws. Little as she was she didn''t have full control of the more beastly side of her race.


    It was nothing but a little ident. Something that happened regrly since as far as he could remember. But on that day, this little ident changed everything as droplets of his blood sshed on the door, thereby opening it against the wishes of Edea.


    ''Back then I thought I would faint from fright.''


    Meeting Edea had been quite the shock. After all, at her level, she was already outside of what mere mortals could understand. Since she had been surprised at their sudden appearances, she had no time to rein in the natural pressure she emanated just by living and breathing ¡ª a trait of all the existences that stood at the very peak of this world.<sub> </sub>


    For Sol, it had been like facing a giant and horrible monster in the dark with nothing and no one to protect himself. Thankfully he managed to not make a fool out of himself in that situation. Though, if he had to be honest, had he been alone, he would have cried and begged for his life without hesitation. Sol could only marvel at how strong not wishing to look uncool in front of your crush could make some people be.


    Unaware of Sol¡¯sedic thoughts of the incident, Edea continued the discussion. "So, tell me, it seems like those two days were particrly busy for you."


    Sol nodded without bothering to try hiding anything. If it wasn¡¯t evident by now, Edea was in reality not a guest in this ce.


    In fact, initially, this tower itself wasn''t created to serve as a castle but as a prison ¡ª a prison that the First King used to seal Edea.


    Thankfully, Edea wasn''t just any witch. In the first ce, she would have never been sealed if not for her not fighting back when his ancestor betrayed her. The proof was that she managed to change what should have been a prison into her very own Witch¡¯sir. She had full control over all the defense system, and could also see everything going on inside the tower if she so wished.


    The discussion between the two of them continued gently until Sol posed a question that had been tugging at his mind.


    "Teacher. Tell me, how was my father?"


    He had never really been curious about his father until now. On one hand, as someone from another world, he already had parents and didn''t really see Mars as his father. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, since his parents died too soon, the ones to actually raise him were Lilith, Milia, Camelia, and in a certain way, Edea.


    Sol knew how Lilith saw his father but he also knew that she was totally crazy over him. As such, he wished to have the opinion of others who had spent time with him.


    Edea stirred her tea as she crossed her legs. Her thigh showed a little hint of skin from the slit of the gown she was wearing.


    She wasn¡¯t really surprised by Sol''s sudden question for she knew what had happened with Lilith not long ago. She wondered how she should approach this matter.


    She had many fond memories of Mars but she knew that Sol didn¡¯t just want an embellished version of the truth about who his father was.


    "Your father¡­ If I had to say, your father was a charismatic idiot."


    As she spoke, she looked up at him with arge smile, very uncharacteristic of her usual elegant demeanor.


    "Mars was also a student of mine as you know. But the way he found me was a little different. The one who brought him here was little Lilith. She was curious and didn''t believe in the legend. So she brought him here and opened the door."


    It was clear that she could still see the scene y in her mind. Her smile was so dazzling. The fact that Edea was still sealed in the tower was a fact few knew even to this day. For others, her existence was more akin to a legend or a tale told to children as bedtime stories.


    Of course, as a witch, she was rarely the good guy in those stories.


    "When they entered they reacted the same way you and Setsuna did. They were frightened, but Mars didn''t hesitate to stand in front of Lilith, and though his legs were shivering. Fufufu~! Just remembering this scene makes meugh so much."


    She liked how both son and father reacted the same way and tried to protect the one they cared for. It was a heartwarming vision for her who had been betrayed. This helped her understand that not everyone had an ugly heart.


    "The moment I saw Mars, I immediately understood that he was different. Even though he was far from being 15 years old back then, he could already use mana. Albeit unconsciously.


    "At 15, he did something that hadn¡¯t happened since the era of Jupiter and managed to contract with a mythical beast. Your mother ¡ª ze Dragona. As if that wasn¡¯t grand enough, ze wasn¡¯t just any dragon. She was the direct and most cherished daughter of Tiamat, the divine beast of Pride."


    Sol nodded, him being half-dragon was one of the reasons he was so much stronger than normal people despite not awakening yet.


    Speaking of ze, Edea''s tone became a little more excited.


    "ze was a true monster. With her pedigree, the fact that your father managed to make a contract with her was seen as legendary. But it didn''t stop there. At 17, he was already recognized as a Mythical ss being. At 20, he was crowned as the strongest king in all the history of Lustburg."


    Sol¡¯s hand shivered at those words. He could basically see the trail of what could only be called a true legend. In five years, Mars walked a path most could never hope to reach. In fact, for most beings in this world, reaching the Legend-ss was already a feat worthy of acmation. It was only after reaching that level that one walked out of the gate of Mortality.


    "But in my opinion, his greatest quality wasn¡¯t his talent, but the way he pulled people towards him. It was honestly scary to see. In a few words, he could change an enemy into his best friend. He was loved by all the popce and no one dared to defy his reign.


    "The same applies outside the walls of our kingdom. He had friends in all the six other kingdoms. Princes, Princesses, Religious leaders, Generals. He was also the sole man who was able to travel the Astral realm as he wished."


    The Astral realm was a zone where all divines beasts and special creatures outside of the six main races lived. Humans in the mortal realm could only enter that realm once in their entire lives and it was the moment they needed to bet their everything to find a suitable partner.


    But this rule didn¡¯t apply to Mars. After all, the moment he surpassed the Mythical level, he wasn¡¯t really a human anymore.


    "Sol," Edea uttered, her eyes zing with conviction, "Your father was a true monster. If he was still alive, there was no doubt Lustburg would have stopped being a kingdom and would have transformed into an empire, perhaps it would''ve ruled the entire world."


    This was the truth of Mars Luxuria. Truly a great man he was. Still,


    "Despite all of that, he was such a kid when facing women, especially the more forward ones. When they approached him, he''d start stuttering like a kid got caught doing something bad by his parents fufufu~!"


    Her smile changed into a teasing one as she continued.


    "Frankly, I''m more convinced it was your mother who proposed rather than your father, I just can''t imagine him being proactive with women, with how they can easily lead him by the nose."


    <o>,m Sol gave an awkward smile. It was really sad how whenever Mars was praised, they would immediately pull out his dark history with women.</o>


    All the great images he was etching in his mind of his legendary father, all of them, broken like shattered ss with just one deration. He could onlyment at that thought.

 Chapter 11 CH 11: THE CURSE

    ''So basically my father was the stereotypical archetype of the main character in Japanese Isekai Novels.''


    He knew for a fact that the story couldn''t be that simple, also there were still many little things, crucial secrets, he wasn''t told or made aware of but frankly, it didn''t matter to him. His father''s past wasn''t an issue he wanted to muse on for the time being. He had other more pressing things to handle.


    "Master, what do you think I should do?"


    Yes, this was the crux of the matter. When you don''t understand, simply ask someone knowledgeable, seek and request solutions, or a path you could tread. Discussions always lead to the answers you seek ¡ª it¡¯s been that way since time immemorial.


    It was a rule ¡ª a rule Sol lived by throughout the entirety of his life. Be it in this world or in the previous one, that was his motto.


    Edea, hearing his question simply smiled, a heartwarming smile, knowing that she was someone Sol could lean on to when debilitating on a matter. Hence, she presented him with her take¡­


    "Sol, I was observing your conversation with little Lilith and she was right about some things. Your life is destined to be one full of immense pressure and burdens, things ced on you by others ¡ª the burden of sky-high expectations.


    "You will most likely never be praised for your sess since it will be expected from you and your failure will only make you aughingstock even if it isn''t a great failure. This is your reality. This is your truth. But¡­So what?"


    Instinctively, Sol could feel the deep feeling of utter disdain contained within each of her words, as she spitted them out to him.


    "Sol, you aren''t Jupiter nor are you Mars. You are you. You are Sol. So what does it matter if the masses never praise you? As long as your loved ones do so, it will be enough. So what does it matter if the world shuns you at the slightest failure? As long as you get up and continue to fight you will be alright.


    "You will be destined for greatness, of that I have no doubt. Do not letmon sense bind you. Being the king? Saving the world? That is indeed good. Extremely good even. But what does it matter in the end? Riches and honor are nothing more than ephemeral clouds in front of the power of time. What really matters is how happy you are. And how can you obtain more happiness?"


    "By striving to be a little better every day."


    "Umu, that''s my little boy. Do notpare yourself to anyone. Your goal shouldn''t be to be better than someone. That kind of goal is just too sad. A power that can only be said to be strong whenpared to someone else is meaningless. What you ought to strive for should be self-improvement. Do everything in your power so that the you of today is better than the you of yesterday."


    Finishing her monologue, she waved her hand and a decrepit book appeared in front of her. Like the door, the cover of the book was also illustrated by the motif of a snake eating its own tail.


    "This book is as old as me, as you know already. It was gifted by my teacher a long time ago when my sisters and I went under her apprenticeship. We, along with mother dearest, began to be called the five directions as we were the first five witches. The witches of the Beginning"


    She informed, a bit weakly at the end, a sad almost mncholic smile hanging on her lips


    "Time, Space, Life, and Destruction. West, East, North, and South."


    Four witches, four cardinal directions. Dominion over the four cardinal forces making up reality.


    However, Sol couldn''t help but frown. What about the fifth?


    "Origin."


    Seemingly, already aware of his silent queries, she answered a beatter, revealing the fifth and prime element of the witches. The strongest of them all.


    "From whence it all began, to whence it all shall end¡­"


    She chanted, goosebumps filled Sol''s body, his mind reeling, hearing the odd chant. But before he could voice his astonishment, his teacher continued, not minding his state.


    "Origin. My teacher, my mother, the central direction ¡ª where all originates and inevitably returns to. This is her power. Simply put ¡ª she is the one who developed the initial form of all the magic we knew. That isn''t all. All witches of all times have a grimoire bound to them where their spells are automatically noted. All those grimoires are also bound to the grimoire of origin that my teacher possess."


    "That-!!"


    "Yes. My master''s power knows no limits. As long as the witches continue to grow stronger she will be the same. Sol, my master is a true monster, a being who defies all logic...not unlike your father. You may wonder why I spoke about all that. It''s simple, really. Your father isn''t the sole monster to have existed. Before him, monsters defying all logic existed and even after him those beings will still exist."


    A teasing smile formed on her face as she uttered her following words.


    "Sol. Are you interested in bing a monster like them?"


    Sol simply smiled thinly as a response. Some words once said were only cheapened. Sometimes, the silence was the best answer to a question. A man of great aspirations, he didn''t wish to live under the shadow of his family all his life. He wanted to be his own person and create his own future ¡ª a future uninfluenced by others.


    "Fufufu~! Now that the pep talk is finished let''s go back to more pressing matters... Your awakening. Sol, give me a summary of what you know about the awakening."<sub> </sub>


    Sol slowly stirred his tea with his spoon as he mulled over his thoughts, organizing the information in his head in the most concise way possible, before finally answering.


    "Humans are the sole race on this world unable to use mana from birth and also the sole race unable to use magic naturally. This situation can only be redeemed once they reach their fifteenth birthday and go through a ritual which is collectively called as the Awakening. From that moment on, they can use mana. But only mana. Not magic."


    "What is the difference between mana and magic?"


    "If I had to make a simple analogy, mana is a source of energy and magic is one of the results of the maniption and transformation of said source. Once humans awaken, they can only use mana in its rawest purest form. Manaless as they were, before the awakening, their body didn''t adapt in a way to let them manipte the mana coursing through them into the shapes of magic, hence they could never use magic the traditional way, post-awakening, of course."


    "But¡­?"


    "But, there''s a way to circumvent this situation. The contract. Also called the pledge. Once humans awaken, their talent is calcted based on two measurements. Firstly the amount of mana they hold, and secondly their capacity."


    "Be more precise."


    "The Capacity is simply a measuring stick for how many contracts one can make. The higher the capacity the better it is for the wielder. Humans can make a pledge with any beings outside of their race and gain some of the abilities of the individual they pledge with. If they are lucky, they can even get the ability to use the element of the one they contracted with."


    Edea nodded with a smile. It was the basis of the world for humans. Contract. The only way for humans to gain true power. Of course, it wasn''t impossible to be absurdly strong without a contract but it was without a doubt much much harder. So much so that.


    "How do you know how much capacity is needed for one contract?" she asked idly.


    "Quality. If humans are judged by their mana and capacity. Then the other races, magical beings as we call them, are judged by their mana and their quality. The quality ranges from E to S with the capacity required increasing greatly with each increase in ss. One needs only a capacity of 10 to contract with an E ss magical being but they need a capacity of 100 to contract with an S ss individual."


    "What is the probability for one to be born with 10 points in capacity?"


    "10%"


    "What about being born with 100 points?"


    "...0.0001%"


    Even as he breathed out those words he couldn''t help but shudder at their implications. Even the worst of the worst capacity could only be obtained by 1 out of 10 people. As for S ss? Only 1 out of 1000000 could hope to be born with such capacity.


    "Exactly. Sol, you must understand. This world is unfair. One''s hard work is without a doubt important. But the blessings one receives at birth are even more so. Take me for example. I was born with a capacity of 5. Barely enough to make a contract with an E¨C ss being. Then, why am I so powerful?"


    "Because you are a witch."


    "Good¡­ What is a witch, then?"


    "The witches are nich¨¦ beings, amongst the humans, also known as the wives of Asmodeus ¡ª The divine beast of Luxuria. Divine beasts and goddesses can make contracts irrelevant to their capacity. But among all the fifteen divine beasts, only Asmodeus was given the right to contract with arge number of humans."


    "Continue"


    "A contract with Asmodeus allows humans to use magic but they have to pay certain prices. The first being the curse of eternal youth. Even until their death. A normal witch will never look older than a prepubescent girl. The second being the curse of love. All their rtionships are doomed to fail one way or another. The third one¡­ "


    Reaching here, he fidgeted, as was the case each time he had to talk about the witches. The third ss was just... special, in its cruel aspects. He knew that the first curse wasn''t really a curse as it didn''t bother most witches. The second one was a little harsh, but then again it was an eptable price but the third one¡­


    "Do not hesitate. Go on."


    "The third curse is the curse of infertility. A witch''s body is cursed to never be able to give birth."


    "Yes." A mncholic smile, sadder and more painful than any of the ones she showcased before appeared on her beautiful face ¡ª a face full of loneliness, of unending times ¡ª as she painfully acknowledged his words.


    "Asmodeus is really a wicked being. Each of those curses when taken alone isn¡¯t a big deal. But when taken together? It''s like saying, ''Since you wish for power. I will give it to you. But in exchange, I curse you to live an eternal miserable life full of absolute solitude. You will never be able to love and you will never be loved in return.''"


    Truly, it was a life not many could muster the will to take¡­

 Chapter 12 CH 12: SAD REWIND

    The words,ing out of her mouth, surprisingly didn''t chill the warm atmosphere held between them.


    Nor did Sol''s expression change, or he spoke anything tofort her. It wasn''t his style.


    Feeling pity for her?


    Saying that everything would be alright?


    Those kinds of words and actions with nothing to back them up were nothing more than pure hypocrisy.


    What''s more, did she need his pity or consoling words? No, she didn''t. Edea wasn''t a weak woman, she never was. She wasn''t someone who needed a young little boy to act as if he understood her pain and sympathize with her. The truth ¡ª as it will always be ¡ª is that he could never truly understand her pain, hence, he never acted like he did.


    "I really wonder. Generally, people at this moment always have an awkward expression and be very ufortable or try tofort me. But, the same has never happened in your case even after I exined what being a witch truly meant."


    "If you don''t share someone''s pain, you can nevere to understand them. But just because you understand someone doesn''t mean you cane to an agreement nor realize their feelings. That''s the undeniable and bitter truth."


    "...Oh?"


    "You have lived for a very long time. Saw more than I have ever seen or can even imagine witnessing and experienced more than I have experienced.


    "Your pain is yours and yours alone. Trying to act as if I understand its magnitude would only be the height of arrogance on my part, also pure retardation."


    With his words, a lonely smile began to form on Edea''s face, it was a truly logical reasoning, she was about to put an end to the subject.


    "But¡­"


    Stopping herself from speaking out loud, she looked at Sol curiously as she waited for him to continue his words. She was immediately struck by what she saw. A bright smile, reminiscent of the sun that removed all the shadows of the world, was etched on his face. Words, smoothly flowed from his lips, giving Edea something she desperately needed.


    "It doesn''t matter how much pain you have. Nor does it matter that I am unable to understand your sufferings. No matter what happens, I will always share everything with you. Master you know. I really really lo¡­"


    "[STOP]"


    The world suddenly halted. The sound of insects chirping. The flow of the breezing wind. The vibrant blue and green colors faded entirely, giving way to a world without colors, of a monochrome world full of ck and white. Like a movieing to a halt and dyed in the shades of grey, the mind-numbing scene unfolded.


    This was Edea''s most powerful skill. Temporal Pause. This world was basically part of her domain and as such in this space her control over time was absolute. In this space, she was the one and only God.


    Still, the witch of time, One of the first five witches, a being so powerful that countries trembled at her name.


    *Huf* *Huf* *Huf*


    Was breathing hard while trying to regte the heavy blush stered all over her beautiful face. After some time passed,


    *Sigh~*


    She sighed heavily as she slumped in her chair, all the strength leaving her lithe body while covering her face with both of her hands.


    "I am really way too easy."


    Wearily, she chuckled in self-deprecation. She knew what Sol was about to say. She wasn''t inexperienced in love. But this was even more so because¡­it wasn''t the first time she had to stop time because of his ensuing confession.


    "I can''t let this old woman drag him down."


    The true effects of the curse manifested only while doing anything sexual in nature. But, even the acknowledgment of loving feelings between the two was enough to bring some bad luck to him ¡ª bad luck she was never willing to inflict on him.


    ''On this subject, he is really different from Mars.''


    Like Sol, Mars had also developed a crush of sorts for her. But, he was way too shy and never managed to gather the courage or resolve to even try confessing to her.


    ''Hahaha! It was rather cute seeing him stammer as he tried to find the words before ultimately giving up.''


    She had always found Mars to be a cute child she was taking care of, and even if she could have developed any feelings for him, his personality and her curses made it extremely difficult for it to happen.


    But, Sol was different from his father.


    ''Perhaps I should try to distance myself from him after his awakening?''


    She was rather weak to the straightforward type of men and she didn''t wish to destroy Sol''s future by making the mistake of really falling in love with him.


    "Well, it''s time to go back then... [REWIND]."<sub> </sub>


    Once again this whole dimension was her world, her domain. A pocket dimension created by her sister of the East, the witch of Space. As such she could manipte time as she wished while being here without incurring any backsh. Rewinding the discussion to a few minutes ago was nothing for her.


    -----


    "The third curse is the curse of infertility. A witch''s body is cursed to never be able to give birth."


    Edea smiled weakly as she heard those words once again.


    It wasn''t the first time she had rewinded time because of Sol and with the way he was, it would most likely not be thest time either. She, however, couldn''t have that for long.


    "Beautiful summary. Now, we will study the difference between magic and witchcraft."


    Passing time with him was always an absolute delight for her.


    Even though they should never be lovers, these few fleeting moments always helped her bear her lonely and miserable existence.


    ----


    Once the lessons finished, Sol left through the secret door and watched intently as it changed back to a simple wall.


    He always felt a sense of incongruity when entering and leaving that ce. The time axis in that dimension was totally messed up. Sometimes it would be faster and sometimes slower. He was never told the exact ratio either and stopped trying to guess it two years ago.


    "How long did itst today?"


    He had a far better way to get the urate time.


    "Just about one hour, my prince."


    A shadow appeared next to him before revealing itself.


    Even though it was impossible to discern her features because of the ninja-like clothes she was wearing. The same clothes gave away her identity as a woman and a quite buxom one at that.


    "I see. An hour. Hum. I am a little tired now, do I have any other appointments today?"


    "Yes. The next one is your study in history and other schrly subjects. Once finished, you have an appointment with Lord Gerald at the training barrack for your weekly horse and wyvern riding lessons. Once finished, you will have the rest of the afternoon free and finally, in the evening you have a dinner appointment with the supreme daughter of Castitas."


    Sol pinched his brows. Being a prince was great and all. But it was also incredibly taxing on both his body and mind. He didn''t even dare to imagine how it would be to be a king. He always admired his aunt for that, for being able to handle all of this even though it wasn''t her gripes to handle.


    ''Well,ining serves no purpose. I should just go at it.''


    ----


    History was boring. But still necessary. Sol never underestimated something necessary. After all, knowledge was power. No matter which world, that is deemed to be a Cardinal truth.


    His lessons mainly centered around the details of the past kings as well as the diverse important events.


    "One of thews of the kingdoms is that all crown princes or crown princesses must wear a name rted to a star or a. His majesty Jupiter was the first king. After him were Pluto, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and finally his majesty Mars, the eighth king."


    Sol listened to the information attentively. After all, this information revealed something incredible.


    ''The sr system and the arrangement of stars in this world is the same as the one in mine. Does that mean that I am on earth?''


    It wouldn''t be impossible. He had always heard of the multiverse theories.


    This was even more so when he associated the diverse myths of this world. Asmodeus for example was one of the princes of hell and represented lust in his old world. Meanwhile here, he was the beast representing lust.


    ''Well, not like it really matters in the end.''


    Discarding those faraway thoughts, he put his attention back to what his teacher was speaking.


    Thankfully, the lesson didn''tst long and he left the room to go toward the ballroom where he took his regr dancing lessons.


    Once finished he continued toward his lessons in ways of the nobles and different untold rules.


    Finally, he ended his busy schedule with political studies.

 Chapter 13 CH 13: THE DUCHESS

    Finished with the boring yet necessary lessons for his future role as a King, Sol was now free to do what he really wished to do all day; as was the case for any day for as long as he remembered.


    Walking, nigh sprinting, towards the stables while keeping his noble appearance intact, by some measure, Sol barely managed to hide his excitement, until he found himself face to face with another person ¡ª his next instructor.


    "Prince Sol, I am happy that you took your precious time toe learn from this old man. I hope you had a beautiful day, today."


    Smiling at the words of the white-haired old man bowing in front of him, Sol wanted to answer casually but remembered where he was.


    Right now, he was outside the tower, but still close to it. He understood that he shouldn''t go too far as long as he didn''t awaken and obtain a reliable way to defend himself, he had to be very careful about his safety.


    "Do not worry lord Gerald. You are a man I respect very much and taking lessons from you has always been a pleasure."


    Having finished his piece, with elegant steps, he began to walk towards the office building while Gerald always remained half a step behind him as he followed Sol''s pace.


    Once they entered the office building, however¡­


    "*Pfft* Hahaha, little Sol I must say you are acting more and more like a true prince, with each passing day. I remember the snotty brat that was looking at my horses with stars in his eyes, eager to ride it."


    Feeling his shoulders rx, and his heart noticeably less burdened at the old man''s quip, Sol smiled at Gerald''s nostalgic remarks, d to be able to converse with the wise and benevolent old man.


    "Uncle, I already told you that I don''t mind if you treated me more casually even outside."


    Shaking his head in response, Gerald denied him of the suggestion, chastising him for even making that remark.


    "You know I can''t do that Sol. I represent the previous power. It doesn''t matter what people know. But as long as we are in public, I must treat you as the prince you are, otherwise, I would be seen as trying to grab more power than I should dare to wield."


    A disgruntled sigh escaped Sol''s mouth. Politics, politics, and more politics. He knew it was necessary but it didn''t mean he had to like it a single bit.


    Gerald wasn''t his biological uncle, unfortunate but that''s just how it was. He was just one of the many retainers of the previous king before Mars ¡ª Neptune. Still, Sol really respected him and always felt ufortable seeing someone the age of his grandfather bow in front of him even though he knew this was how things were around here.


    It didn¡¯t help that Gerald did not need to bow to him? He was a member of the Hignd family, after all ¡ª one of the four Duke Families, and while Sol was the crown prince, his position wasn¡¯t absolute enough by itself tomand such respect from the members of the Duke households. A certain annoying woman had already made that clear to him years ago.


    Gerald gave an encouraging smile as he understood Sol quite well. One of the many reasons he liked the youngd was the humbleness he wielded toward others, and his respect for the old and wise. Sol was the sort of guy who didn¡¯t let his title get to his head like so many young shitheads from noble houses these days. Truly, these were troubling times for the next generation of the empire.


    "Enough chit-chat. You should already be rather tired. So let''s get this done quickly. Anyway, you already grasped the basics and just need more experience, who will you choose this time?"


    "My usual ones. ck and white."


    "Hahaha~!" Another cheerfully loudugh escaped Gerald''s lips as he chortled, "Those two are basically your private property now, they never let anyone else mount them."


    Sol smiled at hisical usations. White was his horse. A rare breed of nightmare horse. A rank D species. ck was his wyvern, a rank C species of the Draconic branch.


    Wyverns were an extremely devolved form of Dragons. So much so that in the legend, dragons saw the wyverns as inferior creatures not unlike how humans saw apes. Still, they were cool and since he was half-dragon, all dragon-rted species always obeyed him without question.


    "You are right uncle. Let''s go."


    Riding was one of his favorite lessons, after all. Partly because of the coolness of the act and partly because he was able to interact freely with the man he regarded as his dear uncle, akin to the father he didn''t have.


    ¡°Oh. Now that I think about it. Where are Athena and Ares?¡±


    While Gerald was his surrogate uncle, in a sense, he was the real grand uncle of Athena and Ares, the heirs of the Hignd family.


    Normally, they should be present during the training sessions since the two of them were already active in the army.


    Sol¡¯s question prompted Gerald¡¯s face to darken, something wasn''t right¡­


    ¡°The situation on the border is quite tense. Wratharis is causing problems again. They are trying to test the limits of our defense system. It''s just a harassing technique nothing more, but it doesn''t bode well for the future.¡±


    Out of the seven countries, while Lustburg had waged war with many of them, their most recurring enemy was Wratharis, the country of Beastkin, from which Setsuna and technically Milia were from.


    The current Leader of Wratharis seemed to be quite belligerent so he was a real pain in the ass for humanity.


    Unlike Sol who was yet to awaken, both Athena and Ares had already done so long ago and were members of the army thanks to their high talents. Athena in particr was a great force on the battlefield because of the special skills of her contracted magical beings.


    Sol sometimes wondered if the names of people in this world could affect their personalities.


    ¡°Well, we are here. Take your wyvern.¡±


    The rest of the time was spent with Sol riding in the air and rxing a little.


    When Sol finally went back, after a fun riding session with his favorite mounts and his ever-cheerful uncle, he began preparing himself for the iing night out.


    ----


    Sol stood before a floor mirror ¡ª made from the finest crystal essence that clearly reflected his features ¡ª and scrutinized his attire for the ensuing event.


    A white tailored suit he adorned, with the hem reaching his buttocks and the buttons embedded in the regal piece of clothing being made out of gold, yes gold, the general metals found on earth also existed here with a blend of fantasy metals to add to the list.


    On his hands, he wore a pair of white fingerless gloves that had the motifs of the royal family and the church etched on either of them. His right glove had the insignia of a vermillion phoenix embedded on its back while the insignia of a dark as-night snake was stitched on the back of the left glove.


    They represented the church and the royal family respectively.


    Chastity and Lust ¡ª two opposing elements for two simrly influential powers. Virtue and Sin, hand in hand, that''s how the kingdoms of this fantasy world ran.


    To finish his formal party attire, he wore matching white formal pants and a pair of regal white shoes. Every part of him oozed grace and nobility, fit for the prince of a kingdom.


    When you added his handsome looks, his golden blonde hair, and his deep and vibrant sky-blue eyes into the mix of regality and elegance, Sol was truly a wondrous sight to behold.


    "*Sigh* I always feel weird wearing these ssy clothes."


    "Your highness, this is necessary. Normally it wouldn''t have been a problem to meet up with the supreme daughter of the church while wearing casual clothes. But it seems like Duchess Mris got wind of your meeting and decided to participate with her cohort."


    With a calm tone apanying her soothing voice, Milia informed him of the Duchess'' participation, while inspecting his clothes and making somest-minute small adjustments. Sol, hearing her words crunched his face in distaste, disgruntled at having toe face to face with the damned woman.


    "*Ugh* That woman..."


    Mirth was evident in Milia''s face as she heard Sol''s bleak response to the mere mention of the Duchess, but she didn''t continue the discussion. It wasn''t her, a pce maid''s, ce to insult nor judge the leader of one of the four highest noble families aside from the royal one.


    "Now this is good. Perfect."


    Sol inspected himself in the mirror for the final time before nodding as he turned and took Milia in his arms and gave her a soft loving kiss on the lips ¡ª a surprising actioning from him. And right on cue, Milia''s eyes widened slightly at this abrupt action of his, before her mind took the backseat, instincts taking its ce. Her eyes closed, from their astonished state, as she seemingly melted in his arms, fully relishing the kiss, and cooperating with some tongue action midway.


    The kisssted for a few seconds before ending, mere moments but an eternity filled with love seemed to have passed for the loving couple. Driven by the feelings she held for Sol, Milia''s face flushed red in ecstasy from the sudden yet weed act. Meanwhile, Sol had a confident smile on his face, looking lovingly at the charmingly cute face of a flustered Milia.


    "Thanks for everything you do for me."


    Expressing his heartfelt gratitude to Milia, he didn''t wait for her reply and began to stride away from his room to his destination.


    The room he was now venturing towards was rather special. The fact that two silent guards stood in front of its entrance just emphasized how important it was.


    Once he reached the door, he smiled at the two stoic women standing guard and entered the room.


    The room was very sparsely decorated. No, even saying sparsely was too much. It was basically empty. The only form of decoration was a magic circle drawn on the floor in the very middle of the room and next to it stood an old woman wearing a white robe with a crow perched on her shoulder.


    ''A Nightmare Crow.''


    It was a special type of beast, among the many magical beings of the beast category, with a quality of C rank. It wasn''t particrly strong, but It specialized in spatial relocation AKA teleportation, so it was a very useful species for traveling. For that very reason, anyone able to contract with the beast had a good chance to obtain its power and alsond in a lucrative position, where they would be sought out by many powers ¡ª especially nobles and royalty.


    The old hunchback woman wasn''t the only one present in the room though. Next to her, a young blue-haired and blue-eyed girl stood with an apathetic face devoid of any emotions. It was Setsuna, his childhood friend, and knight in charge of his protection.


    She was wearing a long, ck kimono that stretched to her thighs with an armor te covering her chest. Two arm guards of equally dark colors rested on her upper arms. A bluish-ck obi was wrapped around her waist and held her assortment of Japanese-themed clothes together. Seeing her, it was like he was facing a samurai girl. Which he believed was what she tried to project herself to be. A samurai warrior.<sub> </sub>


    He gave a small smile to her but otherwise did not speak before facing the old woman again.


    "Good evening, your highness, I hope you had a good day. Forgive me for not being able to give a full bow, my back is causing me some problems as ofte, you see."


    The woman gave a short bow with her head dipping slightly as she wore a slightly embarrassed expression behind her hood-covered robes, exining the cause of her rudeness to the heir of the empire.


    "Gatekeeper, please do not mind. How could some silly convention be more important than your health? If it wasn''t because of how weak I was I could have simply made the travels by myself. Once again my aunt is doing too much."


    Yes, the distance between the church, where the meeting would take ce, and the tower was just about three or four kilometers. It was such a short distance that it was incredible how they were going to use a dimensional portal to reach it. It was a luxury, and an unnecessary one.


    "Ohohoh~! Your Highness, please do not worry. Her majesty is only doing so for your own good. As thest heir of the royal family, your security is paramount to anything else. Tiring my old bones for your protection is in no way a waste."


    Sol''s lips tugged to form a wry smile and left the talk there, not willing to stretch it out much. The old hunchback woman was from the same generation as Gerald, making her old enough to be his grandmother, to say the least. Her position as a gatekeeper was also extremely important. She was responsible for the space protection of the kingdom, after all. Apart from the usual space abilities, she was rather special among the space magic users. Hence the responsibility projected on her was also equivalently big and stressful.


    "Now your majesty, step on this magic circle with your bodyguard and I will send you to the coordinates. At the end of the party, you just have to step on the identical magic circle that is present there and ask your bodyguard to fill it with her mana and it will promptly activate and transfer you back to the tower."


    Nodding curtly at her instructions, Sol proceeded to follow them to a T and stand on the teleportation circle, preparing himself for the headache toe, both literally and figuratively.


    "Now your majesty, I hope you have a good trip."


    ----


    "*Ugh*"


    Stifling a groan from leaking out of his mouth Sol reeled in the headache he felt while looking around at his new surroundings. Terribly upset from the sudden spatial shift, his stomach rumbled and bile rose to the base of his throat, but he managed to keep it in and downed it back to its origin, saving himself from the embarrassment. Not like he hadn''t embarrassed himself plenty already from all the stomach cleaning he did all the times he did spatial travel.


    "Your highness are you alright? You should take your medication."


    "Thanks."


    Taking the pills Setsuna gave him, he swallowed them down before finally calming himself off his puking urges.


    "*Sigh*. Undergoing dimensional travel without an ounce of magic is really bad for my health and conscience."


    "Fufufu. At least your Highness didn''t barf on her holiness robes this time."


    *Chuckle*


    A light shade of red formed on Sol''s face as he remembered the embarrassing memory, one of the many he shared with the Supreme Daughter.


    The barely hiddenugh from the nuns standing around didn''t help him either.


    If asked where Sol spent most of his time a few years back, the answer wouldn''t be the tower of Babylon where he resided, but rather the church where he stood now. The church of Castitas, the goddess of Chastity was like his second home. He had many embarrassing and emotional memories here full of nostalgia over the years, memories he held dear to his heart.


    "How uncouth of you to shame his highness in public. Or is this how his highness raised his ve?"


    A gentle yet scathing voice of ridicule broke the harmonic atmosphere ¡ª a jet ck-haired woman, the origin of the mocking tone, made her appearance seemingly out of nowhere. Behind her, stood two young boys about Sol''s age as well as one girl. They were also apanied by three bodyguards and one handsome man attired in butler clothes.


    ''Shadow walk.''


    Nightmare Crows weren''t the sole beast able to use the power of teleportation.


    Dark Phantom ¡ª a higher-tiered magical being.


    Sol''s gaze settled on the raven-haired man standing with a smile close to ''that'' woman.


    It was a member of the demon race, one of the races of the world, and he was quite highly ranked too at that, with a quality of B+ rank.


    ''*Sigh~* I had hoped that I wouldn''t have to meet them so soon. Just my luck, her odious face graced me at the entrance''


    "I am sorry for the disy my servant showed. I will be sure to discipline her at ater date."


    Sol answered smoothly while ignoring the nigh perpetual scowl on the face of the woman who was taking the lead. That scowl, however, couldn''t do much to hide the mesmerizing beauty she held.


    The Duchess Arachne Mris of the Mris family. She was truly a beautiful woman. Even more so in her dark-as-night evening gown and despite her clearck of womanly assets. To quote a sage of culture, t was justice.


    However, beauty equated to half the reason for her fame. For she was equally as powerful as she was beautiful. Be it as an individual or as a noble. She was like a rose filled with thorns.


    Despite never having married, she was still respected and feared because of her prowess and talents be it on the battlefield or as a renowned artist.


    While Sol was quite sheltered, he still had to meet the members of the four great families from time to time. The other three weren''t much trouble. Some, even rather pleasant and became close friends of his, like the heirs of the Hignd Duke family ¡ª Athena and Ares.


    But the Mris family was a little bit different. They weren¡¯t outright enemies, but the rtionship between that family and the royal family was quite awkward and bitter.


    The reason?


    Well¡­ Arachne Mris was the original fianc¨¦e of his father and the fact that she was neither his mother nor his stepmother gave the answer to how that engagement ended up.


    ''*Sigh~* I feel like today will be quite an eventful night.''


    He sighed for the third time today as he prayed to both Luxuria and Castitas to give him the energy to get through this day with a sane mind.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [In the Church.]


    "Your holiness, they havee."


    A nun bowed, conveying the news of the arrival of the guests with an expression of awe barely contained.


    If one was asked who was the most influential or powerful woman in this kingdom, the opinions would vary without a doubt.


    But if one was asked, who was the most beautiful. They would receive a unanimous answer.


    Camelia Castitas. The Supreme Daughter of the Goddess Castitas.


    Seven churches existed in this world. Corrting to the seven virtues that held dominion. Those churches all prayed to their respective twin goddesses.


    Camelia, as the Supreme daughter of Castitas, was the highest authority in the church with absolutely no one to contend against her.


    As the leader of the church, her power was in no way inferior to the royal family. In fact, you could even say that they faintly surpassed the royal family because of the current dismal situation the royal family faced, being without a true leader and all.


    In any normal state, this dissonance would have been quite dangerous and the royal family might have tried to keep the church in check. But this was not the case for Lustburg.


    The reason?


    "Hehe~! My little Sol is finallying to see me. It has been such a long time. I was beginning to think he had forgotten me. This must be that woman''s fault. Lilith was always such a worrywart. Always hogging him all to herself for nonsensical reasons. Don''t you think so?"


    Camelia was what one could call a fangirl. And she was head over heels for Sol Dragons Luxuria, the heir of the empire.


    The nun could only awkwardly shuffle around. On one hand, she was already used to the entric antics of this mistress of hers, what''s more, she had to admit that Sol was really cute and partially agreed with her derations.


    He was basically the mascot of the nuns at this level.


    Finally, the other reason was that even though there were only the two of them present in this room, she knew that she wasn''t the one Camelia was talking with.


    Bitter at the entricity of the Supreme Daughter she opted to bow her head, close her eyes, and wait for the delirious leader of the church to get out of her fantasies and invite guests in.


    ''I hope the future of the church isn''t doomed.''

 Chapter 14 CH 14: THE SAINT ISNT THAT SAINTLY

    The gentle calming music of a harp echoed soothingly in therge dining space. In the middle of the pristine white room people, guests of today''s event, sat on either side of the rtivelyrge table. The Supreme Daughter being the only one sitting at the helm of the white wooden dining table.


    The stirring notes of gently plucked strings, resounding like the angelic hymns of heaven, were also the sole source of noise in the eerily quiet room. Even though the group currently dining was quite sizable, they ate in perfect and utter silence.


    At the head of the table sat Camelia, resting on herfortable seat, on her right sat Sol, and on her left the Duchess Mris eating away with elegance, the scowl never leaving her otherwise glorious face.


    The rectangr table was clearly divided into two camps, two sides at a silent war of stares, with Sol''s side of the camp being quite empty. Still, this did not seem to bother him in the slightest.


    The table was filled with delicious but light food, befitting their noble and pompous status. It wouldn''t be a mistake to say that if converted into money, the food put on this table was enough to feed amoner family for more than 3 months or more.


    <o>,m One would think that with the obvious dislike the Duchess had for the heir of the kingdom, the table would be filled with a heavy atmosphere, the smell of gunpowder pervading everywhere. And they wouldn''t be wrong to think so, the past shes of the two sides had enough reasons to warrant that thought. However, a singr yet significant difference marked the reason for the current¡­ceasefire peace among the group ¡ª the presence of the Supreme Daughter ¡ª Camelia Castitas.</o>


    If Arachne''s dislike for Sol was known throughout the kingdom and even in some parts of the outside world, then the same went for Camelia''s indiscriminate love for him.


    Some rumors even stated that Camelia was most likely Sol''s true mother because of how much she spoiled him, and the time they spent together, being much more than the time he spent in the eponymous tower. But of course, rumors of this magnitude only circted in the circles of themon popce. Nobilities wouldn''t dare produce such remarks, less their heads were lopped off the next day by the church''s forces.


    Once the dishes were finished by both sides, the Duchess cleared her throat as she directed hernguid stare toward the Supreme Daughter.


    "Your holiness. I thank you for this sumptuous feast. The reason I sought you today was somewhat sensitive. Would it be too much to ask for a private dinner? We could let the children discuss between them in the meantime, what do you say?"


    *Ping*


    Even the nun ying the harp missed a note and grew flustered at her remark, the performance brought to a unanimous halt as perpetual silence descended on the room. The previously calm atmosphere suddenly became chilly as an overbearing aura of glowering intent to kill drenched the peacefulness once settled between the two sides.


    "Setsuna. Stop."


    Sol, who was previously minding his own business, raised his hand to stop Setsuna from unsheathing her de. To say nothing about drawing des, normal guards weren¡¯t even allowed to bring weapons in such a holy ce. However, Sol, being the exception he was, wasn''t included in the rule.


    Once he stopped Setsuna from acting rashly, Sol elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin and then calmly asked her a question.


    "Duchess. Please, could you please tell me which authority allowed you to decide anything for me in my stead? More so, when I myself am present?"


    "Oh? I see, I am terribly sorry for my oversight in that matter and so? What of it?"


    He had to desperately hold back the urge to not punch her almost smug face.


    This sentence of hers was nothing more than naked provocation directed at him. No matter how powerful she was as a Duchess, Sol was still the crown prince of the kingdom. His position wasn''t something that should be challenged so tantly.


    "I am terribly sorry. But I mean, the truth is that you are indeed a child. What''s more, I did not think that you would be so petty as to not allow an old woman like me to treat you as such. I heard that lord Gerald and you were rather close, could it be that you discriminate against me precisely?"


    ''Of course bitch. Why the fuck would I put you at the same level as uncle Gerald?''


    Even though he kept a gentle smile on his face, throughout the ordeal, Sol was inwardly quite furious. Sadly, as a noble, showing your emotions means you already lost the battle before it could even properly start. He had to always act calm even when he didn¡¯t want to.


    He was about to continue trading veiled insults with Arachne when a fair hand fell atop of his own. A soothing aura instantly calmed him, the gentle voice reeling in his agitated psyche.


    "Sol Luxuria is the crown prince and the future king of this kingdom. There''s absolutely nothing I have to hide from him. Duchess, if what you want to speak about is particrly urgent, I can find a private space for the three of us to discuss it. What do you think about that?"


    The atmosphere tensed as Arachne and Camelia stood in a deadlock. Finally, an enigmatic smile emerged on Arachne''s face.


    "...I see. Then I guess I will take my leave ande at another time. This dinner was truly an eye-opening experience for me."


    Then, without further ado, she stood up and turned on her heels while her cohort silently followed her. She had no fear of the church or the Royal family nor did she have any reasons to. After all, she was still a loyal subject to the kingdom. Her achievements open for anyone to see.


    Once she reached the door though, she stopped short before ncing over her shoulders to address Sol,


    "Your highness, let me say this at least. If you do not want to be treated like a child, you should at least leave the skirt of your aunt. As you are now, you aren''t even a hundredth of the man your father was at your age."


    A shadow swallowed her and her group when she finished her words as she left. Their smirks were thest thing he saw.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    *Whoosh*


    Somewhere, far from the church in a remote castle, the shadow around the room squirmed before slowly stretching out as two silhouettes walked out of it.


    It was the Duchess and her butler, who also served as her contracted partner. Her family members were nowhere to be seen.


    "Mistress, was it wise to antagonize the heir so openly again? If he even has half the talent of his father upon his awakening, he will without a doubt be a powerhouse. In the first ce, is it possible for a Blessed to not be powerful?"


    Arachne scoffed, ¡°Neptune is the perfect example that such a thing is indeed possible.¡±


    Neptune, the puppet King, was Sol¡¯s grandfather and was officially recognized as the most pitiful king in the history of Lustburg.


    A smirk of derision and mockery formed on the duchess''s face, thinking about that unfortunate yet loathsome man.<sub> </sub>


    "What''s more, so what if he has the talent? What would it matter to me? Do you think he can do anything to the Mris house in this generation? No matter what, I was still a member of his father¡¯s party. I am a hero, you know?"


    "...His father was already a monster at his age¡­"


    "So?¡± The smile on her face slipped and was reced by a scowl. ¡°He isn''t his father. Never will he be. There''s only one Mars. Neverpare him to that child again.¡±


    Sighing, she walked deeper into the room while dismissing him, ¡°Now, please make me some tea. I need to reassess the situation and n ordingly."


    "Yes my lord."


    As he walked, he took a look at the wall behind the duchess where the pictures of a man with long golden hair and sky blue eyes stood proudly. It seemed like an older Sol. This was without a doubt, Mars.


    ''She is truly a poor woman¡­ ''


    He of course did his best to not look at all the other portraits of the same man that littered the room.


    ''...But still crazy as fuck.''


    ------


    "THAT BITCH!!!"


    "*Sigh* No need to be so angry. It isn''t like I really care about that. Also, I am already used to beingpared to my father."


    After the duchess and her cohort left, Camelia wasn''t in the mood anymore and dismissed everyone. Setsuna was given the usual room that she used when Sol visited the church. It wouldn''t be wrong to call it their second home, after all, so all the amodations were already ready.


    Hearing Sol¡¯s words, all anger vanished from Camelia¡¯s face as she approached Sol with a worried expression marking her beautiful face.


    "Oh, my poor baby. Don''t worry I am here. I am sure you will show them what you can do once you awaken. This will shut some of those bastards up."


    Camelia reached Sol who was sitting on her bed and took him into a tight hug. Her bouncy breasts nearly robbed him of his ability to breathe as they smothered him in their cushy softness.


    A bitter smile spread on his face at her words.


    In his life, Sol had three great influences.


    Milia, who was basically like a mother to him. She was the very first person he saw when he woke up in this world.


    Lilith, who yed the role of the strict aunt. She never disyed any form of tant outward affection to him, but he knew how important he was to her.


    Finally, Camelia. The doting aunt. The one who always treated him as a child no matter how old he became and embarrassed him without even meaning to.


    This made things really awkward for him. The worst was that he couldn''t even hate her because he knew that she didn''t mean anything bad. She just liked him¡­ A little bit too much.


    Moreover, well, she was sexy as hell. It helped a lot in coping with his indignations. In terms of body figures, she didn''t lose to Milia or Lilith. And those hips. Oh dear lord!! He had to admit that rather than being a sucker for the cushy wonders, he had always preferred a perfectly cushy butt a lot more.


    Setsuna¡¯s butt was firm and toned from years of training. But Camelia''s was soft andrge without disturbing her curvy body line.


    "Please Camelia, could you let me go? I am not a child anymore."


    "Oh~? Oh my. Who would have thought that little Sol saw me in such a way? Or perhaps did doing it with Milia awaken the beast in you?"


    ''Huh?''


    "Fufufu~! Don''t give me that shocked look. I have my ways. What''s more, I must admit that I had been waiting for this for so long."


    Sol hid a shiver of anticipation. It couldn''t be, right? Perhaps he wasn''t understanding what she meant.


    "Say, Sol. You do know that even though we are known as the church of Castitas, we do not preach to our believers to never have romantic rtionships? As long as it does not transform into promiscuity they are free to do as they wish. Love and lust are two sides of the same coin. As such, even the nuns are allowed to marry whenever they wish to. But¡­"


    Letting her words trail a bit, she straddled him and locked his blue eyes with her own.


    Camelia was truly a beautiful woman. Long golden hair and sky blue eyes akin to Sol''s.


    Those features weren''t just random. Only people blessed by the Goddesses could have golden hair.


    In this world, fifteen Goddesses existed. The ones whom humans believed in and venerated were Luxuria and Castitas.


    "...But, the Supreme daughter is different. We can only marry either after we finish grooming a new sessor or if the one we want to marry is from the royal family. I don''t need to exin more to you right?"


    *Gulp*


    He could only gulp audibly as an answer.

 Chapter 15 CH 15: CAMELIA (1)

    *Gulp*


    Not dense, unlike your average harem protagonist, Sol was aware when he was receiving an invitation for a steamy session of carnal indulgence.


    In fact, perceptive as he was from a young age, he always had the nagging feeling that Camelia''s love for him was slowly morphing into something less than tonic. The only thing stopping her previously from taking any sort of action was that he was a minor, a child to speak inly.


    However, with him nearing the demarcation age of fifteen, he could already be considered an adult, by this world''s standards, in every sense of the word. He having a nice couple of nights of passion with Milia, and his other trysts with the maids, also helped her to make the necessary step. Everything incorporated, Camelia was now ready to take their rtionship to the step she was waiting for, for ages.


    Feeling bold, he casually stretched out his hands, brazenly groping her ample breasts through her white dress. Feeling them up, he instantly felt her momentarily shiver under his brash touch.


    Delighted by her reactions, Sol thoroughly toyed with the globes of fat in his hands, letting go of thest few emotional restraints holding him back.


    ¡°Nn~!...¡±


    The Supreme Daughter, being the young holy woman she was and considering what she represented, had never built up a resistance to pleasure. She never had to, to be exact.


    As his skilled hands, fondled her ample breasts, ying with them and teasing them, she grew weak and putty in his hands.


    Seeing her gradually intensifying reactions to his shameless touch, Sol leaned over close to her side, whispering sweet words in her ear, his hands continuing to possessively grope her sizeable tits.


    ¡°You know what? I¡¯ve learned a few things from my life and the people I have met.¡±


    ¡°A-and what¡­is that?¡±


    Giving her a rare indulgent smile when she politely responded, while progressively growing limp, Sol spoke in a clear tone.


    ¡°That there are people like you who will usher me with love for nothing in return. That''s why even though you y the ditz, you will always have arge ce in my heart.¡±


    The ensuing events toe weren''t just about lust. Already disillusioned with the facets of simple fucking without feelings, Sol knew that if he just wanted a simple fucking session, he could just go back to the tower and call the maids there to attend to him.


    No. The ce Camelia had in his heart was in no way inferior to that of Milia. Once they crossed the line, their rtionship would irreversibly change. Hence, it was absolutely necessary to tell her the feelings deeply rooted in his heart.


    Embarrassed and equal parts delighted by his heartfelt remarks, Camelia¡¯s cheek reddened as she buried her head against his chest.


    "Don''t you think I am a shameless woman who is lusting over someone so much younger than me?"


    "Of course not."


    Raising her chin with his hand, staring at her quivering blue-colored eyes, he kissed her on her plump and inviting lips.


    "Nn~!!"


    He could feel her resist instinctively at first before immediately stopping her struggles and slowly but clumsily trying to reciprocate his advances.


    It was weirdly cute and endearing to see a grown woman show such ack of experience.


    His lips now pressed down onto hers, she closed her eyes shut, her mouth also closing from nervousness. He lightly kissed her tightly closed mouth a few times and then gently sucked on her lower lip. He pulled away for a moment.


    ¡°Open your lips.¡±


    Hemanded in a low deep voice. She swallowed a hard breath in further nervousness and anticipation; her throat hurt from the tension. Her face was tinted in a pink hue as she hesitated briefly, but in the end, she let her lips fall apart, opening them as hemanded. His eyes seemed tough and twinkle at her cuteness but soon, his lips firmly pressed against hers and a soft piece of flesh entered her mouth, burrowing and twisting in her mouth.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    His tongue smoothly ravaged the inside of her mouth, not sparing any corner. He slowly made his way around her teeth and the sides of her cheeks, relishing her to his delight. She felt a jolting sense of pleasure whenever his tongue met hers. As their lips parted the tiniest sliver, he spoke endearingly.


    ¡°You taste like wine.¡±


    Camelia felt her blush burning through her cheeks; his words had a radical effect on her psyche. Adjusting his position, he locked lips once more, eager for round two. Just as he¡¯d remarked, their kiss tasted like wine, dizzying her with rapture, intoxicating her in its sensations.


    Their tongues wrestled while their saliva mixed in a hedonistic show of passion. He was focused on exploring the insides of her mouth through his ardent kisses. His tongue twisted, his lips sucked on, then let go of hers for a much-needed break for both.


    ¡°Hu¡­..¡±


    A moan escaped from deep within her throat. The soft kisses gradually heated up. His gentle tongue suddenly pressed firmly inside her mouth, and when he continued to massage a sensitive spot, she unconsciously ended up firmly grasping the bedsheets. He kept making her breathless until she reached her limit. Then he parted his lips from hers, and after letting her catch her breath, he started once again.


    Their kiss continued that way for many more rounds. Camelia¡¯s shoulders, which had been stiff from nerves, gradually rxed. His kisses were sweet and soothing, relieving her of any tension she previously held. When he parted from a particrly long kiss, Camelia lightly gasped for breath. With only this much, it felt like they had done more than enough already.


    "Ah¡­Ah¡­ Ah"


    Their short breaths echoed slowly in the closed room. Her deeply flushed face and her vacant eyes stroked his slowly growing ego immensely.


    Sol, deciding that he shouldn''t let her cool down, brought back his hand to her dress and swiftly tugged it down, undressing her with smooth motions.


    In just a few seconds, Camelia was left in a pair of ck underwear. The contrast between her pale white skin and the deep ck tint of her underwear was truly a sight enough to make a monk give up his vows of celibacy.


    "You are simply a work of art."


    "Ara~! Is that so?"


    Despite her confident snide, Sol could see bits and pieces of her nervousness dancing in the depth of her mesmerizing eyes, slowly leaking out of her calm front. Indeed. Camelia was feeling shy. She was in no way as bold as Lilith and usually wore conservative clothes. It was the first time a man saw so much of her skin.


    ''There''s no need to rush. I should take my time with her.'' the thought passed the boy''s mind as he read the hesitation in her eyes.


    ¡°Ah!?¡±<sub> </sub>


    With emboldened thoughts Sol yanked the bra off her, making her gasp in surprise at his abrupt act.


    The breasts that spilled out wererger than Setsuna¡¯s own, but slightly smaller than Milia¡¯s. When you remembered that Milia was from a race famed for theirrge breasts, it was easy to understand that Camelia was way above average in that department.


    The breasts reminded him ofrge melons, and tantalizing cantaloupes. They were well-formed, white, and undoubtedly alluring to the opposite gender.


    Impressed, Sol grabbed them and found they had a smooth and youthful texture. Despite her age and how heavy they were, no sagging could be felt as they rested in his skillful hands.


    The nipples looked like camellia petals blooming on her white skin and they were already erect from the loving session that ensued before.


    When he pinched them between his middle and ring fingers,


    "Ah!!"


    Camelia let out a startled but sensual moan as her back arched in pleasure. Since she was still seated on hisp while wearing nothing more than a pair of panties, the already tight pants of Sol tightened further as his dick throbbed in pleasure. But he didn''t pay attention to it.


    He pecked her lips a few more times and gradually moved his kisses to her cheeks trailing it to her ear. His moist lips kissed behind her ear then moved down her neck slowly letting out a trail of kisses as he traced his lips from her neck down to the vicinity of her breasts, and began to suck on the nipple poking stiffly out from the soft left mound.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    A jolting pleasure from her breasts forced Camelia to let out a short moan. He took a mouthful of the sensuous piece of flesh and sucked on it. As if milk wasing out of her breasts, he licked her nipples meticulously.


    "¡­ stop, don¡¯t¡­"


    Ignoring her plea, he persistently rolled the nipple around with his tongue and sucked even harder.


    ¡°Ahh, n-no¡­ahhh¡­¡±


    Camelia wrapped her arms around his head to bear with the sudden influx of overbearing pleasure.


    He let go of her breast, which was now wet with his saliva, and moved to caress the other one. He licked, sometimes lightly bit, swallowed, and from time to time sucked with great force. Whenever his tongue moved, a tingling sensation would travel up her spine shooting jolts of numbing pleasure directly to her brain, and she couldn¡¯t help but moan out loud even though she wished to bottle those shameful sounds.


    He lowered his right hand and slipped it toward the source of heat gently emanating from between her thighs.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Embarrassed and ashamed, she quickly tried to close her knees, but it was toote.


    He rubbed up against her plump and soft inner thighs, making her lose her tight hold, and swiftly reached his destination.


    Her panties must have been made of the same material as her bra. The smooth silky material felt good on his hands.


    He softly pressed against the fabric with three of his fingers and began his work on the outskirts of her honeypot.


    ¡°No, stop! Ahh¡­ ¡±


    She seemed to feel guilty about the pleasure and desperately tried not to feel anything, but the more she tried to hide it, the more sexual appeal she was inadvertently giving off.


    Her cute breathy moans made him wish to please her even more.


    He groped one breast with his left hand, sucked at the other nipple with his lips, and roughly rubbed against her crotch with three fingers of his right hand.


    He could feel moisture through the thin material. This perfectly stered the thin panties to her pussy and the shape of the contents showed through the dark material.


    Sol shut his eyes and felt through her panties until he touched a small bump.


    ¡°Hh.¡±


    With a quiet groan, a tremor ran through her slender body making her quiver all over in pleasure.


    He looked up at her with her nipple still in his mouth and saw her white face had grown tinged with a deep hue of pink.


    Her long eyshes were shaking anxiously. This gave him all the answers he needed.


    Having found the holy woman¡¯s weakness, Sol struck a triumphant pose in his heart and focused on tormenting that small bump over and over with gentle motions.


    ¡°Ah¡­ah, ah¡­ ¡±


    For that sexually innocent young woman, toying with her clitoris through the thin panties must have been the perfect level of stimtion. She was clearly feeling unprecedented amounts of pleasure, pleasure far greater than anything she felt up to now.


    He continued to act like that until he felt her mp down his hand with her meaty thighs while her hands gripped his clothes and her body shivered as her mouth opened in a soundless scream.


    The building moisture he could feel from his hand told him that he had indeed reached his first goal.


    Then, she stopped gripping him and fully grew limp. All strength left her body in the process.


    But was it enough? Of course not. The night was still young.


    Suddenly, a memory shed in his mind, a devilish idea entered his mind.


    "Camelia, shall we y a game?"

 Chapter 16 CH 16: CAMELIA (2)

    Utterly devoid of any article of clothes, Camelia, the Supreme Daughter of Castitas, was awkwardly ced on the chair with her hands shackled behind her back, her legs spread, and her hips pushed forward in an exhibitionistic disy that teased the height of shame. The creator of such a brazen disy, Sol, the shameless prince, narrowed his eyes lovingly as he viewed her in all her naked and depraved glory.


    Despite her growing age, her pussy was tightly shut and devoid of any pubic hair. The glistening trail of clear liquid slowly trailing down from her closed snatch was truly an enticing and erotic sight.


    The holy woman, truly embarrassed by the position she was now bound to uphold, couldn''t help but ask with a trembling voicecing her soothing vocals.


    "Hmmm¡­Sol? Why am I being bound so?"


    "Of course, it''s because you wish for it, don''t you?"


    "...?!"


    "Heh, you shouldn''t be so surprised, no? I remember some of the books you have in your collection. Well, most of the books. After all, they all follow the same genre."


    BDSM.


    It would seem that, no matter which world it was, humans were a depraved race that always thirsted for more and more depraved forms of pleasure.


    "N-no¡­ I¡­"


    "No need to exin yourself. The way your breathing got hurried while I was binding you and the fact that you didn''t resist a single bit shows that I am telling the truth."


    Downright marveling at the work of art he created, Sol now pondered on how to continue from then on.


    BDSM ys had varying levels to them, the levels changing with the inclusion of people involved in the act. Some were submissive and liked to be put in positions without a shred of power. However, there, the limits of their tolerances were reached.


    Some people higher in the perverse spectrum of things left the level of Submissiveness and became downright masochistic and even at that level, there were different types of the deviants.


    Long story short, it was a deep and broad subject that demanded the attention and plentiful time of the readers of said subject. He couldn''t just begin to swing a whip on her and expect her to feel pleasure from it now, could he? Until the limits of her tolerances were probed, surely only by him, he needed to go at a slow and gradual pace. Unfolding her limits was a treat on its own that Sol couldn''t wait to uncover.


    "Never forget this. No matter what you say I will only stop if you say the code word. Hum let''s go with Lustburg. If you say Lustburg, I will immediately stop with the act."


    ''Camelia shouldn''t simply be a sub. From her books, it''s clear that at the very least she should be a light masochist. Hum. Let''s tread carefully for now. A code will allow me to know when to stop.''


    "Now, tell me. Why is the one hailed as the supreme daughter reading such scandalous and perverse books? Do you wish to tell me that you have always wished to be in such a situation all this time?"


    "No¡­ Sol¡­I¡­"


    "Silence." A tone of absolutemand, nothing less than that, was felt in his booming voice, his now steeled eyes looking at her with total indifference. "You will now address me as Sir or Master, nothing else."


    "Bu¡­"


    "Do it!"


    Uncontrobly shivering at hismanding shout, Camelia reeled back before slowly opening her mouth as she called him with difficultyced in her tone.


    "Ma...Master."


    Her head hung low, unprecedented shame coloring her face in a carnival of red as she called Sol as he ordered. Sol would have normally felt bad about it but¡­


    "Oh? Would you look at that? So you really are a filthy masochist? Does calling me master brings you so much joy?"


    "Of course not!!"


    "Really? Then¡­" Letting his words trail off, much to Camelia''s fears, he came close to her and slowly traced her quivering crack with his finger, bringing it close to her face right after.


    "...Then, if I am wrong, could you exin to me why you are so much wetter than earlier?"


    "...!"


    Her speechless look was incredibly cute. With that endearing look, a spark seemingly ignited in his heart, propelling unholy thoughts in his mind.


    ''I want to tease her more.''


    He wanted to see her moan. See her beg. He wanted topletely mess her up ording to his depraved cravings.


    "To think that the supreme daughter was such a dirty woman. Tell me was it your dream? Did you masturbate while dreaming of the day you would be tied up and humiliated?"


    "I¡ª"


    "Do not lie to me. If you even speak as much as one lie I will immediately stop all of this and go out, never to return."


    The shudder of fear slowly wreaking all over her body showed just how much she didn''t want him to stop this belligerent act of his. Her barely raised head dropped down further as she closed her eyes and voiced out in a weak submissive tone.


    "Yes."


    "Yes, what?"


    "Yes, master. I have always dreamed of it."


    "Then. Since you are so dirty. Repeat after me ¡ª I, Cami Castitas, am a dirty woman. Please master, punish me ¡ª"


    Absolute Horror. That emotion was basically stered on her face, hearing his obscene words. However, seemingly giving in to her fate she soon gave up any forms of resistance as she repeated his words like a broken record. A depraved toneced her every word.


    "I, Cami Castitas, am a dirty woman. Please master punish me. Nn!!"


    The very moment she finished her words, Camelia''s body shuddered violently while a greater amount of liquid gushed out from her sacred ce. There was no mistake, those words had set her off.


    "You came?"


    Sol wore an incredulous expression before barking out augh full of mockery and derision, still in the prime of his act ¡ª deeply engrossed in it.


    "Hahaha~! You are truly a dirty woman. To think that even without having to touch you, you woulde from humiliating yourself."


    Brushing his fingers once again against her soaked vagina, Sol scooped up arge part of her leaking fluid, slowly bringing it toward her heavily blushing and panting face.


    "Now, Camelia, lick my hand and experience your own vor.¡±


    ¡°N, no, stop, ¡­¡±


    Shutting her mouth tight, Camelia shook her head to escape his evil grasp, no mercy was shown by Sol, however.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you taught as a child not to be a picky eater?¡±


    He pinched Camelia¡¯s small nose shut, making it hard for her to breathe. Once she had no choice but to open her small mouth, Sol shoved his glistening fingers inside it. Those fingers pinched Camelia¡¯s tongue, rubbed at her gums, and overall toyed with the insides of her mouth before pulling out.


    ¡°Delicious, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is not! Please, stop this already!¡±


    Camelia tearfully pleaded, but he continued to ignore her pleas, the same belligerent smile stretching his lips.


    ¡°Hehe~ ! If you insist, I will end the forey there. You¡¯re plenty wet, so we should be able to move on to the next phase. Don''t you think so? Now beg me. Beg me like your life depends on it."


    In a slow shuddering rhythm, the masochistic woman''s heavy breasts moved up and down. Drowned by the lust she felt for the first time in her life, in a depraved tone she voiced out her true thoughts, not letting down Sol''s expectations.


    "Please master. I am a dirty woman whose head is only filled with lust and shameful thoughts. Please use me as much as you like."


    "Hehe~! Perfect!!"


    Laughing gleefully, Sol began to unbutton his suit, shirt, and his pants in order. It didn''t take long for him to be as naked as Camelia was.


    Now was the moment of truth. He really wanted to continue the y, but he was hesitating about taking her virginity just like that.


    It seemed like Camellia caught on to his hesitation but she neitherined nor used the word. Hence, he decided to press on.


    But just as he was about to m home, rity shed in the Supreme Daughter''s lust-dazed eyes. Heavily panicked, she interjected in his advance with the code word.


    "... Wait wait. Lustburg."


    Without the slightest bit of hesitation, his belligerent stride immediately stopped at those words. BDSM, be it light or heavy, was all about trust. The M trusted the S and the S should never betray that trust or it''d inevitably lead to a disastrous oue ¡ª an oue Sol wasn''t willing to undertake, not when it came to the ones he loved.


    "Did I go too far? Are you okay, Camelia? Are you hurt somewhere?"


    "No, no, no. In fact I¡­I loved it. It''s just that. I can''t lose my virginity right now."


    Sol tilted his head in utter confusion. After all this time and all the things they''ve done, why wasn''t she willing to cross thest line?


    "*Sigh* I will exin to youter. But I need to be a virgin for the ritual I am about to conduct. But.. Well. Perhaps you could try the other hole?"


    Her voice lowered down to barely a whisper toward the end, but he still understood what she meant; his eyes almost popped out at the implications.


    ''I-I never even thought about using a girl¡¯s butthole¡­''


    Sol had always been satisfied with the vagina, so he had never wanted to try the anus instead.<sub> </sub>


    But now that she was proposing it, he felt a sudden urge to try it out.


    ''But, wouldn''t it be a little dirty?''


    It seemed that Camelia caught onto his untold question as her face grew bright red...again,


    "I¡­ I already made all the preparations."


    "Oh?...ohhhh. You are truly a dirty woman. But you are my dirty woman. So I guess it''s alright."


    He came close to her before lifting her in her arms in one swift motion.


    "Kya!"


    Once he was sure that he was correctly holding her, he brought her to the bed and put her face down, her hips facing up.


    Her sexy backside became entirely visible to him.


    "I guess first I should use some lubrication."


    He held his raging erection and began to press it against her vagina coating it with her flowing nectar.


    ''I really want to just m it into her, but there is no need to hurry.''


    Despite his desires, Sol refused to break the trust she put in him just for a temporary moment of pleasure. Pleasure was a dangerous thing, treading around its edges without care always resulted in disastrous oues for rtionships.


    With sheer will, he forced himself to only coat his penis in the love juices dripping down endlessly from her dripping vagina.


    Then he used both hands to spread the white squishy flesh.


    ''Ahh~ Even her asshole is so pink and pretty.''


    He gently ced his penis against the pink throbbing flower in the center of the two round, thick and cushy parts of white flesh.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m putting it in.¡±


    This was Sol¡¯s first time having anal sex, so he felt oddly excited and simultaneously nervous about it.


    Seeing Camelia''s nodding gesture, he waited for her to breathe in deep and pushed his cock inside.


    ¡°¡­!?¡±


    He forced the hard object inside her puckered hole.


    Her body flinched slightly as it epted the intruder.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    ''I-it¡¯s so tight!''


    His hand supported her body while his other hand on the bed squeezed the sheets tightly. A grunting moan flowed out of his mouth, the sensations racking his nerves.


    This was it. Her slightly slippery insides wrapped perfectly around his manhood as they squeezed hard. Their point of union fit tightly without any gaps.


    As he burrowed his desire into her warm and wet insides, he was filled with a sense of utter satisfaction. Her breasts under him jiggled up and down with the little movements he made.


    Her pink nipples, wet from his saliva, and her glossy fair chest were littered with his bite marks. Her taste that had been in his mouth till now excited him immensely.


    The tightness was entirely different from that of a vagina. The entire vagina would softly squeeze down on him, but only the anus¡¯s entrance squeezed down with great force.


    Even so, the rest of his hard rod went inside much easier after he got the head inside.


    ''I-it¡¯s in. My dick ispletely inside her ass¡­''


    ¡°Hgh~! ¡­¡± he groaned in pleasure.


    He did feel some disappointment that he could not stick it in her vagina, but using her ass instead brought a sense of sinfulness along with the usual sense of conquest. It filled him with a different kind of arousal.


    He lost himself in thrusting his hips.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Camelia opened her mouth wide and arched her back as her eyes zed over in pleasure. Drool dripped from her red lips and soaked the bed.


    But Sol could not stop his rocking rhythm.


    He felt like his penis could continue forever when he thrust in and felt like her anus woulde out with it when he pulled back.


    Her now red and engorged anus spread wide as the boy¡¯s hard cock mercilessly pumped in and out.


    As this continued, a change came over her pained moaning.


    ¡°Nn! Nn! Ah~ !...¡±


    These were now the signs of a woman beginning to feel pleasure.


    Her anus never grew wet as he pounded it, but nectar poured endlessly from her untouched pussy lips and soaked her white inner thighs, trailing down and staining the sheets.


    ''Good. It looks like she is liking it.''


    Knowing she was enjoying it, hisst bit of worry vanished.


    "Hahaha~! What would the believers think if they saw the woman they respected being plowed in the ass by a man so much younger than her."


    Her groan and shudder were the sole answer he got as a response.


    The movement of his waist quickly increased in speed, upping his tempo to newer heights, plunging deeper into her core without reserve.


    ¡°A-! Aah!¡±


    Her body shook in ordance with his movements, swaying rhythmically with each thrust. Her body twisted and twitched as she mewled out in pleasure.


    When he slowly pulled outwards, it felt like her insides were pulling away with him and when he thrust hard, the heavy force caused her body to tingle in jolting rapture.


    He held her waist firmly so she wouldn¡¯t move up to the head of the bed and thrust powerfully inside.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re about to cry but your insides won¡¯t let me out. Do you like it that much? Does it feel good, you dirty woman?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Ang!¡±


    ¡°Tell me, do you want me to go deeper? Do you like when I put it this way?¡±


    He didn¡¯t feel embarrassed by his depraved teasing words. Just like he¡¯d said, her insides were actively sucking and wrapping around him. Her sensitive inner walls moved with him as though attached to his penis and the movement excited her immensely.


    ¡°A-! Please ! More-! Hng!¡±


    The stimtion was too intense. She felt short of air as though she was falling from an incredible height. His hard penis ravaged her anus vigorously and when he moved outwards, she felt like she was losing her mind from the dizzying delight.


    As though intent on splitting her in two, his heated shaft repeatedly thrust in and out of her. And every time her deep inner flesh was prodded and rubbed, she screamed at the pleasure that filled her brain and turned it into a putty mush.


    Her body twitched and gasped at his seemingly never-ending thrusts.


    ¡°Haa-! Aak!¡±


    Reaching her climax, Camelia lowered her head and screamed seductively. As her inner walls viciously mped down on him, a wild roar burst forth from deep within him.


    She spasmed in pleasure and he continued to burrow into her. He lifted her buttocks and plunged even deeper inside her.


    It was exhausting. But it felt extremely good. His powerful force as he prated her, his passionate movements as though he wanted to eat her up, his muscr figure that she could make out through her blurry eyes, his low moans that slipped out intermittently too, she liked them all and they excited her to no end.


    Her body had learned the joy of a union with a man. And it was the man she loved.


    His body stiffened momentarily as he released deep inside her ass. Camelia felt a hot fluid spreading and filling up her insides and she shut her eyes. Her vaginal walls clenched and squeezed him tightly as she climaxed again in short outbursts.


    His arms shook and a growl escaped his throat while her body twitched and spasmed with pleasure.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­ ¡±


    His weight came down on her as he stopped to catch his breath. He wasn¡¯tpletely leaning on her as he held some of his weight with his elbow but his body moderately pressing down on her gave her a pleasant feeling offort and security along with the endless pleasure that was intent on ravaging her whole.

 Chapter 17 CH 17: MELANCHOLIA

    In the quiet bedroom, only the sound of two people breathing rhythmically could be heard. Camelia¡¯s breathing was calming down to an even pace. Sol lowered his head and turned her a bit sideways. Then he enveloped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his chest.


    He simply embraced her for a while and then began to cover her lips, eyes, and forehead with soft affectionate kisses.


    ¡°Ha-ha, that¡¯s ticklish.¡±


    ¡°Shall I make it not ticklish?¡±


    Sol whispered softly and gently bit her neck. His hand stealthily moved from her back to her waist but she twisted her body and naturally pushed his hand away.


    When the smooth supple sensation of her skin disappeared from his palm, he reached out stubbornly and grabbed her butt instead. This time, Camelia pushed away from his chest.


    ¡°We can¡¯t. I have a lot to do, so I have to get up early tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°What do you have to do?¡±


    Camelia caressed his face as she spoke,


    "The ceremony for your awakening will happen in the tower, but the yearly entry to the spirit realm is organized by the church. The time is nearing and I have to put everything in order."


    "I see."


    Sol didn''t push more than that. He could see that she would have definitely caved in if he insisted a bit more but he didn''t want her to miss her duty because of his interests. He never wanted to be the person to actively inconvenience his loved ones for his selfishness.


    "Then, how about we sleep together?"


    The smile that illuminated Camelia''s face was so bright that it nearly blinded him, but it also warmed his heart soothingly.


    -----


    [Tower of Babel]


    "So, he decided to spend the night in the church?"


    Milia was carefully bowing her head in order to avoid crossing the piercing gaze of Lilith.


    The rtionship between Lilith and Camelia wasn''t really bad. In fact, the two of them could even be said to be best friends. But there was a deeppetition between the two of them.


    The reason for that was also a little stupid.


    As the Supreme Daughter of Castitas, though back then she was just the Holy Daughter, she had the option to end her servitude to the goddess by marrying Mars.


    The title of Holy Daughter was one equal to that of the Crown Prince in all meaning.


    Camelia was without a doubt the most talented Holy Daughter ever born in Lustburg while Mars was the most talented prince.


    For that reason, alongside the duchess, Camelia was one of the women who could have be the official wife of Mars. In fact, she was ranked higher and people were already preparing for the marriage between the two.


    But¡­ The day Camelia met Mars, she politely declined him and said quite clearly that he simply wasn''t her type.


    This action of hers brought an uproar in the whole kingdom. For a time, people were even wondering if the church and the royal family would have a fallout. After all, this union was simply too perfect and in the mind of many, the only reason for refusal was the growing tension between the two camps.


    However, Mars, as the ever charismatic individual, never particrly cared about being rejected by Camelia, and the two of them even became good friends. But, Lilith never took it lying down.


    A Snicker nearly escaped Milia''s lips before she disguised it as a cough.


    The Lilith of back then was really cute.


    Lilith, who would have surely unsheathed her sword if she knew M''s thoughts, frowned a little before finally letting out a tired sigh,


    "Well, I guess this isn''t bad. Did you do what I asked?"


    Milia''s hidden smilepletely vanished at Lilith''s question,


    "The crown''s shadow acted and tried to gather intelligence, but they found nothing. That woman ispletely clean."<sub> </sub>


    *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*


    The sound of Lilith''s finger tapping on the table was the sole source of noise in the silent room.


    After a while, a sigh of relief escaped her.


    "Let''s end this now. As long as she doesn''t steppletely out of the line, I will not act despite her disrespect to Sol. But send her a message¡­¡±


    Though they didn¡¯t see to eyes, Arachne was still someone with whom she fought side to side during thest war. She was a dearpanion and many of her armor that saved her life was personally created by Arachne.


    As such, she had quite a heavy debt toward that woman. Still, there were limits that shouldn¡¯t be crossed no matter what.


    ¡°This will be thest time. I refuse to let that woman throw her bitterness at Sol. Now you can go."


    Milia simply nodded and gave ast bow before leaving.


    Once alone in her study, Lilith leaned on her chair with a tired expression as she pinched her brow.


    "I need to rx a little."


    Thinking so, she began to walk towards a long rectangr ck case on which the motif of a ck snake was marked.


    Opening the case, she became lost in thoughts as she stared at the object inside it.


    It was a pristine sword with a length of ny centimeters and a width of twelve centimeters, along with the letters of a lost unknownnguage inscribed on it.


    Calling this sword beautiful would be an affront to this sword. For it represented the form of perfection.


    It was a holy sword that brought salvation, but it could also be a demonic sword that brought destruction. Everything depended on the wielder''s whims.


    This sword was also the sword that only the king officially recognized by the goddess could hold.


    As she gazed at that sword, memories of a distant past began to appear in her mind, and a sad smile formed on her face,


    "You were really a big idiot."


    Right here, right now, she wasn''t a queen, she wasn''t one of the most powerful women in the kingdom nor was she a war-hardened warrior.


    No, she was just a woman weeping over the death of her most beloved one.


    Tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes as she choked a rueful sob.


    "Big brother, you know being a queen really isn''t easy. I don''t even understand why you wanted the throne so much."


    She murmured, with a voice full of emotion and nostalgia,


    "Big brother tells me, are you proud of me? After all, I am not a cry baby anymore, right?"


    "Hey, big brother, can you see your son? Hehe, he really grew splendidly, don''t you think?"


    "Fufufu, can you believe it, he even managed to make the woman who never fell for your charm fall in love with him. He is pretty good right?"


    "I can already imagine you calling him a womanizer for having so many women."


    "Tell me, I did well right? I raised him well didn''t I? Once I pass the throne to him I am sure that he will do a magnificent job."


    "Big brother¡ª I am so very tired. You must be lonely there, right? Or perhaps ze is still pushing you around even in heaven? Hahaha, I can practically see it."


    Her eyes seemed to lose their shine as she murmured mechanically while caressing the back of the sword,


    "Big brother, soon, I will also be able to rest. Soon... very soon, I will finally be at peace."

 Chapter 18 CH 18: CONSPIRACY

    Where there was light, there, inevitably,y the presence of shadow, of darkness. A kingdom, no matter how strong, howwful can never be without its own form of darkness and malice. Born out of the malevolence of the privileged few, who think that they are entitled to everything as if it was their birthright, the rotten ¡ª dark smudges of a kingdom formed into creation.


    The very system ¡ª a thing of the past. A thing of such horror that¡­ it was hard just to even look back and reminisce about the state it had imposed on society. Thankfully, the horrible system had been reformed in the hands of the hero king.


    Mars, during the full length of his life, gave his all in slowly but surely improving the conditions of the ves, the cursed reality they found themselves in.


    Nowadays, all ves were the shared property of the kingdom and as such, hurting them was equal to damaging the kingdom''s property and their honor. An offense that was punishable by death.


    Alongside some other suchws, Mars had truly managed to change the horrifying title of ve into something more akin to a public servant. For the ves who were concerned, this was heavenpared to the fate they were subjected to before thews were put in ce.


    In theory, they received pay, they were cared for, each year they received checkups and other privileges of the same length. The true icing on the cake, however, was the fact that¡­the children of the ves were freed from the fate of a ve. They were free citizens by birth, and didn''t have to take on the cursed mantles of their parents.


    This was without a doubt a fantasy oue. This was without a doubt incredible, but¡­Was it really enough? Everything was perfect, in theory only. If only everything were to run ording to theories, the world wouldn''t have been as bleak of a ce as one found it to be.


    As always, reality was often disappointing.


    -----


    The imperial city of Lustburg was divided into five great districts.


    The Central district belonged jointly to the church and the tower of babel.


    The district in the North was under the supervision of the Hignd family.


    The South, under the Mris.


    The West, under the Travers.


    And finally, the East, belonging to the supervision of the Gorfard.


    Four Duke families, one Holy Church, and one Royal family. Powers, organizations that¡­ stood at the very apex of the Lustburg kingdom.


    Despite having their own territories, each heir of the Duke families had the obligation to live in the imperial city until they took their obligatory position as the head of their household and officially reced their predecessor.


    Officially, it was a way to help them have close contact with the different noblesprising the kingdom''s nobility, but everyone knew that in fact, it was a way to keep them as hostages.


    In the East district, the highest castle in all of its surroundings, naturally belonged to the Gorfard family. Of course, it paled in both aesthetics and structure ifpared to the Tower of Babel, but still, it was without a doubt a Castle worthy to house a future Duke.


    This castle was inhabited by Leonard Gorfard. Eldest son of the Duke Gorfard and heir to his title and territories.


    If one were to be asked to describe him, they would give you a list of all of his good points and merits. A list so long and exaggerated that you would wonder how such a perfect human being could even exist. And you would be absolutely right in your doubts. Perfection along with other things that were absolute, never truly existed in the realms of reality.


    Leonard was many things, most rted to the benign and wretched, but his friends and closed ones would describe him with only two words. Arrogant and lustful.


    Currently, in the shades of his room, he was pressing a woman down onto a chiffon-veiled bed.


    He grabbed her fair white neck from behind and pulled it up, enjoying the grimace of pain shing on her beautiful face. His grunts and her moans intertwined together in a harsh melody as he lost himself in the bliss her lithful body enacted on his senses.


    ¡°My... my lord, please, please forgive me¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph~! Is this all the famed blue wolf can do? I¡¯m sure you can make better sounds than that. Moan for me, bitch.¡±


    However, as he looked down on the wolf girl whose body was already twitching as she passed out, Leonard pped her buttocks with a ¡°Hmph!¡± and dumped her onto the bed like a used toy.


    The white-skinned woman rolled off the bed like a broken doll. The impact returned her to consciousness, and her body shuddered in disgust and pain from the previous torture enacted on her fair body by Leonard.


    Her hair was as blue as the oceanic sea, and two fur-trimmed ears stuck out from either sides of her head. However, her wless white body was now marred with bruises, bite marks, and many other signs of wanton violence.


    ¡°If you pass out from just that much, you won¡¯t be able to satisfy me¡­¡±


    ¡°Please forgive me¡­¡± the woman moaned and groaned in a trembling and small voice. Her eyes looked over to him as she climbed off the cold stone floor and back onto the bed.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Try harder, then. Your fate depends on it.¡±


    ¡°Please show mercy!!¡±


    ¡°Enough! Go back and be ready for the next time!¡±


    Leonard did not even bother to answer her as he turned his muscr body away and ordered his attendants to dress him.


    The wolf woman sobbed as she rose naked from the bed and wrapped herself in its sheets. Then she slowly limped away, supporting herself against the wall as she left the ursed man¡¯s room.


    Leonard clicked his tongue in disappointment, seeing her haggard disy. ¡°I¡¯m getting sick of this toy. I wonder if I should find a new one.¡±


    A voice responded to his muttering with a warning note.


    ¡°Your Highness, even if it¡¯s for fun, you shouldn''t entertain such an idea. It would be bad if the royal family were to get proof of your misdeeds.¡±


    "Tch! Don''t talk to me about those holier than thou bastards. ves andmoners are nothing more than lowly ythings that should bow in front of us. Why make it so troublesome?"


    The one who was speaking to him was an elderly man wearing butler clothes, despite the scene that had previously happened, no expression could be seen on his stoic face.


    "Indeed this is so. But the reality is in front of us."


    "*Sigh* I get it, I get it. Enough of your yapping, they are ruining my mood. Speaking of which, Why did youe here today? Peeping? Or do you want her despite your age? That¡¯s fine too. She might be a bit dirty now, but she¡¯s pretty when she¡¯s cleaned up.¡±


    After Leonard was dressed, his attendants left the room. Now only he and his butler were left in the silent confines of the room.


    "I am afraid I will have to decline. My old body isn''t what it was anymore," while speaking so, he bowed and presented a letter sealed with the insignia of the royal family. "We received this letter just now, it''s an invitation to participate at the ceremony in the colosseum."


    "Kekeke~! That sissy bitch living in a golden prison is finally showing himself? Who would have thought."


    Leonard smiled derisively and took the letter from the old butler''s hands. Malevolence shone with an eerie disy in his eyes filled with malice.


    "So he finally reached that age, huh. I guess it was about time. Are the preparations ready?"


    "Indeed."


    "Oh? Good, good. It''s necessary to act fast now. It would be a shame if we missed the perfect timing."


    The event in the Colosseum was a sacred ceremony and was theing of age ceremony that all Crown princes and princesses had to go through. Messing around with it would be quite interesting.


    ----


    Elsewhere, in an unknown ce, an elderly man was kneeling in front of a bed while facing a beautiful young girl who seemed to be in a state of deep sleep.


    At least she would have been beautiful if all of her body wasn''t marred by purple vein-like marks that throbbed rhythmically.


    Despite those marks, the old man''s gaze held no disgust nor fear, only deep affectionate love and unending sorrow.


    "My child, I am so sorry for everything you have to endure. Your grandfather is truly a useless man. But you know. I have found it. I have found a way to cure you of your pain and suffering. Soon you will be able tough and run like in the past."


    He lovingly caressed her face and closed his eyes in order to hold in the tears that were threatening to fall.


    ''I am sorry, I am so sorry for what I am about to do. But, this is the only way to save her. For that, I am willing to be a devil if necessary.''


    ----


    Time waits for no one. As the gears turn and machinations fall in ce, time inexorably advances to an unknown future.


    Would that future be good or bad for the ones that are concerned¡­ That too, only time could tell¡­

 Chapter 19 CH 19: DAILY LIFE

    *ng* *ng*


    The grating sounds of sword shing against sword, resonated deeply in the hanging garden of the tower of babel. Sparks flew, and exchanges were made.


    In the middle of the clearing stood a ring, there¡­ two people were fighting. No hesitation reflected in their moves, matching speed, strength, and skills in a macabre disy, trying their utmost to best the other and emerge triumphant.


    One of them, a young golden streaked, and blonde-haired boy, was sweating profusely due to the unceasingbat that followed till now. An extremely focused expression, however, persisted on his handsome face, his body precisely evading the blows and murderous shes of his opponent. Still, he didn''t stop there, answering his opponent''s relentless strikes with equally brutal attacks of his own.


    The other person, a sapphire blue-haired young woman, clearly slightly older than the boy, had a much more rxed expression and overall bodynguage during the length of the exchange. Still, her gait was focused, and her strikes unyielding and precise, aiming for the boy''s vital spots.


    Outside of the makeshift ring containing their fight ¡ª though it was just a circle drawn on the ground ¡ª girls wearing maid clothes were observing the fight with a variable range of entranced and enamored expressions stered on their faces.


    Normally, such an action would be deemed uncouth, they had their respective works to attend to after all. But, Sol, being the charming and lenient individual he was, very rarely punished them for such little mistakes.


    An astute believer of earthly principles, he knew that an even ratio of stick and carrot tactics should be used to deal with one''s subordinates. There needs to be a bnce between everything. And said bnce leads to the formation ofpetent and loyal subordinates.


    On the other hand, the moring gathering of maids weren''t really entranced by the amazing disy of swordy being thrown around the hanging gardens. An obvious reasoning since¡­. Even if they could wield and weave mana it did not mean that they could fight or even had any interest in said subject, to begin with.


    Though, they all still wielded the basic ability to defend themselves ¡ª a requirement for being the maids of the royalty, especially to upy a position at the top level of the tower.


    Back to the reason for their entrancement¡­ What took away the myriad range of maids'' attention was the steamy disy of the sweating, naked, and incredibly toned, upper body of their charming young master.


    Born with aesthetics to fit his position as the future king and representative of the human kingdom, it wasn''t an exaggeration to say that Sol''s body was perfection incarnate. Neither scrawny nor bulky. His muscles were perfectly streamlined and his overall toned figure was the literal wet dream of many women, most of which were present at the location currently ¡ª since not many even had the fortune to see him in person, a situation that would surely discontinue¡­soon.


    Ever since the day of his orgy with the five maids dedicated to bathing him, those five never missed an opportunity and unceasingly bragged about how good and attentive he was in the debauched act they shared and enjoyed together.


    Raunchy details of their debauched act, and especially the part of their enjoyment, brought a great surprise to the more experienced individuals in the castle.


    The surprise originated from the fact that, in this world, sex was more of an act where a man let out his primal urges by using a woman for their convenience. It wasn''t quite as animalistic, as it surely sounded, but the men of this world didn''t see the pleasure of their partners as their first priority or any priority for that matter.


    His poprity in the castle went up by several notches after the exnation of his exploits and now, wherever he went out, they stared at him as if he was a piece of fine meat on a chopping block. Ready to devour him on the slightest chance.


    Moreover, Lilith, being hellbent as she was on not missing any chance to throw women at him, promised a rather substantial reward for the girls he would invite to his bed, which went out to worsen his predicament quite a bit.


    Back to the heated duel, it was now approaching its Zenith. The climax of the practicebat sparked when Sol, who was approaching his limits, failed to avoid a hit on his shoulder, gritting his teeth hard in order to hold back the scream that almost red out of his throat. That strike had really hurt, but he wasn''t about to relent easily.


    Being a carefree individual, he didn''t really mind the way the girls looked at him, he even slightly appreciated the fact that they desired him so. Though after having two or three more orgies with some of the other beautiful and lustful maids, he slowly lost interest in such debauched yet unfulfilling activities.


    Orgies were good and all, but he preferred the deep connection he could feel resonating in his soul while embracing a singr individual over performing a mass orgy. Of course, with him being the sole receiver of the affection of the female participants.


    However,paratively speaking, the thing he preferred the most would be the moments of passion he shared with his lovers, like the times he made love with Milia and Camelia. He was the happiest when he was with them and shared their affections using various means.


    This time, avoiding another de, he rushed in, deciding to put an end to the match with a rapid thrust of his de to his opponent''s vitals, but the sword stopping close to his throat told him that his movements had already been read and countered with practiced ease.


    *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*


    Rough sounds of breathing echoed through the grounds, finally, the tired prince lowered his shaking de, admitting his defeat in the duel. His body was exhausted, his mind expanded to its very limits¡­


    "I lost again."


    A bitter smile tugged on Setsuna''s beautiful lips, her eyebrows knitting into a tight frown. Shepletely ignored the scream of the girls in the background as bitterness welled up in her mind.


    Bitterness because she knew that those dastardly girls were basically in heat and were waiting to help Sol bath ¡ª meaning they were just eager to spread their legs shamelessly for him to pound, gracing them with the sweet taste of heaven and beyond. It was so very frustrating for her to not be able to cross the final line with him, teetering around its edges was the only way left for her. Each and every single time, she had to remind herself that soon she would be able to forget all restraint and truly be one with the one she loved.


    It wasn''t the sole reason, however. Another ring reason for her bitterness, and the primary one at that, was the dejected expression hanging on Sol''s handsome face, his aura gloomy at the loss he just received. Each time she saw him sulk like this, she had to hold back the urge to rain him down with relentless punches.


    Her skills and experience aside, she was a beast woman from the blue wolf race. Even without the usage of mana, her strength and speed weren''t aspects that a young human should have been able to match in the slightest.


    ''Sooner orter he will understand how much of a monster he is.''


    He was growing exponentially, at an extremely rapid and unbelievable pace, and soon, she would have a hard time holding back against him and would have to use her full power to restrain him.


    It wasn''t like she didn''t understand why he wasn''t satisfied with his current strength, however. Sol¡¯smon sense was rather skewed because of the way and the environment he was raised in. This umon upbringing made way for the fact that he didn''t have a good understanding of what could be termed as average in the world.


    Even now, because of Lilith''s order, she couldn''t tell him everything and praise him wholeheartedly for his efforts and talents. After all, she was still officially a ve of the royal family.


    ''It does not matter. Soon, I will only have to answer to him and no one else.''


    Still, she remembered the time all those years ago, when she was toiling around the diator arena as a mere diator to hone herself inbat, how a young blonde-haired boy looked at her with sparkling eyes full of awe and wonder.<sub> </sub>


    He did not have the greedy gaze full of sick lust that the other spectators usually directed towards her, despite the terrible strength and aura she wielded after years in the diator arena. Rather, only admiration and curiosity rippled in his beautiful sky blue eyes, that seem to hold the vast skies'' brilliance in them.


    The moment he bought her, and immediately tried to break the ve contract, she opened her heart to himpletely and became his friend.


    The day he stood in front of her trying to protect her, against what they thought at the time to be a monstrous witch, while she cowered, gazing at that small, trembling, but oh so reliable back that tried to shield her without taking his own safety into ount she swore to give her loyalty to him and him alone.


    She knew that in the grand scheme of things, he did nothing particrly special. He wasn''t the only one looking at her only with admiration and if the witch had truly been hostile, his spurring act of protection would have simply been useless.


    But, did it really matter? She didn''t need more. Especially at a time where¡­she had no one there to support her but him and him alone.


    When she stood in front of him¡­ She could only feel a fuzzy feeling welling up in her stomach. Her heart would beat erratically and her face would heat up with affection and love for the wonderful boy that showered him with the adoration she desperately sought.


    "Hey Setsuna, you are as wonderful as always."


    Watching his dazzling smile as he praised her without the slightest of negative feelings, a simple thought formed once again in her mind, like an endless evesting echo. An absolute truth that she had already ascertained so many years ago, that still held true, and she surmised would remain absolute till the end of times¡­


    ''Ah, I really love him.''


    ----


    After taking a refreshing bath, though, to the dismay of the maids ¡ª a simple one without any lustful acts thrown into the mix, Sol was currently on his way towards the lower floor since he had some things to discuss with his aunt.


    Despite having been bruised in hisst spar, he could already feel his wound slowly healing up, bringing his body to peak condition.


    ''I am changing.''


    It had begun not long ago, just after his first time with Camelia. He was slowly bing stronger, faster, and overall better in all aspects ofbat.


    Since then, the change would be greater each time he did the act of passion with her, though until now ¡ª two weeks had passed after their time together ¡ª she still refused to give him her virginity.


    Sol wasn''t dumb, he knew how to connect the dots. Whatever ritual she was going to enact was without a doubt rted to the change he was currently undergoing.


    ''Well, let''s just wait, she said that today would be the day.''


    He was truly curious. What would the ritual entail? Well, he would learn about it soon, so he didn''t let that thought gue his mind anymore and simply discarded it.


    He was in such an absent-minded state, because of his contemtion, that he reached the door directing him to Lilith''s study before he even knew it.


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    "Aunt, May I enter?"


    "You may."


    Getting her permission, he opened the door and was once again awed by her beautiful sight.


    ''It would be so much better if she smiled andughed more.''


    He rarely saw her give a true heartfeltugh, they were always smirks or masks she put on as a pretense for lewdness. The most she would give was a small measured smile.


    "Good morning. I hope you slept well."


    While Sol was always awed by her beauty, Lilith''s heart always brimmed with pride whenever she looked at him.


    In her life full of grey and monochrome, he and her daughter were the sole sources of joy that would illuminate her surroundings in a kaleidoscope of blooming colors.


    Hearing his question, she ignored the lingering thought that she hadn''t truly had a good night of sleep since a few years ago and always had to use sleeping pills to help her rest.


    "Sol, you should know that your awakening will happen in about two weeks. Do you know the ceremony that the prince must undergo one day before?"


    "Yes. The fight in the Coliseum, then the visit to each of the four Dukes to get their allegiance."


    "Indeed, the king doesn''t have to be the most powerful, but he must be able to pull his own weight." As she spoke this line, with a solemn tone, she couldn''t help but sigh before continuing, "The fight in the coliseum before and after the awakening is a tradition. Before awakening, you must fight at least ten times in a row and win. Nothing will happen if you can''t but your reputation will take a massive hit. After your awakening though, you will have to fight the king or queen of the Coliseum."


    Being from a different reality than the one of this world, Sol didn''t really understand the need for such a disy of prowess, but he guessed it had its uses. However, it didn''t matter to him. He clenched his hands, forming a fist at the thought of the ensuing fight.


    The fight against the strongest diator. Even if he wasn''t expected to win, he still had to win that match, no matter what. An inevitable conclusion, since the current strongest diator was¡­

 Chapter 20 CH 20: WEAK TO STRONG

    As always his discussions with Lilith were a little stiff and straightforward.


    He didn''t mind it to be honest. He just missed the days where she would just hold him and smile andugh when he was still young.


    ''I need to make our rtionship a bit better.''


    If you asked him if he loved Lilith in a tonic way he would answer with a humongous no.


    It wasn''t just her body, which was hot as all hell, that attracted him to her. But rather her selflessness in caring for him and the ones she loved.


    ''I am truly blessed in this life. Once again, whichever god or goddess who sent me here, thank you from the bottom of my heart.''


    *Giggle*


    This time he was sure it wasn''t just his imagination, he wondered if it was theughter of the deity he was praising or not.


    "Sol?"


    Focusing once again on Lilith who was throwing a questioning nce at him, he shrugged lightly before changing subjects,


    "Can you make a little time for me? What about some light sparring? I have some time before my lesson with my teacher."


    Being passive in a rtionship was simply stupid. Since he wanted her, he had to be proactive about it.


    Besides, he didn''t mind doing some training with his aunt.


    "Oh¡­" Lilith hesitated a little before finally nodding, "It has been a few years since I held a true sword. Don''tugh at me, okay?"


    "Of course."


    He had heard about her legend but had always wondered how strong she truly was. At least he could see it for himself now.


    -----


    *Swoosh* BOOM!!!


    Sol stood transfixed as the huge two-handed heavy sword stopped just an inch before his face. The air pressure was so powerful that everything behind him waspletely blown miles away.


    ''Okay...What. The. Fuck?''


    This fight had been so short, it simply couldn''t even be called a fight.


    ''Man¡­This was¡­.''


    "This was so fucking awesome!!"


    He couldn''t help but shout aloud in excitement. Seeing his beaming eyes full of awe, Lilith who was about to rebut him for his usage of uncouthnguage swallowed back her words.


    It had been a long time since she had been so sincerelyplimented. After all, the men of this world did not really take it well when a woman was stronger than them.


    "*Ahem* This is nothing. You should be able to do as much, if not more, with sufficient training."


    ''No way. Is she embarrassed?''


    He had to hide a cheeky grin from forming on his lips. It was the first time he saw her so flustered. Still, hispliments were heartfelt. Seeing a woman with such a lithe body holding a sword sorge with only one hand was truly a sight to behold.


    "So, how did you do that?"


    Lilith twirled her sword a bit, creating a small whirlwind in its wake. "This is a principle of extreme control. Using a sword isn''t just about swinging it wildly or using some form of fancy skills. My style of fighting is based on absolute micro controls."


    At the end of her exnation, he saw her flicker her wrist a little then, following that movement, some of the flowers around her were immediately sliced apart at the seam.


    ''How can such a delicate movement be executed with such arge sword?''


    But there was a question nagging on his mind,


    "Why use such a heavy sword? Wouldn''t such a style fit a one-handed sword far more?"


    The sword she was currently holding was arge broadsword, as tall as a full-grown man, shaped like a butcher knife. The handle was also rather long and stretched up to the middle of her forearms.


    This sword wasn''t for games and jokes but rather a true sword geared towards murder. Still, for someone who used such a precise style wouldn''t a lighter sword be better?


    "This is where you are wrong. Or rather should I say that youck enough information?" She lovingly looked at her sword as she continued, "This sword was created specifically for me. Despite its weight, in my hands, it''s as light as a feather. This plus my fighting style allows me to use both strength and speed. It''s the perfect sword for me."


    "The perfect sword huh." Sol eyed his own sword with modicum amounts of doubt.


    "Do not worry. Once you awaken, you will have your own sword."


    "The holy sword?"<sub> </sub>


    "NO!!!"


    Her outburst surprised and startled Sol, but even more so herself.


    "*Ahem* I am sorry. I mean, the holy sword indeed belongs to the king. But he can only use it when fighting things that threaten the kingdom. Otherwise, the sword will not answer their call."


    "...I see. Anyway¨C" He was rather suspicious about why she reacted in such a manner but didn''t let it bother him, "¨Cwhy don''t we continue? Your move was too fast for me to glean anything from it. We still have an hour to ourselves."


    The awkwardness didn''tst long, though a different kind of awkwardness was about to steadily grow in his pants if he didn''t pay great attention to reigning in his little brother.


    Saying that the training gear Lilith wore was revealing was an understatement. She wore a variation of Chinese Qipao, but the slit on the two sides reached up to her butt. And so, she was totally unrestricted but it also revealed her amazing thighs and wide hips which was constantly making his mind itch.


    What followed was more of a light sparring with Lilith holding back a lot. Still, each bout ended with Sol learning more and more and slowly but surely changing the way he held his sword.


    ''Hum? If he focuses on the path of mana usage like me he would surely be able to reach unknown heights''


    ---


    Solid down on the grass while his entire body was bathed in a thickyer of sweat.


    "*Sigh* At this level I guess I may really never catch up to him." Murmured Sol in a quiet tone. He had never really felt inferior to his father, Mars. But being alwayspared to someone else had its adverse effect.


    This workout was even more intense than the one he usually conducted with Setsuna. Lilith on the other hand though had barely worked a sweat.


    Looking at Solying like that with unfocused eyes, she couldn''t help but think back to the past. Though at that time it was her whoid down while gasping and her brother looked at her while being unscathed. She remembered how frustrating it was.


    "Sol. Do you want to hear a story?"


    Her words brought his attention back to reality as he looked up at her, "A story?"


    "Yes¡­ More precisely my story."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª LILITH''S POV


    You could say that I was born blessed and cursed at the same time. Born as a woman in the royal family, my role of having to marry and give birth to children was predetermined from my birth.


    But, in this kingdom, women could still be influential as long as they had enough power. I had thought that I would reach the summit once my awakening happened. After all, I was the little sister of Mars, the strongest human in existence.


    However¡­.


    My dreams were shattered on the day of my awakening. My capacity was zero. Something heard only in literature oredies. You could even say that myck of talent was so staggering that it was simply legendary.


    I was mocked, despised, humiliated, and cast aside like unwanted trash.


    But despite everything I was subjected to, I held on.


    I didn''t care about how other people saw me.


    Never cared and never would.


    When people mocked me, I trained.


    When they despised me, I trained.


    When they humiliated me, I still trained.


    Ultimately, even though I was cast aside, I never ceased to train.


    But this wasn''t nearly enough, so I joined different battlefields as a mercenary. I fought and fought. Day after day. Battlefields after battlefield.


    I fought so much I forgot the number of times I thought I would die. And in the process, I reached my goal. I became one of the strongest women in the kingdom and even in the world, I was respected by everyone.


    What about those who mocked and insulted me, now they are working with me and must always carry a smile, even if it''s a tant pretense, to make me happy.


    Their face, as they had to bow and scrape towards the one they previously considered as useless, was perhaps one of my best memories.


    Sol, please listen to me. I already told you. Your life will likely be more difficult than mine. No one expected anything from me. But everyone is expecting so much from you.


    I won''t lie in telling you that I am not the same, that I don''t expect anything from you. This is the truth, this is reality. Right now, you aren''t Sol. You will always be my brother''s Son. At least¡­ Until you prove yourself otherwise.


    So, never crumble, never give up. No matter how tough it is, no matter how bleak the future may seem, always walk forward with your head held high.


    Show to all of them, to all of us, that you aren''t just the son of the hero king.


    Show us that you are you and no one else. That you are Sol Dragona Luxuria!


    The day you can aplish that¡­ I will finally be able to rest¡­ I will finally be at peace.

 Chapter 21 CH 21: BATH AND POLITICS

    Sol was still in a daze after listening to Lilith''s story.


    Still, it didn''tst long, "I understand." He simply answered with a smile full of confidence.


    Whining would change nothing. If he had the time toin, then he should just use it to be stronger.


    ----


    "Sooo¡­ Why are we taking a bath together."


    Sol was once again in his bathroom, though, this time, the only ones present were him and his aunt Lilith.


    Currently, Sol was sitting on a low stool with a towel over hisp hiding his genitals while Lilith crouched behind him and was washing his back.


    "No particr reason. I just thought that it has been a long time since I took a bath with you. Thest time I did so was when you were eight? Time flies so fast."


    Sol simply nodded and lowered his head when she poured a basin full of water over him.


    "I can do the front alone, now it''s my turn."


    Lilith didn''t answer and simply turned her back towards him while removing her towel from her back and holding it in ce, protecting her front with it.


    Sol stood up in silence as he admired her naked back.


    It was, without a single shred of doubt, beautiful. The way her curve moved and showed some glimpses was particrly enticing. Still, Sol could not summon any thoughts of lust as he gazed at the beautiful scene in front of him. The reason being therge scissored scar marring the beautiful creamy white surface of her naked rear.


    "I am sorry."


    He slowly traced his finger on the grotesque scar as feelings of guilt washed over him making him weak on his feet.


    This scar was the result of Lilith protecting him from a sudden attack during a diplomatic mission from another state.


    "Envilya."


    Sol gritted his teeth as he murmured those words. The Envilya kingdom was, alongside Lustburg, one of the seven kingdoms of this world.


    The only difference being that if humans were the rulers of Lustburg, then the rulers of Envilya were the demonkind.


    "You shouldn''t feel guilty over what happened. This was a result of my negligence."


    In all his peaceful life, this was the sole time Sol felt the danger to his life.


    This happened during a conference reuniting the leader of the seven kingdoms. At that time, Sol was still very young. One of the emissaries of the Envilya Kingdom, a powerful man in his own rights, suddenly used a forbidden move to try and eliminate Sol at the price of his life.


    The official reason the ruling powers used was that the man had lost most of his family because of Mars and wanted revenge. They also swore to have nothing to do with what happened and willingly gave a highpensation.


    High enough that the Lustburg kingdom, which still wasn''t stable because of Mars'' death, could only grit its teeth and ept.


    Everyone knew that it was pure bullshit. But they had no choice back then.


    Of course, the fact that in the two next years, the Envilya kingdom mysteriously lost some of the most promising heirs of their noble families had nothing to do with Lustburg either¡ª It was all just a pure coincidence.


    Sol snickered as he thought about this lesson of history.


    "What is so funny?"


    "No, I was just wondering what face those guys must have had when they lost so many of their young heirs."


    "I would say that they should have been rather happy. At least the royal family was."<sub> </sub>


    "Hum?"


    "Sol, do you know why our royal family never lost power even though we only have one or two heirs in each generation?"


    "Because we are powerful?"


    "... Indeed. But more precisely it''s because we have a very good rtionship with the church of Castitas. As such we always fight together when the nobles'' families try to grab power. But¡­"


    "I suppose the Envilya kingdom is different?"


    "Hmm. Next time I will ask your teacher to give a more profound exnation of the political climate of the other kingdoms. Anyways, the church in the Envilya kingdom is the church of Gratia. The Gratia church and the Invidia royal family are in opposition. The Gratia church supports the nobles while the Invidia family fights alone. It''s a wonder that they held on this long."


    "I see." Sol wasn''t stupid, he immediately made the connection. "The assassination attempt must have been made by the church and the nobles'' side. When we *Ahem* I mean when those unfortunate idental deaths happened, it weakened the power of the nobles and gave breathing space to the royal family."


    "Hahaha~ !" For the first time in a while, Lilithughed out loud without any restraint, "Indeed, those unfortunate idents, as you mentioned, tremendously helped the royal family. And for some weird reason, they decided that they owed us a debt."


    She didn''t continue to exin, she didn''t want to make him feel like he had a heavier burden on his shoulders than what he already wielded.


    The way the debt would be paid would depend on Sol''s results during his awakening, if he reached as high as she thought he would, then the following discussions would be easier and in their favor.


    "Anyway, enough backwashing," Dering as such, she suddenly got up and unhurriedly walked towards the bath, "We should be fast. Even for me making Edea mad is no joking matter."


    Laughingly stating a joke, she briefly faced Sol but was immediately stunned, since the towel around his hips had fallen down.


    An awkward silence settled between the two when Lilith murmured quietly, "You have indeed be a grown-up now."


    No one needed to say where she was looking when she muttered those words.


    ----


    Sol walked down the stairs towards Edea''s ce while wearing a weird expression on his face.


    It was a mix of disappointment and slight relief, a disappointment because nothing happened and also a relief because nothing happened.


    ''I never thought that I was such a coward.''


    He knew that he missed a chance to score some affection points with Lilith, but at the same time he felt that this was for the better. He didn''t know what weighed her down, but he knew that it was something extremely heavy.


    If he had attempted something today, in the best case he would have been rebutted, but in the worst case, she would have epted and their rtionship would have made an extremely awkward turn.


    ''Well, one moment of sex isn''t worth destroying my lifelong rtionship with her.''


    He wasn''t in a hurry. Sex was only theplement to a good rtionship, never the base.


    ''By the way, I wonder what happened to her husband.''


    All he knew about that man was that he was from the Gorfard family, but he had seemingly mysteriously died a few weeks after their wedding.


    ''Mysterious ident?''


    He stopped short, as he thought back about the mysterious death of the noble heirs from Envilya.


    ''Did she kill her husband?''


    He pondered a little before casting aside the thought, it did not matter if she did or not. He believed Lilith should have had a good reason for killing him and even if she didn''t have one, it didn''t matter to him.

 Chapter 22 CH 22: GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY AND RELIGION

    "Your conversation with Little Lilith was particrly interesting."


    Sol made a deadpan face, while he looked at Edea, at the way his teacher brought up her peeking habits to him.


    Still, he nodded. He was rather happy about his discussions with her and every time managed to learn some new things he didn''t have aplete grasp on.


    Edea smiled before waving her hand in the air, mana gathered at the tip of her fingertips, and soon a spherically shaped holographic map was slowly formed in front of him.


    "But she is right. It''s necessary for you to always have a better grasp of the world."


    It wasn''t the first time he saw that map. After all, it was the map of the known world.


    "As you know, our world is a body made out of 30%nd and 70% water. We have a worldwide poption of nearly 2 billion and a ratio of 3:7 men to women."


    Each time Sol saw the map, he couldn''t help but fall deep in thought. Even though the formation of the continents was a little different, this map really made him think of Earth.


    ''No, this is more like Earth''s Pangea map with the continents already a bit away from each other.''


    He could already roughly recognize the shape of Africa and America. This was one of the reasons that made him think that this world should either be the Earth of the past or most likely, a parallel Earth in an alternate universe conforming with the multiverse theory.


    "The living ces are divided into seven countries, with each of them taking a huge chunk of the habitablend."


    On the map, the number of ces where living and farming was possible was highlighted in green while the ones that weren''t were highlighted in red. From a nce, it was clear that the green parts were overwhelmingly inferior to the red ones.


    "Our country, the kingdom of Lustburg is headed by the Luxuria royal family and the Castitas Church. We are one of thergest countries with an area of more than 3 million square kilometers. Thergest one being Gluttony Foss with 18 million."


    Sol and Edea mirrored a grimace at the mention of Gluttony Foss. The royal families and church of Gluttony Foss worked differently than the ones for the other countries. Since one woman held power over the two structures, the Temperantia church, and the G royal family, with total impunity.


    Echidna G. Also known as the mother of thousands of monsters.


    A being only slightly younger than the fourteen divine beasts. Some even called her the fifteenth divine beast.


    That woman was the stuff of legends and nightmares. Mothers used her name to scare their children. Some people even thought that her existence was a myth.


    But this wasn''t the actual problem. It wasn''t like there weren''t a bunch of old monsters in this world, aside from Echidna, already. No, the problem was the fact that, for some unknown reason, she would regrly wage war on a random kingdom every few decades.


    No one knew her goal, no one could understand her.


    She was in no way interested in conquest. The fact that the world still had seven kingdoms was proof enough of that im.


    She wasn''t interested in resources. The part she held control over was fraught with minerals and cultivablend. Her kingdom waspletely independent of any form of trade outside of its natural borders.


    She wasn''t even interested in ves nor manpower, the poption of her kingdom was thergest by far in the world.


    In short, Echidna was an enigma, and getting her attention was synonymous with inviting cmity. She was the personification of Pandemonium. Thest time she waged war¡­was 13 years ago, against the Lustburg kingdom.


    The result? An overwhelming loss and the death of the majority of the men who were sent to war, making the man/women ratio of Envilya lower to 2:8, and the death of the hero king and his dragon wife; Mars and ze.


    ----


    A depressing atmosphere settled briefly between the two.


    Sol clenched his fists tightly in frustration. In this world, Echidna was no different from a natural cmity.


    No, that wasn¡¯t a viable analogy. At least with magic, you could stop an earthquake or a tempest. But, no amount of magic was enough to stop Echidna.


    At least this was the consensus¡­ Until Mars appeared.


    The man of miracles.


    ''Man, no matter how pathetic he was with women, my father was truly a badass.''


    He didn''t know much about this part of history. No one around him was forting about what happened and there was no exact record of what happened either.


    The only thing that was known was that, at the price of his life and that of his dear wife, Mars managed to create a barrier that sealed Echidna within her castle and would slowly but surely weaken her for each year she was inside said seal.<sub> </sub>


    Moreover, he inflicted such a severe loss to the chimera army, that it was simply unbelievable and unprecedented throughout history.


    Mars Luxuria was a hero. He was the Hero King, the man of unending miracles, and yet¡­ he was also dead.


    Should he feel proud of having such a father?


    Sol didn''t think as such. He would rather sacrifice the world than to sacrifice himself or, more than anything, his loved ones.


    He didn''t hate his father per se. He didn''t have the qualifications to hate him, nor did he have enough memories about his parents for them to be anything more than blood-rted strangers.


    But¡­ If Mars was the hero in people''s minds, in Sol¡¯s opinion Mars was just a bastard bitch who murdered his wife and died alongside her, effectively making their only child an orphan.


    He knew it was an extremely selfish thought to have. A thought not worthy of a future king. But, humans were selfish and thest he checked, he was half parts human. He wasn''t a saint nor was he willing to be one.


    "Master, forget it, let''s continue with our lessons."


    Sol wasn''t one to dwell much on negative thoughts, there were simply too many things he had to do than to lose time worrying or brooding over things of the past or events he had no control over.


    Edea, cast an approving nce at her disciple before continuing,


    "This world¡¯s structure is rather simple. Fourteen goddesses, fourteen divine beasts, seven kingdoms, and seven churches, and at the very peak of all that¨C."


    She made another hologram appear between them. This time in the form of a pyramid. She lightly touched the very peak as she continued he trailing words,


    "The Mother Goddess of Order."


    -----


    This was the genesis of the known world. The mother goddess created the world. She was an all-powerful being, but she wasn''t satisfied. She felt alone and isted. And so she decided to have people surround her.


    Those people were her fourteen daughters, each of them born from one of her sins or virtues.


    Each of her daughters was born as a pair. Making seven pairs.


    For a time, a long long time, those fourteen lived together in rtive harmony, but then the daughters also wished to create life as their mother did.


    The very first of their creations were the fourteen divine beasts. But, those creations weren''t enough. Or rather they were too perfect. So perfect that they had no way to grow nor change.


    So, the fourteen daughters turned their attention towards the uninhabited world.


    "What if we created life on this world void of any life?" Asked one of the sisters.


    "What if they were granted imperfections so that they could grow and change?" proposed another.


    And soon they reached a joint consensus and created living beings. Each pair created one race.


    This was the reason why nowadays all of the seven races created kingdoms and churches following their respective goddesses.


    ---


    Edea finished her tale as she smiled, "Of course I don''t need to ask you which of the fourteen goddesses created humans right?"


    She didn''t wait for him to answer as she continued,


    "The same happened to the divine beasts. They followed the goddesses who created them and became the symbol of their respective kingdoms and churches that were created."


    Another image appeared, it was that of a bird. No, more precisely¨C


    "The sacred Phoenix of Chastity, Gabriel and¨C"


    A second image appeared close to it,


    "¨CThe adroit Snake of Lust¡­ Asmodeus."

 Chapter 23 CH 23: OPEN HEART

    "By the way teacher. Don''t you have something to exin to me?"


    "Hmm?"


    Currently, Sol was reading a rather thick brown-covered book titled dangerous zones in the world.


    It was a rather interesting book written by one of the angels living in Slothstein.


    Edea, meanwhile, was elegantly sipping on her tea when she heard his abrupt question.


    Intrigued, she put back her cup on the te and threw a questioning nce at Sol as she queried for him to borate,


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean, what kind of spell do you always use to make me forget about confessing to you?"


    "[Sto¨C]"


    "By the way, I wrote a memo about me asking you this question today. If after reading this I remark that I have not asked about it I will understand that you did something to me."


    An awkward silence permeated between the two. Sol didn''t even bother lifting his head from his book as he flipped another page.


    Still, even though Edea couldn''t see his face, she could feel that he was quite angry with her.


    ''This is the first time right?''


    She was quite surprised then incredibly flustered. Sol never got angry with her. He could be awkward, shy, bashful, or anything but she never saw him get angry no matter what she did to him.


    This realization flustered her quite a bit. She stammered a little, but still couldn''t properly express herself. None of her usual poise was present at the moment.


    Finally, she simply sighed as she lowered her head,


    "I am sorry. But I didn''t¡­ "


    "Please do not try to exin anything when saying sorry. Apologize for what you did wrong. Do not add arguments. This was something you always taught me. Adding things like ''but'' and ''I couldn''t help it'' changes apologies into excuses."


    It was rather a surreal scene to see a hundreds-of-years-old witch being scolded by someone so much younger than her. But Edea couldn''tugh, even more so since it was her own words that were being thrown back at her.


    "I¨CI am sorry."


    *Sigh*


    Sol let out a tired sigh full of frustration as he closed the book he couldn''t concentrate on, he briefly entertained the thought of simply getting up and leaving but that would be dumb. It would just make him lose the advantage he so desperately managed to grasp.


    "I don''t really need to know why you did it. After all, I know why. I am also truly thankful because I know that you are simply thinking about my own good. But¡­this does not make it right."


    "... When did you find out about it?"


    "Hum. Since the beginning?"


    Edea raised her head so fast it looked like her head would snap off her neck.


    "What?"


    "I mean, please don''t underestimate me. I know myself. I remember that one time I swore to confess to you, but weirdly enough I didn''t. Back then I chalked it up to forgetfulness or shyness. But once it happened twice, thrice at every single instance I seriously began to doubt."


    His mocking smile was rather grating, but Edea could do nothing more than simply stare at him in guilt.


    "If you knew, why wait until now?"


    "Because soon I will have my awakening. You remember that as a prince I can make one request to Luxuria right?"


    "NO!! ABSOLUTELY NOT."


    The vehemence in her voice as she leaped up from her seat and pped the table with her small hands was a surprise both for him and for her.


    Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself as she spoke, "If you use your wish for something stupid like being able to touch me without being affected by the curse I swear I will close all ess to my dimension."


    Her threat was real. Sol could feel it. She wasn''t joking. But¨C So What?


    "So? Even if you close it, I will just have to be strong enough to break your jail open. I will never allow you to live your life in this glorified golden prison you call home so this will be two things done at the same time."


    "You¡­"


    She was struck speechless by how bold he suddenly became.


    "... Why are you acting so selfishly? Please, Sol, don''t do that. Your wish is something that could empower you extremely or give you great advantages. Don''t waste it on someone like me."


    A serene smile formed on his face. Even though he was still seated while Edea stood, she suddenly felt as if she was the one who was being looked down upon,


    "Teacher. I wonder. When will you stop ying the role of the tragic princess? Why do you always use those words?"


    "What?"


    Once again his words struck her dumb to her very core. This time though it was followed by an incredible feeling of anger and humiliation. She was just about to blow up when their gazes locked.


    ''Why? Why are you looking at me as if I am some pitiful child?''


    "Teacher. I do not and will never understand your pain. Hundreds of years of weeping over the betrayal of your first love is something I simply cannot fathom."


    Edea closed her eyes at his words, her fist clenching and her body shivering in mncholy, but Sol acted as if he did not notice.


    Seeing her in pain pierced his heart, but he could not stop. This was an asion of the likes he may never get again. If he gave her time to calm her emotions, nothing he said would reach her anymore.


    So, he simply decided to go all out,


    "Please believe in me. I¡¯ll definitely try to do something about it. Even without my wish, I should still have a way to deal with it."


    She shook her head. It was impossible. If he let her do that, he would die sooner orter.


    "I¡¯ve already worried about it¡­ I¡¯ve already thought about it. I¡¯ve already suffered¡­ that¡¯s why¨C I gave up."


    "It''s easy to give up, but¡­"


    ''It''s easy to give up?''


    An iprehensible shock shot through Edea¡¯s whole body the moment those words entered her ears.


    It felt like the shock of being struck by thunder from the top of your head. The inability to put it into words took form as an explosion of anger within her chest. Her whole body was ruled over by a sensation that felt like all the pores throughout her body were open and burning.


    "You said it''s easy to give up?"


    "Teacher?"


    "Don¡¯t give me that shit! There''s no way in hell that giving up is easy."


    Her emotions full of unbearable gloom exploded as they bore onto her tongue and were spitted out as curses. She even forgot her usual elegant way of speaking.


    "Do you think that I¡¯m giving up,pletely discarding everything, throwing everything and anything away, without doing anything and without thinking about anything at all?!"


    Her whole body shook as she did her all to hold in the tears that hadn''t fallen in hundreds of years.


    "It wasn¡¯t easy to give up! It was easier to think that I could fight and do something! But I was helpless. There was no path to take! I couldn¡¯t continue on any path other than the one of giving up!"


    Even if she challenged it and challenged it, even if she fought and fought, even if she polished her n hundreds or thousands of times, even if she entrusted it to others, the only result was an inevitable failure.<sub> </sub>


    "If I could do something about it¡­ even I¡­ even I¡­"


    She also had a maiden heart. She also wished to fall in love again and be loved back, to hold the hand of her loved one and be one with him, both in body and soul, to wake up in his arms andter down the line to sire his children.


    "Teacher."


    Sol called out to Edea, whose head was facing downwards, and he had eyes filled with an amalgam of emotions.


    Edea on the other hand was filled with immense shame. She was disgusted by how her shameful side was exposed and couldn¡¯t look up at his face.


    "Teacher¡­ It''s easy to give up."


    "..."


    "But¡­"


    The gloom of her innermost thoughts, her dissatisfaction, and her sentiments that seemed like an outburst of anger¡­


    "... It doesn''t fit you, teacher."


    All of those things vanished when the boy she always cared for made such a straight deration filled with absolute confidence.


    "I don¡¯t know what type of rough feelings you¡¯ve been through, or what you¡¯ve done that made you suffer like this. I know I shouldn¡¯t rashly say something like I understand it too."


    "..."


    "But¡­ but even then¡­ there are things that I understand."


    "..."


    "I know that teacher isn¡¯t someone who could give up on something midway. I know that you aren''t someone who can give up on the future."


    Edea was overwhelmed by the fierce radiance brimming within his eyes.


    Because after all, this couldn¡¯t have been anything but a misunderstanding by him; it was a misunderstanding that was so wrong to the point of it being humorous. It couldn¡¯t be anything other than an overestimation of herself as a person.


    Edea didn¡¯t understand just how precious, just how triumphant of a person she was in Sol''s eyes, but she knew that she wasn''t anything like the version of her Sol imagined her to be.


    She was a coward at heart. Despite all her powers, she stayed in a prison she could have left anytime she wanted because she didn''t wish to face the outside world.


    Even though she was betrayed, she smiled because she did not wish to face the harrowing truth.


    Even though she felt alone, she smiled because she did not wish to cry.


    Even though she wanted someone to help her, she smiled because she did not wish to break her pitifully snobbish pride.


    "Tha¡­ I¡¯m not that kind of person¡­ I¨DI"


    "That''s not true. Teacher is one of the greatest persons in this world for me."


    Sol stated and continued to deny Edea''s resignations.


    "What do you, just what do you¨D just what do you know about me!?"


    Her violent emotions that red up in her chest burst out as a violent scream.


    She raised her infuriated voice and the world as if answering her wrath began to tremble under her all-epassing might. The wind picked up pace and the earth rumbled. Clouds gathered in the sky and a cold wind reced the previously refreshing breeze.


    This was the full might of Edea, known as the witch of time. Sol currently felt so small, so weak in front of her. Just a thought would be enough for her topletely crush him.


    But¡­his gaze never wavered.


    "I hate myself."


    Edea murmured quietly, but her voice boomed and echoed throughout the world.


    "I¡¯m empty. I have nothing inside. No doubt about it¡­¡­aah, it¡¯s obvious. Of course, it¡¯s obvious! Do you know what I did all the time from the day I was imprisoned in this tower until the day Mars and then you opened this door?"


    Sol stayed silent as he let her vent her bottled feelings.


    "I did nothing."


    She slumped onto her chair as if all strength had left her body, her eyes were devoid of any emotions as she nkly stared up and the world that was previously trembling menacingly began to calm down.


    "My rotten character was created all because of my powerlessness and ipetence¡­! I don¡¯t do anything, yet I want to aplish everything. It¡¯s the height of arrogance, don''t you think?"


    Hundreds of years passed by idling and mopping, crying over her pain, and acting as if she was the saddest being in the world.


    Of course, she made research, she umted knowledge and became powerful, extremely powerful at that, yet,


    "It wasn¡¯t as if I was trying to be strong or trying to make things better¡­I was simply taking a clear pose, a facade to show that it wasn¡¯t like I wasn¡¯t trying and that I was putting in an effort. It was simply to justify myself¡­"


    She was abandoned by the man who swore to always care for her and always protect her from all pain.


    Even though her teacher, her very own mother told her to not believe in him, even though her sisters told her that he was suspicious.


    "Even when I decided to help you with studying, it was just a front to cover up my embarrassment! Deep inside, I¡¯m just a small, cowardly piece of filth who only cares about my appearance. Deep inside, nothing¡­! Nothing has changed!"


    Attacking with a strong voice, ming others, and finding a reason, a sort of excuse for matters that didn¡¯t conform with her convenience would put her at ease.


    She felt at ease without seeing her true self.


    She felt at ease without showing her true self.


    If her exterior remained unpeeled, she could feel at ease from not being able to see what was inside.


    Even after spitting everything out, she still couldn¡¯t get the strong feelings in her chest that were simr to nausea to disappear.


    Was it not a given that she should feel a bit lighter after spitting out everything that was stockpiled in her chest?


    ''What will he think? What will he say? Will he be disgusted? disappointed?''


    "I see. Teacher is truly a worthless slothful and without any redeeming features."


    ''Ah~! So this is it.''


    Her heart felt a pain never before felt, even the betrayal of Jupiter didn''t feel as painful as the words spoken by Sol.


    "But¨C So what?"


    ''What?''


    She raised her head in shock and looked at the eyes full ofpassion of the young boy seated in front of her.


    "You know, teacher, no, Edea. I do not care about how ugly you think you are or how much you hate yourself. I just wish to know more about you. About the things, I already know and about those, I do not."


    The unconditional love and trust Sol had for Edea made her feel an unprecedented level of unease.


    She cursed at all those wrongdoings, exposed all those unsightly yet true feelings, exposed her facade that was full of lies, and confessed that she was garbage beyond saving. But even then¡­


    "Why¨Cjust why are you looking at me with eyes that are filled with affection? Why? Why are you so insistent about me? I¡¯m weak, small, and cowardly. I hide my weak interior by acting as if I was so full of wisdom. Tell me why? What do you see in me?"


    "Why? Do I really need to spell it to you after all this time?" Taking a deep breath, he punctuated his words with a carefree smile full of conviction. "Simply¨C because I love you, Edea."

 Chapter 24 CH 24: BAD TIMING

    "Why? Simply¨C because I love you, Edea."


    He did not add anything, neither did he embellish his words nor sugar-coat them.


    "So what if you think you are worthless and without any redeeming qualities? So what if you hate yourself? So what if you find yourself to be weak and disgusting?"


    He spoke in a strong voice full of emotions and conviction, while a deep golden aura slowly but surely began to emanate from his being covering his form.


    ''Impossible!''


    Edea reeled in shock, the moment she saw that aura. It was without a doubt...


    ''Mana? Moreover, it¡¯s with an attribute?''


    Even Mars only awakened prematurely with attributeless mana. It was the norm. Humans were simply unable to have an attribute before making a contract.


    But, the moment Sol¡¯s usually sky blue eyes changed into slitted golden ones. She immediately understood,


    ''He awakened his dragon blood.''


    Sol, who was also about to continue his tirade, immediately stopped as he felt the new source of energy circte throughout his body.


    He looked at his hands on which scales were slowly growing on and clenched his fists in wonder and intrigue.


    It was then,


    ''Shit.''


    He was clearly on a roll, but because of what just happened, he knew the momentum was lost.


    ''I never thought that I would be sad because I managed to awaken.''


    Heughed bitterly before letting out a strained sigh, but then suddenly had an interesting idea.


    "Teacher, it seems that I managed to awaken quite early."


    Edea woke up from her stupor and nodded to him with a smile,


    "Congrattions!"


    She immediately began to p in earnest. Truthfully speaking, awakening earlier than normal didn''t bring any particr advantage, but from what she understood from studying Mars was that it was more of a proof that his mana quantity and capacity were so high that it simply overflowed.


    While she was pping, inwardly, she was letting out a sigh of relief.


    ''This kid really managed to corner me.''


    She could still feel some heat permeating her cheeks. Hisst deration was so straightforward that it was like taking a fireball in the face without any form of protection.


    ''Next time I will have to be care¨C''


    "Teacher. What I did was truly unprecedented aside from my father right?"


    Sol interrupted her inner thoughts, but his question was rather normal so she simply nodded, still, she couldn''t help but have a growing feeling of worry.


    This feeling was confirmed when a sly smile formed on the corner of his lips.


    "As my teacher, shouldn''t you offer me a congrattory gift?"


    "A gift?"


    Indeed, a gift was in order, but why did she feel like she was walking into a well-ced trap?


    "Of course. You always told me that an appropriate reward should be given when necessary. So, I want a gift."


    Edea who was still standing up and Sol who was still seated, with a golden radiance of formless mana enveloping him, locked eyes with each other.


    The stand-offsted for a few seconds before Edea looked away with a pout and Sol shed a smile of victory.


    "What do you want as a reward?"


    She let out a defeated sigh as she asked while closing her eyes. But, it was then,


    *Kiss*


    She suddenly felt a moist feeling on her lips while an arm powerfully enveloped her waist.


    She opened her eyes wide, only to see Sol who should have previously been seated already up, and kissing her on the lips. She instinctively raised her right arm in protest, but Sol easily captured it with his free hand.


    ''My first kiss!''


    She was so flustered that she didn''t even remember that she just needed to use a little bit of her mana to overpower him.<sub> </sub>


    "Nn! Nn!"


    Her struggles gradually weakened as their kiss went deeper when Sol entered his sly tongue inside her mouth, enveloping hers with his. She, slowly but surely, lost in the sensation of their lips locking and their tongues dancing.


    Sol, who had a ratherrge experience under his belt by now, didn''t waste any time inpletely making her putty in his hands.


    But, Edea who was slowly falling into bliss suddenly woke up with a start and finally put enough mana to push Sol away with panic evident in her actions,


    "Please, the curse!"


    Her face was wrought with anxiety, but soon the anxiety made way for iprehension as she looked at her hand,


    "Impossible."


    It was the second time in such a short amount of time that she was shocked senseless.


    "Teacher¡­?"


    Sol asked carefully, he didn''t regret kissing her, nor about not asking her before doing the shameless act. He knew that Edea would have never ever epted such things. Not because she did not want to, but because a kiss was enough to activate the curse.


    Life Drain.


    This was the true curse of the witches. Witches were able to absorb the life force of their partners, a little like subuses. The only downside was that unlike the subus they had absolutely no control over the draining.


    A simple kiss would be enough for the male to lose a few years of his life as for sex, from the record he had read. The one whosted the longest was an Elf from the Northern Pride kingdom. He died after just 50 minutes.


    An elf on average had a lifespan of 400 to 500 years. A normal human only had 60 to 90 years.


    Edea, who heard Sol¡¯s question, covered her mouth and bowed her head,


    "Sol, do you know. One of the features of the curse is that even though we have no control over the drain, we know exactly how much life we have taken away."


    p She seemed somewhat lost as she muttered in a weak voice, "Your reckless kiss should have cost you between a few months to a year of your life force, but¡­You only lost ten minutes."</anda>


    "So the curse does not affect me?!" Sol couldn''t hide how ted he was at this sudden revtion.


    "Rather than no effect, the effect is simply diluted. Anything beyond a kiss should still be too much of a price to pay."


    Edea lowered her head and kept asking herself how it could be possible. Even though it wasn''t a full immunity, it was still incredible.


    Sol had just awakened. Even though the amount of mana he was emanating was ratherrge for a new mana user, in front of a divine curse no amount of mana should be enough.


    It was then that she remembered,


    "... You are a hybrid. No, more precisely, you are half-dragon."


    "Teacher?"


    "Quiet!" She waved her hand at him to shut up and bowed her head again, hundreds of pieces of information filtered in her mind as she recalled everything about the Draconic species as a whole.


    Dragons were mythical creatures all born from the Dragon of Pride Tiamat, a divine beast at the same level as Asmodeus.


    From what she remembered, ze, Sol''s mother, was one of Tiamat''s most beloved children, as between all dragons, she was the closest to Tiamat¡¯s element and origin.


    What made dragons so extremely dangerous was their absolute invulnerability to a precise element.


    ze, despite her name, wasn''t a fire dragon but rather a chaos dragon. Meaning, she had an absolute immunity against any and all forms of magic. Like her ancestors. The immunity that Mars also obtained thanks to their contracts. The singr ability that made him and ze the most frightening duo in existence.


    Now, what about Sol?


    He was born from two beings who had an absolute immunity against all forms of magic. Even if he did not perfectly inherit those traits he should still have a strong resistance against all forms of magic, right?


    Edea could feel her heart shake at this realization. But not just this,


    ''Dragons don''t just have their immunity. Scales as tough as the strongest metal, beings beloved by mana, an extremely long longevity, and¡­''


    She could feel the heat rise again on her face as she thought of thest trait that made the dragons notorious in all thends.


    ''... A lust without limits. They say that dragons can impregnate anything and everything as long as it can give birth.''


    She subconsciously brought her hand over her stomach, while shivering not because of joy, but rather fear. Extreme fear.


    She might be one of the first witches and without a doubt one of the most powerful, but she wasn''t the sole witch in this world. Nor was she the only one who suffered from the curse.


    If her conjectures were proven true¡­what would happen if those old and powerful witches who had all wished to have a true rtionship and get children were to learn of this?


    "Listen, Sol, we might have a little bit of a problem."

 Chapter 25 INTERLUDE 1: THE GIRL AND THE GREAT WITCH

    XXXX years ago,


    She could not really remember, but the oldest recollection of her memories was without a doubt the panging feeling of hunger and the sickening feeling of overwhelming hatred. It was a deep and disturbing feeling that gnawed at her insides and made her unable to sleep or think.


    During those times, as only a ten-year-old girl, she survived by eating scrap and leftover trash and by fleeing or hiding from most adults, especially males.


    During those times, there was no kingdom nor did there exist a royal family. People of all races fought over their faiths and tried to indoctrinate their teachings on others. Humans were a prime target for those so-called indoctrinations.


    They were used as weapons¡­. they were used as tools¡­. they were used as mere toys.


    She hated recalling those times.


    During those times, human life was cheaper than garbage. A bit of food was incentive enough for people to kill each other over it and every day tens of peopleid dead in the bleak streets filled with darkness.


    She didn''t remember much about those horrible and pitiful times, and in some ways, she was d that she didn¡¯t, but she still perfectly remembered having fancied the thoughts of trying human meat.


    ? It wasn''t as if she was the only one with those lingering thoughts or rather for most people it wasn''t even at the level of contemtion anymore.


    That''s why she always hid from others. That''s why she never trusted her back to anyone. You never knew if the one next to you was seeing you not as a fellow human being but simply as a sack of meat that would help them survive with a full stomach for a few days.


    Those times showcased the deep darkness hidden in the very core of every human once pushed into a corner.


    Husbands killing their families.


    Mothers abandoning their children.


    Children being enved to be used as simple meat or as stress relief for the most lustful or in some cases both.


    She saw it all, she observed it all, still, even though it was painful to be alive, even though she had to sleep all night with hunger rampaging in her stomach and wished incessantly to never wake up again.


    The next day she would still wake up and fight another long harrowing day for her right to survive.


    She always entertained the thought of suicide.


    ¡®Why do I have to suffer so much?¡¯ She asked herself that question over and over again for as long as she could remember.


    But never once did she capitalize on those self-harming thoughts, never once did she inflict self-harm on herself.


    Why? She did not know. Perhaps because she felt it would have been a waste to simply kill herself after surviving for so long. Perhaps it was because she felt like dying would be like losing to this shitty world? She wasn¡¯t sure.


    Still, that did not matter. At the end of the day, the sole bitter truth was that she was weak, hungry, and full of overflowing hatred.


    In short¡­ She was nothing special.


    For in this world, as a human, hatred, hunger, and a helpless weakness were the mostmon things that no onecked.


    ----


    XXXX years ago,


    She could not recall much of her days during those dark times nor how many years had passed as she fought for her life. All she knew was that she could now use a weird form of energy? and that she could somehow fight.


    She became taller and her body fuller. But those changes were not weed by the other girls.


    After all, she could see it, she wasn''t ignorant enough to not notice the shift in their gazes. If before the others rarely spared a nce towards her, now their eyes were always riveted at her position.


    She could practically feel it. Their hunger and lust were only bing greater the more she grew. The rags she called clothes could barely hide her most sensitive ces and budding features.


    ''Perhaps I will soon be raped then eaten?'' She wondered idly. ''Will it be painful?'' was her only contemtion about the matter.


    At this point, she did not really care whether she died or lived. She did not care whether she was raped or not. Notions such as chastity were irrelevant in such times.


    In the first ce, she was surviving just for the sake of it, she didn''t hold any attachment towards life and she didn''t kill herself because of a stubborn notion that she herself didn''t understand.


    Ultimately, she just wanted to die in the most painless way possible. And it was at those troubling times¡ª when the danger of defilement and inevitable death was looming over her head¡ª that she met her.


    *Scrunch*


    "What an untalented and pitiful child. You will suffice. Tell me, little girl. Do you want¡­to be a witch?"


    She clearly remembered that day, clearer than anything else about those dark times. The snow was falling in an evesting rhythm and she was using that weird energy circting inside her to protect herself from the freezing cold.


    She always hated this period of the years. It was even a wonder how she had managed to survive for so long before awakening that weird energy.<sub> </sub>


    That day, as sheid and idled about, she heard a beautiful voice that was ipatible with this bleak background that was her home.


    The sound of the snow being stepped on allowed her to pinpoint the direction from where the person wasing.


    It was a woman. A woman so beautiful it was simply impossible to describe her, and even if someone used the most eloquent of words to try and narrate her ethereal beauty, they would find it to be in vain as no words could do such a beauty justice.


    Even though that woman had the appearance of a little girl even younger than her, she had no doubt.


    ''Ah~! This is a superior being.''


    She did not try to run, nor did she try to fight. Instinctively she knew... this woman did not harbor any ill will toward her.


    "W¨Cwhat. Is. A. Witch?"


    Her voice was hoarse for she rarely talked and rarely had anyone to talk to.


    The woman, hearing her croaked out question, simply smiled,


    "A witch is someone powerful, someone, who can hold their own destiny in their hand but¡­beware. If you choose this path, you may regret itter."


    The girl could not understand those difficult words, nor did she wish to understand them. Only one word took all her attention.


    Power.


    She wanted power, all-epassing power,


    "Will I be powerful if I follow y- *Cough* *Cough*."


    She talked faster than she should have been able to, due to her hoarse throat, but still did not care.


    The woman looked at her with a gaze full of pity.


    She did not understand then, why she had looked at her with such a gaze?


    "You will."


    "Will I¡­ Will I be able to eat as much as I wish?"


    "You will."


    "I see¡­ Then¡­ Please make me a witch."


    A sad mncholic yet relieved smile formed on the woman''s face,


    "As you wish. Now, follow me, my child."


    The girl nodded and began to walk behind her, it was then that the woman, who was walking ahead asked without turning around.


    "By the way. Do you have a name?"


    "A name?"


    What was the use of having a name? She had no one to call her by it.


    "Then since I can''t call you ''Hey'' or ''little girl'' every day, how about I give you a name?"


    The girl hesitated for a moment before simply shrugging, "Do as you wish."


    "Let me see. Since you will be a witch. What about calling you¡­ Medea? That old snake always tells me that it was the name of a very powerful witch that did not exist in this world."


    "Edea?"


    "No, not Edea, Medea."


    "I see. Then all right."


    That day, a witch was born. The witch of the East. The one governing over Time.


    That day¡­


    Medea East Asmodeus was born.

 Chapter 26 INTERLUDE 2: THE WITCH AND THE KING

    Why is it so difficult to keep on living, without gazing anywhere but straight ahead?


    A question without an absolute answer¡­


    ----


    An asymmetrically splendid pipe organ was ced on the stage of a small concert hall.


    The melody produced with grave notes was truly majestic and splendid.


    It rampaged as if rupturing the hall from the inside.


    In the lonely concert hall, a fantasia was yed by the highly famed musical instrument.


    In contrast to the giant-like organ, the instrumentalist wasically small.


    She looked no older than a very young girl.


    Her hair was colored white. Her dress mirrored her hair. Her doll-like skin, almost as though lifeless, was also of a pale white color. Furthermore, she wore long white gloves, made of satin and silk, that stretched to her upper arms.


    Only the color of her eyes that were a unique contrast of deep gold and blood crimson, shone in the dark shade of the room.


    Disying her small delicate fingers, the cool girl was entranced by her own musical performance.


    Childishness and expertise.


    Extravagance and solemnity.


    The melody created by the girl and the famed musical instrument perfectly harmonized these conflicting elements, sublimating them into art.


    The audience seats on the first floor were all empty.


    In the lonely concert hall, the girl continued her musical performance without paying attention to anything else.


    ying the keyboard of the pipe organ to her heart''s content, the girl finished her morous musical performance.


    Without sweating or taking a pause until the very end.


    She closed her eyes as if being immersed in the trailing notes of the aesthetic piece she yed with her instrument.


    At that moment¡ª A calm apuse echoed from the ceiling of the silent hall.


    The girl, startled, immediately jumped in fright.


    For someone had managed to enter this building without her being able to feel anything or even detect the slightest of their presence.


    She did a full body turn and pointed her gaze towards the balcony seats on the front of the second floor. Seeing the cause of the apuse, she asked with an ear-tickling and fascinating tone that didn''t fit her young appearance.


    "Who are you? Do you not know it''s considered rude to spy on ady?"


    "I''m not insensitive enough to make a sound during your musical performance¡­"


    The man replied in the darkness of the balcony. He also spoke in a unique tone.


    His voice felt like a whisper, but she could hear him clearly. Hence, she couldn''t help but ask, intrigued that she was, for this was the first time she yed for anyone other than her sisters and surrogate mother.


    "I yed a note. But if that is the case, may I hear what your impressions are?"


    "Your musical performance was as wonderful as always¡­"


    As always, meaning it wasn''t the first time he had observed her.


    Her face was suddenly covered in blistering heat. Was it because she had been spied on so many times and was never aware of it, or was it because she was weak to such straightforward praise? She did not know, honestly.


    The man slowly moved to the handrail. Then, his appearance was revealed. He was a youthful, yet stylish person.


    His facial features suggested that he was in his early 20s.


    However, his facial expression was that of a person in the prime of their life wrapped in bitterness with the slightest tinge of mncholy.


    The thin-frame sses sitting on the bridge of his nose gave him an intellectual appearance, suiting his overall aura.


    The three-piece suit style perfectly fitted his disposition.


    Handsome was the first word that came to her mind.


    Powerful, was the second word resonating in her psyche.


    "May I know how to call you, mydy?"


    "My name is Me¡ª No, my name is Edea."


    She did not wish to lie, but she did not wish to give her name to an ambiguous stranger either, no matter how handsome and stylish he was.


    A small smile formed at the corners of his lips and he eloquently muttered in his characteristic low but crystal clear voice,


    "I see. Then Edea, I am enchanted to be of your acquaintance. You may not have asked, but I am named¡­Jupiter."<sub> </sub>


    This day marked the first meeting between the witch of time and the one who would be the first king of the Lustburg Kingdom. Jupiter Luxuria, the Conqueror King.


    [FORTY YEARS LATER]


    "So, it has finallye to this."


    Edea looked at the room that had basically be her sanctuary and was now about to be her glorified prison.


    "Indeed it hase to this conclusion. I am sorry, Edea or should I call you Medea?"


    A bitter smile quiveringly formed on her childish face, as she looked at the man that stood outside of this caged room. Even now, his long golden hair seemed to shine with holy light.


    "How many years has it been now? The two of us came so far together. From a simple noble in a kingdom under the control of the elves to the king of one of the seven nations. Everything I have, everything I am, is thanks to you."


    "...And yet, you will still choose to betray me."


    "Indeed, I have."


    "Why?" She whispered, lost and distraught, "Did I not fight enough for you? Did I not bleed for you?!! What about our promise?"


    "Promise? Hahaha~! Oh, my dear goddess. Are you serious? Are you really that dumb? Did you seriously think that we could have apletely tonic rtionship? Why should I torture myself with a woman I can''t even touch?"


    Each of his words was mercilessly striking at her heart. Her whole body shivered as her tears slowly fell on the ground of her prison.


    "Why¡­ I could give up everything for you. I even refused to listen to my mother and sisters for you. I believed in you. If it''s about your urge there''s no problem. I do not mind you having other women. As long as you keep staying with me, as long as you keep loving me. I can ept everything. So please. Do not discard me! Please¡­please... "


    She became an utter mess as she vented out her suffocating emotions and crumbled while bawling her eyes out, whispering, pleading to him to not discard her, to not abandon her.


    This blow was simply too great. For her, who had never loved anyone before, the weight of this betrayal felt like a knife plunging deep in her heart and twisting it into a bloody mess.


    The pain she was now feeling was immeasurable.


    But, at this sight that would have melted even the most hardened warriors,


    "Pathetic."


    Jupiter simply sneered derisively in the cruelest way possible.


    "I am sorry, but you are a thorn on my path. My wish is to conquer. That''s why I am the Conqueror King. You can discard everything for me, but I will never do the same. Your light is simply shining too brightly, and people are doubting my power. So, you need to vanish."


    His words struck Edea dumb so much so that even her incessant sobbing had stopped, she threw an incredulous look at Jupiter as she nkly asked.


    "... Just because of that? Just because I am outshining your light?"


    The light vanished from her eyes as she realized for the first time just what kind of man she had fallen in love with.


    "Heh, Haha. Hahaha~! I was truly stupid. Oh so stupid and naive."


    Jupiter looked at her indifferently before simply ignoring her madughter as he turned to leave, the door slowly closing on his parting words.


    "That door will not open before at least 200 years. By then I should have conquered the other six kingdoms. Sit tight. I will free you once I reach my goal."


    Edea continued tough hollowly without paying any attention to him. It was a burst of shrillughter full of self-mockery and inner hatred.


    Sheughed at her foolishness.


    Sheughed at her naivety.


    More than anything, sheughed at the man whose desire for conquest blinded him from the reality of this world.


    From a certain point of view, Jupiter wasn''t wrong. What truly helped him receive Luxuria''s blessings, the assistance of Castitas'' church and the independence from the elves was her existence, her identity as the student and surrogate daughter of the first and strongest witch.


    Now that she wasn''t at his side anymore, what would happen she wondered.


    Only the inevitable, of course...


    "I am sorry, mother. I was truly naive."


    Once her madughter full of burlesque and sorrow calmed down, she kept her head lowered in shame as she murmured.


    Then, from behind her, two arms mysteriously appeared, as if bending reality and appearing out of the void, before hugging Edea and gently rocking her body.


    It was a woman. Her features hidden, as she held Edea deep in her chest,


    "Do not worry my child. You have nothing to apologize for. A parent has to allow their children to make their own choices and assume the consequences of those choices. But no matter what, I will always always be by your side."


    ----


    Fifteen yearster. Jupiter Luxuria, the Conqueror King, died on the battlefield against the republic of Wratharis, home of the beast-kins.


    His son, Pluto, took the throne and became the king at the tender age of ten and ushered in a new age. He wouldter be known as the peaceful king.


    (END OF VOL 1: THE WITCH)

 Chapter 27 VOL2/CH25: GOOD OR BAD NEW?

    "So, if I understand well, Sol might get kidnapped and gang-raped by a bunch of Witches if your conjecture about his gift is proven."


    "Indeed."


    "I am too old to deal with this shit."


    Lilith sighed as she pinched her brows while she sat on the chair next to Edea. Sol and Edea hide a snicker at Lilith curse.


    They were still in Edea''s world, but after her revtion, Sol decided it might be wise to bring Lilith here.


    "Okay. I understand. Firstly, " She stopped cursing under her breath before finally raising her head, "Congrattions on awakening. It came a little earlier than I thought it would but it''s alright. Now we just have to test your capacity and then wait for the opening of the Astral realm."


    "Thanks. I must visit Camelia tonight. So I will also ask her to test me."


    It was impossible to know one''s own capacity through normal means. The only way was to use a special device the church had the total monopoly on.


    No one could replicate it since it needed Castitas divine blessing to work.


    "I see." Lilith frowned a little at the mention of the name, but, this didn''tst long and she nodded, "then no problem. We will make a little special something to congratte you."


    "I understand."


    "Also," she gave a rather good smile, "Now that you have mana, you can train in the true arts of our family. I had Setsuna as your instructor all this time because I wanted her to give you the basics. Now you can learn higher-level techniques. You should also get your own weapon."


    "I can''t wait." He was indeed rather excited. Mana was the key to open the world toward a totally different world. He could now enter the world of superhumans and protect himself.


    "Also," Lilith fidgeted a little before speaking calmly, "We need to hide your awakening. It would be best if no one knew that you awakened early. Not even Setsuna nor Milia."


    Sol narrowed his eyes at this. There was absolutely no reason for him to hide his awakening. Rather showing off his talent would make the citizens happy and tell the nobles that the royal family was still powerful and that they shouldn''t think about manipting him as they did with his grandfather, Neptune, the fearful King.


    "I believe in Milia and Setsuna. Should there be a reason why I shouldn''t?"


    He wasn''t naive enough to believe that all those who smiled at him were people he could trust. But he refused to believe that Milia and Setsuna could have any bad intentions towards him.


    "This isn''t about trust. They are simply not suitable. Setsuna is simply too straightforward. People would immediately feel the difference in how she treated you if she knew you had mana. As for Milia¡­" She shook her head, "I simply cannot believe her at 100% for now. I am sure that she is loyal, but she is hiding something and I do not like that."


    Sol tapped his finger on the table in deep thought, ''She is hiding something?''


    He couldn''t believe it. No, he refused to believe that Milia could be in any way possible a traitor. Still¡­ Reality did not care about his beliefs. After all, didn''t his father die because he gave his full confidence to someone else?


    "I see."


    He didn''t say whether he would say everything to her or not and Lilith didn''t insist either. She would never order him to do anything. He was always free to make his own choice and assume the consequences of those choices. She didn''t think that Milia was a traitor either but she was the kind who believed that being cautious never hurt.


    *p* *p*


    "Enough. Even though there''s some little problem, Sol awakening is a day that we should be happy for. Not aboutints or schemes," Edea managed to burst the awkward atmosphere that was settling in. "Right?"


    "Indeed."


    "You are right."


    The two easily epted her word.


    "Sol, as Lilith said, now that you awakened, your training regime willpletely change. What''s more, we must ascertain just how many characteristics of the dragon kind you have and to which degree. The most important thing is¨CDid you awaken a core?"


    Beasts were divided into different levels of grades going from E to S and in 3 tiers. The rank S was a tier into his own and that for a simple reason.


    Lilith, hearing Edea¡¯s questions shivered a little. That was just how much it means for Sol.


    "A core?" Sol was a little surprised. It was the first time he heard about that. He also never saw anything about something called a core in the book he reads.<sub> </sub>


    "... Hum." Edea lips twitched a little. "I guess this is my fault. I forgot to exin it to you. Okay. Do you remember the difference between the tier 3 and tier 2 being?"


    "Of course." Sol nodded before continuing, "Tier 3 beings who go from rank E to C have their mana veins awakened from birth. It allows them to circte mana in their bodies. This is the greatest difference with humans like us who can only normally awaken our veins once we reach 15 years old."


    "Indeed. The mana veins, like normal ones, are connected to the heart. Meaning a stronger body is necessary for having a stronger and faster mana cirction. That''s why you receivedprehensive training since you were young. What about tier 2?"


    "Tier 2 not only have mana veins, but they can also have what is called a second awakening. By emerging their horns."


    "Yes, " Edea let out a smile. " B and A rank beings can have horns. Of course, they aren''t true physical horns but rather a sort of mana construct. This horn is a kind of booster of sorts. They can umte mana in those horns and they can also boost their physical and mana capacity depending on how strong or numerous their horns are."


    "Now tell me. If tier 3 has veins and tier 2 has horns. What about tier 1?"


    "I guess it''s the so-called core. What made it so amazing?"


    "Hehe. All S rank beings have a core. This core not only allows them to store an incredible amount of energy but the most important is that it allows them to absorb mana directly from the atmosphere."


    "You mean?"


    "Indeed. In theory, S rank can fight basically endlessly."


    Sol waspletely dumbfounded. The amount of mana one could hold was basically one of the greatest ways to judge power and talent. After all, the more mana you had the longer you could fight and the more powerful spell you couldunch.


    Sol could already imagine himself throwing an endless amount of fireballs before snapping out of this dream.


    ''There''s no way it could be that simple.''


    Lilith felt pride at how fast the expression of Sol went from ted to thoughtful. She was happy because he understood that nothing in this world was simple. She continued Edea''s exnations.


    "It seems like you felt it. I was also impressed when I learned that. But your mother told me that it wasn''t that easy. Veins, horns, and core. This trinity forms aplete circle. All three have to grow together. Even if you have endless mana at your dispositions. How much you can absorb in one go depends on the thickness of your veins. How much you can use it to increase your power depends on the sturdiness of your horns."


    "I see¡­ So, how do I know if I have a core and the horns?"


    Edea winced a little, "There aren¡¯t many records of Hybrids between an S rank and a human, but," She fidgeted a little, "Technically, in the next 72 hours you should have no doubt about the existence of those."


    ''I don''t like the way she is phrasing it. It doesn''t seem like it will be a particrly good experience.''


    ¡°Please be frank.¡±


    "...*Sigh* it will hurt. A lot." She shook her head, "You weren''t born with a horn or a core. So your body basically has to shift and create new organs that will connect to the already existing one. Saying that it will hurt is just an understatement."


    She hesitated a little before finally saying everything she knew," From the record of my master, she once met a Pegasus hybrid. A close friend of hers. When master asked what she felt while awakening her second and third characteristics, she said that it felt like giving birth."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Sol never felt that this world could be so cold and unweing.


    ----


    A few hourster, Edea now alone in her world couldn''t help butugh out loud while thinking about Sol''s expression when he learned what he would have to go through.


    She felt a little bad for him but she knew that it was something he couldn''t escape to. Using anything to dampen the pain could make the process fail or iplete.


    "Still," She stirred her tea with a faraway look, her face slightly blushing, "Perhaps it''s indeed time for me to leave this prison."


    (START OF VOL 2: THE SAINTESS)

 Chapter 28 CH 26: SILENT STEPS

    "Mother, bless me."


    *Ssh*


    In one of the innermost rooms of the church, a ritual was happening.


    Despite beingpletely devoid of any decoration, the room seemed to be covered in a holy atmosphere.


    In the middle of the room, standing over arge concentric circle in the form of a pentagram, Camelia could be seen with her two arms stretched and bleeding from the slit made on her wrists.


    She kept mumbling about a blessing from her "mother" as she bathed the circle, that was drawn in a special chalk, with her own blood.


    This blood, even though it was seeminglying from a human, had a slightly golden hue.


    Her expression was as pale as a sheet and her breath was getting weaker. Still, she did not stop.


    Next to her, a young blonde-haired girl wearing a blue knight armor had a worried expression as she opened and closed her mouth again and again but still didn''t voice her worry.


    She knew that any words getting from her could disturb the entire ritual and since Camelia had been bleeding herself out to the limit of fainting every day for exactly seven nights and seven days she would never forgive herself if she made this ritual fail.


    ''All of this because of that human, Sol. Why is she putting herself into such a danger for him?''


    She clenched her fist as she gripped the hem dress while a feeling of powerlessness washed over her.


    She couldn''t understand why this woman she respected so much was willing to pay such a price for a boy.


    ''Sol Luxuria.''


    A name that made her extremely curious.


    She had just entered the church of Castitas for a short time toplete her pdin training and she didn''t really understand what was so extraordinary about that human.


    Why were all the girls in the church and even the supreme daughter so enamored with him?


    ''Does he even know how much sister Camelia is sacrificing for him?''


    Camelia wasn''t just asking a blessing from Castitas. By praying for seven days and seven nights she was doing a demand to the fourteen goddesses all together.


    She didn''t know what exactly, but it seemed that she was asking the goddesses to bend the rules of the Astral world during the next opening so that Sol had a direct shot at obtaining a powerful spirit.


    She was basically asking the goddesses to cheat for Sol,


    ''From the record, it seems that the previous Supreme daughter did the same for the hero king. Though she had to use her blood as well as the blood of all holy daughters.''


    "Chloe,e and help me."


    The weak voice brought her back from her musing and, with extremely careful moves, she took the cloak she was holding and covered the previously nude body of Camelia with it.


    "I am thankful."


    "You shouldn''t be. It''s my duty."


    "Fufufu~! The clumsy Chloe is now a proud pdin in training from the holy order of Industria. Your mother must be proud of you."


    Chloe blushed in embarrassment but was extremely ted inside. During their training, all pdins of all seven churches had toplete their training in another church.


    Generally, it was done at random to avoid unbnce, but Chloe, as the top of her promotion in Slothstein, was given a choice and she didn''t hesitate to choose Lustburg.


    She grew up hearing the legend of the hero-king and his band ofpanions.


    The supreme daughter of Castitas and her own mother being part of them. Though she was a little disappointed that the son of her hero was nothing more than a womanizer.


    "Thank you, my aunt. Mother always scolded me by saying that I would do a funny knight."


    Camelia simply chuckled, at that, she would never tell this niece of her just how bad her mother was at first before bing the supreme daughter of Industria. Parents had to keep some dignity after all.


    "Now, help me walk towards my room. I need to wash myself and get some energy potions. I can''t let Sol see me in such a pitiful sight."


    ''Sol, Sol, Sol always Sol. Does she have nothing aside from that boy in her mind?''


    <o>,m She hesitated a little before asking carefully, "My aunt, why are you doing so much for a human?"</o>


    Camelia gave a wane smile, she understood that this question wasn''t done with ill intention, "Firstly, I am also a human."


    Heat covered once again Chloe''s face as she stammered, "S-sorry. I-I didn''t mean it like th-that! I just mean¨CI thought you weren''t interested in men like him. Didn''t you reject King Mars because he wasn''t your type? Prince Sol is basically an exact copy of the king. They could even pass for twins."


    Camelia closed her eyes, as she thought back to Mars, one of her most precious friends, before slowly saying,


    "When I said my type, I wasn''t talking about his look. For me who can see farther into people, physical appearance held little appeal. What initially attracted me was¨Chis soul."<sub> </sub>


    As she said this, her eyes took a vacant and dreamy look as if reminiscing the most beautiful thing she ever saw.


    ----


    While Camelia was finishing the preparation for her ritual, Sol was currently lying down in his room in deep thought.


    He still had a few hours to go before evening and his meeting with Camelia, but he did not really know how to spend it.


    Lilith had canceled all his lessons for the day, because she decided that he needed to rest a little and limate himself to the feeling of mana.


    Mana was a mysterious form of energy that filled the world. For Sol who came from a normal world, mana was basically the stuff of legend and fantasy. Being able to use it felt like a dream.


    He stood up and walked toward therge full body mirror fixed on the wall of his room.


    Once in front of it, he began to take off his clothes until he was only in a pair of boxers.


    ''OK, let''s do it.''


    He closed his eyes and began to look inwardly. Well, not literally, just that he could feel more easily the cirction of mana when his eyes were closed.


    *Inhale* *Exhale*


    His chest rose and fell as he continued to repeat this movement. Using mana was like breathing. As such it should be an almost instinctive movement. You shouldn''t need to "think" about using mana. Rather it should be the most natural thing for you.


    Everything was in the rhythm.


    Sol, even though he didn''t have mana in the past, was already trained in the correct way of breathing. So it didn''t take long for him to grasp the feeling now.


    ''This is it.''


    A feeling of warmth coursed through his body, as he felt his heartbeat with renowned vigor.


    When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see that they had changed from his usual blue to deep gold. What more, his irises had a reptilian shape confirming once again his ancestry.


    He could feel his vision sharpening and all his senses bing stronger. This wasn''t just the effect of circting mana. He knew he was receiving a boost from being a half.


    "This looks badass and all but I hope this isn''t all."


    There weren''t enough records about hybrids to make an educated guess about the standards changes.


    One would think that with all those contracts between humans and magical beings hybrids between the two species would be more numerous. But it wasn''t so.


    Sol guessed that one of the reasons could be gic. After all, even in his old world, hybrids between two races could only exist when the difference was minimal.


    One example could be the Tigon who was a hybrid between a male tiger and a female lion.


    Of course, trying to use reason like gic in a world where goddesses, dragons, and other mythical creatures existed was just a waste of time.


    ''Anyway, now, I can truly be stronger.''


    The awakening was the first step towards his future. He had spent years preparing for it. Endless hours of physical and theoretical training.


    ''By the way, she said I had an attribute right?''


    He knew his mother was a chaos dragon. But that didn''t give him any clues.


    A dragon title wasn''t about the magic or elements they were the best at, but rather the magic they had an immunity to.


    For example, a fire dragon was immune to fire magic but could perhaps be a master in ice magic.


    This was what made dragons all the more dangerous. Not only you had to guess what kind of magic they were immune to but you also had to guess which magic they mastered.


    Sol thought about all that as he continued to admire himself in the mirror.


    "Sol, I wanted to talk to¨C"


    The door suddenly opened to a stunned Milia.


    She wasn''t just stunned about his rather ridiculous pose but more importantly because of his eyes as she saw them in the mirror.


    "Sol?"


    Sol on the other was also stunned for another reason. He wasn''t just doing some pose. He was also stretching his sense in the radius outside his room. He could hear all the maids walk and talk as they giggled be it under his room or on the side.


    Even though he couldn''t clearly hear their words it showed just how powerful his senses were.


    But¡­ Just now¨Che didn''t hear the steps of Milia.

 Chapter 29 CH 27: CROWNS SHADOW

    Sol frowned a little at the fact that she could slip past all his senses.


    ''Perhaps it''s because I am still not used to it?''


    It wasn''t impossible. He just obtained mana recently and he certainly didn''t get the total control of it.


    Still, he didn''t wish to create excuses for her.


    "Sol, you awakened?!" Milia immediately closed the door behind her as she eximed in surprise.


    "Indeed." He answered calmly with a smile. Now that it was discovered there was no reason to hide it. "I just awakened it this morning, during a discussion with teacher."


    "Incredible!" Milia walked fast towards him and took him in a hug as she giggled in happiness.


    Seeing her like that made the suspicion of Sol abate a little. He smiled and he also hugged her in turn.


    "Thanks. It also made me really happy."


    "Should I reward you?" Milia asked with a sensual smile as she slowly trailed her finger over his trousers.


    Sol didn''t need to be told explicitly what kind of reward she was talking about. He debated a little and simply nodded,


    "Then," She slowly began to lower herself until she waspletely kneeling in front of him. She took off his belt and lowered his pants before giving an appreciative nce at his already erect dick.


    Licking her lips, she took his dick firmly in her hand and slowly began to pump it.


    Following that, she ced her lips around the tip and pressed her saliva-covered tongue against it. Then, opening her mouth wide, she slowly, very slowly, began to engulf it.


    ''Man, her throat has no end.''


    She took him deep inside her mouth and used her tongue on the bottom as she moved her head back and forth.


    Sol marveled at the way she took more than half of his dick in one go,


    ''Wait what the fuck I am doing?''


    His mind snapped awake instantly. He just remarked something suspicious and now he is still getting a blowjob?


    ''Get a grip.''


    ''But this is so good.''


    Lust and reason fought again and again. Sol could literally feel like an angel and a devil were speaking to him at the same time.


    Finally, with a mighty kick, the devil won.


    ''Well fuck it. If I have to ask what''s wrong I should at least get a blowjob first.''


    Now free of worry, he closed his eyes and took Milia by the hair before slowly elerating the movements. He was careful to not be too forceful.


    The visual effects of seeing a beautiful woman such as Milia kneeling in front of him was always a huge turn on.


    As she continued the skillful movement of her tongue, he felt the pleasure of orgasm spreading through the entire base of his penis.


    His rational mind had kept ejaction away even as the pleasure grew, and that still reduced the amount of pleasure.


    But it could not stop the fluid that had begun to flow. His giant stake throbbed as it flowed out into the urethra in the center.


    "... !¡±


    ¡°*Groan* Be careful, I aming.¡±


    The head swelled out even further. As his thick semen burst out deep within her mouth, the intoxicated maid''s eyes widened in surprise.


    Still, she didn''t let out and continued to suck out all his semen.


    When the ejaction finally ended, she opened her mouth wide to show him before slowly swallowing it.


    *Gulp*


    ---


    A few minutester after he caught back his breath and put an order on his clothes, he walked toward his mirror and tapped rhythmically on it. Exactly seven times.


    It was a code that he had created with Edea.


    The tower of babel was initially a wide-scale spell used to seal Edea. Over the years she totally took control of it and was able to see and feel everything that happened in the tower.


    Of course, she wasn''t a goddess. She couldn''t control everything at any moment.


    This was where this code came into action. As long as he tapped seven times in a certain rhythm on any surface such as a wall or mirror then it would alert her.


    This message simply means, [obverse me].


    He did not believe that Milia was a traitor and neither did he believe that she would harm him in any way.<sub> </sub>


    But¡­


    One should always hope for the best while preparing for the worst.


    Once it was done, he could feel a gaze immediately falling on him. Initially, he never could have felt it, but now that he had awakened, it was clear to him.


    Assured to now be safe no matter what happened, he asked, "Milia. I think it''s time for us to talk."


    He already had a rough idea about who she might be and he couldn''t help but think about how stupid it was to have never thought about it. It seemed so evident now.


    Still, it was just a spection.


    "Sol?"


    "I want you to be honest with me. I will only ask it one time and I will not insist. No matter what answer you give me I will believe in it. But¡­ If I were to either learn that you had lied then I would absolutely lose all confidence in you."


    Milia confused eyes flickered in wonder. Sol on the other hand simply asked most naturally,


    "Milia¡­ Would you either harm me or those close to me in any way?"


    -----


    Silence settled between the two. Milia closed her eyes as she entered deep into thoughts.


    She thought about what happened. What could have brought such a sudden question? Then she remembered his surprised expression when she entered.


    ''So this was then.''


    She immediately made the link with his mana awakening.


    ''Did he awaken some sort of super sense that allows him to see truth from lie? Did his awakening sharpen his senses? Did he obtain a special power? Did he always doubt me?''


    Different scenarios went through her mind but she came to a simple conclusion. It didn''t really matter how he knew. What mattered was that he had doubts about her.


    She knew Sol and she also believed his im. She knew that if right here right now she said she was just a normal maid he would simply believe her.


    But¨Csooner orter he will learn the truth and then¨CShe would lose him.


    *Sigh*


    ''Well, he already awakened. So I guess I don''t need to hide it anymore.''


    Having made a decision, her shoulder rxed noticeably as she gave a peaceful smile to him.


    "I sooner die than hurt you in any way possible."


    "I see." A bright smile also formed on Sol''s face while a sigh of relief escaped through his nose. "I was a little worried but I am happy."


    She tilted her head in wonder. "That''s it? You aren''t curious about my identity."


    The smile on Sol''s face became even brighter as he said, "Why would I? After all, you have always been my shadow."


    Milia slightly raised eyebrows but otherwise didn''t show any other expression of surprise.


    Still, she didn''t deny and asked calmly, "How did you guess?"


    "Well," Sol rubbed the back of his head as she said, "I didn''t really have much to go with. You know. I always wondered who was my shadow. Frankly, it could have been anyone. But from the way you walked, I simply guessed that even if you weren''t my shadow you had something to do with the assassin or spy profession."


    "I see¨C" She didn''t seem sad at being busted so easily, "Sol is really all grown up now."


    "What I don''t understand is¨C" Sol wasn''t finished. There was something still bothering him. Lilith had suspicions about Milia. Why?. "¨CIf you are a member of the crown''s shadow, why does it seem that my aunt does not know your identity? "


    Milia walked slowly before taking one knee in front of Sol, a serious almost religious expression on her face, "I am Milia. One of the five fingers and leader of the hand division of the crown''s shadow. Sol. You and you alone are worthy of our loyalty. You are the legitimate king. Lilith, for all her merits, is only a substitute. There are some secrets she can never be privy to."


    The crown''s shadow was divided into three divisions. The hands, the eyes, and the feet.


    The feet was the division charged for foreign rtions. The eyes were the spy division ced all over the kingdom and finally the hand¨Cwas the assassin division. The one charged to do the dirty job.


    "I see."


    He looked aside. He didn''t really like the way she was looking at him currently. It felt like the way fanatics looked in his old world.


    Milia, seemingly understanding the reason for his difort calmed her fervor as she bowed her eyes. "I am sorry. But it''s just that¨CI wanted to tell you who I was for so long. Being able to serve you was one of the best things that either happened to me."


    "Heh." Should he be happy right now? No, he wasn''t really, this discovery did not really make him happy. It created waves in what he thought was one of the most solid rtionships he had.


    ''Though I guess having a super sexy assassin protecting me from the shadows isn''t bad.''


    *Sigh*


    "Well let''s forget it for now. I think there are many things we have to talk about, but today I have to meet Camelia. We will talk after that."


    Milia looked crestfallen, but simply nodded, "I understand."

 Chapter 30 CH 28: FIRST FRIEND

    *Woshhh*


    Sol slowly opened his eyes as he once again appeared in the special teleportation room belonging to the church.


    This time, it was a private meeting between him and Camelia so he had no reason to wear particrly special clothes. Though he did make the effort of dressing nicely by wearing a simple ck and white cloak over his white suit.


    ''I did not feel sick this time.''


    A wide smile stered his face. He had always hated this form of transportation because of the resulting sickness. Now it seemed that he did not have to worry anymore.


    "Wee, your highness."


    Other than him, ten others were present in the room. Though the hair color of one of them, in particr, caught his attention.


    ''Blonde hair and blue eyes? And¨Can armor?''


    Those two colors were the sign of someone blessed. Gic had absolutely nothing to do with it. Children wouldn''t inherit this particr set of colors. The only way to obtain it is to be blessed or recognized by one of the goddesses. As for the armor, it didn''t take long for him to understand that she was a pdin or one in training.


    ''But why is she giving me such weird stares?''


    He could feel a slight enmity but more of arge curiosity in the way she was looking at him, but he did not really care. There was no way an enemy could be standing so boldly here. Not even Echidna would dare. After all, churches, all seven of them, were seen as special asylums.


    "Good evening everyone. Could I ask where Camelia is?" Giving a polite smile to everyone, he asked calmly while ignoring the blush spreading on the faces of those young pretty girls.


    The only one who wasn''t blushing was the blonde-haired woman. Rather her expression warped in a slight frown. This made Sol take another look at her as he asked,


    "Is there a problem?" He was truly curious. Perhaps Camelia wasn''t present? Or something came up?


    The girl''s frown tightened a little before finally rxing as she let out a sigh as she said calmly in a clearly unwilling voice, "I do not really like the way you call her without using her title or any honorific. But I guess this isn''t my ce to intervene."


    Sol was rather impressed and also intrigued. From the way she talked it was clear that she didn''t take him as someone superior to her. This could only mean two things¨C


    ''She is either fearless or she is from a background equal to mine.''


    Sol knew about the exchange program of the pdins done between all seven churches. This girl was most likely a holy daughter being groomed for the title of Supreme daughter, or the heir of one of the seven kingdoms.


    From her mostly human characteristics and herck of apparently distinctive features,


    "Hehe¡­ So you are an angel? I must say that it''s the first time seeing one. Happy to meet you."


    Her bbergasted expression was truly a sight to behold.


    ----


    The exact number of races in this world was difficult to count.<sub> </sub>


    For example, take the beast-kin, there were hundreds of different subspecies in their group. The same went for the demons.


    Still, if one were to regroup all races, they would find that there were seven grand races, and each race¨Cwas the ruler of a kingdom.


    The angels were the main race living in the floating inds called the Slotsthein Kingdom. They were under the church of Industria and the royal family of Acedia.


    ---


    Chloe held a frustrated expression as she walked along with Sol next to her. The small smile on the side of his mouth was so infuriating that she had to give her all to not insult him.


    ''Calm down Chloe. Calm down.''


    She was truly stunned by the way he simply guessed what she was from just a few clues. Even more so when he exined to her his spection while they were walking.


    ''Sigh. I guess at least he isn''t just a womanizer.''


    If there were two quality angels respected above all, it was diligence and wisdom. Schrs were extremely respected in Slotsthein, to the level that if the crown''s princess didn''t show some talent in any schrly discipline, it would be nearly impossible for her to be respected once she took the throne.


    Thinking about that, thezy smile of a red-haired girl as she tinkered with machines shed in her mind, making her lose another sigh.


    "So, it seems like we still have some time before reaching the ce where Camelia is. Why don''t you tell me a little more about you."


    Sol could hardly hide his excitement. It wasn''t just about the fact that he was seeing one of the fabled angels in his old world. No, what really excited him was that he had finally found an equal.


    Sol didn''t have any friends.


    He had lovers, he had people with authority on him, he had servants, and a loyal knight/ve. But¡­ He didn''t have any friends.


    Sol was the heir of the Lustburg kingdom. Only another heir of either a church or kingdom could match him. He had never met the current holy daughter of Castitas.


    Chloe hesitated a little, even though she couldn''t read his mind, she could feel the eagerness in his voice, she wasn''t the smartest of the bunch, but she also understood a little of what he was feeling. After all, before meeting that redhead¨Cshe also felt a little lonely.


    "My name is Clover. Clover Industria. I am the daughter of Iris Industria as well as a pdin in training and the holy daughter of Industria. Those close to me call me Chloe as it was my original name before being sanctified."


    Chloe decided to cast aside her initial impression of him. She still didn''t really like him, but it was just because of seeing Camelia bleed so much.


    Sol nodded, all "daughters" be it supreme or holy had to shed their original name once they received their Title and take a name rted to a flower. He didn''t really understand the logic in such a rule, but then again the fact that all crown princes and kings of the seven kingdoms had names rted to stars ors was also weird in itself.


    "You should already know me, but I am Sol Luxuria. Crown prince of the Lustburg kingdom. Those close to me simply call me Sol. Happy to meet you, Chloe."


    He stretched toward her and Chloe after a short hesitation simply sped his hand in her,


    "Happy to meet you, Sol."

 Chapter 31 CH 29: SAINT FALL (1)

    It didn''t take long for Sol to reach the innermost room of the church.


    Even though he came regrly in the church, it was the first time he came to this zone. Along the way, they had met many patrols and inspections, showing just how important this ce was.


    "We are here."


    Sol marveled at the scene carved on the ck and white gate. A woman with fourteen girls behind her, all of them wearing golden robes on the white side of the gate, facing them was another woman wearing a bright red robe on the ck side of the gate. Every one of them had no face, giving the scene a strange, creepy atmosphere.


    "Mother order and the fourteen goddesses against Chaos."


    Chloe''s voice brought him back from his fascination. It wasn¡¯t the first time he saw such pictures and he also knew what they represented. But he wasn''t particrly interested in talking about religion right now.


    What bothered him right now was the enormous amount of mana he could feel from the other side. He nearly asked Chloe about it before remembering that people shouldn''t know he had awakened. Chloe seemed trustworthy. But it didn''t matter.


    "Forget it, let''s go."


    Chloe shook her head at Sol urging as she said, "I can''t enter here anymore. The ritual she prepared is already at itsst step. Only you can enter."


    Sol nodded and began to walk slowly toward the door. But he was about to open it, "Sol¡­"


    "Hum?" He tilted his head at Chloe murmur from behind him.


    "I hope that you will take care of her." Her voice sounded low and threatening as she continued, "What aunt Camelia is doing, is a supreme ritual and a form of cheating. What more it seems that she made an even more outrageous demand. Our world is regted by contract and equivalent price. The price she has to pay for this ritual isn''t something you can imagine."


    *Thump*


    A bad feeling bloomed in his heart. He stopped paying attention to Chloe¡¯s words, instead, he opened the door and rushed in.


    The door immediately closed behind him.


    Chloe, now alone, looked sadly at the door before turning around and going away. Her presence was currently useless and whatever happened, she knew her aunt was ready for it.


    ----


    The first thing that caught Sol''s attention as he entered the circr room was a strong metallic scent.


    ''Blood.''


    The second thing that caught his attention was the beautiful naked woman standing on a hexagram drawn on the ground with magical circles floating all around her.


    ''Camelia.''


    He couldn''t see her face, since she was showing her back to him, but he was sure that it was her.


    He wanted to shout her name but he held back since he feared disturbing her ritual. Whatever she was doing, was truly a high level.


    An overpowering and crushing pressure-filled the room. Each step was more difficult than thest, and even breathing was difficult. The otherwise short distance that should have been covered in a few seconds, took nearly one minute.


    "Hello Sol, I was waiting for you."


    The weary voice of Camelia sounded in his ears once he was close to the circle.


    "How are you?" It was truly a dumb question and Sol knew it, the chuckle that escaped Camelia told him she also knew it, but he didn''t know what else to ask.


    "I can''t say that I am fine, but soon everything will be alright."


    Sol frowned, "Turn and face me." He asked with a rather harsh tone. A hunch filling him with dread.


    "*Sigh*" Camelia shoulders slumped a little before she slowly turned to face him. At first view, everything was alright, but¨C


    "Your eyes¡­" Sol''s voice trembled as he said that. One of the usual blue eyes of Camelia, the right one, was now of a simple andmon ck.


    Seeing the wry smile on her face Sol took another deeper look at her. His enhanced senses allowing him to spot other details.


    "Y-your h-hair."


    This time it wasn''t just a hunch anymore, her hair was still her usual golden, but the roots were¡­ ck.


    Golden hair and blue eyes.


    It was the sign of an innate blessing of the goddesses.


    This blessing was the most important criteria to be a Supreme daughter or a king.


    Losing this blessing means losing the qualifications.


    "Just. What are you? Doing?"


    Camelia didn''t lose her smile even in face of Sol''s anger, she kept looking at him with the same look. One filled with love and longing, "Just what I should do."


    -----


    "Saint fall. This is the name of the ritual."


    "I don''t care what the name of that ritual is. Stop it now."


    He wanted to rush and extract her out of the hexagram, but he feared making things worse by acting rashly.


    Camelia on the other handpletely ignored him as she continued to stand her with a smile. The golden color of her hair slowly vanishing.


    "Sol, the most fundamentalw of this world is the principle of contract and every contract has a price. The most direct example is how witch who gets power from a contract with Asmodeus with their fertility and much more as the price."<sub> </sub>


    "Please, you can exin all thatter. Now stop this."


    Camelia nodded to herself and continued to ignore him. "Nuns can obtain power from the goddess they serve. This is also a form of contract. We do not need to have high capacity like normal people. We just need to be devout. In exchange, we can only obtain as much power as the goddess is willing to give."


    Sol knew all that, but he didn''t know where she was going.


    "The ritual I did, Saint fall, allows the supreme daughter to make a wish to the goddesses. One wish that break all rules of this world. In exchange-"


    "-You must lose your blessings."


    Sol finished for her, fists clenched. It didn''t take a genius to guess where this was going.


    "Exact. Ding Ding Ding. Sol is as smart as always."


    "Why? You know that the king automatically gets one wish once he takes the throne. You could have waited for it."


    "No," Camelia''s smile turned wry, "The divine wish of the king cannot exceed the rules. The divine wish bestowed by Saint''s fall, on the other hand, can do it."


    Sol closed his eyes as he breathed deeply in and out to control himself. It was useless to keep trying to stop her. Since this was so, he swept his hair with his hand as he asked,


    "I guess the divine wish of the king cannot help you get back your blessings."


    Camelia didn''t bother answering. The loss of the divine blessing was the price for breaking the rules. So, how could a wish that was contained within the rules give it back?


    A deep golden aura began to emanate from Sol as he once again did his best to control his anger. Today was supposed to be perfect. He had finally broken the wall of Edea''s heart, he had be closer to Lilith and even found Milia secret. Finally, he had awakened. So why?


    Camelia on the other hand showed an expression of surprise before tion showed on it, "Incredible! You awakened! This will make things so much easier."


    She finally walked out of the hexagram and took Sol in a hug. Sol on the other hand simply closed his eyes, a feeling of powerlessness filling him.


    "You will lose your blessings."


    "I know."


    "You will lose your powers."


    "I know."


    "You will lose your titles."


    "I know."


    "You will lose everything."


    "No, I will not lose everything. After all," she looked up to him and gave him a light kiss on the lips, "I still have you. Or, " A mischievous smile formed on her face, "Would you discard me once I be useless?"


    A bittersweet feeling his heart as he hugged her back, "Of course not."


    ''What did I do to be worthy of such women?''


    "Hey, Sol¡­" A light blush covered her cheeks as she said, "The ritual stillck onestponent. At the end of the day. We are both under Castitas and Luxuria. So¡­"


    "Oh!" Light of understanding shed in his eyes.


    He wasn''t really in the mood initially, but now that he was less upset, he remembered that he was holding a beautiful and voluptuous naked woman in his arms. This realization was immediately followed by a stiffening of a certain part of his body.


    "Hehe! Seems like little Sol is finally happy to see me. But we will have to wait."


    She took his hand and slowly began to pull him toward the hexagram.


    The very moment Sol took a step on it, the scarlet hexagram went alight.


    Camelia infused her remaining mana in her voice as she murmured,


    "We need your blood for the final touch."


    A ceremonial dagger iid with gold and jewels appeared in her hand and she looked at Sol with a questioning nce. Understanding what she meant, sol took the dagger from her hand and slit the palm of his right hand before clenching his fist.


    Blood slowly, very slowly began to dribble from his palm. The wound, to the surprise of Sol already showing signs of closing. Finally


    *Drip*


    With a ssh, one drop of his blood touched the hexagram.


    "I, Camelia Castitas. Supr¨ºme daughter of Castitas, beseech the goddesses to ept my request on the behalf of Sol Luxuria, crown prince and future king of Lustburg."


    The hexagram immediately went from a deep scarlet to a deep golden.


    A sh of light immediately enveloped them.


    The very world seemed to fall silent in the wake of the power. As an aura of authority enveloped not only the ritual room but the totality of the capital.


    No matter where they were, people could see a pir of lighting from the church and reaching the sky.


    No matter who they were, all bowed in submission in the face of power that they could never hope to understand.


    Back at the ritual room, one sweet voice sounded in Sol and Camelia''s ear.


    [We are listening.]

 Chapter 32 CH 30: SAINT FALL (2)

    [We are listening.]


    A seemingly soft voice sounded in the air. But for Sol, it was like being sted by the biggest stereo in the world.


    He took two unsteady steps before immediately taking Camelia in his hands. She seemed to have fainted. He didn''t know why. Even with most of her power gone, she should have been way stronger than him.


    *Giggle*


    [How c-"How cute. It''s really heartwarming that your first action was taking care of my rebellious daughter."


    The voice, that previously sounded as if the sky was falling on him sounded suddenly far less dangerous.


    Gathering his wit, he began to observe his surroundings, only to be awed by the sights.


    He didn''t know where they were, but they were definitely not in the church anymore.


    Andscape that seemed to reach the horizon. A ck sky full of stars. A soft breeze.


    ''It''s like Teacher¡¯s world.''


    "Please, do notpare my divine kingdom to a simple alternate dimension."


    This voice was different from the previous one. If the previous one was kind and soft, the new one was charming and sensual.


    Slowly raising his head, he saw that just above him, fourteen thrones made out of silver were gently floating and all of them except one were upied.


    One didn''t need to be some kind of genius to understand who they were facing.


    ''So those are the goddesses.''


    *Step* *Step*


    The sound of the grass being crunched on brought his attention back to the ground.


    The sound of those steps brought his attention away from the thrones.


    Looking toward the direction those steps wereing from, he saw that they wereing from a woman.


    She was wearing beautiful form-fitting golden dresses that seemed to show all her indecent curves. The skirt of the dress was so short that one would be able to see nirvana with just one blow of the wind. Her steps were full of grace and full of charm. This vision was heaven itself.


    But, the moment he tried to look at their face,


    ''Huh?!''


    He immediately understood that it was a mistake he should have nevermitted.


    People say. "Never look at the sun with your naked eyes."


    For Sol, looking at the sun at noon would have been smarter than what he just did.


    All his thoughts immediately crashed down quite literally.


    "¡­!!"


    It was disorienting. His reason broke down, and blood boiled up in his body like a furnace. His thoughts stopped the moment he saw her face.


    Her beauty, which was too fatal to be praised as beautiful, pierced into Sol¡¯s eyes. He couldn¡¯t exin the features he was looking at. The sight of this beauty which was outside the human domain of cognition was almost like a mental attack.


    No, it could only be expressed as a mental attack.


    ¡®D-Damn, what is with this face¡­?¡¯ His eyes felt like they were melting away as he looked at the goddess''s face.


    An intrigued smile formed on her face as she walked closer to him.


    ''''N-no.''


    His five senses were running wild with desire for her, urging him to let go of his strings of reason. Urging him toy down with her and forget everything. He wanted to fuck her. **** her. Make a mess of her. Cover her with his scent.


    ''I-I refuse.''


    Something screamed in him.


    That he shouldn''t let go of his reason.


    That he shouldn''t listen to the urge that was burning him.


    ¡°Hah¡­ If you look at me with those eyes, I am going to be shy, okay?¡± The corners of her mouth raised slightly, seemingly amused by his struggle.


    The moment he heard his voice, his reason nearlypletely melted away.


    He understood.


    This was a sin.


    This was a god.


    This was something that stood outside of human capacity to understand.


    No male creature could resist her. Sol¡¯s instincts stopped responding as soon as he realized this fact


    If he persevered more than this, his brains would boil up and he would die.


    It wasn''t a probability. But a fact. A reality. Her beauty was an authority. Something that could not be defied.


    *Urgh*


    His eyes were bleeding. His nose was bleeding. His skin was turning red.


    The woman looked at Sol¡¯s state in shock before murmuring. "Impressive."


    Shortly after that, Sol¡¯s head became as cold as ice as if doused by a bucket of cold water.


    *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*<sub> </sub>


    He nearly kneeled down, but since he was still holding Camelia in his arms, he did his all to not fall.


    What does an ant feel when facing a human?


    Sol once asked himself this question.


    Back when he did so, he never really managed to reach an answer. After all, no matter what, he couldn''t put himself in the ce of an ant.


    Now though? Now, he could perhaps understand their feelings.


    No, it was way worse than that. Even the strongest human couldn''t destroy the mind of an ant with a look.


    In conclusion, in front of a goddess, he wasn''t even fit to be called a bug.


    It was truly a bitter thought. A sobering thought.


    "Fufufu. You are the third man to see my face and not immediately be a ve to your desire. I am really impressed."


    Sol wasn''t happy in the slightest. But it didn''t matter. He lowered his head and spoke calmly.


    "I am honored to face you. My Goddess."


    If he still didn''t understand who she was at this point, then he should just kill himself.


    This woman was a goddess. His goddess. The goddess of lust. Luxuria.


    Thankfully, whatever she did, her voice didn''t seem to melt his reason anymore and her face became obscured by a sort of veil.


    "My, my my~! And you are polite to boot!! and so calm. Not even Mars¡¯s disy was as good as your when he saw me for the first time."


    "I thank you for thepliment." He answered as calmly as possible while inspecting his body. It was already beginning to heal so there was at least one good news.


    It seemed that his father was one of the two before him who she mentioned. Well, it didn''t really surprise him.


    But, this wasn''t the time to speak about that.


    "Please goddess. Is it possible to cancel Camelia''s ritual? I do not know what she asked for. But I do not think it''s necessary."


    "Oh?" He couldn''t see her face, but from the movement of her veil, it seemed that she had raised an eyebrow in wonder. "Are you sure?"


    "Yes."


    "Even if I tell you that one of her demands was for you to obtain a contract with a direct daughter of the sacred Phoenix?"


    Sol''s breath stopped short. A direct descendant of a divine beast. That one would be at the same level as his mother. At least in terms of pedigree. If he obtained such a contract, no one would doubt that he could reach a level close, simr, or higher than his father.


    He didn''t even have the time to answer before she continued,


    "Even I tell you that she asked for your bloodline to be refined?"


    *Thump*


    His mother was the direct daughter of Tiamat. If his blood was refined. Him obtaining a core would go from an uncertainty to an absolute. Even without ¨¤ contract, he would without a doubt grow into a powerhouse.


    "Even if I tell you that she asked for you to have the right to obtain full ess to the Astral world?"


    Sol was shivering.


    Not in joy.


    Not in anticipation.


    But in absolute fear.


    ''That crazy woman!!!''


    Sol couldn''t help but curse inwardly.


    This world was dominated by the principle of contract and exchange.


    Everything required a price.


    Just how much would she have to pay for all those demands?


    He nearly screamed in frustration but took a deep breath to calm himself.


    All those things were extremely attractive. Obtaining any of them would be enough for him to wake up in the night andugh out loud in joy.


    But-


    "Please. I ask you to cancel it."


    He gently put down Camelia''s body before kneeling down and bowing with his head deep against the ground.


    Saint fall stripped the Saint who used the spell of his blessing in exchange for the right to make a demand that went above the rules.


    He didn''t know just how much was allowed, but he was absolutely sure that the request of Camelia was above any Saint fall ever performed.


    "I beg you. Please."


    Shame? Humiliation? Anger?


    Sol felt none of that as he repeatedly begged Luxuria.


    <o>,m The women around Sol could pay everything to help him.</o>


    He could do the same.


    "I see¡­" Luxuria drawled as she put a finger under her chin before tilting her head, mirth evident in her voice as she continued, "But I refuse."

 Chapter 33 CH 31: SAINT FALL (3)

    "But I refuse."


    Those words of her cooled down Sol who was still kneeling in front of the goddess.


    The clear mirth in her voice, as if everything that was happening was just a game in her eyes, gave birth to an unprecedented feeling of anger.


    He had never felt so angry in his life. He wanted to simply rush and tear her face down. Beat her. Destroy her. Make her pay for her mockery.


    *Inhale* *Exhale*


    ''I am once again losing control over my emotions.''


    Sol desperately calmed down the sudden burning Wrath that was birthed in his heart.


    Right here, right now,shing out and screaming was useless and simply a waste of time.


    Edea always told him.


    "Never let your emotions control you. Whatever situation you are in, always analyze it from all angles before making a decision."


    *Inhale* *Exhale*


    ''I need to calm down and think. I will have all the time to rage and wher.''


    His head cooled down a little and he began to think as fast as possible.


    Simply begging was useless and understandably so.


    Why would she listen to his begging?


    What could he bring-


    ''Oh!''


    It was like a sh of inspiration in his muddled mind.


    It was so clear that he couldn''t help but wonder why he didn''t think about that sooner.


    Taking a deep breath, he asked while still kneeling, "If I may ask. What price do I have to pay?"


    Everything in this world has a price. This was the rule. The absolute system.


    Sol couldn''t see it from his position, but a kind smile formed on Luxuria''s face when he uttered those words. Her respect for him grew increasingly.


    Said smile was immediately reced by her mischievous one as she said, "You finally understood~! Let''s see. Any of the three demands Camelia made was enough for her to lose her blessing. Two of them together would mean paying her life as a price. The three of them together? Hehehe sorry, even her soul would have to serve us for a long long time. And that''s because she is one of the most devout and powerful Saint ever born. Thest time Saint fall was performed, the supreme daughter needed the help of so many others to share the price."


    ''This ritual was done once?! Forget it, no matter.''


    Luxuria, as if not caring about his thoughts continued, "Let''s talk sincerely. Sol, my dear child, you cannot bear the price of saving her. The contract was already formed. The rules are the rules, you see. You will receive what she asked for you, and she¨Cwill die."


    "What is the price?"


    At this moment Sol was surprisingly calmer than either. Now wasn''t the time to panic.


    "Hum? I see. Let''s see. Since she wished for you to get a powerful beast. Then you will lose your ability to use mana. Since she wished for you to refine your dragon blood, you will lose all your hybrid characteristics and be a pure human instead. Since she wished for you to enter the Astral realm as you wish, then you will never be able to enter that realm, nor form any contract-"


    Her voice sounded calm and full of mockery as she continued,


    "So? What will be your choice? You always wished to surpass your father right? If you ept those conditions you can say goodbye to your dreams and the throne. You will¨C"<sub> </sub>


    "I ept."


    Silence settled in the scene. Luxuria and the goddesses were clearly taken aback by how fast he answered.


    "What?"


    "I said I ept all of your conditions. I am willing to lose all my power, all my potential if it can save her and allow her to keep her power and title. In the first ce, she should never have to pay such a price for me."


    "Don¡¯t you feel reluctant?" Luxuria asked in genuine wonder. She could have read his mind, but it would have made the situation boring. She wanted to hear it directly from him.


    "Of course I am!" A little heat escaped from his voice as he raised his head and red at Luxuria. He wasn''t a Buddha. He couldn''t take everything calmly without changing his expression.


    Surpassing his father had always been one of his hidden goals. And as the goddess said, losing not only his mana but also his capacity to contract meant that he was doomed to be a normal person for the remaining of his life.


    But,


    "I really feel reluctant. But, I do not mind paying this price for her."


    Sol would never abandon his loved ones simply for more power. He refused to be such a bastard.


    "You are truly different from all the previous kings. Even Mars. Should I say that your mindset isn''t suitable to be one?"


    Luxuria spoke lightly. "A king is the father of the nation he presides over. He must be impartial and his power uncontested. He lives for his subjects and his subjects live for him. A king must not be selfish. A king must always put the interest of his nation before his own-"


    She raised her head and watched the sky." Jupiter manipted your little teacher from start to finish to make Lustburg what it is today. His son, Pluto didn''t hesitate to use all his descendants as bargaining chips to calm the deteriorated rtionship between Lustburg and the surrounding kingdom. The most recent one, your grandfather didn''t hesitate to use his daughter to assure the power of the next generation."


    Sol''s eyes widened as he asked hurriedly," What do you mean?"


    Luxuriapletely ignored him and continued, "Your father sacrificed himself to protect his kingdom. All of your ancestors had different personalities. Different dreams and different circumstances. But¨Cthey were undoubtedly all worthy of the title of King¨CNot you."


    Understanding that Luxuria wouldn''t exin to him what she meant about Lilith, Sol decided to ask directly to herter. Now though, he had to answer her. Not that he had much to say.


    "So what?"


    Sol wasn''t particrly interested in power.


    "What was wrong with being selfish?"


    Sol had no particr attachment to the kingdom of Lustburg or even to his world.


    The number of times he walked outside of the tower of babel or church could be counted.


    His sense of belongings was so weak it wouldn''t be a mistake to say that it was non-existent.


    What more he knew one thing. Citizens were the most fickle and ungrateful beings in the world.


    One moment they were singing praises about you, the next they were screaming for your head.


    "In this world, only those people close to me matter to me. For them, I am willing to pay any price and I know that they are willing to do the same."


    He didn''t even doubt that should he lose all his power he would be theughing stock of the kingdom. He would also lose his rights to the throne and would most likely be used as a breeding stud to give birth to the next generation.


    But, as sure he was about the kingdom giving up on him at any moment, he was also sure about the fact that the women who surrounded him would never give up on him no matter how low he fell.


    As long as they were with him, what did it matter if he lost his power?

 Chapter 34 CH 32: BAD GIRLS NEED A SPANKING

    The silence that fell was long and painful.


    *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*


    He wondered when the hammer would fall.


    "I see." Luxuria murmured before looking at all the goddesses who stayed silent on their thrones. "Sisters, what do you think?"


    ''What does she mean?''


    He couldn''t hear them, but he could see Luxuria nod or shake her head from time to time.


    Finally, after a torturing amount of time.


    A gentle voice sounded in the air.


    "We have lost."


    Sol tilted his head, in confusion.


    ''Lost?''


    Luxuria''s smile stretched before she put back her attention to Sol.


    "Sol Luxuria, my dear child, in our infinite love andpassion," *Snicker*"Ira, I heard that.*Ahem*So as I was saying, in our infinite love andpassion, we have decided a way for you to pay for Camelia mistakes.


    Sol put everything else aside and focused his attention on what she was saying.


    "Three tasks. For each wish she made, you will have to carry one task of our choice. The time limit and clearing conditions will be decided by us. In exchange, Camelia will pay close to no price."


    Sol closed his eyes and said, "For the first part, I am willing to do anything as long as it is not something that will hurt those I care for. As for the second part¡­ What price will she have to pay?"


    "Hehe! A life for a life. Since you begged us in such a way, we of course will not kill her, but, the fact is that a life will be paid. Just¨Cin a different way."


    Sol could feel that whatever was about to happen wasn''t something he would be happy about. But, did he have a choice?


    ''Sigh, this doesn''t seem like Camellia kind tomit such a mistake. Why did she ask for so many unreasonable wishes?''


    This was something that was bothering him as if he was missing an important part of the puzzle.


    ''Well, it does not matter. I will have my answer once we go back.''


    Looking at the still sleeping Camelia, a soft smile formed on his face. Whatever was about to happen, the most important was that she was safe for now.


    "Well, this is it for now. If you are confused, ask Camelia what happened once she wakes up. It was a very entertaining night, I hope you will provide us as much fun as your father did. Bye-bye!"


    *p*


    Once the sound of her pping sounded, Sol immediately passed out.


    ------


    This night was destined to be a restless one. While Sol was facing the goddesses, different movements and schemes were forming.


    At the heart of all this were the four noble families.


    Few people knew and even less understood the significance of a Saint fall.


    The loss of power and blessing.


    Now that in the mind of everyone Camelia had lost her blessing, they were debating about an important question.


    Who would be chosen as the holy daughter?


    This position had been empty for a long time after Camelia was promoted from holy daughter to Supreme daughter.


    But now, she would have no other choice aside from choosing a sessor. They just had to make sure the one chosen was faithful to their causes.


    ----[A few hourster]


    *Chirp* *Chirp*


    Camelia''s eyes trembled a little before she slowly opened them. Her mind was still foggy and it took a few seconds for her to recognize her surroundings.


    "My, room?"


    She shook her head a little and so cleared the fog that covered her mind before being sure that she was indeed in her bedroom.


    Her mind immediately shed to the important event that should have happened. When she saw her still golden hair from. The corner of her eyes, a bright smile illuminated her face,


    ''He seeded!''


    Joy and excitement shed on her face as she tried to sit up, but,<sub> </sub>


    *ng*


    The sound of chains resonated in her ears as she remarked that her body waspletely bound. From head to toe. It didn''t help that the way the bounding was done was rather indecent.


    "[He seeded] hehe~! Interesting. Seems like you have many things to tell me. Don''t you, Camelia?"


    Camelia flushed a little before understanding something,


    "You read my thoughts?"


    Sol nodded before sighing, "You know, I have found it weird. You aren''t reckless and you should know that I would never let you pay such a price."


    Sol indeed thought that something was fishy.


    This whole thing reeked of the set-up. It was just that back then, he was too stressed topletely understand.


    "Even more so thest part. Luxuria simply said that they have lost. But, this begs the question. What did they lose? And who did they lose to?"


    Camelia, even though bounded, listened to him quietly,


    "See, I am really angry now."


    His voice was still as calm as always but Camelia couldn''t help but hide a shiver,


    "Wai-"


    "There''s no need to exin. Seeing the results I can already guess most of what happened. I am really happy that you bet so much on me but see. I am still very angry!"


    Sol touched his chin as he searched the words.


    "I am not angry about having to beg for your life. I would do it dly again without any hesitation. I am not angry about being manipted. I know that you only have my own good in mind and you aren''t a child who must follow my orders."


    He was indeed frustrated about having been made a fool of, but he was in no way angry because of that. The result spoke for themselves. Camelia had bet on him with her life and soul on the line. It wasn''t something you could do without an extreme amount of confidence in the person you gave your life to.


    No, what made him angry was,


    "Hey, Camelia, do you know how much anguish I felt when I thought you were about to die?"


    Yes, this was what made him so angry.


    The moment he thought he would lose her forever, he felt as if his heart was about to burst.


    Anxiety, fear, powerlessness.


    He felt as if the very ground under him was about to copse.


    "You know, it really hurts me. Do you think your life is a joke for me?"


    An ashamed expression formed on her face. He could also feel the chaos in her mind.


    "This isn''t all, right now, as the goddess said, ¨¤ life for a life. Your life is now connected to mine. If I die you die. Do you think it made me happy? Say, do you think I want power so much I am ready to use your life as a bargain?"


    Camelia wasn''t just feeling shame now, tears were outright pouring.


    "I am sorry." She nearly let out a sob as she said so.


    The connection between them wasn''tpletely one way. Even though she couldn''t read his thoughts, she could feel his emotions and she knew that rather than exaggerating, he was downying how bad and frustrated he was feeling right now.


    It was a deep-seated frustration.


    "See, while I was begging to the goddess, what really struck me wasn''t the action of begging, but the reality that should they have wished for your death, there''s absolutely nothing I could have done against it."


    For Sol, a man who couldn''t protect or at least bring a feeling of security to his loved one was worthless. Nothing more than a waste of space.


    This was one of the reasons he trained so much before even obtaining mana. He wanted to be strong. He wanted to be reliable. He wished to bring security to all those who took care of him for as long as he could remember.


    But this night made him aware of how small he really was. Goddesses aside, he was just a newly awakened while all the women around him were already powerhouses in their own rights.


    *Sigh*


    "Well, raging and whining is useless. What is done, is done. But," His previously distraught smile changed into a naughty one, "bad girls need to be punished~! I hope you are ready to be spanked."


    Camelia was briefly stunned by the sudden change in track before remembering that she was still bound in a rather indecent way with only her underwear on.


    She could recognize the kind of rope he used. It was entirely made out of mana.


    Camelia became speechless as she couldn''t decide whether she should be impressed with the fact that he could already materialize and give form to his mana less than 24 hours after awakening or the fact that he used it in such a way.


    Sol didn''t pay attention to her shock and pondered for a while. His expression focused, as if he was deliberating about the fate of the world.


    "Let''s go with 30 hits for now."

 Chapter 35 CH 33: CAMELIA (3)

    Sol ignored Camelia''s protest as he roughly turned her around so that her buttock was high in the air. It was a posture where her upper bodyy on top of the bed whilst her ass stuck out towards him.


    Her snowy, curvaceous, delicious panties covered buttocks subconsciously made Sol caress them. He had to admit once again that she was truly a work of art.


    The underwear Camelia was currently wearing was of a beautiful and stainless white. It boosted the charm of her already paleplexions.


    Even though she was wearing panties, it was clear to see that her sacred ce was moist to the point that there was no need for forey but enjoying the main dish directly would be too impatient.


    Thinking such, he extended his middle finger and covered it with mana before slowly and carefully, cutting the flimsy fabric. The hole he made, revealed her glistening but still closed pussy and her rose bud.


    "Wha-?"


    Camelia let out a startled cry the moment she felt a gust of wind on what should have been protected. Before repressing a moan once he traced her defenseless lower lips with his finger. Her shivers and repressed moans were a delight to his ears.


    The tender feel, and the incredible view, and her moans caused Sol''s penis to soar as well as harden.


    However, it was still too early to put it in. She still had a punishment to ept before the fun.


    ''Let her cum once. It should make the pain less clear once I begin.''


    Carefully probing the entrance without going too deep in fear of tearing the hymen.


    Looking at the certain particr bumps, he aimed for this ce, stroking it mercilessly. The effect was spectacr. Her already moist garden was practically overflowing.


    Her moan no longer repressed as she wriggled and let out continuous hot sighs.


    A normal virgin woman wouldn''t be so easy to please. Just using your fingers in such a way wouldn''t be enough, but, Camelia''s body already knew the pleasure of the flesh.


    "Nn~! Please! Ah~ !"


    As his movements increased in speed, the volume of her moan continued to increase, overwhelmed by the sensation of feeling as if something was going to leak out. Sol scooped his finger outwards swiftly, delivering it as the finishing blow as he bent down, and gave a lick to her magic button.


    After undergoing through the continuous torment, this hit summed up as an insurance, making Camelia pass over the limit.


    "....!"


    Her mouth opened in a silent scream as her body becamepletely rigid while her hole becamepletely drenched. All this while, Sol continued licking, making her already strong orgasm even more powerful.


    Once her convulsions stopped, Sol also stopped licking her and admired his handiwork with pride.


    His face was currently shining from the liquid that sshed on him, but he didn''t care.


    An evil glint in his eyes, he bent down and murmured in Camelia''s ear, "I am about to begin. Same old rules."


    He was talking about the safe words they already agreed upon on their first night together.


    Once she nodded, Sol smiled before raising himself back,


    "Now, count for me."


    Smack!


    "1!"


    Smack!


    "2!"


    Smack!


    "3!"


    Only the sound of spanking and Camelia''s anguished voice sounded in the room. This chorus was like a piece of heavenly music for Sol. Of course, even though the sound was loud, he didn''t hit particrly heavily.


    The way her beautiful backsides changed form under his heat, the gradually reddening color of her ass, the soft sensation, everything happening was so sensual that Sol felt like he was dreaming.


    Smack!


    "20!"


    Sol was careful and methodical in the way he acted, he didn''t just spank her. Each time he gave a couple of ps, he would tease her backside and pussy with his fingers, or he would gently caress her butt.


    This mix of pain and pleasure waspletely driving Camelia insane. Her mind was growing foggy and her pussy was continually releasing a clear liquid. Saliva was flowing from the side of her mouth and her expression was loose.


    Anyone who saw her now would never think that she was the beautiful and kind Supreme daughter. Right now, she was just a woman in heat, drowning in pleasure.


    "This is enough."


    "Wha-"


    She was ready to receive her 25th p when Sol suddenly stopped. Her clouded mind immediately woke up and she turned her head to face him while stuttering.


    "I mean, this isn''t much of a punishment if you are enjoying it, right? So let''s stop for now."


    "Look." A sneer of derision shed in his eyes as he shortly put his fingers in her pussy and took them out, strings of love juices attached to them. "How could it be a punishment when your pussy is so wet?"


    Camelia''s face reddened in shame as she wanted to exin. She was close, oh so close to another orgasm.<sub> </sub>


    "I¡­"


    "No need to ask," Sol shook his head as he continued, "I think for you, not spanking you is more of a punishment than anything else."


    As he said so, Sol begins to slowly caress her backsides again while teasing the opening of her pussy but he never went too far.


    This slow build-up was causing an aching pain in her loin. She could feel herself close to a climax, but it was as if it was missing a piece. This was driving her mad.


    "Please! Just one more!"


    She was reduced to begging for a release, she needed it so much, but Sol was merciless.


    "Hehe~ !"


    Sol looked at her teary face and begging expression before walking toward therge Sofa facing the bed and taking ce on it.


    With a movement of his hand, the mana strings that bound Camelia changed from the bondage-style to a simple cor around her neck.


    Tugging a little, he said calmly, "Get up from the bed, and go on all four before walking toward me like a dog."


    A shiver passed Camelia''s body as her body began to heat up even more.


    She meekly listened to his order, as she stood up, Sol felt his breath struck in his throat.


    Camelia was previously just in white underwear. Her cleavage was already a sight for the sore eyes, and her devastated look followed by her torn panties made the current scene simply incredible.


    "Take off the bra."


    Camelia simply nodded as she deftly took them off. Her massive breasts, as if insulting gravity, stood proudly.


    *Gulp*


    Gulping a little, Sol beckoned her with his fingers and Cameliaplied. Her posture was particrly low and she slowly advanced toward him ,hanging her head in shame.


    Normally Sol wouldn''t do something like that, but since he was connected to her, he could feel her feelings, and he knew that currently, she was having a st. So he continued without any intention to stop.


    The initial distance wasn''t thatrge, so it did not take long for her toe to him. The floor was covered by a very soft blue carpet, so she didn''t have to worry.


    Once she finally reached him, Sol began to pet her and caress her hair and ears while murmuring, "Yosh Yosh, you are really a good little girl. You are so cute like that."


    Once he was satisfied, he pushed her away from him a little before lowering his trousers.


    His erect dick, still encased in his boxer, could already be seen.


    Sol, with his face devoid of any emotion, simply ordered, "Suck it."


    Camelia''s mind wavered a little before a feeling of euphoria filled her. The more Sol ordered her, the happier and hornier she became.


    "Yes, sir."


    She was so happy that she called him with an honorific, even though he didn''t ask her to do so. It surprised Sol quite a bit, but he fought to keep a cold face. He couldn''t afford to show surprise and destroy the moment.


    Camelia didn''t pay attention to his inner turmoil.


    Brushing back her hair that had grown soft from sweat, she crawled over to bury her face in his crotch. Taking a long whiff, an enamored expression formed on her face as she slowly took out Sol dick from his boxers.


    Her tongue crawled across his rod that was continuously hardening under her tender care.


    She had initially grimaced at the taste, but when she saw the delighted look on Sol¡¯s face, she stroked her extended tongue along the shaft.


    <o>,m "Ugh!" Sol groaned a little. Camelia had no particr technique, but since she could also feel his emotions, she could urately pinpoint his weak points.</o>


    She sometimes started to choke when she brought it too deep into her throat and she was clearly less skilled than Milia, but she made up for inexperience with passion. She was falling into a state of ecstasy, a longing filled her eyes as she sucked the almost bluish-red penis.


    "Camelia."


    He wanted to see her face some more, so he used his other hand to brush back her hair and called her name.


    She looked nkly up at him. Her eyes were narrowed as always, so she looked like a sleepy puppy.


    Not only was she cute, but she was incredibly erotic.


    ''She belongs to me.''


    A feeling of possessiveness and love-filled his heart as she continued to suck his penis.


    Sol could feel himself close and Camelia could also feel it and began to elerate her movement.


    "Careful!"


    Warning her, Camelia took out her face at thest moment when Sol began to cum.


    White lines were drawn through the air like tracer rounds as the hot liquid spewed again and again from the swollen head. Camelia quickly closed her eyes, but she forgot to move out of the way and everything from her cheeks to her lovely blonde hair was dirtied.


    Sol watched the scene in a pleasant daze. Without aiming the tip away, he watched as his bodily fluid dirtied the face of one of the strongest women in the kingdom.

 Chapter 36 CH 34: CAMELIA (4)

    After releasing his seed, and calming himself, Sol decided to finally go to the final stages. He could spank her all he wantedter.


    Feeling the emotions from Sol, Camelia couldn''t help but shiver a little in excitement.


    She also put the mention of those spankings forter.


    "Let''s go."


    Saying so, he rose from the sofa and took Camelia¡¯s body in a princess carry. As he did so, he also stopped manipting his mana, and the mana cor around her neck vanished.


    Sol didn''t mind SM y. He also quite enjoyed them, to be honest. But, he didn''t want their first time together to be a y. He wished for it to be a sweet moment between the two of them.


    Camelia understood his wish and shared his sentiments. After all, she was still a maiden at heart. She also had many expectations for her first time with the man she loved.


    Once they reached the bed, Sol carefully put her on it before slowly taking off his clothes.


    This time it was the turn of Camelia to gulp as she watched his body. While it was true that she didn''t particrly care about physical appearance, she also had to admit that seeing a handsome boy with a body full of carefully chiseled muscles was a wet dream for any woman.


    Once he finally took off his underwear, Sol¡¯s nude body stood in all his glory, while his ragingrge cock stood to attention, as if affirming that simply releasing once couldn''t calm it.


    Crouching down a little, he began to nibble on her neck as he took a morefortable position on the bed.


    Camelia released hot sighs as she felt her temperature rise differently from the usual one. It was a slower and more calming build-up.


    Sol traced his lips from her neck down to the vicinity of her breasts.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    A jolting pleasure from her breasts forced Camelia to let out a short moan. He took a mouthful and sucked on it. As if milk wasing out of her breasts, he licked her nipples meticulously.


    ¡°Nn!¡±


    He could not resist, so he began sucking at that delicious-looking flesh. Camelia got breathless as he licked around the are before sucking on it once more.


    ¡°Mm!¡±


    She put up no resistance and let him do it.


    He squeezed and massaged them while sucking at therge nipples.


    They were bigger and softer than Setsuna''s, making them highly gropable. They pushed back at his hand like they were packed full of something.


    He continued licking and sucking at the nipples as they grew erect.


    ¡°Your body feels really good to hold. And it¡¯s kind of tasty.¡±


    ¡°Mhh.¡±


    Her breasts were soft and tender while being incrediblyrge. It felt like he was holding pudding in his hands. Meanwhile, she was quietlyying down in bed while grasping onto the sheets, but her body would tremble while her hips jolted up from time to time. Gradually, he felt his lower half starting to grow even hotter.


    He let go of her breast, which was now wet with his saliva, and moved to caress the other one. He licked, sometimes lightly bit, swallowed, and from time to time sucked with great force. Whenever his tongue moved, a tingling sensation would travel up her spine, and she couldn¡¯t help but moan in pleasure.


    After that, he progressively went downwards. He kissed from her nipple to her navel and from her navel to her calves.


    He took her breast in his hand and brought his other hand to her abdomen. He slowly let his hand brush down her abdomen and naturally slid it down to her inner thigh, pressing his fingers toward her inner thigh.


    At that moment, her gaze locked with his. Camelia was surprised to see that his usual gentle blue eyes had changed into menacing golden ones.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    His long and firm finger slowly entered her. She yelped, not from pain but surprise. When his finger slid out, she sighed in relief. But the next moment, he inserted his finger deeper into her.


    As he already knew she was sopping wet. So much that it was impossible to make her any wetter than this.


    He hesitated briefly before steeling his resolve. Asking if it was okay with her at this level would be toome. He had to take care and he wished to make it into a beautiful memory she would never forget.


    Pulling down the vestige of her panties, Camelia flushed, even more, when Sol separated her thighs so boldly. She tried to close her thighs in embarrassment, but he spread them even more instead.


    ¡°You¡¯re plenty wet, so I should be able to put it in now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Put your legs like this.¡±


    He said in a low voice. Her long slender legs clumsily wrapped around his hips, bumping here and there through the process.


    She nodded and he ced his erect cock against her vulva.


    He ced her tired arms around his shoulders.


    ¡°Hold onto me. Don¡¯t be nervous and rx your body.¡±


    Camelia hesitantly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, being careful as if she was touching something she shouldn¡¯t be. His muscles felt firm but flexible. He chuckled and smiled topliment a job well done, making her heart start thumping loudly.


    The contact between their sensitive flesh felt good. It felt like they were melting together. He pushed his dick in as if it were being sucked in.


    ¡°Nn!¡±


    Her vagina was spread wide as it took the penis head inside.


    ¡°Probably, it will hurt a little bit.¡±


    He fiercely raised his upper body and centered himself against her, gradually adding his weight onto her. An aching pain shot from between Camelia¡¯s legs, and she furrowed her brows.


    ¡®If it¡¯s this much pain, it will be bearable.¡¯


    ¡°Rx. I haven¡¯t even started.¡±


    Even half of half of his thing had not entered her yet. He had only slightly pushed the crown in, but her body was too tight and it didn¡¯t seem it would be able to stretch out further. The pleasure felt more like pain and it was very hard stopping himself from just thoughtlessly pushing himself into her.


    He lowered himself onto her and locked lips. He sucked on her small soft lips, taunting her with his tongue. He squeezed and massaged her breasts with his hand. Once he soothed her a little, her tense muscles rxed. When he could feel some room to move again, he pushed himself forward a bit more. A sharp pain shot through her body and Camelia gripped onto his shoulders with greater strength, to the point her fingertips paled.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Ooh~!¡±


    Camelia¡¯s breaths became rough as if she wascking air. He kept moving forward bit by bit without pause. He gradually filled her more and more, until he reached a thin wall. Once he broke through that frail wall, he was able to slide himself in with ease.


    ¡°¡­!¡±


    Severe pain. It felt like her body would split in two. It was different from the pain of being spanked or the like or pain from a wound on the battlefield. It was a pain all women had to go through. Even Camelia, despite her years of training, couldn''t help but grit her teeth at this pain.


    Sol furrowed his brows from the sudden ache in his arm. He had been supporting his weight with his arms so he wouldn¡¯t have to put his full weight onto her, but she had bit his arm heavily. Her teeth were lodged onto his thick muscr arm, while tears welled up in her eyes as she red at him with resentment as if asking how could this pain be only a ''little bit''.


    Sol gave a bitter smile but didn''t shake her off. Her struggling form was so cute. What more,


    ¡®This feels amazing...¡¯


    It wasn''t the first time he did it with a virgin, but doing it with Camelia waspletely different. He wasn''t just satisfying his lust, but also his heart.


    His firm member was stiffening to its limit and she was squeezing him tightly. He felt very apologetic, but he couldn¡¯t endure any longer. Raising his body, he thrust his hips so that his length could be fully wrapped inside her.


    *Huff* *Huff* *Huff


    Once he was fully inside her, he stopped ¨¤ little to give her time to adjust a little bit and lightly kissed her lips.


    ¡°Are you okay? Is it less painful this time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. How is it for you?¡±


    She looked uneasy as she asked that, so he whispered back while practically biting at her earlobe.


    Camelia¡¯s body twitched from a new-found shocking sensation. He saw her red blood flowing out of the moist junction between her thighs as he pulled out. Her eyes gradually melted with warmth.


    ¡°It feels amazing.¡± He answered honestly. He was sorry for her pain, but he honestly felt incredibly good.


    ¡°!?¡±


    A tremor ran through her entire body.


    ¡°Currently I am really happy. Thank you for giving me such a gift.¡±


    ¡°Hic!¡±


    She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t cry.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m so happy~!¡±


    He wiped the tears from her eyes while a simple thought urred to him.


    ''She¡¯s mine and she¡¯ll never betray me.''


    At the same time, her vagina began to tremble like crazy. The bumpy folds crawled all over his cock. It felt so good that he held her tight in his arms.


    ¡°Hey, Camelia, can I move?¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah, go right ahead,¡± she said this as she grimaced. Sol knew that the only way was for him to simply finish as fast as possible to calm her pain.


    Once he had permission, he began slowly moving his hips.


    She must have naturally produced a lot of love juices because more flowed out with every thrust and he stirred it up as he pulled out.


    ¡°Ah! Ah! Ah!¡±


    She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight as he pounded her.


    She could not keep her mouth closed, so she continually moaned. It was really cute and made him think of a puppy.


    She looked to be in pain, but her body twitched with pleasure. When he pulled out, she felt a burn from her inner walls, but once he pushed in again, her entrance swallowed him hungrily. Her soft inner walls continuously stimted his shaft. He felt a surging sensation that was about to burst at the back of his neck.


    Blood flowed out from their point of union, staining the bedsheets. His sensitive sense of smell picked up the scent of blood. Half of his rationality was already gone. Wet sounds reverberated through the whole room as he kept thrusting vigorously.


    She hung onto his shoulders tightly and her nails dug into his back, creating scratch marks.


    ¡®It hurts¡­''


    It felt like a zing fire was burning inside her. Her body moved up and down along with his strong thrusts.


    It hurt. It definitely hurt, but¡­ Something felt strange. From the tip of her toes to the top of her head, an overwhelming euphoric shock engulfed her body. She swallowed back her scream and let out a low breath.


    ¡°Your insides are shaking like crazy.¡±


    He firmly held onto her hips as he bore deeper into her. Her juices, mixed with bits of blood, flowed out from her down to her buttocks. As he continued to thrust, the viscous fluids created a constant moist pping sound. Their point of connection had residual blood sttered here and there.


    Her lips no longer let out cries of pain. Instead, she mewled and moaned in pleasure. He slowly changed the direction of his thrusts as he prated deeper. He concentrated on her panting and groaning, and stubbornly hammered into her most sensitive spot.


    ¡°Ah! Aah~!¡±


    Her insides squeezed and started to spasm. He saw that she was about to climax and plunged deeper into her.


    ¡°!¡±


    Her body froze and she cried. Her entire body began to tremble. The moment she reached her limits, Sol also let go of all restraint and released himself inside her.


    Camelia''s body gradually grew limp as something hot spilled into her body. She panted as her chest rose up and down.


    ¡®Is¡­ it over¡­ ?¡¯


    Her thoughts didn¡¯tst long. She felt hisrge hand caress her forehead and just like that, she instantly fell asleep.


    That night, Camelia had a dream. A dream of a distant past.

 Chapter 37 INTERLUDE 3: BIRTH OF A SAINT

    Xx years ago.


    She was born from a rather normal family, her father was a kind worker with few aspirations, and her mother a simple housewife whose greatest worry in life was cooking and taking care of the house.


    She was born beautiful.


    ? She grew beautiful.


    A beauty of the like that shouldn''t exist in such a remote vige. A vige so far away from the capital that they didn''t even see the baron under whom the vige was.


    She had long and soft ck hair, a gentle smile that seemed to wash away all problems, and a soothing voice that could lull even the worst beast.


    She was loved by all, from her, an aura of grace and gentleness that shouldn''t have existed in a countryside girl could always be felt.


    This aura was so powerful that despite her clear beauty, no boy dared to court her and no girl dared to y with her.


    If there was one problem in her otherwise perfect life, it was simply that she was blind.


    No one could understand why. Her body suffered from no defects and she was in no way cursed.


    Despite this, her daily life was in no way disturbed.


    People loved her.


    No, people worshiped her.


    As such she never had to work.


    No matter what they were, her wishes were always granted. From a simple snap of her fingers, the vigers were willing toy down their life for her.


    It wouldn''t be a mistake to say that she was like a goddess and the inhabitants of the vige were her loyal believers.


    Thankfully, the girl was kind and so she never made any unreasonable demands.


    If there was another thing that bothered the girl, it was that she was bored.


    She was only 10, but the world had nothing left to offer her. After all, in her mind, her world was only the vige and her surroundings.


    She wanted to go out.


    She wished to be able to see, to explore the world. Eat delicious food, know new people, live adventures, and perhaps fall in love with a beautiful prince.


    She wished to have friends, not the fake ones who only followed her orders, but true friends with whom she couldugh and share her feelings and worries.


    Such was her life. A boring life, full of yearning and unfulfilled wishes.


    But one day, her daily and boring life was shattered in the cruelest way possible.


    On that day, she woke up to the scream and cry, to the obsceneugher and mockery. The sound of steel shing and horse galloping.


    She couldn''t see, and this might have been a blessing, for what was happening in front of her was simply hell.


    ****, Death, Pige, Humiliation, Anger, Pain, and sadness.


    This was the ugliest side of humanity.


    The cause of this carnage was surprisingly¨Csoldiers. Deserters. People who initially swore to protect the citizens but fled during the war were now once again trampling on their vows by doing the very opposite of what they swore.


    But the girl had no way of knowing that back then.


    Nor did she need to care about it at that time.


    All she knew, all she could understand, was that her paradise was about to be destroyed.


    All she knew was the cause of this destruction were filthy beings worse than any demons.<sub> </sub>


    The girl of no more than 10, who never once raised her voice, who never felt anger nor hatred, for the first time in her life, became angry.


    She found thoseughs disgusting, those screams disheartening, all those sounds confusing. As such, she screamed, "Silence!"


    And silence fell.


    The bandits were confused.


    They tried to open their mouths but could not.


    Still, no matter how confused they were, no matter how vile they now were, they were once soldiers. The years of discipline and training kicked in as they calmed down and found the source of their predicament.


    "Kill her!" The leader ordered with a sign. He didn''t need to speak, for his soldiers understood his signal.


    The girl, who has never been angry nor ever wished to hurt anyone, as if guided by the hand of fate, gave an order she would never forget.


    "All of you¨CDie."


    She murmured in a low voice, even regretting giving such an order the moment it left her mouth. But it was toote.


    With an empty expression,


    With a crazed smile,


    With a feeling of tion,


    The soldiers who wererades both during their time in the army and during their time as bandits, gleefully, methodically, killed themselves.


    It was perfectly silent.


    In this world where no voices coulde out, only the ripping and cuttinging from the sword resonated in her ears.


    And for the first time,


    The girl who lived all her life in darkness,


    Opened her eyes.


    The first thing she saw,


    Was the blue sky devoid of clouds and the shining golden sun?


    The second thing she saw, was the fanatical expression on the face of both the dead bandits and¨CThe dead vigers.


    Her order had been indiscriminate.


    She asked for silence, and they all closed their mouths.


    She asked for death¡­ And they all died.


    That day, her long ck hair changed to a lustrous golden, and her eyes, always hidden in the past, were of a beautiful blue.


    As tears gathered in her eyes and her mind was about to break, ¨¤ voice suddenly sounded in her ear,


    [My Beloved child, would you like to serve me?]


    That day, the young and innocent girl who wished for nothing more than excitement in her life died. Her young mind, unable to ept the weight of the crime shemitted, even if unintentionally.


    In her ce was born the young girl who would be known as the greatest Saint.


    A few weekster, the church of Castitas officially announced the appearance of the new Holy daughter.


    The news of the appearance of a blessed one swept past all the zones of influence. Commoners kneeled down in prayer while nobles cursed in frustration.

 Chapter 38 INTERLUDE 4: LIFE OF A SAINT

    The news of the birth of a new holy daughter came as a shock to the kingdom.


    It was even more so since it wasn''t one of the potential holy daughters groomed by the nobles or the king.


    Her name was unknown, but her Saint name was-Camelia. Camelia Castitas.


    She was a beautiful young girl, her long golden hair flowed in the wind and her impassive face gave an impression of grandeur and power.


    Camelia never smiled. For she found no happiness in this world.


    Her position was revealed thanks to a divine revtion of the goddess.


    Her position as a holy daughter was cemented. No one, not even the greedy nobles dared to try to take over someone who directly had the attention of the goddesses.


    It''s how she grew calmly and slowly in the church while learning her current and future duties.


    The supreme daughter of that time, Lily Castitas, was a kind and beautiful woman with few womanly curves.


    If one was asked what was her greatest trait, then it would be her smile. A smile asrge and as warm as the sun.


    No matter what the situation was, no matter how many problems she had, she always smiled. Not a fake smile nor a forced one, but a true and genuine one full ofpassion.


    Camelia hated that smile. For she could feel her own ugliness. The soul of that woman shone like the greatest jewel.


    It wasn''t a metaphor.


    She could really see her soul. It was the gift and the curse she received on the day she opened her eyes for the first time.


    Camelia never smiled, nor could she smile.


    Camelia''s life was one of atonement.


    Her day filled with weariness and night filled with nightmares.


    It was painful.


    Oh so painful.


    Every day, she would wake up and work methodically without any thought without any goal.


    Bing the supreme daughter?


    This was in no way the goal she wished for. She just acted because if she didn''t work she would simply kill herself.


    Her life was dull. The colors of the world were gray.


    It was in this gray world that she meets her, her first rival.


    ****


    "How dare you reject my brother?!"


    Camelia, who was walking away from a meeting with the king, stopped her steps as she turned to face the purple-haired girl that was screaming at her.


    ''Who?''


    She tilted her head in confusion. It was the first one someone talked to her in such an aggressive way.


    "Excuse me, but who are you?"


    "Seriously?!"


    The girl''s expression of shock was so exaggerated that even Camelia began to feel a little bad.


    "I am Lilith. Lilith Luxuria!! Never forget that name."


    It was the first meeting between her and Lilith.


    They were both 14 years old. Back then Lilith was still the spoiled princess of the kingdom and behaved as such.


    Camelia''s rtionships with Lilith was a weird one. They couldn''t be called friends, but they couldn''t be called enemies either. They were in a weird rtionship where they cursed at each other without hesitation.


    Lilith''s existence was without a doubt the first saving grace for Camelia.<sub> </sub>


    Someone who wasn''t awed by her.


    Someone who wouldn''t bend over for her.


    Someone who could speak in equal positions with her.


    But, more than anything, her soul was so beautiful. Just like a jewel of the highest grade.


    Her second grace was another woman. A fiery red-haired woman. Someone who was as crude as a sailor and never minced her words.


    ****


    "Tell me ze, just why do you love Mars so much?"


    Camelia was currently soaking naked in the hot water of herrge bath as she asked her sole friend, an incredibly voluptuous and beautiful red-haired woman who was equally naked.


    "Kukuku~! Don''t you think he is super cute? The way he still blushes when seeing me naked is so endearing."


    Camelia awkwardlyughed at this. She was on a speaking term with Mars, but she rather hated his indecisive and dense side.


    ''Just how many women did he harm that way?''


    A boy shouldn''t go around treating women so well when he didn''t n to answer back to their feelings.


    She really hated it. If at least he was doing it intentionally she could call him a yboy and that would be it. But he didn''t even do it intentionally.


    She remembered the heiress of one of the four Duke families. Her infatuation for Mars was so visible it was painful. But Mars never gave her the time of the day. She was pretty sure Lilith and Theresa were also in love with him.


    "*Sigh* I don''t understand your taste."


    ze simply smirked without answering. The two of them were pretty close and they could speak to each other without fearing to anger the other.


    "Then, what kind of man are you seeking? Perhaps, those like in those books of yours?" ze wriggled her eyebrows suggestively as she said that, making Camelia blush heavily.


    All the girls in their groups were aware of Camelia''s taste in erotic books. It was generally a subject of jokes between them.


    Still, Camelia didn''t deny. In her life, what she hated the most was control and what she seeks the most was also control.


    That''s why she was so loyal to the goddess. She didn''t need to think. She just had to follow orders. It made her feel at ease. She never wanted to relive what happened so many years ago.


    ze eyes grew sorrowful. She could guess the train of thought of Camelia. Advancing in the water, she reached Camelia and hugged her tightly.


    "This is good enough. Thanks." Camelia wiped the tears that were gathering at the corner of her eyes. Then, smiling mischievously, she asked, "So, when did you n to announce the good news? Should I say congrattions?"


    ze tilted her head before smiling radiantly as she patted her stomach.


    "I guess hiding it from you was impossible."


    "Fufufu~! I am really happy for you. Do you already have a name?"


    "No. You know that stupid tradition for the crown prince. We were hesitant about which star to use." Then, as if making a decision, ze said.


    "Camelia, why don''t you choose the name?"


    "Me?"


    "Yes. You are my best friend. So I want my child to have a name chosen by you. Also, didn''t you say you wanted to live for something or someone? Then, why don''t you live for my child?"


    ze was making this suggestion totally innocently. But, for Camelia, it was as if she received a divine revtion. A name directly appeared in her mind.


    [...]


    A name that would give meaning to all that.


    Letting out the most genuine smile she ever did in years, Camelia softly caressed ze belly as she said.


    "Sol. Let''s call him Sol. This child is the child that will drive away the darkness from our hearts."


    "Hum? You seem pretty sure that it will be a boy."


    "Fufufu! Let''s just say someone murmured it in my ears."

 Chapter 39 SPECIAL CHAPTER: WRATHARIS REPUBLIC

    The world, Gaia, was divided into seven superkingdoms and seven religions. Each of them represents a sin and a virtue.


    Out of the seven, the most powerful was without a doubt Gluttony Foss, under the might of Echidna.


    But, the one with the most diverse poption was without a doubt the Wratharis Republic, home of the beast-kin and also known as the kingdom of hundred ns.


    The national religion of the republic was Patientia, the virtue of patience, while the royal family was under Ira. The sin of Wrath.


    The Wratharis kingdom was bothrge and rich in resources. Its position close to the sea made it a kingdom that mainly relied on ship transport and seafood. They were the greatest exporters of seafood in the world. It was without a doubt the second richest kingdom after Slothstein.


    *****


    "Miko-Sama! Miko-Sama! This is incredible! I just received incredible news!"


    In the hall of an old temple, a young girl wearing a white and red Miko clothes was running with an expression of shock on her face.


    Her blue eyes and golden hair were particrly ring, but what really caught the eyes was her two long fluffy tails and two fox ears that were iling around as if mirroring her uneasiness.


    "Miko-Sama!"


    "Silence."


    The moment she reached the door of the main hall of the temple while still screaming, another older voice immediately shushed her.


    Once silence fell, the voice continued.


    "Sigh. Sakura, how many times must I tell you? As my heir and future Miko, you have to always uphold majesty and pride at any moment."


    The door opened to show a beautiful and mature woman.


    She had long golden hair, fox ears, whiskers, and six golden tails. She was wearing a loose kimono that partially showed herrge breasts and a monocle. In her right hand was arge gourde containing an unknown liquid.


    She was talking and walking with a bored expression, but the grace of her demeanor was unmistakable. But, the moments she took a swig of her gourd and began gulping down what was contained in it¨C


    "But, but, Miko-Sama! I just received a report from the Anbu. A Saint fall was performed in Lustburg."


    ¨Cshe was shocked speechless by this incredible news.


    "*Pfft* *Cough* *Cough* Fucking shit! How many times did I tell you to not give me news like that while I am drinking my Sake? *Cough*"


    Sakura blushed at the admonishment of the woman whose otherworldly demeanorpletely vanished as she spewed all those curses.


    Finally, after calming herself, she ignored Sakura and turned toward the shadow.


    "Ginkaku. Kinkaku."


    "Ah. Kiku-Sama!"


    Two figures, draped in ck clothes from head to toe, hiding their features, immediately appeared next to her. Still, even though their features were hidden, it was easy to guess from their figures that they were women.


    The Miko, Kiku, sat down roughly on the mat with her legs crossed and took another swig of her Sake as she gulped down greedily.


    "Fuck! That hit the spot!" Her face flushed, she squinted as she faced her two closestpanions and most skilled kunoichi. "Exin."


    One of the kunoichi, advanced while kneeling with one knee, her visage facing the ground.


    "As Sakura-Sama said, We just received news from the spies nted in Lustburg. We have witnesses that im that arge pir of light appeared above the church of Castitas. From the old information they have, they ascertained at 90% that the ritual that took ce was Saint fall."


    Kiku, hearing this, frowned heavily before sighing.


    "Did that ambitious Young pup receive the news?"


    This time, it was the second kunoichi who answered.


    "Yes. Even though the imperial family was weakened after the event of thirteen years ago, Lupus Ira, hold tight the power."


    "Sigh. I guess new skirmishes are inevitable. Fuck!" Taking another swig, she frowned as she continued to curse. "Why did that little girl use that spell? She doesn''t even have an inheritor for fuck sake¨C"


    The rtionship between the seven religions wasn''t particrly harmonious or contradictory. The simple fact was that all the fourteen goddesses were under the goddess of order. So religious war simply had no meaning.


    "¨Cand that spoiled little shit, Patientia. How hard could it have been to at least give me a warning? I am sure it must be another of their sick games. Fuck."


    All the other three women simply lowered their heads and ignored the fact that the supreme daughter of Patientia, who should have worshiped the goddess, was openly cursing her. Though, from theck of surprise on their face, it was clear that it wasn''t the first time it happened.<sub> </sub>


    "*Sigh* Fuck it. Anyway, double the surveince on the pup. I am sure that arrogant bastard will begin some skirmish within the Lustburg kingdom. We fought too hard for peace to let it be destroyed by some bastard like him."


    As she said so, she got up and walked back to her main room.


    "Dismissed."


    "Yes!"


    *****


    The imperial capital was divided into two grand half parts, reminiscing of the Yin and yang. The temple was in the Yin part, and in the yang part, was¨Cthe imperial castle.


    The imperial castle was made out of a special wood that was as hard as metal and could conduct mana very well. Using this wood for construction allowed an easier application of different formations and even boosted their power.


    This was something that could only be produced in the elvennds at an astronomical price.


    Currently, in the main hall of the imperial castle. A scene nearly simr to what happened in the temple was being reenacted.


    Two people wearing armor and a face mask were kneeling obediently before a seated man. The seat of that man was arge and regal throne made out of gold, diamonds, and mana stones.


    The man on the throne was currently closing his eyes in thoughts. He was a man of average height with recognizable golden hair.


    Even though he waspletely silent, the pressure he was emanating was slowly crushing the two warriors in front of him. Said pressure vanished the moment he opened his eyes and a smile formed on his face.


    "My dear samurai! This king is really happy. it seems like it''s time for a new war."


    The two samurai were shocked. Even though they had a king, the Wratharis Republic, as the name implied, worked in a semi-democracy. Each of the most powerful ns had a power of vote, and the tworgest ns, the kitsune, and the blue wolf had three votes and a power of veto.


    The king could without a doubt take many decisions without problems, but something like war?


    "What? A problem?"


    Those simple words froze the blood in their veins. Making them remember that they just had to follow the orders. They didn''t need to think.


    They immediately lowered themselves in dogeza.


    "Forgive us! Your highness. Your will, will be done."


    They sweated while begging in their hearts for Him to forgive them. They knew very well what would happen should the king be in a bad mood. Thirteen years ago he didn''t hesitate to kill his brother and sell his niece as a ve, all that for the throne. Killing two insignificant samurai-like them would be too easy.


    "Humph!! Be grateful. This king does not want to deal with trash of your kind right now. Go and prepare the convention. This king wants to know if that old fox will dare to stop me this time."


    *Biribiribiri*


    The anger behind the voice was real, it was followed by hundreds of golden sparks flying around him. Thankfully, the throne was created specifically to resist and transfer the electricity toward different zones of the castle.


    The two samurai hurriedly gave their salute and left. They didn''t want to test the patience of the king. They would in no way be the first victim of his Wrath.


    "Wait!"


    "Yes!"


    ''Are we going to die now?''


    "This king remembered. My unworthy niece is sheltered by the Luxuria Kingdom right?"


    "Indeed."


    "Then, bring her back. She should be old enough now. It''s time for her to be useful and bear a kid for this King. Only our royal blood can give birth to an even more talented child."


    He spoke with apletely disinterested expression as if the fact of asking his nieces to bear his child was an everyday thing.


    ****


    The world was moving. Not just Wratharis, but also the five other kingdoms.


    The saint fall meant the loss of a Supreme daughter. Each Supreme daughter was a powerhouse into themselves who could reverse the flow of a war. Losing her meant a substantial loss in power for the kingdoms.


    What will be the consequences of Cameliaunching this spell?

 Chapter 40 VOL 3/CH 35: CAPACITY?

    At the end of her dream, Camelia slowly opened her eyes, glistening with tears. Slivers of light filtered by her window, it seemed that it was still the middle of the night.


    ''I wonder what expression ze would have if she knew my rtionship with her son.''


    In terms of personality, Sol was truly a blend between ze and Mars. She liked that about him. He stillcked experience, but she did not doubt that he would awe the world.


    "Did you have a nightmare?"


    A finger slowly took away the tears from her eyes. Sol''s gentle voice reverberated in her ears. Smiling from the bottom of her heart, she snuggled up to him and closed her eyes as she murmured.


    "No¡­ Just a dream."


    "I see."


    "Hey, Sol¡­"


    "Yes?"


    "I really, really love you."


    "Me too."


    ------


    While such a heartwarming scene was happening,


    "Wa, wa, wa!"


    A young blonde-haired girl was currently panicking in her room.


    Her face was red and her breathing erratic. She couldn''t understand what she saw.


    ''What happened?''


    After Sol took back Camelia to her room, Chloe had decided to go visit her andfort her a little. But what she heard nearly made her mind explode.


    Thinking back to the obscene sounds, her blush covered an even greater part of her face.


    "H-how shameless!!"


    She covered her face with her hands as she crouched down.


    She had never felt so embarrassed in her life. Hearing her aunt¡¯s screams of joy as well as her new friend banging her was truly a new experience.


    ''So this is why she was ready to pay so much for him.''


    She had heard the rumors from the different superior nuns, but she simply scoffed at them. Thinking that it was just a way to undermine their reputation. But now, it seemed that those rumors were true, and even not enough topletely exin the truth.


    Standing up and walking toward her bed, she could feel a damp sensation in her crotch. Her panties, most likely soaked. Angels were partially energy type being. But they still had normal biological functions. Carnal desires being one of those.


    ''I think I will be busy tonight.''


    She thought shyly as her hand trailed down towards her crotch. Virgin she might be, but she had some experience with pleasuring herself, and right now, she was so hot she felt like she was going to melt.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The next morning, after Sol and Camelia both woke up, Camelia finally exined what happened exactly.


    This whole night, was a test, or more precisely a bet. Between Camelia and the goddesses.


    The stakes were her life and her soul.


    If she lost. She would lose her life, and her soul would be tortured in different cycles of reincarnation. But Sol would have obtained the totality of the three wishes.


    If she won, she would keep her blessing and her life. Meanwhile, the three wishes would be slightly changed.


    The content of the bet was both simple and difficult at the same time. It was a simple question.


    Just how far would Sol be willing to go for Camelia''s life?


    This question didn''t have only one good answer. The farther he was willing to go the better.


    The conclusion? Sol went way farther than any of them thought and by doing so, Camelia won the bet.


    "I am truly sorry. I did not want to lie to you. But I truly wished the best for you."


    Sol stayed silent as he thought deeply. They were currently in the main room of the church. They wanted to verify how high his capacity was, so before that, they began to discuss what happened the night before.


    Sol knew that Camelia wasn''t lying. After all, no matter what was the oue of this bet, Sol would have been rewarded. Still, it left a bad taste in his mouth.


    "*Sigh* I am still angry, but this isn''t important now. Let''s talk about more serious things while waiting for the measuring instrument."


    Camelia fretted a little before acquiescing. She knew that Sol lost a little bit of trust in her. No one would feel good about being deceived. Even if it was for their own good. But she didn''t mind. She knew it was a little price to pay for him. She was even willing to die for him after all. In her eyes, no price was too much.


    Sol could feel her intentions and determination and scratched his head in annoyance. For the first time, he remarked something.


    ''I am really surrounded by troublesome women.''


    "So, Camelia. What will you do about your hair? From what you said, everything in the capital should have seen the pir. The news should have already reached all the kingdoms by now."<sub> </sub>


    "Simple¨CI will hide it."


    Sol looked at this mature woman who was trying, and surprisingly seeding, at ying cute with a stern gaze. He was about to chide her, when he suddenly closed his mouth and went into deep thoughts.


    Camelia was many things, but stupid she was not.


    "Is your goal to create turmoil?"


    "Not exactly. My goal, and even your aunt''s goal, is simply to remove all filth that could threaten your hold of power."


    Sol didn''t need to be told what she meant by filth.


    "The four Duke families?"


    "Indeed. See, during your grandfather''s generation, the royal family was at an all-time low. Your grandfather was without a doubt the weakest king both in power and Influence. This is why your aunt¨Cnever mind." She stopped herself from continuing.


    ''I hate when they do that.''


    Seeing her constrict expression, Sol knew that he could force her to finish what she wanted to say. But, if this story was rted to Lilith, then it was her story to tell.


    "Forget it. Continue."


    Relieved, Camelia coughed a little, "So, during those times, those who were truly in power were the nobles. Sadly for them, Mars came and destroyed their influence. But now¨C"


    "Now the heir of the throne is just a little kid without much power." Sol finished for her.


    "Indeed." Camelia nodded."Out of the four families, the Mris family is rather ambiguous because of the duchess''s rtionship with your father."


    Sol and Camelia winced at that. The duchess never really tried to hide her distaste for him.


    "The Travers family is only interested in who can bring the greatest profits. So they can swing either way. The Hignd family is on our side and finally the¨C Gorfard family is most likely going to move against you."


    Camelia didn''t hide her distaste for the Gorfard family.


    ''Wasn''t Lilith''s husband also a Gorfard?''


    "Well, long story short, your position is really being threatened. They can''t take your power away since you are the sole heir and doing so would be an affront to the goddess, but they can try controlling you like they controlled your grandfather. The only reason they tried nothing until now was¨C"


    "It was you."


    "Yes." She gave a proud smile. "I may not look like it, but I am pretty powerful. Perhaps not as much as your father but I am still a powerhouse. What more, influence wise, I am equal to the king. I am a great deterrent. But at the same time, because of that, we aren''t really sure who is on our side or not."


    "I see. So you want to flush them out by making them think you really lost your blessing."


    Sol entered deep in thoughts when something urred to him.


    "Did you already take all that into ount when you decided to do this bet?"


    "Te-he~!"


    Sol stared at Camelia with renewed respect. He had never looked down on her, but he had to admit that the Camelia who acted as if everything was on the palm of her hand was rather hot.


    "I guess I can reward you a little tonight. Yesterday we didn''t finish our spanking session, right?"


    Camelia''s face immediately grew hot and her breathing a little rushed, but just as she was about to pounce on Sol.


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    Someone interrupted their moment. Camelia sighed in defeat while inwardly cursing Chloe for her bad timing as her eyes and hair changed to a ck color.


    "Enter!"


    "Excuse me."


    Therge door grimaced a little as Chloe pushed it.


    This time too, she was wearing blue armor and a long skirt. On her hips was her sword, and in her hands was a crystal ball.


    The moment he saw the ball, Sol''s Heartbeat immediately sped up. This device would show his capacity.


    Each human had a certain amount of capacity and said capacity allowed them to make more contracts of greater qualities.


    For example, a normal S ss needed about 100 capacity points or CP for short. Of course, even the absence of a contract didn''t mean that one was destined to mediocrity. Lilith was the living example of such.


    Still, the reality was that with her talent for the sword and mana, if she had been able to have a contract, Lilith could have been three or four times stronger than she was currently.


    Chloe, briefly looking at Camelia''s ck hair with an expression of grief, sighed before steeling her expression and presenting the device to Sol.


    "You just have to put your hands on it and circte your mana."


    Taking a deep breath, Sol did as he was ordered.


    The crystal ball immediately began to illuminate the surrounding with a deep golden light. The number continued to climb at a veryrge speed and finally,


    Gasp!


    The three of them were astonished at the number that was shown.


    (AN: START OF VOL 3: THE KNIGHT)

 Chapter 41 CH 36: WAR

    "You just have to put your hands on it and circte your mana."


    Taking a deep breath, Sol did as he was ordered.


    The crystal ball immediately began to illuminate the surrounding with a deep golden light. The number continued to climb at a veryrge speed and finally,


    Gasp!


    Both Chloe and Camelia eximed in surprise.


    Capacity was extremely important for any human.


    As he looked at the numbers, Sol remembered his discussion with Edea


    ---


    "What is the probability for one to be born with 10 points in capacity?"


    "10%"


    "What about being born with 100 points?"


    "0,0001%"


    ---


    Mars capacity was the highest known in history, reaching a startling 350. The moment this information was known, every kingdom eximed in surprise.


    But if they were to know Sol capacity, they would surely stumble in shock.


    500 CP!


    A normal S ss had a capacity of about 100 CP. Sol''s mother, ze, as the direct daughter of Tiamat, the dragon of pride had 150 CP.


    "Incredible !!"


    Camelia screamed in joy as she jumped into Sol''s arms.


    She was inplete exhration. Thanks to the bet with the goddesses, Sol had a chance to obtain a Phoenix with a qualification in no way inferior to ze. What more, he would still have enough CP for more of the same kind.


    Sol hugged back Camelia with an absent-minded expression. For the first time in his life, he had finally managed to surpass his father in something.


    He didn''t know what to think, should he be happy? Proud?


    He sighed as he controlled his emotions.


    His aunt could be a powerhouse even without CP. It just means that, even though he has a higher capacity than his father, he won''t necessarily surpass him.


    He couldn''t let himself be controlled by some useless pride. This is just the starting point. He still had many things to learn.


    But for now, ignoring Chloe''s expression of shock, he bent down and kissed Camelia before sweeping her in a princess carry. From what Edea said, in a little more than 48 hours he would experience hell on earth. So he needed to finish things with Camelia.


    After all, he still had some spanking to do.


    ***


    While Sol and Camelia were enjoying themselves, Lilith was having a serious headache as she sat in the main seat of the conference room while facing four people.


    For some weird reason -that she ignored- Mars had decided that the room where the court would happen and the greatest noble would discuss should have a round table.


    It was truly outrageous since such a table made put the king at the same level as the other nobles seated, but Mars never really cared about the rules of nobility and the likes.


    ''Sigh, big brother really had many weird ideas.''


    She thought idly while listening to the endless tyrad of a ck-haired man. He was wearing a white and gold suit and his eyes were full of confidence.


    "My Queen, as you must know, Yesterday during the night, an important ritual took ce in the Castitas Church. From what happened thest time it was used, we already can already guess the nature of the ritual and its consequences. I think that it''s necessary to negotiate with the church for the selection of a new Holy daughter. In the meantime, I ask that the supervision of church be given to Elsmere Gorfard."


    "I object!"


    The one who was speaking frowned before asking, "Pray tell, Duke Travers. Why do you object to my proposal? Elsmere is without a doubt the currently highest ranked of the church in the absence of the two daughters."


    The one who interrupted was an overweight man with a rather cunning expression. With arge sunny smile, he faced Lilith as he said.


    "*Ahem* Your majesty, as it stands now the most important is to reorganize the entire structure of the church. I recognize the good intentions in my dear friend Duke Gorfard, I also recognize the rank and authority of Elsmere, but she is in no way a good recement for the previous Supreme daughter, even if temporary. What about¡­ "


    Lilith didn''t intervene as shenguidly observed Gorfard and Travers biker with each other. She wasn''t wearing her usual stunner clothes, but rather a long red Qipao that highlighted her impressive curse.


    No one was a fool here and they all understood why they were trying so hard. But she didn''t particrly care and was patient enough to listen to this y.


    "Enough. Do not show such an unsightly sight in front of her Majesty."


    An old man with an eye patch wearing a long white coat racked lightly the table with his fingers. Despite his long silver hair and his obvious old age, his bulging muscles that were visible through his loose clothes made a rather impressive sight.


    He was the Duke Hignd. A man renowned through the kingdom for his numerous military exploits. He was also the oldest Duke, having obtained this title since Sol''s grandfather''s generation.


    Gorfard and Travers humphed before stopping arguing. Truthfully, they did not particrly fear Lilith as a monarch even though they knew that she could kill them all without breaking a sweat.


    The most important thing in this world for a king or a queen wasn''t personal power but rather the blessing.


    This was why the peaceful king could take over after Jupiter''s death even though he was only 10. This is also why Mars''s father, Neptune, stayed on the throne even though he waspletely controlled by the nobles.


    Lilith, for all her power, wasn''t blessed and as such could never haveplete control of the power of the kingdom. The only reason she could even act as a queen was because she swore to give back the throne to Sol once he matures. Otherwise, she would have literally been killed by a divine punishment.<sub> </sub>


    One of the greatest reliance for the stability of Lilith power was Camelia and her absolute control over the church. But now¨C


    "Duchess Mris, what do you think of the present situation?"


    Gorfard asked with slight trepidation. He could scorn Lilith despite her power because she was sane. Sane people didn''t act recklessly and observed the situation first.


    The duchess was anything but sane. She was fucking crazy and no one knew how far she could go and when she could snap.


    Today once again, the duchess was entirely d in ck. ck heel, ck robes, ck veil. When you added her ck hair and eyes, anyone looking at her would have the ufortable feeling of being swallowed by darkness itself.


    Since the day Mars died, the duchess rarely, if never, wore any color other than ck. She never exined why but everyone understood even without exnation.


    Despite having her name called, the duchess didn''t answer for a long while before finally turning a gaze filled with ridicule to Gorfard,


    "Do you really think that simply by losing her blessing, Camelia''s authority is something you lot can discuss and share so easily? Tell me Gorfard, did those years of peace make you lose your cunning? Or were you just always that stupid?"


    All the people present and even Lilith winced at those words while Gorfard face reddened in furry,


    "You!"


    Arge amount of mana began to leak out of his body, increasing the pressure in the room. But,


    "Me, what?"


    "Ugh!"


    Compared to the overwhelming pressure Mris suddenly released, Gorfard seemed simply like a silly child.


    The atmosphere in the room immediately chilled as the usually dark eyes of the duchess changed to a deep scarlet,


    "Hey, do you want war?"


    She asked in the most monotonous way possible as if she asks about the weather. But,


    ''That crazy bitch is having another fit.''


    None of them doubted that if Gorfard spoke out of way again she would immediately leave this room and dere war on him.


    Gorfard was sweating buckets, his pride and his reason warring against each other. He looked at the other people present, hoping that one of them would act. But he was obviously disappointed. Duke Travers was gloating, Duke Hignd was impassive and Lilith was stillnguidly seated with a bored expression as if everything that was happening wasn''t of any importance to her.


    The pressure continued to slowly increase and when it seemed that the duchess was finally about to explode and the Duke, understanding how useless pride was, was about to concede as he bowed his head in defeat.


    "Enough."


    All the pressure was immediately shattered by this voice.


    If the Duke was like a child in front of the Duchess, then the duchess was like a kid facing a giant when this new pressure was added.


    Everyone turned their attention to the only one powerful enough to create such a result.


    Lilith.


    The war maiden. The Saint of the sword. The demon of the battlefield.


    "You guys are like children fighting for useless reasons when we should pay attention to the truly important things."


    The scarlet color receded from the duchess and the other three straightened in their seats.


    They might not take Lilith seriously as a queen. But, they all recognized that she was without a doubt, one of the most powerful beings in this kingdom.


    No, since for them Camelia lost her blessing, Lilith was now the strongest being in this kingdom if the witches weren''t added.


    Lilith though didn''t care about all that,


    "Duke Hignd, the fact that Camelia lost her blessing should have already reached all the other kingdoms by now. This wouldn''t be a problem normally since we are in a time of peace. But, there''s one problem."


    Waving her hand, arge amount of mana gathered before taking the forms of a map. The same way Edea did when discussing with Sol.


    The only difference with this map was that all the points were green except two.


    One, thergest, was Gluttony Foss. The country of Echidna. The other was¨C


    ¨CThe Wratharis Republic.


    The others weren''t idiots. They immediately understood the meaning behind this map.


    "So the wolf king is finally going to bare his fangs."


    Lilith nodded to the murmur of the Duke of Hignd.


    "The current wolf king is different from the previous pacifist one. He is a warmonger and now that we have lost an important war asset, he will not miss this chance."


    A somber mood filled the room. What was the use of fighting for power when they were about to lose all of it?


    "How long?" Duchess Mris asked calmly. Her territory was the nearest one to Wratharis and once war happened she would be the first line of defense.


    "Winter is about toe. Even for the beast-kin, it''s impossible to fight under such weather. What more, the supreme daughter of Patienta will not let him act as he wishes. As such, from the estimates, six months at earliest, eight at thetest."


    Lilith was eerily calm as she answered back. Though behind this calm, a certain fire was brewing. A certain madness that dwarfed even that of the Duchess Mris.


    It has been too long since she set foot on a battlefield or even simply fought. It seemed that her sword was about to drink blood again.

 Chapter 42 CH 37: PINK?

    "*Ugh! Argh!!!"


    Under a beautiful sun and the gentle breeze, a bloody scene was being enacted.


    A groan of pain echoed, sometimes followed by stifled screams.


    On the clearing, one man, or rather a young boy, wasying down and fighting against the pain, while his four limbs were bound by powerful translucent chains seemingly made out of energy.


    The young boy should have been rather handsome in normal times. But currently, he looked more like a demon from hell or a tortured prisoner.


    His long beautiful golden hair and his handsome angr face were stained by blood as a bulge seemed to split his skull.


    His dainty butrge hands were bloodied as his nails were falling off. The same went for his mouth as his teeth were falling and being reced by new one.


    This wasn''t all. Such changes, while painful, weren''t enough to deter the boy with such a firm will.


    The true problem was what was happening internally. If the boy still looked somewhat human externally, internally it was a totally different situation.


    His muscles'' fiber were snapping and reconnecting. Stronger and tougher than any human.


    The same happened to his bones. It was literally like having his entire skeleton fracture then reconnect, again and again.


    His organs were shifting, strengthening.


    Since he was currently nearly naked aside from a boxer that hid his private parts, it was possible to see the eerie sights of his internal change as his muscles bulged and his body deformed.


    It was a slow but gradual change, an evolution of life, something anyone should be happy to receive, but-


    ''It''s so damn painful!''


    Sol thought as he gritted his teeth to stifle another scream of pain.


    The worst was that he absolutely couldn''t let himself faint. This was the first condition the goddess Luxuria sent him.


    The creation of his core was the best moment to strengthen his bloodline, so if he wanted the maximum benefit, he had to go through all the processes awake and without any form of drugs to inhibit the pain.


    ''Fuck! Fuck! Fuck !''


    Constantly cursing in his mind, Sol continued to fight through the pain, doing his best to increase the benefits.


    Despite the pain, each second that passed he could feel himself bing stronger, stronger to a point he could have snapped his yesterday self with his hands.


    He had never particrly sought power, even though he wanted to surpass his father. But now, the situation was different.


    War was upon them.


    He couldn''t allow himself to be weak.


    He had to protect all the people he cared for. He had to be strong enough to be seen as a reliable shield that could protect his loved one from the rain and the snow.


    "Ugh!"


    Another spam of pain went through his body, making his vision swim and his mind felt faint, but he steeled his mind and refused to give up.


    From what Luxuria told him, his total bloodline evolution would be done in two steps. The first one here, and the second one after he obtained his first contract and finally met Tiamat.


    Of course, this was on the premise he held on now. If he did, Luxuria swore that the second step would give him an incroyable benefit.


    So, while thinking about his loved one, he held on. He fought and fought.


    His body bathed in his blood and his mind clouded, he continued to fight.


    ----


    Meanwhile, observing this situation were two women. Though they looked more like young adults.<sub> </sub>


    The first one was without a doubt Edea, d in her usual absolute ck dress that seemed to absorb the light.


    "I must say, I am truly surprised. Who would have thought that I would see such an interesting boy? I am really getting old."


    The second woman, tilted her head as she remarked.


    If Edea could be described with the colors ck and white, then this woman could be described with only one word, one color¨CPink.


    Pink hat, pink skirt, pink shirt, pink heel, pink gauntlet, pink hair, pink eyes.


    Pink, pink pink, so pink that it hurts the eyes simply by looking at her.


    Her eyes were very particr, since her pupils, rather than the normal rounded one, had the shape of a broken heart. This gave her a rather frightening look.


    "Freya, please, stop looking at my students like a predator. I am warning you, if anything happens to him, I will make you pay."


    Edea, who was already worried sick while looking at the suffering Sol was going through snapped rather heavily at her sister. The pupils of her Heterochromia eyes, changing to a diamond shape.


    Freya, despite knowing that Edea wasn''t joking raised her hand in mock surrender while smiling,


    "Scary, scary. Seems like my dear sister fell in love again, what more with the descendent of her first beloved¨Cwho incidentally betrayed her. I wonder what Master will think once I inform her of that."


    Edea flinched before clenched her fist while hanging her head in shame. Freya had really hit her where it hurt and she had absolutely noe back.


    Freya on the other hand winced once those words left her mouth. She had been angry because Edea threatened her for a boy she knew for less than fifteen years but she also knew she went too far with her words. She was supposed to be the eldest sister of their quatuor.


    "Look, I am sorry okay! I did not mean it like that."


    She was a head taller than Edea, so ruffling her head, she said calmly,


    "You know how hurt all of us were about what happened to you. Now you finally contact me about ending your self-exile only for me to learn that you once again fell in love. Please understand my frustration."


    Edea had nothing to refute to this once again. The four of them were sisters even if not connected by blood. Their link transcended blood.


    "I am also sorry. But I am alright now, Sol is a good boy, I know you girls will appreciate him once you begin to know him more."


    A warm smile formed on Freya''s face. She really hoped that Sol was a good boy. There was no way she was going to let her sister suffer again. If Sol showed any signs of being like his ancestors, she didn''t mind incurring divine retribution by killing him.


    Anyway, at her level, she could easily flee and create her own pocket dimension.


    She was Freya Asmodeus. In terms of pure power, her sister, Kali was superior to her, but, out of the four Ouroboros, she was the trickiest to deal with.


    After all, she was the witch of space. No one could stop her.


    Looking aside so that Edea couldn''t see the intention in her eyes, she asked another question.


    "Just how much do you think he will earn?"


    Under a different situation, Edea would have immediately understood the sinister thoughts her sister had. But currently, her mind was mostly filled with Sol.


    "I went through all the records mother had about hybrids from S ss and this is a first in history." She took a deep breath before continuing. "No matters how powerful a hybrid is. A hybrid will always be a hybrid. There''s a limit after which they cannot go further. Some very lucky one may obtain a core but that''s it. Sol on the other¡­ "


    Edea frowned before shaking her head, she knew why Sol was able to go further than any hybrid, but she couldn''t tell Freya. It wasn''t a question of trust, it simply wasn''t her secret to share.


    "Anyway, Sol won''t just receive things such as a core. It will be a true physical change. His talent will go through the roof."


    Freya saw Edea''s hesitation but didn''t inquire. She also acquiesced with Edea''s opinions.


    What made magical races so powerful was their innate ability to use magic, while humans were able to absorb a part of the talent of all their contracts.


    How far would Sol go if he managed to obtain all the benefits of the two groups? She shivered a little in happiness. No matter what, she was a witch, a seeker of knowledge. She thought she knew nearly everything there was to know in this world, but it seemed that she was wrong.

 Chapter 43 CH 38: FOUR DIRECTIONS

    *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*


    "Fuck *Cough* *Cough*"


    Cursing for thest time, Sol kneeled down with a haggard expression.


    Two days. It has been exactly two days since the start of this excruciating transformation.


    Pain, pain, and even more pain.


    During those two days, Sol couldn''t count the number of times he wished to simply fall unconscious and wake up once everything ended. But he knew he couldn''t.


    During all this time, sometimes his will would waver.


    He would ask himself.


    Why am I doing this?


    Why shouldn''t I give up?


    Do they even need me to protect them?


    He would ask himself those questions and began to give up, but each time it happened. He would wake up by repeating one truth.


    A man who couldn''t protect his loved one wasme.


    Nothing more, nothing less.


    It didn''t matter how powerful they were.


    It didn''t matter how independent they were.


    It didn''t matter that they stood near the pinnacle both in terms of influence and personal power.


    They were his women.


    And it was his duty to give them a sense of security.


    Some people might call it sexism or something of the like.


    But it wasn''t so. He recognized their worth and their power. He respected their personality and their wishes.


    But, no matter how cringy or naive to think so, he wished to be their rock. He wished to be the one they relied on and not the one who relied on them.


    So¨C


    No matter how painful, how tiring, how excruciating it was, he had to hold on.


    For them, he was willing to kneel down and beg.


    For them, he was willing to stand up and fight.


    ----


    "*Cough* Edea *Cough* *Cough*e untie, please. Hehe, I really need to take a bath. *Cough*"


    Throwing a joke, asme as it was, in order to sooth Edea''s worries, Sol grinned cheekily.


    Edea on the other hand winced when she saw his smile.


    It couldn''t be helped. Sol''s face was entirely covered in blood and the same went for his teeth and the rest of his body.


    What more his current teeth were new, as the old ones were currentlyying on the ground in a puddle of blood. Some bits of organs could also be seen in that puddle so it was honestly rather disgusting.


    Still, Edea didn''t care about all that. She had seen way worse when she was still a street urchin a few hundred years ago.


    Stepping on the blood in an uncaring way, she reached the bloodied Sol and took him in a tight hug.


    "It must have been hard right?"


    Sol''s who was about to shake her off since he didn''t want to stain her further, stopped once he heard those words.


    ''It is the first time. She hugged me on her own.''


    It wasn''t like the curse prohibited human contact. But Edea was particrly traumatized about it and always did her best to avoid most direct contact with him.


    *p* *p* *p*


    "This is extremely moving and all, though a little disgusting and disturbing. So, could you perhaps untie him first like he asked? I feel like I am witnessing a BDSM y that went wrong."


    The peaceful moment was disturbed by a voice Sol did not recognize. Finally paying attention to the presence that stood next to Edea, Sol immediately closed his eyes.


    ''Fuck! I feel like I was blinded!''


    It was the first time he had seen such a high concentration of pink on one person.


    Edea, a little embarrassed, separated herself from Sol, before waving her hand and dispersing the chains of mana that were binding Sol.


    Finally free of all restraint, Sol did his best to not slump, and slowly, very slowly, began to stand up.


    *Crack* *Crack* *Crack*


    His bones seemed to cry in protest from the movements, but he ignored them and finally stood up in his full glory.


    The first thing Sol remarked was that his vision seemed to have shifted a little. Looking down on Edea, he finally understood the reason for this shift.


    ''I have grown?''


    Looking at his bloodied hands, that were a littlerger than usual, Sol frowned a little.


    Seems like I will have many things to re-adapt to.


    Clenching his fist in wonder and feeling the power coursing through his muscles, he activated his mana and threw a punch on the side.


    Boom!


    A mini Shockwave burst surprised him and the other two.<sub> </sub>


    ''I am really stronger now.''


    *Thump* *Thump*


    And he would continue to increase his power.


    *Sigh*


    Taking a grip on his emotions, he let out a sigh and once again focused on the blindingly pink young woman in front of him.


    Her clothes made him remember the magical girls style. A short skirt that seemed to show a hint of her equally pink panties as well as a tight top, that clung to her curves. Though she wasn''t particrly curvy, she wasn''t that slender either. He would tentatively give her a B cup.


    He wanted to smile, but from the previous reaction of Edea, he knew that he wasn''t particrly presentable.


    "Hello, I am sorry to meet an acquiescence of Edea in such situations. Still, I am Sol Luxuria. Happy to meet you¡­?"


    Edea, catching the question in his words gave the identity of the woman.


    "She is my big sister, Freya. In your history book, she should be known as the witch of space!"


    Edea clothes were already pristine clean thanks to using time magic to reverse the state of her clothes.


    Sol though didn''t pay attention to this rather impressive and, wasteful, usage of magic.


    He was doing his best to not squeal in excitement like a fangirl.


    The four Ouroboros. The Four directions. They had many names but they were all known by their titles.


    The witch of the West, Edea the witch of time.


    The witch of the North, Kali the witch of destruction.


    The witch of the south, Persephone the witch of creation.


    And finally,


    The witch of the East, Freya the witch of space.


    Each of the four witches and their master were legends in this world. Even more so in Lustburg. They had created an organization that was nearly equal in power with the church.


    Walpurgisnacht.


    Barely concealing his excitement and cursing his currently uncouth appearance, Sol turned toward Edea.


    "I really need a bath right now. I feel bad talking to a new acquaintance like that."


    ----


    Looking at Sol walking towards Edea''s cottage while being helped by her, Freya couldn''t help but feel a little weird.


    With her experience, how could Sol''s emotions be hidden from her eyes?


    She was just rather surprised. After all, the four directions were more infamous than famous.


    Seeing such a pure excitement at the mention of her name was rather rare. Then again, Sol was near Edea since he was young, so he was most likely aware that most of those tales were heresy weaved to make the witches seem worse than they were.


    A small smile etched on her face. She was still suspicious and would do her all to understand this young boy, but at least the first impression he gave her was rather good.


    ----


    "Ohhh~!"


    Sol echoed like an old grandpa full of rheumatism as the hot water gushed over his head.


    He had never felt so alive. What''s more, now that the pain was subsiding, he could feel more deeply the different changes he went through.


    All his senses were enhanced, all his capacities were boosted. It wouldn''t be a mistake to call his current situation aplete makeover.


    ''Let''s enjoy the shower then the bath first. I can observe all of my changes better in the future.''


    Discarding the thoughts about his change, he focused on the ce he was currently in.


    Edea''s bathroom.


    It was somewhat exciting. It wasn''t the first time he entered her house, since he sometimes took his lessons in her living room. But it was the first time he entered her bathroom.


    Her bathroom was pristine white. The bathtub itself being equally white gave a Victorian feeling. Very noble like and ratherrge,rge enough to hold two or more people.


    ''Hum.''


    As less than orthodox ideas shed through his mind, Sol could feel his little friend rise at the asion.


    ''Sigh. I should stop behaving like a creep.''


    Getting a hard-on in the bathroom of his future woman was rather weird. Though it would be less so if she was officially his.


    ''Well, I shouldn''t be in a hurry.''


    Thinking so, and after washing off all the blood from his body, he began to walk toward the sole mirror in the far end of the bathroom.


    It was arge body mirror that allowed Sol to admire himself in all his naked glory.


    His hardened shaft aside, he could feel the change in his appearance more clearly. He was taller and his frame a littlerger. He didn''t be some hulking mass of muscles but he did be a little more rugged.


    Ignoring the ckce panties and her small bra ced on the side, Sol finally entered his much-awaited bath.


    "Ooh~! This is heaven!"


    Soon, in a few days, it would be his birthday as well as his first true public appearance. This will be followed by the annual event of the Astral realm opening.


    This would be perhaps thest time for him to truly rest.


    Closing his eyes, Sol slowly fell into slumber. He didn''t have to fear drowning in his bath. So, free of all worry, he began to rest.

 Chapter 44 CH 39: MAGIC?

    "Now that you have taken a good bath, it''s time for us to observe the changes you went through."


    Sol now sat cross-legged on the clearing of Edea''s world, Freya and Edea standing on either side of him.


    He was once again had his upper-body naked, but he didn''t particrly mind. He liked the way Edea was covertly peeking at him and feeling the appreciative nces of a beautiful woman like Freya wasn''t bad.


    "Well, Sol, before we begin we need to be clear. We already know your capacity, so today we must understand and judge your Mana Quantity."


    Three principles were used to judge humans and magical beings, Mana Quantity for the two, quality for magical beings, and capacity for humans, this was the norm.


    Once Edea was sure that she had Sol''s attention, she waved her hand and made threads of blueish energy appear in her hand.


    "Those who manipte mana can do it in two different ways. Those who follow the first way are called mana users, or simply warriors. They manipte mana in its raw form and can use it in different interesting ways."


    As she said so, the thread of mana she was holding wiped around toward a rock not far from that and¨Cneatly shed through it as if it was butter. Beforeing back to her, all that in less than two or three seconds.


    Edea, undisturbed, continued her exnation, "Those who follow the second way are called mages."


    As she said so, the mana threads in her hand suddenly changed in a fierce fire.


    <o>,m "Mages can create and manipte physical and fantastical power, by using mana as fuel change and transforming it into another form. Of course, pure humans cannot be mages without having a contract and then being lucky enough to obtain an attribute. But, there are three exceptions to those rules."</o>


    Edea smiled as she pointed at herself and Freya, "The first exception are witches, we obtained the ability to use magic unconventionally, as such we do not obtain attributes. Our power isn''t instinctive but born from knowledge. This is a booth and incredible advantage and limitation."


    This was the case, witches could use absolutely any magic, but the fact was that they had to understand what they were using, how it functioned, why it functioned, etc.


    That''s why witches were seekers of knowledge. The sentence knowledge is power was the best way to describe them.


    Magical beings, on the other hand, could only use the magic of their attributes. At the same time, they had an instinctual understanding of their magic.


    Depending on how smart she was, a witch could take two years to learn something a young magical being could do from the day he was born.


    "The second exception are nuns. By serving a goddess, they be able to use holy magic and it''s as instinctual as the way magical beings use their magic. Holy magic is extremely versatile, healing, warding, shielding, protection, etc. Nuns don''t need to train their magic, they receive as much holy power as their goddess allows them and in the same way, can lose everything once their goddess will it."


    This was indeed so, the power of a nun mainly depended on how favored she was by her goddess. That was why holy and supreme daughters were so dangerous. While rare, some daughters were so favored that they were able to ask for a divine descent.


    "The final exception are hybrids. Hybrids are," Edea chose her words wisely at this moment. "Should I say that hybrids are representatives of impossibility? Gically speaking, people of two different races shouldn''t be able to procreate. But sometimes, this impossibility bes reality. Though, the higher the quality of the magical being, the lower the probability of this happening."


    "Indeed," This time it was Freya who quipped from the side, "Edea was sealed here, but for me who lived all those centuries outside, I have met many hybrids between low-quality magical beings and humans, but a hybrid between an S rank and a human are almost unheard of. Even more so for someone like ze. Rather than S rank, she should be called a Super S rank."


    "Thanks to this situation, this impossibility, Hybrids can have the gift of the two groups. Mainly, being able to use magic even without a contract and having the capacity to make contracts. As such, the most important thing we must determine before knowing your mana quantity is what attributes you have. The only problem is that this use isn''t as instinctive as it is for pure magical beings. They need to determine their own attributes before being able to use it."


    Freya continued while taking out of nowhere a bit of white squared paper. At first nce, this seemed like there was nothing special about it.


    "We are going to determine your attributes, then yourbat power, and finally the quantity of your mana. After today, your training regimen willpletely change. Even though you don''t need witchcraft, it will help you make your magic stronger."


    Edea spoke nonchntly as she pointed at the paper in Freya''s hands, "This paper will determine your attribute after you circte mana in it."


    "How?"


    Sol asked for the first time. Until now all they said was something he already more or less knew. But it was the first time he saw something like that.


    "This paper was created by our sister Persephone."


    It was Freya who answered as she looked at this paper with a little smile.<sub> </sub>


    "That girl, has many hybrid friends, or rather she has many friends in general. She is the most fragile and the most gentle out of all of us. She created this to help them."


    As she said so, she injected her own mana in it, but absolutely nothing happened.


    "As you can see, even though I can use different elements outside of my main space one, I am considered to have no innate attribute. But for you, it will be different."


    Taking the paper in his hand, Sol took a deep breath finally injecting his mana in it as he was told. better finish and be over with it.


    Freya, Sol, and Edea focused on the paper and waited. At first, nothing particr happened, but then, Freya and Edea eximed in surprise at the changes.


    "Very interesting, Sol, Your element is¡­"


    -----


    While Sol was learning the base of what would make him a powerful being in the future, unknown to him, another event was happening.


    On the road, a standoff was unfolding.


    The protagonists were a caravan and a group of bandits.


    "This road is mine. If you want to pass, leave the money and the women."


    The group of bandits wasposed of nearly fifty individuals, it was ratherrge as bandits went, their equipment weren''t particrly special, but from the wicked expression on their face, it was clear that they weren''t at their first attempt.


    The leader, a rugged and dirty man was looking lewdly at the three women, his eyes roaming their plump bodies. He could already feel his shaft harden at the thought of what he would do to them. As the boss, he would clearly take them first and fuck them hard for a few days.


    Weirdly, the caravan that wasposed of only one old man and three young women were in no way flustered. In fact, from the frown of one of them, they seemed more impatient than frightened.


    "Seems like the security became worse since thest time I was here. To think that they would dare to act so close to the capital, I wonder what gave them such guts?"


    The one who spoke was the girl that was initially frowning. Most of her features were hidden by a cloak but it was easy to see a part of her expression. The more tant those bandits were the worse her expression became.


    "Hum~! Hehe~! Don''t you think it''s really weird? As you said bandits shouldn''t be so courageous. So, the question is, what gave them such courage?"


    The young woman standing next to her, a brown-haired girl, spoke while adjusting her sses. Her tight clothes alighted her ratherrge curve. She spoke as if those bandits were not even existing in her eyes. Her mind, already filled with different ideas.


    Thest woman, who was wearing skimpy maid clothes, gave a cold smile as she tilted her head,


    "Isn''t it clearly because we wanted to catch those bandits that we used such a simple ride without any insignia? Why bother guessing when we can just ask them?"


    "Indeed,"


    The first girl gave an equally cold smile as she lowered her cloak. Long purple hair became immediately visible.


    "Let''s not waste time, I missed him so much. We just have to finish here fast."


    What followed was a bloody dance. One dainty purple-haired woman wreakingplete havoc on her paths. The bandits, nothing more than weakling, unable to even react to her sword.


    All it took was three minutes, for the fifty bandits, to be no more than three.


    The clearing around them became filled with blood, cut limbs, and grisly intestines. The girl walked with an impassive impression as if what she had done was nothing more than stepping on some bugs.


    In her mind, only one thing mattered, meeting once again the sole source of warmth in her life.

 Chapter 45 CH 40: MIRROR

    Sol frowned in concentration as he sat cross-legged on the grass while facing Freya who was also seated with her legs gathered under her.


    Edea was currently in her house, at the beseech of Freya.


    The fact that she had pink panties didn''t really surprise him, nor the fact that she was utterly unashamed to show him her underwear. No, what was bothering him was his element.


    It would have been one thing if his element was something like metal or fire or lightning, but no, his element was something super hard to grasp.


    It wouldn''t have been a problem if he was a full dragon. But as a hybrid, he didn''t have the instinctual ability to use his element. He needed to at least get a feel for it by himself before some sparse instinct began to kick in.


    It has already been more than 3 hours since they sat like that, but Freya didn''t seem particrly bothered. She was just looking at him with an empty gaze. It was particrly unnerving since she had seemed so bubbly at first.


    Feeling frustration at the fact that he was still unable to contact his element, he let out a sigh of defeat as heid down heavily.


    Now facing the not so blinding artificial sun, he couldn''t help but ask himself,


    ''How do I do it? What I am doing wrong?''


    It was seriously frustrating. Even more so since his use of mana had been so easy until now.


    Freya meanwhile, still sat as she looked at him. For witches like her, patience was a virtue. She had modified her own body with science and magic so that biological needs such as eating, defecating, sleeping, and others were basically unnecessary.


    She had been with their master/mother the longest out of any of her other siblings and as such had an even greater and almost fanatical Greed for knowledge.


    That''s why Sol was shaping more and more to be an absolutely interesting subject of research. His magic, his physique, his birth. Everything was new for her and she liked new things.


    ''Should I kidnap him?''


    She had considered doing so many times in the few hours she had observed him. Sol was a wonder who could make witchcraft and Biology evolve a great deal. The only thing stopping her was the fact that she would have all the Lustburg kingdom in her pursuit and that she might get hated by her sister.


    ''Well, perhaps I should simply get close to him.''


    "Already tired?" She spoke for the first time in hours.


    Sol on the other simply answered, "Objective and method."


    "What do you mean?" She tilted her head in wonder.


    "A sage once said, ¡°repeating the same actions and expecting different results is the very definition of insanity.¡± Since my current actions don''t bring results it means my method is wrong and I need to change it."


    "Interesting quotes. What is the name of that sage? Perhaps I have met him?"


    Sol forgot sometimes that despite their young appearances Edea and Freya had witnessed the creation of this kingdom and were even alive long before it.


    But how could he say that he was inspired by Einstein? He didn''t want to lie either so he simply changed subjects.


    "You should be able to help me, right? After all, my magic is very simr to yours."


    Freya gave out a mischievous smile, her earlier nk expression melting like a lie.


    "Magic can be used in three different ways. One using absolute reasoning, this is witchcraft. One using faith, this is holy magic. The final one can be called bloodline magic as it is based on the species and such things. Hybrids are in a very weird situation. Their magic, if they inherit one, can be ssed between bloodline magic and witchcraft."


    Sol grimaced a little. It seemed that all the witches liked sharing their knowledge a little too much. He just asked a simple question and he was getting aplete essay.


    *Ahem*


    "Oh~! Sorry sorry. So, in short, even though our magics are more or less simr, I can''t do much for you about the initial phase. You need to feel it in your blood."


    "...and that''s why I have been seating for so long."


    "Indeed. Hum. Then why don''t you focus on an emotion? Bloodline magic affects heavily the personality of the user. Fire is generally rted to anger or lust. Ice to calm etc."


    Sol tilted his head. Confusion etched on his face.


    "This is beautiful and all, but what kind of emotion does dimensional magic represent?"


    Silence settled. This was the problem. Sol innate attribute was Dimension magic.


    As he said previously this was truly something close to space magic. But it could also be seen as an evolution or a derivation of space magic.


    "Do you have any records of dimension mages?"


    "This is the thing. Dimension magic is rare. Like, really really rare. Even I didn''t reach the level of knowledge necessary to dabble with dimension. So I am fucking jealous¨Coops! I mean I am really intrigued."<sub> </sub>


    Freya hides behind a chuckle. All witches hated bloodline mages. There was nothing more frustrating than studying years and years to master a specific type of magic while some barbar could just be born with an instinctual control of the same magic.


    ''Well, nothing is fair in this world. Anyway, 99% of those so called genii died while we are still alive. So at the end of the day, innate talent isn''t enough.''


    Sol, unaware of Freya''s thoughts, frowned.


    "You didn''t reach dimensional magic? But then, what about this?" he waved his hand vaguely, showing his surroundings. Edea world had been created with the help of Freya. He was pretty sure it was an alternative dimension.


    "Sigh. How to exin it?"


    ''Why does she act like an adult trying to exin math to a child?''


    He felt a little offended. He wasn''t that dumb, right?


    "Well, this ''dimension'' or ''world'' isn''t really so. The best name would be folded space. I tweaked the interior of the tower and made itrger than it should be. Then Edea filled this world with her power, making it ''her world''. But this is in no way an alternate dimension. The astral realm for example is an example of an alternate dimension. No matter how powerful I be. I can only use my power of space in the same dimension. Not through different ones."


    She sighed wistfully at that. How she wished she could enter the Astral dimension at will. There were so many things to explore. So many new knowledge to unearth.


    ''Well, he might be the key.''


    Thinking so, she became way more enthusiastic at the idea of teaching him.


    "The first important thing to know is that all dimension mages have at least one dimension that is entirely their. You could say that it''s born with the mage. This dimension can be anything. From a habitable world to a world without life."


    "...So the first step should be to connect to that dimension?"


    Sol stopped thinking and pondered. A rather bold idea forming in his mind.


    ''Perhaps I can visit earth one day?''


    Discarding this thought, he took once again a cross-legged position and closed his eyes.


    He didn''t really know what kind of emotion could be rted to something like dimension, but what was a dimension for him.


    For him, a dimension was endless and at the same time-limited.


    A dimension could also be rted to the way we perceived our world.


    Be it two dimensions or three dimensions. Be it another world or another space. They were all rted to the word. Dimension.


    Sol fell deeper and deeper into concentration. He felt as if he was slowly falling into a sea.


    His body began to sink deeper and deeper. His breathing becameborious.


    He was being disconnected from the world.


    What is a dimension?


    An answer came from his heart. It was in no way something he thought about.


    "The other side of a mirror is a dimension."


    Then he felt it.


    Opening his eyes, he looked at his unchanged surroundings as he stood up slowly.


    It seemed that nothing had changed. It seemed that he was still in his initial ce, Freya still stood in front of him, a puzzled expression on her face.


    But he knew, deeply he knew.


    Even though he was still in the same ce, even though Freya was still in front of him,


    ''He'' wasn''t really there.


    Looking at Freya whose eyes went from confused, to surprised as she looked everywhere. He couldn''t help bute with hundreds of applications to this dimension.


    It was a world that was the reflection of his normal one. A world he could sneak into but still see what was happening elsewhere.


    It was his world. His dimension. It was¡­ The mirror realm.

 Chapter 46 CH 41: HELL AND INTENT

    After Sol managed to enter his own dimension, he thought that what would follow would be a simple training. Something to adapt himself or so.


    What''s more, he didn''t really have that much time before his birthday and his official party.


    How wrong had he been, he had totally forgotten that Edea could elerate the time difference between her world and the outside one.


    What he lived through was hell, his training was divided into mana use with Lilith and magic with Freya and Edea, they had decided to focus first on his mana use, since he had a ceremony to go through¨Cfighting in the colosseum.


    He didn''t need to hide his capacity to use magic, but he did not want to disy it either. Not for any weird reason like hiding his true power, but simply because his mirror dimensions was simply too much of a powerful trump card to be exposed so easily.


    Just how much information could he steal with this power? It wouldpletely change the war that would happen in a few months.


    As such, they decided to focus on his martial art and mana use first before focusing on magic.


    On the day he took Camelia''s virginity, he had already about two weeks before his disy in the colosseum where he would fight against the diator and the queen of diators. Since he had already awakened, the two parts will be fused, this was what happened with Mars since he also awakened early.


    Now that about four days passed since his night with Camelia and now he only had ten days to go. It definitely wasn''t sufficient for any meaningful training, but that was only when one didn''t have someone like Edea on your side.


    Edea could manipte time quite freely in her own world. She could reach a 1 to 4 times difference. Meaning that those ten days could be changed to forty.


    Forty. Absolute. Days. Of. Hell.


    *****


    At first, he expected a period of ¡°basic training,¡± where Lilith would grind him across the washboard for a while to break down any bad habits he had and prepare him to receive her wisdom and knowledge, and in this, Lilith did not disappoint.


    He expected something hard, he just didn¡¯t expect to literally crawl back in through the door that night feeling as if someone had shot needles of salt into every inch of muscle tissue he possessed. Lilith had run him for the equivalent of a hundred or so kilometers, then made him move boulders that weighed more than nine hundreds kilograms around a clearing, then push logs up the hillside, then carry a boulder on his back as he ran another twenty kilometers.


    It was more of the same the next day, and the next, as Lilith systematically broke down his ability to regenerate and then physically exhausted him.


    She broke him down so severely that his regeneration couldn¡¯tpletely recover to face the next day, a day that was even more strenuous than thest. She pushed him beyond his physical limits, pushed him so hard that he would copse daily, physically incapable of carrying out her tasks, and that was what she had been waiting for.


    After a ride of this torture, he finally demanded to know why he had to kill himself daily when she intended to teach him how to use mana, which had nothing to do with the body.


    ¡°Pfft,¡± she had snorted in her typical manner. ¡°I thought you¡¯d know better than to ask such a stupid question, the limits of mana are physical limits, how much power your body can handle. You can increase it by being fit, if I wasn¡¯t in such good shape, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do half of what I do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why dragons are so strong in magic,¡± Sol said in a moment of rity. ¡°Because they¡¯re so big and powerful.¡±


    ¡°Size has nothing to do with it,¡± Lilith said in a scathing tone, bursting his bubble. ¡°Dragons are strong in all magic because of what they are. If you want to find the most powerful mage or mana user, pound for pound in the mortal world, then don¡¯t look any further than angels.¡±


    ¡°Angels?¡± Sol asked in surprise.


    She nodded abruptly. ¡°Indeed. Do you know why?¡±


    Sol did manage to figure that one out rather quickly. ¡°Because they fly.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Flying is very demanding work. You¡¯ll never in your life see a fat angel.¡± She nced at him. ¡°Dragons are the same way. It¡¯s not their size, it¡¯s because they¡¯re so fit. If you think it¡¯s hard for an angel to fly, imagine how much work it is for those behemoths to drag all that body mass into the air. The stronger they are, the more mana they can use in one go with their horns and core.¡±


    With that answered, Lilith must have felt that if he was able to talk, he obviously wasn¡¯t working hard enough.


    For nearly a month (Edea world time), Lilith wore Sol down to the bone every single day, with progressively more and more difficult tasks that involved moving more weight further, carrying it longer, and repeating it more times. Sol would drag home so tired that he could barely open the front door, so dirty that his footprints left footprints if another stepped upon them, and he was too weary to even care about cleaning up. Eating was more of a chore than a chance to restore some energy to his depleted frame, and he slept absolutely any time he was not eating, training, or traveling to his next destination.


    The worst part, he felt, was the running. Running in itself wasn¡¯t a strenuous pursuit, but when one carried nearly a ton of additional weight and was expected to keep up with an unburdened, harshly critical mentor, it became an extreme exercise in willpower not to dump his heavy burden and attack Lilith with the sincere intent to kill.


    At one point, he had dreamt up one hundred and seventeen distinct and separate ways to murder his aunt without getting killed in response, and every day he would go through them one by one in his mind and decide which one was the one that would bring him the most pleasure without getting destroyed in return.


    The purely physical phase of his training ended the next after that first month, and it ended quite abruptly to Sol. Lilith had been making him run with his favorite boulder up and down a small but steep hill, but abruptly told him to stop, set the boulder down, and then curtly informed him that it was time for him to learn.


    At that moment he had made the mistake of thinking that his hell was over. After all, there were only a few days left. What could he do more?


    Lilith showed him that everything he did until now was only the basics of the base. The mana training was way worse, incredibly worse.


    "As you must know, bloodline magic uses instinct and emotions, witchcraft uses knowledge and Holy magic uses faith. But what is the fuel for mana users? Simple. It''s their will. More precisely their intent."<sub> </sub>


    Lilith said as she stood in front of him. As a way to illustrate her words, suddenly, Sol felt as if he was thrown into a deep pit full of ice.


    Jumping away in reflex, he looked with surprise at Lilith.


    "This was killing intent. A rather simple trick as things goes. Though, some mana users have reached such a high level in this trick that they can actually kill or stun weak-willed people. But this isn''t all."


    Waving her hand, all the grass around her was immediately cut.


    "By fusing the intent to cut with my mana I obtained a de that cut anything. The stronger my intent, the stronger my de. Do not confuse emotions and intent. Intent is the will behind an action. A goal you set for yourself."


    Sol nodded at those exnations. He already had some experience with raw mana maniption. Like how he used it to bind Camelia or create a cor for her.


    "Mana maniption isn''t inferior in any way to magic. That''s why Sol, never let your talent go to your head. You must work hard. Harder than anyone. A genius is terrifying, but a genius who works hard is a monster."


    At the end of those words, a new hell began for him.


    In the morning, he would put different intents in his mana, reaching different results. If the result didn''t please Lilith, he would have to begin everything again.


    In the afternoon, he would have sparring sessions with her where she would proceed to absolutely trash him within an inch of his life. What''s more, since he had such a high regeneration power, she didn''t hesitate to give him wounds that would have been potentially fatal to anyone else in his position.


    During the night, she would instruct him on different strategies for one VS one or one VS many situations. She would also instruct him on some elements he needed to pay attention in situations of war both as a general or as a soldier.


    As heid down while breathing heavily after taking out a sword from his gut, he remembered now why his cousin had fled from the house and joined the academy. He knew that she hadpleted her training, but after that, her rtionship with her mother had never been the same.


    Lilith was simply too harsh. So harsh that sometimes he wondered if it was really the woman who had always spoiled him rotten.


    Still, he held on.


    He cursed, vomited, cried, entertained thoughts about killing her, about giving up, was ready to use his mirror realm to flee in another kingdom, entertained suicidal thoughts.


    But every time, every damn time he was about to give up, he would simply grit his teeth and continue.


    Only one thought holding him up.


    ''One day, I will spank her so hard her ass will redden.''


    It was a ratherscivious thought, but since he couldn''t win in a fight, one day, he would win in bed.


    For the time being, giving up wasn''t an option.


    But truthfully, what made him held on, was the knowledge that Lilith wasn''t acting by some sense of sadism. Every time she hurt him, every time he suffered, he could see it in her eyes.


    The way she was wincing, the way her eyes would redden, the way she would look ashamed.


    He knew she did not wish to make him suffer. But it was necessary.


    It was better for him to bleed here than to die on the battlefield.


    Still, during all his training, one problem nagged at him.


    It was something briefly mentioned by the goddess. It was something Camelia leaked by mistake but refused to exin.


    Lilith had a big secret. Something rted to the previous king, his grandfather.


    Sol decided, on thest day of his training, he would ask her.


    He didn''t want to force her, but he hated ambiguous situations.


    Generally, it was the kind of secret that always get out in the worst possible moment and fucked up everything.

 Chapter 47 CH 42: MOCK BATTLE

    "This will be ourst fight before the start of your ceremony. Are you ready?"


    "I am, don''t forget our deal. If I seed in breaking your sword or wounding you in a ce that should have been fatal, I win. Once I win, you will listen to one of my demands."


    "Breaking my sword would mean that your intent was stronger than mine, any warriors need to be rewarded. So I will listen to any requests from you."


    Sol and Lilith stood apart on the clearing that was repeatedly bathed in Sol blood during the span of those forty days.


    Perhaps in the future, he would look back to those days with fondness, but currently, he just shivered at the thought and decided to lock those days behind a wall.


    Lilith was wearing her usual ridiculously revealing purple Qipao, a glowing bluerge sword in her hand, while Sol stood in his trousers and a glowing golden long sword in his.


    This was a pure mana construct. Few if any used intent in such a crude way in a fight. Each hit would cost too much mana to maintain the sword and the intent necessary to maintain the form would mentally tire the user. But it was perfect for training.


    At first, he thought that he could easily beat Lilith since this kind of fight was more demanding on the mana quantity.


    He was both wrong and right.


    Mana was necessary to maintain the shape and as such people with more mana had an edge. But people like Lilith were different.


    She had ten times less mana than Sol, but she could use each unit of her mana hundreds times better than him. When paired with her firm will and her superb skills, Sol found himself outssed in every way possible.


    But today, he would win.


    Silence settled between the two of them. Their mana, rising slowly from their bodies and sharpening their swords. Even though they didn''t add the intent to kill in their sword, it didn''t mean that it wasn''t dangerous. At the very least they could wound themselves quite badly.


    To avoid any dangerous situations, Edea was seated further aside under her parasol with Freya, the two of them elegantly sipping some expensive tea. Edea could simply rewind time and avoid the danger.


    ¨CHaving a time mage next to you was always damn useful.


    They didn''t have to say anything, they didn''t have to prepare a signal. As if they were of the same mind, they moved exactly at the same time and crossed their sword exactly in the middle.


    Body-wise, Sol was stronger than Lilith. But, mana wise, she was way outside of his ss. This created a rather equal situation as they fought each other to get the edge.


    They stared at each other''s eyes, their intent to fight clear in them.


    A smile lit up Lilith''s eyes as she took a step back and kicked him in the stomach, taking out the air from him.


    Using the moment his breathing was disrupted, she twirled on herself and used the centrifugal force to bring her sword even faster on him.


    Boom!!


    Since they were mana constructs, they logically shouldn''t have weight. But adding different intent such as cutting and crushing, Lilith could make something simr.


    Dust rose, obscuring Sol from her sight. But she was in no hurry.


    Whoosh!


    Using the cover of the dust, Sol rushed toward her at full speed, wind stirring behind him before he crashed into her, but she calmly avoided him with another twirl before kicking him in the side.


    There were no rules in their fight. No limits everything hit was allowed and Sol knew that if he did not use his racial traits to his advantage, he would simply lose.


    Still,


    ''She is incredible.''


    Humans were physically the weakest races in this world. Even goblins had more strength than them. Sol on the other was half-dragon and had many innate advantages. Despite that, he was still unable topletely overpower her. What more, he knew she was holding back, limiting her capacity to his level.


    ''Well, let''s not stress.''


    Discarding those distracting thoughts, he used her kick to take some distance from her and focused on himself.


    Slowly, he began to change. He became taller, his white skin became bronze, and two glowing golden horns formed on his forehead.


    Immediately, Sol felt the difference. It was like all his stats were immediately boosted tenfold. Still, he didn''t let this power go to his head, because,


    ''As I thought.''<sub> </sub>


    The moment their sword greeted each other again, Sol was unsurprised to see that they were once again equal.


    The simple fact that she could so perfectly gauge his power was a proof of the gulf that separated them. But, it didn''t matter. In the first ce, he never thought he could win against her using conventional ways.


    They were so close, they could feel their breath and it was like that, while looking at each other, that Sol talked.


    "Aunt. You know, I really really love you."


    "Wha~!"


    ''So cute.''


    Her bbergasted and blushing look at his confession was so cute, but he had a match to win.


    Kicking her in the stomach like she did, since he was all for equal treatment between men and women. He grabbed her feet as she was about to fly away and brought her down hard on the ground.


    Boom!


    This wasn''t enough to break her defense, but since she was still a little stunned, he immediately sat on her and put his sword against her throat.


    "I win."


    *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*


    His rough breathing was the only sound in this oppressive silence. He felt a little pathetic how he was the one tired when she was the one down, but it couldn''t be helped. What was a hell training for him was just a normal workout for her. The difference was simply too much from the start.


    If it had been a true battlefield, he had no illusion that she would have cut him down in an instant. Perhaps so fast that he wouldn''t even have been able to escape in his mirror dimension.


    Still, this world wasn''t determined by what-ifs. The reality here was that no matter how sly he acted, he was the one with a sword on her throat. It was a fatal wound, so he won.


    Searching his gaze, their eyes locked for a short while before her mana sword vanished.


    "Indeed, you have won. Congrattions."


    She didn''t seem particrly dejected, but Sol could feel some disappointment in her eyes. It wasn''t disappointment in the way he won. Lilith had told him many times that war and battle had no ces for silly honor. If you could win by ying dirty then you should do so. This was also why she always wore those clothes when fighting. Men had a hard time giving their all while watching her and she used it to her advantage each time.


    ''Ah~!''


    "Just so you know, I was serious with my confession. I am aware that now isn''t the time and you may not share my feelings. I just wanted to make it clear."


    Saying so, he got up from her and stretched his hand toward her to help her up.


    He had acted on the spur of the moment, but he did not regret it, one should always be honest with their feelings. In this life, he refused to be wishy-washy.


    Lilith''s cheeks reddened again, but Sol did not point it out. He knew he didn''t let her indifferent, but it was hard to equate it to love.


    "Fufufu~! To think you would be flirting with another woman in front of Edea, you are really bold?"


    Sol was a little startled as he felt Freya behind him. He had to force himself to not use a sword in reflex. It seemed like Lilith had beat many good habits necessary for survival in him.


    "Why do you think so? I am doing nothing wrong. In fact, acting behind her back would have been the wrong thing to do. Me acting in front of her is more a mark of respect than acting all sneaky and insulting her intelligence and trust in me."


    A harem wasn''t the easiest of the situation. Even though it was the norm in this world, few women would be truly happy to share their men. That''s why, for a harem to work, Sol thought honesty was necessary. Well, it was a necessity in any rtionship. Even the normal one.


    Of course, he did not have the illusion that everything would always work out. It seemed that all the women he was attracted to had some rather problematic past. Sooner orter something would go wrong, some people would be hurt, but he believed that they could go through everything together.


    Ignoring the dumbfounded Freya, Sol faced the now fidgeting Lilith.


    ? "Since I have won, I will make my request now."


    Lilith, who was previously blushing a little, had her face pale at the speed of light the moment she heard his words.


    "Please, tell me your greatest secret."

 Chapter 48 CH 43: A WHAT?

    "Since I have won, I will make my request now."


    Lilith, who was previously blushing a little, had her face pale at the speed of light the moment she heard his words.


    "Please, tell me your greatest secret."


    ----


    The wind stirred as Lilith faced the resolute eyes of Sol.


    She didn''t bother to y dumb. For him to ask something like that would mean that he had already received some hint from someone else. Most likely Camelia.


    Of course, she also knew that Camelia was unlikely to have given him too much information, and as such she could easily lie to him, but she refused to do it. At least not now. Sol wasn''t a child anymore.


    Still¡­


    "Please ask something else."


    She wasn''t ready yet. She did not want to reveal this secret. If possible she would have loved to take this secret to the grave and never let Sol discover it.


    Surprisingly, Sol didn''t insist,


    "Alright. So how about that. Let''s have a date."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "A date?"


    What kind of nonsensical idea her nephew had again?


    ****


    Sol, standing in front of his mirror in his bedroom, admired his new look.


    He had put a wig to hide his blonde hair. His blue eyes weren''t a problem by themselves so he didn''t bother searching something to hide them.


    He was wearing a simple undershirt and a leather armorposed of a breastte as well as some arms guards. He had a steel sword on his right hip and a mid sized shield on the back.


    Thanks to his month-long training in Edea¡¯s world, he was also a little more muscr than he was after the transformation.


    All in all, he looked like a particrly handsome but somewhat rookie adventure with enough training under his belt.


    Next to him, Milia was observing his attire with a grimace. As a maid and a servant of the royal family as well as a fervent supporter of Sol, she hated seeing him wear clothes that didn''t disy all his good points.


    Still, she understood that it couldn''t be helped. The mood on the street was currently festive since the ceremony of adulthood by the crown prince was a national event.


    If the crown prince and the regent queen were to be seen on the street, the uproar would be of epic proportion.


    Once she was sure that everything was well and done, she sighed a little before nodding.


    "It should be enough. At least it isn''t too shabby. Though I would have preferred something more eyes catching."


    Sol, not really bothered, smiled a little before giving a quick kiss to her lips.


    "Thanks."


    They hadn''t had the time for any intimate timetely and their discussions were still up in the air, but he wasn''t in a hurry. A secret was a secret because it was something hard to share. Be it, Milia or Lilith, he would never brusk them just to satisfy his curiosity.


    ¨CEven though he would really like to avoid the situation where an enemy somehow got hold of that information and sprinkled it on him at a decisive moment.


    "Well, it''s time to go."


    ****


    While Sol was finishing his preparation, Lilith was also seating in front of the mirror of her bedroom.


    Her eyes, lifeless as she looked at her reflect.


    No maid was in her bedroom. She refused that anyone set foot in here. It was her sanctuary. Her world. Not even Edea peeked in this room as a form of respect for her.


    Right now, her mind was in aplete turmoil.


    She was a powerhouse who survived countless battlefields.


    She was a queen(even if temporary) lording over millions of people.


    <o>,m She was both a mother and an aunt as well as a tutor.<sub> </sub></o>


    But, despite all her experience, she had never gone on a date. She didn''t think any noble had such an experience.


    When people thought about nobles, they only saw the opulence and the seemingly easy life. They did not see the intrigue, the suffering, the maniption and theck of personal freedom.


    If she hadn''t been as strong as she was, her destiny would have been way different.


    Of course this didn''t mean that she wished to have been born as amoner. She knew the pasture always seemed greener on the other side and had enough reports about burned vige and bandits attacks to know the truth.


    ''Sigh, what should I even wear?''


    She knew that she should wear something inconspicuous and something like a wig. Purple hair wasn''t a trademark like golden hair and blue eyes, but it was still rare enough that anyone with purple hair was immediately connected to her.


    It has been a long time since she seriously thought about what to wear.


    Her usual clothes were just things she picked hazardly without much thought. But, right here right now, she was stumped.


    She looked through all her clothes before her eyes fell on a special one, folded in a box.


    ¡®Oh.''


    Taking them out, she eximed quietly before pondering.


    ''If the size adjustment enchantments still work perhaps I should use it?''


    She didn''t have any better idea so might as well.


    *****


    Thirty minutester, Sol stood near the sculpture of his father holding a sword while riding a dragon, most likely his mother, in the central za.


    Every time someone passed near the sculpture, they would bow a little before continuing


    Standing there and watching the respect the citizens still had for his father, he couldn''t help but be lost in thought.


    "Your father had always been respected even before bing known as the hero king because of all the changes he made to make the lives ofmoners easier."


    Sol turned around, recognizing Lilith''s voice. His breath immediately stopped as his brain fried.


    Lilith was like her usual self. She seemed to have followed the same ideas as him, wearing adventurers clothes.


    Her attire consisted of a short skirt and leggings that would hide the spring view, some daggers around her thighs and a skin loose ck shirt. Her hairs were tied in a bun and were blue rather than the usual purple. It was clear that this wasn''t a wig like Sol, but rather a dye. What''s more, her usuallyrge chest was nowhere to be seen.


    Right now, Lilith didn''t look like the queen regent, nor a seductive and powerful woman, but rather a young and delicious young girl who just reached adulthood.


    "... How?"


    Finally closing his mouth, he asked in confusion.


    "This was a concoction created by hours alchemist in the team''s your father and I were part of. It can make you look ten years younger or older for about five hours. So, how do I look?"


    Sol could feel a certain nervousness in her voice and decided to reassure her.


    "You are magnifique."


    Saying so, he came close to her and took her hand in his before beginning to walk.


    Lilith fidgeted a little, she wasn''t really used to human contact anymore. Still, she didn''t take her hand out.


    ''His hands are sorge now.''


    Walking next to him, her hand in his, Lilith looked at his side profile and marveled at the difference in height. Lilith wasn''t particrly tall, even among women, but people generally dismissed this because of her massive power.


    Still,


    ''He is taller than me.''


    Thanks to his awakening and subsequent training, Sol looked more like an eighteen or neen year old than a teen of barely fifteen years. She now had to raise her face, to look up to him.


    It was weird that she had never managed to remark this truth during their training session. Perhaps she had been too focused on making him stronger.


    ''He is now, more and more like a man. He is basically an adult now.''


    This recognition brought an odd feeling of loss and pride in her heart.


    Discarding those thoughts, a single conclusion reached her mind at this very moment while she looked at the sculpture they were walking away from.


    ''It seems like my duty will be finished sooner than I thought. Then¡­''

 Chapter 49 CH 44: A DATE

    Sol was somewhat ashamed. In his nearly fifteen years of life, the moments he really spent time outside of the tower, while albeit rare, were quite numerous as he regrly visited the church and also visited the coliseum when he was younger.


    But the moment he truly spent exploring this city? Never once.


    He generally was in a carriage extremely protected or directly used the gate for his movement. As such, even though he was the one who initiated that date, the one giving the direction was Lilith.


    Lilith wasn''t some introverted queen who thought she was too high to step to themoner level. At least, before bing a queen, she spent much of her time as an adventurer and explored many parts of this city or the world.


    Sol had some experience dating in his past life, but this experience couldn''t bepletely used here. Still, it was enough to not be an embarrassment.


    They mutually decided to omit the shopping part. All their clothes were tailor suited and created with the greatest silk and by the best tailors, the same went for essories and weapons.


    What was left was sightseeing, they quietly walked together, hand in hand, through different parts of the center zone, and admired the different views the city had to offer.


    During all those moments Lilith would tell him an anecdote and he would with a smile, his eyes filled with interest as he silently urged her to continue.


    In her eighteen years and 204 months of her life, since the truth was that all women were eternally eighteen no matter what their age, it was the first time that Lilith felt such a giddy feeling in her chest.


    The way Sol was acting really made her happy. Has a man ever treated her like she was the only one who really mattered in his eyes? Never.


    All those who came close to her always had clearly impure motives. She would never let anyone that could threaten the takeover by Sol in the future.


    "The city seems really peaceful."


    They were now seated on a bench in a park. The shade of the trees in the surrounding protected against the sun and even without that, the currently mild weather gave a pleasant wind that calmed the mind.


    Currently, the two of them were holding little boxes filled with ice cream. It was a creation of Venus, the bloodthirsty Queen, daughter of Pluto 0the peaceful and granddaughter of Jupiter the Conqueror.


    Sol sometimes wondered what kind of title he would receive once he became a king.


    "Indeed. The capital city is really peaceful."


    Lilith agreed with a bitter smile. She hesitated a little before finally closing her mouth. There were so many things she wished to exin about the current situation of the kingdom but now wasn''t the time. It was a date, her first date, no way in hell she would let anyone ruin it.


    "So from what I know, it seemed that each king or queen brought new technology or knowledge or power once they took the throne or during their years before it?"


    Hearing this, Lilith tilted her head.


    "Indeed, and you aren''t any different. Though the ideas you had, for now, are more about fashion, like your father."


    Sol remembered the clothing design of the maid as well as their underwear and swimsuits and coughed lightly.


    "For example, the first king brought totally new tactics of war, he even wrote a book called the art of war, his most popr sentence was, if you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not to fear the result of a hundred battles."


    "*Cough* *Cough* Seriously? Howe I never heard that?"


    "It isn''t something particrly circted, even more so since he lost so horribly before dying. His son, the peaceful king, was a politician of renown, hepletely changed the dry and clumsy political system of Lustburg, who at that time was still a fledgling kingdom who was surrounded by enemies. As for Venus, she developed many types of sweets such as ice cream, chocte and so. This boosted incredibly our economy."


    Cold sweat gathered on Sol back.


    ''Were all the previous kings and queens originally from my world?''


    One or two times could be called a coincidence, but 9 times? That was pushing it.


    He shivered at the thought of his future son being in reality the reincarnation of some 40 years old Otaku dude or worse! His daughter¨Cbeing the reincarnation of some 40 years old Otaku dude.


    p ''Seems like I really need to discuss with the goddessester.''</anda>


    Discarding those disturbing and, seeing as he was himself reincarnated, rather hypocritical thoughts, he put back his attention to Lilith.


    So far the date seemed to go well, he had managed to see more of this world, who was weirdly more developed than it thought thanks to what was known as magitek.


    Magitek was a form of using magic by imbuing the effects of a spell in a device. It wasn''t anyone could do without years upon years of research. In this kingdom, the only one specializing in magitek were witches, making the Walpurgisnacht one of the richest organizations in the whole world, their only concurrent being the dwarves and the angels.


    Monopoly was truly a scary thing.


    "Well, let''s continue our date."


    They decided to leave the central zone and walk toward the South zone.


    -----


    The capital of Lustburg was divided into five zones.


    The central zone was where the tower of Babel and the church were ced.


    As for the South zone? It was the ''territory'' of the Mris family, under the Duchess Mris.


    Her true name was Arachne Mris. She was more known as the crazy ck widow.


    The Mris family was without a doubt the richest one after the royal family and the church. The simple reason for that was that the Mris duchy was full of mines, rivers, and forests. Basically, it was the duchy with the most natural resources and was also connected to Wratharis and southern pride.


    This sadly also meant that her duchy was the first line of defense in times of war against those two countries. You could say that this was both the best and worst territory.


    Reflecting on the wealth of the Mris family, the zone under their control in the capital was the wealthiest and most active. It was generally the zone tourists were advised to visit if they wanted to buy many interesting goods.<sub> </sub>


    ---


    "Wee to our establishment!"


    The first step of their visit was a restaurant. The sun was already high in the sky and a simple ice cream wasn''t enough to satiate a powerful warrior like Lilith and a hybrid like Sol.


    The restaurant was rather rustic and the customers already present were quite rowdy, but neither Sol nor Lilith minded, Lilith already lived as an adventurer long ago and Sol was initially amoner in hisst life.


    Choosing a ce in the corner they sat and waited for a waitress to take theirmands.


    Seating like that and observing the other people present, Sol felt once again that this world was weird.


    He didn''t know how to exin it, but it was like someone had mashed different cultures and different time-line from his world into one.


    For example, the style of Lustburg kingdom seemed to be close to Roman or Greek. What''s more, the clothes Lilith usually wore were clearly of Chinese origin while the official clothes he wore gave a French or English noble feel.


    This also reflected on the style of clothes themoners were currently wearing. If he had to give an example, the majority seemed to follow the style of worn during the renaissance meanwhile he would see some of them wearing a leather mini skirt and shirt.


    It was honestly very confusing. But it wasn''t really something he could ask. Since it seemed to be themon sense of this world.


    "Here! Hot and delicious. The chef even added an extra service for the couple. I hope you will like it."


    The waitress came back while holding two tes. Sol hadmanded some braised chicken with a little bit of rice and Lilith had just asked for a bit of wine as well as a chicken and some chips.


    This was another thing that surprised Sol at the start. The culinary culture was surprisingly developed, some of the restaurants could even be called fast-food with the type of food they made.


    Sol smiled at the mention of them looking like a couple and didn''t try to correct her. As for Lilith, while she had been a little flustered when Sol confessed to her, she was still a mature and adult woman. Rather than denying in a flustered way, it was better to simply ignore it and smile.


    The food was rather tasty and the two of them began to eat in silence.


    "So, I have heard that tomorrow the prince is finally going to show himself."


    "Indeed. His fifteen birthday is close so he needs to go through the usual ceremony in the coliseum."


    "Hum, I wonder what he looks like."


    "Well, not really hard to imagine, they all look the same, blonde hairs, blue eyes, and a handsome face."


    "Hahaha! Cheer! Indeed they all look the same!! Boy a new beer for my friend!"


    Sol smiled bitterly as he heard the conversation between the people in the restaurant. They weren''t talking particrly loud, but having super hearing wasn''t easy.


    From what he knew, not just him and the Lustburg kings, but all the kings of all the seven kingdoms had the same features. Blue eyes and golden hair, the same went for the supreme daughters.


    This feature was supposed to represent the blessing of the goddesses and were a reference to the blue sky and the yellow sun. But still¨Che couldn''t help but think that they would be Hitler''s wet dream if they were to be all present in the same room.


    "Still, what kind of prince do you think he is? I think that dame Lilith should stay on the throne. We know nothing about him after all."


    "Shhh! Are you tired of having your head on your shoulder?"


    "No worries. Even if we are caught we aren''t doing anything wrong. I don''t think we would be hanged for something like that. Hell, we aren''t important enough to be hanged because of our opinion."


    "Still be careful with what you say. Though I am with you on that, from what I knew, at his age king Mars was already known throughout the kingdom, meanwhile, the current prince does not seem to be very active."


    "I have heard that he can''t manipte mana and that''s why he does not show himself."


    "I have heard that it''s because the queen wants to control the power that he never showed himself. If it wasn''t because of the ceremony he would still be hidden."


    "Then, we will have another puppet king like King Neptune?"


    "What does it matter who the king is? As long as we get to eat and we are protected I wouldn''t care if even the nobles usurp the power once again."


    Different murmurs of the kind were going through the pub. Most were about the mysterious prince and others were about his talent or his ability to govern.


    To be honest, it was a little upsetting, but this once again showed a truth to Sol.


    ''Why should I sacrifice myself for people who do not care about me?''


    Perhaps the mentality of Mars would stay the greatest mystery for Sol. Sometimes he wished he could ask Mars himself.


    ''Hey, father of mine, what did you think as you were losing your life for this world? What were yourst words? Did you feel regret? Happiness? I am really curious.''


    Lilith on the other hand, even though not gifted with the same ears as Sol, could already more or less guess the subject of discussion.


    Finishing her food and seeing that Sol was also finished, she called the waitress and paid with a rather generous tip, to the delight of the waitress.


    Once they were finally out of the restaurant, Lilith took Sol''s hand and began to walk away.


    "Where are we going?"


    "Somewhere interesting."

 Chapter 50 CH 45: NOT SO SWEET

    Leaving the south zone, they entered the North one. They werepletely opposite and quite far apart, butpared to his hell training, walking such a long way was just rxing.


    The north zone was under Duke Hignd. The Duke was directly responsible of the army as well as the highest-ranked soldier.


    If the zone under the Mris family was full of stores, restaurants, and others such things, the zone under Hignd was calmer and sparsely popted. The atmosphere felt more deary and full of solemnity.


    This was the zone where different martial art schools could be found.


    All the humans could awaken to mana once they reached 15 years old. But only 10% of them could have a capacity high enough to make a contract with a rank E magical being and if they were lucky to obtain an element could they use magic. Only 1 out of 100 people could make a contract with a D rank magical being.


    In short, 99% of the human poption was unable to use magic. The fact that even a queen like Lilith was unable to do so showed how rare they were. Though Lilith and her daughter were an oddity in themselves.


    Looking at the different dojo on their way, Sol couldn''t help but feel his hand itch a little.


    Since the day he awakened, the only one he fought against was Lilith and it frankly wasn''t pleasant. Before that, the sole sparring partner had been Setsuna.


    "You will be able to fight all you want tomorrow. For now, let''s continue. I didn''t want to do it today since it''s a rare asion, but I guess it''s necessary."


    They continued to walk a little until finally, stopping in front of a veryrge terrain.


    Sol''s eyes opened wide at that because it was


    "A cemetery."


    A hill, arge stretch of green filled with tombstones, and at the highest ce, a ck monolith in the shape of arge pir.


    ¡°People get old and get hurt. When they¡¯re tired they copse. Eventually, everyone reaches their limit. Whether it be an adventurer or a hero. Even if he doesn¡¯t die. These days won¡¯tst forever.¡±


    Lilith spoke with a slight mncholia in her voice as she walked in the cemetery, Sol in tow behind her.


    The first he remarked was how the air felt different the moment he went through the door.


    Then, the hundreds of tombstones suddenly changed into thousands or even ten thousand. what''s more the monolith that seemed so close seemed so far now.


    "So you felt it. This ce was created by Jupiter. More precisely, Jupiter used his connection with the witches to create this ce. Through space maniption, the interior of the cemetery is hundreds of timesrger than it seems and through time magic even the oldest of the tombstones still seems new and pristine."


    "I see¡­ So whye here?"


    Lilith stopped in front of one particr tombstone. On it the word, <<Here rest one of the greatest general Tarrik Luxuria.>>


    ''Luxuria?''


    "In the capital, we have three special cemeteries. The first one is the one that houses all the kings, the second one house all the supreme daughters, and the final one¨Cthis one, houses all the dead soldiers, noble and members of the royal family with the highest merit dead during wars and the members of the royal family¨Cwhen I die, this will be my final ce."


    Sol didn''t like the way she phrased herst sentence. A bad feeling filled his mind but he decided to not interrupt her.


    She then pointed at the monolith. "Those who have their names there are the individuals who paid the highest price for the kingdom. They are recognized as heroes and the members of their family are assured to live in luxury without having to work for at least three generations."


    With his eyesight, it was easy for Sol to see the name inscribed on the monolith. That''s why he recognized the two highest ones.


    <<Mars Luxuria>>


    <<ze Dragna Luxuria>>


    "My parents."


    "Indeed."


    Silence settled between the two as the fresh breeze blew in their face. Finally, after a short minute of silence, Sol asked.


    "Why bring me here?"


    Lilith didn''t answer directly, as she closed her eyes before for a short while.


    "Sol, it has now been more than a decade since I took you under my wings. Tomorrow, under the eyes of all the citizens, you will officially be an adult and will be capable of flying by yourself."


    She smiled bitterly at that. "I wasn''t the greatest parent. Because of my own problems, I pushed my daughter too much and made her flee. The same went for you. I always kept a certain distance from you. This had made our rtionship rather strained in many ways. So, today I decided to act like the parent I should have been and give you somest advice."


    Another bad premonition filled Sol''s mind.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Don''t mind the small details."<sub> </sub>


    Arge smile formed on her face as she faced Sol, "Let''s reach the monolith first."


    Then, without waiting for him to answer, she began to walk away.


    ----


    Up close, the monolith was incrediblyrge and tall. It easily reached a height of four meters.


    What struck him the most, was the hundred of name marked on it.


    "During the long history of our kingdom, we had many dangerous situations and many people sacrificed themselves to assure that we would continue to prosper. Now Sol¨Clet me ask you the most important question. Something I should have done long ago but had always pushed back."


    He tilted his head in confusion.


    "During all your life, I had burdened you with many expectations, many dreams, and many obligations. I had forced you to train for as long as you remember and I forced you to crame different knowledge in your head. But, I just realized that by doing so I was just acting like my father and like all the king before me. So I want to ask you, here and right now, Sol Dragna Luxuria¨CAre you ready?"


    ''Am I ready?''


    "I had wished that youring into power would be in a peaceful era, but it wasn''t to be done. Soon, we will go to war against Wratharis. No matter what the oue, we will be pulled into a spiral of problems. War, diplomatic issues, internal issues. There are so many problems we will have to face. In those turbulent times, new heroes will abound. Some of them will shine will others would fall. I¨Cdo not wish for you to be one of those who fall. So here and now I am asking once again."


    With eyes more serious than anything, she repeated with a low voice," Are you ready? Are you ready to fight for your kingdom? Are you ready to brave the tumultuous time ahead of us? Are you ready to direct your soldiers to face the enemies who are threatening our safety?"


    She took a deep breath as she continued, "To be honest, Wratharis is our greatest enemy. Since the founding of the kingdom and the death of our first king, Jupiter, against them, the two kingdoms fought and fought, from simple skirmishes to full-scale war. Each of them, extremely violent and extremely extensive in casualties. We have been fighting for so long that we even forgot why we fought in the first ce. As such, you must be ready."


    Generally, it was the moment where he should have affirmed his resolve. He should have patted his chest and assured her that everything would be alright.


    But he didn''t do it. Sol wasn''t the bragging type. He would never presume of his capacity or his knowledge.


    What did he know about war? He never even killed a person with his own hand and he wasn''t conceited enough to think that reading a few books about strategy would make him a genius.


    What did he know about running a kingdom? Quite a bit to be honest but, he knew that at the end of the day, theory was never enough. And more than anything,


    "Am I even suited to be king?"


    This time it was Lilith''s turn to be surprised by this sudden question.


    "During the ritual, I discussed with luxuria and shepared me to all the previous kings before me."


    He asked wit a little smile full of gravity,


    "Say¡­ Do you think¡­ that I should really be king? I remember the words of goddess Luxuria. A king is a father for the nation. Someone who abandons his own self and only thinks and acts for kingdom''s sake. Using everything he can use and discarding everything he should. But¡­ if I had to choose between the kingdom or you guys, I would undoubtedly choose you. I am not like my father. So¡­ Do you still think I am fit to be a king? If I were to be a king, I would be a very selfish one."


    Lilith was a little dumbfounded before finally exploding inugher, the sound she made was like that of beautiful singer bells.


    ¡°So what If you are selfish? Isn¡¯t changing yourself the same as running away? Why can¡¯t you just ept who you are?¡±


    "But, don''t you want me to be like my father? A great hero appreciated and respected by the mass?"


    Lilith didn''t deny this. She truly saw in Sol the seconding of Mars. But, this wasn''t the subject right now.


    ¡°Do you know what is the difference between a naive fool and a hero of justice?" She clenched her fist, a fierce expression on her face. "It''s their strength. The first requirement of being a hero isn¡¯t being right. It¡¯s being strong. That¡¯s why the hero always wins.¡±


    "As crude as it may be to say that, what made your father a hero wasn''t his lofty but naive ideal, neither was it his gentleness. But it was his strength. No matter what, no matter how, there was only one truth. Your father was the strongest and as such he was the representative of Justice. This is the sad truth of this world."


    She sighed,


    "Sol, there''s no one born with the quality to be a king and there''s nothing wrong with being selfish. What matters is how strong you are. On the day of my awakening, I was deemed as nothing more than a stain to the royal family name. A girl with absolutely no talent aside from her beauty and whose sole goal in life would be to give birth to more children of royal blood. But now, people praise me and call me the representative of all mana users. Why? Because I am strong."


    "You say that you want to protect us? That you only want happiness for your loved ones? Alright. But, be it me, Edea or Camelia, we all stand near the pinnacle of this world. Anything that can threaten us would be a mortal danger for you. So you need to be strong. Stronger than anyone else. Stronger than us, stronger than your father. Then, even if you are the most selfish king ever, people will still praise you as the best king ever."


    As she said this, she walked toward Sol and took him in her arms.


    "Sol, a parent''s duty is to guide the children. Do not take my words today as an absolute truth. They are nothing more than the way I decided to follow after many struggles. But, you are not me."


    "Sol, my dear child. Your life will be full of struggle and you will live through many things some will be good and others will be sad. But, no matter what, never give up, never look back, always stand up and one day, you will find the answer that fits you the most."


    ----


    Many yearster, Sol would remember this day with a slight smile. Until that moment, many things made him understand the importance of power, but those words said under the shade of the heroes'' monolith were something he never forgot.


    It was the moment the path he was destined to walk stopped being foggy in his mind. The day he made his greatest resolution.

 Chapter 51 CH 46: DAILY LIFE OF A MAID

    (AN: This chapter was asked by the *******. These events happen just one day before Sol awakened his core or two days after Sol took Camelia¡¯s virginity.)


    "Head maid, the breakfast is ready to be served."


    "I see. I hope you avoided the things his highness did not like."


    "Of course."


    "Head maid, what about her majesty¡¯s breakfast?"


    "Do as always. She isn''t picky."


    The maids snickered at the obvious difference in way she was acting. Despite that, none of them were particrly surprised. It wasn''t the first time and it has been for more than ten years.


    "Head maid, his highness is awake and is about to take a bath."


    "Was the temperature set to ideal?"


    "Yes."


    "Who is the one on service today?"


    "Two of the newbie and one who already served for about two years."


    "Any of them already received His highness favors?"


    The maid frowned as she took a notebook before checking the name.


    "One of the newbies was part of a previous rotation and already received his favor. The other two did not."


    One of the maids blushed heavily. Clearly, she was the one who already received the favor. The other two weren''t better, anticipation could be seen in their eyes.


    "I see. Prepare the contraceptive and make sure they drink it before and after. Only if his highness clearly states that they are allowed to have children should they stop?"


    "Roger!"


    After that, she beckoned three Catwoman maids who wore different clothes than the rest. Rather than just normal frilly clothes, they also had arm guards and leg protectors as well as a Halbert in their hands.


    "You two, what is the schedule for her majesty today?"


    "A conference with some of the nobles about the rampage of bandits and another one with the dignitaries of the church about the temporary new leader at noon. In the afternoon a meeting with the Duke Hignd and at night one banquet with the duchess."


    "Very well, you two will serve as guards for today. You will also test all the food during the banquet. I will call a squad that will help prepare it. Everything must. Be. Perfect! Any mistakes will be punished with your sry immediately halved and a grave mistake will result in being fired."


    She then turned toward thest one, "As for you, Setsuna is bing cranky because his highness doesn''t train with hertely. You are today''s sacrifice."


    The maid that was pointed paled, "But¨C"


    But a hand was ced on her shoulder as she was looked at with a sad expression, "Sorry, your sacrifice will not be forgotten. Your answer?"


    Downcast, her ears and tail drooping down, she sighed, "Understood."


    The two other cat women sighed in relief as they patted their rather small chest. Currently, Setsuna was on the verge of going berserk. Even though she didn''t use her horns, few of the battle maids could hold a candle to her.


    "Well, now that it''s done¡­ I need to go do some grocery."


    The three of them tilted their heads. As the head maid, Milia did not need to do any chores aside from directing them. Still, they didn''t bother arguing. This was an old habit of Milia as she always personally chose the ingredients for his highness dinner.


    ----


    Being a maid wasn''t easy. Being the head maid-was headache-inducing.


    The number of maids present in the tower was about five hundred. There was no male in the tower of babel so all the servants were women from 15 to 40 years old.


    Each maid was carefully screened. Different characteristics such a loyalty, clean background, good personality, beautiful appearance, and the ability to serve were necessary.


    Even after they became maids, they wouldn''t be allowed to approach members of the royal family before at least having worked for three years and umted enough experience.


    A servant wasn''t just someone used to work. A servant represented the face of the one they served. The mistake of the servant was the mistake of the master.


    What''s more, they had to be careful about spies, assassins, or seductresses sent by the nobles'' families.


    Of course, as the head maid, Milia had to work on all of that. She didn''t refuse all the bad seeds. Sometimes she epted bad maids only to fire themter just to show the good ones how lucky they were.


    She also allowed some of the seductresses and spies of the nobles family to give them the illusion they were getting some information on the royal family.


    Of course as for the assassin¨Ctheir destiny didn''t need to be exined. Milia was many things, but she wasn''t forgiving. Anyone trying to hurt Sol was just a target that should be exterminated in the swiftest way possible.


    ----


    Walking outside of the tower with a basket in her arms, she gently hummed as she reached the main street of the za. She wasn''t wearing her maid clothes but rather a simplerge white robe that hides all her curves. Her usual working clothes showed too much skin and she refused to let anyone aside from Sol see her like that.


    This order was also given to all maids. They could walk as scantily d as they wished in the tower but they had to wear demure clothes once outside. In her mind, absolutely all the women in the tower belonged to her master. Even if he never touched them.


    All the maids chosen were virgins and they were forbidden from any rtionship while in service. Of course, she wasn''t a dictator. If any maid wished to enter into rtionships, she just had to leave their service. Of course, they would never have the asion to serve again in the castle.


    She ignored the wide berth people were giving her. In the past, many ignorant men had tried to ost her. Now though, they understood that she wasn''t someone they could mess with.


    The atmosphere in the market was bustling, people screaming, and calling to their shop, old women discussing and dissing younger women, younger women were scoffing at the dissing of the older one, pickpockets were trying to steal, and pervert tried to cop a feel.


    It has already been about 2 hours since she went out, from her calctions, Sol should have finished his bath and exercise before taking his breakfast.<sub> </sub>


    Her basket was already filled to the brim and she didn''t find anything else.


    Walking back toward the tower, she stopped at a rather normal looking shop. It was a jewelry one.


    "Hello! What can I do for you?"


    In the jewelry, an old middle-aged man with a potbelly waved with enthusiasm the moment she entered.


    "I wish to see your boss."


    "I am the boss."


    "You wish."


    Saying so, she ignored him and entered deeper before slowly vanishing. All this while, the smile of the shopkeeper never wavered.


    ----


    Milia appeared one hourter, in the same ce she previously vanished, and went out of the building without paying attention to anyone. Her expression, stoic, and unchanged.


    ---


    The rest of the day went past as she busied herself for the different reception and conference as well as the banquet.


    Thanks to her directing, the banquet was a smashing sess, and the duchess left happily.


    Milia of course knew what they discussed about, and while she didn''t really approve, she knew it was necessary to help Sol reach the perfection he was destined to aplish.


    She did not doubt that Sol would reach the summit of this world. Her role as a maid was always to stay at his side and support him while observing his rise and protecting him from the darkness that tried to stab him in the back.


    She was his shadow. He was her light. He was her life. He was her everything. Her devotion to him was unparalleled.


    The maid quarter was extremelyrge. Newbies lived in dormitories. Acknowledged maids lived in room for four, senior maids in room for two. As for her, she had her own room separated from all the quarters and closer to Sol''s room so that she could answer to his call at any moment in the fastest way.


    As she went back to her room, her heart was beating in joy, and her body was brimming with energy.


    Of course, working from dawn to nearly midnight was hard. However, no exhaustion was bothering Milia. On the contrary, she couldn¡¯t be more awake. She was like a young girl who discovered her first love.


    After all, she was working for the sake of her beloved lord.


    ¡°Fufufu~!¡± A smile broke out on her face.


    She knew that if someone else spotted her now, things would getplicated. As the head maid, she had to always show dignity and inspire respect in her subordinates. She should never show them her slovenly appearance. But, she couldn¡¯t stop her cheeks from rxing.


    Finally reaching the door of her room, she injected a bit of her mana in the lock before the door finally opened. There was no way she would use something as simple as a key to protecting her privacy. After all, she knew that if anyone saw what was hidden in her room, she might lose her job as a maid and even herpanion in the crown''s shadow would look at her weirdly.


    Of course, the inside was pitch ck. When Milia used a bit of her magical power, the magical lights in the room went on, illuminating the area. In front of her stood¨CSol.


    However, it wasn¡¯t just any Sol. It was a Sol that had been created by her, a life-sized statue created thanks to her high mastery of earth magic. If you took a closer look, you could see that it was a statue, but at a distance like this, it greatly resembled the person in question. And, there wasn¡¯t just one. Around 10 of these Sol stood scattered in this ratherrge room, giving the impression that the room was smaller than it should.


    ¡°I¡¯m back, Sol.¡± Milia greeted the statue with a smile.


    But, if she only greeted this one, then the others might be sulking, so she greeted every single other statue.


    ¡°I¡¯m back, Sol.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m back, Sol.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m back, Sol.¡±


    She repeated this process for the other statues and showed a satisfied smile. Not even bothering to take off her maid uniform, she just copsed on the bed, tightly embraced her miniature plush dolls made to look like Sol, and filled with some of his hair.


    She looked up at her ceiling and meets eye with the painting of Sol holding a sword and wearing a golden armor.


    p Sleeping and waking up in this world filled with the person she loved, always motivated to give it her best for the day.</anda>


    This room was filled with her beloved Sol. The plushy, painting, and statues aside, her nket was made from Sol¡¯s old clothes. Her drawer was filled with Sol underwear. She also had his sweat-soaked training gear.


    She possessed hundreds of goods rted to Sol. This scenery would surely be enough to gross out the person in question, but Milia had no ns of ever inviting him over in her room, so there was no problem. And if the impossible were to happen, she was prepared to beg for forgiveness and cut her belly in suicide.


    "Fufufu~!Ahhh¡­ Sol¡­ you¡¯re as dignified as always¡­ Even today, I cannot get enough of you¡­¡±


    Recalling his dashing figure as he entered Edea''s world for the preparation of his core awakening, her hand slithered to her crotch as her breathing grew heavier as her arousal increased.


    She was losing herself. She knew herself that she could never show these feelings, no it was shameful to even hold such extreme feelings in the first ce, but she couldn¡¯t hold them back.


    Her finger finally found her already drenched slit and she began tofort her. She hadn''t been able to receive affection from Sol today but it wasn''t a problem. She knew that it was necessary for him to not be distracted.


    "Sol...Sol¡­Sol."


    The movement of her hand progressively increased as her voice became more shrill. Until finally.


    "....!"


    Her body stiffened as she silently climaxed. Before she rxed and sighed in relief. It was nothingpared to what she feels while doing the deed with him, but it was enough to calm her aching body.


    Discarding her clothes and deciding to simply wash herselfter, Milia closed her eyes blissfully in her world filled with her beloved.

 Chapter 52 CH 47: WORRYING AND SHADOW

    Under the darkness of his room, Solid on his bed, eyes open.


    After the rather heavy discussion, none of them were particrly interested in continuing the date so they decided to go back, each of them heavy with their own thoughts.


    "Well, agonizing is useless. I need to pay attention to tomorrow. But¨C"


    He didn''t really need any more preparation for tomorrow''s fight in the coliseum. Of course, he could have entered Edea''s world but it wouldn''t have helped much. He needed to rx. He needed to rest.


    Rousing from his bed, he walked out of his bedroom and began to walk toward the maid quarters. More precisely, Milia''s room. He needed her help to alleviate the suspicions he had.


    The maid quarters were at the west of therge floor dedicated to Sol. Reaching it, he turned a little and finally reached the door of Milia''s room.


    ''Now that I think about it, I have never entered her room.''


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    "Milia. It''s Sol. I need to talk to you."


    "Yo-you''re highness! Kya!"


    *Crash* *Bang*


    "Milia! What happened!?"


    He tried to open the door but was surprised to find it locked.


    "Wai-wait! your highness! Everything is alright! Do not force open the lock!"


    Hearing the begging in her voice, Sol hesitated a little before ultimately not forcing his way. Everyone had right to his or her own privacy. Even if said person was his lover.


    The ruckus in her room continued, with his acute hearing he could even hear her cursing.


    ''Just how full of bazaar her bedroom is?''


    He waited like that for 5 minutes before the door slowly opened to a Milia wearing her nightgown. Her breathing rough and her face a little pale as if she had done some great sacrifice.


    "Haha~! Your highness. What brings you to this poor maid room at this time of the night?"


    "..." He opened his mouth to ask, before finally closing it. "Forget it. I am not interested in what you are doing in your room."


    He could practically see relief oozing from Milia at those words. This made him even more curious, but his instincts were screaming at him to let the matter be and he liked to believe in his newly acquired instinct.


    "Well, discussing in the hallway is slightly problematic. Let''s go back to my room then."


    "Your highness?"


    Feeling the somber tones in Sol''s voice, Milia gradually calmed down and asked with worry.


    "Well, it''s about my aunt¡­"


    Sol clenched his fists. He wasn''t the smartest alive, but he believed that one shouldn''t discard any worrying signaling from someone close to them. The discussion with Lilith didn''t just bring him a new outlook on life, but also basically screamed death g at him. It was like thest will of a person ready to die.


    Sol didn''t believe in coincidence and he refused to leave the god to throw the dice. He would rather act first in preparation for anything that could happen. Even if in the end it was just a false rm, it was better to be safe than sorry.


    The reason he chose Milia was that she was the leader of the greatest dark organization of the kingdom, one seemingly entirely dedicated to the king. She was also one of his most trusted aid.


    ------


    While Sol was busy worrying about Lilith''s tendency, the shadows were moving in the kingdom. Each busy acting for their own interests.<sub> </sub>


    The next day would be the day the crown prince was revealed to the capital and officially to the world. Everything would be captured and recorded. His appearance, the way he acted, the way he thought, his talent, his actual strength. Everything would be judged inwardly both by the citizens and the nobles.


    Of course, as long as another blessed didn''t appear, no one could take the throne from Sol. But, there were many ways to destroy the power of a king. A king could never reign without the support of his nobles.


    ----


    "Take this."


    Arge pouch full of coins was thrown on the table in a room illuminated by just a mana fueledmp. A low-ss magitek gadget that was rather easily disseminated through the kingdom.


    "What does it mean?"


    The bearded man seated observed the pouch without moving to take it as he observed the ck-clothed man in front of him.


    "Hundred Gold lust coins."


    The bearded man breathed sharply, the scar on his face wriggling as he tried to control his jaw from hanging open.


    Lust coins were the currency of Lustburg.


    The coins were divided into, copper, silver, gold, and tinum.


    Each country had its own currency, but they all answered to the same rules. 100 copper for one silver. 100 silver for one gold and 100 golds for one tinum. One silver coin was enough for amoner family to live for a few months without worry.


    Calcting in his head, the man gulped before asking with trepidation.


    "What do you want me to do?"


    "Not much. Tomorrow during the test against the prince¨Cdon''t hold back."


    The man immediately felt all the hair on his body stand in fright. He also knew that depending on his answer, he would either walk away with the money or never walk out of this room alive.


    "Do not worry. I am not asking you to kill him or anything. But, we just need the prince disy to be catastrophic. So, rather than probing him like it''s done each generation, I want you to go all out and make him appear as miserable as possible."


    The diator closed his eyes. He was in no way stupid. He knew that while what he was asked to do seemed simple, it was in reality something riddled with danger. How could the royal family be casually disgraced?


    Finally, Clenching his teeth, he finally asked, "I am the only one involved?"


    "Of course not. Aside from the queen of diator, pretty much all those who were scheduled for the ceremony were given a price. Of course, we aren''t dictator. Those who refused¨Cwere simply given the asion to visit the astral Nethends ahead of their time."


    The diator gulped at the naked threat. Sighing, he finally opened his eyes and asked.


    "But what if the prince is strong enough to not be embarrassed?"


    The ck-clothed scoffed, "Prince or not, he is just a non-awakened kid. Even if by some miracle, he really awakened before the ceremony, he would still be a newly awakened with no practical training nor contract. What do you have to fear? Now, your answer?"


    "I¡­ept."


    He would simply act as he was told and flee from the capital once he was done. Hundred GLC were enough for him to live for a few years.


    "d to have you."


    ----


    During this night, many scenes of the like were urring all the other the capital. It was clear that it was an operation of great undertaking and anyone having his hand behind it was without a doubt someone rather high ced.


    How will this turn out? The answer would be clear to all at the end of the day.

 Chapter 53 CH 48: POLITIC IS TRULY A PAIN

    "Your highness, are you sure you won''t regret it?"


    Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Sol smiled a little.


    His current appearance was different from his usual one. All his life, Sol had always been told how much he looked like his father. He couldn''t do much for his facial features, but some little changes, such as his hair.


    Until now, Sol always kept his hair long. At least until waist length. He had to admit that it was the chuunibyou in him speaking back then and he still liked it. But, a change was necessary. If he wanted people to stopparing him to his father, he had to at least look different from his father.


    "Your highness?"


    "Sorry, I was spacing out, and no¨CI won''t regret it. And¨CI look really good right now, don''t I?"


    "Oh, my!"


    Milia felt her heart pierced by a giant arrow at the hundred-megawatt smile Sol just sent to her.


    She had to admit, Sol with short hair had a real new type of charm.


    "Your highness was already incredibly handsome. Now though, you have a different type of smile. More like a bad boy. Fufufu~!"


    ''Fufufu~! And I also got his hair for my new collection!''


    Sol, unaware of the disturbing thought she had, smiled back at her. The light of dawn was alreadying and soon he would have to appear for the first time under the eyes of his future citizens.


    "Well, help me wear my armor."


    ----


    Wearing armor was rather tedious, but he had to admit that he was incredibly dashing in his armor. His current look made him feel like he was Saber from fate''s prototype.


    Short golden hair, blue eyes, a silver te armor on the upper part of his body over gold and blue tunique.


    In this world where people can destroy rock with their bare hands, one would wonder about the use of an armor. Well, not really that useful. At least not if they aren''t specifically made magic armor made of dwarves steel.


    This armor by itself was already rather strong and shock absorbent. It could adjust to the body so no matter what form he took the armor would stay. Finally, it was extremely mana conductive.


    In short, it was the kind of privilege only the rich could afford and as the crown prince. Sol couldck anything but money.


    On the side, Milia could be seen holding a tissue under her nose as she gave a thumbs up. The tissue, slightly wet with blood.


    "Your highness is perfect!!"


    "Hahaha~! Thanks. Well, it''s time to go I guess. We shouldn''t let my aunt wait."


    ----


    There was no gate between the tower and the coliseum. The fact was that gate were always two ways. Allowing a special gate from the Tower to the coliseum meant that the opposite direction was possible. The fact that the tower was connected to the church was only possible because of their rtionship.


    As such, it was in a luxurious carriage, carried by four white nightmare horses. It was scheduled for Sol toe back on his own nightmare horse once the ceremony and the fight ended. It was a sort of demonstration, to show that even after fighting, the future king could still run on horseback.


    In the carriage, the atmosphere was rtively silent. Only, Sol, Lilith, and Milia were present. The battle maids were surrounding the carriage while on their own horse. Everyone knew that Lilith was strong enough to protect herself, but the protocol was protocol.<sub> </sub>


    As she felt that they were drawing closer to their destination, Milia finally began to speak


    "Your highness, your majesty, since we are nearing, I think it''s time to discuss the schedule onest time."


    Lilith and Sol nodded for her to continue.


    "As the tradition asks for, The fight in the coliseum should happen before and the awakening. Before the awakening, the crown prince must fight at least ten times in rows and win. After his awakening, he must fight the king or queen of the coliseum. In this case, though he isn''t expected to win he must make a worthy disy."


    Sol understood the necessity of such a situation. It was to curb arrogance in the prince.


    The first ten fights would generally be done against low ranked diators who could barely cover their bodies in mana. The diators are also expected to take it easy. This is more like a show and a way for the prince to use his skills against different types of adversaries.


    But the fight against the king or queen of the coliseum is supposed to be a beat down. By losing against a more experienced fighter, the crown prince or princess learns his ce in the world and has a target to strive for.


    "Still, this time is a little special. Like his previous majesty, His highness awakened early on. As such the two segments will be connected and modified. His highness will have to fight five high-rank diators and then fight the queen of the coliseum."


    Saying so, Milia couldn''t help but be a little worried. She didn''t know why Lilith insisted so much for Sol to fight in such a situation.


    But, she also didn''t know how much growth Sol went through, so she did not insist. At least she wouldn''t have to take care of the pest that was bought to act against her prince.


    "I see. Then after my fight what will happen?"


    "The ceremony will begin with a speech of her majesty, then we will have a disy of flights done by elites soldiers on their wyverns. Once done, we will allow people to fight and defy different diators or diators to fight each other. Then, his highness will select five diators who will fight against him. Each fight will have a time limit of 20 minutes. The fight against the queen will have a time limit of 45 minutes. If no winner appears before the time limit it will be considered a draw. Finally, once thest fight end, the ceremony will be closed by a speech of his highness."


    Frowning a little, she continued,


    "This evening, you must begin your visit in the four Duke families and pass one night in each of their homes. Once this is done, the official opening of the Astral realm will begin and his highness, as well as the different young nobles who just became fifteen years old like his highness, will go through the portal and search for their future partners."


    This time she smiled, she knew of the Saint fall and the events behind it. As such, she knew that if he was able to¨Cno, once he seeded in passing the goddess trial, he will be assured to make a contract with a special S rank being like his own mother, ze.


    "During his highness stay in the Duke houses, a seven days festival will be underway. At the end of it, his highness will be asked to disy his contracts."


    Solined a little, "This is so tedious. I already feel like sleeping just listening to you. Well,ining won''t change anything. Which house will I first visit?"


    This time it was Lilith who answered, "The first one must be hignds and the third one Mris. For the other two, decide as you wish."


    Tilting his head, he asked, ¡°Is there a reason?"


    "Hignd, before bing Duke, was a general under your father during the wars against Wratharis, Envilya, and Gluttony. What''s more, you might have forgotten, but Gerald is also a member of the Hignd family. More precisely an elder. Going first to their home is a sign of goodwill. In cruder terms, it''s a matter of face. As for Mris, we stuck a deal for her to not be thest house. I will exin it to you before you go visit the Hignd. I think it''s time for you to be more involved in the ruling of the kingdom now that you will officially be an adult and are able to protect yourself."


    "I see, then, the second house will be Travers. Our rtionship with them is more or less neutral. They only care for money and benefit. Thest one, of course, will be¨CGorfard."


    Sol sighed at this. The Gorfard and the royal family were in a rather awkward and strained rtionship. He had previously asked Milia why they didn''t simply eradicate them.


    Sadly, they couldn''t just erase one of the most powerful families in the kingdom and expect the other to simply ept it. They needed a justification. Basically even when killing, they had to look like the good guy.


    ''Politics is truly a pain.''

 Chapter 54 CH 49: I AM TIRED

    In this world of sword and magic, even though magic tech was somewhat developed in some countries such as Greed dike the country of dwarves, or Slothtein the country of Angels, most people lived mundane life and as such had few ways to amuse themselves aside from fucking and fighting.


    When Lustburg was first created officially after leaving the control of the elves, the king Jupiter was faced with a massive issue.


    They had no attraction.


    Attractions weren''t just a way to bring amusement to the citizens. It was also a way to make them spend as much money as possible and increase the cash-flow of the country.


    That''s when the King had an idea. Creating a special attraction that would not only help the citizens have a source of distraction, increase the cash-flow of the newly created kingdom, and finally train morepetent warriors.


    Thus, the colosseum was created. A ce where ves fought and died by killing each other or by fighting beasts for the joy and pleasure of the citizens.


    Nowadays, thanks to Mars, the diator changed from simple bloody ves fighting for their survival and the amusement of the citizens to veritable stars acimed by the mass.


    If in the past 99% of the diators were ves, now they only counted for about 60% of the diators. The rest being warriors of different countriesing to test their might or receive fame and money.


    It wasn''t all. Once ves reached a certain number of consecutive victories, they could redeem their freedom as long as they weren''t death row criminals ves or war ves.


    Sol, after helping Lilith descend from the carriage, admired the colosseum. As a child, it was one of the few ces he visited regrly. After all, even though death was a possibility, most of the fight stopped after one received a grave wound or was unable to fight anymore.


    ''Frankly, it feels like I was watching wrestling matches.''


    The Colosseum looked like arger version of the Roman Colosseum and could hold more than 100000 people. It was basically asrge as a ser field. On the highest point of the right-wing, the sculpture depicting a man holding a sword and raising it toward the sky could be seen. With his eyesight, Sol could clearly see the words inscribed on it.


    <<Eternal glory to the Conqueror king.>>


    ''Eternal glory my ass.''


    "Your highness, please follow me to the lounge, her majesty must go prepare for her speech."


    "Understood."


    ----


    (An: Hesitating between using, Stadium or Colosseum. Hum..)


    The beautiful voices of the artists resonated through the stadium as the spectators put a hand on their hearts and listened to the song.


    This song was a hymn of glory and a hymn of death.


    This song told the story of how a young man just short of his awakening stood up against the oppression and fought for the Independence of their kingdom.


    It told the story of how he founded the kingdom with his own blood and tear after many sacrifices and finally stood at the pinnacle of the world.


    It told how the king decided to give up on his greatest protection to protect his loved one even though she betrayed him and sealed her in the tower.


    Finally, it told how he died courageously on the battlefield with a smile on his face.


    Listening to this song, Sol, while seated in the highest room couldn''t help but understand once again the meaning of the sentence "Winner writes history."


    For him, it was a disgusting song. Thankfully only Milia was present with him, so he didn''t have to act if.


    "Do not worry your highness. Once this end it will be her majesty turn. It shouldn''tst long."


    He nodded and tuned out the song as he looked at his surroundings. It wasn''t his first time using this room. It was reserved solely for the members of the royal family and as such was beautifully furnished.


    *p* *p* *p*


    He was brought back once he heard the veritable sea of apuse and whistle.


    "Reminds me of one thing. Once I be king, we need to change this hymn."


    "Fufufu~! Understood."


    Smiling back at her, he began to admire the arena where he would soon fight and from where the singers left after finishing their songs.


    Despite howrge it was, and how far from the terrain he was, he had no trouble seeing what was happening, and it wasn''t thanks to his super senses, but rather a beautiful piece of technology.


    Four huge holographic screens floating in the sky and transmitting all the events happening on the ground.


    It was truly a beautiful disy of magical technology and from what he knew this was just some discarded toy of the angels.


    "Your highness, it''s beginning."


    "Indeed."


    He could see it clearly. Lilith entering from the side and walking toward the center of the stadium. Her gait, slow but steady, was able to capture all the attention of the spectators and bring to a total silence.


    Lilith wasn''t wearing her usually revealing attire, but rather a long blue dress and a silver armor above it. One could say that it was the female version of his current attire.


    Even though he was seeing her through the screen, he couldn''t help but take a deep breath in admiration. He was used to Lilith his aunt. He was also used to Lilith his instructor. But the current Lilith, Lilith the queen was someone he had never really met.


    The moment she reached the center, she stopped and raised her head toward the sky.


    "My dear citizens."


    Her voice immediately reached his ears, making him feel as if she was next to him. It was a beautiful application of mana. Infusing one voice with mana was very dangerous since the vocal cords were rather sensible. It was a true demonstration of skills. Something even master didn''t dare to easily do.


    -----


    Lilith raised her head in the direction of the highest VIP room. The one Sol was in currently.<sub> </sub>


    When she thought about the fact that she had to make a speech, Lilith was a little lost.


    It wasn''t the notion of making a speech. She had been serving as the queen for more than 10 years and was used to it. No, it was rather the content of this speech.


    What could she say?


    Praise the country?


    Praise the old kings?


    Talk about the war?


    Introduce Sol?


    Perhaps none of that?


    Perhaps all of that?


    She didn''t know. She didn''t like not knowing and she hated the feeling of caring less and less.


    She didn''t want to be here.


    She just wanted to sleep. Just to rest a little. But it wasn''t the time yet.


    As such, she had to stand up, no matter how many times it took.


    "My dear citizens."


    Refusing the micro, she infused mana in her voice. It was rather easy for her and it gave her a way to calm herself.


    The feeling of mana coursing through her veins was always a special feeling she would relinquish for nothing.


    "I do not want to make a long discourse and I am sure none of you came here to see me talk about something you have no interest in."


    She decided to use the necessary skill for all politicians which was¨CBullshit.


    "All of you know me as the queen of this beautiful kingdom, even though temporary, this is the duty that was entrusted to me by my beloved brother and I have never hated it."


    Lie. She hated this kingdom for which her brother had to sacrifice to protect. She was also indifferent to most of the citizen. Some night, she wished it was just erased.


    "In all those years, I received an incredible amount of support from all of you and this is something I will never forget."


    Another lie. Those bastards fought her all the way until her coronation. Stupid peasants being manipted by equally stupid nobles.


    "I love this kingdom more than anything and I am willing toy down my life for it."


    Hahaha. As if. The very moment this kingdom showed signs of copse, she would take Sol and her daughter before fleeing from it as fast as possible.


    "But, my time as a queen ising to an end."


    True. She was so happy. She would soony this burden to rest.


    "The one to rece me is someone I care very much for. My nephew, the son of my beloved brother. Sol Dragna Luxuria."


    Sol, Sol, Sol. What a gentle kid he was. She really hoped that he would find his own way in life.


    "My nephew is someone who since as long as I remember, trained to be a king worthy of this kingdom."


    Lie, this was this kingdom who was unworthy of him not the opposite.


    "He is a gentle and kind prince. Someone who would make his father proud. Someone who is making me proud."


    He was the pride of her life. In this life, only her daughter was equal to him.


    "But, no matter how much he trains, training can never be enough to match the real world."


    Oh, she wished she could shelter him from all pains and all tribtions. From all the dangers and ugliness of this world. Sadly she knew it was impossible. But it did not matter. She was sure that he would grow and be an even more splendid man than his father once was.


    "Today, mark the day for him to show the result of his training and to step on a greater stage."


    Indeed, he was destined for a beautiful future.


    "I hope all of you will support him in his endeavors and his growth."


    Please, I don''t ask for much, just don''t stand in his way. That would be more than enough.


    "Today is the day for you to finally meet your future king. But, I will leave the ce to the elite force of the kingdom."


    As if those could really be called elite. Just a bunch of kids who never saw blood and only y make-believe.


    "Then, give a resonating ovation to the protector of the kingdom! That is all."


    Oohhhhh!!!!!!


    Screams and apuds followed her as she left the terrain. In her mind, only one thought kept repeating,


    ''I am so tired of this bullshit.''

 Chapter 55 CH 50: OBSERVATIONS

    "Heh~So this is the queen of humanity? Your mother is truly incredible."


    A brown-haired young woman wearing a tight white shirt as well as white pantsmented with a chuckle. She was observing the heated stats of the colosseum after Lilith''s speech, amusement and amazement clearly visible in her hazel colored eyes.


    Next to her, another person sat while hiding her features with a cloak, strands of purple hair could be seen if looked closely.


    "My mother was always incredible."


    The brown-haired girl didn''t miss the bitterness hidden in those words. She knew that the rtionship between this mother-daughter pair wasn''t best.


    Deciding to steer the discussion away, she continued,


    "Still, why didn''t you show your identity? We could have entered the royal VIP room and you would have finally met your cousins after a long time."


    The purple-haired girl sighed wistfully as she said, "Today is an important day for Sol. I do not wish to be a source of distraction. It would not be toote to meet himter once this ends. Also¨C"


    ''I don''t really want to meet her.''


    The purple-haired girl didn''t continue her words but her friend understood the unsaid words.


    "Well, enough of that. I said that I wished you to understand our ways better. If you really want to be Sol''s advisor, you can''t just use the information found in books. I am pretty sure your race has a rather bad view of us and still see us as some kind of barbarians."


    The Brown-haired girl sighed a little as she nodded, "Indeed. Some of our books call you uncultured apes or hairless baboons. Then again, we even see angels as smart pigeons, beast-kin as crazy beasts, demons as parasites, and Dwarves as greedy midgets. So nothing personal."


    The purple-haired girl had to stop a rather unbingugh from spilling. Though she understood that this wasn''t an exaggeration. After all, elves were the most stuck up and prideful race in this world.


    ----


    Sol pped after Lilith''s discourse and waited for her to reach her ce in the lounge. Once there she sat silently and Sol, understanding that she didn''t want to be disturbed simply congratted and focused once again on the events.


    He had personally asked Milia to ce Lilith under surveince and never leave her sight until the end of the week. Only then will he have the time andposure to face her.


    He still reeled in shock at the revtion that basically 30% of the maid in the tower were direct members of the crown''s shadow. This was truly a dangerous organization with weird beliefs. He trusted Milia and trusted her loyalty to the crown, but the heart was always unpredictable. She was just one out of 5 leaders of one branch of the crown''s shadow. It wouldn''t be weird for there were people with different ambitions.


    ''Sigh, I am not even king yet and I must already worry about controlling a super organization full of spies and assassins.''


    Sighing again, he began to focus.


    ---


    What happened next was a veritable festival. Wyverns were one of the rare but powerful flying-type beast species. All wyverns knights were people specially trained since they were young and who contracted with Wyverns. The second type of war beast were nightmare horses.


    One thing to note was that while wyverns were seemingly rted to dragons, the difference between a wyvern and a dragon was akin to the difference between a chimpanzee and a human.


    Still, as it may, even though dragons looked down on wyverns, dragons looked down on basically all beings. They were the beasts under the sin of pride after all and so it didn''t mean much. Incidentally, pride and Humility were the sins and virtues of the elven kingdom, Southern Pride, truly fitting.


    Sol idly thought as he watched the different demonstration of flying abilities and acrobatics actions as the spectators awed and screamed.


    His mind couldn''t help but wander as he wondered if he could ever fly by himself one day. As an earthling, it wouldn''t be a mistake to say that flying and magic were basically the greatest dreams humans had.


    As such, even though he was technically superior to those wyverns, he really envied their ability to fly as they wished.<sub> </sub>


    This impressive disy of skillssted for a certain moment before finally ending with the knights scattering colored powder from the sky, forming a magnificent and glittering rainbow made out of tens of colors.


    What followed was a short pause filled with music and spectacles as the diators were preparing themselves.


    Meanwhile, in the lounge, silence was king. As they observed all of this with a bored expression. Sol couldn''t help but sigh wistfully at this.


    Once the music stopped, the fights finally began and attracted his attention.


    The diators were mostly humans and beast-kin. Though he could sometimes see a dwarf or a demon.


    "Why are there no elves or angels?"


    He asked, feeling suspicious. It was something he had remarked when he was younger but had never really paid attention to.


    "Most diators are either ves fighting for their freedom or adventurers who wish for fame and wealth."


    It was Lilith who answered from the side, a crystal ss filled with a scarlet wine akin to blood. Taking a sip, she continued,


    "Angels hate and despite useless fighting. They preach that only fights of philosophy and science are the eptable way. Mostly it''s because they are toozy and usually prefer speaking rather than fighting."


    Sol tilted his head at her way of phrasing but nodded nheless for her to continue.


    "As for those stuck up elves-"A sneer of derision settled on her face,"-They would never set foot here without being forced to. They call us barbarians, but they are without a doubt the most brutal of all races. After all, they follow the way of nature."


    ''Then shouldn''t they be peace-loving like angels?''


    Seemingly understanding his confusion, Milia took over, "Your highness, most of what you learn from books about elves being peace-loving who wouldn''t hurt anything are simply heresy. True elves follow the ways of nature, they see death as the most natural thing and think that any fight should either be a fight to the death or never happen. To be honest they are even crazier than Berserker demons."


    Feeling his views about elves shatter, Sol began to inspect the fight again.


    He was rather surprised. Even though the ones fighting were generally low-level diators, the way they handled energy was so slow and clumsy that he felt like he was watching 2 years old children trying to draw.


    His confusion was further deepened by the praise they were receiving. Admittedly, their skills as fighters were clearly showcased, but that was all.


    Aside from that, they didn''t even d their weapons in mana or used intent. They simply pumped mana through their bodies and fought using the boost it gave.


    ''Are they holding back?''


    Sol thought of a rather reasonable exnation.


    There was also the fact that perhaps he had been using rather exaggerated techniques without knowing, but he didn''t want to assume anything.


    Overconfidence was stupidity, but looking down on oneself was equally stupid.


    He hesitated a little about simply asking, before deciding otherwise. There was nothing shameful in ignorance and one simply needed to ask, but he personally thought that he should find the answer for himself through his own observations first and only ask once he was stumped.


    The value of simply receiving an answer and reaching it by yourself were quite different after all.

 Chapter 56 CH 51: DISBELIEF

    "Thest step is about to begin. Hehehe~ Alfred, I hope you havepleted the mission I gave you."


    In one of the special rooms utilized only by the highest nobles, a red-haired manidnguidly with a blue wolf woman at his knees.


    He was none other than Leonard Gorfard. The Duke themselves did not join the festivities as they had to prepare themselves in the eventuality they were chosen for the first night. As such, only the heir/heiress was present, each of them, in the room representing their families.


    "Young lord, the matter has been handled carefully. We have already, let''s say, convinced some of the diators who will most likely be chosen. To be sure, we also incited the white knight."


    "Oh!? You managed to trick that goody two shoes? How?"


    "From what I gathered, most of the pdins are dissatisfied with his Highness close rtionship with The saintess."


    "Ex-saintess you mean. That bitch lost her blessing. I really wonder what wish she made."


    "Indeed, Ex saintess. Some of the pdins think that she was tricked by his highness in making this ritual. The white knight is one of her most fervent admirers."


    "Hehe~! Hahaha~! Perfect! This is simply perfect! I simply wanted to lower the honor of the royal family and increase our speaking rights, but with this move, you basically put the church and the royal family nearly at odds. Beautiful."


    The old man bowed as he epted the praise of his master without a once of pride. He personally found this move incredibly foolish from a bigger perspective. Creating tension between the church and the royal family when war was upon them was stupid beyond reason. Anyone else would have seen something wrong with what he had done. Thankfully he had such a stupid master. No, this too was the will of his goddess.


    ''Praise the Crimsondy!''


    His prayer was suddenly interrupted by a piercing voice.


    "Ladies!!!! And! Gentlemen!!!!! Now, thest step of this beautiful gathering is upon us. Are you ready!?!"


    Yes!!


    "I repeat. Are you ready!!!!?"


    Yes!!!!!!!


    The jubtion could clearly be felt in the colosseum. Satisfied with the current atmosphere, the man who stood in the center of the ring after the previous fighters left it. Stayed quiet for a while before continuing.


    "As the tradition says, the one who will be our future king must show his might and talent on this asion for the whole kingdom to see. The current scene is retransmitted not only in the colosseum but in more than 70% of the kingdom."


    Emotions could be felt in his voice, "This day was supposed to be perfect. To beplete. But, I just found how naive I had been."


    The Colosseum fell silent in bated breath, tension rising.


    "I realized how naive I had been because I thought we already reached perfection. But! I was proven wrong!! Beautifully wrong!!! Right here, right now, I have the immense pleasure to announce that!!!!"


    Then, in a solemn and calm voice, he finished, "That his highness Sol had already awakened before reaching 15 years old, as his father did before him."


    Total silence descended as most people were too astonished to properly understand what was said.


    Then, as the light of understanding flickered in their eyes,


    Oooooohhhhh!!!!!!!!


    Deafening cheers rang in the colosseum, making it tremble under their voice.


    For themoner and low level noble, this was like a heaven-sent message, they could already imagine the birth of a new hero king. In their world, a powerful king meant a stable nation. But for the higher level¡­ Their faces couldn''t help but contort. Some in fear and some in disgust.


    ----


    "Bastard!!"


    "Ugh!"


    The blue wolf woman contorted her face in pain as flung away by a kick on her stomach.


    Leonard, now standing up, cursed openly as he couldn''t believe it. While doing so, he continued to repeatedly step on the poor woman before finally reigning in his turbulent emotions. His eyes cold, as if the previous hysterical young man were two different people.


    "How much did we spend on those now useless diators?"


    "A thousand gold lust coins."


    "I see¡­ Kill them all by tomorrow and take back the money. Make it seem like a brawl or a mugging. Fuck, how did this bastard suddenly awaken?"


    "Of course¨C" The hesitating, he continued, "¨CYoung lord. Perhaps the saint fall is rted to his highness early awakening?"<sub> </sub>


    "Oh!? Indeed. This is rather possible. The rule is to awaken at 15. Then only a wish to break the rules could change it. Of course, there''s also the possibility of him simply being talented, but from the spies we have in the tower, the prince never showed any particr talent. He never even trained and was only focused on theory."


    Leonard fell silent. The rapports he received monthly were clear. Their spies were without a doubt the best ones in the kingdom. There was no way they were wrong. Then,


    "I see¡­ The prince showed basically zero talent so the supreme daughter sacrificed her power to boost it. What a wonderful disy of affection!! Sometimes I can''t help but wonder if they have an unorthodox rtionship."


    He snickered at his thoughts. It was simply impossible. There was no way the respectable Supreme daughter would do something like that. Most likely, their rtionship was one akin to a mother and a son.


    Sitting back, he sighed, "Your actions were very timely. At the very least, even though we couldn''t humiliate him with the low-level diator, the white knight wouldn''t act with a light hand."


    The white knight was a title bestowed to the most promising pdin in training. Their titles would evolve to white pdin once they were epted in the order.


    The white pdins were the strongest in the church and formed the white cross. It was equal to the ck cross, the strongest squad under the royal family.


    "Hehe. This Sol will go down in history as the first king to lose before even facing the diator''s king."


    In his mind, he could already see this incredibly beautiful scene.


    He had nothing personal against Sol, but he refused to live under anyone. He dreamed of making the day as it was during his grandfather''s era. The era of the Puppet King. Sadly, basically, all the members of this generation had lost their lives one way or another after Mars came into power.


    Many thought at first that it was Mars doing it from the shadow, but this idea waster dismissed since it was simply impossible for a heroic king like Mars to act in such a cruel and insidious way.


    ----


    In another VIP room, the atmosphere was silent and frigid.


    Three people were present in this room, all of them d in ck.


    The youngest of the three, a young girl gulped and shivered. She wished to be anywhere than here. Even though she had already awakened two years ago and obtained a me hawk, she still felt as if she was about to freeze to death or sink in the darkness.


    This oppressive atmosphere was broken by a gentle and steadfast voice full of amusement.


    "My, are you angry? Or perhaps happy? It has been a long time since I was unable to decipher the meaning behind the feeling transmitted by our link."


    The one who spoke was a ck-haired butler, gently preparing a cup of tea before putting it in front of the woman who sat, her eyes closed in thoughts.


    The other Dukes were preparing in the case they were chosen and as such didn''te personally. What''s more, they could observe it from their home if needed. But, she was different.


    Not only did she already know at which moment she would be chosen thanks to her deal with Lilith, but deep down, she was curious about the disy of the prince.


    Currently though, as the previous words swirled in her head, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a mix of emotions.


    She felt hatred because one of the unique records left by Mars was made less special.


    She felt tion because Mars''s son was better than she thought he was.


    She felt sad because she was in no way rted to him.


    She felt disdain because simply being awakened earlier didn''t mean much in the grand scheme of things.


    epting, because this was how dazzling his son was supposed to be.


    This created the current situation where she was losing control of her power and suffocating her niece who also yed the role of her sessor.


    Strong people could change their environment with just their mood. The same was happening.


    Sighing, she took a sip of her tea as she continued, "It seems like I was wrong about him never seeding in surpassing his father. Depending on what will happen next, I will have to present my excuses."


    "Perhaps the supreme daughter helped him by using Saint fall?" the heiress asked on the side. She wouldn''t have spoken in any other setting, but she needed to speak to evacuate her previous fright.


    Duchess Mris''s hand stopped before she shook her head as she threw a look full of warning to her niece. "Impossible. Never, you hear me, absolutely never underestimate Camelia. I would rather fight Lilith and die than ever make an enemy out of Camelia. She is someone very frightening. If she used Saint fall, it would without a doubt be for something game-changing. I wouldn''t be surprised if even after using it she didn''t lose her blessing."


    As she watched her aunt utter those words, she couldn''t help but wonder.


    Her aunt was known as the craziest woman in the kingdom. Just how dangerous was the supreme daughter for her to demonstrate such a wariness?


    As for the supreme daughter not losing her blessing, she scoffed at this notion. This was simply impossible.

 Chapter 57 CH 52: DOMINATION

    Taking a deep breath, Sol stood up from his seat and began to fix his armor.


    "So, it seems that you really hid my advancement level. I thought I was pretty weak, to be honest."


    He began to twirl his shoulder in an attempt to rx himself. The atmosphere surrounding him was slowly changing. He didn''t care about the cheer he was receiving before even showing himself.


    Seeing this, Lilith smiled before nodding,


    "Well, strength or weakness are nothing more than rtive ways of seeing things. The standard I hold you is way higher than anything else."


    "...I see." Sighing, he began to walk toward therge window of the lounge and asked, "So, how will it go?"


    "The way you want it to go. You are the crown prince. You decide the rules as you see fit."


    "I see. Then, I won''t hold back


    Either way, I am determined to win."


    "Ohoh! Is this hubris? Did your newly obtained power make your head swell in arrogance?"


    "Arrogance?" Sol tilted his head in confusion before smiling, "No, never. I have people like you or the witches as examples. The simple fact is that I have no other choice than to win. After all, I made a promise to someone."


    Saying so, he opened the window, the cool wind rushing in made his already calm mind cool even further.


    Looking down, he calcted the height and began to calcte.


    ''45m.''


    Sol liked to think of himself as someone with a steadfast and calm personality. He was rather calm and easy-going most of the time. He was also someone rather modest and far from prideful.


    But, he had discovered a hidden side of himtely.


    He liked to fight¨Cand he was good at it.


    Smiling, his pupils turned into a slit as he jumped down without any hesitation.


    "It''s time for me to go all out."


    BOOM!!


    ----


    [A few moments ago.]


    "Ladies!! And gentlemen!! Now, it''s time to wee our diators."


    Saying so, he pointed toward the one of the doors on the side which was slowly opening.


    From it, four individuals came out. They varied in size and appearance, but each of them was clearly a level above the previous fighters on the scenes.


    Two of them were human males. One was holding a human-sized rectangr shield while the second one had an arc on his back. The third one was a tall tanned woman with white rabbit ears on either side of her head wearing a short skirt and short ck leggings with many daggers tied to her right thigh. Thest one was a short stocky man who was wearing leather armor and was holding a hammer.


    "You know them all!!! They are the best! They are the greatest!! They aaaaaarrrreeeeee¨CThe stars of this colosseum!!! Wee them with your cheers!!"


    Wooooo!!!!


    The chorus of cheers was deafening. This was how popr they were. The two human males were brothers and ex-ves who managed to buy back their freedom. They were textbook examples of sess from suffering and were the idols of many citizens and ves.


    The woman was a warrior from the rabbitmen n. She wished to prove the strength of their races. Since they were considered as one of the weakest. As such became a diator.


    Thest one was a cksmith who used the match as a way to test the gear he created. He was rather popr in the colosseum since his weapons were way cheaper than they should have been.


    Each of those four people was strong warriors who fought many battles to reach the ce they stood at.


    "Now!! We will ask our dear prince to make his¨C *BOOM!!!!* *Cough* *Cough*"


    The referee was suddenly interrupted by arge explosion followed by debris and dust. His view field, as well as the screen, were obstructed by the dust, hiding the cause of such an explosion. But soon, it was cleared.


    Once the dust was swept off, the audience was shown a scene they would most likely never forget.


    A young golden-haired man standing in the middle of arge crater was observing them. Even though from their position they were the ones looking down at him, they couldn''t help but feel incredibly small in front of the aura he was emanating.


    "I am Sol Dragona Luxuria."


    Seemingly not caring about their shock, the young man began speaking in an unhurried way. His voice, filled with mana, reaching the ears of all the spectators.


    "To be honest. When I thought about this day in the past. I was filled with apprehensions and doubts. Would I seed? Would I do better than my father? Such silly questions filled my mind. But now that I am here in front of all of you, I remark that I am rather calm."


    Giving a mockingugh, he raised his head high, "This is officially the first time I show myself in front of all of you. I know many of you express doubts about me and my abilities. Many of you are worried and don''t have much hope. Well, today, right here, right now, allow me to dispel at least some of your worries."


    As he said so, arge golden-colored mana pressure began to emanate from him, making the atmosphere heavier by the second.


    "The tradition wants for me to fight those four, one after another. But, I have decided something else."


    Raising his hand and pointing toward them, he gave a bright smile filled with battle intent.


    "Let''s go for a simple brawl. The four of you against me alone. Are you ready?"


    "Y-your Highness!? Are you serious!?"


    The referee seemed stumped for words and didn''t know what to do. He looked around before finally looking high in the sky, waiting for a word to oppose this mad idea.


    Three of the four diators on the other had hard times hiding their anger. Never had they felt so insulted in their careers. If Sol wasn''t the prince, they would have already hurled abuse at him. The only one rtively calm was the dwarf. He was looking at Sol''s armor in admiration and kept talking to himself.


    Finally, receiving no words of denial. The man decided that it wasn''t his ce to intervene and began leaving the ring. He was no slouch in terms of fighting but he wasn''t a veteran either.


    Still, he was a professional and once he was out, he immediately began igniting the mood.


    "Incredible!!! Unbelievable!!! MAGNIFICENT!!! In a bold disy of power and charisma, our crown prince decided to do something never done since the creation of our beautiful kingdom!! What will the result be!!? No matter what, it promises to be something we will never forget!!!!"


    The silence in the stand was reced by wild screams. This was indeed something never seen and people were curious about the power of this new prince. Despite that, few people had any hope in him winning. diator fights weren''t only one vs one. Sometimes team events or fights against monsters happened. The four of them were regr members of the same team and as such, their coordination, while not wless, was nothing to scoff at.


    ----


    "So, guys, what do we do?"


    The sole girl of the group asked as she began to clench her fists.


    "Ha. Lass, we shouldn''t underestimate him. He can already do dding. Since he has the guts to defy the four of us then he must have something to rely on."


    The dwarf guffawed as his empty hand stroked his beard.


    The other two nodded in acquiescence. None of them were newbies. They might have been angered by the previous disregard, but they wouldn''t rush will belittling their enemies or thinking they were arrogant.


    "Still, ganging up on a youngd leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Let''s do a little probing first. Thess will go first to face him. Meanwhile, we will take our position. If things turn south then we will act. Any objections?"


    The silence was an answer.


    "Have you finished your nning?"


    The rabbit woman clicked her tongue before a deep red mana began to surround her body.<sub> </sub>


    Reinforcement, then dding. This was the second step of mana control for mana users. The first step allowed one to boost their overall physical abilities while the second one protected the exterior of their bodies like an armor.


    "Here we go!!"


    The ring they were on was asrge as arge field. The initial distance between the five of them was just a few meters. As such, she managed to reach him in the blink of an eye. At least¨Cfrom a normal person''s perspective.


    Boom!


    Countering her fist with his own, the two entered in a brief stalemate before separating.


    The rabbitwoman was a little surprised while Sol had a thoughtful expression.


    ''As I thought. I could feel no intent in her fist.''


    Sighing, he discarded those thoughts. Even though there was no intent, her fist was still heavy.


    "Not bad! your highness. Then, should we elerate a little!"


    A mad grin suddenly formed on her face as she rushed again at him in an incredible burst of speed.


    Sol calmly avoided some of them while retaliating from time to time. From what he knew, the rabbitmen were just a D rank race. Meaning they didn''t even have horns. Still, they were quite powerful and their greatest strengths was their speed and the power of their feet.


    Just as he blocked a heavy hit from her and took a step back, Sol immediately felt his back tingling. Moving his body in a rather unnatural way, he let himself fall and avoided an arrow that went past his previous position.


    <<3rd step: Manifestation.>>


    Molding mana and forming a construct out of it.


    Sol, back on the ground, immediately crossed his arms in front of him when the sun was blocked by a ck shadow above him swinging his hammer without hesitation.


    Boom!!


    The shock this time made the ground tremble as a deep crater formed from the aftershock.


    "I wonder if it was too much."


    They looked at the swirling dust in worry. It was one thing to fight but it wasn''t like they wished to badly hurt the prince.


    "Attention!"


    The dust was swept aside as someone rushed towards the rabbitwoman. The moment he was about to hit her, the shield warrior put himself between the two and took the hit.


    Crack!


    He could only widen his eyes when his prized shield showed signs of breaking from just one hit. Focusing on the source of this attack, he was even more surprised when he saw that aside from a little bit of dust, the prince wasn''t harmed in the slightest.


    The rabbitwoman behind him, seeing this, took out one of her daggers and muttered something before she slowly vanished.


    It was the unique magic of her race. A magic mainly used to escape danger, but she changed it and used it offensively.


    Once the stalemate between the shield warrior and Sol ended, Sol, contrary to their expectations, didn''t continue fighting. He simply sighed a little as he began to speak.


    "An Assassin, a Tank, an Archer, and a Damage dealer. This is really a standard party. Well, If you had a healer that would be even better. Still, I must admit that I am really impressed."


    Despite his calm words, none of them lessened their guards.


    "I can see that I still have many things to learn. In any other situation, I would have taken my time and learned more from you. Sadly. I can''t really do so today. Which is why I am going to end things fast."


    All of them frowned at the same time. Even though the prince was clearly strong, from what they have seen he wasn''t so strong that they couldn''t deal with him together. What gave him such confidence?


    "First one."


    He immediately swung his fist on the right so fast it left after images. While it seemed at first that it hit nothing, slowly, a woman appeared before kneeling, her breath haggard and her eyes unfocused.


    ''How!?''


    "It was rather ingenious of you to turn an escaping trick into something for offense. Sadly. You have too many ws. After all, you are only invisible. Another one is your inability to strengthen your body when you are invisible."


    The girl couldn''t speak as she slowly slumped. Her eyes closed.


    "Well, well, well, now we are only between gentlemen. The next one will be¨CYou!"


    ''Shit!''


    Not having taken enough distance after their previous sh. He could do nothing aside from putting his shield in front of him to block the attack.


    Boom!! *Crack*


    This time, the hit was so heavy that he felt as if his arms were going to break. Then, just as he was about to be finished.


    "Not on my watchd."


    The dwarf intervened with a mighty swing of his hammer. He could already envision what would happen. The prince would escape from the left and his brother would wee him with a mana charged arrow. In such a situation this should be enough to wound him.


    But, contrary to their expectations, the prince didn''t even try to avoid the hit. As if it didn''t matter to him. He simply swung his fist down onest time andpletely sted the shield before punching the shield warrior heavily on the face.


    Hisst vision was arge smile full of battle lust.


    The dwarf on the other hand was horrified. He hadn''t held back anything this time. He had clearly given a full blow with his hammer and seeded in hitting the head of his target. But all that amounted to was¨Cnothing. Not even a bruise.


    "Oh! Those scales are tougher than I thought. I was pretty sure that I would at least be wounded."


    ''Scales?''


    Hearing the prince murmur, he focused on the head of the prince and was surprised to see a part of the head of the prince covered by scales.


    It was then that he remembered important information that most people tended to forget.


    ''His highness was a hybrid dragon. Ugh!!''


    This discovery was rewarded by a heavy kick in the stomach. A kick so powerful his dding couldn''t protect him and he was momentarily suspended in the air, the airpletely escaped out of his lungs.


    "Then this is a payback."


    His time in the air didn''tst long as he was caught by the leg and swung like a hammer against the ground.


    "Gah!!"


    The shock was so great that he felt as if his brain was dancing in his skull. All his senses were disturbed and even thinking was a luxury.


    <o>,m "Heh~ seems like dwarves really have a powerful constitution. Then,"</o>


    Raising him again Sol immediately put the dwarf in front of him and blocked an arrow that wasing at him. Then, with a mighty swing, he threw the diator at hispanion. The resulting collision, immediately taking them out of the limit of the ring.


    Now the only one still standing on the ring, Sol simply raised his fist in a sign of victory.


    "Well, seem like I won."


    The stunned silence of the crowd was music to his ears .

 Chapter 58 CH 53: REVELATION

    A stunned silence filled the stands as the crowd had a hard time understanding the scene in front of them.


    Everything simply ended too fast. The first moment of the fight seemed as if the prince was somewhat struggling and had bitten more than he could chew, but suddenly, in a few seconds, the bnce waspletely broken as the four diators were brought down one after another.


    In the lounge belongings to the royal family, Lilith watched this disy in a daze, her eyes seemingly reminiscing a scene of the past.


    She remembered how all those years ago she began to admire the boy who also disyed his power in the colosseum, under the eyes of the whole kingdom. They looked so much like each other, but¨C


    ''Their demeanors arepletely different.''


    Once again she was reminded that even though they had the same appearance, Sol and Mars were different. If she could say that his ways with women were because of her order, then she could only sigh as his current conduct was of his own choice and born from his own personality.


    ''Sol isn''t Mars, nor is he a recement of him.''


    Such a simple reality.


    She couldn''t help but feel sadness and joy at the same time. Closing her eyes, she sighed before pping her hands, the sound reverberating through the whole colosseum.


    This was followed by one or two people before an entire ovation began resonating. This ovation was filled with whistles and screams as well as cheer.


    Looking at the young boy she had raised basking under this ovation, herplicated emotions were swept aside and were reced with pride and happiness.


    ---


    "Yes!! Take that in your face shitty nobles! My Sol is the best!"


    In another VIP room, a brown-haired woman with incredibly voluptuous form could be seen cheering in a rather unbing way. Though she didn''t seem to care about the look she was receiving from the people who were sharing the room with her.


    "Aunt Camelia please! Stop it."


    A blonde-haired young girl begged on the side with a red face. She knew that her aunt loved Sol. She also knew that their rtionship wasn''t just tonic. Still, there were limits to some things.


    "Hehe~!" Giving a cuteugh, Camelia took back her ce.


    Crossings her legs, she calmed down as she continued, "This is just the first step. Fufufu~! Soon, no one willpare my Sol to his idiot of a father."


    Saying so, she snapped her finger, and a slim ck-haired woman who stood at the back came and kneeled in front of her.


    "Sigh, Elsmere, Elsmere. You were one of my favorites. I even nned to ask Luxuria to make you the next supreme daughter once I decided to retire. So why? Sigh, no need to answer."


    The woman named Elsmere kneeled down in silence with a vacant expression. Camelia,pletely uncaring, began to think once again of the dashing figure of her Sol.


    "It doesn''t really matter, nothing can make me lose my happiness after today''s event. If he didn''t have to visit those nobles I would have asked him to join me tonight."


    Chloe, who sat next to her, was listening to this conversation with a bitter smile and a slight unconcealed fear. She was reminded once again just how dangerous and ruthless her aunt was.


    After Camelia''s loss of blessing was dered, movement in the church for power seizing becamemon. But what people didn''t know was that¨Call those so-called traitors or ambitious nuns were nothing more than puppets dancing in the palm of Camelia''s hand.


    Camelia had never feared being betrayed for the simple reason that she was the true absolute master of the church.


    Thinking about how absolutely all the members of the church had a hiddenmand in the back of their minds that would activate at the slightest thought of betrayal, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a shudder.


    ''This wasn''t the kind of power a mortal should have.''


    "Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. After what happened to Mars, all my subordinates had amand implemented. It only activates at the thought of betrayal. After all, Mars''s death taught me an important lesson."


    A mncholic smile formed on her face as she said so after noticing Chloe''s reaction. She might be used to her enemies fearing her, but she did not wish to see this kind of expression on her loved one. As such she tried to exin her reasoning.


    She might not have had any romantic feelings for Mars, but the fact was that he was indeed a good man. The sacrifice of her best friend, ze, saddened her further.


    The cause of all that suffering?


    Betrayal.<sub> </sub>


    Since then, Camelia swore to never let herself fall in the same trap Mars fell in. She hated using her power. She hated controlling people. But in her mind, traitors weren''t humans, they were nothing more than dirty wretches that needed to be either erased or controlled.


    ----


    The Colosseum was arge structure. Aside from the VIP lounge, there were also underground restrooms dedicated to the diators who were scheduled to fight.


    Most of the rooms were grouped, with four or five diators having to share them as they equipped their armor or prepared themselves. But, only one diator had the right to a single room.


    The one who stood at the summit of them all.


    Currently, in the room of the diator king, could be seen clenching their fist in joy and excitement as they watched the results of the match.


    Currently, their whole body and face was covered by a thick silver armor made out of dwarven steel, that covered their whole body and a helmet that hid their face, effectively hiding their gender and identity from the world.


    No one knew the true identity of the diator king, this was this sense of mystery that made this king even more popr than the previous one.


    Well, no one¨C aside from the royal family and the director of the Colosseum.


    "It''s time for me to go."


    Saying so, the diator king stood up and took their sword before beginning to walk out of the room reserved for them.


    This could most perhaps be theirst fight in this Colosseum. Either way, they couldn''t wait.


    -----


    It did not take long for the crowd to calm down. After the medic helped in taking away the previous fighter, the scene gradually began to calm down.


    They knew that what would happen next would be a disy of a totally different level.


    ? Bets were being fired one after another. The odd being mostly in the diator king''s favors. Though the odds weren''t as overwhelming as it seemed at first, few people thought the prince could win.


    The referee, receiving a message, tilted his head before raising it up with a wide smile.


    "Ladies and gentlemen! I just received news that He wasing! The king of fighters! The Berserker! The destroyer! Theeee¨Cdiator¨CKingggg!!!!"


    Oooooohhhhh!!!!!


    The cheers were on apletely different level.


    Sol, who was observing the situation couldn''t help but feel as if some kind of world-renowned star was stepping on the Arena.


    Soon, under the clear ovation, an armor-wearing individual could be seen advancing calmly. Their armor, shining brightly under the sky. In their arms, a beautiful long sword.


    Their gait was calm and steady. The energy emanating from them, powerful but reserved.


    Seeing ''him'' walk toward had the illusion that was facing an unsheathed weapon or a crouching monster ready to pounce on him at the slightestx of attention.


    Grinning without even understanding why, Sol felt his heart beating wildly in his chest. He could already feel the world around him slow down a little as he entered a focused state.


    He didn''t need to be told to understand. His instincts were screaming at him. This guy is different.


    But this thought, rather than bringing fear to him, made him happier instead.


    "So it has finallye to this. Do you remember our promise?"


    "Of course not, your highness."


    After they reached a certain distance from Sol, the diator king, or rather the diator queen, took off her helmet, showing her beautiful long blue hair and twitching wolf ears.


    "Then, Setsuna, I hope you are ready."

 Chapter 59 CH 54: WOLF VS DRAGON (1)

    The moment Setsuna took off her helmet, an uproar swept through the crowd. Most people believed the diator king to be a man. An old and rugged man to boot. Never in their wildest imagination would they have thought that the strongest diator was a woman, and one so young.


    But, out of all of those, the biggest reaction was in the lounge belonging to the Gorfard family.


    Leonard, after seeing Sol''s disy, was already tearing his hair out in frustration as he screamed in the lounge.


    He couldn''t ept that. He refused to ept that. The fact that this shitty prince was so powerful, he was an irregrity.


    ''Yes! Camelia! The supreme daughter! It must be because of her, there''s no other way.''


    Calming his bruised ego with his thoughts, he failed to notice the reaction of the ve beneath his feet as she murmured with a surprised expression.


    "Princess."


    ----


    Sol, facing Setsuna, calmed himself down before closing his eyes in reminiscence.


    "As we have promised back then, once I beat you, you will tell me your past and you will totally submit to me, body and soul."


    "Indeed. Though, I already said that I was yours. I do not understand why we have to pass by this step."


    Sol smiled as he shook his head before opening his eyes, zing with conviction, "I do not wish for such a rtionship. I know the way of the wolves. I studied them because I wanted to better understand you. The blue wolves follow a pack system, and only a strong male can be recognized as the alpha of the pack."


    Clenching his fist, he continued, "Of course, you guys aren''t animals controlled by your instincts. Feelings and instincts are different. The one who loves me is Setsuna the woman, but Setsuna the wolf does not see me as the leader of the pack. If I do not make you submit. Our rtionship will most likely be strained in the future."


    This wasn''t an exaggeration, beasts-kin were as much beasts as they were human. Though it would be a mistake to call them hybrids either. This made them a rather weird race that made instinct and reason coexist in the same being.


    If he wished so, by asking her to force down her instinct, Sol could have a normal rtionship with Setsuna even if he never beat her. But this wouldn''t be a long term solution. Sooner orter, Setsuna would snap even if she didn''t mean to.


    He didn''t wish for that. He wished not just for Setsuna, but for all the women close to him to have happy and fulfilling lives. He wished that they harbor no regrets over forming a rtionship with him.


    So, even if it meant he had to beat them up, he would make them happy.


    ''The irony of the situation.''


    "...I see." Her deep blue eyes gazed at the man she loved more than anyone else, seemingly searching for something in his eyes.


    Once she was satisfied with what she found, she began to discard her armor one piece after the other.


    Seeing this, Sol smiled as he began to do the same.


    Setsuna''s armor was different from his. Aside from the hard metal, it provided almost no protection. After all, it was filled with runes designed to keep her identity. Still, he didn''t hesitate to take off his armor.


    He did not wish to leave any doubts about his victory.


    Once they finished, Setsuna was now d in a simple kimono with a short skirt while Sol stood in his blue and gold regal robes. Seeing them like that, no one would think that they were about to fight with everything they had.


    "Hey, old man!"


    "Y-yes?!"


    The referee squeezed out his voice as he asked politely.


    "We will use the free for all rules. The only way for defeat is to be knocked out, surrendering or the incapacity to fight. Nothing else."


    "O-of course!"


    There was no reason for him to hesitate, so he epted quite readily.


    Once Sol had this answer, he turned back to Setsuna.


    "Are you ready?"


    A savage smile formed on Setsuna''s face as she replied, "This time, I won''t hold back."


    "I hop¨Chuh?"


    By the time Sol answered, a fair and dainty hand was already holding his face, before-


    BAAM!!!!


    -Bringing it down violently against the ground.


    At least that is what it looked at first nce.


    The moment Setsuna impacted the ground with her hands, the Sol she was holding faded, while another one appeared behind her.


    <<Shadow clone>>


    He had used a substitution technique that consisted of creating a double with mana and filling it with fighting intent. This double was unable to fight but was perfect for tricks and traps.


    "Did they never tell you to not attack the face!?"<sub> </sub>


    Sol, once behind her, reprimanded her while covering his entire arm in scales before thrusting it toward Setsuna''s back. The attack was so fast that it let friction in the air. But, despite this speed, it still missed as she did a simple roll-forward before jumping away.


    The two of them, now in the opposite position from the one they stood at the start of this exchange stopped to gauge their powers.


    This short exchange allowed them to know that this fight wouldn''t be an easy one for either of them.


    Taking a deep breath, Setsuna closed her eyes before crouching down.


    *Biri* *Biri* *Biri* *Whoosh*


    The atmosphere around her begins to give an odor of ozone as sparks of blue lightning surrounded her body, while the wind stirred as if giving birth to a tempest.


    Her long blue hair became spiky as they swayed in the wind, her eyes fully blue and tworge blue horns made out of energy began to form on her forehead. Finally, her nails became as sharp as ws.


    *Growl*


    Currently, Sol didn''t feel like he was facing the beautiful and gentle but stern Setsuna, but rather an extremely dangerous beast that was about to rip him to shred.


    "So this is your fighting form."


    Exhaling a little while eximing in admiration, he slowly twirled his shoulder and he calmed his rising tension.


    Setsuna wasn''t just a blue wolf, she was a variant or a mutant. A storm wolf. An A+ ranked beast. Basically, she had one of the most powerful bloodlines below the divine beasts and their offsprings.


    Feeling the incredible amount of mana she released, Sol decided that he would surprise her.


    "You aren''t the only one with a second form, you know."


    Smiling wickedly, his eyes changed to his draconic one.


    <<Dragon force: 1st step.>>


    Slowly, under the astonished eyes of the crowd, his body began to change. He became taller, his white skin changed to a bronzed tone, and two glowing golden horns formed on his forehead.


    The moment it happened, a true storm of mana began to fill the colosseum as Sol¡¯s and Setsuna¡¯s mana began to sh. Some of the spectators began to flee from their ce as they couldn''t support the pressure while some others who were too close, fainted.


    At the center of all this were Sol and Setsuna, staring at each other with an unprecedented focus, none of the two thinking about anything else.


    Then, under the eyes of the crowd, they simply vanished.


    Boom!!


    The scene happening in front of their eyes was one they had never witnessed in the colosseum. It was as if two fierce beasts were unleashing their Wrath on their surroundings. No ce in the Arena was spared. In just two minutes, the ce waspletely ravaged.


    Of course, for those able to see what was happening, they could only click their tongue in marvel.


    Sol and Setsuna''s way of fighting waspletely different. One used her extreme speed as well as her skill and precision to deliver fast and precise blows while the other used his powerful body to weave through all damage and counter-attack.


    They couldn''t help but shiver when they thought about how helpless they would be should they face any of those two.


    Finally, after one final blow, the two of them stopped moving and began seizing each other again.


    *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*


    Their breaths were ragged and their clothes ripped in different ces, trickles of blood dripping from each of them. Still, the sharp-eyed ones could see that Sol was clearly having more difficulty breathing than Setsuna.


    The result of the previous sh could be said to have resulted in Sol''s defeat. His right arm was partially dislocated and his fingers broken, his chest was punctured and covered in blood. Even though his wounds were already healing, in the long run, they would sap his stamina even more.


    ''Sigh, I did not think that it would be this bad. If I didn''t have resistance towards magic, the damage I took would be way worse.''


    <o>,m Even though heined, he had to admit that he was loving this fight. This was different from all the ones he had against Lilith or the ones against the previous diators.</o>


    ''Hahaha~I am really transforming into a battle maniac.''


    Setsuna on the other hand couldn''t help but feel giddy with anticipation. It has been a long time since she didn''t feel her blood boil in such a way, the knowledge that this fight was a sort of courtship made her even happier. Still, even though she wanted to submit, she would never hold back. Doing so would be an insult to Sol as such,


    "Your highness, I think it''s time to elerate."


    "...elerate?"


    She was going to use the greatest power she had at her disposal aside from her killing attack.


    <<Third phase: Godspeed>>


    What did it feel like to be hit by a punch at the speed of the sound?


    Sol just tasted the answer.


    BOOOOMMM!!!!

 Chapter 60 CH 55: WOLF VS DRAGON (2)

    <<Third phase: Godspeed>>


    What did it feel like to be hit by a punch at the speed of the sound?


    Sol just tasted the answer.


    BOOOOMMM!!!!


    Rumble!!


    The entire Colosseum trembled as Sol was propulsed like a rocket before hitting the wall and bing embedded in it.


    *Cough* *Cough*


    Even as his vision was obstructed by the debris of the wall and his mind slightly cked out, he didn''t know whether he should be amazed by the fact that Setsuna reached sonic speed or the fact that he didn''t die under that hit.


    ''Sigh. My situation is bing increasingly worse.''


    He debated using his mirror dimensions but ultimately decided against it. This was a trump card he wanted to use for truly dangerous matters. Like the war for example. Keeping it a secret was for the best.


    ''Well, since she used magic then I guess I can use intent now.''


    Exhaling a little, he firmed his resolve. His own intent was still a little weak and notplete because of hisck of experience, but it didn''t matter. After all, he had something else to support him.


    ----


    *Rumble*


    The crowd fell silent as they observed the debris under which the prince was under. At first, they thought that he woulde out zing, but as time went past, it seemed incredibly clear that he was out cold.


    They didn''t know whether they should cheer for the diator queen or cheer for the disy of power the prince showed just after awakening.


    But, just as the referee was about to give the signal, they all felt it.


    Something dangerous was about to happen.


    This was their primal instinct screaming from the bottom of their hearts.


    Flee.


    Don''t look.


    But none of them listened to this instinct. Some because of their curiosity, others because of the confidence in their skills.


    It was then, a hand came out of the debris before the prince, covered in dirt and blood came out.


    Despite his rather embarrassing situation, no one was in the mood of joking.


    Because they could all hear him clearly murmur as mana filled his voice.


    <<Tyrant intent: Dragon Fear.>>


    Intent was a will. A determination to reach a certain result. People could use different intent at very low levels, but to truly bring this intent to the maximum, they had to understand and experience.


    Killing intent needed the user to be used to killing.


    Sword intent needed the user to reach an mastery of sword art.


    As for King''s intent, the user must have the experience of standing above the mass.


    For Sol, even though he was the crown prince, he didn''t have the demeanor of a king. This is where his dragon blood intervened.


    Dragon fear was a kind of intent every dragon possessed. Though Sol as a hybrid couldn''t use the power of Dragon fear easily, by fusing those two intents he reached a surprisingly good result. A mutation of sorts.


    ---


    The moment Setsuna heard those words, even though she didn''t understand the effects of the intent Sol was using, she already decided to attack him first. But,


    [You mongrel. Bow in front of the king]


    It was like the voice of a god abovemanding her, stalling all her movements.


    She was already about to kneel before understanding what was happening. Even more so, the very idea of refusing his order made a deep fear attack her heart. She felt as if she would die the moment she refused.


    Right now, Sol wasn''t a benevolent king who would sacrifice himself for his subjects. He was a tyrant who would use them for his selfish needs.


    The sole result of fighting back was-death.


    ''Incredible!''


    Setsuna gasped in amazement. As she felt the effects of this Intent.


    ''Even though it''s weaker than that man, the potential behind it is out of the norm.''


    Fighting back against the need to kneel, she stood back with difficulty, her breath ragged. Even keeping her Godspeed seemed way harder than normal.


    ''Even though I can fight against the order, all my abilities are basically restricted. I can''t even use more than 70% of my full strength.''


    Looking briefly towards the crowd, she was even more stunned by how many of them were already kneeling from their ces. Some of them, unable to support the pressure, simply fainted. Even people in the VIP room weren''t spared, some of them showing a pitiful disy that would have shamed their family if they had been seen by the others.<sub> </sub>


    ''I need to end this fast. This intent is still too raw on the edge. There''s no way his highness hoped to beat me with this move. This means he also wishes to go for ast attack.''


    Thinking about that, she gritted her teeth and brought her hand in her kimono, taking out a little marble made out of metal.


    "Your highness, I am really surprised. I thought my third phase would be enough to win the fight. Never would have I thought you had such a card."


    "And so? Speak."


    Setsuna didn''t get offended. She knew that once an intent was used to a certain level, it could temporarily affect the personality of the user.


    "Then, I guess it''s time for onest attack. One where we would go all out without hesitation. The winner will be thest one standing."


    "...I see. Very well."


    Receiving this answer, Setsuna released her Godspeed before focusing inwardly.


    The sparks surrounding her body slowly began to move and gather around the marble she was holding in her between her index and her thumb.


    Seeing this movement, Sol grinned, his tyrant persona slipping up a little.


    "So you have finallypleted this move. Then, let me show you¨Cone of the most iconic moves for a dragon."


    Inhaling deeply, Sol held his breath as he concentrated pure mana in his lungs.


    Silence settled between the two. The air, heavy with tension. The spectators still conscious gulped. Even without being told, they knew that this fight was about to end. The result, still up in the air.


    Finally, the two of them were ready,


    "This is what you taught me, your highness."


    --shback


    "Ohhh! Then you can use lightning?"


    "Indeed your highness."


    A young Setsuna was talking to an equally young Sol. The two swinging their swords while standing in the clearing of the hanging garden.


    "Then, then! I can teach you a super technique."


    Tilting her head, she asked in surprise, "You? Teaching me? I thought humans couldn''t use magic before maturity?"


    "Hehe! You will be surprised. This technique uses either a coin or a marble. The name is¡­"


    ----shback end


    <<Final technique: Railgun>>


    <<Dragon arts: Dragon breath>>


    Everyone was literally blinded and deafened by the sh of light and the explosion. The wind, stirring and blowing everything away. The heat was so intense that people were already sweating, while their hair curled because of the electricity in the air.


    The explosion was so intense that casualties seemed inevitable but, thankfully, fail-safes, in the form ofrge glowing blue barriers, that were created to protect the crowd in case of a dangerous situation activated at full power, thereby avoiding the worst situation.


    Finally, as the light abated only one question filled the mind of everyone still awake.


    Who was the winner?


    A gust of wind stirred the dust away, revealing the stats of the Arena.


    Everything was blown away. Nothing was left. Only one word could describe this scene.


    Apocalypse.


    Finally, the two fighters could be seen standing. Their bodies, slightly charred.


    The result?


    The referee, seeing this, immediately understood the situation and screamed,


    "I-it''s a draw!!!!"


    ----


    "Beautiful fight."


    Milia murmured in happiness. She knew that Sol was receiving an intense training in Edea''s dimension. But, seeing the resultpletely left her shivering in happiness.


    "A fight? Heh~! I wouldn''t really call it a fight. It was more like a disy of power and some of their abilities. From the start, the two of them were holding back and didn''t want to show too much of their hands."


    "Indeed."


    Milia acquiesced. Setsuna didn''t use her Berserker mode. A power that all beast-kin could use. In Sol''s case, she also knew about his magic and knew that he could have ended the fight way more easily if he had been willing. What''s more, he hadn''t activated his core.


    In short, "At the end, this was nothing more than a mating ritual. Fufufu~!"

 Chapter 61 INTERLUDE 5: PRINCESS?

    "Princess! Run!"


    A young blue-haired girl was running with a nk expression on her face. She was wearing a bright white and red kimono filled with jewels.


    Despite her clearly expensive clothes that would make anyone envious, the situation she was in wasn''t something to be envious of. After all, she was fleeing.


    Under the light of the moon, the princess was being pulled by one of her kunoichis. Despite that, she would sometimes look behind her in dismay.


    In her eyes, the reflection of the burning castle and the golden lightning falling like the Wrath of the Heavens was being seared in her young mind.


    High in the sky, threerge wolves that were at least four meters tall, two with beautiful golden fur and another one with a deep blue color could be seen fighting. The result of this fight being of apocalyptic proportion. Lightning shed and storms gathered. Nothing in a kilometer radius aside from the burning castle was still standing.


    "Father."


    Murmuring under her breath, tears began to gather and her nk expression was reced by one filled with sorrow.


    "Father and mother will win, right!?"


    She couldn''t help but ask one of the women who were pulling her. It was difficult to see their faces under their ck clothes, but she knew them for as long as she could remember and trusted them deeply.


    The one pulling her had an expression of pain and sorrow shing in her eyes. She wanted to say some kind words. Something to give hope to the princess she swore to protect. But¨C


    "Princess, you must be strong. His majesty and the queen are fighting to give us enough time to flee."


    Those words broke the little girl''s heart. Despite her young age, she could understand the hidden meaning in those words.


    Closing her eyes to stop her tears from falling down, she nodded her head and continued running.


    She swore in her heart to one daye back and avenge her family.


    ----


    [A few dayster.]


    ''I am thirsty.''


    A little girl was trudging under the merciless light of the sun.


    Her body was covered in dried blood and mud. Her eyes were lifeless with dark circles around them. Her stomach was growling andining.


    No one seeing her right now would believe that she was Setsuna Ira, the princess of the Wratharis Republic.


    Even now, she herself couldn''t believe how her life came crashing down.


    All of this began when her uncle suddenly obtained a blessing, making him try to im the throne.


    In this world, only a Blessed one could be a king. Meaning, in the situation where more than one Blessed existed in the same zone, they had to fight for ownership.


    After getting his blessing, her uncle, who she believed was so kind he wouldn''t hurt a bug began to show his true face. His power had grown by leaps and bounds after he evolved from a blue wolf to a lightning wolf.


    ''Papa, Mama, Mio, Kio. I miss you so much.''


    After fleeing from the zone of the battle, they had begun walking towards the elven forest. The elf race forest was a zone where absolutely no strife of human nature was allowed. Her servant nned to seek asylum.


    Sadly, nothing happened as it should have.


    Mio and Kio used themselves as bait and their fate was unknown. As for the remaining servants, most of them had fled while some of the other betrayed her and decided to sell her as a ve to the demons or her uncle. She could only flee in despair and now she didn''t even know where she was.


    Currently, even though her mind was muddled by the pain, anger,ck of blood, hunger, and sadness, she still continued to walk.


    She didn''t know where she was going.


    She didn''t know if she would die on the road and have her body serve as a meal for the hyenas.


    But, even though her future seemed bleaker and bleaker, she continued to walk.<sub> </sub>


    ? She knew that if she stopped even once, she would never be able to continue walking.


    She didn''t want to die.


    She refused to die.


    If she died, all the people who sacrificed themselves for her would have died in vain.


    She refused to ept such a truth.


    Right now, even as the soles of her feet cracked and began to bleed again, she did not pay attention to any of it.


    ---


    The few days that followed were much of the same. The only difference was that she had to meet humans for the first time.


    Sadly, it wasn''t a pleasant meeting. After all, they were bandits.


    They had attacked her, hoping to capture her and use her before selling her as a ve.


    They would have seeded if only they didn''t underestimate her. After all, even though she was weak and tired, a wolf only became more dangerous in such situations


    On that day, for the first time, she took a life.


    It was something far easier than she thought it was. Life was so fragile. It was a reality she understood after all the events that happened to her.


    The meeting with those bandits wasn''t all bad thankfully. Thanks to that, she was able to use the food they had in their reserve.


    It was disgusting and dirty. Something she would have never eaten nor even thrown a look at in the past, but right now she was eating it with relish as if it was the greatest food in the world.


    ---


    A few dayster, she finally reached a city. Her looks,pletely different. Her hair was spiky and uncared for. Some of thest jewels she had hung around her neck. But they were so dirty no one could guess their values. She had used the clothes of some female bandits she killed in the past few days during her hunt for more food and torn them before adjusting the size.


    Thanks to the money she had umted from all those bandit nests she wiped out, she had umted enough money to take a carriage that would smuggle her toward the capital. As of now, her only way was to take asylum in the church of Castitas or the royal family.


    She didn''t know why no one pursued hertely but she didn''t want to leave anything to chance.


    What after she obtained asylum? She didn''t know. She doubted they would be willing to go to war because of her. As such there was only one way.


    "I need to be stronger."


    ---


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 Chapter 62 INTERLUDE 6: GLADIATOR

    "I see, so you are Setsuna."


    In arge room, a blue haired little girl could be seen standing in front of a blonde haired woman.


    ''Incredible! So this is the daughter of Castitas. How powerful.''


    It wasn''t the first time she had met someone at the level of a ruler. Butpared to her father, or even her uncle, the woman sitting with a faint smile in front of her made all her instinct scream in submission. She had to give her all to not simply roll over and show her stomach.


    Seemingly noticing her difort, Camelia showed a smiled in apology before dispersing the silent pressure that was filling the room.


    "I am sorry. Your father was someone I respected very much. Hearing about his potential demise is something truly sad and I lost control of my emotions."


    Setsuna lowered her head at the mention of her father. Her eyes reddened as she fought to hold back her tears. No matter how far she had fallen, she was still the princess. She refused to show such a disgraceful sight to a stranger.


    After she was smuggled into the capital, she thought it would take her some time to find the church, but she was mistaken. Just 3 minutes after she reached destination, a nun came and took her towards the church.


    After reaching there, she waspletely bathed from head to toe and received new clothes and was given a light lunch before being allowed to meet Camelia.


    Setsuna was a little surprised at this disy but otherwise didn''t question it too much. She might have not been able to smell it because of how numbed she was, but she knew that she must have smelled awfully bad and was extremely dirty. The fact that they had to change the water of the bath 5 times was enough as proof.


    Now though, she didn''t know what to do. She knew she wanted to be stronger. But how?


    "So, tell me, do you have ns for the future?"


    This might have seemed crueling from Camelia, as she was speaking to a little girl who suffered a very traumatic event not long ago, but as someone who identally killed her own parents and exterminated her vige while being a teen, Camelia was no stranger to traumatisme.


    She knew that what Setsuna needed right now wasn''t someone to give her useless kindness, but rather to help her obtain a short term goal. One that would help upy her mind.


    What''s more, beastmen grew faster than normal humans before ultimately stopping growing old once they reached a certain age.


    They would stay at their peak until the day they died. That''s why beast-kin were also called warbeast in the past.


    Setsuna, hearing this question, clenched her teeth before saying, "I want to be strong. I want to be so strong that I will be able to crush my uncle. But, but, I don''t know how. He is a blessed."


    From what Setsuna knew, blessed people were simply too different. It wasn''t just a question of talent.


    They were the beloved children of the goddesses. Luck shined upon them and destiny smiled at them. They were the kind of people who could take a random stroll and find some old masters that would take them as a student or be so talented that they could learn anything.


    Camelia understood what Setsuna meant and smiled, "You are right. People blessed by the goddesses have a different destiny. But at the same time it isn''t like normal people can''t reach our level. After all, those childish goddesses wouldn''t find a game that''s too rigged to be of any interest."


    Thest part was mumbled so quietly that even Setsuna wasn''t able to ear what was said.


    "Anyway, before speaking of power, we need to forge a new identity for you that will make it so your uncle isn''t interested in you even if he finds about your existence."


    Saying so, Camelia looked outside the room through the window and looked at the vague silhouette of the colosseum for a short while before a rather bold idea emerged in her mind. A way for Setsuna to not be chased down in the future and a way for her to be stronger.


    "Setsuna, what about¨C"


    She was about to share her ideas when a brief knock on the door followed by it being open stopped her in her track.


    ----<sub> </sub>


    Turning, she was surprised to see a boy clearly younger than her observing the room. She was wondering who he might have been, but his golden hair and his blue eyes gave her the answer.


    ''A blessed.''


    Setsuna couldn''t help but curl a little in her seat as she tugged her blue hair. She hated this color because it showed that she wasn''t chosen. Perhaps if she also had the blessing, her uncle wouldn''t have betrayed them?


    "Sol!"


    She received a second surprise as she saw the previously stern and mysterious Supreme daughter change into a doting woman as she rushed so fast she was invisible to her eyes before taking the young boy in her arms.


    "Hah~! My little Sol! That blockhead finally let youe visit me again. I thought I had to level the tower before she relinquished."


    "Stop~ it''s embarrassing. There are other people in the room~"


    Finally able extricate himself from this blissful suffering, the little Sol who was just 3 years old at that time came in front of Setsuna and asked in a lively and gentle voice while stretching his hand in sign of greeting.


    "Hello! I am Sol Luxuria. Who are you?"


    "Ah¡­"


    pping her mouth as she hesitated about how to answer to this straightforward boy, she simply answered after casting her head down.


    "I¨CI am.. S-Setsuna Ir¨Cno. Setsuna. Just Setsuna."


    "She is a ve who will fight at the arena in a few days. She will begin her training there."


    Both Sol and Setsuna were startled, but Setsuna didn''t deny. She was a smart girl. She wouldn''t deny the one who was sheltering her openly. Though, at the moindre signe of truly making her a ve, she would bolt out of the room and the flee the city in sh.


    Giving a sad smile at how helpless she was, she had a handshake with Sol.


    "I see~ happy to meet you." Then, fidgeting a little he asked, "Hey, can I ask something?"


    "Wh-what?"


    "Hum...This is my first time to meet a wolf girl. Can I touch your ears?"


    The entire face of Setsuna was immediately flushed. Ears and tails were important part of the body of a beast-kin that''s why,


    "N-no!!! Are you crazy!?"


    ''Ah!''


    She shouted like that in embarrassment before remembering who she was talking to.


    ''Did I already offend someone important on my first day?''


    Despair clouded her mind. She could already see herself being chased out before having to fend for herself again alone in the streets. This thought was thest straw for her as she copsed. Thest thing she saw was the flustered visage of the little boy called Sol.


    ---

 Chapter 63 SPECIAL CHAPTER: DOUBLE MASSAGE

    (AN: Those events happen few days before the tournament.)


    Sol was currently resting in the church after having fled from the training with Lilith. He didn''t mind being trained harshly, but he also needed to rx from time to time.


    ¡°To think Sol fell asleep so soundly, that crazy Lilith must really be tiring him.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. However, his sleeping face sure is cute¡­"


    While Sol was still in the middle of his dreams, two women entered his room, enjoying the sight of his sleeping face.


    One was Milia, his maid and the other was unsurprisingly Camelia. They were now sitting next to Sol, watching him as he sleeps.


    ¡°Nevertheless, for him to not even wake up with two people so close to him. Perhaps Lilith isn''t training him enough?"


    "This isn''t the case. I assure you that his highness senses are incredibly sharp. It''s just that he doesn''t consider us as a threat and as such his sense didn''t wake him up."


    "Fufufu~! I see. In short, he felt at ease next to us."


    It was truly incredible to see a Maid and the one equal to the king of the country speaking as if they were on equal terms.


    "So, how is the investigation going on your side?"


    "The Eyes are doing their jobs. It shouldn''t take long for us to gather enough evidence. What about the inquisition?"


    "Heh~Those conservatives old bastard of the inquisition didn''t want to help at first. But I am very persuasive."


    Milia nodded, not bothering to try to understand better.


    "Soon, all his highness future worries will be blown away without even the slightest resistance."


    Camelia nodded at those words before focusing once again on the sleeping Sol. The more she looked at him the looser her expression became. It reaches the level where she was even salivating.


    Currently, Sol was wearing light trousers without a top. This impact was simply too great for Camelia.


    Seemingly understanding Camelia''s desire, Milia smiled before proposing.


    "From my observations, his highness seems to appreciate being woke up by a fetio. Perhaps you should try it?"


    "Oh, my! Sol is really a naughty child." Camelia hesitated a little before finally asking, "Then, why don''t we¡­"


    ---


    "Ugg!"


    Sol, who felt a moist sensation transmitted to his penis slowly opened his eyes. What he saw, made him wonder if he was having a wet dream.


    The first thing his brain registered was Camelia and Milia wearing a see-through negligee made out of a very thin material. The white fabric covered their bare skin, but it clung to their bodies, entuating the feminine curves of their boobs and butt.


    The second thing it registered was the fact that they were currently sucking and licking his penis. The sensation was simply out of this world.


    "Fufufu~you thought you were having a wet dream, but it was us!"


    Seemingly feeling the change in his breathing rhythm, Camelia, who was previously licking the shaft of his penis let go of it before asking.


    "Do you like it?"


    Closing his eyes and enjoying the situation he nodded.


    "Yeah, this feels heavenly."


    It had to be said, but seeing two mature women with impressive curves going down on him was an incredible sight to behold.


    "Still, what is happening?"


    ¡°It is as you see it, this lowly maid and Saint Camelia are now serving you.¡±


    Slowly feeling the urge build-up, "I am about to cum."


    Sol calmly warned before letting go and ejacting.


    "Ah~ !" "Nn!"


    Seeing the cloudy white liquidnd on the breast and face of those two women, Sol let out a sigh of contentment.<sub> </sub>


    "Fufufu. Seems like your highness really appreciated it."


    Smiling with her cum covered face, Milia licked some of it with her tongue. Camelia meanwhile had a dazed expression while her face was growing redder and her breath rougher.


    Seeing them like that, Sol could, even more, distinguish them and their usual kinks. Milia liked to mother him while they were having sex. For her, his pleasurees before her own, and just seeing him ejacte was enough for her.


    Camelia on the other was a submissive pure and through with some streak of masochism, though not too much.


    It was truly a heavenlybination.


    Still, seeing them like that, Sol''s eyes lit up as he thought of something he always wanted to try.


    Double tit fuck.


    Hearing his suggestion, both Camelia and Milia were more than happy to oblige.


    Slowly taking off their negligee, the two of them were now d in only their panties. Milia, wearing crotchless ck panties, while Camelia was wearing frilly white panties.


    His heartbeat elerated at this sight as he simply wished toy them down and fuck them but, he had a fantasy toplete.


    Even though Milia''s breasts were thergest, Camelia didn''t fall behind by too much. Those two different sizes of bust surrounded his rod from either side. His penis was fully erect, but it was easily buried.


    "This is so hot."


    They moved their heavy-looking breasts up and down to stroke the sensitive rod with their extremely soft tits.


    ¡°I must apologize, Your highness ¡­ I am already leaking milk¡­¡±


    Milia blushed a little and white milk left the tips of her springy maid boobs to wet all four breasts.


    Camelia, seeing this eximed in admiration.


    "So this is the Milk. It''s the first time I saw a woman, not pregnantctate."


    The rod contained between them was overwhelmed. The pleasure of their double titjob stimted his lust to the point he thought his lower body would melt away.


    ¡°Nn~! What do you think, Sol? Does this feel good?¡±


    Seemingly stimted by the act of servicing him with another woman, Camelia stared at him with melted eyes.


    "Of course. This is really great."


    He couldn''t use words to describe how good he felt currently. After all that training, the pleasure was even more overwhelming.


    Happy by the answer he gave, she opened her sexy lips, stuck her tongue out, and let a clear nectar drip down between her breasts. Camelia''s saliva mixed with the milk of Milia to provide better lubrication and the four breasts made an obscenely wet sound as they moved.


    Finally, the pleasure provided reached the final point as his penis throbbed, and ejacted for the second time while being buried in those two pairs of breasts.


    Not as much got on Milia''s face, but he gave Camelia aplete facial as her tongue crawled along with the head. But instead of trying to avoid it, she opened her mouth, stuck out her tongue, and caught the white liquid with a look of ecstasy on her face.


    It was slightly bitter but she could feel her heart melt in pleasure.


    While Camelia was in trance, Milia began sucking his still hard penis. She blew a breath on the head during the sensitive period immediately the following climax and then the warm flesh of her mouth surrounded it.


    "Ah. Milia this is good enough now. I think it''s time to attack the main meal."


    He couldn''t hold back anymore.


    "Now, the two of you, turn back on all four."


    Entering his master persona, hemanded them. Milia opened her eyes wide in surprise since it was the first time she saw him so domineering on the bed but the blush on her face showed that she did not mind it all. Camelia on the other hand directly turned as he ordered.


    Watching those two beautiful and plump butt d in panties. Sol nodded in appreciation and slowly began to caresses them. Breasts were good, but he was definitely more of an ass man.


    Sneaking a finger in the already drenched slit of Milia, Sol already knew who would be his first target.


    What followed was an entire day full of moans and cry as they let their lust flow.


    ---

 Chapter 64 VOL4/CH 56: THE CALM...

    Waking up, Setsuna blinked her blurry eyes before inspecting the ceiling,


    ''A familiar ceiling.''


    She could easily recognize this ce. This was the infirmary. A ce she woke up many times during her first year as a diator.


    Thinking about that, a nostalgic smile formed on her face.


    "I see that you are awake."


    Shifting her gaze, she was surprised to see Sol smiling at her. She tried to straighten but winced a little and wisely decided to stay put.


    ''How is it possible? I did not feel him at all.''


    Even now, as she concentrated, she still couldn''t feel him, even though she was able to see him.


    Seeing her reaction, Sol was a little startled as he remembered something before saying, "It should be alright now?"


    As he said, even though outwardly nothing had changed, she could indeed feel him again. She was a little curious about what happened but she knew that Sol would tell her when it would be necessary.


    "Hehe~ This current situation reminds me of our first meeting."


    Thinking of this Setsuna couldn''t help but blush in shame. Back then she had misunderstood his intentions and copsed before finally waking up, with him next to her.


    "To be honest I was very flustered when I saw you faint like that. I didn''t think that my innocent question would be met with such a response. As a result during our first few days of interaction, you would always hide your tail and ears and flee the moment you felt my presence."


    "Please, Your highness, stop!!"


    Covering herpletely red face with her hands, Setsuna screamed with a pitiful voice. Just remembering those events gave her the envy to bury herself into a hole.


    "Hahaha~!"


    Solughed happily at this sight. The usual Setsuna was an incredibly stoic woman. She was someone he both loved and respected dearly. She was also someone he wished to protect and give¨CNo, share happiness with.


    Finally stoppingughing, he lowered his head as he said,


    "It was a draw."


    Silence immediately filled the room. Setsuna stopped covering her eyes and looked at the clearly disappointed Sol.


    "You know, I could tell you now if you wish¡­ I have nothing to hide from you."


    Sol clearly hesitated before ultimately sighing, "Ideally I would say to wait until the end of the week. After I will make my first contract. If after that I am still unable to beat you. Then I will obediently listen to you. But¨C"


    Sol wasn''t someone usually stubborn nor did he think that never listening to her past because of some misjudged pride was the best idea.


    Still, he wanted to beat her. The next time they fought, he would go all out. He wasn''t satisfied with it ending in a draw, he wanted to be stronger than her.


    But he knew that this wasn''t the kind of thing that should be pushed back. With the war against Wratharis on the horizon, he couldn''t afford to have some kind of super-secret thrown at his face at the most important moment and freeze like in some cliche stories.


    But more than anything,


    "I''m listening."


    Pride could go fuck itself. He wished to listen to her, he wished to know more about her.


    Saying so, he took Setsuna''s hand from under the sheets and clenched them tightly in support.<sub> </sub>


    Clenching back, Setsuna gave a wane smile before beginning her story. Her full name, her being a princess, how her parents most likely died and her struggle to stay alive.


    During all this, Sol stayed silent while smiling in encouragement whenever she would turn to look at him. Even when she mentioned how she killed the bandits, he didn''t frown nor looked disgusted.


    This monologue continued for more than thirty minutes before she finally ended with a hoarse voice by telling how she reached Lustburg.


    ".... After that, I met Camelia before you finally appeared and the rest is history. So¨Cwhat do you think?"


    She asked a little timidly. It wasn''t the kind of secret one should keep for so many years, and besides that, with the war against Wratharis on the horizon, she knew that her presence could pose a problem.


    Of course, while hecked experience Sol wasn''t clueless about the world. He knew what kind of importance Setsuna had. Since she was of royal blood, even though she wasn''t blessed it wasn''t impossible for her children to be blessed by Ira and as such obtain a im to the throne. No, even before her children, if Setsuna made Ira happy, it wasn''t impossible for her to be blessed and as such, have an official im to the throne.


    Be it one or another, Setsuna''s existence represented a danger to the current king of Wratharis. But,


    "But so what?"


    "Sol?"


    Giving a bright smile, Sol bent down and gave a kiss on Setsuna forehead,


    "Your past doesn''t matter. All that matters is that you are mine. You know¨CI am a very very selfish prince after all."


    -----


    While Sol and Setsuna were discussing, two people were watching the rey of the match. More precisely they were watching the moment when Sol used his dragon characteristics.


    "As I thought. This little prince really inherited arge portion of the dragon''s blood. Even though he did not manifest it, with him being able to use a bastard version of Dragon fear I can say with 90% certainty that he has a core. Now, what will you do?"


    The one speaking was an astonishingly young woman. If one color could describe her, it would be red. A red dress, red cloak, red eyes, and long beautiful red hair as well as a red conical hat.


    ? Watching her gave the impression that one was facing a sea of blood.


    Even though her voice was beautiful, it gave an ethereal feeling. One of total disdain.


    "I, I do not know. I do not know."


    The one answering had most of his features hidden, but from his voice and frail hand, it was easy to deduct that he was a rather old man.


    "Heh~ You are still hesitating aftering this far? Should I remind you that your granddaughter is only alive because of my care? Should I remind you that she does not have long to live? Finally¡­ Should I remind you about the fact that the only way to save her is to have the core of a dragon or the heart of a phoenix?"


    The man seemed to hunch further under the words of the seemingly young woman.


    "But¨C"


    "But nothing. I despite wishy-washy people the most. Make a choice. But know that I do not n to indefinitely keep your granddaughter alive."


    Closing his eyes in pain, he remembered all the moments he lived with his adorable granddaughter and all her life. As well as how much she meant to him after losing his daughter and son inw during thest war. Shedding a tear, he murmured painfully,


    "I will do it. I will¨Ctake the core of his highness."


    (AN: VOL 4: THE MAID)


    ---


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 Chapter 65 CH 57: LILITH AND LILIN

    After Sol finished his discussion with Setsuna, he let her sleep a little and left the infirmary.


    It was during this kind of situation he realized once again how much he was advantaged by his race.


    The final attack the two of themunched was more or less of equal might with Setsuna''s Railgun being faster and slightly stronger. Anyone else in his ce would still be in his bed, but thanks to his high resistance to magic he came out without too much damage.


    Dragons were really the bane of mages. Still,


    "I shouldn''t be conceited."


    At the end of the day, he was just a hybrid dragon. If even the full adult dragons weren''t the strongest in this world how could he dare to be prideful just because he had some of their power? That would be the height of stupidity. After all, even Tiamat, the divine beast was just one out of 14 of such beasts.


    Despite that, he couldn''t help but smile as he clenched his fists in happiness,


    "I have be strong."


    It wasn''t much. He still had a long way to go and many things to learn. But this didn''t deter him. It was just the beginning. His starting line was already the end line of many people of this world. He would be the most idiotic bastard if he didn''t be a legend with all the advantages he had on his side.


    p "Your highness."</anda>


    His shadow ckened before Milia slowly walked out of it. Ever since she revealed her identity to him, she began to hide less and less of her abilities. This shadow like power was truly worthy of an assassin. But something bugged him.


    ''Her race shouldn''t allow her to use magic.''


    The cow beast men were one of the weakest beast-kin race. At most, they had a somewhat higher physical strength than normal humans and could use mana since birth. But that was all.


    ''Perhaps she is a variant?''


    "What''s the matter? Is it about my speech? I thought I still had thirty or so minutes?"


    He could see that Milia had a somewhat awkward expression on her face and tried to guess why.


    The normal schedule had beenpletely destroyed. Initially each of the five fights should have had a time limit of 20 minutes while the fight against Setsuna had a time limit of 45 minutes. But he attacked the five of¨C


    "Speaking of which, I thought I was supposed to fight five people. I did not think of it much back then, but what happened to the fifth one?"


    ----


    In the lounge of Camelia, a young blonde-haired and green-eyed knight could be seen trying to fight back against the chain of mana that was binding him.


    From her seat, Chloe would sometimes look at him with pity while sneaking a nce at the still smiling Camelia who was humming a song with sentences like ''Naughty children should be punished'' or ''Stupid children who get tricked by stupid nobles need to be punished.''


    Shivering a little she stopped looking and turned back her attention to the fights that were ongoing in the Arena.


    ''Aunt is seriously scary when she smiles like that.''


    ----


    "Fufufu~!"


    Laughing under her breath, "The fifth one should have been a member of the church. But it seems like he was slightly problematic, as such, Saintess Camelia decided to forbid him any contact with you until he received corrections."


    "Heh¡­"


    Understanding what Milia was saying but deciding to not waste brain cells on someone who wasn''t particrly important as of now, Sol discarded him from his mind.


    "Your highness, this isn''t about your speech. Rather¡­ Well, please follow me. I am sure it will be a pleasant surprise."


    Tilting his head Sol couldn''t help but wonder what was going on, but from her smile, he guessed that it should really be something interesting.


    ---


    In the lounge belonging to the royal family, a somewhat awkward silence was hovering.


    Three people were currently present with the third one standing and trying to not sweat under the pressure that was slowly growing heavier by the second.


    The two who were seated were eerily simr. From their form to their temperament and even their hair and eyes color.


    The only notable difference was their ages.


    The silence was finally broken by Lilith.


    "So you came back."


    Her voice seemed tock any emotion as she looked at her daughter who had escaped from the kingdom about two years ago.


    "Indeed."


    Silence settled once again.


    Finally unable to bear it, the one standing tried to speak, but the moment Lilith faced her, she immediately shut her mouth and bowed her head.<sub> </sub>


    As an elf, even though she wasn''t as stuck up as her peers, she still had some pride deep in her bones. Many times she had imagined how her first meeting with the legendary queen would go.


    But the reality was far removed from her imagination.


    She had imagined herself speaking eloquently as she sold her services but right now even speaking proved to be too much. Even standing as she was now was a defy.


    She couldn''t exin why, but she felt as if she was facing an unsheathed sword. Any word of her would immediately result in her being cut into thousands pieces.


    ''So this is the sword saint.''


    On the other hand, the pressure emanating from her friend was insane. If Lilith was an unsheathed sword, then Lilin was an already drawn-out sword full of blood. Even standing behind her, she couldn''t help but feel that she was seeing a mountain of corpses and a river of blood.


    This wasn''t the first time she saw the killing intent of Lilin. Each time she couldn''t help but wonder just how many people she killed before the two of them met each other.


    Thinking about the intent the prince used during his fight against the wolf girl, she couldn''t help but curse under her breath.


    ''This family is full of monsters.''


    It was when she was finally unable to hold on that the pressure suddenly vanished as if it was a lie.


    At the same moment, the door opened and the one who entered was none other than the prince himself.


    "Sol~!!!"


    Before she could even understand what was happening, Lilin was already jumping in the arm of the surprised prince.


    Seeing Lilin acting all girly while slightly blushing, she couldn''t but feel that her worldview had been destroyed. She had to give her all to not scream in disbelief,


    ''Who are you and what have you done to my friend!!!!??''


    ----


    "Sol~!!!"


    Caching the purple bolt that jumped in his arms, Sol was slightly surprised before his eyes widened in realization.


    "Lilin!!"


    Smiling happily from the bottom of his heart, he hugged her tightly while she responded back.


    Lilin Luxuria. Lilith Luxuria and Cerios Gorfard¡¯s daughter. Normally, her full name should have been Lilin Gorfard Luxuria, but Lilith never epted giving the Gorfard name to her daughter despite all theints of the Duke Gorfard.


    This was also one of the reasons why the rtionship between the Gorfard family and the royal family was so strained.


    Lilin Luxuria was basically the spitting image of Lilith. Albeit a little shorter. She was as beautiful as Lilith and her curves were as bountiful.


    She was wearing a low skirt and a simple shirt that showed a little of her cleavage.


    "Hahaha~! I am really happy to see you. I thought you wouldn''te for mying of age ceremony."


    Releasing her from the hug, he admired his cousin whom he hadn''t seen for about two years.


    Lilin had left the Tower of Babel one year after her awakening and since then, aside from some letters to show that she was alive, she never came back.


    "Hey," Pouting a little, she continued, "How could I miss this day? No matter how much I didn''t want toe back, you are far more important to me."


    Sol winced a little at those words. He knew that the rtionship between Lilith and Lilin was incredibly strained. It was at the level where they even fought once. Though Lilin had been absolutely trashed back then. This fight had also been thest straw that made her leave.


    Trying to change the subject, he scanned the surrounding before finally finding another person in the lounge.


    "An elf?"


    Sol''s eyes sparkled as he looked at her ears. He was about to speak, but when he remembered his first meeting with Setsuna, he coughed awkwardly before asking.


    "Is she a friend of yours?"


    "Oh! Look at me. I had totally forgotten her."


    "Hey!"


    Ignoring the hurts expression of her friends, Lilin continued,


    "Sol, I am happy to present you, ra, as you can see she is an elf. I brought her back because I thought she would do well as one of your retainers or perhaps a concubine."


    "Heh!?"


    Looking at the surprised expression of the elf, Sol couldn''t help but pity her a little. He also wondered if it was in the gene of this mother-daughter pair to throw women at him.

 Chapter 66 SPECIAL CHAPTER CHRISTMAS: BLAZE AND MARS

    Under a shed in the hanging garden, a beautiful red-haired woman reclined on a rocking chair, arge white nket covering her as she observed a young man busy himself around.


    White snowkes fell like petals of a flower from the sky but thanks to a special barrier none of it entered the garden but instead drifted aimlessly around it, giving this sight a mesmerizing feeling.


    Sighing, the red-haired woman asked, "Why don''t you let me help you, you know that I just discovered my pregnancy two months ago right? I still have between twelve to forty months before giving birth."


    At the end of the day, even though she looked like a human and had reproductive organspatible with humans, she wasn''t one. She was a dragon. A mythical creature mainly made out of energy rather than flesh.


    For the fetus to maturepletely, it had to absorb her energy until saturation. The longer this went on, the more talented the baby would be. The problem was that during this period, the mother would be slowly weakened as a result, and even after giving birth, she would take a long time before reaching her peak.


    The man, a handsome blonde-haired and blue-eyed young man swept his long golden hair before looking with disapproval at his wife.


    "ze, I already said that you shouldn''t do anything strenuous now that you are pregnant with Sol. Also, I know howzy you are during winter so don''t try to put a tough front."


    No matter how mystical dragons were, they were just partially divine and as such, they also had to follow some rules of nature.


    Since they were naturally cold-blooded creatures, even though they didn''t particrly mind winter on a physical level, they still hated it on a psychological level and generally became very sluggish during this period. Some of them even hibernate.


    ze had nothing to retort to this and she had to admit that she liked being pampered by her husband, he had been busytely because of negotiations with Slothtein and Greed Dike to put amon front against Gluttony Foss that was slowly stirring, so the time they had alone was bing rather limited.


    Smiling softly, she asked, "Then, why don''t you have the maids help you? Wouldn''t it be easier?"


    Mars frowned a little before putting the Christmas tree in the corner of the shed.


    "You know I don''t really like being attended to. If I can do it myself, why have another one do it in my ce?"


    ze gave a wry smile at this opinion of his. It was something she had never really managed to understand. Even though he had been raised as a prince, sometimes she felt like he had received apletely different upbringing.


    She knew that her husband was hiding a secret. A very big secret. Still, she never tried to poke her nose in it. People had the right to their privacy. This rule held true even between husband and wife.


    "So, who wille? The usual group?"


    Mars, who was now decorating the tree, answered calmly,


    "Arachne, Camelia, Lilith, Theresa, Iris, Persephone, and Pandora."


    ze''s smile twitched a little at this list. Camelia aside, all the ones he listed were women who had some form of infatuation for him.


    She could understand how Arachne Mris and Lilith could fall for him. Lilith being Mars''s half-sister didn''t really matter. Incest was in no way a sin in the mind of dragons.


    But the others always left her incredulous.


    Theresa was the daughter of one of the richest dwarfs alive, hereby making her one of the richest in the world.


    Iris was the heiress of the church of Industria in Slothtein.


    Persephone was one of the four Ouroboros.


    Finally, Pandora was the crown princess of Envilya.


    As for her, as a dragon worshipped in Southern pride, she was even superior to the Queen of elves in that kingdom.<sub> </sub>


    "So, all we miss is someone high ced in Wratharis? Heh, my dear husband, are you trying to rule the world?"


    Mars immediately had cold sweat on his back as he gave up on work and immediately approached ze before taking her hand.


    "What do you mean? You know very well they are just friends. Nothing more."


    Looking at his earnest and serious eyes, ze sighed. She had mixed feelings about the current situation.


    On one side, her pride made her unable to ept that her mate would have anyone else but her. On the other side, she took pride in the fact that he was loved by so many outstanding women.


    Still, as a dragon, she wasn''t particrly against polygamy. If Mars was more proactive in taking them in their bed she wouldn''t object too much. Though she would have to beat them all up to set up a clear hierarchy in the harem.


    Thankfully and for once again some weird reason, despite all his aplishments, Mars seemed to suffer from some sort of inferiorityplex and refused to believe so many women had feelings for him.


    In her case, before they begin their rtionship she even once literally jumped on him naked while he was bathing and all the dunce did was blush and close his eyes before running out of the bath.


    Caressing his head with eyes full of frustration, she said, "I love you, but sometimes I really pity those girls."


    She chuckled at his clueless looks. She didn''t mind giving way to a harem. But no way she would be one to help it. If they wished for him to understand their feelings, they should do like her and jump on him while he was sleeping.


    ----


    Christmas was a special day for everyone in this world. It''s said that it''s on that day that the goddess created life in the world. This was the day of the year where prayer was far more effective and Miracle more likely to happen.


    "Merry Christmas!!!"


    The garden was now upied by a group of beautiful women as they chanted with joy and happiness.


    "ze! Mars! Merry Christmas!! Congrattions on your pregnancy."


    A short and slim woman of about 140 cm skipped to ze who was still seated on her chair. Her smile was innocent and contagious. She was wearing a short red and white skirt, that fluttered in the wind.


    "Thank you, Theresa. Merry Christmas to you too, you are splendid."


    "Hehehe~! Really!? Yeah!" Giving a bashful smile, she twirled, showing some glimpse of her red panties.


    Mars hurriedly turned his head aside before alsoplimenting her dress, making Theresa even happier.


    After Theresa, the other woman also approached and wished merry Christmas and also gave their congrattions.


    ze watched all of them with a happy smile.


    Even though most of them were herpetitors of sorts, they were also precious friends she would never give up for anything in the world.


    Looking down, she gently caressed her belly as she murmured inwardly,


    "I pray that you will grow into a gentle and handsome young man. I pray for your life to be full of happiness. I pray for you to grow healthy. Finally, I pray to be by your side until the day you be a grown man. Merry Christmas my baby Sol, this will be the first out of many."

 Chapter 67 CH 58: SHIELD AND SWORD

    "Sol, I am happy to present you, ra, as you can see she is an elf. I brought her back because I thought she would do well as one of your retainers or perhaps a concubine."


    "Heh!?"


    ra eximed loudly at those words.


    "Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean by concubine?"


    Lilin tilted her head, "You don''t want to?" her eyes showed a profound confusion as if the very concept that someone would refuse such an offer was something she couldn''t understand.


    ra wanted to scream her frustration and say of course not but rejecting the crown prince like that in his presence was out of the question. What''s more, she clearly felt three pair of eyes lock on her at the same time. She didn''t know why but she was sure that giving a firm rebuttal wouldn''t result in a pretty result.


    "Lilin. Stop it."


    The voice of salvation came from the prince himself.


    "But¡­"


    "No buts. I am happy that you thought of me, but I refuse to force anyone to enter into rtionships with me. So please, stop now or I am going to be angry."


    He was talking with a calm and steady voice. Even though he didn''t raise his voice, ra could feel a certain majesty in his voice.


    This raised the opinion of the prince in her mind. Elves were rather liberal when it came to love. This was mostly because of their high longevity and their low birth rate. For elves, sex wasn''t something for pleasure and love was just a chemical reaction. They only believed in survival and giving birth to the next generation.


    Still, as a woman, she also had dreams about her first time.


    "ra, was it? I hope that you forgive my cousin if her words were hurtful."


    Looking at his dazzling smile as he apologized, she could feel her face burn and her heartbeat elerate. This made her understand once again why her mother said that those with beautiful faces could control the world. It was cheating.


    Milia, who was observing all this from the back, had to hold the urge to let out a snicker. She wasn''t biased in saying that Sol had the potential to be one of the most handsome men in the world. This was even more so because he was blessed by the goddess Luxuria. If he really wanted, few girls could resist his charm.


    ''This ra is suitable to be his highness retainer. Perhaps even a contracted partner. Elves are B+ at base with different variants such as Moon elves or high elves having the potential to reach A+.''


    She was already beginning to assess the advantages of getting this woman as a retainer for her beloved master.


    But,


    ''I need to search deeper into her background.''


    Even now, even though she knew it wasn''t her fault, she could never forgive herself for letting her previous master die because of something as stupid as a betrayal. She would never let any traitorous bastarde close to Sol. Even if it was at the price of her life.


    Thinking about traitors, she remembered one particr old man that set her suspicion aze. She needed to do a new round of spying soon to refresh her information.


    ''Once I have enough proof to validate my theory, I will immediately inform his highness. Fufufu~ it seems like I will have to be active again after all those years. I hope I am not too rusty.''


    Sol, after giving his apology to ra, patted Lilin on the head before turning to face Lilith. His fist was slightly clenched in anticipation.


    "So, how was it?"


    Silence fell as all eyes gathered on Lilith who stayed silent. Sol couldn''t help but feel a little nervous but this nervousness provided to be useless as a small smile formed on Lilith''s face before long.


    Standing up, she came close to Sol and took him in her arms as she murmured.


    "Aside from you showing off a little too much, this was almost perfect. You still have so much to learn, but¨CSol, I am very proud of you. Congrattions."


    Those words struck home deeply and he could feel his eyes moisten a little before giving his all to not shed a tear. It would be trulyme of him to cry because of some little praise in front of everyone.


    In his past life, Sol wasn''t anyone special. Just a normal teen that could be found in the world. Just one out of 7 billion humans filled this world.


    His life was neither particrly sad nor particrly incredible.


    That''s why he loved this world so much at first. Here he wasn''t just a nobody. He was Sol Dragona Luxuria. The sole and unique Sol. Here he was special. He wasn''t just someone who would die forgotten and ignored by the world. Even thousands of years after his death people would still remember him as the tenth king.


    ¡­ This was what he thought initially.


    Later, as he began to grow up and adapt to this world, he began to understand.


    Being special means nothing.


    Being unique means nothing.


    Being remembered means absolutely nothing.


    Those were the aspirations of people who wished to leave a mark on the world.


    For him¡­Rather than being special. Rather than being unique, the simple fact that those close to him were proud of him was enough to send him to cloud nine.


    This was the greatest form of happiness for him.


    Some people might see this as incredibly childish. Others might see this as stupid or pitiful. Many would mock hisck of ambition. But¨C


    But so what?


    What did it matter to him?


    He would be someone they could all be proud of.


    He would be someone who could protect all of them.


    He would be someone they could rely on.


    That''s why, while giving the brightest smile possible, he answered Lilith''s praise.


    "This is just the start."


    Looking deep into her eyes, he swore inwardly.


    Even though he didn''t know her pain.<sub> </sub>


    Even though he could never understand her pain.


    Even though it might be his selfish wish.


    He would save her no matter what.


    Even if the one he had to save her from was herself.


    After all, he was destined to be a selfish king, right?


    -----


    Once the weird emotional and slightly embarrassing moment passed, Sol took a deep breath and began speaking,


    "Setsuna is alright and I am already healed. So, what now?"


    Having someone like Milia helping him was a true godsend. There were so many things to do, and so many ns to make.


    "I have already contacted the head butler of the Hignd family. To warn them that they were the first chosen to host you. As of now, we just have to wait for the fight bellows to end before you give your speech. Since we finished way earlier than we thought, you still have a great buffer time before having to head to the Hignd Manor."


    Sol pondered a little before asking, facing his cousin whom he hadn''t seen in years.


    Many things could change because of time. Even one week was enough to observe incredible changes, not to speak of two years.


    It would be stupid of him to assume the Lilin in front of him was still the same as she was back then. It was stupid and also very insulting for the person in question.


    Then, "Let''s get on with that speech fast. I want to spend some time with Lilin."


    He was also very curious about the girl she came with. It wasn''t the first elf he saw and such, Sol was sure that she wasn''t a normal elf.


    ''I hope she isn''t tricking her.''


    Because if she was¡­ Well, sooner orter he had to be ustomed to taking a life.


    ----


    While Sol was contemting the chance of himmitting his first murder, the north side of the capital was bustling more than the other.


    Here and there, soldiers could be seen walking and decorating the streets as well as some of the house.


    "It seems like we will be the first one to be visited by his highness."


    "But of course. Our Duke is without a doubt the most loyal one in the kingdom. It''s very normal for him to be the first."


    Here and there, such discussion could be heard from the soldiers. Being the first house chosen showed how much trust the royal family ced in the Duke of Hignd. For those soldiers who were incredibly loyal and respectful to him, this was like the honor was on them.


    This was even more so after they watched the disy of the prince. It was clear that he was destined to be someone strong. They could already imagine the scene where they would fight against the Wratharis army with their gs fluttering high behind them.


    While themon soldiers were basking in happiness, the upper echelon was rather somber.


    In the manor belonging to the Hignd family, a meeting was taking ce.


    "My lord. It seems like the queen wishes to pull us on her side. What should we do?"


    The room where the meeting was taking ce was arge room underground with barely any light. The sole decoration being arge rectangr desk.


    At the head of the table, an old man, the Duke Hignd pondered in silence.


    On his right, a young red-haired woman decked in armor pounded her fist on the table.


    "What should we do!? Of course, we should show our neutral stance! We are the Hignd! The guardian of the kingdom! Why should we enter the game of politics of those stupid nobles!?"


    Herst question seemed more like a roar than a scream. Despite that, many of the retainers present seemed to share in her opinion as they nodded their heads.


    The first head of the Hignd family was one of the most loyal Generals of the Conqueror King, Jupiter. This also made them the first and oldest noble family in the kingdom after the royal family.


    Despite this position, the Hignd family prided itself by never bothering with politics. Even when the Puppet King was being manipted by the nobles, they never intervened be it for one side or another.


    "Dear sister of mine. Are you perhaps stupid? Don''t you see the trends? A war ising. There''s no way the Queen will let us in control of the military if we don''t show our allegiance. Worse, I wouldn''t be surprised if some of us were to be met with some deadly ''idents'' during the war or even before it."


    The one who spoke this time was a slim young man who sat on the left of the Duke. His slim build and the round sses he wore gave him a very intellectual look.


    His words were also meet with nods from the retainers. From the look of it, it was clear that each of them enjoyed a certain influence in this room.


    "Bullshit!! Why would she do that? We are always the first ones to jump in during the war. All our ancestors racked up so much military merit that some king didn''t even know what they should reward us with. And you are saying that despite all that the queen would destroy us just because we won''t enter this stupid game?"


    "This is reality. Your opinion is irrelevant. Do you not know that a dog who loses his usefulness can be drowned? We have lost much of our influence over the years. It''s clear that the queen did not appreciate our so-called neutrality during the Puppet King reign. Even now I think that this was a stupid decision."


    All the people present inhaled deeply at those words. After all, the current Duke was the one who gave that order back then.


    Despite their fear, the Duke Hignd simply gave a bitter smile,


    "Indeed. This might have been one of the most foolish decisions I have ever made."


    He seemed to crumble a little bit, but this didn''tst long. Straightening his back, he steeled his expression and scanned the room with a cold expression before looking at his two greatest sources of pride. His grandchildren, who respectively stood at his right and his left.


    "Athena, Ares, this old man made a big mistake back then. I was too stubborn. I forgot that in a sense, being silent was also a form of choice. But¨C"


    He put more strength in his words. "But¨Cjust because I made that mistake once doesn''t mean that we must necessarily follow the crown prince to atone. What are we!?"


    "WE ARE THE SHIELDS OF THE KINGDOM!!"


    "What is our goal!?"


    "BEING THE SWORD THAT PIERCE THE HEART OF OUR ENEMIES."


    "This is so. We are the shield and we are the sword. We are tools to be used for a better future. But, not anyone has the right to wield us. The Puppet King was unworthy. The Hero King was more than worthy. Then, let''s see if his highness will be worthy or not."

 Chapter 68 CH 59: WELCOME BACK

    What followed was a simple speech where Sol talked a little about himself and his wish to make the kingdom stronger and better. The usual rubbish.


    He now understood a little why politicians always lied during elections. The popce didn''t care about the truth. The truth was heavy and full of bleakness.


    What they needed was someone who could make them dream. Someone who could promise them better days ahead. That was also why religion was always popr no matter what era.


    Well, this was just his opinion based on his experience.


    After the speech followed by the apud, Sol''s role was pretty much over. It was just noon and he had until the evening before having to go visit the Hignd family. As such he decided to go to the quarters in the tower of babel with Lilin.


    He obviously didn''t take ra with him. No matter how much a friend she was to Lilin, the upper level of the babel tower couldn''t be entered by someone unrted to the royal family. He wouldn''t let strangers enter such a ce no matter how cute or how close to his cousin she was.


    There was also the fact that he wanted to spend some time alone with his cousin. After all, 2 years of absence was nothing to scoff at. Some rtionships didn''t evenst that long.


    Thankfully, it seemed that ra understood his caution and didn''t take offense to it as she waved them goodbye.


    Before using the gate, even though he knew it might be useless, he gave a signal to Milia to investigate her. It was necessary for him to be more mature and used to givemand little by little.


    King or no King. Knowing how to direct your own subordinate was always a much-needed skill and he wasn''t against learning something new.


    After Sol left the lounge, Milia escorted ra out of the Colosseum before giving her a card for a VIP room in one of the greatest hotels in the capital.


    She might be under investigation, but she was still a guest of the queen''s daughter. It would be extremely rude to not treat her as such.


    Now alone, she sank in the shadows before appearing in another street, her maid clothes reced by a simple long dress that could be seen on any ordinarymoner.


    It didn''t take long for her to enter a seemingly normal inn and then as if it was the most natural thing in the world, she entered the zone reserved for the staff.


    The time to clean the kingdom was approaching. If possible, she wished that her beloved prince wouldn''t have to be covered in blood.


    She loved his gentle smile that always managed to soothe her heart and make her forget all her weariness. She liked his sunny aura that steeped into the heart of those who faced him.


    She wished that he would continue to live in a bright and beautiful world full of colors.


    That''s why the crown''s shadow existed. They were the dark hand behind the curtain. The one who did the dirty jobs.


    She would protect him. It was far more than just a duty. It was her most precious wish.


    That was why she would be active again. That was why she would take out her weapon again.


    No matter what or no matter, how once she got all the proof she needed she would massacre them all.


    "Did you capture those diators that were previously bribed?"


    "Of course."


    A feminine voice sounded from behind her. She didn''t need to turn to know that it was one of the fingers. More precisely, it was the maid who followed the princess and came back with her.


    "Then," stretching her fingers she gave a cold smile, "Your report about the princess can wait. Right now I need to see if I am still good at making the prisoners sing."


    ''No matter what happens, by the end of this festival, the kingdom will be cleansed of all those filthy worms.''


    ----


    On Sol''s side, once they entered the upper floor of the tower they immediately went towards the part reserved for Lilin.


    "Nothing changed."


    Lilin murmured under her breath, her expressions still cold and unchanging.


    Sol was used to it. If Lilin could be described in one word, then he would use the term Kuudere.<sub> </sub>


    Many people found her disturbing and even in the castle, he knew that most of the staff did not really likeing close to her. Despite that, in his eyes, she was just a clumsy girl awkward at showing her feelings.


    "Indeed. Nothing changed. Let''s see your room."


    "Hum¡­"


    It didn''t take long for them to enter the room.


    Surprisingly despite it being a girl room, there was nothing girly about it.


    On the wall, all one could see were pictures showing the internal structure of the human body at different degrees. While some other pictures showed different poses necessary in martial arts.


    Aside from those pictures, swords, and spears of different shapes and sizes could be seen all around.


    The bed, despite being created by a master and extremely beautiful, did not really seem to fit in this room that looked more like a dojo than a bedroom.


    Lilin''s eyes began to sparkle even though her expression didn''t change much. She rushed into her room and began to gently touch each of her weapons.


    "When I fled two years ago, I was really sad because I couldn''t bring them with me."


    "Hahaha. Indeed. You always have loved weapons more than dresses and flowers. I guess this is why you are so good at fighting."


    If people saw him as the seconding of Mars and alwayspared him to his father. Then Lilin wasn''t any different as she was alwayspared to Lilith.


    Everyone called Lilin a genius at fighting and even though she had zero talent towards contract, no one looked down on her since they had Lilith as an example.


    But Sol never used the word genius to describe his cousin. She was without a doubt extremely talented. But calling her a genius was like insulting all the work she put into bing better.


    His training was rough. Incredibly rough. So rough he wished entertained thoughts of murder.


    But ¨Chonestly speaking, it was bearable. For the simple reason that he wasn''t totally human. Be it a higher strength than normal, incredible regeneration abilities, and arge quantity of mana, he simply had too many things to make the training bearable.


    But what about Lilin? From what he knew she was just a normal human. Aside from her mana quantity that was farrger than normal, she did not have any particr perk. Wounds that would heal in a matter of hours or days for him would only heal after weeks for her.


    Fatigue that he could shrug off after a few hours of rest would make her copse and unable to move from the bed.


    "Sol? Is there something on my face?"


    "No. I was just lost in thought."


    Smiling, he sat on the bed and indicated his thigh with his hand. "Come on."


    Before he even finished his words, she was alreadyying her head on hisp.


    Chuckling a little at how things seemingly hadn''t changed, he gently caressed her head while she closed her eyes in happiness.


    "It must have been hard right?"


    What would it feel to go from a princess to a simplemoner? No matter how skilled she was, when she left she was only 16. Going from rich to rag must have not been easy.


    He couldn''t even begin to understand all the hardships she had to go through. As such, there was one thing he had to do before interrogating her.


    "Lilin¡­"


    "Hum?"


    "Wee back."


    "Hehe~!" Letting a shyugh, she answered, "I am back."

 Chapter 69 CH 60: DO YOU WISH TO MARRY ME?

    After weing her, Sol immediately began discussing with Lilin about her adventures.


    "For the first few weeks, I just stayed in the kingdom."


    From what she said, she didn''t simply leave without any n. She stayed in the surrounding of the capital and joined a mercenary guild to act as a guard for some merchants by hiding her features.


    This part made Sol smile since, in reality, she was following the footsteps of Lilith.


    During all those times, she was followed by her personal maid, a woman named Ketia.


    From the information Milia gave him, that woman was also one of the fingers in the crown''s shadow. After all, there was no way they would let Lilin, who was of royal blood, leave the kingdom without any protection.


    After bing a mercenary, she lived many adventures. Some good, some bad, it was also during those adventures that she killed for the first time and discovered her talent in channeling killing intent.


    When she spoke about that part, he could feel that her voice was a little uneasy. So he gently caressed her head and told her to continue.


    As someone who came from the modern world and lived a normal life free of all danger, Sol should have been morally affected by this.


    But, he felt nothing.


    It wasn''t that he was desensitized to it. Be it in this life or the previous one, he had never killed anyone and didn''t know the feelings one could have after doing such a deed.


    But even though he wasn''t particrly experienced and rather sheltered, he understood that using the moral of his original world to judge this one would have been extremely idiotic.


    Morality changed depending on space and time.


    But more than a question of morality, the simple truth was that, if he had to choose between the life of a stranger and that of his family, the choice was self-evident.


    ---


    Lilin''s adventure continued like that for about half a year before she decided to travel out of the kingdom. Ketia tried to dissuade her, but Lilin was pretty stubborn.


    That''s how they left Lustburg and entered the forest of Southern pride. The elves'' territory.


    In the territory of the elves, her life became even more eventful.


    They lived in a kingdom system, but they were also extremely tribal. The elves were divided into four factions, each of them represented by one of the dragon kings under the order of Tiamat.


    They were Fafnir the snow dragon for the moon elves, Welsh the fire dragon for the sun elves, Kiyohime the water dragon for the silver elves, and finally Hydra the poison dragon for the dark elves. Above them all stood the Queen, a high elf.


    This part nearly made him cough while inwardly he couldn''t help but chant.


    ''All hail hydra.''


    From what Sol understood, each of the four ns representing those dragons was basically the elvish version of the four Duke families in Lustburg.


    "When I entered Southern pride, the whole kingdom was facing a crisis."


    "A crisis?"


    "Indeed. It seems like some of the upper echelons of the kingdom had been infiltrated by vampires."


    "Vampires? So Southern pride and Envilya are officially hostile?"


    "No, it was an independent action from one of the four heavenly Generals, Drac. Sadly there was no proof. Envilya sent one of the princesses and with her help, we fought back the rogue vampire. It''s during this time that I befriended ra."


    "Hum, was the princess blessed?"


    "No. She isn''t the crown princess nor is she a candidate for the throne. Though she had beautiful purple hair... A little like me and mother."


    "Oh? Interesting. What was her name?"


    "Anastasia. Her name was Anastasia Invidia."


    "Then what after?"


    "After that, not much happened. We had some skirmish with the vampires before finally driving them out. We also drove the traitors out and now Southern pride is free of worry."


    <o>,m Sol couldn''t help but pinch his eyebrows as he tried to analyze all the implications of what happened.</o>


    The fight between Southern pride and Envilya was nothing important in itself. The two-kingdom were separated by Wratharis and could never really engage in a full-scale war.


    But if he understood clearly what happened. Not only did she help greatly the elven kingdom, but she also helped the demon kingdom. At least the royal family of the demon kingdom.


    In terms of geography, Lustburg, Southern pride and Envilyapletely surrounded Wratharis on all sides, except the sea at their back.


    If they yed their cards well, the war that was about to happen could be way easier than it seemed at first.


    "Sol?"


    "Hum?"


    He was brought back from his thoughts by her voice. Seeing her worried expression he asked,


    "What''s it?"


    "Hum¡­ Did I do something wrong? Are you angry?"


    "Angry?" He was a little puzzled before finally understanding the source of her worries.


    "Hahaha~! How could I be angry!? What you did was simply incredible! If we capitalize on your achievement, the result will be beautiful."<sub> </sub>


    He didn''t mention the potential political bacsh that could have happened. No matter what, Lilin was still a member of the royal family. Meddling in foreign affairs wasn''t the smartest choice. In fact, it was pretty dumb. But the result was still here.


    It wasn''t his ce to chide her. Lilin wasn''t a child and she was far from stupid. If she made all those choices, then she must have judged that the possible gains far outweighed the loss.


    It was a dangerous gamble, but the result was here. She won.


    "Hehe~ Then, will I get a reward?"


    "A reward?" He was a little taken aback, "Well normally yeah. I don''t really know since but, you are the princess. Frankly, I don''t really know what you could ask for."


    This was the truth. Be it with Lilith or him as a king, Lilin would always be a princess and would neverck anything, so a reward would be pretty useless. Though getting a reward in public could be a good move.


    It was impossible for her absence to not have bad repercussions on her reputation. But if they said that she was under orders and seeded in an important mission, this would bring a great achievement under her name and wipe out any bad rumors.


    "Having a reward from the kingdom isn''t bad. But I want more. I want a reward from you."


    ''Why does it seem like the mood suddenly changed?''


    Looking at her slightly heated eyes, Sol gulped a little.


    ''She wouldn''t ask for that right?''


    "Do you remember our promise when we were kids?"


    ''A promise?''


    Searching in his memory, it didn''t take long for him to remember.


    "You don''t mean?"


    "Hehe. It seems like you remember."


    "But¡­"


    "Sol, do you wish to marry me?"


    ---


    After leaving Lilin''s room, Sol walked a little in a daze, her question, reying in his mind.


    Did he want to marry her?


    This was a hard question to answer. If he had to be honest, it wasn''t as if he had never seen Lilin as a woman. In fact, in terms of womanly charm, she didn''t lose to any adult.


    But, it never went past the simple fantasy. It never really bloomed into the love he had for his current women.


    Sol didn''t mind having a casual rtionship with his maids. At the end of the day, it was just sex. A way to vent his lust.


    But he refused to have such a rtionship with someone he truly cared for, and Lilin was such a person.


    ''Sigh, I am a true hypocritical bastard.''


    Still, even though it made him sick to think like that, from a purely objective point of view, him marrying Lilin was the most optimal option.


    Even though Lilin didn''t obtain the blessing, she was a Luxuria and as such any of her children or grandchildren or further down could potentially give birth to a blessed child.


    In such a situation, a dispute for the throne would be inevitable and a tragedy like the one that happened to Setsuna would be the most likely oue.


    By officially marrying Lilin, not only did he satisfy the conditions of having a wife whose status matched his, but he also made it so his cousin didn''t have tond in aplicated rtionship.


    Furthermore, currently, none of his women were suitable to be his official wife.


    Milia was a maid and the leader of a shadow group. Setsuna was officially a ve and in reality the princess of another kingdom, Camelia was the supreme daughter and leader of the church and Edea was a witch.


    ''I really have no one suitable for the position.''


    Of course, he could marry one of his partners like Mars did. More precisely the Phoenix who would be his partner. After all, the children and the direct descendant of the divine beasts were all considered to be royalty of sorts, but it would be pretty rude to have such an idea about someone he didn''t even meet.


    ''To think I would have to consider marriage at such a young age. Well, for a medieval world it isn''t particrly surprising.''


    In an era where people lived a rtively dangerous lifestyle where they could die at any time, it was the norm to marry early.


    This rule held true even in his old world. It was at the level where hearing about a 12-year-old princess marrying wasn''t anything weird.


    "Hahaha. The heck. I should stop being wishy-washy."


    He didn''t know how much courage Lilin gathered to make this confession. Since he liked her and she liked him. What was the problem?


    ''Still, I need to discuss it with Lilith first.''


    Be it as his aunt and guardian, as Lilin''s mother, or as the current queen, Lilith had all the rights to be informed first of the situation. What''s more, hearing the thoughts of someone more experienced could only be beneficial.


    But, "Well, this promises to be awkward." He murmured under his breath.


    Just yesterday he had a date with her and now he was asking about the possibility of marrying her daughter.


    This went way past the level of simply being awkward.


    "Sigh. Let''s see how it will go."

 Chapter 70 CH 61:SELFISH PRINCE AND SELFISH QUEEN

    "Heh~ So she said that? Well, it was about time."


    Sol and Lilith were currently seated under the shade of a tree in the hanging garden.


    No matter how many times he observed this garden, Sol never ceased to be amazed by the beauty of it. From what he knew, it was Persephone, the witch of life who created it herself.


    It was incredibly ironic how most of the greatest and most beautiful things belonging to this kingdom were obtained thanks to the witches who were so hated.


    After leaving Lilin''s room, Sol was informed that she was rxing in the garden, and here he was, now apanying her.


    "So you already knew?"


    Hearing this question, Lilith smiled a little after giving a nod.


    "She made the promise to marry you once you be adults."


    "Sigh, I thought that it was just a joke or something she would forget."


    He seriously thought so. After all, who would take seriously the promise of marriage made by a 7-year-old little girl to a 4-year-old boy?


    A pearl-likeugh escaped Lilith''s lips at his dumbfounded expression, "If she is anything like me, and she is. She would have never forgotten this."


    "...I may be mistaken, but it seems like it''s making you happy."


    He was rather curious. He was expecting many things, but not so much happiness.


    "Indeed. This is incredibly good news. I was always worried about who she would end up with. So manyplications ahead. I even initially nned to make her one of your fiancee candidates."


    It was then that Sol remembered the very first discussion that sparked all the madness surrounding him. Looking at his aunt, he couldn''t help but sigh.


    He could feel how alluring and beautiful she was. A beauty, unlike any human. Looking at her, he knew that she would do anything he asked her of. Even if he asked her to make love with him she wouldn''t refuse if he insisted. He could certainly Conquer her body rather easily.


    But this wasn''t what he wished for.


    If it was just sex, Sol had hundreds if not thousands of willing partners possible.


    But the matter of heart was something different.


    Lilith, unaware of Sol''s thoughts, was admiring a family of ducks who was happily paddling in the littleke in front of them.


    "I am not a very good mother you know? Never was I a good aunt. This is one of the few regrets I still have, the result is the strained rtionship between me and the two of you."


    "..."


    "But now I know that I don''t have to worry anymore. I am sure that you will take care of her and Lilin became incredibly strong. She will without a doubt protect you with all her strength."


    "..."


    "The more time passes, the less needed I feel I am, once you obtain a basic amount of experience in matters of ruling and reach a sufficiently high level in terms of personal power, I will havepleted my role."


    "Sigh, Little Lilith, could you shut up, please? You have reached the apex in terms of destroying the mood."


    A cold voice suddenly sounded before a ck gate marked with the symbol of a snake eating its own tail appeared in front of them.


    From it, two people slowly came out, one being a mix of white and ck, the other being a bright and almost blinding pink.


    They were without a doubt, the witch Freya and Edea.


    The one who spoke was none other than Edea. Her expression, full of exasperation.


    "Teacher! You finally came out!"


    Smiling at him, Edea took two steps before Sol immediately reached her and pulled her in a tight hug.


    Lilith, who was still seated, gave a frosty re at Edea.


    "I am happy that you finally broke your binding. But what do you mean by that? Know that my respect for you does not mean I will allow being insulted."


    "Hehe~ She is angry."


    Freya floated a few centimeters before reclining in the air as if she was sitting on a chair.


    Meanwhile, Edea who had her hair ruffled and her breath out of order pushed Sol before facing Lilith.


    "Oh please~. I thought I was bad, but you take the whole cake. At least I didn''t y the hypocrite."


    "Hypocrite?"<sub> </sub>


    Lilith rose to her full height as she walked toward Edea. She was a head taller than her and her curves were undoubtedly way superior.


    Raising her head a little, Edea continued, "Indeed. I thought I was rather bad in terms of personality and was too negative, but you take the crown. Never saw anyone like that."


    "You-!"


    "Me! What? Do you wish to fight?"


    Feeling the fast deterioration of the situation and seeing how Freya conjured a bag of snacks and admired the scene with absolutely no intention to help diffuse the situation, Sol. Knew that if he did not intervene they woulde to blow.


    Covering his face with his hand, he sighed, "Please the two of you stop. Stop acting like children."


    ""Humph!!""


    Thankfully the two of them listened to him and separated with a Huff.


    Freya meanwhile looked at her snacks with a disappointed expression before shrugging her shoulder and popping one in her mouth.


    Silence settled in the garden as Sol closed his eyes in thoughts. He wasn''t dumb, once he clearly saw all the signals he managed to understand that Lilith was pretty much suicidal.


    But here the question. What could he do?


    He couldn''t just jump in front of her while screaming to not kill herself right?


    Yesterday, after his date, he asked Milia to put Lilith underplete surveince to avoid any idents. He understood that she wouldn''t off herself as long as he wasn''t officially made king, but better be safe than sorry.


    Even now he could feel the seven maids skulking around as they were just doing their jobs.


    But he knew that 3 out of the seven were members of the Crown''s shadow. It was truly a staggering number.


    ''Sigh. I should face reality and stop letting my thoughts wander.''


    He frowned at how he always began to think about many unrted things when the situation in front of him was tooplicated.


    Lilith was suicidal, this was the undeniable truth. Then, how could he protect her from herself? The first idea he had was making her see someone akin to a psychologist.


    Sadly, despite all the simrities between this world and his previous one, psychology-rted studies didn''t really exist and the few who existed used true hypnosis. No way he would let Lilith in such a situation.


    Of course, he had the option of directly facing her. But what could he do? Force her to not suicide?


    Scream that if she killed herself, he would follow her?


    This could work. But it wasn''t ideal. Someone suicidal had a reason for being so. Simply forcing them to stop could only work for a short time. You needed to understand and erase the cause of this.


    ''It is impossible to heal her mental issues as of now.''


    Healing at the source would take time. So what he needed was time. No matter he had to be sure she wouldn''t do something regrettable.


    ''I have heard that a Phoenix could resurrect anyone who didn''t die for too long thanks to their tears. Though this could only be used once per person.''


    He didn''t want to think about it, but suicide or no suicide, death was an inevitability for mortals. Having a way to cheat it even if once was godly.


    "My aunt, would you listen to me?"


    "Sol¡­"


    "Teacher may have exaggerated a little, but it''s indeed the truth that you have been showing many signs pointing to a rather depressing conclusion. I wonder if there''s some truth to it?"


    Be it in this life or the other, Sol never had to deal with someone wanting to die. As such, he was very careful with the words he used.


    Lilith, lost for words, stared at him silently. Still, silence was sometimes a better answer than any word.


    "I see."


    Falling silent, he sighed before continuing, "My aunt. You know, I understand your words of yesterday better now. You are a very selfish woman. Far more than I am."


    Back then, Lilith soothed his worries about his selfishness. But now that he thought about it, she was also soothing her own guilt by saying those words.


    Lilith stopped staring at him as she raised her eyes toward the sky. Despite that, Sol didn''t let his smile slip a bit.


    "Then, I guess this will be a match between our two selfishness. Mine, in wanting you to stay alive, and yours, in wanting to die."


    It was a war. A war where he had to beat Lilith to save her from herself.

 Chapter 71 CH 63: LETS HAVE A DATE

    "Let''s have a date."


    This phrase repeated many times in Medea''s mind before she finally grasped the meaning of his words and began to blush heavily. Her face was already on the verge of boiling because of the heat.


    "A-a date!?"


    Sol smiled at how cute she was acting as he nodded. Sometimes he tended to forget that she was older than even the first generation of the Luxuria family. He had to admit that the gap was truly delightful.


    "Indeed. I only have to go visit the Hignd family tonight. Before that, I am totally free."


    Looking at the time, it was still the afternoon. Noon just went past. He had far more than enough time to have a good outing with Medea and give her some beautiful memories. What''s more, this time he already knew most of the beautiful ces of the capital suitable for a date.


    "So, what do you think? Or, perhaps you don''t want to?"


    "Of course I want to!"


    Feeling a hint of disappointment in his voice, she desperately tried to cate him.


    Seeing her frantic like that, Sol felt a little bit guilty. He had just tried to joke around with her when he acted as if disappointed. He never thought that she would have such an intense reaction.


    At the same time, he couldn''t help but understand how Jupiter managed to so easily manipte someone as smart as her.


    Medea was the kind of woman who, once in love, devoted her everything to her lover. If seen in a good way, she was a devoted and loyal partner. But from a more sarcastic point of view, it just means she was the kind of woman who would spoil rotten her husband and make him a useless scumbag.


    ''I have to be careful about this.''


    "Then why don''t¡­"


    "Wait!"


    He was interrupted by Freya.


    "Hum¡­ Is there a problem?"


    "Oh. I don''t really want to disturb you guys. But I think that it is better to push it to tomorrow morning after your visit ends."


    "...Could I know why?"


    "For one. I think you are going too fast. She just left her prison. Give her some time to think at least. Also, while the clothes she is wearing are extremely beautiful, I don''t think they are suitable for a date. What do you think?"


    Sol observed Medea''s dress in silence and had to ept it. He had forgotten about it since he was so used to seeing her in it, but even at first nce, it was clear for anyone to see that this dress wasn''t the kind of thing anyone could wear.


    He also remembered having never seen her wearing anything other than this dress.


    Laughing a little, he asked Medea, "What do you think?"


    sping her cheeks, she continued, "I think this is a splendid idea. There''s no need to worry."


    Sol didn''t insist on that. Be it today or tomorrow, the most important information was that he had obtained her ascent.


    Under the puzzled nce of those two, he began to walk toward the end of the bed and took a beautiful tiny olden bell suspended on the wall of the room and he shook it with quite some strength. Despite the absence of sound, a few secondster, three gentle knocks could be heard from the other side of the door.


    "Your highness."


    The one who entered was a tall and slim woman wearing the maid uniform with a tanned skin. From a first look, she looked like a young girl, but the steadiness and aura of calm she showed was not something a teen could show normally.


    "Medea, Freya, let me present you Alice. A dark elf, she is also an extremely skilled tailor and is the one who works on the different clothes I wear with the help of Milia."


    Alice, at the mention of her name, simply bowed in acknowledgments to Medea and Freya. Despite how polite she was, it was easy to feel a sort of deep pride in her.


    Alice was one of the first maids with whom he had a sexual rtionship. She was usually a quiet and confident girl, but her cold expression wouldpletely melt once they went to bed together.


    Sol always avoided having a one-one session with any maid other than Milia. The world of women was one cold and unforgiving ce where the social ce could be easily inferred.


    As the head maid and his first woman, Milia''s power over the maids both old and new was as high as ever. Still, if he ever had a one-on-one session with another maid, this situation would spark confusion in the food chain. The maid in question would be ''special'' and even without any official post, she would get preferential treatment.


    Even now, all the maids with whom he had sex were already considered to be at a level higher than the normal maids.


    ''Still, I need to choose a personal maid.''


    It was an issue he had to deal with sooner orter. Not just a personal maid. He also had to have his own personal guards and servants. Those people would be his hand and his representatives once he became a king.<sub> </sub>


    ''At least the knight position is already filled with Setsuna. I just need one or two more. For the personal maid, Alice is a good choice but with ra who ising, I don''t know if they will work well. From what I know, elves of different races do not really mesh well.''


    Sol thought idly while the three women began to discuss the most recent trend. He wasn''t in a particr hurry. After all, his contracted partners would without a doubt be the people closest to him.


    ''If Chloe wasn''t a holy daughter then I would have asked her to form a contract after my first contract and Setsuna.''


    ----


    [Many hourster]


    The sun was slowly setting down on the horizon. The festival was still going on strong and people were smiling andughing on the street.


    Despite the obvious happiness on the streets, in one of the bedrooms of the Hignd family, the mood was rather gloomy.


    "Sigh, I know this old man is trying to sell me."


    p Facing herself in a full-body mirror, a red-haired womanined while holding her hand horizontally while two maids, seemingly of human race, busied around her by helping her dress.</anda>


    A pearls ofughter escaped the two maids and one of them even boldly dered,


    "Athena. You know very well how much your grandfather is worried about your marriage. You made all your fiance candidates flee in fright."


    If anyone saw this scene, they would be astonished at how maids could speak so daringly to their mistress, but they would understand more if they paid attention to the crest on their hands. A pair of wings for one and a shield on the hand of the second one.


    Athena growled at the cheeky maid, but all she received in response was another bout ofughter and snickers from them.


    The worst was that she had no counter to their words. Since the day of her awakening, she had joined the army and fought in many skirmishes against Wratharis. Even though she had never participated in a true full-scale war, she was already shown the horror of the battlefield many times.


    Compared to her, most of the nobles in her eyes were pampered little brats who knew nothing of the reality of the world. Even though they were given the privilege to form a contract with spirit in the Astral world as their first contract, most of them were barely superior to hardworkingmoners. How could she ept marrying someone from such a group of wimps?


    She didn''t need her husband to be strong, she was willing to protect him if necessary. But she wanted a husband who could face her as an equal and who could understand her desires and worries.


    Thankfully, her grandfather despite being rather stubborn in some situations was also extremely kind to her and never forced her to marry.


    "Nike, Aegis. Stop mocking me and be serious. What about you, Sirin? You have been awfully quiet."


    Saying so, she looked at the corner of her eyes where an owl was standing while observing the situation. From the owl, an aged woman''s voice came out calmly.


    "As you asked I observed the fight of the prince for you. He is very strong, most likely even stronger than what he has shown. I am sure he is already able to use magic."


    "Magic? Did he make a contract?"


    "No, at least I didn''t see any foreign mana in his body while watching him."


    "I see. I guess being a hybrid dragon has its perk. So, what is your judgment? Do you think we would lose?"


    Theugh died down instantly at this question as to the three women-focused entirely on the white owl.


    "If it''s one vs one and with you using magic. Your chances of winning are about 7 to 3. If the four of us were to act, the odd would be 9:1. I must precise that those are the odds solely based on what he has shown. Depending on how much power he has hidden and what kind of magic he has, the odds could change greatly."


    Athena sighed at those words."So my six years of training since my awakening only gave me such a meager advantage?"


    "You don''t seem disappointed."


    Athena shook her head at this question.


    "Disappointed? Why should I? Instead, I am happy. A strong monarch isn''t necessarily a good one. But in this world, I''d rather have a strong monarch than a weak one. The stronger the prince is, the better it is for the kingdom."


    The answer she gave clearly made the two maids and the owl happy. She was their most beloved master and what attracted them to her back then was her pure and courageous heart as well as her outlook on life.


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    "Mydy. We received a message that his highness is about to reach the gate of the castle. His lordship asked toe to fetch you."


    Hearing this, Athena closed her eyes before slowly opening them while exhaling deeply.


    "I guess it''s time for me to meet him. I really wonder what kind of personality he has."


    Athena never fully believed in rumors. She always used her own eyes to judge a person. She was happy that the prince was so strong. But it wasn''t enough. She still needed to judge his character. Only then, would she pledge her full loyalty to him.

 Chapter 72 CH 62: EDEA?... MEDEA

    "Sigh, now I have done it."


    Sol sighed as heid down on his bed. His thoughts, going back to what happened one hour ago.


    After he dered war against Lilith, Sol, apanied by Edea and Freya left with a huff.


    He had already asked Edea to use her control of the tower to observe Lilith. From what he understood, he didn''t really have to worry about Lilith for now, but it was better to be safe than sorry.


    "Sorry. I shouldn''t have acted in anger."


    Seeing his beloved teacher apologize with her head cast down, Sol let out another sigh before shaking his head.


    "It isn''t a problem. Anyway, it was something that should have happened sooner orter. You gave me the push I needed."


    It has been centuries since his teacher took a step into the outside world. No way he was going to reprimand her in such a day.


    Forcing a smile, he got up and walked toward Edea before crouching down in front of her.


    Admiring her for a few seconds, he sighed again at how beautiful his teacher was. Her long and beautiful silver-white hair, her extremely pale skin as well as her jet ck dress. The contrast was so perfect it gave her an otherworldly aura.


    "Do not worry teacher. Right now though, I am d and I am also extremely happy about you finally leaving your golden cage." His smile became more genuine when he said those words.


    Edea, looking at his radiant smile, blushed before using her witch hat to cover her face in embarrassment before raising her head and looking at him with her cheek puffed up.


    "You are too straight forward." She murmured under her breath.


    ''So cute!''


    Looking at her like that, Sol could already feel his heartbeat like crazy in his chest. Edea, seemingly being in the same situation, stopped blushing as she looked at him. They could feel their surroundings vanish from their minds as they slowly drew closer. But, just as their lips were about to connect,


    "You are so cute!" squealing in excitement, Freya jumped on Edea from behind and hugged her with all her strength, effectively breaking the magic moment between the two of them.


    ''Tsk!''


    The two of them click their tongue in disappointment while staring at the third wheel who seemed totally oblivious.


    Of course, even though Freya had basically no experience with men. She wasn''t oblivious to the situation nor was she dense enough to not understand what was happening.


    It was just that, seeing Sol and Edea look at each other with so much affection,


    ''I was a little jealous.''


    The moment she thought about that, ¨¤ feeling of disgust and helplessness filled her.


    It wasn''t just Freya. Any witch who lived for a certain amount of time would be jealous of Edea''s current situation.


    Being a witch wasn''t something particrly enviable for people who couldn''t stand loneliness. She had many friends who killed themselves because they couldn''t stand the effect of the curse.


    The worst was that even changing sexual preferences didn''t change anything.


    Despite that, it was unthinkable for her to have an emotion as ugly as envy toward her own sister. She closed her eyes as she did her best to control her emotions. Slightly shaking while doing so.


    "Freya?"


    Noticing her abnormalities, Sol called her out, but Edea shook her head.


    It took a few seconds before Freya finally opened her eyes, her breathing rough as if she just had an intense workout.


    Sol frowned a little at this, " Freya, are you alright? What happened?"


    Freya let go of her as she swiped her hair aside, her forehead covered in sweat.


    "It''s isn''t anything you need to care about. Just a personal problem of mine."


    Sol hesitated a little before nodding. Freya wasn''t a little girl, and their rtionship wasn''t close enough for her to share her secret with him. What''s more, Sol wasn''t nosy enough to meddle in the affair of someone who was at best an acquaintance.


    Discarding any thoughts about Freya abnormalities, Sol faced Edea again.


    "So, teacher what do you n to do?"


    Throwing onest look of worry at Freya, Edea gathered her thoughts.


    "I¡­ I don''t really know. Perhaps I will visit the world?" Letting an awkwardugh, she looked down before continuing. "I will most likely visit mother. But aside from that¡­"


    Edea closed her mouth as her eyes swam in confusion. Now that she was outside, she remarked that she had nothing particr in mind.<sub> </sub>


    "Then, why don''t you follow me?"


    "Follow¡­ You?" She was a little confused about his choice of words before her eyes widened in surprise.


    "You mean, you want to engage my services?"


    "Of course. Weck a court magician. Why not change it to a court witch."


    "But¡­"


    Edea hesitated a little and he understood why.


    It went without saying, but witches weren''t particrly appreciated in Lustburg. Sol taking Edea as a court witch was sure to create some great bacsh to him.


    "Do not worry. If everything goes well, by the end of this week, there will be no one who will try to oppose us."


    "What do you mean?"


    Sol wished to answer her as he had nothing to hide from her, but, seeing Freya from the corner of his eyes. He decided to steer the direction of his discussion toward another subject.


    It wasn''t that he didn''t trust Freya or that he was too suspicious. Sol just believed that trust was something earned not given. He blindly trusted Camelia, Setsuna, Lilith, Lilin, Edea, and Milia and he could share basically all his secrets aside from his reincarnation because he knew that they would never betray him.


    But what about Freya? So what if she was basically Edea''s sister? At the end of the day, the two of them were just strangers.


    Freya, seeing his short hesitation snorted but otherwise didn''t take offense. She didn''t fully trust Sol herself. It would be rather hypocritical of her to expect him to trust her.


    Edea also understood the situation. But she was helpless in changing the situation. She just hoped that time would help them be closer. She really wished that Sol and her family became friends.


    ''Perhaps more than friends if possible.''


    It was something she had thought of many times in the past. Sol''s ability to touch and possibly impregnate witches made him akin to an oasis in a desert.


    It wasn''t as if no witches never thought of fornicating with some dragon. But from what she understood, all witches were basically covered in Asmodeus scent. No dragon would even arouse the slightest lustful thought in front of a witch and the sole dragon equal to Asmodeus was a female.


    Then, this begged the question of why Sol wasn''t affected. From her own conjectures, either it was because he was a hybrid or because he was blessed by luxuria herself.


    ''But at the end of the day, everything depends on him.''


    She was burdened by the curse of love. For her, Sol''s well-being came even before her own. If he wished to have a harem of witches, she would be happy to help him.


    Her train of thought was suddenly brought to a halt by the words Sol suddenly uttered.


    "Medea, now that you are out. I believe that I can receive the official answer to my confession."


    Edea was both surprised at how Sol used her true name rather than calling her teacher or Edea. She stammered a little as she tried to divert the subject.


    "Why suddenly call me by this name."


    Sol''s answer was straight to the point, "Teacher is the form of respect while Edea was the name you used with my ancestor. Your true name is Medea. At least, this is the first name that was given to you and this is the way I will call you now. if you permit me, that is."


    Saying so, he gave a slight bow and stretched his hand, his palm facing upwards, clearly waiting for her answer.


    A blush covered her face. She understood the underlying meaning in thisst sentence. Edea was the name she gave to her first love. Forgoing it meant that she truly discarded this part of her life and was ready to start a new page.


    A few months ago, this question would have stumped her. But right here, right now, the answer was evident and no doubt clouded her heart.


    Putting her hand in Sol''s, she spoke with determination, "As of now, I will only answer to the name Medea."


    This was her decision. She would once again try to believe in love. She would once again give her everything to him.


    "Thank you. Medea. I promise I will not disappoint you."


    ''I promise to not be your second Jason.''


    Then, deciding to strike while the iron was hot, he continued,


    "Let''s have a date."


    He hoped that this one would end on a better note than his previous one.


    (AN: For those who didn''t know. The character Edea/Medea was based on the myth of the witch Medea. A Greek myth. A poor woman who falls in love with a bastard named Jason because of a curse thrown by goddess Aphrodite. Here Jason is yed by Jupiter. The funny thing is that in some myths she is the granddaughter of the sun god Helios and Sol''s name came from the sun god Sol invictus who is also an Incarnations of Helios in a certain way. Though the Roman version. Meanwhile Freya is basically the Norse version of Aphrodite. Yeah. I like Myths if it wasn''t already evident XD.)

 Chapter 73 CH 64: WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?

    In the busy streets full of festivity, a carriage pulled by nightmare horses was slowly advancing.


    Despite how crowded the streets were, the road was free from anyone blocking it. None of the citizens dared to face or block the way of this carriage. The visible insignia of a Phoenix, clearly told to whom this carriage belonged.


    The royal family.


    ----


    In the carriage, currently, three persons were seated. Those three were none other than Setsuna, Milia, and Sol.


    As a prince, he couldn''t visit the house of the Duke without a retinue of his own. It would not only be unbing and what''s more, it would have been stupid and naive.


    Closing his eyes, Sol begins to remember the information he had on Hignd.


    From what he remembered, they were basically the oldest noble family in the kingdom and had control over the military.


    Weirdly, despite all this, they had basically no influence in the political atmosphere of the kingdom. The cause is their so-called neutrality and unwillingness to dip into the dirty world of politics.


    For some, this was an admirable family. Meanwhile, many nobles saw them as barbaric nobles who only knew how to swing their swords.


    This thought always made Sol scoff in derision. Only nobles could mock the very people who assured their protection.


    In absolutely every war, the Hignd family was always on the Frontline. Because of that, during thest great war against Gluttony and Echidna, the war during which his father died. The Duke of that generation as well as his cousin also died forcing thest generation Duke to take control of the family once again to give the time for the heir or heiress to grow.


    "They are basically like me."


    Sol murmured out loud without paying attention. Milia, who also grasped all the information about Hignd understood Sol''s words.


    "Indeed. The current younger generation of the Hignd family isposed of three people. Two young women and another young man."


    "Three? I have heard of the siblings Ares and Athena. But never of the third."


    Milia nodded, her eyes expressing doubts, "The third and youngest was called Aurora. She was a candidate for the ce of Holy Daughter. But for some reasons she mysteriously vanished."


    "...Mysteriously vanished?"


    Sol frowned at that. For Milia to say that it means that even the crown''s shadow didn''t know what exactly happened.


    "By the way, is she also the granddaughter of the Duke?"


    "No¡­ She is the granddaughter of Lord Gerald."


    Sol immediately frowned at that.


    "Uncle Gerald?"


    Gerald was as much a teacher for him as Medea had been. In fact, in his heart, the position Gerald upied wasn''t low by any means. He was the sole father figure he had in this life. He saw him as a gentle grandfather who would sometimes spoil him and sometimes be strict with him.


    But, Gerald had never mentioned his granddaughter in front of him. Clenching his fists he asked,


    "Do you find him suspicious?"


    Milia didn''t answer, but from the hesitation in her eyes, her answer was clear.


    This realization brought a painful blow to him.


    "Should I stop my investigation?"


    Seeing Sol like that, Milia asked with a low voice. She hated seeing such an expression on Sol''s face. For her, the only expression that suited him was one of happiness. If necessary she would do everything for him. Though she had to admit that a little part of her would be disappointed.


    But,


    "No. "


    Sol went past all her expectations,


    "Do not stop. Even though I believe that Uncle Gerald would not harm me. We must always hope for the best but prepare for the worst."


    Looking at his expression full of determination as he made such a difficult but mature choice, one thought went shed in Milia''s head.


    ''Sigh, I think I need to change panties. The current ones are ruined.''


    ---


    After this, all discussions in the carriage died down as it was clear that Sol was brooding.


    Thankfully, it wasn''t long before they ultimately stopped just in front of the castle belonging to the Hignd.


    The castle itself had nothing special. It was simply decorated and seemed more like a fortress than anything else.


    In front of the gate, on either side of it, two lines made out of soldiers and battle maids were formed, each of them holding a long Halbert.


    The moment Sol stepped down from his carriage.


    Bam!


    In unison, they all hit the ground with the butt of their Halbert and screamed with a vigorous voice.<sub> </sub>


    "ALL HAIL YOUR HIGHNESS!"


    This was followed by them crossing their Halbert high up, creating a road for him to pass.


    At the end of this road, three people stood while looking at him with curiosity. They were the Duke and his two grandchildren.


    Sol, observing this disy in silence asked.


    "What is the meaning of this?"


    The scene in front of him might look like a disy of respect, but he could feel each of the soldiers emanating their full mana before focusing it in front of them.


    The one who answered was none other than the Duke himself. His face was solemn as he said,


    "Your highness. You should know the symbolic meaning of the night visit. Right in front of you is what we call the path of the warrior. If you cannot even pass this, then how could we talk as equal?"


    Sol pinched his eyebrows and scoffed in annoyance.


    He knew that the Duke meant nothing bad by it.


    He knew they were just straightforward about their desire.


    He knew that by seeding in this test, he would get their respect.


    But,


    "Who the hell do you think I am?"


    He growled before slowly opening his eyes who were now ck and gold. The gentleness in them nowhere to be seen and reced by a cold stare.


    *Gulp*


    Some of the soldiers couldn''t help but tremble and swallow painfully at the sudden change in atmosphere.


    Sol was already in a bad mood because of the possibility of Gerald causing problems. But now, he waspletely pissed off.


    Step.


    One step was all it took. The pressure that the soldiers initially projected waspletely blown away by his own.


    "Do you think I am a joke?"


    Step.


    "Do I look like a pushover to you?"


    Step.


    "So let me ask you again dear Duke. Who. The. Hell. Do you think I am?"


    By the time he finished speaking, he was standing face to face to the Duke. The two of them standing eyes to eyes. The soldiers around them all kneeling while their face was covered in sweat.


    The only people still standing aside from Sol were the three Hignd as well as Milia and Setsuna who still stood in front of the carriage as they observed the scene.


    The Duke, facing the young man in front of him sighed wistfully,


    "You really are his son."


    "Wrong answer."


    The pressure surrounding Sol vanished as fast as it came. A beautiful smile slowly forming on his face before he slowly bent down and spoke to the Duke''s ear.


    "Let it be thest time. Otherwise, there won''t be any castle left for me to visit."


    The Duke impassible as always chuckled a little,


    "Ohohoh~! What a frightening youngd. Indeed. I was wrong. You are in no way like your father. Should I say that you inherited the pride of your mother?"


    Looking at the old man in front of him, Sol continued with a straight face.


    "I am neither. I am me. I am Sol Dragona Luxuria. I am your prince and your future king. Never forget that."


    Sol didn''t like to unt his authority. But for a noble, much less the crown prince, acting humble was nothing more than a disgrace.


    He will never use his authority to bully people, but he will never shy away from using it on people who underestimated him.


    The standoff between the twosted for a short while before a good-natured smile formed on the Duke''s lips.


    "Ohohoh~! Indeed. Indeed. Forgive this old man." Bowing a little, he said without any frustration in his voice, "Your highness, I the Duke of Hignd, am happy to wee you to my abode. I hope it will please you."


    Giving a nod, Sol gestured to Milia and Setsuna to follow him in. Inwardly, he gave a bitter smile.


    ''It seems like I am facing an old fox.''


    This night promised to be very interesting.

 Chapter 74 CH 65: DISCUSSION, MIRROR, FIGHT ?

    Few minutes after the debacle that happened at the door and after they had the maid show Sol and his group to their room, Athena, Ares, and the Duke Hignd, Tyr, sat facing each other in the main office used by the Duke.


    Filling his ss with some liquor, Tyr downed it all in one go and let out a sigh of pleasure.


    "Ooh. I must say, drinking something strong always helps rx my nerves."


    Saying so he twirled his shoulder before finally addressing his two grandchildren.


    "So, what do you think?"


    "He is a little rash¡­" began Ares.


    "But he is powerful¡­" continued Athena.


    "He most likely saw that our test had a double meaning¡­"


    "Indeed, and he acted decisively¡­"


    "His threat at the end was a little too much¡­"


    "But I must say that it was really incredible to look at¡­"


    Tyr smiled at this scene and began to pour another ss before swirling the beautiful amber liquid while marveling at how much the dwarves were a boon for this world.


    "So, your conclusion?"


    "He seems interesting."


    "I like his personality."


    Silence settled between them before Tyr turned to Athena.


    "So, are you interested?"


    "So you are really trying to sell me, shitty old man?"


    "Sigh, understand me. I already basically presented you with most of the bachelor noble who is our ally and some of the most promising soldiers. Despite that, you are still alone. Not even a fling. Hell, I even tried to hook you up with some women in case you weren''t straight."


    Athena''s flushed at those words before ring at her twin brother to stop him fromughing.


    "You shouldn''tugh." This time, Tyr faced Ares, "I know you have a crush on the Duchess, but I already told you it was impossible between you."


    Sipping on his drink, Tyr let out another sigh as he pinched his eyebrows. The goddesses had blessed him with smart, talented, and upright grandchildren, but in matters of love, those two were really a royal pain in the ass.


    Sometimes, he couldn''t help but fear that the Hignd lineage would end up with them after his death.


    "Anyway, enough of that. As you can see the prince is no pushover like his grandfather. So at the very least, the chances of another Puppet King emerging are rather low."


    "But what if he was already a Puppet? No matter how you look at it, Queen Lilith''s willingness to let go of the throne seems fishy."


    Ares expressed his doubts. A doubt that gued close to all the nobles in Luxuria. Even though Lilith wasn''t blessed, it wasn''t as if a case of someone getting his blessing in theirter years didn''t happen. Even without that, most people were sure that she had a veryrge control over the prince.


    "Lilith is¡­" The Duke hesitated before sighing. "Lilith was never interested in power. She is a free spirit and if she didn''t have to keep the kingdom for her nephew, I am pretty sure she would be exploring some other part of the world."


    Looking wistfully at the ceiling, Tyr remembered the cute little bumble of joy who would call him uncle with a cute haughty voice and order him to put her on his shoulder.


    Sadly, the moment she grew old enough to understand the circumstances of her father and after her awakening, she gradually became a cold and detached woman.


    "So, now that we have a preliminary understanding of his personality, Athena please, go escort him and pass some time with him. It should calm his anger by the time banquets begin."


    The three of them nodded at that and got up before leaving the room.


    What they didn''t know and had no way of knowing was¡­


    There weren''t only three people in that room.<sub> </sub>


    ----


    Floating in the now-empty office, Sol chuckled as he remembered the discussion that happened. At the same time, he couldn''t help but marvel at how incredible his power was.


    As of now, it didn''t have any attack power. But, the abilities it gave him were simply insane.


    After obtaining it, the first thing he did was to learn how to read lips. It was a necessary skill since sound didn''t transmit from the normal dimension to the mirror dimension.


    The flow of events that brought him here was rather simple. After he entered the room given to him and assured him that there was no one monitoring them, he asked Milia to create a doppelganger to rece him and then phased into his dimension.


    The sad thing was that, as of now he couldn''t really interact with objects in the dimension. They all seemed illusory and all he could do was float and observe things.


    p Finally, after some experience during his training, he discarded the idea of bringing his loved one in the mirror dimension.</anda>


    This dimension twisted everything.


    From what he gathered, aside from him, anyone who entered had their feelings and minds inverted. This means that the more they loved him in the real world the more they would hate him in the mirror world. He didn''t wish to die after being killed by the people he loved.


    He was also sure that this dimension had other negative effects. But he didn''t have enough samples to understand it. There was only so much he could gleam by using animals as test subjects.


    "Well, this is enough for now. At least I know that even though the Hignds can''t be called steadfast allies, at least they are leaning towards my side.


    This was enough for him. He would have been very sad if all the nobles'' family were traitors. What''s more, with what they were nning to do, having too many traitors would without a doubt affect the overall strength of Lustburg too much.


    Humming a little, he slowly advanced as he floated toward the door of the office room. He wanted to explore the castle a little more.


    ----


    While Sol was going on an adventure in the mirror world, Setsuna and Milia sat facing a smiling Sol.


    At first nce, there seemed to be no particr difference between the doppelganger and the original. But a more cursory inspection would reveal many ws.


    "This is really incredible."


    Setsunaplimented as she continued to inspect it. As one of the people closest to Sol, even she couldn''t say with assurance she wouldn''t be fooled for at least a few seconds after seeing the doppelganger. For warriors like her who could reach or surpass sound speed, few seconds were basically an eternity.


    "Fufufu~! This is nothing. My doppelganger skills rely on my understanding of the one I am copying. The more I know him the more realistic I can make it."


    Setsuna smiled at how Milia was basically bragging about her understanding of Sol. She respected Milia a great deal, but her smug face somehow irked her, making her eyebrows twitch in irritation.


    Milia, being apt at observation, didn''t miss this but feigned ignorance as she asked, "What''s the matter? Or perhaps, are you doubting my words?"


    Setsuna scoffed at that. "I don''t doubt that. But don''t act as if you know him the best."


    "Ohoh?" This time it was Milia''s turn to be a little irritated, she raised an eyebrow as she continued, "I am not acting as if I knew him the best. Because I do know him the best¡­"


    Saying so, her eyes seemed to darken as she murmured, "Perhaps even more than he understands himself. His likes, dislikes, fears, his goal, his insecurities. I know everything. Absolutely. Everything."


    Setsuna took a step back at that. She felt as if the darkness in the room seemed to thicken with Milia at the center. Her fur bristled as she crouched down and began to growl lightly, "Calm down or I will make you calm down."


    This seemed to snap Milia out of her trance. The atmosphere in the room went back to normal instantly.


    Taking the hem of her skirt with her fingers, Milia gave a curtsy her face now impassive. "Forgive me for my unbing actions."


    Setsuna observed her for a while, still crouched down and ready to pounce on her at the slightest anomaly. It was the first time she had felt so much danger from the usually affable maid.


    Then again before today, she did not even know that Milia could use magic. So she shouldn''t have been surprised.


    Sighing, she took a few steps back to increase the distance between them before standing upright. She wasn''t Sol. Even though she believed in Milia, aside from Sol she would never give her back to anyone she deemed threatening. Being betrayed once was enough.


    "I don''t know what happened and frankly, I don''t want to know. But if you don''t inform Sol about that. Then I will."


    "Inform me about what?"

 Chapter 75 CH 66: HAREMS MANAGEMENT

    "Inform me about what?"


    Sol slowly began to walk in the real world before observing the situation in the room.


    On the bed, his doppelganger sat with a calm and empty smile. Aside from him, Milia and Setsuna stood further apart than when he initially left this room. It seemed to be a safe distance of sorts.


    Finally, he could feel that the concentration of mana seemed a little higher than before. Not by much, but with the current situation this was enough to catch his attention.


    The conclusion he came to after a short analysis was, "Did the two of you have an altercation?"


    Silence was the answer he received. He looked at Setsuna''s hesitant eyes as she debated whether to inform him or not. After all, no one liked snitches.


    Thankfully, Milia didn''t put her on the spot, "Forgive me, your highness. I acted a little excessively."


    ''A little?'' Setsuna scoffed inwardly but didn''t voice her thoughts. Since Milia decided to say the truth then she didn''t have to meddle in it.


    Listening to Milia''s exnations, Sol pinched his eyebrows in thought. Truthfully he didn''t want to intervene too much.


    From the day she showed her fanatic gaze after she revealed her identity as a Finger, he already knew that she had a somewhat excessive obsession with him.


    Thankfully, even though she seemed to show the traits of what wasmonly called as yandere, she didn''t wish to harm him or have him only to herself.


    ''I am extremely blessed.''


    The problem in the current situation was that most of his lovers had a certain level of madness and obsession within them.


    They all loved him. But they didn''t necessarily like each other.


    Lilin and Lilith''s rtionship was cold.


    Camelia and Lilith were rivals.


    Setsuna only trusted Camelia and was at odds with Lilin.


    Medea only had good rtionships with Lilith.


    As for Milia, from the way she spoke, he knew that she could watch all his women burn without hesitation nor sadness.


    His headaches grew stronger at this thought.


    ''How did those harem protagonists manage to make all the members of the harem act without any frictions?''


    Sighing wistfully, he thought about how he seriously needed to have more male friends before speaking to Milia and Setsuna.


    "Milia, Setsuna. I have no illusion about making all of you the best friends in the world. Each of you is an independent woman who can think and act for herself¡­ "


    This was something that both pleased and aggravated him. In stories, he always hated reading about those helpless girls having to be saved by the hero every ten chapters.


    The problem in his current situation was that in case of danger, there was more chance of him being the helpless prince needing to be saved.


    "... But let''s be real. Each of us is going to live for very long if nothing happens..."


    In this world, it wasn''t that difficult for humans to live for more than one hundred years. Though, without a special type of partner reaching two hundred was practically a dream. The same went for beastmen.


    The only exception to this rule were human hybrids like Sol, witches like Medea, and finally Apostles of divine entities like Camelia.


    Still, no matter how long their lifespan was, they had about one hundred years together.


    ''I wish this was a world where training for immortality was the norm.''


    "...Right here, right now I will make a rule. While I can understand disputes and differences of opinion, no fights are allowed."


    He seriously needed to reunite all his women and put down some rules. This was necessary if he wished for them to live happily.


    "Understood?"


    Silence settled between the two before they nodded. In the first ce, the rtionship between the two of them wasn''t that bad. So this was just a hup.


    "Once again, I am sorry for going too far."


    Milia slightly lowered her head to Setsuna as she apologized. Setsuna on the other hand waved her hands.


    "No problem. I admit that I also provoked you a little. So it was kind of my fault."


    The apologies were a little awkward but Sol was satisfied.


    "Now that this is out of the way, let''s discuss the situation."


    Sol immediately began to recount everything that happened while he was sneaking around.


    The more he talked, the more Milia was impressed. She already knew about his dimension, but she had to admit that it went past everything she had ever imagined. This was the perfect power for an assassin and/or a spy. Even her shadow and illusion powers were rather inferior to it.


    Finally, once he finished, he faced Milia and continued,


    "I did not see anything of note aside from the office. I did not see uncle Gerald either. Nor did I see anything suspicious."


    Milia pondered a little, before speaking, "Your highness, as we thought the situation with the Hignd is tilted in our favor. The Hignds are always neutral. But it seems like this generation they are willing to throw their lots with the royal family."


    Sol nodded, "It''s indeed as we thought. Lilith concluded a deal with the duchess Mris, the Gorfards are clearly problematic. So¡­"


    "So your visit to the Travers tomorrow will be the most important in our n."


    "The Travers¡­"


    Sol murmured this name while thinking. Out of the four Duke families, if the Hignd were the oldest, then the Travers were the youngest.


    From what he knew the first Duchess Traver was a dwarf. The subsequent Dukes or Duchesses after her were thus all half-dwarf. They were also faintly rted to one of the council members of the dwarf kingdom, Greed Dike.


    "I still don''t understand why would my great grandfather ept to add someone of another race in the royal family."<sub> </sub>


    Sol wasn''t being racist. It was truly baffling. No matter how he saw it, the Travers family were basically insiders or spies working for Greed Dike.


    "Your great grandfather, Uranus the Tyrant King was someone rather¡­ unconventional. During his years on the throne, all his closest ministers were magical beings more precisely beast kin. He called them¡­ Kemonomimi. If I recall well."


    Sol twitched a little before asking with a weird expression on his face.


    "Why is it the first time I hear something like that?"


    If he had any doubts about the previous rulers being otherworlders, then now those doubts changed into conviction.


    He knew about the great number of magical beings working as a close aid to Uranus. It was also one of the reasons the Lustburg kingdom was such a melting pot of different races and that racism wasn''t particrly rampant despite the continuous war against Wratharis.


    "Ara?" Milia tilted her head before understanding.


    "This kind of information, while not particrly secret, isn''t something a serious professor would teach to his students. Even more so when said student is the crown prince himself. What''s more, to better serve you, I used my time to make research about all the previous kings and queens, their habits, their powers, their personalities, their weak points, their bad points, their preferences, their¡­ "


    Sol looked surprised as he watched Milia ramble so much. On his side, Setsuna was pointing her finger with an expression that seemed to say, ''Now you understand why I reacted strongly.''


    He had to admit that the current Milia looked a little creepy, but,


    ''She is pretty cute.''


    He didn''t know what it meant about him when he found such a sight cute.


    "... Their favorite foods, their¡­"


    "Enough, I understand. You are basically a master when ites to the knowledge about the previous rulers. Anyway, let''s go back to the core of the problem."


    Milia blushed heavily after she was cut off, she couldn''t believe that she showed such an embarrassing sight to him. Thankfully, he showed no signs of disgust. Otherwise, she would have just killed herself.


    "I-I am sorry. Your highness. I don''t know what happened to me."


    ''So cute!''


    In his mind, Milia was always this serious and steady woman who sometimes spoiled him too much. Seeing her blush and stammer as she acted like a little girl was a sight that soothed his heart greatly.


    This also made him understand once again that even the people closest to him had different sides to them that he did not know.


    It would be stupid of him to presume the opposite. Seeing the naked body of your partner didn''t mean that you saw his or her naked heart. It was important to not becent if one wished for a long and happy rtionship.


    "Hahaha~ No worries. I must say that it was rather entertaining."


    It was when just as he was about to begin teasing her,


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    An old and calm voice sounded after three knocks on the door,


    "Your highness, may I enter?"


    Sol waited a few seconds before signaling Milia to answer, "You may."


    "Then, excuse me."


    The door opened and a giant muscr old man opened the door.


    ''He easily has more than 2 meters.''


    Watching this man wearing a butler uniform that perfectly showed his bursting muscles, the old man gave a bow in a perfect show of courtesy before continuing,


    "Your highness, I am the head butler of this humble abode. My master, the Duke, hopes to invite you to a banquet prepared in your honor. It will take ce in the dining room at exactly midnight."


    ''Even when he bows he is still taller than me.''


    Sol thought idly without being surprised at the excessive polite actions.


    Even though the host was the Duke. Sol was still the crown prince and as such the Duke couldn''t just force him toe to the dinner.


    Though, if he didn''t participate, it would be a way to say that he was dissatisfied with the Hignd family and with how many spies there were, it wouldn''t be a surprise if all the other nobles of importance learned about this before the sun was out.


    ''Politics is truly a pain.''


    Thinking so, he stayed silent and let Milia speak in his ce. Even though he didn''t really care, since his maid was present, she automatically became his representative and he should only answer to people of important rank. A butler obviously didn''t qualify.


    "Tell his lordship the Duke that His highness will be happy to participate."


    "It''s much appreciated. The maids wille shortly and help you in your preparations."


    Giving another bow, he waited for Milia to permit him before he left.


    Once they were alone, Sol sighed inwardly.


    ''Thankfully I was born as the crown prince.''


    Being born with a low position in a world where monarchy prevailed wasn''t funny in any way.


    ''Well, it isn''t like my old world was any better.''


    There were no perfect worlds. Sol refused to delude himself into thinking that his old world was better than this one just because democracy was the norm. In fact, it was way more dangerous and horrible.


    ''It''s ironic how a world without magical monsters is more dangerous than the one with them.''


    He chuckled at this dark thought before focusing on the situation in front of him. This banquet would be very important for him and the kingdom.


    After all, ''Having one more family on my side means having less blood in my hands by the end of this week.''

 Chapter 76 CH 67: MYSTERIES AND DINNER

    Somewhere far away, in an unknown dimension, arge monster was curling as it slept peacefully.


    The world around it was devoid of any color.


    The peaceful sleep was seemingly disturbed as its eyelids twitched briefly before slowly opening, showing cold gold and ck pupils.


    Slowly rising to its full height, the monster who was already a few stories tall, now showed its full splendor.


    Anyone standing in its presence would have been unable to express any coherent thoughts.


    This monster stood at the apex of the food chain.


    Beautiful golden scales, long curved horns, arge and beautiful tail.


    It emanated a perfect sense of harmony between strength and beauty.


    It was¡­ a Dragon.


    The dragon, observing the monochrome world around it, slowly raised its head and looked at the sky full of multi-colored stars.


    Some stars seemingly shined brilliantly while others seemed to bepletely dead and basking in darkness.


    Its gaze, finally settling on a dead star, showed a trace of sadness before it skipped it and settled on a little gold star next to it.


    Compared to all the previous stars, this one was incredibly tiny. So small that it seemed that it could be snuffed at any moment. Despite that, its gaze brightened considerably at the view of this star.


    Murmuring to itself in a surprisingly womanly voice, "It seems like my vision was a little off and I woke up a littleter than I should have."


    Stretching her paw in the direction of the star, the dragon suddenly stopped and watched as a red color slowly engulfed a corner of the previously golden star.


    ''Blood, war, destruction, and power.''


    The dragon frowned as she observed the star and hesitated a little before finally putting back her paw and curling back to sleep.


    Thest thought as her eyes closed was,


    ''It still isn''t time yet.''


    -----


    Sol, who was currently walking in the hallway of the Hignd castle fell a shiver pass through his spine.


    "Your highness?"


    Setsuna and Milia, seeing him suddenly stop were wondering what was happening.


    "No, it¡¯s nothing. Let''s go."


    ''I need to talk to Edea or Freya before the date tomorrow.''


    He had felt like someone was observing him. But the sensation was so ethereal and went away so fast that he even thought it was an illusion.


    Since his super senses caught something weird, it would be stupid of him to not investigate it.


    Still, the only reason why he wasn''t too worried was that,


    ''...It feels¡­ warm?''


    It was a weird feeling. It reminded him of the way Lilith, Milia, and Camelia looked at him when he was just a child. A stare filled with caring love.


    What''s more, his blood seemed to boil a little as if it was resonating with someone.


    ''Tiamat? Or another dragon?''


    It was possible, but it was dangerous to jump to conclusions without enough evidence.


    ''Sigh, no matter. Let''s focus on what is happening now.''


    Finally reaching arge ck and red door guarded by two knights, Sol''s group stopped for a short while as they waited to be announced.


    ----


    In the dining room, a young red-haired boy was seated with an impassive expression on this face as he observed those already seated.


    The table was long and rectangr. No one sat on the head table as it was reserved for the prince. On the right side of the table was his grandfather followed by his grand-uncle, Gerald Hignd. On the left side was his sister, followed by him.


    After them, were the highest-ranked noble on either side of the table with the lowest-ranked one, a knight, seating next to him.


    A piece of rhythmic and powerful music sounded in his ears, partially covering the noise of discussions andughers.


    Even though nothing seemed wrong on the surface, inwardly, he was seething at the pitiful sight.


    ''Grandfather is too¡­''


    He stopped himself from going farther. Even though he didn''t ept some, well, many of the choices of his grandfather, it was a fact that the man was an idol in his eyes.


    But¨Conly as a warrior and a general.


    As a noble on the other hand, he was a total failure.<sub> </sub>


    Calming himself and being sure that he didn''t show his frustration, he looked once again at the pitiful number of people on the table and more than their numbers, their ranks were the problem.


    ''Many knights, some barons, and three viscounts and one earl. Not even one of the ten Marquess.''


    To think that only such a pitiful group could be reunited after a call from one of the four Duke. At this rate, it wouldn''t be long before the Hignd family was erased like many Duke families before them.


    ''That''s why we need to win the unconditional support of the prince.''


    p Lustburg kingdom followed a simple system. The highest-ranked were the members of the royal family.</anda>


    After them, came the Dukes, then the Marquesses, then Earls, Viscounts, Barons, and finally Knights.


    The Hignd family was the oldest noble family still active. They were one of the four Dukes. People should be running trying to please them or submit under them.


    Sadly, the reality was that, in terms of influence, even some Marquesses were higher than them.


    What''s more, the fact that the knights could sit on the same table as the viscounts or earl was somethingpletely astonishing.


    Ares wasn''t the kind who discriminated against people based on their titles. He didn''t think that he was superior to anyone thanks to his blood. He believed that everyone had equal chances to prove themselves.


    But,


    ''How can grandfather just let the situation continue?''


    He knew the difference between his ideals and reality. Just because he didn''t discriminate, it didn''t mean that they should allow such a scene to happen.


    The worst was that,


    ''He wants his highness to share the same table.''


    Just thinking about that was enough for him to feel like flipping the table and scream at his grandfather and his twin sister.


    In his opinion, they had already gone past the line after what happened in front of their door. Such a new slight could push them to bepletely cklisted.


    ''Goddess above, please help us.''


    Praying in his heart, he waited anxiously before finally hearing one of the servants announce,


    "His highness the crown prince, Sol Dragona Luxuria and his retinue."


    His heart missed a beat before he took hold of himself and braced himself for whatever was about to happen.


    Despite that, some of his worries could still be seen on his face and this didn''t escape the Duke notice.


    Shaking his head, he raised his hand and the chatter immediately died down before he stood up, followed by all those present.


    He loved his two grandchildren dearly, but for all his smartness, Ares was sadly not well suited for the position of heir. Keeping him as an advisor for Athena was the best solution.


    ----


    The moment Sol entered, thanks to his outstanding memory, he immediately began to match the face with those he knew from documents his teacher in politics always made him learn.


    Out of all of them, he could only recognize the Earl and the Viscount. As for the other one, since he didn''t recognize them, it means that they were of a rather low rank.


    For a moment, he began to wonder if the Duke was fucking around with him again, but after seeing the helpless and agitated expression of the Duke¡¯s grandchild as well as the familiar face of his ''uncle'' Gerald, Sol immediately calmed down and judged that the situation of the Hignd was worse than he thought.


    The silence followed him as he walked in the room under the curious stares of the nobles present before he finally sat on the head chair, Setsuna and Milia standing behind him.


    "You may sit."


    "By your grace."


    The voices were united and sounded powerfully in his ears before they all sat in unison.


    ''I see¡­''


    Sol immediately got rid of any thoughts about the Hignd house being pitiful.


    What theycked in rank, they made it up with power and unity.


    ''That old bastard is far more dangerous than I thought.''


    He had already understood a little of it when he saw how the soldiers didn''t hesitate to follow the Duke¡¯s order back then this afternoon.


    ''To think it would even extend to the nobles.''


    It was an impressive disy of charisma and control.


    What he didn''t see was how cold Milia''s eyes became. She understood the current situation even more than Sol.


    Inwardly she had already decided that if the Duke didn''t join Sol and insisted on being neutral, then she would simply cause him to die identally during the war that wasing once they were sure to win.


    ''No matter what, at the end of this week, Sol must have absolute control over the kingdom. Anyone standing in the way of this n is a hindrance that needs to be erased without any pity.''


    This was her creed. This was her way. Even if she had to walk through a bloody path, she would never regret it.

 Chapter 77 CH 68: JOYOUS DINNER

    The atmosphere was slightly restrained as the food was served by the servant.


    Once this was done, all eyes gathered on Sol.


    From what Sol knew, in his old world, nobles generally never ate anything that hadn''t been tested by their servant first. This was to prevent being poisoned.


    In Gaia, nobles were a little different. Poison simply didn''t work the same way. Alchemy and medicine weren''t particrly developed for the simple reason that they could basically heal everything either with their own regenerative abilities, with magic, or by asking a priestess to pray for them.


    This made it so that poison that could affect people with mana was basically non-existent. Of course, this didn''t mean they didn''t exist.


    Sol, thanks to his dragon physique, was immune to many things even before his awakening. Poison technically being one of them.


    But,


    "Your highness, please."


    Taking a step forward, Milia gave a bow before letting her hand hover over the food in front of Sol. Her hand, shining with a blue light.


    This was a form of mana usage that could determine the presence of mana in any substance.


    None of the noble''s presents frowned at Milia''s action. This wasn''t a question of trust or doubt. Sol and Lilin were currently the sole possible heir of the throne, with Sol being the only one having activated his blessing. There was simply no way he would take any kind of risk.


    Once Milia was done with her inspection and was sure that there was nothing dangerous, she bowed again before taking a step back.


    This was something that they had decided in advance.


    There was no absolute in this world. He may be immune to poison on paper, but it would be toote to regret if he ever ingested a poison that surpassed his limits. Better be safe than sorry.


    Taking his knife and his fork, he gently cut the steaming steak in front of him before taking a bit.


    "This is truly delicious."


    This was enough as permission, and soon, everyone was now eating.


    At first, they were still a little restrained, but as time passed and they saw that Sol wasn''t too strict, they rxed considerably and began to discuss more joyously.


    No one observing this table would ever imagine that they were nobles.


    It wasn''t hard to understand why. Some noble titles could be obtained with enough achievement in war. It was clear that all of the nobles present here were previously soldiers under the order of the Duke.


    ? ---


    While most of the tables were discussing, the head of the table with Sol, Tyr, Gerald, Athena, and Ares was totally silent.


    Athena was observing Sol with interest in her eyes. His earlier disy really surprised her and it was hard to think that someone with such a tyrannical aura could be so calm and gentle.


    She wasn''t particrly interested in romance, but she had to admit that Sol was truly the perfect groom for any woman in Lustburg.


    [Is there something on my face?]


    She nearly jumped when she heard the voice near her ear. Still, her reflex kicked in and she stayed calm. She also knew what had happened.


    <<Whisper>>


    If mana could be used to amplify the voice like how Lilith did during her speech this morning, it was also possible to use it to lower and direct the voice.


    Still, this wasn''t something a newbie mana user should be able to do. It needed an incredible amount of control. Of course, after all those years she was also able to use it.


    [I am sorry for staring too much, your highness. Though I must admit that your face is truly attractive.]


    She wasn''t a shy girl by any means.


    Sol, hearing thepliment, smiled, and observed Athena.


    Her name aside, who made him once again wonder what was the rtionship between this world and his previous one, she was truly a gorgeous woman.


    Her bright red hair and her equally red dress gave her the appearance of a wild beauty. Her forms weren''t particrly impressive whenpared to the adult women he knew, but she was by no means slim.


    One could say that her curves were perfect. Neither too much nor not enough.


    [You are no less gorgeous. I must say, I have heard of your exploits and I am truly impressed by your results.]


    Sol might not know every noble, but how could he not have at least a basic understanding of the heirs who would serve him in the future?


    Athena was a woman worthy of respect in his opinion. He had always liked strong independent women and she fitted this to a T.


    In terms of pure power, she wasn''t particrly remarkable. But on a battlefield, her abilities were simply nightmares for any enemies.


    There was no doubt that he would need her help during the war that was approaching and as such having an amicable rtionship with her was a necessity.


    [Hahaha, thanks, your highness. Speaking of which, I have always been curious about you. Well, I guess everyone had always been curious about you.]<sub> </sub>


    Sol gave a bitter smile. It wasn''t like he could say that he basically never left the church or the tower of babel because of his overprotective aunt and lover.


    [I can guess. Still, now I will appear more regrly in public. So I guess we will have more opportunities to discuss.]


    The two continued to chat idly, unaware of the silence that had slowly befallen around them.


    <<Whisper>> was truly a good way to discuss in secret. But it suffered from some ws.


    The first one is that since it was a mana technique, it had mana fluctuations and could be felt if someone was careful enough.


    Secondly, no matter how much you whispered, you still had to move your mouth to speak.


    As such, what the people at the table were seeing was the prince and the heiress murmuring without any sound while looking at each other.


    "Ahem. Your highness."


    Sol was startled when Gerald spoke to him. He was about to ask what was the matter when he finally remarked that all eyes were on him. It didn''t take long for him to understand what happened.


    More than anything, the grin on the Duke face made Sol want to punch him.


    Coughing a little to hide his embarrassment, he began eating again and ignored the teasing light dancing in the eyes of the other people at the table.


    "Do you think his highness and thedy are hooking up?"


    "Who knows. But they seemed to be really interested in each other."


    "Is his highness a womanizer?"


    "Perhaps? At least he seems to know how to handle women. Never saw thedy smile like that when discussing with a boy."


    "Ohhh. Then perhaps thedy will finally find a husband?"


    "Incredible¡­ I had already bet she wouldn''t marry before at least her thirty."


    "I had bet that she would never marry."


    "Hey, don''t insult thedy. I had bet that she was into girls."


    Such discussion began to fly around. Even though they were murmuring and didn''t whisper, when so many people talked at the same time it was hard to not hear them.


    Athena blushed in anger about this betting she never heard about.


    "You bastard! Who the hell began this betting?"


    All the nobles feel silent before directing their eyes on the Duke.


    "Ohohoh~! To think my loyal soldiers would betray me so easily."


    He slowly caressed his beard while dodging the murderous eyes of his granddaughter.


    Everyone else began tough while Athena began to berates the Duke.


    Looking at them like that, Sol had to admit that he felt envy.


    His diners were generally with Lilith and Lilin. Never of which were particrly talkative. He had never felt such warmth during a diner. So muchughter and happiness. It was truly a new experience that he relished greatly.


    Smiling inwardly, Sol began to hope even more that the Duke would truly take his side.


    [They are interesting right?]


    This time, it was Gerald0 who whispered to him. His eyes still glued on the scene, Sol nodded, [Indeed. They are truly a funny bunch.]


    Gerald, also looking at this scene gave a warm smile.


    [My brother is someone who sees all his soldiers as family. Many of his most trusted generals even call him father or grandfather. He isn''t the best example of a noble. But¡­ He is someone truly worth respecting.]


    (E/N: White beard. Lol)


    Swirling a ss of wine in his hand, he took a sip before continuing.


    [Sol,ter, if you wish you will be able to discuss alone with my brother. Sadly, even though I wish to support you, I do not have enough power to sway the opinions. So the result will depend on you. I wish you sess.]


    Sol, hearing this heartfelt advice felt a pang in his heart. He wished, really wished with from the bottom of his heart that there was nothing wrong with Gerald.


    ''I hope that Milia''s investigation will show how trustworthy you are.''


    He refused to believe that the one who took care of him all those years could be a traitor. But he refused to leave anything to luck. Letting the goddesses throw the die was the most stupid decision anyone could take.

 Chapter 78 CH 69: ZONE VS INTENT(1)

    The dinner went as well as possible. The atmosphere was bright and friendly. Even though they did not forget their manners and weren''t rude to Sol, he knew that he was already much closer to them.


    The truth of the matter was that, at his current level, it was impossible to win a war alone. He needed soldiers. He needed generals. He needed many things and this was but the first step out of many.


    It didn''t take long for the dinner to end and the guests to go away. Each of them presented themselves to him by giving their titles and name in the utmost respect. They had seen what he was capable of and didn''t underestimate him.


    In the end, the only ones still present were the Hignd family and Sol with Milia and Setsuna.


    "Your highness, how was the dinner?"


    At his right, the Duke asked with a tranquil smile.


    "I must admit that it was refreshingly interesting. I thank you for this invitation."


    "Ohohoh~! This old man is truly happy if it pleased you."


    Sol returned an affable smile and waited for this old man to finish his thoughts.


    "Then, your highness, could I ask for a meeting between the two of us, I would like to discuss important matters."


    Saying so, he rose from his seat and bent down slightly.


    Having no reason to refuse since it was his goal, Sol nodded without worries and indicated to Milia and Setsuna to not follow him before standing and following the Duke.


    It did not take long for the two of them to leave the zone.


    Now alone, Athena turned to Setsuna and Milia who stood still without movement. Squinting a little, she asked, "Setsuna, was it? I would have never thought that you were the diator king. I remember having invited your fake persona to serve the army. But I was coldly refused. I think I understand now why."


    She wasn''t the only one. Setsuna, the diator''s queen, was an exceptional individual. She clearly had the talent to reach close to the highest level possible without much difficulty. Only time was necessary. As such, she had received invitations from basically all Dukes and Marquesses.


    Despite that, she rejected them all. No one knew why and some even tried to eliminate her because of this, but they were all unable to determine her true identity.


    Now though, Athena understood. How could a warrior of such caliber ept working for a noble when she was already the knight of the future king?


    Setsuna, hearing this had to search her memory before remembering what Athena was talking about.


    "I do not really remember your letter in particr. I was and will always be loyal to his highness. So I simply refused all those invitations in batches."


    Of course, she hadn''t always been this loyal to him. At first, she was simply thinking of using him and obtaining the protection of the royal family and a springboard for her revenge.


    But, that day when they met Edea for the first time. That time when he stood in front of her while she was crippled with fear and unable to move. That moment, that instant, as she watched his small, shivering but steadfast back, he became her sun.


    He became the light that would illuminate her path that was shrouded in darkness and hatred.


    From then on, she began to observe him, his actions, his thoughts, his words. Everything was dazzling for her. Her crush slowly transformed into a fierce love and loyalty over the years.


    Wolves were one of the most loyal creatures ever and werewolves weren''t any different. This was also one of the reasons the treason of her uncle took everyone by surprise.


    Wolves do not betray.


    "... Setsuna¡­?"


    She was brought back from her thoughts by Milia''s voice. Giving a weak smile, she motioned that everything was alright.


    Athena looked thoughtfully at Setsuna for a while before smiling brightly.


    "I like you. If I still had enough capacity to ept a new partner, I would certainly fight over you with Sol."


    Her smile was pure and shining without an ounce of sarcasm or ill intentions. Watching her like that, Setsuna also gave a smile of her own.


    "Even if you had enough capacity, I would have never chosen you. My sole and only master is his highness. No one else."


    This was her heartfelt thought and Athena, hearing those words, did not get offended but rather began tough out loud. Augh of pure happiness.


    In her mind, if you wanted to judge someone, then you should observe the people that surround him. After all, birds of a feather flock together. She could already judge that the maid next to Sol was also fiercely loyal to him.


    If someone could obtain such a pure devotion, either they were masters in manipting people or they were people worthy of befriending.


    ''Your highness, I am bing even more curious about you.''


    This was the first time that she expressed interest in someone of the opposite sex. If he knew about it, the Duke would cry tears of joy while cursing at all the money he would lose because of the bet he made.


    ----


    While the discussion was ongoing in the dining room, the Duke, unaware of his possible future loss, was pouring in one of the most expensive liquors in his possession to Sol before finally taking a seat as well.


    They were in a different ce than the one where he had spied them discuss. It was a cozy ce with soft music ying in the background and a firece warming the room.<sub> </sub>


    "This liquor was specially created by the dwarves who are the greatest master in the domain. I had to spend a prettyrge sum of gold coins just to obtain some of this collection. It''s called an eternal dream."


    "Eternal dream?"


    "Indeed. It''s a special mix. The effects are rather extremely strong. It''s said that even an ogre would be down after drinking one ss full of it. What do you think? Would you like to fight this old man in a drinking match? What if we added a bet?"


    "...What kind of bet?"


    "If you win, I will ede to any one of your requests as long as it doesn''t put my house in danger. If you lose, the same condition applies to me. What do you think? Will you bet with this old man?"


    Seeing the serious look on the prince''s face, Tyr nodded with approval. At least the prince wasn''t someone frivolous.


    What he didn''t know was that Sol was putting on such a serious expression because he was doing his best to not break down inughter.


    Dragons were beings immune to pretty much all poison, and, despite how good tasted, alcohol was a poison for the body and as such could be erased without even making him drunk.


    He was debating whether he should be honest and say the truth about his immunity or wait to bully that old geezer a little.


    In the end, he sighed and began to speak, "I cannot get drunk."


    "Ohoh?" the Duke was a little surprised before he caught on fast.


    Coughing a little to hide his embarrassment over this slight episode, he took a profound gulp before putting down his sses and throwing a steady gaze at Sol.


    "First thing first, why did you warn me. You would have easily won if you just stayed quiet. Or perhaps did you have naive thoughts such as cheating is bad? If so, I would be very disappointed."


    "I do not think using my natural gift can be called cheating. If it was a normal bet I would have used my constitution to my advantage without any hesitation. But, this isn''t just a bet. I do not just wish to win. What I truly wish to obtain is¡ªyour loyalty."


    Hearing this straightforward answer, the Duke sighed before filling his ss once again.


    Looking at the ember liquid, the Duke showed a dazed expression for a short while before slowly hardening it.


    "Your highness, let me ask you one question¡­ Do you know the meaning of war?"


    The atmosphere hadpletely changed. If before this, Sol was facing a somewhat funny and gentle old man, now though, he was truly facing the Duke Tyr.


    The man who had outlived 2 kings and participated in the greatest wars of mankind while standing on the front line and still survived.


    <<War zone: screams of thousands soldiers>>


    If intent was the fourth out the six step for a mana user, then the zone was fifth.


    It was an imposition of one''s own vision of the world in the real world. A fusion between illusion and reality. One could say that observing the zone of warriors was the easiest way to understand him.


    The Duke zone was,


    Filled with blood and tears.


    Filled with screams and despair.


    Filled with carnage and destruction.


    Filled with soldiers charging and dying for the smallest chance of victory.


    This was the world in his eyes.


    For him. There was nothing glorious in war.


    War meant pain. War meant death. War meant parting.


    Facing this scene worthy of hell itself, facing this living legend in his full might, a lesser man would have flinched and bowed his head. But Sol¡ªsmiled.


    He knew nothing of the pain of war.


    He knew nothing of the feeling of loss and the feelings of pain.


    He knew neither hunger nor despair.


    But, he had seen the true face of a goddess and had his mind nearly crushed.


    Compared to that, no matter how powerful the projection of the Duke was.


    At the end of the day it was nothing more than a mortal vision of the world.


    <<Tyrant intent: Dragon Fear>>

 Chapter 79 CH 70: ZONE VS INTENT (2)

    The mana user needed six steps in order to reach the summit.


    Reinforcement


    dding


    Materialization


    Intent


    Zone


    And finally¡­ Avatar.


    ---


    <<War zone: screams of thousands soldiers>>


    <<Tyrant intent: Dragon Fear>>


    The intent represented the will of a person to perform an action. Killing intent, fighting intent, Tyrant intent. Since a person could make different choices and perform different actions, one person could use thousands of intents.


    But the zone was different. It represented the supreme truthying in one heart. One person could only have one zone. Even though said zone could change.


    As Sol reviewed the information about the zone, he knew why the Duke was showing him this scene.


    The zone was the supreme truth. The zone represented the outlook of life of the user.


    The zone was not only a supreme weapon but also a supreme weak point since not only it showed everything about the user, but its destruction could bring the user on the path of insanity.


    Looking at the scene in front of him, Sol understood more than ever how gruesome war was.


    There was no glory in war.


    There was no joy in war.


    Even the victor had to stand on the bodies of its soldiers.


    Children who will never see their parents again.


    Parents who will never see their children again.


    This was the true ugliness of the thing known as war.


    "Your highness, as of now I have lived for three generations."


    The voice of the Duke sounded so far away from him. There was none of the usual joy. Only gloom and sadness.


    "I fought against Wratharis more times than I can count. I fought against the greedy dwarves. I fought against the cunning demons. I fought against the prideful elves. More than anything-I fought against the incarnations of gluttony. I have fought for so long. More than the number of years you lived."


    Sol listened attentively. This was the wisdom of the old.


    "Your highness, do you know? I see each and every soldier as my own child. From the foot soldiers to the high and mighty generals. I see all of them as precious children of the kingdom I swore to protect all those years ago.


    "Your highness. Let me ask you again. What is war?"


    Sol continued to fight back the pressure of the zone with his intent. But inwardly, he asked himself the question.


    What is war?


    As someone from a modern world he could give many answers.


    Literally speaking, war is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents and militias.


    From an economical standpoint, war was a fight necessary in order to obtain more spaces and resources.


    Ideally speaking, war is the ce where heroes rise.


    From a realistic standpoint, war is death and destruction.


    From a cynical standpoint, war is the game of the higher ups and the sacrifices of the lower people.<sub> </sub>


    So many definitions. So many ways. But if you asked Sol to give an answer to this question. Then he could only give one answer.


    "I do not know."


    The atmosphere stagnated as the zone seemed to vacille a little. The fragile bnce seemed to tilt in Sol favor.


    The Duke looked at him with curiosity in his eyes as he smiled mysteriously, "You do not know?"


    "Indeed. I do not know."


    The intent of Sol intensified at those words.


    "All my life have been blissful. Even though my parents died, I do not remember them and as such have no particr feeling of sadness over it. I never had to starve. Never had to suffer. Never felt loss and never fought for my life. As such, what could I know about war?"


    Sol was someone who always refused to overestimate himself. It was one thing to show pride. It was another thing to change it into arrogance.


    The one standing in front of him was a veteran who fought for more years than he lived in this world. Any answer he would give by using his knowledge would be without substance.


    In his old world, Sol was nothing more than a random teenager who never lived any particr events. In this world, the greatest extent of his suffering was some harsh training he received from his aunt.


    What could he understand about war?


    What could he understand about pain and suffering?


    "I know nothing and this is exactly why!"


    His tone changed from a calm breeze to a raging tornado.


    "This is exactly why I need your loyalty!"


    His intent was slowly changing even as the words left his mouth.


    "A king is the leader of a kingdom. But, a king is in no way omnipotent.


    "There''s many things I do not know. As such it''s necessary for me to surround myself with people who do know!


    "What I need are trustworthyrades who will follow me on the path I am about to follow!


    "What I need is a close advisor who will guide me on the path of greatness!


    "What I need¨Care people full of experience and worthy of trust."


    Standing up, Sol looked down on the old Duke.


    Pointing at him, "I do not know war. But you do."


    "I have no experience with war. But you do."


    "I do not understand the pain of war. But you do."


    "Then, if you are truly the greatest general of this kingdom. If you are truly the one who went through thousands of battlefields but still came out alive.


    "I ask you. Right here, right now , are you willing to make an oath!? Will you swear allegiance to me?!¡±


    The zone of the Duke was no more. All around him was golden light so pure and so bright it was blinding.


    <<Ruler intent: Dragon Awe>>


    Looking at the young prince bathed in such a light in front of him, the Duke could feel his blood boiling.


    How long had he waited for such words?


    Standing up, he looked deeply in the eyes of Sol and¨Cslowly put one knee on the ground.


    "Tyr Hignd, do you swear allegiance?"


    Putting his left fist over his heart and his right hand behind his back, the Duke answered loud and clear.


    "I, Tyr Hignd, in front of the goddess do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to his highness Sol Dragona Luxuria, his heirs and sessors, ording tow. Until death!"

 Chapter 80 CH 71: PRELUDE TO A DATE

    Once the Duke swore allegiance to Sol, the atmosphere between the two of them became far lighter. They didn''t really discuss much about the uing war as they still had about half a year or more for it to really begin.


    Just as Sol was about to leave,


    "By the way, your highness, I would like to propose my granddaughter as one of your official knights and concubines."


    The Duke calmly threw this information.


    In this world, polygamy was prettymon. There could only be one true wife married in front of the goddesses but it wasn''t impossible to have an official concubine or just a simple concubine.


    For the royal family, blood was really important since any child could get the blessing. As such, only the wife and the official concubine had the right to give birth to children.


    Still, this didn''t stop Sol from being surprised at this proposal.


    "You do understand that a concubine has much less right than a wife, right? With her pedigree, Lady Athena can be the main and most likely unique wife of any noble in the kingdom."


    The Duke smiled bitterly. "The position of Athena isplicated. She is the heiress of the family and her children will take the helm after her. Getting a husband means giving the power of a Duke''s family in the hand of someone else."


    He shook his head as he continued, "Athena understands how important her marriage is for the continuation of the family. She understands so much that she is burdening herself with it. This is why I always joke about it, I don''t want her to feel too stifled."


    He sighed, "At the end of the day, I am just a poor greedy old man. I want her happiness, but I can''t discard the family for it either. But with you, it''s different."


    It didn''t take long for Sol to understand, "The chance of a child of the official concubine being blessed is inferior to that of a child from the official wife. If the child between the two of us isn''t blessed, he or she will automatically take over the house."


    Giving a feeble smile the Duke nodded. But Sol didn''t stop.


    "What''s more, the current situation of the Hignd family isn''t particrly bright. Getting a direct connection to the royal family means that you will be able to revitalize the family."


    "Yes."


    "Finally, at the end of day, a vow can still be broken. So by giving her to me, you are basically giving me a hostage to control your family, you are also cing a spy next to me who will work hard for the better of your family."


    He had to admit that it was a pretty thoughtful n. What is more, it was so straightforward that it didn''t hide anything.


    The Duke maintained his smile as he waited for Sol''s answer.


    The silencested for a short time before Sol finally gave his answer.


    "I do not know enough about Lady Athena to ept such a serious rtionship with her. But I can ept her as a knight. Once I form a contract with my first partner, I will officially confer her with the knight title."


    If it had just been about a fling, Sol would have been happy to ept. Athena was a beautiful and interesting woman. But, he didn''t want to y with her body while not being sincere about their rtionship.


    ---


    After he left the room, he found Milia and Setsuna already in his bedroom waiting for him. They had felt the sh of energy between the two, but no one tried to intervene since it was clear that it wasn''t a fight.


    After giving a summary of what happened and having a happy moment with Milia with Setsuna helping a little on the side by giving him a ftio, he closed his eyes and fell asleep in bliss.


    Meanwhile, in the Duke office, he sat calmly as he faced his beloved granddaughter.


    The two seemed content to stay silent as they silently sipped their drinks.


    "As you have asked, I proposed your hand to the prince. He seemed reluctant to ept it, but he epted to take you as a knight."


    Athena didn''t react to those words. She simply looked down at the reflection of her face in the amber liquid and downed her ss in one go.


    The liquor seemed to burn her throat, making her feel alive more than ever.


    "I see."


    Athena had absolutely no opinion about her marriage. She wasn''t one of the silly girls enamored with romance who forgot their responsibilities.


    She was a Hignd.


    She was born with a golden spoon in her mouth.


    But being born with so many perks means that she needed to repay them.


    That''s why she never settled down until now. She had never found the perfect candidate. At least until now.<sub> </sub>


    Her brother thought that he was the only one who could see the situation of the family. She was sure that in his eyes, she and their grandfather were just brutes who couldn''t see the situation.


    The truth was, she understood more than anyone the situation and she was willing to pay any price to protect the family.


    "Please, don''t make such a face Granddad. This is my own decision. What more, it isn''t as if I am throwing myself to some weird guy."


    This was one of the reasons she discussed with Setsuna. She wanted to ascertain what kind of man he was, and she had to admit that she wasn''t disappointed.


    "But¡­"


    Tyr opened his mouth, before finally closing it and sighing while hanging his head down.


    "Forgive this old man."


    The Duke was a legend. Someone who went through more battlefields than anyone else in Lustburg. But, at the end of the day, the Duke was only a mortal. He was old. Too old. His power wasn''t at the same level as in his past. His health was slowly declining.


    Sooner orter he would die. Either in the next war or of old age.


    This was an inevitability. This was the destiny of all mortals.


    The only way to avoid the power of the Hignd family being chipped away after his death was to get a backer.


    Still, even though he understood that, he couldn''t help but feel bitter in his heart.


    His sole source of happiness was that the prince was indeed a good young man. The fact that he didn''t immediately ept the proposal pleased him even more.


    "I had already prepared to hand down all the power of the family to you and go on holidays in our duchy. Seems like I still have much to do."


    Deciding to lighten the atmosphere, he made a simple joke.


    "Hahaha~! Sorry old man. I will wring your old bones dry before letting you go."


    The two of themughed and filled their ss before tricking again.


    ---


    The next day, Sol was woken up but a tingling sensationing through his crotch. Feeling himself ejacting, he opened his eyes only to see a sea of blue hair moving up and down while a pleasant sensation made his body shiver in pleasure.


    Once he ended ejacting, he sighed and began to caress Setsuna''s head, her wolf hair flickering as she closed her eyes.


    *Gulp* *Gulp*


    Setsuna, having swallowed everything, smiled at him as she rose from his crotch.


    "Good morning Sol."


    "Good morning Setsuna."


    He admired her beautiful body while doing so. It was the tight and sculpted body of someone who trained regrly.


    She basically had no fat aside from her bountiful breasts and her well-toned butt. Since she evidently woke not long ago, her long blue hair was still a little ruffled. Giving her a wild look.


    Each time he looked at her like that, he couldn''t help but curse the fact that he couldn''t go all the way for now.


    Still, it wouldn''t take long. Just a few days.


    "Where is Milia?"


    He asked as he saw her take a towel bath.


    "Hum~ it seems like she visited the kitchen to make sure that they would prepare a good breakfast for you."


    "I see."


    Saying so, he also left the bed and followed her to the bath.


    Today promised to be an interesting day. After all¡­ He had a date with a witch.

 Chapter 81 CH 72: PRELUDE TO A DATE (2)

    In a beautifully furnished room worthy of a princess, a young white-haired girl looked at herself anxiously through the help of a full-body mirror.


    She was wearing a short ck flowing skirt and a white short-sleeved shirt. Her attire waspleted by a white sun hat, giving her the appearance of a youngdy from a rich family.


    "Do you think he will like it?"


    She said while tugging at the hem of the skirt. "Also, isn''t it a little too shameless to wear such a short skirt?"


    A snicker sounded from behind her making the white-haired girl blush heavily.


    There, on a queen-sized bed, a pink-haired young girl was seated with a smile on the side.


    "It''s your fault for staying in the seal for so long. Fashion doesn''t stop you know. Look at me!"


    "This is exactly because I am looking at you that I am worried. Your fashion sense had always been wed even back then."


    "Hey! My fashion sense isn''t wed. I just like this color. Compared to ck, green, or¨Cred, it packs quite a punch right?"


    Edea sensed the pause at the color. Making her expression copse a little. Sighing a little, she asked,


    "The news you shared about Sister is really reliable? She really joined the other side?"


    Freya frowned a little,


    "I am sure it''s just a mistake. There is no way she would do so. Mother just wants me to find her and ascertain the situation."


    Shaking her head, her usual frivolous smile came back as she jumped from the bed and came behind Medea before cupping her breasts over the clothes.


    "Anyway leave Kali to me. You should worry about your date first. Thepetition is pretty high. Even more with your childish body."


    Medea blushed as she twisted her body to leave Freya''s grasp.


    "I am not that small!"


    "Hahaha~! Indeed. Size-wise you are quite normal whenpared to a normal teen girl. But whenpared to women like that little Camelia, Milia, or Lilith you still have a long way to go."


    Medea groaned at that. This was something she could do nothing against. It was already a miracle that she could have pushed her development to at least look like a teen woman. After all, normally a witch didn''t look any different to a preteen.


    After ying enough, Freya ced her chin on Medea''s head, her eyes full showing aplex light.


    p "I know I already asked this, but, are you serious about all this?"</anda>


    Freya wouldn''t have been worried if it was just a fling. The curse of the witch wasn''t really a problem if they just went out with long-living races like demons or elves and if they just did it one or two times.


    There were always some weird guys who wanted to try new things even if it meant losing some lifespan.


    Aside from that, some unscrupulous witches didn''t really care if they stole the full lifespan of their partners and simply went wild.


    But the situation with Medea was different. No matter how you viewed it. The rtionship between the two of them wasn''t a fling and since Sol was a half-dragon, his lifespan should be counted in thousands of years.


    Medea fell silent for a short while. "I would be lying if I said I wasn''t afraid."


    Even now, the betrayal of Jupiter still stung the deepest part of her heart. But,


    "I want to give it a chance."


    Nothing would change if she just continued to cry and fear.


    "Do you really love him?"


    This was a hard question for Medea. Her rtionship with Sol was still a little blurry.


    "I¡­ I don''t really know to be honest. But, when I am with him, I am happy. I feel loved and appreciated. I feel rxed and know I can be myself without any facade."


    What is love?


    This was a very hard question. Everyone had a different perspective of love and different reasons to fall in love.


    Still, as she remembered his passionate confession, her heart couldn''t help but skip a beat and her face heated up considerably.


    Freya didn''t miss this reaction and gave a bitter smile.


    "Well, I guess your feelings will be fixed very soon."<sub> </sub>


    At the end of the day, she was just a big sister. Thankfully, Sol seemed way more trustworthy than Jupiter and he didn''t have the same egotistical arrogance.


    What''s more, she had to admit that he wasn''t bad at all.


    ''How long ago was myst rtionship?''


    She didn''t really remember. She wasn''t particrly interested in men''s women''s rtionship and after trying it a few times over the centuries to understand what was the big deal about it. The result was a little disappointing.


    But more than anything,


    ''I wonder what it feels like to be a mother.''


    This was the greatest question no witches could ever answer. Though perhaps not for long.


    Thinking about that, she smiled mischievously and whispered something to Medea''s ear, making the witch of Time do the impossible and blush more than ever.


    ----


    Meanwhile, in another ce in the capital of Lustburg, in the castle belonging to the Traver family, a short overweight man was patiently listening to a young man wearing armor.


    "So the dinner with the prince went well and he convened with the Duke out of prying eyes?"


    "..."


    "I see. Ohohoh~! Seems like the prince got the support of that old man or is it the opposite? Well, no matter. This isn''t particrly surprising."


    Despite his amusing and round form. The Duke Traver wasn''t someone who could be underestimated. After all, the only way to be Duke in their family was to outss everyone as a merchant using any way possible.


    Bribing, threatening, assassination, alliance, betrayal, begging. He stopped at nothing and rose from the least favored situation to the most favorable one. His name was Hermes. Duke Hermes Traver.


    Next to Hermes, a short but obviously mature woman asked with a small smile. "So, little boy, what will you do?"


    The Duke gave a bitter smile at this question. Ideally, he wished to have been neutral in this situation. After all, they were merchants. They were also the direct link to Greed Dike and as such many important trades.


    But, he didn''t reach his current position by luck. It was thanks to a power of his. Somethings not particrly powerful but terribly useful. He simply called it.


    <<Gambler¡¯s Instinct>>


    It was a skill that had saved his life and his business many times, and right now, right here, that skill was screaming at him.


    Do not stand opposite to the royal family.


    Do not stay neutral.


    Every time he even slightly entertained the thought of going against it, goosebumps would cover his body.


    Sagging a little in his seat, he sighed, "No need to fret aunt Theresa. I will take care of it."


    The short mature woman, Theresa, smiled gracefully.


    Inwardly though,


    ''I was too ashamed to finally meet my godson without at least a fitting gift. This should do, right? Or perhaps I should really give him some property outside of Lustburg?''


    ---


    Theresa Gustav. Daughter of Mongov Gustav and oldpanion of Mars Lustburg.


    She wasn''t a genius fighter like Lilith.


    She wasn''t a powerful healer like Camelia.


    She did not have the power of ze


    Neither did she have the knowledge of Persephone.


    Then howe was she able to stand out in such a group?


    The answer was simple. Theresa Gustav was rich. Very very rich.


    And she felt no hesitations in using that money.

 Chapter 82 CH 73: SWEET DATE (1)

    After finally leaving the Hignd territory, Sol went back to the tower and changed into his previous disguise, and went back to the za to wait for Medea.


    Once again standing in front of the sculpture depicting his parents, Sol couldn''t help but have mixed feelings. A mix of stress and eagerness. He could even feel butterflies in his stomach.


    Something not surprising because even though he was already used to women, Medea was without a doubt his first love and the first woman he confessed to.


    Sol wasn''t a hypocrite. Even though he had a harem and seriously loved all his women, he admitted to himself that it was impossible to love them all at the same level.


    After all, even a mother had her favorite one in a family with many children.


    This made this date all the more important for him. He did not wish for a perfect date but, he at least wanted a sweet date that wouldn''t end in a heavy note like hisst one with Lilith.


    "Good morning mister. May I bother you?"


    Hearing the womanly voice close to him, Sol immediately turned to face the source of the voice and was surprised by how close it was to him.


    "Hello?"


    He was further surprised by the appearance of the one who greeted him. If he had one word to describe her, then it would be green.


    A green long robe that hides her somewhat voluptuous body despite her slightly short frame.


    Beautiful long green hair that reached until her butt.


    ir green eyes that showed a gentle expression full ofpassion.


    Sol couldn''t help but feel like he was facing nature itself when standing in front of her.


    He had only felt something like that when facing women like Lilith and Camelia.


    This brought him to conclude that this was without a doubt an incredibly powerful woman.


    "Ah! Sorry, I did not present myself, what a blunder. You can call me Miss P. How may I call you mister?"


    ''This is obviously a pseudonym.''


    "Miss P? I see. Then, you can call me Invictus."


    Sol Invictus. The name of the god of the sun in ancient Roma in his old world. It means <Undefeated sun> or <Triumphant sun>.


    The woman obviously understood that he was giving a fake name but didn''t seem to care as she gave a mysterious smile.


    "Then, mister Invictus, if it isn''t too much of a bother, I would like to ask the direction for the main ce for the games? I have to meet someone there, but it''s my first time in the capital you see. So I am ashamed to admit that I got lost."


    ''A calm and steady voice. Clearly rich clothes and an educated woman and she said that she never entered the capital?''


    Sol felt a little suspicious. But then again until recently, he had never visited the capital himself. So he could not really nitpick.


    "You just have to go south. In the Mris territory. You should be able to find the ce you are searching for."


    Even though the woman was suspicious as hell, he decided to not make too much a fuss for now.


    "I see." Looking at the direction she was pointing, she nodded before smiling and giving a bow, "I am thankful for your help. Well then, mister Invictus, may you have a good day."


    "Same to you."


    Waving at her while she was leaving, Sol frowned a little once she was out of sight. Powerful beings weren''t rare. But powerful humans were. Perhaps she was really here just for vacation, but he hated to leave things to chance. Sighing, he decided that he needed to ask Milia and Lilith to reinforce the security both in the light and the shadow. He would also describe the womanter.


    ''Well, forget this. Now I have a date to enjoy.''


    His mood didn''t stay dampened for too long. He refused to let anything spoil the day.


    -----


    "Sol! I hope I didn''t make you wait long."


    This time, when he raised his head and looked at the source of the voice before inhaling deeply. He was mesmerized at first sight.


    Her long silver-colored hair was held up by hair sticks. The pure white neck and dangling essories emphasized her femininity, making her alluring.


    The beautiful makeup matched her already beautiful appearance, and her vibe as an innocent beauty was emphasized thoroughly.


    "Beautiful."


    He expressed himself honestly, making Medea blush heavily.


    Her bashful look at his suddenpliments was like an arrow piercing his heart.


    The usual Medea in his memory was a stern and knowledgeable woman worthy of respect and admiration. She was also someone who always wore dark and solemn clothes. As such, the current gap was even more impactful.


    Thinking so, he approached her and took her hand in his as he smiled.


    "Do not worry. I do not mind waiting forever if it''s for you."


    He winked while throwing this corny joke, hoping to help her rx a little.


    This seemed to help as a small smile formed on her face. Gripping her hand even more tightly, he snuggly brought her arm to his armpit, her small but swelling breasts softly pushing against his arm, and began to walk with her.


    "Then, I guess it''s time to go."<sub> </sub>


    Medea was a little startled at first, but did not take her arms away though she continued to fidget a little.


    "Medea, could it be that you are nervous?"


    "Eh? Ahh, yeah¡­ I- I¡¯ve never had a date before¡­ errr, so I was thinking about what I should do."


    It was cute how she stammered while answering his questions and his sadistic side nearly reared his head, but he calmed himself down.


    "... However. I think something like this is already fine with me."


    "Hum?"


    "Being together with you makes me really happy. What about you, Sol?"


    "I¡¯m also¡­ Yes. I¡¯m very happy."


    From the bottom of his heart, he was happy. So happy he thought he would burst.


    "Then, let¡¯s just hang out like this, talk about all sorts of stuff,ugh together¡­ and learn a little bit more together. What do you think?"


    "Sounds great."


    He smiled brightly at her idea while nodding. At the same time, he marveled once again at her.


    She seemed childish, yet mature, innocent, yet he could feel her deep and soft affection. Those contradictions were without a doubt one of the most attractive traits about her.


    "Alright! Well then, how about we depart?"


    "Yes!"


    He squeezed Medea¡¯s hand a little tighter, and she responded with a big smile, as warm as the sun, with her cheeks blushing red.


    Sol knew that one of Medea¡¯s favorite things were sweets. As such, while walking, he went towards a slightly trendy street with several confectionaries and restaurants.


    When they entered the small candy shop, he felt Medea, who had a sweet tooth, pull his arm along as her eyes sparkled and began looking inside with curiosity and wonder.


    In addition to arge number of sweets, all the pastries in the store looked colorful and delicious.


    Her love for sweets aside, for Medea who did not observe the exterior for hundreds of years, everything she saw was truly marvelous, new, and intriguing.


    Finally choosing several expensive sweets, she was preparing to pay for it but Sol stopped her.


    "Ahh, Medea, I¡¯ll pay for it."


    "Eh? But I probably have a lot more money than you think."


    "But still, hum, we are on a date, and as a man, I want to at least look better. A- Anyway, I¡¯ll pay for this one."


    Medea smiled brightly at those words and didn''t insist anymore.


    Even though those words of his may have seemed rather chauvinistic, he did think that it was normal for the man to treat the girl at least on their first date.


    After they bought some candy and left the store, with a smile on his face, Sol took out a candy from her bag and held it out to Medea.


    "Here. I¡¯ll feed you some."


    "Eh!? W- Wait¡­ Sol?"


    "Here, quickly, ahhhh."


    "A- Ahhn."


    Not being able to refuse Sol, who was offering her sweets with a happy smile on his face, Medea had the pleasure and embarrassment of being fed sweets in the middle of a public street.


    The two of them could clearly feel the stares they were gathering, but Sol did not care while Medea was too embarrassed to care anymore.


    After she swallowed it, she saw Sol opening his mouth and understood that he wanted to be feedback.


    Feeling her hand tremble slightly, she took out a candy and slowly brought it to his mouth.


    She yelped in surprise when he not only swallowed the candy but also kept her finger in his mouth, though without biting them.


    She then began to shiver a little bit as she felt him lick his finger. It wasn''t just because of how sensual it was, but because she could also feel some of his life force gently enter her body.


    "S-Sol, please stop. The curse is acting."


    Sol, seemingly uncaring, continued for a short while before taking out her finger with a smile.


    "You know that the curse effects on me are basically non-existent and this is without taking my longevity into ount."


    Sol chuckled a little at her stunned expression. He didn''t know how long ¨¤ half-dragon could live, but he knew it should easily exceed the thousand.


    Still, he did not wish for her to live all her life in fear because of the curse. Sooner orter, he would break this useless curse.


    "Well, shall we continue? We still have ample time."


    This date promised to be very interesting after such a great start.

 Chapter 83 CH 74: SWEET DATE (2)

    After the little episode with the curse, even though Medea¡¯s mood dampened for a short while, it did not take long for it to pick up again.


    The streets were currently crowded, as families, couples, friends, or singles people walked around. Joyous music filled the air while the merchant shouted to attract people to their stalls.


    Medea could only marvel at all that.


    Even though she was sealed, since she could observe everything happening in the tower, she wasn''tpletely behind the time and had a concrete idea of how the world looked like.


    But, imagination and reality were always different. In her mind, despite all the innovation, Lustburg was still this little, cold street where she lived, or rather survived, as a street urchin with hunger and anger in her belly.


    It was still this poor and destitute country that needed the protection of the elves to not simply be a huge cake for all the countries.


    It was still this war-torn country that was trying to fight for its freedom under her leadership and that of Jupiter.


    Thinking of Jupiter, she was surprised to not feel the usual pangs of sadness his name brought her.


    "Ea... Medea."


    Medea yelped when she finally heard herself being called by Sol. Laughing stiffly, she shook her head and berated herself in her mind.


    ''Don''t lose yourself. Sol is doing his best for you.''


    She knew that this date would eventually lead to many things. Even though at this level her answer was clear to the two of them and more akin to a formality, it was still a very important step in their rtionship.


    More than anything, this was her first date. She wanted it to be a sess.


    Meanwhile, Sol didn''t miss the myriad of expressions that shed on Medea¡¯s face. But it didn''t matter. He was willing to take his time for her. She was more than worth it.


    He had been thinking about this date yesterday, letting her walk around and explore the city was the best thing.


    Like that, until lunchtime, the two of them enjoyed themselves while walking around. Even Medea was feeling a little stuffed from everything they ate.


    Though, for the two of them, this wasn''t a problem. Sol''s stomach was basically bottomless while Medea could simply rewind the time of her own body.


    Deciding to take a rest, Sol found a bench under the shade for them. They weren''t particrly tired, to be honest. But sitting ¨¤ little was always nice.


    Once Sol sat, he looked with curiosity at the fidgeting Medea who seemed to gather her courage, before finally seating on hisp.


    One thing to remember was that Medea wasn''t wearing her usual long robe, but rather a simple short skirt.


    Sol could clearly feel Medea¡¯s ass through her thin skirt, and it was truly a tremendously destructive force striking right into his reasoning.


    To be specific, he couldn¡¯t move as if he waspletely turned to stone because he felt like if he moved, a certain part of his body would react and turn into a stone instead, so he was trying to make an effort in not moving and keeping his mind free from obstructive thoughts.


    Thankfully, he was already used to women and so, once the shock passed, he was in control of his urge.


    "Today was really fun. Everything seemed to be shining¡­ It made me feel really happy."


    "I¡¯m also having a lot of fun with you by my side."


    A warm atmosphere seemed to surround the two as they spoke like that.


    He hugged Medea from behind as tight as he could without hurting her. Medea twitched in reaction, but she didn¡¯t seem to be resisting as she let him hug her body, making him feel her soft warmth filling his whole body.


    Still feeling the warmth of her body, his hand was heading to the bulges of Medea¡¯s breasts, but he managed to control himself at thest moment. After all, no matter what they decided to do, he would never disrespect her by feeling her up outside in the streets.


    Thinking so, he let his hand trail down before taking her hand in his. He felt like his heart was beating so fast it was about to explode.


    He wanted to continue like that for the rest of the day, but good times were always fleeting, and he sadly had to visit the Traver family during the night.


    To make the best of their remaining time, Sol and Medea stood up before continuing to walk hand in hand.


    They ate different things, yed in different stalls, and simply enjoyed themselves the best possible.


    It wasn''t a luxurious date. But, for Medea, this was perhaps the best day for her since very long ago.


    She only remembered having felt such happiness when she was following Ambrosia, her teacher, and mother, after bing a witch.


    This was a moment she wished to keep in her memory for eternity.


    They finally reached a tall hill in a park that seemingly overlooked a great part of the city.


    Medea admired the beautiful view while Sol stood behind her and hugged her.


    Murmuring in her ears, he said his heartfelt feelings,


    <o>,m "This is the kingdom you valiantly fought to create. I am sorry that you never got the recognition you should have. Thank you for everything. Without you, I wouldn''t be here in my current position."</o>


    In the story, Medea was vilified and treated as an essory. But the reality was clear. Without Medea, there would be no Lustburg as it is now.


    It was unjust for her to be known as the bad guy even though she was the one who deserved the most thanks.<sub> </sub>


    From a political standpoint, he could understand why none of the previous rulers gave the truth. Firstly they weren''t close to Medea, and what''s more, the truth would only weaken the royal prestige.


    Jupiter was basically worshipped as a god and if the truth was known, people would either be in disbelief or be greatly disappointed.


    Still, Sol did not care. He wouldn''t rush it, but, once he became king, he would slowly wash clean her name and give back her rightful ce in history.


    Medea, hearing those words, fell in a short daze.


    Truth be told, she would be lying if she said she wasn''t saddened by her bad name.


    But at the same time, she understood enough about the situation and never resented anyone from Jupiter''s line.


    Still, hearing those words from Sol, seemed to break a dam in her heart as her eyes began to moisten a little.


    Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply before taking away his arms from around her and turned to face him.


    "You know, I already told you this, but I always hated myself."


    Sol wanted to speak, but chose to keep quiet and simply listen to her.


    "I was an orphan who had to eat the trash in the streets to not die. Even after I became a witch, I always felt somewhat inferior to Freya and the other.


    "So, when Jupiter showed that he needed me, I felt so happy. For the first time, I thought I was really needed. For the first time, I thought I was really appreciated."


    She gave a hollowugh as if mocking her own naivety and stupidity.


    "I hate myself because of how naive I was. I hate myself because even though I sort of understood he didn''t really love me, I continued to trick myself into thinking that it was because of the stress he was feeling. I hate myself for all the grief I made Ambrosia and my sisters feel. I hate myself for not hating him even after he betrayed me."


    Tears began to spill from her eyes, but she did nothing to wipe them. Looking straight at Sol''s eyes, she continued, "Truly, I am a foolish woman. Don''t you think so?"


    Sol did not answer, for this was not really a question.


    "For years, I asked myself. What did I do wrong? Did he not like my childish body? Was he so scared of the curse? Did he love someone else all this time? Was I too much a bother?


    "I thought and thought again. So much I nearly became crazy. So much I thought I would die. But, no matter how much I reviewed our moments together, I could not really understand, or rather I refused to understand. After all, the truth was too much for me.


    "He had never really loved me. He only used me and discarded me once he thought that I was useless. And I hated myself because I thought that I wouldn''t have minded if he wanted to continue to use me as long as he kept me by his side."


    Sheughed, augh devoid of any happiness, augh-filled with sadness and self-hatred.


    "I thought I was in love. I thought I really loved him. But, now, I understand.


    "I have never loved him. I was just in love with the notion of love. I was just dependent on him because I wished to be appreciated and needed. From the very beginning, our rtionship was doomed to fail."


    Her tears stopped falling and a slight smile bloomed on her face. This time it wasn''t a derisive smile, but rather a smile filled with joy and happiness.


    "They say that everyone has a different definition of love. For me, love was being useful and giving everything to the one you loved. But, I understand now. This isn''t love. Love isn''t supposed to be a one-way street. It''s supposed to be a mutual feeling linking people."


    "When I am with you, I feel happy as if I was walking on a cloud. Every day, I would wait eagerly for our lessons. Passing time with you made everything more bearable and more beautiful."


    She blushed as she continued.


    "Sol, you know, right here right now, I can easily confirm. I really love you. From the bottom of my heart, I love you. I love you so much it hurts."


    She dered in a soft and firm voice. Taking his hand into her, she continued,


    "Sol, I am an awfully needy and spoiled woman."


    "This isn''t a problem."


    "I am someone prone to depression and self-doubt."


    "I know."


    "Despite my appearances, I am an old woman who lived for many generations before you."


    "Age is just a number."


    "Even though you are extremely resistant to my curse, it will still affect you even if slightly."


    "I was ready for that from the beginning."


    "Then, I am in your care."


    This time, Sol''s answer was a gentle and light kiss.


    This was the second time Medea was kissed in her life. All she could remember was how sweet it tasted.

 Chapter 84 CH 75: EDEA (1)

    After their sweet kiss, Sol and Medea found themselves in Medea''s world within the tower of babel thanks to Freya''s space magic.


    Even now, as he sat on Medea¡¯s bed, Sol could still feel the sweet aftertaste and wished for nothing more than giving her another kiss and much more.


    What''s more, they had all the time in the world.


    Medea, normally, could only elerate the time up to four times the normal speed without straining herself. But, this time, Freya decided to also give her help. Bringing the current ratio to a staggering 10:1.


    They could onlyst for about three hours in the outside world, but it still means 30 hours here or more than one day.


    As of now, he was currently seated on her king-sized bed while Medea stood in front of him with her skirt pinched on both sides and raised.


    Medea, who had slowly raised her skirt in a bid to seduce him under the advice of Freya, had her skin flushing because of how shameless she was currently acting. Underneath her skirt, she was showing bold sexy whitece underwear.


    Despite her shame, she had no intention of stopping. After all, as Freya said. They didn''t have much in the body proportions department. So they had to make up for it with something else.


    Sol, while a little bemused at first, was nowpletely savoring the situation as he thoroughly inspected her body with his eyes without moving.


    Seeing his seeminglyck of reaction, Medea shivered a little as she asked, "Is my charm insufficient after all?"


    It seemed that her low self-esteem was still eating at her.


    "That¡¯s not true. You''re an extremely beautiful woman, gentle, tolerant, a fine woman. You are also easy to tease. It makes me want to protect and dominate you a bit."


    Truth be told, the current appearance of Medea¡¯s was truly awakening the sadistic feeling in him. She seemed so weak and vulnerable while standing here, in front of him, and showing her panties.


    Hearing that, Medea¡¯s expression had some joy mixed in. Her skirt was still rolled up and her face was still red, but power entered her eyes again.


    "Come here."


    He beckoned her with his finger, and once she sat next to him on the bed, he gently put his hand on her thighs.


    He enjoyed the feeling of her thighs as he stroked them. The thin flesh wasn''t bad, it was still soft, the feeling of his finger sticking to her soft skin felt pleasant as well as the white stockings wrapping her legs was enchanting.


    Despite that, both her feet were glued together. It seemed that she was still feeling a little shy. But, she neither escaped nor refused his hand.


    "Don¡¯t be so nervous." He spoke in a soothing voice.


    "I-I¡¯ll try¡­"


    Sol understood that in such a situation, words alone were pretty useless. So, he decided to simply take his time and let her gradually adjust to the situation.


    He let his hand wedge in the closed thighs. While he stroked her sensitive inner thighs, he waited for her to lose strength little by little.


    "Nn!"


    Sol continued to gently caress her body, slowly heating it without startling her too much.


    "How¡¯s it?"


    He whispered sensually before biting her ear, making her shiver in pleasure.


    "it¡­feels a bit good."


    While satisfied by her innocent reaction, Sol further caressed her thighs. Before long, her body lost its strength and her expression loosened. Judging that the time was right, he made his finger crawl on her wet genital through the panties.


    This made her yelp in surprise, but as fast as it happened, her expression began to melt even more.


    "Have you masturbated like this before?"


    Medea stammered at this question for a short while before finally nodding while hanging her head in shame. But Sol didn''t mind her silence and continued to loosen her.


    He wanted to tease her more. Make her blush more. Ask her more private questions and bask in her cute blushing face.


    ''I need to get hold of myself. It''s her first time.''


    They could y as they wishedter. But he wanted her first time to be a sweet memory.


    Thinking so, he pushed the gusset of her panties aside and began to slide his finger up and down on her moist thin slit. It was still tightly shut, but still so alluring.


    Medea gripped his clothes tighter but aside from that didn''t do anything else. He could feel a little apprehension in her, so he hugged her with his free hand.


    ''She seems way smaller than I expected.''


    He had been ready for her entrance to be somewhat small but still not at this level. This made him hesitant about continuing. Sol, while not too big, was no slouch in the length and girth department. Whenpounded with her small opening, he feared that it may hurt her far more than he thought it would.


    "Excuse me."


    Saying so, he took Medea in a princess carry and stood up before cing her down on the bed.


    "S-Sol!?"


    She asked a little anxiously at the sudden change of position. But Sol didn''t answer.


    Hovering above her, he slowly took off her panties sticky with transparent fluid. Once again he held the urge to tease her and smiled reassuringly.


    "Entrust your body to me please."


    Saying so, he slowly began to disrobe her. Her clothing had hidden some of her curves. She was without a doubt very petite, but her well-proportioned body was very attractive...


    The nape peeking through her disheveled silver hair, her neck, her slender shoulders, the contours of her shoulder des, the swelling on her chest, and her narrow waist that looked as if it would break if she was held too tight.


    All those elements mixed gave her an appearance of fragility, further promoting her ethereal beauty.


    "You are beautiful."<sub> </sub>


    Sol was so lost for words he could only praise her using those words. Currently, he could feel his heart going wild and his mouth dry at the vision that mixed cuteness and lewdness in such a way.


    He eagerly bent down and kissed her gently. Medea, hesitated at first, before slowly reciprocating.


    While kissing her, he wrapped his hand around her beautiful breasts, their sizes, fittingfortably in his palm.


    Whenpared to his other women, it was without a doubt pitifully small. But Sol did not particrly mind. Small or big, breasts were one of the most beautiful things in the world. What''s more, small breasts had a charm of their own.


    He continued to knead them with his palm while enjoying the feeling of her breast. It was small yet soft and stic, the tip was hard, showing that she was aroused.


    After a while, he slowly separated his mouth from her, only to see her eyes wavering.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" He asked worriedly. He hoped that he didn''t hurt her.


    "That¡­ Don''t you find my body disappointing?"


    Sol smiled. He knew where her insecurities wereing from.


    "Honestly, your body is indeed one of the less curvy than the other. But¨C I still think that you are the most beautiful in my heart."


    He could see Medea dete a little during the first part of his words before changing into joy at thest part.


    "Sol~!"


    Hugging him tightly, Medea screamed his name while her body began to shiver for a few seconds.


    This scene astonished him,


    ''She is cumming?''


    It was the first time he saw someone reach climax just because the said person was praised.


    He could even feel a hot liquid gush on pant, informing him about her even squirting.


    Medea''s convulsions continued for a short while before she finally stopped. Sol, slowly raising his body while using one of his hands, managed to observe her dazed and blushing expression as she breathed roughly.


    The scent of the room, already filled with her.


    "Let''s continue."


    This wasn''t enough. Not nearly enough.


    With his right hand, he covered her entire pubis with his palm and softly caressed it to enjoy how it felt. He moved the other hand roughly through her hair and kissed her so passionately it took her breath away. Then the storm of kisses moved down to her neck, to her corbone, and to her armpit.


    He coated his fingers with the love juices flowing from her vagina and rubbed all over the innerbia that had swollen out in arousal.


    ¡°Ah, ahh¡­ ah, ahn.¡±


    His finger stimted her softened flesh in every direction like he was stirring her up. A ticklish pleasure soon ruled her crotch.


    "Ah~... something, something entered."


    "It¡¯s just a finger. If it hurts then tell me."


    "It doesn''t¡­ hurt...Please¡­ Don''t stop."


    She had never known how sensitive that part of her body was. She felt as if all her body was on fire.


    She stifled a scream of pleasure when his fingers captured her clitoris. His thumb and forefinger pinched and lightly rolled around the pleasantly hard flesh bud.


    ¡°Ah~!"


    The stimtion was too powerful, so her limbs trembled uncontrobly. He gave a focused vibration to the clitoris held between his two nectar-soaked fingers.


    ¡°You appear to be sensitive here.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­stop. N-no, wh-what? I¡­this feels weird¡­I! Ah~ ! .¡±


    Every woman¡¯s clitoris was sensitive and he was attacking more than just that. He also massaged her left breast, brought the nipple into his mouth, and rolled it around while soaking it with saliva.


    Medea experienced her second climax of the day. One thatsted even longer than the previous one.


    ¡°That should be good enough.¡± He said after seeing her refocus.


    He stripped off his clothing to reveal the fit body created thanks to all the training. His penis was also revealed. Seeing it left Medea speechless.


    Medea trembled in embarrassment and worry as he grabbed her slender ankles and spread her thighs wide enough to see whaty between them. He brought his manly cock right up to the hidden red flowers sitting open at her crotch.


    The tip of his hard erection pressed against the nectar-wet valley and his precum mixed with the sexual juices flooding her maiden slit.


    ¡°Nn~!"


    She had already been brought to climax twice by Sol''s skilled caress, so she did not have the strength left to even lift a finger and could only breath heavily while staring at him.


    Sol, too before going for thest thrust, looked at Medea. His eyes filled with tender love but also a question in it. He was clearly showing that even though it would be hard if she wanted to stop, he wouldn''t force her.


    This, more than anything, made Medea melt even more.


    "Let''s do it."


    It was time for her to end her centuries-old virginity.

 Chapter 85 CH 76: MEDEA (2)

    "Let''s do it."


    The moment Medea heard those words, she felt as if her heart would explode. She had dreamed of this very moment for years. In fact, she had even given up the notion of ever finding love.


    Remembering words she saw in some of the books Freya liked to write, she stammered,


    "Please¡­ make a mess out of me."


    Sol felt his reasoning nearly snap. Letting out a big sigh at how destructive Medea could be, he bent down and kissed her deeply, their bodies slowly entwining.


    Finally, while Medea waspletely focused on the kiss, he slowly pushed his nd in her tight vagina.


    "Nn~"


    Medea leaked out a small groan. Having a penis that¡¯s bigger than a finger spread her entrance was a bit painful. At the same time, her body that was driven into climax several times was rampaging from expecting pleasure and began to convulse.


    Meanwhile, Sol could feel a fierce resistance once he reached her hymen. His worries were proven true, but he calmed down.


    Sol hesitated for a short while before deciding that piercing through it in one go would be better for her.


    "Medea, I am sorry."


    "Wha~"


    Her hips shook the moment he gave a deep thrust.


    ¡°Ah, ahh~!¡±


    At that moment, she lost the chastity she had protected for so long.


    Her thin eyebrows curved as that thick stake was driven into her. While pain surged through her crotch.


    She stifled a scream from the intense pain racing through her hidden hole as her hymen was broken and hugged Sol tightly. At the same time, her nails scratched his back, but Sol did not mind as the pain she was feeling was without a doubt way worse.


    He could also feel the stream of energy leaving him since he began touching her expand greatly. But once again he did not particrly mind. He simply continued to look at Medea, his eyes filled with love and worries.


    The part connecting them had red blood flowing. It was the proof that she was a virgin a while ago.


    Unconsciously, she was tightening around his cock painfully. The vagina¡¯s wavy folds entangled his penis, it felt so good that he thought he might ejacte even if he did not move.


    Looking at her face covered in tears, Sol slowly extended his tongue and licked them.


    "... Salty."


    "*Huff* *Huff* *Huff* I-I am alright, you¡­ can continue."


    Sol shook his head in refusal. He wasn''t a beast. Well, technically he was. But this wasn''t the point. He did not seek only his pleasure. He knew that she was rushing him because the longer they took, the more life energy he would lose. But, at this rate, even if they fucked for four hours straight, he would only lose about one or two hours of his life.


    Even if they fucked ten thousand times, he would barely lose something close to three years of life. Three years out of potentially thousands. This really wasn''t a big deal.


    Deciding that she needed more time to adapt, he began to nibble her ear before trailing down kisses on her neck. While doing so, his right hand was rolling her nipple with his fingers, sometimes pinching them, though not too much.


    It didn''t take long for her expression of pain to loosen up before melting once again in pleasure. It was clear that she was extremely sensitive. What''s more, he knew that his life energy was also bringing her pleasure.


    He could already feel her vagina twitch and moisten.


    "I am going to move."


    "Y-yeah."


    Sol slowly began to move further his waist, until It was swallowed up to the base just like that, the point bumped against the mouth of her womb. Her vagina shut hard and tightened around the whole penis.


    Even though her vagina¡¯s entrance was tight, it was thankfully rather deep and could amodate his full length.


    He then began to go back and forth, while slowly elerating. It did not take long for Medea to begin moving her waist alongside him.


    With each thrust, her womb twisted, her slender body jumped, and moans escaped her thin lips.


    Sol was astonished at how amazing a woman she was. The tightness was to be expected with a virgin, but the way she moaned in joy and agony was indescribably sexy. She stirred up his sadism like no one else.


    He had considered being a little gentler with her, but she made him want to do it more roughly.


    He lifted her up so she was seated on hisp and thrust powerfully up into her from below. To avoid the pain of having her full weight gathered on their union, she desperately clung to his body.


    "Ah~! Ah~ !¡±


    Beads of sweat appeared on her flushed face and heated breaths escaped her lips thanks to the unknown feeling surging through her entire body.


    Her love juices dripped out with an obscenely wet sound while his massive member thrust in and out of her.


    Her mind gradually faded away and she had trouble thinking straight, almost like she had a serious fever. A vague white feeling surrounded her and she could focus only on the presence of the giant penis thrusting up into her crotch.


    Whenever he rubbed her vaginal wall, a seemingly pleasured panting voice leaked out from her mouth. Her panting voice was as clear as a bell, hearing it pleased him to no end. Having her purr with a caress was fine but making her cry with his penis was the best.


    When he changed his angle, her body started trembling. He focused on the same ce and rubbed his ns.


    "Ah! There, it¡¯s amazing there, it¡¯s making me tremble, this, this is¡­ sex?"


    Sol smiled as he asked, "Indeed. Does it feel good? "


    "Nn~! Yes! It¡¯s hot deep inside my stomach¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m cumming again."


    "Very well. I¡¯m going to make you cum as much as you like."


    "Ah¡­ I¡¯m cumming. Nnnn¡­. If you¡¯re so rough then I¡¯m going to cum right away¨CSol!!"


    She screamed again and hugged him tightly. Her hot vagina began to contract, making Sol lose the little amount of control he had left.


    The giant object inside her grew evenrger and throbbed while she could feel something coursing through it.<sub> </sub>


    Growling deeply, he kissed her as he began to release his semen inside of her.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m cumming!¡± He announced while a hot liquid erupted from the tip.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s going inside me. Th-there¡¯s so much. Ah~ !¡±


    A hot liquid was spreading within her vagina. And while she experienced being cummed inside for the first time, she also achieved another climax.


    ¡°Ah!?¡±


    A shrill scream left her mouth and then she copsed backward. The double stimulus being too strong for someone who was a virgin just a few moments ago.


    After cumming all he wanted, he supported her limp body and slowlyy her down on the


    His climaxsted so long. He felt like it was overflowing.


    "Ah¡­ Aaah... Ah.."


    Once their mutual climax ended, the two were left breathless.


    Still sitting on hisp, Medea looked dreamily at her first man. She could feel the hot liquid flowing in her body. She could also feel his life force fill her.


    Gathering strength in her limbs, she closed in, nibbled on his corbone, and with an entranced expression flushed with lust, asked,


    "Could we do it again?"


    How could he refuse such a plea?


    Gently turning Medea around before pushing her on all four on the bed without pulling out,


    ¡°Eh? From behind?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You don¡¯t want it?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that¡­ ¡±


    She was anxious because of how obscene this position looked like, but still supported her body with her arms and legs for a crawling pose.


    Sol grabbed her adorable butt as he stared at her back which glistened brightly with sweat.


    Thankfully, the new position filled her with delight as it seemed to reach even deeper than she thought possible.


    As the bare-breasted witch stood on all fours like a dog, he reached below her arms and grabbed her breasts.


    He bounced them around for fun and stroked the hardened nipples while starting to move his hips again.


    ¡°Nn~!¡±


    He parted the back of her silver hair and kissed the white nape of her neck. He then licked along with her shoulder des and spine.


    ¡°Your back is so pretty."


    "Ah~ !"


    Medea wiggled her back in embarrassment, though it was obvious how much she was enjoying hispliments.


    Therge quantity of love juices and semen were mixed by his rod.


    It would flow out whenever he thrust inside and it was mixed together whenever he pulled back.


    The sensation and the obscenely wet sound made the pure witch want to plug her ears, but at the same time, brought her even more pleasure.


    The sound of pping flesh continuously rang in the room. His rod kept moving without rest as it spread the deepest depths of her vagina, pushed back her folds of flesh, and pressed against her womb.


    Medea''s face burned red, she dug her nails into the edge of the mat, and she cried out even louder than before.


    ¡°This position¡­ Ah...AhAh...It¡¯s going to drive me crazy.¡±


    Her entire body was twitching in response to his raging erection. Her shoulder des were visible in her back as she arched it.


    Sol, happy to discover that Medea seemed to really love this position continued without any worries.


    ¡°It feels good, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Medea closed her eyes and answered by simply nodding.


    Seeing the line of her slender back bending left and right increased his libido, making him rub against her lower body at an even greater pace.


    An avnche of pleasure hit her and she could no longer support her upper body, so she started rubbing her face against the mat.


    However, she kept her thighs straight and indecently spread to allow the thick rod to enter even deeper. And¨C


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    She started moving her butt in a circr motion to rub up against the manhood as it stickily reached her womb. She could not speak. She had never felt anything like this.


    ¡°Sol!¡±


    As soon as she screamed his name, Sol thrust his rod inside her as hard as he could. The head fits firmly into the entrance of her womb and he exploded. He tightly squeezed the breasts in his hands and he lifted her body up. His hot semen sprayed inside her womb.


    Another orgasm washed over her like a great wave. That strong-willed woman ascended to a world of even greater pleasure.


    Her brain gave a great cry at the intense pleasure. Her vision whited out and then grew ck.


    She had passed out because of the pleasure.

 Chapter 86 CH 77: DARKNESS AND SWEETNESS

    Somewhere in the capital of Lustburg, a woman wearing maid clothes could be seen seated on afy chair in a basement.


    The sole source of light was a magical gear on the ceiling that gave a waning light.


    Facing her was a man wearing a ck tuxedo with a top hat and a monocle on his right eye, and another woman who was also wearing maid clothes.


    The atmosphere between the three was silent and the shadow around them seemed to squirm as if they were alive.


    Finally, after a silent contest, the maid with cow horns on either side of her head asked with a smiling face.


    "So, you are telling me that even with all the time I have given you there is still no definite proof about the Gorfard having an alliance with the believer of the Crimsondy?"


    The middle-aged man adjusted his monocle and with a jester smile, nodded,


    "Indeed. Ohoh~! What can we say? They are truly careful. I guess we will have to rely on you when the prince visits the ce."


    The smile on Milia''s face never changed despite the antics of the one facing her. Inwardly though, she was wondering whether she could kill him or not.


    "Oh~ Sloppy~Sloppy~. I can feel your killing intent so easily. It seems like those years of peace while serving him really dulled you. I am quite disappointed. Or perhaps is he that important to you? Minos must be turning in his-"


    He didn''t manage to finish his sentence before feeling a sharp edge over his throat and a slight prickling sensation.


    Raising his head, he crossed his eyes with cold eyes devoid of any emotion in them.


    "I forbid you from insulting him."


    Those words were said in an almost emotionless way and without any threat in it. But he could clearly hear the unsaid part.


    The more he looked at her eyes the more he felt as if he was falling into a deep abyss where only death and darkness were present.


    Despite this, despite knowing that death would reap him at any wrong words, his smile never wavered.


    He feared many things. But death wasn''t one of them.


    ¨CAfter all, there were so many things worse than death in this world.


    Edgar chuckled merrily before pushing away the dagger from his throat while looking at Milia.


    "Scary~Scary~ I waspletely unable to react. Seems like I was wrong about you being rusted. Should I say, as expected of the only sessful experiment?"


    Milia''s expression became colder at those words for a few seconds before slowly going back to the previous smiling one.


    "Why are you trying to test me?"


    Wiping the trace of blood from his throat with a handkerchief, his lips curled in a mocking smile, "... Guess."


    Milia wished for nothing more than to simply slit his throat and let him die while bleeding like a pig. But she knew that this freak would still keep his smile even then.


    Ketia, the second maid, spoke after letting out a sigh, "Milia, Edgar, it''s enough. You know the rule. Infightings are forbidden."


    The tension that was building up seemed to dete a little. Milia walked graciously before taking back her seat.


    Seeing this, Ketia, relieved that nothing regrettable happened, continued.


    "Despite Edgar¡¯s stupid actions, he is right. Even though we have many spies in the Gorfard family, the current Duke is an incredibly cautious man with a very restricted circle of confidants. Finding enough proof to incriminate him and make his execution justified isn''t easy."


    "... I see."


    Milia lowered her head as she pondered before asking.


    "What about the diators we caught?"


    This time it was Edgar who spoke afterughing a little.


    "Even though you broke them, we obtained no particr important information. The one who bought them was cautious enough to never expose his identity. Of course, we know clearly who are the most likely suspects."


    Milia gritted her teeth in frustration.


    "Why don''t we just release the evidence we have? It should be enough to severely destroy their power and influence."


    Milia knew what Ketia was talking about. The Gorfard family caused many problems and had many unpunished crimes under their names. If they used those pieces of evidence, Lilith could reliably strip the Gorfard family of most of its power without any problems.


    But¨C


    "This isn''t enough."


    Milia''s eyes lost their light as deep darkness seemed to reflect on it.


    While cutting the tail of a lizard could hurt it, it could never kill it. What she wished for wasn''t just the fall of the Gorfard family.


    She wished for nothing less than its utter and absolute annihtion.


    Only by exterminating them could she assure a stable and worry-free reign once Sol took the throne.


    But, while simply killing off the Gorfard was the easiest solution. It was also the stupidest.


    No matter how powerful an individual was, he could never rule a kingdom alone.


    Not even the Wolf king of Wratharis dared to antagonize all the nobles under him even though he could crush them without any problems.


    This was why they needed evidence. The kind that could spell the doom of absolutely anyone in this world.


    -----


    [Church of Castitas]


    In the church of Castitas, Camelia was standing over arge golden cup with her wrist, bleeding, over it.


    Her expression waspletely impassive even as the blood with golden hue was slowly filling the cup while her expression slowly became paler.


    Finally, once she judged that she gave enough blood, a bright golden light covered her body and the wound immediately closed while her expression went to a rosy one.


    <<Heal>>


    One of the most basic holy spells any nun could learn. The spell was an apprentice level spell and normally shouldn''t have been to heal such a wound so fast.


    But in the hand of Camelia, even the most basic spell could reach incredible levels.


    Chloe, who was standing on in a corner of the room in silence, finally spoke.


    "What are you preparing this time?"


    She asked curiously. Sometimes, she wondered if her aunt had a fetish for bleeding.<sub> </sub>


    Camelia, hearing the question, raised her head and observed the scene depicted on therge ck and white gate she was facing.


    A woman with fourteen girls behind her, all of them wearing golden robes on the white side of the gate, facing them was another woman wearing a bright red robe on the ck side


    Smiling a little, she answered in a detached way.


    "Soon, something very exciting may happen in the city. I need to make enough preparation to wee the guests when it happens."


    Chloe frowned before also observing the gate. She stared at it for a short while before understanding dawned in her eyes. Said understanding was soon reced by absolute dread.


    "Is this the true reason why you made this game of hiding your power?"


    Camelia smiled, "Fufufu~ who do you take me for? I am not a goddess you know? I can''t see the future. My n was only created to reel in some small fish and a rabid dog. Who would have thought that I could also catch some heretics? I guess this is what it means to be blessed by Lady Luck."


    Chloe chuckled helplessly while covering her face with her hands.


    The more time passed and the more she wondered if she made the right choice in choosing Lustburg to get more experience.


    "Oh, little Chloe, don''t make such a face. You make me feel like I am the bad guy. You should be happy you know? Killing heretics is always a good way to get more blessings. Besides,"


    The image of a green-haired and green-clothed woman shed in Camelia''s head as she murmured, "I even called one old friend to help out."


    Chloe didn''t know what feelings she should have currently, but happiness was definitely not one of them.


    Thankfully, the fear she felt also receded greatly.


    "Lustburg is destined to face a storm."


    "Theing of a great king cannot happen without a storm to ovee. Soon, Lustburg will wee a new hero king. Fufufu~! It will be beautiful. I hope he will reward me! Ah~! I can''t wait for it~!"


    Chloe could only turn her head to not see the current expression of Camelia.


    ''Perhaps I should have visited the demons? It couldn''t have been worse, right...?''


    ----


    [In Edea''s world.]


    The silver-haired witch slowly opened her eyes. Only to see a golden-haired young man on the corner of the bed while he caressed her.


    Snapping awake, she tried to raise herself hurriedly, but the gentle hand gave a firm pressure and kept her on the head.


    "You shouldn''t move like that. Stay lying down."


    Her mind which was still cloudy slowly cleared up.


    "Sol? What happened?"


    Just as she asked this question, a rush of memory flooded her head and her face flushed.


    It became as red as a tomato once she remembered how she fainted because of the pleasure.


    Looking at herself, she was surprised to see that she wasn''t stained in fluid and was wearing a ck transparent n¨¦glig¨¦.


    Sol, forestalling her question, spoke calmly,


    "After you fainted, I took you to the bath and washed you before putting on your clothes."


    She didn''t know what was the most embarrassing in this situation. Him washing her like a baby or the fact that she didn''t wake up at all during all this.


    Raising the nket over her head in embarrassment, Medea curled like a shrimp and refused to answer no matter what Sol did.


    ''How cute.''


    He didn''t know how many times he had such a thought.


    She was like a cute little cat that was ying hard to get. The image of a stern and respectable teacher had been destroyed.


    Sol didn''t mind her reticence to show herself and continued to coax her as if she was a petnt little kid.


    Finally, slightly lowering the nket, she asked,


    "You don''t find me disappointing?"


    Medea didn''t have any experience in sexual rtionships but it wasn''t as if she was clueless. At the very least she knew that fainting from pleasure for the first time was pretty rare if not impossible.


    Sol smiled gently while caressing her head, "I would never. It''s my bad for not having taken into ount the effect of my life force. What''s more, since it was your first time I should have been more careful."


    Sol was really given a fright when she suddenly fainted.


    The awkward expression on Medea¡¯s face melted as shepletely lowered the nket. Taking Sol''s hand in her, she marveled once again at how big they were, giving her a sense offort.


    Inwardly she couldn''t help but chuckle at how helpless she was. In terms of fighting prowess, she couldpletely crush the current Sol without any problems. But, now that he sat there while shey down on the bed, she felt at ease, as if everything would be alright in the world.


    ''Medea, Medea. You are truly a blind fool in love. Still, as they say, fool me, once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.''


    She was willing to be an idiot in love for a second andst time.


    "Sol, we will always be together right?"


    "Yeah."


    "You will always love me will you?"


    "With all my heart."


    "I see."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "Sol?"


    "Yes?"


    "I love you."


    "I love you too."

 Chapter 87 CH 78: HE IS DEAD

    [Medea''s World]


    Standing now alone in her garden, Medea was sipping on one of her best tea as she gazed absent-mindedly at the horizon. She was currently wearing her usual ck robe that tightly hugged her body.


    "Heh~! Already missing your lover?"


    "*Pfft* *Cough* *Cough* What are you talking ab-about!? I am just thinking!"


    Freya gave a simple smile that showed that she wouldn''t argue. Even though she didn''t believe it.


    "So, how was it?"


    Medea blushed before lowering her head. "It was¨Cit was beautiful."


    "Is that so?"


    Freya eyed the current Medea enviously. Even though she had few experiences, in reality, she had never really enjoyed sex. For her, it was just a way to gather data to alleviate the curse.


    Sadly, she had given up hope and herst rtionship was more than two hundred years ago.


    That was until Sol showed up.


    He was a new hope for their entire race. No, perhaps for the entire human race itself.


    Humans could only use mana once they reached 15 years old. Even then, they could only use magic if they had the capacity and the rtionships to form a contract.


    This made it so that even though there were few individuals really incredible, humans as a whole were the weakest races.


    Witches on the other hand could use magic. Even though they couldn''t use it in the same way as magical beings, they didn''t need a contract either.


    So what would happen if a normal human and witch had a child?


    Freya didn''t know. After all, witches were unable to give birth.


    Still,


    ''The children of a witch should also be able to use magic from birth.''


    If her theory was right, in the best case, not only could the child be able to use magic from birth, but they would also even be able to contract.


    It was, without a doubt, an ideal. Something unthinkable.


    But,


    ''Sol could be the creator of a new type of humans.''


    Just imagining it brought her a great feeling of anticipation.


    She wished to see it. She wished to observe it. She wished to be at the first stand.


    She wasn''t like Medea or Kali. She didn''t be a witch because of despair or persecution.


    All she wanted was to obtain knowledge.


    She wanted to know more.


    ".. Ya...Eya."


    She wanted to know so much more.


    "Freya!!"


    "Ah," She jumped a little bit when she heard her name being screamed like that. "Sorry, I was lost in thought."


    She calmed herself down before taking out a pen and a book note.


    "So, I respected your opinion and didn''t spy on your first time. Now, please describe to me everything that happened."


    Medea covered her face in shame.


    "Just why do you always do that!?"


    Medea couldn''t understand. One of Freya''s greatest hobbies was recording the sexual experience of every witch she knew and writing them into books before publishing them. Under the pseudonym of


    .


    The worst was that from what she knew, Freya was also very popr. Even during her date with Sol, she saw some of the books she wrote on disy.


    "Hey, Romance is very lucrative you know? What''s more, my adult series, <<Master''s orders>>, sell extremely well. Who knew so many women were interested in soft BDSM."


    The next few minutes were the most embarrassing of Medea¡¯s life.


    ------


    [Tower of Babel]


    Sol was currently seated in the office of Lilith and was observing her while she scribbled on some documents.


    Even though he stayed for a total of 20 hours in Medea¡¯s world, only two hours passed outside. As such he still had some time before his meeting with the Duke Traver.


    The atmosphere between the two was currently rather awkward. Even though Sol had visited her, she hadn''t lifted her head even once and acted as if he didn''t exist.


    But Sol didn''t mind. He didn''t require some sort of discussion. In fact, he was pretty content about the silence since it allowed him to gather his thoughts and his next n of action.


    ''Too many things are happening at the same time. I need to be careful and smart.''


    The currents in the capital were deep and muddy. Traitors abounded and a purge was necessary.


    Perhaps in the future, he would be remembered in the same vein as his ancestor, bloodthirsty Queen.


    He lowered his head and looked at his dainty white hands that had never mortally hurt another human.


    "What are you thinking about?"


    Without raising his head, Sol murmured


    "I simply wonder what it feels like to kill someone."


    The sound of the pen stopped. It took him a while to understand that he had just expressed his thoughts out loud, and once he did, he couldn''t help but wonder why all his conversations with Lilith always had to contain some sweetness and some darkness.


    "... What are you worried about?"


    Sol debated for a short while before shaking his head, "Forget it."


    It wasn''t that he didn''t want to discuss with Lilith. Her advice would without a doubt be very useful. It was just that he was tired of how each time they met they always ended up talking about depressing matters.


    Lilith opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, before finally closing it and simply sighing.


    She had some mixed feelings at the moment. On one side, Sol not asking her for advice meant that he was slowly bing more independent from her as she wished¨CBut at the same time, she felt a certain sadness at him doing so.


    Deciding to change the subject, she asked,


    "So, how was your meeting with Tyr?"


    Sol remarked what she was doing but did not mention it as it suited his intentions.


    "Duke Tyr was¡­ Should I say that he was stubborn?"


    "Stubborn?"


    "Indeed. Even though he did not express it, I could feel that despite the current position of their house, if he had found me wanting, he would have kept the neutrality of his house."


    Lilith gave a cold smile, "I am d you were able to see that."


    She stopped there and didn''t continue. One of the people she despised the most wasn''t the Gorfard for their actions but rather the Hignd for their inactions.


    At the end of the day, the Gorfard were ambitious people who strived for power. There was nothing she expected from them.


    But, when the royal family was at its lowest, the so-called Shield and spear of the kingdom did nothing but stand and watch while acting like saints as they screamed their neutrality.


    The only reason she didn''t really hate them was because of how useful they were and the fact that they indeed never hesitated to sacrifice themselves for the kingdom.


    "What do you think of this stubbornness?"


    She was really curious. Back then, Mars simplyughed and said that he loved such stubborn people because they were very loyal once they sided with you.


    Sol, hearing this question, stayed quiet before smiling,


    "I find it very admirable but also very pitiful. But more than anything, I find it very frightening."<sub> </sub>


    "...Oh?" This piqued her interest as she motioned him to continue.


    Sol, leaned in his chair, "I find it very admirable because they are the representative of perfect knights. Loyal to a fault. Unafraid of death, willing to make any sacrifice¡­ Yeah, very admirable. Very admirable cannon fodder I mean. That''s why they are stupid. That''s why they are pitiful."


    For Sol, the Hignd family was without a doubt ¨¤ family worthy of respect. But they were also a very pitiful family.


    The Hignd duchy was neighbors to the Mris and shared borders not only with Wratharis but also with Envilya. As if it wasn''t enough, the members of the family were always conscripted to the army and always fought on the front line.


    Sol, while studying the situation of the Hignd family, always wondered about something very weird.


    Over the centuries, many ducal families came and went.


    Some were even more powerful than Hignd. But they still vanished in the river of history.


    What''s more, the Hignd family always followed a trend of rising then waning.


    So, why did the Hignd never fall?


    What made them stand for so many years?


    It wasn''t because they were strong.


    It wasn''t because they had enough influence.


    There was a very simple and veryughable reason.


    They were the <<Sword and the shield>>


    Or more crudely, they were the <<The hunting dogs and the Canon fodder>> of the kingdom.


    The only reason they still exist until now is that they were simply too useful to discard.


    Every time, they would be given power, and when they reached a certain level they would be brought down.


    They were just tools. A tool to be used when needed and put aside to gather rust when useless. But never discarded.


    The worst?


    They understood that very well. There was simply no way an old fox like the Duke Tyr would not understand this.


    Despite this, they were still loyal. It was,


    "It''s very frightening."


    Sol could understand one individual holding such loyalty. He had many people who were very loyal to him.


    But what after one generation? Two? Three?


    No matter how you looked at it, something was weird. Something wasn''t adding up.


    Lilith was looking at Sol with renewed eyes. She always knew that he was rather smart. But she didn''t think that he could grasp this situation so fast.


    Once again, she was reminded that Sol wasn''t a child anymore. At the same time, the image of her brother that always ovepped with that of Sol seemed to further separate.


    She didn''t know if it was a good thing or not.


    "Your thought process is very admirable. There''s a deep secret that ties the Hignd family to the royal family. Sadly, only the king can know the truth."


    For once she wasn''t holding a secret. She really didn''t know why. Only the king, after entering the mausoleum of the departed kings could be privy to some important secrets of the kingdom.


    This was also one of the reasons she didn''t hold absolute control over the crown''s shadow. Nor could she wield the royal sword.


    At the end of the day, no matter how much authority she was given, she wasn''t the true queen of Lustburg.


    Sol on the other hand could only sigh at how many secrets he still had to discover.


    "I am sorry." She grimaced a little at his disappointed expression.


    "Why are you suddenly apologizing?"


    "If my brother was still alive, I am sure he would have exined all those secrets to you." She gave a bitter smile at that.


    Sol was surprised for a short while before chuckling.


    "I do not care."


    "What?"


    "You always talk about how amazing my father was and how everything would be different if he was still alive. But the reality is there. He is dead.


    "From the tale I heard, he was without a doubt someone incredible. Perhaps I would have really been happier if he was alive. Perhaps my childhood would have been more interesting. But once again, he is dead.


    "The one who raised me wasn''t him but you. The one who cared for me wasn''t him but you. The one I see as my family isn''t him but¨Cyou."


    Sol did not doubt that his life would have been very different in other circumstances. But,


    "All those IF, are useless for a simple reason¡­ He is dead."


    Lilith stayed silent. Her heart, mourning once again.


    She knew he was dead. She knew that she would never see him again. She didn''t need anyone to say that to her.


    She wanted tosh out. To scream. To wail. But at the end, closing her eyes, she spoke feebly.


    "It''s time for you to meet the Traver family."


    He could hear the silent dismissing in her voice.


    Seeing her like that, Sol, for the first time, understood something.


    In the eyes of the world, Lilith Luxuria was strong.


    At a young age, during which most people still had the innocence of their youth, she stepped on the battlefield to prove her worth.


    Later, as a single mother, she not only had to support the sadness of losing all her family, she also had to raise her daughter as well as her nephew and take control of a kingdom that did not want her.


    The weight of responsibility on her back was so heavy that anyone in her ce would have been crushed without any hope.


    But she didn''t bow down to adversity.


    Even though she should have been sadder than anyone.


    Even though she had no one to rely on.


    She still walked steadfastly with her back straight, never bowing down.


    But Sol now understood.


    Lilith''s mind was strong, but her heart was weak.


    Very weak.


    And was only growing weaker as time passed.


    In his eyes, she went from arge mountain to a curled up and crying, little girl.


    He began to think about every moment they passed together and gradually an idea formed in his head.


    It wasn''t perfect. It was mostly a gut feeling. But, there was no harm in trying.


    ''I will wait for a little. If I began now, I wouldn''t seem sincere.''


    He couldn''t risk failure because of too much hurry.


    Standing up, he gave her onest look and walked away.


    No matter what, he would save her.


    Though, just to avoid any oversight, he ordered the maids to stand in front of the door and used the code Medea gave him to ask her to observe Lilith.


    ''Well, I guess now it''s time to see the Traver. I really wonder how it will go.''


    No matter what, he was sure that it wouldn''t be easy.


    After all, the Traver family weren''t warriors like the Hignd. Why would they ept so easily?

 Chapter 88 CH 79: WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING?

    The zone belonging to the Traver was the west.


    After leaving Lilith, he hopped on his carriage and took the road. Thankfully, it did not take long for him to reach the mansion belonging to the ducal family.


    It was arge mansion five stories tall full of different decorations, giving a somewhat gaudy atmosphere or that of a parvenu. Of course, Sol knew that underestimating the Duke just because of that would be stupid.


    "Wee your highness."


    Stepping out of his carriage, Sol paused at the reception reminiscing of what happened with the Hignd.


    Only this time, rather than rows of soldiers, what greeted him were two rows of beautiful women d in skimpy maid clothes that barely covered their curves.


    Sol had to admit that being greeted by such a line up was a turn on. If he wasn''t already used to his maids, he would be grinning or blushing like a fool currently.


    ''Seems like Lilith''s objective was meet.''


    Smiling, he began to walk toward the entrance of the mansion where a stout short man was waiting for him without paying attention to the maids around.


    Sex was something he could have at any moment. So he didn''t crave it as much as most people.


    Behind him, Setsuna was walking with a frown on her face at the tant attempt of seduction while Milia keep a calm and serene smile.


    The maid she chooses always wore rather conservative dresses that went past their knees, but she knew that those clothes had a greater allure for Sol.


    What''s more, she had absolutely no worries. She was always there to help Sol relieve himself if he needed it.


    Thinking about that brought her mood up and erased any ill feelings she might have from the meeting with her colleagues.


    Hermes Traver, seeing the prince walk unfazed, had to increase his opinion of the prince.


    Being strong didn''t mean much to him. After all, at the end of a day, for a kingdom, while ¨¤ powerful Ruler was necessary, what truly mattered was nothing more than money.


    War costs money.


    Peace costs money.


    Only the goddesses or the divine beings could escape thisw.


    So more than his fighting prowess, what mattered to him was the prince mindset. At least for now it didn''t disappoint him.


    Giving a genuine smile once the prince reached him, he bowed and said in a clear voice,


    "Wee your highness. Your presence brightens and honor my house. I hope you will have a pleasant stay."


    ----


    After a somewhat surprising warm wee, Sol alone sat in the main office of the Duke with a pondering expression.


    Milia and Setsuna were currently outside of the room but were ready to rush in at any moment.


    After all, while the Duke Hignd was very trustworthy, The Duke Traver didn''t have such a glorious reputation. So they had to be careful.


    Sol on the other was rather curious.


    He was ready for many things, but not something like that. After all, even Duke Hignd took his time to observe him more before beginning to discuss serious matters.


    Still, it did not bother him.


    Facing him, was the Duke Hermes Traver, sipping on a cup of tea.


    Silence hung in the room, but Sol wasn''t in a hurry to dispel it. He felt as if he would lose if he talked first. So he simply closed his eyes and began to meditate.


    Hermes, seeing Sol so rxed was once again pleasantly surprised. He could see that it wasn''t him acting, but that he was truly at ease in the current situation.


    Deciding that staying silent longer than that would just be a waste of time, he coughed a little to get Sol''s attention.


    "If I may ask, how was your meeting with the old man?"


    Sol, giving a small smile, leaned on his chair with his legs crossed in a rather arrogant way, while his chin pointed upward and his gaze fixed downward in a condescending manner.


    "If by, old man, you mean Duke Tyr Hignd, then know that he epted to leave his neutrality and swear true allegiance to me."


    Hermes was once again surprised but not overly so this time. After all, he had already received the rapport from his spies and knew what he had to expect.<sub> </sub>


    Still, it seemed that him throwing his lot with the prince was truly the best way.


    If he did so, the prince would have two of the four Duke on his side.


    Arachne''s opinion on the matter was obscure, but he was sure that with her obsession with Mars she would at worst choose to be neutral.


    Meaning that thest one would be Loki Gorfard.


    ''Ohohoh~! The situation is truly interesting."


    If at first, he had only epted to join the prince because of his <<Gambler instinct>> and the matriarch, now, he was willing to give his all.


    Still, he decided to ask,


    "Your highness, what do you think is the most important for a kingdom? Money? Power? Wisdom? Loyal subjects?"


    Back then when he asked this question to the previous King, Mars, he had answered that the most important were loyal subjects. He really wondered what answers the prince would give.


    Sol, who was previously rxed, sighed a little. It seemed that no matter where he went, people were always testing him.


    Still, he wasn''t angry. At the end of the day, he was just a young boy with no credentials to his name.


    Wining in the colosseum was enough to not be disrespected or underestimated, but it wasn''t enough to instill trust and confidence in people without showing more.


    ''What is the most important for a kingdom?''


    This was a question worth pondering over. After all, sooner orter he would be a king.


    "My answer may be still a little immature, but I believe that wisdom and loyalty, while important, aren''t the most necessary. The most necessary are money and power."


    "Oh~? Please could you borate your highness?"


    "Loyalty is without a doubt very important at a personal level. Having few and truly loyal people surrounding you is a true blessing. But, it''s impossible to expect an entire kingdom to swear eternal loyalty to one king. Not even the goddesses can do so."


    This was something very important to understand. For example, even though Milia swore loyalty to him, it didn''t mean that all the crown''s shadow was truly loyal. The same went for Duke Tyr and his ducal house.


    "A necessary amount of wisdom is without a doubt important. But at the end of the day, one or few people can''t direct everything in the affairs of a kingdom."


    The Lustburg kingdom was the size of the Canada. How could one or few persons deal alone with all the affairs of the kingdom? As such only a certain amount of wisdom was necessary.


    "That''s why I believe that Power and Money are the most important. The two together."


    Money was something a kingdom couldn''t do without. You needed money to live.


    At the same time, being too rich and not having the means to protect your resources was a sure way to be robbed or annexed by a more powerful kingdom.


    "Loyalty may be important. But filling one own stomach is more so. Rather than believing in feelings, believing inmon interests is better."


    Many people could betray their faith, but few could betray their own interests. This was the sad truth of the world.


    "Enough power can stop any thoughts of rebellion from arising."


    "The carrot and the stick."


    "Indeed. A kingdom needs enough carrots to instill and enough sticks to truly function. Once those two conditions are reached, loyal subjects full of wisdom would without a doubt gather around you."


    Why would people be loyal to you if you didn''t have something special? Why would smart people surround you if they didn''t believe they could obtain something from you?


    "Of course, I believe that focusing on all aspects would be the most ideal. Having loyal subjects willing toy down your life for you is without a doubt the greatest dream for any ruler. But reality isn''t so sweet. Soldiers need money to take care of their loved ones. Otherwise, why would they sacrifice themselves."


    Hermes could feel his heartbeat strongly in his chest, this was it. This was the answer he wanted to hear.


    "So do you idealistic people are stupid?"


    "Are they stupid? I do not think so. I truly find them beautiful and admirable. People willing toy down their lives not for some interest but for their own beliefs of justice are people worthy of respect. I would never look down on them."


    Sol didn''t believe that he was particrly cold or calctive. Even though he wasn''t willing to die for some ideal, he was willing to discard his pride and his life if it meant protecting his loved ones.


    But that was just him. This wasn''t enough to make a kingdom function.


    "Beautiful. Very beautiful. Your highness, your answer truly moved me. I also believe that mutual interest is the way to go rather than simple blind loyalty. Then your highness, since the two of us believe in mutual interest. Pray tell me, what can you give me to make me swear allegiance to you?"

 Chapter 89 CH 80: DOTING GODMOTHER

    The Duke smirked as he said those words,


    "Beautiful. Very beautiful. Your highness, your answer truly moved me. I also believe that mutual interest is the way to go rather than simple blind loyalty. Then your highness, since the two of us believe in mutual interest. Pray tell me, what can you give me to make me swear allegiance to you?"


    Silence fell in the office as he observed the impassive expression on the prince''s face.


    Truth be told, he had already decided to throw his lot with the prince. So no matter what the prince said here, as long as it wasn''t something particrly idiotic, he would still follow him.


    ''Of course the better the answer the happier and more devoted I will be.''


    Hermes was first and foremost a merchant before being a noble.


    As a merchant, he had the boldness to invest in a promising stock, but he also had the decisiveness necessary to cut the tail at any moment.


    Sol, unaware of Hermes''s thoughts, was seriously pondering. Though, even if he was aware he would still do the same.


    Sol believed in love and friendship. But such things couldn''t be formed out of anywhere. As such, the most secure form of rtionships was amon interest.


    He had promised the Duke Hignd to help him redress the situation of his family and ept Athena as one of his personal knights, with the chance of bing his concubine.


    But what did the Duke Traver need?


    This was somethingplicated.


    The ducal house under the order of Hermes wasn''t the strongest, nor did it have the most influence.


    Because of that, they had basically no weakness. What''s more, they were connected to the dwarf kingdom. Giving them more avenue


    Closing his eyes, he began to elerate his thoughts.


    What did they need the most?


    Money?


    No, the Travercked anything but money.


    Then, Sol grinned,


    "Duke Hermes, if I were to ask you. How strong are youpared to the other Dukes?"


    "...?"


    Hermes tilted his head in wonder but still answered.


    "In terms of power, be it myself as a Duke or our house as a whole, we are without a doubt the weakest of the four houses."


    ''As I thought.''


    Sol grin didn''t fade as he continued,


    "From what I know, it seems like the number of bandits has exponentially increased thest few months. I suppose that it must be rather troubling for you, isn''t it?"


    If Hermes couldn''t understand what Sol was trying to imply now, then he would have wasted all his years.


    <o>,m "Indeed. Those bandits prove to be a true headache. What''s more, we must pay more fees to the different ducal houses to get more protection."</o>


    "If I remember clearly back then it''s how the king enticed the first Duchess right? Only, most of your rights were revoked during my father and Aunt tenure of power."


    Hermes gave a bitter "Indeed."


    Back then, during the puppets King era, even though he wasn''t the Duke, it didn''t mean that he was spotless. He had enjoyed the advantage his father brought and he now had to pay the consequences.


    After all, who would have thought that someone like Mars would be born? The only reason that four houses hadn''t been eradicated at that time was that the Hero king was too kind and refused unnecessary bloodshed.


    If the one with the blessing of luxuria had been Lilith?<sub> </sub>


    He shivered just at the thought.


    ''Praise the goddess.''


    As a hybrid dwarf, he could pray to any of the four goddesses without guilt, but he was still more partial to Avaritia. The goddess of Greed.


    Sol snickered a little but didn''tment further. Of course, there was no way he would give the same amount of support as his great grandfather. He didn''t wish for one of the next rulers after him to be another puppet king or queen. Still,


    "What do you think? I will give you my power and you will give me your money. Pretty good right?"


    Looking at the still grinning Prince, Hermes sighed wistfully,


    ''Why do I not have a daughter or a granddaughter?''


    The boy was still a little immature and inexperienced but it was nothing that couldn''t be corrected with enough time.


    At the very least, the raw potential he had already shown would have been enough for him to throw his lot with the prince even if he hadn''t been forced to.


    Thinking so, he caressed his beard, one of the sources of pride, and stood up from his chair before kneeling down in respect.


    Seeing this, the smirk on Sol''s face gradually fell down before changing into a genuine smile. He wasn''t the kind to humiliate those who decided to follow him and as such stood up.


    Now looking down at the Duke that was kneeling, Sol feels a rush of pleasure flow through his body.


    ''I need to be careful to not let this feeling swallow me.''


    Pride was a dangerous sin for it could make you overestimate yourself.


    "Duke Hermes Traver. Do you swear allegiance to me?"


    "I, Hermes Traver, in front of the goddess luxuria do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to his highness Sol Dragona Luxuria, his heirs and sessors, ording tow."


    Like with Duke Hignd, the oath needed no other witness.


    This wasn''t like in his old world where anyone could swear with impunity.


    Here, swearing in the name of the goddess was a binding worth more than thousands of contracts. The one breaking his oaths would be immediately struck down.


    Thankfully, it was impossible to coerce people into taking oaths they didn''t want from the bottom of their hearts. Trying to do so would also result in being struck down.


    Thinking about the goddesses, his feelings of pride immediately abated. He had no reason to be proud as he was now.


    Neither Hermes nor Tyr would have bowed to him if he wasn''t the prince of Lustburg.


    ''I still need to be stronger. Smarter. More experienced. In short, I need to continue growing.''


    ----


    [Duke Hermes house]


    In another room belonging to the mansion, a short but mature woman was focused on a screen disying the scene of the Duke kneeling to Sol.


    "Oh~? It seems like I really underestimated him. Even if I didn''t meddle, he would have obtained the same result."


    A smile bloomed on her face as she said that. Feeling pretty good, she turned toward one of the maids standing beside her.


    This maid was different from the other in the mansion. Not only because of her long and beautiful silver-white hair, nor because of her well-toned body, but rather because of the running pattern covering her body from head to toe.


    ''Hehehe~! Seems like I did well in bringing her. It would be shameful if I couldn''t give a gift to my godson on our first meeting after all.''


    "This promise to be interesting."


    She couldn''t wait.

 Chapter 90 CH 81: DOTING GODMOTHER (2)

    Sol and Hermes made a happy deal. Of course, the deal itself was pretty vague. Sol never really stated how much support he would provide. But, this was something that could be discussedter.


    After uttering his oath and getting back up, the Duke looked at Sol and hesitated for a short while before finally speaking,


    "Your highness, there''s someone I must present to you. Someone very important."


    "Oh?"


    Sol raised an eyebrow in surprise.


    The Duke was basically the highest rank, only below that of the king. For him to describe someone else as important was truly intriguing.


    Still,


    "Why should I meet this person?"


    He was the prince. This was neither arrogance nor hubris. Why would the prince and future king of a whole kingdom move to meet some unknown person?


    The Duke, having clearly expected this answer smiled, "Her name is Theresa and she is the matriarch of one of the highest families in the council of Greed Dike. But, you might also know her as¨Cone of your father''s oldpanions."


    This brought Sol''s attention. Not just because of the reveal about her being his dad''s crewmate. But rather because of the obvious respect the Duke was showing.


    "So your house still has connections with the dwarves kingdom?"


    His tone wasn''t particrly usatory but The Duke shivered a little as the temperature in the room seemed to plummet very fast.


    Sol wasn''t surprised about the situation. It was very clear from the beginning that the first Duchess was basically a sort of open spy or a link between Lustburg and Greed Dike.


    Still, this action of the Duke showed that the influence Greed Dike had was stronger and he did not particrly like that.


    His eyes became a little colder as he thought about how another kingdom could basically obtain any information they wished about him.


    ''Perhaps I should lower the rank of the Duke and ce another family in its stead? Or perhaps¨Cshould I simply put them on the target list?''


    He briefly entertained the thoughts but brushed them aside. It was one thing to attack traitors, but it was another to do so to someone more or less loyal. As long as the Traver didn''t threaten Lustburg, he would let them be.


    ''Though, something needs to be done about that.''


    Hermes, as an experienced old merchant, didn''t miss the slight killing intent that Sol leaked. Thankfully, it seemed that the prince wouldn''t follow the style of his ancestors, the bloody queen. Otherwise, he might have had to flee with all his family fast.


    Thinking so, he smiled bitterly before putting his hand on his heart.


    "I swear on my life to the goddess Luxuria that I never did anything that could threaten Lustburg."


    Sol stared at the Duke for a short while before finally sighing then gave a hearty smile.


    "I will believe you. I believe that this trust won''t be betrayed."


    ''As if. The very moment the light is out, I will search all around in your mansion.''


    Keeping his smile, "Then, since we have made everything clear. Why don''t you introduce the matriarch, Theresa? I have heard her name from Camelia but aside from that I don''t know much."


    He wondered what kind of woman she was.


    "Little Sol~!"


    ---


    [20 Minutester.]


    Sol sat with a bitter smile on his face as a young woman who could have passed for a pre-teen girl sat on hisp while she kept humming.


    If he didn''t know that this woman was even older than his own father, he would have petted her head by now.


    He had wondered what kind of woman the so-called matriarch would be and was surprised by how bubbly she acted.


    Currently, only three people were present in the office.


    Sol, Theresa, and a silver-haired maid standing with an impassive expression as she eyed the scene.


    The Duke decided to leave them alone for now.


    Watching the back of this seemingly young girl that aroused his protective instinct, he spoke calmly,


    "Miss Theresa,"


    "Aunt."


    "...Yes?"


    "Call me Aunt Theresa. Not miss. I am your godmother you know? Though I guess I had been absent most of your life."


    He could hear the sadness in her voice quite clearly. Either she was genuinely sorry or she was worthy of an Oscar.


    "This is the first time I have heard about having a godmother."


    "What!?"


    She seemed ready to jump in shock as she turned her head around and looked at him,


    "Camelia did not inform you?"<sub> </sub>


    "No. She never did."


    "Oh~! The sneaky bitch. *Cough* *Cough* I mean. This is something she should have told you."


    Sol''s face twitched ¨¤ little but otherwise didn''t be angry. He knew the difference between a genuine insult full of malice and the kind of insult friends could make to each other.


    Deciding to change the subject, he asked, "By the way, how did thise to be?"


    "Hehehe~! I bought it."


    "... Come again?"


    "Yep~! You had heard correctly. I bought it."


    Saying so, her tone softened, as if reminiscing. "Back then, ze said that only the one who gave the best gift could be your godmother. It was funny how Camelia and Persephone fought. But even though they could crush me in terms of might, no one can beat me in terms of money."


    A funny image appeared in Sol''s head. One where his mother was an auctioneer searching for the highest bid.


    "It seems that my mother was someone really interesting."


    A bell-likeugh escaped Theresa. "You can say it again. I remember the first time I tried to take Mars as a consort, she nearly fried me alive. Not really the best first meeting."


    Even though she spoke of such events, Sol could feel again that this was another fond memory of her.


    Sol never wondered how his parents of this world were in the past. In a way, he was thankful that they gave life to him. But in another way, not only did he never really see them aside from fuzzy memories in his head, and what''s more, it wasn''t as if he was an orphan in his previous world.


    Those two conditions made it so he wasn''t particrly curious about them and never asked any particr questions about his parents aside from some general information.


    "It must have been interesting."


    "... Indeed¡­ You could say that it was the best time of my life. Going on an adventure. Fighting in a pseudo harem with an oblivious man and a jealous wife. Being chased around by said wife after trying to sneak in the bed of the husband. Those were without a doubt the best days of my life."


    Theresa closed her eyes. The dwarfmunity was one extremely harsh. You could never trust anyone. Not even your own family. Business was paramount and even your family wouldn''t hesitate to stab you in the back for enough profit.


    Back then, she was fed up with this atmosphere and decided to take some vacation on Lustburg


    This was where everything began. For the first time in her life, she made friends. True friends. Friends she knew could die for her without hesitation. She even had her first love. Sadly,


    "Happiness neversts."


    She murmured as a feeling of grief washed over her.


    She shook her head and kept a lid over those feelings. Now wasn''t the time.


    "Hehe~ ! Forget it. Even though it''s sad, this is life. At least they didn''t totally disappear from this world.".


    "People do not die when they are killed. They only die once they are forgotten."


    Theresa''s forcedugh stopped as she looked at Sol with shock before a big genuine smile formed on her face.


    "This is a beautiful sentence."


    Sol answered with a smile of his own, causing Theresa to blush.


    "Oh my, you have the qualities of a true yer."


    His smile became a little cramped.


    "So, Miss Theresa."


    "Aunt."


    "...Aunt Theresa, what brings you here now exactly? Why not sooner?"


    "I really wished, you know? Sadly I was at war against some members of the council controlled by my brother for our heritage."


    "I guess you won?"


    "Indeed. Even though he was a true bastard, he was without a doubt a sneaky dangerous bastard."


    ''Was?''


    Sol questioned inwardly. It seemed that thepetition in the dwarves''s kingdom was more brutal than he assumed. He also elevated his assessment of Theresa. She might look and act like a cute little girl, but under this mask was a woman who seemed rather dangerous.


    "Anyway, you won so you came to visit me?"


    "Yes. How could I never visit my godson? I am ashamed enough about missing all those years. As such, I decided to bring you a gift."


    Saying so, she pointed toward the maid who had stayed silent until now.


    "You are 15 right? Meaning you need partners. I don''t know if you will follow the same policy as your father and only have one partner, but in any case let me present this girl to you."


    Sol looked once again at the maid in wonder. No matter how he looked she didn''t seem like any race he ever seen or read about.


    "Is she a demon or an angel?"


    "Nop, neither of the two. She is a chimera ¡ª from Gluttony Foss."

 Chapter 91 CH 82: NUWA

    Sol looked once again at the maid in wonder. No matter how he looked she didn''t seem like any race he has ever seen or read about.


    "Is she a demon or an angel?"


    "Nop, neither of the two. She is¨Ca chimera from Gluttony Foss."


    Sol''s eyes opened wide at this revtion and he looked once more at the white-haired maid.


    Chimera. They were the creatures created by Echidna G, the mother of a thousand monsters. Chimera by itself was not a race. The same way werebeasts had different sub-races, chimeras also had their own.


    Sol never saw any chimera and they generally only left Gluttony Foss during war or beast tide. Thest war, being the one that costs his parents'' life.


    "How did you capture her?"


    He was a little ufortable with the notion of capturing someone to make them ves.


    In Lustburg, since Mars''s reign, even though ves existed, they were generally debt ves or war ves, or crime ves.


    Capturing a free citizen and treating them as a ve was forbidden. What''s more, there were so many regtions for their protection that nowadays ves were more like underpaid servants than anything else.


    Of course, a chimera was no citizen of Lustburg and could even be called an enemy.


    Theresa squinted her eyes at Sol''s reaction. Once again she was reminded how different Sol was from his father. Back then, she knew that Mars had an absolute distaste for such a culture. If it wasn''t because of his advisor, he would have simply abolished the very system rather than creating more regtions.


    "Do not worry. Even though Greed Dike doesn''t frown on very, I am not the kind to go capture people for entertainment. This girl was born from a fossilized egg I brought back from Gluttony Foss all those years ago during our campaign against Echidna. Back then, I thought that it was just a dead egg. So imagine my surprise when a few yearster I got her. Hehe~!"


    Even though she wasughing, Sol felt that she was still hiding something.


    "Could you be a little more clear?"


    "Well, I got this egg in a deserted part of Echidna castle. We were being chased down by one of the twelve constetions. Boy, you should have seen it. A giant humanoid spider running being us. The stuff of nightmares I say. So, I was running for my life when I saw this very shiny and round thing. Of course, as a dwarf, the first thing I did was to snatch it then continue fleeing."


    He could feel an urge to p his face as he heard this tale.


    Still, to have the leisure to steal something while being chased down by one of the constetions.


    "If it''s a spider I guess it''s the cancer constetion."


    "Was. I don''t know if Echidna created another one. But at least the previous cancer constetion got sliced off by Lilith. Hahaha~! You should have seen his face. He didn''t even understand how he died."


    The more he heard her speak, the more a yearning began to burn in his heart.


    He also wished to go out and explore the world. To live through different adventures with trustedpanions.


    It might be a little childish and naive, but it was hard to discard such dreams.


    "I get the situation now. So? You are giving her to me?"


    "Yes. Her bloodline is without a doubt very powerful. I wanted to make her your partner."


    "You do know that it''s impossible to force a contract right?"


    The contract system was under the direct control of the goddesses. A contract could only be formed between two willing parties without any form of coercion.


    Jumping from her seat on his thighs, she turned to face him and gave an impish smile, "You are a Luxuria. I am sure you can do it." Saying so, she began to walk toward the exit, "Well, well, well. This is it for me for now. It''s time for me to visit my old friends. Bye-bye! I wish you luck."


    Without waiting for Sol''s reply, she left the room with augh in her voice.


    Now, alone with the cold faced maid, Sol began to observe her more carefully.<sub> </sub>


    Long snow-white hair, deep red eyes, beautiful well toned curves, a young-looking face, a healthy and tanned skin and a short frame. This girl was the perfect definition of a foreign oriental beauty.


    Letting out a sigh at how people seemed to only throw women at him, he rxed in his chair and spoke.


    "You have heard my discussion with Theresa. Before anything else, I think I must present myself. I am the crown prince of Lustburg, Sol Dragona Luxuria. How may I call you?"


    The girl, who looked to be in her twenty even though technically she should be younger than Sol, stared at Sol in silence.


    An awkward silence fell heavily once again between the two.


    Sweeping back his hair, Sol sighed, "Let''s make something clear. I do not particrly need you to be by my side. I already have one loyal knight who will follow me and if everything is alright, my first partner will be someone with limitless potential."


    He had more important things to do than to waste his time discussing with a girl he just met and who refused to speak. Getting a powerful partner was without a doubt good news, but as the future king and with his capacity, the things hecked the least were people wishing to form a contract with him.


    The only reason he even bothered wasting his time with her currently was because she intrigued him a little. He could feel some sort of familiar energy flowing in her. He couldn''t put his finger on it. But it was her.


    Finally, after a short silence, "My name is Nuwa."


    ''Nuwa? Who gave her such a name? It''s rather mighty.''


    He already knew that for some weird reason gods and goddesses or mythical heroes names from his old world were used here. Still for one to be called Nuwa, the mother goddess in Chinese myths? His interest in her suddenly went up a notch.


    "Nuwa, is it? Was it Theresa who gave you this name?"


    "Nuwa is Nuwa. From the moment Nuwa was born, I knew I was Nuwa."


    She continued to speak in the same monotonous and emotionless voice as if nothing interested her.


    "I see. Then. You have already heard everything. What''s your opinion?"


    Lowering her head in a bow, she calmly said, "I do not care. From the moment I was born, my destiny had never been my own. Why should I begin to think now?"


    "..."


    ''It seemed that this is going to be way harder than I thought.''


    He sighed about this so-called gift. He was tempted to bring her in his mirror world just to see her actpletely opposite to what she was doing now, but messing with the mind of people who did nothing to him didn''t seem particrly interesting.


    "Well, no matter. The time to contract is still far away. I guess I will give you time to think."


    More importantly, he didn''t want to contract with someone who might have another allegiance. He didn''t want to distrust Theresa since she seemed to be a really gentle and loyal woman, but he didn''t know her enough to give all his trust to her.


    ''Being in a position of power is really tiring.''


    This was one of the few dissatisfactions he had with his current life. He could never truly believe anyone outside of a few people. Always had to analyze the situation. This would be even worse in the future once he really became a king.


    He already knew that this wouldn''t be easy. But it didn''t matter. He didn''t mind some challenges. Of course, living in easy mode was also interesting.


    ''I also need to ask Milia to keep an eye on her.''


    Thinking so, he got up and walked toward the exit. This trip to Traver had been rather fruitful. He had already aplished his goal and some more. Still, he needed to spend the night before leaving.


    ''I should walk out with Setsuna and Lilin tomorrow. If I am to end with Lilin, I must mend her rtionship with Setsuna.''


    This was giving him a headache. Whoever said that harem was a dream never really understood the reality.

 Chapter 92 CH 83: FRIENDS? RIVALS?

    Even though the moon was bathing the capital with its gentle light, the streets of the city were still bustling.


    Music, dance, and games were filling every ce and the crowd mood was at an all-time high.


    At first nce, it was a noisy night market with an exotic atmosphere, but as one delved further into the narrow and intricate alleys, they woulde across the ck market that was only known to few people.


    A pub was located at the end of the shady ck market alley.


    This was the zone belonging to the Gorfard family. The zone reuniting all the shady business and the red light district. Some people even called it the underworld.


    All types of people were gathered in the pub.


    Most of the men in the pub looked like they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do all sorts of nasty things. Often, they drank with the prostitutes.


    From rich merchants to popr diators, every kind of person could be seen.


    But no matter how rowdy they were, none of them dared to climb on the second stairs. After all, this was the floor reserved for Vito Ferro, a member of a fallen noble family that now controls the underworld. At least in appearance.


    The second floor of the pub was reasonably deste, unlike the loud first floor of the pub.


    Two people were present on the second floor. One of them was leaning on the railing while observing the moonlight, and the other one nervously sat on a chair close to a circr wooden table while continuously wiping his sweat.


    If the people could observe the current scene, they would be stunned by fright, because Ferro, the ''king'' of the underworld was the one sweating like a pig while observing the man standing.


    Adjusting his monocle, the man stopped gazing at the moon and faced Ferro with a smile.


    "It seems like your business is thriving."


    Ferro, knowing that nothing good came out of this fake smile shuddered a little but answered, "This is all thanks to you, Sir Edgar. Without your help, I would have never been able to have such a control."


    Edgar began to slowly walk toward Ferro and finally stopped once he was just a few steps away from him.


    "I am happy that you did not forget that everything you have, everything you are, is thanks to us. Now, I need you to do a little something for me."


    Shivering a little under the cold gaze and feeling like he was slowly being squeezed out by a venomous snake, Ferro gulped a little and asked,


    "How may I help you?"


    "How? Very simple. Give me all the records of the deals between you and the Gorfard family. Don''t lie by telling me you don''t have them."


    Ferro, feeling goosebumps, mped his mouth shut as he had indeed tried to deny everything. Struggling for a short while, he finally sighed in defeat and slumped in his seat for a few seconds before finally getting up and leaving the room.


    A few minutester, he came back with a recording orb filled with all his deals with the Gorfard family over the years.


    "Could I ask why you need them?"


    "Why¡­?" Taking the orb, Edgar gave his usual smile and said joyously, "Guess~!"


    ----


    The sun slowly rose on the horizon and the mist of the night slowly dissipated under its light.


    Standing in front the bowing Duke outside of the Sol''s gave a polite smile before turning away, his group, having one more girl.


    The previous night in the Traver mansion had been rather uneventful. The Duke had many children, but none of them had managed to reach the level of the heir. Since their rules were pretty clear.


    As for Theresa, she hadpletely vanished and even using his mirror world didn''t help him find her. Meaning that she wasn''t even in the mansion anymore. Though he had an idea where she might be.


    "Then, your highness, I bid you farewell. I hope that you had a pleasant night in my humble home."


    "No worries. I was very pleased. Your hospitality warmed my heart. Then, have a good day."


    This discussion now over, he turned and left, Milia and Setsuna following behind him and Nuwa standing between the two of them, her face emotionless and her steps steady.


    Neither Setsuna nor Milia had been particrly happy by the introduction of Nuwa in their group. Her seeminglyck of respect for Sol further angered them. The only thing stopping them fromshing out at her was the fact that she might be Sol''s partner in the future.


    Feeling the freezing cold atmosphere behind him, Sol simply sighed. As long as it didn''t lead to a fight, everything was alright.


    He had already assured Setsuna that he wouldn''t ept Nuwa as a partner if he thought she could affect them negatively.


    Once they boarded the carriage, the way toward the tower was rather silent until Sol finally began to talk.


    "Milia, did you find anything about ra? Is she suspicious?"


    "Your highness. I already got the report from the one who was with them back then."


    Milia didn''t use any names of her organizations as she didn''t want to give important information in front of an outsider.


    "We have enough information to judge that the elf is harmless. Though we will need a short probation period to be sure."


    "So she had no hidden intentions?"


    "Of course she had. Those prideful elves would never send someone who is still not of age out of the forest otherwise."


    Sol''s grimaced at this mention. Because of their incredibly long life span, Elves'' perception of time waspletely different from humans.


    In their culture, no elf could leave the forest before theiring out of age, which generally happened at 50 years old.


    "How old is she?"


    "35."<sub> </sub>


    Sol remembered ra''s childish antics and young-looking face before sighing once again.


    ''I really sigh too muchtely.''


    He had simply too many things to deal with at the same timetely.


    ''What''s more, I didn''t train at alltely.''


    Technically, when adding the time spent in Medea''s world it has only been about three days since his fight in the arena. But for Sol who was used to at least swinging his sword a few hundred times every day, this period of inactivity was beginning to make him antsy.


    Thanks to his dragon heritage, even if he didn''t train he could slowly be stronger even without training. But, this wasn''t what he wished for. He had the talent of both humans and dragons. It would be a waste to not capitalize on those two talents.


    "Setsuna, once we reach the castle, let''s train a little before going for the date."


    Setsuna gave a happy smile at this, her tail, swishing behind her.


    Sol, seeing this, couldn''t help but pat Setsuna on the head. He had a certain fondness for cute things and seeing his girls act like this always made him happy.


    Milia, seeing this pouted and lowered her head to Sol, while she smiled thinly. He, of course, understood her silent plea and began to pat her with his other hand.


    Watching this ridiculous scene, Nuwa kept her expression straight, but a glint of curiosity still resided in her eyes.


    For as long as she could remember, she had never felt the things called love or happiness.


    Even though her previous master, Theresa never treated her badly and in reality greatly took care of her, she simply couldn''t feel any sense of kinship with her.


    Instinctively she knew that this was because of her heritage. Her blood refused to bow down or to even close to anyone of lower rank than her.


    This wasn''t a question of power but of innate bloodline.


    She didn''t know what she was, nor how strong her bloodline was, but the fact was that she had never met anyone higher or even equal to her.


    At least until now.


    Focusing her gaze on Sol, she could faintly feel something in him that made her blood stir.


    It seemed to be something simr but at the same time different. Her innate knowledge didn''t give her enough information to judge the situation.


    This was why she decided to follow him.


    She wanted to know who she was.


    She wanted to know what she was.


    She wanted to know who her parents were.


    If to obtain all that information she had to be the servant of this man, then it did not particrly matter.


    She just wanted to know and for that, she was ready for any sacrifice.


    This is how the carriage continued on the road.


    ----


    "Sol~"


    The moment he stepped into the tower, he immediately caught a purple-haired girl jumping in his arms.


    "I missed you so much. You promised that we would spend some time together."


    "I am sorry Lilin. I was a little busy."


    The truth was that he also felt a little awkward with her deration. But, now that she was in his arms, he realized that his worries were unnecessary.


    He recognized that he did not particrly feel a strong love for Lilin. But, the simple thought of her falling in the arms of anyone set his heart aze in disgust and anger.


    ''I am truly bing more and more possessive.''


    "Your highness, you shouldn''t forget that it''s time to train as you promised."


    The voice of Setsuna brought him back from his thoughts.


    *Tch*


    "Hey, Set, why are you bothering me while I am talking to Sol?"


    Lilin, who was previously acting like a cute kitty in his arms raised her head and red fiercely at Setsuna.


    "Haha~I am sorry. I didn''t recognize you after 2 years. I mean, it''s been a long time. You should be happy that his highness didn''t forget you."


    "Heh, 2 years is indeed a long time, but I guess that it wasn''t enough for you to finish things with Sol."


    Lilin snickered, the innuendo in her words clear to everyone.


    Setsuna, refusing to lose, begins ¨¤ long tirade, and Lilin, who was just as headstrong, also refused to give up.


    Watching the two princess bicker, Sol gave a gentle smile.


    Only by observing this sight could he truly feel at home.

 Chapter 93 CH 84: LILIN (1)

    "So this is how it looks like now¡­ It''s way bigger than in my memory."


    A half-naked Lilin expressed as she observed an equally half-naked Setsuna crouching down between Sol''s crotch and bobbing her head up and down, her long blue hair dancing wildly with each of her movements.


    A bitterugh escaped Sol, "Thest time we took a bath together I was six. I would be worried if it still looked the same."


    "Your highness, forget her and focus on me. Am I doing right?"


    Looking down at Setsuna who was dangerously holding on to his penis with a dissatisfied expression, Sol gently brought down her head again to it, "No worries. Continue like you were doing. And remember. No teeth."


    Wiggling her tail, Setsuna opened her mouth wide and began to suck on his member again.


    The sensation brought a shiver of pleasure to Sol who closed his eyes and let a sigh of happiness.


    Heid down a little and was surrounded by a delicious warmth as Lilin who sat behind him on the bed with her top off hugged him.


    Feeling Setsuna coil her tongue around his rod, he idly wondered just how this incredible threesome came to be.


    ---


    A few moments ago, Sol was sitting in a recreation room. Behind him stood Setsuna and seated next to him was Lilin.


    At the end of the day, bickering was fine and all, but doing so at the entrance of the tower was uneptable.


    Milia, on the other hand, had already left with Nuwa to settle her in the outer ring where the maids in training had their quarters.


    As such, they had decided to use another room and Sol called some maids to take care of him.


    This was why he was currently sipping on his steaming hot tea, rxing, as a maid massaged his calf while another massaged his shoulders.


    Meanwhile, he was watching Setsuna and Lilin throw death stares at each other.


    ''Nothing like home soothe my heart.''


    This scene was something he was rather used to.


    Since they were kids, Lilin had always been abnormally attached to him. She was basically like a shadow that refused to leave him. Be it sleeping or bathing, she was always with him.


    Frankly, at first, he found her a little creepy but after a while, he became used to it and even found it cute.


    ''Humans adaptation abilities are seriously scary.''


    Thinking fondly of those times, he smiled. Without a doubt, one of the reasons he wasn''t repulsed by Camelia and Milia''s heavy love must have been because he was already used to such attention.


    The dynamics of his rtionship with Lilin changed once Setsuna joined. At first, Setsuna was a little wary of him and didn''t particrly like to stay with him, but, after they inadvertently entered Medea world for the first time and he stood in front of Setsuna to protect her, she began to open up to him greatly and also began to follow him everywhere.


    This, of course, did not sit well with Lilin.


    Jealousy, screams, tears, fights etc.


    Having to deal with two children doing a drama worthy of Bollywood had been a true chore.


    Thankfully, as time passed, this rtionship became a more or less healthy rivalry.


    "Enough Setsuna. I remember how much you bullied me with your strength because I didn''t have mana back then. I think it''s time for a payback."


    "Brings it on."


    The atmosphere in the room suddenly seemed divided into two camps.


    The aura emanating from their bodies was literally the room to tremble.


    Thankfully, all the walls in the tower were enhanced to be resistant to magic.


    Sol, still sipping on his tea, looked at the ufortable expression of the two maids taking care of him and sighed, "I don''t like girls who fight without caring about their surroundings."


    Those words were like a magical incantation. All the building pressure immediately vanished as if it never existed in the first ce.


    The two girls still red at each other, but otherwise didn''t have any other action.


    This was another thing he liked about them. No matter how deep they were into their arguments, they would always listen to him and stop when he asked them to.


    "Anyway, no matter how strong you have be, I already nearly climbed the stairs of adulthood with Sol."


    Lilin''s eyes opened wide at this revtion and turned toward Sol, "Really?"


    Sol didn''t even open his mouth before Setsuna continued. "Of course."


    "But I thought that you wanted to use your chastity to empower the ritual?"


    Lilin was truly surprised. She may bicker regrly with Setsuna, but she knew how much Setsuna yearned for power and how serious Sol was. There''s no way Setsuna would lose her virginity before the right time.


    Setsuna flushed a little but didn''t avert her sight from Lilin''s curious nce. "There are many things possible even without pration."


    The two maids who were still massaging Sol blushed. They were part of the girls who had already lost their virginity to Sol and did it with him more than once, so they understood what Setsuna meant.


    Seeing all the girls blushing, it suddenly dawned on Lilin that she might be the only one without any experience in this room.


    ''This won''t do.''


    "You two, this is enough massage for Sol. Now you should leave the room.''


    The two maids hesitated a little before looking at Sol, and only after seeing him nod did they leave.


    Now alone in the room, Lilin''s fiery eyes settled on Sol.


    "I want to learn."


    Sol was now stuck in a dilemma.


    Teach his absurdly sexy cousin who also had feelings for him about sex?


    Or be serious and just push it toter?<sub> </sub>


    This dilemmasted for less than 0.001 seconds.


    "Practice is always better than theory."


    ---


    ''Haha. Thinking about it, this is really a development worthy of a hentai story.''


    Thinking so, he grinned mischievously and looked at Setsuna. Setsuna, who was still working on the ftio, understood his signal.


    Letting go, she stood up and walked behind him before holding Lilin down.


    "Heh~?"


    Surprised, Lilin tried to escape but,


    "No magic."


    Those words of Sol sealed all escape routes for Lilin. After all, no matter how strong she was, she could never match Setsuna''s pure strength without using mana.


    Turning around, Sol observed the morous body of Lilin.


    Since he had already bathed with Lilith not long ago, he could say that their proportions were very simr to each other.


    The expression of looking more like sisters than daughter and mother had never been more appropriate. What''s more, with his new sense, even their magic powers roughly felt the same.


    "Hum, don''t stare too much, it is a little embarrassing."


    He was brought back from his thoughts by Lilin''s uncharacteristically shy voice. Raising his head only to see her flushed face, Sol smiled mischievously and gently began to take off her skirt, leaving her with only a pair of ck frilly panties.


    "Heh, So you use ck now."


    Setsuna snickered before holding Lilin breasts from her behind. Her expression, filled with jealousy.


    Her actions caused Lilin to yelp in surprise, but Setsuna didn''t relent and began to massage while murmuring, "Those useless lumps of fat."


    Setsuna''s breasts were far from being on the smaller side. But, Lilin was someone who couldpare with some young cow women and not be left wanting.


    Lilin twisted, but she could not escape Setsuna''s grasp.


    Meanwhile, after taking off her panties, Sol ced his hand on Lilin thighs and gently spread them, revealing her secret garden.


    "Ah~ Do, I look weird down there?"


    Lilin''s breath grew heavy as she tried to close them, but Sol gently stopped her. No girl wouldn''t be worried about such a situation while they stillcked experience.


    "No, it doesn''t look weird at all. It''s beautiful. What''s more..." He used his index to gently trace the still closed folds, "...You are already wet."


    He slowly rubbed down the right side until he reached the bottom, then he rubbed back up the left side. At the top, he poked at the clitoris before rubbing back down the right side again.


    ¡°Ah~Ah~Ah~.¡±


    To the surprise of Sol, his teasing touch had her moaning in no time. The glistening pussy began to produce even more juice.


    He knew he was good, but it was still surprising how sensitive she was. It was as if she was built just for the purpose of sex.


    ¡°Please¡­don¡¯t just tease me. Touch me more than that.¡±


    Setsuna, seeing her long-life rival in such an embarrassing situation, grinned deviously and stuck out her tongue before licking Lilin''s ear.


    "Ah~"


    "Haha! To think the haughty princess would show such a face."


    Setsuna became even bolder as she pinched Lilin''s stiff nipples.


    "Lilin, I hope you are ready."


    Lilin, who had previously closed her eyes because of the influx of never-felt pleasures, opened them only to see Sol bury his face in her crotch.


    He stuck out his tongue and let it crawl along the pink flesh.


    This was a very confusing situation for Lilin. Her upper body, arms included, was constricted and she could not move. Her legs were spread wide and she could not close them.


    Setsuna¡¯s smooth hands were massaging her breasts and Sol¡¯s sticky tongue was all over her most sensitive ce.


    She was not doing anything at all and the pleasure wasing to her in droves.


    Every time the rougher t of the tongue rubbed at her vagina, it would twitch wildly.


    It was intense, but it was also light enough to be frustrating. It had her melting in no time.


    ¡°Ah! Sol~ Please, stop, something is happening!¡±


    His tongue forced its way further and further in without caring about her plea.


    He began moving his tongue in and out of her vagina.


    Her love juices flowed without end as his tongue licked at the edges of the hole and the walls within.


    His upper lip rubbed at her clit over and over as if trying to rub those love juices into it.


    All those sensations began to build in Lilin. She felt as if something was about to explode.


    "...!"


    At that very moment, a veritable fireworks exploded in her mind.


    A soundless scream escaped her as she opened her mouth wide. Her back arched and her hips trembled so much with pleasure they appeared to be convulsing.


    For the very first time in her life¨CLilin climaxed.

 Chapter 94 CH 85: DANGEROUS WOMEN

    In a white void, Lilith slowly opened her eyes. It only took her an incredibly short time for her blurry eyes full of confusion to sharpen before they slowly narrowed.


    "The only one who can mess around with my mind is you. Camelia. Stop ying around."


    "Fufufu~I told you that there was no way she would panic."


    "Buh~"


    "I must say, hearing your voice really fills my heart with so much happiness."


    Three feminine voices resonated in the void before one after another, three women appeared.


    One was a busty blonde, one a short loli, and one a green-haired tall woman.


    Looking at those three women together, Lilith''s eyes misted a little before she regained her sharp expression.


    "Reminiscence can wait forter. If you are all here, I guess the n is close topletion?"


    Camelia, hearing Lilith''s question gave a cold smile.


    "Those idiots are moving in the background to take over my position in the church. Fufufu~How could they know that all their supposed allies are my puppets now?"


    "Uwa~ You are as scary as I remembered. I thought age would mellow you. Aren''t old women supposed to be gentler?"


    Camelia''s smile twitched, "And your mouth is still without a break. I thought you would be more calm after growing old."


    "Me? Old? Hehe~ I am a dwarf you know. I am still a young flower in our standard."


    Camelia was unable to retort to this and could only change the subject, "Enough about age. Anyway thanks to Castitas, I won''t grow old as long as I have her blessing. Did youplete what you ought to?"


    Theresa''s usual joyous smile vanished as she sneered, "Who do you take me for? Of course, I seeded. My brother was really in cahoots with those bastards. Thankfully, I managed to take over the family and now I am part of the highest council."


    "What about your brother?"


    "My brother? Dead of course. There''s no way I would leave such a variable alive."


    None of the women''s presents seemed surprised. After all, they knew very well that behind her usual antics was a woman who would destroy anything that stood in front of her.


    As a dwarf, she only moved for benefits. Friendship and family were second. Sometimes, Lilith wondered if Theresa wouldn''t hesitate to turn on them if her benefits were threatened.


    "Ugh~Lilith, your distrust toward me is as obvious as always."


    "My, my, Theresa, you know very well that the only one who truly trusted you from the bottom of his heart was Mars. Though he is dead now."


    The green-haired green-clothed gave a motherly smile as she said that, following those words, the atmosphere immediately cooled down.


    Camelia pinched her eyebrows, "Persephone, how many times did I tell you to not destroy the mood?"


    Persephone tilted her head in confusion, "But he is indeed dead. Us not saying anything won''t change this situation."


    Camelia sighed and decided to once again drop the subject. Not only was Persephone one of the first witches in existence, but she was also the witch of life.


    Her view toward life and death was simplypletely different frommon people.


    A lull filled the ce. Lilith, even though hurt by Persephone''s words didn''t take it badly. Because Persephone words were the truth. Still, she was once again reminded how extraordinary her brother was to lead a group with so many mismatched people.


    Even now, the only reason they could work together was because of theirmon goals. Sweeping her hair, she asked, "Persephone, what about your sister?"


    Persephone still gave her gentle smile, "Mother gave me the okay to capture Kali. We don''t know how deeply involved she is with those bastards, but no matter what, she is worthy of punishment. Mother judged that Freya would be too kind. Fufufu~naughty little sister needs to be punished harshly."


    Her gentle smile became a little sloppy as a blush covered her face.


    The other three shuddered, falling in Persephone hands was in a way a punishment worse than death. Not only did she take pleasure in torturing people, but thanks to her power over life, she could make sure that even weeks of torture wouldn''t leave the slightest wound¡­ At least none physical.


    After calming down, Persephone turned her attention to Lilith, "By the way, yesterday when I entered Lustburg, I met little Sol. He is truly a gentle and handsome boy. I would have stayed longer to discuss with him, but I didn''t want my sister to meet me. After all, I am just a backup in the case Freya doesn''t do her job."


    Persephone felt a little giddy as she remembered Sol. Even though he was disguised and she had only met him when he was a baby, she could never mistake this powerful life force.


    What''s more, it seemed that he had managed to bring out Medea out of her prison. This alone was enough for her to take a fancy to him.


    ''I wonder if mother will meet him. She seemed really interested when she was informed about ze''s pregnancy back then.''


    She thought idly before discarding those thoughts.


    Theresa, who was a little sullen at first began tough again, "Yeah, I also met him yesterday. He is really a good boy. Well, I guess it''s as expected of my godson. Mhm~ By the way, Camelia, why are we the only one here? What about Arachne?"<sub> </sub>


    Camelia didn''t answer and simply gave Lilith a look.


    "Arachne is still ambivalent. She will meet Sol today. I guess that she will make her decision then."


    Camelia frowned at Lilith''s answer, Arachne had been one of the people who took really badly Mars''s death. Since then she has greatly changed.


    "Are you sure she won''t hurt Sol?"


    Lilith showed surprise for a while at Camelia''s question before she broke into a smile, "Arachne? Hurt him? This is impossible. No matter how much she dislikes Sol, Sol is Mars''s son. She would never hurt him. What''s more, heh, even if she really tried to hurt him, she would be in for a surprise."


    Lilith had full trust in Sol''s ability to protect himself. He might still be weaker than her, but if he decides to focus on defense, even she herself would have a hard time hurting him.


    ''Dimension magic is truly a cheat.''


    All of them opened their eyes wide at this. In terms of pure power, aside from Theresa who wasn''t a fighter, the other three stood more or less equal.


    But, in terms of attack power, Lilith was without a doubt the strongest. For her to praise Sol so much despite such strength showed how truly amazing he was.


    ---


    [Medea¡¯s world]


    Sol, who was currently in Medea''s world, felt his body twitch for a short while.


    "What''s the matter?"


    Looking at the pink haired woman sitting on hisp snuggly , he wondered whether hisp was such a pleasant ce to sit.


    "Soooo, I was supposed to meet Medea, where is she? Also, why are you seated on myp?"


    Since her skirt was so short, when she sat on him, he was directly in contact with her panties-covered ass. Even though she was rather thin like Medea, he had to admit that her ass really felt good and was a little distracting.


    What''s more, since he did not get to cum during his short episode with Setsuna and Lilin, his senses were currently heightened and his dick was rock hard. Though it seemed that Freya wasn''t bothered by this.


    "You were indeed supposed to meet her, but I asked her to give us some time to discuss together."


    ''So you will ignore my question about thep?"


    Smiling wryly, he decided to stop minding it. His boner would settle down sooner orter, and worst case, he had many willing women at his disposal.


    ''Since I am already in this situation, I might as well make the best of it.''


    The sudden twitch from a few minutes ago reminded him of a sensation he had during his visit to the Hignd family. As if he was being spied on and as if his blood was boiling.


    Freya and Medea were some of the oldest and most knowledgeable beings he knew. So there was nothing to lose in asking.


    Recounting the situation, Freya pondered a little bit before nodding,


    "Your sensation wasn''t wrong. This should indeed be Tiamat. From what I know. It''s one of her skills called, <<starry sea>>. Thanks to this ability, she can observe the destiny star of people rted to her by blood."


    "Destiny, as in foresight?"


    "More or less, I guess? Frankly, it''s hard to know since it isn''t like I saw her use it personally."


    Sol frowned a little, for one, the idea of being spied on by his grandmother didn''t really sit well with him. What''s more,


    "If she can see destiny, why didn''t she help ze and Mars?"


    "This doesn''t work like that. She isn''t omniscient nor she can really see the future. She can only see destiny. For example, death is a destiny. But knowing how and when is only possible with foresight.


    What is more, the divine beasts are physically forbidden from entering the mortal dimension. The most they can do is send something like an avatar devoid of any fighting strength. Finally, from what I know, she was in hibernation more than fifteen years ago."


    "...I see."


    This world really had many restrictions. Still, for her to enter hibernation before her daughter''s death and to only awaken after so long, it truly seemed too convenient.


    ''Well, I will visit the Astral realm soon. I guess I should be able to meet her.''


    "Well, this was all I wanted to ask. What about you, what did you want to talk about?"


    Freya, in the most natural ways possible, answered,


    "I want your child."

 Chapter 95 CH 86: TO LOVE OR NOT LOVE?

    ¡°I want your child.¡±


    Hearing those words, Sol¡¯s eyes widened in shock for a short while, before narrowing in concentration.


    ¡°Exin.¡± He asked in a calm voice. Still, it was clear from his voice that if her exnation didn¡¯t please him he would absolutely refuse her request.


    Freya, still on Sol''sps, frowned as she searched for the right words. She suddenly regretted bringing this so soon, but she also knew that she shouldn¡¯t lie in this situation.


    ¡°To be honest. I have many reasons. The first one is of course to verify if it¡¯s indeed possible for a dragon to impregnate a witch.¡±


    This was a very important question. Until now, that theory had for sole basis the ability a dragon had to impregnate any being able to give birth. But here was the problem. Were witches even physically able to do so?


    ¡°My sister Persephone, the witch of life, has tried all possible means to find a solution. Even cloning and indirect impregnation. But all of them failed. Still, from the experiments she conducted, the body of a witch possessed all the organs necessary to give birth, the only problem being the absence of menstrual cycle.¡±


    Freya sighed, ¡°From what we understood, our ability to steal life is even affecting our ovaries. Meaning when an egg is out, it getspletely devoured. That¡¯s why we tried indirect impregnation by using an egg and spermatozoid outside of the body, but the egg itself endowed the life devouring and any spermatozoa entering got devoured.¡±


    She swept her hair in frustration as she thought about it, ¡°So, even with a dragon as a partner, the chances of sess are absurdly low. What¡¯s more, you aren¡¯t a full dragon but a hybrid one and also blessed. There are so many uncertainty factors. This is a true nightmare for any scientists you know?¡±


    Releasing a helpless chuckle, she continued, ¡°Aside from wishing to determine the truth, I...I really want to have a child."


    Freya wasn''t lying. As a witch seeker of knowledge, she was extremely curious about the process of giving life. But as a woman, she also wished to give life.


    She didn''t think that women who did not give birth were lesser in any ways. But, nevertheless, she wished to have a child.


    "I am sorry but I will have to refuse."


    Sol''s answer was simple and clear. Freya shivered a little at this answer but asked in the calmest way possible.


    "For one. I refuse to let my child be someb rat. No matter how noble the goal is it doesn''t particrly matter to me."


    Sol sneered a little before continuing, "Secondly, I am simply too young to have children."


    Sol knew that in this world, people were already considered adults as long as they reached 15 years old. As such, women with family at 16 or so were nothing rare. This has also been the case with Lilith after all.


    Still, for Sol, the simple thought of having to educate children frightened him greatly. He still saw himself as a kid, albeit one who got to enjoy many things most kids could only dream of, and having to raise one seemed another one seemed to be a tall order.


    This wasn''t just a matter of age, but of mentality. He knew himself enough to understand that even though he had somewhat grown, both mentally and in strength, in those few months, it was still not enough to properly take care and educate a child.


    Finally, "I do not love you."


    This was the simple and harsh truth. Lust and love were two very different things.


    Sol could have sexual rtionships with women he did not love. But he refused to do something like having a child with someone he didn''t share close ties with. Doing so would be very cruel to the child who never asked to be born.


    Freya, hearing him, shook her head, "I understand. After all, I feel the same about you."


    No matter how handsome Sol was, love couldn''t blossom with just the few interactions they had with each other. Freya never believed in love at the first sight. Such love was nothing more than an illusion born out of chemicals reactions and would vanish at the slightest difficulty.


    True love was, in her opinion, was something incredibly beautiful and incredibly stupid. Something that could create miracles or something that could destroy everything.


    Still, even though she knew that,


    "I still want a child."


    This was one of the greatest dreams all the old witches had. But she didn''t want to force Sol either. So,


    "Then I just have to make you fall in love with me."


    Saying so, she jumped from hisps and began to wave her hand without looking back.


    "I already got my answer, so I won''t bother you anymore. Good luck for the two remaining ducal houses."


    Watching her small back slowly going away, Sol sighed and decided to not let something like pity sway his decision.


    ''Well, initially, I wanted to go on a date with Setsuna and Lilin, but I guess it''s out for now. Better train a little then go meet the Duchess.''


    ----


    [Mris Mansion]<sub> </sub>


    The Mris mansion was a rather dreary house.


    Even though the zone under the control of the Mris family in the capital was the entertainment district, the surroundings of her house were basically void of anything that could be called entertaining.


    In fact, some people could evenpare it to a more well-maintained horror house.


    In the main room of this mansion, seated on a reclining chair, a ck-haired woman was sipping on a luxurious red wine as she gazed absentmindedly at a portrait.


    Said portrait was representing a semi-nude long-haired handsome man, his blushing face showing how embarrassed he was.


    Remembering the scene when she asked him to pose for her nude painting, the duchess Mris let out a rare chuckle.


    Caria Arachne Mris was an artist.


    Painting, dancing, singing, sculpting, weaving, writing.


    Despite her young age, she mastered them all.


    It was to the level that calling her a genius would have been an insult. If not for her clearly ck hair, some people would have thought she was blessed.


    If it was just so, people wouldn''t particrly envy her.


    After all, in this world, what mattered more than anything were financial and martial might.


    But, not only was she an incredible artist, she could even fuse her art with her technique, creating a way of fighting never seen before.


    One would think that such a person gifted to such a level people could only cry in anguish would be happy.


    But Arachne wasn''t.


    For her, her gift was only a curse.


    No matter how much she wrote, no matter how much she painted, she could never find it.


    The spark of inspiration that could transcend everything.


    After all, she was already close to perfection.


    It was then that she met him.


    Mars Luxuria. The crown prince of Lustburg.


    p The very first moment she looked at him, heard his voice, and touched his hand, she felt her mind explode.</anda>


    She knew then, that this was it. He was the one she had searched for all her life. The one who could make her transcend her art¡­


    "...Mydy."


    Shifting her gaze from the painting of Mars, she settled it on her most loyal friends, displeasure, clear in her eyes.


    "How many times did I tell you to not disturb me when I am in this room?"


    He was the only one she allowed to enter this room. This was her sanctuary. Still, even he should know that he couldn''t enter her without good reason.


    Grinning, he simply shrugged his shoulders, "I was just here to tell you that the dinner prepared to receive the prince is ready. What''s more, it shouldn''t take long for him to reach here."


    Arachne frowned a little before downing her wine in one shot.


    Her flushing face, giving an alluring feeling.


    "My friend, tell me, do you also think that I am a foolish and crazy woman? Obsessing a man who never saw me as anything more than a good friend or a little sister?"


    He smiled at her question, "I have lived a very long life and contracted with many humans. Of them all, you are without a doubt the most foolish and pitiful."


    Arachne smiled at the bluntness of his words. She felt no happiness for it was true. Still, even though she knew it was foolish, even though she knew it was pitiful, she could never forget him.


    After all, "I really really loved him."

 Chapter 96 CH 87: MEETING (1)

    In the carriage, Sol, Setsuna, and another maid were sitting in silence.


    Looking curiously at the brown-haired maid wearing a rather short white and ck skirt that showed a glimpse of her white panties, Sol asked to break the silence,


    "Your name was, Ketia, was it?"


    Hearing her name, Ketia gave a polite bow while giving a perfect smile,


    "Indeed your highness. You, remembering my name, brings me great joy."


    Ketia was a human serving as Lilin''s personal maid.At least, on the surface, she looked like she was human.


    ''She smells weird.''


    No matter how he tried to ignore it, her scent was something that always made him curious. It was as if her scent had been mixed with that of a cat.


    ''Truly intruiging.''


    Of course, the very moment he found something weird about her when he met her, he talked about that with Milia, who promised that she would exin everything to him tomorrow.


    But more than her scent, what really brought his attention was another identity of her,


    "So, how is it going? Will everything be ready?"


    "That I do not know. We are currently understaffed you see. Well, Milia should be the one exining everything to you since she is supposed to be your handler."


    The way she phrased it ticked him, "My handler?"


    "Indeed. Our name says it all. Crown''s Shadow. Our job isn''t to protect an individual in particr. But only the one who holds the crown. I was assigned to Lilin and after you were discovered, Milia was assigned to you."


    Sol had many questions about the situation. Firstly she used the words ''assigned'' meaning someone was above her at that time. Secondly,


    "I thought it was my father who created the crown''s shadow?"


    Ketia nodded, "In a way, you aren''t wrong. In the past, we weren''t called the crown''s shadow but the crown''s hound. Some people called us the hunting dogs or the pet of the crowns."


    She spoke in a rather derisive way as if she wasn''t concerned by such opinions.


    Then, with a serious expression, she continued, "Your highness, to be honest, I do not mind exining everything to you if you order me to, but doing so would mean sharing Milia''s past. Perhaps it would be better to wait for her to do so on her own."


    Sol could only sigh, "Indeed. I wish for her to be the one to exin everything."


    Thankfully, she had already promised to exin everything tomorrow morning. So he wasn''t in a hurry.


    In reality, he was even a little relieved to have more time to gather his thoughts. Without a doubt, the past of Milia wouldn''t be rosy, and sharing it with him would re-open old wounds. He didn''t want to show her a pitiful expression.


    Ketia, inwardly smiled, as a friend, she was always worried about Milia because she was infatuated with Sol. After she came back and learned that she gave her body to the prince, she became even more worried.


    After all, because of her past and her current profession as an assassin and a spy, she knew about the darkness residing in the heart of most people. She feared that the prince was only using Milia for his personal pleasure and would discard her. But now, it seemed that she worried for nothing.


    ''Good for you, Milia.''


    Cheering for her friend, she began to wonder if she should also be more forward and seduce the dunce who always acted dense toward her signals.


    -----


    [[Mris Mansion]]


    ''What a sinister atmosphere.''


    The moment Sol stepped out of the carriage in front of the mansion, he immediately felt as if he was being stared by at.


    Following his feelings, he looked at the different gargoyle that decorated the front and the sculpture on the sides.


    ''I heard that the duchess fused her talent as an artist with her martial art.''<sub> </sub>


    Ketia, who stood behind Sol, murmured with a serious tone.


    "Those gargoyles are basically watchdogs. They were personally created by the duchess. She can see everything in a certain zone surrounding what she created."


    "Truly impressive."


    He could onlypliment in awe. Her power was simply too versatile and without a doubt, it was just one facet of it.


    ¡°Wee your highness.¡±


    Compared to the row of warriors with the hignd or the row of maids with the Traver, the only one weing Sol in front of the Mris mansion was the partner and butler of Arachne.


    ¡°I apologize for the unbing wee, all the servants of the house are still in the duchy. With the waring and our duchy being the frontline, we are rather busy.¡±


    Sol¡¯s frown eased at this and nodded, ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Please follow me, would you rather rest a little, or do you wish to meet mydy?¡±


    ¡°Well, send my maid to the quarter I will upy. I will meet the Duchess now. After all, I should at least salute the host.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    Giving a bow full of grace, he turned on his heel and entered the house, Sol and his retinue in tow.


    Watching his back, Sol began to remember what kind of being this man was. A rare type of demon called Dark Phantom. Their specialties resided in shadow maniption and teleportation. They were a dangerous race that was known mainly for their assassination technique.


    ¡®Now that I think about it, Milia shadow power does indeed have simrities with the power of a dark phantom.¡¯


    This situation was bing weirder the more elements he pieced together.


    ¡®Still, I really wonder what kind of contract the duchess formed.¡¯


    Not all contracts needed virginity. The type of contract, the requirements, and the results were multiple.


    More precisely, there were seven of them. Obviously rted to the seven sins. The contract he wished to form with Setsuna for example was a lust-type contract. The most optimal for him since he was blessed by luxuria. The main condition for this contract being the virginity of one of the partners.


    From what he remembered, the contract between his parents had been a pride-type.


    ¡®I can¡¯t wait.¡¯


    ¡°We arrived.¡±


    Bowing, the phantom indicated a closed door with his hand.


    Sol, surveying his surrounding was once again creeped out. He had tried to tune it out, but the whole hall was filled with sculpted ck knights. Even though they should have been inanimate, Sol had the distinct impression that all of them were staring at him.


    ¡®Knowing the duchess power, I can already confirm that they are indeed staring at me.¡¯


    ¡°Very well, Ketia, follow him and arrange our quarter. Setsuna, stay here. At the slightest alert act at your discretion. I believe in your judgment. If necessary, simply blow up everything.¡±


    Openly talking about the chance of being attacked was a little rude, but Sol didn¡¯t really care. He absolutely didn¡¯t trust the duchess. He was already gently circting his mana in his body. At the slightest problem, he would simply go all out and destroy this mansion.


    The butler''s lips twitched at how brave Sol was acting. The worst was that there was nothing he could do about it. It took a great deal out of him to not give a retort at how Sol was basically threatening to destroy everything if something went wrong.


    ¡°Your highness is indeed very prudent.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better to be prudent and alive than reckless and dead.¡±


    Sol didn¡¯t know how he managed to get a second chance at life, but there is no way he would waste it in false bravado.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go I guess.¡±

 Chapter 97 CH 88: DANGER ?

    The moment he entered the room, Sol was immediately greeted by a gentle and soothing melody.


    Looking at the back of the duchess who was ying the piano, Sol closed the door behind him and took a seat, before continuing to listen to her. He didn¡¯t know if she had heard him, but if she did, she didn¡¯t show it.


    Meanwhile, Sol didn''t really care. He wasn¡¯t particrly in a hurry and he had to admit that even though he didn¡¯t particrly like her, her music was something on another level.


    Slowly, the gentle music changed, and became sad. A sound full of longing and suffering infused his ears.


    This music was telling a story. A story that went from happiness to sadness. From sadness to furry, and from furry to disappointment. Thest note though¡­


    ¡°What do you think of this song?¡±


    The duchess asked without turning back. Her voice sounded so far away, he felt as if he was floating.


    ¡°It was a beautiful but sad song. But¡­¡±


    ¡°...But?¡±


    ¡°At the very end, the veryst one showed a tinge of hope.¡±


    Silence filled the room. Sol; still feeling a little weird, began to frown. Trusting his instincts, he began to slowly cover his body with mana. The result was instantaneous.


    ¡°What did you do to me?¡±


    He asked in a cold tone. The previous feeling of weightlessness had vanished.


    ¡°Hum¡­¡± The duchess hummed in surprise.¡±You woke up sooner than I thought. I must admit that I am impressed.¡±


    ¡°What did you do to me?¡±


    Sol once again asked, his tone still calm, but threatening. Clearly, if her answer didn¡¯t satisfy him, the meeting would go bad very fast.


    ¡°Why not try guessing?¡±


    Recalling his previous stats, and remembering some less savory doujin from his previous life, he hazarded a guess,


    "Hypnosis?"


    ¡°Indeed. Though, I simply put you into a trance. Or rather, you fell into a trance while listening to my music.¡±


    He could hear the pride in her voice and indeed, she had all the reasons to be proud. This power while not at Camelia''s level was still really frightening.


    ''Later, I need to visit Camelia to ascertain my mental state.''


    He was pretty sure that he hadn''t been hypnotized, but, since he watched a certain doujin where a fatass yed with his bullies by making them think fucking him was a punishment, he rather e''er on the side of caution.


    "Duchess, I must say that this meeting does not begin on a good note."


    "But I thought my music was good?"


    "Music? What does it have to do with¡­ Oh~"


    Did the duchess make a pun? Her? That gloomy and naggy woman?


    Even though it was a rather bad pun, he couldn''t help but chuckle.


    The duchess, as if finally acknowledging his existence, finally turned towards him.


    This allowed him to finally take a good look at her.


    A beautiful ck gown, long raven hair as dark as the night, and eyes the color of blood.


    If he had to speak objectively, the duchess was without a doubt a beautiful woman. Even though she didn''t have the morous body of Lilith or Camelia, she certainly didn''t lose in terms of beauty.


    "Sol Luxuria, the crown prince. Tell me. In your opinion. What is art?"


    ''Art is an explosion.''


    He seriously wanted to say this iconic line. Though, with her skills, she was closer to the marite than that terrorist wannabe.


    Arachne didn''t wait for him to answer, "You see, for me, art is the expression of the deepest secret lying in the artist''s heart. Be it painting, singing, ying, sculpting. No matter what form of art, the artist musty bare his heart for everyone to see. It does not matter how ugly or how beautiful it is. What matters is the heart."


    Arachne closed her eyes, "That''s why, even though everyone called me a genius, in my eyes, I was just a fake artist. For me there was nothing that could make me give all my heart."


    An artist could only give his heart when he was giving his all to create something. But, for her, ying the greatest piece was child y. Painting the most beautifulndscape could be done with her eyes closed.


    "Everything changed when I met your father."


    When she met Mars for the first time, she tried to paint himter in the same day. But,<sub> </sub>


    "I failed to paint him."


    It wasn''t just a matter of depicting what was shown. No matter how she tried, she could only paint something lifeless.


    "I was frustrated at first."


    After all, even though she didn''t consider herself an artist back then, she still had pride in her talent. It was a rather weird paradox, but it was how it was.


    "I began to increase the meeting between the two of us. At first from faraway andter I continuously began to spend time with him. Despite that, I was still unable to paint him correctly. Gradually, my frustration transformed into curiosity. Then, one day, I understood. Ah, I am in love."


    That day, for the first time, she seeded in painting him as she wished.


    "That day, I painted my true first masterpiece. For the first time in my life, I really managed to put all my heart into the work I was doing. You can never imagine the happiness I felt. It was like a new world was opening in front of my eyes."


    Her voice became rough, her eyes ssy and her cheek flushed.


    Sol''s eyebrows twitched a bit, he couldn''t help but wonder if something in their blood attracted crazy girls.


    Seemingly remembering that she wasn''t alone, the flushed expression vanished as fast as it appeared, "*Ahem* I apologize for the unsightly disy."


    "No matter, a woman in love is always beautiful."


    He truly thought so. Crazy girls were good as long as they didn''t enter the realm of stabby stab like some crazy pink haired time goddess.


    Giving a wane smile she continued, "You are truly unlike your father. Though, no one can be like him."


    "There''s something I wish to ask before you continue."


    "...Do so."


    "Why do you hate me?"


    Arachne seemed startled before letting out a small and sadugh.


    "I do not hate you. I have never hated you. How could I hate the son of my most beloved? I merely dislike you. Your existence is thest proof of Mars''s existence. But your existence is also a constant reminder that at the end, I wasn''t chosen."


    This was one of her greatest contradictions. She could only smile bitterly, ''Humans are trulyplex creatures.''


    Her feelings toward Sol had always been mixed.


    Sol meanwhile could only shake his head at her confession. Feelings were not something clear cut, and while he couldn''t understand her, he could understand that it wasn''t something easy. Though this did not excuse the way she always treated him, it wasn''t as if she ever hurt him.


    "Well, now that I have answered your question, I think it''s time to enter the main subject."


    Her expression suddenly became extremely serious. Clearly, the matter she was about to speak was of great importance.


    "The reason I brought the matter about your father was simple. What if I told you that I was approached by a certain organization that swore they could help me resurrect Mars?"


    Sol suddenly feels a chill on his back.


    "What if I told you the necessaryponents to seed were extremely rare but at the same time extremely easy to get?"


    The moment he tried to move, he suddenly felt as if he was constricted. Looking attentively, he could see extremely thin threads surrounding him and even covering all the room.


    Despite their thinness, he was astounded by their sturdiness.


    He briefly debated using his dimension to reverse the situation but ultimately decided to wait and see what was happening.


    Seemingly uncaring about his actions, Arachne continued,


    "There are three ingredients necessary."


    "One, the core of an S ranked magical being."


    "..."


    "Two, a living sacrifice."


    "..."


    "Three, the body of someone rted to him to house his soul."


    Her face waspletely emotionless as she gazed at him


    "Sol, you are a half-dragon right?"

 Chapter 98 CH 89: BETRAYAL?

    "Sol, you are a half-dragon right?"


    "... Indeed. So? Are you going to kill me to get my core?"


    "Oh, ~!? You are surprisingly calm. Do you think I would not hurt you? No, from your reaction you are clearly wary of me. Then, do you think you can beat me? Ah~! Even though you don''t really believe so you don''t think you would lose either. I really wonder what kind of skills you obtained during your awakening."


    The duchess continued to ask and answer to her own questions.


    The binding surrounding him slowly came apart beforepletely vanishing.


    "Arachne''s thread. This is how this weapon of mine is called. It''s a gift from the goddess after I showed my overwhelming talent. From what she told me. There was once a woman who went by the same name and whose skills could only be defined as godly. This thread was created by her. They are close to indestructible."


    This information startled Sol. But he wasn''t too surprised. If as he thought all the previous kings of Lustburg were earthlings, there was no way that such a coincidence could happen without a meddling hand behind it.


    "This is interesting and all, but should I mention that imprisoning the prince of the kingdom, even shortly, is a crime?"


    While he talked, his blue eyes turned gold.


    "Say, duchess, are you perhaps underestimating me?"


    Aura of power began to emanate from his whole body. He was well and truly pissed.


    The reason why she acted this way didn''t matter.


    The fact that he could have escaped any time he wanted didn''t matter.


    At the end of the day, the sole truth was clear, she had assaulted him.


    <<Intent>> "I suppose that Gerald was given a simr proposal."


    All the energy he was amassing immediately vanished.


    "What!?"


    The duchess was as calm as ever.


    "I believe that you heard me quite clearly the first time."


    Sol''s eyes showed pure disbelief.


    He had been somewhat prepared, but deep in his heart, he always harbored the hope that everything was a mistake and that his uncle wouldn''t betray him. Clinging on a vain hope, he asked,


    "What makes you say that? Since when did you know or suspected?"


    Arachne examined his expression. She could see how hurt he was at her revtion. Still, she needed to continue,


    "I don''t know all the details, but Gerald has a granddaughter. A very cherished girl, she was also the most likely candidate to be a Holy daughter since she was blessed. But out of nowhere, she suddenly vanished."


    "I already know that, and so?"


    "Heh, then, did you know? In his estate, there''s two of my sculptures. No one outside of mypanion during the war knows that I can share sight and hearing with the things I create. This is why I know. His granddaughter didn''t vanish. I don''t know why, but she is currently in a very deep sleep and she is growing weaker by the day."


    "Once again, and so? This isn''t enough to be suspicious of him."


    "That''s of course, see, after I received the invitation from those heretics, I immediately began to suspect people around me. This is when I saw it. It was just a glimpse, and I never saw her again, but I can''t be wrong. He met a witch¡­ A red-clothed witch...The same witch who proposed a way to resurrect Mars."


    The hope in Sol''s eyes dimmed considerably. He felt as if a stake was pierced in his heart.


    Of course, this was just the duchess assumption.


    Perhaps, like her, he only epted outwardly while in reality, he was still loyal.


    Perhaps, the way to save his granddaughter didn''t need a core.


    Perhaps, Mris was truly a traitor and she was just misleading him.


    Perhaps¡­


    ''Get a grip!''


    He screamed internally.


    "Hope for the best but prepare for the worst."


    His murmur surprised Arachne. She had been prepared for many things. Tears, refusal to ept reality, suspicion toward her, and many others. But,


    ''To think that he would be able to recover so fast.''


    This made her respect for him grow a great deal.


    Sol on the other hand was doing everything to calm his fast-beating heart. He couldn''t afford to be distracted now. He needed to keep his wits with him.


    ''Let''s do one thing at times.''


    Letting out a sigh, his eyes immediately focused back on Arachne.


    "Your suspicions are noted. Now, I suppose that this is why you met my aunt to discuss. I will analyze the situation with her. Let''s stop the discussion here. I admit that your revtion has quite rattled me."


    "As you wish."


    Getting her answer, Sol got up and turned away before leaving. His steps, heavy with muddy feelings.


    Watching him close the door behind him, Arachne sighed and rose up before going to another room in her study.


    There, admiring her full collection of Mars goods, she poured herself a ss of wine and closed her eyes, a feeling of peace washing over her.


    This ce was her sanctuary. It was her own little closed world.


    "Mars, I finally had a true discussion with your son. He really grew up well."


    She gulped her drink and continued to stare at Mars''s portrait, her eyes, blurry with tears.


    "I really miss you."


    She could have resurrected her most beloved person. But she gave up this chance.


    She could only smile bitterly and watch the future situation unfold.


    -----


    A few minutester, in the quarter reserved for Sol, Setsuna fidgeted uneasily.<sub> </sub>


    Right now, the atmosphere in the room was extremely heavy. Sol had told them about his discussion with the duchess, and she had to admit that she was equally astonished.


    Her rtionship with Gerald wasn''t particrly close, but he was still someone she respected as a soldier and as a sort of surrogate grandfather for Sol.


    She knew that Gerald upied arge ce in Sol''s heart and she couldn''t even imagine how devastated he was currently.


    Sol meanwhile, was thinking at an extremely fast speed. He was analyzing the situation in front of him from all angles. The best and the worst situation.


    He was so focused, that the energy emanating from his body was slowly filling the entire room, bringing an incredibly heavy pressure.


    Even Setsuna could feel her breathing bing difficult. This level of powerpletely surpassed what he had shown during their fight.


    "Sol, are you alright?"


    The moment she asked this, she couldn''t help but berate herself inwardly.


    ''Of course, he isn''t alright. What are you thinking?''


    The more hurt he was, the more hurt she became. Because she knew she couldn''t heal those wounds. She had never been good with words and more than anyone else, she knew how painful it was to be betrayed by someone you trusted.


    Her words seemed to bring him back, as he exhaled slightly before giving a weak smile.


    "I am not really alright, to be honest. But well, this isn''t a problem."


    The situation wasn''t at the worst yet. Whether Gerald betrayed him or not, at least he was aware of the situation.


    What''s more,


    ''Acting like this in front of my woman is seriously uncool.''


    One of his greatest wishes is to be a man all his women could rely upon without hesitation.


    This wasn''t just a matter of strength, but also a matter of mental fortitude.


    After all, how could he be reliable if he crumbled down at the slightest bad news?


    Pushing down his worries, he gave arge smile at Setsuna and gently petted her head.


    ''Tomorrow at the shortest and in two days at thetest. Everything wille to light.''


    Now, getting the allegiance of Mris was the most pressing. Everything else could wait.


    ----


    [In the tower of babel]


    Milia was nursing a headache while sitting down in her office. It wasn''t particrlyfy and was nearly devoid of any decorations.


    The only exceptions were onerge table and three chairs around it.


    Thanks to the message system they developed, she already got the information about Gerald and Arachne from Ketia.


    ''This was truly an oversight of my part.''


    Even though the crown''s shadow was a powerful organization deeply entrenched in Lustburg, they weren''t omniscient. Still, not knowing that a witch entered their domain and that said witch enticed someone extremely close to the prince they needed to protect was a great mistake.


    ''I should have pushed to know more about Gerald.''


    Because of Gerald''s past as a loyal general and his close rtionship with the royal family, he was one of the least suspicious people in the kingdom.


    What''s more, he had never overstepped his bound and never fought for power. Even during the time of the Puppet king, he disregarded the rule of neutrality the Hignd were known for and taught many things to both Mars and Lilith.


    ''I can''t even imagine how bad Sol must feel right now.''


    Just imagining his sadness made her feel like she was about to die. She wished for nothing more than to simply rush to the Mris mansion and hug him tightly against her chest.


    She wanted tofort him, to make him forget all his problems. To bring him happiness and make his sunny smile never wane.


    "So, why did you bring me here?"


    ring at the source of the voice that broke her thoughts and was another reason for her headaches, she answered,


    "I thought you were trained as a maid?"


    She couldn''t help but cringe when she thought about what happened.


    After Sol decided to pass time with Lilin and Setsuna, she brought Nuwa to the maid quarters and decided to give her a little trial to gauge her skills...The result was catastrophic.


    Three antique vases broken, one famous painting destroyed, and a few grimoires nowpletely unreadable.


    Even though Milia wasn''t particrly attracted by money and the like, just thinking about how each of those inestimable objects were lost forever made her feel like she was going insane.


    Nuwa, tilted her head, a questioning light in her eyes, "Did I ever say that I was?"


    Milia''s expression froze.


    "You aren''t a maid?"


    "I am not."


    "Then why are you wearing a maid''s uniform?"


    "Because my previous master thought it suited me."


    "Why did you not say that you weren''t a maid when I entrusted those tasks to you?"


    "Because you didn''t ask."


    Milia''s face altered between red and white. It has been the first time in a long while since she wanted to punch someone so much.


    "Then, what can you do?"


    She could see Nuwa enter deep in thoughts, then,


    "Look cute?"


    Her answer once again astonished her.

 Chapter 99 CH 90: I AM CURIOUS

    After pushing out Ketia from the room and letting out some steam thanks to a steamy time with Setsuna, of course after verifying that there were no spying arts, Solid now on the bed, his torso naked with Setsuna in his arms.


    This time, since they couldn''t touch Setsuna''s virginity, they tried some anal y, sadly, the result were less than satisfying.


    Anal sex wasn''t something that could be done at the drop of the hat without enough preparation. It needed enough time and lotions. What''s more, it wasn''t particrly pleasurable for most women.


    The only reason it worked so easily with Camelia was that in the first she was a soft masochist/sub and she did prepare herself for that moment.


    In the end, unwilling to make Setsuna suffer, Sol settled down with making here with his tongue and finger. Even though he didn''t ejacte himself, he had to admit that seeing his woman scream in joy under his fingers was another form of pleasure in itself.


    ''I wonder if I should invite Ketiater. Though she doesn''t seem particrly interested.''


    Sol wasn''t into forcing people, even if said people were his subordinate. Sex was only enjoyable when it was a moment of mutual pleasure.


    Setsuna on the other hand was incredibly frustrated and uneasy. Recently the number of sexual encounters between her and Sol continued to increase, but even though she managed to cum each time, the fact that they never went all ways was extremely frustrating for her.


    "Sol, what if we simply change the type of contract we want to do? It isn''t like I am against a Pride-type or perhaps even a Wrath-type."


    As she said that, her expression became a little grim. In fact, if she had to be honest, the Wrath-type contract attracted her even more.


    If the Lust contract''s main condition was virginity and Pride, subordination, the Wrath-type was vengeance. One of the contractant had to swear to help the other obtain vengeance more than anything.


    Sol frowned a little, before shaking his head. "I understand what you mean. But you should know why I chose the Lust type."


    Why did magical beings ept to form a contract? It was because they also got something out of it.


    Growth.


    Depending on the type of contract, the magical being can get a boost of power. Either in one time or slowly over time.


    For the Wrath type, even though it gave a one-time great boost in power after the condition was realized, that was all.


    The Pride and Lust type on the other hand gave a little but continued boost over time.


    "My aunt always told me that if my father knew that he would end up marrying my mother, he would have formed a Lust type rather than a Pride one."


    The first condition to continuously receive a boost from Lust type was sex. The second one was love. As long as the two continued to love and make love to each other, they would slowly grow strong together.


    "The condition for Pride is subordination and to continue receiving a boost, you must maintain a rtionship between a lord and a servant."


    This here was the problem. Mars and ze did have a lord/subordinate rtionship at the start. But it rapidly evolved into love. Meaning, even though the contract still existed, they immediately lost a source of power.


    Looking deep into Setsuna''s eyes, Sol asked, "Or are you willing to stay just as a knight all your life?"


    Setsuna''s winced, even though she did see Sol as her lord, it was undeniable that she saw him more as her mate than anything else. With her current mindset, perhaps the contract wouldn''t ever seed if they went for Pride.


    Sol''s expression softened at her silence. "I can understand your frustration at the current situation. Even now, I am feeling the same. I wish for nothing more than going all the way with you, but we shouldn''t let a simple moment of pleasure ruin everything. We have all the time in the world."


    Setsuna was immediately reassured by his words. Her ears and tail wagging to show her happiness.


    Sol gently petted her ears while worrying a little, ''I hope I didn''t raise a g.''


    ----


    A few hourster, after taking a beautiful bath with Setsuna, Sol was now far more rxed than he had been initially.


    ''Sex and hot water are really the best to blow away all worries.''


    He joked a little inwardly. Though, if he had to be honest, he was indeed more focused and less worried.


    Everything should be done step by step.


    "Ketia, what did the duchess say?"


    Ketia bowed as she answered, "The butler told us that she was waiting for us in the dining room. He wille to us in a few minutes to show us the way."


    "I see."


    He was nning to use his dimension and explore the mansion for a little while after he got her allegiance.


    He was willing to believe in her, but he would onlypletely be reassured after making sure that everything was alright.


    "So, I am sure you made a round. What do you think?"


    Ketia nodded, "From what I saw, aside from some minor servants, there''s indeed no one present. All the chores are done by special lifeforms."


    "All of them are sculptures?"


    "No. I saw some of them made out of an unknown material, their forms are more human-like and they have a wider range of movement."


    "Her power is indeed something else. Well, no matter. This time I need to finish what I began."


    After this deration, they didn''t have to wait for long before the butler came to fetch them.


    ----<sub> </sub>


    "Wee your highness. I hope that your rest was fruitful."


    The moment they entered the dining hall, an already seated Arachne weed Sol with her usually stoic face.


    The dining hall was rather well decorated, denoting the excellent taste of the owner. It was neither too luxurious nor too humble, showing how reserved she usually was.


    On the table, a rather meager but clearly sumptuous dinner was presented. They would be the only ones to dine and it was clear that the duchess wasn''t one to waste food.


    Walking further in, Sol took the seat opposite to her and sat down elegantly. He wasn''t particrly hungry and could basically go for a few days without really needing to eat. But the minimum courtesy when invited to a dinner was to eat and so eat he did.


    After verifying the absence of poison and taking the first bite, Sol had to admit that the food was really masterly done. It didn''t lose to the royal chef at all.


    The dinner continued like that in rtive silence.


    Once he finished, Sol let out a smile of satisfaction.


    "Whoever the cook is, he has my thanks. The dinner was delicious."


    From the slight bow the butler gave, it was clear who was to thank. Still, this once again showed how weird the organization in the house was.


    After all, for the head butler to work was a cook was something that could only happen in minor noble houses where the number of servants was very limited.


    At the end of the day though, this didn''t matter. At least he wasn''t particrly interested in the way the duchess acted in her house as long as it wasn''t detrimental to him.


    After some dessert, beautifully well-baked chocte, and strawberry cake, Sol and Arachne began to walk alone in one of many halls.


    ''This house is seriously creepy.''


    It was the perfect temte of a haunted house.


    When he walked, he felt as if the painting stares were following him.


    A low rumblings sound came from the armors on either side of the hallway, as if they were breathing.


    Even the carpet he was walking on seemed alive.


    He had to admit that, if he didn''t know that he could blow away this entire house, he would have serious goosebumps rights now.


    "It seems like you also didn''t really like the decoration of my house."


    Sol smiled awkwardly. It was hard to say to someone you were about to recruit that their decorations skills were in the negative.


    "You do not have to be awkward. The reason you are feeling so ill at ease is that your senses are too sharp. In a way, you could say that it''s one of your strong points and weak points at the same time?"


    Sol frowned a little before understanding what she was meaning.


    "Is it why I fell so easily for your hypnosis?"


    "Indeed. I developed this technique thanks to a friend of mine. Persephone. She has a deep understanding of the human body and psychology."


    "You used cues on me."


    "Oh...You catch fast. Indeed. It isn''t much. Some little induction. Some little words. Some little suggestions. From the moment you stepped in the house to the moment you opened the door of my office, your brain proceeded arge number of little cues that all gathered the moment you heard my music. Of course, you were able to escape, but for anyone else, it would have been game over."


    "I see. So most of your hypnosis wasn''t based on magic. This is why you could break through my defense so easily."


    "You could say that. In that team of monsters, I had no particr strong points. Even my art isn''t particrly powerful by itself. My mana quantity isn''t particrlyrge and even though I had enough capacity to form a contract, one B+ is filling it all. That''s why I began to search for other solutions and this was one of the results."


    What she didn''t tell Sol was that one of the reasons she wanted to learn a more subtle way of hypnosis was because, after his contract with ze, Mars had obtained her magic immunity. So, since she had been forced to learn a more subtle way of hypnosis.


    As a result, she managed to get a kiss out of him.


    Of course, she had been mercilessly beaten down by Lilith and ze afterward, but it had been worth it.


    "Well, enough chit-chat."


    Stopping in front of the door of her office, she turned to face Sol before opening the door.


    "Let me be clear. To be honest I still do not particrly like you. Since you are Mars''s son, I will support you as a king but nothing more. If you wish for more, if you wish for me to really swear allegiance to you, not because of who your father was, but because of your own merit, then you will have to wait."


    Saying so, she didn''t wait for him to answer and entered the room before closing behind her.


    Sol understood what she meant. If he had to be honest, he didn''t particrly care whether she recognized him for himself or because of his father.


    But, his pride refused to be judged as inferior by someone who should be his subordinate. What''s more,


    "I am really curious."


    What kind of expression will she have once she kneel down in front of him and recognize him as her king?


    It would without a doubt be very entertaining.

 Chapter 100 CH 91: ANGELS AND GODDESSES?

    The next morning, Sol left the Mris estate with an extremely weird expression.


    After leaving the duchess, he had used his dimension to enter and see what she was up to, but he got the fright of his life.


    Paintings of Mars, sculptures of Mars, Mars plushy, Mars on the wall. Even some music partitions were named ''an ode to Mars.''


    For a very short moment, Sol had even begun to wonder if he was under an illusion.


    He had always known how much in love she had been with his father, but he never knew it had reached such a deep level.


    "Man, this world is really full of crazy women."


    Once again, he really began to wonder if something in their blood drew crazy women.


    Still, those paintings didn''t just frighten him. It also made him doubt all her previous words.


    Would someone with such a heavy love really give up on a way to resurrect her loved one? It was truly a hard question to answer and he didn''t know enough about her to answer.


    After all, if Gerald was really ready to sacrifice him to save his granddaughter, why would the duchess hesitate?


    "I feel like my life is bing moreplicated by the minute."


    "Your highness?"


    "Nothing, let''s go to the church before going home."


    He didn''t want to take any risks, and he had some questions. Some very important questions.


    ----


    [Church of Castitas]


    "Aunt, I received a report saying that Sol entered the territory of the church. It shouldn''t take long for him to reach here."


    Camelia, who wasying down weakly in her bed, woke up abruptly when she heard those murmur in her head.


    "Is it true!?"


    Without waiting for an answer, she rushed toward a mirror but immediately swore like a sailor when she saw what she looked like.


    Because of the ritual, she was preparing and she had been continuously staying awake and using her power.


    Right now, her hair was unkempt and frizzled, her robe was crumbled and stained with blood, she had heavy bags under her eyes, and she was pretty sure that she stank.


    "Shit."


    Cursing once again, she turned to face Chloe.


    "Go stall for time."


    "But¡­"


    "Don''t make me repeat myself. I do not care how you do it but stall for time. I swear that if he sees me like that, I will kill you then kill myself."


    Looking at her bloodshot eyes, Chloe wisely took a step back and fled from the room.


    *Giggle*


    "Oh, you, don''t you dareugh at me! Okay?!"


    The giggle transformed into a full-blownugh, but Camelia couldn''t care about this as she rushed to jump in her bath.


    ---


    "So you are saying that Camelia is currently praying and isn''t ready to receive me?"


    "Haha~! Yeah."


    Sol asked with an expression full of suspicion and Chloe could only awkwardlyugh. She didn''t like to lie, so she used an excuse that was technically the truth.


    After all, even though she wasn''t praying, she was indeed doing a ritual.


    "I have never seen Camelia praying."


    Chloe immediately froze.


    This wasn''t a joke. In all his life, he had never seen Camelia pray. Even when mass was held, the ones presiding over it were always one of her subordinates.


    "Haha~Haha~Perhaps she does it when she is alone?"


    Sol admitted that it was possible, but with how awkward she was acting, it was clear that it was a lie.


    ''Well, it isn''t like I can''t guess.''


    "Her current appearance is messy right?"


    Chloe''sugh froze.


    "I guess it was a bullseye. Well, it isn''t like it''s the first time."


    Camelia wasn''t particrly a vain woman, but she hated letting him see her sloppy appearance for as long as he could remember.


    He thought that now that they had sex and he saw her in even more embarrassing situations she would relent but he had to admit that it was a little cute.


    "Well, knowing her, we should have quite some time. What should we do?"


    Chloe''s awkward expression eased a little. She was happy that Sol didn''t tease her about her previous embarrassing disy.


    "If you don''t mind we can discuss a little. To be honest I don''t really have many asions to discuss with someone my age."


    "Why would I mind? We are friends, right?"


    Saying so, he presented his fist to her.


    A beautiful smile bloomed on Chloe''s face as she remembered their first discussion and fist-bumped with him.


    "Of course."


    "Then, let''s go."


    He had asked Setsuna and Ketia to go back to the tower and give the report to Lilith. As for him, since he could use the gate that linked the church to the tower, he was under no risk.


    Even though she seemed to be the serious type, which she was, Chloe wasn''t the kind that was too serious for their own good.


    He was surprised to find that they surprisingly clicked very well. He also learned many things. About Angels in general and Slothtein in particr.


    Slothtein was one of the smallest countries in the world and proportionally, their poption was also the smallest in the world.


    Despite this situation, they were the most developed race in the world technology-wise. In fact, from the description he was receiving, Slothtein didn''t seem to lose to his previous world technology-wise and in fact, could even be superior.


    After all, thanks to their supernatural powers, there were many experiments impossible or deemed too dangerous for humans in his world that were totally harmless for the angels.


    "Then, if angels are so developed, why is the rest of the world so backward?"


    Chloe frowned a little, "This is something I cannot really exin without sounding arrogant, but us angels judged that if the world had ess to too much technology the world as we know it would soon be destroyed."


    Sol winced a little, it wasn''t as if he couldn''t understand her.


    The greatest difference between magic and technology was usability.


    Magic was something that only a few elites could obtain. What''s more, even between those few elites, only an even fewer could really grow to incredible levels. Technology meanwhile was something that anyone could use.


    If he had to give an analogy, it would be likeparing martial artists before and after the creation of hot weapons such as guns.


    A martial artist would need years of training but could die just because of a bulleting from a gun held by a child.


    "So you guys are controlling the level of technology?"<sub> </sub>


    "No, not really. We do not fancy ourselves the guardians of the world. If anyone else made new discoveries, we wouldn''t try to destroy them. It''s just that, if the world must sink in chaos because of technology, we refuse to be the cause for it."


    "But you guys do sell your technology sometimes, right? Like those holographic screens or way ofmunication."


    "Indeed we do. But technology geared towards amusement and one geared towards armaments are different."


    Sol pleaded to differ. Even though those holographic screens were used for entertainment, Sol could find few ways they could be useful in war.


    After all, evenputers and cell phones were originally mainly used in war before being streamlined for public use.


    Still, he could understand that by nature, angels weren''t a race that saw fighting as something they should care about.


    The problem was that using general rules to judge an entire race was something extremely stupid.


    Even though ''most'' angels weren''t interested in war, what if one angel decided to use their technology to conquer the world or something of the like?


    After all, if holographic screens were just some outdated technology for the angels, he didn''t even dare to imagine what was considered as mainstream.


    Their discussion continued until they reached the garden.


    It wasn''t as breathtaking as the hanging garden of the tower, but it was still extremely beautiful and well-taken care of.


    What''s more, seeing the different nuns walk around gave a sacred atmosphere to the situation.


    Once they saw him, the nuns began to blush and bow, but Sol simply waved at them.


    He had alwayse here for as long as he could remember, and as such, even though he wasn''t particrly close to any nuns, he knew their faces and they all knew him.


    Looking at the numerous young and pretty nuns blushing while looking at him, Sol had to admit that he was a little tempted toy down with some of them.


    The nuns in this world weren''t restricted by some chastity vow. They could marry and even have children as they wished. The only ones under any kind of restrictions were the holy and supreme daughters.


    If he had to be honest, having sex with a bunch of nuns was one of his little wishes. The only thing that stopped him from doing so was that he didn''t want to abuse his power.


    In the tower, all the maids who rotated to bath him did it with the notion in mind that he could have sex with them. As such by epting to bathe him, they showed their willingness to do so.


    Here though, even if some nuns were not willing, they wouldn''t dare to show their objections in fear of angering him.


    ''Seems like not finishing with Setsuna really riled me up...''


    Not only his pride, but his lust was also growing continuously. This caused him some apprehension.


    After all, there was a thin line between pride and stupid arrogance. Like there was a line between being lustful and being a rapist.


    Finally reaching a little clearing with a few chairs around a white table, Sol and Chloe took ce before continuing their discussion.


    "So, why is your race so against war and fighting? Is it as said, because you guys are toozy?"


    Sol joked a little about that, but it was truly a question that intrigued him.


    In all the known history, the number of times Slothtein went to war was incredibly small. Aside from some small skirmish against the demon of Envylia and the chimera of Gluttony Foss, they generally only went to war when provoked.


    Chloe chuckled a little.


    "It isn''t entirely wrong. Sol, why do you think people go to war?"


    Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "Religion, resources, territory. Those are the main reasons for war. Of course, sometimes you have people who go for emotional reasons such as hatred but they are generally very small."


    Sol nodded and at the same time got the answer to his question.


    "Slothtein is a flying ind or rather a group of flying inds. The whole sky is basically your territory."


    "Indeed. As for food, since we are partially energy beings, we do not need food to sustain ourselves. Resources-wise, we can already create anything we need ourselves or go to unexplored zones to obtain it. Finally, for religion, thest war between the fourteen divine daughters was one thousand years ago."


    Chloe narrowed her eyes as she mentioned this part.


    Even though the sisters were friendly to each other now, this wasn''t always the case.


    In the past, they were great enemies, at least, that was what was mentioned in books.


    Some people called it the warring Era, while others called it the Era of darkness. The races weren''t divided in Kingdoms then but rather in tribes.


    Butter, in their grand kindness, still from history books, the goddesses named some people to be their shepherds. Those people were the first blessed. The one who ushered the creation of the seven kingdom system.


    At least, that was the official version. The truth was much less grand.


    Chloe sighed, in the past, she had always wondered why her mother held no reverence toward the goddess of diligence even though she was serving her.


    But after meeting Camelia and seeing the sameck of reverence, she understood that it wasn''t her mother who was the odd one.


    There was something she was missing. Information only someone at the level of Supreme daughter or King should be privy to.


    "Anyway, we have everything we need, and we have no particr hatred with any race aside from some bad blood against the demons. But even that is old history."


    Sol could only envy them. Too powerful to be attacked and too powerful to need to need to attack anyone.


    But at the same time, he could only respect them.


    As they said, war wasn''t only fought for rational reasons. Sometimes, the cause could just be the ambition of some despotic bastard.


    A great example was his own ancestor, Jupiter. Though, without him, Lustburg wouldn''t be what it is now.


    ''Well, the greatest contributor was Medea though.''


    After talking about war, Chloe and Sol continued to discuss. Sometimes it was politics, sometimes history, or sometimes nothing serious.


    It was an enjoyable conversation, something very rare if he had to be honest.


    Of course, their opinions weren''t always in sync. Sometimes they even shed. But this was what made this discussion so interesting.


    It was when they were about to discuss the differences between contracts that, a young nun came close to Chloe and murmured in her ears before going away.


    Sighing in regret, Chloe stretched her hand toward him, "As enjoyable as it was, it seems like we must cut it short. Aunt Camelia asked to call for you."


    sping her hand while standing up, Sol gave her his usual charming smile, "It was also a pleasure for me. Don''t hesitate to visit the tower if you are free. You won''t be able to enter the upper part, but the middle and lower part still have interesting facilities."


    "I will take you on that."


    On those words, Sol left Chloe with ast wave of his hand. Once he left the garden, his smile slipped off of his face.


    The day was far from finished. He needed to get as much information as possible before meeting the Gorfard.


    Something was telling him that his meeting with them would be the start of a series of problems.


    Since he knew the church like the back of his hand, it didn''t take long for him to reach Camelia''s quarters.


    He was about to knock when,


    "There''s no need to knock. You can just enter."


    He shrugged and opened the door, only to hold in his breath in shock.


    Camelia was kneeling in dogeza in front of him.


    Her attire consisted mostly of see-through clothes, reminiscing of what women dancers wore in an Arabian harem. What''s more, her position made her butt stand out more, giving an incredible lewd feeling.


    Sol gulped a little at the sight in front of him.


    Raising her head, her face covered by a white veil, she chuckled and said


    "Wee back, master."


    Her voice sounded so sexy, Sol immediately threw away all worries from his mind and he slowly closed the door behind him.


    ''Perhaps the serious discussion can wait for another hour or two.''

 Chapter 101 CH 92: ANSWERS AND QUESTIONS

    After a rather exciting y with Camelia and a hot bath to wipe out all the stains on their bodies, Camelia indicated Sol to follow her toward the basement.


    On their way, they stayed in rtive silence.


    This was something Camelia really appreciated with Sol.


    Even though she loved Sol from the bottom of her heart and had some submissive and masochistic tendencies, this was only on the bed.


    Outside of it, she was still the supreme daughter and the second-highest ranked human in the kingdom.


    One of her greatest fears had been that Sol would disregard this identity of her and treat her as a ve outside of the bed.


    Worse, perhaps he would even lose all respect toward her and see her as a slut or something of the like. After all, no matter how mature he was, Sol was still a 15-year-old boy. Even though he was now an adult, he stillcked some experience.


    Thankfully, her worries had been for naught. Sol always separated their sexual life and the important matter.


    ''Well, being treated as a ve by him would also have its charm.''


    She idly wondered if she should convince him to try it for one day or two. Imaginating it made her lower half tremble. She was sure that she would bepletely wet if this continued.


    Filled with d¨¦sillusion of Sol maltreating her, she brought him to the basement where the ritual she had been preparing for a few days was nearlyplete.


    Sol recognized this room easily. After all, this was here that Camelia did the ritual that nearly cost her life.


    He shot a suspicious look at Camelia, "I swear that if it''s another weird ritual that puts your life in danger, I will never talk to you again."


    Camelia sweated inwardly because she felt the seriousness in his words. Clearly, he still hadn''t really forgiven herst stunt.


    Giving a strained smile, she reassured him, "Do not worry. This ritual is a little taxing but it does not put my life in danger."


    "Okay, so now exin the situation."


    Camelia sighed as she closed her eyes, she was thinking about everything she could say without incurring divine Wrath.


    "Sol, you see, this world is filled with secrets. Some of them, even I and the other supreme daughter aren''t privy to. For example, why are the souls of all kings so different from normal."


    Sol''s heart missed a beat.


    "What do you mean?"


    Giving him a motherly smile, Camelia continued, "Sol, you should already know that I can see souls. All souls have differences. Differences in shapes, in power, etc. But you see, all the souls I saw for as long as I could see were colorless. Well, all of them¡­ expect three."


    Looking at the silent Sol, she continued, "I guess I don''t need to say who I am talking about. Your grandfather''s soul was a decaying grey, your father was a calming blue, and your¡­ your soul is simply the most beautiful I have ever seen. It''s a deep golden color, shining like a zing sun."


    As she spoke about his soul, her face became flushed and her breath hurried.


    "The moment I saw your soul, I fell in love with it at first sight."


    For her, Sol''s appearance wasn''t even that important, nor was his age. She had lived half of her life in darkness because she was born blind. It was only after her awakening that she became able to see.


    Of course, she wouldn''t give herself to a man just because his soul was ''handsome''. It would be a rather shallow rtionship.


    Sol was rather lost at the moment. He hade asking for answers, forgetting that of them all, he was the one holding the greatest secret.


    If he had to be honest, he had considered many times giving his identity as a reincarnator, but every time, he couldn''t help but hesitate.


    What if they stopped loving him after that?


    What if they began to look at him in disgust?


    Of course, he knew that he had nothing to be ashamed of.


    He didn''t take over the body of Sol Luxuria.


    He was reincarnated and born as Sol Luxuria.


    Still, fear and logic rarely went in pairs.


    Camelia felt her heart break at the ashen expression of Sol, walking toward him, she hugged tightly,


    "You do not have to say anything. Everyone has some deep secrets they do not wish to share. I am in no hurry to know your secret. Let''s take our time, okay?"


    Back then, she had already discussed with ze about the suspicious points on Mars.


    His weird soul aside, his weird knowledge that seemed to be shared by all previous kings or queens had also been something to note.


    But like her now, ze hadn''t really cared about what kind of secrets Mars could have been hiding. So why would she care about Sol''s secrets?


    All she needed to know was that she loved him and he loved her back. He had already proven that he was ready to give up everything for her. This was more than enough.


    Sol could only let out a bitterugh at her words offort. Lately, it has been him giving advice or cating people, seems like it was his turn now.


    Still, her soft embrace really did calm him,


    "I am alright now."<sub> </sub>


    After assuring that he was really alright.


    "Well,ing back to what I was saying, " She coughed a little,


    "This world is filled with many secrets. Some of them I am not privy to, and some of them can only be known after you officially be a king or a supreme daughter. Trying to share those secrets without permission would result in excruciating pain as if someone or something was grasping your heart. If despite the pain we still try to share it, then you will find that the world itself has stopped, making youpletely unable to share anything."


    From her shiver, it was clear that she was speaking from personal experience.


    "Writing is impossible, giving signs is impossible. The only one you can speak to about those secrets is another blessed of the same rank."


    Camelia could only grit her teeth at those infuriating goddesses.


    "I understand, but this wasn''t what I was asking about."


    "I know."


    She sighed before continuing,


    "In our initial n, one of my goals in acting as if I lost my power was to find the possible traitors and take control of them. My second one was giving enough justification to Lilith so that she could eradicate dissidents of nobles.¡±


    Sol nodded, as a royalty, even though they had the might, they couldn''t just eliminate an entire noble family without enough reason. Otherwise, the other nobles would revolt in fear of being the next one on the list.


    This was even more for Lilith since she was technically not the real queen of Lustburg.


    Camelia smiled bitterly once again, "Well at least this was supposed to be the n. Everything changed when Arachne met Lilith a few days ago and informed her about the deal she received."(AN: For those who forgot, this meeting was mentioned in Daily life of a maid)


    She remembered how much she cursed when she heard about this wrench in their ns. It also forced them to bring forth another n that they had prepared for many years.


    "Sol, do you know about the Crimsondy?"


    Sol''s eyes changed, the Crimsondy, more known as the Mother of Chaos, she was the direct antithesis of the mother goddess of order.


    "So those terrorists are the cause?"


    Camelia expression was rather rxed despite the grim news she shared,


    "Indeed, the wings of freedom, those heretics, are the ones who tried to bring Arachne on their side. They should have already infiltrated deep in the kingdom. So we decided to use our initial purge as a bait. " She scoffed at the name.


    The wings of freedom were a secret organization that preached the freedom of humans from the goddesses.


    For them, a true goddess shouldn''t y favorites by installing blessings or the like but should allow true and absolute freedom of choice and action.


    If she had to be honest, their goal in itself wasn''t bad. She knew that the goddesses weren''t perfect and she thought that everyone was free to believe in what they wished.


    But what she refused to ept were the means they used to attain their goals.


    Corruption, maniption, acts of terrorism. The mother goddess of chaos could be worshipped by any race and each of the main members known were just slightly weaker than the blessed.


    "So, what is failsafe?"


    Sol understood that the situation was far more dangerous than he initially thought.


    Wiping out a noble family only required enough justification. But, if those terrorists had no regard for casualties and the damages to the surrounding. If they fought them in Lustburg, most likely than not, the entire capital might be razed to the ground.


    But then,


    "Something is weird, why did they never attack the capital before? Why would they attack now?"


    Camelia began tough, "Sol, you see, the supreme daughter isn''t just there to y cute. We are thest bastion of protection for our respective kingdom. Each of us can use arge-scale ritual and with the help of the nuns, erect a shield that can protect the whole capital from any external or internal threats."


    This skill was called <<Holy territory>> and could stop anyone from entering the capital while weakening all enemies that were already inside.


    This was one of the reasons why despite all those wars, the seven kingdoms still existed. The more powerful the supreme daughter was, therger the holy territory.


    Sol''s eyes widened as understanding finally dawned upon him.


    For the world, Camelia had lost her power. Not only that, there was no holy daughter to seed her.


    This means that in the minds of their enemies, the capital had lost its greatest protection and it was the most ideal time to strike.


    Sol could only marvel at how insidious Camelia was.


    At the same time, he couldn''t help but wonder,


    ''If the holy territory is the trump card of the supreme daughter, what about the king?"


    Thinking about this, the existence of a holy sword came to his mind.


    ''Mars''s sword should still be with Lilith, right?''


    (AN: The holy sword had been mentioned in CH 17. Anyway, as you can see this chapter is a very important milestone. Many information were given, and many of the previous hints were answered. I hope you liked this chapter.)

 Chapter 102 CH 93: WITCH OF DESTRUCTION

    Thinking about the holy sword, Sol couldn''t help but wonder how powerful it would be. But now wasn''t the time to think about that.


    "So, aside from this, do you have any other failsafe?"


    The spell she was speaking about seemed good and all, but it didn''t seem like this was the only thing she prepared.


    Thinking about the suddening of Theresa, he added, "Is Theresa part of the n?"


    "Fufufu~Indeed. Though, the rest will be a little surprise."


    Camelia knew how much of a fan he was about the four-direction witches, so meeting Persephone should be quite a shock in a good way.


    Thinking about the four witches, she frowned a little as she remembered the fourth one.


    Learning about something like that suddenly could be bad, so she opened her mouth,


    "Sol, it''s about Kali."


    ----


    [Unknown ce in Lustburg]


    In one of the bars of Lustburg, the atmosphere seemed strangely quiet as it waspletely devoid of any clients despite the current festive atmosphere.


    The bartender, who was swiping a ss, seemed strangely stiff and mechanical in its way of moving.


    Opening the door, a red-clothed young girl who seemed to be no older than 15, entered her face, immediately settling in a frown as she saw the bare tender.


    "How many times did I tell you to stop your sick game before we truly get discovered?"


    She held her nose in disgust because of the rotten smell that filled the bare and went to take a seat in the farthest part of the room.


    The man kept a simple smile and didn''t even answer, it was only after he finished and was sure that everything was clean that he began paying attention to her.


    "How are you, mdy? Will you take something strong or some soft liquor?"


    The girl mimicked the action of barfing as an answer.


    "I would never eat anything from those hands filled with death after what happenedst time. Who knows what if some rotten flesh or maggots wouldn''t be in my drink."


    She shivered as she remembered the first time she had epted a drink from that man.


    "Hahaha~This was just an ident, an ident. Trust me."


    "Humph"


    The man continued to grin, unfazed by her actions.


    Finally, unable to take the silence, she asked,


    "When will your true body arrive? Or do you n to use this marite during our fight?"


    "Haha~No way, it''s the queen of swords we are talking about, you know? If I don''t go at her with my will firm and decisive, I will be immediately cut down by her."


    The girl grunted but inwardly acquiesced. Even for her, Lilith was a very tricky opponent.


    "So, necromancer, do you think it was truly wise to contact the duchess? Even though she epted, I feel like this is fishy. Perhaps they already know about us infiltrating the capital."


    The bartender, or rather the zombie acting as a bartender didn''t seem particrly worried.


    "To be honest, we already nearly won. All the better if they know about our presence. At least they will understand that we hold the city hostage. Or are you hesitating now, witch?"


    Kali frowned a little at the naked provocation,


    "Your mouth is as vile as your magic. I already decided to swear loyalty to the Crimsondy. Or do you mean to say that I am not wee?"


    As she said this, her aura began to re, four concentric circles formed behind her beforebining into one.


    "Oh, no no no, you are quite wee. Kali, the witch of destruction and daughter of Ambrosia, the thousands spells witch. It''s a great honor to have you in our ranks. Also, Hum, could you calm your magic? I quite like this ce you see? Also wouldn''t want to be spotted too soon."


    ''What a bold-faced lie.''


    Still, this allowed her to calm her mood.


    "No matter. The n is progressing as we wished. Since that supr¨ºme daughter lost her power, she is effectively useless. The only one who can really fight against us right now is that false queen and perhaps the Duke Hignd. But once again, that little traitor of our will take care of him. Our goal is to spread terror this time and show how useless those goddesses are. For that, some sacrifices are necessary. Don''t you think so?"


    Kali scoffed, humans were always such hypocritical beings.


    They wanted to preach freedom from the goddesses but still used the power of another one.<sub> </sub>


    But this didn''t matter, as long as they could bring what they promised, she would follow them even if she had to be hated by all her family.


    ''Soon, this curse will be erased.''


    Her eyes flickered as she thought about one of the most important keys, the prince.


    She didn''t know if he really obtained a core, with how rare it was. But the simple fact that he was an S rank hybrid was too much of a temptation for many people.


    Though she didn''t really care either, the royal family was like another curse for her family. The first king tricked Medea and thest king tricked Persephone. There was no way the son was anything good.


    Thinking so, she could only give a bitter smile inwardly,


    ''The me from beforeing here would have never thought like that.''


    ----


    [Tower of babel]


    "One of the four witches might be an enemy."


    Remembering those words of Camelia, Sol could only feel his headache growing.


    This wasn''t just because he was disappointed that one of the witches could be an enemy.


    More than anything, it was because she was powerful. Extremely powerful.


    Even though he had never seen her, he had heard her legend, the youngest yet the strongest out of the four witches.


    Befitting her name, her power was geared toward absolute,plete and utter destruction.


    Because of his worries, after leaving the church, he went to visit Medea. He had been curious about what exactly did ''destruction'' mean, and posed the question to Medea. Was it some kind of element? Or was it because of the results of her actions?


    ----shback


    [A few hours ago]


    "You are wondering what kind of power Kali has exactly?"


    Medea, who was busy trying a new mark of tea, stilled as she was about to take a sip of her drink.


    "Yeah, I mean. Does she have something like the destruction element or something?"


    He asked with a curious expression. Edea chortled at this question.


    "Concepts such as destruction and creation do not exist as elements. Or you could say that they exist in everything."


    She proceeded to exin the principles. Witchcraft, anything that could result in destruction was called destruction-type magic and anything that could result in creation was called creation magic. There was no magic of creation or destruction by themselves.


    Tilting his head in curiosity he asked, "Then, why is she called the witch of destruction?"


    "Kali¡­ Back then, Kali was seen as the most untalented out of all of us. Initially, she should have learned death magic to match with Persephone''s life magic. But, she was ultimately unable to. After that, she tried many other special elements, but in the end, she could only use the four basic elementals magic. Fire, water, wind, and earth."


    She grimaced a little as she said that, " Because of that, even though she was one of us, she was judged as a failure by the witchmunity and many petitioned for her to be cast out of the four directions."


    Basic elements in themselves weren''t bad. Reaching the peak in any of those elements could bring catastrophic might. But how many people could reach the pinnacle in magic?


    Sol was curious, if it was so, why would she still be known as a direction? Did Ambrosia use her authority?


    Edea could understand what Sol was thinking and shook her head.


    "Kali didn''t need to rely on mother."


    Edea had a weird expression as she said that,


    "Even now, I don''t really know how she did it. One day, she went from an untalented witch to a true monster able to absorb knowledge. She could easily understand theories that escaped her in the past. Even though she could only use the four elements, she managed to reach an incredible height in her magic and became a true walking cmity. But, "


    She closed her eyes, "This wouldn''t have been enough to be recognized. It isn''t like there aren''t any witches using one or many of the four elements."


    "So what did she do?"


    "She created her own magic. A very powerful magic geared toward absolute destruction. We call it decay or dposition."


    Medea shook her head, "Thinking about it. Her magic is really incredible. Though, now that I think about it, I still remember what she said back then."


    "What did she say?"


    "I remember that sheughed when she showed us her magic and said that now that she mastered this magic, she was basically simr to a certain overprotective but nearly emotionless brother."

 Chapter 103 CH 94: CROWNS SHADOW (1)

    ¡®Simr to a certain overprotective brother, huh.¡¯


    Sol swung down his sword in the hanging garden of babel as he thought back to his discussion with Medea. Currently, he was just wearing leather pants, his muscr torso naked and covered in sweat because of his training.


    Kali''s words could mean many things, perhaps he was even looking too much into it, but when you took everything into ount and her magic that was seemingly simr to molecr disintegration, only one overprotective brother came into his mind. A cold and basically unfeeling mage that could only feel when his sister was taken into ount.


    ¡®But, Kali has existed in this world since a few centuries ago.¡¯


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t impossible because of that. It wasn¡¯t as if he knew the time difference between this world and his previous one. For all he knew, perhaps just a few minutes in his world was equal to centuries in this one. No this wasn¡¯t important. What was important was,


    ¡°You can hear me right?¡±


    He looked around, but all that greeted him was silence. Still, even though he received no answer, he knew he was right.


    Firstly, ¡®I am not the first reincarnator.¡¯


    This was a fact. From all the mishmash of culture as well as some historical facts and Tibbits he recently gathered, it was basically clear that most, if not all kings and queens of Lustburg were reincarnators.


    Two, ¡®The reincarnators aren''t only members of Lustburg.¡¯


    If he was right about Kali, she was also a reincarnator, and if she was one, it means that people outside of the royal families could be one.


    Three, ¡®All the reincarnators I know are humans.¡¯


    This was rather inurate information as of now. The reason all reincarnator he knew were humans could simply be because he was confined in the human''s kingdom.


    Four, ¡®Names from myths and legends from my world are rather popr for members of nobility in this world.¡¯


    Athena, Lilith, Ares, Sol, Arachne. All those names had legends behind them. Basically, all the members of nobility he knew had such names. Of course, the cause might have been one of the previous kings.


    It was something he had to verify. But, the fact that all kings from all countries had the obligations to have a name rted to stars ors, and said stars ors were the same as his previous world was without a doubt too much of a coincidence.


    It means that ¡®The goddesses know exactly about the existence of reincarnated. Not only that, but they should also know about earth, and what is more, they are either ying an important role in the existence of reincarnator or ying a bystander role.¡¯


    But herees the problem. Why?


    What did they get from such actions?


    In some of the stories he read, the gods and goddesses generally reincarnated or transmigrated people either for them to act like heroes or because they were bored. Though sometimes it was also Truck-Kun.


    The problem here was that one, this world didn¡¯t really have world-ending threats. All races had their respective goddesses and the goddesses weren¡¯t a kill or be killed rtionship; What is more, even after death, he didn¡¯t remember meeting any of the goddesses.


    Then, perhaps because of the Mother goddess of chaos?


    It wasn¡¯t impossible. Though he struggled to know what kind of particr use they could have in a fight involving being who literally created this world and all races on it.


    So, ¡°They are doing it because of boredom? Is it just a game for them?¡±


    He murmured with a weird expression. He didn¡¯t know whether his thoughts were correct or not. Perhaps he was doing a film out of nothing or perhaps his reincarnation had some grand purpose.


    ¡®Well, even if so, it doesn¡¯t change anything.¡¯


    Some people might be outraged, but to be honest, he wasn¡¯t particrly so. He had been given a second chance at life and was given the greatest starting point possible. Why would he whine andin about this?


    If they wanted to observe his life to take care of their boredom, they were free to do so. As long as they didn¡¯t interfere, it wasn¡¯t a problem.


    Even so, ¡°I need to be strong.¡±


    No matter how easy-going he was, having his own destiny be decided like that didn¡¯t sit well with him.


    ¡®I need to enter the zone and finally reach the avatar at least.¡¯


    Only people at the level of creating their own zone were considered a really high-tier powerhouse. Meanwhile, all top-tier powerhouses had their own avatar.


    Sol continued to swing his sword as he thought about how to reach the zone.


    The zone was an illusory world that showed the vision of the world the user had. To reach such truth, not only a thorough training but also an intimate understanding of one''s own personality was necessary. It wasn¡¯t just a question of power.


    ¡®I also need to form my contracts¡¯


    The more contract he formed, the more power and abilities he would have. Most of those abilities would be random, but for the very first contract, he could choose three innate abilities of his partners.


    ¡®I really need to form a contract with a phoenix or a descendant of the other fourteen divine beasts.¡¯


    No matter what, it would be a waste of hisrge capacity if his first contract wasn¡¯t an S-ss magical being. Thankfully, from the goddesses'' promise, as long as he passed their test, he would have the chance to form a contract with a phoenix. So it was one thing done.


    ¡®After that, if I form a contract with Setsuna, I could perhaps get her lightning attributes. After her, it will be Milia and perhaps Nuwa.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know exactly what kind of power Nuwa had, but her rank was without a doubt B+ at the minimum.


    ¡°Your highness.¡±


    Stopping his movement, Sol turned toward the one calling him.


    ¡®Speaking of the devils.¡¯


    On the side, Milia and Nuwa were standing together. Nuwa had changed from her previous short maid attire and was wearing a more traditional one, like Milia''s.


    The expressions on their faces were extremely contrasting. While Nuwa was scrutinizing his body with curiosity, Milia looked like she was giving her all to not simply jump his bones.


    ¡°Milia, Nuwa, what brings you here? Is it already time for me to prepare for meeting the Gorfard?¡±


    Milia calmed down her stray and lewd thoughts before answering, ¡°No, your highness, I was just bringing Nuwa to show her the way and see her abilities. Using her as a simple maid has proven to be a...Let¡¯s say a rather bad decision. As such, I decided to make her a battle maid.¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Heh, I see.¡± Sol drawled a little. He hadn¡¯t really spent much time with Nuwa.


    ¡°Say, why do you train?¡±


    Sol became perplexed at the sudden question from Nuwa. Still, she might or might not be his future partner, so he still decided to answer.


    ¡°Because I need to be strong.¡±


    ¡°Need? But aren¡¯t you the future king? Why do you need to be strong when all the kingdom will need to obey you? Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to simplyze around and be protected?¡±


    Nuwa couldn¡¯t really understand what pushed this man to seemingly train so hard. It had just been a day since she was here, but she had heard from the maids how diligent he was. From what she remembered in Greed dike, most dwarves nobles didn¡¯t even train. They were more than happy to let the warriors act and protect them. But here, it seemed that even the noble needed to be strong. This was something that really baffled her.


    Sol, of course, didn¡¯t know what was going on through Nuwa head. Still, her question was something that struck a chord in him.


    Why did he wish to be strong?


    In the past, it was because he wished to show that he wasn¡¯t just Mar¡¯s Son. He wanted people to acknowledge his own worth. But he didn¡¯t need to be strong to prove that.


    Later, he decided to be strong because he didn¡¯t want to only rely on his lovers. He wanted to be someone to be someone reliable, someone, who could make people he loved feel secure. But, his lovers weren¡¯t weak women who needed a man to protect them.


    Currently, he wished to be strong because he didn¡¯t wish to leave his destiny in the hands of the goddesses. But it wasn¡¯t something that could be achieved instantly, and for all he knew, the goddesses might not even wish to deal with him.


    So, why did he want to be strong? Why did he train every day?


    ¡°Your highness?¡±


    Sol raised his head and gave a smile at Milia. ¡°Do not worry, I am alright.¡±


    Turning his gaze to Nuwa, he walked toward her, before finally patting her head, ¡°I must really thank you. Your question gave me a very important clue.¡±


    The zone was the truth of the world as seen from the eyes of the user. He didn¡¯t know why, but his guts were telling him that the moment he managed to find why he was fighting and trying to be stronger would be the moment when he would awaken his zone.


    Looking up at his bright smile as he thanked her, Nuwa couldn¡¯t help but have a weird feeling churning in her guts. It was a weird and fluffy feeling, but also something very warm. In all her life, she had been on the receiving end of many kinds of emotions.


    Curiosity, disappointment, anger, lust, greed, and many more. Still, it was the first time she had received feelings of thankfulness. If she had to be honest with herself,


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a bad feeling at all.¡¯


    The hand on her head also made her feel warm, and she really liked it.


    ¡®Perhaps following this man won¡¯t be so bad after all.¡¯


    ---


    A few minutester, after changing into proper clothes, Sol was now walking in the town in disguise with Milia. It wasn¡¯t much, just a wig to hide his golden hair and a mask to hide his features.


    This get-up would have been a little suspicious in normal time, but with the current festive atmosphere, people wearing masks could be seen all around, making him rather inconspicuous. Milia meanwhile wasn¡¯t wearing her usual maid clothes but simple leather pants and a top that seemed ready to explode because of her incredible bust. Her face was also covered by a mask, but everywhere they passed, people, mainly men, would either gawk or whistle in appreciation.


    Thankfully, after dealing roughly with some unwanted osting, no one was willing to provoke them.


    Even though Milia hadn¡¯t told him where they were going, he was far from stupid and could guess for himself.


    Finally, they reached a rathermon jewelry shop and entered.


    ¡°Hello! What can I do for you?"


    In the jewelry, an old middle-aged man with a potbelly waved with enthusiasm the moment they entered.


    "I wish to see your boss."


    "I am the boss."


    "You wish."


    ¡®Is this some kind of code?¡¯


    The man looked curiously at Sol but didn¡¯t stop them as they passed through a door that clearly said forbid non-members of the staff to enter.


    Behind the door, was a magic circle drawn on the ground.


    ¡®A teleportation circle.¡¯


    It was a little like the gate used between the tower and the church. The only difference was that the one in the tower needed someone with space-rted power to operate, meanwhile, this one seemed able to function even without one.


    ¡°Your highness, this gate was created with the help of a witch who is part of our organization as one of the fingers. Her power is without a doubt inferior to miss Freya, but she is no slouch. Of course, it can only work for a short distance, but this is more than enough.¡±


    Sol could only acquiesce. Anyone capable to create such a portal was someone worthy of respect.


    Milia took a deep breath, her hands, faintly trembling. No matter what, at the end of this afternoon, she will have no secrets left for her beloved highness. She still didn¡¯t know whether it was a good or bad thing.


    ¡°Then, your highness, let¡¯s go.¡±


    In the blink of the eyes, after activating the portal, they vanished from where they were.


    When Sol felt the turbulence end and began to observe his surroundings, he could only narrow his eyes at the feelings of hostility rushing toward him.


    ¡®It seems that I am not as weed as Milia made it seems I would be.¡¯


    A feral grin formed on his face.


    ¡®This will be interesting.¡¯

 Chapter 104 CH 95: CROWNS SHADOW (2)

    The feral grin that formed on Sol slipped, the moment the feeling of hostility vanished, as fast as it appeared. Looking at Milia''s calm expression, it seemed that she hadn¡¯t felt it; otherwise, with her personality, there was no way she would let it pass.


    This could only mean one thing.


    The one or ones who sent this feeling of hostility were incredibly skilled. The only reason he managed to feel it should be because of his heightened senses.


    ¡®Is it a traitor? Someone jealous?¡¯


    It was only spection at this moment. He needed to speak about it with Miliater.


    ¡°Your highness? Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Dismissing her with a wave of his hand, Sol began to focus on the numerous people standing in front of him. At first view, three clear rows were formed.


    The first one consisted of four people, two women, and two men. He could easily recognize Ketia in the group. This most likely meant that the other three were also part of the Fingers.


    The second row consisted of 20 or so people. Finally, thest row was easily in the fifty or more.


    Seeing that nothing was wrong, Milia smiled before she walked next to the four Fingers and kneeled in front of him.


    ¡°Wee, your highness.¡± Her voice was calm, but if one paid attention, they would feel a slight trembling of excitement.


    The moment she kneeled, all the others followed suit and repeated after her.


    ¡°Wee your highness.¡±


    Their voices were low but united. It was different from the hot-blooded feeling the soldiers of Hignd gave him. Those people in front of him weren¡¯t soldiers, but hardened spies and assassins.


    Looking at them all kneeling in front of him, Sol felt no sense of tion. It was confusing at first because he was sure that his pride should have boiled in happiness at such a sight. But it didn¡¯t take long for him to understand.


    Aside from Milia, those people weren¡¯t bowing to him, but to the crown. It didn¡¯t matter who stood in front of them.


    ¡®I am really greedy.¡¯


    Why should they be loyal to him? It wasn¡¯t like he had done anything for them. Thinking so, he sighed and released the full brunt of his aura.


    Immediately, the atmosphere in the room changed. If before, some of them had just kneeled for the form, now they were seriously doing so as they felt the grand aura that seemed ready to crush them at any moment.


    ¡°I will not make any grand discourse, nor will I ask much of you. All I want is your loyalty.¡±


    Sol did not bother threatening them. Those people were assassins trained to be ready for death and devoid of any family. There was nothing to threaten them with. He just needed to show them that he wasn¡¯t someone to be trifled with.


    ¡°Are we clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Then, aside from the Fingers, all of you are dismissed.¡±


    The second and third-row immediately vanished at his words. This brought him somefort.


    ¡®Well, at least, even though they aren¡¯t loyal to me, their loyalty to the crown is clear.¡¯


    Thinking so, he focused his attention on the five people, who, from start to finish, didn¡¯t even blink nor change their breathing despite his pressure and with a smile, he gently talked to them,


    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s time for some presentations, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ----


    The stronghold of the crown¡¯s shadow itself wasn¡¯t particrlyrge. Though, this was only rtively speaking. In reality, the stronghold was an underground fortress whose branches stretched from the center of the capital to all the four zones. This was most likely why five Fingers existed in the first ce.


    After leaving the ce where he was initially transported with Milia, he was directed to arge room reminiscing of a reunion room.


    ¡°After you, your highness.¡±


    Sol didn''t act in a reserved way and entered the room before taking ce at the head of the long rectangr table that had only five chairs.


    The other four waited for Sol to indicate them to sit before taking ce. In the end, the only one left standing was Milia, who finally stood behind him.


    ¡°Your highness, if you may, let¡¯s have the honor to introduce everyone.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Then, your highness, you may have already guessed, but the five of us are the leaders of the crown¡¯s shadow.¡±


    Sol nodded. The crown¡¯s shadow wasposed of three divisions. The hand, the eyes, and the feet.<sub> </sub>


    The feet were the division charged for foreign rtions. Diplomacy was their bread and butter.


    The eyes were the spy division ced all over the kingdom and also in a few foreign kingdoms. Because of their positions, most of them were unknown. Only the two leaders knew all the members of the eye division. Even then, each of them only knew one-half of the total members.


    Finally the hand¨Cwas the assassin division. The one tasked to protect the crown in the dark and to do the dirty jobs when necessary.


    ¡®But what confuses me are their numbers. They should have been nine in total. Five leaders for the hand, two for the feet, and two for the eyes.¡¯


    ¡°What about the others?¡±


    A somber expression shed on their face, and, even though he couldn¡¯t see her, he was sure that the same expression should be on Milia¡¯s.


    ¡°They are dead. More precisely, we killed them.¡± The one who answered was a tall man wearing a silver monocle on his left eye.


    ¡°Mind your manner, Edgar. It¡¯s our lord you are talking to.¡±


    Ketia chastised him before Milia could. She knew fully that if she didn¡¯t intervene asap, this matter would be bigger.


    Snorting, Edgar adjusted his monocle before releasing a sigh, ¡°I beg your pardon, your highness.¡±


    ¡°No matter, there are more pressing issues. What do you mean, by killing them? Since when?¡±


    He only had a very basic knowledge about the three divisions, but learning that the leaders of two out of the three were killed was rather intriguing.


    The four pairs of eyes focused on him, or rather, behind him. It seemed that it had been decided that Milia would continue the exnation.


    Milia didn¡¯t relish this, but it was something necessary,


    ¡°Your highness, all the truth will be exined to you. But let me finish the introduction.¡± Seeing Sol nod, she continued, ¡°Firstly, you may already know her, but this is Ketia. She is one of the Fingers, but she also ys the role of one of the Feet. This is why, during princess Lilin¡¯s escapade, she was following her. She yed a very big role in the sess of the princess. Her cover is her maid job.¡±


    Ketia smiled as she shook her head, ¡®I simply did what I had to do. The most difficult part had already been resolved by the princess.¡±


    Milia didn¡¯t waste time and pointed to the monocle-wearing man, ¡°This rude man here, is Edgar, one of the Eye and the Fingers. His cover is the identity of a rather rich businessman working in jewelry. The store we used belongs to him.¡±


    The man nodded with a smile. For some reason, Sol felt like punching this guy.


    ¡°That slutty looking woman here is Aria, like Edgar, she works as a Finger and an Eye. For her cover, she works as the madam of the red light district.¡±


    The woman in question was a dark elf. She had a rather voluptuous body and was holding a long smoking pipe in her hand. Her clothes looked more like ck bikini than anything else.


    ¡°Ara, It has been a long time, but your tongue is as harsh as ever.¡± If she was offended by the way Milia introduced her, she didn¡¯t show it. In fact, far from offended, she seemed to find it amusing.


    ¡°Finally, here is Berthold.¡± The man named Berthold seemed like a gentle middle-aged man, ¡°He works as one of the Feet and a Finger. As for his cover, he works as a bartender.¡±


    The man nodded to Sol while giving a kind smile, ¡°I am happy to finally meet his highness. I have heard many good things about you from Milia.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hush, no need to disturb his highness about that.¡±


    Sol smiled, at how panicky her voice sounded.


    ¡°I will be happy to hear those stories at ater date.¡± He turned then toward Milia, ¡°Then, what about you?¡±


    ¡°Your highness, I work as one of the fingers, but also as the overall leader of the organization.¡±


    This information wasn¡¯t particrly surprising. It was easy to see that all of the five present here seemed to defer to Milia one way or another.


    Still, they all had the same weird odor.


    He couldn¡¯t pinpoint it, but none of them seemed to be what they appeared. This was extremely confusing. Even more so since Milia didn¡¯t have such a weird mix of odors.


    ¡®Then, what is the link? Perhaps hybrids?''


    It wasn¡¯t impossible, but he something told him that this wasn¡¯t the answer. Deciding that blind guess wouldn¡¯t bring him anything, he began to speak


    ¡°Well, I am happy to finally meet all of you. While I do not have a perfectly clear picture of the situation, I also know that you guys had been a great help in keeping this kingdom afloat. Now, before we continue, I would like to finally have an answer. What happened to other people who should have led the other two divisions?¡±


    Milia hesitated a little before finally hanging down her head.


    ¡°In order for you to understand, we must go back to the cause of everything.¡±


    ¡°The cause?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Your highness...Do you know the human genesis theory?¡±

 Chapter 105 CH 96: PROJECT CHIMERA

    The atmosphere became a little heavier after Milia uttered those words.


    ¡°The Human Genesis Theory?¡±


    Sol asked in wonder. This was something that was never mentioned in all his lessons.


    ¡°Indeed. You could also call it Human Evolution Theory.¡±


    Milia then began to exin.


    This theory was born about six to seven hundred years ago, from the question as to why only humans could form contracts, and why they were able to use some of the attributes of the beings they were contracted to.


    This also posed the question as to why humans were the only race unable to use mana or magic from birth.


    The ones who proposed an answer to this question were two people. A witch, named Hansel Darwin and her brother, a researcher named Gretel Darwin. From their research, they deduced one theory so crazy that they becameughingstock.


    In their opinion, the human race was the origin of all races. The reason humans could mate with all races was because of this. The fact that humans were unable to use magic was just because they were a non evolved form of all races who developed in order to master magic.


    From their theory, neither magic nor mana were things that existed naturally in the world, or at least, not in great quantity. Then,ter, for some reasons, this changed and some humans began to evolve while some did not.


    ¡°This theory is quite interesting, why is it not known?¡±


    Sol knew his question could have been a little insensitive. After all, he didn¡¯t know the rtion between this theory and their past. But he was really curious. This wasn¡¯t just because this theory was incredible but also because of their family name. If it was a coincidence, then it was rather extraordinary.


    Thankfully, none of the people present seemed to take offense.


    ¡°It is normal that your highness never heard of it. If this theory stopped here, at most they would have been seen as slightly crazy scientists. But, those two made a great mistake, or should I say that they went too far.¡±


    She shook her head at this, ¡° In the second part of their theory, they imed that what they were saying was the truth because, even though the fourteen goddesses all had different features, the mother goddess was without a doubt human in appearance. They went even farther by adding that most likely, all the goddesses were just extremely powerful humans.¡±


    Sol immediately winced at that. Even though this world wasn¡¯t against scientific research, some limits shouldn¡¯t be crossed.


    Milia sent a bitter smile, ¡°It¡¯s as you can guess. Those two were immediately branded as heretics, then sentenced for disrespecting the divinities before finally being executed by decapitation. After that, all their researches were destroyed and forgotten in the river of times.¡±


    This wasn''t surprising, this world was one deeply in the control of the goddesses. From his old world, he knew how dangerous zealot could be. Still, Sol caught one important fact,


    ¡°If their research was burned, then, how do you know?¡±


    Milia hesitated a little, before continuing,


    ¡°Few decades ago, the kingdom was at its lowest. Uranus, the Tyrant King, had tried to conquer Wratharis and Envilya at the same time and also dered war on Gluttony Foss. Of course, as you know, he failed miserably. Not only that, because of his failure, nearly all the members of the royal family as well as all their partners died. The only survivor was...¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°My grandfather, the Puppet King.¡± continued sol with a sigh.


    ¡°Indeed. Like the Peaceful King, Pluto, after the death of Jupiter, King Neptune, after the death of Uranus had been obligated to take the throne as a young child. Sadly, unlike King Pluto, he didn¡¯t have wise advisers, nor did he have powerful knights. He also didn¡¯t have the incredible talent shown by most kings, and as a result he was easily manipted by the nobles.¡±


    Sol nodded. After a human died, only his first partner would follow him in death.


    The others would only be somewhat weakened. Thanks to this, after each generation, the royal family, and the kingdom continuously grew stronger, since they had generations of old partners.


    One could even say that before the Tyrant King, the Kingdom had been at the peak of its power, and aside from Gluttony Foss, Lustburg had been without a doubt the strongest Kingdom.


    Sadly, after his great grandfather¡¯s fooly, everything crashed down.


    The only reason Lustburg hadn¡¯t beenpletely invaded was because of the Supreme daughter of the era, as well as the fact that the Tyrant King didn¡¯t go down alone, and pulled down the King of Wratharis and the Queen of Envilya with him.


    Still, because of this, the rtionship with the werebeasts was incredibly bad, and the demons even once tried to kill Sol in the past.


    ¡°So, what did my grandfather do?¡± He had some suspicion where this was going, but he wanted a clear answer.


    ¡°He unearthed the researches of the Darwnin¡¯s siblings.¡±


    Sol was stumped. Of course, he saw iting from the flow of the conversation, but how the hell do you even unearth researches from a few hundreds years ago that were supposedly destroyed?


    ¡°The kingcked the martial and political talent of his ancestor, but he wasn¡¯t without his own talent. He was a great biologist himself. Some of his research even developed the medical field. As such, after getting those research, he developed a bold idea.¡±


    Sol gulped a little and waited for what would follow.


    ¡°Firstly, he devised that the theory was iplete. If humans were really the base, then there was a race that was the closest to perfection.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the chimeras?¡±


    Thinking so, Sol thought back to his new maid, Nuwa. She was also a chimera.


    ¡°Indeed, Echidna, the mother of thousands monsters, also the oldest mortal alive on earth, aside from Ambrosia. Her title isn¡¯t just for show since all the chimera are rted to her, eons of careful interbreeding had been required to to create the current race.¡±


    One of the reasons why Gluttony Foss was the strongest kingdom wasn¡¯t just because of Echidna. There was also the fact that even ordinary soldiers were at apletely different level.


    ¡°Your grandfather''s hypothesis was simple. Since Chimera are the results of centuries of inbreeding, it means that the Humans Genesis Theory had some truth to it. But, he couldn¡¯t afford to wait for such a long time like Echidna. As such, he decided to artificially elerate the processus.


    ¡°This was how <


    > came to be. A project that had a sole and only goal, to create super soldiers, humans with the attributes of magical beings without contract, or low level magical beings, being able to use magic from other races. For this project, two hundreds orphans of different races were used. Out of them, 190 died. 9 survived but were deemed as failuress, and only one was deemed a sess... That was me.¡±

 Chapter 106 CH 97: END OF THE MEETING

    Silence prevailed after this deration. The only source of noise was Sol, lightly tapping his finger on the table as he closed his eyes.


    Even though the information Milia gave him was quite shocking, it wasn''t as if he hadn''t been prepared for something like this. There were simply too many clues.


    Milia¡¯s shadow abilities that shouldn''t be possible for a cow woman, the weird mixed odor the fingers had, the revolution that changed the Crown''s hound into the crown''s shadow, and many others little action or words of the like.


    Though, knowing that the cause was his grandfather was quite distressing.


    At the same time, Sol couldn''t help but feel heartache at the situation.


    He didn''t know what kind of experiment they went through, but the fact that only ten out of two hundreds survived was enough to understand that it wasn''t pleasant.


    Milia meanwhile did her best to hide her trembling hands. Remembering the event of those times wasn''t particrly pleasing. Most of them had be broken one way or another.


    She was also fearing Sol''s reaction. She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn''t discriminate against her because of this, but it still didn''t stop her from worrying.


    It was then that she felt something warm around her hand.


    Looking at the side, she could see Sol holding her hand in her and giving her a reassuring smile.


    This helped her calm her wildly beating heart.


    Once he was sure that she was calm enough, Sol stood up before addressing the others.


    "I know that what I am about to say is, in the grand scheme of things, quite meaningless. Still, in the name of the royal family, I would like to express my greatest apologies."


    Saying so, he bowed down, giving them quite a shock. Aside from Milia and Ketia, most of them still had some grudge against the kingdom. Even though Mars saved them back then and got their allegiance to the kingdom, they were loyal to him. Not the kingdom.


    Seeing him bow like this, even though as he said it didn''t alleviate their pains and suffering, they had to admit that it somewhat calmed down the grudge in their hearts.


    Raising himself, Sol continued, "I know it cannot help much and that no amount of reward could pay back what you went through, but if you have any demands, I would like to hear it. I will endeavor to realize them."


    Milia and the other four looked at each other, Edgar finally spoke. "Your highness. Our loyaltyy with you, and therefore this kingdom. As long as you promise that no such brutality will ever happen in your time, our des will be for you to wield."


    This time, Edgar didn''t have his usually flippant attitude. This was something very important for them. They knew that anything could happen in the future. But they also knew that as a hybrid, Sol''s lifespan was exponentially longer than most humans. As long as nothing happened, he would without a doubt live for a few generations.


    Sol didn''t hesitate to promise. Even if they hadn''t asked him, he would have done so. Sol didn''t fancy himself the ally of justice, but there were some limits he wasn''t willing to cross.


    The previously tense atmosphere somewhat settled down, of course, trust didn''t suddenly bloom between them all. He wasn''t like a certain blond-haired ninja who could make the greatest viins sacrifice themselves for them just after speaking for five minutes.


    Trust was something that needed time to form, but at least with his words, Sol took the first step.


    Thinking about that, he looked once again toward Milia, "You don''t have to continue, you know? I can hear the restter."


    He knew he couldn''t even begin to guess how she felt currently and didn''t want to make her feel even worse.


    Milia smiled bitterly, "If you permit, I will go into the details with youter. So I will simply resume the rest of the situation."


    Saying so, her expression became a little soft, "As you know, I was once married. My husband was also a cowman. Eric. Though we nicknamed him bull. Of course, even though I call him husband, it wasn''t as if we had some true ceremony. He was one of the survivors. Sadly,"


    Her expression became dark, "The other four wanted to continue the experiments. Even though they knew how horrifying it was, they thought that it was the next step to evolution. The best way to surpass everything before us. My husband was a good man, but he was also quite naive, and I guess he couldn''t support that I was actually stronger than him. His naivety and his jealousy were his downfalls."


    She closed her eyes before opening them again, even though they were slightly red, no tear could be seen in them. She had already cried enough long ago.


    "I killed him. I killed them all. At that time his majesty was already dead, and you were only 3 years old."


    She tried to give a smile, though, with her current expression, it looked more like an ugly grimace than anything else. That day, she had nearly broken.


    No, she was already broken before that. This event simply broke her further.


    Sol''s mind jostled, he remembered something hazy. Even though he was a reincarnator, he wasn''t born with his full mental capacity. The brain of a baby simply wasn''t developed enough to handle so much information.


    Standing up, he hugged Milia tightly. She hesitated a little before finally returning his hug.<sub> </sub>


    Looking at them like this, none of them had the heart to break them apart. Edgar in particr had a somewhat relieved expression.


    He had always respected Milia. When they were all suffering, she had been the one to stand up for them. When she knew they were at the edge, she would make a fuss and be punished just so that they could be better treated.


    Edgar did not doubt that, if not for her, there wouldn''t have been ten survivors, but only one.


    That''s why he had always been against her infatuation with Sol. After all, he was a royalty. While Milia was just his servant. He didn''t really believe she would be treated as she should.


    He had to admit that he was also somewhat jealous. Not because of any romantic feelings, but because Sol was able to make her smile when all they could, was bring more burden to her.


    Standing up, he pped a little to get everyone''s attention and said, "Your highness, I suggest that we stop here for today, I think everyone''s emotions are quite raw right now. What''s more, we already briefed our subordinates about the operation that might happen tomorrow. In the meantime. What do you think?"


    He adjusted his monocle as he said this. Sol, understanding the considerations simply nodded before leading a silent Milia away.


    Sometimes, words were not necessary to express gratitude.


    ---


    Once they left, Edgar sighed before sitting back.


    Aria, who has been holding her smoking pipe lit it up with a weak fire spell and inhaled deeply before exhaling the smoke,


    "So, what do you guys think?"


    Her previous flirtatious expression was nowhere to be seen. Despite being the chief of a prostitute den, she was not one herself, and in fact, did not even like men.


    Ketia looked at the three and said calmly, "He isn''t as kind as his father was, but I do not think this will be a cause of worry. He really loves Milia as you can see."


    "Bull also loved Milia, it didn''t stop him from betraying us."


    The murmur of Berthold caused the atmosphere to tense a little.


    Aria took another puff before saying, "Love and so does not matter. The prince''s talent is without a doubt as much as his majesty, if not more. As such, he has no reason to feel jealous or inferior like Bull or like the Puppet King."


    The others nodded, but Berthold continued, "Are you sure he is as talented as his majesty? We do not know his overall Capacity. What if he is like Lilith and unable to make contracts?"


    This time Ketia frowned, "What does it matter? Even if he doesn''t reach the level of his father, he is without a doubt extremely talented. What''s more, Queen Lilith proved that even without enough Capacity, one could reach great heights with just martial art."


    Berthold shrugged and gave a calm smile, "I have nothing against the prince. I just do not want us to take a stand just after meeting him once."


    Aria nodded, "Well, you are indeed right. Talented or not, the prince is still a half-dragon. In terms of authority alone, he would be equal to a prince or a princess if he was in the elf country. So, we should avoid getting on his bad side."


    Saying so, she turned toward Ketia, "So, did you inspect the elf who followed the princess? What do you think?"


    "I do not think she is a piece sent by the elves. It seems like she is really just a friend of the princess. Still, we should be careful. Even though her background didn''t seem high, people showed an odd amount of respect to her."


    "Should we rough her up a little?"


    Ketia shook her head at Edgar''s question, "No matter what, she is still the friend of the princess. What''s more, even if she is a piece, she would hold no ill feelings toward the prince."


    "Well, then we will trust you. I guess now we should go prepare."


    Aria stood up and was about to leave when she suddenly remembered something.


    "By the way, did we get information on the blue wolf ve the Gorfard''s heir has?"


    Edgar showed some confusion as he answered, "This is something weird. She isn''t an official ve, but we couldn''t find in which ck market she was bought. Well, it isn''t that important. She is just a ve, so she shouldn''t affect the grand scheme of things. We will be able to save her and all the others soon."


    Saying so, he also got and began to leave. Berthold, who was still smiling, followed.


    This was how the meeting came to an end.

 Chapter 107 CH 98: FORESHADOWING

    [TRAVERS ESTATE]


    *ng* *ng* *ng*


    Somewhere in the mansion of the Travers family, the sound of metal shing could be heard.


    Currently, Theresa was wearing light transparent clothes and was sitting in front of a fire stove as she swung down a hammerrger than her head again and again. Even though dwarves possessed a resistance to fire and she was wearing fireproof clothes, sweat was flowing from her body like water.


    Even so, her body was steady and her expression focused.


    *ng* *ng* *ng*


    She continued to swing her hammer without pause, and under her mighty strike, the weapons she was creating were gradually taking shape.


    As a dwarf, she was extremely talented, not only in business but also in forging. In the past, she would always be the one taking care of the crew''s weapons.


    Currently, though, she wasn¡¯t just creating any kind of weapons. But perhaps what would be the greatest masterpiece she ever created. This was even more so because of the materials she was using as the base.


    Her eyes seemed to glow with madness as she continued to swing her hammer with all her might. Even though her muscles were aching. Even though her bones were cracking. No matter what, she wouldplete them.


    After all, it was thest thing herte friend asked while giving her the most important things for any creatures of rank S.


    Her horns and her core.


    -----


    [GORFARD¡¯S ESTATE]


    In the Gorfard mansion, seated on a throne, a handsome middle-aged man was looking absentmindedly at the red liquid swirling in his ss of wine.


    He was the Duke Loki Gorfard.


    Next to him, the head butler who generally took care of Leonard was standing impassively. His gaze, uncertain.


    ¡°So, how is my incapable son?¡±


    After a while, he seemed to wake and posed this question. The butler hesitated a little before bowing.


    ¡°He is currently enjoying the wolf ve.¡±


    A sneer formed on Loki''s face. ¡°So, the Gorfard family is facing one of its greatest crises and that stupid son of mine is busy fucking some mutt. Is it what you are saying.¡±


    The butler simply kept his head low. He knew that his master was already disappointed in his son since long ago. The current situation didn¡¯t make his impression better.


    The dark gaze of the Dukended on the silent butler for a while before passing. He knew that it wasn¡¯t the fault of this servant of his. His son was just too licentious.


    If at least he was as skilled as he was lustful, he wouldn¡¯t have minded. Sadly, it wasn¡¯t the case.


    He couldn¡¯t help but think about the son of that infuriating dead bastard. Compared to the son of that man, his own was just garbage.


    ¡°Mars, even in death you still manage to surpass me.¡±


    Gulping his wine without even tasting it, he simply threw the ss away and watched as it broke once itnded in anger.


    All his life, he had been in the shadow of that man. Be it in terms of birth, look, talent, skills, attraction toward women, charisma.


    He still remembered the shy weak boy he had once met and disdained. That boy became a man he could only look up to.


    Even now, more than one decade after Mars''s death, he knew that the current him would still lose if he fought against the past Mars.


    For someone as proud as him, this humiliation was something he simply couldn¡¯t bear. Worse was that, after the father, they were now asking him to bow to the son?


    A feeling a cold rage washed over him as he swore inwardly,


    ¡®I am going to break it.¡¯<sub> </sub>


    He refused to die of old age without managing to do anything great. He refused to submit to some brat no matter how talented he was. Soon; he would enter the annals of history.


    A crimson glow shined in his eyes as he thought about this before he let out a chuckle. Leaning back on his throne, he asked the butler,


    ¡°Why do you think Justice always wins in the end?¡±


    The butler was somewhat taken aback, at this question. Though it was just a rhetorical one as the Duke continued,


    ¡°In my eyes, Justice always wins because the winner is the one who will be justice, and so...I am going to represent Justice.¡±


    ----


    [CROWN¡¯S SHADOW HIDEOUT]


    Sol was currently hugging Milia who was curling on hisps while he was sitting on a bed.


    The room they were using was a rather austere room that seemed to belong solely to Milia. But from theck of warmth and decoration, it was clear that it was rarely used. Still, it wasrge enough and luxurious enough to befit her status as leader.


    Even though she wasn¡¯t shedding any tears, Sol could feel an incredible feeling of grief washing off from her.


    Hugging her tighter, Sol couldn¡¯t but remark how small Milia seemed now. For as long as he could remember, she had always been this woman smiling with a motherly smile that would always take care of him while admonishing him if he made mistakes.


    In a way, she had been even more of a mother for him than anyone else. Thinking about this, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder since when this situation changed.


    He could understand why Camelia loved him. After all, she had been in love with his soul since she perceived it. But what about Milia? He doubted there were many people with the power to see souls.


    ¡®Most likely it was on this day.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t be sure, but it was his greatest guess. Still, this didn¡¯t matter right now. His attention focused on her face as he felt her tug on his clothes.


    Looking at her pale face, he gently smiled and asked, ¡°A little better?¡±


    Milia blushed a little before nodding her head, ¡°Sol, please could you set me down now? This is a little embarrassing.¡±


    Sol was a little taken aback before he began to chuckle, ¡°I remember that we did many things that should have been far more embarrassing than this.¡±


    Milia nodded shyly before stepping away from him. Currently, she felt as if her heart was about to explode. It seemed that exining most of her past helped her stabilize some of her emotions.


    Seeing her flee away like a little squirrel, Sol let out another chuckle before settling down.


    Milia herself could only helplessly chuckle at her own actions before leaning against Sol¡¯s shoulder. Even back then he was a child, hugging him was all she needed to stop her nightmare.


    Sol was her safe harbor. The sole ce where she could bask in the warm light of the sun.


    Putting an arm around her shoulder, Sol pushed Milia¡¯s head down on hisps. ¡°Don¡¯t struggle. For once, let me spoil you, alright?¡±


    Stopping her struggle as he asked, she rxed obediently and enjoyed Sol''s ear cleaning skills.


    The atmosphere surrounding the room slowly became warmer as silence settled between the two. The worries and uneasiness in her heart further melted as she closed her eyes.


    Sol knew that moments such as this should be enjoyed as much as possible. He knew that soon he would face a new trial. It was easy to speak about bloodshed, it was another thing to go through it.


    For him who had never killed, what was about to happen would without a doubt be heavy. But,


    ¡°I will not falter.¡±


    Murmuring those words under his breath, Sol¡¯s eyes zed with conviction.


    Under him, Milia slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the handsome face of Sol, smiling, she raised her hand to caress his face, before saying,


    ¡°Your highness, now that we are alone, let me tell you the full story.¡±

 Chapter 108 INTERLUDE 7: A MAIDS PAST

    It hurt!


    This was the only thought floating in her head.


    Everything in her body hurt.


    "Number 26 is showing adverse reactions."


    "Incredible! For her to only show such a reaction now, how is it possible? No matter, adjust the operations."


    Her hazy consciousness slowly woke up as pain flooded in.


    *Beep !* *Beep! *


    "She is waking up too soon! Who is the bastard that gave the anesthetic!?"


    ''What is happening?''


    She tried to speak but she felt as if her mouth was too heavy to even open. She tried to move but all her limbs were bound.


    "Send more dose! Now!! We can''t afford to lose a specimen that reached the adaptation phase on the first operation."


    ''It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! Please! I beg you! Stop this!''


    Her plea, unable to be voiced, came out as a guttural scream as she began to thrash around uselessly while trying to free herself.


    Pain.


    Fear.


    Confusion.


    Difort.


    All those feelings mixed in her mind and made her delirious.


    Because of the blindfold covering her eyes, she was unable to understand what was happening.


    She just wanted everything to stop.


    ''Please, someone, anyone, please make it st..''


    On thosest thoughts, her mind fell back in slumber.


    ----


    ''How did this happen?''


    Sitting in a white cell with her knees gathered under her, the young cowgirl asked herself with a somewhat empty expression.


    Everything around her was white. Be it the ceiling, the walls or the door. Even the clothes she was wearing were white. What''s more, her hands were bound by her clothes. The same went for her mouth.


    This illusion of an infinite void was doing nothing good to her mind. She could only leave this ce for more painful experiments.


    Raising her head, she began to stare at the ceiling absentmindedly, thinking back to her past.


    All her life had been filled with hardships.


    As a war orphan, feeding her stomach and surviving the next day had always been the most important thing for her. She had no time to consider anything else.


    Begging, stealing, being stolen from, running away from the guard. This had always been her life.


    Back then, she wished to survive. Even though life was hard, she had a slight hope for a better future.


    But now,


    ''I just want to die.''


    She simply wished to put an end to her own misery.


    Sadly, even death was being refused to her.


    After she tried to suicide for the third time, they put her in this cell and made sure that she would be unable to harm herself.


    "I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die."


    Closing her eyes, she began to softly chant this plea; her words flowing like an unending curse.


    For her, this ce was hell on earth.


    In the morning, she was injected with some unknown substance.


    Afterward, she was taken to aboratory room where they would subject her to different kinds of torturesbeled as experiments.


    Just remembering this made her body shudder and she began to be nauseous.


    *Cough* *Cough*


    Bending down, her body wracked by pain, she began to barf on the ground what was supposed to be some nutritious liquid.


    She had already stopped eating in the hope to die from hunger, but they still found a way to keep her alive with this.


    Moving in order toy down on her back, she once again began to stare at the ceiling with a hollow expression.


    She had long since stopped hoping for anyone to help her. All hope in her had died long ago. As she was now, even a doll had a more colorful expression than her.


    Closing her eyes as fatigue swept her fragile mind, she went into a sleep full of pain and agony, awaiting a new hellish day.


    ----


    ''How long has it been?''


    She couldn''t remember.


    In the first ce, this hell hole didn''t allow them to see the light of the sun for all she knew, perhaps only a few days went past or perhaps a few years.


    ''Most likely a few years.''


    As a cow woman, even though she didn''t know much about her race because her parents died when she was too young, she at least knew the signs of them reaching puberty. She had to admit that even for her numbed mind, waking up with blood flowing from herher region and milk out of her breasts had been somewhat shocking.


    Currently, wearing a white skirt and white shirt, she was sitting in what appeared to be a ssroom with other young children about her age, while scribbling on some paper that was supposed to grade them. A cor with the number 26 inscribed on it, around her neck.<sub> </sub>


    The first time this test was done, many like her had been reticent, but a jolt had been enough to put most of them in order.


    It seemed that those who abducted them didn''t simply want to experiment on them, but were also trying to make them smarter.


    History, Geography, Arithmetic, Diplomacy, Psychology, and many such things were always taught to them.


    At the end of what seemed to be the day, they would receive a grading test. Those with the worst score were punished while those with the best scores were rewarded.


    Even for her young mind, it didn''t take long to understand that they were forcing them to be used to receiving orders.


    It was a slow process, but sometimes, she was surprised to see some of her fellow prisoners act while thinking about how to please their jailers rather than fight back.


    Flicking her pen, she closed her eyes and began to sleep.


    Her papers, as always, were filled with enough mistakes to put her near thest position.


    For her who wished to die, she had no need to receive the so-called reward. No matter how much they electrocuted her,pared to the pain of the experiments she received, this was nothing.


    In fact, she wished for them to increase the punishment and identally kill her. What''s more, one more failure like her meant one less person sent to be punished.


    ''How many of them are left now?''


    She wondered sadly. Each day, the number of children around her slowly decreased. Children disappeared, and in their ces, new arrivals steadily increased in number. Initially about fifty, they had decreased by half, only to be reinforced by fresh faces. Their numbers had even managed to increase to 200 without her noticing.


    She would always have a sad expression when one of them vanished


    For the other children, it seemed as if she was sad about their death. But this wasn''t really the case.


    While she mourned their deaths, what made her the saddest, was one simple thought.


    ''Why isn''t it me?''


    ----


    "Number 66, Number 12! Set forth!"


    "Yes."


    "Yes."


    Following the voiceing from the ceiling, one boy advanced and stood with a wooden sword in his hand, his actions, mirrored by a young sses wearing boy.


    "Begin."


    At the emotionless signal, the two simultaneously began to practice theirbat forms. The children of the facility were all unnamed; only their assigned numbers were used.


    The oue mirrored a dozen of prior matches, a light faint which would be followed up with 66 swinging with all of his might. He swung repeatedly, making contact each time, and grazed the young number 12''s head.


    In that time, number 12 kicked him with great force and knocked him down. His sword was then quickly thrust to his throat and was followed by the order to stop.


    "Number 12, well done."


    "Thank you."


    "But as for number 66, you''re hopeless yet again. Your memory fails you, and your movements are dull. I''m telling you this for your own sake. What a failure."


    "Apologies."


    "Do you forget that the only reason you''re alive is because of your adaptation to the experiments? By all ounts, it wouldn''t be strange to say that it''s toote for you to clean up your act."


    "I understand."


    How she wished to simply swing her sword and kill those people speaking above.


    "Now then, salute."


    This time, the voice was addressed to all the children present, and like a machine, they began to repeat the words that were specially made to indoctrinate them.


    "We offer our greatest honors, and most heartfelt gratitude to his majesty Neptune the great!"


    "We swear unconditional loyalty to the kingdom!"


    "Death to those who would oppose our Kingdom! For that purpose, we are willing to be the swords in the darkness!"


    What were they even supposed to be thankful for? Why did they have to swear their loyalty? The girl couldn''t remember a single thing that could obligate them to dedicate their lives to that kind of cause.


    In reality, shouldn''t they rather hate him? Swear to kill him?


    That''s why, one new goal took hold in her heart.


    She swore that before dying, she would kill the bastard that caused all their miseries.


    ---


    As time passed, she found herself surprisingly making new friends while sadly losing old ones.


    The boy number 144 for example was a good friend who always liked to tell stories to make the other children happy. Sadly, he slowly withered away and died. Until his very end, all he could do was moan in pain.


    Number 167, who moved into number 12''s old room was the girl who became her best friend. With a quivering voice and a face that always appeared about to cry, it was during this time that she managed to brighten up.


    Number 66, another cow man like her, was a rather handsome and kind fellow. He always managed to make herugh even when her mood was at its lowest.


    Number 54 was a dark elf girl, clearly the oldest of them all, she would alwaysfort the other children and act as the big sister of the group.


    Number 12, the ss wearing young man was a strong but shy fellow. Every day, he would cry in his sleep and beg for help. He thought that they didn''t hear him, but they simply kept quiet to protect his fragile pride.


    This was how her everyday life continued.


    Thinking of dying yet being denied death.


    Hoping to see her friends survive but yet having to watch them die.


    Being taught to be loyal to a man she wished to kill.


    She thought that this would never change.


    Until one day¡­

 Chapter 109 INTERLUDE 8: FROM PAST TO PRESENT

    [A FEW YEARS LATER]


    Number 26, or rather Milia bathed under the moonlight with an incredibly sad expression.


    Currently, in a clearing, she was surrounded by five people. Four men and one woman. All of them were wearing ck tight-fitting clothes.


    The atmosphere was incredibly quiet and heavily filled with repressed killing intent.


    "Please, I beg you guys. Please give up. Just stop. We can still go back."


    Sorrow filled her voice as she pleaded once again. She knew that once they began, there would be no holding back.


    Even though she was stronger than them, it was impossible to win against all of them if she held back even in the slightest.


    "Milia, you must understand. Those experiments are the next step to evolution. You should know yourself. The cow race is one of the weakest of the were beasts without any particr magic. But right now, youpletely surpassed the limitations of your race. Do you understand just how incredible it is?"


    She looked with disbelief at the man with roon ears who tried to exin their crazy ideas.


    How could they forget all of the friends they lost and utter the same words those who once kidnapped them always uttered?


    "Big Sis, it is you who don''t understand. You cannot understand our feelings. We all went through the same sufferings. We all survived the same ordeals. So why? Why are you the only one?!"


    The one who spoke this time was a tall tiger woman. She was also a girl she really liked and took under her wing back then.


    Most of the children kidnapped for the experiments had been Werebeasts and Humans with a few Elves and Dwarves.


    Demons and Angels hadn''t been used because they were partially energy beings and as such unsuitable. Meanwhile, it was basically impossible to find a Chimera.


    Milia felt her heart sink at those words from someone she always saw as her little sister, "Is that really what you think?"


    She trailed her gaze on all of them before settling on one muscr man with two horns on his head.


    "What about you guys? Do you all think the same?"


    Seeing her husband as well as the others unable to look at her straight, a bitter feeling spread through her while she did her best to stop the tears that were threatening to spill.


    How could they not understand that the experiments they suffered from weren''t even one-tenth of what she went through?


    To protect them, she didn''t hesitate to take the biggest punishment.


    To help them, she didn''t hesitate to propose herself for the most dangerous experiments.


    To save the maximum number of her friends, she took many more times the doses any of them should have taken.


    Even after the experiment ended, she took on the most dangerous task just to lower the risk of them dying.


    In the end, she upstaged the rebellion against the Crown''s Hound by killing all the old leaders and, with the help of Mars, established the Crown''s Shadow and the Three Divisions.


    Even though her story was worthy of a legend, neither she ever unfolded her pains nor her sufferings.


    She had nobody to confide in - not even her own husband could ease her suffering.


    Despite this, her desire for them to live surpassed her desire to die; as such, she held on.


    No matter how much she hurt, she held on.


    No matter how great the danger was, she held on.


    No matter how much she just wanted to lie down and close her eyes forever, she held on.


    She never asked for a word of thanks, never asked for any rewards. Because in her mind, them being alive and well was a reward in itself.


    ''And all that for what? To hear this kind of bullshit?''


    But now she couldn''t help but mock herself,


    ''Perhaps I should have really died long ago.''


    She really entertained the thought of dying right now, but she thought about thest four of their crews.


    They didn''t betray her. They still needed her.


    Since they needed her, then she needed to live¡­ As such, she had to kill the five in front of them.


    All sorrow immediately vanished from her face. One singr thought repeated.


    ''I need to live, therefore I need to kill.''


    Behind her, her shadow began to change shape. Her aura continued to rise until it nketed the entire zone.


    "Stop her!"


    The others immediately understood that whatever she was doing wasn''t good for them and rushed towards her.


    Sadly, it was toote,


    <<Zone:Mncholia >>


    What followed, could only be called aplete massacre.


    -----


    ¡®I wish it would rain.¡¯


    Standing under the moonlight, Milia raised her head and stared nkly at the silver-white moon. Her beautiful face, marred with blood.


    A ray of moonlight shone on the clearing, showing a grisly sight.


    Blood, limbs, and guts were covering the ground all around her. Some of the bodies were so maimed that they were basically unrecognizable.


    It was as if they had been devoured by arge number of famished beasts. Leaving them not even the slightest chance to survive.


    Behind her, in her shadow,rge ring eyes were slowly closing down.


    ¡°*Cough* To think you hide such a terrifying power. *Cough* Cough*, I guess that until the end, I never really managed to understand you.¡±


    Milia gazed expressionlessly at her husband. It seemed that even in her murderous haze, she had somewhat gone easy on him. Still, with the wounds he received, he was without a doubt a goner.


    ¡°If only you didn¡¯t try to do that. We could have lived happily together for the rest of our life.¡±


    His expression crumbled a little at her words, before he gave a bitter blood-filled smile, ¡°Happy? You? *Cough* Please don¡¯t continue this sad joke.¡±


    As his blood continued to flow out, whileying down on the cold hard ground with the destroyed bodies of hisrade, hisst words were neither curses nor insults toward the one who killed him. But rather,


    ¡°I really hope that you find true happiness one day¡­¡±


    Hisst words were just onest wish of happiness for her. But in Milia¡¯s ears, those words sounded like the greatest curse ever.


    Feeling the life vanished from his eyes, Milia finally crumbled down.


    ¡®I killed them.¡¯


    This thought repeated again and again in her mind.


    She had thousands of reasons.


    She had thousands of excuses.<sub> </sub>


    But all of it boiled down to one truth.


    They were dead...And she, who swore to protect them all, was their killer.


    When this reality finally dawned on her, she simply copsed.


    ----


    A monthter, Milia was standing under the shower of her personal room, her expression gaunt as if she hadn¡¯t eaten for a long time.


    Currently, she was washing her body, again and again. She was washing herself with such a tenacity, that her white skin was slowly bing redder until it looked like it would tear.


    She hated how filthy she still felt.


    Even after all this time, she could still feel their hot blood on her face. Hear their screams and curses. What made her feel worse was how even though she hated what she did, she had absolutely no regret.


    ¡®I wonder if I am really a monster.¡¯


    Thinking so, she stopped the shower. It was time for her to begin her second work.


    ¡®As a head maid and nanny.¡¯


    ---


    As she watched the young prince who was only three years old receive a lecture about how to count and read, she couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    She was the sole sessful experiment out of two hundred and most likely more.


    She was someone who broke through the limits and reached the zone, thereby making her one of the top-ss warriors in this country.


    She was the leader of the greatest, albeit crippled, dark organization.


    Despite this, she was working as the maid and wet nurse of the prince.


    This situation was so absurd that it slightly dispersed her brooding mood, even if a little.


    She had to admit that she was really attached to the prince. After all, in a sense, she had been the one to raise him until now.


    ¡®Even though the way he sucked my milk back then was quite naughty.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t know if all babies were like this and at first, she had been a little creeped out with how smart he seemed for his age, but she chalked it up to his dragon heritage.


    Now though, she always liked how cute his bored expression was when he received lessons he obviously already mastered but had to act like a dumb child.


    Those days were quite happy. Despite this, the hole in her heart still seemed unable to be filled.


    -----


    But one day, as she crouched down to wash the prince while in her maid clothes, she heard him ask.


    ¡°Why do you always seem so sad?¡±


    This question sent a tremor in her mind. She was sure that she always perfectly controlled her expressions.


    ¡°What makes you think that, your highness?¡±


    ¡°Hum, I don¡¯t really know. I guess sometimes you look like you are about to cry. Is something the matter?¡±


    She could have lied here and now and end the discussion. After all, what could such a young child understand? Even though he was far smarter than his age, this didn''t matter much in this situation.


    Still, she couldn¡¯t help but answer


    ¡°A lot of people I used to care about aren¡¯t here anymore.¡±


    She was quite careful about using the words death. She didn¡¯t know if he was already aware of the concept of life and death, and she didn¡¯t want to have to exin it if he wasn¡¯t.


    Still, seeing how his expression went from curious to shocked than sad, it seemed that he did understand what she really meant.


    ¡°I see. It must have been hard, right?¡±


    The prince, so small she could take him in her arms, tiptoed and patted her head with his wet and warm hand as if calming a young child.


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t have anyone here either. They say that only people who share the same pain can understand each other. So I guess you are family now?¡±


    His words made no sense to her. What about the queen, the saint, or even the princess? How could a child even utter such words?


    Still, even though pitifully childish and naive, even thoughpletely senseless, those words struck a chord deep in her heart, breaking a tightly strung one.


    Closing her eyes, Milia for the first time bawled like a little girl whileughing as she watched the little prince''s shocked expression at her sudden outburst.


    Sometimes, people didn¡¯t need deep words full of meaning and sagesse.


    What mattered more than anything was using the right words at the right times.


    ----


    [12 YEARS LATER]


    Since that day, she more or less retired from her functions as the leader of the crown¡¯s shadow and spent most of her time taking care of him and observing him.


    All his actions.


    All his little gestures.


    All his expressions.


    All his words.


    Sheughed when she saw the princess follow him around like a little duck.


    She helped him when he received the little pup as his first ve.


    She felt sad when she saw his frustrated expression after failing to use his sword.


    Sadness, happiness, tears, expectations, stress, worries. A myriad of expressions filled her.


    Slowly, she watched the little cute baby turn into a handsome and admirable young man.


    Slowly, her bedroom became more and more filled with different objects belonging to him.


    Slowly, her feelings of affection toward him became more and more distorted. Changing from the feeling a mother had towards her child to the feeling a woman had for a man.


    Then one day, she received an order from the queen,


    ¡°Milia, do you think you could find someone to help Sol be an adult, if you understand what I mean?¡±


    That day, her distortions finally found the perfect outlet.


    Smiling, she gracefully bowed down and answered,


    ¡°I have the perfect candidate in mind.¡±


    The rest is history.

 Chapter 110 SPECIAL CHAPTER: WRATHARIS FOUR GREAT CLAN

    When looked at from above, the royal capital of Wratharis, the kingdom of werebeasts, looked like a huge Tai chi symbol.


    This symbol divided the two major powers, the temple under themand of the Kitsune, Kiku Inari Patienta, and the royal power under the control of Lupus Tiangou Ira.


    The system of Wratharis was semi-democratic in appearance. Each time an important decision had to be made, it necessitated the main assembly which wasposed of 193 different seats, each for the representative of their respectful race.


    Of course, as with all systems that sold equality, in reality, were anything but equal.


    In the Wratharis republic, four great races existed.


    The Oni, The Stone Monkey, the Kitsune, and the Blue Wolf. The leaders of those four races formed the security council of the high assembly, with the Wolf and Kitsune holding permanent seats, while the two others seats could be taken if the leader lost to another one.


    (A/N: Yeah, not really democratic. But hey, using fists is also democratic in a way.)


    In the very center of Wratharis, stood a veryrge building reminiscing of a coliseum.


    Around it, gigantic sculptures representing the 193 races could be seen even from afar.


    Despite how wide it was, the interior of the building was rather well furnished and mixed elegance and wealth without looking too blinding.


    This building was used for all important discussions. After all, the church and the royal castle also served as seats of power of their respective owner. Any leader taking a step in there would find himself in severe crisis.


    This was why this building was created.


    ----


    Currently, the building was full of people with different features in a room that looked like an amphitheater...


    Bird, cat, lion, panther, bull, sheep, and so on. Curses and threats flew around as each one tried to appear and act as tough as possible.


    For were beasts ¡ª weakness was a sin. The strong ate the weak and the weak could only cower in the sight of the strong.


    Because of this, the social circle was extremely hierarchized with the stronger ones sitting higher. At the very summit, four seats hung above all of them.


    ¡°Leader of the Oni, Lord Shuten Douji.¡±


    The moment those words resonated, all noise vanished from the room.


    *Step* *Step* *Step*


    It was so devoid of sounds, that the slow steps from behind the door high up could be heard.


    Finally, the doors of one of the four rooms opened and the one announced entered.


    The one who entered was a short woman, not unlike a child, though her outrageous clothes would beg to show a different tale. After all, her long open kimono aside, all she was wearing was something akin to a swimsuit. Her pale skin was so white it seemed she was devoid of blood. Her short purple hair was adorned with silver and golden jewels.


    At first nce, she seemed no different than any human, if not for the two long horns protruding out of her forehead.


    Taking her seat, Shuten took a swing of her most prized alcohol stored in the gourd she held in her hand.


    Despite her slovenly appearance, no one in the room was fooled. They knew very well that behind thiszy exterior was a hideous madness that could threaten to explode at any moment.


    ¡°Leader of the Stone Monkey''s, Lord Sun Wukong.¡±


    This time, gulping could be heard all around. While the Oni lord was someone dangerous when triggered, she was rather calm most of the time. But the one who was called now was someonepletely unpredictable.


    *Bang*


    The moment he entered, a cold atmosphere seemed to suddenly fill the room.


    Sun Wukong was a man of average height with a rather athletic build wearing a ck cloak. His ck spiked hair aside, what caught the attention were the golden headband around his head and what looked like a white tiger skin around his waist, and finally, a long ck tail swishing behind him.


    This tiger skin was one of the reasons people feared him so much. Initially; the stone monkeys weren¡¯t part of the four great ns. At most, they were just in the middle rank. But, about fifty years ago, this anomaly was born.


    After killing the Tiger lord, he took his ce in the security council. In fact, he was so strong that some people called him the Uncrowned King or the Monkey King rather than the monkey lord. If not for the divinew that stopped anyone not blessed from bing king, they did not doubt that the current leader wouldn¡¯t be the wolves.


    After taking his seat, Wukong took a meditative pose and closed his eyes.


    ¡°Leader of the Kitsune and Supreme daughter of Patienta. Saint Kiku Inari Patienta.¡±


    The tense atmosphere immediately warmed a little.


    If people feared or were wary of the previous two, Kiku on the other hand, enjoyed poprity out of all norms.


    Not only was she beautiful, but even though she generally acted in an abrasive way, everyone understood that she only had the best interest of Wratharis at heart.


    A tall woman with incredible curves wearing a red kimono entered. Behind her, six golden tails danced freely in the air before vanishing as she took a seat after she saluted everyone with a wave of her hand.


    Sadly, the warm atmosphere didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°Leader of the Blue Wolves and King of Wratharis, his majesty, Tiangou Lupus Ira.¡±


    Few people hissed quietly or watched with disgust as a tall man with golden fur and blue eyes wearing a golden and red Kimono entered.


    The king, watching them all simply smirked,


    ¡°Everyone. Bow for this king.¡±<sub> </sub>


    The expression of most of the leaders becameplicated, but they had no other choice than to bow to a man they found unworthy.


    Everyone aside from the others three great lords bowed while cupping their hands.


    ¡°We salute the son of heaven!¡±


    Their voices resonated in the dimly lit room.


    Seemingly satisfied, Lupus nodded his head and took his seat before speaking again,


    ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s sit. I believe it¡¯s time for us to talk about the future.¡±


    Most of the people present began to frown.


    They knew the reason for this reunion, and even though they weren''t particrly against it, they weren''t all for it either.


    Lupus, despite his brash manners, understood that what mattered currently were the lords.


    War was the domain of the King, and as long as he got enough votes, not even the church could use their rights of veto.


    Throwing a nce at the sullen Kiku, he hides a smirk and began to extrapte.


    "I think you all know about my intentions to wage war against Lustburg. You might not understand it, but this is most likely the best moment. Currently, without a Supreme daughter and a blessed King, Lustburg is without a doubt at its weakest. Completely conquering it isn''t impossible."


    The leaders began to discuss in a hushed breath. For people like them, war wasn''t about patriotism or whatnot. Only foot soldiers thought like that.


    For people standing at the highest ce, war was all about benefits. War with no clear benefits was just a waste of time and resources.


    Lupus perfectly understood this and began to exin the situation while highlighting the current weakness of Lustburg.


    Once he finished, he sat back with a pleased expression.


    He could see that aside from the die-hard leader on Kiku''s side, most of the neutral ones were leaning towards war.


    Focusing on the other two great lords, he asked,


    "What do you think?"


    He didn''t even bother asking Kiku, the two of them never saw eye to eye. He was sure that if not for the protection of his blessing, she would have already tried to assassinate him. Well, he would have done the same.


    Douji smiled a little before asking, "How reliable are your sources? What about the prince?"


    Lupus scoffed, "My sources are foolproof. We had enough time to confirm the truth. Milia Castitas lost her blessing, and as such, Lustburg lost not only a powerhouse but also one of its greatest defenses. If we don''t attack now, then when!?"


    He smashed the armrest of his chair as he asked her while also addressing the room.


    Sun Wukong, who was still in meditation opened his eyes and spoke inly,


    "Winter ising."


    "This indeed so, but don¡¯t you think this makes it more interesting? They will definitely never think that we would attack even during winter. What''s more,"


    "You want to use us as a vanguard."


    Lupus didn''t deny, "The stone Monkeys are impervious to fire and water. What''s more, with your steel-like skin, you guys are the perfect vanguard."


    He spoke very carefully, he understood very well that this man wasn''t the kind who liked being ordered around. Even someone as arrogant as him understood that some people shouldn''t be crossed if not necessary.


    ''I am lucky that this guy wasn''t born in the Ira family.''


    Sun Wukong piercing golden eyes stared at Lupus for a short while before he lost interest,


    "I will only participate if I can fight the Saint of sword."


    "Of course."


    ''Why should I stop you two freaks from fighting and killing each other?''


    He scoffed Inwardly. He didn''t understand why anomalies such as Lilith Lustburg and Sun Wukong could be born, but it didn''t matter.


    Finally, he turned toward Kiku, and was surprised to see her show such calm countenance.


    Kiku, standing up, spoke quietly, "I understand where this is going and I will not stop you. But, let me give a warning¡­Do not underestimate Lustburg."


    On those words and without waiting for the assembly to end, she left.


    Lupus ignored what he only saw as the growling of a sour loser.


    ''Soon, I will do what no other kings did. I will annex another kingdom.''


    He could already feel his heart beating wildly in his chest.


    His ambition didn''t stop here. He would be the second Conqueror king but unlike that king¡­ He would not fail.

 Chapter 111 SPECIAL CHAPTER: PHOENIX

    This universe wasposed of thousands upon thousands of little dimensions such as Sol¡¯s mirror dimension or Tiamat¡¯s sea of stars.


    But, out of them all, four great dimensions stood above all of them, forming a pyramid while all the other little dimensions were connected to them.


    The firstyer and the base of this pyramid was the material world. The ce where most mortals lived.


    The secondyer was called the after-life. Some called it the hereafter, hell or paradise. This was the ce where all souls resided, waiting to be reincarnated after losing most, if not all their memories. Of course, there were some exceptions who for some reason were allowed to keep their memories.


    The finalyer was called the divine realm, where the goddesses resided and observed the world from above.


    But what will interest us this time is the thirdyer... The Astral realm.


    The Astral realm was the ce of residence for creatures bestowed with divinities and spirit creatures. It was divided into fifteen districts, fourteen of them belonging to the fourteen divine beasts and thest one being a sealed ce no one could step a foot in.


    ess to the Astral realm was generally extremely restricted. Be it when entering or going out. One of the rare exceptions was when the gate opened to allow humans, for a limited amount of times, to try their chance at acquiring a spirit or an offspring of a divine creature.


    ----


    [PHOENIX DISTRICT]


    ¡°I refuse! Mother! why are you insisting so much!?¡±


    A ck-haired young girl, wearing arge white dress adorned with a plethora of jewels that hide her alluring figure, screamed with tears gathering at the corner of her beautiful scarlet eyes.


    The woman facing her, while sitting on a golden throne, had simr features as the girl, clearly denoting their rtionship. The only difference being her vermillion red hair and golden eyes.


    The woman was called Nephtys, the daughter of Gabriel the divine phoenix, and current ruler of all the phoenixes. Still, despite all her power, she could only show a distraught expression at the vehement refusal of her daughter.


    Trying to cate her, she exined, ¡°Isis, my dear, please understand that this isn¡¯t something we can refuse. Your grandmother herself received the order from our goddess.¡±


    Isis stamped her feet before leaving in tears, herst words, bringing even more pain to her mother, ¡°If father was here he would have never epted this.¡±


    Now alone in her pce, Nephtys could only slump on her throne. Even though she knew it was unbing of her with her position, she could not afford to care.


    ¡°I guess she threw a tantrum again?¡±


    A gentle voice sounded in her ears while a warm light enveloped her. From a bright golden fire, a tall and well-endowed woman appeared.


    ¡°Mother.¡±


    Nephtys did nothing to change her position. She did not need to hide behind rules and such things in front of her own mother. Giving a wane smile, she could only acquiesce.


    ¡°She isn¡¯t taking it well indeed. I guess she always thought that she would meet her own prince charming by herself, not because of an arranged marriage.¡±


    A bell-likeugh came out of Gabriel as she sat on the armchair.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°You mean like how this boy, Anubis, entered this ce so many years ago and swept you with him?¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡±


    Nephtys, shyly screamed, a blush covering her face. Even though she remembered those moments fondly, she still couldn¡¯t help but be embarrassed by how reckless she had been so long ago.


    Gabriel continued tough for a little while before hugging the shoulder of her daughter.


    ¡°You must understand that this is for your own good. The goddesses cannot allow themselves to lose ze¡¯s son. With Isis as his first contract, he will be able to obtain Nirvana and get insurance in case anything happens.¡±


    ¡°I understand mother, I understand. It¡¯s just...I do not even know the boy. What if he is a bad influence on her. What if he doesn¡¯t treat her well? I...I don¡¯t know and Isis also hates me now, alwaysparing me to her father. Sometimes...I just feel so inadequate.¡±


    Nephtys was on the verge of tears as she confessed her innermost worries to her mother.


    It was normal for children to go through their rebellious phase, but they could never understand how much some of their words could profoundly wound their parents.


    In the mind of most children, parents are this insurmountable wall that seemed almighty and devoid of crack. But, this couldn¡¯t be any more wrong. Parents always had to appear almighty in front of their children, but in reality, they were full of insecurities.


    As a mother, Gabriel understood this truth well. After all, she also went through the same thing with Nephtys back then.


    Just remembering that infuriating brat pissed her so much. It was even more so since she didn¡¯t know where he was currently.


    ¡°Shhh, don¡¯t worry. You know as well as me that Isis isn¡¯t happy here. Even though you did your best to care for her, she is isted by the others because of the power she inherited from her father. Perhaps leaving the Astral realm and living some adventure could help her?¡±


    Nephtys felt even more guilt from this. Even though she never regretted marrying her husband, she was still surprised about how her daughter inherited all the attributes of her father while only having some of her.


    Because of this, even if the fact that she was a hybrid between a phoenix and a demon could be overlooked, her having the power of the greatest necromancer ever didn¡¯t really sit well with most, if not all phoenixes.


    For a race such as them that respected the natural order and purity above everything else, necromancers were the vilest creature that existed. In fact, if she wasn¡¯t so powerful, no one would ept her as a queen. She was still thankful that her mother didn¡¯t despite her.


    Thinking about her husband who was traveling through the dimensions in search of some unknown truth, she could only sigh.


    ¡°I hope the prince will be good to her.¡±


    This was the only wish she had a mother.


    -----


    AN: So, here a short intro about the Astral realm and Phoenix side. More will be exined in VOL 6. Those knowledgeable in Egyptian myth should know how much I fucked around with the genealogy between Isis, Nephtys, and Anubis. But hey, it¡¯s interesting. Also, did you know that the first mention of the phoenix was in Egypt? Initially, I nned to use a Chinese setting for the Phoenix. But after doing some research, I decided to go with Egypt. As for her Chara design. Hehe. Remember my cover picture? She finally appeared. Yep. Rather sexy right?


    As for her name, I needed Isis to be called, well Isis, because in myth she is basically the mother goddess. In the same way that Nuwa is the mother goddess in Chinese myth(*Hint* *Hint*)


    As for Anubis, he is the mc of a prequel I have in mind for SHK, the story is called SDK, son of the demon king. I don¡¯t know when I will write it. Perhaps after my Gojo fic or perhaps after I finish SHK. We shall see.

 Chapter 112 VOL 5/ CH 99: TALENT OR HARD WORK

    Under the dim light, Sol sat with a gentle expression as he caressed Milia''s head while she softlyid asleep on hisp.


    Her story had been far more tragic than he could have ever imagined, the weight of her past being something that could have crushed anyone else in her ce.


    He also remembered their discussions back then. During those times, he still did not really see this world as his own. He was still sad about losing everything he knew and never seeing his parents, nor his friends.


    This thought prompted him to give a bitter smile, ''Since when did their faces be so faint in my mind?''


    Time was truly the greatest curse.


    Sighing, he discarded those thoughts, he didn''t know how they were doing, and he hoped that they had a fruitful life. Perhaps in the future, he could search earth, his earth, with his dimension magic, but now wasn''t the time.


    His mind began to drift as he thought about what might happen soon. He couldn''t have the leisure to have stray thoughts.


    ''There should still be some time before I meet with Gorfard.''


    He briefly entertained the thought of simply entering Medea''s dimension, but he knew that if he did, he would lose his edge.


    After all, even though too much tension wasn''t good, being too rxed wasn''t either. Keeping the bnce was necessary.


    ''Well, let''s stay like this for a few more minutes.''


    ----


    [Tower of Babel]


    "So, why did you seek me out, mother?"


    Lilith could only chuckle bitterly at the dry tone used by Lilin. This wasn''t the first time, nor would it be thest time. Still, even though she didn''t show it, this situation somewhat saddened her.


    Currently in the office of Lilith, since she rarely used the throne room, if not at all, she took another look at her daughter who had fled for so long.


    No matter how one looked at it, the two of them would pass more for sisters than mother and daughter. The fact that Lilith still looked like a woman in her twenties aside, Lilin''s face and aura were simply too simr to her own. The only reason they wouldn''t be taken for twins was because of the obvious, even if slight, difference in age between the two of them.


    Still, there was another great difference between the two of them currently. Something far more intricate than mere appearance.


    "You took another path."


    She didn''t know if her voice sounded happy or disappointed. Since Lilin, like her, had absolutely zero capacity, Lilith had been training her so that she could be the second Sword Saint. No, she wished for Lilin to surpass her andplete the one technique she was still unable toplete despite all her talents.


    ''My expectations are always too heavy.''


    Now that she was somewhat clear-headed, she understood just how bad of a mother she had been for Lilin. Of course, aside from Mars''s death, there were other reasons rted to Lilin¡¯s birth that made her like this, but it was beneath her to use excuses in such situations.


    Lilin, who stood defiantly at first, fidgeted a little under the gaze of Lilith but still, she held her head high.


    "Indeed, but I did not do so because of my dislike or some childish anger. I believe that your path isn''t suitable for me, still, the ultimate goal of your technique is simply too incredible, as such I decided to find my own path."


    "So the goal is still the same, and only the paths are different."


    Lilith murmured under her breath. She understood perfectly what her daughter was getting at and it was a way of thought she had somewhat entertained on the back of her mind still, it was close to impossible for her to do so.


    If the zone was something that could change based on the understanding someone had, the avatar was something fixed. It could grow or be weaker, but its intrinsic nature could never be changed.


    That was why she called the avatar a path, all the action you took, your training, your experiences, your understanding of life and the world were fused into something greater. Only people who reached this level could really transcend the limitations and be considered a national ss disaster.


    The four witches were at this level, Camelia was at this level, and she herself was also at this level.<sub> </sub>


    But¡­


    ¡®There is still more.¡¯


    Her eyes darkened. The divine aside, even on the mortal ne, she was sure that the avatar wasn¡¯t thest level possible. Even now, she knew three people who without a doubt went past that level.


    Echidna, the mother of a thousand monsters.


    Ambrosia, the thousands spell witch.


    Finally, Mars, the Hero King.


    ¡°So, mother, I was always curious. Why didn¡¯t you teach this path to Sol?¡±


    Lilin was genuinely curious. She had observed Sol¡¯s fight with Setsuna, and even though he was incredibly strong for someone who just awakened, the way he fought was too wild. But she remembered that before she left, Sol was supposed to train in the way of swords.


    Of course, she understood that his fight against Setsuna had been more of a mating ritual than anything, but still, it was easy to see that he hadcked the grace Setsuna moved with.


    ¡°You are confusing something. I did train Sol on the way of swords. But I never really gave him a thorough training. This is for a simple reason. Sol isn¡¯t suited to my path.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean to say that hecks talent?¡±


    This time Lilith exploded inughter, something very rare of her, ¡°Lacking talent? Goddess no, he simply has too much talent. So much that my path would only chain him down.¡±


    She could only shake her head as she said this.


    Her way was one born from her powerlessness. Despite her heritage, she was born with a weak body and unsightly capacity. Even though she had arge amount of mana, there was only so much her body could handle.


    As such, she honed her skills.


    Hours and hours of training, to efficiently use her mana. Hours and hours of training to move her sword as if it was an extension of her own body. She had shed blood, sweat, and tears to stand at the level she was currently.


    If Sol had been a human, she would have taught him her skills as she did with her daughter.


    But¡­ He wasn¡¯t.


    Not only was Sol a hybrid dragon, but he also inherited the cheat resistance his mother had, albeit weaker. As if it wasn¡¯t enough, he also had his dimensional magic. Finally, even after years and years of training, if she fought with Sol with her bare body without any mana or technique, he would snap her like a twig.


    She still remembered back then when she first saw ze¡¯s prowess on the battlefield. It was like watching a juggernaut assaulting a group of ants. No spells could wound her while physical attack could not pass through her scales. Meanwhile, her mana was basically bottomless and she could simply throw tens of dragon¡¯s breath one after another.


    A mixed feeling of bitterness and anticipation flowed in her heart when she imagined Sol doing the same in a near future.


    Those who said that hard work always paid weren¡¯t lying. Hard work never lies. But...No matter how hard you worked, some people were simply bestowed by the grace of heaven.


    Those people would always make all your struggles, all your pains, all your sufferings, look like some meaningless sad joke.


    Those people were called geniuses.


    ---


    (AN: This is the start of VOL 5: THE QUEEN)


    (A/N: So a little chapter to introduce thest book of Lustburg. As I said, more actions will happen towards the middle of this volume, and as such more information about the power systems will be made avable. As for talent vs hard work. I believe that hard work is important, but without the right amount of talent, it''s sadly useless... Perhaps I am too pessimistic?)

 Chapter 113 CH 100: ALL SIDES

    [GORFARD MANSION]


    ¡°Young master, the Lord is calling for you.¡±


    The butler of the house, standing behind the door called for the heir. From what he was hearing, it seemed like he was still going at it, with the blue wolf ve.


    In the past, the young master had a vast number of ves at his beck and call. Even though maltreating ves was a crime, it wasn¡¯t something that seemed to stop him. After all, a crime was only one if you got caught. But,tely, it was as if he was in trance. All his attention was only focused on this one ve.


    Chuckling, he adjusted, the ring on his finger. He had been doubtful at first, but as the apostle had told him, that pitiful young man was slowly bing even more of a waste than he was initially.


    ¡®Well, the young master should be happy. He will be one of the cornerstones for the advent of the Crimson Lady.¡¯


    Hiding the deep fanatical light shining in his eyes, he bowed once the door opened, only sparing a nce at the half-naked blue wolfying on the bed, her body stained with body fluid.


    Leonard Gorfard, looking pissed off, asked, ¡°What does the old bastard want?¡±


    ¡°Young master please, pay attention to your words.¡±


    Inwardly though, he was gloating. Leonard had always been a man who paid attention to outward appearance. Even though he was trash, he was smart trash, in the past, he would have never openly uttered such stupid words.


    Leonard frowned before continuing, ¡°Then let me rephrase it, what does my, oh, so honored father wish?¡±


    ¡°His highness will soon arrive¡± He could see the expression Leonard crumble, but this didn¡¯t stop him. ¡°His lordship wishes for you to stop your...Let¡¯s say unsavory activities and prepare yourself. He also wanted me to remind you to hide your ve, lest the prince see her and find out that she is an illegal ve. After all, the prince won¡¯t be the sole noble present.¡±


    The truth was that the master said no such thing. After all, while he did despise his son, he had enough faith in him to understand what to do on such asions. But how could Leonard know this?


    As he expected, Leonard gave a cold smile, ¡°I see¡­ I understand. Tell my father that I will be on time.¡±


    The way he emphasized on the word father told how angry he was, which couldn¡¯t make the butler happier.


    ¡®Be it father or son, they are just people filled with useless pride and an inferiorityplex.¡¯


    ¡°Then, If I may.¡±


    Bowing once again, he turned back and left, his hand still twirling his ring. He didn¡¯t know what the apostle was plotting but it didn¡¯t matter. Even if he was caught, it would be all worth it as long as it was profitable for the Crimson Lady.


    ¡®Let the wings of freedom soar in the sky!¡¯


    Murmuring in his heart, he went to finish the preparation.


    ----


    [HIGHLAND MANSION]


    ¡°Dear uncle, you called me?¡±


    In an office, Ares Hignd stood while looking at his uncle with curiosity and worry. He knew that his cousin had been afflicted with a seemingly incurable disease that put her in a deep sleep.


    Lately, his uncle''s expression was bing more and more haggard, showing that something must have happened.


    Gerald meanwhile, forced himself to smile as he indicated Ares to take a seat,


    ¡°I called you today to discuss the future of our family.¡±


    Ares'' expression became much more serious as he sat straight and waited. His uncle had always been an example for him and he respected him as much as he respected his grandfather, if not more. After all, even though his grandfather tried to hide it, he knew deep down that Athena had always been the most favorite one.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t resentful. He loved his sister and even though he was a little jealous about the attention she always seemed to obtain, he knew more than anyone else how much she worked to obtain. Still, being appreciated would make anyone happy and this was something his uncle always gave him.


    ¡°What do you mean, Uncle Gerald?¡±


    Gerald looked at his cute little nephew. A bright and talented if somewhat rash boy. Even though hecked raw charisma and the talent Athena had, he was still a talented kid with a bright future. What¡¯s more, he was also a lovable kid who wore his heart in the palm of his hand.


    Thinking about how he was going to make such an innocent kid suffer because of him, a deep feeling of guilt gushed in his heart.


    ¡®I am sorry.¡¯


    Stelling his resolve, he let out a heavy sigh,


    ¡°As you know, the situation of the family has been declining, currently, even though we are Duke in name, our real power is one or two ranks lower.¡±


    He was somewhat exaggerating. Their situation may be bad but, as long as he and Tyr were alive, it was impossible to fall so low.


    ¡°Thest time Sol visited, you should have felt the tremor of energy. That was because my brother and Sol didn¡¯t reach apromise. Sol confided to me and said that he might officially demote the family once he bes King¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Ares shouted as he rose up in shock, his upbringing all but forgotten. He did indeed remember a sh of energy back then and he knew that his uncle was also extremely close to the prince.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°But grandfather told me nothing!¡±


    Gerald showed a regretful expression as he said, ¡°I suppose he wanted to protect you. Though, he called Athena and discussed the situation with her.¡±


    Gerald yed carefully with his words, and watched as Ares sat down with a helpless chuckle, ¡°I guess that, once again, grandfather does not find me trustworthy.¡±


    Gerald inwardly sighed. His lie could not be seen through since his brother had the habit of always consulting Athena first. Since this was the truth, and the sh was indeed also a truth, the lie about Sol¡¯s words was easily covered.


    Lying wasn¡¯t about only showing falsehood. A good lie was one mixed with so many truths it became impossible to distinguish truth from lie.


    What¡¯s more, thanks to his good rtionship with him, Ares was even less inclined to scrutinize the veracity of his words.


    Betrayal and trust were two sides of the same coin. After all, how could you betray someone who never trusted you in the first ce?


    ¡°Then, uncle, why did you call me? What should I do?¡±


    ¡°As you know, the prince severelycks male friends. In fact, it can be said that I am the sole man he really became close to. But I am old, and my days are counted. I need you to be close to him. This rtionship could save our family.¡±


    ? Ares nodded, ¡°But how could I do it? I didn''t really have the asion to discuss with him.¡±


    Giving a warm smile, Gerald opened his drawer and took out a bottle of alcohol, ¡°Rtionships must slowly be formed, but nothing better than some good liquor to forge rtionships between men.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this mark? I never saw such a bottle.¡±


    The Duke Hignd was an alcohol collector and Ares had seen many of the rarest ones.


    Giving it to Ares, Gerald answered, ¡°This is a special brew made by the dwarves under mymission. Only three of this kind exist. I have drunk the first one with your King Mars, the second one with your deceased parents, and my son-inw when you and my granddaughter were born. This one...Is thest.¡±


    At the mention of the kings and his parents, Ares had a solemn expression as he took the bottle firmly in his hand.


    ¡°Tonight, the Gorfard invited many nobles to wee his highness. His preparations are truly extravagant. Your sister will not go. Use this asion to be closer to his highness and share a drink with him. The rest will be left to you.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Then, this is all, you may go.¡±


    Nodding, Ares turned and began to leave.


    ¡°Ares.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Turning he squinted his eyes as the expression of his uncle was covered by a ray of waning sunlighting through the window.


    ¡°....Nothing, just know that no matter what happens, I am proud of you.¡±


    Feeling his heart warming, Ares dipped his head in a bow and left the room.


    Now, alone, Gerald stood up and looked at a portrait in the corner of the room. On it, a family of three happily smiled at him.


    Sighing, he painfully closed his eyes as he murmured, ¡°Soon, soon, everything will end. I just have to hold on for a short while.¡±


    Calming his shivering hand, he slowly left the room; his steps, filled with determination.


    ----


    [CROWN¡¯S SHADOW HIDEOUT]


    ¡°Is everything ready?¡±


    Somewhere in one of the room, someone was seemingly murmuring to himself,


    ¡°I see. Then, once all the pieces are ced, it will be time to begin the requiem.¡±


    Mirth could be heard in his voice despite his chilling words.


    ----


    The clock was slowly advancing, and all sides were making preparations. The events that were about to begin were nothing more than the first steps toward an event that would stay in the annals of history. Which side wille out on top? How many sacrifices will be necessary for victory?


    This was something no one knew as of now.


    (AN: Not even the author knows.)

 Chapter 114 CH 101: AT THE DOOR STEP

    [CASTITAS CHURCH]


    Standing with her eye closed, Camelia was murmuring a string of words, so fast her words would have been barelyprehensible for anyone.


    The ultimate defense used to protect the capital required the supreme daughter¡¯s blood as a catalyst and her body as the nucleus. This means that once she began, she would bepletely unable to move or even protect herself.


    Standing beside her was Chloe as usual. The girl was truly growing on her, if it was possible, she would have considered poaching her from Slothstein and keep her as the holy daughter of Lustburg.


    ¡°Chloe, did you begin the evacuation of the district belonging to Gorfard?¡±


    Chloe nodded with a heavy expression, ¡°Thanks to the preparation you made, it wasn¡¯tplicated, tonight, the popce was informed that you would perform a miracle in the za and do a mass heal. The Queen had also arranged more performers to concentrate in the za to attire people there.¡±


    Camelia nodded satisfied, what was about to happen was something truly dangerous. Camelia wouldn¡¯t have been so worried if they simply had to deal with Loki Gorfard as they initially thought. After all, no matter how powerful he was as a Duke, at the end of the day, he was just that, strong. He had in no way reached the level that could really threaten her or Lilith.


    But now that the wings of freedom were involved, the situation was far moreplicated. After all, this organization also had its own set of powerhouses.


    ¡°Are the pdins ready? What about the current white knight?¡±


    She frowned as she mentioned this, she was still disappointed by how easily the kid had been manipted and how he would have fought Sol if she didn¡¯t intervene.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t blind, well, she wasn¡¯t blind anymore. She understood that the kid had a big crush on her. But thousands of men had a crush on her. Did this mean that she had to cater to each of them?


    The only reason she hadn¡¯t demoted him was that he truly wasn¡¯t a bad kid and his talent also pretty good. After all, being able to control ice to such an extent wasn¡¯t given to anyone.


    ----


    In another part of the church, a young man wearing a silver-white armor was squatting powerlessly on the ground with his head hanging.


    Beside him, a white and ck creature wearing a suit without pants was gurgling on a te full of fish.


    Once it was satiated, the creature surprisingly began to speak with a surprisingly manly voice, ¡°How long are you going to mope like this young man? I do not remember you being so weak?¡±


    The man ignored his contracted partner, and mumbled, ¡°She must hate me now.¡±


    ¡°But she never liked you in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°I must have worsened the impression she had on me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she even cares about your existence.¡±


    ¡°Now my chances with her are lower.¡±


    ¡°Bro...Do not worry.¡±


    Raising his head, he looked surprised at his partner; ¡®While heforts me for once.¡¯


    Sadly his hopes were shattered by the next words, ¡°You chances were in the negative in the first ce, so them bing lower doesn''t change anything don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Silence settled between them before the white knight roared and took his partner by the neck, ¡°I am going to kill you!!¡±


    ¡°Help! Help! Murder! This is an abuse of my right!!¡±


    The two of them began to roll and tussle around for a few minutes, meanwhile, the others pdin simply ignored their antics and continued preparing their gear. They were already used to such a scene happening, and they had to admit that seeing the generally overly serious white knight act like a kid his age was one of the reasons he was so appreciated.


    Finally, ending with the knight down and his partner standing above him, said partner gave a low cough and began to fly away, ¡°Well bro, I like you and all, but it¡¯s time for my bath with the nun. Unpopr bastards like you guys should stay between men.¡±


    Giving a wretchedugh while ignoring the death re he was receiving, he calmly flew away.


    Truth be told, he didn¡¯t find human women attractive in the least, but seeing the jealous and pissed look of those nights while they imagined him swimming in the bath with the nuns was one of his best sources of entertainment.


    Watching his partner fly, the white knight, while lying on the ground could only sigh. He had obtained this ice elemental in his trips to the spirit world back then and he had to admit that it was a truly powerful spirit. Sadly, it also had a mean streak and liked to tease people or watch them suffer.


    Still, he had to admit that its blunt words cleared his heart.


    ¡®I really acted in an unsightly way.¡¯


    As a knight, he should respect many virtues, but he had lost to his jealousy and ugly heart.


    ¡®I hope I will be able to meet his highness.¡¯


    Even though nothing had happened thanks to Camelia''s swift intervention, it was a fact that he nearly attacked the one who will bear the crown. Apologies were the least he could do.<sub> </sub>


    ¡®But I have a bad feeling.¡¯


    The pdin had been dispatched tonight to protect the nuns during the mass healing. But this wasn¡¯t normal, for such asions the squire should have been more than enough, and it wasn¡¯t as if the nuns were damsel in distress either since each of them received systemic training in self-defense and weapons art, as well as holy magic.


    He could feel it in his blood.... something big was about to happen.


    -----


    Coming back to Sol, a few hours after his discussion with Milia, Sol now sat alone in the carriage going towards the Gorfard¡¯s mansion.


    For a prince like him to walk around without any escort was something that shouldn¡¯t happen, but this time, Sol didn¡¯t know what would happen. As long as he was alone, it was more than easy to use his dimension to defend or flee if things went sour.


    On the other hand, if someone like Setsuna or Milia was with him, he couldn¡¯t bring them into his dimension since they would automatically hate him so much they would try to kill him.


    Just imagining the opposite of all the love someone like Milia had for him was scary.


    As such, him going alone was the most optimal choice.


    ¡®I really need to work around these limitations.¡¯


    If he could negate or control this inversion of feelings, so many things would be possible.


    Just imagining himself suddenly summoning an army of soldiers no matter where he was made him giddy. This reminded me of the reality marble of Iskander and it was so cool.


    ¡®Haha, I am more stressed than I thought I would.¡¯


    He had remarked that he would begin to think more of things from his previous world to distract himself when he was under heavy stress.


    But how could he not be stressed? Now that he was alone he didn¡¯t have to act strong, nor look though. Now that he was alone, he had to admit that he was a little scared.


    He wasn¡¯t scared about fighting, just that he was more and more aware of just how many lives would change depending on the decisions he would make tonight.


    Many people would die. Many will lose their homes. Many will be wounded.


    In fact, if he wasn¡¯t careful, even some of his women could lose their life, and that, more than anything, terrified him.


    ¡®Truly a selfish prince.¡¯


    He was selfish throughout and through. He cared about people but cared more about his own. He feared spilling blood but feared more the blood of those he cared for being spilled.


    His father in this world put the interest of many above that of the minority. The same went for all the previous King, in their own ways. But, he simply couldn¡¯t.


    ¡®I rather kill thousands, than see one of the people I love bleed.¡¯


    Sol knew that for him who hadn¡¯t even killed someone once, talking about killing thousands of people seemed like big words without any substance. But this was how he felt.


    He had no deep attachments to this world aside from the few people close to him. So why should he care about strangers?


    Because it was his responsibility as a prince?


    Because this was the right thing to do?


    ¡®At the end of the day, I am still too naive and do not know enough about this world.¡¯


    As he approached the gate of the Gorfard''s mansion, Sol decided something in his heart.


    ¡®Once this mess ends and after I form my contract...I will leave Lustburg.¡¯


    Once the carriage stopped and the driver opened the door, all emotions vanished from Sol¡¯s face.


    As a noble, even more as a prince, he could be scared, he could be stressed, sad, happy, or anything. But, he should never let the enemy get hold of his weakness.


    If when alone he was the young teen Sol, once he was in public, he was Prince Sol.


    Finally, he stepped down,


    ¡°His highness, the prince Sol Dragona Luxuria!¡±

 Chapter 115 CH 102: DIGNITY OF A FUTURE RULER

    Differently from his three previous visits, the outside of the Gorfard mansion was quite crowded. After all, Duke Gorfard was one of, if not the most, influential noble after the royal family.


    On one part, this was because the Gorfard family were inws with the royal family through Lilith but this was also because Loki Gorfard was a very good politician.


    As such, the invitation they sent received widespread replies. This waspounded by the fact that the noble knew that the mysterious prince would attend this party, giving the impression that the rtionship between the two camps was slowly mending.


    Of course, the sharp-minded nobles understood that the current undercurrent was quite heavy and abstained from participating. As such, only the low-level nobles and the nobles affiliated with the Gorfard family were attending.


    The moment Sol stepped down from the carriage, all the regard immediately focused on him. Any other man would have felt a little cowed before such intensity. The Sol from a few months ago would have surely felt a little somewhat intimidated.


    But at this moment, as he walked down the red carpet, Sol didn¡¯t even do so much as flinch nor even spare a regard to the people around him.


    Men were shaped by their experiences and the lessons they received from them and Sol had learned many lessons. He was also sure that he would learn many more.


    If he was cowed by some little weak nobles here, then all this time would have simply been a waste.


    ----


    The moment he reached the door, he was respectfully greeted by the head butler. A gentle-looking old man, apanied by two well-dressed young women and two maids.


    But, the moment Sol faced this man, he immediately felt extremely ufortable. As if he was facing something filthy and disgusting.


    Even though this feeling passed in sh and was quite fleeting, Sol was sure that it wasn¡¯t an illusion, and this made him ponder.


    It was the first time he saw this man and he had absolutely no reason to feel such an intense dislike for someone like this.


    This could only mean that something supernatural was at y.


    ¡®Either his race is something I cannot support or there is something else.¡¯


    From his recent discussion with Camelia, he was quite sure about what this feeling means, proving that many dangerous events will happen soon.


    Even though thousands of thoughts were running in his head, Sol¡¯s face betrayed nothing. He even showed a faint smile and slightly nodded his head.


    Those few days of visiting the nobles had been more rewarding in experience than years of studying.


    The butler was apanied by two young women who were rather beautiful. Since he made some research about Gorfard, he knew that those two were concubine daughters born between some of the maids and Loki himself.


    Seeing them, the warmth in his eyes immediately chilled.


    Sol was someone who didn¡¯t particrly care about rules because of his modern upbringing. Still, this didn¡¯t stop him from understanding that what was happening now was the Duke slighting him.


    After all, even though the Prince came to visit them, neither the Duke nor his heir came to wee him.


    If this was all, it could still be pardoned, but they had to send a woman of extremely low birth to salute him with a servant. In a way, this was sending a message,


    ¡®You are the prince, but so what?¡¯


    Even though Sol didn¡¯t care about social convention, this didn¡¯t mean that others thought the same as him. If he let this pass, it would be a grave insult.


    So how should he respond? Thinking so, he looked at the butler with a yful light in his eyes and asked,


    ¡°Is the Gorfard family trying to humiliate me?¡±


    This question was asked very lightly as if the answer didn¡¯t matter, as if the prince was simply looking at a bunch of clowns prancing and jumping around.


    This, more than anything, unsettled the butler.


    He had been ready for many kinds of response from the prince. Mainly anger or silent eptance, not this seemingly indifference and amusement.


    After years of serving the previous Gorfard Family, he had thought that knew well those creatures called nobles, more precisely young nobles.


    In his opinion, all young nobles were selfish spoiled naive brats. Some of them despite this naivety were quite good morally wise, while some others like his own young master were evil little shit.


    From the information he had gathered about Sol, he wasn¡¯t particrly any better than any other young master, just less evil. Though, after the fight in the arena, it was clear that most, if not all the information they had about him waspletely wrong.


    The prince in front of him still seemed rtively naive, but it was different, what stood in front of him was a noble beast who was slowly growing out of his shell.<sub> </sub>


    Thinking so, he imperceptibly lowered his posture a few degrees more and spoke, ¡°I beg your forgiveness. This is in no way our intentions, the duke and the heir are currently giving their all to prepare a party worthy of his Highness.¡±


    ¡°I see, heh, so the men are preparing the party while the women are idling. Well, call the duchess then, I refuse to step foot in here without an appropriate reception. Or, is the duchess also too busy?¡±


    The mocking tone in his voice was clear for all, making the bystander who stood afar chuckle a little.


    This world was one where the gender difference wasn¡¯t as important as in his original world. In this current world, women were in no way disadvantaged in handling mana when facing men.


    The reality was that all the goddesses were, well...goddesses, and all the churches were also controlled by women. Finally, the two strongest beings knew, Echidna and Ambrosia were also women.


    From all that, Sol was somewhat surprised about how this world wasn¡¯t more matriarchal.


    What baffled him, even more, was that even though women weren¡¯t weaker than men, or most of time, even stronger, traditions from his original words such as men on the battlefield and women at home also existed here.


    This was yet another contradiction of his world, though it worked in his favor now.


    The butler shivered a little and said, ¡°Surely you are jesting your highness, thedy felt a little faint this morning, but it will be no problem to call for her if your highness insists.¡±


    His words were implying that Sol was forcing someone who was sick toe to receive him just to please his own vanity.


    But Sol simply gave a simple smile, ¡°Do so.¡±


    A small uproar passed in the crowd, some were quite surprised at the prince''s action. But Sol didn¡¯t care. In the first ce, even though he didn¡¯t want to seem like a tyrant, he didn¡¯t want to appear like a good and benevolent king like his father either.


    After all, while ¡®good and benevolent king¡¯ sounded good, it was just a nice way to say pushover.


    The butler, understanding that continuing wouldn¡¯t be good, simply gave a signal to one of the maids who gave a bow and rushed into the house.


    During all this, the two daughters stayed entirely silent. After all, even though in a way they had Gorfard blood, they had absolutely no right to be heiress. What¡¯s more, from the weak fluctuation of manaing from them, it was clear how talentless they were. As such, they neither had the status nor the power to talk to Sol if he didn¡¯t address them first.


    The fact that a butler had more authority than them was quite ironically pitiful in Sol¡¯s eyes, but this also renowned his own understanding of this world.


    This world wasn¡¯t some idealistic utopia.


    ----


    The wait for the duchess wasn¡¯t long.


    The maid came back with a mourous middle-aged woman who held a small polite smile and had a paleplexion.


    Sol had to secretly admit that while she was inferior to his own women, she had a mature appearance that theycked. After all, thanks to their power, most of his women looked younger than they were, with Medea taking the cake.


    Chuckling at this thought, he briefly nodded as the duchess gave a small curtsey. After all, she was a duchess and Sol was yet to be king, as such, giving a full bow wasn¡¯t necessary for her.


    ¡°I wee your highness and beg your pardon for the situation.¡±


    ¡°You are pardoned.¡±


    The Duchess''s smile cramped a little at how blunt he was, but she rxed so quickly that only someone with heightened sense like Sol could have perceived it.


    ¡°Well then, your highness, if you would follow me? The party still didn¡¯t start and I will bring you to the waiting room.¡±


    He simply nodded and followed her. The order of entry to a party was extremely important.


    Of course, the first one to appear should be the host himself, but after this, theter one the higher his rank.


    If Sol joined the main venue of the party now, no other nobles would dare to step foot after him, since it would be an insult to the crown.


    The Gorfard family had deep power, but it didn¡¯t reach the level where the nobles would willingly act in such a stupid way just to please him.


    As he slowly entered the mansion, Sol felt a great premonition.


    This night would be something he would never forget.

 Chapter 116 CH 103: TO A NEW FRIENDSHIP?

    [Gorfard mansion]


    ¡°Oh!? That prince said that?¡±


    Currently, in one of the VIP rooms standing above the ballroom, Loki was listening to his butler as he described the events that happened.


    Aside from being a little shocked at how the boy imposed himself, he was once again jealous about how his dead nemesis could have such a promising son while he was stuck with some stupid bastard.


    One of the reasons he had so many children was that he dreamed of the day one of his offspring could show superior talent.


    ¡®All I got are those garbages.¡¯


    Though Leonard had some talent, it was just not bad in his eyes and far from his target.


    He sighed as he thought about his niece, Lilin, the daughter of his deceased brother and Lilith. Even now, he didn¡¯t understand how such a guy could have such a talented daughter.


    This showed that the genes of the royal families were simply on another level. Thinking so, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of child he could have if heid with those two women.


    ¡°Your lordship?¡±


    ¡°Hum, no matter. Where did that woman send the prince?¡±


    That woman of course was the duchess. A rather useless woman whose sole use had been giving him more clout when he fought for the title of heir back then. Now that she was useless, if it wasn¡¯t to keep a good image in public, she would have already vanished after some ¡®ident¡¯.


    ¡°Thedy sent the prince to the same waiting room as the Ares Hignd.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­¡±


    He twirled his ss full of red wine as he pondered. The fact that the second heir of the Hignd participated in his party was pretty unexpected;


    Of course, he knew that the boy should havee for Sol, but why?


    ¡°I see. Then, you did a good job. Go tell my useless son that he has thirty minutes to prepare himself and entertain the prince.¡±


    The threat in his tone was unmistakable, the Duke seemed really pissed off with his son.


    Bowing, the butler turned and left the room.


    Now alone, the Duke¡¯s eyes squinted as he watched the back of his ¡®loyal¡¯ butler.


    ¡®Seem like I need to erase himter.¡¯


    He had absolutely no proof, and it was nothing more than a feeling, but he would rather kill and be proven wrongter rather than trust and be betrayed.


    ----


    Meanwhile, Sol sat with a troubled expression as he faced Ares.


    It had been somewhat of a surprise to see the man here, but once he understood that Ares was, in fact,ing to see him, he rxed his furrowed brows a little.


    Currently, the two of them sat in an extremelyvish room. In some way, this guest room seemed even more luxurious than some of the main rooms in the tower of babel.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that the Gorfard were wealthier.


    From what Sol could see, this ostentatious need to show off one wealth was generally born from a repressed feeling of inferiority.


    As such, this act of showing off was basically like screaming, ¡®Look at me! Look how great I am!¡¯


    Generally, the more inferior someone felt when they were low, the more they would show off once they seeded.


    Well, it was also possible that the Duke was someone extremely narcissistic, or perhaps it was a mix of those two.


    Sol thought idly as he sat in the awkward silence. Finally, seemingly unable to take the silence anymore, Ares spoke,


    ¡°Your highness, are you an avid drinker?¡±


    This was a question so abrupt that Sol could only hold in his urge tough, for fear to discourage the man who had finally gathered his courage.


    Once hisughter was under control, he answered, ¡°Well, it¡¯s really hard to say, though I do not mind drinking, I do not particrly enjoy it either. At least, I did not develop a taste for it.¡±


    In his past life, he died before being legally old enough to drink, and in this life, after he became legally old enough to drink he found that he had a constitution that stopped him from bing drunk.


    Since he couldn¡¯t get drunk, then what was the use of drinking?<sub> </sub>


    Ares appeared to be a little embarrassed by his answer but still continued, as he pointed to a bottle of liquor and aplete set.


    ¡°This bottle is one edition extremely limited, with this one being thest one still not open. Would his highness give me the honor to share a drink?¡±


    ¡®Why is he doing all that?¡¯


    Sol could feel a certain plea in his words as if he was short of groveling. Which was something he couldn¡¯t understand. After all, he had already reached an agreeable agreement with Tyr Hignd.


    ¡®Or perhaps he wants me to help him get the title of Duke rather than his sister?¡¯


    This was also possible. After all, in nobles'' families, betrayal was asmon as clouds. Though, he didn¡¯t expect something like this from the Hignd siblings. At least they didn¡¯t seem to be the kind to backstab.


    ¡®Well, Gerald didn¡¯t seem to be the kind to backstab either.¡¯


    A bitter feeling spread through his heart, as he thought about this situation. Pushing down this feeling, he focused on the situation at hand.


    He didn¡¯t want to jump to a conclusion too fast and it would be unjust to this man.


    What Sol didn¡¯t know was that the more he stayed silent, the more Ares was sure about what his uncle told him, making him even more desperate.


    For him, the Hignd family was paramount to everything. All his life, he had been educated about the importance of the family. Everything he had, everything he was, was thanks to the family. He could never repay his debt.


    That was why, even though he had as much right as Athena for the family, he had never tried to fight her.


    The family needed apetent leader, if he was aspetent or more than Athena, he would have without a doubt fought for power. But, the truth was that he wasn¡¯t.


    Be it in terms of talent, or knowledge, Athena surpassed him. He was stronger than her in singlebat, but the hignd family was first and foremost a family of general. As such, Athena was the perfect leader. Everyone understood this truth and he never fought against it.


    Still, he wanted to do something. He wanted to help. He didn¡¯t want to stay useless.


    Someone once said that the path of hell was paved with good intentions. This quote was perfect to describe the current situation.


    ¡°Why do you wish to drink with me?¡±


    ¡°To tell the truth, I wish to be closer to you.¡±


    Silence stretched at those surprising words,


    ¡°I am sorry, but I am straight.¡±


    Ares tilted a little bit before his eyes widened and his face reddened,


    ¡°Th-this wasn¡¯t what I meant! I-I am also straight! I swear!¡±


    Augh escaped Sol while Ares kept fumbling around. Wiping a tear from the corner of his eyes, Sol continued, ¡°I know, I know, I was just teasing you.¡±


    Sol finally released a sigh after this. It was the first time in a long while that he could joke around with a boy his age. Gay jokes were old as hell in his world, but in this one, homosexuality still wasn¡¯t particrly spread.


    He had to admit that it was a feeling that he missed,


    ¡®Well, why not try making friends?¡¯


    ¡°Well,¡± Taking one of the sses on the table, he pushed it toward Ares, ¡°Pour me a drink please.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡±


    Understanding that the prince was epting his friendship, he opened the bottle and poured a little bit of the liquor into two sses.


    Taking his ss, the two raised it,


    ¡°Your highness, let¡¯s drink to a new friendship!¡±


    ¡°To a new friendship.¡±


    After watching Ares down the ss in one go, Sol slowly brought the ss to his lips, but, just as he was about to drink it...


    -----


    (AN: Well, I know exining jokes areme but hey, I really want to exin this. For those who know the god Loki from myth, they should know that Loki is the father(Sometimes mother) of some pretty crazy powerful monster like Fenrir or Sleipnir. Meanwhile here, my Loki struggles to get talented offspring. Lol, just a little info.)

 Chapter 117 CH 104: BITCH SLAPPING (1)

    [Tower of Babel]


    ¡°Yahallo! My cute Lilin, you have grown so much since thest time I saw you. How have you been!? What about you, Nuwa?¡±


    In the hanging garden, a rather humorous scene was happening.


    Nuwa and Lilin could be seen seated with a rather strange expression while a hyper-excited young girl was greeting them.


    For Lilin who was used to her mother''s sternness, it was a weird feeling to see someone like Theresa. She really wondered how someone like her and someone like her mother could be friends.


    Since she was born while Mars and ze were still alive, she had some memories of them. Even though said memories were really blurry.


    Nuwa meanwhile still kept her usual expressionless face, but if anyone paid attention, they would remark that her lips slightly curled up.


    After all, while she was rather cynical, she understood that she was really lucky to have fallen in hands of someone like Theresa. Her future could have been far more different.


    Of course, in a way, Theresa could be said to have kidnapped her. But since Theresa had never hidden the truth from her and always treated her well, it was hard to be angry.


    Theresa on the other hand was focused on Lilin, as she thought, ¡®They really do look like each other. Too much like each other.¡¯


    Lilith¡¯s marriage and subsequent pregnancy was something Theresa never understood, for it was simply too fishy.


    Most people might not know it, but all the members of their old team aside from Mars knew that she had an extreme dislike toward members of the opposite sex. A sort of androphobia, only without the fear. This was most likely one of the reasons why, aside from Sol, there were no men allowed in the upper part of the tower.


    The reason for such a dislike was unknown, at least to Theresa, but she knew that it was to level that aside from Mars and now Sol, or duringbat, she never let any men so much as touch her. Even her sword style was devised in such a way that she could avoid direct contact as much as possible.


    How could such a woman ept marrying, less so have a sexual rtionship with a man she didn¡¯t even like? What¡¯s more, it wasn¡¯t as if Lilith was a defenseless woman back then.


    She might not have her current fame and power, but she was still someone feared on the battlefield.


    If you added Lilith¡¯sworks with people such as her, one of the richest women in the world, the holy daughter of Industria, the holy daughter of Castitas, a dragon, one of the four directions, the princess of Envilya, suffice to say that absolutely no one should have been able to force her to marry if she didn¡¯t want to.


    Despite this, not only did she marry, but she was suddenly pregnant and her husband died soon after her pregnancy was announced.


    All her life, Theresa had to swim in a sea of plots and deadly strategies where even one mistake would mean death, and she knew to sniff a big plot when she saw one.


    The only reason she never investigated too much was that this was Lilith''s right to keep her secret.


    ¡®As for her daughter.¡¯


    She walked closer to Lilin and tiptoed to touch the face of the surprised girl.


    She hadn¡¯t been able to remark it because Lilin was too young back then, but as of now, the more she looked at her, the more she felt like that, aside from some minor difference, she was seeing a mirror of a younger Lilith.


    ¡°Let me guess. You also love Sol, right?¡±


    Lilin was a little startled at the sudden urate question. She wasn¡¯t able to voice her answer though because,


    ¡°Stop bothering my daughter.¡±


    Lilith''s voice sounded from afar as she entered the garden, making Theresa stop her probing.


    Once Lilith reached them, she gave an indifferent nce to Nuwa, causing her to stiffen up.


    Under her gaze, Nuwa felt as if she was being stared at by a predator about to swallow her up.


    ¡°Hah! No bullying.¡±


    Theresa punched Lilith on her hips, though the only reason she was able to do so was that she was so weak Lilith didn¡¯t even bother dodging.


    Still, it did stop her from continuing. She held no love towards the chimera, and could even be said to hate them.


    If she didn¡¯t know that this girl could perhaps be Sol¡¯s partner, and was in a way the surrogate daughter of Theresa, she would have already cut her.


    Taking Theresa by the scruff, she put her away and boldly sat down.


    Theresa, who had been thrown like a ragdoll did a somersault andnded quite gracefully. After all, even though she was weak, she wasn¡¯t helpless either.


    Trotting back, she sat next to Lilith and hummed without any intention to begin the conversation.


    Lilith, seeing her silence could only release a sigh, and ask, ¡°So, did youplete it?¡±


    ¡°Ah! I thought you never ask.¡±


    Laughing out loud, Theresa fished out a golden silver pearl and caressed it with a tender gesture.


    Lilith¡¯s expression, on the other hand, became solemn as she asked with a trembling voice. ¡°Did you seed¡­?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I finallypleted it.¡±


    Lilith''s hand unconsciously reached toward the pearl before she stopped and made it back down. Calming her wildly beating heart, she asked, ¡°How is itpared to the holy sword?¡±


    Theresa made an expression of disgust, ¡°That shit is anything but holy.¡± Then her expression became a little thoughtful, ¡°As is it now, my creation is still a little weaker, but... This won¡¯tst!¡±


    Saying so, she immediately began to show a fervent expression, ¡°Once Sol fuse with it, we will witness...The birth of the 8th holy weapon! Hahaha! My name will surely go in history!¡±


    Lilith began to shiver, she had no reason to doubt Theresa¡¯s words, the dwarf wasn¡¯t someone who likes to brag. This meant that once Sol obtained this weapon. Then, she would really have nothing to worry about.


    Meanwhile, Nuwa and Lilin, who were seemingly forgotten, had an expression full of suspicion.<sub> </sub>


    They did not understand what they meant exactly, but they could understand that this shining pearl in Theresa was something important and should really be helpful to Sol.


    ----


    [Gorfard¡¯s Mansion; private room]


    While Lilith and Theresa discussed in the hanging garden, Sol, who was about to drink the liquor suddenly stopped,


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    Ares, who was initially still bathing in the aftertaste, asked with a confused expression.


    After all, they had just decided to drink to their friendship.


    Sol on the other hand didn''t pay attention to Ares as he looked at the ss in his hand with an extremely heavy expression.


    Just as he was about to drink, he suddenly began to hesitate, after all, just because Ares could drink it didn''t mean it wasn''t poisoned.


    What''s more, something was screaming at him, an instinct deep down was telling him, that he absolutely couldn''t drink this liquor, that something really bad would happen if he did.


    But Ares was obviously fine.


    The world seemed to slow down around him as thousands of thoughts swirled in his mind.


    ''There are three possibilities. One, he already took an antidote. Two, the poison isn''t fast-acting and he can take the antidoteter. Three, the poison is only for targets fulfilling a specific condition.''


    Of course, it was also possible that he was worrying for nothing. Perhaps it wasn''t really his intention to talk but just his delusion.


    But¡­ What if he was right?


    ''Then, is he the one behind it? Or does he not know?''


    Sol''s eyes became cold for a split of second before calming down, as he twirled his ss,


    "Your highness?"


    This time, Ares really began to frown.


    "Who does this bottle belong to?"


    Ares tilted his head at the sudden question, "What''s the matter?"


    "Hahha~Nothing. I was just lost in thoughts. So, who is the original owner of this liquor?"


    If after all this, Ares didn''t begin to discern that something was seriously wrong, then he would have wasted all those years of training.


    His eyes widened a little before he began to break out in cold sweats.


    Still, he answered the question without hesitation, "Your highness shouldn''t worry. This belongs to my grand uncle. It¡¯s a very important memento that he used on important asions, such as the birth of my cousin.¡±


    If Sol still had any naive notion that Gerald wasn¡¯t really a traitor, buried deep in his heart, then all of them were dispelled at this moment.


    Weirdly though, he felt nothing but cold mockery,


    ¡®He used one of those bottles for the birth of his granddaughter and now he used another one to facilitate saving her. What a dedicated grandfather.¡¯


    ¡°I see, Gerald is really someone thoughtful.¡±


    They said that there were five stages to grief. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and finally eptance. Since the first mention of Gerald''s possible betrayal to today, he had already gone through all the four steps, and now with this fact in front of him, he finally epted the cold hard truth.


    Sol of course couldn¡¯t analyze his current mental state as he was wondering what the effects of the poison were.


    He doubted that it was something deadly. After all, they needed to retrieve his core, and killing him here wouldn''t work.


    ''So, something to weaken me? No matter, the most important thing right now is¡­''


    He focused on Ares.


    ''... To find if this guy was in the know.''


    "Hey, Ar.. "


    Forgetting his polite speech, Sol was about to address him when¡­


    "Good evening, your highness."


    He was suddenly interrupted when a man entered the room.


    Turning toward the neer, Sol who was currently mildly irate, asked bluntly,


    "Who are you?"


    The young man seemed surprised before an expression of rage flickered in his eyes then vanished, reced by a smile, "Seems like your highness didn''t do his homework before visiting. My name is Leonard...Leonard Gorfard. The heir of the Gorfard family, at your service."


    ----


    (AN: And here is the first meeting with that guy. Currently all pieces are basically set. Soon thest step towards the end will begin. I hope I won''t fuck it up.)

 Chapter 118 CH 105: BITCH SLAPPING (2)

    [GORFARD MANSION]


    "Who are you?"


    Leonard had never felt so humiliated in life. The moment heard this question, he felt like he was seeing red. The fact that despite all his machinations, the prince didn¡¯t even know about his existence made him feel like his existence was worthless and he hated this feeling.


    Sneering inside, he spoke while giving a fake smile,


    "Seems like your highness didn''t do his homework before visiting. My name is Leonard...Leonard Gorfard. The heir of the Gorfard family, at your service."


    Not only were his words arrogant, but he did not even bow as he spoke,


    ¡°Sir Leonard! Show more respect to his highness!¡±


    Ares stood up in fury. Even though his family did test Sol on their first meeting, it was the Duke''s personal action, who, in terms of status, wasn''t inferior to the crown prince.


    But, what about him, Athena, or Leonard? At the end of the day, they only had the courtesy noble rank of Viscount, just one rank higher than a Baron.


    They didn¡¯t even have territory nor official power, so in a sense, they were even lower than Baron.


    Seeing Leonard sneering without having any intention to correct his mistake, Ares was about to continue berating him, but a hand from Sol stopped him.


    ¡°Haha! I was wondering what gives you the guts to speak to me like this, but it seems like you are just someone else''s dog.¡±


    Ares¡¯s face immediately flushed in humiliation.


    *Sigh*


    This sigh made Leonard look away from Ares but just as he turned toward Sol, he was startled to see the young prince facing him, just a few meters away from him.


    His eyes constricted at this disy of speed, ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Silence¡±, his mouth immediately closed at those cold words.


    ¡®Was he always this tall?¡¯


    Standing in front of Sol, his breath became hurried and his face pale, it felt like each second suddenly began to crawl and as if Sol was bing taller in front of his eyes.


    But more than anything, what made Leonard¡¯s legs tremble the most was the cold indifference he could see in Sol''s eyes ¨C as if he was nothing more than a pitiful worm.


    This realization made him so ashamed that his fear vanished and was reced by fury. He was about to arouse his energy when,


    *p!*


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Leonard''s mind nked out for a short while before the burning pain on his cheek registered in his mind.


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°I said. Shut. Up.¡±


    *p!*


    This was followed by another p on the other cheek.


    This was even heavier than the previous. So much that his brain felt a little dizzy.


    Touching his bruised cheek, Leonard''s eyes burned fiercely, but he did not dare to utter a word.


    If the first p could be said to be because of his carelessness, the second one perfectly showed that he wasn¡¯t even able to react to Sol''s simple move.


    Looking at Leonard cowering in silence, Sol gave a small smile as he looked at him, ¡°See? It wasn¡¯t so hard right? Who is the good dog now? Now, you are going to properly apologize, like the good little dog you are...Understood?¡±


    Those words infuriated Leonard so much that he screamed, ¡°Bastard! Who do you think you are!?¡±


    *p!*


    His bravado was rewarded by another heavy p.


    ¡°I am the prince and, more than anything, I am stronger than you. Now, forget about apologies, such things are unnecessary. Out of my sight. I do not wish to see your face before the start of the banquet.¡±


    Saying so, he turned around andpletely disregarded Leonard.


    Facing this back, Leonard''s face fluctuated between red and white before he finally lowered his head in shame and left the room.


    Sol, once he sat back, looked at the stunned expression of Ares but did not care. Still, he inwardly, he sighed,


    ¡®This wasn¡¯t like me to act like this.¡¯


    Currently, Sol was in a weird state where his emotions stood at a boiling point.


    The fact that Gerald was not only a traitor but also might have tried to kill him was simply too much to learn in one go.


    In such a situation, Leonard''s appearance served as the perfect outlet to this frustration.


    But this wasn¡¯t all, this world wasn¡¯t one where humble people were respected. If he had let that guy go away without setting things straight, Leonard would have taken him for a pushover.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t all. Sol might have a hard time putting a lid on his wrath and his pride, but he wasn¡¯t totally irrational.


    For one, he did not go too far when humiliating Leonard. A few ps and some bad words weren¡¯t particrly grave in the grand scheme of things, even more so since Leonard gave him the perfect excuse by not paying respect to him.


    What¡¯s more, the eradication of the Gorfard family was already more or less decided. So tearing all cordial rtionships now wasn¡¯t a problem.


    ¡®Well, all that would be worked outter. Now though, I need to discuss with this guy here.¡¯


    ------


    ¡®Bastard! Bastard! Bastard! I am going to kill him. I am going to fucking kill him.¡¯


    Leonard had never been so humiliated in his life. If before he had simply acted against the prince out of dislike, now he was doing so out of pure hatred.


    Thinking about making this bastard pay for this humiliation, Leonard tookrge strides in the direction of his father''s office.


    Thankfully, even though the estate was extremelyrge, the waiting room was close to the banquet room, as such, it didn¡¯t take long for him to reach his destination.


    Once in front of the door of the private room, he took a deep breath and just as he was about to knock,


    ¡°No need to knock. Enter.¡±


    He stopped his hand just a few centimeters away from the door and gritted his teeth before finally opening it.<sub> </sub>


    The moment he entered, he calmly looked at his father who was standing with his back facing him.


    Even though his father couldn¡¯t see him, he bowed in respect, ¡°Father, I¡­.¡±


    ¡°Spare me the useless genuflexion and tell me why you came here?¡±


    His father''s voice and actions were as cold as always, lowering his head to hide his cold eyes, he began to exin.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t tell the whole truth. By his words, it was simply the prince acting arrogantly and not respecting him, once he finished his words he waited patiently for his father words,


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Turning around, Loki looked at his son with eyes so cold they could have frozen the body of a fire elemental.


    ¡°Let me reiterate my question, you dumb idiot. You went and picked a fight even though I ordered you to y well and after getting humiliated by a kid many years younger than you, not only did you not retaliate, but you came here toin like a little kid!?¡±


    Loki almost roared at thest sentence. Followed by his cold voice, the room seemed to fall in the coldest temperature while frost and snow swirled in the room.


    Looking at his son who couldn¡¯t even raise his head under his outburst, Loki suddenly felt so tired.


    Covering his face with his hand, he asked, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about you giving the prince the initiative in this situation. What did you expect me to do? To tear all rtionships with the prince even though it isn¡¯t time yet? To beat him? Kill him?¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­¡±


    ¡°Then what!?¡±


    He screamed once again before catching his breath, letting out his sigh, he turned back, ¡°Begone. Out of my sight. You are confined in your room until the end of the day.¡±


    ¡°Father!?¡±


    ¡°Do not contradict me! I gave you a chance to perform well and you wasted it. Now go away. Do not make me repeat myself.¡±


    Seeing the cold back of his father, Leonard understood that nothing he said would change anything.


    Standing up, he furiously left the room and closed the door with a bang.


    The Duke meanwhile was already searching if in his list of children he had someone who could temporarily rece Leonard.


    ----


    ¡°Damn! Damn! Damn!¡±


    Leonard cursed again and again after he went back to his room.


    After he entered, he didn¡¯t even wait to disrobepletely before he pushed his ve on the ground and began to vent all his frustration on her.


    Each time he moved in her, his shattered pride would reform a little. He could onlyfort himself by trampling on the pride of someone weaker than him.


    After he finally released himself in her, he took himself out andid down next to her; his breath hurried because of the anger and the release.


    ¡°Your highness, what is happening?¡±


    Leonard looked at her in disdain and did not respond, all his ves were ordered to call him highness. It gave him the feeling that he was a true king.


    ¡°Your highness, you were rougher than usual, is something frustrating you?¡±


    Leonard snickered as he caught her hand, ¡°You became more talkativetely.¡±


    The girl blushed as she said, ¡°Your highness haspletely conquered me. What can I do if I wish to get your approval?¡±


    Her words stroked his ego and made him chuckle. In the end, he simply recounted everything that happened. This time though, for some weird reasons, he was unable to lie and gave the entire truth,


    ¡°Those bastards!¡±


    He was surprised at her reactions, even more so when she began to gently caress his cheek.


    ¡°It must have been hard, right?¡±


    Saying so, she took his head and ced it between her naked and plump breasts.


    ¡°Your highness, if you would listen to me, I think I have a way.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Leonard, who felt his mind bing a little sluggish, asked with suspicion. It had been a long time since he received any disy of affection.


    ¡°Your highness, what about entering the vault?¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy!?¡±


    He wanted to raise himself, but her hand kept him.


    ¡®Had she always been this strong?¡¯


    ¡°Your highness, listen to me, I am just saying this for your own good?¡±


    As she said this, a weird alluring scent filled the room. Leonard, who didn¡¯t know this, felt his doubts slowly fade aways,


    ¡®I must be just tired.¡¯


    ¡°How can the vault help me?¡± He asked with an absent-minded expression.


    ¡°You want to be stronger, right? You want your father to look at you with new eyes, right? You want¡­ to be king, right?¡±


    Her words seemed like the devil''s whisper. How so tempting, how so sweet, that he couldn¡¯t help but agree.


    After all, it couldn¡¯t hurt, right?


    At the end of the day, she was nothing more than a ve who fell for pleasure. Even now she was trying to please him and help him


    What he couldn¡¯t see though, was her emotionless face and her eyes filled with madness and determination.


    The night promised to be even more tumultuous.


    (AN: The helpless woman doesn¡¯t seem so helpless anymore.)

 Chapter 119 CH 106: FEELING BAD

    How to determine that someone was a traitor?


    For others, this was aplicated and lengthy process, involving suspicions, interrogation, and breach of trust.


    But for him?


    There was one great way to verify.


    ...The mirror dimension¡­


    The first principle of his was dimension. Anyone aside from him who entered this dimension would have their emotions toward him inverted.


    Meaning, someone like Milia or Camelia who has an overwhelming love for him would have overwhelming hatred instead.


    When Sol first discovered this power, he began to think about the possible limitations and discovered some potentially big problems in this situation.


    Firstly, most people didn¡¯t have such great love or hatred towards him.


    Most people were indifferent or neutral. Even if their feelings were inverted, the difference wouldn¡¯t berge.


    Secondly, most beings didn¡¯t work on emotions alone.


    They also had their rationality. There was nothing scarier than an intelligent being.


    Even if Milia entered his dimension, logically speaking with her rationality, she should understand that what she feels were not her true feelings.


    At least in theory this should be so.


    But in reality, it seemed like he had underestimated his power.


    This afternoon, before going toward the Gorfard Mansion, he had tested his power with Milia.


    When she entered his dimension, the results were startling. She did really try to kill him, with absolutely no reasoning left.


    This allowed him to determine a second principle; no one who entered his dimensions could control their feelings through reason. In fact, despite their inversion, they became extremely honest¡­


    This understanding brought him to now,


    ¡°Ares, do you want to try something?¡±


    Until now, Sol had always been hesitant about using these features of his power. After all, this was basically like mind maniption.


    But now wasn¡¯t the time for such naive consideration. From now on, he had to advance with the notion that the entire Hignd family couldn¡¯t be trusted. Even though this way of thinking might be harsh, it was the best one.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ares who was still reeling from the ruthless way Sol pped Leonard asked in confusion.


    Sol didn¡¯t bother answering Ares as he stood in front of him and ced his hand on Ares''s shoulder.


    ¡°Transfer.¡±


    From Ares''s point of view, the world around him suddenly began to twist.


    He instinctively tried to free himself, but sadly, the grip on his shoulder was simply too strong.


    ¡°Don¡¯t resist. I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    Hearing this, Ares hesitated a little, and this moment of hesitation was all Sol needed.


    Suddenly, the world around them changed to a dead monochrome color...<sub> </sub>


    Sol, who released Ares''s shoulder, marveled once again at his dimension. Even though it seemed like a dead world, a world fixed in time, everything around him was real.


    ¡®I really need to master this power.¡¯


    Sol had simply too many paths to bing strong.


    Be it by training his already freakish body, by mastering a zone and then avatar, by reaching a mastery in his magic, or by forming contracts.


    It was with those happy worries that Sol finally paid attention to Ares. He was about to ask some question, but seeing his twisted expression full of ridicule and condescending, Sol already had an answer in his heart,


    ¡®Heh, so this guy feels respect and admiration toward me in reality?¡¯


    Smiling a little, he said, ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s time to get some answers.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Your highness, could you please follow¡­? Sir Hignd, is something the matter?¡±


    A middle-aged maid entered the room to invite Sol to finally enter since all the other nobles were present and waiting for him, but she was startled after she saw the haunted expression on Ares Hignd.


    ¡®What happened here?¡¯


    ¡°Nothing much, Sir Ares isn¡¯t feeling well and as such will not join the party, let him rest here would you?¡±


    The maid''s intuition told her that something important had definitely happened, but her years of experience told her that the best thing to do in this situation was to shut up and believe whatever was said to her. Even if she was told that the sun was ck, she had to nod and take it as the truth.


    Giving a bow, ¡°Understood your highness. If you would follow me?¡±


    ¡°But of course, let¡¯s go.¡± Sol walked toward the maid, but just as he was about to pass the door, he stopped and sent a whisper to Ares, [You should know that I did not lie to you. Stay here. If when Ie back, I learn that you left, I will also consider you as a traitor.]


    Ares could only give a hollow smile as he looked down on the ground, not raising his head even after the door was shut.


    Sol''s revtions were not just devastating. The fact that his grand-uncle didn¡¯t hesitate to use him to poison the prince was like a dagger twisting his heart.


    In the Hignd house, even though he had never felt shunned or alone, the only one who really tried to support him and bring him to greater heights had been Gerald.


    ¡®No, this is wrong. Perhaps the prince is mistaken?¡¯


    Tears gathered in his eyes as he kept denying this sad truth. But, no matter how inexperienced he was, Ares was still the second heir of the hignd family.


    His education and all the training he received simply made him unable to refute the irrefutable.


    Looking bitterly at the bottle of wine in front of him, he poured himself another ss before downing in one go.


    Nothing better than alcohol to drown one sorrow.


    ¡®Perhaps when I wake up, everything will only be a dream?¡¯


    Thinking so, he simply threw the ss away and watched it shatter against the wall before he took the bottle and began to drink directly from it.


    He didn''t really care if it was poisoned or not.

 Chapter 120 CH 107: SHIT IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN

    Even though it was night and the moon hung in the sky, the ballroom was illuminated by a plethora of lusters hanging on the ceiling.


    On a wide dancing floor seemingly made of gold, nobles could be seen mingling and chatting while slow and soothing music filled the air.


    The males wore beautiful ck or white suits while the women wore different kinds of dresses, showing their personality.


    Laugher, smile, and happiness seemed to be the rule. But every now and then, those oh so high noble would direct a worried nce toward the main door.


    Clearly, they were waiting for something or someone.


    Their wait didn¡¯tst for long, since the moments the door opened, the servants standing on the side of said door shouted,


    ¡°His highness, Sol Dragona Luxuria, son of Mars Luxuria and the sole and legitimate heir of the throne, is now entering!¡±


    The moment this introduction was made, the music stopped and all the nobles lowered their heads in respect.


    In the then-filled music room, the sole sound came from the slow and steady steps of the prince.


    ¡®So, this is the prince.¡¯


    ¡®He is even more handsome than I thought.¡¯


    ¡®What a demeanor.¡¯


    Such thoughts filled their minds as they watched, with the corner of their eyes, the prince slowly walking toward the center of the room, where a middle-aged man stood proudly with his head held high.


    The contrast between the two was pretty overwhelming.


    Sol was young and vigorous. His short golden hair gave him a somewhat boyish look, but the air around him broke no argument about his royal origin. His blue and gold suit fitted him perfectly and gave him an aura of elegance.


    The Duke, Loki Gorfard, on the other hand looked like an amiable and somewhat overweight old man who wouldn''t even be able to hold a sword, much less fight. His clothes screamed ostentatiousness and arrogance.


    The moment Sol advanced toward the Duke, all the nobles suddenly felt as if they were being crushed.


    All of them understood that a silent confrontation between the old and the young man was happening. They were nothing more than coteral damage.


    This fact greatly surprised them, after all, not only was the Duke openly facing the prince in front of so many nobles, but he was in no way losing.


    ¡°Ohoh!? Your highness, you are approaching me?¡±


    ¡°I cannot say hello to you withouting closer after all, don''t you think?¡±


    ¡°Ohoh! Then,e as you like.¡±


    The moment Sol finally stopped in front of the Duke, the very atmosphere in the room seemed to be separated into two. Though no matter where the nobles stood, all of them had an ugly expression.


    They didn¡¯t understand why this was happening.


    Beforeing here, they had an inkling that something would happen. But, no matter what, it was too fast for them to tear all pretense so fast.


    The Duke had a sneer as he looked at the prince. Watching this face so close reminded him of that infuriating man.


    Still, even though they looked alike, this likeness was only from afar. Aside from the fact that Sol had cut his previously shoulder-length golden hair, everything from his demeanor to his aura was different from his father.


    Sol, on the other hand, had an impassive smile as he inspected the man who created so much trouble for him.


    Since the start of this little journey through the different ducal house, Sol had learned many things and he had to admit that each of the previous three Duke had something incredible about them. Something unique. Be it an unparalleled charisma, incredible skill, or a supreme talent.


    Compared to that, the Duke Gorfard was,


    ¡°You look so small.¡±


    The expression of the Duke didn¡¯t even change. He wasn¡¯t the young and rash kid he had been in the past nor was he stupid like his son.


    In terms of heights, Sol and the duke stood at nearly the same level. As such, one didn¡¯t need to be a genius to understand that Sol was looking down on him from a mental point of view.


    But so what?<sub> </sub>


    Why would he need to care about the yapping of a young boy who is about to die? Thinking so, his smile changed into a little smile as he gave a bow, ¡°Your highness is indeed the mightiest, I admit my loss.¡±


    Sol who was still umting energy stagnated a little bit, before receding his aura, a frown on his face as he looked more attentively at the Duke.


    Sol understood one thing. Those who were driven by emotions weren¡¯t dangerous. Rather, they were easy to goad and manipte.


    But those who were driven by ambition and who could bear all humiliation for thepletion of their goal were people one should be wary of. After all, you never knew how far they were willing to go.


    ''Why did I underestimate a Duke? Even if only for a moment?''


    His frown deepened at this. No matter how the Duke looked. A Duke was still a Duke. Even more so, the Gorfard family was the most influential of them all. How could the leader of such a family be someone to be underestimated?


    What''s more, fighting was only thest resort.


    Sol understood perfectly well that no matter how many precautions they took, the moment ¨¤ fight broke out, many lives would be lost and many infrastructures would be destroyed.


    No matter how slim the chances were, Sol had to at least try to appease his conscience. Of course, even though he was willing to try a pacific solution, he didn''t have any naive thoughts about it seeding.


    Thinking so, he shook his head, "Duke, your words are misleading. I am still far from being the mightiest."


    Even if his brain was flooded, he wouldn''t call himself the mightiest.


    There were simply too many unparalleled existences in this world for him to think something so stupid.


    The Duke gave a fake a smile and raised the ss in his hand, "Tonight is a night that will be remembered for a long time. Now that the prince graced us with his presence, I think it''s time to dance." Turning toward the orchestra, he mouthed, "Music."


    New music began to fill the room once again, turning back to the prince, the Duke said, "I have organized this party for you, so I hope your highness will appreciate it."


    ''After all, this might be yourst.''


    -----


    [????]


    In an unknown ce, two people, whose appearances were covered by a red and ck cloak, were discussing.


    "Nihil, why did you suddenly call me? I am a little busy organizing a y."


    Even though his appearance was covered, his frivolous but manly voice gave the impression that he was a young man enjoying a prank.


    "Drei, how is the operation in Lustburg going on?"


    From the voice of the one who answered, and her voluptuous form, it was easy to guess that this person named Nihil, was a woman.


    Drei, who heard the tone of her voice, answered more seriously, "The situation is stable. Neun gave me a report and she should be able to infiltrate the target soon. Acht and Zehn are already on standby. As for the witch, she is still on our side, same for the Duke and the General."


    The cloaked figure began to tap her finger on the ivory table they sat around, as she pondered for a short while,"No more games. Once Neun gives you the okay, you will begin the operation. Remember, no failure is allowed."


    Saying so, she stood and went away. She had already begun to prepare herself for what was toe.


    No matter what, no one would stop them from aplishing their goal.


    Drei, who was wondering how long he would have to wait, suddenly received a message,


    [I have reached the first target. Begin the operation.]


    A maniacal grin split his face at this very moment.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    At the same moment, the same maniacal grin could be seen on the face of a servant in the Gorfard mansion.

 Chapter 121 CH 108: WORTHLESS DEATH

    The ball was surprisingly interesting. For Sol whose life usually revolved around the tower and the church, he had to admit that this fairy tale-like environment was something to be really enjoyed.


    Still, even though he was surrounded by a sea of beauties who kept smiling at him, if he had to be perfectly honest, he couldn¡¯t help but feel empty.


    ¡®So many facades.¡¯


    Those smiles, thoseughs, those words of appreciation; everything was nothing more than lies and artifice.


    This made what was supposed to be an enjoyable moment, nothing more than a chore to be done with as soon as possible. What¡¯s more, a nagging doubt kept bothering him.


    ¡®Why make a party?¡¯


    Sol would be a fool if he thought that this party was really for him. Even if he had to make his debut night, it should be the royal family or the church organizing it, not a noble.


    ¡®Perhaps he knows we might attack him tonight?¡¯


    This was another possible solution, but this begged the question, ¡®If he really knew about the attack, who might have informed him?¡¯


    -----


    The Duke was once again standing in the upper room as he observed the noble dancing and cozying up with the prince.


    It was then that a servant opened the door and entered boldly without introducing himself.


    Loki didn¡¯t even bother turning around as he spoke, ¡°What brings you now? And when did you kill this servant?¡±


    ¡°Haha! Killing, such a big word. Let¡¯s just say that I graced him with a new beginning. Now then, let¡¯s not focus on useless things, and let¡¯s talk about the important matter¡­ It¡¯s time to begin..¡±


    The duke narrowed his eyes and turned to face his servant, or rather, the puppets that were now controlled by the necromancer.


    He idly wondered how many of his servants were already dead. Not that it particrly mattered. After this night, he would enter the annals of history.


    ¡°Why now?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much,¡± The puppet shrugged as he continued, ¡°My boss is getting cranky. What¡¯s more, you are more or less ready, right? So let¡¯s elerate.¡±


    Loki nodded, he was indeed basically ready. ¡°Just let me ask you once again, are you sure I am able to kill the prince without suffering from divine wrath?¡±


    The servant gave a heartyugh, ¡°Of course you can, those shitty goddesses like their games you know? The rule is that one can neither kill nor overthrow the blessed king or queen of their race. But...He isn¡¯t a king as of now, right?¡±


    Loki nodded, the rules set by the goddesses had many loopholes, or perhaps those loopholes were left intentionally. It was by using those loopholes that they could dominate King Neptune back then.


    ¡°Then, what about his core? Will getting it really allows me to siphon mana from the atmosphere like S-rank creatures?¡±


    ¡°Kuh! Kuh! kuh! for this, I do not know. There are simply too few samples to give an urate answer. But, the chances are high. So, why all those questions? Do you wish to give up now?¡±


    ¡°Give up? No, in reality, the result itself does not matter in my eyes.¡±


    Saying so, he turned around and once again looked at all the nobles gathered in the hall.


    Since the Gorfard were extremely influential and the invitee of honor was the crown prince, all the nobles present were people extremely important in the kingdom.


    Some were ministers of war, some of finance, some hadrge farmable fields. Finally, even the sole and only prince was also present.


    It wasn¡¯t a mistake to say that if anything happened to any of the people present here, the kingdom losses would be immeasurable.


    If they also lost the future king?


    Lustburg would be doomed.


    Just thinking of this, Drei, who was watching the Duke through his puppet, felt his non-existent heart pounding in his ribs.


    ¡®Hahaha! Soon, soon, this filthy kingdom will be destroyed. I have waited 600 years for this. Sister, they will all pay! First this kingdom, then the world, and finally...The Goddesses themselves.¡¯


    ----


    [Vault of the Gorfard family]


    Neun previously known as Mio, when she was still a servant of the royal family of Wratharis, frowned as she felt the semen seep out of her.


    Ideally, she would have rather taken a bath, but because the moment was too good to pass, she had been forced to act and increase the usual dose of the incense Drei had given her.


    The vault of the Gorfard family was very special.


    In order to open it, a four steps recognition system was necessary. The first one being with blood, then a password known only to the heir and the leader of the family, followed by a full-body recognition to note the absence of wounds or elerated heartbeat, and finally a voice recognition.


    Those four systems assured that it was basically impossible to kill or threaten the one who could open the door and it could only be done so willingly.<sub> </sub>


    That was why she had decided to use her body to seduce the Gorfard¡¯s heir and had been ying the helpless ve all along. What she had needed was enough time to slowly corrupt his mind and take control of him, without having to kill him.


    In fact, her initial target had been the Duke itself, but she gave up on this because, despite the high number of children and concubines he had, the Duke wasn¡¯t a lustful man. For him, sex was just a means of procreation.


    The other members of the wings had been against it at first, and she was thankful for it, but at the end of the day, before even being a warrior, she was a kunoichi. A female ninja trained in the art of seduction, infiltration, information gathering, and assassination.


    She felt nothing about using her body during all those months to manipte that stupid noble. As a kunoichi, her body was nothing more than another weapon. She could use it to fight, or she could use it to ensnare her target. Either way, as long as the mission was aplished, nothing else mattered.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to reach their destination. Despite what one might think, the door of the vault was rather inconspicuous.


    ¡°Your highness, please.¡±


    Looking at Leonard, she asked him with a somewhat sultry voice, without forgetting to use the drugs.


    Leonard, who was once again about to expire doubt, simply nodded after sniffing a little.


    This drug wasn¡¯t something that could really control the mind. It was more about lowering inhibition. In a way, it was like being drunk.


    Over the long months during which she served him, she had been constantly using this, making the previously trash but cunning heir into nothing more than garbage without any redeeming features.


    Even then, she had never mentioned the vault and never did anything suspicious. All of this, for this one moment, this one instance when his mind would be at the weakest and the Duke as well as the other servants would be too upied to care about what the heir was doing.


    The opening of the door took a few minutes, but once it did, Neun was almost blinded by the amount of jewelry and gold.


    Even though she wasn¡¯t particrly materialistic, even she felt her heart miss a beat and she immediately used the dimensional ring created by Eins and given to all the main members of wings of freedom.


    The ring was nothing special in appearance, just a silver ring with the number 9 graved on it.


    The moment she began to sweep out the wealth, no matter how entranced Leonard was, he wasn¡¯t so deep as to not understand that he has been tricked.


    ¡°You! Bi..¡±


    The moment he wanted to continue, his throat was mped by a delicate and fair hand, before his legs slowly left the ground.


    ¡°Sigh, your highness, or should I simply call you Leonard, it seems like this is as far as we go together.¡±


    Leonard couldn¡¯t believe his ears. All this time, he had been looking down on this woman and had been using her as he pleased. But, as he looked at her now while he felt her suffocating aura, he couldn¡¯t help but shiver.


    ¡®I am going to get killed.¡¯


    He could see it deep in her eyes. He tried to bring his contract, but no matter what he did, his mana was simply too messed up to seed.


    ¡°Yo-your sister. If-if you kill me, she will d-die.¡±


    He tried to speak to remind her about the fact that her sister was in his hand, but all he got was an incredulous look, before she exploded out inughter for a short while, as tear gathered in the corner of her eyes, then finally showed a sad smile.


    ¡°I am sorry to say this, but she already died long ago.¡±


    Thunder roared in his mind as he finally understood that all along, he had never been in control. He had been nothing more than a clown dancing for their amusement.


    ¡°Please. Don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    He could only beg for his life now; all his pride, all his ideas of supremacy, were nothing more than fleeting clouds in front of his impending death.


    Looking at the grown man begging down for his life as snot and tear gradually flowed, Neun suddenly felt bored.


    Even though his hits and vition were nothing more than tickles to her, she had not been his first victim.


    Just how many lives did he destroy? Just how many women did he ruin? Just how many people had begged their life like this to him?


    Initially, she had been curious and wished to ask him all that. But now, she understood that it was just a waste of time.


    This man reminded her of the current king of Wratharis. Snakes that could only crawl on the ground while admiring the eagles soaring in the sky but that would not hesitate to spit their venoms if they were given the chance.


    That¡¯s why now that he had already opened the door and had no other uses,


    *Crack*


    She simply snapped his neck, as easily as if she was breaking a twig, and put an end to his miserable and worthless existence.


    Leonard¡¯s eyes were still open wide as if he could not believe that he could die like this. He had so many dreams, so many aspirations. Sadly, all of it was over.


    Watching the life fade away from the eyes of the man she had once called master, even though she did not mean it, Neun allowed herself to felt a little sentimental, then proceeded to simply toss his body away as if it was a sack of trash.


    Then, continuing deeper in the vault while stealing all the wealth along her way, she finally reached her goal...A portal.

 Chapter 122 CH 109: POWERLESSNESS

    [Babel Tower]


    ¡°Big brother, It has been so long since I decided to fight again, pray for us.¡±


    In her office, with the help of a dim light, Lilith was changing herself.


    Her usual outfit consisted of a dress with a low cut that showed all her curves without being outright slutty.


    Even though such clothes were extremely beautiful, the material was so weak that anything could destroy them


    Currently, though, she was wearing a qipao from Wratharis and under it, a ck form-fitting leather catsuit created for her by Arachne, that would make any spy or assassin drool in envy.


    In fact, in the past, Arachne and Theresa were the ones who always took care of their equipment. Be it their armors, weapons, or undershirts.


    Because of her inherently weak body and her fighting style, Lilith was used to wearing light leather armor over her clothes, which generally gave a less powerful protection. This problem though vanished with the help of Arachne.


    The clothes themselves were resistant to most cutting and piercing weapons. What¡¯s more, they had great shock absorption, so even blunt weapons couldn¡¯tpletely bypass them.


    Of course, everything had a limit, but when used alongside her mana, she had a good enough defense without having topromise her fighting style.


    Right now, as she finished wearing her battle gear and opened a caseying down in a secretpartment of her office, she couldn¡¯t help but feel emotional.


    Aside from when she took it out to train Sol, she hadn¡¯t used her sword at all for close to ten years.


    Lilith¡¯s weapon was a broadsword as tall as her andrge enough that it could pass for a shield.


    Despite its form, this weapon once in her hand was as light as a feather once she injected her mana in it and once she ejected mana from it, it would once again be extremely heavy.


    Many of her enemies died because they were unable to adapt to the unpredictable rythm of her weapons.


    Now, as she held her weapon, the aura surrounding her suddenly changed, bing as deep as the sea.


    Anyone who knew her would understand that right now, she was in a total battle mode.


    Standing up, she walked out of her office and gave onest nce at a special sword case ced a little away.


    Mars¡¯s weapon, the holy sword of luxuria.


    Soon, the sword saint would once again unleash her might.


    ¡°Your majesty! Something big happening!¡±


    The moment she closed the door behind her, she could see three battle maids in full gears running toward her.


    Lilith frowned as she felt a bad hunch, those three maids were the oldest of the group and had even fought in some skirmishes with her again Wratharis, when she was younger. For them to be so flustered meant that something really big had happened,


    ¡°Take a deep breath and report¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The three stopped in front of her and gathered their bearing before continuing,


    ¡°Your majesty, we just lost contact with the sentinels observing the surroundings of the Gorfard family.¡±


    ¡°Thest report we received from them was the sudden apparition of a red barrier enclosing the whole estate.¡±


    ¡°We judged that the sentinels are most likely dead or imprisoned. As for his highness, his status is currently unknown.¡±


    Hearing those words, Lilith¡¯s felt her heart nearly explode. All that stopped her from directly rushing was the fact that she believed in Sol. As long as the enemy wasn¡¯t too fast for him to react, he should have no problem escaping.


    Calming her wildly beating heart, she began to give the order,


    ¡°The sentinels fought bravely toplete their mission. if they are still alive and can be rescued, they will be appropriately rewarded. If not, their families will receive enoughpensation to never be left wanting.¡±


    Taking a deep breath she continued, ¡°Heed my words, I hereby dere that the kingdom is in a state of emergency! The martialw will be in application from now."


    Once she made her deration, Lilith began to send her order, "Alpha, I need you to use the portal leading to the church to disclose the situation to the Supreme daughter. She should already be in the know, but it doesn''t hurt to be prudent. The pdins must create security perimeters in the city.¡±


    ¡°Beta, once Alpha uses the portal, tell the gatekeeper to immediately deactivates it. The same goes for all the portals in the capital. Finally, Omega, go toward the barrack and warn the ck knights to prepare themselves to protect the city. You must also activate the security system of the tower. No one is allowed in or out of the tower. Hurry! We do not have time!¡±


    ¡°¡°Yes! Your highness!¡±¡±


    After taking their orders, the three of them noticeably calmed down and rushed away to execute their missions.


    This was what it meant to be a good leader. A leader should be able to inspire confidence in their subordinate no matter how dire the situation was, and should never lose their cool.


    ¡°Mother! I aming with you.¡±


    Lilith frowned when she saw Lilin rushing with Nuwa and Theresa, but she didn''t oppose. Right now, each second was precious.


    ¡°Alright. But you will follow my orders, I will ept no insubordination.¡±


    ¡°I understand¡±


    Turning toward her old friend she asked, ¡°Theresa, is the weapon with you?¡±<sub> </sub>


    Theresa simply nodded. Even though no tension showed on her face, Lilith knew that Theresa always became calmer and silent when she was stressed. She was without a doubt taking the situation very seriously.


    ¡°Now, it¡¯s time for us to began.¡±


    ¡®Sol, no matter what, you need to be alright.¡¯


    ----


    [Gorfard¡¯s Mansion]


    A few minutes ago, Sol kept having an uneasy feeling.


    ¡®Something is wrong.¡¯


    Even as Sol slowly danced with a red-haired pale woman, Sol couldn¡¯t help but feel a little distracted, his mind wavering as he felt more and more that something was wrong.


    This was making him incredibly irritated and he understood even better now why Arachne had said that his sharpened senses were as much a help than a liability.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but currently, he felt as if he was an animal about to be locked in a cage, he could in the back of his mind the cage slowly closing in.


    ¡®Something is definitely wrong.¡¯


    ¡°Your highness? You are hurting me.¡±


    Sol''s mind was brought back when he heard a soft gasp. Looking at the slowly reddening hands in his, he let out a low exmation of surprise and apologized,


    ¡°I am sorry, I was a little distracted.¡±


    The woman let out a strainedugh as she answered, ¡°I do not know what hurt more now. My hands, that were on the verge of being crushed, or my ego, after hearing that you were distracted even while dancing with me.¡±


    Sol let out a shortugh, at this and apologized once again, but even while doing so, he couldn¡¯t help but look at the woman dancing with him.


    He hadn¡¯t really been paying attention since she was already his fifth dancing partner, but she was definitely a beautiful woman.


    Her long red robe clung tightly to her voluptuous body and showed a deep cleavage without leaving much to the imagination.


    Even though she wasn¡¯t some ethereal beauty like Camelia or Medea, nor did she have a very sensual beauty like Lilith or Milia, for some weird reason, it was as if she was hitting all his likes at the same time.


    But more than anything, her beautiful golden hair and eyes were particrly eyes catching. It was as if he staring at the sun itself.


    ¡®No matter how distracted I am, howe I have not noticed this?¡¯


    He frowned a little bit, before tightening his hand involuntarily before he let out a low growl,


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Your highness remarked? Well, I guess you aren¡¯t a half-dragon for nothing.¡±


    Sol immediately began to look around him. The moment he did so, as if on cue, the music stopped, and everyone immediately stopped dancing before focusing on him.


    Even though none of those staring at him were a match for him, Sol had to admit that being looked at in such a way by so many people brought him a chill.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Letting go of his hand, the woman took a few steps back, and gave an elegant curtsey as she introduced herself, ¡°My real name had long been forgotten, now though, I go by the name, Zehn, a vampire and¡­ One of the leaders of the Wings of Freedom.¡±


    Sol''s eyes became cold at this. He didn''t understand why he hadn''t been able to feel a vampire so close to him, but now wasn''t the time to worry about this.


    Just as he was about to pounce on her when Zehn raised a finger and smiled mischievously,


    ¡°I have watched yourst fight, and I must admit that fighting you head-on would be quite a pain. But this isn''t an arena my dear. As such, before you do anything you might regret, let me remind you that basically everyone in this room is under my control.¡±


    He opened his eyes wide in disbelief. He had already understood this after the earlier chilling disy, but still,


    ¡®How was it even possible? Even though I had felt a threat, the source was still a little far from it.¡¯


    He couldn''t understand how she had managed such a feat right under his nose.


    ¡°Tch! Tch! Tch! Little Prince, it seems like you do not believe me? Then how about this? Hum...You two on the back...This queen orders you to die.¡±


    ¡°¡°By your will!¡±¡±


    Sol did not even have the time to react. By the time he understood what those orders meant...His vision was dyed red.


    For the first time in his life¡­


    ¡­ Sol saw people dying in front of him¡­


    ¡­ And he could do nothing to stop it.


    (AN: Lilith¡¯s sword was shown in CH 20. The gatekeeper was mentioned in CH 13.)

 Chapter 123 CH 110: ANOTHER WORTHLESS DEATH

    [Gorfard¡¯s Mansion]


    It happened so fast it was so unexpected, that by the time Sol reacted, everything was already toote.


    The two who had killed themselves with a smile on their face as they stabbed their own throat with all their might had been young girls not much older than him.


    He even remembered dancing with one of them not long ago, and vividly remembered how thrilled and happy she had been that he epted to dance with her.


    She was a young girl, a seemingly innocent girl who had all her life in front of her, but...All of this had been simply crushed.


    In all his life, even if counting his previous one, it was the first time Sol was faced with death in the truest sense.


    As he watched the blood flow from their throat to their dresses then the ground, while they copsed, Sol felt his mind teether in the limit of rationality.


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    Falling in a short daze, he couldn¡¯t help but shout at the vampire woman in front of him. A woman as vicious as she was beautiful who introduced herself under the name of Zehn.


    He wanted to ask¡ª why?


    He needed to know¡ª how?


    He wished to understand...


    ¡®I need to get a hold of myself!¡¯


    Berating himself in his mind, he forced himself and calmed down his wildly beating heart.


    Right now wasn¡¯t the moment to fall under the pace of the enemy.


    Slowly getting back his bearing, he stopped his hands from shaking and looked at the woman facing him as calmly as possible.


    ¡°What is your goal?¡±


    The first and most important thing was assuring the security of most of the people gathered here. He had enough knowledge to understand just how much of a hit it would be to lose the people here.


    But he couldn¡¯t show how much he cared for them. Otherwise, it would give much more power to the enemy.


    ¡°Oh!?¡±


    Zehn raised an eyebrow at this. Even though she was quite sadistic, she hadn¡¯t ordered the death of those two girls for nothing.


    From what Drei told them, it was quite clear that the prince had awakened an attribute, and as a dragon, even if hybrid, he should have a high resistance or immunity toward a certain kind of magic.


    Even without that, the scales and overall endurance of a dragon were nothing to scoff at.


    That¡¯s why she had wished to break hisposure as much as possible before the fight, something that shouldn¡¯t have been that hard to aplish since the prince was clearly a sheltered little kid.


    ¡°Seems like we seriously underestimated you. You gained yourposure faster than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Hum...What is our goal? What is it indeed?¡± She tilted her head genuinely confused, ¡°Hey, Drei, what is our goal again?¡±


    Sol narrowed his eyes and without diverting his attention from her, felt his surroundings.


    ¡°Sigh, I already told you that.¡±


    Sol didn¡¯t have to turn his head to know that this voice wasing from a few meters behind him. More precisely, from one of the previously controlled people...


    It was a middle-aged man wearing a double-breasted suit with a gentlemanly air.


    Zehn simply shrugged her shoulders, ¡°Your ns are tooplicated, you know? So I simply stopped listening.¡±


    The man called Drei shook his head as he looked at the vampire affectionately as if he was a grandfather watching his slightly spoiled and unruly granddaughter.


    ¡°Remember. Trap the prince with a formation covering the entire mansion. Take hostages and control the prince. Finally, give the prince to our dear friend.¡±


    Sol did not stop this little skit from happening. Even though being disregarded like this was quite humiliating, it helped him gather his bearing and be calmer.


    What¡¯s more, it was quite informative. In fact, it was very informative.


    Firstly, he now knew that this house was surrounded by a protective barrier.


    Such a movement should have already alerted the kingdom, so it was just a question of time before they broke through.


    p Secondly, their codename, Drei, and Zehn. People from this world might not understand, but he did. After all, those were german numbers.</anda>


    Drei stood for Three and Zehn for ten. If this was so, the leaders of the wings of freedom were at least ten.


    What''s more, one or more of the members of the wings were from his world, or the goddess of chaos had chosen those numbers for them.


    Slowly, Sol felt himself rx more and more.


    ¡®The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, while the oldest and strongest kind of fear is the fear of the unknown.¡¯


    For Sol, those enemies that had been shrouded with shadows were suddenly much less mysterious and dangerous.


    While keeping vignt, he asked, "So, it seems like you are the one giving orders? Drei, was it? Could you kindly exin what goal you wish to aplish to me your goal by attacking Lustburg?"


    He could feel that this man named Drei had basically no power in him. So he should be an easy target. With his speed, getting to him shouldn''t be a problem.


    At least in appearances.


    ¡®This feels too much like a bait. This is most likely a trap.¡¯


    This reminded him of a saying.


    If it swims like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, then, it¡¯s most likely a duck.


    No matter what, they didn''t know that he could flee at any moment.


    As long as they didn''t have this information, he was in a superior position.


    Now, he needed to be sure of something,


    ¡°Also, dear Duke, could you give us the pleasure toe down? I don''t really like how you are watching all this from high up.¡±


    *p* *p* *p*


    ¡°Magnificent! Simply beautiful.¡±<sub> </sub>


    The Duke slowly descended from the stair while pping, ¡°From your expression, I guess that you aren¡¯t surprised?¡±


    ¡°I am definitely surprised. I am also a little disappointed. Duke Gorfard...No, I guess I should simply call you Loki now, after all, you are unworthy of the title of Duke.¡±


    This definitely struck a chord, as Loki''s expression warped for a short while before finally calming down,


    ¡°I am impressed by how sharp your tongue is, Sol. Let¡¯s stop the games, will you? We know you are stalling for time. But do not make a mistake. This barrier had been created by using the many living sacrifices. No matter how powerful she is, even the sword saint won¡¯t be able to break this barrier for a long while.¡±


    Sol gritted his teeth, ¡°Sacrifice? Just how many people?¡±


    ¡°Was it twenty? Fifty? What does it even matter? Sol, rather than worrying about those who are already dead, you should worry more about those alive.¡±


    Sol could feel his emotion boiling once again. It really wasn¡¯t a mistake to ce a kill order on that bastard.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    He barely hissed those words under his breath, his eyes, staring at the Duke like a zing inferno.


    ¡°Simple. Sol...You are a hybrid dragon, right? Did you awaken your core?¡±


    Sol''s expression warped in shock.


    Those words reminded him of what happened with Arachne.


    This brought him another startling piece of information.


    They promised to help Arachne revive Mars with his core.


    They promised to help heal Gerald''s granddaughter with his core.


    He didn¡¯t know what they promised Loki, but it once again needed his core.


    The worst was that it seemed that two out of three of them had beenpletely hooked.


    But there was one problem, he only had one core.


    Thinking about how those two would betray everything to get his core but in the end, only one would seed.


    Thinking about how they were nothing more than silly marites being manipted by the enemy.


    Thinking about how all their hopes and dreams would be shattered,


    Sol couldn¡¯t help it,


    ¡°Hahahah!¡± He exploded inughter.


    Heughed andughed so much that he felt short of breath.


    Heughed to expel all his pent-up feelings of frustration, rage, sadness, and disappointment.


    The other three frowned at his iprehensible reaction, while Loki asked with an irritated expression,


    ¡°May I ask what is so funny?¡±


    ¡°I amughing at you, you adorable stupid bastard. I am alsoughing at how brazen those guys are. But more than anything, I amughing at how everyone seems to treat me as a prey on the chopping board.¡±


    Wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, Sol stretched a little as he said,


    ¡°This really feels great. Didn¡¯tugh like that in a while.¡±


    Stopping his stretch, he began to jump up and down to loosen his muscle.


    Grinning, his eyes twinkling with mischief, he continued, ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s time to show you a secret technique I learned from a family of powerful warriors.¡±


    Energy began to swirl through his body, as his eyes turned golden and his body was covered in golden scales.


    ¡°Sol! Are you disregarding the lives of those people!?¡±


    ¡°Your highness, I would advise you to stay calm. Even without those hostages, Zehn isn¡¯t someone you can beat at your current level.¡±


    Sol didn¡¯t answer as he crouched down as if preparing to rush in a straight line toward Zenh,


    ¡°Zehn! Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    A crimson aura covered Zehn''s body as she readied herself to receive whatever the little prince would throw at her. Normally, she would have already rushed, but this secret technique sounded like a big deal, and she didn¡¯t want to receive a deadly counter.


    ¡°This secret technique is called¡­¡±


    Drei focused, ¡®What is it called?¡¯


    ¡°Running away."


    Then, under their widened eyes, he vanished.


    ¡°What!?¡±


    They couldn''t believe it. This shouldn''t be possible.


    Drei, with his centuries of experience, immediately understood what was happening and paled as he screamed,


    "Zehn! Be careful! He has the same magic attributes as the leader!"


    ¡°It''s toote. I guess."


    *Ugh*


    A shiver went through Zehn''s spine as she turned to find the Duke, with a bloodied hand going through his chest and a grinning prince standing behind him.


    ¡°Well, well, well. It seems like you guys understand what kind of magic I used. This is slightly troublesome. Anyway, let''s make things clear."


    A predatory smile formed on his face as he stared at them, "You guys made one mistake, you see¡­ I am not locked in with you guys.¡±


    Withdrawing his hand, he didn''t even spare a nce as Loki''s lifeless body slumped on the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s you, who are locked in with me.¡±


    It was time to show who was the real prey.

 Chapter 124 CH 111: THREE WITCHES ENTER A BAR

    [Loki''s Mansion]


    Watching the prince kill Loki in cold blood and hearing those words, Drei couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue in dismay.


    His true body was still too far away from Lustburg and the current puppet he was using was just something weak and useless.


    At this rate, the prince would escape, but this was too soon. It would throw a wrench in their n.


    ¡®I need to keep him here longer.¡¯


    What Sol didn¡¯t know was that he wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to stall for time. After all, if their true goal had simply been to wreak havoc, there were hundreds of ways they could have done it.


    ¡®Still, to think that this prince had such an attribute. What the hell? Thankfully he doesn¡¯t seem to have a great control over his own dimension. Otherwise, if he did a <<dimension ovep>>...¡¯


    Just thinking about this brought him chills even though his true body shouldn¡¯t be able to feel such sensation anymore.


    His eyes flickered as he began to go through all the way they could keep him here longer.


    ¡®Well, I guess it¡¯s time for everything to go boom!¡¯


    What none of them remarked, not even Sol, was how Sol''s shadow flickered for a very short instant beforeing back to normal.


    -----


    [A bar in the Gorfard zone]


    The bar was nothing particr and had nothing different from most rundown bars that could be found anywhere in the capital.


    What¡¯s more, because of the mass that was held at the za, it was nearly empty.


    The only presence in this bar was a girl in red and a crow.


    Suddenly, the crow¡¯s eyes changed and the number 3 appeared deep in its pupil. ¡°Kali, the situation changed. The prince might be able to escape sooner than we thought. I will try to buy as much time as possible, but I need you to increase the lure.¡±


    Looking quietly at the crow, she understood that this was thest step before everything went to shit.


    ¡°I told you that I will not hurt any civilians. We are clear, right?¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. The zone is practically empty, go wild.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Saying so, she stood from her chair and took herrge pointed hat before putting it on her head.


    As she stretched her hand in front of her, fourrge magic circles immediately formed above her in a circr formation before fusing into one.


    At the same time, another magic circle appeared next to her before taking the shape of a circr shield.


    Her pupils changed into a full ck spade and her power became so immense that the bar and all the surrounding immediately began to tremble.


    The power was so great that it could already be felt a few kilometers away from her position.


    Witchcraft was the power born from the knowledge of the world. In order to be activated, neither words nor gestures were necessary. But because of the need to focus, when creating a spell, all witches would always associate the activation with one keyword or one special movement.


    For Kali, her keyword was simple. She just needed one word, and everything around her would be erased and that word was,


    <<Explosion.>>


    This happened in an instant.


    Buildings, roads, trees, even the air itself. Absolutely nothing was spared.


    The st itself covered a three kilometers radius, shining like a star of death and leaving only destruction in its wake.


    In one instant, aside from Kali herself and the crow, covered in a red barrier, everything else was sent to nothingness.


    ¡°Incredible. You are really worthy of your name.¡±


    Kali felt no happiness at his praises and as such didn¡¯t bother answering. This spell was so powerful that even her, as the wielder, wouldn¡¯t be spared if she didn¡¯t ce the appropriate protection.


    ¡®This does not matter, at least I felt no life in the zone of the st. One more and this will be enough to draw all the attention to me.¡±


    But, just as she was about to walk away, she heard a voice she hadn¡¯t heard for a few centuries.


    <


    >


    The world suddenly stopped before everything slowly went backward.


    Even Kali herself, despite being conscious of the change happening, could do nothing but watch as the world itself seemed to go back.


    Finally, everything stopped and it was as if she had never used her spell as if it had been nothing more than a dream.


    But she knew. She knew very well that what happened wasn¡¯t a dream.


    ¡°Medea, so you went out.¡±


    ¡°Not just Medea, I am also here you know?¡±


    Kali¡¯s expression stiffened as she heard this voice. It was then followed by two young girls appearing in front of her.


    One fully in ck, with her long silver-white hair and her pupils looking like a divided square.


    The second fully in pink, with short pink hair and a witch hat, as well as her pupils looking like a broken heart.


    Watching her two sisters, even without saying anything, Kali knew that there was no way she could escape this fight.


    Then, looking at the crow, she said, ¡°It seems like I won¡¯t be able to do more than this.¡±


    The crow(Drei) simply tilted its head in disbelief. It was one thing for the witch of space to be present. They had already taken this possibility into ount.


    But the witch of time as well?


    ¡®Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Wasn¡¯t she imprisoned because of the royal family? Why the hell is she helping Lustburg?¡¯<sub> </sub>


    Drei felt so much rage he thought he would go crazy.


    No matter how much destruction they wrecked, with the witch of time, this would mean nothing.


    The only grace was that he knew that her rewind couldn¡¯t bring back the dead.


    He couldn¡¯t help but scream in frustration, ¡°Everything is fucking going wrong!¡±


    Then, calming down as fast as his anger took over, he continued ¡°No matter. At least you managed to pull two witches with you. Keep them as long as possible.¡±


    The crow gave onest order beforeying dead.


    Those witches may not practice necromancy, but he couldn¡¯t take any risk and be tracked down.


    Hearing those thoughtless orders, Kali sighed before adjusting her hat.


    In a one vs one she feared no one. But even for her, fighting her two sisters at the same time would prove taxing.


    Just as she was about to gather magic again, Freya spoke, ¡°Let¡¯s go a little away from the city, shall we?¡±


    *Snap*


    <<Transfer>>


    Kali had no time to react; she simply sighed inwardly.


    This was why she hated fighting against those two.


    They might be far weaker than her, but their powers were such a pain to deal with.


    When she got back her bearings, it seemed that she was in the wilderness.


    ¡°Where are we?¡±


    ¡°This is the mountain range near Greed Dike.¡±


    Kali couldn¡¯t help but groan at how fucking crazy this space magic bullshit was. They were basically two thousand kilometers away from Lustburg.


    Medea meanwhile sighed, ¡°Kali, you went too far. I think it¡¯s time to remind you why we are the big sisters.¡±


    Freya grinned as she continued, ¡°What Medea is saying, in short, is that we are going to spank you until your ass bes as red as your dress!¡±


    ---


    [Barrack of the ck knight]


    Sitting proudly on a horse was an old man whose face showed the years of fighting he went through.


    The horse on which he sat had two horns on its front and razor-sharp teeth as well as red eyes. Its ck mane fluttered beautifully in the air.


    Behind him, a row of ck knights in full armor sat at full attention on their horses.


    Normally, using a horse in the city for a fight would have been the most stupid move possible, but that was only so for normal horses.


    One of the knights, after watching the big explosion then the rewind far in the horizon gulped,


    ¡°General Gerald, what are your orders?¡±


    Sighing, Gerald took his helmet from under his arms and said with sadness, ¡°My brother, the fake queen and the supreme daughter conspired to usurp the throne. Loyal soldiers of Lustburg can you ept this!?¡±


    Hisst words were practically shouted, but the content of his words sent all of them into confusion.


    The fifty of them were old but powerful knights who had given up the battlefield and became instructors for the future generation.


    Even so, they were still a force to be reckoned with and their influence in the army was no joke. What¡¯s more, the title of ck knights meant they stood at the summit in terms of power, skills, and experience in the royal army.


    But the most important was that they had followed Gerald on the battlefield for decades and trusted him even more than they would trust their own family.


    ¡°Knights of Lustburg, My dear old friends. We must bring down the traitors at all cost. Are you willing to raise your spears and stand behind me!?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s time to bring down the traitors.¡±


    Turning around, he put back his helmet, thereby hiding all his feelings of guilt.


    ----


    [Castitas¡¯s church]


    In the basement of the church, standing in full ritual clothes, Camelia was kneeling in the center of the magic circle she had drawn in advance for this very moment.


    She had felt it the moment the st of destruction reduced one-tenth of the capital to nothing.


    She could have stopped it, or at least greatly reduced the power of the st, but she didn¡¯t act. They had already decided what to do to stop Kali if she appeared.


    At the end of the day, even though they had shifted their main target to the Wings of Freedom, Camelia had never forgotten that this n had been initially created to catch the traitors ¡ª all the traitors.


    The chaos that was about to spread was the best asion for all those with evil intentions to manifest themselves.


    What¡¯s more, she could feel it. The wings of freedom had yet to show all their cards.


    She needed to know all her targets and distinguish the enemies from the friends to assure the maximum effect.


    That¡¯s why she was waiting.


    Like a spider, she was slowly waiting for the prey to get stuck in her webs.


    Then...She would devour them all.

 Chapter 125 CH 112: OVERWHELMED

    Humans were surprisingly prone to be swept into a frenzy.


    Most of the time, humans were always afraid of facing predators.


    But once said predator showed the slightest sign of weakness¡­


    They would swarm at it like a bunch of loci.


    Gerald wasn¡¯t a careless man. In fact, he was very smart.


    Be it in terms of power, skills, political prowess, and everything else, he was in no way inferior to the current Duke Hignd and in some aspects, even surpassed them.


    The only reason he had not been chosen to be Duke was that their father had judged that he wasn¡¯t fit for this position. For the simple reason that he was too emotional.


    ¡®Seems like father was right. I am really not fit for this kind of cold-blooded role.¡¯


    Briefly looking at the swarm of soldiers behind himposed not only of the old ck knights but also of many nobles who had joined him, Gerald felt more guilt and disgust than pride.


    Aside from his old friends who had loyally followed on the battlefield, all the others had been drawn in long ago by using their selfish motives.


    Few people knew about the in and out of the kingdom more than him. Not even the crown¡¯s shadow was a secret to him. After all, he was still at the service of the king when he did his crazy experiments. Everything aside, from a few months ago, he had been constantly feeding secret information about the crown¡¯s shadow.


    What¡¯s more, he had been observing the Kingdom since he had that much information only a few people had.


    He knew about nobles who held dissatisfaction with Lilith.


    He knew about nobles who wished to return to the time of the Puppet King.


    He knew about nobles who only saw profit and held no loyalties.


    Since the moment he had been contacted by the witch, Gerald gave birth to that idea.


    What if he assembled all of them? What if in one moment, and one ce, all the possible traitors were assembled and united?


    And this was the current result.


    ¡®This kingdom was really full of cancerous tumors.¡¯


    Thanks to the works of Mars, and the previous king, the road of the capital and the space between each street was extremely wide.


    This allowed for a fluid cirction in a time of peace, but in times like this, it could be more like a tumor.


    Sighing a little, Gerald began to think about how his name would most likely go in the annals of history as one of the greatest traitors.


    After all, in the great history of Lustburg, this night would without a doubt be recorded as the first-ever civil war.


    ¡®Hahaha, I guess this isn¡¯t so bad.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t particrly hung up about how people would remember him.


    After all, he would already be dead. Why should he care about how the future generation would view him when you wouldn¡¯t be there to see it anymore?


    ¡®Well, I guess it¡¯s time to move my old bones.¡¯


    Saying so, he looked at the horizon.


    In front of him, threerge banners rose in the sky, followed by countless smaller ones.


    ¡®Hignd, Mris and Travers.¡¯


    Arge smile formed on his face. He had expected his brother to stand on his way, but he had to admit that the other two were somewhat of a surprise.


    ¡®You really became great, Sol.¡¯


    Thinking of the adorable little boy who had grown into such a fine man, his smile couldn¡¯t help but cramp a little. His smilepletely vanished when he thought about his little nephew as well.


    If only it was possible for the three of them to find happiness, he wouldn¡¯t mind sacrificing everything.


    Raising his head, he could see arge silhouette fly in circles for a short while before rushing toward the center of the capital.


    ¡®A wyvern, huh. Soon, I guess we are going to face one scary monster.¡¯


    [Brother! Exin to me what is going on!!]


    A roar of rage sounded directly in his ears. Gerald didn¡¯t need to lower his head to know that it wasing from his dear brother.


    At their level, sending whispers from a few kilometers away wasn¡¯t that hard. Even more so since they could see each other.


    Gerald sighed and said, [There¡¯s nothing for me to exin. It¡¯s as you can see.]


    [You! Shame on you! Do you know how much your actions will affect the family?! All the hard work of the previous generation might be destroyed by you!]


    Gerald¡¯s eyes closed for a short while before he opened them again,


    [Talking more than this is useless. You may hate me now, you may keep on hating me forever, but so what? Get on the line, because no one hates me more than myself.¡¯


    On those words, he raised his arms before lowering it in the direction of the three Dukes, ¡°CHARGE!!!!¡±


    ------


    [Crown¡¯s Shadow hideout]


    Currently, Ketia, Edgar, Berthold, and Aria were receiving reports after reports of the situation, forcing them to dispatch different agents to act as regtors and direct the civils.


    Thankfully, most of the civilians were concentrated in the center of the capital, and as such, the panic hadn¡¯t had time to spread since the priestess and pdin were doing their best to calm everyone.


    Ketia, who received another report about all the nobles who were rising in rebellion, though they swore that they were fighting for the liberation of the prince from the clutch of an evil queen, frowned a little bit before passing the list to Edgar.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it weird?¡±


    Edgar, who had a hard time calming himself was about to scream in frustration, but since he knew what kind of woman Ketia was, he took a look at the list.


    Suddenly, he stood up with an expression of shock before opening his drawer and fumbling with all the documents inside until he found what he was searching for.


    Finally, as he read the second document, his hand began to tremble.


    ¡°They are nearly the same.¡±


    On the first list, Ketia gave him were the names of the group of nobles who began to follow Gerald. Meanwhile, in the second list was the name of all the nobles they marked as potentially dangerous and that should be put under surveince.


    ¡°But how is it possible?¡±<sub> </sub>


    He lowered his head in deep thought. Gerald could find those nobles. After all, he was the Duke¡¯s brother. No matter how weak the Hignd became, they still had some influence.


    But there was one problem.


    ¡°Howe we have absolutely no report about Gerald contacting those nobles?¡±


    All those noble deemed as dangerous had their houses infiltrated by their mostpetent spies. Missing one or two wasn¡¯t impossible. After all, they weren¡¯t perfect.


    But missing all of them?


    A chill swept through Edgar, as he punched the table in anger.


    ¡°¡±We have a traitor.¡±¡±


    Ketia and Edgar eximed at the same time before looking at each other, a grim expression on their face.


    Not only did they have a traitor in their midst, but it also had to be someone really high in the, most likely one or more of the five of them.


    Aria stopped smoking and Berthold¡¯s smile vanished.


    Edgar adjusted his monocle as he entered deep in thought.


    He knew that he wasn¡¯t the traitor.


    Ketia couldn''t be the one since she had been outside the kingdom for two years with the princess.


    He didn¡¯t even consider the possibility of Milia being a traitor.


    Meaning, the only ones who could have betrayed them, were...


    Refusing to voice his thoughts, he turned to face the only one who had the least suspicion of her. ¡°Ketia, currently we cannot afford the risk of being split up because of suspicion. That¡¯s why, I propose that we send the order that from now on and until the end of the emergency, only your order will be listened to.¡±


    In this situation, trying to find the traitor would not only be a waste of time but would also confuse the organization.


    While speaking, his hand slowly inched toward the holster in the breast pocket of his suit.


    ¡°Sigh, I guess this is as far as it goes.¡±


    The moment he heard those words, without any hesitation, he immediately grabbed the gun in his holster and jumped aside before shooting.


    *Bang* *Bang* Bang* *Bang*


    His mana gun fired four super-fast bullets inscribed with special runes that increased the piercing power and speed.


    The other two weren¡¯t any slower as they also acted.


    Ketia¡¯s form had changed from a normal human. Her body was covered in a red aura entirely, hiding all her features and making her look more like a monster cat than anything else, with 3 tails swishing behind her.


    She then rushed while giving a powerful punch from his side.


    Meanwhile, Aria¡¯s sclera had be entirely ck, and the three ice spears immediately formed above her, before firing at Berthold¡¯s back.


    Even though they hadn¡¯t spoken one word, their cooperation was seamless.


    But despite all this, Berthold seemed totally unfazed, a wide grin forming on his face, as the number 3 appeared in his pupils.


    ¡°You guys are seriously the best! Hehehe! This body is way better than that useless noble, so then, shall we dance!?¡±


    Golden like lightning covering his body and disintegrated the attacks of Edgar and Aria before he used a punch to counter Ketia.


    ¡®Tch!¡¯


    Edgar immediately understood that they were outmatched.


    The most horrifying was that even though Berthold¡¯s arm had beenpletely broken when he fought Aria, he didn¡¯t seem to show any expression of pain or difort.


    Aria, meanwhile, couldn¡¯t help but scream in dismay, ¡°Berthold! Why did you betray us!?¡±


    ¡°Aria! Stop being so stupid! This isn¡¯t Berthold! We must fall back! Hurry!!¡±


    Having said this, he exchanged a look with Ketia before rushing with her toward ¡®Berthold¡¯ at full speed.


    Aria was a versatile mage with an innate space and ice attribute. She was the only one who could bring them away from this ce.


    ¡®We need 30 seconds. No, with her current stats, between 40 to 50 seconds.¡¯


    In such an enclosed space with such a dangerous enemy, nearly one minute was basically luxury.


    That¡¯s why he began to speak, after firing thest 2 bullets in his gun.


    ¡°Who are you and what have you done with Berthold?¡±


    Avoiding his bullets, the man took off his hat and bowed while avoiding a wide kick of Ketia, ¡°My name is Drei. As for what happened to your friend...Guess.¡±


    Heughed out loud before looking at the ceiling,


    ¡°Now then, I would really like to y around with you and slowly break you, before using your body as an experiment to verify how that king developed my theories, but you guys simply aren¡¯t worth it. Too bad Milia isn¡¯t here..¡±


    Saying so, his smile immediately vanished and was reced by a killing intent so heavy that Edgar, Aria, and Ketia feltpletely suffocated as if they were being crushed alive.


    Even though they had suffered years of torture under those inhumane experiment.


    Even though they had fought many battles.


    Even though they had killed arge number of people.


    Compared to the man in front of them, their killing intent was nothing more than a joke.


    No, it was as if they were facing death itself.


    ¡°You guys faced death. But I came back from it. Do not waste my time anymore.¡±


    Saying so, he dusted himself before putting back on his hat and said with an extremely gentle smile, so gentle his earlier killing intent seemed like a lie,


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy? You must be one of the few people in this world who survived not because they were strong, but because they were too weak. Hahaha! Bye-bye! Pray that we never meet again.¡±


    On thosest words, he vanished.


    (AN: For Ketia¡¯s transformation, imagine basically a jinchuriki cloak from naruto.)

 Chapter 126 CH 113: COUNTERATTACK

    [Central zone, near the tower of Babel]


    ¡°Your majesty, the situation is getting out of control.¡±


    A ck knight riding on a wyvern jumped from it andnded in front of Lilith before kneeling down.


    The ck knights could be said to be divided into old and young, but more precisely,nd units and flying units.


    Initially, the ck knights were onlyposed of riders who used nightmare horses. But after Mars formed his contract with ze, using her authority she created a supply of wyvern that could make a contract with promising knights. After all, few humans could form a contract with B and higher creatures.


    Because of this, even if Lilith had lost control over thend unit, she had absolute control over the younger ck knights who used the wyverns.


    Because of howrge the capital was, she had sent a scout on wyvern to observe the situation. After all, no matter how fast she was, it wasn¡¯t as if she could teleport. She couldn¡¯t afford to run around without a clear understanding.


    ¡°Calm down. Report.¡±


    Kneeling down, the knight began to report.


    ¡°Your majesty, the situation is grim.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°The part of the East zone that had been destroyed was shortlypletely restored by some unknown magic. The barrier surrounding the Gorfard house is also still active, the status of those in it is unknown.


    ¡°The West and the South had beenpletely locked down, and soldiers belonging to the Travers and the Mris are protecting the civils who hadn¡¯t joined the grand mass and sending them toward the church in the Central Zone.


    ¡°In the central zone, the pdin and the nuns are calming down the civils and are reassuring them. Some of the battle maids are also helping as you ordered.


    ¡°As for the North¡­¡±


    At this moment, even though his face was hidden behind his helmet, it was quite easy to see how angered he was. But Lilith didn¡¯t urge him.


    Finally catching his breath, he continued, ¡°The North is a total mess. Sir Athena Hignd is organizing the evacuation, while the Duke Tyr Hignd, Duke Hermes Travers, and Duchess Arachne Mris as well as their follower are on the verge of engaging the traitors following General Gerald.¡±


    The knight still seemed in disbelief, Gerald was an example of the perfect knight. Even though his influence on the young knights wasn¡¯t as great, he was still very respected because he even tutored many of them.


    Lilith¡¯s eyes narrowed in thought, before asking the most important question, ¡°Civil casualties?¡±


    This time the knight mood seemed to rise a little, ¡°For now none. Even though the traitors are preparing to fight, it seems that none of them harmed the civilians. Some of the soldiers under the nobles did try, but they were always stopped by the ck knights who rebelled.¡±


    This was the only grace in this whole debacle. It seemed that the ck knights weren¡¯t willing to harm the people they swore to protect.


    p ¡®That old fox.¡¯</anda>


    Lilith cursed inwardly while feeling a growing admiration.


    From what she had heard and understood, at the end of this debacle, no matter what was the result, the only culprits would be him and the nobles.


    The ck knights who followed him would at most be considered as innocent people who had been manipted by their superiors and wouldn¡¯t suffer the death penalty.


    ¡°Lilin, Theresa.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Leave the matters about those rebels to me. You must reach Sol as fast as possible and give him that weapon.¡±


    She purposely didn¡¯t mention Nuwa¡¯s name. For one, she didn¡¯t trust her and the fact was that despite her obvious high potential, it was clear that she had zero fighting experience or even basic training.


    She understood that it must have been Theresa''s consideration. After all, once Nuwa formed a contract with Sol, she would never betray him. But before that, training someone with the potential to be a powerful enemy would have been extremely stupid and dangerous.


    Nuwa on the other hand didn¡¯t seem to care.


    For her, this world had always been boring. But now, she could feel her heart beating furiously in her chest.


    Theresa nodded, and said, ¡°Nuwa, Lilin, follow me. Lilith, give us a wyvern. It will be easier to reach our destination by flying.¡±


    One of the knights hesitated before saying, ¡°The wyvern had been trained for long to not ept anyone than their own rider. I don¡¯t think this is a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± Theresa scoffed, ¡°I even rode on a true dragon. Don¡¯t try to show off with your silly flying reptile.¡± She snickered as she said so. She remembered that she nearly died when ze went crazy after she jumped on her back.


    If back then she hadn¡¯t promised to gift her some valuable things, she was sure that she would have ended up crippled or worse.


    No one could trample on the dignity of a dragon if they didn¡¯t have enough power or money to calm them down.


    ¡®Those were really good times.¡¯<sub> </sub>


    Thinking fondly about those moments, she took out a red scale and walked toward one of the wyverns resting on standby.


    At first, it had begun to growl threateningly, but the moment it felt the aura on the scale it immediately became meek and didn¡¯t stop Theresa from jumping on it.


    ¡°What are you guys waiting for? We are losing time.¡±


    Everyone aside from Lilith showed an astonished expression. After all, she knew very well to whom this scale belonged to.


    This was one of the first gifts ze gave them. Each of the members of their team back then received one scale from her shedding.


    This scale wasn¡¯t just a deterrent towards lower beast in the dragon ss. It was also a form of identity card that could be shown to all S ss as the proof of their friendship with the dragon n.


    Just as Theresa was about to urge Lilin to jump on, she raised her hand with an awkward expression, "Hum¡­ I


    I already own my own wyvern, we could just use it, right?"


    Lilin wasn¡¯t a stranger to wyvern riding, and like Sol, had her own wyvern. Even though she didn¡¯t sign a contract with it.


    The silence that settled was one of the most awkward moments in Theresa''s life.


    The fact that she could see everyone fighting to hold in theirugh made it worse.


    Blushing, she jumped down and futilely hit Lilin''s shin for a short while.


    A short momentter, with Lilin on the helm, while Nuwa and Theresa rode behind her, the three of them flew away in the direction of the Gorfard mansion.


    Now alone with the young ck Knights, what Lilith wondered wasn¡¯t whether they could win, but they were going to win in the cleanest way possible while assuring the smallest loss.


    Still, she didn¡¯t really have to worry either.


    ¡®With Persephone and Camelia, as long as they don¡¯t die, no matter how severely wounded they are, they will be alright.¡¯


    ¡°Your majesty, we are ready, how do you want us to proceed?¡±


    Looking at all the young knights kneeling in front of her, she simply smiled, ¡°You have nothing to do. Just follow me.¡±


    Saying so, she took her sword and threw it in the air before jumping after it.


    The knight didn¡¯t understand what she was about to do, but they all raised their head in shock when she stood on the t of her sword and began to float steadily, more than 10 meters in the air.


    Standing in the air, Lilith ignored the astonished look and slowly floated higher and higher.


    The higher she was, the calmer she felt.


    The immortal ying sword. The technique that she had created from the description of her brother about people called cultivators.


    She remembered, when she was at her lowest after learning her mediocre talent, her brother''s stories were the one that could always make her see a brighter future.


    She remembered about his stories, of how people with absolutely no talent could train to the level of yings gods themselves.


    Since that day, she had yearned for this power.


    It didn¡¯t matter how impossible it was.


    She wished to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.


    She wished to be someone no one could look down on.


    She wished to be proof that in this shitty world, one didn¡¯t have to be blessed to be strong.


    ¡­.And she was close to sess.


    <<Immortal ying Sword Style: Flying Sword.>>


    Faster than the eyes could see, standing on her flying sword, shepletely vanished.


    It was time to make all the people in this kingdom remember why she was strongest here.


    -----


    (AN: Wyvern and nightmare horses were first mentioned in ch 12. I even mentioned how Sol as a half-dragon could make all inferior dragon types like wyvern or drakes obey him. The introduction of quality and capacity was done in CH 11.)

 Chapter 127 CH 114: QUEEN VS NECROMANCER (1)

    ¡°Hum~Hum~Hum.¡±


    Under the moonlight, in the zone belonging to the Gorfard, a short white-haired man no more than 160 cm, was humming while skipping in the street devoid of people.


    Sometimes, he would look at the sky with attention, and sometimes, he would just close his eyes and hum.


    ¡®This world is finally going to know justice.¡¯


    He was happy, seriously happy. Years and years of preparation and research were finally going to be put into action. How could he be unhappy when his dream was about to unfold?


    ¡®Soon, we will have the power to destroy this cruel world. But for now¡­¡¯


    Looking at the sky, he could see a wyvern rushing toward the zone where one of their targets was being held.


    ¡®Drei told me that I should only let the scout go, right?¡¯


    To execute their n, they needed chaos, a lot of chaos. Which was highly poetic since they were apostles of the mother of chaos.


    That¡¯s why he had been asked to let any scout go. But,


    ¡®Those ones aren¡¯t scouts... That means I can kill them, right?¡±


    Grinning from ear to ear, he waved his hand and the ring on his finger shined before a long sniper rifle appeared in his hand.


    His eyes looked at this rifle with love, as if he was watching a great masterpiece.


    ¡®The technology of the angels makes creating good weapons so much easier.¡¯


    Kneeling down, he put the rifle over his shoulder and lifted it.


    Licking his lips, he slowly aimed before preparing to shoot.


    The mana in his body was slowly engulfed by the rifle until it was clear that he couldn¡¯t hold it anymore.


    <<Killing Intent: Single Shot>>


    *Crack*


    The ground fissured like a weeb because of the recoil, then


    *BOOM*


    Even though it was just a bullet, the sound was so loud that it looked like an explosion from a canon.


    *SCREEE*


    The result was immediate, the mournful scream of the wyvern resonated in the sky as its left-wing waspletely blown away by the shoot.


    ¡°Well, well, well, I guess this is a bullseye?¡±


    No matter how powerful he was, killing someone who was flying more than 700 meters above him was pretty difficult if he didn¡¯t use his full power. After all, if the warrior felt that he was being threatened, his instincts would warn him. What¡¯s more, Wyverns weren¡¯t weak creatures.


    But byunching an indirect attack like this, he was sure to get them.


    ¡®Haha, but I guess they didn¡¯t die.¡¯


    Watching his three-targets jump from the Injured wyverns while in mid-air, he smiled.


    ¡®It¡¯s time to hunt.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t kill them from 700 meters away in the sky, but now that they hade down, it was time for him to act.


    "Hum~Hum~Hum"


    Humming a song that he alone could hear, he began to search for his prey.


    -----


    [Hignd zone]


    Standing at about 1000 meters high in the sky, Lilith looked down and observed the scene by gathering mana in her eyes.


    Thanks to it, the people who had been previously indistinguishable were now clearly visible to her.


    Under the clear sky and the moonlight, she looked like a fairy descending from heaven. Her clothes gently danced under the breeze.


    She couldn¡¯t help but sigh, as she thought ruefully, ¡®To think that a decade of peace rusted my skills so much.¡±


    In the past, she could have easily flown to more than the double or triple of the current height she stood on but she could do nothing about this.


    Humans were truly a pitiful race. No matter how strong they became, without obtaining a special kind of power, they would slowly weaken and die as time passed.


    For races such as elves or demons who counted their ages in the hundreds, ten or fifteen years could only be seen as a short note.


    But for a human, fifteen years meant the birth of a new generation and the preparation of another one...


    Even though Lilith was by no means old and could even be said to be at the prime of her age, her years ofck of training weren¡¯t something she could just shrug off.


    Still,


    ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t like the war against the chimera. This distance is more than enough.¡±


    ----


    Currently, the civil war was raging on.


    Even though the three Dukes were strong, they were too limited in the current situation.


    After all, Hermes wasn¡¯t a fighter in the first ce and Arachne only had a small part of her golem army. As for the other nobles,pared to Gerald''s group that had been carefully formed and led under one voice, the army of the noble fighting on the side of the three Dukes was more like a bunch of mobs with how they moved.


    The only reason they could hold on despite their numbers and preparation disadvantage was thanks to Tyr Hignd¡¯s <<War Zone: Scream of thousands of soldiers>>


    The war was raging and the destruction was spreading.


    Thankfully, there were no civilians in the surroundings but the death count of the soldiers on both sides kept increasing.


    Still, casualties on each side keep increasing. Blood, sweat, and gore filled the zone as people fought more and more violently.


    This little war seemed as if it wouldst for all eternity. But, it was then that all of them felt a chill.


    From Dukes to nobles and from nobles to fighters, all of them stopped their fight as they raised their head toward the sky.


    ¡°Hah¡­¡±


    Some soldiers could only open their eyes and mouth wide as they watched the unbelievable sight that greeted them.<sub> </sub>


    Hundreds upon hundreds of bright purple swords hanging in the sky, blocking the light of the moon.


    *Thud* *ng*


    Some soldiers lost all will to fight as they kneeled down in shock and let their weapons escape their hands.


    This was something that was totally beyond their understanding.


    This was a power that shouldn¡¯t be possessed by mere mortals like them.


    Only the Dukes, Gerald, and few ck knights could stand despite the overwhelming power hanging above them.


    But they all knew that the shadow of death had never been that close.


    <<Sword Zone: Limitless Swords>>


    From a wave of her hand...Death fell like the rain.


    ---


    Since long ago, the Seven Kingdoms have established a rule.


    In times of war, as long as the capital itself wasn¡¯t threatened, King''s ss should never be deployed.


    This rule had one clear goal... Avoiding senselessrge ss massacre.


    Each king ss were people with enough power topletely raze cities to the ground in just a few seconds if they were left to their own devices.


    The existence of such people on the battlefield would make any army look like nothing more than a bunch of ants sprawling on the ground before being ruthlessly stepped down.


    ? In Lustburg, despite Lilith¡¯s infamy, she had rarely used her power in front of arge group of people. After all, the fight that needed someone like her to step on couldn¡¯t be observed by anyone.


    What¡¯s more, after bing queen since the death of her brother, Lilith had always been rather lethargic and rarely used thunder-like means.


    Because of all this, the nobles and those who always stayed far away from the battlefield tended to belittle her and take the information about her as nothing more than rumors.


    But, at this very instant, at this very moment, as they watched the swords mercilessly reap the life of all the soldiers around them with frightening precision,


    They understood one thing.


    The rumors were indeed false...For the simple reason that even the wildest rumors were inferior to what they were currently witnessing.


    Everything ended in an instant.


    This little skirmish where two sides fought on an equal level seemed to be nothing more than a bad joke the moment most of the rebel soldiers were decimated like flies.


    Watching the hellish scene from high in the sky, Lilith felt nothing more than a deep and hidden satisfaction.


    How long had it been since she wanted to simply do something like this?


    Yet, because of rules and the need to keep the kingdom afloat she had always held back.


    Now though, she had the perfect justification and no one could me her.


    Still, she knew that after all this, her name would be synonymous with fear and death in the mind of the soldiers and noble. But this didn¡¯t matter.


    Her stains would be Sol¡¯s stepping stone. Once she gave him back the power he rightfully deserved, people would be relieved that the murderous queen finally left.


    She had always been a bad mother and aunt. Even though she was apetent leader, she had never really done her all for the kingdom.


    The sole thing she had going for her was her power.


    She was a sword, nothing more and nothing less.


    ---


    Back on the ground, all the survivors looked at the scene in front of them with chills. Some of the nobles, unused to blood and gore, even soiled themselves in fright.


    But no one derided. After all, what they were seeing was not something for the faint-hearted.


    No corpses had been left intact. All of them had been shredded like nothing. Detached limbs, heads, and torsos filled the streets. The odor of blood and gut was so overwhelming that even some of the most hardened soldiers couldn¡¯t help but crouch down and vomit.


    Despite all this, one man stood next to his dead horse with an impassive expression. His entire right arm was gone, but he knew very well that the sole reason he was still alive right now was that he had been spared.


    What waited for him was most likely a series of inhumane torture under the hands of the crown¡¯s shadow followed by a swift and most likely public execution.


    Despite all this, he felt no particr sadness, nor agitation.


    He didn¡¯t fear death itself. After all, death meant the end of all pain and suffering. What¡¯s more, an old man like him had lived long enough and had seen enough.


    That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t fear dying.


    What he feared though, was dying before seeding in his goal.


    ¡®I hope she will keep her promise.¡¯


    A sh of golden hair passed in his mind as he smiled bitterly.


    ¡®This kingdom was truly filled with frightening women.¡¯


    Thinking so, he moved his remaining arm and took his sword out before stretching it toward the sky. Filling his lungs with all the remaining mana he had, he shouted to the sky,


    ¡°THIS ISN¡¯T THE END!¡±


    His shout had two effects.


    The first one was to wake up Lilith from her mncholic stats.


    She then remarked that something weird was going down on the battlefield below her.


    The second one was to force someone who had been carefully hidden to reveal himself.


    ¡°Tch! Tch! Tch! Old man, you should have waited for a little more before doing this. Oh well, at least I managed to fill some of them with my mana.¡±


    An eerie voice sounded on the battlefield as a man with a bloodied arm and the number 3 in his eyes appeared in the view of all those present.


    No one could react as magic circles formed above most of the bodies of the soldiers who were previously killed.


    Under the stunned eyes of everyone, one word sounded in all their ears.


    <<Arise!>>


    (AN: Yeah! Lilith finally gets to show off. But, one question. What happens when you show a battlefield full of fresh corpses to a super-powerful lich necromancer? Haha. King sses are basically people with Avatar. All the Kings and supreme daughters as well as some special beings like the Four witches, Lilith or Sun wukong are king ss beings. Being like Mars, Echidna The first witch and a few others are demi-god ss, the same goes for the 14 divine beasts. Under king ss are people who use the Zone, those are Duke ss. Using nobility rank for power rank is easier to visualize things, right?)

 Chapter 128 CH 115: QUEEN VS NECROMANCER (2)

    <<Arise!>>


    A gloomy wind swept through the makeshift battlefield as rows upon rows of dead soldiers crawled up before standing.


    Some of the bodies wereplete while most of them were barely hanging. Despite this, the horrifying aura of death emanating from them wasn¡¯t something anyone could take lightly.


    ¡°A necromancer.¡±


    Duke Tyr murmured with dry lips. His sweaty hand, gripping more tightly his spear.


    Even though was a general who fought on too many battlefields to count, out of all magics he ever witnessed, necromancers were the most absurd of them all.


    ¡®Are the demons from Envilya also intervening?¡±


    Necromancy was a branch of death magic. All the most renowned necromancers were from the death race of Envilya. Hearsay, their ancestors were dwellers of the underworld who got lost during dimensional travel before settling in Envilya.


    The most known of them all was the Necromancer King, Anubis. A man who, even without being blessed, managed to reach the level of demi-god.


    Fighting a necromancer in a zone filled with corpses was the height of madness. You didn¡¯t fight necromancers with an army. This would only result in more bodies for them to use.


    What you needed was,


    ¡°ALL SOLDIERS RETREAT NOW!¡±


    What was needed was a small team of powerful elites.


    Jumping from his horse, he discarded his spear and took out his sword while sending a whisper.


    [Duke Travers, please secure my brot¨Cno, secure the traitor and then takemand of the soldiers to make an organized retreat. Duke Mris, I need you to use your golems and fight with me.]


    Neither of the two rebuked him for takingmand and did what was asked of them.


    Meanwhile, Drei looked at the Duke with admiration before looking at the sky.


    He could see that a row of knights flying on wyverns were nearing. While Lilith was standing high in the sky and looking at him like a hawk.


    He sighed before caressing the ring on his finger.


    One of his most prized skills was this ability to send his consciousness into dead bodies and manipte them. Thanks to this, he could literally be at a different ce at the same moment, and even getting killed wouldn¡¯t be a problem. All the bodies shared the same mind and vision.


    This skill though wasn¡¯t without limit. The first one being that he could only use 3 bodies at the same time and each body needed a long preparation. Meaning that he couldn¡¯t just jump from one body to another. The second limitation was that he couldn¡¯t bring too much power to those dead bodies without breaking them. Thest one of course were his items.


    That¡¯s why, from the start, he had already decided to use Berthold¡¯s body as his ¡®main¡¯ during this operation and had bestowed it with his dimensional ring.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t want to use it now, but there aren¡¯t enough distractions.¡¯


    In his initial n. All the nobles with traitorous minds should have been scattered all over the capital and created mayhem.


    ¡®Well, first thing first.¡¯


    <<Empowerment>>; <<Restoration>>; <<Blood thirst>>


    The previously sluggish zombies suddenly became faster and stronger as their eyes turned scarlet and they began to rush behind the retreating army.


    <<Switch>>


    Switching with one of the undead, he avoided swordsunched by Lilith before finally stretching his finger below him.


    "Come."


    Immediately, arge red portal opened under him.


    *ROAR!!!*


    This was followed by an overwhelming presence sweepint off the battlefield making all the fleeing soldiers buckle down while groining.


    Looking behind them, their legs grew weak as they wondered just why they were so unlucky.


    Lilith, who was about to send another rain of swords, opened her eyes wide as she saw what came out of the portal before asking in disbelief.


    ¡°You dared to defile a dragon? Are you not scared of theming at you?¡±


    Indeed, slowly, a dragon came out of the portal before lifting Drei in the air.


    Pungent smells and a powerful aura followed the entry of this dead entity.


    Lilith had no doubt, this was <<Dragon fear>>.


    With its decaying skin and wiggling flesh showing some of the bones, no one would ever believe that the monstrosity in front of them had once been a respected and mighty dragon.


    But this wasn¡¯t all, the dragon absolutely abhorred anything that went against thew of nature. Because of this, they hated absolutely all forms of magic that could bring back the dead.


    But this wasn¡¯t all. Back then when Necromancy was still thriving, some necromancers in search of stronger bodies began to experiment on dragons and created arge number of undead dragons.


    This action resulted in the near extinction of all necromancers because of the dragons¡¯ wrath.


    Dreiughed before shaking his head, ¡°Who cares about their revenge? Thanks to those stupids goddesses¡¯ rules, Tiamat cannot descend on the mortal realm. As long as one of the fourteen doesn¡¯t descend, few people in this world can threaten me.¡±


    ¡°Who cares about your gibberish? Take my sword!¡±


    Ten light swords formed before rushing toward Drei at full speed.


    ¡°Crazy bitch! Who acts like this during a discussion!?¡±


    Anyone else would have been unable to avoid such an attack, but this was simply too easy for Drei.


    The dragon under him deployed his wings before fully flying away like a rocket. Avoiding the sword with a twirl, it used his wings while spinning and destroyed them.


    This was then followed by it opening his maw asrge as possible.


    <<Dragon Roar>>


    Lilith didn¡¯t even bat an eye at the beam of light that flew toward her. Another ten swords appeared, but this time they formed a circr protection in front of her and negated the power of the beam.


    As long as her zone <<Limitless swords>> was activated, she could literally create an unlimited number of swords. The only limit being her own mana.


    Watching her stop an attack that could blow off a mountain easily, Drei once again cursed under his breath.


    He couldn¡¯t use his weak body as an excuse. His bone dragon source of energy was its own core. Not himself. Meaning that even if his true body had been present, the result would be the same.


    Meanwhile, the wyvern knights had finally reached the battlefield, but thanks to Lilith¡¯s whisper, they immediately rushed toward the undead on the ground. After all, they had the air advantage and didn¡¯t fear the zombies as much.


    The fights both on the ground and in the sky were spectacr.


    On the ground, the Duke Tyr was facing the horde of undead with the help of Arachne golem, as well as the young ck knights on their wyverns. Thanks to the empowerment of his zone <<War Zone: Scream of thousands of soldiers>>, the more terrified his soldiers were, the stronger he became.


    Standing against the undead army, he did not look like an old man at all.<sub> </sub>


    Currently twenty centimeters taller than normal, with steam rising from his body while his broken armor showed his bulging muscles, he looked like a mini giant.


    Like a berserker, he fought the undead and broke them again and again without any fear. No matter how many wounds covered his body, he never stopped.


    Tyr had been hesitant to use this form since it was extremely taxing on his aging body, but he didn¡¯t have any choice.


    Meanwhile, in the sky, Drei on his undead dragon and Lilith on her sword were moving so fast that no one watching could even understand what was happening.


    They had long since broken through the speed of sound and were closer to the first cosmic velocity.


    At this speed, they looked more likeets colliding against each other than anything else.


    Still, even though Lilith held the advantage, she couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated.


    Each of her attacks were extremely well contained through her granr control. This wasn¡¯t just to maximize the power of each of her attacks, but also to avoid destroying too much of the kingdom or worse, killing her own soldiers.


    But Drei had no such limitation. Each of his attacks were as widespread as possible and he even tried to bring her to the ground many times.


    This wasn¡¯t all. A necromancer wasn¡¯t just about summoning the dead. An array of debuff type spells, such as <<Slow>>; <<Frost>>; <<Mind down>>; <<Decay>> and so on wereunched against her one after another.


    Until now she had been able to barely escape them, but at this rate, she would slip sooner andter.


    ¡®Should I simply go all out?¡¯


    The more this dragged on the worst it was for her. After all, she was a human. Her energy was limited. Meanwhile, her opponent was a necromancer and an undead dragon. They were basically tireless entities.


    She couldn¡¯t help but hesitate. In her most powerful state, her control was extremely awful. She might very well kill some of the citizens


    It was then that Gerald, who was being dragged by some soldiers, looked at the sky and said in a barely audible voice, ¡°Deardy, if you do not act now, you would have no better asion.¡±


    ---


    Somewhere, in the depth of the church, a golden-haired woman opened her eyes, and almost blinding light covered her body as she sighed.


    She was pretty sure that most of the enemies had now appeared. Still, she would have rather waited for a little while longer. In fact, she would wish to not even act. This way, her existence would still be a surprise for Wratharis Republic.


    But not everything could go their way.


    ¡®Well, I will soon have the perfect excuse so it doesn¡¯t matter I guess.¡¯


    Kneeling down, she chanted, ¡°In the name of the representative of the goddess, I call for the ultimate.¡±


    <<Holy Territory>>


    ----


    From all over the capital, all the people could see an awe-inspiring pir of golden light shooting toward the sky and illuminating the horizon.


    Then, from this pir, threads of light shot all over before slowly forming a dome covering the entire capital.


    Witnessing this moment, all the citizens kneeled down and prayed while praising the goddesses. What they couldn¡¯t see was that their bodies were being surrounded by a bluish aura that seemed to protect them.


    Finally, in a part of the kingdom where Lilith and Drei were fighting, walls of light slowly emerged beforepletely enclosing them in arge cube-like prison and thereby separating them from the rest of the people fighting.


    ----


    Back on the battlefield,


    ¡°Impossible!!¡±


    Drei eximed while opening his eyes widely. He knew what was happening. He had already witnessed the holy territory being used hundreds of years ago.


    This was why he couldn¡¯t ept it.


    The holy territory could only be opened by a supreme daughter, or a holy daughterbining her strength with other priestesses.


    That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t ept it.


    The sole and only holy daughter candidate was deep asleep thanks to a poison they personally created. Meanwhile, the supreme daughter was supposed to be out ofmission after using <<Saint Fall>>.


    ¡®We have been tricked!¡¯


    This realization finally dawned upon him.


    On the other hand, when she witnessed all of this, a grin split on Lilith¡¯s face as she gazed at the necromancer with a murderous gaze.


    ¡°Now, nothing is stopping me.¡±


    Closing her eyes, she muttered, ¡°I am nothing more than a sword...¡±


    Goosebumps filled Drei¡¯s body as the very air around him became so sharp it felt like he was surrounded by thousands of invisible swords. What he had feared the most was happening. He had seriously thought that the queen was only a warrior standing at the highest level of the zone.


    After all, going past this limit wasn¡¯t something anyone could do if they didn¡¯t have a blessing.


    But it seemed that he had been wrong. The worst was that he couldn¡¯t use his own avatar with this body.


    Not caring about Drei¡¯s internal struggles, Lilith¡¯s eyes opened abruptly as she continued, ¡°...And there¡¯s nothing I cannot cut.¡±


    <<Avatar: Tyrfing>>


    In one instant, everything in the confined two kilometers radius was shed and cut apart.


    The sky, the ground, the building, and even the very space itself. Nothing was spared. Even the barrier surrounding her that was created from divine grace and days of prayer was sted open.


    Of course, Drei and the undead dragon weren¡¯t spared from this fate.


    This was Lilith¡¯s ¡ª The Sword Saint or the Sword Demon¡¯s true strength.


    Panting a little, Lilith took a deep breath before charging toward the Gorfard mansion. She had a bad feeling.


    ----


    [Gorfard Territory]


    One dwarf holding two long guns in his hands observed the golden barrier that had surrounded the kingdom with suspicion.


    Feeling his strength weakening and the overpowering aura approaching from afar, he sighed as he looked at the bloodied purple-haired girl with hazel colored slitted eyes,


    ¡°Damn, I shouldn¡¯t have yed around too much with the prey it seems.¡±


    How did ite to this?


    -----


    (AN: So in myth, Norse myth to be exact, Tyrfing is a cursed sword that can cut absolutely everything and that would eventually kill its own wielder. Pretty suitable for a woman with suicidal tendencies, right? Lol)

 Chapter 129 CH 116: SABER AND BERSERKER VS ARCHER

    A few moments ago, after getting shot by an unknown enemy, Lilin, Nuwa, and Theresa crashed quite badly.


    Thankfully, Lilin had used her reinforcement to protect her body, while Theresa used a special defense gear she had created to absorb most of the potential energy of her fall.


    As for Nuwa, Lilith watched in shock as Nuwa crashed down on the ground, from a height of nearly One kilometer, at full speed without any protection, but stood up and brushed the dust off her maid clothes quite nonchntly.


    With the few scratches on her body, one would think that she just fell while running and wounded herself rather than imagining what really happened.


    Standing up with difficulty, Theresa shook her head to clear her mind and looked around before whispering,


    [If everyone is alright, we must rush. The enemy is a powerful shooter, we can¡¯t stay in one ce.]


    Nuwa looked at the wyvern as she asked, ¡°What about it?¡±


    Even though wyverns had powerful bodies, the earlier shot hadpletely torn open his wings while the crash aggravated the alreadyrge wound.


    Lilin looked sadly at the wyvern and asked, ¡°Can you still fly?¡±


    Wyverns weren¡¯t stupid animals. Their intellect could bepared to that of a young child.


    The wyvern whined a little before nodding painfully.


    In the first ce, magical creatures like wyverns or dragons didn¡¯t only use their wings to fly. They mostly used magic. After all, it was impossible to lift their heavy body with just their wings.


    That¡¯s why, even though it was quite wounded, it could still fly slowly at low altitude. Though, it couldn¡¯t take anyone on his back.


    Theresa was about to propose to kill off the wyvern or use it as a bait but she simply decided to keep her mouth shut.


    Even though her proposal would be the most logical and adequate in the situation, she knew very well that the two of them would hesitate or refuse and this would make them lose precious time.


    Even in the past, she had faced such a problem with Mars many times. He had always been too soft.


    She immediately began to run toward their destination. She knew that this action of hers wouldpel them to follow and as she thought, after giving onest pat to the wyvern, they began to follow her.


    While running, Theresa began to summarize the situation


    ¡°We already lost too much time. We do not know the strength of the enemy nor do we know their numbers. Nuwa and I are non-fighters. Well technically, Nuwa is a fighter, but let¡¯s not count her in our fighting strength.¡±


    ¡°Hey~!¡±


    She ignored Nuwa¡¯s outcry and continued, ¡° I have some handy gadgets, but nothing that can hold long against a true powerhouse. This means that everything will be left to you. Can you do it?¡±


    Saying so she sent a nce toward Lilin, who nodded quietly.


    Seeing this, she couldn¡¯t help but remember her time adventuring with Lilith and the others.


    Even back then, they had been in many such situations, but no matter how dire it had been, she knew she could always leave her back to her friends.


    Could she do the same for Lilin?


    She wished she could say yes but the truth was,


    ¡®I can¡¯t.¡¯


    Just because she was the daughter of her friend didn¡¯t mean she was as trustworthy. Still, she couldn¡¯t hesitate.


    ¡®Haha~and I thought my life would be boring.¡¯


    Laughing lightly she began to speed up, she might be weak but she could pull her own weight when necessary.


    As a dwarf, she was extremely skilled in metallurgy and since one of her friends was the supreme daughter of Slothtein, she had been able to create armor that fused the technology of the dwarves and the angels.


    ¡®I can somewhat hold on against a Duke ss. Well, enough to not get one shot. But if we face a king ss....¡¯


    She shuddered. People at that level were walking disasters. Even if the armor itself could take the damage, her own body would be obliterated.


    ¡®Well, I already wrote my will, and Sol is set to inherit everything I own.¡¯


    Until now, she had miraculously escaped many situations that should have killed her, but she had never becent because of this. Even a demi-god like Mars could die, so what about a shrimp-like her?


    Discarding the gloomy thoughts, she gave a light tap on her right earring.


    Immediately, a holographic map appeared in front of her. This map was created by sending weak mana pulses in a radius of five-kilometer. The echo from those pulses created the map. This was a technology based on bats¡¯ sensory perception.


    Sadly, those kinds of gadgets were extremely hard to make and cost more than a castle. Even for her, buying more than four had been the limit she wasn¡¯t willing to go past.


    On her map, she could see quite a few small red dots. Next to her position, she could see two-dotsrger than her own. Those were Lilin and Nuwa. She could also see another dot that should belong to the Wyvern.


    But the one that she really paid attention to was one veryrge dot rushing toward them from behind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s elerate.¡±


    She deactivated the radar. Now that she had used it to find the enemy¡¯s position, it was useless. After all, anyone with a modicum of skill would hide their mana signature if they felt an unknown mana sweep through them.


    This was also one of the reasons this radar wasn¡¯t spread. It was quite useless and people endowed with special power or who had enough talents could do the same without any need for machinery.


    Nuwa and Lilin had indeed felt the weird mana, but hearing the urgency in Theresa¡¯s voice, they didn¡¯t ask and simply elerated.


    But the more they ran the tighter Theresa and Lilin¡¯s expression became.


    Finally, two of them just stopped and Nuwa simply followed them.


    Giving a bitter smile, Theresa said, ¡°We can¡¯t continue like this. We are just wasting energy. What¡¯s more, even if we manage to outrun the enemy and reach Sol, this could make this situation worse.¡±


    Lilin nodded, while she didn¡¯t have Theresa¡¯s experience, her two years of adventure weren¡¯t just for show.


    ¡°Theresa. I-¡±


    ¡°Aunt.¡±


    ¡°...Ok, Aunt Theresa, I have a proposal. Take Nuwa with you and rush toward Sol to give him the weapon.¡±


    Theresa hesitated for a short while before asking, ¡°From my radar, I can deduce that the enemy is most likely a Duke ss. Are you confident?¡±<sub> </sub>


    Lilin frowned a little before answering, ¡°I am not confident in winning, but I barely reached the Zone. So I shouldn¡¯t be too far. At least fleeing shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Theresa wasn¡¯t shocked that Lilin had managed such an impressive feat and nodded, ¡°Ok, then, I will trust you. Nuwa?¡±


    ¡°I am going to stay. I want to fight.¡±


    ¡°I refuse, you were not trained in any way. You staying would be more of a liability than anything.¡±


    ¡°I am strong. I can serve as a shield if necessary.¡±


    Theresa¡¯s expression twisted for a short while as she struggled between which choice she should make. Finally, deciding that they were wasting too much time, she simply nodded.


    Ideally, she would prefer to stay and fight with Lilin, but Nuwa did not know the way toward the Gorfard estate.


    Sighing, she simply began to dash ahead, ¡°The two of you should flee the moment it seems you are about to lose. Remember, dying with honor only sounds nice on paper. In order to survive ¡ª crawl, beg, cry, scream ¡ª there¡¯s no action too shameful when it¡¯s necessary to save your life.¡±


    -----


    Now alone, Lilin asked, ¡°Why did you decide to stay?¡±


    ¡°I do not know, I just want to try fighting.¡±


    ¡°You do know that we might die, right?¡±


    ¡°Do not worry, I run very fast.¡±


    ¡°Hum?¡±


    ¡°As long as I run faster than you I should be able to survive.¡±


    Lilin was dumbfounded for a while before letting out a chuckle. It was the first time that she saw someone admit so openly they would run for their lives and use theirpanion as baits.


    Still, this was somehow rather refreshing.


    Thinking so, she took out her weapon, a very long and thin double-edged sword, and swung it a few times before putting it back in its scabbard.


    Even though she didn¡¯t have Theresa help to create her weapon as her mother did, the elf was no slouch when it came to creating magic weapons and she had received this one as a reward because of all the help she gave.


    ¡°Do you use a weapon?¡±


    Nuwa shook her head, ¡°I am strong. My body should be enough.¡±


    Lilin was about to refute but remembering how a fall from 700 meters high only left some scratches on Nuwa¡¯s body, she decided to wisely shut up.


    Focusing, she closed her eyes and began to emit an overpowering aura, and a sphere only visible to her began to spread around her.


    Lilin and Lilith¡¯s techniques were fundamentally the same, but because of their difference in understanding, they followed different paths.


    Lilith followed the path of absolute sword mastery. In the immortal ying sword technique, she focused mainly on the sword aspect.


    But Lilin was different.


    Taking an Iai pose, she slightly pushed her sword outside of the scabbard and, with her eyes still closed, she waited.


    Then,


    *Bang* *Bang*


    Two bullets were shot at an incredible speed and speed toward her, but, the very moment they went through the red sphere,


    <<Immortal ying sword style: sh sword.>>


    She drew and put back her sword at such an incredible speed that she created a vacuum and cut not only the two bullets but ¡ª even all the buildings standing in front of her.


    This was followed by another two bullets even stronger but even then, she seemed to barely move as she once again cut them.


    *Whistle* ¡°The youngdy is pretty impressive.¡±


    Gentle steps sounded as the previously invisible enemy appeared.


    It was a slim white-haired dwarf.


    ¡°Hello! The name''s Atch, and I am here to kill you! Don¡¯t you think dying under such a night would make for a splendid poetic piece?¡±


    The more he walked, the tighter Lilin¡¯s grip on her sword became. Even though he seemedpletely unguarded, she felt like one wrong move would result in a bullet in her head.


    Meanwhile, Atch continued to walk toward her with apletely harmless smile even though he had uttered such chilling words.


    ¡®Come closer. Just a little closer.¡¯ She prayed inwardly.


    But, just as he was about to enter her domain, he stopped.


    ¡°Oh my! One more step and I would have lost my head it seems. But you reallyck experience, littledy. You shouldn¡¯t have shown me the limit of your reach.¡±


    The previous shot had been more prob than anything else and he was already sure to have grasped her limit.


    Lilin simply stayed silent.


    ¡°Well, this is getting boring. I am pretty sure it won¡¯tst long.¡±


    Saying so, he took a few steps back and was about to begin the fight at full st when he finally looked at the woman wearing maid clothes next to his prey.


    Then, his eyes widened inplete shock, ¡°How is it possible!?¡±


    Atch couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. It was not just because he recognized her as a chimera, but rather because of the patterns on her body.


    He had no doubt. After all, those marks were the same as the one on Funf, one of hisrades in the wing of freedom and she was,


    ¡°A royal chimera.¡±


    (AN: Lilin¡¯s sword is based on the sword of Sephiroth from Final fantasy. So you can imagine how long it is. Atch is 8 in German and Funf is 5. Finally, Lilin domain with her sword sh isn''t a zone. Imagine the En in HunterxHunter.)

 Chapter 130 CH 117: SABER AND BERSERKER VS ARCHER (2)

    In the mortal world, Chimeras could be said to be the apex predators from birth.


    Thanks to Echidna''s power, <<Cursed womb>>, she had memorized the gic information of absolutely all races and subraces in the mortal world and even obtained the information of some divine beasts.


    That¡¯s why they were called Chimera.


    That¡¯s why she was known as the mother of a thousand monsters.


    No one knew why she was doing this.


    Was it to gain more power?


    For more resources?


    Perhaps only a few people knew the truth.


    At the end of the day, what mattered was that Chimeras were strong.


    But, even between all those chimeras, 12 of them stood at the top.


    They were known as royal chimera and each of them was represented by one of the 12 constetions.


    Though their numbers dwindled quite a bit over the year and about fifteen years ago, they lost most of their numbers when they faced Mars and Lustburg. The cancer constetion, in particr, having been killed by Lilith.


    What made Atch so startled at the sight of Nuwa was that, aside from Sechs, all the other royal chimera were supposed to be dead or sealed with Echidna.


    What¡¯s more,


    ¡®A snake?¡¯


    Aside from Echidna herself, none of the other royal chimeras had snake traits.


    ¡®I should abort the mission.¡¯


    He immediately decided to give up and flee.


    All dwarves were cowards at heart. The first thing they learned before being taught how to fight or how to make money was how to flee.


    In this world where dwarves'' sole talent was their metallurgy skills, there had been many instances where the entire race had been treated as ves by the others.


    That''s why fleeing when the odds were against them was the most important lesson they learned.


    Atch, had a clear code of conduct, ''Be fearless in front of the weak and fearful in front of the strong.''


    Facing a royal was no joke. He didn¡¯t have fake bodies like Drei and he didn¡¯t wish to be resurrected as some kind of mindless zombie either.


    But, just as he was about to step back, he suddenly frowned,


    ¡°You...Why are you so weak?¡±


    Every time he faced Funf, he felt like he was standing next to an immeasurable mountain.


    As a royal chimera, even if that girl wasn¡¯t as powerful, she should still be at the Duke level at least.


    He decided to probe a little and shot three bullets in quick session. Two towards Lilin who was trying to sneak up to him and one toward the silver-haired girl.


    Even though Nuwa could clearly see the bullet, she was unable to properly react and could only use her hand to protect her face.


    Finally, under the worried gaze of Lilin, the bullet collided with Nuwa¡¯s hand.


    The result?


    *ng*


    ¡°The fuck!?¡±


    Seeing the surprising result, he immediately took five steps backward before using the cover of a building to vanish from their line of sight in order to more carefully observe the situation.


    Watching him vanish like this, Lilin who felt a little tired, decided to check on Nuwa,


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Lilin couldn¡¯t help but ask. She had watched how Nuwa stopped the bullet and even now she was stillpletely astonished.


    ¡°I am not. It hurts. I don¡¯t like pain.¡±


    Nuwa frowned while massaging her hand. On the zone of impact, aside from some skin''s bruise and a streak of blood, there were no other damages.


    Seeing this, Lilin could only click her tongue. Then finally asked, ¡°What was his deal, again? Royal chimera?¡±


    Nuwa shook her head, ¡°I do not know. I only know that Theresa stole my egg in the royal pce while fleeing.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Lilin nodded before giving her back to Nuwa once again and taking her stance.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t scared?¡±


    Even though she wasn¡¯t a fighter, she understood what it meant to give your back to someone during a fight.


    She couldn¡¯t help but feel a little emotional.


    ¡°Why should I be? Mother trained me to be omnidirectional. If you try anything fishy, trust me, no matter how tough your skin is, I will still bisect you.¡±


    And like that, all those emotions vanished, ¡°You are quite honest about killing me.¡±


    ¡°You were also honest about ditching me and running away.¡±


    The two shared a look before chuckling a little,


    ¡°Anyway, I know your body is strong. But you should use reinforcement. Otherwise, you are going to die.¡±


    Nuwa frowned, she didn¡¯t know how to use reinforcement. But it shouldn¡¯t be hard right? it was just about circting mana in the body, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°So, could you beat him?¡± She decided to ask the most important question.


    Lilin sighed, ¡®I have one technique, but I still didn¡¯t perfect it and I need time to use it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Nuwa simply nodded and didn¡¯t continue.


    ----


    Standing on a building and observing his two targets, Atch began to reassess the situation.


    The princess had been able to cut his normal bullet perfectly, but the chimera wasn¡¯t even able to react. Though it seemed that her body was extremely sturdy.


    Still, this didn¡¯t matter. After all, he was now sure of one thing,


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know how to fight.¡±


    Arge grin split his face.


    ¡°Hahaha, this is gonna be fucking interesting. I wonder how Funf will react if I bring back the dead body of her sibling.¡±


    Thinking about that crazy psycho, his smile wavered a little, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s not kill that girl.¡±


    After all, he knew how fanatical Funf was about Echidna. If she were to learn that he killed what was most likely a direct sibling of her, he was sure that she would kill him even if she had to betray the Wings of Freedom.


    Still, even then he wasn¡¯t worried. The girl might be weak, but her body seemed to be quite freaky.


    The bullet she took on without any mana protection was only a little less powerful than the one that took down the wyvern.


    ¡°This is going to be fun.¡±


    Saying so, he touched his ring and nine rifles appeared before floating on the air under his control.


    Each of those rifles were made to hold more than 6 bullets at the same time. Though there was a slight dy in the reload time, he was pretty sure that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    <<Zone: Mind Eyes>>


    At that instant, his eyes emitted a golden shade as the world around him began to change.


    Zones could appear in all kinds of shapes and effects.


    Some zones only affected the users, while others affected the surrounding, or simply created another effect altogether.<sub> </sub>


    The zone of Atch was born from his understanding of what was supposed to be a sniper and his own nature.


    The effects weren¡¯t offensively oriented like Lilith¡¯s Zone, nor was it a buff type like Tyr¡¯s zone.


    Rather, it allowed him to amass an incrediblyrge amount of information and create a map of his surroundings in his own mind. The increase in perception allowed him to process that information at a speed hundred times faster than normal.


    Thanks to this, as long as his target was in his zone, he did not have to ¡®see¡¯ them and could shoot them from anywhere without even showing himself.


    This was without a doubt the perfect skill for a coward at heart like him.


    But Atch never cared. Ever since he escaped from the slums of Greed Dike, he always kept this truth in mind.


    ¡°Better be a coward alive, than a dead hero.¡±


    Murmuring so, two rifles settled in his hands while the seven others formed a circle around him and aimed at the wall.


    Waves of mana began to enter the rifle as they slowly charged,


    <<Super charge>>


    *BOOM*


    The wall was literally sted open as seven out of the nine bullets rushed toward Lilin while thest two targeted Nuwa.


    Atch had already determined that Lilin was both the strongest and the weakest in this team.


    The moment those bullets entered her domain, Lilin immediately knew that those were at apletely different level and that it would be impossible for them to dodge all of them.


    ¡®I need to make some sacrifices.¡¯


    Moving her sword and body in a flurry of movements, she managed to cut three bullets with great difficulty and avoided two others who lightly grazed her forehead and her cheek, causing her to bleed lightly. She angled herself so that thest two wounded her in non-lethal parts of her body.


    Blood sshed as thest two bullets tore open her reinforcement and traversed her body like butter.


    *Cough* *Cough*


    Despite grimacing a little because of the pain, she still managed to stay steady and not lose her stance as she readied herself for the next attack.


    ¡°Haha, the training of that shitty mother alwayses handy in situations like this.¡±


    She was already used to receiving bone-breaking pain long ago. Compared to her training, her current wounds were nothing.


    Still, even though she wasughing, no joy could be seen in her eyes.


    The current situation was incredibly unfavorable for them.


    Not only was cutting bullets that moved at the supersonic speed not an easy task, but when you added her new wounds, she would most likely bleed out and die because of the effort rather than the enemy itself.


    She had never felt so frustrated. She understood now why her mother¡¯s zone allowed her to attack from a distance. Fighting against long-ranged enemies was really a pain.


    ¡°If only ra was here.¡±


    Her elf friend wasn¡¯t the strongest, but she was apetent archer.


    Thinking so, her focus couldn¡¯t help but falter for a short instant. An instant that Atch did not miss.


    *BOOM*


    This time, the whole nine bullets were focused on her, and she had no time to defend.


    At that instant, as she saw the bullet approach her, she understood that she had absolutely no way to defend herself.


    Her heart felt bitter at the realization that she would die in such a stupid way.


    ¡®To think that I didn¡¯t even manage to lose my virginity.¡¯


    Chuckling, she was about to give up when a blur went past her before standing in front of her, arms wide open.


    ¡°Nuwa!¡±


    Sanding in front of her was Nuwa.


    Her white maid¡¯s clothes were dyed red and Linlin could see her falter a little bit before standing proud and tall.


    ¡°Hehe, as I thought, reinforcement isn¡¯t that hard *Cough* * Cough* Though, it really hurts a lot.¡±


    ¡°Nuwa! Why!?¡±


    Lilin screamed, she couldn¡¯t understand.


    Even for Nuwa, taking those nine bullets head-on wasn¡¯t something easy. She could have very well died, rather, she should already be at death¡¯s doorstep.


    Turning her head to face Lilin, Nuwa gave a smile full of blood as said in her usual calm voice,


    ¡°I told you, right? That I would serve as a shield if necessary.¡±


    Lilith¡¯s eyes shook and she bit her lips so hard that blood was drawn.


    It¡¯s said that only in moments of adversities could you distinguish your true friends.


    How could she allow her near-sacrifice to go to waste?


    Gritting her teeth, Lilin lowered her center of gravity and tightened her grip on the handle of the sword.


    Unbeknownst to her, her aura began to condense while her pupils slowly began to change from the normal round form to a more slitted one, akin to that of a demon.


    All her senses were extended and amplified.


    She could feel everything in her body, from her heartbeats to the cirction of her blood. The rise and fall of her chest, the rustle of the wind on her skin.


    In this moment of extreme tension, she suddenly felt herself bing incredibly calm and detached from everything.


    <<Zone: One with the World.>>


    All her life, she had beenpared to her mother and always been left wanting.


    All her life, she had followed in the footsteps of her mother and had always been dissatisfied.


    That was why, slowly, as a sign of rebellion, she began to search for things that could differentiate her from her mother.


    That was why, rather than following the fighting style of her mother, she had begun to seek her way.


    The very moment she heard the gunshot, she moved.


    She neither moved at an incredible speed nor acted so fast she became invisible to the eyes.


    All she did was take one step.


    ¡°One step to reach the speed of sound¡­¡±


    As a close ranger fighter, she at first chased pure speed.


    ¡°...Two steps to go beyond sound¡­¡±


    But she soon gave up. After all, no matter how fast she wished to move, she would always be limited in a certain. Then, why should she run?


    ¡°...Three steps to go beyond space.¡±


    After all, if the problem was the distance between her and her enemy, all she needed to do was to erase that very distance.


    << Re-Immortal ying Technique: Zero Distance.>>


    In three steps.


    Three simple steps,


    She covered a distance of hundreds of meters and stood in front of Atch, and swung her sword with all her might.


    A fountain of blood sprayed the wall.


    ---


    (AN: One more chapter and we go back to Sol. Hope you liked the little disy of Lilith and Lilin. As well as the others)

 Chapter 131 CH 118: PAIN

    ¡°Argh!!!.¡±


    Huffing and puffing while holding the two rifles in his hand, Atch looked at the princess he had previously dismissed as nothing more than a prey. His eyes were bloodshit and his whole body was throbbing with pain.


    His other seven rifles wereying on the ground,pletely destroyed. Even the greatest mechanic in the world wouldn¡¯t be able to repair them.


    *Cough* *Cough*


    Blood flowed from his blood and lips and his heart was beating fiercely.


    Just now, he really faced death.


    When he thought about that moment, he still felt chills go down his spine. If he didn¡¯t sacrifice his rifle by using them as a shield, he would have beenpletely cut into two. It had been a long time since he was so close to death.


    But even so¡­


    ¡®My¡­My soul.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t help but curse in both pain and frustration.


    A wound on the body was nothing. But one on the soul was apletely different matter.


    Even now he felt like using his power was harder than before. He could forget about using his zone.


    ¡®What¡¯s this monster!¡¯


    How could a simple sword cut the soul? What kind of technique was this?


    The worse was that he had clearly blocked this attack.


    Didn¡¯t it mean that this ignored all defense?


    The name Immortal ying was indeed not for joke.


    Thankfully, he survived. The girl was standing up with blood covering all her body, with tworge bloody holes in her body.


    The cause of such wounds? The two bullets she had previously received.


    Those bullets weren¡¯t just normal ones. They were also filled with a powerful poison. It had taken longer than he thought it would, but thankfully, it worked just before he got offed.


    Still, he felt a deep unsettling feeling as he watched her. It was as if what he was facing had stopped beingpletely human.


    Those eyes, and now that he thought about it, those hair. Even attacks that seemed to bring fantasy into reality.


    He shuddered at the thought that suddenly came to him, but immediately discarded it. Both Lilith and Lilin were pure humans, he was most likely wrong.


    ¡®I have to flee now. ¡®


    He already discarded all thoughts about continuing. He waspletely crippled. Any random soldier would be able to deal with him at his current price.


    If he didn¡¯t find someone to heal his soul fast¡­He would never get back to his peak.


    This was really a bitter price to pay.


    They say bad news never came alone. He paled when he saw a golden pir rose in the sky from the direction of the church.


    Feeling the meager remains of his strength leave him and watching this light covering Lilin and healing her wound, he could only curse once again.


    ¡°Damn! I shouldn¡¯t have underestimated her.¡±


    He regretted not acting more decisively from the start. It was when he was about to move that.


    *Boom*


    It was purely through his years of experience that he managed to escape from the surprise attack.


    ¡°The fuck! How can you still move? You received more than three times the dose of poison.¡±


    *Huff* Huff* *Huff*


    ¡°I...I will not...let you hurt her...*Huff*¡±


    He could see that the girl was aplete mess, even more than the princess. So much blood flowed from her body that it looked like she was wearing a crimson dress.


    It was clear that even walking was currently impossible for her, but he knew clearly that a cornered beast was not something to be taken lightly.


    Weighing his options, he made his decision immediately.


    ¡®Let¡¯s get the fuck outta here¡¯


    If he had any reservation, now his decision was made.


    He touched his ring and murmured, ¡°Open.¡±


    But nothing happened.


    ¡°Well, shit!¡±


    He immediately understood that the cause of the failure was therge golden barrier.


    It seemed that he could only flee the good old way.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Time to run!¡±


    Immediately withdrawing all the energy in his body, he began to flee from the scene. He could feel a very scary beinging here at full speed and didn¡¯t wish to die.


    All he could do was hope that he didn¡¯t get found too fast.


    ---


    [Loki¡¯s Mansion]


    A little earlier, on Sol''s side, while Lilin was facing Atch, the situation wasn¡¯t looking pretty for the prince.


    He wasn¡¯t just fighting Zehn, who was already extremely strong on her own, but he was also facing Drei.


    From Sol''s perspective, this fight was extremely depressing.


    Not only did he have to use his power to stop the invitee from killing themselves at any moment, but Drei would actively send tens of curses against him on the slightest asion.


    Thankfully, those curses were pretty weak, and thanks to his resistance they became even weaker, but they were still disturbing him greatly.


    What¡¯s more, each time they felt like he was about to enter his dimension, they would threaten one of the hostages.


    Because of this, Sol had the nagging feeling that the goal of those people was for some reason to waste as much time as possible.


    It was as if they weren¡¯t going all out to give him the feeling that he had a chance to save the hostage, and each time he was about to give up, they would reignite his hope.


    This was pissing him off so much because he knew that hisck of experience was showing in this situation.


    Currently, many choices stood in front of him.


    The first one was to stop caring about the lives of those people and simply go all out.


    The second choice was to do his best to save as many as possible and discard the rest.


    The third choice was to fight and try to save everyone at the risk of his own life.


    He felt that those three choices weren¡¯t simply a question about the current situation, but would determine his entire future.


    What kind of man did he wish to be? What kind of king did he wish to be?


    This was a question that had always gued him and it seemed that he had no choice but to find the answer in this situation right here right now if he didn¡¯t want to be led around by the nose.


    Meanwhile, while Sol was hesitating about the decisions, he wasn¡¯t the only one who was frustrated.


    Zehn was also feeling extremely frustrated.


    Her control over the mind wasn¡¯t a permanent skill. Not only did it only work on people vastly weaker than her, but the longer she kept control the more tired she became.


    Keeping control over all the people in the mansion wouldn¡¯t have been possible if not for the drug specially prepared by Drei.


    It was the same drug Neun used to slowly control the duke heir, but simply more concentrated and in greater quantity.


    Such a drug by itself would only lower the inhibition of those inhaling it, but when it was used in conjunction with her power it became a deadlybo.


    Initially, if everything went alright, they would have simply taken control of the prince and everything would be done.


    Even in the worst case, he would be simply detained in the barrier and unable to go out.


    ¡®Why is it taking Zehn so long to aplish the mission?¡¯


    Out of all of those dispatched for this mission, the one with the most important part was without a doubt Zehn.


    All of them were nothing more than bait used to lure the tiger out of its nest.


    That was she didn¡¯t simply kill those useless humans under her control.


    It was clear that if the prince had no more reasons to stay here, he would leave and if it happened, their entire mission might fail.


    It was when she was thinking so, that she suddenly felt incredibly weakened.


    What¡¯s more, she could also feel that the barrier that they had created was slowly being eroded. Soon, it would be destroyed.


    ¡®What is happening?¡¯


    ¡°Argh! That bitch cut a part of my soul!!¡±


    She was brought out of her thoughts by the sudden screams.


    Those screams could only be described as howls full of pain and anger as Drei forgo his usual polite way of speaking and kneeled down while bleeding from his ears and vomiting blood.


    ¡°Drei!¡±


    ¡°Forget me! Kill them all! We must go. Now! We were tricked.¡±


    Zehn, who btedly realized that things were going south, was so shocked that she didn¡¯t properly hear his order.


    This opening was something that wasn¡¯t missed by someone who had patiently waited for the asion.


    ¡°Zehn! Move! Behind you!¡±

 Chapter 132 CH 119: DEMI-GOD (1)

    [Loki¡¯s Mansion]


    ¡°Zehn! Behind you!¡±


    Drei did not hesitate to send two curses in order to save hispanion.


    <<Slow>> <<Confusion>>


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The moment Zehn saw Dreiunch those spells, she immediately felt the threat of death behind her and used all her power to move a little toward the right.


    *Swoosh*


    Blood sshed, while one arm flew in the air,


    ¡°*Tch* I missed.¡±


    Zehn paid no attention to the new voice and slowly looked at her left arm, or rather what was left of it.


    As if waiting for her to remark on it, the pain finally hit her at full throttle.


    Gritting her teeth, she jumped backward, while letting a trail of blood behind her, and managed to avoid another nearly deadly hit.


    Sadly for her, notpletely, as a de made out of shadow cut a ghastly gash on her stomach, tearing her robe open along the way.


    ¡°Kuh!¡±


    Vomiting blood, she used her remaining arm to cover the wound as much as possible and keep her organs in.


    It has been a long time since she had been so gravely wounded.


    ¡®Those shadows aren¡¯t normal.¡¯


    Even though she had been taken by surprise, the body of a vampire and her constant reinforcement should have made it impossible for her to be so easily wounded.


    Moreover, ¡®My healing has slowed down.¡¯


    In terms of regeneration speed, vampires were second to none. Even more so for her, a daywalker.


    Her arm aside, the wound on her stomach should have already begun to heal, but it showed no signs of it.


    With her brows covered in sweat, Zehn observed the new intruder with wariness and shame warring on her face.


    A brown-haired woman wearing a ck skin-tight uniform showing off her ridiculously voluptuous body.


    ¡°Who are you!?¡±


    Even though Zehn did not recognize her, both Drei and Sol did, and gasped at the sight,


    ¡°Milia?¡±


    Drei¡¯s mind immediately connected the dots. Even after fighting the crown¡¯s shadow, he had wondered where she could have been. It seemed that he got his answer,


    ¡®She used her shadow power to meld with Sol¡¯s?¡¯


    He shivered, not in fear but rather in delight, at the thought.


    This was a level of control that even most magical beings born with the shadow attribute could never reach.


    And not only that, ¡®This speed, this strength. She is without a doubt a Duke or near that level.¡¯


    Milia, a cow woman who should have not even been able to use magic.


    A woman whose destiny should have to simply have a simple life like most of her brethren, never to do anything of importance.


    A rank D with basically no other redeeming features aside from her erotic body.


    Such a woman had reached a level that even A rank magical beings might never reach in their whole lives.


    ¡®Hahaha~! We were fucking right! The genesis theory was without a doubt the right way! Sister, can you see this!?¡¯


    At first, he had been somewhat disheartened because even after observing the crown¡¯s shadow by using Berthold¡¯s body, he never really managed to get a confirmation since Milia was happier ying the maid than fighting.


    As for the rest of the crown¡¯s shadow, while more powerful than normal, were also not particrly impressive either, aside perhaps Ketia whose power was unstable.


    But now, all his doubts vanished.


    This moment of exhration was so high that even the pain from his wounded soul and pride as well as the dire situation they were currently in seemed to be nothing more than trivialities.


    Still, their situation was rather bad now.


    Aside from him who could discard the current body he was using at any time, the other three should be unable to use the <<Dimension shift>> engraved on their rings by their leader.


    The cause should most likely be the <<Holy territory>>.


    At this rate, even if Neun seeded, it would be useless.


    It was then,


    [Drei. What happened to you?]


    A cold voice sounded in his mind, more precisely in the mind of his body back in their headquarters. This way ofmunication went at the speed of thought and as such was the most useful in situations where each moment counted.


    The moment the body fighting Lilith had been destroyed, even his main body suffered from that soul-searing pain.


    This of course didn¡¯t escape Nihil¡¯s attention.


    [Neun contacted me. She managed to recuperate the item. But she mentioned being unable to activate the shift function. How is the situation on your side?]


    Drei hesitated a little before answering honestly. He knew how much his leader hated being lied to,


    [Bad. Really bad. Thest body I have is too weak to use anything but some little curses to stall the enemy.]


    [...I see. Then, I aming.]


    [No! You should send Ein or Zwei. You know very well that if you show yourself, you will be locked on by those goddesses. Who knows what could happen?]


    [That does not matter.]


    [Nihil? Nihil! Fuck.]


    Drie cursed again, before calming down his emotions.


    Using mortal shells always made controlling his emotions more difficult.


    Thankfully, even though this conversation seemed tost long, in the real world, only an instant went past.


    Turning toward Zehn, or rather her right arm, he was relieved that her ring was still on.


    ¡°Zehn. Be ready. You need to bail out.¡±


    Zehn showed a surprised expression before the shame and humiliation that had been brewing after being wounded overtook her.


    ¡°Drei! Are you for real!? How could I leave while swallowing this insult!?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t ept the fact that after everything, after all those preparations, all she seeded in was serving as a diversion against a prince who hadn''t even reached the Duke level.


    The worst? She had nearly lost her life at the de of some unknown assassin.


    It didn¡¯t matter that she could heal all her wounds if given enough time.


    It didn¡¯t matter that it was the result of a surprise attack.


    She could not ept the fact that a proud daywalker like her would suffer such humiliation,


    ¡°Drei, I will¡­¡±


    ¡°Zehn.¡±


    Drei only spoke one word. He was already worried about how Nihil was risking her life to act. He wouldn¡¯t let some worthless pride make this act of her useless.


    The repressed anger in his voice was clear. The temperature in the surroundings immediately dropped by several degrees and Zehn woke up from her fury.


    She understood very well that there were limits not to cross. Gritting her teeth, she lowered her head in defeat,


    ¡°I understand.¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°If so, then withdraw now. I will use this body to buy some time. The boss shoulde soon.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Zehn immediately paled. She understood now why Drei was so pissed.


    Deciding that furtherments would only make the situation worse, she immediately turned around and began to leave.


    ¡°You think I am going to let you go?¡±


    Sol, refusing to let her escape like this, rushed toward the fleeing Zehn.


    He didn¡¯t understand what was happening, but he knew that the situation was turning to their advantage.


    At least, now that he had Milia¡¯s support, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to keep those people alive.


    At the same time, this made him understand something.


    He had always fancied himself as a selfish prince which, admittedly, he was in a way.


    He thought that abandoning some people to protect people close to him was a sign of this selfishness which, once again, was the truth.


    But he was wrong on one thing.


    True selfishness wasn¡¯t just giving up on something to keep something else.


    No, true selfishness was--wishing to have the best of both worlds even though you understood that it waspletely and utterly unreasonable.


    Some people would call it naivety, while others would call it idiocy.


    But Sol understood that no one could be more selfish than someone naive.


    Naivety was the expression of selfishness. The expression of greed.


    But naivety alone could only take you so far. You also needed the power to back it up.


    As such, only someone who had the necessary power could obtain everything he wanted.


    This was the simple truth of the matter. Something simple and yet so difficult to achieve.


    He could now understand Lilith¡¯s words.


    The difference between a naive fool and a hero of justice was their strength ¡ª the strength to back up their words.


    Sol didn¡¯t want to be a hero. Even now, if his life had really been threatened, he was sure that he would have stopped caring about the hostages.


    But he also knew that deep down he was still extremely naive, even though less than he had been a few months ago.


    He still had so much to learn. So much to experience.


    The path before him was still very long and he had to take one step at a time in order to be a man he could be proud of.


    Thinking about all of this, Sol felt something click in him.


    He knew that he was now only one step away from unlocking his own zone. He just missed a little something.


    But now wasn¡¯t the time,


    ¡°Milia! We will discuss why you followed meter. For now though, Protect them.¡±


    ¡°...Understood.¡±


    <<Zone:Mncholia >>


    A dreadful atmosphere filled the room as the shadow under Milia expanded and covered all the nobles in the surroundings.


    Malicious bloodshot eyes opened and bestial growls could be heard.


    Milia¡¯s zone was a pure offensive one in theory.


    If she didn¡¯t focus, all those people surrounded and bound by her shadow would immediately be devoured like snacks.


    Seeing this zone, both Drei and Zehn got the confirmation that Milia was indeed at the level of a Duke.


    ¡°I will remember you. The next time we meet ¡ª I will kill you.¡±


    Leaving those words, she then grew bat-like wings and flew upward.


    ¡®Do you think you are the team rocket?¡¯


    Scoffing inwardly, Sol gathered all his mana toward his mouth and fired a pure beam of mana toward her.


    Earlier during his fight against Drei and Zehn, he had not used anyrge-scale attacks because of the hostages.


    But now, he did not need to worry anymore.


    <<Dragon roar>>


    A great st of energy, even more powerful than the one he had used against Setsuna, rushed toward the flying Zehn but,


    ¡°Haha, sorry little prince, not on my watch.¡±


    <<Bone cage>> <<Corpse explosion>>


    *BOOM*


    The result of the collision sted everything in its wake, and even Zehn, who was slower because of her wounds and the holy territory barely managed to escape, though, with her back scorched.


    Still, thanks to his perfect timing, Drei managed to redirect most of the damage that would have most likely brought down the defenseless Zehn.


    Of course, the crumbling walls and roof were the proof of how powerful this attack had been.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Sol¡¯s anger skyrocketed as he turned toward the man that had to keep bothering him with all those spells since the start of this fight.


    He was then startled to see the body slowly break down, as blood poured down from the crack,


    ¡°Sigh, this body is seriously trash.¡±He jokinglyined.


    ¡°Even if you escape, yourpanion will not.¡±


    Milia, who was still binding and protecting the nobles in case anything happened, murmured on the side.


    She had already understood that this man was most likely a necromancer and that the body in front of them was just a fake.


    Sol added on the side, ¡°Indeed. Now that Camelia activated the holy territory, it should mean that everything is about to end.¡±


    Even though he didn¡¯t know what was happening, with the roof and a part of the wall sted open, the golden dome covering the city visible was enough exnation.


    ¡°Ah~! Hahaha~! I admit that we really got done in this operation. The prince was stronger than we thought. The witch had escaped the confinement. The saint did not fall. The maid hides quite deeply and the queen was a fucking beast.¡±


    Drei continued tough out loud, ¡°This was without a doubt a nearplete fiasco.¡±


    Sol narrowed his eyes, ¡°As I thought, your main goal was never to capture or kill me, right?¡±


    ¡°Heh, do you think I am the kind of stupid viin that will expose all our ns and allows you to make more preparation for the future?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Cat got your tongue, huh? Well, it doesn''t matter.¡±


    Then he raised his head and looked above,


    ¡°At the end of the day, we are nothing more than chess pieces moving under the yful gazes of some bitches. Seven hundred years ago, while my sister and I were dying after being branded as heretics, I swore that I would destroy this world with my own hands sooner orter.¡±


    His eyes were filled with madness as he stretched his arms wide, ¡°Now! Let¡¯s wee the one that will sooner orter usher a new order! Nihil!¡±


    At that very moment, an ominous sound resonated high in the sky.


    *Crack*


    -----


    (AN: Sol should understand now, that talk is easy, while actions aren¡¯t. He still doesn¡¯t have the breadth of experience necessary to sacrifice people for his own being. Is it a good or a bad thing? Frankly, it¡¯s hard to say. The discussion with Lilith about naivety and heroism happened in CH 45.)

 Chapter 133 CH 120: DEMI-GOD (2)

    A few moments ago, the soldiers and knights were cheering after Lilith¡¯s incredible disys of power.


    "We¨CWe did it!"


    "Awesome! So this is the power of the Queen!?"


    "Everyone! Don''t rx! We still have to deal with the small fries."


    "Understood!"


    None of the soldiers really understood what was happening, but they understood one thing.


    They had won.


    Now that the most dangerous threat was removed, they were free to now finish the zombies that had lost the support of the necromancer and could also deal with the rebels.


    Just as they were getting more and more hyped.


    *Crack*


    An ominous sound resonated high in the sky. Everyone in the capital obtained a single premonition from the sudden change in the world.


    ¨CSomething terrifying was going to happen.


    *Crack* *Crack*


    With the same timing, everyone looked up at the sky.


    At the end of their sight, the cloudy sky distorted and what appeared was¨Ca deep scarlet moon. The barrier that just protected them waspletely covered in cracks as if one gust of wind would be enough to shatter it.


    In the back of the mind of everyone that were dumbfoundedly looking up at that, a string of words sounded,


    <<Dimensional encroachment: Fallen Paradise.>>


    From the smallest bugs to the most battle-hardened soldiers, all of them fell silent in front of the overpowering might that had surpassed the limits of mortality.


    For the soldiers, they had thought that after seeing Lilith¡¯s power, nothing could scare them anymore and they were bitterly proven right.


    What they felt wasn''t fear¨Cbutplete and utter despair.


    The notion that in front of this being, no matter what they did or no matter how hard they struggled, everything would amount to nothing more than a meaningless struggle settled so deeply in their minds that all they could do was bow down and pray to beg their goddesses for salvation.


    And then, among those people, there was only one person¨Ca person who, despite her whole body shaking in a deep instinctive fear, stood proudly on her sword and looked at the sky.


    She understood this power. She had already felt such a level of power a few times in her life.


    With a steely expression, Lilith murmured,


    "A demi-god."


    The very structure of the world around the capital seemed to change.


    While from the outside of the capital, arge opaque dome seemed to cover itpletely, as if separating the capital from the outside world.


    ---


    Deep in the basement of the church, Camelia''s eyes constricted into a needlepoint.


    Even though the effect of the pressure was weaker on her, she could still feel as if a heavy boulder was ced on her shoulder.


    From what she knew, the leader of the wings of freedom was supposedly struck down by the concerted efforts of many powerhouses.


    What''s more, because of her status, she was the first in the cleansing lists of all the churches.


    The greatest heretic since the dawn of time.


    ''She should be sealed in the underworld by the Necromancer King. How is it possible?''


    She gasped at the realization that the wings of freedom suddenly went from a simple terrorist organization to something extremely dangerous.


    She couldn''t help but clench her teeth. In the current era, kings stood at the peak of the world for the simple reason that all demi-gods were either dead like Mars, sealed like Echidna, or unable tond in the mortal world like the divine beasts.


    But thispletely changed the situation.


    "Dear goddesses, you better send some divine help if you don''t want your game to be broken."


    [...You know the rules. We don¡¯t intervene in the affairs of the mortal world.]


    She scoffed at this. Sure, they didn¡¯t intervene. They just watched everything while sitting on their own fat asses.


    [...My ass isn¡¯t fat... It¡¯s just well-rounded.]


    ¡°Whatever, if it helps you sleep better at night, sure.¡±


    Even though she seemed to be joking around, Camelia was currently quite angry.


    If Castitas had chosen to descend in Camelia¡¯s body, even though she might die because of the overlord of divine power in her mortal body, she would have been able to terribly wound or even outright kill that woman and as such get rid of a dangerous enemy for Sol.


    Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t as if there was no way to reverse the situation. Still, she couldn¡¯t help but ask once again.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    This was something she didn¡¯t understand. What was the use of this game? Why make everything soplicated? Why were goddesses and divine beasts unable to fully descend on the mortal world, even though they could do so during the Age of Gods?


    [...]


    Receiving no answer, she could only close her eyes while clenching her teeth in frustration.


    ¡°You guys are really maniptive bitches.¡±


    This time the answer she received was a derisiveugh,


    [And you are no different from us. I wonder how our little prince will react when he learns the truth about how you used his beloved uncle? It will be really entertaining to watch. Hahaha~!]


    With thisstugh, Camelia could feel the divine presence of Castitats vanish from her mind and all she could do was let a bitter feeling swell up inside of her.


    She didn¡¯t naively believe that Sol would just smile and forgive her like he did during herst stunt.


    Thinking about this, she sighed before looking at the ceiling with determination.


    Her hair and eyes began to shine in the darkness of the ceiling.


    -----


    In the sky of lustburg, under therge crimson moon, a woman whose beauty could not be described flew peacefully.


    The sole stain on her perfect body was a trail of golden blood that could be seen on her lips before she calmly wiped it out.


    If one had to describe this woman, aside from her incredible beauty and her three pairs of wide crimson wings, her most striking figure would without a doubt be her long golden hair and her sky blue eyes.


    Looking at the world from above with an impassive expression on her face, she was like an immortal goddess.


    *Shoosh*


    She didn¡¯t even bother moving as a sword went through her as if it was passing through a phantom.


    ¡°*Tch* As I thought, you are also a dimension mage.¡±


    She could already guess it from the effects and the name that sounded in her mind, but like Sol, this woman was clearly able to use the power of a dimension.


    In fact, from what that woman did, she was clearly far more skillful than Sol.


    This means that she would be unable to wound that angel without using her Avatar.


    Lilith didn¡¯t know whether she should be worried about facing such a powerful enemy or happy because this showed how much potential Sol¡¯s power had.<sub> </sub>


    Still, she there was something couldn¡¯t understand,


    ¡°That hair, those eyes...Are you a Blessed?¡±


    If Lilith wasn''t so confident in herself, she would have thought she was seeing wrong.


    This woman was clearly a member of the Wing of Freedom. From her power, she should even be quite high ranked.


    What was a Blessed doing in an organization that had a goal to support the greatest enemies of those goddesses?


    The woman didn¡¯t bother answering the question as she finally spoke in anguid voice, ¡°You cannot stop me.¡±


    ¡°What if you add me?¡±


    A gentle voice sounded as a woman literally walked in the sky toward them.


    At each of her steps, a golden stair would appear under her foot before she stepped down.


    Once she was close enough, she added, ¡°Hello senior Dahlia. I have heard of you. You are a true legend, you know?¡±


    Camelia lightlyughed as she asked. Still, her words allowed Lilith to confirm her suspicion.


    This woman was without a doubt a Blessed, and since Camelia called her senior and she was an angel, this means she should have been the supreme daughter of Industria.


    Lilith had many questions.


    How could it be possible? Why did she still have her blessing if she had betrayed? Why did she betray in the first ce?


    But now wasn¡¯t the time to waste time on questions.


    The woman named Dahlia gave a disinterested nce at Camelia, ¡°I have discarded this name long ago. Now, call me Nihil and¨C it is still not enough.¡±


    She then moved her hand upward before slowly bringing it down.


    <<Gravity¡­


    But just as she was about tounch her spell, tenrge green magical circles appeared all around her, then green vines appeared and entwined her whole body.


    ¡°Fufufu. Then, what if you add me as well?¡±


    Another voice sounded while a green-haired green-clothed woman with butterfly wings on her back flew before stopping once she reached them.


    Currently, three Kings ss surrounded Nihil, but even then, she showed no change in expression.


    Canceling her spell, she immediately became intangible once again and walked out of the binding.


    ¡°So the witches really decided to interfere?¡±


    ¡°Arara~!? Do not misunderstand. I couldn¡¯t care less about what happened to this kingdom. Even if my dear friends died, that would simply be their fates. But see, you guys tricked my stupid little sister, and mother isn¡¯t happy about that.¡±


    For the first time, Nihil''s expression shifted a little.


    After all, even though she had be a demigod,pared to Ambrosia who had reached that level a few centuries ago, she was still too weak.


    This was even more so since breaking the Necromancer King¡¯s seal had not been an easy task.


    The worst was that if she stayed too long, the goddesses might stop caring about their stupid game rules and attack her.


    Still, she wasn¡¯t particrly disheartened. They had already seeded in their main goals and had incurred zero loss while weakening Lustburg severely.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s time for me to withdraw.¡±


    She was a little sad at the missed asion.


    She knew that if she dared to attack lustburg directly once again, she would most likely be reduced to ash or ganged upon by the divine beasts before she could do anything.


    Seeing this, Lilith was about to unsheath her sword but was stopped by Camelia from a shake of her head.


    The dignity of a demi-god couldn¡¯t be defied. Right now if they once again attacked her, nothing would stop the fight from escting and the best result would most likely be dying with her as well as the destruction of Lustburg.


    Understanding this, Lilith could only calm herself as she said with a cold voice, ¡°Before you go, tell Ibuki-Douji, that we had not forgotten her betrayal. Sooner orter, we will make her pay.¡±


    ¡°Ibuki? Ah, you mean Zwei? I see. But you know, who are you to order me around?¡±


    <<Repulsion>>


    Before Lilith could react, she felt a huge force crashing onto her before she was propelled a few tens of meters away in the opposite direction of Nihil.


    Giving onest look at all of them, she finally vanished after entering a red portal while leaving those words,


    ¡°Soon, the chains shackling this world will be broken.¡±


    -------


    At the same time, on the upper side of the tower of Babel, a blue wolf was holding a sword case in her hand, murmured the word, ¡°Open.¡± and watched as a red portal appeared in front of her.


    Giving onest look to another blue wolf lying unconscious in her own blood, she bowed and said, ¡°Princess, this will be thest bow I give you. The next time we meet, only one of us will walk out alive.¡±


    Saying so, she stepped in the portal and vanished.


    Leaving behind herplete and utter devastation in the corridor of the tower.


    --------


    In a corner of the ruin in the Gorfard¡¯s Zone, a short man was hiding under the rubble of a destroyed house.


    Feeling the familiar power, and after making sure that everything was alright, he let out a cheer of voice.


    ¡°Woah! The boss is as awesome as always. Anyways, it¡¯s time to flee! Open!¡±


    ----


    Back to Camelia¡¯s side, after watching Nihil vanish while the sky and the moon once again returned to their normal colors, Camelia finally let out a breath of relief before she turned toward Lilith and berated her,


    ¡°Lilith, damn it! What in¨CDon¡¯t piss off the bitch who can tten us to death¨Cwas hard to understand!?¡±


    Now that she was alone with her two oldpanions, Camelia immediately reverted to her habits of cursing.


    Lilith, who wobbled a little on her sword, wiped the blood from the corner of her lips before waving her hand.


    ¡°I am fine. The attack barely hurt me. I needed to say it. What¡¯s more, did you not feel it?¡±


    ¡°Feel what?¡±


    ¡°She was wounded,¡± Persephone answered on the side.


    Camelia didn¡¯t question Persephone. If the witch of life said someone was wounded, then it was the truth.


    ¡°Still, to think that we didn¡¯t even manage to catch one of them. This is so infuriating!¡±


    They could only shake their heads. Their ns were nearly perfect and they had indeed cornered the enemy. Sadly, they weren¡¯t the ones with the biggest punch.


    ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s go see how Sol is doing. After that, we will have to calcte the losses.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Lilith nodded at Camelia¡¯s proposal. She also wished to see how her daughter was doing.


    ---


    Meanwhile, close to the Gorfard Mansion, Theresa, who was previously running to meet Sol, stopped in front of an unconscious golden-haired girl wearing a red dress who had disgusting shadow wriggling out of her stomach and her missing arms,


    ¡°Oh~oh. I really always find interesting things when I run away from something else.¡±


    (AN: Seems like Theresa saved the day or was it Milia¡¯s shadow? Lol. Anyway with this, the kingdom attack is basically over. Just a few chapters to wrap everything up and then we will focus on the star of this volume as well as some heavy revtions. This arc had only been 20 chapters but damn it was hard to write. Basically, all the chapters of this arc went past the 2K words.(E/N: Chap 118 was short. Kekw) Also did you know that Dhalia means betrayal in the flowernguage? Yeah quite ironical)

 Chapter 134 CH 121: END OF A LONG NIGHT

    Back to the ruin of Gorfard''s mansion, the borrowed body of Drei was slowly scattering.


    ¡°Well, it seems like this is the end. It has been rather entertaining.¡±


    Murmuring so, he gave one piercing look to the prince.


    One of the greatest variables had been this prince. A blessed, a dragon hybrid with a core, a dimension attribute, and he should also possess a very high Capacity.


    In terms of qualifications alone, basically, no one in the mortal world should be a match for him. What was more, since he had infiltrated the Crown¡¯s shadow, he knew very well how strong Sol was initially.


    This means that all this growth happened in the few short weeks after his awakening. Even if they added some time dtions used by the witch of time, it shouldn¡¯t be more than a few months.


    Just a few months of training and he was already close to the level of a Duke?


    Drei could only chuckle bitterly at the injustice of this world.


    In front of such a talent, his century of research seemed so frail.


    ¡®Sigh seems like the Son is even more perverted than the father.¡¯


    What¡¯s more, the witch of time escaping from her prison should be rted to the prince as well.


    In the past, with the support of the witches, Lustburg, under the helm of Jupiter, was close to being the strongest country in the world.


    Even Echidna of Gluttony Foss had to think carefully if she wished to antagonize the Lustburg of that time.


    If the prince managed to convince the witches to once again ally with Lustburg?


    ¡®We need to kill him. As fast as possible.¡¯


    ¡°Hey, little prince. Think about it. We live in a society where your destiny can be determined by the color of your hair and eyes. How truly stupid..¡±


    <<Corpse explosion>>


    With thosest words, his bodypletely scattered into chunks of blood and gore.


    Looking at this, Sol stayed silent.


    He could already feel the aura of the women dear to himing.


    ¡®Still, why do I feel like I am forgetting someone?¡¯


    Looking at the ruins of house in fire all around him, he began to have cold sweat when he finally remembered who he had forgotten,


    ¡°We need to go find him.¡±


    A few momentster, with a passed-out Ares as well as the rest of the nobles next to him, Sol looked at the sky as three women came down from the sky in different ways.


    Though he was surprised to see the woman who called herself as Miss P next to Camelia and Lilith, it didn¡¯t take long for him to understand that she was most likely a witch and Persephone at that.


    Still, as he watched them near him, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder about physics.


    ¡®Howe no matter how they fly, their robes never show what is under?¡¯


    Not that he wished for anyone to see this spring scene, but this was really a wonder and something worth researchingter in the future.


    Right now though, he just wanted toy down and sleep. Sadly, he knew that it wouldn¡¯t be possible.


    ¡®This is going to be a long night.¡¯


    ----


    Meanwhile, near Greed Dike, thunder and lightning rumbled as space, time and matter werepletely distorted.


    There, deep in a crater, Kali,id on the ground with one arm and one eye missing while breathing with difficulty.<sub> </sub>


    Meanwhile, Freya was also on the ground, but everything from below her waist was erased. It was even a miracle that she was still alive.


    The only one who could stand was Medea, but it was more because she could rewind her wound. Still, if the fight hadsted longer, she would be emptied.


    Contrary to what people might think, the fights between the four directions weren¡¯t pleasant in any way and in fact would be quite deadly to anyone else.


    Of course, the reason they could fight like this was thanks to Medea and Persephone.


    ¡°You really did a number to each other.¡±


    All of them turned their head toward the direction of the voice and immediately paled once they found the one who uttered those words.


    ¡°Mother.¡±


    Contrary to most witches who had appearances varying between pre-teen to teen, the one appearing in front of them was a tall and mature beauty, seemingly in her mid-twenty, wearing a short entirely white robe that showed her beautiful long and fair legs as well as her cleavage.


    Under herrge white hat, her long ck hair swayed in the wind, giving her an even more ephemeral beauty.


    Her beauty aside, her most striking feature was the insignia of a snake eating its own tail on the back of her two hands.


    The woman, Ambrosia, slowly advanced toward Medea and gently cupped her face in her hand, ¡°It has been a while dear daughter, how have you been?¡±


    Medea was about to answer when she was interrupted by Freya,


    ¡°Hello, I am dying here, ok? Couldn¡¯t you like, you know, do your thingster when I am notying down with half of my body gone?¡±


    It was surprising how she could talk and joke like that, but she wasn¡¯t worried.


    *Chuckle*


    ¡°Indeed, I should heal you. As for you, ¡° Saying so she turned toward Kali who turned her remaining eye away.


    Watching her daughter act like this, Ambrosia left noment.


    ¡°*Sigh* Well, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Holding her hand in front of her, the snake tattoo in the back of her hand began to shine before arge ck book appeared at the top of her hand.


    <<Avatar: Record of Akasha>>


    The book slowly opened before the pages flipped one after another.. On each page, was the picture of a girl.


    Finally, the page settled on the picture of a ck-clothed white-haired girl. The perfect opposite of Ambrosia and none other than Medea herself.


    <<Record of Akasha: Avatar Chronos.>>


    This was the power of the thousand spells witch.


    A cheat-like power that gave her the ability to record and use the power of absolutely all the witches in the world.


    Arge magic circle opened and covered all the devastated regions that spanned a few kilometers. Then slowly, time began to shift backward.


    ¡°Well then, repairing all the damage you caused and healing you will take time. Medea, why don¡¯t you tell me everything that happened while I was absent? Especially by telling who gave you the resolve to escape your golden prison.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. Your prince is alright. Now, tell the story. I am really curious as to why you went after the descendant when it ended badly with the ancestor.¡±


    Medea cringed at the way this sentence was phrased.


    The night promised to be very long and awkward.

 Chapter 135 SHK CH 122: REACTIONS

    The news of the events that befell Lustburg swiftly spread to the closest kingdoms.


    Even though the exact details were not known, the show of might of Lilith and therge-scale usage of the holy territory followed by it being broken by another angel with scarlet wings.


    <o>,m All those pieces of information kept circting until they reached the highest level.</o>


    -----


    [Wratharis Republic; Throne¡¯s room.]


    ¡°Damn you! Camelia!¡±


    *Biribiribir*


    In the throne room of Wratharis, a heavy atmosphere weighed on all those present as they kneeled down in dogeza, their forehead against the ground.


    Even though their face was covered in sweat, no one even dared to move in order to wipe it out.


    They knew that with the current news, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if the king decided to take the head of everyone currently present.


    It hasn¡¯t been long since he had managed to convince the council and the preparations for war were already underway.


    But now, no matter what happened, their lord had beenpletely humiliated.


    After all, the entire premise of this war rested on the fact that Camelia Castitas was incapacitated. But now...


    Just thinking about the shame or the extent of his current wrath and shame was enough to make them lower their heads even more.


    They even wished they couldpletely bury their heads in the ground.


    ¡°Who was the fool who told me that that bitch was now powerless!?¡±


    None of them dared to step forward.


    ¡°I said¡­ Who!?¡±


    *ROAR*


    The heaviness in the air became almost physical as the ground itself began to crack and splinter.


    The roar was so loud, that some of the servants had their eardrums burst and blood flow from their ears. Despite this, neither the servants nor the officials kneeling in front of the kingined.


    Finally, one of them, a samurai, raised his head and advanced toward the king while still kneeling before lowering his head once again.


    ¡°I am terribly sorry, your majesty! This whole situation is my fault!¡±


    ¡°I see. Then, how will you repent?¡±


    At this question, the samurai once again raised the upper part of his body and said with a quivering face.


    ¡°I beseech you, your majesty, bestow death to me. But on ount of all the service I aplished, spare my family!!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Are you giving me orders?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then do not worry. I am a man of parole. Your family will be safe.¡±


    ¡°I sincerely thank you for your benevolence.¡±


    Once he said so, he stretched his right hand and received a long katana from the hand of a servant before cing the edge of the de against the left side of his neck.


    Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, then using his other left hand, he hit the de with all his strength.


    *Ssh*


    Blood spurted as his head fell, followed by his powerless body.


    All the retainers shivered, but none moved. They were already used to such scenes.


    Looking expressionlessly at the blood staining the ground, Lupus finally spoke,


    ¡°The war will continue. I refuse to be even more shamed by stopping it. I will make women understand that in front of absolute power, all tricks are useless.¡±


    Saying so, he stood from his throne and waved the sleeve of his kimono.


    ¡°You are dismissed. And someone! Come take this corpse away and clean this filthy blood.¡±


    Leaving with a dark face, his fur bristling with sparks of lightning, he looked like a beast ready to shred everything to pieces.


    ----


    [Wratharis; Temple]


    ¡°Kukuku! Hahaha! I knew it. That cunning woman would never weaken herself so obviously. Ha~! I really wish I could see the face that stupid bastard and those guys from the council must be making.¡±


    While the atmosphere in the castle was dark and oppressive, in the depth of the temple of Patientia, the atmosphere was theplete opposite.


    Sitting with her log crossed on the Tatami, Kiku Patientia was happily chugging down the alcohol in the bottle she held as if it was water.


    Even though she was worried about the actions of the Wings of Freedom, it wasn¡¯t as if it was their first time to attack a kingdom. What¡¯s more, from the information she received, they had been perfectly repelled.


    ¡°Puwa~! Sake definitely feels better when you are in a good mood. Don¡¯t you think so as well, Shuten?¡±


    Saying so she looked at the small girl wearing so little clothes she might as well be naked. The only thing really covering her being arge kimono.


    ¡°Umu. Your Sake is really the best. Even the Monkey wine of the stone monkey n barelypares. Kakaka~!¡±


    Narrowing her eyes at the nonchnce the small Oni was showing, Kiku decided to stop beating around the bush.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Tell me, why did youe? I thought that you were on that pup side?¡±


    ¡°*Sigh* Kiku, dear Kiku, this is why despite all your power, your n is on a steady decline. You are too straightforward. On his side? Please, in this world, there are neither eternal enemies, nor allies. One must always fight for their best interests.¡±


    ¡°So? You understand me well, right? All those machinations are indeed not my things and I thought you were like me...Seems like I was wrong. If you came here to mock me, then please get out, you are making my sake go bad.¡±


    Even though those words quite hurt her, Shuten showed no sign on the exterior.


    In the past, about two hundred years ago, the Oni n''s position in Envilya was extremely bad. After all, their leaders, Ibuki-Douji, had spearheaded arge-scale rebellion against the Demon Queen of then and failed miserably.


    Because of this, the young Shuten had to pick the ck of her mother and be the leader of the Oni while they fled toward their neighbors, Wratharis.


    She could never forget that, back then, if not because Kiku, who was only a holy daughter, pleaded for them, they would have never been allowed to settle down in Wratharis.


    Even when she fought the Tortoise n leader to take his ce as one of the four great leaders of Wratharis, this would have been impossible for outsiders like them without the support of Kiku.


    It wouldn¡¯t be a mistake to say that everything she had now was thanks to the fuming woman in front of her.


    Sadly, when she took the mantle of the leader of the Oni n back then, she swore that she would protect this n with all her might.


    No matter how dirty she had to be, no matter how many obstacles she had to ovee. Even if she had to lose all her honor.


    ¡°Kiku, listen to me.¡±


    Still, if she could help her friend and protect her n at the same time, wouldn¡¯t it be better?


    Thinking so, a slight smile formed on her face. It seemed that it was time to repay all the kindness she received.


    ----


    [Greed Dike; Council room]


    ¡°This is uneptable!¡±


    *Bam*


    One short stout man hit the armchair while screaming, his face flushed and his breath hurried.


    ¡°Exactly! How could they fight like this on our borders?¡±


    ¡°They must pay!¡±


    ¡°We need to ask for a settlement!¡±


    Sitting on the highest and most majestic chair in the room, a bearded middle-aged man with golden hair and blue eyes looked at all those councilmen shouting like immature children.


    Tired of their whining, he asked, ¡°What settlement do you even want? All the damages vanished.¡±


    At this, the councilmen fell silent.


    The fight between the three witches had been of epic proportion.


    Even though Greed Dike was extremelyrge, the capital wasn¡¯t that far from the borders between them and Lustburg.


    After all, the other border they shared was with Gluttony foss, they had no choice but to push their capital as far away as possible from that Kingdom.


    Because of this, they had the first seat to feel the shockwave of the fights. Even the King, in all his life, had never felt so terrified.


    He had thought that by reaching the king level thanks to his blessing he was standing at the top, but he was once again reminded how small he was both literally and figuratively.


    What was even more frightening was how all the destruction they had wreaked havoc vanished in the span of a night.


    It was onlyter, after receiving a report about the situation in Lustburg that he understood what was happening.


    Now, despite this clear disy of might, those dimwits wanted to extort money from Lustburg? For damages that didn¡¯t exist anymore?


    Did they take him for an idiot? How could he not see what was their true goal?


    Sighing at how he was surrounded by backstabbing greedy cunts, he continued,


    ¡°Lustburg has always been one of our best clients and we can¡¯t mess around with them. Still, we should show some dissatisfaction. As such we will only slightly increase the price of refined dwarf steel, while we will lower the price for Wratharis. Opinions?¡±


    The councilmen looked at each other before nodding. In the first ce, they all understood that they had to take measures to not lose the hearts of the citizens and show that they weren¡¯t pushovers.


    At the same time, none of them wanted to be responsible for a decision that could worsen the rtionship between the kingdoms.


    This was why they had been spouting all this bullshit. Now though,


    ¡°Hahaha! Your majesty is really a wise man! I can only bow at your decisions.¡±


    ¡°Of course. King Eridina is the mightest. I will respect your decision.¡±


    ¡°Same for me.¡±


    ¡°I cannot express my awe!¡±


    A river of sickening sugar-coated words flowed towards him now that he had taken all responsibility, but all he could do was smile and ept it.


    ¡®I need to contact Theresa. Those Wings of Freedom are dangerous. Even though that woman is even more dangerous, at least she wouldn¡¯t stab me in the back. She would just stab me from the front with a sweet smile.¡¯


    He could only chuckle bitterly at his situation.


    Even though he was king, he hated this country where love and friendship were nothing more than fantasy.


    This was the country of Greed. A country where a child killing his parents for money, or parents selling their children for money was nothing eye catching.

 Chapter 136 CH 123: DECISIONS

    Standing in a medical ward, Sol was facing a transparent wall.


    On the other side, two young girls could be seenying down on the beds.


    Their bodies were entirely wrapped in bandages, but their breathing was calm and steady.


    "Your highness, it has been a long while since you rested properly. Please take more care of yourself. It wouldn''t do if you copsed because of overworking.


    "As for Princess Lilin and Setsuna, you shouldn''t worry too much. Miss Persephone clearly said that healing them now would waste all the pain they have gone through."


    Sol nodded absent-mindedly.


    Even though he was quite stressed because of all the sudden responsibilities thrown at him, regrly watching them like this helped him calm down a little.


    ¡®Though I would have been happier if they were awake.¡¯


    From what Persephone was saying, after their fight, both Lilin and Setsuna were currently realizing deeper concepts and once they woke up, they would be much stronger.


    If she healed them though, that process would immediately halt and they would have lost a precious opportunity.


    That¡¯s why she could only give rudimentary care and assure that they at least wouldn''t die until they woke up.


    Pinching his brows, he said wearily, "I know they will be alright. But I can''t help but worry and I admit that having to deal with all the aftermath isn''t helping."


    Theory was nice and all, but having to deal with all the problems of the kingdom suddenly wasn¡¯t easy.


    Milia gave a wry smile and stepped aside.


    Moving his stiff shoulders, Sol looked at his right side, where Nuwa was standing while munching on a cake.


    "I have heard that your wounds were far more dangerous than Lilin''s. Howe you are still standing?"


    Nuwa looked at him nkly before answering as a matter of fact, "I have a stronger body."


    Sol could only stare at her speechlessly. Since this logic was absolute, he could only pinch his brow tighter at the unexpected source of stress.


    Waving his head, he decided to spare himself a greater headache. "Forget it. Anyway, I must go to work¨Cagain. Guard them and don''t let anyone aside from me, or the otherse close."


    He couldn''t understand why he could train non-stop for weeks, but just a few days of dealing with all those documents left his brain in mush.


    As for having Nuwa guard those two, since knew that Drei was able to steal bodies and use them, there was no way he would let anyonee close to his girls while they were unable to defend themselves.


    "Roger."


    Ignoring the girl who was stuffing herself like a squirrel, Sol began to walk away.


    Just as he was about to leave, he stopped to ask one question to Milia without turning to face her.


    "How is my aunt?"


    Milia grimaced,


    "She...she hadn''t left her room since we discovered what was stolen. Thankfully she hadn''t shown any signs of self-harm."


    "...I see."


    Sol could never forget the expression Lilith showed when she learned about it.


    It was as if she had lost her soul and was on the verge of having a mental breakdown.


    If Persephone hadn''t stopped her, she would have most likely rushed to find the Wings of Freedom even though she didn''t know where they were.


    He had recentlye to understand that she wasn''t as tough as she looked and in fact was very weak and unstable.


    Still, he had to admit that he had been left incredibly shaken by how fast it happened.


    "Your highness¡­"


    Even though Milia couldn''t see his face, she could feel how worried and sad he currently was.


    She wished for nothing more than to cuddle him and tell him that he shouldn''t worry.


    That everything would be alright.


    That he could just stay as the kind and carefree prince he had always been.


    But she knew she couldn''t do so.


    She understood that this wasn''t what Sol wished for.


    Out of everyone, she was perhaps the only one who wasn''t particrly surprised by Lilith''s current actions.


    After all, she perfectly understood that if she ever lost Sol, she would be much worse.


    Using logic in such situations was nothing more than a waste of time.


    What''s more, she knew that she herself wasn''t in the right state of mind currently.


    Learning that Berthold had most likely died long ago and that the one they had to deal with was an enemy left her incredibly shaken.


    Not only did she have to mourn her friend, but she also had to rework the entire security system of Lustburg from the ground up to avoid a leak.


    If it wasn''t enough, the Queen was currently having a mental breakdown and refused to get out of her room, while the rtionship between Sol and Camelia seemed to be a little tense.


    It was as if bad news wereing one after another.


    "Do not worry. I need far more than that to get down,¡± Sol grinned as he said, ¡°I just have to face her properly once I am done. Since Persephone is with her, I do not have to worry about my aunt harming herself."


    ''No matter what, I have to face her today.''


    ----


    [Tower of Babel, Round table room.]


    It has been six days since the night where so many events happened at the same time.


    Even now, the kingdom was still dealing with the aftermath of that day.


    Even though the civilian lives lost were minimal, this wasn''t the case for the soldiers as well as the nobles.


    Because of this, a shortage in the administration and the army could be observed.


    Thankfully, only the soldiers in the capital and the personal soldiers of the noble were affected.


    The soldiers guarding the front were spared since they hadn''t been called back.


    Currently, in the room, four people sat in silence.


    Duchess Mris ¡ª Arachne Mris.


    Duke Travers ¡ª Hermes Travers.


    Duke Hignd ¡ª Tyr Hignd.


    The Supreme daughter ¡ª Camelia Castitas.


    The mood in the room could be said to be quite oppressive despite the silence.


    The main reason behind this situation was the re full of malice the Duke Hignd was throwing at Camelia.


    If looks alone could kill, then she would have already been shredded to pieces long ago.


    The only reason he didn''t speak was that he understood that he might lose control and act in an uncouth way in front of his peers.


    Even though the other two were also silent, the look of wariness Hermes threw at Camelia from time to time spoke of his feelings.


    Arachne on the other hand showed no expression. She already knew what kind of woman Camelia was since long ago and how scary she could be.


    Despite all this, Camelia showed no changes in her expression.


    She would only look at the door from time to time, and only then would a flicker of worry sh in her eyes.


    This changed into joy the moment the door opened and Sol entered with Milia behind him as she stood up with the other Dukes.


    But that joy was soon extinguished when Sol did not even throw a look toward her.


    Striding in the room with measured steps, Sol reached the main chair and finally sat down.


    Resting his head on the palm of his hand, he spoke calmly,


    "You can sit down."


    Once everyone did as told, Sol continued with a wry smile;<sub> </sub>


    "I already said that there was no need for such formality. I am still not the king yet."


    It has only been a few days, but he was already tired of this.


    Tyr Hignd, who until now had been the epitome of wrath, smiled a little as he said.


    "I beg your forgiveness, your highness, but I cannotply. Rules and regtions are what make a kingdom strong. Ax attitude will give birth tox results."


    Even though he was speaking like that, Tyr had to admit that the prince really won his respect those few days. Talk was easy but actions always spoke louder than words.


    "Yeah~yeah~yeah. I understand. Enough with your nagging. My headache is getting worse."


    The previously tense atmosphere became smoothed thanks to this banter.


    Even though six days seemed such a small amount, many things could happen in this period.


    Since Lilith was unable to, or rather, refused to participate, Sol was handed the responsibility he had to deal with ahead of time.


    Saying that he was ready would have been a lie, but thankfully he had been raised for this role for as long as he could remember and the Dukes had been more than helpful.


    "Now, I know everyone is really busy, so how about we begin?"


    The warm atmosphere immediately cooled down.


    Standing behind Sol, Milia handed him a stack of papers then made the turn of the table and shared the document with everyone.


    Once this was done, everyone read the information on it for a while before Sol finally began.


    "As you can see. It took a while to clear the rubble of the Gorfard''s mansion but we now understand that there was an unidentified portal there linked to the Tower of Babel. This portal was used by one of the wings of freedom."


    Even though Lilith had ordered the emergency measures, she could have never imagined that there was one unknown portal.


    "It seems like the Gorfard family was ready for betrayal for a long time."


    "Indeed."


    Even though Medea could observe the whole tower, she wasn''t an omniscient god. What''s more, she only really began to care about the tower in his father''s generation.


    This means that this portal was created during the time of the Puppet King or even before.


    "We do not know how the Wings of Freedom knew of the existence of this portal, but from the information we obtained after torturing the butler, the blue wolf who served as ve for Leonard is most likely the one under the moniker of Neun."


    This was another surprising news.


    Leonard Gorfard was dead.


    Though all Sol could remember about that guy was how he pped him silly.


    Hermes muttered,


    "Now that the main line is dead. The Gorfard Family might as well be finished. Though there are some children from the concubines."


    With the Duke as a traitor, the harshest punishment would normally be the extermination of the entire family.


    "What''s more¡­ The Gorfard Family isn''t the only problem."


    At this sentence, Tyr gritted his teeth but didn''tment.


    Then his, and all the eyes settled on Sol.


    Even though they understood that he was still new at this, life didn''t leave you the time to go slowly. They really wondered what choices he would make.


    Sol, of course, knew why everyone fell silent.


    The feeling of knowing that his words could decide the life and death of so many people was both exhrating and frightening.


    He could understand why so many rulers lost themselves in this power.


    "If I have to be honest. I feel reticent about simply exterminating the entire family and even more about punishing the Hignd family."


    Sol could only chuckle bitterly. He was still too soft.


    "But, be as it may. I understand that letting this situation fester without giving the appropriate punishment would set a bad precedent."


    His eyes shed with a cold gaze and his aura immediately filled the room.


    This was the simple truth.


    Even though they had repelled the intruder and the deaths were kept to a minimum, death was still death and a life could only be paid with another life.


    That¡¯s why,


    ¡°First thing first, henceforth, the Gorfard¡¯s family will be stripped of its Duke rank and demoted to Baron in the border. The children with enough talents will be conscripted to the army to help during the war.¡±


    The baron rank was basically the lowest inheritable noble title.


    The fall from Duke''s house to baron''s house was so great that he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if some of them simply decided to kill themselves.


    Sadly, this was the greatest mercy he could bestow them.


    "The bodies of Loki and Leonard Gorfard are to be hanged in front of everyone and left to rot. After some time, they will be destroyed."


    Sol knew that for nobles, the way they were treated after death was a very important matter.


    Such a humiliating way to treat their bodies would send a message to the other nobles.


    But this wasn''t enough.


    "All the ringleaders still alive will be publicly executed after their crimes are read."


    This was the most important matter in this situation.


    The execution couldn''t be avoided and Sol didn''t wish to avoid it either.


    If their betrayal seeded, they would have no pity for him.


    Even though they couldn''t kill him, there were many destinies worse than death.


    What happened with his grandfather was just the lightest example.


    "As for Gerald Hignd¡­ He should have normally been executed for high treason towards the crown. But¡­"


    There Sol gritted his teeth and looked at Camelia with mixed feelings,


    "Because of his deal with the supreme daughter and the help he brought by reuniting all the traitors in one ce, he will only be stripped of his noble titles and his rank as General."


    Taking a deep breath, he continued, "He will then be exiled to the front line on the border of Wratharis and will be forbidden to ever take a step in the Capital."


    Tyr closed his eyes at this.


    "But, after his death, his body can be buried in the Hignd''s, and his name will be written on the hero monument."


    Hearing this, Tyr was shocked for a while, then stood up and bowed, his eyes filled with emotions.


    "I thank your highness for your infinite grace."


    Sol simply shook his head, "Please raise your head."


    His own feelings about Gerald were quite mixed. He knew that Gerald did betray them initially, though Camelia managed to convince him otherwise by promising to help heal his granddaughter.


    After learning all that, Sol had been lost in a daze for a few moments.


    Not only the betrayal of Gerald but also the fact that Camelia hid the truth from him both really hurt his feelings.


    Because of this, his current rtionship with Camelia was quite awkward.


    Once Tyr sat once again, still shaken with emotions, Sol knocked on the table.


    "Now that this is decided. We must speak about the most important matter."


    Sweeping the room with his eyes, he finally stopped at Camelia.


    "The final objective of the Wings of Freedom was nothing else than the Holy Sword of Luxuria."


    Keeping his eyes on Camelia, he continued, "Like how only the supreme daughter can use the Holy Territory, only the king can use the sword. In the hands of anyone else, it''s just some useless junk."


    "Then here is the question. Why would the Wings create such an operation only to steal a sword that should be useless to them?"


    (AN: This chapter is an important milestone. Not only for the story in general but for Sol in particr. Through this chapter. I tried to show his emotional growth. He made difficult decisions but at the same time, he still had a soft side. I know some would have liked a total massacre and frankly, I wanted to do so. But, it simply wouldn''t suit Sol''s personality as he is now. Growth should never be instantaneous, otherwise it feels cheap. Finally, we will delve soon deeper into Lilith''s psyche.)

 Chapter 137 CH 124: BROKEN TRUST

    In this world, seven divine weapons existed and each of those weapons were bestowed to the seven blessed.


    In a way, this weapon was a shortcut that could greatly boost the power of the one wielding it. But, only a blessed person could use it and his blessing needed to correspond to the sin of the weapons.


    As such, in this world, the only one who could use the holy sword of Lustburg was Sol.


    Then why would the wings steal this weapon?


    Sol of course had few ideas.


    For one, it was possible that they just wanted to weaken the power of Lustburg. Though this was a rather weak possibility.


    The second possibility then, was that they could use the sword one way or another.


    Perhaps as a key?


    This was the possibility with the highest probability.


    If he was right then, this would mean that not only the sword of Lustburg, but even the other godly weapons would be targeted.


    Sol shared his thoughts with the other Duke who then nodded,


    ¡°Your highness is wise. But what could they possibly do?¡±


    Hermes asked as he looked at Camelia, ¡°Supreme daughter Camelia, do you have an idea? Is it perhaps rted to the Goddess of Chaos?¡±


    Camelia was a Blessed and, different from Sol, she was officially the Supreme Daughter.


    The level of information she had ess to should be way higher.


    Sol meanwhile fell silent as he looked at Camelia waiting for her to answer.


    ¡°You are mistaken. Even though the seven weapons are indeed rted to the goddesses. The seal can¡¯t be rted to them.¡±


    Camelia chuckled bitterly,


    ¡°If that was the case, it would be equal to saying that the seven sins are superior to the seven virtues. There¡¯s no way those arrogant bit*Ahem* I mean there¡¯s no way the goddesses would let their honor be tarnished in such a way.¡±


    ¡®She was about to call them bitches, right?¡¯


    Everyone thought at the same time.


    Camelia ignored the weird gazes and continued,


    ¡°I think that getting all the godly weapons could indeed be one of the steps for the final goal of the Wings. But we shouldn¡¯t be in a hurry to decide their final goal. For all we know, getting one weapon is already enough.¡±


    Sol nodded,


    ¡°Indeed, everything is possible. What we must keep in mind is that:


    One, The Wings of Freedom wish to unseal the Mother Goddess of Chaos.


    Two, getting the other weapons may or may not be part of this endeavor.


    Three, getting all the other weapons or at least some more might or might not be necessary.


    In conclusion...We know absolutely nothing.¡±


    Everyone chuckled bitterly,


    ¡°Thankfully, all hope isn¡¯t lost. Thanks to my Aunt Theresa, we did manage to capture that vampire. Though it seems that she is still sleeping.¡±


    Camelia nodded,


    ¡°This is indeed the case. I do not know what kind of shadow is eating at her, but it¡¯s so powerful that even Persephone had a hard time getting rid of it. If we did not save her that soon, even as a vampire, she would have died.¡±


    While saying so she shot a look at Milia. It was surprising that someone at the Duke level had such power.


    She didn¡¯t know much about the creation and the members of the crown¡¯s shadow since Mars had been pretty tight-lipped about them, but still, she knew that this power wasn¡¯t normal.


    It was simply too sinister and was very close to the power that should only belong to G.


    Devouring.


    ¡®How did she get such power? In the first ce, how the hell is a cow-woman so strong?¡¯


    ¡°Well, right now, she is being held in Medea¡¯s world. Once she wakes up, we should be able to get more answers.¡±


    Sol didn¡¯t for one instant believe they wouldn¡¯t be able to get an answer. With both his power or Camelia¡¯s, getting answers was basically the easiest thing possible.


    The others nodded, still bewildered at how Sol managed to convince a witch that should have been hostile to them, to help Lustburg.


    They were even more surprised when they learned that she was his lover.


    They might not have known the truth about the creation of Lustburg, but they knew that it was too fishy.


    Learning the truth about it from Sol had been an eye opener about how shameless some people could be.


    Even Tyr, who had always respected the first king, had been quite delusioned.


    ¡°Well then, I think we discussed all the important points about this situation. Now, we should discuss how we will reward those who made important achievements such as Milia behind me, or Athena Hignd and the different Dukes. We will also discuss the settlement necessary for the families of the deceased soldiers.¡±


    ----


    A few hourster, while the sun hung high in the sky at noon, the discussion finally ended.


    ¡°Well, this is it for now. Thank you, everyone.¡±


    Sol stifled a yawn.


    The other didn¡¯t show any signs of being tired. Obviously, they were used to such long and dry situations.


    ¡°Well then, your highness, I will take my leave and inform my Granddaughter about her reward.¡±


    ¡°Do so. Also, tell Ares that I apologize for the rough way I treated him a few days ago. I would be happy to share the cup we weren¡¯t able to drink together.¡±


    ¡°It shall be done.¡±


    A wide smile formed on Tyr¡¯s face as he answered. Even though the situation was quite dire, the Hignd family ended up quite well off.


    Though his mood dampened as he thought about his brother and how Ares waspletely depressed currently.<sub> </sub>


    On the side, Hermes added, ¡°Your highness, Lady Theresa asked me to remind you that she had something to give to you. Something very important and as such she would like to visit the Tower at any moment.¡±


    ¡°This is no problem.¡±


    Arachne simply nodded as she stood up. She had nothing to add to this discussion.


    ¡°If this is all. Then, this session is dismissed. Thank you, everyone.¡±


    Sol closed his eyes as he dismissed them.


    He felt so tired that he just wanted to sleep now, but it wasn¡¯t time yet.


    He could feel dainty fingers massage his temples and he let out a sigh of delight.


    Opening his eyes, he looked at the sole person still present aside from him and Milia.


    ¡°Camelia¡­¡±


    Camelia fidgeted a little on her seat before answering the unspoken question.


    ¡°Could we talk alone, please?¡±


    Sol hesitated before nodding,


    ¡°Milia please, could you use this asion to contact the jail? I will go visit him after this.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Milia gave a courtesy and left the room.


    Now alone, Camelia gave aplicated look to Sol,


    ¡°You haven''t said anything to me since that day.¡±


    Camelia had never felt so stressed in her life.


    She thought she would have been ready for every reaction Sol could have.


    She was ready for him to scream orin about what she had done. She even already had all the arguments to exin why she didn¡¯t warn him.


    But contrary to what she thought, Sol neither threw a tantrum nor ignored her. He simply never asked about her reason.


    And that, more than anything, scared her.


    You didn¡¯t have to worry when someone got angry at you. It is when this person stopped getting angry that you should be worried.


    After all, anger meant that the person still cared.


    Sol could only shake his head, ¡°And what should I have done? Berate you for your choice? Scream at you? What purposes would it have served? After all, the way you handled it got the best results possible. Isn¡¯t it all that matters?¡±


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop it. I do not need any excuses, nor apologies. What is done is done. Even though I admit that I have some secrets I have never divulged, I would have not hesitated to do so if it could spare you any form of pain. But I guess this must be my childishness talking.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I may hide a secret, but I have never lied to you. I have always been as forthright as possible and have always trusted you more than anyone. But you broke my trust, not once, but twice. Tell me then, how could I believe you ever again?¡±


    ¡°...I did it for--¡±


    ¡°You did it for me. Haha.¡± A bleakugh escaped Sol,


    ¡°I know you did it for me. I do not doubt your love nor loyalty to me. I believe that you would die happily for me, but ¡ª I do not trust you anymore. You used Gerald for my sake. Then next time, what stops you from using Lilin, or Setsuna, or Milia? Did you know, they say that the way to hell is paved with good intentions.¡±


    Milia could only close her mouth and lower her head.


    At this, he stood up.


    ¡°Currently, I have other things to deal with, for example a man I saw as a father about to be exiled under my own order, or how my aunt is close to killing herself. I do not have time to deal with this melodrama right now.¡±


    Walking toward Camelia, he crouched and put her forehead against his own,


    ¡°I am really thankful for all the love you have for me. Every day, I thank the goddesses for letting me be with people as incredible as you guys. But¡­ I think it¡¯s time we reassess our rtionship if we really hope to stay long together. Think about it on your side. Okay?¡±


    Not waiting for Camelia''s answer, he stood up and left.


    He could understand why she did everything she had.


    But understanding that wouldn¡¯t take aways all the pain and anguish he went through.


    *Bang*


    After the door closed behind Sol, Camelia, now alone, could only let out a bitter smile.


    ¡°You have really grown up, Sol. It seems that I was too blind to see that.¡±


    She still did not regret using Gerald. After all, the man did really betray Sol at first and if she hadn¡¯t been able to give an alternative he would have never sided with her.


    After all, her power couldn¡¯t instantly control people at the Duke level.


    That was why she did not regret using him.


    But she did regret not informing Sol beforehand.


    It seemed that even though she loved him so much, she still saw him as a kid she had to take care of.


    The result of all this was the loss of trust between her and Sol.


    She knew more than anyone else how hard it was to get back trust once it was lost.


    If the Sol of before blindly believed in her, she knew that from now on, he would doubt everything she said.


    In a way, this was a good thing. This showed his growth and his maturity.


    She just didn¡¯t really like the price she had to pay for this growth.


    (AN: I wonder if I handled it well. The rtionship between those two will be a little stiff but no worries. This won''t give birth to some stupid rom type misunderstanding.)

 Chapter 138 CH 125: TRUTH ABOUT THE PAST (1)

    In the hallway of the tower, Sol was walking with a steady gait, his visage, betraying no emotions.


    On his way, all the servants bowed in respect before continuing their work.


    Since the conference room was on one of the lower floors, there was arger stream of people, as not only servants but also government members and workers went around preparing for their activities


    Lustburg was a powerful kingdom with a solid foundation, and even though they had lost many people, it wouldn¡¯t just crumble like that.


    Walking behind him, like his shadow, was the silent Milia,


    ¡°Now that I think about it, what about ra? Wasn¡¯t she supposed to be my assistant?¡±


    ra, the elf and Lilin¡¯s friend was also implicated in this whole situation.


    She had been kept in the tower initially and as such fought Setsuna against the one named Neun.


    Thankfully, even though her wounds were noughing matter, she wasn¡¯t in a situation of ¡®enlightenment¡¯ like Setsuna and Lilin, and as such was able to receive proper medical care.


    This situation was pretty problematic since, in a way, ra was like a diplomatic envoy.


    In the first ce, their rtionship with Southern Pride wasn¡¯t the best.


    After all, even though the elves lost the control they had on the humans so long ago during Jupiter¡¯s era, they were a long-lived race with long lived grudge and stupidly high pride.


    Thankfully, ra didn¡¯t ask much and only wanted to serve him. From what she said, serving a dragon, even a hybrid one, was basically the highest honor for an elve.


    This made Sol understand why the elves'' maids were the most enthusiastic during their encounter.


    ¡®I definitely have to visit the elves...for research purposes of course.¡¯


    Milia answered calmly, ¡°After we ensured that she wasn¡¯t a danger, she should have joined you but after what happened, I dispatched her to help the patrol. It wouldn¡¯t be toote to take her in after you form your first and second contract.¡±


    ¡°Hum, perfect. I guess I will take time to get to know her more deeply before putting her by my side.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Silence settled between them as they continued to walk before stopping in front of an elevator.


    This was just a simple tform with no fancy decoration, but it was rather useful.


    ¡°...Your highness?¡±


    ¡°Hum?¡±


    ¡°...No...It is nothing.¡±


    She wanted to ask if he was alright, but that would be the most stupid question ever.


    After all, the answer was clear.


    Still, Sol didn¡¯t let it pass, ¡°I guess my expression wasn¡¯t particrly bright, right?¡±


    He understood clearly that a rtionship shouldn¡¯t be used to this kind of unspoken moment.


    People had a hard enough time understanding each other''s words, not to mention something as abstract as ¡®unspoken words.¡¯


    It was because he believed in such a thing that he got so easily led on by Camelia.


    Since he now had first-hand experience about how notions such as ¡®I understand him/her the best¡¯ were generally wrong and a sign of arrogance, he wanted to avoid such a situation.


    Milia hesitated before nodding, ¡°I am sorry if I am overstepping my bounds, but did something happen between you two?¡±


    Sol chuckled, ¡°Let¡¯s just say that we need to remake the base of our rtionship.¡±


    In many ros or josei that Sol used to read in his past life, the male and female leads would always be tense because of some stupid misunderstanding then atter date they would make up as if some magic happened without really trying to dig the root of the problem.


    Sol didn¡¯t want to follow in those footsteps.


    What was necessary now wasn¡¯t to just kiss and make up again, but rather to truly try to understand each other better to create a more solid rtionship that could stand tall against all hardship.


    He didn¡¯t wish to see the day where one word of the enemy would be able to shake his confidence in those he loved.


    ¡°Well, forget this. The two of us also have some problems to take care of, but right now I need to take a weight off of my chest.¡±


    Milia could only give an awkward smile at this and continued to stand behind Sol as the elevator brought them into the lower floor.


    Once they finally reached their destination and left the elevator, what stood in front of them was nothing more than a wall. Arge wall with a gate drawn on it.


    Sol smiled at the two women who stood on either side of it. At first nce, it seemed as if there was nothing to protect or guard, but,


    ¡°Open the gate.¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Yes, your highness.¡±


    The two women geared in ck armor nodded before pouring their mana on two stone keys.


    Then the gate drawn on the wall began to glow as a blue swirl formed at the center.


    ¡®Haha, I feel like I am in Stargate.¡¯


    His smile slipped when he thought about why he was here and what he would find behind this gate.


    ¡°Milia, stay here.¡±


    Milia, who had been somewhat tense as they approached, nodded stiffly and nearly let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Giving her an encouraging smile, Sol stepped past in the blue swirl and vanished.


    ----


    Sol¡¯s destination was the special jail created by Neptune, Mars'' father, to detain powerful prisoners that were too hard to kill.


    Generally, they were people of other races who had a far longer lifespan than humans or simply powerful humans whomitted too many grave crimes.


    To avoid danger in case of escape, the jail itself was in another part of Lustburg that did not appear on the map but was connected to the capital through the gate.


    One might ask, why then did the Wings not use the asion to free those prisoners? Surely it could have caused even more chaos.


    The answer to this question was pretty simple.


    There were no prisoners to free anymore.


    After all, Lilith had killed all of them after she took power as the Queen. No matter how powerful they are, in front of Lilith, they had been extremely weak.


    After all, her sword was specially geared toward cutting everything.


    The reason for this,


    ¡°Why keep prisoners alive when they were nothing more than a waste of food, space, and were a hidden cancer ready to erupt at any moment?¡±


    Because of this reason, many people saw her as a bloodthirsty maniac.


    But now, after searching through old documents during his six days as a ruler, Sol knew another version of this truth.


    One that was hidden by this massacre to not show the ugliness of the royal family.


    ----


    When he appeared on the other side of the gate, what greeted him wasn¡¯t a cold and damp dungeon like he had thought, but rather a facility worthy of the best Sci-fi film.


    In this facility, each room was filled with ten cells, each with a transparent door.


    At one nce it really seemed like a super-prison of sorts, but the reality was that this ce was the secretboratory used by Neptune for his experiment on living beings.


    All the bullshit about keeping prisoners was just to easily experiment on strong people without arousing any suspicion.


    Project Genesis was nothing more than one of the many experiments he had conducted.


    This was also why Milia had been so stiff earlier and one of the reasons why Sol didn¡¯t want her to follow him.


    No matter how strong one was, a trauma was still a trauma and he didn¡¯t wish to make her relive her darkest memories.


    ¡®But what were they trying to aplish here?¡¯


    The only one who could answer him was Lilith. Sol also had a hunch that whatever secret Lilith had was tied to this ce.


    Shaking his head, he began to walk quietly in the deserted facility until he stood in front of one particr cell.


    There, on the other side of the wall, sat peacefully an old man with a missing arm.


    Feeling a presence, the old man opened his eyes, and gave a bitter smile,


    ¡°I thought you would never visit me, your highness.¡±


    The old man was none other than Gerald.


    ----


    (AN: Welp, seems like it is time to get answers, right? Man, writing the next chapter and not betray expectations will be so hard. Haha. Anyways stay tuned.)

 Chapter 139 CH 126: TRUTH ABOUT THE PAST (2)

    Looking at the young man standing in front of him, Gerald couldn¡¯t help but feel his vision blur a little.


    How long has it been?


    From Neptune to Mars, and now Sol.


    He was already looking at the third-generation King of Lustburg.


    Time went by so fast.


    ¡°I thought you would never visit me, your highness.¡±


    His tone and gaze were full of emotions as he slowly spoke.


    After all, this was the truth. The rtionship between the two of them had been irredeemably broken. Nothing could change that.


    Sol on the other hand also had mixed feelings.


    In this world, Gerald had been one of the greatest mental support he could ever have.


    Their rtionship had long gone past the level of a retainer and its lord and was more akin to that of family.


    Still, such a rtionship was beyond repair now.


    ¡°Your punishment has been decided.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You will be exiled to the battlefield and will be forbidden from either putting foot, alive, in the capital or the surroundings ever again.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You will only be allowed as a corpse.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Silence fell between them.


    ¡°You seem quite nonchnt about the situation.¡±


    ¡°From the moment I made my choice, I was already ready for any oue.¡±


    Gerald replied calmly. He did not beg for leniency nor crumbled because of his punishment.


    He knew very well that no matter how many achievements he had, the sole reason he wasn¡¯t executed was because of his rtionship with the prince.


    What really interested him though, was something else.


    ¡°My granddaughter¡­.¡±


    Everything he had done was for her. He betrayed the kingdom for her and then betrayed the Wings of Freedom for her.


    It didn¡¯t matter how foolish his actions were. It didn¡¯t matter if he lost everything he worked so hard to obtain.


    As long as he seeded, as long as she was alright, then it was more than enough.


    Looking at him like this, Sol had the urge to tell him that his granddaughter would be executed or was not cured.


    But he changed his mind just as he had the words on the tip of his tongue.


    He wasn¡¯t ying around.


    ¡°She will be alright. Camelia will keep her promise with you.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully...¡±


    Tears gathered at the corner of his eyes as he murmured,


    ¡°...I am so relieved.¡±


    Sol was surprised to find that he felt neitherpassion nor sadness currently at this sight.


    Here, in front of him, stood a man who sacrificed everything to assure the well-being of his loved one.


    It was without a doubt something worthy of respect.


    But this wasn¡¯t why he was here.


    ¡°I want to know more about Neptune.¡±


    Sol''s expression deepened as he uttered those words.


    He wasn¡¯t here to meet Gerald for old-times sake but rather, for a precise problem.


    This time it was Gerald¡¯s turn to be surprised. He widened his eyes before letting out a bitterugh,


    ¡°And here I thought you would ask me about what really happened with my betrayal.¡±


    ¡°Why should I? The sequence of events is clear and I have more pressing matters. Dwelling on the past is just a waste of time.¡±


    Gerald let out a soundless chuckle as bitterness arose in his heart.


    What¡¯s more, as Sol said, the situation was simple in hindsight.


    Initially, Gerald did indeed betray the kingdom and was ready to kill Sol if necessary.


    But after they had their suspicions on Gerald, Camelia managed to convince him by assuring the recovery of his granddaughter.<sub> </sub>


    Of course, Sol knew that Gerald didn¡¯t believe her at first.


    After all, back then, before he fell into despair, he had asked for help from Camelia.


    Sadly, she had been unable to resolve the problem.


    This was because his greatest hope had been dashed that he decided to join hands with the wings, even though he was unwilling.


    But, with the help of Medea and Persephone, Camelia had assured him that she was hundred percent sure to seed.


    Thanks to that, Gerald once again switched sides.


    ¡°After that, you simply continued to y a role. Even with the poisoned bottle, thanks to Milia¡¯s research, I know that the dose of poison was far higher than necessary. You basically made the poison more potent and easy to distinguish.¡±


    This poison was one usually used to deal with powerful magical beings and was called Embrace.


    Because of itsposition, a small dose would have been enough to hammer down on his consciousness and make him unable to think properly, thereby making him an easy target.


    It was also odorless and tasteless.


    But, that only held true for the normal dose.


    The way Gerald increased it was enough for Sol to feel the danger of the poison. What¡¯s more, even without it, after knowing from whom the bottle came from, Sol would have never drank it.


    The only victim was Ares since because of it, hepletely slept through the entire fight.


    ¡°Now then, enough chit-chat. Answer my question.¡±


    Sol wasn¡¯t in the mood to waste any more time. Not killing Gerald was already the greatest mercy he could show.


    Right now, what mattered was to gather information.


    Gerald nodded and asked, ¡°Do you know what this facility was created for?¡±


    ¡°I am not in the mood for riddles.¡±


    ¡°Haha. So impatient. The answer is simple, the Human Genesis Theory.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°From your expression, I guess that your maid told you about it.¡±


    ¡°Her name is Milia.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Silence fell as Sol asked, ¡°So this ce was also to create some super-soldier?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. Don¡¯t you find it weird? Your mai¨CMilia was, without doubt, the sole and only sessful experiment back then. But what is she?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°She is a cow woman. A were beast, not a human. Then isn¡¯t it weird? The goal was to create a human able to use magic without a contract. But your maid, who wasn¡¯t even a human, was deemed as a sessful result.¡±


    Sol frowned.


    Gerald continued unhurriedly, ¡°It¡¯s funny, you see. All the people I have met in my life had something inmon. Be it alcohol, women, religion, family, power, or even the crown. We all need an obsession to continue advancing. We are all ves of something and...He wasn¡¯t an exception. Neptune was a pitiful man.¡±


    Gerald closed his eyes as he thought back to his deceased friend, ¡°People alwayspare you to Mars. But you see, your situation is closer to that of Neptune.¡°


    He sighed a little, ¡°Imagine a young boy whose father was seen as an unparalleled existence. Said father died after a war where he marked his existence in the world by his strength and charisma. Now, whatever the boy did, no matter how hard he tried, everyone keptparing him to histe father, and he always found himself wanting. This rings a bell, right?¡±


    Sadness was apparent in his eyes as he continued,


    ¡°The greatest difference between the two of you was that he didn¡¯t have a group of powerhouses ready to defend him. From the start, he was thrown into a spiral of conspiracy and sadly, he found that even his talent wasn¡¯t high enough. Thispletely crushed him.¡±


    ¡°The Chimera project only had one goal. To give him the ability to surpass his father. Proving to the world that being born with high capacity wasn¡¯t the most important thing. Showing that all people had the potential to surpass the limits of their races.¡±


    ¡°If he seeded, even if he never managed to surpass his father¡¯s power, in terms of influence he would be recognized as the second Messiah of Humanity after Jupiter.¡±


    Sol couldn¡¯t help but scoff inwardly at the notion of Jupiter being some sort of Messiah.


    ¡°In order toplete his goal, Neptunemitted many atrocities and destroyed the lives of many people. But it wasn¡¯t enough. All his experiments always failed. It was then that he had an epiphany.¡±


    ¡°What he was trying to do was without a doubt entering the domain of gods and as such, he decided to use the being closest to the gods.¡±


    Sol opened his eyes wide as he murmured, ¡°The blessed.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Your great grandfather, Uranus, had once fought against Echidna. Even though he had lost, he had managed to take away many of her scales and kept them as trophies. What¡¯s more, he had also fought many times against the Subus Queen of that time, who was also known as the Nightmare Queen and had kept a small part of her blood.¡±


    Sol slowly began to understand where Milia got her power from.


    Camelia had told him that Milia¡¯s shadow powers weren¡¯t normal and he had seen them for himself.


    When she was d in her shadow, it was as if he was facing a ravenous beast.


    If he wasn¡¯t wrong, then her power came from echidna herself.


    ¡°Back then, the scales had been put aside for more long-term experiments. But, as for the blood of the Nightmare queen¡­¡±


    Sol had a bad feeling at this pause.


    ¡°Your Grandfather decided to try the greatest experiment possible. Using his sperm and the egg of a noblewoman, he created many embryos and added a little of the blood of the nightmare queen. All of them failed and died before even opening their eyes. All of them except one.¡±


    Sol¡¯s hunch was sadly confirmed.


    ¡°That one sess was a girl. Her name is...Lilith.¡±


    (AN: Hum, what a reveal. I have been setting this up for so long. I wonder what you guys thought? Perhaps some of you saw thising? After all, fans of myth should also know that Lilith is the name of the first Subus. What is interesting is that in some other myth, she was the wife of Adam before Eve and was created by God. In the same way, Neptune was ying god when he created Lilith.)

 Chapter 140 CH 127: DISCUSSION WITH LILITH (1)

    ¡°That one sess was a girl. Her name is...Lilith.¡±


    At those words, Sol felt his mind explode as understanding dawned upon him.


    In some myths from the earth, Lilith was the wife of Adam before Eve and she was also one of the first four subus queens.


    If he wasn¡¯t wrong, Neptune should also be someone reincarnated, then it was no wonder he had given her such a name.


    He also remembered that when he discussed with Lilin after she came back from her adventure, she had mentioned her meeting with a purple-haired princess from Envilya.


    Even though all subus had purple hair, Sol had not paid any attention to this.


    After all, purple hair wasn¡¯t a unique feature like the blue eyes and golden hairbo for Blesseds.


    But,


    ¡°If he seeded, why was she unable to use magic?¡±


    All human hybrids should be able to awaken their own personal attributes at the age of 15 alongside their awakening.


    But for Lilith, not only did she not awaken an attribute, but even her Capacity was at an impressive 0. Something that should be impossible because even the lowest of the low peasants would have at least a few points of capacity.


    Gerald gave a sad smile,


    ¡°Only humans can have a Capacity...And only magical beings can have an attribute and a Quality.¡±


    Sol didn¡¯t need more as he immediately reached a conclusion.


    "She isn''t human."


    Gerald confirmed as he said calmly,


    ¡°Lilith isn¡¯t a hybrid. In the eyes of the world, she is neither human nor subus. Not even something in between.¡±


    ¡°Her birth was something that should have never been possible. It¡¯s something akin to a miracle. At the same time, it¡¯s something that goes against every rule of this world.¡±


    Hearing this, Sol couldn¡¯t help but remember one of his discussions with Lilith.


    <<I was born cursed and blessed at the same time.>>


    Back then, he thought she was saying so because of herck of talent despite her royal origin.


    Now it seemed that her words had a far deeper meaning.


    It was then that he remembered something.


    ¡°What about Lilin?¡±


    Like how Lilith was the first subus, Lilin, or rather, the Lilin was the name given to the daughters of Lilith.


    What¡¯s more, like Lilith, Lilin was also a being with zero Capacity, and no attribute.


    Gerald looked deeply at Sol,


    ¡°If I have to be honest, I do not know. Back then, I was already sick and tired of all those experiments, so I left. But what I do know is that¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°...Lilith is unable to give birth.¡±


    ------


    After leaving the facility through the gate, Sol walked unsteadily, deep in thought while Milia walked behind him. Her expression clouded in worries.


    Before he knew he was already standing in front of the door of Lilith¡¯s bedroom.


    Raising his hand, he was about to knock on the door, but just as his hand was about to touch the door, he stopped.


    There was nothing he wished more than to rush there and now, but if he did so, he would not be able to talk logically and could end up making the situation even worse.


    Closing his eyes, Sol took a deep breath...


    So what if Lilith was some sort of homunculus? It wasn¡¯t as if it changed anything about her.


    Why was he showing such an unsightly disy when what he should do is to stand tall and strong?


    Feeling his erratic heartbeats slowly slow down and his heated mind cool down, Sol slowly exhaled and finally opened his eyes.


    His hand that was still hovering in front of the door, knocked three times.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°You should have already felt me. Miss Persephone, could you please open the door?¡±


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long as the door opened all by itself.


    Not hesitating, he entered.


    Standing behind, Milia gave a bow while wishing him good luck inwardly.


    She did not particrly like Lilith and if she had to be honest, while Lilith''s life and death did not leave her indifferent, she wouldn¡¯t lose sleep over it either.


    Still, she hoped that he would seed. After all, a King ss was too much of an asset to lose, and she hated seeing Sol sad.


    ----


    Lilith¡¯s bedroom, despite howrge it was,cked any kind of decoration.


    If he had to be honest, Sol had entered with the expectation to see the walls full of Mars painting like with Arachne, so it was a pretty big surprise for him.


    Taking a few steps, he entered deeper into the room and finally saw Lilith¡¯s bed, with her sleeping on it.


    At her side, sat a green-haired green-clothed voluptuous young woman reading a book.


    Persephone, the witch of life.


    Even now, Sol found her appearance incredible.


    All witches should be stuck looking like 12-13 years old little girls.


    The only exception were the four directions, with both Medea and Freya looking more teen between 16-17.


    But, Persephone really looked like a young adult woman, which baffled him.


    Deciding that he would solve this mysteryter, Sol cast those thoughts out of his mind.


    Meanwhile, feeling his gaze on her, Persephone raised her head from her book and smiled at Sol,


    ¡°Hello little Sol. Seeing your face brightens my day.¡±


    Answering her smile with one of his, he said, ¡°Good afternoon Miss Persephone. I hope I am not disturbing you. How is my aunt?¡±


    ¡°Fufufu~! I already asked you to be less stiff when speaking to me. If not for that midget I would have been your godmother, you know? Sigh, to think that my centuries of umtion wouldn¡¯t beat the wealth of a young dwarf.¡±


    Persephone proceed to ramble for a while before stopping, a blush covering her face,


    ¡°Oh my, where are my manners? Lilith is quite alright, I would say. Though she had umted an excessive amount of fatigue because of herck of sleep and excessive use of sleeping pills. I was quite surprised.¡±


    Sol frowned and began to walk until he stood near Lilith''s bedside.


    Currently, she was just wearing a see-through nightdress with no underwear, thereby showing her perfect and massive curves.


    Even though Sol was now used to seeing women in all kinds of positions, the sight of Lilith¡¯s body still managed to take his breath away for a short second before he tore his gaze away and looked at her expression.


    ¡°You said she couldn¡¯t sleep naturally?¡±


    Sol didn¡¯t even keep his polite speech as he asked.


    ¡°Indeed. It seems like she had been using sleeping pills to force herself to sleep for some time now. Even though her body keeps flushing most of the harmful effects thanks to her mana, this isn¡¯t a good thing. But the problem doesn¡¯t lie there.¡±


    Persephone hesitated for a short while before finally making a decision.


    ¡°As you know, I am the witch of life.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Thanks to my power, I am extremely sensitive towards life spans. I didn¡¯t manage to feel it previously since I just thought she was tired after using her Avatar, but now I am sure¡­¡±


    There, her eyes clouded a little and she gave a sympathetic look at Sol,


    ¡°You should prepare yourself. I do not know why, but her life force keeps slowly being consumed. At this rate¡­¡±


    Letting out a sigh, Persephone finished with words Sol wished he never heard, ¡°At this rate, she doesn¡¯t have much longer to live.¡±


    (AN: Discussion with Lilith happened in CH 20 of SHK. I don¡¯t remember when I mentioned her sleeping problem but I did. Yeah, everything was foreshadowed months ago. Bow in front of my careful nning. Mouahaha! *Cough*


    Anyone who knows homunculus should understand what is happening. Hehehe. What does the future hold now?)

 Chapter 141 CH 128: DISCUSSION WITH LILITH (2)

    In the bedroom of Lilith, hearing those words from Persephone, Sol had never felt so cold before.


    The shock was so much that, rather than panicking, Sol began to think of everything from a detached viewpoint.


    "How long does she have?"


    "I don¡¯t know exactly. This is something I have never seen and that is saying something. But, at this rate. I would give her between two weeks and a month."


    Sol closed his eyes,


    ¡®Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.¡¯


    Since even Persephone wasn¡¯t sure, it would be more prudent to think that Lilith only had a little more than a week to live.


    ¡°Do you have a way to stop it?¡±


    Persephone simply shook her head while frowning,


    ¡°This is another thing I do not understand. I tried feeding her the life force from my own magic, but nothing happened. It was as if it was being rejected. This led me to think that she needs something special.¡±


    Silence settled in the room,


    ¡°What about Medea?¡±


    This time Persephone nodded,


    ¡°Medea¡¯s magic could indeed stretch the time we have but that''s all. She cannot rewind the time of an object or a living being beyond 24 hours. So, even though it helps, this doesn¡¯t solve the main problem.¡±


    Sol pinched his eyebrows, tiredness visible in his eyes.


    This week had been incredibly stressful, and it seemed that he was getting only one bad news after another.


    Firstly he had to deal with the internal matters of the kingdom.


    What¡¯s more, he also had to go to the Astral realm, where he will face a second trial to have the right to contract with the phoenix.


    There was also the war against Wratharis and the diplomatic measure Greed Dike ced against them.


    If it wasn¡¯t enough, Medea had informed him that the Supreme Witch wanted to meet him so that they could discuss Kali''s punishment.


    The Wings of Freedom were preparing some nefarious n.


    And now this...


    At this rate, Sol felt like he would bust. Things kept happening one after another so fast he wasn¡¯t even able to breathe.


    Still, Sol knew he couldn¡¯t falter.


    Not now.


    He could moan, cry, whine, scream or throw a tantrum all he wished once this mess was taken care of.


    But right here, right now he had to stay strong.


    Letting out a sigh, he finally opened his eyes,


    ¡°I am going to visit Miss Ambrosia. If Lilith--¡±


    *Groan*


    Sol¡¯s words were interrupted as Lilith leaked out a groan.


    This was followed by her eyes fluttering as she slowly woke up.


    *Cough* *Cough*


    Putting her hand over her mouth, Lilith coughed a little and finally opened her eyes.


    The first thing she saw as she woke up was Sol''s worried expression.


    Even though she was quite disoriented, it didn¡¯t take long for her to understand what was happening.


    ¡°I am sorry for worrying you.¡±


    Looking at her like that, so weak, so feeble, Sol couldn¡¯t but caress her hair as gently as he could.


    ¡°As long as you are alright, everything else doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Lilith¡¯s eyes opened wide. It has been quite a long time since someone treated her like that.


    Persephone, who was watching this scene with her usual motherly smile, simply shook her head in amusement.


    She wasn¡¯t particrly saddened about Lilith''s eventual death.


    Everyone died.


    If even the stars could die, what could the measly life of mortals like them ount for?


    What was important wasn¡¯t the fact that people died¨CBut how they died.


    Until the moment of their deaths, people were capable of the best or the worst.


    That was why she found life and death so entrancing.


    ¡®Ah~! Dear Lilith. I wonder...Is your epilogueing soon? Or will it be the beginning of a new chapter?¡¯


    She really couldn¡¯t wait.


    Thinking about it, she stood up and said, ¡°I think I will leave you alone. You must have many things to say to each other.¡±


    Once she closed the door behind her, she spared a nce at the maid standing respectfully on the side.


    She recognized her as the cow woman who was far too strong to be normal.


    Sighing inwardly at why so many anomalies existed in this kingdom, she gave Milia her usual smile and left.


    ----


    Back in the room, the silence was extremely heavy.


    For Lilith, thest thing she clearly remembered was her unsightly breakdown when she heard about what happened to the sword.


    She had always wanted to keep a strong front and her reaction made her feel embarrassed..


    Sol on the other hand was silent because he was organizing his ideas. Everything he had heard was from Gerald''s perspective after all.


    What¡¯s more, now that he knew about her origins and her impending death, something popped into his mind.


    Finally, deciding that it couldn¡¯t go on, Sol opened his mouth.


    ¡°Persephone told me that you didn¡¯t have much time left.¡±


    Lilith''s eyes widened a little, before she let out a sigh, ¡°She shouldn¡¯t have told you that.¡±


    ¡°What she should have done doesn¡¯t matter. She did tell me and I know. From your reactions, I am sure you had an idea about it long ago, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°As I thought. Is it because you are a homunculus?¡±


    Even though Sol was quite knowledgeable in myths, he didn¡¯t know much about homunculus outside of what was shown in some anime he liked.<sub> </sub>


    Homunculus was a term for existence created through artificial methods to produce fully functional lifeforms from sperm and other elements without the use of a womb.


    Even though they had their differences depending on the source, all those homunculi had one thing inmon.


    Their short lifespan without a stable source of energy that could empower them.


    ¡°!!!¡±


    This time Lilith nearly jumped from her bed,


    ¡°Who told you that!?¡±


    Her voice rose an octave as she screamed.


    This was her greatest secret. Something only two people alive should know about.


    The first one was Camelia.


    Since Camelia could see souls, she had already known that Lilith wasn¡¯t a normal human from the start.


    But no matter how much she and Camelia butted heads against each other, Lilith knew Camelia would never betray her secret.


    Then, the only one left was none other than,


    ¡°Gerald.¡±


    She gritted her teeth as she uttered that name.


    She knew she should have killed him when she activated her Zone during the attack.


    ¡°Indeed. But this isn¡¯t the problem. Answer my question please.¡±


    Lilith closed her eyes as she thought back about her past.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong. When Neptune created me, even though he was only partially sessful, he wasn¡¯t particrly disappointed. After all, in his eyes, I was nothing more than a prototype. How long I could live was irrelevant.¡±


    A deep sense of powerlessness filled her when she spoke about this. Her origin was not something she was particrly proud of and in fact, she hated everything about it.


    ¡°Even though I was born with a seemingly normal body, I am physically weaker than average. What¡¯s more, my lifespan has always been a problem. Initially, I shouldn¡¯t have been able to live past my twenties. That was why he had prepared for the eventuality of my death.¡±


    ¡°Lilin.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Silence once again fell between the two of them. There were many things he wanted to say. But he had to stay focused.


    ¡°I have two questions. One, you said you shouldn¡¯t have lived past your twenties. If so, how are you still alive?¡±


    This was a very important question. After all, if they could understand the way she did it, it could be possible to replicate the solution.


    ¡°My second question. Will Lilin suffer from the same problem in the future?¡±


    After all, Lilin was already 18 years old.


    Stretching a little, Lilith slowly got up from her bed while showing off her incredible body.


    ¡°You do not have to worry about Lilin. Even though she was still cursed with zero capacity like him, she managed to get some of the skills of the Nightmare Queen. As for me, I only managed to boost my lifespan a little by creating an avatar. If I wish to live longer¡­¡±


    She took a short pause and continued,


    ¡°If I wish to live longer, the sole and only viable solution would be for me to be a demi-god.¡±


    Lilith said those words calmly as if the one with a death sentence wasn¡¯t her but someone else.


    She had alreadye to terms with her own death long ago.


    Her only regret was that, in her initial n, she should have been able to stay alive until the start of the war, and would have gone with a bang when fighting the Wolf King.


    Sadly, it seemed that this wasn¡¯t meant to be.


    But...She wasn¡¯t worried.


    Sol did not need her anymore. He was already mature enough and had a great entourage.


    The same went for Lilin. Even though she wasn¡¯t really her mother, she wasn¡¯t that much different. After all, Lilin was born from her own blood and womb.


    Back then, the brother of Loki Gorfard, with whom she was betrothed to was just a facade. On their wedding night, he did not even manage to touch her since one of her maids drugged him.


    After this, Neptune simply killed him since he had already fulfilled his role.


    As to who the biological father of Lilin was...This was a secret she would never divulge no matter what.


    ¡°Do not worry. Everything will be alright, you will see. You will learn many things, see many things, continue to grow and advance.¡±


    While she was speaking out loud, Sol slowly walked toward her until he stood just a few centimeters away from her.


    Being so close to him, she was reminded once more how much he had grown, as he stood so much taller than her.


    He wasn¡¯t a kid anymore, but a man through and through.


    cing his hand on her shoulder, Sol murmured, ¡°Lilith¡­¡±


    Lilith felt her cheek flush a little. She couldn¡¯t understand why. After all, she had even bathed naked with him not long ago.


    Why did she suddenly be so conscious of him?


    Looking at him slowly lowering his head toward her, Lilith felt her heartbeat speed up.


    ¡®Is he going to kiss me?¡¯


    Just as she was wondering about how she should react...


    *Bang*


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    Sol headbutted her so hard she felt as if she was seeing stars.


    Massaging her reddened forehead, with tears in the corner of her eyes, Lilith asked,


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The situation was so unexpected that she didn¡¯t even have the time to reinforce her body with mana.


    Without Mana, her body was even below average, and it was even more so whenpared to Sol''s hybrid dragon body.


    Sol meanwhile showed a rare expression of anger.


    ¡°You piss me off so much! Every time¨Cevery damn time, you spout the same bullshit again and again like a broken record!¡±


    He was so angry that he couldn¡¯t even keep his polite speech.


    He hadn''t even been this angry when he learned about Gerald''s betrayal back then.


    ¡°You always speak as if you were some kind of sage who understands the world! You always tell me how I will feel as if you could read my heart! You always give up first even though there are so many people who wish to save you!¡±


    Stopping there, he looked at her fiercely and asked, ¡°Lilith, tell me please, who the hell do you think you are!?¡±


    (AN: Another long ass chapter. Wasn''t easy to write. Lol about the man whose genes were used to create Lilin, I am sure many of you already guessed who it is. Now then, everyone, even the mc is tired of Lilith''s BS. Time to make her see a new road.)

 Chapter 142 CH 129: COMPROMISE

    Sol wasn''t someone prone to anger.


    Even during all the events that transpired recently, the only time he really got angry was when he thought Gerald was out to poison him.


    But this time, he really couldn''t help it.


    Everything she was saying was pissing him off so much.


    He understood that saving someone who didn''t wish to be saved was both hard and somewhat meddlesome.


    Sol had no illusion about the fact that if dying was what could make her happy, him intervening was nothing more than a selfish desire.


    But even then, he did not wish to see her die.


    "I understand that you already made your decision. I understand that I have neither the right nor the power to stop you. I do not even know how to save you. Still, please, I beg you, stop assuming the feelings I have.¡±


    The anger he felt slowly burned out as he hung his head, distraught.


    Looking at him like this, Lilith¡¯s earlier flustered feeling vanished and were reced with shame,


    ¡°I am sorry. I just¡­¡±


    She did not know how to exin herself. She had never been particrly good at expressing feelings.


    Words simply couldn¡¯t begin to describe what she felt currently.


    Sol stopped her by raising his hand, ¡°Enough, I have no need for useless titude. After all, the problem of the matter stays the same. I do not wish for you to die, meanwhile, you do not wish to fight for your life. Let¡¯s leave it at that.¡±


    Sol did not wish to continue the discussion for the simple reason that it was useless.


    As of now, he knew no reliable way to save her, rather, he didn¡¯t know any way to save her at all.


    As such, whatever he said or whatever argument he used would have absolutely no weight as long as the underlying issue wasn¡¯t solved


    ¡°Lilith, I want you to promise something.¡±


    Sol put his hand on her shoulder and stared at her,


    ¡°I want you to understand that I do not n to give up. I will save you, no matter what. Even if I have to beg the goddesses for that.¡±


    Sol didn¡¯t naively believe that the goddesses were the solution. After all, Camelia was the supreme daughter and she also knew about Lilith¡¯s secret.


    Thinking about Camelia, something shed in Sol''s mind.


    ¡®I will visit herter.¡¯


    Lilith tried to speak but Sol stopped her,


    ¡°If ¡ª No, When I manage to save you, you can do whatever you want with your own life. But for now, I want you to promise me ¡ª No, I want you to swear on my father''s name that you will not harm yourself in any way and will ept whatever healing process we manage to find.¡±


    Even though they couldn¡¯tpletely save her, as Persephone said, with Medea, it was possible to extend the time she should have left.


    Since Medea could refresh Lilith''s body to 24h ago once every day, it was possible to double the time she had. If we added Persephone¡¯s skills and Camelia¡¯s power, then even in the worst estimate, It would be possible to go from the one week he estimated to more than four.<sub> </sub>


    Of course, he would have to ask their opinion to be sure.


    Lilith was stumped before giving a bitter smile,


    ¡°Why are you bringing your father into this?¡±


    Sol answered with a bright smile,


    ¡°I am self-aware, you know? As of now, I know that I still weigh far less than my father in your heart. You could break a promise made with me...But you would never do so if it was made with my father.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°From your silence, I guess I am right. But this doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    There Sol chuckled, as he bent down and gave a light kiss on the forehead he previously headbutted,


    ¡°I do not n to take my father''s ce in your heart, nor do I think it¡¯s possible. No matter what, he will always be someone important to you. But, I do n to be someone far more important.¡±


    Lilith¡¯s eyes widened. She had always known that Sol nursed something of a crush on her, but she had never thought that he would dere so boldly now.


    She had to admit that, even though she did not quite share his feeling, she was quite ttered.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°I do not need an answer now. Let''s talk about this once you are healed. For now though¨CDo you swear?¡±


    Lilith¡¯s heart pounded faster in her chest than usual. She could also feel her cheeks grow a little warm.


    She didn¡¯t really understand why she was acting like a shy maiden at her age, but it didn¡¯t matter.


    She was sure that there was no way to save her.


    After all, she was cursed by the world itself as an unnatural existence.


    But, how could she trample on his determination right now?


    How could she pour cold water on such a bright and beautiful passion?


    Finally, what did she have to lose?


    Even if she lost the gamble, and he really found a way, the final decision would still be up to her.


    That was why, putting a solemn face, she expressed herself,


    ¡°I swear on both your and your father''s name to not harm myself in any way until the final moment.¡±


    It was such a weird promise, but if it made him happy, then it wasn¡¯t a problem.


    (AN: Persephone said Lilith has 2-4 weeks, Sol of course took Murphy''sw into ount and reduced it to one week. Hahaha. Did someone remark the parallel with Vol 1? We had Medea/Jupiter now it¡¯s Lilith/Mars. In the two volumes, Sol had to fight against the ghost of people long dead, and only partially seeded. Finally, he won¡¯t fuck her in her volume. Lol. Medea volume for Book 1 was the first and Lilith is thest. Medea was with the 1st king and Lilith with thetest King. Damn. I like how poetic I am.


    Now then, I calcted and I need just a few more chapters to wrap everything with Camelia and the witches and finally Interlude of Lilith. Then book 1 will end. Normally if everything is alright, by the end of next week book 1 will end.)

 Chapter 143 CH 130: THE SUPREME WITCH

    [Medea¡¯s world]


    ¡°Heh~~So after a few days of waiting, the young prince finally graced us with his presence. I am about to faint in joy.¡±


    Sol immediately cringed when he entered Medea¡¯s world and heard those words.


    Giving a bitter smile, he turned toward the origin of the voice.


    There, sitting next to Medea was a woman entirely d in white, except for her hair that was ck.


    She contrastedpletely with Medea who was d in ck and had long silver-white hair.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Miss Ambrosia.¡±


    This was Ambrosia, the first and strongest witch in the world, also one of the strongest beings in the world.


    Chuckling, she sipped elegantly on her drink before continuing.


    ¡°My, why such a reluctant face? After all, you are something of my son-inw. Though I still need to observe you more to make a judgment.¡±


    She began to talk absentmindedly, something that didn¡¯t surprise Sol.


    Even though he had only met her a few times since the start of this week, Sol understood that this woman was someone who moved at her own pace in her own world.


    What was more, he could feel a heavy sense of rejection toward him from her. Something that once again didn¡¯t really surprise him.


    After all, Freya was also the same when they first met.


    Even though what happened to Medea was a few hundred years ago, he guessed that for the witches, it was still quite new.


    It didn¡¯t help that witches had a really bad reputation in Lustburg and that this bad reputation came from the propaganda of the previous kings.


    Seeing Sol like this, Medea said softly, ¡°Mother, please, you promised to not pick on him.¡±


    ¡°*Sigh* You are really the most problematic of my daughters. Last time I didn¡¯t intervene because I believed in your judgment, and we all know the result. Now, you are gunning for his descendant?¡±


    Ambrosia couldn¡¯t help but nag Medea this time.


    In reality, Ambrosia really didn¡¯t hate Sol. She had observed him while hiding thosest few days and she had to admit that he was really a decent young man.


    The fact that his resistance toward magic and curse was high enough to offset most of the effect of that old snake¡¯s curse was something she was also happy to see.


    Still, she didn¡¯t want her daughter to suffer another heartbreak.


    Letting another sigh, she shook her head, ¡°Perhaps I am really being too meddlesome. I will stop for now.¡±


    Saying so, she turned toward Sol, ¡°So, I can already guess why you are here and the answer is no. I do not know how to save that little girl. I could ask Asmodeus, but that old snake really hates you, you know?¡±


    There Ambrosia let out augh full of happiness.


    ¡°You should hear him when heins to me about you. You are touching his dear little granddaughter, but he can do nothing about it. What is more, it seems like you are about to put your ws on another daughter of his. Fufufu~! This is so fun.¡±


    This was new information, ¡°Granddaughter? Daughter?¡±


    Ambrosia shook her head, ¡°This isn¡¯t a story I wish to share with you. You just need to know that when you enter the Astral realm, you should really avoid his zone.¡±


    Speaking till there, Ambrosia stopped, ¡°Hum~Now that I think about it, there is indeed a way. It was just so unlikely that I had unconsciously discarded it.¡±


    For Sol, those words seemed like honey. He perked up considerably and asked,


    ¡°Which way? ¡±


    There, Ambrosia answered solemnly,


    ¡°Nirvana. The unique skill of the Phoenix. One that they can only use 9 times in their entire life"


    Then she continued with a derisive smile, "But it is basically impossible. After all, Phoenix loves purity more than anything in this world. For them, your aunt should be more a target of cleansing than anything else.¡±


    Sol''s eyes constricted. It wasn''t just because he got a lead, but rather because of the coincidence.


    Closing his eyes, he asked,


    ¡°But, what if I had a contract with one of them?¡±


    ¡°Oh!?" Ambrosia was visibly startled before nodding, "Then I would say that you are really lucky.¡±


    ¡°Luck, heh?¡±


    Sol gave a bitter smile as he thought,


    ¡®Camelia, just how much thought did you put into all of this?''


    If it was in the past, he would have seriously thought that it was a coincidence or luck.


    But now, he would be stupid if he thought so.


    Camelia clearly knew about Lilith''s secret long ago and must have made her preparation.


    He had always wondered why she wanted him to contract with a Phoenix. After all, even though getting a rank S was difficult for some, it wouldn¡¯t have been all that difficult for him.


    In the worst case, he could make a contract with any dragon.


    Even though it would be somewhat of a loss since he was a half dragon himself, S rank was still S rank.


    But it was clear that she really thought about everything.


    ¡®Hahaha...should I be happy or sad? Frustrated or relieved?¡¯<sub> </sub>


    He really didn¡¯t know.


    A problem he had thought would stump for so long was already nearly resolved long ago.


    Of course, nothing was assured. After all, he would have to pass a test. If he failed, all the ns of Camelia would fall apart and Lilith would die.


    ¡®It seems that this trip to the Astral realm suddenly became way heavier.¡¯


    But this was a problem for another time.


    ¡°Thank you for all that information, mother-inw.¡±


    Now that he had a solution, the weight on his shoulders was definitely lighter. As such, he couldn¡¯t help but tease Ambrosia a little as he thanked her with a cheeky smile.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Ambrosia was a little surprised before she beganughing, ¡°This is the first time I was called like that since ever. Hahaha~! Brat, I like you. I hope my daughters will be happy with you.¡±


    ¡°Daughters?¡± Sol¡¯s cheeky smile cramped a little, ¡°Daughter, you mean...right?¡±


    ¡°Heh~! Is the little dragon afraid? Then again I guess you only developed a rtionship with Medea, so it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    Sol could only give a smallugh.


    Medea, on the side, simply shook her head. She was happy that Ambrosia liked Sol. After all, back then, Ambrosia had taken one look at Jupiter and simply sneered before leaving.


    As if knowing what she was thinking, Ambrosia shot her a look,


    ¡°That bastard was clearly using you. I could see from the start that he was no good. But I also know that there is nothing more stubborn than a woman blinded by love. That¡¯s why I decided to let you make your own mistakes. After all, a heartbreak is nothing rare ¡ª Who would have thought that yours wouldst centuries?¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­ I am¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget it, don¡¯t apologize.¡± Ambrosia waved her hand, ¡°I am happy that you woke up and finally found a good man. Even though said man is a few centuries younger than you. But hey, they say love knows no barrier! Hahaha~¡±


    Medea covered her face with her hand. She wished for nothing more than to find a hole and crawl in.


    Meanwhile, Sol smiled happily as he watched the cute reaction of Medea.


    ¡°Mother-inw, you shouldn¡¯t be too hard on her. After all, I am the one who chased after her.¡±


    ¡°Heh~? Seems like a story I would have to hearter. Sadly, now we need to discuss something more serious.¡±


    Reaching there, the smile on her face vanished and was reced by a solemn look.


    ¡°Firstly, I would like to apologize for the trouble my stupid daughter, Kali, brought you.¡±


    Sol was surprised at her apologies.


    After all, even though he joked around with her, the woman in front of him was a demi-god. One of the few strongest beings both in the mortal worlds or the Astral one.


    In front of her, his title as Prince or King was only good enough to assure his protection.


    Even if she stormed out without any exnation, there was nothing he could have done about it.


    ¡°It seems like we, witches, are unable to extricate ourselves from Lustburg.¡±


    Ambrosia continued, without paying attention to his astonished expression.


    Medea was basically the co-founder of Lustburg. Persephone was friends with the previous King. Medea was once again in love with the current King.


    Freya seemed to be interested in him and finally, Kali had a hand in something that might have destroyed it.


    ¡®My daughters are all so troublesome.¡¯


    Even though she was unable to give birth, her love, for not only the four of them but also all the witches, was something she didn¡¯t think was inferior to any true mother.


    Ambrosia did not believe that blood rtionship was enough to make a family.


    Otherwise, Fratricide, Patricide, and so on would never exist.


    She loved all of them dearly.


    Even though at first they were just supposed to pave her path toward potential Godhood.


    ¡°I understand that apologies are insufficient. Words alone can never cover the fact that she had the intention to kill you after all. That¡¯s why I am willing to leave her punishment to you.¡±


    ¡°Her punishment huh¡­¡±


    Sol wasn¡¯t dumb enough to think that any punishment would do.


    In fact, he was pretty sure that it was a test from Ambrosia.


    If he had to be honest, Sol did not particrly hate Kali. But, his impression of her couldn¡¯t be any worse.


    After all, even though she wasn''t the main cause, she did participate in the attack and also convinced Gerald to betray him.


    At the same time, Sol knew that one of the conditions in her participation was the right to not harm any civilians.


    Otherwise, with her overwhelming destruction power, she could have wiped out half of the poption in the capital before Medea and Freya managed to find her.


    So, how could he punish her in the most appropriate way?


    ¡°Her punishment will be¡­¡±


    (AN: Nirvana was mentioned in the Phoenix special chapter. Also really sorry for the cliff Ahahah. Been a while since I have done one so evil. Welp. What will be her punishment? To be honest, I don¡¯t know. Hahaha. Finally, what do you think of Ambrosia? Her and Theresa would make a great pair. Finally, if you were Sol, what would you think of Camelia?)

 Chapter 144 CH 131: CHOICE

    While waiting for Sol''s answer, Ambrosia couldn¡¯tpletely hide the glint of curiosity in her eyes.


    What decision would he make?


    This was really worth pondering.


    If she had to be honest, had it been any of the previous Kings or Queen before Mars, she would have never bothered like that.


    She had lived too long and did not care about mortals. Even if Kali had wiped out the capital, she would have at most raised an eyebrow and scolded her.


    She had simply lived too long and seen too many things. For her, a nap would be enough for two or three generations of humans to go past. Why Should she care about such ephemeral beings then?


    But, the boy was different.


    Neither because of his potential nor because of the games of the goddesses.


    It was for the simple reason that he was Medea''s mate.


    This meant that Sol was family and as such, the weight of his existence immediately increased in her eyes.


    In her eyes, it wasn¡¯t Sol as a king about to punish a criminal, but a sibling about to make another sibling apologize for their wrongdoing.


    That¡¯s why,


    ¡®If he doesn¡¯t punish her I will be really disappointed.¡¯


    If, despite everything that happened, he didn¡¯t punish her, it would mean that he was hesitating because of her powers or trying to enter her go book.


    At the same time, if the punishment was too harsh, it would mean that he was blinded by wrath and unable to judge the situation.


    Either way, it would be extremely disappointing.


    Of course, even if he failed, she wouldn¡¯t break his rtionship with Medea. But, her opinion of him would be extremely low from then on.


    ¡®Now then, what will you do, prospective son-inw?¡¯


    ------


    ¡°Her punishment will be¡­¡±


    Sol, gathering his thoughts slowly gave his verdict.


    ¡°She schemed against the Kingdom. Even though the result was that nothing happened, it stands to reason that she should be punished. As such, I have made my decision.¡±


    Nodding to himself, he continued, ¡°Since she became a spear to destroy our Kingdom, I will change her into a shield. Which is why I want her to serve the kingdom for a certain period of time. She should also assist at any moment if the kingdom is in danger.¡±


    Community service was a prettymon punishment in his old world.


    ¡°I also wish that for the duration of her punishment, most of her skills and mana will be sealed. She will act as my maid in the tower for the duration of her punishment and will only be allowed to use her powers in the moment of emergency.¡±


    Ambrosia¡¯s eyes twinkled, she had thought of many things, but she had to admit that Sol''s choice was quite surprising.


    She could also understand the implication behind it.


    If she epted, this would mean that Sol would have the four witches behind him.


    Medea was crazy for him.


    Freya wanted to have his child.


    Kali would be bound to the kingdom.


    And Persephone was a crazy woman.


    What¡¯s more, getting the Four directions also meant that, as long as she didn¡¯t give an opposition, Walpurgisnacht was basically under his control.<sub> </sub>


    Even without the organizations, having four King sses under his control meant that Lustburg would stand nearly at the top once again.


    Finally, for Kali, bing the servant of the man she had tried to kill not long ago would be aplete and utter humiliation.


    Despite this, since she would be his maid, it meant that she wouldn¡¯t receive abuse and she was allowed to unlock the seal and protect herself in case of emergency.


    ¡®Hahaha, He is rather thorough. But¡­¡¯


    ¡°How long will itst?¡±


    ¡°Until Kali sincerely repents for her actions.¡±


    ¡°And who would make the judgment?¡±


    ¡°You, of course, dear mother-inw.¡±


    Silence settled as Ambrosia looked quietly at the smiling young man in front of her.


    Finally, the corner of her mouth lifted, ¡°Do you wish to conquer the world? Like your Ancestor?¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a joke.


    Four Kings with the witches.


    Two more Kings, if you added Camelia and Lilith.


    and finally, two potential demigods if he signed a contract with that girl.


    ¡®No, he also talked about a phoenix, right? Then it should most likely be Anubis'' daughter.¡¯


    This would mean another potential demi-god.


    Finally, if you added her and Anubis¡­


    Sol was taken aback before asking in confusion, ¡°What is the fun in conquering the world? Reigning over this kingdom for just one week already made me feel like I was going crazy. I would have to be pretty stupid to wish for more.¡±


    Sol simply shuddered when he thought of the amount of paperwork necessary to control more than one kingdoms.


    This time, Ambrosia waspletely dumbfounded and exploded withughter.


    Sheughed so much, tears gathered in the corner of her eyes.


    Sheughed boisterously, showing none of the demeanor a powerhouse should have.


    She was sincerely happy at this simple but clear answer. She only wished to test him a little at first, but now, she was sure of it.


    This boy, or rather this man, would not disappoint her daughters.


    As long as he did not change, she would also stand on his side.


    Taking a deep breath and calming herughs, she wiped a tear and said, ¡°Very well, Sol Luxuria. I like your choice. You should go back now, I need time to prepare the seal. From tomorrow onward and until I decide otherwise, Kali will serve on your side as a maid. Hahaha, it will be quite funny.¡±


    Sol could only send a bewildered gaze at Medea before shaking his head.


    ¡®It seems like this woman also has a few screws loose.¡¯


    Still, it didn¡¯t matter to him.


    Giving a reassuring smile to Medea, he turned and began to leave, one thought swimming in his head,


    ¡®I wonder if Kali was really reincarnated like me?¡¯


    He might get an answer soon.

 Chapter 145 INTERLUDE 9: PATH OF THE QUEEN (1)

    Ashen snow danced about nimbly. It all started with a single ke, morphing into several others flocking together and eventually covering thend.


    Under this scene, a purple-haired girl stood, raising her head toward the sky while closing her eyes.


    "What am I?"


    This was the first question the girl that will be known as Lilith asked to the man standing next to her.


    Not who, but what.


    After all, from the very beginning, she had never seen herself as anything more than an object.


    "You?"


    Standing next to her, a handsome middle-aged man wearing a white coat turned to face her.


    His most striking features were his golden hair and his blue eyes.


    "You are the tool that will allow me to reach sess."


    "...I see."


    The girl nodded expressionlessly.


    Even though she had just received such a vicious and heartless answer, her heart produced no ripples.


    ''So this is snow.''


    Raising her head once again, she began to admire the beautiful scenery.


    It was then that, a grunt sounded in her ear.


    Curious about the source, she began to walk in the direction and finally found it.


    A young teen swinging a sword, torse naked and sweaty.


    Watching the sword move up and down, the girl was mesmerized, as if bound by a spell.


    She couldn''t help but ask, "Who is he?"


    She could see that the teen shared some resemnce with the man behind her.


    "Him?" An expression of disdain shed in his eyes, as he said, "He is my son. At least his body is."


    Showing a scornful smile, he continued, "Your role will be to serve the royal family until you die. So I guess he is your master?"


    "My master¡­"


    Looking at the teen''s movement with his sword, the girl once again grew enamored with those movements.


    It was so beautiful and graceful.


    Could she move like this one day?


    The man, uncaring about the thoughts of the girl, turned around and began to walk away,


    "Come. You will now receive the adequate training to show yourself in society. After all, you will be introduced as my daughter."


    Tearing her gaze away from the scene of the boy swinging his sword, the girl simply nodded and began to follow the man, faint anticipations brewing in her heart.


    ----


    "How dare you reject my brother!?"


    Looking at the back of the golden-haired girl walking away, Lilith screamed harshly.


    It has been a few years since that day under the snow.


    Since then, she had been introduced as the daughter of a concubine and became acimed as the princess of the kingdom.


    Age-wise, she was now 14 years old, and only a one year away from awakening.


    "Excuse me...But who are you?"


    "Seriously?!"


    Lilith showed an expression of shock. The fact that the girl she was so jealous of didn''t even know her existence was quite a blow.


    That''s why she presented herself,<sub> </sub>


    "I am Lilith, Lilith Luxuria!! Never forget that name."


    .


    Camelia, hearing this, chuckled, before sending a daring smile, "Make me, if you can!"


    Saying so, she sent two jabs in the air, looking extremely cute.


    It was the first meeting between her and Camelia


    ----


    Back then, she was still very innocent.


    Even though she was born from unholy means, she did not understand the weight of this reality and was bathing in the illusion that she was really a princess.


    Even though she did not understand its meaning, she was proud of the name her creator or rather, her father bestowed her so lovingly.


    She had a gentle and considerate brother, even though she didn''t really like the dragon he was contracted with. After all, with his Capacity, he could have had another rank S as a contract.


    Even then, they had a somewhat good, if strained rtionship.


    She had someone she could call a rival in Camelia.


    She was loved and appreciated by all the servants and she was the jewel of the Kingdom.


    Even though her father did not have much power, thanks to the obvious power of Mars who was already nearing the King rank, the nobles had slowly begun to take steps back to avoid angering him.


    Her life was happy.


    Everything was perfect.


    Soon, she would be 15, and then she would awaken her talent and show to her father that his works hadn''t been in vain.


    At least that was what she thought.


    It was the dream of her life.


    Sadly, just like most dreams, this one was ruthlessly shattered by reality.


    -----


    "Your Majesty...The princess has¡­"


    A priestess gulped as she was sent to announce the result of Lilith''s Capacity test.


    "Zero. Her capacity is zero."


    Even to this day, Lilith could still remember this scene vividly.


    After all, it was the day she went from the beloved and spoiled princess to the greatest failure in history.


    She could remember the uproar that swept past the kingdom as the news of herck of talent was transmitted to everyone because of the nobles who wished to suppress the royal family.


    She could remember the mockery and disdain of those that previously fawned up to her.


    But more than anything, she could remember the look of disgust and disinterest her father threw at her before leaving those cold words as he turned his back to him.


    "So, in the end, you were also a failure."


    It was then she understood the ugliness of the human heart.


    She understood that all the love and pampering she received was just the result of the expectations they had on her, and now that she failed those expectations...She lost all her value in their eyes.


    The fairy tale she thought she lived in was ruthlessly destroyed and trampled by the cold harsh reality.


    On that day...she became nothing--At least it would have been the case if not for him.


    Thanks to his words, her dead spirit regained the previous luster.


    On that day, she swore that she would be someone great.


    On that day, she swore to prove that she wasn''t a failure.


    On that day...She swore to be a weapon¨CA sword dedicated to cut everything standing on his path.


    (AN: Damn, as I thought, Lilith''s backstory would be perfect for a xianxia story. Her story is less dark than Milia and the others but still dark. I really wonder how it happened. This was supposed to be a light-hearted smut story initially without anyplicated plot. I wonder what you think of the storypared to the 1st chapter? Also once again avoid curse words to not have yourments erased by WN.)

 Chapter 146 INTERLUDE 10: PATH OF THE QUEEN (2)

    ¡°I have found a way for you to have a child.¡±


    Facing the decrepit man standing in front of her, Lilith, who wore an expression of disgust, was astonished.


    It has already been nearly three years since the day her Capacity was announced.


    The little girl of then was no more and what reced her was a strong and confident woman who could proudly say that she stood near the peak since she had reached the Duke ss long ago.


    On the battlefield, people whispered her name with fear and apprehension.


    p In a way, she was even more feared than Mars.</anda>


    After all, even though she was weaker than him, she was a ruthless demon that heeded no code of chivalry and would massacre as many soldiers as possible.


    Meanwhile, her ¡®father¡¯, a man who had seemed oh-so tall a few years ago, was still nothing more than a Duke ss.


    After abdicating his throne to Mars, he had vanished from the surface and was pushing himself for his research.


    Lilith didn¡¯t know the full story, but it seemed that another one of his experiments had been destroyed by Mars.


    But despite all this, Neptune still seemed to refuse to give up.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Still, she had to admit that his words intrigued her.


    After all, she knew better than anyone else that her body was unable to give birth.


    Even though she had all the necessary organs, shecked the eggs necessary toplete the process.


    What''s more, she had no interest in men and rtionships in general.


    ¡®I wonder if I should kill him?¡¯


    He was simply too dangerous and mentally unstable.


    More importantly, she could see that his Blessing was slowly leaving him.


    His previously shining golden hair showed a hint of grey and the blue in his eyes was slowly fading.


    From what Camelia told her, the number of Blessed possible at the same time was always limited.


    Only those possessing the title of Crown Prince, the Holy Daughter, the King and the Supreme Daughter could be blessed.


    At least that was what Camelia told her.


    But Lilith didn¡¯t care about all that.


    What she cared about was that ¡ª


    If he was really losing his divine grace, then would killing him incur divine punishment?


    The more she thought about it the more it seemed unlikely.


    In the first ce, the punishment would onlye if a human tried to kill Neptune.


    But she wasn¡¯t exactly a human¡­


    ¡°Hehe, you might be trying to hide it, but your killing intent is so heavy.¡±


    Lilith did not even flinch,


    ¡°You are right, I am seriously debating about killing you. You look so weak now.¡±


    Neptune seemed a little surprised, ¡°*Cough* *Cough* It seems that this is really so. But, did you know, if you kill me now, no one will be able to save you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I have been ready to die long ago. If I can help him even a little bit, then it will be alright.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Is that so...Then I guess you do not want to have his child?¡±


    Lilith¡¯s breath caught in her throat.


    ¡°Oh? Seems like you are interested.¡±<sub> </sub>


    Lilith''s hand trembled a little before steadying, ¡°Why should I help you create another abomination like me?¡±


    Neptune¡¯s eyes shed and he gave a cunning smile, making Lilith ashamed of herself.


    After all, the two of them knew that if she wasn¡¯t tempted, she would have simply cut him.


    Letting a chuckle, Neptune continued, ¡°Despite all the blood on your hand, you are still so innocent. Obsessing over a man who will never reciprocate your love. What a pitiful woman you are.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Sword intent filled the room and a bloody cut appeared on the body of Neptune, but his eyes showed no fear.


    Saying this, Lilith stopped, ¡°You aren¡¯t afraid that I will kll you?¡±


    ¡°Ha! I do not fear death. I only want you to know that the homunculus is already nearpletion. One born from your and Mars'' genes. If you kill me now, guess what will happen to it? Hahaha! Are you ready to bear the guilt of letting what is equivalent to your child with your beloved brother die? Answer me! Lilith, are you willing!?¡±


    A chill filled the room, Lilith gripped her sword and bit her lips so hard that blood began to flow out of them.


    ¡°I am going to kill you.¡±


    ¡°I do not care. Kill me, boil me, torture me. As long as my greatest masterpiece is sessfully created, then I don¡¯t care for anything else.¡±


    ¡°You are crazy.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for thepliment.¡±


    Helplessness filled Lilith''s heart. But, thinking about the possibility of Mars'' child dying due to her fault, she felt as if she was about to go crazy.


    All she could do was reluctantly nod.


    ----


    A few dayster, Lilith was ''mysteriously'' betrothed to a member of the Gorfard family.


    It was followed by his death in an equally ''mysterious'' way a few dayster.


    Finally was the announcement of her pregnancy.


    A series of events, each of them more startling than the previous one.


    Many people sensed a hint of conspiracy, but no one could get any proof.


    Then, one year after the birth of the princess.


    Neptune Luxuria died.


    No one knew how, no one knew why...aside from Lilith.


    After all, she had killed him herself.


    Two yearster, the current Hero King, Mars Luxuria died with his wife while fighting and sealing echidna.


    On that day, Lilith broke through the King rank and killed one of the twelves constetions with a sh.


    She had realized her wish.


    She had really managed to be a sword.


    Sadly, with the death of her master, she was a sword that no one could wield.


    On that day, Lilith grieved.


    She screamed, cried and tore herself away.


    She wished to die. She wished to put an end to the misery she was feeling.


    But she knew she couldn''t.


    She had to take care of them.


    She had to protect them and assure that they would grow in the best condition possible.


    That¡¯s why, even though she was broken beyond repair¡­ She continued to hold on.

 Chapter 147 SPECIAL CHAPTER: MEDEA (3)

    [Medea''s World]


    (AN: Those events happened after Sol left Camelia and went to ask Medea about Kali''s magic.)


    After discussing Kali, Sol thought about how dangerous a fight against her in the capital could be.


    If her power was even remotely simr to what he was thinking, then she was basically a walking nuclear bomb.


    Of course, asking Medea to help protect Lustburg despite the way she was depicted in history books was not something he could ask easily.


    But at the same time, if she could help then she would once again be seen as the savior of Lustburg and no one would oppose their rtionship.


    Thinking so, he was about to stand up and he felt his sleeve being pulled,


    "Sol¡­"


    He was about to ask what was going on, but after seeing her feverish face and moist eyes, he understood pretty much without needing any words.


    A small grin etched on his face as he cupped her face in his hand and asked softly,


    "Can I visit your room?"


    All Medea could do for an answer was to nod.


    -----


    The room of Medea was as tidy and girly as he remembered. Since he didn''t want to waste too much time, he gently pushed her down on the bed and bent down toward her.


    When his lips pressed down onto hers, she closed her eyes and epted the kiss.


    He lightly kissed her tightly closed mouth a few times and then gently sucked on her lower lip. He pulled away for a moment.


    "Open your lips."


    Hemanded in a low voice. She swallowed a hard breath from nervousness; her throat hurt.


    Her face was tinted in a pink hue as she hesitated, but in the end, she let her lips fall apart a little.


    His eyes seemed tough for a moment. Soon, his lips firmly pressed against hers and a soft piece of flesh entered her mouth.


    ''Ah¡­''


    His tongue smoothly ravaged the inside of her mouth. He slowly made his way around her teeth and the sides of her cheeks.


    Medea felt a jolting pleasure when his tongue met hers. As their lips parted the tiniest sliver, he spoke.


    "You taste like wine."


    Medea felt her blush burning through her cheeks. He changed his position and locked lips once more. Their tongues wrestled while their saliva mixed.


    He was focused on exploring the inside of her mouth through kissing. His tongue twisted and sucked on, then let go of her.


    "Ah~ !.."


    A low moan escaped from deep within her throat. The soft kiss gradually heated up.


    Their kiss continued that way for many more rounds. Medea''s shoulders, which had been stiff from nerves, gradually rxed. His kisses were sweet and soothing.


    When he parted from a particrly long kiss, Medea lightly gasped for breath. With only this much, it felt like they had done more than enough already.


    "You are so cute."


    Her cheeks were rosy as she bit her lips at hispliment. She felt ashamed at how simply hearing this made her heart beat so wildly in happiness.


    For Sol, nothing looked more adorable than her. Her height was just right against his. She may not be voluptuous, but her body had a lot of charm.


    He pecked her lips a few more times, and gradually moved his kisses to her cheek then to her ear. His moist lips kissed behind her ear then down her neck.


    Her body''s aroma was unique, a gentle and soothing scent...It made him feel at ease, as if once in her arms, nothing else mattered. He traced his lips from her neck down to the vicinity of her small breasts.


    "Ah!"


    A jolting pleasure from her breasts forced Medea to let out a short moan. He took a mouthful and sucked on it


    "Ah!"


    He lightly bit her nipple and tickled it with his tongue. Medea got breathless as he licked around the are before sucking on it once more.


    She was quietlyying down in bed while grasping onto the sheets, but her body would tremble while her hips jolted up from time to time. Gradually, he felt his lower half starting to grow hot.


    He let go of her breast, which was now wet with his saliva and moved to caress the other one. He licked, sometimes lightly bit, swallowed, and from time to time sucked with great force. Whenever his tongue moved, a tingling sensation would travel up her spine, and she couldn''t help but moan in pleasure.


    After he teased her breasts to his content, his kisses traveled down to her abdomen. Medea wondered where his lips would advance next. She was gripping onto the sheets so hard, the tips of her fingers turned pale white.


    "Ah~¡­"


    His lips proceeded down to her lower abdomen and then to her inner thighs. His lips brushed against the deep portions of her inner thighs and began sucking. She felt a little sting. After all, it hadn''t been long since her first time.


    Meanwhile, Sol raised back up before he took her breast in his hand and brought his other hand to her abdomen.


    He slowly let his hand brush down her abdomen and naturally slid it down to her inner thigh, pressing his fingers toward her crotch.


    "Ah!"


    His long and firm finger slowly entered her. She yelped, not from pain but from surprise. When his finger slid out, she sighed in relief. But the next moment, he inserted his finger deeper into her.


    "Uuh¡­.."


    He repeatedly moved his finger in and out of her, but it wasn''t deep enough to hurt her.


    As the stimtion continued, her lower region became slippery with moist juices, and the sound of wet noises grew increasingly louder. Her whole body was burning with heat and she felt her back shiver reflexively. A few more of his fingers pressed and rubbed against her.


    At that moment, a tingle surged up, flooding into her body and causing her muscles to spasm and her neck to jerk up as euphoria circted through her entire body for a few seconds.<sub> </sub>


    The short moment of bliss passed and her senses dulled, while her body had no strength left in it. She enjoyed the feeling of his fingers smoothlybing through her hair.


    "This isn''t the end yet."


    Murmuring those words next to her ears, Sol''s hot breath made her body, soaked with sweat, shiver in anticipation.


    Afterpletely disrobing her, heid Medea on her side and embraced her from behind. He kneaded her breasts while gently inserting his penis between her legs and rubbing on her butt.


    From behind, he slowly opened her up as his hard penis pushed against her entrance, and finally, he entered inside her. Medea''s butt and his thighs were tightly pressed together. The two bodies became one.


    <o>,m Medea was filled with thrill when he began to push his full length inside her. The sensation of him filling her up gave her a sense of satisfaction.</o>


    He grunted fiercely, raised her leg with both of his hands, and entered into her soaked insides. He went a bit slowly at first, his sensitive part brushing slightly against her moist flesh as if to feel it out.


    His rhythm constantly changed.


    Sometimes he moved slowly, sometimes moved a bit faster, then moved slowly again, enticing her as he riled her up.


    Her insides squeezed and clenched on him as if it was furiously resisting his invasion.


    "Ah! Sol...please¡­!"


    Medea implored him as she whimpered. He was moving much harder and rougher than before. All her energy had been squeezed out and she couldn''t summon any power.


    Her entire body was more sensitive so his hands simply sweeping across her skin caused her to ache in excitement. He shifted a little more weight down and thrust in heavily. His rock-hard penis and the movement of his member deep inside of her seemed tireless.


    After a while, he stopped and demanded,


    "Lie on your stomach and raise your butt to me."


    Her body flinched as his warm member that was wrapped inside of her, was swiftly pulled out. She hesitated for a moment, looking at his enthusiasm that seemed like it would never end, then she obediently turned around andy on her stomach.


    Her white, plump buttocks were distorted in his clutches. He appreciated her appetizing curves that started from her back to her waist, leading to her butt then swiftly thrust into her from behind. Instantly, her body shook intensely.


    Medea writhed in pleasure while the cock pounded into her from behind. His thing felt like a red-hot metal rod to her. She could feel the tip of the head rubbing against her vaginal walls.


    She could feel the rock-hard erection spreading her vagina wide. She could feel her sexual lips being spread wide as its full length was pushed inside and his hips pped against her ass.


    She could feel it all so vividly and distinctly. Every stimtion to her body, every bit of pleasure experienced by her pussy, and everything felt by every cell of her body flowed into her mind.


    The next thing she knew, she had reached a hand down and started teasing her own crotch. She rolled around the small protrusion at the top of the pussy lips that Sol''s cock was still thrusting in and out of.


    "Ah! Ahh! Ahn!"


    Even if she had not moved her finger, his thrusting shook her body enough to automatically stimte her clit. Every time her finger rubbed against it, a jolt of pleasure ran through her. Wanting to feel that even more, she began pushing her finger against it harder as she rubbed.


    And when she did¡­


    "Ahh!?"


    A wave of pleasure several times stronger ran through her entire body.


    Sol''s penis thrust into her with loud sticky noises. She could not tell if his cock had gotten bigger or if her pussy was squeezing it tighter, but her mind was filled with the pleasure of it having its way with her body.


    Not only her body but, because of the stream of life energying from Sol, even her soul seemed to be filled.


    "Ahh! More, More!"


    Her own words served to arouse her further and her stomach began to throb. His hips sped up and thrust harder in response.


    "I...I am going toe."


    Sol grunted as he began to speed up his movement even more. Medea meanwhile was too far gone to even listen to what he was saying.


    Finally, his dick throbbed within her vagina, shooting semen everywhere and filling every part of her body. He continued to move within her vagina as if to squeeze it all out and with each movement, the semen made sticky sounds and spilled out of her.


    Medea''s body meanwhile shivered as she silently screamed.


    ''So, hot.''


    This was only her second time having sex with Sol, but she felt like she might really be addicted to this feeling.


    When he finally pulled out of her, she slumped on the bed, and the semen still in her, slowly began toe out, giving the scene a sultry allure.


    Tracing her back with his finger, Sol asked gently,


    "So, how was it?"


    "It felt amazing, it was the best, it was wonderful." Those were the only thoughts that floated up in her melted mind.


    Medea looked up at him while lying on her side and could see his dick still standing tall and hard. She had thought she was plenty satisfied, but seeing that filled her with fresh lust and as such, she got up and reached for his crotch.


    "It was wonderful, so..."


    She pushed Sol onto his back, climbed on top of him, and prepared to mount his cock.


    "Let''s continue please?"


    Saying so, she sat down and her vagina slowly engulfed his penis.


    Seeing such a Medea, Sol smirked as his handtched on her hips to keep her steady,


    "At your service."


    For the next few hours, the room was filled with hot breath and cries of ple/HikaruGenji

 Chapter 148 SPECIAL CHAPTER: DIVINE DRAGON

    In a world filled with darkness, and where the only source of light were the numerous stars in the sky, a dragon was sleeping.


    From any point of view, rather than a dragon, it looked more like a small hill. This was how big this dragon was.


    Back in the starry sky, one star that was previously mired in crimson slowly began to change and took a beautiful golden hue. Though,pared to the other stars, the light emitted was rather dim.


    Still, the dragon''s eyes were showing deep happiness.


    Slowly, very slowly, after so long, it stood up and let out a roar so powerful that even the space around it seemed to crack.


    A few seconds after the roar sounded, two portals opened as a red and a blue dragon, a little smaller than the first dragon, but still humongous flew through it and stepped in front of it.


    Once they reached the ck and gold dragon, a pir of light engulfed them, then their bodies became smaller and smaller until all that was left were two humans. One man and one woman, or rather a young girl.


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    At the question of the crouching dragon, the two immediately kneeled,


    ¡°We have been well, mother.¡±


    The one who answered was the man. A tall and slim red-haired man wearing a ck tuxedo.


    Despite the fierce aura emanating from him, he seemed so frail and weak in front of the enormous dragon, but aside from deep awe, nothing else could be seen.


    Next to him, the small blue-haired girl, who looked like a girl in her teens, threw a nce of disdain at him. She was a petite girl wearing a flowing white skirt and silver armor over her top.


    "Mother. You have only been in hibernation for nearly two decades. What has happened?"


    She asked with curiosity.


    After all, for dragons, sleeping less than two decades wasn''t enough to be seen as hibernation.


    At most, it was just a long nap.


    Not answering, the dragon closed its eyes, "What happened to your sister?"


    Even though she already knew the answer thanks to the <<Sea of stars>>, she still wished to have a clear answer.


    The two of them stiffened. The worst situation happened.


    Initially, they wished to stall as much as possible, but it seemed that it was unlikely.


    Hesitating for a short while, the red-haired man bowed and said in a calm voice.


    "She died."


    It wasn''t as if he didn''t care about his sister''s life or death.


    It was just that for a dragon, death was nothing more than nature at work.


    Tiamat¡¯s breath shortened for a while before she asked,


    "How was her death?"


    Hiding the grief in her eyes, she looked at her children with hopes.


    "She died as a proud warrior by fighting Echidna. They even managed to seal her. It was a worthy death."


    "...I see. Then I guess this is good enough."


    The dragon sighed.


    For them, since dying was something natural, what mattered the most wasn''t when they would die, but rather¨Chow they would die.


    That was one of the reasons why Dragons hated necromancers so much.


    For them, reanimating the body of a proud dragon that had died a noble death was nothing more than heresy.


    Still, even though as a dragon, she was proud of how her daughter died fighting someone so strong.


    As a mother, she felt incredibly sad and lonely.


    The two dragons could see the sadness in the eyes of their mother and grimaced.


    "Mother, this is our fault. Back then we shouldn''t have let her leave the realm with that monkey and the prince."


    The red-haired gritted his teeth as he said the word ''monkey''. Clearly, he didn''t have many good feelings about that person.


    This action of his smoothed the tense atmosphere.


    "Fafnir, Kiyo, I am not ming you. Your sister was a strong and independent woman. Since she chose him as a mate, then going down was necessary. As for the monkey¡­"


    At this, she left a little chuckle.


    She remembered that time quite clearly.


    "How is he currently?"


    This time it was the blue dragon, Kiyo, who answered with augh.


    "Wukong became the leader of his race in his country. Haha. You should have seen the face of Fafnir when he was beaten by Wukong. It seemed like he was about to die from a stroke."


    Fafnir could only lower his head in shame.


    Back then he had made a bet with Sun Wukong and had lost thoroughly.


    Because of the bet, that bastard monkey requested a great amount of divine gold as well as a small amount of his blood, to create his staff and his golden headband.


    Even thinking about all that melted gold made his heart feel like it was about to bleed.


    As if losing to that bastard of Sieg hadn''t been enough.<sub> </sub>


    Those two had caused his overall wealth to shrunk by two third.


    Nowadays he couldn''t even strut around in the Astral realm like he used to.


    "Sigh, all I can me are mycking skills."


    Still, as he said, he didn''t feel resentful.


    A loss was a loss.


    There was nothing shameful about losing after giving it all.


    What was shameful was refusing to face reality by giving a bunch of excuses.


    As long as he was alive, even if he lost a hundred times, each time he would grow stronger out of it.


    Still,


    "Why are there so many Singrities in this era?"


    This was something he couldn''t understand.


    Kiyo on the side added, "Indeed, the current mortal world has more individuals able to break the shackles than normal. I think there''s at least one in all countries currently. In the past, even seeing one was incredibly rare."


    Tiamat sighed. She of course knew what was happening.


    Still, now wasn''t the time. After all, she had woke up for a very simple reason,


    "How is ze''s son?"


    "That bastard Asmodeus refused to let us enter his territory!" Fafnirined.


    Even though the descendants of Divine beasts weren¡¯t restricted to enter the mortal world, their range of activities was really small.


    Mainly, they couldn¡¯t enter the territory of other divine beasts in the mortal world as long as they didn¡¯t have a contract.


    The dragon''s territory in the mortal world was the elves'' forest. Meanwhile, Lustburg was the territory of the Snake Asmodeus and the Phoenix Gabriel.


    Tiamat¡¯s eyes became cold. She had always wanted to punch that smug bastard.


    Even to this day, she didn¡¯t understand why the goddesses allowed him to mess around with some humans and create those witches.


    Well, she did understand that this was for creating an equilibrium between the different races since humans had generally way fewer powerhouses than other races. Still, the way he bragged during their reunions was so infuriating.


    ¡°That bastard even once hooked up with Echidna.¡±


    Fafnir continued, infuriated. Echidna was without a doubt one of the strongest beings in the mortal world, and even in the Astral world, she could nearly stand shoulder to shoulder with the divine beasts.


    Because of this, Echidna was basically the most sought-after mortal. So it was quite a shock when they learned about this, albeit short, rtionship.


    Tiamat was a little shocked at the news but dismissed it. She wasn¡¯t bored enough to care about her son''s love failure or other people''s love life.


    As a half-energy type being, like all the divine beasts, she had never needed to mate in order to give birth.


    The only one who had ever struck her fancy, Apsu, died during the Age of Gods, after his failed rebellion against the Goddesses. As such, in the thousands of years since her creation, she had never entered into a rtionship.


    After all, there was no one in this world worthy of her.


    ¡°Enough chit-chat. My grandson should be 15 now. Meaning that he will enter the Astral realm soon to search for a mate.¡±


    Normally, the transfer from the mortal world to the astral world was random. But, it could change at any moment depending on the fancy of goddesses.


    ¡°When hees to our territory¡­¡±


    She looked between the eager Fafnir and the stoic Kiyo. Groaning, she could only indicate to Kiyo,


    ¡°You will take care of him and initiate him in our way.¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡±


    Fafnir whined,


    ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know you want to get back at ze¡¯s son for all the bullying she did to you.¡±


    He blushed at that. He had indeed wanted to make things a little difficult for his nephew.


    When she was alive, ze was really a handful. There were basically no dragons who had escaped her ws.


    What¡¯s more, she didn¡¯t even stop at dragons and even provoked basically all divine beasts descendants.


    The day she contracted with that human¡¯s prince and had to leave the Astral realm, cheers rang everywhere and Fafnir organized thergest party ever made.


    Kiyo on the other hand could only smile bitterly, ¡°Mother, it isn¡¯t as if ze spared me either, you know?¡±


    ¡°I do. But I also know you are used to caring for and training the young dragons.¡±


    Reaching this far, her slitted eyes shone coldly.


    ¡°I want you to break him, break himpletely and thoroughly, then forge him into the strongest. His mind, his body, his skills, everything needs to be worked on from the base. Only then will he be able to show his full potential ¡ª Understood?¡±


    Kiyo had rarely seen her mother so serious. Bowing her head, she nodded,


    ¡°I will not fail your expectations.¡±


    At the same time, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder just what kind of man her nephew was.


    (AN: As always a little trivia about myth. In myth, Apsu was Tiamat''s first husband. Though he got killedter. Then, her second husband was her son. Hehehe the GILF tags will soon be used. As for Fafnir, I am pretty sure you guys all know the original myth with Siegfried. Meanwhile, in Chinese myth, Sun wukong got his Ruyi Jingu Bang from the dragon king of the East Sea. So I worked around those two myths. This is one of my favorite moments as an author. Perhaps I will one day write a story about Greek myth. Gotta bash that rapey Zeus.)

 Chapter 149 BOOK 1 EPILOGUE

    Somewhere, in a space filled with a grey fog, a castle floated quietly.


    The interior of the castle was rather deste, but at the same time imposing and magnificent.


    Directly under the towering ceiling of the white castle, a golden table appeared with fifteen high-blue chairs on either side in a symmetrical arrangement.


    The back of each chair dazzled and shone faintly with golden light, drawing the outlines of weird constetions that differed from reality.


    Sitting around the table were fourteen women whose features were shrouded in darkness.


    On the table, arge chessboard was ced and a game seemed to be ongoing.


    The chessboard in itself didn''t look particrly special, but if one took a look at the pieces on it, they would understand that it was anything but ordinary.


    On one side, 5 Kings, 7 Queens, and one pawn in full gold stood at different ces.


    Some of them were cracked, some were dim, while others shone brightly.


    On the other side, a red queen, and ten red pawns stood.


    No matter how one looked at it, this chessboard made no sense, but the yers did not seem to care.


    It was hard to say how long those women had been facing each other.


    It could have been one day or it could have been thousands of years.


    It was then that one of the gold pieces, a pawn, began to shine brightly, before slowly changing into a king piece.


    The process still wasn''tplete, but it was clear that it wouldn''t take long¨Cat least from their point of view.


    This change seemed to bring attention to the yers.


    One of them, sitting on a chair with the word *GLUTTONY* inscribed on the back, murmured,


    "You seem happy. So the boy is really your new trump card?"


    The reason for her attention wasn''t the promotion.


    After all, over all those years, it has happened a lot of times.


    What interested her though, was that this particr piece shouldn''t have managed to begin its transition.


    In the multiple branches of the possible futures, the chances of it being destroyed were overwhelmingly higher.


    This could only mean one thing,


    "Just how many singrities did you prepare for this one piece?"


    Singrities, beings who were not constrained by fate and had the potential to break free of their shackles.


    Those beings were people they could not see the future of, since they were outside of the rules.


    Only their mother, the goddess of order and the goddess of chaos could do so.


    Each of their pieces had one or two singrities following them, but the one currently promoting was simply overwhelming.<sub> </sub>


    "Heh. Let''s just say that I am different from you girls, I have been investing since the start and soon¡­"


    She trailed there but didn''t continue.


    "Your ns are good and all but I hope he won''t break the heart of my little girl."


    Castitasined on the side.


    Even though she had more or less mocked Camelia a few days ago in the mortal world, this didn''t mean that she did not care about her.


    In her own way, of course.


    ? On the other hand, she did not really care about the boy.


    No matter how talented he was, at most he would reach demi-god level and at the end, once he lost his blessing like all the kings before him, he would die because of the storm of probability gathered around him.


    All the Blessed were bestowed with incredible luck and talent. But such a thing had a price.


    The more they used their luck, the faster they would die once they lost it.


    This was why, even in the case of long lived species like Elves, Angels or Demons, there were no old generations of kings or queens alive.


    The only way to escape this destiny was to jump out of the board.


    Luxuria listened to her sisters but did not care.


    Looking at the piece under the process of transformation, a deep feeling of tion filled her heart.


    ''Soon¡­''


    She had been waiting thousands of years for this very moment.


    Her expectations were extremely high and she would ept no failure.


    Smiling, she trailed her eyes toward the King piece of Ira.


    Her sisters were all so shortsighted.


    What they needed now wasn''t a strong piece¨CBut a new yer, aplete game breaker that would flip the table if necessary.


    ''Sorry sister, but I will have to use your piece to reach the best result possible.''


    After all, for a chess piece to be a yer, some sacrifices were necessary.


    (AN: Singrities were mentioned during the dragon special chapter and this chapter marks the end of Book 1.


    What is Luxuria''s goal? How will it affect Sol? We will have our answer soon.)


    VOL 5: THE QUEENpleted.


    BOOK 1: MORTAL REALMpleted.

 Chapter 150 BOOK 2/ VOL 6/ CH 132: REINCARNATED (1)

    It has been two days since the discussion with Ambrosia.


    The opening of the Astral realm wasn''t only for the prince, but for all nobles or people with special circumstances who were eligible.


    Of course, most of the time they wouldn''t be able to get a good spirit.


    After all, a contract was a two way street.


    Why would a spirit affiliate itself with someone who had low prospects?


    Spirits may be kind-hearted but they weren''t docile sheep.


    Thankfully, in about six days, the portal would be opened.


    The others would have one day in real-world time to find a spirit.


    Meanwhile, the time allowed to Sol was unlimited.


    But of course, with Lilith¡¯s situation and the uing war, he only had about two months in real-world time.


    The reason it was important to precise it was that the difference in time between the Astral World and the Mortal world was quite tacky.


    Time didn''t just move faster or slower.


    Space and time werepletely wrapped. So much that ten years in the Astral world could be one day in the Mortal world or one day in the Astral world could be ten years in the Mortal one.


    During those two days, Sol hadn''t been idle.


    He hade to understand that even though he was talented, he simply didn''t have enough time to transform his talent into actual strength.


    That¡¯s why he had been using Medea''s world as a ce of training whenever he wasn''t busy with his kingly work.


    Medea by herself had a hard time maintaining the maximum output of time eleration, but with Ambrosia¡¯s help, it became child''s y.


    During those times, he would train with Freya and develop his rtionship with her at the same time.


    One of the points of his training was in better handling his dimension.


    From what he has seen from that angel called Nihil, the potential of dimensional mages were unprecedented.


    This was further confirmed by Ambrosia as she looked at him with envy.


    From what she told him, the requirement to be a Demi-god was the creation of a territory.


    The Zone was the projection of the inner world. Even when used outside, it was nothing more than an illusion.


    The Avatar was the second self or in a way, the real self.


    Finally, the Territory was the ability to bring the inner world into the real world and affect reality at the same time, fusing with the Avatar and bing one.


    But there were many problems. After all, not only was creating a Territory incredibly difficult, it would be great if the result could cover a few kilometers.


    At the end of the day, therger a Territory was, the stronger it would be. At the same time therger it tried to be the stronger thews of the world would restrict it.


    That¡¯s where Dimensional Mages could be said to be cheaters. After all, they could use their dimension to serve as a Territory, and depending on the quality of the dimension, the result would be incredible.


    This meant that for a Dimensional mage, as long as they could reach the King level, then it was enough.


    When he heard this, Sol''s breath couldn¡¯t help but stagnate.


    After all, if he wasn¡¯t wrong...His mirror dimension covered the whole mortal world.


    -----


    His current training with Freya consisted of entering and exiting his dimension as fast as possible.


    From what Ambrosia said, rather than fumbling around uselessly, it was better to master the base.


    As for better and more specific training, his grandmother, Tiamat was also a dimensional mage, and as such could guide him.


    Even though Sol had more than enough Mana to spare, the calctions necessary to transition from one dimension to another were weighing heavily on his brain.


    Normally, this kind of calction happened instantly, but after a while, his brain became so sluggish it felt like it was frying.


    Medea could not use her time power to reset him since it would essentially reduce his training to nothing.


    Thankfully, his endurance as a hybrid was off the chart, so he just needed a few moments of rest to be in top shape again and continue.


    One of Sol¡¯s favorite moment was after the training.


    Currently, he was breathing heavily, his topless body glistening with sweat.


    On the side, Ambrosia, Persephone, and Medea sat in reclining chairs and observed the spectacle.


    Like how men liked to observe beautiful and sexy women, women also liked to watch and admire handsome men.


    For once, they weren¡¯t wearing their usual dress, but rather different kinds of swimsuits.


    Though, each swimsuit respected its wearer''s original color scheme.


    Medea was wearing a one-piece ck swimsuit. Even though it didn¡¯t show much, it went perfectly with her cute appearance.


    Meanwhile, Persephone and Ambrosia were wearing far bolder swimsuits.<sub> </sub>


    At least, the white one worn by Ambrosia was just really sexy and showed much of her deep cleavage. But it was still in the realm of eptable.


    The green one of Persephone though was so indecent it basically left nothing to the imagination.


    Since Persephone and Ambrosia had more mature bodies, the swimsuits suited them extremely well.


    Finally, Freya who was standing next to him and supervising his training was wearing a pink two-piece swimsuit as well as a cloak on her shoulder.


    The swimsuit wasn¡¯t particrly revealing and looked more like worn by a swimming coach or guard.


    For Sol, training while admiring a bunch of sexy or cute girls was pretty good, but what pleased him more than anything.


    ¡°Towel.¡±


    Stretching his hand, he waited patiently, then a hot towel was ced in his hand.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Here, who?¡±


    He could hear the sound caused by the rough breathing of repressed anger behind him.


    ¡°Here, M-Master.¡±


    The word was said in a stuttering and barely audible way, but this didn¡¯t stop Sol¡¯s lips from curving into a mean smile.


    Turning around, he nced at the red-haired girl wearing a maid dress, or rather, what looked like it.


    After all, the hem of the skirt was so short it barely covered her butt. Meanwhile, the top was nearly transparent and showed her chest devoid of a bra.


    Even Ketia, who loved wearing skimpy clothes would be too embarrassed to be seen out with something like this.


    In the first ce, for a witch, their color was basically like their greatest pride. A witch could only be bestowed a color when her skills were recognized by Ambrosia.


    That¡¯s why, for a witch, being forced to wear colors other than her own was one of the greatest humiliations possible.


    But did Sol care about her feeling of shame and humiliation?


    ¡°See? You can do it if you try, Kali.¡±


    The answer was obviously, no.


    In fact, he couldn¡¯t be happier.


    Kali, the witch of destruction, a woman who could single-handedly wipe out the capital of a Kingdom in a few moments was nowhere to be seen.


    What reced her was a girl so embarrassed and humiliated that her face became as red as her hair.


    The look of shame, the feeling of powerlessness she showed, her gritted teeth and clenched fist.


    Knowing that the woman in front of him, who should have been strong enough to wipe him out from existence, had no choice but to swallow all her grievances and obey his order, Sol had to admit that he had never felt so excited in his life.


    This sensation of rush fed his ego and pride so much that he felt satiated.


    The only blemish was that he knew that she didn¡¯t bow to his authority. But it still didn¡¯t stop him from feeling happy.


    Technically, it has already been many days since she became his maid.


    Of course, she was still his sister-inw, as such, he wouldn¡¯t force her to wear such degrading clothes when outside.


    Sol also had to admit that there was some feeling of possession at y.


    After all, no matter how he got her, she was his maid. Why would he let anyone else gaze at her body?


    ¡®Though there isn¡¯t really much to gaze at.¡¯


    He looked critically at her body as he thought that.


    ¡°What?¡±


    START OF BOOK 2: ASTRAL REALM


    VOL 6: THE PRINCE


    ----


    Feeling anger at where his gaze was, Kali asked, but Sol simply shook his head,


    ¡°Nothing. I just thought that an airport runway had its charm.¡±


    ¡°What!? What''s wrong with being t!?¡±


    Sol gazed intently at her as he made his joke and when he saw her reaction, a feeling of joy sprung in his heart.


    ¡®She understood my joke!¡¯


    At the same time, Kali¡¯s anger immediately cooled down when she thought once again about the joke and slowly lifted her head, her expression showing how surprised and shaken she was.


    After all,


    ¡®nes did not exist in this world.¡¯

 Chapter 151 CH 133: REINCARNATED (2)

    In the hallway of the castle of Lustburg, a red-haired young girl wearing maid clothes was walking slowly, deep in thought.


    Outside, the moon hung high in a cloudless sky, showing a scene worthy of the most beautiful painting.


    But Kali had no time to enjoy.


    Finally reaching her destination, she stopped in front of an office.


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    ¡°This is Kali, your highness, could I talk to you?¡±


    Kali didn¡¯t even notice how she was already used to calling Sol like that.


    After she knocked, she could hear a flurry of sound from the other side. If it was in the past, she could have easily seen what was happening. But because of the seal, she was currently powerless.


    ¡®At least, he doesn¡¯t make me wear those clothes here.¡¯


    This was the sole constion in this ordeal.


    ¡°You can enter.¡±


    Finally receiving permission, she opened the door and was surprised to see a maid adjusting her ruffled clothes. It was a dark elf.


    Kali mightck experience, but she didn¡¯tck knowledge. What¡¯s more, the white stain on the corner of the maid¡¯s mouth was worth hundreds of words.


    ¡°Well then, your highness. I will take my leave.¡±


    ¡°Have a good day.¡±


    The maid bowed elegantly before walking toward the exit.


    Though, when she went past her, Kali murmured,


    ¡°Your lips.¡±


    The elf tilted her head for a second before understanding dawned in her eyes and she proceeded to wipe out the white stuff.


    Kali had to admit, seeing a bronze-skinned woman flush in embarrassment was pretty beautiful.


    Once the maid left, Kali turned toward Sol,


    ¡°Heh, I thought you were supposed to work, but I guess you had more interesting things to do. Sorry for disturbing you.¡±


    She had expected Sol to be a little flustered or embarrassed, but all he did was smile.


    ¡°I am not ashamed of fulfilling my needs. I am quite promiscuous, you know?¡±


    ¡°I have heard that Medea is your first love. Shouldn¡¯t you be loyal to her then?¡±


    She was surprised. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder,


    ¡®Is he really from my world?¡¯


    From the history of Lustburg, it was easy to see that all Kings prior to him had something different. A drive about wanting to change the world in their views.


    The same happened to her or rather it was much worse.


    After all, she didn¡¯t reincarnate in a peaceful era.


    Because of this, it had taken a long time for her to adapt to the reality of this new world.


    But she could feel no such drive in him. It was as if he was perfectly integrated with this world, taking it as his own and forgetting his past.


    Still, there was one easy way to be sure,


    ¡°What is your favorite anime?¡±


    ¡°Code Geass for me. What about you?¡±


    ¡°Pue Magi Madoka Magika.¡±


    Silence fell between them.


    ¡°So you are really¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t finish and looked around her.


    She knew that the tower was under the full surveince of Medea. Even if she couldn¡¯t see everything at the same time, focusing on one room wasn¡¯t a problem and since Medea could do it, it means Ambrosia could do the same.


    Sol of course understood her worry and shook his head,


    ¡°Medea, I don¡¯t know if you are observing, but please, if you are doing so, withdraw. I promise to exin everything to you one day.¡±


    Sol received no answer, but the two of them could feel it. As if an invisible gaze had moved away.


    ¡°You won¡¯t ask mother?¡±


    ¡°No. She has no reason to listen to me and honestly...Do you really think she doesn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, so let¡¯s cut to the chase, would you? When did you die?¡±


    Kali understood the reason for this question, ¡°2017. What about you?¡±


    ¡°2019.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kali could feel her heart pumping so wildly in her chest it felt like it was about to explode.


    Swallowing, she closed her eyes in thoughts


    ¡°If the time of our death is so close. Why is there such a difference in the time we were reincarnated in?¡±


    This didn¡¯t make any sense.


    This whole situation made absolutely no sense.


    ¡°*Sigh*, take a seat, please. I feel like this is going to be a long night.¡±


    ---


    After this, the two of them began to discuss.


    They already ascertained that even though the years they died in were close, there were no simrities.


    Though the two of them were the same as in not knowing how they died.


    After this, they asked each other different questions to verify if their two earths weren¡¯t parallel worlds or something of the like.


    Once the discussion began to wind down, the two of them changed topics and talked about anime, manga, and the like.


    Sol could only wince when he heard the deep longing in her voice.


    This was something he couldn¡¯t emphasize with.


    While it was true that he kind of missed his parents, he wasn¡¯t particrly interested in going back to his world.


    Of course, if he had the asion he would.


    But only just to sightsee and ascertain the situation of his family.


    After all, why would he want to leave?


    He was born with a silver spoon.


    No, calling it silver was an insult.


    He was born with a diamond spoon encrusted with precious gems.


    Calling his life easy mode would be the understatement of the years.


    Here, he was Sol Luxuria. A prince and a future King as well as the son of a dragon.


    He had everything a human could wish for.


    He was rich.


    He had a great status.


    He was handsome.


    He was talented.<sub> </sub>


    He was loved.


    Compared to that, on earth, he was just an average teen like hundreds of millions in the world.


    He was nothing and he would have died as nothing¨CHe didn''t even remember how he died.


    Why would he wish to return to such a life?


    The same went for Kali but for different reasons.


    For one, she was already near the pinnacle of power in this world.


    What¡¯s more, it has been so long.


    She was far older than any members of her family back on earth.


    She did not even remember what they looked like. Neither did she remember their voices and personalities.


    Thinking about this, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a bout of sadness.


    Sighing wistfully, she asked, ¡°Since only two years went past between my death and your. Do you think¡­¡±


    She hesitated a little before shaking her head.


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    She immediately shook away the feeling of mncholia.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What? You are my maid.¡±


    Kali pinched her eyebrows, ¡°Master. You should have remarked it, but it seems that all the previous Kings and Queens of Lustburg were Reincarnators, or at very least the vast majority were.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°At the same time. I am sure that the witch Darwin was also a Reincarnator.¡±


    ¡°Hansel? The one who was executed alongside her brother a few hundreds of years ago because of the Human Genesis theory?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. As for her brother he is--¡±


    ¡°That necromancer. Drei.¡±


    Kali raised her eyebrows in surprise, ¡°You guessed it?¡±


    Sol simply scoffed, ¡°With how many hints the guy let on he was basically screaming about his identity.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t really hard to put the piece together once you knew that he seemingly came from death, from what Drei told the Fingers after beating them down.


    ¡°Drei means 3 in german. Zehn means 10. The ones we faced were 8, 9, 10, and a botched 3. Meanwhile, Nihil means 0. If they are ssed by power, it would mean that they at least have 3 Kings and a Demi-god as well as 7 Duke. For all we know, perhaps all the members below number 8 are Kings.¡±


    ¡°No. The ten members of the wings are divided into Upper and lower. The first 5 are all Kings and thest five are all Dukes.¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t but twitch.


    Five Kings, five Dukes.


    This kind of lineup was enough to erase a kingdom from the face of the earth.


    After all, most kingdoms only had 2 kings and about Four Dukes.


    When you added the demigoddess Nihil¡­.


    ¡°Do you have any other information?¡±


    ¡°No. They never really believed me when I said I would swear loyalty to the Crimsondy. As such the amount of information I gleaned on them is rtively small. You should simply wait for the vampire to wake up and interrogate her.¡±


    Sol nodded.


    He was bothered about the extent of their power.


    If they were so strong why didn¡¯t they simply bring the full team and erase everything?


    This means that their goal was something that couldn¡¯t be done in one time and they couldn¡¯t afford to give a reason for the Kingdoms to band together.


    As it was now, Sol was sure that the other Kingdoms should just be busy gloating about Lustburg''s misfortune rather than thinking about some countermeasure.


    ¡°Well forget it. Coming back to Drei¡¯s sister, I kind of see where you are going.¡±


    ¡°¡°All the suspected Reincarnators are Human.¡±¡±


    The two of them said at the same time.


    The more Sol thought about it, the weirder it seemed.


    Only humans could form contracts.


    All witches were formerly human.


    All the goddesses had a human appearance.


    All Reincarnators are supposedly humans.


    Even the chances for human hybrids to be born were higher than hybrids of other races.


    Humans. Humans, Humans.


    There were too many coincidences.


    Finally, there was this ¡®game.¡¯


    Sol clenched his fist.


    Once he became officially King, he could make one wish toward the goddess Luxuria, as long as he didn¡¯t break the Rules.


    He didn¡¯t know yet what those rules were. But if possible¡­


    ¡®Should I wish to know the truth of the world?¡¯


    ----


    Once he ended his discussion with Kali, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little closer to her.


    At first, while he did not hate her, his impression of her was definitely negative.


    Now though, while he still didn¡¯t like her, it was closer to neutral.


    After she left, Sol looked at the paperwork on his table and sighed.


    Some were about taxes, some were about new policies. Food and shelter for refugees, immigrationws, problems with the farmers, some little skirmishes between provincial lords, etc.


    The first time he saw all of this, he thought his head would explode.


    ¡®I am not even the king yet.¡¯


    Like the passage in the diator arena, as per the tradition, the prince could only be King once he came back from the Astral realm.


    That¡¯s why officially Sol was still the crown prince.


    Still, he could already feel the weight of responsibility on his shoulders.


    ¡°Well, those papers won¡¯t be signed by themselves.¡±


    Procrastination would only lead to more work. So it was better to end it now.


    It was when he was about to plunge once again in his work that,


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    Someone once again knocked on his door.


    He was exasperated but could only say,


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    ¡®For the love of the goddess I hope it¡¯s something important.¡¯


    (AN: I always struggle to find the appropriate terms. What should I call the Isekai people in the story? Reincarnator? Reincarnate? Reincarnated? As for the wish thingy. It was mentioned during the arc of Saint Fall. So, who knocked this time? And will Sol finally be able to finish his paperwork? Let¡¯s find it in the next episode of *Cough* I mean next chapter of SHK)

 Chapter 152 CH 134: LIFE IS LIKE A STORY

    In the office, Sol barely had the time to answer before another series of knocks sounded.


    A serious expression immediately settled as he said, ¡°Enter.¡±


    ¡°Your highness!¡±


    The one who entered was surprisingly Ketia in her maid attire.


    He had barely talked to her since the big fight. After all, he was too busy while the Crown¡¯s shadow was in a need to reshuffle their orders.


    ¡°What is happening?¡±


    Even though he was surprised, he still acted calmly. As the future King, he had to be able to keep calm at any mome¨C


    ¡°The princess and Setsuna are awake!¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡±


    Calm facade could go fuck itself for all he cared currently.


    Standing up abruptly, Sol roughly took his coat still on the chair and put it over his shoulder before striding out withrge steps.


    Watching his back, Ketia could only let out a chuckle as she immediately began to run after him.


    ----


    Currently, the medical ward was full of activities, as the staff moved there and here.


    After all, the princess was now awake after more than a week ofa. As for Setsuna, even though she wasn¡¯t a princess, they still treated her with great care, since they knew that Setsuna had a chance of bing a royal concubine.


    That¡¯s why they were extremely careful and every day was full of stress for them. After all, if anything happened to those two, even if they weren¡¯t fully responsible, it was hard to say what would happen.


    Standing on the corner and observing all this was a rather tall green-haired woman, Persephone.


    This time, she was wearing a green corset, a short ck skirt that did not even reach her knee, as well as a green coat.


    Her long and beautiful legs were encased in ck transparent stockings that reached just a little above her thighs.


    She did not really like wearing ck since it was Medea¡¯s color, but she had to admit that her own color wasn¡¯t really the kind to go beautifully with any kind of clothes.


    On her hand was the chart of Lilin and Setsuna.


    ¡°They are doing better than I thought.¡±


    Even though she was saying so, she did not seem particrly happy or disappointed.


    Persephone was a woman who was in essence uncaring toward life and death.


    For her, those two were nothing but a cycle.


    From the information she had and because of her Avatar, she knew that even the very world in which they stood on had a lifespan.


    The same went for all the stars in the sky and the very universe in which they lived.


    If even stars could die, then what was a mortal¡¯s life in front of this?


    Everything died, and it was because of this reality that life itself was something so beautiful.


    That¡¯s why she loved watching people. She loved watching the story they wrote as they struggled in their short and ephemeral life.


    The story of a farmer struggling to stop his family from starving.


    The story of a treacherous woman manipting men as she liked.


    The story of a man reaching his dreams and dying of old age surrounded by his family.


    Be it a story full of sadness or one of happiness. Aedy or a tragedy.


    She loved them all.


    But the story she loved the most was that of mortals fighting to surpass all obstacles in their ways.


    Viins or Heroes, she did not care. She could only watch as their stories unfold in awe and happiness.


    That¡¯s why she had followed Mars all those years ago.


    Contrary to what many seemed to think she was not in love with him. Though she admits that he was attractive.


    She was simply attracted by the beauty of his story.


    Even though it changed from aedy to a tragedy, the unexpected change made it even more entertaining.


    ¡°Fufufu~! I wonder, should I also try to participate in the prince''s story?¡±


    She murmured to herself as she watched the blonde-haired boy enter the wards in great hurry.


    It was rare for her to see such an entertaining Sequel.


    ¡°Hello, Miss Persephone. How are they? I was told they woke up.¡±


    After seeing Persephone, Sol calmed down considerably.


    p After all, he had no healing skills, so his presence wouldn¡¯t change anything. But it was different for Persephone.</anda>


    ¡°You do not have to worry. They are perfectly alright. I just put them back to sleep but this time they will wake up tomorrow. Follow me, we shouldn¡¯t disturb them.¡±


    Sol inwardly let out a sigh of relief and threw onest look at them before following Persephone as she left the ward.


    Their direction was an office that was given to Persephone long ago before Sol was born.


    After all, she had served as a doctor while Mars was the King.<sub> </sub>


    The office was ratherrge, but at the same time devoid of nearly all furniture aside from a table full of documents, three chairs around it, and arge bed on the corner.


    Once they took ce, Persephone proceeded to exin the situation.


    Now that both Lilin and Setsuna awoke on their own, she was able to heal them now without fear of them losing the progress they made.


    Still, to avoid anyplications, she had made a week-long program to be as thorough as possible.


    Normally, by tomorrow they should be able to move around and after two or three days, they would be able to train without much difficulty.


    ¡°Thank you. I do not know how to repay you, but I will do anything that is in my power to show my gratitude.¡±


    Looking at Persephone, Sol said sincerely.


    Sol did not think that just because Persephone was Lilith¡¯s friend or Medea¡¯s sister, she owed him anything and was obligated to heal those he cared about.


    She had absolutely no such obligations and thought the opposite would be looking down on all the efforts she had made.


    The gratitude in his voice was so clear that Persephone was taken aback for a few seconds.


    ¡°You really care about those two.¡±


    ¡°I care about all of them. I don¡¯t know what I would do without them.¡±


    ¡°Hum...But aren¡¯t you saddened by the fact that they are all more powerful than you? I don¡¯t think men like being inferior to women, right?¡±


    This time it was the turn of Sol to be startled. He then let out a bitter chuckle,


    ¡°If I have to be honest. I truly do not care about being superior and inferior to them.¡±


    Sol felt noplex about his women being stronger than him. In fact, this made him kind of happy. After all, this means he didn¡¯t have to worry about them.


    None of his girls were damsels in distress who needed to wait for some hero to swoop in and save them.


    Still,


    ¡°What really hurts my pride is being unable to provide any form of assistance to them.¡±


    He didn¡¯t wish to be some hero on a white horse and shining armor, always saving them every time.


    What he wished to be was their rock. He wanted them to believe in him in the same way he believed in them.


    ¡°Sadly, I still have a long way to go.¡±


    Thest fight allowed him to understand where he stood in the world.


    He wasn¡¯t weak by any means and in fact, since he was close to the Duke level, he could even say that he stood near the top.


    But this wasn¡¯t enough. The difference between a Duke and a King was like an immense gulf, and the difference between a King and a demi-god even more so.


    Sol didn¡¯t care that he was stronger than most people in his generation.


    His enemies weren¡¯t people in his generation, but a bunch of old monsters who had lived for centuries.


    ¡°This is pretty admirable. Strenght is definitely necessary if you want to write the story of your choice, without it, you can only be a side character.¡±


    This was a profound truth she had observed many times.


    Though there was nothing wrong with being a side character. After all, Persephone fancied herself as such.


    She did not want to stand in the front. Observing and sometimes, helping the main character write his own story was more than enough for her.


    Giving a charming chuckle, she abruptly changed topics,


    ¡°Sol, from what Medea told me, your resistance towards curse is off the chart. Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯


    ¡°This indeed so. Why is that?¡±


    Licking her lips, she continued, ¡°You said that you were ready to do anything, right?¡±


    ¡°Anything in my power.¡±


    Sol wasn¡¯t dense enough to not recognize when a woman was making advances toward him.


    Looking at Persephone in her stocking, short shirt, and top showing her cleavage, he had to admit that she was a sight to behold.


    ¡°Give me a second.¡±


    Still, he would never want to do something that would hurt those he cared about. That¡¯s why he stood up and walked toward a wall before tapping rhythmically on it without shying away from Persephone¡¯s gaze.


    This was the secret code he had established with Medea.


    Sol knew she did not care about him having rtionships with other women. He was also sure that she wouldn¡¯t care about him doing anything with Persephone.


    But, this wasn¡¯t a matter of permission, but one of respect.


    If she said no, then that would be it. He would never upset her for just a few moments of pleasure.


    Once he finished, he asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    A few words began to form on the wall.


    ¡°I absolutely do not mind. Just take care of her.¡±


    That was all Sol needed to see.


    (AN: Sorry to destroy the enthusiasm. But the next chapter after this isn''t smut. Back then I basically had no inspiration for a smut chapter so I decided to write Persephone and Sol in one or two special CH. Currently on pat reon Sol vol ended. There won''t be any interlude for Sol. Only some special chapters for smut.)

 Chapter 153 CH 135: FINANCE

    Once Persephone had his ord, she stood up and walked toward her closest while grinning,


    ¡°Let¡¯s y a little game, shall we?¡±


    Opening her closet wide, she turned to face Sol,


    ¡°So? What tickled your fancy?¡±


    Sol gulped, heat spreading through his body.


    In this closet, uniforms of all kinds could be seen.


    Nurse, maid, bikini armor, sexy lingeries, kimono, qipao, cat ears and tails, Nun, and so on.


    Knowing what Sol was wondering about, Persephone murmured, ¡°I like role-ying.¡±


    She swept her hair and asked once again, ¡°So, which one?¡±


    This time Sol simply shook his head.


    ¡°Why is there a need to choose one? We have all night to try them all.¡±


    This promised to be a very interesting night.


    -----


    [Hignd Mansion.]


    While Sol was enjoying an agreeable moment, someone else was being swamped in paperwork.


    ¡°Grandfather, you really won¡¯t help me?¡±


    Sitting behind a thick stack of paper, Athena asked softly.


    Meanwhile, sitting in the ce reserved for guests, the duke was sipping gently the tea that had been prepared by one of Athena¡¯s spirits, Aegis.


    The way Athena treated Aegis and Nike, two of the three spirits his granddaughter was contracted with, had been one of the reasons Try had thought that she was into women.


    Even though he wasn¡¯t against love in any form, he had been quite troubled when he thought about the matter of a future heir.


    But at least he didn¡¯t have to worry about that anymore.


    Athena was exasperated by her grandfather¡¯s nonchnce and could only go back to work.


    On her head stood an owl who was quietly reading each document as Athena went through them.


    ¡°There is a mistake in the ount of what must be paid to the deceased soldiers¡¯ families.¡±


    Athena and Tyr¡¯s expressions darkened.


    Neither of them doubted the owl¡¯s words. After all, even though itckedbat power, itsputing power was unmatched.


    ¡°They dare!?¡±


    All nonchnce vanished from Tyr¡¯s face as he stood in anger. His body was trembling so much it seemed that he was about to have a stroke.


    Athena wasn¡¯t much better.


    The fight against the Wings of Freedom thankfully did not particrly affect the civilians.


    But many soldiers died on this night. Soldiers who fought to protect their homes while believing that their families would be taken care of after their death.


    This was the reality. Few if any people would join the army out of simple patriotism.


    People joined the army because of the many advantages it provided.


    One of which was the handsome reward that should be delivered to the family of the dead.


    Even though it was nothing more than a few Lust Gold coins, it was enough for a normal family to live a few years without having to worry about food and clothing.


    Tyr understood very well, that money was a meager constion for losing one¡¯s son or daughter but even that meager constion was taken away?


    Looking at the owl with a fierce expression, he asked, ¡°Can you trace who are the culprits?¡±


    The owl scoffed, how an owl could scoff and show such an expression of disdain was something beyond Tyr understanding but he had long since stopped trying to understand.


    ¡°Of course I can. What do you take me for? Those guys are clearly greedy amateurs. Still, even if we trace them, we have actually no authority to arrest them. They should be from the financial department and some nobles who don¡¯t understand the situation.¡±<sub> </sub>


    Athena nodded.


    Even the greediest of nobles should understand that now wasn¡¯t the time to y around.


    A change of power was about to happen and such changes were always apanied by a cleansing.


    All the high-ranked nobles were busy sweeping off all the skeletons in their closets to avoid being made an example of.


    They knew how dreadful a change of power could be.


    But, there were always some fools who thought they were smarter than everyone else.


    1% of them were really smart and got away without a problem. But the other 99%? Not so easily.


    ¡°How do you think the prince will act once he receives this information?¡±


    Athena asked her grandfather. She knew that nowadays, the decision-maker was the prince.


    Giving a confident smile, Tyr assured, ¡°He is still a little soft, but I am sure that the punishment they will receive will be harsh. Death penalty is impossible, but losing a few feathers will be the minimum.¡±


    Tyr may be a soldier who disdained to use schemes, but he was still a Duke. Disdaining to use them didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t use them when he had to.


    He understood that things such as corruption were impossible topletely erase and in fact, he wouldn¡¯t have minded if only a very small part was taken away.


    These were the sort of unspoken rules in any job.


    In fact, the amount of money given always took into ount the little part that would be taken away so as to not affect the families of the deceased.


    But from the number the owl showed, it was clear that those bastards went way past the red line.


    Athena gave aplicated nce at her grandfather, ¡°You seem to really believe in him.¡±


    Tyr nodded, ¡°Of course. It¡¯s like this boy was born for it. On the first day, everything was a little slow. Looking at him struggle with all the paperwork and decision was honestly both pitiful and funny. But nowadays, he is like someone with few years of experience. Of course, there are still some parts that need to be worked on but it¡¯s really incredible.¡±


    ¡°I guess being a Blessed really helps.¡±


    Tyr did not miss the bitterness in Athena¡¯s voice and he could understand it in a way.


    He had not said it, but it was honestly a little scary how fast Sol absorbed knowledge. It was the same with his father and grandfather.


    Even though Neptunecked martial talent, in everything else he was a monstrous genius.


    Still, ¡°Of course, being Blessed really helps. But...Do not put everything on his blessing. Do you know what I found the most admirable about him? His skewed sense of pride?¡±


    ¡°Skewed pride...? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Why don¡¯t you try to observe him and understand yourself?¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed. At the next meeting, you will rece me and also present the problem.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Athena understood what this meant.


    Sol was unofficially the king. All hecked was the ceremony that should be held once he came back from the Astral world.


    Showing herself as the representative of the Hignd family in a reunion with the other 3 or rather 2 Ducal houses as well as the king could only mean one thing.


    ¡°I am not ready.¡±


    She always sort of knew that she would be chosen. In fact, this was basically a certainty since long ago.


    ¡°*Snort* You have been dealing with most problems in this house since 2 years ago. Even on the battlefield, I have been progressively giving you more power while going into obscurity.¡±


    ¡°But...They call you the god of war! Everyone respects you so much. How could I take your ce?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t understand why he was in such a hurry.


    A fatherly smile lit up Tyr''s face as he walked toward her and ruffled her hair gently after the owl hastily left her head.


    ¡°Then, you just have to be their goddess of war and victory.¡±


    (AN: Athena¡¯s three spirits were shown in Ch 63. Nike, Aegis, and Sirin. To be honest, even I had forgotten their names. Had to verify my docs to see the notes I left XD. Athena will y an important role during the war.)

 Chapter 154 CH 136: DECLARATION

    ¡®Where am I?¡¯


    Laying down in the hospital room, Lilin slowly woke up.


    At first, she was a little disoriented, but after a short while, she managed to get her bearings.


    The first thing she did was to keep feigning sleep and slowly extend her senses to both examine the state of her body and her surroundings.


    This was one of the ways a warrior had to respond when they woke up in an unfamiliar setting.


    Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take long for her to let out a sigh of relief.


    She could recognize the energy in the zone and it was clear that they were still in the tower.


    Of course, it was possible that they had lost the war and the tower was controlled by the wings of freedom. But, if so, the chances of her being treated so carefully were extremely low.


    The problem though was her body,


    Her wounds were slowly healing, but it was so far away from her best state that it was ridiculous.


    ¡°Just how much damage did I receive?¡±


    ¡°A lot.¡±


    Lilin was not surprised, she had already sensed the presence sitting down on the bet next to her.


    ¡°Setsuna¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed. You have been sleeping for a few hours.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what has happened to the kingdom since that night? In the first ce, how long have we been in aa?¡±


    It was a very important question. A question Lilin had no way of answering, and the same went for Setsuna.


    Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take long for a bunch of hurried nurses toe and check on them.


    During the check-up, Lilin began to interrogate them and soon had a summary of the situation.


    Of course, since they were only nurses, they didn¡¯t have ess to more in-depth information, but this was enough for them.


    After this, they were pushed out of the ward that had a transparent wall and sent in a sort of duplex room with more privacy.


    From the window, they could see the horizon as well as the sun slowly rising, thereby announcing the start of a new day.


    ---


    Once they were alone, the room stayed strangely silent.


    Both of them seemed lost deep in their thoughts.


    ¡°I was defeated.¡± ¡°I lost.¡±


    Two voices sounded at the same time.


    Silence once again filled the room. Finally, it was Lilin who began,


    ¡°You know, after those two years outside, I thought I had really be strong. I had done the same thing as my mother, went outside, adventured, made friends. I even found a new path to the sword intent she had imparted to me. I really thought I could be proud. But¡­¡±


    Tears gathered the corners of her eyes,


    ¡°It is...so frustrating.¡±


    She bit her lips hard as she fought off the urge to cry.


    Lilin was a warrior. She had been trained as a warrior for as long as she could remember.


    That was why she did not fear death, or rather, she was prepared to die at any moment.


    But, this did not stop the frustration gushing from her wounded pride.


    She had no illusion.


    Even though she had nearly won the fight, the fact is that if not for Nuwa¡¯s help, she would have died before even using herst technique.


    She had thought that she was now strong.


    She had thought that she could now be useful to Sol.


    But all of those illusions were ruthlessly shattered.


    ¡°I...I was not able to fulfill my duty as a knight.¡±


    Setsuna spoke slowly on the side,


    ¡°The one I fought...was an old acquaintance of mine...someone I thought had died trying to protect me. I was both shocked and happy about seeing her alive. But she was different.¡±


    Setsuna looked at the ceiling with an absentminded expression as she recounted her fight.


    ¡°At least you managed to fight back a little...in my case, I waspletely powerless. After all, she was my teacher. Everything I know. All my special abilities. She could predict everything andpletely incapacitated me even though I was fighting with your elf friend.¡±


    Setsuna barked a sadugh, ¡°It has been ten years. But even after all this time, she was able to understand all my moves. This means that even after ten years of training, I have been doing nothing more than following a straight path.¡±


    The humiliation of defeat, the feelings of betrayal and powerlessness.


    As she lost consciousness after such a humiliating defeat, one question kept repeating in her mind.


    ? ¡°What have I been doing all these years?¡±


    Unlike humans without a contract, who had to walk step by step and reach the Zone through understanding themselves, Magical beings did not have such aplicated road. All they had to understand was their own element and so create an elemental domain.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t as easy as it sounded butpared to humans, the difficulty was definitely much less.


    Setsuna was an A+ Storm wolf, a mutation from the normal Blue wolf or lightning wolf.


    In terms of elements, she could use wind, water, and lightning.


    In terms of talent, she stood at the highest possible in the mortal world outside of Blessed.<sub> </sub>


    If not for the fact that only Blessed could fight for the throne, there would be no discussion as to who would be the next ruler of Wratharis and her uncle would not have the clout necessary to begin a rebellion.


    Thinking about this, a memory from before she fainted surfaced in her mind,


    --shback


    ¡°Princess, do you not think that this world is wrong? No matter how good or bad a ruler is, his subjects can do nothing butply simply because he is Blessed. Why? Why must we fight and live for the entertainment of those goddesses? Why must mortals bow their heads and act like clowns in a circus? Why...?¡±


    Setsuna¡¯s uncle was not born blessed. In fact, he was not even born as a lightning wolf, meaning that he was not talented either.


    But, everything changed one day.


    Just because he got a Blessing.


    Just because he was chosen by a goddess.


    Even though her father had been a good and virtuous king.


    ¡°Princess, I beg you. You just have to hold my hand. Follow us. We will fight for a free world. We do not naively believe that the world will be better once the goddesses are gone. But...If we must destroy ourselves, we wish to do it as free people. Our life is our choice. Our death will also be our choice.¡±


    At that moment, Setsuna felt as if she was standing at a crossroad. It was without a doubt the most important decision of her life.


    That¡¯s why,


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    The world was unjust.


    Even without the existence of Blessed, people were born different. Equality never existed in the first ce.


    Nothing could change that.


    Freedom was a lie.


    All beings were ves to something or someone.


    With or without goddesses, only a small number of people could live and die the way they wished.


    Setsuna had only two wishes.


    Kill her uncle and live in happiness with the sun that illuminated her life.


    Anyone who stood in the way of that wish had to die.


    ¡°I will kill you.¡±


    Even though she could not see anymore, she murmured those words with all the conviction possible.


    ¡°I see...Open.¡±


    Even though Setsuna could not see, she could feel an incredible amount of power, as if a hole was poked in reality.


    ¡°Princess, I hope that you will think through it. My loyalty to you and your father will never change and this is why¡­I will not rest until your father is avenged. After this¡­You may do as you wish with my life for the disrespect.¡±


    Her voice was sad but there was no regret in it. She was ready to die for a goal and clearly, dying at the hand of the one she served wasn¡¯t something she was reluctant to ept.


    ----shback end


    ¡°..suna...Setsuna!¡±


    Setsuna woke up from her thoughts with a flinch. Turning her head toward Lilin, she gave a sheepish smile,


    ¡°I am sorry. I got lost in my thoughts.¡±


    Shaking her head, she continued, ¡°I feel like I have been wasting my talents. I wonder...What would have happened if I had chosen to follow you back then?¡±


    Even though she said that, as long as she didn¡¯t make a contract with Sol, Setsuna couldn¡¯t take the risks of going outside alone.


    She knew that her uncle would never leave her alone. After all, she had royal blood.


    The possibility of her receiving a blessingter in her life or giving birth to a child Blessed was high enough that it couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    ¡°If you had followed me, I think we would have fought every day.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I guess you are right.¡±


    Setsuna had to admit. Her rtionship with Lilin was hard to put in words.


    They both feel envy and respect for each other.


    What''s more, the two of them loved the same man.


    Even though a king having a harem was nothing strange, the two of them understood that love could not be given equally.


    No matter how Sol took care of each of them, there would always be one or two who were more favored than the others.


    Setsuna already knew that in terms of love, no one could take Medea''s ce in his heart.


    But in the same way, she was sure that she wasn''t far behind Medea, her main concurrent being Milia.


    This was also the main reason why Lilin envied Setsuna so much.


    But Setsuna could feel her ce slowly slipping.


    What''s more, the more women Sol added, the harder it would be to keep her ce.


    Thinking about this, she took a decision,


    "Lilin, why don''t we form an alliance?"


    (AN: Hehe, the second alliance is forming. As for the first. Lol even though it isn''t official I am sure you can guess. Medea isn''t just epting her sisters for nothing. XD


    Harem politique are interesting to write.)

 Chapter 155 CH 137: WITCHES

    [Medea''s world]


    "Oh? I did not know your sister had such a hobby."


    "Mother! Please don''t spy on them. It''s rude."


    "Hahaha. Sorry, sorry, I just couldn''t help myself. After all, it''s rare to see a man willing toy down with a witch without being coerced or enticed."


    Ambrosia chuckled while saying so, but deep mncholy could be felt in her words.


    Ambrosia, like all witches, had always been curious about such rtionships and eventual motherhood.


    But her situation was worse than any other witch.


    For others, even though having a true rtionship wasplicated. It wasn''t impossible for them to have some trysts with long-lived species such as elves or demons.


    But Ambrosia was in apletely different situation.


    Her life-stealing curse was so powerful that simply giving a kiss was enough to make an elf go from young to elderly.


    Even now, she was still traumatized by her first andst kiss.


    The moniker of death¡¯s kiss had never been more urate than with her.


    Despite all this, she held no grudge toward Asmodeus.


    Her past wasn''t rosy.


    She was from a time long before the establishment of the kingdom system, when humans were nothing more than ves to all races and had to hide underground just to avoid being exterminated.


    Thanks to Asmodeus, she rose from being an ant that could be stepped on at any moment to a respectable demi-god that couldmand rain and wind in the mortal world.


    She would need to be extremely ungrateful to resent Asmodeus after everything he has given her.


    What''s more, when her urges really became unbearable, she could relieve herself with her own hands.


    Still,


    "So you really took something like that in you?"


    She couldn''t help but eye Medea¡¯s petite frame with suspicion and worry.


    "Mother!"


    "Alright! Alright! I was just asking."


    Deciding to stop teasing her, Ambrosia chuckled and took a sip of her tea.


    This was a habit that she had developed long ago and shared with Medea.


    Once she finished savoring her tea, she shook her head and sighed,"Stop looking at me like you''re a lost puppy. What is eating you?"


    Medea fidgeted a little before asking, "Are you willing to bring the Walpurgisnacht once again in Lustburg?"


    All the witches lived in a territory Ambrosia carved by bending space and time in the mortal world.


    It functioned with the same basics as Medea''s world, but on a muchrger scale.


    Ambrosia looked expressionlessly at her daughter, "You want me to open the gate of Salem? Again?"


    Salem was the name of Ambrosia''s world as well as the home of all witches.


    Witches were not particrly liked in this world.


    For one, many people feared their curses. Bringing bad luck and sucking life away was not a joke.


    Even more so since many witches used this to their advantage to get more longevity and power.


    The normal way for a witch to be stronger and live longer was through understanding her element.


    But some witches preferred to absorb life force and live that way.


    Generally, it was Kali''s job to seek those witches who had gone astray and exterminate them.


    It was because of all this that Ambrosia decided to create a safe haven where no one could harass or get harassed by witches.


    It was their heaven.


    It became even more so after the situation with Jupiter.


    Since that time, the reputation of all witches waspletely vilified in the mortal world.


    "Thest time I opened the gates, we witches became the number one public enemy of Lustburg. All of that because of your beloved little king, and you are saying that you are willing to put your sisters in danger once again because of your selfishness?"


    For Ambrosia, all witches were her children.


    She knew each of them intimately and loved all of them.


    Even for those that went astray, she would only send Kali if she judged that they had gone too far.


    Medea lowered her head, "This time it isn''t because of self-interest. Sol promised me that he would clean the name of the witches once he officially became King. He wishes to take me as a court mage."


    "Oh?"


    This time Ambrosia was a little surprised.


    Ambrosia honestly did not really care about Lustburg''s opinion. But she knew that they needed the king¡¯s approval.


    After all, she was a human at core and as a human, she could not harm the king directly.


    Despite this, no king after Jupiter tried to show the truth.


    Some of them simply did not care about the witches.


    Some because they did not wish to have an unstable element like the witches in their kingdom.


    Some others because they did not want to destroy the reputation of the first king.


    Each of those reasons werepletely valid.<sub> </sub>


    So it was really a wonder for Sol to be ready to shake the base of his power for Medea.


    "Let''s talk about this another time. The decision will be made by the council.¡±


    Ambrosia did not leave all the power in the hands of her four favorite daughters.


    The council was made of a group of witches who specialized in predictions and analyzing types of magic.


    Most of the daily decisions were taken by them.


    Ambrosia trusted their wisdom and would always call them for matters such as this one.


    ¡®Well, we will just have to wait and see.¡¯


    Thinking so, she turned her attention once again toward the y that was happening and couldn¡¯t help but blush fiercely.


    ¡®How shameless. I did not raise you like this, Persephone.¡¯


    ----


    [Tower of Babel, Persephone¡¯s office.]


    In the office, on a bed with crumpled sheets, a beautiful and voluptuous green-haired woman wasying down and sleeping with a beautiful smile hanging on her face.


    Her entire body was covered in bite marks and white cloudy liquid.


    On the floor, tens of costumes and underwear of all kinds could be seenying down all over, all of them stained in different ways.


    Standing above her naked, Sol began to put away the clothes while showing a helpless smile.


    He did not know what had taken over him yesterday, but he had been way wilder than usual.


    Perhaps it was because he had been too stressedtely?


    He didn¡¯t know.


    What he did know though, was that it was definitely not thest time this would happen.


    After putting away all the clothes in a ce so that the maids had an easier time when cleaning, Sol walked toward Persephone and ruffled her hair gently before murmuring,


    ¡°Wake up.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    Persephone groaned under her breath before opening her eyes and looking at Sol with an unfocused expression.


    It didn¡¯t take long for her focus to sharpen and her eyes to regain their light.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    Yawning, she raised the upper part of her body before stretching.


    Like any straight man worthy of the name, Sol¡¯s eyes were immediately attracted by the round and bouncy balls full of dreams called breasts.


    Persephone didn¡¯t miss this reaction andughed mischievously,


    ¡°Fufufu~! Are you interested in continuing?¡±


    ¡°I will have to pass for now. Do you wish to take a bath?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    Sol had already stopped using honorifics when talking to her. After all, even though they weren¡¯t exactly lovers now, they weren¡¯t as distant as they were initially.


    The office of Persephone had a second room that could serve as a bath. Using her power to fill the bathtub with water then heating it, the two of them rxed in the hot water while washing each other.


    Persephone had to admit that it was quite a novel experience for her.


    She had not expected much at first when she decided to spend the night with Sol.


    After all, the few experiences with sex she had did not leave her with a, particrly good impression.


    What¡¯s more, with his age, she had expected him to be awkward and inexperienced.


    She was pleased to have been proven wrong.


    The night had been something magical and she wouldn¡¯t forget it any time soon. The aftercare was even more pleasing.


    She knew perfectly well that Sol did not harbor much feelings for her. Still, the way he treated her like an actual princess and carefully washed her ted her greatly.


    After all, women''s views on sex were different from men.


    Men were more about the physical side of things.


    Meanwhile, women cared more about the emotional connection.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that women didn¡¯t get horny and wishes for a simple and rough fuck. It just happened less frequently than with men.


    After a second bath, since they couldn¡¯t help but fool around a little during the first one, the two of them changed back into the clothes they wore yesterday.


    Thankfully, Sol had the foresight to carefully put those clothes away before they began their wild night.


    Once they were ready and clean, the two of them went to the room now upied by Setsuna and Lilin.


    On the way, Sol, now in sage mode, had better rity of mind.


    The first thing in order was to verify Setsuna and Lilin¡¯s situation. Then, he had to ascertain if Lilin knew her origin.


    She most likely did, but he wanted to be sure. Aside from that, he had to visit Theresa and see what she wanted to talk about. Then discuss things with Camelia about their rtionship.


    What¡¯s more, he had to deal with the executions of the traitors and Gerald¡¯s exile. Matters about the war, look at the Crown¡¯s shadow situation, verifies if the vampire was awake, and then interrogates her.


    Only when all of this was done could he finally travel to the Astral world.


    ¡®So many things to do and so little time.¡¯


    Being a King was really a pain.

 Chapter 156 CH 138: TIME TO DISCUSS

    Another two days went by.


    Since Setsuna and Lilin were both awake, he would regrly visit them both in the morning and the evening to keep a check on them.


    He was d to see that they were indeed healing fast.


    Though, for some reason, Lilin was healing way faster than she should have been able to.


    Sol wondered if it had to do with her identity and the blood in her, but she shouldn''t have awakened any ability


    p A matter worth pondering about.</anda>


    Aside from this, he had been quite surprised when Athena joined the assembly in the ce of Tyr.


    He, of course, understood what it meant and was happy for her.


    He had been even happier when he had learned about the thieves.


    Sol wasn''t naive enough to believe that corruption could be erased.


    As long as he didn''t fundamentally change the mind of all the nobles and workers under him, it was impossible to do so.


    Still, he believed that there was some limit to not cross and he was happy to see that all his ancestors had the same opinion.


    He needed examples to set things straight and make everyone follow the rules. Tacit and explicit.


    As such, since a bunch of fools delivered themselves to him, he happily set a decree to punish them by taking away one-fourth of their fortune.


    He also condemned them to use another fourth of their fortune to invest in the development of structures to take care of orphans, old people, and wounded soldiers.


    After all, since they stole from the family of soldiers, they should give back tenfold what they stole.


    He also permitted the ck knight to capture the nobles who refused toply.


    Of course, he couldn''t use such a heavy hand every time. But as he was now he could easily use his age and inexperience as an excuse.


    Then the other Duke woulde and pacify the nobles. Good cops/bad cops.


    Once the decision about the punishment of the thieving nobles was passed, they began to delve into more pressing matters such as the war.


    With winter approaching, they were pretty sure that Wratharis wouldn''t attack them.


    Winter in this world was extremely brutal, fighting a war during such times was crazy, since the casualties would be three or four times higher than in normal times.


    This was exactly why,


    "The chances that he attacks us during winter are extremely high ."


    Camelia announced suddenly.


    Everyone stopped discussing and looked at her.


    Sol asked simply, "What gives you such confidence?"


    Doubt could be clearly heard in his voice.


    Camelia was shocked, the fact that Sol doubted her words left her somewhat baffled.


    She also understood just how shallow she had been previously.


    Sighing, she continued, "The one who informed me is the Supreme daughter of Patientia."


    Sol tapped his finger on the table.


    He was weighing the situation. Then asked Milia.


    "I forgot to ask, but how is the rtionship between the royal family and the church in Wratharis?"


    Milia, who stood up behind him bowed and answered, "From our report, since the crowning of the new king, the rtionship between those two had been extremely strained."


    Sol nodded. Of course, he couldn''t simply believe the information given by the crown''s shadow either.


    So he turned once again toward Camelia.


    "What does that supreme daughter want?"


    It was impossible to have given such information for free.


    If Lustburg won this war, it would be able to im arge amount ofnds and could seriously threaten the safety of Wratharis.<sub> </sub>


    "The death of the king."


    A heavy silence fell in the room.


    Everyone was surprised by this news and couldn''t help but ponder about it.


    Sol was shocked as well, but he had ess to information that helped him connect the dot.


    ''They want Setsuna to be the queen.''


    Only a Blessed could officially be king or queen.


    But what would happen if a ruler died without any crown prince or princess ready to rece them?


    Such cases were rare in history, but generally, the goddess would choose the immediate and closest rtive.


    "Does the Wolf have any children or is there any Royal Blessed aside from him?"


    "Not in our knowledge."


    ¡®As I thought.¡¯


    The n was pretty simple. Kill the king. Setsuna bes blessed. Take her as a queen. Everyone is happy.


    ¡­ As If such a thing was possible.


    There were simply too many unknown variables in this situation.


    What''s more, this was just a spection of his. Perhaps they had another candidate in mind.


    He needed to ask Setsuna if she had sisters or brothers or cousins.


    But he doubted it.


    Like all powerful magical beings, the fertility of blue wolves was extremely weak. Getting one child was already impressive enough.


    Some did not even manage to give birth in all their life.


    "The discussion stops here. Lady Athena, I would like you to inform Duke Tyr and begin to prepare countermeasures for an eventual fight during winter."


    Humans were, on average, far weaker than beastmen.


    Even though the information was still suspicious, it was better to prepare and avoid bad surprises.


    "Understood."


    Sol then turned toward Hermes, "Duke Hermes, contact Aunt Theresa. I am free to meet her tonight in the tower."


    They needed special engraved weapons for this war. Using cold steel would be dangerous.


    What''s more, Greed Dike had been pretty pissed and thew they set put them in disadvantage. Thankfully, Theresa was a member of the council and should perhaps be able to work on something.


    "Your will shall be done."


    After getting Hermes¡¯ answer, Sol faced Arachne,


    "Duchess, your talent as a seamstress will be put to test. How many people would you need to help you create enough clothes and cloaks that could protect soldiers from the cold?"


    Arachne closed her eyes for a short moment before nodding, "I need none, my golems will be enough."


    Sol shook his head, "This is truly good news. But I would like to use this asion to create more employment. I give you the right to recruit between two to three hundred women or men experienced in tailoring. Of course, you can also use your golems on the side."


    Arachne did not seem pleased, but she understood that this would be helpful for the country. So she reluctantly epted.


    "Now then, if you could please leave. I have some matters to discuss with the supreme daughter."


    It wasn''t that hecked trust in them.


    But he did not wish to share Setsuna''s past without her permission.


    What''s more, he didn''t know how they would react if they knew they could have control over the potential future queen of Wratharis.


    Sharing nces furtively, the two dukes and Athena nodded and saluted before leaving, followed by Milia.


    He was now alone once again with Camelia.


    "So, let''s discuss shall we?"

 Chapter 157 CH 139: REVELATION

    The silence between the two was heavy.


    "How have you been those two days?"


    Camelia awkwardly tried to begin the discussion by asking some small questions.


    Looking at her acting like this, while twirling her hair, Sol shook his head while hiding a small smile.


    She was really cute. Sol also understood that despite her being older than him, in terms of rtionship he was more experienced than her.


    Sol really wanted to forgive her, but if he did it too fast, everything would simply go back to what it was. He didn¡¯t wish to have to constantly watch his back while wondering what she was up to.


    ¡°I have been pretty well, if I must be honest. Not much has happened recently. I am just working on the mirror dimension.¡±


    The mirror dimension had so much potential. But because of the personality inversion function, it was simply impossible to use it with allies.


    But even then, if he could reach the level of dimension encroachment and pull people in his dimension without having to touch them it would already be a great step.


    Finally, since, at least from what he had seen, his dimension covered the whole world, he should in theory be able to teleport absolutely anywhere in the world or create dimension shift essories like that angel called Nihil did.


    Camelia simply nodded, she also clearly understood the potential of dimensional magic but currently, she had other things to think of.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been visiting me recently.¡±


    ¡°I have been busytely.¡±


    Silence fell once more, but this time it was broken by Sol,


    ¡°Camelia, we can discuss our rtionship anytime you want. But save that forter. Right now we need to discuss the situation at hand.¡±


    Saying so, Sol asked seriously, ¡°Firstly, How trustworthy is that supreme daughter? Secondly, even if she is trustworthy, how trustworthy is her information? Finally, once all those conditions are cleared, what do we do about the assassination of the king?¡±


    Three simple questions that showed the heart of the matter.


    Camelia of course understood that she shouldn¡¯t hide anything from Sol at the moment, or he might very well abandon her this time.


    ¡°If I am to be honest, this n shouldn¡¯t be from Kiku herself. Kiku is a very straightforward woman who dislikes schemes and the like. Not to say she is naive.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­ Describe her more to me.¡±


    ¡°As you know very well, in Wratharis, all the Supreme Daughters were Kitsune while all the Kings were Wolves. Inari Kiku Patientia is a six-tailed Kitsune as well as one of the oldest supreme daughters alive. Just below Demon¡¯s supreme daughter, the elves¡¯ one, and of course, Echidna. She is also one of the strongest. Hearsay that she is the closest to a demi-god.¡±


    Sol remembered that the Divine beast of Patientia was a nine-tailed Kitsune called Tamamo no Mae. Meanwhile, the divine beast of Ira was the wolf Fenrir.


    He really wondered what went through the goddesses¡¯ heads when they gave those names.


    Hiding his feelings, Sol grunted,


    ¡°Hum...Seems like a bigshot.¡±


    ¡°Haha. That she is.¡± Camelia chuckled while remembering the fox woman with a slovenly appearance who liked more drinking than fighting.


    ¡°Should I say that straightforward people be stronger easily? I do not know. What I do know though is that she isn¡¯t the genre to scheme. She is more the type to rush headfirst in a fight. If not because she couldn¡¯t hurt the wolf king, she would have killed him herself.¡±


    ¡°So, she is being manipted?¡±


    ¡°Not impossible, but chances are low. I said that Kiku disliked schemes, not that she was bad at it. She is a fox, what¡¯s more, a direct descendant of Tamamo no Mae after all. Trickery is in her blood.¡±


    ¡°Wait wait wait. The child of a divine beast was blessed?¡±


    Camelia let out a bitter smile, ¡°Indeed. Though she is a second generation, her father was a mortal. So she is considered as a third-generation and isn¡¯t bound by the same rules.¡±


    The rules bounding divine beasts were rather strict.


    All 14 divine beasts were considered as the first generation. First generations could not descend on the mortal world.


    Second generations were children of divine beasts created through asexual reproduction by using their half energy part. They could descend on the mortal world but could not leave their territory without permission. The only exception being, if they had a contract.


    This was the case for ze.


    Third generations were bound by no rules. But the chance of them awakening to their full power, such as obtaining a core, was extremely low. This was the case for Sol. What¡¯s more, they were fully organic beings, unlike the First and second generations who were half energy.


    Kiku¡¯s situation was pretty awkward in that sense. From what Camelia knew, her birth caused a veritable uproar.


    After all, she was the first child born from the coupling between a divine beast and a mortal. This was even more so since the father was a simple mortal one-tailed kitsune with basically no potential or anything special.


    Even to this day, it was a mystery.


    ¡°I see. Well, not like it matters currently. Do you have an idea about who gave this idea to her?¡±


    ¡°This is where things areplicated. I have a very good idea, Shuten-Doji. The current leader of the Oni n. She is a strong woman in the Duke realm. From what I know, she is rather cunning. But this isn¡¯t the problem. The problem is her mother...Ibuki-Doji. The previous leader of the Oni-n and also--A member of the Wings of Freedom.¡±


    There she took a deep breath, ¡°More than anything--She is the one who betrayed us.¡±


    This time, Sol was pretty shocked. This situation was bing moreplicated.


    ¡°Perhaps I will finally know exactly what happened back then?¡±


    Camelia shook her head, ¡°There is nothing reallyplicated. Back then, we fought Ibuki and only won with difficulty. After winning, we were supposed to kill her, but when she told us that she joined the wings because she was forced to, Mars took pity on her and spared her.¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Showing a bitter smile, she continued, ¡°Of course all of us were against it. But the problem was that it wasn¡¯t the first time an enemy of ours became an ally. The same happened with Iris, Cloe¡¯s mother, and Pandora, who back then was the crown princess of Envilya. So we had no way to make him change his opinion. He really believed we could trust her.¡±


    ¡°I guess we became toocent? At first, we all had our guard against her. But day after day, week after weeks. The more time went past, the more we also began to trust her.


    ¡°Sigh. Anyway, the initial ritual to seal Echidna wasn¡¯t supposed to use your parent¡¯s life, but rather the Holy sword. The sword had to be ced in a very specific ce and guarded to avoid it being moved. The ones who had to guard it were Lilith, Pandora, and Ibuki.


    ¡°Everything was going well, even though the fight had many casualties and we were all wounded or near death, we were on the verge of winning. I had even taken into ount the possibility of Ibuki betraying us. But with both Pandora and Lilith, it should have been enough. After all, Ibuki was just a Duke rank.


    ¡°The problem here was that...She wasn¡¯t a Duke.¡±


    Sol closed his eyes, ¡°A King.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, a powerful one at that. She pulled out the sword. Pandora and Lilith stood no chance. If ze did not rush to stop Ibuki, they would have been killed. ze did her best and took back the sword but it was already toote. The ritual was disrupted and everything was going to be annihted.¡±


    ¡°So my father sacrificed himself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so and ze followed him after entrusting you to me and giving her core and horns to Theresa.¡±


    Sol could imagine the scene. At the same time, he caught a hint.


    ¡°They have been after the sword since then.¡±


    ¡°Most likely so. Of course, back then, we did not know that it was her main goal.¡±


    ¡°I see...I have always thought that he sacrificed himself and my mother for the sake of peace or the world.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it was so. I do not know what hisst thoughts were.¡±


    Grief was hidden in Camelia¡¯s voice.


    Though she had no romantic feeling for Mars, he had always been a good friend. What¡¯s more, her rtionship with ze was close to that of siblings.


    To this day, she had many regrets.


    She could have done much more.


    If she had tried to control Ibuki with her power she would have found early on that she wasn¡¯t just a Duke.


    If she had insisted to not let Ibuki close to the sword, the ritual would not have been perturbed.


    If she hadn¡¯t listened to Mars¡¯s opinion and simply acted on her own as she wished, the present situation would have been so much different.


    That¡¯s why,


    ¡°I know I am derailing from our initial topic. But I want to be clear. I hate traitors and I feel no remorse about the way I used Gerald. Even if I had warned you beforehand, it would have not changed my choices nor subsequent action.¡±


    Sol wanted to discuss more about Wratharis and their n of action, but it seemed that he had to make things clear for now.


    ¡°You are misunderstanding something. The problem isn¡¯t what you did. Your actions allowed the removal of several tumors in the kingdom. The problemy in the fact that you hide it from me.¡±


    Sol leaned in his chair and continued, ¡°Trust is something that takes years to build but can be destroyed in seconds. By lying to me so many times, you broke a great part of my trust in you.¡±


    ¡°But I would never harm you.¡±


    ¡°Only me, right?¡±


    Camelia¡¯s silence was an answer unto itself. Sol could only pinch his eyebrows.


    ¡®Why are all my women crazy?¡¯


    They all seemed to be fully functional but were a little too obsessed with him.


    ¡®Or perhaps I am the crazy one for epting them?¡¯


    Solughed at himself. It honestly didn¡¯t matter how crazy they were as long as they didn¡¯t harm him or each other.


    Thest thing he wanted to see was bloodshed in the harem.


    Perhaps he could help them be closer to each other first?


    That would be the first step.


    ¡°I have decided. Tonight, I will make a visit to the Travers Mansion with Nuwa. Meanwhile, you and the other girls will reunite and discuss and make friends or something.¡±


    The first step toward friendship was discussion.


    If each of them bes closer to each other, the risks of them hurting each other would decrease greatly.


    Anyway, it was just a trial test. If it failed he would find another way. What was the worst that could happen?


    ¡®Damn. I had to jinx it.¡¯


    (AN: Pandora and Iris were introduced in the special Xmas chapter. The story of the seal was first mentioned in CH 22. The betrayal was first mentioned in CH 7 and 8. Man, time really flies fast. Already been a year since those chapters. Lol, anyway, the first reunion of the harem. Hahaha. So many headstrong personalities. I know many of you wanted to read such a scene. I hope I won¡¯t disappoint. Finally, what happened to Mars is basically what I think should happen to most shonen mc like naruto. Even now I am still reeling from how Naruto convinced people like Nagato and Obito to fight and die for him in just 3 or so minutes of discussion. Imagine plotting for 20 years. Killing your Master and causing a world War but suddenly finding your conscience because of the words of some teen.)

 Chapter 158 CH 140: FORGOT

    [Babel tower]


    The discussion with Camelia had been rather constructive. Once they had finished discussing the pros and cons, Sol had decided that they needed to inform Setsuna first before making the final choice.


    Sol was happy that they could discuss more and understand each other better. Discussions couldn¡¯t always help, but it was good to discuss as much as possible. It avoided useless misunderstandings.


    Of course, it was impossible for two people topletely understand each other. No one could read the heart of another.


    But Camelia''s life was literally tied to his own in such a one-sided way that it wasughable.


    This was also one of the reasons Camelia was so dangerous.


    Back then, depending on how he acted, Camelia could have simply died and she had been ready for it.


    There were few people more dangerous than someone who did not care for their own life.


    Sometimes, Sol really wondered if he was born with nerves of steel. After all, keeping so many crazy girls around him was no small feat.


    "I really wonder how the meeting between them could go."


    Honestly, he was ready for the worst. But he had to try.


    It didn''t matter if they did not like each other, but he wanted them to at least have a more cordial rtionship.


    ''Man, light novels always lie.''


    He chuckled in jest.


    In light novels or other such stories, the members of the harem could number in the 20 or 30 but still be friendly to each other. To the point of seeing each other as sisters and never having disputes.


    But life didn''t work like that.


    Even rtionships between two people were hell to manage, much less a harem.


    This brought another problem to Sol.


    "I don''t even want to imagine how the weddings will go."


    How many times would he organize a wedding? What about children?


    "Forget it."


    Pushing those thoughts in the back of his mind, Sol stood up from his chair and stretched.


    Staying seated for hours made his body so stiff, but he did not really have a choice.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Your highness, Lady ra wishes to meet you.¡±


    Hearing the voice of the maid from the other side of the door made Sol remember about his appointment with the elf.


    ¡°Let her enter.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The battle maid opened the door and let ra enter before closing it behind her.


    Now alone with the elf, Sol once again wondered if all elves were well endowed.


    Before reincarnating, he had been under the impression that elves were rather below average curves-wise. Though they had that ethereal beauty BS.


    Meanwhile, the elves he had met until now, had rather beautiful forms.


    ra was a brown-haired woman wearing tight fitting pants and an equally tight shirt.


    Since her clothes hugged her forms tightly, little was left to the imagination even though she showed zero skin.


    The way her breast jiggled while she walked was certainly eye-catching.


    Thankfully, Sol was more than used to such sight and only spared a nce before focusing on her face.


    ¡°Hello, ra. How have you been?¡±


    Bowing, ra answered respectfully, ¡°I have been well, your highness. Working with the knights to help the reconstructions had been a fruitful experience.¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°I see. But judging from your tone, I guess it wasn¡¯t the kind of experience you wished to have.¡±


    ra bit her lips before speaking, ¡°May I be allowed to speak bluntly?¡±


    Chuckling, Sol walked toward his chair and took a seat, while indicating to her to do the same.


    ra hesitated a little but nodded, then sat in a prim and proper way,


    ¡°Go on. I must say, I''m not really one for formality. As long as we keep a certain measure of respect, I am ready to hear anything.¡±


    ra looked at Sol and adjusted her sses before taking a deep breath.


    ¡°I believe that my skills are not used to their fullest.¡±


    Sol was impressed. His impression of ra had been that she was somewhat of an airhead with how Lilin nearly sold her to him during their first meeting.


    Then again, no matter how shy she could be, she was an elf. Elves were the most prideful creatures in the world right after the dragons.


    One of the reasons was that it was the sole country where their respective divine beasts were active.


    Yggdrasil, the divine Tree, had an incarnation in all elves'' tribes, making it so they nevercked any resources. They could literally pick food just by raising their hands.


    Meanwhile, on the dragon side, the four dragon kings, Fafnir, Welsh, Kiyohime, and Hydra represented the four tribes, respectively moon, sun, water, and dark elves.


    Finally, the high elves, also known as the royal elves, were represented by his grandmother, Tiamat.


    In all this world, aside from the angels, the elves were the only country to have never lost ground aside from what they conquered outside of their forests.


    Remembering all this information in a sh, Sol indicated ra to continue.


    ¡°My main goal when leaving the forest and following Lilin was to serve as an advisor¨CYour advisor. I have been trained all my life for this and I believe that I have the skills necessary to work for you.¡±


    Sol knew that elves could only leave the forest after theiring of age, which happened when they reached fifty years of age; this was the equivalent of being 18 years old in his previous world.


    Since he had someone who was a few hundred years old but looked like a teen as his woman, he wasn¡¯t particrly surprised. Though he had to admit that the perception of time of a long-lived race was truly impressive.


    But what really caught his attention in her words was something else.


    "You have been trained all your life to be an advisor?"


    "Indeed, Your Highness. Perhaps you still do not grasp just how important dragons are in our culture. For us, getting to serve a dragon is the highest honor that could be bestowed to us. This is even more so for my family."


    "Oh? What do you mean?"


    A fervor seemed to burn in her eyes as she said, "Since the creation of Southern pride, all my ancestors have served the dragons. My mother was the personal servant of Lady ze, your mother and as such, I have been trained to serve the future progeny of Lady ze¨Cyou."


    "I see."


    Sol tapped rhythmically on the table while thinking about how to treat her.


    He certainly needed some assistance, but he couldn''t exactly leave such confidential documents under the sight of someone he knew basically nothing of.


    It didn¡¯t really matter to him if her mother served his in the past. After all, using such flimsy reason to ascertain loyalty was the first step toward inevitable doom.


    "I cannot in good conscience let you serve me currently."


    ra seemed crestfallen at his words, the way the light went out from her eyes scared the hell out of him.


    He could only pinch his brow since it seemed that he had another crazy woman.


    "But¨C"


    "Yes!?"


    "I can let you act as my secretary of sorts for now. Later, if you are willing to form a contract with me, I am willing to give you more ess rights."


    "Of course, I am!"


    She was short of jumping excitedly. All the poise and seriousness she had previously shown seemed to vanish.


    Looking at the beautiful woman with sparkling eyes, Sol wondered if it was going to be alright.


    (AN: ra was properly introduced in CH 57. Elves in general were depicted in CH 60. Fafnir and Welsh were properly introduced in the dragon special chapter. Next 2-3 chapters will be Nuwa and Sol meetings with our favorite Theresa. Gotta see what surprises she has for Sol. After this it will be a harem discussion and after that there will be some little closure before jumping onto the next big arc.)

 Chapter 159 CH 141: EVERYONE LOVE MONEY

    After getting out of the office, ra saluted the two maids politely standing guard in front of the door and walked away while humming a song.


    She knew that she was on probation, but she believed that she would be able to show her skills soon.


    ¡®He was easier to talk to than I would have thought.¡¯


    Like any elf, ra respected dragons greatly. How could she not? Anyone who stood in front of those magnificent and imposing creatures could only bow in awe and worship.


    When she met Lilin back then, and learned that she was in fact the cousin of a hybrid dragon, Lady ze¡¯s son at that, her mother had all but begged her to serve him.


    At first, ra had been rather hesitant.


    Hybrids in this world were not despised by rule. It mostly depended on their abilities.


    A hybrid who was lucky enough to inherit the strongest points of both races would be respected.


    One who didn¡¯t would not be despised, but they would be pretty much ignored.


    It might be pretty cold, but it was life.


    If she served a useless hybrid dragon, she would have been mocked by all the members of her generation for one century or two.


    But, since she was 50 years old and curious about the outside world, she had decided to take the bet and followed her friend Lilin out of the forest.


    She had to admit, she was d she did.


    ¡®Thank you, mother.¡¯


    It seemed that the nagging of a mother was never useless.


    Since Sol had proved to be above everything she could have imagined, it was her turn to prove herself to be above everything he could imagine.


    This was her pride.


    After all, a good servant could only show all his skills under a good lord.


    ¡®Those bitches are going to be so jealous!¡¯


    The elf society was a purely matriarchal one and thepetition was rude. If Sol had been born in the Astral World, the chance of hernding the job would have been close to none.


    After all, even her mother was chosen not because of her skills and lineage, but simply because ze liked her personality.


    ¡®Now then, I guess I should visit Lilin and Setsuna.¡¯


    She continued humming while walking in the hallway.


    Today was a very good day.


    -----


    [Travers Mansion]


    Currently, the Travers mansion was showing a flurry of activity.


    After all, the Duke had suddenly announced the arrival of the future King.


    Thest time, they had two entire days to prepare but this time the short notice shocked them.


    Overseeing the actions of the maids was a tall and voluptuous woman d in a red robe that hugged her form tightly.


    She was the wife of Hermes Travers.


    ¡°Hurry up! Be sure that everything is well taken care of.¡±


    In this world, the difference between men and women was minimal. After all, your power and talent did not depend on your gender.


    Despite this, people still viewed the house as the women''s territory.


    As a duchess, Dame Travers was a very steadfast woman and apetent merchant. She understood the importance of building connections more than anything.


    Once she was sure that everything was in good hands, she walked toward the office of her husband.


    ¡°Dear husband, everything is alright. But, are you sure we shouldn¡¯t bring some maids as a gift?¡±


    Using women to ensnare men of power was an old but effective tactic that worked most of the time.


    For this, she specially raised many girls and gave them education, clothes, food, and all the necessary elements for a good growth.


    All those girls knew the reasons she did so, but none resented her. Life was not easy and the duchess never sent her girls to men with dangerous tendencies.


    For them, it was an opportunity to go from ves or simplemoners to concubines and perhaps official wives for some lucky ones.


    Thanks to this practice, even though the Travers house always seemed the weakest, they had one of the most extensiveworks.


    If they could ce some girls around the future king¡­<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Stupid woman, do you want our death?¡±


    Hermes rebuked her roughly, his face paling.


    The moment his wife made that proposal, his skill Gambling Instinct screamed so hard he felt like he was about to go mad.


    Honestly, even without his skill, with all he knew now he would need to be some crazy bastard to try to scheme against Sol.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The duchess was clearly surprised. In all their years of marriage, even though they sometimes had different opinions about their ns, he had never screamed like this at her.


    ¡°I am sorry for screaming.¡±


    Hermes apologized first before continuing, ¡°But don¡¯t even think about it. Do not even show your girls to the prince. Anyway, if he really wanted any of them, he would have been tempted by the maids during thest visit.¡±


    Understanding that her husband wouldn¡¯t exin anymore, she simply nodded, and said, ¡°Then, I will ask the maid to be careful in their actions.¡±


    ¡°Do so.¡±


    Once the duchess left, Hermes now alone, turned toward the corner of the room,


    ¡°Hahaha, Theresa, I guess you heard everything?¡±


    ¡°Hum? About the honey trap? Hahaha. Don¡¯t worry, this is prettymon.¡±


    The secret door opened and let out the cute and smiling Theresa.


    ¡°Honestly, in any other circumstance, I would have helped you. Having one of your nieces or distant rtives entering Sol¡¯s harem would be useful. But heh, let¡¯s just say that my friends are not particrly fond of honey traps. Kukuku~!¡±


    Theresa knew that this was the understatement of the year.


    If a woman with sketchy motives came close to Sol, Lilith would cut her without hesitation, or Camelia would mind control her first to ascertain how dangerous she could be.


    ¡®Once bitten, twice shy.¡¯


    ¡°Anyways, the king contacted me so that I could propose a secret deal with Sol. Seems like the council is as useless as always. A bunch of old fossils who never wish to take responsibility.¡±


    The country of Greed Dike was also known as the country of contract. There, every word, every action, who you talked to, how long you talked to them.


    All of this had to be taken into ount.


    You never knew when you could be backstabbed by even your closest family members.


    She knew it. After all, she did kill her own brother.


    Hermes, who had some basic understanding about the way Greed Dike functioned shrugged.


    ¡°I guess he has no choice. It¡¯s clear that Lustburg is on the line between decline and rise to prominence. Everything will depend on the war against Wratharis. I guess the king wishes to bet on Lustburg.¡±


    ¡°That is so. That old man is a crafty bastard. Impeaching Lustburg in the open to please Wratharis but holding hand with Lustburg in secret. No matter who wins, even if he doesn¡¯t get any benefits, he will face no loss either.¡±


    This was how merchants worked. It was impossible to always make profits. So the greatest skill a merchant could have was to understand how to minimize potential loss.


    ¡°Anyways, just warn your wife to be careful. I am going to prepare myself. Can¡¯t look bad in front of my godson and my surrogate daughter.¡±


    Hearing this, Hermes couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°I have been wondering. But, do you not n to have an heir?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! And risk dying by the hand of my own child? No thanks. Look at me! I am rich, pretty and I have friends in high ces all over the world. Life is beautiful as it is now. Perhaps in myter years, I will take some young boys and y around for a short while. Anyways, all my fortune will belong to Sol after my death.¡±


    Laughing like this, she went back to the secret chamber in order to take a bath and change her clothes.


    As she was now, shecked nothing.


    In fact, she was so rich that she had reached the level where gold was only a string of numbers in her eyes.


    Since she had drunk some water from the youth springs that belonged to the elves, she could live for one or two hundred years as a young woman before dying.


    Even though that water didn¡¯t boost natural lifespan but only maintained the appearance of youth, this was more than enough for her.


    Though, with her luck, the chance of her dying because she stuck her nose in business that didn¡¯t concern her was far higher.


    ¡®Now that I think about it, perhaps I should ask Sol to get those stuck-up elves tomercialize that water? Women all over the world would kill or sell their souls for something like that.¡¯


    Back then, she had proposed the n to Mars, but he had refused since he didn¡¯t wish to borrow ze''s authority to make money.


    But for Sol, it would be his own authority, right?


    Her eyes already began to shine brightly.


    Money may be a string of numbers, but she wouldn¡¯t mind adding one or two more zero to that string.

 Chapter 160 CH 142: HAREM DISCUSSION (1)

    "Wee! Your highness, it''s a delight to see you so soon."


    "Please, it has just been a few hours at most."


    "And this is exactly why it''s a delight."


    After being weed once again by a row of maids, though this time they were decently dressed, which was honestly quite a shame, Sol entered the ducal house while bantering with the Duke.


    Over thest few days, Sol had managed to develop a somewhat friendly rtionship with the three Dukes.


    But his rtionship was different with each of them, obviously.


    For Tyr, he believed in his love for the Kingdom.


    For Arachne, he believed in her love for his father.


    As for Hermes...He didn¡¯t believe in him at all.


    Merchants only moved for profits. As long as Sol showed high potential and had enough power behind him, Hermes would be his greatest ally.


    On the other hand; if Sol was in a perilous situation, Hermes would be the first one to flee.


    Sol did not mind it. In fact, he was even a little happy to not be surrounded by people that fanatically loved and supported him.


    Otherwise, he would begin to wonder if their thoughts had been affected.


    After this, the party was a delight.


    Hermes had invited a few nobles who were in his factions and Sol made ties with them.


    This was another thing that Sol could and would do nothing about.


    All nobles had factions.


    Higher noblesmanded lower nobles and those lower noblesmanded even lower nobles.


    This was inevitable. After all, Sol couldn¡¯t possibly take care of all the nobles alone.


    In his previous world, it was necessary for a king to always be wary of the factions bing too strong.


    Such worry, while not unnecessary in this world, was clearly much less dangerous.


    At the end of the day, the worst they could do was usurp a part of his power.


    They couldn¡¯t harm him without putting themselves in danger. Of course, there were always outliers, like Loki Gorfard, who was ready to gamble his life just for a shot at power.


    In the end, what mattered was that he kept control. As for his children, he simply hoped that he would be there for them and also hoped they wouldn¡¯t be some 40 years old creepy NEET.


    ¡®I really need to have a talk with those goddesses.¡¯


    As the night went by, Sol danced,ughed, and did all the political things that were oh so boring but oh so necessary.


    Sometimes, he would think about the meeting between his girls that should happen about now and would hope there was no bloodbath.


    Once the party began to wind down, the invitee either left or stayed in rooms reserved for them.


    Sol meanwhile, followed the Duke in a dimly lit hallway, while Nuwa followed behind him.


    Nuwa, while still unable to be much help as a maid, was at least taught themon rules of the high society.


    Thanks to that, she had not been an embarrassment to him. Though he wouldn¡¯t have cared even if she had.


    Since she was his maid, whatever their thoughts were, the best they would have been able to do would be to give some chuckle and try to ease the awkwardness.


    This was the advantage of being the highest power.


    Once they finally reached their destinations, Hermes smiled at him and left. He did not know what Theresa wanted to speak about with Sol, but as long as it wasn¡¯t something that would harm him, he did not care.


    One of the most important lessons he learned was that people should learn to mind their own business.


    Looking at the departing back of Hermes, Nuwa, who had been silent all this while said, ¡°I do not like him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Why is it?¡±


    ¡°His eyes. Even though he seems to be smiling orughing, his eyes always have that cold glow.¡±


    Sol chuckled and patted Nuwa''s head, ¡°Forget it. Most people we will meet will be like this. People who genuinely care for you are rare and should be cherished well.¡±


    Nuwa did not push Sol¡¯s hand away as she looked at him, ¡°Then, do you care about me?¡±


    Sol was surprised at her question but didn¡¯t miss a beat, ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t care about you at first. But now I do.¡±


    Sol knew that Nuwa had a beast-like instinct that did not lose to his own.


    In front of such a person, honesty was the best bet.


    ¡°Just a little though.¡±


    Poking at Nuwa¡¯s cheek, he gave a faint smile and finally opened the door.


    He was immediately assaulted by a heat wave.


    ¡®A forge?¡¯<sub> </sub>


    *ng* *ng*


    The sound of the hammer hitting the anvil filled the room.


    Indicating Nuwa to close the door behind her, the two of them walked deeper into a forge.


    Once they reached the innermost room, they were surprised by what they saw.


    A nearly naked Theresa was currently lifting a hammer that seemed awfully heavy and beating a still red metal so fast it left afterimage.


    Sol knew that while dwarves weren¡¯t particrly talented in most magics, their bodies had a lot of resistance against natural phenomena.


    Their skeletons had a higher density which made them heavier.


    Their skin could bepared to low-quality armor and could absorb shock.


    Their lungs had a greater capacity than normal and they could stay in zones withck of air without problems.


    They were resistant to high and low temperatures.


    In short, it was like they were created for survival.


    Some people thought it was a gift of the goddesses. Some other thought Dwarves developed those abilities after generations of living high in the mountain, working deep in mines, and passing their days forging weapons.


    Shushing Nuwa, Sol observed Theresa as she worked.


    All she was wearing was some sort of transparent negligee that left nothing to the imagination.


    Despite herck of womanly curves, Sol had to admit that Theresa had a sort of charm that made her really attractive.


    Unfortunately, this charm was generally hidden by her goofy attitude.


    Now though, as he watched her seriously work on forging, her face shining under the light of the fire with a fineyer of sweat, he could only admit that her serious side was attractive.


    He did not know if she had heard them entering, but it didn¡¯t matter. He wouldn¡¯t disturb her until she was done. Anyways, he didn¡¯t n to go back today.


    After all, the atmosphere should be quite stifling there.


    ---


    [Babel tower]


    Currently, the round table that was used for discussions between the nobles and the king was used for a different reason:


    The first meeting of the women in Sol¡¯s life.


    None of them wished to use Medea¡¯s world since it was her home ground. The same went for Camelia and her church.


    That¡¯s why they finally decided to use the tower as a neutral ground since it belonged to Sol.


    The people present were Lilin, Setsuna, Camelia, Chloe, Milia, Persephone, Medea, Freya, and Lilith.


    Looking at all those splendid women, Lilith felt an indescribable emotion, raising her hand she asked,


    ¡°Sooo. I more or less understand why you all are here. What I don¡¯t understand is, why¨CI am here. I am not one of Sol¡¯s lovers.¡±


    She had been dragged in this whole mess for no particr reason by Camelia and Persephone.


    On the side, Chloe nodded shyly.


    ¡°The same goes for me.¡±


    She felt incredibly ufortable in this room, she had never met most of them, but the concentration of power was simply insane.


    ¡°Fufufu~! Sol stated clearly that this should concern all the women important to him, or¨CPerhaps you two do not want to be close to him? If so, you are free to go.¡±


    ¡®Scheming bitch.¡¯


    Snarling at Camelia¡¯s provocative ways of formting her words, Lilith, who had already stood up, sat back obediently, while Chloe deted.


    ¡°*Ahem* Since this is done, let¡¯s speak about important matters. All the women reunited here are women who have a more or less deep rtionship with Sol. Some are loverslovers, some are friendsfriends, some are family. But no matter the reasons, we all care for Sol and we wished to protect him. At least--that¡¯s my opinion.¡±


    Saying so, she threw a look at Persephone and Freya.


    Camelia had been surprised to see the two.


    After all, it means that Sol had an unusual rtionship with them.


    ¡®3 out of the 4 witches. This is Sol for you.¡¯


    In the end it didn¡¯t matter, what mattered was,


    ¡°Sol wishes for us to have better rtionships. So I have thought about it, but I couldn¡¯t find a solution. After all, most of us don¡¯t even know each other. But, there is one thing we all have inmon¨CSol. As such, I propose that each of us introduce herself then say one thing she knows about him or what we love about him.¡±


    Camelia had only one goal for this gathering.


    Bing the leader of the harem.


    If she could do so, she would be so much more useful to Sol. More than just a strategic weapon.


    (AN: CH 98 for Theresa being shown smithing. What is Theresa forging again? Will Camelia¡¯s n go well? Those are very hard questions.)

 Chapter 161 CH 143: HAREM DISCUSSION (2)

    The atmosphere was awkward, while the room was plunged in a rather heavy silence.


    Finally, raising her hand, Medea whose heterochromatic eyes shone, asked,


    ¡°Sol only asked you to make the preparations. Why then, do you act as if you are the boss?¡±


    Medea usually acted like a meek and gentle woman, but at the end of the day, she was still a centuries-old witch. She might be a shy and inexperienced maiden in front of Sol.


    But such a personalitypletely vanished at this moment.


    It was something easily forgettable, but no one could stand the natural pressure of Medea. After all, few people could face the weight of the time.


    The same went for the other witches.


    The moment Medea advanced, both Freya and Persephone both released their own pressures while maintaining a smile on their faces.


    Anyone normal would have fainted in such a situation.


    The problem was...No one was normal here.


    The room literally began to tremble as everyone else released their own power.


    The lowest level here was close to Duke. Meanwhile, there were five Kings.


    This was a power sufficient to tten any kingdom.


    At the same time, the factions could clearly be seen,


    On one side, both Setsuna and Lilin stood together.


    Then, even though she seemed reluctant to, Lilith stood with Camelia and a confused Chloe.


    Meanwhile, the three witches were forming a team.


    The only one alone was Milia, who seemedpletely unbothered by the situation.


    ¡°Edea or rather, Medea. I honestly respect you very much, but I do not like your insinuation. I am simply sincerely trying to steer the discussion to meet our goal. Someone has to do it, right?¡±


    ¡°...And that someone is you, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it doesn¡¯t have to be me. But I believe someone with experi¡­¡±


    ¡°I am hundreds of years older than you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Cat got your tongue, heh?¡±


    Lilith snickered, it was rare to see the usually overly rational Camelia get beaten like this.


    Of course, she also understood that rationality always flew out of the window when it came to Sol.


    ¡°So, a centuries-old woman seduced a young boy? Smooth.¡±


    This unexpected attack came from Lilin.


    This time, it was Medea¡¯s turn to be speechless. After all, it was indeed one of the thorns in her heart.


    No matter how old she looked like, and no matter how long Sol could live in theory, this was something she couldn¡¯t counter.


    ¡°For people like us and Sol, age is just a number. In three or so hundred years, aside from that angel, only the three of us would still stand beside him.¡±


    As always, Persephone, the party popper, talked about the realities most people tried to ignore.


    As long as they did not reach the demi-god level, living for too long was impossible.


    Meanwhile, as a dragon and with the fact that he was basically assured to be a demi-god, Sol¡¯s lifespan could only be counted in thousands.


    ¡°This might not be so. I am pretty sure that you three might kill him before that.¡±


    Setsuna gritted her teeth as she said so. She did not like the fact that Sol was wasting away his lifespan because of those witches. Her stance was clear to see.


    ¡°I understand that for Sol, thanks to his resistance, he only might lose one or two years each time. Whenpared to his full life span, this seems so small it¡¯sughable. But so what?¡±


    Setsuna had absolutely nothing against the witches themselves, she understood their curses and found them pitiable, but that was all.


    Of course, she never dared toin to Sol about it. She knew just how much Sol loved Medea, but,


    ¡°I can understand Miss Medea. But what about the other two? Why does Sol have to take such risks? Miss Persephone even more. I can still smell him on you.¡±


    Medea hung her head, guilt covering her face Meanwhile, Freya was attracted by another point,


    ¡°Persephone, you shagged him!?¡±


    She was astonished.


    She had tried to get it going with Sol but had failed. So how did Persephone seed,


    ¡°Fufufu~! It was an epic night.¡±


    ¡°You-!¡±


    Setsuna did not like how they were basically ignoring her.


    Persephone, though, showed no shame as she faced Setsuna, ¡°Young pup, you should mind your words. Sol is not a kid. He knows full well the risks, even more so than you. Then, who are you to judge us?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts. I understand that from your perspective, such loss is unbearable. But, once again, you are not Sol. In fact, as of now, you are nothing more than his knight and perhaps his ything. Come back when you will be his wife.¡±


    *Grrr*


    The hair on Setsuna head began to sway, while her w elongated and turned sharper,<sub> </sub>


    Despite how threatening she looked, Persephone only showed a derisive smile,


    ¡°I have even faced your ancestor, Fenrir, a Demigod. Though I have lost, do you think I will be scared of a young pup like you? Continue like that and I will show you the difference in power between you and me.¡±


    Her eyes began to shine with a green glow.


    Obviously, if Setsuna showed more threatening actions, she would attack. Though the fact that her pupils did not change shape showed that she would hold back.


    p On the side, a purple light covered Lilin, as she put her hand on the handle of her sword she was ready to help Setsuna if it came down to it.</anda>


    ¡°Oh? Should I also discipline you too?¡±


    ¡°Mind your words, Persephone, who are you to discipline my daughter?¡±


    Lilith did not take this lying down. She did not care about Setsuna, but she refused to let anyone insult Lilin in front of her.


    With Lilith taking the fray, a greater pressure began to fill the room, as both Camelia and Freya supported their own camps.


    It was so much that the room, which had been covered in many runes to reinforce the walls, began to show signs of cracking.


    A slow rumble filled everyone''s ears, as the tower itself seemed unable to support the sh of power.


    But, just as the gunpowder was about to explode, Milia who had been silent until now, finally spoke,


    ¡°I will report everything I see and hear to his highness.¡±


    Immediately, the seemingly explosive situation stagnated before all the pressures receded so fast it seemed like a lie.


    ¡°*Ahem* No need to go so far, is there? We are all civilized adults. Why don¡¯t we start from the beginning?¡±


    Camelia tried to salvage the situation.


    Milia shook her head, ¡°Let¡¯s be honest. Most of us do not care about each other. Like Miss Camelia said, our onlymon point is his highness.¡±


    ¡°His Highness wishes for us to get along well, but as things stand now, that is obviously impossible. Perhaps things could change in the future. But the situation is what it is now. What¡¯s more, there will most likely be more of us in the future.¡±


    Everyone aside from Chloe nodded at this.


    They already knew that Sol would have a contract with a phoenix. What''s more, he also nned to add Nuwa.


    So it was a given that there would be more of them.


    "The main reason why his highness is so worried is mainly because he fears that we might harm each other. Which, from what just happened, shows that he was right to be worried."


    Setsuna blushed, while Camelia coughed.


    After all, she knew clearly that she was the trigger for this reunion.


    "Finally, I believe that most of you wish to bear his children. Though some of us are unable to."


    Milia''s hand passed through her stomach with a sad expression.


    The same action was mirrored by Lilith. While Medea, Persephone, and Freya showed a bitter expression.


    "Anyway," shaking off the sadness, Milia continued, "For the children that maye, I believe that none of us wish to see something like siblings fighting and killing each other."


    This time it was Setsuna''s turn to frown, after all, she understood how horrible such a situation was more than anything.


    Sweeping the room with her eyes, Milia paid attention to all the expressions.


    She knew that she had their total attention.


    It was funny how a groupposed of some of the most powerful women in the world were listening to former street urchins like her, but this was one of the wonders of life.


    She did not care about this honor, all she cared for was for Sol''s happiness.


    "We do not like each other. We do not care about each other. But we wish for the happiness of the man we love. Which means we need to protect each other, no matter how reluctant we are. Even if a rtionship of friendship is impossible, a cooperative one should be possible, right?"


    Saying so, she took out a stack of documents and ced them on the table.


    "This is a pledge. An oath. Carefully crafted by me. You just need to read it and swear on the name of your respective goddess. I believe two days would be enough to read everything."


    At the end of the day, words were cheap.


    Only a good old contract that could bring death if breached could calm her heart.


    ''Fufufu~! Surely, his highness will be happy. I hope he will reward me.''


    A blush covered her face.


    It has been some days since herst time with Sol.


    Camelia showed aplicated expression as she took a look at the documents.


    No matter how she thought about it, this was simply too detailed to be something thought on the fly.


    This was clearly the result of days of consideration.


    "Since when?"


    Milia showed a faint smile as she replied, her words, chilling the back of everyone present.


    "Since the day dame Lilith tasked me with teaching his highness about women."


    Out of all the women here, Milia''s infatuation with Sol was the deepest and most dangerous.


    This was exactly why she had created such a contract. One that would bind everyone as thoroughly as possible.


    After all, the one who really needed shackles wasn''t Camelia¨Cbut her.


    (AN: XD. This chapter has been pretty fun to write. I believe I managed to show the rtionship between everyone. Though I already made it clear many times in the past. I never understood harem stories were all the women are best friends and there''s never any conflict. Likee on, even monogamous rtionships are full of problems. Much less polygamous ones. As for Milia. Those who didn''t skip the special chapter: daily life of a maid , as well as her two interludes know just how enamored she is with Sol. Anyway, share your opinion on the chapter.)

 Chapter 162 CH 144: HER OBSESSION

    [Traver''s Mansion]


    While sitting idly, in the rather hot atmosphere, Sol couldn¡¯t help but wonder how the meeting between his women was going.


    As a safe sail, he had asked Milia to take control of the situation if she thought that tensions were climbing too much.


    He was sure that he didn¡¯t have to worry. After all, since it was a direct order, Milia would do her best.


    He didn¡¯t know when, but the sound of the metals shing against each other stopped.


    Putting back his attention to Theresa, he saw her ce the still red hot sword, on the anvil and take a pair of ck gloves.


    Once she put them on, she ced her fingers, now protected by gloves, and began to trace it on the surface of the glowing sword.


    ¡®Runes?¡¯


    This was one of the reasons dwarves¡¯ steel was superior to basically anything in this world.


    Runes were a form of lostnguages also known as the divinenguages.


    Runes could not create magic. But, they could bring magical effects when ced on objects, generally weapons.


    For Sol, runes could be basicallypared to codes.


    By writing certain runes in a certain way, you could obtain a certain result.


    The races who had the most knowledge about runes were the angels and the dwarves.


    This was also why their two countries were the most developed.


    The way Theresa drew those runes could only be seen as art. It was not only fast but also graceful.


    He did not have much knowledge about runes, but he was pretty sure that only a few people could do something like this.


    ¡®I guess she wasn¡¯t the smith of the hero party for nothing.¡¯


    ---


    One hourter, after cing the weapons in a specially made water to cool it, Theresa, who had been so focused she didn¡¯t pay attention to the outside world, yelped when she saw Sol and Nuwa standing not far behind her.


    ¡°Damn it. I wasn¡¯t supposed to meet you guys like this.¡±


    She knew she shouldn¡¯t have begun working while waiting for Sol.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be particrly embarrassed about your attire.¡±


    ¡°Oh! That?¡±


    She looked down at herself and did a little twirl. The robe flew a little higher, showing her beautiful naked butt.


    Once she stopped, she looked at Sol with a smile,


    ¡°Hahaha, not even a blush or do you think I am too small?¡±


    She was rather curious. Back then, just sitting on Marsps was enough for him to be as red as an apple.


    Messing with him and fleeing from the jealous ze had always been one of the best ways to pass time for her.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I have passed the level of blushing just because of seeing some bare skin. But I must admit, you are certainly beautiful. I am surprised your skin stays so smooth despite working in a forge like this.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe~! What a smooth talker.¡±


    Theresa was surprised to feel her cheeks warm up a little.


    There were no women who dislikedpliments.


    Even more so when it came from a handsome and confident man.


    ¡°So, what have you been working on? I have little knowledge of smithing, but your skills look impressive.¡±


    If before Theresa was just happy at Sol¡¯spliment, now she waspletely beaming.


    More than beauty, smithing was what really made Theresa happy.


    Her beauty might vanish with time, but the result of her skills would stay far longer.


    Looking at the direction of the metal, she smiled,


    ¡°It¡¯s a de I am forging. This one and another one I am preparing will be specially made for your knight, Setsuna. I also n to make a special weapon for Lilin. One that can support her fighting skills.¡±


    Pride could be seen in Theresa¡¯s.


    ¡°You seem to be really happy.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. Could you imagine it?¡±


    Her eyes sparkled as she continued, ¡°I am forging weapons for legends! I may be weak, but thanks to my creations, people who stand at the peak of the world can fight with their full might. Be it in hundreds or even thousands of years, even after I have long be ashes, the tales of their feats will still resonate through the world!¡±


    In the end, she was practically shouting.


    ¡°Money, love, youth. All those are nothing more than ephemeral truth. When I die, my money will not follow me. How could I be beautiful if I am just a bag of bones? Even the greatest love would gradually be forgotten after death. But those weapons¡ªMy weapons. They will still be there...¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Incredible.¡±


    Sol¡¯s voice seemed to snap Theresa out of her trances.


    Scratching her hair awkwardly, she coughed,


    ¡°*Ahem* I am sorry for ramblings.¡±


    She was truly embarrassed, it was something that only happened when someone talked to her about her creations.


    ¡°No, there is nothing to be sorry about. I am happy that you are thinking of Setsuna and Lilin. I am sure your gift will make them happy. If you need any materials, tell me.¡±


    Sol always found independent women really attractive.


    Until now, Theresa had always been a somewhat frivolous woman in his mind.


    But this impression of her had beenpletely swept off.


    ¡°*Ahem* *Ahem* Praise me more.¡±


    ¡°...And youpletely destroyed the good image I just had.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha~!¡±


    Laughing quite loudly and in a rather udylike way, Theresa indicated both Sol and Nuwa to follow her.


    ¡°We need to talk about more important things. But, first thing first¨C¡±


    She sniffed herself and frowned, ¡°I really need a good bath.¡±


    ----


    ¡°Hah~! I really needed it. I really like smithing and all, but this isn¡¯t easy sometimes.¡±


    Now draped in another white robe, though this time, one that wasn¡¯t see-through, Theresa filled her ss with alcohol and downed it in one swing.


    Walking across the room, she took her seat on Sol¡¯sp as if it was the most natural thing to do and leaned down contentedly.


    Swinging her legs, she turned toward Nuwa and asked,


    ¡°So, how is Sol treating you? He isn¡¯t bullying you?¡±


    Nuwa, who decided to stay standing, shook her head, ¡°Everyone is treating me well...I even have a friend now...I think?¡±


    She tilted her head while a frown gradually marred her face, directing her gaze at Sol. She asked tentatively, as if afraid of the possible answer, ¡°Is Lilin my friend?¡±


    Sol answered with a faint smile, ¡°I believe you are. But you should ask her yourselfter.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Oh~!¡± Nuwa cowed, ¡°My little girl is grown up now. She is even making friends. Umu~! As I thought, you need some near-death experience from time to time to get experience and forge friendship.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Nuwa answered while clenching her hand.


    Watching those two acting like that, Sol could only show a wry smile.


    ¡°Could we talk about the important matters first?¡±


    ¡°Oh my, look at me.¡±


    Jumping from Sol¡¯sps, she rushed toward her bedroom and came back with a little chest in her hand.


    Once she opened it, a pearl could be seen in it.


    *Thump*


    The moment Sol¡¯s gazended on it, he felt as if his heart missed a beat.


    It was then followed by his blood boiling in his veins while his instincts began to scream at him to take this pearl away.


    Suddenly,


    *Click*


    The chest was closed, and at the same time, the feelings that were almost driving him crazy slowly calmed down.


    ¡°Wha-what was this?¡±


    He uttered with difficulty, his heart still beating wildly as if he had run for hundreds of kilometers.


    ¡°This...is what is going to make me famous for thousands upon thousands of years.¡±


    Theresa¡¯s eyes shined with a hidden madness as she gently caressed the chest in her arms,


    ¡°What you have seen isn¡¯t just the eighth divine weapon, but more than anything ¡ª The first divine weapon crafted by a mortal.¡±


    (AN: A little more exposition about Theresa¡¯s personality. I think there will be only about two chapters left. To deal with Theresa and the weapons. My goal is that by CH 149, everything will be ready so that CH 150 or 151 will be the start of the adventure outside of Lustburg.)

 Chapter 163 CH 145: HIS CHOICE

    Once Sol calmed down, Theresa began to exin the origin of the pearl.


    ¡°This is the first andst gift of your mother.¡±


    What made magical beings so powerful were their veins, horns, and core.


    Only high-ranked beasts could manifest horns while only S rank beasts had a core.


    The core, when coupled with a powerful enough body, changed the body of the user into something close to a perpetual machine. At the same time, they were great catalysts for magic.


    For S rank the core was something sacred. The proof of their superiority. Because of this, whenever a rank S was about to face death, they would detonate their cores at all costs possible.


    ¡°When ze was about to sacrifice herself, she mutted herself just to take them out and gave them to me.¡±


    Her grip on the chest tightened. Even now, she could only feel awe at the unconditional love of a mother.


    From what she knew, the pain such an act should have brought was something out of this world but ze acted as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Showing neither fear, pain nor hesitation, she dug out what made her greatest pride for her son.


    ¡°I will never forget her words as she took off in the sky in her dragon form. She felt no reluctance in parting with those since her greatest pride was none other than you--¡±


    Taking a deep breath, Theresa said with a hint of sadness in her voice, ¡°Your mother loved you so much, so much you were everything for her. I cannot even begin to imagine what she must have felt like while flying towards her doom.¡±


    Sol felt silent. He honestly did not feel much love. Neither for Mars nor ze. But...He had to give respect where it was needed.


    Without those parents of his, he would be nothing. So, even though he did not love them as a son should love their parents, he was still sad at their deaths and respected their sacrifice.


    Theresa meanwhile felt respect for an entirely different reason.


    As a dwarf, familial love, friendship and other simr feelings were nothing more than illusions. Something so rare that it was priceless.


    On that day, as she watched ze fly away, she asked herself.


    ''Would I have done the same if I was in her ce?''


    ze was, at the end of the day, the daughter of a divine beast. She had absolutely no need to face Echidna in the first ce and could have fled at any moment.


    But she stayed and died with her husband.


    The cold part of Theresa found this iprehensible. Why sacrifice yourself to protect someone else?


    But the soft part in the corner of her heart grieved at the loss of a friend and envied at the fact that she had something she could die for.


    ¡°For many years after this event, I did not know what to do with the core. Should I give it to you? Should I use it for myself? My greed and my duty as a friend fought against each other continuously.¡±


    She chuckled as she said that. The core of an S rank being, a direct descendant of Tiamat to boot, was something that had no price. Something so precious that even the aloof angels and the prideful elves would have gone to war for.


    ¡°In the end, and honestly with a narrow margin, friendship won. So I face a problem . How should I give it to you?¡±


    She wagged his finger at him.


    ¡°If you were unable to awaken your own core, I would have simply given them to you as they were. I am sure the dragons would have found a way to make them fuse with you. Thankfully, you were far more talented than I thought. So I decided to make something else.¡±


    ¡°A divine weapon.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, a divine weapon. Well, more precisely, the husk of a divine weapon. It stillcks something very important.¡±


    ¡°...Which is?¡±


    ¡°A divinity.¡±


    ----


    The sound of the carriage slowly moving sounded in Sol''s ears.


    Absently looking at the small chest he couldn¡¯t help but think back to his discussion with Theresa.


    Divine weapons were a curse. Tools that absorbed lifespans and destroyed luck.


    This was the reason why no queen or king, even those of long lived races, managed to survive for long.<sub> </sub>


    At least this was Theresa¡¯s opinion after years of research.


    Divine weapons worked by channeling one of the seven sins in the weapons and using it to surpass one''s own limits.


    But the problem was that mortals could notprehend the vast infinity that was a divinity.


    Sol understood this very well. After all, back during the Saint Fall, one look at Luxuria¡¯s face had been enough to make him feel like his mind was melting.


    What was in this chest though, was different. A divine weapon without divinity and without any form.


    Logically speaking, the best way to call it was to say that it was a potential divine weapon.


    When Sol had asked her how he could add the so-called divinity, Theresa simply chuckled and yed cute by sticking her tongue out.


    He closed his eyes and chuckled bitterly.


    Sol wasn¡¯t dumb. He more or less understood the situation in which he found himself in.


    He stood now at yet another crossroad.


    Who else but a goddess could bestow divinity?


    The easiest way was without a doubt to ask Luxuria to bestow divinity upon this weapon.


    If he did so, it would be like they had never lost the holy sword.


    This was without a doubt the safest and steadiest path.


    But¡­


    ¡®I do not wish to.¡¯


    All this while, Sol had always wondered.


    How did the goddesses be goddesses?


    What about the demi-gods?


    If a mortal can transcend and be a demi-god, what stopped them from bing full fledged gods?


    If this was possible. What if he obtained his own divinity?


    ¡®Of course it wouldn¡¯t be easy.¡¯


    After all, even if it was possible, would the goddesses really stand aside and watch?


    For some reason, Sol felt as if they would indeed just watch.


    The rules of their so-called game was something he did not entirely understand. But...


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    Looking at Nuwa, he waved his hand, the chest immediately vanished as it was put in his mirror dimension.


    This was the most secure ce in the world after all.


    Once this was done, he gave a faint smile and crossed his leg while leaning back on his chair,


    ¡°I was just thinking how interesting it would be if I could be a yer.¡±


    Ignoring Nuwa''s confused look, he closed his eyes in thought.


    Soon, he would announce the punishment of the traitor and proceed with their executions and Gerald¡¯s exile.


    Once this was done, it would be time for him to enter the Astral world.

 Chapter 164 CH 146: LOVE OF A MOTHER

    [Tower of Babel]


    After a rather tense meeting, though much less tense after they signed the contract, the girls streamed out of the room in teams.


    After all, what they had signed was in a way a pact of non-aggression. It wasn¡¯t as if they suddenly became the best friends in the world.


    But, at the very least, they knew that this couldn¡¯t continue. None of them were stupid. If there was one thing this event highlighted, it was that most of them did not trust each other. This was something normal, but this was also a fatal w the enemy could use.


    As thest to walk out, Lilin and Setsuna keep looking at each other.


    Even though Setsuna kept urging her with her eyes, Lilin still seemed to hesitate.


    Finally, seemingly exasperated, she caught Lilin by the arm and pushed her out before talking loudly.


    ¡°Your majesty. Pardon my impudence, but the princess wishes to talk with you.¡±


    Saying so, she bowed slightly before walking away.


    Setsuna¡¯s situation was a little awkward. Technically, she was a ve. But at the same time she was still a princess, even if a fallen one, and ultimately she was one of the future spouses of Sol.


    Because of those three titles, Setsuna never really knew how to address Lilith and generally tried to avoid her.


    This time though, she needed to stick out for her friend and rival.


    ¡®I hope you have a good talk with your mother.¡¯


    A small smile formed on her face.


    ---


    After the littlemotion Setsuna caused, the others dispersed in hurry with a knowing smile. They all knew that the rtionship between Lilin and Lilith was extremely stiff.


    They didn¡¯t wish to meddle in what could be a tentative way to mend their rtionship.


    Now alone, Lilith looked at her daughter who stubbornly refused to look at her. A faint smile formed on her face as she asked,


    ¡°Should we visit the garden? There are many things I wish to tell you.¡±


    Lilin hesitated a little.


    If she had to be honest. She did not want to hear the so-called truth. She felt like she would lose everything if she heard it.


    But, recalling the encouraging smile of Setsuna and the words of Sol, she clenched her fists before rxing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ---


    [Tower of Babel, hanging garden]


    Under the moonlight, the daughter and mother duo stood on a bench while observing the beautiful painting of the milky way in the sky.


    The atmosphere between the two was silent, almost oppressively so.


    Ruminating the words of Lilith, Lilin showed a dazed expression.


    On the side, Lilith only showed a bitter expression as she looked at the sky.


    After they had reached the garden, Lilith began to exin the full story to Lilin. Aside from the identity of her father and the fact that she was dying soon, she hid nothing.


    After this was done, Lilin seemed to have had her soul sucked out of her body as she sat listlessly.


    This deadlock seemed like it wouldst for a long while, but it was broken by Lilin,


    ¡°So...I am basically a clone of you and whatever man was used?¡±


    Lilith winced a little. In a way, it was an urate description.


    Lilith could not give birth normally. In fact, even though her reproductive organs functioned normally, she simplycked the eggs necessary for reproduction.


    As such, even though she birthed Lilin, in the truest way, they were not really mother and daughter but instead, copies of each other.


    Currently, Lilin¡¯s mind was in aplete mess. The revtion she received tonight was nothing short of earth-shattering.


    Murmuring absent-mindedly, she said, ¡°Every day, every night, I would receive gruesome training for reasons I did not understand. Even though it hurt so much, even though I would cry myself to sleep every night, I still held on.¡±


    Her eyes reddened, ¡°I have always thought that you hated me. I always wondered why? Was it because I was born from a forced marriage? Was it because I didn¡¯t have enough talent? I did not understand, could not understand... But now, I see. In the end, I was nothing more than an experiment, and you--were never my mother in the first ce.¡±


    Wiping away the tears that threatened to spill, she stood up abruptly, ¡°I think I have heard enough. Goodnight.¡±


    Lilin had already decided to walk away when she felt her arm being gripped.


    Turning around, she saw that the one that had caught her was none other than Lilith.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Sit down please.¡±


    Lilith asked with a pleading tone. She did not know why, but she had a hunch that if she let Lilin go now, the rtionship between the two would be irreparable.


    If it had happened a few months ago, or even a few weeks ago, she would not have cared. After all, she was destined to die. Rather than letting her daughter grieve her death, it would have been simpler if Lilin simply felt nothing for her.


    But since that discussion with Sol, a small seed of hope had been nted in her heart. The seed was incredibly small and the earth in which it was nted was dry and nearly without nutrients.


    But nts could even grow in the harshest desert and hope could bloom even in the midst of the greatest despair.


    Lilith of course was still not conscious of all this, but she did not wish to see her daughter cry.


    Lilin tried to fight back. All she wanted now was to enter her room and curl herself in a corner.


    Seeing this, Lilith stood up and took Lilin firmly in her arms, hugging her so tightly that breath escaped her,


    ¡°I am sorry for being such a bad mother.¡±


    ¡°You are not my mother!¡±


    Those words seemed to trigger Lilin as she fought back the hug, but Lilith did not let her go.


    ¡°I am!¡± Lilith shouted back, ¡°I may be a bad mother. Someone who did not know how to raise you and take care of you. A cruel mother, someone who made you feel pain you should never have felt. But, at the end of the day, no matter how much you or anyone deny it, I am and will always be your mother and I am proud of it.¡±


    When the two of them stood together like this under the moonlight, a beautiful scene seemed to be drawn while highlighting their simrities.


    The greatest difference was that Lilith was still taller than Lilin.


    Looking down at her daughter, she murmured, ¡°You have really grown to be a beautiful woman.¡±


    Lilin, who was still stunned by Lilith¡¯s shout, couldn¡¯t help but snort, ¡°Aren¡¯t you just praising yourself?¡±


    A chuckle escaped Lilith.


    The previously heated atmosphere seemed to calm down a little.


    Sighing, Lilith buried her head in her daughter¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I know nothing can excuse how badly I have raised you. I cannot put into words how happy I was to see you grow into such a fine woman.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, she continued,


    ¡°I was broken and helpless, alone and lost. I did not know what to do. All I knew was that I needed to care for you and Sol. Sol had his dragon family, and he is the Blessed prince. No matter what happened to me, he would still be alright. But you were different. I am the only one for you. I am your one and only family. That is why I was so harsh. I wanted you to be able to stand up and never break should anything happen to me.¡±


    Lilith confessed all the things in her heart. The pressure on her heart was something she could never exin.


    All those years, she had racked her brain, trying to find the best way to raise her daughter. To give her the strength to stand alone in this world.


    She wished for her daughter to depend on no one, to be able to make her choice and choose her own way.


    At the same time, the loss of her beloved brother and her impending death gnawed at her every day.


    Being a single mother.


    Bing a queen.


    Lilith knew she had hundreds of reasons to exin her actions. But, at the end of the day, there was only one truth.


    ¡°I am sorry for all the pain I have inflicted upon you.¡±


    No matter what the reasons were, she had hurt her daughter.


    ¡°I am sorry for everything you had to endure.¡±


    Even if the results were positive, her misjudged love scarred her daughter in a way that would never vanish.


    ¡°But I want you to know--¡±


    She might die in a few weeks. She did not wish to leave any lingering regrets. This was why she needed to say it.


    ¡°I have never hated you.¡±


    She needed to make her understand it.


    ¡°You were not unwanted.¡±


    She wished to engrave those words in her heart,


    ¡°You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You are my pride.¡±


    Raising her heart, she looked at her daughter through the blur created by the tears that were falling from her eyes,


    ? ¡°I love you with all my heart. Please...I beg you...Never doubt that.¡±


    (AN: I personally think that the love of a mother is the greatest thing in this world. Of course, there are mothers who do not love their children. But for the vast majority who do, they would sacrifice everything for them. I tried to show that through thest chapter with ze and in this chap with Lilith. The rtionship between Lilith and Lilin was a little inspired by the rtionship between Arima and his mother. She was a very bad mother, a very horrible mother, but no one can deny that she never did it for selfish reasons. If you did not watch/read Your lie in April, then do it now. Trust me you won¡¯t regret or you might regret and curse me for rmending such an anime when you watch thest episode. XD.)

 Chapter 165 CH 147: WORRIES OF A DAUGHTER

    [Tower of Babel]


    Once Sol came back to the tower, the first thing he did was to call for Milia and receive a report about the situation.


    After all, even though he had set up this meeting, there were many ways things could have blown up.


    Sol did not naively hope that they would suddenly be the best friends in the world. Each of them had their own personality, goals, and aspirations.


    This was how rtionships worked. Even monogamous rtionships were a pain to deal with, much less a polygamous ones.


    From Milia''s words, he understood that the situation had been rather explosive. Thankfully, none of the girls were fully triggered and as such no bloodbath happened.


    Aside from this, the ideas of contract had been Milia''s idea and he was d that it could be put to use.


    ¡°Well, at least this should calm down Camelia for some time.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry your highness. Even though we all have our willfulness, your happiness trumps it all. As such, we would of course endeavor to make you as happy as possible.¡±


    ¡°...I see.¡±


    Sol¡¯s lips twitched a little but he did notment. He wanted to rest. Since he would soon leave for the astral world, it was important to set up everything necessary.


    They also needed to prepare training drills, in case the wings attacked once again.


    Even though he doubted they would do so. After all, the current Lustburg with Ambrosia present was like a Superfortress.


    ---


    Walking alone in the hallway, Sol couldn¡¯t help but let out a yawn.


    He was physically alright, but his mind was so exhausted it seemed it could copse at any moment.


    Even though he loved the feeling of power and authority the title of the future king gave him, he did not like the subsequent obligations.


    What¡¯s more, at the end of the day, he simply wanted to be a carefree prince with some measure of authority and money to throw around.


    Sometimes he would tease the maids, sometimes the priestess, and most of the time he would spend it with his beloved women andpanion. There would be some children ying around and acting all cute like babies knew how to.


    It wasn¡¯t some glorious purpose.


    It was nothing more than a dream. A simple dream. A small dream..


    But it was a dream worth pursuing.


    At the very least it was way more meaningful than conquering the world and all that jazz.


    But Sol knew that life wasn¡¯t so easy. Even though he didn¡¯t wish for trouble, it didn¡¯t mean that troubles wouldn¡¯te and find him. There were so many dangerous things that couldpletely trample everything around him.


    He couldn¡¯t rest before at least bing a demi-god and understanding the secret of this world. There was also the part where he hoped his child wouldn¡¯t be a reincarnator.


    Reaching his bedroom, which has been mostly unusedtely, he was about to open it when he felt a presence in the room.


    <<Mirror Dimension>>


    The world around him rippled as all the colors faded and changed into a monochrome gray.


    This was his world. His dimension.


    ¡®It would be good if I could affect time and space here.¡¯


    He knew that the divine beasts could manipte thews in their territories. But it was mostly because they were in the Astral world.


    Thinking about such a thing, he phased through the door and entered the room in order to observe the intruder without risk.


    He was sure that no enemy could sneak into his room with the witches present in the tower, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.


    He was a little tense at first, but once he went through the other side of the door and saw who was waiting for him, he let out a sigh of relief beforeing out of his dimension.


    ¡°Hello Lilin, how are you?¡±


    He smiled as he asked her. Though the smile rapidly went away when he saw her tear-stained face.


    ----


    A few minutester, Lilin wasying down on Sol¡¯sp while he gently caressed her hair.


    Even though she had her eyes closed, Lilin was still awake and couldn¡¯t help but murmur,


    ¡°I ran away from my mother.¡±


    After their short discussions, it has simply been too much for Lilin and as such, she fled to the only ce that could bring herfort.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think.¡±


    Right now, her mind was pure chaos.


    Should she be angry at her mother?


    But all Lilith did was for her own good.


    Should she forgive her mother, then?


    But then, what about all the pain she went through?


    Should she hate Neptune for creating her?


    But the man was already dead.


    So many questions, so many dilemmas. All those thoughts were swimming and colliding in her head.


    All her life she had always resented her mother and wished to prove herself to her.


    But now, all that resentment that brewed in her heart had no clear targets totch on to.


    ¡°I hate my mother. I hate all the pain she brought me. But more than anything else, I hate myself for being happy when she said she loved me.¡±


    Sol sighed in his heart. It was a matter of course. No matter how sincere Lilith was, no matter how much Lilin wished to forgive her mother, years of resentment and misunderstanding could not be resolved with just a few words.


    It didn¡¯t help that Lilin was having a mild existential crisis.


    ¡°Do you think I am a monst--*Ouch*¡±


    Lilin flinched after she got her head smacked by Sol,


    ¡°I don¡¯t really n toment about the situation between you and Lilith. This isn¡¯t something I can interfere in. Whether you wish to forgive her or not is up to you and either way, I will support you.¡±


    Someone else may have said that since Lilith meant well, she should be automatically forgiven.


    Sol thought this was bullshit.


    The way of hell was paved with good intentions. Whatever her original intentions were, reality didn¡¯t change.<sub> </sub>


    No matter how much Sol loved Lilith, the truth was that she was a failure as a mother. This was something undeniable. But at the same time, no one could deny the work Lilith had put in.


    Thanks to her teachings, Lilin was already a Duke despite her young age. In this world, power was always the greatest asset one could have.


    At the end of the day, if the two of them wished to really live as mother and daughter, they had a long way to go. The scares, the pain, and suffering would never vanish, this was the sad truth. But it was possible to create a new fertile ground on a scorched one.


    It just needed time and careful consideration.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t a monster, nor are you a weapon. You are you. Lilin Luxuria. My adorable...cousin.¡±


    Lilin did not miss Sol¡¯s pause toward the end of his sentence.


    ¡°Am I really your cousin though?¡±


    Even though Lilith never explicitly stated who the father was, they knew perfectly that Lilith would have never epted the seeds of a random man. In fact, there was only one man back then whose seeds she would have epted.


    ¡°Well, even if you are my sister, or half-sister, or aunt? It doesn¡¯t really matter now, does it?¡±


    Technically speaking, Lilin was Lilith¡¯s clone. Which made her his aunt. At the same time, there were high chances that Lilin was Mars¡¯ Daughter, which would make her his half-sister. Finally, Lilin could also be seen as Lilith¡¯s daughter, which made her his cousin.


    It was a ratherplicated cluster fuck. One barely worthy of a Greek god genealogical tree.


    The two of them chuckled a little, sweeping away the tense atmosphere and depressing mood that had settled in.


    ¡°Soon you will enter the Astral World, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°I guess after youe back you will be much stronger.¡±


    ¡°Normally, yes.¡±


    Sol had a bad hunch.


    ¡°When you leave, I will also leave Lustburg.¡±


    ¡°... You want to visit Envilya?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I have already told you about Anastasia Invidia. A friend I made during my adventure with the elves.¡±


    Sol understood her n.


    From what Lilith said, Lilin had nearly perfectly inherited the blood of the nightmare queen.


    It was clear that her fight with the Wings had awakened the blood in her. If she managed to get training from a full subus, her power would without a doubt skyrocket.


    What¡¯s more, the royal families of the two kingdoms had a special rtionship, mainly because Pandora, the current Queen of Envilya, had once been one of Mars¡¯spanions.


    For some reason, Sol immediately began to think about all the possible ramifications that could happen.


    The war against Wratharis was inevitable.


    In terms of Geography, Wratharis was surrounded on three sides by Lusturg, Southern Pride, and Envilya.


    If Sol could leverage the worship elves had for dragons, he could have them fight with him against Wratharis.


    If by using Lilin he could make a stronger connection with Envilya and have them at the very least stay neutral, the chance of his kingdom losing the war would be considerably lowered.


    What¡¯s more, the threat of the wings of freedom was something that couldn¡¯t be neglected. If he could influence other kingdoms and have them put heavier protections on their divine weapons...


    What¡¯s more, all politics aside, Lilin was part of Lustburg. If she managed to reach the King rank, it would mean another powerhouse for the kingdom.


    No matter how you looked at it, it was full of advantages.


    But,


    ¡°No.¡±


    Sol refused.


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    Lilin asked as she stood up abruptly.


    She couldn¡¯t understand why he was refusing it.


    ¡°Firstly, the wings of freedom are still atrge. We have managed to kidnap one of their members. Do you think they would forget her? I dare to say that if you leave the confines of the capital, you won¡¯t even need to go far before being ambushed.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Secondly. The situation in Envilya is incredibly unstable currently. The four heavenly generals are acting suspiciously and the church is supporting the nobles faction. Even though the crown princess and the queen cannot be touched, what about the others? Your friend isn¡¯t the crown princess, is she?¡±


    "No but¡­¡±


    ¡°Finally, let¡¯s say that you don¡¯t get abducted by the wings. Let¡¯s also say that the political situation in that country doesn¡¯t explode and that you aren¡¯t implicated. The most basic problem. How will you ask them to train you? Will you say something like, hello, I am the princess of another country and I need you to make me stronger. By the way, I also have the blood of your strongest queen in me and I am currently about to awaken her power.¡±


    Solughed coldly, ¡°How high do you think the chances are that they execute you on the spot?¡±


    Bloodline was no joke. It was one thing if Lilin was a natural part-subus, but if they ever learned that her blood came from the royal family and that the King of Lustburg did such experiments, it wouldn¡¯t be weird if they immediately dered war on Lustburg.


    Watching the dejected expression on her face, Sol¡¯s voice softened,


    ¡°I am sorry. I know that you are feeling uneasy and want to be stronger. I perfectly understand this and wish for the same. But I do not wish to put you into a situation with so many dangerous variables. Call me selfish if you want to, but I do not wish to lose those I care about.¡±


    Standing up, he hugged Lilin and kissed her forehead, his eyes were filled with tenderness as he looked at her,


    ¡°Still, I acknowledge your desire for more power. Let''s think about a better solution, alright?¡±


    Sol did not wish to take away the independence of the girls around him. He did not wish to clip their wings and stop them from flying outside.


    But this was really a matter he could not decide on easily.


    In a situation like this, he needed the opinions of more experienced people.


    Tomorrow, he would consult Milia, Lilith, and Camelia about the situation.


    Worstes to worst, if Lilin insisted on going, he would have Kali follow her.


    ¡°Now then, about the time you rest, I am sure you must be emotionally tired after all those roller coasters.¡±


    ? He tried to let go of the hugs but was stopped by Lilin.


    Raising her head, she gave an upturned nce at him and said calmly,


    ¡°I do not wish to sleep alone tonight.¡±


    The invitation in her words was as clear as crystal.


    (AN: CH 60 for mention of Anastasia. CH 20 for mention of Rtionship between Lusturg and Envilya royal families. Christmas chapter for Pandora first mention, yeah don''t skip Special chapters or interludes. As for the next chapter. Better warn you but it isn''t smut. No worries you will have smut in about 3 or 4 chapters.)

 Chapter 166 CH 148: LUXURIA (1)

    As the sun slowly rose in the sky, a ray of light shone on Sol¡¯s face, slowly forcing him awake.


    Opening his eyes, refreshed after a good night of sleep, he tried to stand up, but stopped once he became aware of the weight on him.


    Looking down, he was startled at the sight of purple hair draped all over his chest. Thankfully, his mind kicked into gear and he remembered the events that led to this.


    Last night, after their discussion about her rtionship with Lilith, Lilin had clearly stated that she wished to spend the night with him.


    When she did so, the little head of Sol had been screaming to go for it. But, the rational part of his mind ultimately stopped him.


    He had absolutely nothing against finally spending his first night with her. No matter what their blood rtion was, it did not really matter to him.


    But he did not wish for it to happen like this.


    He felt as if she just wanted to throw herself away in sex and forget everything.


    Sadly, escapism was not something Sol could condone.


    Escapism generally led to depression, and depression to morbid thoughts. Having one person with suicidal tendencies near him was more than enough.


    That was why, rather than having a wild and passionate night, they simply kissed and cuddled until she finally fell asleep.


    Weirdly, Sol did not feel particrly pent up. Of course, sleeping with a woman such as Lilin who exhibited an odd mix of sexiness and cuteness without touching her was sort of torture.


    But moments like this filled his heart with contentment and happiness.


    No rtionship could rely on sex, no matter how good, tost long. In the end, the most important thing was to understand, protect and support each other.


    Even though two humans could neverpletely understand each other, it was necessary toe as close as possible.


    Sol sighed. Sometimes, he wondered why a simple teen like him had to deal with so much mess.


    Even during his first life, he was nothing more than a random university student between millions upon millions in the world.


    He had nothing particrly special about him.


    He was not particrly good at anything, but neither was he particrly bad.


    He was not a super-hidden genius that was bored with life nor was he a NEET that thought the world was a shitty game.


    Simply and clearly average.


    [Is that so?]


    ---


    In Medea''s world, Ambrosia, who was chatting happily with Medea and Freya, suddenly frowned before shrugging.


    It had nothing to do with her and it wasn¡¯t like she could stop it even if she wished to


    ¡°Mother?¡±


    ¡°Hum? Haha don¡¯t mind me, I was just wondering how much your charm wascking for Persephone to beat you even though she cameter. What did you do? Did you ask for a child or something?¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t...You did! Oh my goddess, I never thought you could be so dumb.¡±


    Ambrosiaughed out loud while teasing the red-faced Freya.


    ---


    In the church, Camelia, who was hugging her pillow as she slept, suddenly opened her eyes wide.


    Standing up, she murmured,


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    She waited but received no answers.


    Helplessly, she could onlyy back on therge bed with worry etched on her face.


    She wasn¡¯t worried about what could happen to Sol. She knew that Sol was simply too important for the goddesses.


    She was worried about the possibility of him thinking this was another scheme of hers or that she did not warn him in advance.


    She was already on the fence, and she did not need someone to pull her down deeper.


    *Cough* *Cough*


    Covering her mouth with her hand, she sighed once her body stopped trembling and looked at the now bloodied hand.


    A few secondster, the blood slowly evaporated as it transformed into golden particles of light.


    She had not told Sol theplete truth about the ritual back then. It would not harm her, but that was only when it wasn¡¯t broken.<sub> </sub>


    Back then, she had absolute confidence in the barrier. Who would have thought that a demi-god would interfere?


    Thankfully, it was nothing much, she just needed to sleep longer for some time. She just feared that if she told Sol now, his trust in her would crumble even more.


    Sighing, she curled down on her bed,


    ¡°I should tell him the truth about my current situation today.¡±


    All this while she had hesitated and tried to think about different excuses, but she ultimately discarded them.


    As a schemer, she understood more than anyone else that a lie could only be covered by even more lies.


    It was better toe clean now than to wait for the situation to explode in her face.


    She was ready to ept any punishment he would throw at her as long he didn¡¯t show his expression of disappointment again.


    That, more than anything, had really cut her deep.


    Closing her eyes, she began to dream. A simple and happy dream.


    ---


    Sol was dreaming, at least he thought he was dreaming. His mind felt hazy as if his consciousness was floating in endless white fog.


    When he felt his mind grow clear again, he was standing in a vast garden, green pasture as far as the eyes could see and an incredibly shining starry sky, shining so beautifully, each star seemed like a jewel.


    Even though he was a little startled, Sol regained his focus rather fast as he eyed the ce he was in.


    Feeling the pleasant breeze on his face and looking up at the sky, he could basically guess where he was currently.


    After all, it hadn¡¯t been that long.


    *Crunch*


    The sound of the grass being crushed under graceful steps sounded in Sol¡¯s ear as he turned to face the source.


    This was the same scene, the same situation and the same ce.


    This time though, he did not make the mistake of looking directly at the face of the woman but simply at the hem of her short golden dress, that seemed ready to fly with the wind and show the spring scene underneath at any moment.


    Sol remembered clearly what had happened thest time he saw the face of the being in front of him. It was not a pleasant memory and he had no wishes to revive it.


    Giving a bow, Sol said gently, ¡°Good morning, dear goddess. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?¡±


    ¡°Oh? and here I thought you would face me with a face full of anger, ready to berate me or something of sorts.¡±


    Straightening his back, Sol gave a smile as he focused his gaze on the corbone of the woman.


    ¡®I hope I won¡¯t develop some weird fetishes.¡¯


    Literally, every part of her body seemed to be perfect and attracted him to no end.


    ¡°How could I dare? Your excellency could smite me, take my blessings away, break my mind, or many things. Why would I voluntarily antagonize someone who is so much more powerful than me because of some useless pride?¡±


    Sol was prideful. He became even more since his awakening.


    But he wasn¡¯t foolish¨Ceven less so suicidal.


    Pride without the means to back it up was nothing but pure hubris.


    A slight chuckle escaped her, and immediately, Sol felt as if the world was filled with happiness. As if nothing could ever go wrong.


    Taking a deep breath, he managed to stop his surging emotions that definitely did note from him.


    ¡®So this is a goddess. A simpleugh is enough to nearly destroy all my mental barriers.¡¯


    He was once again reminded that gods and mortals stood at two different levels.


    ¡°Now then, little Sol, could you guess why I brought you here?¡±


    ¡°My entry in the Astral world.¡±


    ¡°Ding Ding Ding. Beautiful answer. No prize though.¡±


    Teasingly joking, the goddess waved her hand and created a throne before plopping in it in a rather unbing way.


    Once she was seated, she murmured, ¡°You remember our deal, right?¡±


    Sol sighed as he nodded, ¡°How could I forget? I am still grateful for you sparing Camelia back then.¡±


    ¡°Then, It¡¯s time for you to know about your second trial.¡±


    (AN: Read back the Saint Fall arc if your memories are blurry. This arc will end in the next chapter. After that, there will be 3 special chapters. Vol 6 will not have any interludes. After all, this volume didn''t have a particr heroine)

 Chapter 167 CH 149: LUXURIA (2)

    ¡°Then, It¡¯s time for you to know about your second trial.¡±


    Hearing those words, Sol found that he wasn¡¯t as stressed as he thought he would have been.


    This was the price he had to pay to keep Camelia alive while enjoying as many benefits as possible.


    ¡°Do you remember, back then in order to save Camelia, you should have lost everything? But, in exchange forpleting three tasks we would ord the three wishes at the same time, your and Camelia¡¯s life became linked. One life for another life. If you die, she also dies.¡±


    ¡°I remember.¡±


    Sol nodded. How could he forget something so important? If that day he hadcked resolve, even the slightest bit, the result would have been very much different.


    ¡°Her first wish was for you to form a contract with an S ranked beast, more precisely a Phoenix. Her second wish was for your bloodline to be refined. Finally, the third wish was for you to have permanent ess to the Astral realm.¡±


    Luxuria chuckled,


    ¡°Your first trial was nothing particrly grand. We just increased the amount of pain you should have felt during the growth of your core. What¡¯s more, we made sure that you inherited the chaos attribute of Tiamat. Thanks to it, your body basically possesses a high resistance toward all kinds of magic.¡±


    ¡°What would have happened if I failed?¡±


    ¡°You would have died and Camelia would have followed you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What? Are you dissatisfied?¡±


    ¡°Would it change anything if I was?¡±


    ¡°No, pretty much nothing. As you are now, you do not have the strength to flip the chessboard.¡±


    ¡°So I am perfectly happy. Your grace illuminates the sun and makes me feel ashamed at my pettiness.¡±


    ¡°...You have be quite sassy recently, haven''t you?¡±


    ¡°Learning that you unconsciously flirted with death will do that.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I am liking you more and more. You have grown beautifully in the short time we haven¡¯t met. That is why mortals are so fascinating. A few months or a few years are enough for them to bepletely different people.¡±


    ¡°Technically, I am not mortal. I am pretty sure I can live a few thousand years.¡±


    ¡°Come tell me that when you can live until the end of time and more than anything, when you stopying down with witches.¡±


    Sol gave an awkwardugh. Indeed,pared to a goddess, his life span was just a joke. It didn¡¯t help that he kept lowering it.


    ¡°Before you ask ¨C no, I will not help in stopping the curse. I have promised Asmodeus to not interfere in how he handled them. If you wish to change the destiny of the witches, then try convincing him.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Now then, for your second trial, you will have to win the approval of the dragons and officially be recognized as their prince.¡±


    Sol pinched his eyebrows in annoyance. The words of the goddess were simply too much to take.


    Raising his hand, he asked just to be sure,


    ¡°So, my trial is to make an entire race of beings known for their pride to bow for me in respect and ept me as the second-highest authority?!¡±


    ¡°Perfectly summarized.¡±


    He could only shake his head speechlessly at the shamelessness of the goddesses.


    Sol frowned, ¡°But technically, am I not already the prince?¡±


    Luxuriaughed, the sound of herugh was so beautiful that Sol felt as if his mind was cloudy. He could feel as if nothing in the world mattered anymore.


    ¡®Snap out of it!¡¯


    Biting his lips, he managed to wake up from the trance he had been pulled in.


    He couldn''t understand why he suddenly lost control like this. Last time, he had clearly been able to have an entire conversation with her with no problem.


    Of course, it was possible that it had been because she had gone easy on him.


    ¡°Heh, your mind became stronger."


    Those words proved his suspicion. Clearly it wasn''t just about looking at the face.


    The simple fact of facing a god as a mortal should be something impossible for a mortal. So, the goddess most likely controlled her own presence to avoid destroying his mind and had released a part of the control to test him.


    Seemingly satisfied with the result, Luxuria waved her hand,


    "Coming back to the main topic, all dragons are descendants of Tiamat. Be it second or third generations. Even the four Dragon kings are not really considered as superior to the other dragons in terms of status.¡±


    She let out a small chuckle, ¡°Superbia did a really good job with the dragons. Their pride does not allow them to ept being ruled by someone simply because of their identities.


    The reason why your mother was considered as the princess was simply that she earned it. As such, your identity as ze¡¯s son will not help you. In fact...I am pretty sure it will make things more difficult.¡±


    A mischievous smile formed on her face as she said this. Of course, Sol could not see it, but he could feel the teasing undertone in her voice.


    ¡°Is it because I will be the one to beat?¡±


    He was the son of the previous princess. He was a chaos dragon. He was also blessed.


    For anyone wishing to receive the title of prince, Sol was without a doubt an obstacle.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s that. There is also the fact that your mother traumatized pretty much all the dragons and many of the other divine beasts. Hahaha! It was really a sight to behold.¡±


    Sol gave a bitter smile,


    ¡®The difficulty went from hell mode to Insane.¡¯


    Now though wasn¡¯t the time. He could feel the surroundings were getting blurry. It seemed that the goddess was done with him.


    That¡¯s why he needed to ask.


    ¡°What is your goal?¡±


    ¡°You will naturally get the answer when you reach the necessary level.¡±


    ¡°And what is that level?¡±


    ¡°Be a demi-god.¡±


    After those words, Sol could only close his eyes as a blinding white light filled his surroundings.


    When he opened his eyes, Sol found himself back in his bedroom.


    Closing his eyes, he only thought about one thing.<sub> </sub>


    He wished to sleep.


    ---


    After that day, the training intensity of Sol more than doubled.


    One problem stumped Sol, it was something he had always been curious about and would most likely soon receive an answer to.


    His dimension was the mirror dimension.


    From what he had gathered, it should cover the entire mortal world or at the very least a great part of it.


    At the very least, he had tried to walk out of the capital while in his dimension and seeded without any problem.


    Then, if he entered the mirror dimension while in the Astral world. What would happen?


    It was something worth pondering and the possible implications made his heart beat furiously.


    Aside from this, he had finally tried to test the divine weapon and the result had been quite disastrous.


    Disastrous as in he nearly blew up.


    After some tests with Theresa, it seemed that he needed to at least reach the level of Duke and use the weapons in conjunction with his zone. Only then could he unleash the power of the weapon.


    Clearly, this was a weapon that would grow with him and slowly limate to his power as his level increased.


    Of course, Theresa told him that he could simply ask for divine power from Luxuria and fill his weapon with it, but Sol refused.


    For one, after hisst discussion with the goddess, he did not believe that she would simply hand him divine power out of the goodness of her heart. He owed her enough and did not wish to have a fourth or fifth trial added to the list. He wasn''t Heracles.


    Aside from training and filing paperwork, Sol had finally proceeded with the punishment of the traitors.


    In order to reach the maximum coverage, he used the same system that was used during hising-of-age ceremony and even used the coliseum as the venue of the execution.


    After reciting the reasons as to why they were punished and some deep speech, all the criminals were executed without even having the right to utter theirst words.


    What really touched Sol during this event was how vicious a group of people controlled by their emotions could be.


    He also did not hesitate to hang up Leonard and Loki Gorfard¡¯s bodies as a way for them to vent their feelings and a warning to the other nobles.


    While he did not wish to be like the bloodthirsty queen, Venus, he did not wish to be underestimated either.


    As for the exile of Gerald, Sol did not participate.


    He had been sent to the battlefield by the ck knights in the open and some members of the Crown¡¯s shadow.


    To avoid the high possibility of him being captured and tortured by the wings of freedom then spilling all the secrets he knew, Sol asked Ambrosia topletely wipe out all memories that could potentially hurt the kingdom if revealed.


    After all, if Envilya came to learn what the origins of Lilith and Lilin were, another war would be upon them.


    Speaking of Envilya, Sol had thought seriously about Lilin¡¯s wishe to receive training from a true subus.


    The best answer he reached was to use the crown¡¯s shadow to release some rumors, such as Lilith¡¯s mother being a half-blood subus.


    Thankfully, while rare, Subus existed in Lustburg. From what Aria told him, there were many subi working for her in the red light district.


    While the subi in this world did not need to have sex to absorb life force, absorbing it through fluid such as sperm or blood was the easiest way.


    The high-ranked subi, the night hag, could even absorb life energy through the dreams of their victims.


    Finally, the highest ranked subi were called Nightmare. It was said that they could even alter reality through the power of dream and kill people in their dreams.


    Thankfully, the number of Nightmares was incredibly low.


    Sol honestly believed that learning about the different sub-races in Envilya and Wratharis was a true pain.


    But this did not matter. If they managed to convince an envoy from Envilya toe, it would help in strengthening the rtionship and open the way for possible cooperation.


    Since he had decided to deal with Lilin¡¯s training, he had decided to do the same for both Setsuna and Nuwa.


    For Nuwa, Milia had proposed to take over for her. In a way, Nuwa was already Milia¡¯s student since she taught her how to be a maid.


    For Setsuna, it was a little moreplicated. Setsuna was a sword user, but also a magical being. The only one who could reliably help Setsuna was Lilith.


    But it was a question as to whether she could reliably train someone in her current state. Still, Sol had asked Lilith and even though she was reluctant, she still epted in the end. As for her magic studies, Ambrosia had been weirdly interested in training Setsuna.


    As for Nuwa, she had no magic in itself. She simply had one innate ability, a rather terrifying one.


    Devouring.


    It seemed that whatever she ate was converted into pure mana and fused with her body, thereby reinforcing it.


    This was a very scary power. In a way, Nuwa¡¯s growth had no limit. All she had to do was to eat to be the ultimate tank. She did not even need to train. It was no wonder she could already resist the attack of a Duke with only a basic mastery of Reinforcement.


    This exined why her body was already so strong even though she never trained.


    After learning about this skill, Sol could only feel giddy in anticipation, as he wondered two things.


    One, what would happen if Nuwa regrly devoured his blood?


    Two, would he be able to obtain that power after forming a contract with her?


    Milia also had a part of the power of devouring through the use of her shadow. But from what she told him, her aspect was way weaker.


    The empowerment she got from devouring things could onlyst for a short time. What¡¯s more, there was a limit to the amount she could eat in one go.


    Sometimes, Sol felt that he could simply ditch everything and live the life of a kept man without having to worry about anything.


    All the women surrounding him were simply too impressive and full of cheat.


    Well technically, he did live like that since he was young.


    Thankfully, or perhaps regretfully? He didn¡¯t simply wish to be taken care of.


    Like this, days passed idly. Training, working, eating, going on date, fucking.


    Those were very fulfilling days.


    Then finally the day he had been waiting for came.


    The day he would enter the Astral realm.


    (AN: Well, this chapter is thest chapter of vol 6 without counting the special chapter that will follow of course. Initially, Vol 6 should have been called Phoenix, but I decided to have some little character development and some foreshadowing for the war. This volume will be special because it won¡¯t have any interludes. Sol¡¯s past life has no relevance to the plot¨Cyet. Though the mysterious way he died does. This point won¡¯t appear soon. Anyway. Next few chapters will be some little Special chapters. Then it will be the start of Vol 7: THE PHOENIX.)

 Chapter 168 SPECIAL CHAPTER: PERSEPHONE (1)

    Once Persephone had his ord, she stood up and walked toward her closest while grinning,


    ¡°Let¡¯s y a little game, shall we?¡±


    Opening her closet wide, she turned to face Sol,


    ¡°So? What tickled your fancy?¡±


    Sol gulped, heat spreading through his body.


    In this closet, uniforms of all kinds could be seen.


    Nurse, maid, bikini armor, sexy lingeries, kimono, qipao, cat ears and tails, Nun, and so on.


    Knowing what Sol was wondering about, Persephone murmured, ¡°I like role-ying.¡±


    She swept her hair and asked once again, ¡°So, which one?¡±


    This time Sol simply shook his head.


    ¡°Why is there a need to choose one? We have all night to try them all.¡±


    This promised to be a very interesting night.


    Hearing him, Persephone chuckled a little before looking at her collection. Once her gazended in a particr attire, she decided,


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin with this one.¡±


    p ---</anda>


    A few minutester, Sol sat with anticipation as he waited for Persephone to change.


    This wait was rewarded by an incredible sight.


    Once Persephone went out of the bathroom, she had changed her attire to a short, very short pink nurse uniform.


    The skirt of the uniform barely went past her butt, while the top was slightly opened and showed her cleavage.


    Her long legs were also covered by ck stockings that stopped mid-thigh, making it all too enticing.


    ¡°Pleased?¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes shone as he answered, ¡°More than pleased.¡±


    No matter how much used to women he became, Sol could not help but have his heart pounding in his chest.


    ¡°Then, shall we y a little?¡±


    Giving him a wink, she turned around and began to walk away while swaying her hips.


    Once she reached her desk, she slightly bent down and began to rummage through it.


    The way that she''d perched against the desk meant that the already short skirt part of her uniform had ridden further up her legs and was also now parted slightly open. The opening of the skirt must have been mere millimeters from her underwear.


    It was like an itch was scratching Sol¡¯s heart. The anticipation and hope in seeing, but the disappointment when you understood that those mere millimeters were like an unending chasm.


    While continuing this, Persephone began to ask him questions about his diet and other such health issues.


    At first, he was a little bewildered, but it didn¡¯t take long for him to understand that he should just wing it. Clearly, she was ying the role of a nurse taking care of her patient.


    Then she said, "Oh, I guess I should be writing this down and with a little smile", she twisted around and lifted a pencil and notebook from the desk behind her.


    As she moved her skirt rode up much higher, giving him a clear view of whaty underneath her skirt.


    Aside from the stockings covering her sexy bubble butt, there was nothing underneath it.


    Sol gulped, his throat felt parched, he wished for nothing more than to stand up and take her right here, right now, but a faint sense of anticipation stopped him. He wished to see just how much more she could entice him and heighten his lust.


    As if nothing happened, Persephone turned around and talked seriously,


    ¡°Now, I see. But your problem is not something I canpletely understand just through talking. Why don¡¯t we get you undressed?¡±


    ¡°Should I gopletely naked?¡±<sub> </sub>


    Covering her mouth in mock outrage, Persephone eximed, ¡°Please, dear sir, this establishment is a respectable one. Undressing up to your underwear will suffice.¡±


    Chuckling, Sol nodded and proceeded to do as he was told.


    Once he stood up tall and strong with just his underwear barely covering his hardened penis, Persephone proceeded to walk up until close to him, and traced his strong muscle with her index,


    ¡°My, what a well-toned body.¡±


    Thanks to his awakened dragon blood as well as all his training, Sol¡¯s body was extremely well sculpted. It wouldn¡¯t be a mistake to say that it was just short of perfection.


    ¡°Sir, sit down on the bed please.¡±


    Once Sol did as he was instructed, she began to gently caress his torso and arms with her finger.


    Her touch brought shivers to his spine.


    ¡°Dear sir, excuse me to ask you this, but do you masturbate?¡±


    Sol raised an eyebrow at this, but still answered, ¡°I do not.¡±


    When he was too young to masturbate, he had no need to. When he had his first wet dream, he knew that Medea could see everything in the tower, so he was too embarrassed to.


    Finally, recently hepletely lost the need to pleasure himself.


    ¡°Oh my! This is not good at all. Did you not know that one should release himself regrly? I need to remedy this situation.¡±


    Saying so, she slowly brought her hand toward, his penis that had pocked out its head out of his underwear.


    Then, kneeling down, she asked Sol to gently lift his butt and slid down his underwear,


    ¡°I thought this was a respectable establishment?¡±


    Persephone grinned a little then widened her eyes once her chin was lightly pped by his cock.


    ¡°Oh my, what a fine specimen we have here.¡±


    She said so and began to manipte his sack with her hand as if of some interest.


    His cock stuck straight out at her, her face, almost touching his swollen hard-on. She caressed the tip of his penis and yed with his balls.


    Sol could feel his urge slowly build-up, but just this was far from enough to make him reach the peak.


    Understanding this, Persephone swept her hair aside and took his cock by the root and opened her mouth wide, before slowly engulfing his full length.


    At the same time, she opened her blouse and showed him more of her beautiful breasts.


    Her wet and slimy tongue was doing wonders to him while she kept bobbing her head faster and faster while deepthroating him. She was gagging and her eyes were teary but she didn''t stop.


    Before long, Sol felt ready to cum and warned her, but rather than slowing down, Persephone increased the pace and made eye contact with him.


    Looking at the upturned eyes of this beautiful woman while she serviced him with all her might.


    The feeling of conquest he felt while knowing that one of the strongest women in the world was literally worshiping his dick was simply too much for him.


    Grasping her head tightly, he groaned and started cumming. He came down her throat while they both looked each other in the eyes.


    After shooting some ropes of cum down her throat, he pulled out of her mouth and shot the remaining on her face and boobs, staining her nurse uniform on the way.


    After his orgasm subsided, Persephone wordlessly took his dick in her mouth to suck the remaining drops of his cum.


    For a witch like her, Sol''s essence was no different than a super tonic drink while tasting like the greatest thing in the world.


    She had heard from Freya that Medea had literally passed out during their first time together, and she could now understand why.


    The amount of energy and the purity of it was simply out of this world.


    Swallowing his seeds like it was the greatest delicacy in the world, Persephone looked at Sol with passionate eyes and asked,


    "Shall we continue?"


    She could feel her cunt dripping.

 Chapter 169 SPECIAL CHAPTER: PERSEPHONE (2)

    Watching Persephone swipe some of his cream from her breasts with her finger and lick it, Sol feels his cock harden further.


    A phenomenon that did not escape Persephone. Once she was done, she used a napkin to wipe out the rest from her breasts. Though she could do nothing about what hadnded on her uniform.


    Then, giving him a sultry smile while standing up, she murmured,


    ¡°It seems like you are ready for another go.¡±


    Sol smirked, ¡°I can go for as long I wish to.¡±


    Taking her by the waist, Sol turned her around and made her sit on hisp, back to him.


    Putting his nose in her neck, he inhaled deeply, filling his nose with her scent.


    At the same time, he couldn¡¯t help but release a deep growl, as he fought back the urge to simply ravage her as violently as possible.


    This was an urge he had always had to fight against. One that he only partially released when he was with Camelia.


    After all, no matter how powerful all his partners were, their bodies were still too fragilepared to his. If he really went wild, he would simply hurt them if they didn¡¯t use mana to protect themselves.


    Groping her breast from behind, Sol gently weighed them before pinching her slowly hardening nubs through the thin blouse.


    He really wondered how Persephone had such a mourous body while her three sisters simply looked like high schoolers.


    Of course, since it was rude thinking about other women while having another one in your arms, Sol focused on the task at hand.


    ¡°You can be rougher if you want~!¡±


    Sol didn''t need a second invitation. Completely unbuttoning her blouse, he exposed her bra-less breasts to the air and continued to massage them while biting and kissing her neck.


    Putting her on the bed, Sol took a long look at the long-haired beauty. It was like he was looking at a work of art.


    Raising her legs, Sol used his finger to make a tear in her stockings. He did not wish for her to take them off since it looked way more erotic like this. Her glistening vagina devoid of pubic hair, a clear liquid dripping from her slit, wetting her inner thighs below spoke volumes of her current arousal.


    ¡°Ah, th-that¡¯s embarrassing...¡±


    Even though Persephone was pretty daring, she still felt a little shame at the way he was observing her most secret ce.


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t be. It¡¯s beautiful. Now then¡­¡±


    For a short moment, Persephone was wondering what Sol wished to do, all thought vanished when he took her clit in his mouth and began sucking on it.


    ¡°Ah~!¡±


    A short cry escaped her nose and she reflexively closed her legs, but she was unable to since Sol¡¯s head was in the way.


    Meanwhile, Sol was already pretty used to bring pleasure to women without just using his dick.


    While he continued to gently nibble her clitoris, he used two-fingers to trace the vulva before slowly exploring its exterior.


    Like that, he slowly brought her heat up and kept her panting while she murmured his name again and again.


    Finally,


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Letting out a wordless scream, her back arched slightly while her juice flowed endlessly.


    When she finally calmed down, her post-climax lethargy and her embarrassment were both so alluring that Sol could not contain his lust anymore. As such, without leaving her the time to catch a breath, he leaned over her and carefully pressed his nd against her entrance, the tip poking her insides.


    Persephone''s interior was surprisingly tight and he felt like he would break the walls if he forced it inside. He used the plentiful wetness to slowly deepen their bond without hurting her.


    He had just finished ejacting, but simply pushing inside her was enough to feel hot desire welling up within him again.


    So instead of entering her all the way, he lightly moved his hips back and forth to loosen her up near the entrance.


    ¡°Ahn! If you rub me inside like that..I¡¯ll..!!¡±


    His shallow thrusting added more sensuality to her moans. It seemed that a second climax was underway for her.


    How could he stay calm as he watched her beautiful breasts jiggle each time he thrust in and out of her?


    Slowing down, he worked his hips and grabbed the tworge mounds in his hands before pressing the two swollen nipples together toward the center.


    Sol thought that a woman was always at her cutest when in the throes of passion. Fighting against that irresistible urge to let herself go but not willing to show such a shameful sight, before finally being defeated and climaxing.


    Stopping his sucking of her breasts, Sol decided that it was time to elerate.


    ¡°Ah~! Sl-slow...down. Please!¡±


    Ignoring her cute pleas, his hip loudly pped against hers.


    ¡°Ugh! so deep!¡±<sub> </sub>


    Persephone groaned.


    Like a boat facing a storm, all Persephone could do was close her eyes and moan louder and louder while hugging him and caressing his hair.


    The sounds of the moans in his ears were like the best aphrodisiac as Sol went wilder.


    Sweat soaked her body and a veritable shower of love juices poured down her vagina to soak his cock.


    Raising his torso, without stopping pounding her, She let out intermittent cries while he fucked her like a wild animal.


    After each thrust, he could feel something boiling in him, screaming to be released but he gritted his teeth and continued hammering at her to bring her the maximum amount of pleasure possible.


    Finally, once he reached his limit, he let out a repressed growl and shoved his dick as far as it could go, and then exploded.


    His dick trembled inside her while squirting its hot milk against her cervix and letting it spread all throughout her vagina.


    Feeling the heat and the amount of pure energy filling her body, Persephone reached her own climax at the same time as him, her eyes rolling in their socket while her mouth opened wide.


    She raised sensual moans while her honeypot tightened as if to squeeze out everyst drop. She enjoyed his young throbbing cock, and felt satisfied with his thick goo inside her.


    The pleasure was so much that Persephone felt her consciousness grow faint, thankfully since she was more or less prepared, she managed to barely hang on and did not pass out.


    ¡®I managed to hold on.¡¯


    At least, that was what she thought before she felt his deted penis grow hard once more inside of her.


    Once it felt hard enough, he resumed thrusting. Persephone lying limp on the bed panicked.


    ¡°Ahh¡­nh!? W-wait, you¡¯re doing it again?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! I told you I could go for as long as I wished to.¡±


    Despite herints, he thrust his hips wildly, leaned over her back, wrapped his arms around her, and began groping herrge breasts again.


    She moaned as the semen acted as a lubricant and allowed him to move even quicker than before.


    The cum and love juices audibly mixed together inside her.


    ¡°Ah..Ah..ah, th-this is too much for me. I give in. You win. So¡­ahh!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not done! I¡¯m nowhere near done!¡±


    She hit her limit while on the receiving end of his limitless stamina. Sweat soaked her skin, tears and drool dripped down her face, and she writhed in pleasure.


    Each time he thrust into her, morebined fluids flowed out of her. Each time he pulled back, thosebined fluids made a lewd sound.


    ¡°Ahh, ahh, l-let me rest for a bit. Please!¡±


    ¡°Just enjoy the pleasure!¡±


    Sol wished to dominate her. To desecrate her. To take ownership of her.


    His merciless attacks pounded on her cervix, shook her womb, and even rattled her whole body.


    The confident woman was exposed at length to pure brute force with no technique behind it at all and all she could do was moan in pleasure and delight.


    ¡°Ahh, ahh, ahh! M-my hips can¡¯t take much more of this! Ahh!¡±


    Her vagina squeezed like mad as she experienced repeated orgasms.


    But he still did not stop. He continued thrusting without end. He ejacted a few times, but not even that stopped him. He wished to make it a night she would never forget.


    Finally, once he was sure that she had really reached her limit, He gathered his strength to release one final roar.


    His arms grasping her still-youthful skin were lifted up as she arched her back. His penis pushed deeper into her, fitting tightly against her cervix. And then he exploded.


    ¡°Ahh~!!¡±


    Persephone felt like she was losing her mind. This time, no amount of self-control managed to save her and her vision grew faint before she finally cked out.


    Breathing roughly, Sol pulled his dick out only once it had gone fullyid. Her vagina could not close on its own and a milky liquid flowed stickily out of the gaping hole.


    Seeing her state, Sol smiled awkwardly and felt a little guilty about hisck of control toward the end.


    Laying down next to her, he gently caressed her head and waited for her to wake up.


    Once she did, even though she was still tired, Persephone refused to ept such a humiliating defeat and with wobbling legs, entered the bathroom to ssh some water on her body and change into another costume.


    This time, she was disguised as a priestess from Wratharis. A short flowing red kimono and loose white top that did not nothing to hide her cleavage


    The nights between the two of them continued in a wild fashion.

 Chapter 170 SPECIAL CHAPTER: ELVES

    Southern Pride.


    The Eternal Forest.


    This was the country of the proudest mortal race in the world.


    The Elves.


    In the past, the country had almostplete control on the humans and they also had some modicum of control over the beast men and the dwarves.


    Despite how they were perceived nowadays, elves were quite warmongers.


    This mainly came from the way they saw the world.


    For elves, nature was the most unkind mistress. Thews of nature were also the most unforgivable.


    The strong preyed on the weak. The weak existed to serve the strong.


    Because of this, even to this day, Elves still followed a tribalistic style.


    Each race had its own tribes and the queen and high priestess were more seen as symbols of power than true rulers.


    As if it wasn¡¯t enough. Southern pride was the second country where the crown princess wasn¡¯t decided at birth but rather after she showed her might.


    If she failed to do, the princess would receive no blessing and the birth of a new princess would have to wait for the next generation.


    If the next generation failed, then it would be the next after it.


    Because of this extreme rule, added to the low fertility rates of the elves and their high life span, in all their history, southern pride only had three queens, with the current one being the fourth.


    Aside from this, the elves were a matriarchalmunity. The queens did not take husbands and only the strongest warrior had the right toy down with the queen in the hope to give birth to the strongest children possible.


    In the past, the first generation queen and the ancestor of all high elves had been the result of a union between one of Tiamat¡¯s grandchildren and another elf.


    Because of this, all the high elves had dragon blood in them, albeit a rather thin bloodline.


    ----


    The structure of the houses in Souther pride was one that fused with nature.


    Elves did not cut their forest to create house but simply used their magics to create special trees that were empty on the inside.


    The closer you came to one of the five main settlements of the elves, the taller the trees were. To the point that 10 to 20 meters tall trees were amon sight.


    In the center of the forest, where the high elves lived, stood the tallest tree in all existence.


    One so tall it pierced the cloud.


    The elves called it the world tree, a tree born from one of the seeds of Yggdrasil, the divine beast Humilitas.


    The world tree also housed the sanctuary where the high priestess and the Queen made their decisions.


    Currently, deep in the sanctuary, a gentle and beautiful melody flowed.


    In a room with few decorations, two women with an air of authority sat as they looked at each other.


    The two of them were wearing long white and slightly transparent clothes that left little to the imagination.


    Elves did not hide their bodies because of a sense of shame. In fact, they considered that their own bodies were the most beautiful things in the world and had no calm walking naked all around if wished to.


    The only reason they wore clothes was because of the protection they brought. For this reason, most if not all elves ¡¯ clothes were the kind that basically hides as little as possible.


    Those two elves in particr were like works of art. Though for drastically opposite reasons.


    One was a pale-skinned elf. She had a slim body with small curves, but she did notck in feminine charms. Though, because of her emotionless face and the long golden hair that reached fell gently on the ground, some couldpare her to a beautiful doll more than anything.


    She was the current Queen of Southern pride, Sate Superbia.


    The one sitting opposite of her was a short-haired brown-skinned elf. Not only was she beautiful, but she also had what could only be described as a sinful body. Her satin-like robe was stretched so much it seemed like it would burst and show the barely hidden spring sight.


    Despite her scantily d attire, she seemed more like a tomboy than anything else, and the grin on her face further strengthened this impression of her.


    She was the current High priestess, Jasmine Humilitas.


    Humming to herself as she swayed to the tune of the song, Jasmine took an apple and bite into it with a delighted expression.


    Elves were not particrly more vegetarian than any other race. They believed that anything edible was a gift of nature and thus should be eaten. The only thing they did not eat was being endowed with intelligence high enough that they could express themselves and function thanks to their reasons rather than their instinct.


    ¡°You seem to be in good mood.¡±


    Jasmine gave a nonchnt smile at those words, ¡°It¡¯s just that I received a report from a member of my tribe. It seems like she is quite favored by the little prince of humanity.¡±


    Jasmine made no effort to hide the news. In the first ce, that dark elf was sadly not one of her pawns and that girl was also an orphan. So she sadly had no way to get control over her.


    Still, having a dark elf be close to the son of the Dragon¡¯s princess was something that made her happy.


    Sate frowned at this, clearly displeased, at the notion of elves being ves or maids.


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t pout. Anyway, the girl from your side, managed tond a job as his advisor, right? That¡¯s much higher than a simple bed warmer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed so. Ismelya¡¯s daughter is a bright girl. Even though her martial skills arecking, I am sure she will not bring shame to her family nor sully the name of the elves.¡±


    ¡°This is the part where you add a but..¡±<sub> </sub>


    Giving a cold stare at Jasmine who simply giggled back, Sate sighed, ¡°But this is far from enough. You know the oracle. Doomsday might soon fall upon us and the key to salvation is¡­¡±


    ¡°Sol Dragona. Yeah, yeah. How could I forget? But you know, it¡¯s just kinda pissing me off. In the end, those oracles, those visions, are nothing more than the goddesses messing with us. Altering the future to choose the most fitting one for their games.¡±


    Jasmine took another bite of the apple.


    The future could never be set in stone.


    Even though by using their blessings they were able to pry into the mysteries of fate, what they saw was what they were allowed to see.


    Basically a self-fulfilling prophecy.


    That was why mortals could never y at the same level as the gods.


    A mortal could only y while looking at the present and imagining a few possible futures.


    A goddess? They could literally look into thousands of different possibilities and advance their pawns in order to reach their objectives.


    Sate simply shook her head, ¡°Our goddesses may be whimsical, selfish, petty,zy, and many other things. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡± Jasmine raised an eyebrow.


    Sate opened her mouth, trying to say something good, before finally closing.


    Blushing, she cleared her throat, ¡°Well, there are no but. At least, we can¡¯t reallyin, since we are the direct beneficiary of their games. Soining would simply be hypocritical.¡±


    Be it the rulers under the sins or the Saintess under the virtues, they all had their own personalities and personal belief.


    But, If there was one thing that they all had inmon, it was that even though they only respected the might of the goddesses they served. Aside from this, most would treat them as selfish brats like Kiku from Wratharis, or outright call them bitches like Camelia of Lustburg.


    Jasmine, understood very well thatining was useless, even then,


    ¡°Well, and now we are about to get doomed because of the same game.¡±


    ¡°We do already have a solution or at least a hint of a solution.¡±


    ¡°A solution that seems to have been honed for years by Luxuria. Most likely, he is also a foreign soul.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing more than a game within a game. The stronger the soul, the higher the chance to reach the rank of demi-god and perhaps, transcend it.¡±


    The two of them fell silent,


    ¡°Do you think transcendence is really possible?¡±


    ¡°I do not. Perhaps it¡¯s nothing more than a pipe dream, an illusion. After all, even illustrious figures such as the Necromancer King or the Mother of thousands of monsters failed to reach transcendence. Even so.¡±


    ¡°The possibility of jumping out of the board and joining the rank of yers is something too tempting.¡±


    Sate acquiesced,


    ¡°Transcendence is too far away. We are still not even demi-gods. We should focus on what is important.¡±


    Jasmine closed her eyes, refusing to show any pity in her expression. She knew very well that such an act would only hurt the pride of her friend and tutor.


    Even though the two of them were talking as equals, Jasmine knew that this was just the grace of Sate.


    The title of Queen was obtained after prevailing against all. It wasn¡¯t a right obtained from birth, but from blood, sweat and tear.


    Out of all the past queens, Sate was known as the most talented and that, by arge margin.


    What¡¯s more, Sate was a few hundred years older than her. She was even older than the four directions witches and had been a queen even when Lusturg did not officially exist.


    How could such a woman not be able to reach the level of demi-god?


    ¡°All of this because of those damned witches.¡±


    ¡°Do not insult them. It was sheer arrogance from me to fight against both the witch of time and that of life at the same time. We fought, and I lost. What¡¯s more, even had it been a one vs one, I might still have lost. Persephone''s mastery over life and nature is something I could barelye close to even though I borrowed the might of the World Tree.¡±


    Back then, under the control of Jupiter, humanity fought to break free of the elf¡¯s control.


    For some reason, the witches that had always stayed aloof, far from worldly matters, intervened and helped the king.


    The Sate of then was very different from the current one.


    <o>,m Her pride knew no bounds, to the point where she was called the incarnation of pride.</o>


    But her pride became arrogance and as a result, her faith in herself was broken after she fought against two of the four witches resulting in her inability to reach a higher level.


    Waving her hand, Sate stopped Jasmine from continuing


    ¡°We have no need to wake up the ghosts of the past. Let¡¯s talk about how we will deal with the vampire. We also need to take our revenge against Drac. Otherwise, the other country will think elves became soft.¡±


    Sate¡¯s eyes grew colder as she said so.


    At the same time, she could not help but think of the current prince of Lustburg.


    From what she had heard, it seemed that the witches had once again left their neutral position because of him.


    She could not help but wonder what kind of man he was.


    She hoped that she would not be disappointed once they met.

 Chapter 171 VOL 7/ CH 150: DIFFERENT SIDES

    [????]


    In a vast field with nothing but rock, sand, and unfertile ground, two silhouettes could be seen on the edge of a cliff, gazing at the endless horizon.


    Above them, the dark sky was filled with nothing more than arge crimson moon, shining with an eerie glow.


    Of the two silhouettes, the one standing on the front was a beautiful winged woman. She had three pairs ofrge crimson wings. Her long beautiful golden air flowed freely in the wind, while her apathetic scarlet eyes scanned this world with no life.


    She was Dhalia Industria, the first blessed of Industria and also one of the first angels in existence.


    Now though, after discarding her name, she went by the name of Nihil, a servant of the Mother Goddess of Chaos and the leader of the Wings of Freedom.


    ¡°Zwei, how is the situation?¡±


    Finally breaking the silence, Nihil turned to face the tall figure behind her.


    Zwei was a tall woman, easily reaching 190 cm, a height that when paired with her buxom figure, would make many drool at the sight. Even more so since what she wore was just a pair of short hot pants and a bikini top.


    She had pale grey skin, and two ck horns adorned her head. On her back, was a massive two-handed sword, its edges razor-sharp.


    Ibuki Douji, the ex-leader of the Oni-tribes now known as Zwei scratched her head before groaning.


    ¡°Well, It¡¯s pretty bad, I guess? The mother-daughter pair in Lustburg seems to have made moresting damage than we had thought. Hahaha. To think that this bro-con Lilith became so much stronger. It¡¯s shame I couldn¡¯t participate.¡±


    Nihil frowned, before releasing a sigh. She knew that Zwei was aplete battle junkie.


    At the same time, she could not help but frown.


    During their attack on Lustburg, their three weakest members had been dispatched, apanied by puppets of Drei.


    At that time, the mission should have been extremely easy. But it seemed that they had underestimated Lustburg too much.


    As a result, not only was Zehn captured by the enemies but neither Drei nor Acht were left unscathed.


    ¡°A wound to their souls, was it?¡±


    She murmured, the frown on her face growing deeper.


    Soul attacks were something even someone at her level could not use. It wasn¡¯t just a question of power, but an understanding of how to break the physical ne to attack the ephemeral.


    ¡°How bad is it?¡±


    Zwei shrugged, ¡°Well, that little coward got lucky? Even though his body is wracked by pain at least from what Eins said, he isn¡¯t really at risk of dying. The problem is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Drei.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Acht possesses both a physical living body to protect his soul. As such, even though it¡¯s slow, his body is nourishing his soul. What¡¯s more, from what he said, it¡¯s clear that the princess didn¡¯t control her power.


    But for Drei, not only was Lilith way stronger than her daughter, but Zwei is nothing more than a soul anchored to the physical ne by the power of grudge. His soul cannot heal by itself. The only reason he didn¡¯t die was because of the distance between the phctery holding his soul and his puppets.¡±


    Giving a faint smile, she continued, ¡°Anyway, he is fucked. Currently, if he even dares to use his Avatar, he would most likely crumble to dust after doing so. The only way to heal him would be attacking the underworld but...heh.¡±


    Nihil pinched her eyes, even for her, attacking the underworld would be problematic.


    It wasn¡¯t just about the fact that Anubis was the first mortal to achieve the level of Demi-God.


    The underworld was his territory. A very powerful territory formed after stealing and taking control of a part of the Afterlife Dimension.


    Fighting a demi-god in their own territory was tantamount to asking for a beating.


    Fleeing from it with Drei¡¯s soul back then had already been a miracle possible because the Necromancer King had been absent.


    Of course, since she was a dimensional mage, she was basically moving with her own territory every time. But she understood very well that if she dered war on Anubis, then her endeavor would be far more difficult to achieve.


    ¡°Not easy being the leader of a rebellion, heh?¡±


    As she put her hands behind her head. Her posture waspletely nonchnt, denoting herck of care about the situation.


    ¡°Your wound aggravated, Drei is wounded, Acht is wounded, Zehn was captured. If Neun did not manage to take the sword away, then this whole mission would have been a fiasco ¡ª Say, are you still fit to be our leader?¡±<sub> </sub>


    The atmosphere between the two of them became extremely tense, it was to the point where a fight could break out any moment.


    Nihil did not find it strange.


    Zwei was a wild beast.


    If the Wings of Freedom could bepared to a pack, then Nihil was the Alpha and when the Alpha showed signs of weakness, a imant would do its best to take its ce.


    The problem here was,


    ¡°Out of my sight.¡±


    On those simple orders, Zwei immediately vanished, or rather, was teleported.


    This was why it was unwise to fight a demi-god in his territory.


    Now alone, Nihil once again raised her head to watch the crimson, deep down she couldn¡¯t help but remember one fact, one possible weakness of the dangerous being that was Anubis,


    ¡°He has a daughter, right?¡±


    ----


    [Astral realm, Phoenix Territory]


    Currently, in the throne room of the phoenix, a rather strange scene was happening.


    A vermillion-haired, golden-eyed woman wearing a long straight white robe with different kinds of jewelry on her neck, ankles, and wrists could be seen pacing around while she murmured to herself.


    Not far from her, a woman with the same features wasying down on a reclining chair, observing the scene with relish while giving a faint smile.


    ¡°Still anxious?¡±


    The woman, pacing in circles, Nephtys, stopped and pinched her brows, ¡°I don¡¯t know. He is supposed toe soon. I don¡¯t know how I should wee him. As the prince of Lustburg? As the grandson of Tiamat? As my future son-inw?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but groan, ¡°Isis is still throwing a tantrum and does not wish to see me.¡±


    ¡°Well, why are you making the situation soplicated? You know, it isn¡¯t like the two of them will necessarily form a rtionship aside from their contract. Worst case, if the two are really ipatible, we can just choose another Phoenix.¡±


    Gabriel stood up andforted her daughter.


    ¡°In the first ce, the prince might not even want Isis. So everything would be a moot point if he refused, right?¡±


    ¡°How could he dare!? Isis is such an adorable girl, she might be a little strong-willed, but it¡¯s what makes her so cute.¡±


    Gabriel chortled before lightly knocking the forehead of her daughter, ¡°You mostly mean she is a hot-head like how you were at her age.¡±


    Nephtys flushed and massaged her forehead, ¡°I am sorry. I guess I am a little too defensive.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s understandable.¡± Gabriel¡¯s eyes shed, ¡°A child born between life and death. A singrity born from a phoenix. Her very existence is a miracle of the like never seen.¡±


    Nephtys shook her head slightly with a rueful smile, ¡°It isn¡¯t that. I do not care about how talented she is or how powerful she can be. Isis is my baby daughter, the fruit of my love. I would rather see her live a calm and free life than fight on the front-line while being embroidered in the game of the goddesses.¡±


    A sad expression formed on Nephtys¡¯ face as she said this but she did not fault her mother.


    All the children of the divine beasts were born from a simple separation of their energy. Children, not born out of love but simply for the sake of it.


    Even if after a while, the feelings of being a family could sprout, it could never be the same.


    Meanwhile, Nephtys had never given birth asexually. Isis was her sole and only daughter, born from her union with the man she loved. The warmth she felt while her daughter slowly grew in her stomach was something she simply could not exin nor share.


    For her, more than her duty as a servant of the goddess Castitas, or as the Phoenix Queen, her role as a mother was far more important.


    If she judged that the prince of Lustburg was not suitable, then, even if she had to sacrifice her life, she would send her daughter back to her husband.


    <o>,m This was her duty as a mother.</o>


    (AN: You should read the special chapter Phoenix again, to refresh your memory about the fouryers and of course, the Phoenix. Anyway with this chapter, we kickstarted the VOL 7: Phoenix. Let¡¯s hope you will like it.)

 Chapter 172 CH 151: LEAVING (1)

    ¡°So it¡¯s finally the day...¡±


    Standing in his undergarments in front of a mirror, Sol murmured to himself.


    Even though it hadn¡¯t been that long since his awakening, so many things happened that it barely felt like one year had passed.


    As usual, the one who was taking care of his clothes was none other than Milia herself, he could have asked the other maids to help, or could have simply done it himself, but he wished to spend some quality time with Milia.


    After all, since that day, she had been even busier than he had been.


    With Edgar, Aria, and Ketia, they had more or less managed to put back the crown¡¯s shadow on its feet.


    While they had yet to verify if the members of the Feet and the Eyes who were in foreign countries were corrupted or dead, at the very least, the agents present in Lustburg had all been taken care of.


    ¡°Your highness, your luggage is ready.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Smiling, he put his hand on the backpack filled with clothing and food specially prepared tost at least a few weeks and ced it in his dimension.


    Sol did not know what would happen once he entered the Astral dimension. But he did not wish to be taken by surprise. Being prepared for the worst situation was always the most optimal solution.


    He had trained enough that he could now near-instantly enter his dimension if necessary, so his life could be said to be protected as much as possible.


    Despite this, Sol could not hide a sliver of worry.


    After all, he would go on this trip alone.


    Even though he believed that he was strong enough to at least not get killed on the first hit by any random mob, this did not change the fact that he had lived all his life in this world without even once stepping outside of the capital.


    It was like the stress one would feel when about to travel to a foreign country for the first time.


    Only that in his case, said foreign country was an alternative dimension filled with mythical creatures.


    ¡°Your highness, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Well, I would be lying if I said I waspletely okay, but don''t worry. It mostly stresses me more than anything else.¡±


    ¡°Stress, is it?¡± Milia gave a faint smile before walking toward Sol, ¡°Then, what would you think of me helping you relieve a little of that stress?¡±


    Sol tilted his head and inwardly counted the amount of time they had left before giving a grin,


    ¡°Why not? It might take some time for me toe back after all.¡±


    Caressing Milia¡¯s beautiful face, Sol leaned and gave her a gentle peck on the lips.


    This was then followed by a full-blown kiss, where the two of them seemed to try to devour the other.


    The sound of rough breathing and saliva being shared as their tongues entwined was the sole sound filling the room. The more they kissed each other, the more their temperature rose.


    Finally, they slowly separated while sharing passionate gazes. Their lust, having been fully ignited.


    Kneeling down, She lowered Sol¡¯s briefs and freed his already erect penis.


    Filling herself with his scent, Milia¡¯s expression seemed to melt because of the ecstasy she felt and began to unbutton her tops.


    Herrge breast bounced a little the moment they were freed from the robe encasing them.


    ¡°Oh? It seems like a naughty girl had been expecting this.¡±


    Sol remarked with a raised eyebrow. After all, she wasn¡¯t wearing any bra.


    Milia responded by giving a coy smile and continued to do what Sol could only describe as worshipping his cock.


    She sucked, licked, and did everything right. But, Sol did not wish for just that.


    Stopping her with his hand, he brought her to the bed and told her,


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it at the same time.¡±


    Without waiting for her approval heid down on the bed and took her over him, her skirt covered his face, and all he could see were her magnificent thighs and her slit. Clearly, she had been goingmando.


    Milia, face to face with Sol¡¯s dick felt a shiver and a wet sensation on her privates. Clearly, Sol had begun to tease her.


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t lose.¡±


    She did not hear his answer, but from the increase in frequency of his tongue licking her, it was clear that he heard her.


    This was now apetition, one to see who would bring the other to climax first.


    ----


    After a rather intense but short session, with Sol as the winner, the two of them rushed to take a bath before proceeding topletely wash off all traces of their tryst.<sub> </sub>


    Now again in the room, the two-faced each other as if nothing had happened.


    The main difference in the room was the absence of the previously drenched sheets and the fact that Sol was now clothed.


    ¡°How am I?¡±


    This time, Sol was not wearing apletely white and gold military suit.


    Whenbined with his blue eyes and short golden hair, Sol looked like the kind of man who could tell no lie. A pure example of purity and handsomeness.


    Watching him like this, Milia blushed even more, while keeping this picture in her mind.


    Since that time when Sol nearly busted her and she had had to destroy her collection to avoid getting caught, Milia had been living in pain and suffering.


    Now though, she swore that she would create an even better collection. One that could surpass all known limits.


    Stepping next to him, Milia began to straighten his clothes a little, as if she was a housewife sending her husband to work.


    Lowering his head, Sol gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead as he murmured,


    ¡°Thanks for always being there for me.¡±


    Since the start of his new life, Milia had been the one constant that had never changed.


    In this world, she was the one he trusted the most and the closest one to him. A shoulder on which he could rest his head to rest while everyone urged him to rush forward.


    She may be a little crazy, but it simply added to her charm, making her more endearing to him.


    Soon, that constant in his life would vanish for an indefinite amount of time.


    It might be for a short few days or a few months or even a few years.


    The time flow in the Astral dimension waspletely chaotic.


    At the very least he knew that the divine beasts had certain control of time in their own territory and at least more or less followed one uniform time flow. But that was all.


    Giving a bright smile, Milia hugged him and said,


    "You saved me when I was in the deepest pit of hell. Even though it was not something you did intentionally, I pledged my eternal loyalty to you on that day. Without a doubt, this was the best decision I had ever taken."


    Taking a few steps back, she pinched the hem of her skirt and gave a curtsey.


    "When you leave this room, you will leave as a prince. But, when youe back from the Astral dimension, you will do so as a King.


    This is why let me renew my pledge...Will you ept it?"


    Sol opened his mouth before closing it.


    He wished to refuse, to tell her it wasn''t necessary. After all, she was his woman. But he understood that for Milia, being his servant and being useful to him was her greatest pride.


    That was why "Wait for when Ie back. Then, you will make your pledge and form a contract with me."


    Milia, opened her eyes wide,


    "Are you sure? Forming a contract would only bring you demerits."


    Milia understood herself. Even though her shadow devouring power was not bad,pared to the other possible partners of Sol this was too shabby.


    It was even more so since Nuwa had an aspect of devouring far more developed than her own.


    In the end, forming a contract with her would only be a waste of Capacity in her opinion.


    Sol simply reassured her with a faint smile,


    "I do not care how much it will cost me. All I wish is to have you on my side and grow stronger together. So, once Ie back, let''s form a contract, alright?"


    Saying so, Sol broke into a cold sweat before discarding the idea that shed his head.


    He remembered the fact that the sentences he had used were filled to the brim with death gs, it was worrying


    But everything would be alright. He was sure of it.


    Still¡ª


    "Milia, please, go prepare another backpack and fill it with clothes, food and water as well as the necessary equipment to survive in the wild for extended periods of time."


    It was better to be doubly sure.


    (AN: Not sure whether or not Sol will make a contract with Milia. It will depend on how the plot evolves.)

 Chapter 173 CH 152: LEAVING (2)

    Even though so many events have happened recently, humans are beings who always forget things fast.


    On this day, or rather this night, the festival that had been temporarily halted because of the previous events had resumed at full tempo. Wherever you looked, you could see people dancing,ughing, and ying around.


    One of the causes was that the civilian casualties or property damage had been pretty low. In fact, if not for Nihil¡¯s grand entrance, a great part of the civilians would not even have known that something had happened before the next morning.


    The second reason was that they knew that the prince would enter the Astral realm today.


    For humans, this day marked something very important.


    Since the day of the second King, Pluto the peaceful King, there was something that had been made clear. Every time the crown prince or princess came back from the Astral dimension, it would be with an incredible surge of power.


    In this world where Might made Right, what themoners needed wasn¡¯t a kind and benevolent ruler, but someone who could give them the protection they sought.


    A weak ruler meant a weak country and a weak country meant that you would be bullied by everyone, while your poption would be hunted and treated as ves.


    This was the harsh reality of this world.


    Of course, if the King was both strong and kind, then he would be seen as the perfect ruler in the eyes ofmoners.


    ---


    [Church of Castitas]


    Sitting in a secret room of the church, Sol absentmindedly observed the people below.


    Currently, the church was almost full as children of age were being tested openly. After the test, some would go away with dejected eyes while others withrge smiles stered on their face. The hall they were using reminded Sol of one belonging to a catholic cathedral, only, much wider.


    Today was an annual event for everyone in Lustburg. A national event that was being held in all the big territories of the kingdom where the church had its branches.


    It was the greatest asion formoner children to separate themselves from the masses and get a chance to be sponsored by rich merchants or nobles.


    If they had a high enough Capacity[1] to form a contract with a B rank or at least a C rank magical being, then it wasn¡¯t impossible for their destiny to changepletely.


    Sadly, the reality was cruel.


    The chances to awaken with at least 10 Capacity points were no more than 10%. As for the chance of getting a Capacity high enough to contract with an S rank being, which was 100 CP, the chance of it happening was 0.0001%.


    Even the worst RNG would not give such a despair-inducing low rate.


    What made capacity so important was because the innate difference between a Tier 3 creature and a Tier 2 or Tier 1 was insane.


    Tier 3 went from rank E to C and were able to use mana from their birth thanks to having their mana veins open. But that was all. In a way, aside from being able to use mana as soon as they were born, the sole difference between Tier 3 magical beings and Humans were their physical abilities.


    But Tier 2 magical beings, which went from B to A could awaken their horns and had a higher chance to awaken a special type of magic.


    Sol could distinctly remember his fight against Setsuna. The moment she used her horns, it was like he was facing apletely different being.


    Furthermore, she had ess to three natural elements. Though it seemed that her control over water and wind was quitecking as of yet.


    What really made tier 2 magical beings important was the fact that they had high chances of entering the Duke realm and this, more than anything, was attractive.


    Because he had been surrounded by a bunch of powerful beings for as long as he could remember, Sol had grown somewhat used to it, but in reality, reaching the Duke realm was already enough to be renowned in the world as a powerhouse.


    Since obtaining a tier 2 being meant high chances of obtaining a Duke title, the nobles, the crown, or the church would do anything to snatch such a prize.


    Though generally, such talented people were already scions of powerful noble families, like Athena.


    As for S rank magical being, or Tier 1. They were at apletely different level and were assured to reach the level of Duke at their maturity, with a high chance of bing a King.


    While he did not know the capacity of his predecessors, he knew that they had never had less than two or morepanions of at least A or B ss. Which would mean that all the previous Kings or Queens had at least more than 100 Capacity points.


    His father, Mars, had a ridiculous capacity of 350, while in his own case, he had broken that record and reached an unprecedented 500.


    Once again, there was only 0.0001% to reach 100 capacity points. Every time Sol thought about how low the chances of ¡®simply¡¯ reaching 100 capacity points were, he couldn¡¯t even begin to phantom how low the chances were to reach beyond it and could onlyugh at how much rigged the game was for the royal family.


    Sol was the ninth King. This means that an almost impossible odd repeated itself nine times.


    If this wasn¡¯t a rigged game, then what was it?


    ''Once is happenstance. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is enemy action¨Cthough in this case, it''s the goddesses'' action.''


    He chuckled inwardly.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t sanctimonious enough to cry injustice and ask for equal rights. This rigged game favored him, so why should hein?


    Not only was he an S ss, but he could also form a contract with many beings that had a high chance of bing Kings or Dukes.


    What¡¯s more, since he was a dimensional mage, then, as long as he did not die, he was assured of bing a Demi-god.


    He was a future king, a future powerhouse, and was surrounded by a plethora of beautiful and powerful women who were crazy for him.


    ¡®Man, my life is beautiful.¡¯


    This was why, in the deepest part of his heart¡ªSol felt afraid.


    Since he had everything from the start, it meant that he had only things to lose. He did not wish for his life to be a tragedy.


    ¡°-ness...Your highness.¡±


    ¡°Humm?¡±


    He was brought out from his brooding by a voice he did not recognize at first, but then, it came back to him.


    Focusing on the armored man kneeling in front of him, he asked,


    ¡°What is the matter ¡ª White Knight?¡±


    The man standing in front of him, or rather the young man, for Sol knew that he was not that much older than him was the white knight he should have fought before fighting Setsuna back then in the coliseum.


    The elite forces of the church were the pdin. Their mission was to protect the different priestesses when they went out of the capital to aplish miracles and the like.


    The title of White Knight was given to the most talented of them all and his mission was to protect the Holy Daughter of Castitas and if necessary, serve as a meat shield for the Supreme Daughter.


    Of course, in this generation, the situation of this knight was quite awkward. After all, there was no Holy Daughter for him to protect and as for serving as a shield for the Supreme Daughter. He would not evenst 3 seconds against a King as he was now.


    When they had first met this evening, Sol had been ready for some hostility. After all, he remembered that the knight had somewhat of a crush on Camelia since she was the one who saved him when he was a kid.


    But none of this happened.


    This could only mean that either this man was able to hide all his negative feelings, or he was genuinely sorry. Another possibility was that Camelia used her power to brainwash him, but she had assured him that she only activated her control on people who showed signs of betrayal.


    Even though Sol did not quite believe Camelia as much as he did in the past, he did not wish to reach the level where he doubted all her words. As such, he chose to believe her in this.<sub> </sub>


    The white knight on the other hand was looking at the young prince, and future king of Lustburg, and he had to admit that he was quite surprised.


    ¡®How did he grow so much in such little time?¡¯


    Even though Camelia had bound and gagged him back then[2], he had still been present in the coliseum and had observed his fight with the wolf girl standing in silence behind the prince.


    From what he had observed, he was sure that if he fought with his partner, he would win without much problem.


    But right now,


    *Gulp*


    ¡®We would lose now if we fought him now.¡¯


    He did not know why, but he could feel a certain ¡®weight¡¯ that the prince had beencking in the past. A regal aura of authority or power or a mix of both. At the same time, he felt as if he was standing in front of a dangerous beast rather than a human being.


    This wasn¡¯t all, after the prince formed his own contract, the difference in power would be even wider.


    A bitter taste spread in his mouth at the realization that his years of training were nothing in front of such monstrous talent. But at the same time, he felt joy.


    Joy at the fact of having a powerful ruler, and joy at the fact that the woman he respected more than anything in the world was not wrong in her choice.


    Even though he had a crush on Camelia in the past, he knew that he could never walk alongside her. But the prince could.


    Sol could protect her while he could not.


    Sol could make her face lit up in joy at the mere mention of his name, while he couldn¡¯t.


    Finally and honestly the most important point, Camelia loved Sol, not him.


    This was more than enough for the white knight to give up.


    All he wished for was her happiness.


    Everything he had was thanks to her, and he would never forget her grace.


    Bowing his head deeper, he answered the question,


    ¡°Her grace told me to inform you that your turn would soone. After all, the nobles of age get tested, it would be your turn to show your capacity to the world.¡±


    ¡°...Is that so?¡±


    Being a King was no different from being a star in a way. If you did not show yourself, if you did not appear grand like a star shining high in the sky, people would not give you the respect they ought to.


    Even though Sol already knew his Capacity, he needed to show it to the world. To show to both themoner, noble, and foreigner alike that the prince was different from the masses, that his talents knew no bounds.


    For royalty, being humble meant being weak. Nothing more, nothing less.


    Standing up, he moved the ck cape behind him and began to walk away.


    ¡°Well then, the show shall go on. As they say.¡±


    All the feelings of fear and stress and worries vanished from his face.


    A ruler should never show his weak face if it wasn¡¯t necessary to gain the affection of the popce.


    -----


    In the assembly hall, after the noble¡¯s children were tested, some with surprisingly good results as three with CP between 30 and 50 had been discovered this year, the mood was at an all-time high.


    The nobles were already noting the name of the three lucky guys, even though they knew that those three would most likely join the pdins or the ck knights.


    Standing on the podium, the priestess that had been doing the testing, took a step back and let a golden-haired woman take their ces.


    She wore a long white robe and her face was hidden behind a veil.


    But no one could confuse her for anyone else.


    The moment she entered, even with an announcement, all the people present, be itmoners or high nobles felt as if their heart was being cleansed. It was as if they were standing in front of something that was simply too beautiful to look at.


    But before they could evenpose themselves, a second announcement caused their hearts to drum.


    ¡°His highness, the legitimate crown prince of Lusturg, Sol Dragona Luxuria! May his light shine on the Kingdom!¡±


    Therge doors opened while all noises vanished.


    Then, the silence was reced by the sound of slow and steady steps.


    Finally, once Sol appeared in front of their high, d in gold and white, Camelia¡¯s voice resonated,


    ¡°Kneel in front of the crown prince and salute his arrival.¡±


    Then, like a wave in the sea, all the people present, no matter what was their standings, kneeled chanted in unison,


    ¡°Wee, Your highness!¡±


    ----


    [1]:


    -----3rd tier


    E=10 CP


    D=20


    C=30


    ------2nd tier


    B=50


    A=70


    ------ 1st tier


    S=100


    [2]


    (AN: The tiers were first exined by Medea in CH 25. For the chances of awakening Capacity, it was in CH 12. Setsuna and Sol used their horns in CH 54. Hahaha. Man what an epic scene. Though I feel like I went a little overboard. Man, topping this scene for his true coronation, when he will finally go from His highness to His Majesty will be difficult. But I believe I can do it. Anyway, while some mightin because of all the information in this chapter. I believe it''s necessary. After all, some of my readers have been with me for more or less 13 months ago now. Things tend to get blurry after so long.)

 Chapter 174 CH 153: LEAVING (3)

    The sacred ceremony or rather the show-off ceremony was expedited rather fast.


    The moment Sol stood in front of Camelia and ced his hand on the crystal sphere, all the people present were astonished once the numbers regarding Sol''s capacity were revealed.


    All of them had known from the beginning that Sol would have a Tier 1 capacity. This was an inevitability in their minds. Even so, 500 CP was simply too much.


    It meant that if he worked hard enough, the kingdom of Lustburg would have an additional 5 potential kings or perhaps more.


    Since the ceremony was open to everyone, it meant that even people of different races could enter.


    Clearly, in this lot, some of them were spies of other countries.


    But this did not matter. From the very start, Sol had never nned on hiding his talents. Doing so was meaningless.


    The only reason he did not even reveal to the world that he was a dimensional mage was that it was a trump card that could save his life¡ªwhich it did.


    If Drei had known from the very start that he could teleport in his own dimensions, that night might have gone very differently.


    Once he finished showing off and epted the exmations of awe and surprise, it was finally time for the most important part of the ceremony to happen.


    The opening of the dimensional wall.


    A ceremony that could only happen once a year and one that only nobles, church members, or royalty could participate in.


    Even though it was unjust, the world was never just in the first ce.


    If the crown prince was normally thest to be tested, then he was always the first to enter the door.


    In the past, the door would send anyone who entered to random coordinates and they could only stay there for the equivalent of one day in the mortal world.


    The prince was the sole exception as in, even though he would be sent in a random direction, he could stay as long as he wished before leaving.


    This was one of the reasons as to why the crown princes or princesses would always grow much stronger aftering back from the Astral dimension.


    After all, they could stay years and search for the best possible partners while training before finallying back.


    With the difference in time axis between the two dimensions, it wouldn''t be weird for only a few short weeks to have gone past in the mortal world when they came back.


    ----


    Since the ceremony was extremely important and could only happen once a year, all the unconcerned people needed to be chased out of the cathedral.


    Themoners who had shown enough talent today would have to wait for the next year before being allowed to enter.


    During that year, they would receive adequate training and would have their loyalty tested.


    The training was necessary to optimize their chances to obtain a good partner befitting of their Capacity points.


    After all, a contract could never be formed without the consent of the two parties. Since the first contract was for life, high-ranked magical beings would never ept to form a contract with someone who had no future prospects.


    Who would sign a contract where they had everything to lose and nothing to gain?


    At the same time, it was necessary to warn them about the potential risks.


    If they were lucky enough to enter Asmodeus or Gabriel''s territories then the chances of them dying were pretty small.


    Anywhere else and all bets were off.


    Because of this, entering the Astral dimension was something that needed both courage and strength.


    Of course, the prince was basically assured protection. If anything happened to a Blessed in their territory, the divine beasts would have a hard time exining themselves.


    Even so, there was always that slight possibility of meeting rebel spirits who were not under the control of the divine beasts or their descendants.


    Those natural spirits might not even know what a Blessed looked like or might simply not care.


    Of course, until now no crown prince or prince happened to get killed. But it did happen to other royalty.


    The worst oue would be to fall into the part of the Astral world that wasn''t controlled by the divine beasts¨CThe abyss.


    That ce was outside of allws and all the residents there were beings of horrors.


    But Sol was sure that he had nothing to worry about.


    ----


    Currently, Sol was standing behind Camelia as he looked at her kneel and pray.


    Since the portal he would be using would be different from the one the others would use. Camelia had decided to open it in another ce unreachable by most people.


    After all, the one he would use had direct coordinates toward Gabriel''s territory.


    Once he went through the portal, it would close automatically.


    He could onlye back by opening a portal from that side.


    To assure his security, they had decided to open the portal in the deepest and most guarded part of the church.


    This was also the room Camelia had previously used during the Saint Fall and when she activated the Holy territory.


    While waiting for the portal to open, Sol was going through the steps he would have to take.


    Basically he needed to enter the Phoenix realm and find a Phoenix that suited him.


    Phoenixes were elemental creatures of the highest order. The energy part that constituted their bodies was entirely made out of one specific element that varied for each Phoenix.


    Fire phoenixes were the most numerous, but there was basically phoenix for every element.


    Once Sol found the phoenix that pleased him, he would have to convince him/her or it to form a contract with.


    Then, they would have to travel to the dragon''s territory and seed in the trial before forming the contract.


    This would without a doubt be a lengthy process, but once this was done, Sol was sure that his power would skyrocket.


    Aside from this, Sol also nned to form a contract with another S rank magical being if it was possible.


    Then he woulde back home and do the same for Setsuna, Nuwa, and if it was possible, Milia.<sub> </sub>


    The contract was a symbiotic rtionship that gave skills to the humans and boosted the growth of the magical beings.


    Milia was already a rather powerful Duke. If he could make her even stronger with the contract, then it wouldn''t be impossible to reach the level of King in the future.


    Honestly, even if not for the trial, Sol would not have formed a contract immediately with the Phoenix. After all, despite its name, the lust-type contract needed love as a fuel.


    Sol did not believe in love at first sight. After all, how could you fall in love with someone you knew nothing about?


    His harem was also barely bnced, so adding someone with a bad personality would just be a chore and might cause many problemster down the line.


    "I am finished."


    Standing up, Camelia stretched a little, emphasizing her abundant chest.


    While doing so, she was cursing inwardly about how those goddesses liked too much theatrics.


    "You seem tired."


    Camelia sighed, "Tell me, Sol, do you find it hard to enter your dimension?"


    "Huh? Not at all."


    "And is itplicated to bring someone in?"


    "Neither¡­ Hahaha. I see where you are going. The goddesses do not need prayer."


    "Indeed. The goddesses neither need direct worship nor prayer, they represent a concept. For example, as long as there will be people feeling lust, it would be the same as worshipping Luxuria.


    In the same way, all realms belong to the goddesses. As such, opening a portal between the Astral and the mortal realm is just a matter of waving their hands."


    Sol nodded as he mulled what she was saying,


    "Do you mean to say that as long as Lust exists, Luxuria can never die?"


    "Sol¡­ Goddesses cannot die."


    Camelia''s voice held hints of warning and her eyes were begging him to stop.


    Clearly, it was one thing to not show respect to the goddesses and it was another thing to discuss how to kill them.


    Sol was not surprised at the notion of goddesses being invincible because of the concept they represented.


    But this begged some questions.


    Goddesses could not die as long as the sin or virtue they represented existed¨Cthis was a fact.


    Goddesses were the creator of all living beings¨Cat least that was how the myth went.


    If so, what concept did the goddesses represent before the existence of life? How could there be Lust, Wrath or chastity without living beings?


    People in this world believed that sins and virtues existed because of the goddesses.


    But if so, what about his world?


    The more Sol learned about this world, the more he understood how little he actually knew.


    Secret within secrets.


    Lies and truths mixed together.


    Would he get all the answers he wished for once he became a demi-god?


    He did not know.


    What he did know though, was that the veil would be slightly lifted once he officially took the throne of Lustburg.


    "Sol, everything is ready. Now, normally a door should have already opened, but since we need fixed coordinates. You need to use your blood and pour it right here."


    She pointed at the magical circles in the ground.


    "Stand over the circle then let your blood flow. Just a few droplets will suffice."


    The magical circle she was pointing to was the same one she had used during the events of Saint Fall.


    "You know, why do all those rituals require the use of blood?"


    Camelia gave a bitterugh, "Trust me, you aren''t the only one asking this question."


    The two of themughed for a short while before Sol finally walked and stopped once he was in the circle.


    The two of them looked at each other, plethora of emotions present in their gazes.


    Finally, Sol smiled and sharpened his nails before wounding his arms.


    The wound immediately closed, but enough blood fell on the circle.


    Once it happened, the circle seemed toe alive as it was lit up with scarlet and golden light.


    Looking at the magical circle activated, Camelia looked at him with a worried expression and said, "Be careful."


    "I will."


    And with thosest words, Sol vanishedpletely.


    Now alone, Camelia sped her hands and kneeled down to pray.


    "Please, protect him."


    This was perhaps her most ardent and fervent prayer.


    She did not know what kind of adventures her beloved would live.


    She simply hoped that once it ended, he woulde back in one piece and still be the man she fell in love with.

 Chapter 175 CH 154: WHERE THE FUCK…?

    [????]


    When Sol opened his eyes and gazed at the ce where he was, he could only close them hurriedly because of the blinding light in his eyes.


    In the long history of Lustburg, no one ever had the luck to enter Gabriel¡¯s territory, or those that did nevere back. Because of this, how that world looked was aplete mystery.


    Sol had imagined many things. Mostly, he thought that he would see a lush forest, full of wide towering trees or something of the like.


    But what he saw now was,


    ¡°I am in a desert?¡±


    Slowly opening his eyes once again, to avoid being blinded by the ring sun, or more precisely, suns, Sol finally observed his surroundings.


    Sand, sand, sand and even more sand as far as his eyes could see.


    An endless desert.


    As if it wasn¡¯t enough, Sol covered his eyes with his hand and briefly raised his head,


    ¡°Three suns.¡±


    His expression immediately became ugly. He could already feel beads of sweat on his forehead flowing down slowly.


    Not only were the multiple suns not helping, but the heavy suit he was wearing also wasn¡¯t exactly what you could call desert friendly.


    ¡°Am I really in Phoenix territory?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but wonder.


    Stumped, he tried to enter his dimension, but he could feel as if a wall was stopping him.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to understand the reasons why.


    The mortal dimension was a dimension owned by no one save the goddess. But this wasn¡¯t the case here.


    This part of the Astral dimension, if it was really the one belonging to Gabriel, was her divine territory and as such worked under her ownws. No one could enter or leave the mirror dimension without its master''s permission and it was clear that the same rule applied to Gabriel or whoever this territory belonged to.


    ¡°Well...This isn¡¯t exactly how I envisioned the start of my adventure.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s so damn hot.¡¯


    Sitting on the sand, Sol did not move from the position he initially found himself in.


    He did not know how long he had been sitting, but from how hot his butt felt, it must have been quite a while.


    Even so, he did not intend to move now.


    He did not know where he was.


    He did not know where he had to go.


    He had no food and no water on him, nor did he know where to find them.


    Moving without thoughts meant death, but---staying here without moving also meant death.


    Even so, Sol did not despair. He was simply analyzing the situation he was in and the best way to go at it.


    Once he finally had a n, he stood up and dusted himself.


    ¡°Well, first things first.¡±


    He closed his eyes and focused a little.


    Slowly, his skin began to bristle before it was covered by scales of the same color as his skin.


    Even though it had been a while, Sol remembered that reptiles had a better heat regtion thanks to their scales.


    He did not know if dragons were cold blooded creatures, but if the scales of a dragon were less useful than that of a simple reptile, then it would be a joke.


    As he thought, the moment his body was covered in scales, the unbearable heat suddenly became much less so. At the same time, he could feel that he had stopped sweating. Clearly, those scales had also regted the loss of water in his body.


    He let out a sigh of relief and focused on his transformation.


    Since it wasn¡¯t his natural form, he still had some problem keeping it for long, but that was mostly during a fight.


    Right now, since he was just using them to fight the heat, he should be able to keep them indefinitely without much trouble. Mana was not a problem either since as long as his output was controlled, thanks to his core he had a near infinite mana.


    The only problem now was hisck of water and food.<sub> </sub>


    What¡¯s more, any kind of beast or spirit that could survive in this environment would be no joke.


    ¡°Now then.¡±


    He crouched down, put all his strength in his legs, and--jumped as high as possible.


    *BOOM*


    The ground trembled as he wasunched high in the sky.


    The hot air scorched his skin, but he could barely feel anything thanks to the scales. Once he reached peak altitude, he looked at his surroundings, but was disappointed to see no signs of settlement.


    Once hended, and after losing his footings and rolling a little on the ground, taking some sand in his mouth and other parts he never hoped to have sand in, Sol stood up and cursed like a sailor in his mind for a few minutes straight.


    Calming down, he took off his suit and everything else, shook them to get off the sand and simply put his pants back on. For the top, he had decided to just have the shirt that was under the suit.


    The scales helped him, but that suit was really useless.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see how lucky I am.¡±


    His body could theoretically handle ack of food for a few days. He did not know how long he couldst.


    As such, he simply decided toy back down on the sand, added a very lightyer of mana on his body to add some protection without exceeding his mana regeneration speed, used his shirt as a cushion, curled up and---closed his eyes.


    Since either way he was going to die, might as well not make any efforts, before sleeping, he did not forget to mumble,


    ¡°I really wonder what Luxuria will do when she hears that her Blessed died like that. Heh, same for Tiamat. Oh, I also remember that Ambrosia is my mother-inw.¡±


    He then fell asleep with a smirk on his face.


    ----


    ¡°That rascale¡­¡±


    A voluptuous woman with vermillion hair chortled as she watched the amusing scene through a floating mirror and heard those words.


    Standing next to her, her daughter, Nephthys, gave a little smile,


    ¡°It seems like he understood we couldn¡¯t do much to him.¡±


    Gabriel could only give a bitter smile, ¡°Indeed, everything aside, Tiamat would go crazy if she heard that I bullied her grandson. At the same time, that ambrosia dotes on her daughter like a mother hen. I really can¡¯t go too far with this.¡±


    As Sol deducted, the current territory entirely belonged to Gabriel.


    Even though she was in no way omniscient while here, she could still easily observe every corner. What¡¯s more, how could she not have felt divine power tearing apart the dimensional walls and entering her world?


    That was why she had been observing Sol since the moment he entered and she had to say,


    ¡°He is pretty interesting. Though I find the way he acted a little shameless.¡±


    As the herald of purity and chastity, Gabriel loved stories of heroes struggling against all adversities until they finally seeded.


    Initially, Sol should havended in her pce, but she had slightly deviated the coordinates so that hended a few hundred kilometers away from the city.


    At the same time, she had tweaked the spatialws so that no matter which path he took, he would find the city after a few days of walking.


    But he broke all her ns in the simplest way, by refusing to move.


    Had it been anyone else, she would have simply left them to die, but as he said, she really couldn¡¯t afford it.


    And she knew that Tiamat already awoke and was waiting excitedly for her grandson, if she took too long, the dragon woulde here and the two of them would most likely fight.


    ¡°You seem pretty happy.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe!¡± Nephthys, was indeed pretty happy, ¡°I don¡¯t need my daughter to follow a hero. Anubis always told me that heroes were the ones who died the fastest. That was why he chose to be a viin.¡±


    Gabriel let out another sigh, of course, how could anyone get the moniker of Necromancer King by acting like a kind and gentle hero?


    Anubis was the one furthest from what a hero should be. Back then, during the holy war, the number of people who died under his undead cmities was simply too much to count.


    When he tried to create the underworld, he fought against some of the divine beasts and in the end, fled after sealing the divine beasts of Gluttony, Greed and Temperance.


    A fact that had been deeply hidden in the waves of history. After all, for the divine beasts, such a defeat was a stain in their history.


    Scrunching her eyebrows, Gabriel looked at the young man sleeping peacefully under the scorching sun and decided to try onest thing before transporting him here.


    In this world, evil or justice were a matter of perspective.


    What stayed true for everyone though¡ªwas strength.


    ¡°Sol Dragona Luxuria, let¡¯s see how strong you truly are.¡±


    (AN: Sol first used those scales during his fight in the coliseum against the four diators. Though currently they aren''t really scale in the truest form. Imagine more Natsu scales at the start of fairy tail during the Erza vs Jelhal arc. Also, once again Anubis is supposed to be mc of a prequel called Son of the demon king. So he is pretty busted. Anyway, this is the true start of the much anticipated Phoenix volume. I hope you guys will like Isis after she is really developed. Finally, I already said that Phoenixes followed the Egypt theme. Desert, Oasis and pyramid.)

 Chapter 176 CH 155: A LITTLE PISSED OFF

    When Sol finally opened his eyes, he could feel slight chills. Even though he had been ying around at first, in the end, he had really fallen asleep.


    Though, he had to keep a sliver of consciousness in order to avoid being taken off guard.


    Stillying with his back on the ground, he gazed at the dark sky with an entranced expression,


    ¡°Beautiful.¡±


    He couldn''t help but exim in shock at the sight that greeted him.


    Currently, night had fallen, and the three overbearing suns were reced by sixrge silver moons, so close that he felt like he could see very crevice on them.


    Aside from the moons, he could see no other stars in the sky despite how clear it was.


    This prompted him to ask himself if he was even on a currently.


    Watching this starless sky, he felt like he was being sucked into the depths of space. He couldn¡¯t help but feel so small and helpless.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, this is really the first time I am alone.¡±


    If not for the near freezing cold, it would have been quite romantic.


    The only saving grace was that the cold seemed to have far less effects on him than the heat.


    This was something worth knowing.


    In a way, he was briefly tempted to stand up and walk. If he explored during the night and slept during the day, he was sure that it could work.


    But, he immediately squashed this thought.


    ¡®I am tired of having to prove myself.¡¯


    Before falling asleep, he had clearly felt that someone was spying on him. Since he was used to Medea doing so in the tower, it wasn¡¯t hard for him to catch on that.


    What¡¯s more, the portal and coordinates had been opened by the goddesses themselves after promising to do so in a contract.


    Since it was so, only a goddess or perhaps the one this dimension belonged to could change the coordinates.


    This meant that once again, he was being tested. Once again, he had to prove something to someone he cared nothing of.


    It was tiring.


    The fact that after this he would once again be tested by the dragons to be their so called prince was akin to adding insult to injury.


    His eyes shifted to the side when he felt a few presences running toward him.


    From the dust that was rising far in the horizon he could imagine that they were quite fast andrge. He could already feel animosity in the air. Clearly, whatever wasing was not friendly.


    Inwardly though, he couldn¡¯t help but scoff.


    He had been sleeping for all day and a great part of the night but he met no one, but just as soon as he woke up, he was being attacked?


    Of course he could not rule out the possibility of those beasts being nocturnal and him being on their roads being just bad luck.


    He wondered if he should just act shamelessly andy down without trying to fight but he discarded the notion.


    It was one thing toy down without moving, but he couldn¡¯t gamble with his life. What¡¯s more,


    ¡°I really want to punch something.¡±


    Standing up, he twirled his shoulders and finally managed to see what wasings toward him,


    ¡®...Sonic the hedgehog?¡¯


    He tilted his head in confusion at the sight of what looked like five blue cannon balls filled with spikes rolling towards him.


    Shaking his head to chase away the confusion, Sol finally spoke, his voice amplified with mana and intent.


    ¡°If youe closer, I will consider you as enemies.¡±


    Sol knew that it was impossible to expect all races he found in other dimensions to be able to understand him.


    But the intent behind his words was something of a universalnguage.


    He did not wish to kill others simply because they did not look like him or because they could not understand each other. Normally, even if those beings rushing toward him were unable to hear, they should have understood the message.


    Seeing that much less stopping, they elerated toward him and that the killing intent they emitted grew stronger, Sol¡¯s eyes finally grew colder.


    ¡°I did warn you guys.¡±


    His iris changed into slit and the color of his eyes became a mix of ck and gold. His form changed as he grew a few centimeters taller and became more muscr. The tone of his skin also changed from a fair white to a more tanned tone.


    Finally, two golden horns made out purely of energy grew on his forehead.


    <<Dragon force: First Step>>


    Without waiting for them to reach him, Sol rushed at them at full speed, his eyes glowing with barely concealed battle thirst.


    ----


    Back in the pce, the two Phoenixes were observing the fight with surprise.


    The monster that had been sent was a type of mad-beast known as Tapir.


    They had their back covered in a sort of super armor made out of rock and spikes while the front of their body was rather soft and flexible.


    Thanks to this, they could easily roll on themselves and use their armor as a way ofbining both attack and defense.<sub> </sub>


    Mad beasts were beasts that, after being exposed to a great concentration of mana, suffered from mutation that affected their sanity.


    In her dimension, the Tapirs, while not at the top of the food chain, were still quite powerful.


    In fact, two or three would be enough to fight equally with an inexperienced Duke.


    Gabriel could feel clearly that Sol did not seem to have a Zone. With their current number, she had only been interested in how long he couldst before she would save him.


    But from what she was seeing, it was clear that she had been severely underestimating the prince.


    "Huh¡­ He seems pretty angry."


    Nepthys winced as she watched the prince tear off the arm of one of those tapirs before pping away another one with the arm previously torn off.


    She winced even more when he took the dazed tapir by the leg before swinging him against the ground again and again until all that was left was basically meat paste.


    It was hard to reconcile such a brutal sight with the previous shameless prince.


    Gabriel made a bitter smile, how could she miss his murmur when she was observing him so closely?


    It seemed that her curiosity and enthusiasm for heroes had gotten the better of her, and most likely damaged her future rtionship with him.


    She had some inkling about the n of the twin sister of her goddess, and If Luxuria seeded, Sol would definitely be one of her bosses, or at the very least her equal.


    The most important was that he would also most likely, be her son-inw.


    "Do you think I should stop this fight?"


    "No."


    Nepthys was adamant.


    "I do not know what triggered him, but it isn''t important. Now that he is fighting and releasing his pent up stress, he would most likely explode if we suddenly go and stop his fight."


    Everyone had their own pride. Since it seemed that their test had already angered Sol, suddenly stopping when he was winning would be like a p. It would be basically like saying, ¡°We can do whatever we want to you.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t really the best way to begin a rtionship.


    After all, even if Sol didn¡¯t form a contract with her daughter, all the phoenixes were either her sisters or nieces, he would still be a member of their family.


    She knew very well what it felt like to be ostracized. Pretty much all phoenixes hated her.


    This was also why, despite her reluctance, she wished for Isis to contract with Sol. She knew that her daughter was unhappy here. She had all but one friend, and it wasn¡¯t even a phoenix.


    Looking at the prince fighting, or rather utterly destroying those beasts, she decided that rather than testing him or whatnot, she would leave him and her daughter to discuss and pass time for a short while.


    Back then, Nepthys had refused to heed her mother and fled with Anubis to explore the world. Even now, despite the way she was being hated for it, she had absolutely no regret.


    ----


    Back to the desert, Sol fought with an excited smile on his face.


    In all his life, it was the first time he could really go all out without any form of worries nor restraint.


    Be it against the diators, Setsuna, or even during the fight with the vampire, one way or another there was always something that stopped him from showing his more savage side.


    Right here, right now though, there was no such thing.


    Letting out an animalistic roar, he stepped on the head of one of those monsters, crushing it and the ground beneath it at the same time.


    A mix of blue blood and dark matter sshed on him, but he did not care.


    Sol knew that he could have finished the fight more cleanly if he had used a big technique like dragon breath.


    But he did not wish to. He loved this kind of brawl. No technique, no skill, just a pure and unadulterated fight filled with blood and gore.


    He was so excited that he turned to search for the next target only to have cold water dosed on him once he saw that nothing else was standing.


    All around him, dismembered corpses littered the grounds. The beautiful and pristine white side was now covered in blood, guts, organs and meat paste.


    What happened just now was not a fight, but a one sided ughter.


    Looking at this spectacle, the wild smile on his face slowly vanished and the rational part of his mind took once again control and dispersed his transformation, thereby returning to his normal form.


    In the end, he could only let a bitter smile,


    ¡°If Lilith or the others saw me, they would really tear my ears off.¡±


    All his training revolved around the use of skills and techniques to kill in the more efficient way while putting his body in the least danger possible.


    But he wondered if such a style really suited him.


    The main reasons why Lilith and the others emphasized techniques was because of the innate difference between humans and other magical beings.


    But what about him?


    Closing his eyes, he sighed.


    When he opened his eyes, he stood in what looked like a pce while two women with surprisingly simr features were observing him.


    Showing no signs of surprise, he gave a refreshing smile as he said,


    ¡°Hello, forgive me for the unsightly disy, I was a little, tet¡¯s say ¡ª stressed.¡±


    The contrast between his boyish, gentle smile and his body covered in blood and flesh was quite a sight to behold.

 Chapter 177 CH 156: PHOENIXES

    [Phoenix realm]


    After finally meeting the leader of the phoenixes, Gabriel, Sol had to admit that even though he was still angry, he was also a little thrilled.


    After all, Gabriel was a legend. She was also one the guardians of his kingdom and one of the oldest beings in existence.


    Even though he would have loved to discuss with them, the second woman had asked him gently to take a bath first. Something Sol was happy to oblige. Being covered in blood and flesh looked cool and all, but it was honestly disgusting. It didn¡¯t help that the blood of those monsters smelled like rotten fruits.


    When you added the mental exhaustion of being in a desert all day, it was a wonder he didn¡¯t fall asleep in the bath.


    The ones who helped him bathe were two beautiful veiled women wearing what looked like Arabian clothes.


    He did not know from what race they were, but they were clearly not humans. He had tried to exchange some words with them, but since they stayed silent, he was happy to let them pamper him without further exchange.


    Once he was bathed and given new clothes, a white and light ensemble that seemed like a robe, Sol confirmed his thought.


    ¡®I am in Egypt?¡¯


    From the desert and the clothes, it really seemed like the world of Phoenixes followed an Egyptian theme. It didn¡¯t help that the second vermillion-haired woman who was next to Gabriel when he appeared called herself Nephthys.


    When he finally changed, the two servants who had helped him bowed as they said,


    ¡°The queen awaits you to partake in her dinner.¡±


    He was not particrly hungry, but he guessed that it wouldn¡¯t be conducive to his stay if he refused a direct invitation for dinner.


    There was also the fact that he needed to ascertain what was the current time difference between the Astral Realm and the Mortal Realm.


    If he missed his timing, he mighte back home only to see that Lilith was already dead. Which would be rather awful and traumatizing if he had to be honest.


    ---


    The pce of the phoenixes was sparkling. Every stone, from the ground to the ceiling seemed to be made in a sort of special marble that easily reflected light.


    Even now, if he looked down, he could easily see that the women here were rather bold, as they walked without underwear.


    If he wasn¡¯t already used to being around women day and night, he would really have a hard time controlling himself.


    When they reached arge door that seemed to be made out of gold, the two servants stood on either side of it before opening it for him.


    A wide room, with a tablerge enough to amodate a dozen people standing in the middle. The table was filled with meat and wine, which surprised Sol a little since after his encounter with that monster he expected this world to have different kinds of meat.


    Seated on the table and waiting for him were not two, but rather five women with different features, though what they all had inmon were their golden pupils and slightly tanned skin.


    The moment he entered the room, he felt like an ocean of energy was rushing at him.


    It wasn''t anything conscious or deliberate on their parts. Sol understood that this was the natural reaction when too many powerful people gathered in the same room.


    Anyone else in his ce would have most likely kneeled in fright. But for Sol, this was nothing more than a breeze.


    ''Compared to a room full of my usual girls, this is nothing.''


    All the women around Sol were either Duke, King rank, or even demigod rank.


    Even though he could feel that the four women here, aside from Gabriel, were at the king rank, for some reason he felt as if their aura was far inferior to that of Lilith, Camelia, or that of the witches.


    When he was finally directed to the other end of the table and took a seat, Gabriel stood up with a smile.


    She had not been surprised by Sol''sck of reaction. She remembered clearly how ferocious he was during his fight.


    This wasn''t even a test she prepared for him. But rather, this was how all high-ranked people discussed.


    After all, how could two people even be considered equal if one couldn''t even bear the natural pressure of the other?


    "My dear daughters, you may be curious, but let me introduce you to the prince of Lustburg, Sol Dragona Luxuria."


    "Dragona?"


    One of the women, one with ck hair, raised her eyebrow as she asked.


    "Indeed."


    "Heh..."


    A smile formed on her face as she and others nodded to him.


    If before, the phoenixes had looked at him with simple curiosity, he could now feel a little respect.


    It seemed that wherever it was, one''s own birth would always be the greatest measuring stick.


    They didn''t seem to care that he was blessed. They only reacted to the fact that he was rted to dragons.


    "Sol, let me introduce my daughters to you. You already know Nephthys. She is my representative in this world. The other three are Nent[1], Hathor, and Neith."


    Sol hid a cough.


    If he had any doubt about the Phoenixes following Egyptian lore, then all of them vanished.


    Nent the goddess of earth, Hathor, goddess of Drunkenness, Neith, goddess of arrows and Nephthys the goddess of funerals, were four of the five great goddesses in Egyptian myth.


    The fifth one was¡ªIsis, goddess of motherhood and magic.[2]


    Giving his most charming smile,


    ¡°I am happy to have the chance to meet such beautiful women.¡±


    Women would never dislike being praised. Even more so if the one praising them was an equally handsome man.


    Gabriel smiled as she sat down, ¡°Before we begin, I would like to present my apologies for the earlier events. Even if I wished to test you, I should have at least had the courtesy to wee you first.¡±


    Gabriel began the conversation. Even though she was apologizing to a mortal, none of the others presents seemed surprised.<sub> </sub>


    The same went for Sol. But hisck of surprise was for different reasons


    Mortal rulers did not apologize, for the simple reason that they could not acknowledge their inferiority. Even if they wished to, a mortal ruler could not apologize for it was a sign of weakness and a loss of prestige.


    But the rules were different when people had enough power to control a dimension.


    At those apologies, Sol scoffed inwardly. He didn¡¯t particrly feel ted that a demi-god apologized to him. If apologies were enough to sweep everything away, then there would be no war nor hatred.


    He had nothing to gain by ring up aside from some childish sense of fulfillment, but at the same time, it wouldn¡¯t sit well with him to keep this in his heart. This was why,


    ¡°If I am to be honest, your little test was not something I really appreciated. I have been under great stress during thest few days, and this didn¡¯t really help.


    But, I recognize the fact that you may wish to understand what kind of man I was before letting me form a contract with someone dear to you. So, I am willing to let bygones be bygones.¡±


    Gabriel was rather surprised at first, before a smile of satisfaction formed on her face,


    ¡°I am sure that Tiamat would have been proud of you if she could see you right now.¡±


    Gabriel loved watching heroes. People who were ready to face any adversities and couldugh even at the moment of their death.


    For her, there was nothing purer than such people.


    Even though Sol did not fit her traditional understanding of heroes, she found that he had all the main characteristics necessary to be one.


    ¡®I wonder if I should take Isis¡¯ ce.¡±


    Such a thought went through her mind before she immediately discarded it.


    Forming a contract with a human was not impossible. But doing so would have tremendous consequences.


    After all, doing so would mean breaking her contract with Castitas, thereby losing all her divine power as well as her territory and bing as weak as a newborn phoenix.


    ----


    Meanwhile, in another ce.


    A flicker of light moved around before stopping andnding on the head of a young ck-haired girl.


    Opening her eyes, her scarlet Irises shed in the barely lit bedroom as she asked the little fairy that used her head as a chair,


    ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°Ohh, you wouldn¡¯t believe it! He was sooo dreamy! Like a prince!¡±


    ¡°He is a prince.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe~! I know. Still, he was very handsome and his aura was so gentle and warm and, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Sheherazade, calm down.¡±


    Sitting on her bed, Isis gathered her legs under her and closed her eyes once again.


    Initially, she should have participated at the banquet, but she had refused. She did not wish to meet that so-called prince.


    That¡¯s why she had sent her one and only friend, Sheherazade, to scout the situation a little.


    Sheherazade was a youthful green-haired woman. She wore a yellow robe that seemed to be made out of pure light. Her greatest characteristics were the insect-like wings fluttering behind her and her frame small enough to fit on a palm.


    She was a fairy.


    Fairies were a race of elemental creatures attuned to woods and water. They lived in the territory of Yggdrasil, the divine beast of Humilitas.


    Sheherazade had entered the Phoenixes territory by mistake and would have been dead if not for Isis saving her. For this reason, the two of them became great friends.


    Once Sheherazade calmed her excited feelings, she blushed and apologized,


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just, from where I am, dragons are like superstars you know!?¡±


    Isis chuckled,


    ¡°Well, anyways I will meet him tomorrow, whether I like it or not. So I will make my own decision.¡±


    Laying down, she curled up on her bed, while asking,


    "Sheherazade, please tell me another story."


    "Boo! You do know that I already wrote one thousand stories because of you?"


    Isis gave an impish smile, while her eyes stayed closed, "Then let''s make it one thousand and one."


    [1]: The normal and most used traduction for Nent is Nut. Nent or Nuit or Nunut are older traditions. Even so, Calling someone Nut, weirds me out XD. So I chose Nent.


    [2]: In myth. Isis is basically the strongest deity thanks to her magical powers. She is also a goddess of death and funeral. She is also a necromancer in myth since she resurrected her dead husband, Osiris, as an undead mummy. She is the first and oldest necromancer in a way.


    (AN:In chinese myth, phoenix, the original one, had five colors. ck, white, red, green and yellow. Each color represents the virtues of Confucius, making phoenix the most virtuous being of all, meanwhile Dragons in most myth, are slothful, lustful, greedy, prideful and wrathful, making them the most sinful beings. Man, it always feels great to n things so thoroughly. Though it hurts my head and makes my pace quite slow. Also, I don¡¯t need to say who the ck phoenix will be.)


    Trivia: For those curious about the five virtues of Phoenix in Chinese myth. It¡¯s


    Ren: Kindness: altruism, humanity andpassion.


    Yi: Honesty and integrity: loyalty, and consideration for others.


    Zhi: Knowledge.


    Xin: Faithfulness and Integrity.


    Li: Propriety: courtesy and correct Behavior.

 Chapter 178 CH 157: WHO ARE YOU…?

    As the days went by, Sol became a little used to life in the Phoenix dimension.


    If he counted his first day in the desert, it has already been four days since he came here.


    He had been a little worried at first, but thankfully, from what Gabriel had informed him, the current difference in time between the known part of the Astral realm and the Mortal realm was that of the ratio 12:1.


    Meaning that 12 days here would only be equal to one day in the mortal realm.


    This news had really pleased him because it meant that he had more time to convince a Phoenix to be his partner and follow him to the dragon territory. After all, this contract wouldst for a lifetime, which, when considering his natural life span, was really really long.


    For Sol, the best partner would have been one of Gabriel''s direct daughters, but those four were the cornerstone of this territory and it was nearly impossible for them to leave it for him.


    His father had been lucky in that Tiamat had nine children rather than four.


    Sometimes, Sol wondered if the goddesses had a fetish for the number four.


    It was weird that basically all kingdoms always and divine beasts always had four people below them. In fact, even of the four Tiamat, only 4 out of her 8 remaining children were Kings.


    He had asked this in passing to Gabriel, but she assured him that it was simply a coincidence.


    For example, Asmodeus only had two children. The first one was named Jormungandr. As for the second one, Gabriel told him that no one knew who it was.


    Sol had long since stopped being surprised at the mention of mythical names. In fact, if Asmodeus''s children had a normal name, he would have been really surprised.


    During this week, Sol hadn''t been idle.


    He had been walking around in the pce and even looked at the city below.


    The first thing he understood was that even though this was the Phoenix territory, the poption did not only consist of Phoenixes.


    There were many spirits in this world, mainly of the fire or ice elements. How the ice or water spirits could survive in this heat was something he couldn''t really understand, but it was what it was.


    Spirits were beings that could only be born in zones with high concentrations of mana.


    In essence, the weaker spirits had no physical form and their greatest characteristic was the fact that they were immune to all physical attacks¡ªwhich was pretty useless considering all races could use mana.


    Only high-ranked spirits took physical forms, generally that of an animal.


    At an even higher rank, those spirits would take a human form, which was something that Sol chalked to the goddess having such an appearance.


    This was the only reason Sol could imagine. After all, even though the human body was useful for construction, that meant absolutely nothing in a world where magic existed.


    When you removed this skill, the human body was nothing more than the weakest and most inefficient body in the world.


    From the muscles to the bones and ligaments, there were so many things to nitpick at that it was funny.


    Aside from the spirits living and filling the city as if they were humans, there were, of course, Phoenixes, although extremely rare.


    Gabriel only separated her energy four times, giving birth to those four Phoenixes he saw during the banquet.


    Nephthys, the queen, only had one daughter. As for others, from what he gleaned they only had between 3 to 5 daughters each, each of those daughters having their own.


    This kind of asexual reproduction that all half energy beings were able to do was something quite fascinating. But the limits to this were also clear.<sub> </sub>


    Firstly, there was a fixed limit to the number of children that could be produced that way.


    The stronger you were, the more you could produce, but even a top-tier demi-god like Gabriel only had four direct children.


    It was possible for them to give birth normally, as they were also partially organic beings, but those situations were extremely rare and that was without adding the low rate chances of hybrids being born.


    This was the main reason for the extremely low number of divine beasts.


    Though, the dragons seemed to be on a different scale.


    Not only was Tiamat strong enough to separate her energy nine times, but the fact that dragons could impregnate basically any living being also made it so that their base poption was the second-highest among all divine beasts.


    The highest one was of course Yggdrasil, for obvious reasons.


    "So, how long are you going to spy on me?"


    Currently, Sol was sitting with his feet crossed under him on the roof of the pce.


    The six moons hung high in the sky and the weather was freezing cold. Thankfully, Sol was already more or less used to the temperature and only felt a slight chill.


    He was training his own resistance by warming himself with his mana cirction.


    The main advantage of this exercise was a slight increase in gathering and cirction speed of mana. It wasn''t much, but it did the job.


    At the same time, meditation helped him rx and empty his head from all distracting thoughts.


    From behind him, a ck-haired woman or rather, a ck-haired young girl appeared, prompting him to tilt his head in confusion.


    During those seven days, he had seen many exotic sights. White hair, literally fiery red skin or transparent water one¡ª Seeing an undine had been a pretty weird experience.


    He had also seen many phoenixes, but they all had inmon those beautiful golden eyes, something that the girlcked. Though, her scarlet pupils were a sight to behold.


    This wasn¡¯t all. Compared to the usually tanned skin he had been used to seeing, this girl had a pale white skin that made it seem like she suffered from severe anemia.


    This pce belonged to the highest-ranked phoenixes. Anyone who was here was either a servant or a phoenix.


    This girl was obviously not a servant, this meant that even though she looked quite different, the chances of her being a phoenix were rather high. Either that or she was some kind of guest¡ªa possibility couldn¡¯t be dismissed.


    In any case, what she was didn¡¯t matter. What really mattered was-


    ¡®She is strong.¡¯


    -It had been a while since he felt such pressure.


    It was neither the pressure of someone overwhelmingly stronger than him nor was it the pressure of someone drastically weaker than him.


    It was the pressure that rivaled his own ¡ª that of a peer.


    (AN: Isis is the child between a King-ranked Phoenix and a Demigod-ranked Demon. Sol is the child between a King-ranked Dragon and a human Demigod. The only reason Sol is more talented than her is that he is also Blessed. Which is a cheat all on it¡¯s own. Then, there is the innocent Nuwa. Pretty sure everyone already guessed who her father is.)

 Chapter 179 CH 158: I AM…

    A few moments ago, hidden in the shadows, Isis observed Sol as he meditated, curiosity evident in her eyes.


    During those few short days, Sheherazade had been pestering her so much about how dreamy and whatever he was like. She seemed more like a fangirl than anything else. What¡¯s more, her mother had been insisting that she should at least meet him and make her decision after getting to know him better.


    Since she had nothing to lose, she had decided that she could at least grace him the chance of a meeting before she rejected him.


    Now that she saw him, she had to admit that Sheherazade was indeed right. He was indeed pretty handsome.


    But what really sparked her curiosity wasn''t just his appearance.


    All her life, she had lived in the underworld dimension of her father, and sometimes visited the heaven realm.


    Few people were more intimate with death than her and she understood one truth, no matter how you looked like when you were alive, when you died, all that would be left would be a rotting body and a soul.


    The physical body was nothing more than a temporary residence that housed the eternal soul that could or would eventually be discarded in the long river of time.


    As such, what she paid attention to the most was---his soul.


    ''So he is a reincarnator, like father.''


    When she looked at Sol, what she saw wasn''t only his physical appearance, but also a soul shining with golden light. It was a light so bright she felt as if she was facing the sun.


    Soul Sight.


    An Innate skill very few beings possess, even among demi-gods.


    But all those who did were also innately talented either in matters of the mind or the soul.


    When her father discovered she had inherited this skill from him, he had been ecstatic. At the same time, he had shown a rare serious side of himself as he gave her a piece of advice.


    She remembered quite clearly what he had told her on that day,


    [If you see anyone with a soul that is different from everyone else, then be extremely wary of them. You never know what kind of people they might have been in their previous life.]


    -----


    "So, how long are you going to spy on me?"


    ''Oh?''


    She was quite startled at being called out but did not let it get to her as she calmly walked out of her hiding ce.


    Her pace was slow, almost regal. The moment their eyes met, Isis could already imagine the gear turning in his brain as he tried to discover who she was.


    Chuckling a little, she gave a curtsy and introduced herself, "My name is Sheherazade, like you, I am a guest in this pce. How should I address you?"


    She lied smoothly without missing a beat. Even though she had already decided to reject him, since she had relented against her mother''s assault, she decided that she should at least try to get to know him better.


    When she mentioned her name, Sol frowned a little before nodding with a refreshing smile,


    "I do not know why you are trying to hide your identity, but I am not interested in discovering it either."


    Giving a salute he also introduced himself, "My name is Sol. Nice to meet you."


    Isis raised an eyebrow at this,


    ''First when I was hiding and now this. He really is more perceptive than I thought.''


    Her train of thought did not disturb her words however, and she answered quite calmly.


    "Oh? What could you mean? I believe that I have been perfectly honest with you."


    Answering to his smile with one of her own, a feeling of tension seemed to slowly fill the roof of the pce.


    On one side stood a man with golden hair and blue eyes, meanwhile, on the other side stood one with lustrous ck hair and beautiful scarlet pupilles.


    ¡°By the way, you are reallycking, you know?¡±


    ----


    Currently watching the scene from afar with Nephthys sitting close to her, Gabriel couldn''t help but show a worried expression,


    "Will this really work?"


    Nephthys showed a bitter smile.


    Isis was a strong willed girl used to people bending backwards to fulfill her slightest desire.


    It didn''t help that since she was a necromancer, she basically never had anyone who could go against her.


    Meanwhile, from what she knew about Sol, he was no pushover either and behind his gentle smile was a bone deep pride.


    Two strong willed people working with each other meant that either one of the two would have to lower themselves or it wouldn''t work.


    "Well, it is worrying, but there''s nothing we can do about it. A contract cannot be made if one of the two parties does not wish for it. It''s the rule the goddesses ced themselves. Everything will depend on Sol."


    Nephthys nodded before standing up.


    "Where are you going?"


    "Even though Sol has tried to be polite, it is clear that he is in a hurry. I decided to create a small list of Phoenixes that could be suitable and who would be interested in forming a contract with him."


    Gabriel ced a finger under her chin before acquiescing.


    "This is the best way."


    Giving a look at the departing figure of her daughter, Gabriel let out a sigh.


    She did not tell her daughter, but this situation was far more serious than either of them could see.<sub> </sub>


    Her goddess did not urge her, but it was clear that whatever machinations Lady Luxuria had, Isis was an importantponent in it.


    She wouldn''t be surprised if Luxuria broke some of the rules of the game just to make sure that Isis made that contract, even if she had to pay some price.


    ''I really hope that it does note to this.''


    ----


    Back to Sol and Isis, Sol had to give his all to not let his growing irritation show on his face.


    He was calmly meditating when some weird girl began to spy on him.


    He did not know nor did he wish to know why she lied about her name as it had absolutely nothing to do with him.


    But now that crazy girl insulted him?


    The only reason he did not explode was that he was a guest in a foreign territory. He did not wish to make a fuss if it was not necessary.


    Taking a deep breath, he let it out and spoke calmly,


    ¡°Could you borate please?¡±


    Sol believed in self improvement more than anything. Since she had something to say about him, he was willing to listen.


    He could ept any harsh criticism as long as it was reasonable.


    Isis gave a bright smile as she answered,


    ¡°I could, but¡ªWhy should I?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A tense silence fell between the two.


    Sol, whose smile vanished for a few moment, smiled once again as he nodded,


    ¡°You are right.¡±


    He then proceeded to ignore her while he sat back once again and began to meditate.


    Isis meanwhile showed a surprised expression, she had provoked him like this because she wished to push him to attack her. Once it happened, her mother would have no ground to force them to form a contract.


    ¡°Hmph! Coward!¡±


    ¡°Better be a coward than a crazy bitch.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Me what? or should I say that you are an inconsiderate spoiled girl?¡±


    ¡°You have done it. If you beg me, I will tell you what is wrong with you.¡±


    Sol sneered, ¡°Not only are you crazy, you are also stupid. Hahaha, I mean, if I amcking something, I simply have to ask the phoenixes here, if that doesn¡¯t work I can ask the dragons, either way, those people will be much stronger than you.¡±


    It was rare for Sol to explode like this.


    If the women such as Milia or Lilith were there to see this scene, they would have not believed their eyes.


    Even Sol could not really exin why. Though, he had an inkling.


    All his life in this world, he always had to act like a prim and proper prince.


    Even in front of his women, he had to act like a mature man because most of them were emotionally wounded and what they needed was someone who could understand them. Not a brat.


    Because of those responsibilities, Sol always watched how he spoke and acted in front of the others.


    He did not find it to be a burden. He did not think of it as bad.


    But it seemed that now that he was far away from all responsibilities, he could act as willfully as he wished.


    Here, he wasn''t the prince of Lustburg. No one even cared about him being a future king.


    There was also no one he had an emotional attachment to nor did he need to force himself to look good.


    For the first time in his life, he could really act however he wished and he had to admit that it felt pretty great.


    Isis was left speechless at Sol''s rebuttal. After all, he was right. She might have an edge thanks to her soul sight, but as long as he asked the help of a demigod or even a king, it would be enough.


    Her eyes rolled around a little, before she came with an idea,


    "Let''s make a bet, if you win-"


    "I refuse."


    "Wait! Listen to me. It will be very advantageous for you."


    "And I said, I refuse."


    "Argh!! Will you listen!?"


    "I could, but¡ªWhy should I?"


    (AN: Welp. Haha. The first meeting did not really go that well. Let''s hope they be better. Isis'' personality is a little based on a mix between Rin and Luvia from Fate. Of course, just a little. Basically imagine a tsundere but without everything that makes tsundere and a spoiled rich princess who isn''t naive. In book 1 we have seen Sol slowly grow to be ready to take responsibility as a King. I want book 2 to be more about Sol finding his own way, his own truth. Also for the first time, Sol will have to form rtionships without having the support of years of getting to know each other. Let''s see how he and Isis slowly get closer.)

 Chapter 180 CH 159: OUTING (1)

    Back in her room, Isis jumped on her bed and let out a muffled scream full of frustration.


    Fluttering out of her hair, the true Sheherazade, which had managed to stay hidden from Sol¡¯s perception by using her mor, let out a bell-likeugh while floating.


    Thisugh did nothing but increase the frustration of Isis, as she took out a pillow and threw it at her little friend.


    "Hey! It isn''t my fault that you gotpletely owned during your little sh."


    Even as she dodged the rather slow projectile, Sheherazade continued tough at her friend.


    It had been quite some time since she fell in the Phoenix territory and became friends with Isis and because of this, she understood the circumstances of her friend.


    Isis'' position within the Phoenixesmunity was hard to ce.


    Divine beasts in general did not care about the authority one obtained from birthright.


    As such, even though she was the daughter of the Nephthys, the Phoenix Queen, it did not really matter to most of them.


    What mattered though was that Isis was, without a doubt, the strongest in her generation and already stood out as a Duke.


    There was no doubt that she would soon reach the King level and all the Phoenixes were in agreement that she had high chances of bing the second demi-god of the Phoenix n.


    Such pedigree should have made her the most loved and respected Phoenix.


    But, there was a little problem¡ªher father.


    p All divine beasts, no matter how sinful or virtuous, absolutely hated necromancy since it went against the natural order. And as the first and strongest necromancer, it wouldn''t be a mistake to say that Anubis was the most hated being in the Astral realm.</anda>


    There were many instances where some of the divine beasts proposed an all-out attack against him before he became a demi-god.


    This put Isis in a very awkward situation.


    The Phoenixes did not outright bully her but at the same time, they did not hide their dislike toward her.


    That¡¯s why-


    "Tell me the truth. You were happy, right?"


    Sheherazade stoppedughing as shended on her friend''s head.


    When she was with her father, no one defied her as she was the princess of the dead. Meanwhile, in the world of her mother, no one talked to her.


    Because of this, for Isis, this should have been the very first time she had found someone with whom she could argue.


    Blushing a little at this, Isis humphed and turned her head away,


    "Anyway, I need to take my revenge. Could you change him into a frog or something like that?"


    Sheherazade shook her head, "You know very well that wish magic doesn''t work like that. Also, his resistance is too powerful. If I tried, chances are that I would be the one changed into a frog."


    "What about changing his luck?"


    This time Sheherazadepletely nched.


    "Don''t even think about it! He''s a Blessed! His luck was bestowed by a goddess! Not even a demi-god can affect his luck without risking repercussions."


    Isis pouted but did not force her friend.


    Despite its name, wish magic was not something that could realize all wishes and there was much danger surrounding it if one was too greedy. What''s more, she just wanted to y some pranks as revenge, not harm him.


    Clenching her fist, she swore to herself,


    "I will get back at him."


    Of course, she totally ignored the fact that she was the one who started this whole debacle.


    What she didn¡¯t know though and that Sheherazade avoided to point out was the giddy smile on her face. No matter how much she tried to hide it, Isis was really happy.


    ---


    Sol, meanwhile, was also very frustrated, though for different reasons.


    He did not know who Sheherazade really was, but it didn''t matter. At least he was sure that she was not an enemy.


    Demigods weren''t omniscient, even in their dimension, but there was no way they would overlook an intruder so close.


    Resting on his bed, Sol groaned and covered his face.


    He could not understand why he had acted so childishly with that girl.


    Back in the mortal realm, even after being taunted by Arachne Mris for years, he never lost hisposure.


    But this wasn''t all.


    "What am I doing wrong?"<sub> </sub>


    He remembered the words of that girl before the whole argument began. It did not seem that she was lying and this frustrated him.


    He had been training with Lilith, Medea, Persephone, and even Ambrosia. If there was something wrong with the way he was training they should have caught it.


    What could they have overlooked?


    He wondered if he should ask Gabriel, but the two of them weren''t that close. She had absolutely no reasons to help train him.


    ''This feels pretty weird.''


    Calming down, Sol began to look at his ceiling absentmindedly.


    All his life, he had been surrounded by people who thought of his life and needs as the most important thing in the world.


    People that werepletely devoted to him, who would not hesitate toy down their lives if it was to save him.


    Even outside of his closed circle, he was surrounded by people doing their best to fulfill all his desires since he was the future king.


    As such, the transition from there to here had been a little jarring.


    Here, he wasn''t the center of the world.


    The fact that it displeased him said many things about the way his personality had slowly been changing and he was honestly grateful.


    Because at this rate¡ªhe would have taken the love of his women for granted.


    Not only that, he would have begun to expect everyone else to do the same.


    At least, the bad way of thinking that had been unconsciously growing in his heart had been squashed.


    He wasn''t the center of the world.


    His existence only really mattered to a few people.


    This was something he should not forget in order to not fall into hubris.


    ''Well, I should sleep now.''


    He just hoped that he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with that weird girl tomorrow.


    ----


    ¡®I should have known better.¡¯


    The next morning, after a little session of training and a good bath, Sol sighed as he took a seat on the table for breakfast.


    Normally, he would spend a little time with both Nepthphys and Gabriel before asking for a servant that would guide him in the city.


    Thanks to the influence of the goddesses, all intelligent beings spoke the same universalnguage. Of course, there were some little differences in dialect and so on, but that wasn¡¯t the problem.


    The customs and traditions of this ce were obviously different from his, and as such, he wanted to avoid a situation where he created a problem because he didn¡¯t use the right expression.


    He learned this lesson during his first outing when a weird kind of crocodile man took his smile as a sign of aggression.


    This time though, the atmosphere was clearly different.


    After taking a sip of the ice-cold drink that was served to him, Sol threw a look at the ck-haired beauty sitting on the side, two-ce away from him who was grinning at him.


    ¡°So¡­ What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I told you I was a guest here, right?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    He sighed and was about to stand up but was stopped by her,


    ¡°Where are you going? I was asked to serve as your guide this time, or are you too much a coward to go out with a frail and beautiful girl like me?¡±


    Sol hesitated a little before nodding and sitting down. He was obviously not moved by her provocation. He simply thought that this would be the perfect asion to obtain the information he wished out of her.


    Isis, meanwhile, let out a triumphant smile.


    She did not wish to throw away the identity of Sheherazade she had managed to obtain yesterday. As such, she had asked her mother to back her up this morning but it hadn¡¯t been easy.


    Phoenixes were creatures who absolutely hated lying ¡ª even lies by omissions. The greatestpromise her mother had allowed was simply being absent and as such not being forced to lie.


    ¡®Well, this is going to be fun! Should I lose him in the desert? Send him to exotic creatures? Make him fall into debt?¡¯


    She hummed to herself as she thought about all the possible pranks she could y that would embarrass him while not really harming him.


    (AN: Mhm. Really feels weird to write such a childish character. But it¡¯s interesting. After all, before her, all the women of Sol could have been main characters of their own Soap opera. Developing their rtionship will be funny. What is your opinion on Isis currently? Isis is basically that sad child that ys pranks not out of spit or intention to harm, but simply because she is lonely and wants attention. )

 Chapter 181 CH 160: OUTING (2)

    "Ugh! What a sweltering heat."


    Sol, who had been ready to pass a stifling day, chuckled a little bit as he watched ¡®Sheherazade¡¯ groan andin while walking next to him.


    ¡°Perhaps, you should wear something else?¡±


    Looking at her current attire, Sol already felt hot even though he was using his scales.


    She was covered from head to toe in a ck robe that hid all her features, and her face was covered by a ck veil.


    At his question, she ced her arms on either side of her hips and pushed out her chest with pride,


    "Hum! Hum! What do you know? I am a star here, you know? If they recognized me, everyone would rush while screaming."


    Isis was not lying. If Phoenixes disliked necromancers because of what they represented, then spirits, born from nature, were positively frightened of necromancers.


    The attire she wore wasn''t just to hide her face, with Sheherazade helping her and the fact that she was a Phoenix hybrid, it wasn''t difficult to hide her aura of death.


    If she showed her appearance though, everyone would run away from her while screaming in fear.


    ''It was pretty depressing the first time it happened.''


    Thinking about this event, Isis''s upbeat mode abated slightly.


    On Sol''s side, while he did not know the truth behind her statement, he understood that she was hiding something.


    Clearly, she did not wish to be recognized, which proved that she wasn¡¯t just a simple guest despite what she wanted him to believe.


    He initially thought that she was a phoenix, but now he was wondering if he was wrong. After all, a phoenix would find such heat to be nothing.


    Though, whatever the truth was, it didn¡¯t matter to him.


    "Also, it isn''t like I''m the only one hiding my features."


    Sol awkwardlyughed. After all, he was also wearing a cloak that entirely hid his features.


    Golden hair and blue eyes were a mix that was known through all the realms.


    The divine beasts may not really care, but it wasn''t the case for spirits and other races from order.


    It wouldn''t be a mistake to say that the Blessed were loved by the world.


    Isis, of course, understood all this, and could onlyugh inwardly at the contrast.


    One being d in ck and who is hated by the world walking with a being d in white and loved by the world.


    ''Must be nice...''


    She ignored the slight whisper of envy in her heart.


    ----


    After walking for a short while, Sol turned around and looked at the ridiculouslyrge pce where they came from.


    Even at this distance, the white pce could be seen clearly and radiated a sort of holy presence that warmed the hearts of those who looked at it.


    At first nce, the pce looked more of Greek origin, but he knew that this was more because of the simrities between those two cultures. On the pce, beautiful drawings of phoenixes could be seen, depicting the story of the creation of this city.


    The city itself was beautiful, even though it was hot and most people were covered in white robes to protect themselves from the heat, the city was still very active.


    Everywhere, oasis and rivers could be seen. On the rivers, small boats ferrying groups of people advanced quietly.


    Even though all the beings here possessed great power, it was a rule that no one who entered this city had the right to use it, aside from adding protection against the heat or the cold.


    In the past, some people did not respect this rule and were simply and directly executed. Showing that even though Phoenixes were kind, they were not just pushovers that could be taken advantage of.


    Many people made the mistake of equating kindness with weakness while forgetting that only the strong can afford to be kind.


    At their pace, it didn''t take long to reach a rather lively market.


    "A special perfume from the heavenly fox territory! Just for 30 Vira! One bottle for 30 Vira! This is a true catch!"


    "A piece of eternal ice from Divine snake territory! Never fear the heat again! Price can be discussed!"


    "Selling eggs from unknown species. Come and try your chance! You may even get mutant beasts!"


    The moment Sol stepped into the market, his ears were immediately assaulted by a plethora of sounds.


    People were shouting left and right to sell their merchandise while others were haggling.


    Even though no one fought, it was easy to see arguments and curses exploding here and there.


    The atmosphere was overall very heated and full of life.


    "This is the market. People sell everything here."


    "...Yeah...Thanks, Miss Obvious. I really didn''t realize it was a market until you pointed it out."


    Isis blushed heavily under her veil at the obvious sarcasm.


    "Hmph! I just wanted to make it clear for you. Anyway, how much do you have on your card?"


    Sol thought back to the golden card Nephthys had given him when he first went out.


    He had been pretty surprised at the fact that the Astral realm had their own versions of credit cards.


    The Vira was the universal currency in the Astral realm<sub> </sub>


    "Hum, about ten thousand?"


    "Ten thousand? Hum¡­ it''s about average."


    Listening to the conversation between the two, some of the people who were passing by clutched their chest in pain and frustration.


    Sol, who had more or less grasped the value of this currency, gave a bitter smile under his cloak.


    ''That girl must really be spoiled.''


    Sol thought idly without casting any judgment.


    After all, when it came to being spoiled, few people couldpare to him.


    If it weren''t for the fact that he was a reincarnator, he would have really changed into a no-good young master type.


    "Well then¡­ It''s time for shopping!"


    "You are the guide, lead the way."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "You are a very terrible guide¨CYou know that?"


    "Oh shut up okay!? I-I am not lost. I am just showing you around."


    Isis felt that her face was on fire as she shouted and wished she could hide in a hole. She never thought that her n to bring him to troublesome ces would fail in the first step.


    She had forgotten that since she wasn''t really appreciated outside, she rarely went out.


    ''What a humiliation!''


    "Uhuh¡­"


    Sol eyed her with skeptical eyes as he nodded, he did not miss the stutter in her words.


    It had been twenty minutes since they had been walking around, but this market seemed to have no end.


    He couldn''t even see the pce anymore.


    "Well, I guess we should just look around like you said."


    Ignoring her, Sol looked at the shops that littered the current zone.


    The hustle and bustle of the previous part of the market were absent and was reced by a solemn air.


    What was sold here weren''t luxury products, but rather weapons, armors, and the like.


    Since Sol had no particr goals, the two of them walked around and stopped in front of a store selling swords.


    "Hello dear clients, how may I help you?"


    Sol nodded to the friendly salesman, a man that seemed to bepletely made out of rock, and focused his attention on the weapons disyed before shaking his head.


    Some of those weapons were quite expensive, even reaching 2000 Vira.


    But it did not particrly attract him. After all,


    ''Those weapons are lower quality than what Theresa created for Setsuna and Lilin.''


    Even though he was not an expert, he could still see the clear difference between the creations of Theresa and the ones disyed here.


    It was surprising that a weapon store in a higher realm sold lesser quality weapons, but it showed once again just how talented Theresa was.


    The rock man could see Sol''s disinterest in his wares and immediately lost his friendly smile as he sat back.


    The only reason he did not hurl insults at the man for wasting his time was that people of his race, despite their fierce appearance, were not warlike in nature.


    "Let''s go, there''s nothing to see here."


    Isis did not even nce at the weapons. She did not use swords and only had a short dagger for self-defense, in case her power did not work.


    What''s more, if she wished for a weapon, she just had to ask, and the greatest dwarven smiths to ever live would be resurrected from the dead to make it for her.


    Falling in steps beside her as she began to walk away, Sol murmured,


    "Well, let''s see where our dear guide will bring us this time."


    He snickered at the slight staggering in her steps.


    ----


    At a certain distance, two men, one with the head of an alligator and another with that of a lion were observing Sol and Isis, while avoiding to fix their stares on them, as to not trigger their instincts.


    The lion-headed man asked, "Are you sure it''s him?"


    "Yeah, even though he is hiding his features, I recognized his energy signature. That man is definitely a Blessed. You know what it means, right?"


    The lion-man grinned, showing a sharp row of teeth "Jackpot! We are going to be rich! We need to find a way to bring him outside of the city. Let''s warn the others."


    Nodding to each other, they took a step back and vanished into the crowd.

 Chapter 182 CH 161: JUDGEMENT

    [Phoenix''s territory, Desert zone]


    "So, you are saying that you simply wanted to steal money from us because we appeared to be rich and you had no intention of harming us?"


    Crouching down to face a lion-headed man that was bleeding, Sol asked calmly.


    The man nodded hurriedly while doing his best to keep his mouth shut and not show his teeth.


    Inwardly, he couldn''t help but curse his friend whose dead and mangled body could be seen from the corner of his eyes.


    At first, everything went swimmingly well.


    By pretending to be peddlers who needed help because of their broken caravans, they had managed to bring their two unsuspecting victims outside of the city.


    It hadn''t been the first time they did something like this and the next step would have been to abduct their helpless targets.


    As for the target being stronger than them? He had never entertained that notion.


    He was already near the peak of the Count rank. Even though he had no way of entering the Duke rank, thanks to his innate strength, he always liked to brag that he was the strongest below Duke.


    People at the Duke rank could already form their own organizations and most of them were rted to Phoenixes. There was no way those two targets could pose problems to his teams.


    How wrong has he been?


    It had been a total massacre.


    The moment they turned hostile, they were helpless to learn that the role of hunter had never been theirs.


    Now, he was the sole survivor of his team and all he could do was beg and hope that they would spare him.


    Ignoring the trembling man, Sol, whose cloak was still spotless, decided to get the opinion of hispanion.


    "Sheherazade, what do you think?"


    Sol did not believe him at all. It would have been so much easier if he could ess his dimension, but Gabriel had refused his demand and, after learning the reason, he couldn''t me her.


    From her own words, allowing him to use his dimension in her territory was like opening all the doors of a castle and breaking all the walls.


    "... Sheherazade ? I am speaking to you."


    "Oh! You mean me? Sorry, sorry! I was just a little distracted."


    Sol gave her an incredulous look before shaking his head.


    ''At least if you want to use a fake name, try to remember it...''


    Sighing, he asked once again, "What do you think?"


    p "Hum¡­ he''s from the Asad race. From what I know, those guys are ferocious and always advance in a band. Stragglers would also swear their loyalty to someone they judge worthy."</anda>


    ¡®Sheherazade¡¯ leaned down and looked at the eyes of the Asad man before nodding,


    "No doubt, he is lying."


    "What makes you so sure?"


    Sol also believed they were lying, but he had no evidence to back him up.


    "The eyes are the windows of the soul and souls don¡¯t lie."


    She mumbled before nodding,


    "Shall we kill him?"


    Sol was a little startled at this question thrown in perfect innocence.


    He then let out a rueful smile when he remembered that just because she looked and acted like a cute innocent young girl didn''t mean she didn''t hide a deep ruthlessness.


    In fact, he was more surprised at his own actions.


    He had never really been the bloodthirsty type. But it seemed that sinceing here, he was restraining himself less and less.


    What Sol misunderstood though was that Isis wasn''t particrly ruthless. In fact, she had never killed anyone in her life.


    It was just that she had been surrounded by death for all her life and put a very low emphasis on life.


    Death was nothing more than another state in the cycle of rebirth.


    Closing his eyes in thoughts, he asked,


    "Do you have some kind of interrogation skills that would allow you to understand what is happening?"


    Isis, or as Sol knew her, Sheherazade, shuffled her feet a little before nodding.


    "I do have such a skill."


    He could see that she seemed ufortable at the mention of the skill,


    "I can step away if you wish."


    Sol did not miss the way the tension left her shoulders. Taking his cue, he turned around and began to walk away, only stopping when he was about 200 meters away.


    ----


    Isis, now alone with the Asad, sighed before taking off the veil on her face,


    "You...!"


    His eyes widened at the face that greeted him. How could he not recognize her? After all, her face was stered on the wall of all bandit organizations with a stern warning to never approach her.


    Even though they were ouws, they all knew that there was one rule they could never break and that was attacking a Phoenix, much less the daughter of the queen.


    Regret immediately filled his heart before it was reced by rage,


    "If only you didn''t-"


    His words were cut short as a hand was ced at the top of his head and his gaze interlocked with shining scarlet pupils.


    "Show me your soul."


    Her voice seemed toe out of the depth of the greatest abyss and filled his spirit.


    Memories of his life from the day he was born shed through his mind.


    His life as a child.


    His life as a teen.


    His first kill.


    Everything about him was like an open book.


    "Argh!!"


    He let out a roar of pain, while his eyes began to convulse in their sockets, and tears of blood fell from his eyes.


    In the deepest part of his mind, he could see the same ck-haired woman sitting on a throne. On her side, a wolf-like monster the size of a house was crouching down and looking at him with hunger evident in its eyes.


    Behind her, a ck scale was floating steadily while measuring two objects. On one side was a golden feather, and on the other side was a heart that beat slowly.


    "What is happening!?"


    He screamed inwardly, but what answered was a cold emotionless voice.


    [You are being judged.]


    He tried to move, but was forced to kneel on the ground while his wrist and heels were chained strongly.


    All he could do was watch the moments of his life sh in front of his eyes.


    At first, during the moment of his childhood, the feather seemed heavier.


    But, the more recent the events were, the heavier the heart became.


    This wasn''t all. Each time a memory of him killing someone passed, a dark silhouette with simr features would emerge from his shadow in front of him, hatred and resentment surrounding it.


    It didn''t take long for him to understand what was happening and he began shaking his head in despair.<sub> </sub>


    "...No...no...no...This wasn''t my fault! I didn''t want to do any of this!"


    He pleaded, groveling on the ground.


    "Please! I beg you! Please spare me!"


    All he received was a mocking feral grin from the beast.


    At the same time that he begged, his memory went through the moment when his own victims were begging for their life.


    At longst, the film of memories stopped and the result was clear for him to see ¡ª The heart was far heavier than the feather.


    Meanwhile, behind him, hundreds of souls watched him with a ravenous expressions.


    Immediately, the same emotionless voice sounded again,


    [You have been judged.]


    "No¡­"


    He threw a feebleint.


    [You are a great sinner.]


    "Please¡­"


    He begged as he kneeled in front of the ck-haired woman.


    [Your punishment is...Death]


    Unfortunately, all glimmers of hope vanished the moment those words were uttered.


    Thest thing he saw was his heart being devoured by the hungry monster.


    Thest thing he felt was his body being torn apart by hundreds of resentful souls.


    ---


    On the outside world, all Sol heard was the blood-freezing scream of pain of the man, before everything stopped.


    When he turned around, even though he was quite far, he could see tears of blood streaming from the face of the Lion while his tongue was sticking out.


    Aside from this, there were absolutely no wounds to the body of the man, but no life could be felt in him.


    Walking toward ¡®Sheherazade¡¯, he could feel the heavy air around her, as if she was waiting for him to react negatively. But all he did was let out a joke.


    "Remind me to never piss you off."


    ¡®Sheherazade¡¯ seemed startled before letting out a smiling,


    "Hmph! Now you finally understand my greatness."


    "Of course, of course. So, what kind of information did you get?"


    The smile on ¡®Sheherazade''s¡¯ face became cold as she covered her face with her veil.


    "We need to move fast."


    ----


    The ring suns were shining brightly on the endless desert. The yellow sand was heated to a temperature unbearable for the human body.


    A group of twenty was trudging through the desert.


    Fifteen of them were d in torn and tattered gray robes. Their robes had not been cleaned for goddesses knew how long; They were drenched in sweat, releasing a disgusting stench, and their clothes were stuck to their wet bodies. Their lips were cracking, and their eyes draped down.


    Their fatigue was evident from the look on their faces. They were moving shakily, it was as though they were going to copse at any moment. The horses that they brought along also looked sick and skinny.


    Leading them was a man with the head of an ox, a Taurus, as well as four others of the same race protecting the group from the side.


    As befitting of their race, the five of them were hulking men of nearly 2 meters with bulging muscles.


    Despite the heat brought by the suns, they walked steadily with their torso naked without any problems.


    "Advance faster! Those who cause the caravan to slow down will be punished."


    His imposing voice made the fifteen people d in rags shiver as they forced their tired bodies to advance.


    "Leader, where do you think Aslong and the other three are? We were supposed to meet at the supply point after the main city."


    One of the Taurus, holding arge axe in his muscr hands asked. Clearly, he wasn''t particrly interested in the topic but simply asked out of boredom.


    The leader scratched his dark red horns before grunting,


    "That bastard Aslong is a greedy asshole. Most likely he found some sucker that could be used as a Vira production supply or something of the like."


    "Oh!!"


    "The boss is so smart!"


    The grunts immediately began to suck up to him by showering him in praises.


    Puffing hot air from hisrge nose, their red-horned Taurus epted the praise with a smug expression.


    "Anyway, the matriarch will give us the best reward. We always find the highest number of products."


    At the mention of the matriarch, the five of them showed an expression of total devotion.


    The matriarch was a beautiful and powerful woman from the spirit race.


    Even though she looked more like a human, the Taurus saw no problem in this. To begin with, they were a lustful race and could find beauty in any female, no matter what the race was.


    "Yes! I am sure that the boss will catch the eyes of the matriarch."


    The others were about to follow another round of praise when they felt all the hair of their bodies stand.


    Raising their heads, they could see a shadow in the sky falling in their direction at an incredibly high speed.


    BOOM!!


    The moment that unidentified objects fell in front of them, a huge explosion followed.


    "*Cough* *Cough* Bastard! Is this how you treat ady!?"


    "You should first act like ady if you wish to be treated like one."


    When the dust and the sand dissipated, the Taurus were greeted to the sight of two people cloaked from head to toe. One in white and the other, obviously a woman, in ck.


    Even though the two of them seemed so frail and smallpared to their hulking bodies, none of the Taurus dared to move.


    In fact, even if they wished, they were unable to do so with how much their bodies were shivering.


    When the two cloaked people stopped bickering, the one in white asked,


    "So, are they the ones?"


    "Indeed, I can recognize them from the memory of that Asad."


    The Taurus immediately understood what was happening.


    Immediately kneeling, the leader pleaded,


    "Please! Esteemed sirs! Do not dirty your hands by dealing with us, we are just workers. We do not make the decisions."


    The silence that befell the zone was so heavy that it was difficult to breathe. Be it the Tauruses or the refugees, none of them dared to make the slightest sound.


    Finally,


    "Very well."


    Raising his head in joy, the leader of the Taurus was about to thank them for sparing them, but his joy was short-lived.


    "Let''s kill the other four first. We only need one of them anyway."


    (AN: The first part of this little arc is close to an end. Nothing better than some killing to make people grow closer. Lol. Also, I made a mistake in thest chapter. The currency isn¡¯t Vira, but Vira. It took me more than a month and the reminding of a friend to realize that mistake.)

 Chapter 183 CH 162: ACTORS AND SPECTATORS

    The territory belonging to Gabriel had a size not lower than that of arge country. It was arge, nearly endless desert filled with nothing but sand and even more sand.


    Even so, there were some parts of thisrge stretch of desert that were inhabitable. All that was needed was an oasis.


    For people who did not wish to submit to the main city order, they would be vagrants, and create their own settlements. Some of them would keep living an honest life, while some others would choose the easy way out and be bandits.


    Sitting on her throne with Nepthphys standing next to her, Gabriel observed all those vagrants expressionlessly by using her power over her territory.


    Even after living for thousands of years, Gabriel still felt that she could not understand mortals.


    The city she created offered everything one needed to live. Even if one waspletely devoid of money, it wasn¡¯t difficult to at least have a roof under your head and food to eat. All she asked in exchange was for them to not use their power and to respect herw.


    Despite this, either because of a wish for freedom or because they did not wish to bow to anyone, they decided to live a harsher life outside of the city.


    What they did not seem to understand was that this freedom they imed to have was nothing more than an illusion.


    Gabriel had a near-godlike control over her territory. Making rain or creating an oasis was nothing for her. Those same oases the vagrants would seemingly find by ¡®luck¡¯.


    The same way, they luckily did not face sand storms, nor did they face any beast stampedes.


    When she had still been newly born, out ofpassion, she had used all her power to help everyone no matter how far they were. She thought that as someone strong, she had the obligation to help those who were weak and helpless.


    But those people soon began to take her kindness for granted. Asking her help for the slightest problem, stopped thanking her when she helped and cursing her when she didn¡¯t. In their hubris, some humans even rose and tried to usurp her power under the lead of a King ranked spirit who wished to steal her territory and im it as his own to rise to the level of Demigod.


    Of course, she showed them why divine beasts stood at the peak.


    Even to this day, legends about how fire rained from the heavens and destroyed everything were still chanted.


    This event was nothing for Gabriel, but it taught her a valuable lesson. Since that day, aside from some minimal help, she stopped intervening in the life of the mortals.


    No matter what evil she witnessed, she gazed at it with an unperturbed expression. She viewed her world as nothing more than a way to entertain herself and her boring life.


    If she saw someone with potential, she would ce dangers and opportunities in their way, slowly changing them into heroes as if she was watching a y of which she was the director.


    ¡°Mother, why are you smiling so happily?¡±


    Gabriel''s smile widened,


    ¡°You remember those Vira vers, right?¡±


    ¡°Dakin?¡±


    Nepthphis frowned. The organization was one that was giving her quite a headache. They liked to attack people and enve them for the production of Vira, or sell them in other territories by Crossroad.


    In terms of power those bandits only had two Dukes. Even though those two were admittedly quite powerful, the only reason she hadn¡¯t given the order to eradicate them was that their leader was extremely smart and cautious.


    Dakin never threatened the main city in any form nor did she ever touch phoenixes. In fact, once a young phoenix was wounded outside of the city and they healed her before sending her back to the city.


    Because of this, no phoenixes felt like attacking them. What¡¯s more, the Vira was not just some useless metal currency, but a resource extremely important for demi-gods, and as such even Nepthphys did not bother attacking them as long as they did not go past certain limits.


    After all, they may be kind but their main virtue wasn¡¯t kindness. It didn¡¯t help that most, if not all phoenixes somewhat looked down on mortals and only saw them as parasites.


    ¡°What about them? Did they finally cross the line?¡±


    Gabrielughed, ¡°How sharp of you. One of their goons attacked Sol and Isis.¡±


    Immediately, all emotion vanished from Nepthphys¡¯ face.


    The ambient temperature in the throne room jumped through the roof. In fact, even some of the metal alloys present in the room began to melt, like butter under the sun.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Calm down.¡±


    Like a lie, the extremely high temperature was reced by a chill so low that ice began to appear.


    Gabriel shook her head, ¡°Your daughter is not some helpless princess and the prince is not bad himself. Now they are about to reach the headquarters of Dakin.¡±


    Nephthys forced herself to calm down. She knew that her mother would not let anything happen to Isis.


    ¡°Show me.¡±


    She wanted to see with her own eyes what was about to happen. If she judged that Isis was in danger, she would rush towards her at maximum speed if it was necessary.


    Gabriel was satisfied that her fun wouldn¡¯t be interrupted. Thest time she had tried to test Sol, it had ended quite badly.


    Now though, she had absolutely no hand in the current events happening, and she had to admit, being a pure spectator was quite the refreshing feeling.


    -----


    [Dakin¡¯s headquarters.]


    Despite being in the middle of the desert, the headquarters of this group looked more like a little city than anything else. Thanks to the presence of different kinds of spirits or magical beings, the city was self-sustaining and since all the houses were, in fact,rge tents, their mobility was unmatched.


    In the center of the little city, stood arge tent clearly more elegant than the others. Despite the extravagant exterior, the interior was sparsely decorated, and aside from a low throne-like chair, there was no other ce to sit.


    ¡°So, you are saying that you lost contact with three teams in just a few hours?¡±


    Sitting on the throne was a tan-skinned woman wearing a revealing outfit that consisted of a pair of sandals, white pants, and two straps on her upper body that only hid her nipples, showing off the scars on her stomach.


    One of her eyes was covered by a ck eye patch while the other one seemed to glow with a pale grey light as she watched the two subordinates trembling in front of her.


    Closing her remaining eye, she scratched her long spiky hair as grey as her eyes, before standing up with sword in hand.


    ¡°You know the drill. If they still don¡¯t answer in two more hours, we will consider thempromised. Tighten the security and sound the rm if anyone suspicious approaches. The surveince zone will be shrunk to a two kilometers radius. Now, go!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    One of the men immediately nodded and walked out of the tent to convey the orders he received.


    ¡°As for you, I want you to tighten the security around the workshop. If any of them try to use themotion to escape, you are allowed to maim them. After all, they do not need their limbs to produce Vira. Also, make sure that damn cat stays chained. We can¡¯t afford to lose it now.¡±


    ¡°As you wish!¡±


    Like the previous one, he nodded and left after receiving the orders.


    Now alone, the woman massaged her shoulder with a fed-up expression. She knew that the possibility of nothing happening was rather high. But, after living for years in the desert, she understood that one should always be ready for the unexpected.


    Be it one of her enemies, or some wannabe hero, it did not really matter to her. She just had to destroy anything that tried to threaten the life she created for herself after years of struggle.


    ¡°Partner, are you ready?¡±


    What answered her was a high-pitched screech as what looked like an eaglended on her outstretched arm.


    A few hourster, as she cut a ck fireball with her sword, she understood that she was right in preparing herself.


    (AN: Mhm, I put many new concepts in this chapter. Those concepts will be very important for theter part of the story. At least for the part of the story that will happen in the Astral realm. Time to let my imagination go wild. Also Vol 7: Phoenix is a little more than half done. I already said it, but Book 2 will overall be more action-filled than Book 1 was. In fact, there''s basically more action in vol 7 alone than VOL 1 through 4bined. Opinion on the current volume would be wee.)


    By the way you can join my ******* if you like my others stories or subscribe here

 Chapter 184 CH 163: VIRA (1)

    [A few hours earlier]


    Under the scorching suns, Sol wiped the blood on his hands after taking out the body of thest Taurus alive.


    The odor of the blood made him frown a little.


    ''I should really have gone out with a weapon.''


    But how could he have guessed that he would be faced with such a weird encounter?


    ''I fought more deadly battles and killed more beings in the few days I spent here than in all my lifebined.''


    He could only be left speechless at how much strife seemed to happen.


    When he had heard of the Astral realm and the territories belonging to the divine beasts, he had imagined some kind of perfect utopia where peace existed.


    This was even more so since Gabriel was a beast of virtue.


    But, once again, the reality was sad.


    As such, the result slightly disappointed him,


    "In the end, I am still a little too naive."


    Murmuring, he turned his attention to Isis.


    While he was dealing with the four taurus, he had heard the scream of pain from behind him and looking at the blood leaking from its eyes, it was clear that she had used her skill.


    He did not really understand how this power worked, but the effects were astonishing.


    ''Perhaps I should try recruiting her?''


    Thinking so, he walked idly and stopped once beside her.


    Thest time, he had remarked that she seemed to be closer to him after he showed hisck of fear or disgust.


    Clearly, this girl had suffered from some kind of discrimination because of her power.


    Sol was not surprised. Few people could take such a sight without any problems. The only reason he wasn''t creeped out was that the mind control skill of Camelia was way scarier.


    As for pared to Milia¡¯s shadows filled with hundreds of bloodshot eyes and the howls of pain, the sight in front of him was just mildly disturbing.


    "So, what was the result?"


    He could feel her stiffen a little before rxing,


    "What do you think? I obtained Intel easily.¡±


    He smiled and ignored her haughty tone. He now understood that this was nothing more than defensive mechanisms.


    "Though, before we continue, how do you n to deal with them?"


    Sol grimaced as he followed where Isis'' finger was pointed at.


    The group of refugees were sitting and shivering while watching them. Fear was clear on their visages, but not a single one of them even tried to flee.


    Clearly, they understood that even if they fled, in this desert filled with dangerous beasts and roaming bandits, all that awaited them would be death.


    Looking at them, he could see that they were a mix of different races, most unknown to him and some that looked like children. Though, he couldn''t really be sure. After all, for all he knew, they could be variations of dwarves.


    Coughing, he asked tentatively,


    "Is there a leader or something here?"


    All of them looked at each other before a tall bald man with a slightly orange skin seemingly made out of rock stepped forward.


    Even though he easily went past the two meters and was somewhat imposing, it was like he was doing his best to appear as small as possible in front of Sol.


    "Milord, I am Aktrach. The son of the leader of this settlement."


    Sadness shed through his eyes before he knelt down, so low his head kissed the ground.


    "We are truly thankful to you for saving us and avenging us."


    The others followed him and all kneeled in front of Sol, grateful voices mixed with sobs of sadness and relief.


    Since the day he awakened, Sol always had a weird feeling of euphoria when people kneeled for him.


    For once though, this feeling did not manifest and all he could do was watch.


    Anyone in his ce would have felt happiness at being praised so much, but for Sol, he could onlyment at the reality of the world.


    The only reason he even began to hunt down those bandits was only because he wanted to get more experience.


    But this trivial decision ended up changing the lives of peoplepletely unconcerned.


    Sighing, he took off his hood and gave a smile to the people, "Raise yourself."


    Aktrach nodded and stood up, though he kept his body still slightly lowered. Since Sol did not know if the reason was some weird tradition or something of the like, he decided to not mind it.


    "Tell me, Aktrach, how do you wish to deal with it? Do you wish to go to the city? Or stay here and create another settlement?"<sub> </sub>


    Even though he had never nned to save anyone during this outing, since he did it, he decided to go all the way.


    Of course, he would only give as much help as he could.


    They all fidgeted a little, indecisiveness apparent on their faces, which was something Sol didn''t really understand.


    Between living in the desert with the constant risk of being kidnapped as a ve or settling in a city, the choice seemed pretty easy.


    In the end, all they could do was look at Sol in a begging way as if to plead to make the decision for them.


    Sol immediately refused without the slightest hesitation.


    Beginning a new life would never be easy, so Sol decided to leave the choice to them. This was as far as he was willing to go.


    If he made the decision for them, it would be one thing if everything went alright. But he was sure that at the slightest problem, they would all curse him.


    Sol would never underestimate the short-span memory and ungratefulness of the masses.


    People were more prone to remember the bad than the good done to them.


    In the end, Aktrach decided to settle in the city. Even if they decided to leaveter, they would only do so after resting and getting their strength back.


    ---


    After a few hours of travel, and a profusion of thankful tears, Sol and Isis were now once again alone in the desert.


    In order to help the refugees have a good start, Sol left them with about 1000 Vira. He wasn¡¯t worried about wealth causing them problems. After all, the city was more safe than any ce in this world.


    As long as they weren¡¯t stupid enough to leave the city after unting their wealth or didn¡¯t spend in a crazy way, this amount was enough tost them for more than a year and still have leftovers.


    ¡®Sheherazade¡¯ had also informed him that the welfare system in the main city was top notch and as such, they should have no problem.


    The money Sol had given them was mainly to help them heal faster and pay for some weapons and equipment in case they decided to go back to the desert.


    Though this didn¡¯t concern him. He had already helped them to a ridiculous degree. If they went and got enved again or killed, that had nothing to do with him.


    ----


    While they were slowly walking away from the city, ¡®Sheherazade¡¯ suddenly questioned Sol,


    "Why did you help them?"


    Sol wondered what was the goal of this question, but didn¡¯t really care,


    "Because I could." He shrugged. He was capable of saving them and he did, nothing more and nothing less.


    Isis raised an eyebrow at his nonchnt answer.


    "Not because you should?"


    Doing something because you ¡®could¡¯ or because you ¡®should¡¯ clearly carried different meanings. One came from one free will, while the other was born out of a feeling of obligation.


    Sol was startled before shaking his head,


    "I had absolutely no obligation to help any of them. I would never force myself to help someone if I am unable to."


    "...So you wouldn''t help if you were unable to?"


    "Yep...Why would I? I would rather act for my own benefit first. Said benefits don''t involve sacrificing myself for people who have nothing to do with me."


    The phrase, ¡®Great power means equally great responsibility¡¯ was cool and all, but he didn¡¯t particrly wish to live by this creed. Being a king was troublesome enough. There was no need to try to be some hero of justice because of people unrted to him.


    After all, even though people didn¡¯t really die when they were killed in this world, he didn¡¯t want to bet if he could reincarnate a second time.


    "I see¡­"


    Isis nodded to herself, seeminglying to a decision.


    ¡°What was that about?¡±


    "Forget it, let''s go."


    Shaking his head, he decided to ignore the weird question and changed the topic,


    "So, you still didn''t tell me about the Intel you got. Also, why did that first Asad and his group attack us?"


    Isis put her hands behind her back and began to slowly walk away,


    "... Sol, do you know what Vira is?"


    Sol took a step beside her and began to follow,


    "Normally I would answer that it''s the currency, but I guess it isn''t just that?"


    "Heh, well indeed. Vira also had another name in the past. It was called ¡ª Faith Coins."


    The wind around them stirred at those words.


    (AN: Mixing Isis and Sheherazade names is sometimes a pain. Anyway, as long as the two are together, even if I write Isis in narration, for Sol she is Sheherazade.)

 Chapter 185 CH 164: VIRA (2)

    [Desert.]


    Under the sweltering heat, facing Sol, Isis spoke with a calm but grave voice,


    "Vira also had another name in the past. It was called ¡ª Faith coins."


    Sol''s eyes narrowed as he began to listen more attentively.


    ¡®Faith coins?¡¯


    "Before I continue, you need to understand something. The territory of a demi-god is technically nothing more than a mass ofnd. You could say that it is a kingdom or the preliminary step of one at least. What''s more, the power of a demi-god is partially dependent on the size of their territory. But, just being bigger doesn''t mean it is better."


    She shrugged her shoulders, "The amount of control and the level of awareness a demi-god has on his territory is the most important. So, how do you think a demi-god can increase the level of control?"


    He gave a smile, "I guess Vira is one of the answers."


    "Bingo! Training, talent, etc, are all important. But the most important is Vira. The more Vira is integrated into the territory the better. But here the problem is, divine beasts and their descendants are unable to produce Vira."


    Sol immediately caught the key point, "Produce?"


    "Yes, Vira was called Faith coins because it''s a currency born from prayers. It doesn''t matter to whom. As long as it¡¯s one of the Goddesses under the Mother of Order or Order herself."


    "I see. So...Those ves?"


    "They were captured to help produce Vira. The amount of Vira a mortal can produce daily is extremely limited. But what about having hundreds of mortals? What about thousands?"


    "... And this is why the Phoenixes don''t just get rid of the bandits."


    She gave a smile of disdain, "Indeed. Bandits are basically the greatest support for divine beasts. They can keep their pristine reputation and enjoy the fruit of the suffering of thousands of people."


    She spat a little at that. She, of course, knew that divine beasts had absolutely no obligations to help mortals and she knew that she would do the same as them.


    She simply found the situation incredibly ridiculous because of how they treated her like some kind of evil being when they weren¡¯t all that good either.


    "But, I never heard of such currency in the mortal realm."


    This time sheughed, "The current concentration of mana in the mortal realm is too low."


    Isis had a deep understanding of the structure of the mortal realm. After all, her father came from there.


    In the past, there were no particr boundaries between the different realms. The numbers of Demi-Gods and Kings was far higher and war wasmonce.


    Now though, Demi-Gods were basically forbidden from entering the mortal realm and mortals who ascended to that level were limited in the amount of power they could bring.


    From what her father said, those rules were mainly put in ce, not out ofpassion but simply because the goddesses got bored of war games and decided to y SimCity.


    Even now, she didn''t really understand the reference. Her father liked to make jokes with unknown references and would grow sad when he remembered that no one could understand those references. It didn''t help that his sense of humor was awful.


    "Well, long story short, here faith is a currency. Demi-gods need that currency to be stronger. As long as the bandits do not go past certain limits, Gabriel won''t intervene. This is why most divine beasts allow mortals to live in their territories. The only exceptions are the beast of Lust, Pride, Kindness, and Humility."


    Many pieces of information swirled in Sol''s mind. He felt as if a new world was opened in front of him.


    At the same time, he could make a lot of interference.


    Smiling, he raised his hand to ruffle ''Sheherazade'' head out of habit but stopped timely.


    ''Sheherazade isn''t Setsuna or Lilin.''


    Coughing in order to hide his movement, he asked,


    "Let''s go back to the main topic. Who is the leader of the organization that attacked us?"


    A strange glow shed in Isis'' eyes, as a mischievous smile formed on her face,


    "Name: Rio, Nickname: Dark sword, a rare metal type spirit. She has apanion beast nicknamed White sparrow. A rare breed of beast that is simr to Phoenix¡­The two of them are Duke ranked."


    Sol stopped.


    "Still willing to go? Though you should really gi..."


    The mischievous smile on Isis'' face grewrger. But, the moment she turned to take a look at his expression, her smile cramped immediately.


    She had thought that she would see an expression of fear or at least hesitation. She had even prepared some biting words to mock him before asking him to beg for her help.


    But what she was was neither fear nor trepidation, but only blue eyes zing with fighting intent.


    "Let''s go."


    She was well and truly surprised and began to panic a little.


    "Hey! Did you hear me? I told you there are two Dukes there, you know? They also have strong subordinates close to Duke level. Worst is, the two are definitely B or A ranked so they have awakened their horns. Are you really going to fight them?"


    She wondered if Sol truly understood the situation.


    Even though he was a dragon hybrid and was without a doubt extremely talented, she could see that he never received the appropriate training for someone like them.


    Furthermore, it wasn''t as if the two targets were your average Duke.


    Below the level of Duke, the difference of power was extremely blurry. A Knight ss could face a Count ss without too many problems.


    But from Duke onwards, it wouldn''t be a mistake to call it aplete sublimation. The difference between two Dukes could be so massive that one would be helpless in front of the other.


    ''Is this the legendary dragon pride acting?''


    She suddenly regretted trying to taunt him.


    She just wanted to prank him a little, not bring him into true danger.


    Normally she wouldn¡¯t fear two Dukes, but since she was in Gabriel¡¯s territory, she could not summon her army.


    She was about to try to persuade him again when Sol waved his hand,


    ¡°Do not worry. I already told you, I am neither a hothead nor a hero. Even in the worst case where I am unable to win, I can still escape with no problem.¡±


    She showed her frustration as she asked,


    ¡°What makes you so sure!?¡±


    What answered was a bemused Sol,


    ¡°I mean...We are still in Gabriel territory, you know?¡±<sub> </sub>


    Those words stunned Isis for a short while before she crouched down and held her head.


    She felt so ashamed she wished to dig a deep hole and hide.


    ¡°You¡­? You seriously forgot?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I forgot! What!? Is it a crime!?¡±


    She raised her head and screamed out of shame and frustration. She had been ready to see him mocking her, but she was surprised to see that there was noughter in his eyes, only a calm and serene smile on his face,


    ¡°Thanks for worrying about me.¡±


    It took her a short time to understand what he meant before understanding dawned upon her.


    Her flushed red as she stood up and walked with great stride,


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, okay!? I wasn¡¯t worried about you. I just¡­¡±


    ¡°You just?¡±


    He caught up and stared straight in her eyes while asking with a cheeky smile,


    Isis clenched her fists, stamped the ground, and humphed.


    ¡°I have no reasons to exin myself to you. Aren¡¯t you ashamed about relying on someone else''s power? I thought men were supposed to be more courageous.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow and asked sarcastically, she thought that this question would embarrass him a little, but all she received was a lightugh,


    ¡°Firstly, I believe that women aren¡¯t inferior to men. Secondly, heh, all my life, I am used to being protected by women. In fact, at this level, I am pretty sure it must be some kind of talent.¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders and shamelessly bragged.


    Ignoring the dumbfounded expression of Isis, he took her in a princess carry.


    ¡°Now then, enough chit-chat. Which direction?¡±


    Isis tried to struggle a little, but, realizing the futility of her action, she sighed and pointed in a direction.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Gathering strength under his feet ---he jumped.


    ----


    After a few jumps and many instances of Isis nearly vomiting, they finally reached a certain distance from the encampment.


    On the way, they had seen some guards but Sol moved too fast and controlled the strength of hisnding to avoid being discovered.


    Jumping out from Sol¡¯s arm, Isis wobbled a little and dry heaved. She had many times dreamed of being princess carried but, as always, reality was disappointing.


    She somewhat regretted not telling him that she was half phoenix and as such could fly. Thinking about this and after getting her stomach to settle down, she asked,


    ¡°Why don''t you just fly?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to.¡±


    She wanted to smack his proud face.


    ¡°As I thought, you are really stupid. You were never trained by a dragon, right?¡±


    All she received as an answer was a shrug.


    Sighing, she took a look at the encampment before squinting,


    ¡°So, what is the n?¡±


    This time, Sol stopped ying around,


    ¡°If possible, I want you to deal with the mobs. I will take care of the two Duke.¡±


    She still thought that he was biting more than he could chew, but since he reminded her that they were protected by Gabriel, she understood that there would be no danger to their life.


    ¡°I guess, I will send them a greeting.¡±


    The moment she raised her hand, Sol felt goosebumps.


    Strand of energy focused on her hand before a golden ball of fire appeared. But it didn¡¯t take long for the golden fire to change into a dark me.


    ¡®Amaterasu, is that you?¡¯


    His habit of making reference when he was surprised acted again at the sight of that dark me.


    The already high temperature rose many folds. So much that Sol even began to sweat a little.


    Finally, once she was satisfied with the result, Isis threw it like a baseball towards the encampment.


    Sol could already imagine everything burst into me. But this was not to be.


    The cry of a bird sounded in the air as a giant eagle-like monster appeared in the middle of the encampment. Even though it was quite far, Sol could see a woman with her torso nearly naked on its back.


    Then, jumping from it and rushing toward the ck me---She cut it in two.


    What was most impressive was that the ck mes were then absorbed into her sword.


    Seeing how easily her attack was dealt with Isis¡¯ eyes narrowed for a short while before she rxed.


    ¡°You asked for it. Good luck.¡±


    The amusement in her voice was evident. Then, without waiting for him, she rushed in the direction of the reinforcements that wereing from behind. Clearly, she intended to do as he asked and let him deal with the two Dukes.


    Looking at therge bird and the imposing woman on its back, Sol began to twirl his shoulder while murmuring to himself.


    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s time to really test my full power.¡±


    <<Dragon force: First Step>>


    It was time to see what he could really do.

 Chapter 186 CH 165: SOL VS TWO DUKES

    Standing on the back of herpanion and friend, Rio observed the two uninvited guests.


    Initially, she thought that she would be facing a small army and honestly, she would have been much happier if that was actually the case.


    What she was seeing right now though gave her an intense headache,


    ''Why is a Blessed attacking me?''


    Blessed had existed long before even the creation of the kingdoms in the mortal realm. As such, she had a clear understanding of what they represented.


    But even still, she wasn''t afraid. The divine punishment for killing a Blessed only acted if the murderer was of the same race as the blessed.


    She did not know what race the boy in front of her was, but he was clearly not a spirit, so it did not matter.


    Swinging her sword, she frowned a little at how heavy it felt.


    One of her abilities was to temporarily absorb energy in her weapons before directing it back at the enemy. It was the perfect counter skill. And currently, the energy in her sword after absorbing those ck mes felt so chaotic that it seemed ready to explode at any moment.


    Because of this, her attention settled on the cloaked silhouette rushing toward the guards.


    Clearly, she could tell that person wasn''t any weaker than her.


    ''I should capture that Blessed fast and fight that person.''


    For her, aside from being rare, and potentially a great source of Vanir, the Blessed had nothing worth paying attention to.


    She had heard that all Blessed were extremely talented, but no matter how talented the boy facing her was, she could tell that he wasn''t even a Duke from his energy.


    ''Let''s finish it fast.''


    At least, that was what she thought at first but, the moment Sol transformed, all thoughts about how easy he was vanished.


    Sol¡¯s pupils turned into slits while two horns made of energy appeared on his head and he seemed to grow a bit taller.


    Feeling the abundant energy flowing from him, her eyes narrowed.


    "Who are you?"


    Even though her voice was low, thanks to the amplification due to mana, it echoed in a wide area.


    On Sol''s side, he did not answer the question directed at him. Instead of talking, he would rather focus on analyzing his enemy¡¯s strength.


    Sol, who had a habit of prematurely talking too much during fights, was amending himself.


    Afterunching a dragon roar of feeble intensity, Sol''s eyes narrowed as he watched Rio cleave it in two then absorb it with another sword.


    Witnessing it twice, Sol could only deduce it as a special skill of the enemy. He did not know if it only absorbed a specific source of energy, but at least, as it appeared, pure mana attacks would be useless.


    ''This means that I have to deal with her with my bare body.''


    The solution to the problem Sol faced was pretty simple. If the sword could only absorb mana energy, then he should be able to hit his adversary but there was a problem, a very big one.


    "I still don''t know how to fly."


    He immediately understood that this should be one of her strategies. After all, even the King Ranks might never learn any flight abilities.


    ''Well, what do I do now?''


    Rio did not wait for him to prepare a n.


    The two swords she had used to absorb his and Isis¡¯ attack began to levitate in the air before shining brilliantly.


    If Sol had ess to his dimension, he wouldn''t act like a sitting duck and wait for her topletely charge her attack but unfortunately, he had no other option.


    Finally, once the two swords stopped shining, two huge rays of bright energy, slightly stronger than the ones absorbed, shot at Sol.


    At the same time, as though it didn''t wish to be forgotten, White Sparrow also spread open its wings wide in the sky.


    Dozens of little lights, akin to stars in the clear night sky, appeared before pouring at Sol, while letting out trails of light behind them.


    What''s more, those rays did not follow a straight path but curved at different angles.


    This resulted in attacksing from all sides around Sol with no way of escaping


    BOOM!


    ---


    A little far away from the battlefield, even though she was about to be besieged by arge cavalry of about hundreds of soldiers, Isis still had enough leisure to pay attention to Sol''s fight.


    Watching his transformation, while she was surprised by his power, she couldn''t help but frown because of his appearance,


    ''He really does not have any wings.''


    Even though all dragons could fly, not all dragons had wings. And so, Sol not having any wings was not a problem but from what her mother had told her, she knew that ze, Sol''s mother, was a winged dragon.


    ''Ugh! He really wasn''t taught anything.''


    Even though as a hybrid, there were many limits to some of their innate abilities, the absence of wings on Sol¡¯s back meant that he did not delve deep enough into it and simply relied on a basic form of transformation.


    From the gathered energy in the atmosphere, she could also feel that Sol''s usage of his core was extremely wasteful.


    But what really shocked her was that, despite all those shorings, he was still unbelievably strong.


    ''If he manages to go further?''


    She shuddered at the thought. Whether it was out of fear or anticipation, not even Isis could tell.


    It was then,


    BOOM!


    A flurry of attacksnded on Sol, sting everything around them in a few hundred meters radius.


    Clearly, rather than letting the power spread uselessly, Rio had concentrated the attacks toward a single point as much as possible.


    She sweated a little at the spectacr explosion and the mushrooms of sand rising in the sky.


    She really hoped that he didn''t die. But she knew that this was out of her hand. At least, since neither her mother nor grandmother intervened, it should mean there wasn''t any problem.


    It was then,


    Whoosh!


    Rushing out of the dust and sand, a silhouette jumped in the direction of Rio and White Sparrow who were floating fifty meters in the air.<sub> </sub>


    Even though his clothes were almost shredded to pieces, there were close to no wounds on his body.


    Even though White Sparrow was taken aback in surprise, it was still a Duke and a flying beast at that.


    It had already envisioned the best escape n but, just as it was about to move,


    <<Ruler Intent: Dragon Awe>>


    Sol''s intent spread instantly and covered his two opponents.


    Even though it was a powerful intent, it could only daze them for a short instant, but that short instant was all Sol needed,


    Once he reached them, he sent a punch so powerful the air around him seemed to explode.


    At the same time, a huge spherical metal shield formed out of thin air and stood in front of his fist. Behind the shield, Rio could be seen biting on her lips to the point of bleeding to keep herself awake.


    BOOM!


    The impact sent tremors in the air, spreading shockwaves after shockwaves.


    Compared to the 5 meters wide shield, Sol''s fist seemed extremely tiny but despite that...


    Crack!


    The shield helplessly broke down under his mighty fist. Unfortunately for Sol, even though his Intent was still pressuring them, the time he wasted in destroying the shield was enough for them to wake uppletely.


    When the shield waspletely destroyed, what weed Sol as he was slowly falling was the sight of Rio jumping straight at him with her hand on the handle of her sword.


    Helpless, all he could do was curl into himself to reduce the area she could target and put his knee and two arms in front of him as a form of protection.


    When she reached him, Rio unsheathed her sword and shed at him with all her strength.


    It also sent Sol flying in the opposite direction like a cannonballunched at the speed of the sound.


    Rio didn¡¯t stop there. Before gravity even took control of her, White Sparrow elerated and took her on its back before letting out a loud cry.


    <<Zone: Child of the Wind>>


    Like most magical beings, White Sparrow did not waste his time creating a zone based on his own truth but used his own element as the basis to break through the level of Duke.


    His zone allowed him to control and lower the friction and resistance of the air around him to an incredibly high degree. This was pretty simple in principle, but for a flying beast like him, it was like changing its vision of the world.


    The moment the zone was activated, its instantaneous speed already surpassed that of the sound and it continued to elerate further, flying so fast he passed Sol and stopped only once it was behind him.


    Like his eleration, by increasing the resistance to a high degree, he was able to stop any of his movements instantly.


    Sol, who watched all this with difficulty was speechless, it was basically like it could go from 0 to 100 in one instant and go back from 100 to 0 in another instant.


    The strain on the body with such movement was immense, but for a powerful beast such as it, as long as it paced itself carefully, it had nothing to fear.


    ¡®This is even worse than facing Setsuna.¡¯


    After all, no matter how fast she was, controlling her speed was a problem, and more than anything, Setsuna couldn¡¯t fly.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let this situation continue.¡¯


    Sol could already imagine that if he didn¡¯t change the situation fast, he would be in apletely passive position and receive a beating continuously.


    Forcing himself to turn around to face them, he took a deep breath and,


    ROAR!!!


    This time, his roar was not apanied by an energy attack but was just a pure and direct sound attack.


    What¡¯s more, Sol had fused his mana and intent in that roar and the result was simply beyond understanding.


    ----


    ROAR!!


    Because of Rio''s previous attack, Sol and the two Dukes were currently above the army that was about to face Isis.


    But the moment the roar sounded, no one was spared.


    Most of the people rushing towards Isis immediately copsed while letting out screams of pain. Their eardrumspletely burst, with blood flowing down their ears.


    Even Isis could not help but wince in pain because of the sudden attack.


    As for Rio and her partner, being so close to Sol, the effects could be imagined. The one most affected was, of course, White Sparrow itself. After all, as a pure beast, his senses were on a different level. which meant that he got the worst of the attack.


    Temporarily losing his sense of hearing and with his brain-rattling, he lost the ability to fly and began to plummet on the ground.


    Sol, who was also free-falling, did not miss this chance and used his energy to elerate his fall.


    Landing on the ground with arge boom, he immediately focused all his mana in his muscles, causing them to bulge threateningly.


    Even though his arms were bleeding after being cut previously, he did not have the time to care about those trifling wounds.


    Having learned his lesson from the previous attack, Sol did not rush toward them, but, after a loud cry, punched in the air.


    The resulting shockwave even caused sparks of fire to fly, making it seem like arge zing fist was bearing toward Rio and herpanion.


    Feeling the heat under her, Rio did not even hesitate and acted,


    <<Zone: Liquid Metal>>


    A huge cocoon made out of metal flowed out from her body before covering the entirety of the ¡¯s body and her with it.


    The moment Sol¡¯s attack entered contact with that metal ball, all the energy was gently spread through the entire ball, thereby lowering the damage exponentially.


    Once it did so, the cocoon began to break apart, but it had already done the job.


    When Rio and White appeared once again in the sight of everyone, they werepletely different.


    An armor made out of silver-white metalpletely covered Rio and her mount¡¯s body. Aside from the eyes and nose, nothing else could be seen.


    <<Combined form: Silver Knight>>


    Seeing this form, even though Sol understood how dangerous the situation had be, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle when he thought about how his fight now looked like a reenactment of the fight between Hashirama and Madara.


    ¡®Now then, how the hell do I win this?¡¯


    (AN: Welp. Did Sol bite more than he could chew or should Rio and sparrow simply hang themselves for having a hard time against a Duke despite it being a two vs one? Let¡¯s see what Sol will do in the next episode.)

 Chapter 187 CH 166: SOL VS TWO DUKES (2)

    Reflecting the light of the suns, two figures encased in a shining silver metal hovered domineeringly above everyone.


    <<Combined Form: Silver Knight>>


    When Rio and herpanion revealed their strongest form, the atmosphere around thempletely changed.


    Even though the two of them were quite powerful, they could only be considered as middle tier in terms of power separately. Rio¡¯s control over metal itself was quite limited, only allowing her to create simple constructs.


    But, thankfully for her, her metal had the attribute to absorb mana in different forms. She could also send back the mana umted and mix it with her own to make it even stronger. This was why, when she became a Duke, she focused her domain on increasing the amount of metal she could control.


    The current fusion was the result of years of training over shape maniption and element alteration. The result of this fusion wasn¡¯t as simple as 1+1=2.


    Because of their years ofradeship and the synergy between their skills, when the two of them fused their skills, the result increased their power in an exponential manner rather than a linear one.


    [White, what do you think?]


    [Troublesome, this kid¡¯s body is abnormal. Even a direct attack from your sword only gave him shallow wounds when it should have cut his arms in two. His intent is also powerful enough to affect our minds, albeit only for a short time. It is extremely troublesome.]


    Even though the fact that Sol could somewhat match them was quite impressive, neither of the two seemed particrly surprised. They had lived quite a long time, and they had heard of the inherent advantage divine beasts had. Even though this one was just a hybrid.


    [The two mana attacks I sent did not hurt him at all, but my sword did. This means that he is rtively weaker to pure physical attacks rather than magical.]


    [Indeed. So, what¡¯s the n?]


    On the back of her friend, Rio¡¯s eyes narrowed before she whispered, her voice devoid of emotion,


    [Let¡¯s go for phase 2]


    [...What about your subordinates?]


    [Irrelevant.]


    [Understood.]


    ----


    Meanwhile, on the ground.


    ¡°Do you want my help?¡±


    Keeping his gaze on the enemy, Sol answered quite curtly,


    ¡°Don¡¯t disturb me.¡±


    Right now, he felt as if the doors of the Duke realm were beckoning him, but he was still unable to push them open. Every time he was about to have an idea of his Truth, it would suddenly elude him.


    This feeling felt as if a woman was spreading her legs and waiting for him, but his little friend refused to respond. Saying that it was frustrating was an understatement.


    Isis pouted at having her goodwill rejected and shrugged.


    ¡°Well, I guess you are ready to receive quite a beating. It is not like it matters. Bleuh!¡±


    Sticking her tongue at him, she began to walk away. Since his previous sound wave attack had incapacitated so many people, she believed that this battlefield had nothing to do with her.


    She had briefly entertained the thought of absorbing the soul of the departed but discarded it. After all, those vers did not conform to the principle of her Zone.


    ¡®I can¡¯t summon the minion and I don¡¯t want to use the big ones for such a battle. It would be an insult to them.¡¯


    Thinking so, she shook her head and stopped,


    ¡°Sol.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­.¡±


    ¡°I just have one question ¡ª Why do you still act as if you were human?¡±


    After those words, Isispletely vanished from the battlefield.


    ---


    ¡®Why do I act as if I was human?¡¯


    Sol repeated this sentence in his mind and frowned.


    He hated this kind of cryptic line. If you had something to say, you should have just said it. Why was there a need to act like some kind of hermit sage?


    Of course, he understood that if he just received the answer, he wouldn¡¯t be able to realize it properly. But this didn¡¯t stop him from hating it.


    Before he could muse longer over the meaning behind her words, the loud call of the bird made him snap back to reality.


    In the sky, White unruffled his long wings. His shadow covered the in as if hiding the suns from them.


    <<Wind des>>


    Be it because of his instincts or because he was prepared, Sol moved out of the way before the attack was even finished.


    At the ce, he stood previously, a deep trench was opened.


    Behind him, he could hear the cry of pain of a bunch of soldiers that had been unable to escape in time.


    He spared them a short nce, but seeing the men cut in two, from head to toe as they burst open and showed their innards, he wisely decided to continue running.


    What followed could only be called a death race.<sub> </sub>


    No matter where Sol tried to escape, des of pure condensed winds mixed with sharp shards of metal followed behind him.


    Even though he sometimes managed to avoid them, he wasn''t always lucky.


    As for the others, those able to run had long since fled away with everything they could. But as for those who had been incapacitated by his previous sound attack, all they could do was scream and curse at him and their callous leaders.


    For Sol, it was the first time in his life he was surrounded by so much death.


    Even during the attack on Lustburg, he was not present during the massacre orchestrated by Lilith.


    The metallic odor of blood filled the air amidst the cries of pain and misery. Life and death, hope and despair coexisted as everyone fought for their survival.


    In this atmosphere, rather than fear and trepidation, all Sol felt was nothing more than a deep and primal joy.


    Even though his body was covered in deep wounds and his clothes were in tatters.


    Even though he was facing an enemy that outssed him.


    Even though it seemed that there was no hope for him.


    Sol could not help but think that he had never felt so alive in this world.


    Unbeknownst to him, his lips split into a wild grin while his eyes shone with a deep luster of blood lust.


    Currently, he wasn''t thinking about trying to reach the Duke rank, nor was he thinking about the fact that he was in no mortal danger.


    All his thoughts focused on this single instance, this single moment of pure joy.


    ''More! I need far more.''


    His movements became sharper, his defense better. He began to waste less energy. It was as if until now, he had been living in a foggy state, but that fog was slowly being lifted.


    Taking the sword of one of the dead enemies on the ground, he suddenly stopped running and lifted the sword high above his head. A veritable torrent of golden mana filled the sword to the brim, so much that it began to crack.


    <<Mana burst>>


    One of the simplest and roughest forms of technique. A total absence of shape or elemental maniption. This attack just consisted of pumping as much mana as possible through a weapon into a single attack.


    For a human and in fact, even for most magical beings, this kind of technique was nothing more than a pure waste of mana.


    But, the thing Solcked the least was mana. After all, thanks to his core, the only thing that limited him was his output.


    ''Why am I only realizing it now?''


    The moment he swung the sword down, it was as if a curtain of light fell and separated everything into two.


    The targets of the attack, Rio and White, though impressed, did not even try to avoid the attack and watched as it was absorbed by their silver armor.


    Despite the fact that his attack had beenpletely useless in appearance, a smirk formed on Sol¡¯s face.


    He clearly remembered the start of the fight. Be it for his dragon roar or ¡®Sheherazade¡¯ attack, Rio had to use different swords to absorb them. Clearly, there was a limit to how much she could absorb.


    Of course, doing so meant he was opening himself to a powerful counter. If she simply umted a few of his attacks before sending all of them back with a single burst, he would be in quite the difficult situation.


    But, so what?


    ¡°Hahaha! Let¡¯s see just how high my resistance really is.¡±


    ---


    From that moment on, the fight between the two took apletely different appearance. Sol, who was initially careful in his way of using mana, simply let go of all such feelings of caution.


    Be it reinforcement, intent, or materialization, he used everything as he wished whenever he wished. As a result, be it his strength, speed, defense, and all his attack, all his stats were growing nonstop.


    The three of them had long left the surroundings of the encampment and were wreaking havoc everywhere they passed through. Light-filled the sky, tempest roared, and the earth rumbled.


    [We are reaching our limit.]


    [I know.]


    Even though Rio answered curtly, it was impossible to hide the shiver in her voice.


    She had always known about how feared and revered divine beasts were. But only now did she understand just how broken they really were.


    Be it her or White, the two of them were two experienced Duke. In this fight, they had all the possible advantages, but even so, they were the ones getting tired.


    She had never felt so disgusted and helpless during a fight. Be it resistance, pure defense, or regeneration in health and mana, Sol could only be seen as a pure monster.


    What¡¯s more, maintaining the silver knight mode ate up their reserve of mana rapidly and the continuous wind attacks did not help. Even though she could store the mana from the attack she received, she could not use them to replenish her own mana.


    Even so, they still had onest card to y,


    [How much before saturation?]


    [5%]


    [Then, this is enough.]


    Until now, they had only absorbed each and every mana burst from Sol. The armor was already showing cracks here and there because of how high the strain was. But that did not matter.


    They were waiting -- waiting for the exact moment they could pour every one of the hybrid''s attacks back at him.

 Chapter 188 CH 167: DRAGON FORCE (1)

    The fight had escted far more than Rio thought it would, but she was not flustered. The flow was still under her control, all she needed to kill that brat was a window of opportunity.


    Killing Blessed was not a crime in any way as long as they did not belong to the same race. She didn¡¯t know what kind of hybrid he was exactly, but he was clearly not a spirit, so it didn¡¯t matter.


    The only problem would be if the phoenixes intervened, but since not even one of them appeared despite all themotion, it was clear that theycked the interest to intervene.


    ¡®Now, I need to create an opportunity.¡¯


    [Fly higher and keep hovering.]


    [Very well.]


    Once White flew ten meters higher and she was sure that no attack could reach them, she sat down on his back and began to focus. Next to her, a silver ball of metal appeared and began to move erratically before slowly changing shape.


    When the transformation ended, what stood next to her was a streamlined knight armor.


    Closing her eyes, she began to focus on the armor, and soon, the armor, without anyone in it, began to move.


    The movements were stiff at first, but it only took a short amount of time for them to bepletely natural. After this, two more puppets of the same style appeared beside the standing armor.


    <<Metal Maniption: Steel Doll>>


    Rio¡¯s power didn¡¯t just allow her to create weapons. Even creating puppets like this one was possible. Right now, she could only control a few puppets at once.


    Moreover, she needed to stay still while in the process, but she was sure that once she managed to reach the King rank, she would be able to create a veritable army.


    Once she was sure that she had full control, she finally opened her eyes and smiled.


    [It¡¯s done. Observe the fight. We will only have one shot at this.]


    [Don''t worry. I will not.]


    White scoffed. His and Rio¡¯s abilities were a perfect match for each other. He offered her the mobility shecked and she offered him the firepower hecked. Together, they were invincible in the same rank. He was sure of it.


    ---


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    Sol wondered what was happening as he watched three unidentified objects fall from the back of that bird.


    When the dust dispersed, his eyes widened at the sight of the 3 silver armors in front of him.


    One was holding a double-handed sword, the second one had a human-sized shield in his left hand and a normal sword in his right. As for the final one, it was bare-handed, but spikes could be seen on his knuckle.


    He could clearly see that there was no one inside the armor, so this meant that what he was facing were nothing more than puppets.


    ¡®So I went from fighting a knock-off Madara to a knock-off Pain?¡¯


    The situation was grim. It didn¡¯t take a genius to understand that the goal was to keep him in ce.


    Even though he had the ability to reduce all kinds of mana attacks, he didn¡¯t want to bet whether he could survive the full might of the big attack that was about to follow.


    ¡®Since they were created by that woman, they should also have the ability to absorb and release energy.¡¯


    They are also dolls without a mind of their own, so my Ruler Intent or the Sonic Roar will be ineffective. It means that I can only fight back by reinforcing my body... ¡®


    Since Sol¡¯s mind was currently in hyperdrive, his thinking speed was far higher than normal. From the moment those steel dollsnded and showed themselves, only an instant went past as he assessed his situation and possible solution.


    Whoosh!


    ¡®They are fast.¡¯


    The three of them rushed at the same time toward him, but the first to reach him was the one without a weapon.


    A straight punch wasing toward his face, but Sol batted the hand away before knocking the puppet ten meters away with a palm in its stomach.


    Using the momentum, he managed to avoid therge sword that had threatened to cut him in two, and could only use his arms to protect himself when the one with the shield bashed him with all its strength.


    ¡®Shit!¡¯


    He felt an explosion of pain, as if the bones in his arms were about to snap because of the shock. Even the skin on his arms was scraped and became bloody.


    The worst was that, because of the angle of the hit, he was brought up a little in the air and as such, was unable to correct his stance on time. This was an overture that should not have been missed and the three puppets were ready to capitalize on it.


    Each of them jumped, ready to smash Sol, but he knew that he couldn''t let it continue. Though he was in the air and was unable to bring out all his strength, it posed no problem to what he nned to do.


    Just as the three were about to get him, he gathered all the strength he could in his middle finger and ¡ª flicked.


    Boom!


    The resulting shockwaves, albeit small and unable to hurt his opponents, the force it packed was enough to change his position and once again avoid getting chopped into minced meat.


    Landing, he grimaced a little, his arms were hurting like hell and he felt a little light-headed. From the shock, he could feel that those puppets were far harder than the previousrge shield he had destroyed.


    It didn''t help that he had already been wounded by Rio''s sword strike previously as well as the series of wind des from White during the chase.<sub> </sub>


    The puppets left no time for him to assess his situation though as they rushed to him and used their numbers advantage to surround him.


    What followed was a back-and-forth sh between the four of them. But the more this went on, the less favorable the situation became for Sol.


    His enemies felt neither pain nor fatigue. No matter how many cracks spread through their bodies thanks to his attacks, they simply continued to advance,pletely unmoved.


    In fact, each time he hit them, he was the one getting hurt, and even though he could absorb mana from the surroundings thanks to his core, his stamina was limited and constantly depleting. It was made worse by his constant healing.


    He also couldn''t just keep his attention on them and had to constantly move in order to avoid being locked on by Rio.


    ''I can''t continue like this.''


    He needed to introduce a game-changer. Punching one of them away, he took two fast steps backward.


    Once he managed to put enough distance between them, he raised his leg, focused as much mana as possible on it, and stepped hard.


    BOOM!


    The moment this attacknded, it was as if a cannon had gone off. The ground caved in and created a five meters wide crater.


    A veritable torrent of sand and dust flew high in the air and acted as an impromptu smokescreen.


    Of course, those puppets were unable to see. The ones he wanted to blind weren''t the puppets, but rather¡ªthe puppeteer.


    The sand and dust covered all four of them, making it impossible for Rio to observe the situation. But the most important thing was that he could feel the movement of those puppets slightly stiffen.


    ¡®As I thought.¡¯


    He had theorized that Rio needed to use her sight for better control, and it seemed that he had made the right bet.


    Using the asion, the moment Sol reached them, he smashed his fist in the face of the shield user so hard that the steel puppet bounced due to the recoil after hitting the ground, forming another small crater in the process.


    Even though it hurt like hell and he was sure that his wrist nearly snapped, Lilith¡¯s training thankfully made him used to pain. Even though she only trained him for a short while, she did help him in developing his fighting awareness a great deal.


    ''I really need to thank her when I go back.''


    Not letting go, he grabbed its leg and, using it as a whip, knocked away the two others. His grip was so tight that the leg made out of steel waspletely twisted but he didn¡¯t care.


    Once he managed to clear the space out of those two, he was about to proceed in grinding the one he was holding into scrap metal, but a gust of wind blew the dust away, revealing the battlefield once again.


    No sooner than it happened, the puppet in his hand proceeded to move its torso in a way that should have been impossible and headbutted him.


    ¡®I swear I will eat that bird tonight.¡¯


    Sol gritted his teeth while swearing inwardly. He was about to tighten his grip, but, suddenly, Sol felt an acute pain in his hand.


    "Ugh!"


    Sol groaned and was unable to keep his hand around the puppet, jumping away, he looked at what caused this pain only to see that blood kept pouring from his hand. In fact, he could even see a few holes in his hand.


    Looking back at the source, he saw that the previously twisted leg was full of long and vicious-looking spikes.


    ''My hand is useless.''


    He tried to form a fist, but all he could do was make his shivering hand spurt even more blood. Clearly, the bones and nerves had beenpletely destroyed.


    Even for him, healing from such a wound would take a certain amount of time¨Ctime that he did not have right now.


    Once again, Lilith thankfully trained him to be nearly ambidextrous, but losing the use of one hand in a fight against so many enemies was close to a death sentence.


    Sol could already imagine that the fight was going to be even more desperate, but just as he was about to prepare himself for another 3 VS 1.


    As if their strings were cut, the three puppets fell on the ground, totally unmoving.


    ''I have a bad feeling.''


    His gut instincts were soon proven right.


    Boom!


    Once again, an unidentified object fell to the ground, but from the way the ground shook, it was clearly on another level.


    "Oh¡­"


    A shadow slowly expanded as three meters tall puppet stood in front of him.


    Before he could take a breath, the three lifeless puppets changed into liquid metal and fused with the frame of the fourth one.


    The previously streamlined design vanished, leaving ce to hulking monster-like steel doll. The pressure that thing was emanating was off the chart.


    <<Steel Dolls: Juggernauts.>>

 Chapter 189 CH 168: DRAGON FORCE (2)

    (AN: When you reach the big explosion


    You should begin listening to Invasion from Bleach here the link for extended version: https://youtu.be/RNHUrfKwA4Y or listen to Ulquiorra theme: https://youtu.be/A3Ql1vJyznk )


    <<Steel Dolls: Juggernauts.>>


    Even though the number of enemies went down, Sol knew very well that the situation only became far more dangerous.


    With how dire the situation was, Sol couldn''t even joke about the fact that he was now facing a knockoff of Susanoo.


    What followed was a beat down on scale Sol never went through.


    The giant knight was mercilessly pounding him as if he was its personal punching bag.


    Sol was renderedpletely helpless. His right hand was useless, and the bones in his left hand were about to break.


    His forehead was bleeding heavily and his vision was impaired. He was vomiting a little blood, which meant nothing good. He was pretty sure that he looked like shit currently.


    Meanwhile, his hits could barely dent the near-indestructible armor he was facing. They were notpletely ineffective, but it was far from enough to change the oue.


    Secondes trickled by and the situation only became worse. The bitter truth was, he was beingpletely outmatched.


    ''I have underestimated what it means to be a Duke too much.''


    How could he not? The only Duke he ever faced was Zehn and back then she did not use her zone. She had also been caught too easily. So he had the mistaken impression that if a top-tier Duke like her was so weak, most Dukes shouldn''t be such a big deal.


    He was surrounded by game-breakers at the King rank, and even those at the Duke rank like Milia or Lilith had absurd conceptual type zones. For these reasons, be it Rio, white, or in fact any duke, he unconsciously began to look down on them.


    Even though the main reason he was helpless was because of White¡¯s air advantage and Rio¡¯s ability to absorb mana, Sol refused to use such flimsy excuses for his current predicament and cover his shorings.


    Taking a hit to the jaw, Sol flew through the air, his consciousness bing even fainter as hended heavily on the ground.


    Laying down and looking at the beautiful blue sky through his blurry vision, Sol for the first time, entertained the thought of giving up.


    He felt so tired. None of his muscles moved the way he wanted them to, there was no part of his body that didn¡¯t hurt.


    He fought against two Dukes even though he wasn¡¯t one with purely his physical strength. Even for aplete dragon, this was no mean feat. After all, dragons generally only had resistance toward one specific element.


    ¡®I did my best, right?¡¯


    ¡®I should be satisfied, right?¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡­


    As if!


    Did his best? Satisfied? What was that bullshit?


    It didn¡¯t matter how much he did his best. Failure was still a failure and it was something he refused to ept.


    He did not want to lose. He refused to lose. He refused to be satisfied with mediocrity.


    So what if it hurts?


    He just had to bear through it.


    So what if his body was broken?


    He just had to heal again and again as much as necessary.


    So what if his body wasn''t strong enough?


    He just had to discard...


    ''Why do you act as if you were a human?''


    His heart missed a beat. He somehow finally understood something that had always eluded him.


    "Hahaha¡­ So that''s what she meant."


    A smallugh escaped him as he fought the pain and stood up with difficulty.


    His previously listless'' eyes filled with renewed light and battle thirst.


    He now understood what he had been missing all along.


    The human form divine beasts took was not their natural form but the result of transformation, a facade they took.


    If so, why did he always take his hybrid mode as a transformation?


    In the first ce, why was it that, even in hybrid mode, he barely changed appearance?


    Was it out of fear of losing himself? Was it because he was used to his form as a human?


    He did not really know. What he did know though was that on the day of his awakening, he officially stopped being a human.


    Despite this, he kept acting as a human. His body may have been stronger and regeneration speed faster, but that was it.


    ''Indeed. This body is nothing but a prison created by my own fears.''


    The moment this realization hit him, it was as if a dam was opened.


    From the depth of his core, a terrifying amount of mana, that made his previous upper limit look pathetic, gushed forth like a torrent and rushed towards the sky like a pir of light.


    Standing on White¡¯s back, Rio felt as if thousands of ants were crawling on her body. For the first time since the start of the fight, she felt that she was about to lose control of the situation.


    ''Whatever he is doing, I can''t let him continue.''


    She wasn''t the kind to stay put and watch as her enemypleted some kind of transformation.


    [White, it''s time. Fly away.]


    White did not need to receive this order twice and even used his domain in order to disy full speed. In just a few seconds, he was already several kilometers away.


    If Sol had been able to pay attention to the situation above, he would have remarked that neither White nor Rio were covered by Rio''s silver steel.


    Back on the ground, the two red lights where the juggernaut''s eyes should have been, shed briefly before it began to run toward Sol at full speed like a bull charging at a matador.


    Then, when it finally reached Sol, disregarding the torrent of mana, it opened its arms widely and gave a bear hug, strong enough to shatter a boulder.


    At the same time, a small part of the pir of mana that Sol was d in was being absorbed.


    [95%]


    .


    .


    .


    [98%]


    .


    .


    .


    [100%]<sub> </sub>


    BOOOOOOM!!


    With the thunderous sound of an explosion, a blinding light upied everyone¡¯s vision before a mushroom of dust rose so high in the sky that it could be seen from several kilometers away.


    The very atmosphere seemed to be repulsed as a shockwave spread apart from the point of impact, covering several kilometers and absolutely destroying everything in its wake.


    The air burned, the wind stirred and all sounds in the space of the explosion vanished, reced by a silence full of devastation and destruction. It was like the aftermath of a nuclear explosion.


    When the explosion finally stopped, all that could be seen was a hundred of meters deep crater spanning nearly a kilometer.


    -----


    Admiring therge mushroom that seemed to reach the ceiling of the sky, Rio never felt so tiny.


    "He should be dead this time, right?"


    Rio tried to speak calmly, but even then she could hardly hide the goosebumps on her skin.


    That explosion had been of an intensity she had never faced. During her fight with Sol, she had already remarked that he had some level of resistance toward magic. She knew that dragons were generallypletely immune to one specific element, as such it wasn¡¯t weird for a hybrid to have a partial resistance.


    Since she did not know how effective a simple attack would have been, she had decided to create the fourth puppet while using her and White¡¯s armor, armor that was filled with all the mana burst attack of Sol. From the start, her n had been to tire him out as much as possible then detonate the explosion from point-nk range.


    Even so, the explosion was far more intense than she had thought. Had she been in his ce, she was sure that even with the armor, she would have been vaporized without any traces.


    [No matter how fast or resistant he is, such arge explosion at ground zero should have blown him to smithereens.]


    White had no doubt about it. It was absolutely impo...


    ¡°Hey, guys¡­¡±


    For both Rio or White, it was as if time had stopped.


    ¡®Impossible!¡¯


    They raised their head in hurry, only to be blinded by the light of the suns. But, this did not matter.


    What mattered though, was the silhouette floating high above them in the sky.


    Rio¡¯s eyes went wide, but her reaction was immediate,


    ¡°Run!¡±


    She did not even show the slightest bit of hesitation. She did not know what kind of transformation Sol had gone through, but anything that could survive that explosion was something she did not want to face.


    White shared the same feelings and put everything he had in activating his zone. With just a p of his wings, he had already moved several meters away, it took him less than half a second to break through the sound barrier.


    But this wasn¡¯t enough for them,


    ¡®Faster, I need to move faster.¡¯


    White reached a speed several times above that of sound and still continued to elerate. They just needed to go as far away as possible.


    Rio¡¯s erratically beating heart calmed down, White was the fastest Duke she knew, she was sure that they had already long lost that monster. At least, that was what she thought, until, from the corner of her eye, she saw a golden light sh past them.


    ¡®Wha¨C?!¡¯


    Before she understood what happened, a w grabbed her head and pushed her away from White¡¯s back.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    All it took was one blink, and the side of her face was already kissing the ground. Refusing to let her go, the owner of those ws continued to fly while rubbing half of her face on the rough and hot sand.


    The pain felt so vivid that she was seeing stars. Her thoughts were in disarray and she felt faint, but years of fighting made her react by instinct alone.


    Managing to create a sword, she controlled it to chop at the w. She did not believe that she would be able to make a deep wound, but all she needed was a window of opportunity. Sadly, the moment the sword came in contact with the target-


    ng!


    Far from leaving a shallow wound, it could not even leave a scratch. Still, it seemed that her goal seded since he stopped rubbing her face on the ground and slowly brought her up.


    Half of her face had been rubbed raw. All that could be seen was a mangled mess of flesh and blood.


    But, with the remaining half, from the gaps on the w, she could finally see the change that had happened to Sol properly.


    Previously, even after transforming, aside from his skin taking a more bronze tone and a few more centimeters to his height, the sole true change had been the two glowing horns made out of energy on the top of his head and his blue eyes changing into a slits of gold and ck. In short, he looked more like a human with the aura of a dragon than anything else.


    Right now though, there was no doubt about his ancestry.


    Nearly all his body, aside from the middle-upper part of his chest, was covered in golden scales that reflected the light of the sun, making it look like he was covered in a sacred aura.


    This impression though would vanish fast at the sight of the row of vicious-looking small spikes on his back and the long spikes on his tail that was gently swaying with the wind. The tip of his tail looked like the point of a spear and gave a dangerous vibe.


    The transformation did not stop there, since even his hand had changed into long and powerful ws. In ce of the previous energy horns, two curved ck horns pointing toward the sky could be seen on either side of his head.


    Finally, on his back, his two golden wings spread wider than two meters, each having a specializedyer of white skin on the inside. A jagged, fang-like bone protruded from the end of its shoulder des.


    Even though she was facing the same opponent from a mere moment ago, the difference couldn¡¯t be more obvious.


    From up so up close, she could not even breathe properly. It was as if she was facing a superior being, something she could not afford to offend.


    <<Dragon Force, Final Step: War.>>


    ¡°You know, I must thank you. If not for the pressure you put me through, It might have been impossible for me to reach this level.¡±


    The moment he opened his mouth, sharp teeth seemingly able to tear through anything were reflected in her eyes. His voice sounded graver, more dangerous.


    Controlling the deep fear that threatened to take control of her body, she gave a weak grin, as she asked,


    ¡°I guess you aren¡¯t thankful enough to just let us go.¡±


    She had asked this just on the fly, but then he seemed to judge her, before asking in return,


    ¡°Serve me. Be it you or yourpanion, swear your allegiance to me and I will spare you.¡±


    Dukes were not thatmon in the mortal world. What¡¯s more, he had tasted the efficacy of their teamwork and knew how dangerous those two would be on a battlefield.


    Rio¡¯s eyes wavered a little before resolve shed in the depth of her remaining eye,


    ¡°I refuse. I will never serve anyone, ever again.¡±


    Sol looked carefully at her expression, before releasing a sigh,


    ¡°Such a shame.¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Rio groaned and slowly lowered her trembling head, only to see his tail fully embedded in her body. She could feel that he had destroyed the core of her essence and her energy was already leaving her.


    Blood leaked out from her lips, while her eyes gradually lost their luster.


    From behind Sol, she could see herpanion and best friend, rushing toward them in order to save her.


    She showed a sad smile, while tears began to fall from the corner of her eyes. She knew that it was already toote for her.


    ¡°R-run¡­¡±


    Those were thest words she muttered before death finally took her away.


    (AN: Holy hell. Writing this fight has been one of the hardest things in my career. This fightsted four chapters with each chapter being 2K+. Like damn. Anyway, Sol finally took the first step in the big league. I hope you liked this fight.)

 Chapter 190 CH 169: VICTORY

    [Gabriel''s Pce]


    "He won."


    Nephthysmented quietly as she watched the fight.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Gabriel nodded. Even though the fight had been only at the Duke level, she could not tear her gaze away from it.


    It was like seeing all her deepest fantasies taking form. A lone hero fighting against impossible odds and finally winning by awakening his hidden power thanks to his determination. It was so simple yet so beautiful that she was spellbound.


    ¡°When the explosion happened, I really thought that this would be the end.¡±


    Gabriel shook off her daze andughed at Nephthys words.


    ¡°If the explosion had happened before his awakening then I would have immediately teleported him out. But, I am d I didn¡¯t have to. If I had to save him, I am sure that it would have crushed his spirit.¡±


    Nephthys nodded. In a world where pure intent could affect reality, losing one fighting would be as good as beingpletely crippled.


    For a dragon, even a hybrid one, having their pridepletely crushed was something uneptable. She had seen dragons kill themselves because of this.


    ''Still, to think he was that talented.''


    The power Isis had over life and death was something out of this world. The power of death of her husband and her power over life from her phoenix heritage had perfectly fused in their daughter and resulted in giving Isis potential even higher than a pure Phoenix.


    Until now, Nephthys had always thought that her daughter was the most perfect hybrid but,


    ¡°That form¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? So you remarked? The war form of the dragon tribe. This is truly a powerful transformation.¡±


    The dragons were the divine beasts with the highest defense and the highest raw physical strength. It wouldn¡¯t be a mistake to say that they were machines purely created to tank as much damage as possible and wreak havoc wherever they passed.


    Even so, because of their massive form, they were easy targets on the battlefield, while taking human form weakened them too much.


    The war form was the result to get the best of both worlds. A mobility out of this world paired with aplete defense...but there was one specific detail that did not match the current situation.


    ¡°I thought only pure dragons at the King realm could awaken that form?¡±


    This was what Nephthys couldn¡¯t understand. During this fight, not only had Sol skipped many steps of dragon force, but he even reached the final step that had only been used by a few dragons over thousands of years.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t even a Duke yet¡­¡±


    Gabriel added quietly. She also remembered that Sol was a Dimensional Mage and had been fighting without one of his strongest trump cards.


    ¡®Oh, my goddess..¡¯


    Now that the high of the fight had vanished, she was beginning to grasp the importance of what she had just witnessed. She had always wondered what the twin sister of her goddess was doing and why she gave so much importance to Sol. But now she realized that she had underestimated him too much.


    A Blessed. A perfect Hybrid without any shorings. The power of a Chaos Dragon. A Dimensional Mage. A human with the highest Capacity ever recorded in history.


    Any of those talents was enough to bring the one it belonged to the top. Mars was the perfect proof. But what would happen if all those were mixed? What if, in addition to all of this, he made a contract with another perfect hybrid?


    ¡®Just what kind of monster is Lady Luxuria trying to create?¡¯


    -----


    ¡°So, you won.¡±


    ? Walking lightly on the sand, Isis walked toward Sol while observing the surroundings.


    On one side, she could see the body of Rio with a hole in her abdomen. On the other side, she could see the corpse of White with one of its wings and head missing, blood still flowing from its body.


    ¡°I did, indeed.¡±


    Tearing her gaze away from the two dead Dukes. She turned to Sol who was still floating with his head down, breathing roughly.


    Even though he only took a nce at her, she had felt as if she was standing in front of a starving beast ready to tear her apart.


    Thankfully, she was a Phoenix hybrid and as such could ward off the natural pressure he was emanating.


    ''At least it does not seem permanent.''


    In her eyes, she could see that his previously warm soul seemed far colder. But slowly, the warmth wasing back.


    Deciding to stay silent, she observed him as changes kept happening to his body.


    Therge wings and the tails vanished. The same happened to the scales and the threatening spikes.


    Landing softly on the ground, Sol took a deep breath before looking at Isis.


    ¡°Your eyes changed.¡±


    ¡°Did they?¡±


    He gently caressed the rim of his eyes before shrugging. ¡°I guess it would have been too much to expect that everything would stay the same.¡±


    Indeed, even though the ck and gold color had faded and gave ce the usual blue, the eyes of Sol were still that of a dragon, rather than the round pupils of a human. What¡¯s more, on his head, his two curved horns were also still present.


    In the past, it was impossible to say that Sol was a hybrid as long as he didn¡¯t use dragon force. Now though, it would be hard to convince anyone otherwise.


    Shaking his head, he looked at the result of his fight before sighing.


    Isis misunderstood his sigh and asked with a mischievous expression,<sub> </sub>


    ¡°What, you regret killing them?¡±


    ¡°Heh, I definitely regret it. But not for the reasons you are thinking. I wasn¡¯t my normal self when I asked her to surrender. The instincts were drowning most of my reasoning. Had I been my normal self, I am sure that I could have convinced them. It¡¯s a shame to lose two Dukes.¡±


    Sol looked at his hand as he answered. When he had transformed or rather when he had taken what should have been his natural form, Sol had not particrly felt different.


    It was only now that he could understand how could and calluses he had been.


    It wasn''t something stupid like a double personality or some inner demon. It was just that under this form, most of his inhibitions were erased.


    He didn''t just be stronger. He became colder. His view of the world changed.


    He could faintly understand now why all pure divine beasts looked down on others. When he was in that form, he felt as if everything should bow down to him. That it was the natural order of things. That he was a superior being.


    At the same time, his mind kept an extreme level of rationality. Observing his enemies, detecting their ws and the way to break them.


    They said that a lion would use all his strength even to kill a rabbit.


    This was the same. In that form, he became a cold and rational hunter. A predator willing to use everything at his disposal to win.


    He still didn''t know whether this was a good or bad thing.


    On the other hand, when Isis heard his words, she hesitated a short while before walking until she reached Rio¡¯s body.


    She still did notpletely trust him.


    She still did not want to follow him.


    But¡­ Perhaps she could give him a chance?


    That¡¯s why she had decided to do onest test.


    ¡°Hey, Sol. Do you want to see a neat trick?"


    She wanted to see. She wanted to know¨Cjust how would he react once he understood her true nature?


    Would he look at her in disgust and veiled hatred like all her kins?


    Would he see her as a potential weapon he could use?


    ¡°Hum...What are you talking about?¡±


    She did not know. For all her power, foresight was not part of her skillset. Even so, right here, right now, she was willing to give it a try.


    At least if she was to suffer another disappointment, better be sooner thanter.


    That was why,


    ¡°Let me show you.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, she ced her hand over the head of Rio.


    <<Necro art: Call of the valkyrie>>


    Her deep red eyes began to shine, and one word escaped her lips,


    <<Zone: Valha>>


    ¡°Arise.¡±


    A sacred light dyed the world white.


    -----


    Somewhere, many kilometers away from the light, a woman with features simr to that of Nephthys and Gabriel floated in the air. Herrge Crimson feathery wingszily moved from time to time.


    Her attire consisted of a flimsy white robe that barely managed to hide her outrageous figure and left nothing to the imagination.


    Had Sol or Isis managed to see her, they would have recognized that she was Nent, one of the four King ranked Phoenixes.


    She had not been present since the start of the fight, but therge explosion had simply been eye-catching.


    This was why she had managed to observe the one-sided beatdown that had happened when Sol unleashed his true power.


    Frowning a little when she saw the actions of Isis, she shook her head and began to fly away. Refusing to observe such an abominable act.


    Discarding all thoughts about her most detested niece, she began to think back to what she had witnessed. The fight had been a sight to behold. The boy had shown tremendous potential.


    It seemed that she had to reassess how she saw him or rather they all had to do so. For she believed that she wasn''t the only one attracted by the fight.


    Be it her mother or sisters. They should all now understand just how important this boy was.


    "Well then, I guess I have to take that matter of contract more seriously."


    Letting a low chuckle, her lips formed a seductive smile, unlike anything divine being representative of chastity should have shown.


    ''The situation suddenly became more interesting.''


    Now then, how should she act?


    (AN: Well well well, the situation became interesting. Anyway, the fighting part of this volume is basically done. So time for some fluff and perhaps some sexy moments. Hehe)

 Chapter 191 CH 170: CUTE?

    *Sigh*


    Standing in the middle of the pool-sized bath of Gabriel''s pce, Sol released a sigh of contentment as the hot water took away his fatigue of the day and allowed him to rx.


    Saying that the day had been tiring would have been the understatement of the year. In just one day, he had fought more and caused more deaths than in all the previous years of lifebined.


    If he had to be honest, it was a wonder that he did not copse.


    "Honored guest, please raise your arms."


    One of the two servants that had been taking care of him since the start of his stay in the pce spoke gently.


    After a few days of getting to know each other better, the previously cold way they treated him was just a thing of the past.


    While it was hard to stay that they had be close, they would at least not stay silent when in his presence.


    Turning his head, his gazended on the soft and womanly curves of his caretakers. The two of them were beautiful twins whose bodies had the allure of amazons.


    Letting his gaze roam on their bodies, Sol felt himself harden ever so slowly and shook his head.


    He normally had good control over his urges, but he was still feeling high from his previous fight and his libido was at all times high.


    It didn''t help that the two servants seemed far more enthusiastic than usual the moment he came back and liked to caress him.


    From the way they would linger on his horns and how they would blush whenever they met his eyes, he hade to the conclusion that their sense of beauty was somewhat different from the norm.


    ''Sigh, I am really beginning to get pent up.''


    He ignored their surprised reactions at the sight of his erection. He had no doubt that should he ask for it, they would happily ept. But, while he did not mindying down with his maids, those two servants were not his.


    It would be tragic if he ended up offending Gabriel and lost the chance to get a Phoenix.


    ''I need to study the customs of the Phoenixes.''


    It was something very important. After all, he only had little information about them. Much of which was from hearsay. He did not want to make assumptions over misguided or iplete information.


    Feeling the gentle but innocent brush of their hands over his penis, Sol sighed as he fought the desire to simply throw them down and have his way with them.


    His member was throbbing, painfully so.


    Sighing yet again, Sol seriously began to wonder if he should just masturbate. Otherwise, he might really attack someone.


    -----


    Back in Isis'' bedroom, Isis sat curled on herrge queen-sized bed deep in thoughts.


    The events of the day kept filling her mind as she scrutinized everything with magnifying sses.


    After she showed her power to Sol, the two of them returned to the headquarters of Rio and White.


    On the way, she had watched as Sol made sure to bring down any member of the squad that had survived the fight between him and the Rio White duo.


    It was funny that she was initially supposed to deal with them but most of them ended up incapacitated because of the aftermath of the fight between the three Dukes.


    Once they made sure all the perpetrators were dead, they dealt with the people saved in the same way as the previous ones.


    Thinking about Sol''s stiff expression as he kept receiving their thanks, she couldn''t help butugh.


    After all, she knew very well that he hadn''t stormed Rio out of some sense of justice. He simply wanted to use her as a way to sharpen himself. Saving them had just been a byproduct of his actions.


    "Hehe~! Seems like someone had a good day!"


    Buzzing all around, Sheherazade let out a bell-likeugh as she mocked Isis openly. When she fused with Isis, she could still see, feel and hear everything.


    Isis blushed a little and shook her head in denial, "What are you talking about? This is just your imagination!"


    She took a pillow and throw it at Sheherazade who deftly avoided it,


    "How many times do I have to tell you that you can''t hit¡ª"


    She sadly wasn''t able to avoid getting hit by the second pillow that was right behind the first one.


    Smirking at having finally managed to shut up her friend, Isis sighed. After all, no matter how much she lied to herself, she had to admit that this outing did make her happy.<sub> </sub>


    In all her life, the only friends she had were the undead soldiers of her father or the souls that lingered in the afterlife.


    When she first entered the Phoenix territory, she had been filled with expectations. After all, they were her kind. She thought that she would finally have true friends with whom she could share everything.


    But reality had dosed her enthusiasm with a cold shower.


    Here, aside from her mother, no one liked her. No one wanted her. Having to walk around while under the barely disguised gazes of disgust had been such a shock that she had been nearly traumatized and wouldn''t get out withoutpletely covering herself in ck.


    Had she not met Sheherazade, Isis could not even imagine what would have happened to her.


    Today had been like a dream for her. She had gone out, yed around, fought a little, and watched an epic battle.


    But the peak had been when she revealed her power to Sol.


    Divine beasts were beings of nature. For them, a necromancer wasn''t just something that opposed their beliefs. They opposed their very existence down to the core.


    For a divine beast, being next to a necromancer was extremely ufortable, and observing the transformation of a body in undead was like pushing the nose of a human in a bag full of trash.


    That was why she did not hate the Phoenixes. Even though they hated being next to her, they had never mistreated her either. They just avoided her.


    This was also why no one could understand just how it was possible for Nephthys and Anubis to fall in love with each other and have children.


    After all, since phoenixes represented life, they were basically antithesis of each other.


    Whenever she asked her mother, all she would receive in response was Nephthys blushing heavily and stammering before chasing her out.


    "He didn''t change."


    Sheherazade, who flew out after pushing the cushion away,nded at the top of Isis'' head and listened calmly.


    She knew that there were moments for jokes and moments where all she had to do was shut up and listen.


    "You know I have been really worried. I mean, it hadn''t been that long since we met but I really didn''t want to face another rejection."


    No matter how he was raised, Sol was still a hybrid divine beast.


    Even without him being a divine beast, few living beings could ept the existence of a necromancer. After all, no one liked to face their own mortality.


    The moment she used her power to awaken both Rio and White as undead, rather than any sign of fear or disgust, all he had shown was an honest wonder.


    She knew that it wasn''t much.


    Sheherazade didn''t fear her either and it wasn''t as if her father did not have friends.


    But, only someone who had been isted would understand how much such little acts could mean.


    "At least I did not lose my friend¡­ We are friends, right?"


    Isis seemed a little uneasy. Now that she thought about it, she did not really know what her rtionship with him was.


    Would it be too forward of her to call him a friend?


    ''Isis can be really cute sometimes.''


    Chuckling a little,


    "Why don''t you ask him yourself?"


    "I¡­ *Humph* forget it! He should be the one begging to be my friend. Not the other way around."


    "Hehh¡­ " Sheherazade drawled a little,


    "But you know. Now that Sol further awakened his dragon blood, I don''t think you will be able to monopolize him for much longer."


    Isis stopped short, "What do you mean¡­"


    Flying away from her head and finally hovering in front of Isis, Sheherazade exined herself,


    "I mean¡­ You didn''t forget why he came here, right? If he is to make a contract with a Phoenix, he will have to pass time with many of them before making a choice. As for you¡ªHe doesn''t even know that you are a Phoenix."


    From the silence of Isis, it was clear that she had forgotten about this very important fact.

 Chapter 192 CH 171: FOUR GREAT PHOENIXES

    ? It had been five days since the fight against Rio and White. During those five days, Isis, who had initially scoffed at Sheherazade¡¯s words, found that her friend¡¯s guess had been extremely urate.


    During thest few days, thanks to Sheherazade spying on what was happening in the pce, she knew that different kinds of phoenixes had been contacting Sol and trying to arrange dates or simr things with him.


    Normally, the children of the three other King-ranked phoenixes did not like visiting the pce if not necessary. It wasn¡¯t a question of dislike, but rather the fact that the four direct daughters of Gabriel each had different ideologies and refused to bow to each other.


    Even though Nephpthys was the Queen in name, her authority on the children of her sisters was rather limited in times of peace. Of course, this was totally different during an emergency.


    Though Sol received all those invitations, he gave no concrete answer and mainly observed the situation first. Finally, he decided that he couldn¡¯t make a correct decision with enough relevant information.


    ----


    ¡°So, if I understand well, the phoenixes are divided into four factions and there were three other great cities under the direct control of Nephthys¡¯s sister?¡±


    Sitting next to Sol on a wall under the shade of arge tree in her courtyard, Isis nodded at his words,


    ¡°Well, saying factions is a little forced. The ideologies may be different, but they will not hurt each other. Even if they wished to, they would not dare. Gabriel may not have the Sea of Stars to observe all phoenixes, but it would be impossible to trick her.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­ I was sure that you would say that it was impossible for them to hurt each other.¡±


    Isis let out a chuckle, ¡°My father always said that as long as intelligent beings live in society, it¡¯s impossible to erase strife. The best possiblepromise is for a being with absolute power to take control. But even if it¡¯s for their own good, intelligent beings will never ept their freedom being stripped away. Rebellion will be an eternal problem. Divine beasts are no exceptions.¡±


    Her own grandmother was one of the best examples. Even though she gave them everything, some people still decided to rebel against her.


    This went to show how far people were willing to go to obtain their so-called freedom.


    Sol nodded, ¡°Your father is a wise man.¡±


    Since he was from the earth, Sol understood clearly just how dangerous ideals could be. History had already proved many times that as long as it was for an ideal, humans were willing tomit the greatest atrocities.


    Someone who did evil and knew he was evil was not dangerous but predictable. But someone who did evil while thinking, nay, while being sure that he was doing good was frightening. Because you could never know just how far they could go. At least that was what Sol believed.


    ¡°Anyway, about those families?¡±


    Lately, some phoenixes began to show interest in him and he was happy to spend some time with them, but he didn¡¯t want to waste too much time either. Furthermore, making such an important choice meant that he couldn¡¯t rely on one-sided information. As such, in order to get a clearer picture, he decided to glean some information from ¡®Sheherazade¡¯ about the different groups.


    ¡°Yeah, this sounds pretty good. So the first family is obviously Nephthys, a holy phoenix who has power over light and heat. Individually speaking, she is the strongest. She is also the favorite of Gabriel. So she is the official second inmand of all phoenixes. Her family is the smallest and she only has one daughter...Isis. She doesn¡¯t have a particr ideology. But because of some of her choices in the past, she is a little isted.¡±


    Sol noticed her hesitation but did not pay attention. He wasn¡¯t dumb nor was he dense. She may not have noticed it, but the way the servants looked at her when she walked. The fact that she chooses to hide her identity while being outside. Even the existence of this courtyard.


    Sol was 80% sure that Sheherazade was in fact, Isis. The only reason he wasn¡¯t 100% certain was that the aura she emanated did not seem like that of a phoenix. But, it wasn¡¯t as if it was impossible to hide or change one¡¯s aura. He remembered very well that the first time he met Persephone on the za during his date with Medea, he hadn¡¯t recognized her witch¡¯s aura.


    Of course, it was also possible that he waspletely wrong. Though the chances were slim.


    ¡®Anyway, it¡¯s fun. So why would I expose her?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t mind ying around a little. Meanwhile, not knowing that her cover had already blown up long ago, Isis continued,


    ¡°The second family is under Nent, a lightning phoenix with some control over heat.¡± There, Isis blushed a little, ¡°Her ideology is reproduction. She believes that phoenixes and divine beasts, in general, should be more proactive about giving birth. She also thinks that mixing blood is the best way.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­¡±


    Sol found it surprising. Even though he was a perfect hybrid and managed to awaken the main abilities of the two races, the chances of such a thing happening were extremely low. In the first ce, the chance of hybrids appearing was also low. So when the twopounded, it was no joke.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t fear weakening the blood?¡±


    At this question, the blush on Isis faded, ¡°She believes in selective breeding. Hybrids or pure offspring with good talent should be allowed to breed more and with different partners. As for the failure, they should be culled or have their reproduction ability destroyed.¡±


    Sol whistled, ¡°Vicious.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Isis really disliked Nent or in fact, feared her a little. Every time this aunt was looking at her, she could see a struggle in her eyes. As if she was deciding between stopping her from having children because of her necromancer power or if she should put her in a breeding program because she was a perfect hybrid.


    Of course, it was just a little fear. Even if they didn¡¯t take her mother into ount, her father was not a kind guy. Should anything happen to her, he would immediately dere war on the phoenixes.


    ¡°What does Gabriel say about that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Nent never used any coercing means. All those who entered her program are perfectly willing and believe in her ideology. Until now her program had produced no perfect hybrid, but the resulting children, albeit limited, are very talented.¡±


    Nent¡¯s direct children were all a result of the division of her own energy. But more than half of her grandchildren were hybrids.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°The third one is Hator. She¡­¡± Isis frowned a little, ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to describe her. All I know is that she has control over water and reached an incredible level with it as a healer. She isn¡¯t the strongest, but from what my mo¡­*Ahem* Gabriel said, she is also known as the immortal phoenix.¡±


    It didn¡¯t need to be said, but each divine beast had their own specialties. For example, Dragons had the highest defense or Kitsunes were the best at illusions. The phoenixes were the hardest race to kill.


    Someone said that you die when you are killed. This couldn¡¯t be more wrong for the phoenixes since they could quite literally resurrect after getting killed thanks to <<Nirvana>>, their innate skill. Of course, there was a limit to everything and the limit of Nirvana was used to determine the talent of phoenixes. All in all, for such a race that could defy death, being recognized as The Immortal showed just how respected Hator was.


    Sol mulled a little, ¡°What is her ideology?¡±


    ¡°Freedom.¡± Isis smiled, ¡°Hator is only interested in three things, eating, drinking, and traveling. She rarely stays long in the territory and leaves the control of her city to her subordinates. She has no children.¡±


    ¡®This one seems worth befriending. A skilled healer is always wee.¡¯


    Compared to Nent, who seemed like a phoenix version of his own grandfather, Hator was more to his liking.


    ¡°So, what about thest one?¡±


    ¡°Neith is known as the snow phoenix. She has power over the wind and cold. She only gave birth to two children through energy separation and those children each had two and that¡¯s it. She is the second strongest after Nephthys and not by far. Her ideology is a belief in personal power and istion, so she isn¡¯t really friendly with Nent and Hator. Her goal is to be a demi-god so she is a true loner and isn¡¯t close to any of the other three.¡±


    ¡®So, a rebellious daughter, an ultra pragmatic, a free spirit, and an extreme loner.¡±


    Sol had a weird expression as he thought about how much trouble those four must have brought to Gabriel as she raised them.


    Still, this discussion had been rather fruitful. His goal this time wasn¡¯t just to bring any phoenixes. He needed an extremely talented one who also had a high <<Nirvana>> level. All phoenixes were also great healers and even though Sol had great self-healing ability, having a powerful healer on his side was of course the best.


    He immediately decided to cross Nent¡¯s children and grandchildren from the list. Even though she didn¡¯t seem evil and apparently only had the good of the phoenixes in mind, Sol was not going to give it a try. Who knew what might happen to his own children afterward?


    This left Nephthys¡¯s daughter, Hathor, and finally, Neith and her children.


    Since Hathor was a free spirit, he doubted she would want to sign a binding contract. Neith was also a loner, but since she wanted more power it wasn¡¯t impossible for her to ept a contract, but he doubted that she would be eligible for a Lust type. A Greed-type seemed more likely.


    As for her children, he didn¡¯t know, so he would have to observe. This only left one option ¡ª Isis.


    No matter how he looked at it, or at least with the current information he had, she was perfect.


    She could heal, she could fight and she could even bring an undead cmity. Just imagining the face of the beastmen from Wratharis as the one they killed and their deadpanions stood up and began to fight them made him salivate.


    Of course, even if he was wrong in his spection and ¡®Sheherazade¡¯ was not Isis, if he could get her as a second contract, it would still be incredible. But, he doubted he was wrong. After all, he didn¡¯t miss her faux-pas when she nearly called Gabriel ¡®mother.¡¯


    ¡®Man, I really have be cold.¡¯


    A bitter smile formed on his face. The way he was only looking at the situation in terms of gain and losses made him a little ufortable, but what could he do? The first contract was irreversible. He couldn¡¯t take the situation lightly in such a situation and had to take everything into ount.


    Otherwise, if he made a mistake, it would be toote to regret it.


    Isis meanwhile was observing Sol in a daze. Looking at his profile while he was deep in thought, she had to admit that in a pure aesthetic sense, Sol waspletely in her strike zone.


    Of course, his soul was far more attractive to her than his physical appearance. This was also one of her greatest hang-ups.


    ¡®What kind of person was he in his previous life?¡¯


    The advice of her father was still in her mind. The time she had spent with Sol had been meaningful, but it was impossible for her to put those pieces of advice away just because she had spent one interesting adventure with him.


    ¡®Should I ask him?¡¯


    Just as she was about to pluck her courage, the two of them turned their heads toward the side at the sound of hurried steps.


    The one that was running was one of Isis¡¯ servants. Once she reached them, she showed a fretful expression as she eximed,


    ¡°Prin¡­¡±


    *Cough* *Cough*


    The servant caught hold of herself when Isis began to cough and changed her words,


    ¡°Mydy, Her grace, Nent, wishes to see the honored guest.¡±


    Sol once again yed dumb and ignored the mistake of the servant. Meanwhile, his eyes narrowed as he wondered how this meeting would go.


    This promised to be very interesting.

 Chapter 193 CH 172: WHAT ABOUT ME?

    Nent was a beautiful woman. The red shade of her hair had a deeper crimson shade to it, giving it the color of blood.


    Even though, appearance wise, she seemed quite simr to Nephthys, the two of them couldn''t be any more different.


    It wasn''t just because of her impressive curves that dwarfed many women Sol knew, but also because of her sultry aura and her extremely revealing clothes.


    All she was wearing was a ck satin dress that barely hid her massive breasts and showed off the curves of her ass.


    p Looking at her, Sol even wondered if Nent was really a Phoenix and not a subus.</anda>


    "Sol! How have you been?"


    When Sol entered the room alone, Nent enthusiastically stood up and greeted him with a tight hug before letting him go.


    Being pressed against her like this, even though for a short time, he could feel how soft she was. Anyone else in his ce would have been lost because of this sensation, but thankfully, Sol was already used to intimate contact with women and did not make a fool of himself.


    "Take a seat. I wish to discuss something with you."


    Even though he was curious about her sudden disy of friendliness, Sol knew that he would get his answer soon.


    Taking a seat as he was instructed, Sol gave her another look as he thought back to the information he had received not long ago. From them, he knew that even though this woman seemed quite flirtatious, she was no easy woman and if he let her looks deceive him, things wouldn¡¯t end well.


    Leaning back on the seat and crossing his legs, Sol rested his head on the palm of his hand as he looked at her nonchntly.


    Silence stretched between the two of them, but no one seemed to be ready to burst the bubble. In the end, after a few minutes, it was Nent who caved in as she asked coyly,


    ¡°Sol, aren¡¯t you curious about the reason as to why I called you here?¡±


    Sol gave a meaningful smile, ¡°I am definitely curious.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Silence fell again between them, as Nent expected Sol to ask something, but all he did was look at her with the same smile.


    In the end, Nent sighed and conceded,


    ¡°You won. It seems like I quite underestimated you.¡±


    Sol nodded with a proud smile as if he was happy to have won this short face-off, but inwardly, his guard against her had heightened.


    Winning a face-off against a millennia-old divine beast after just a few minutes? Was that woman really taking him for some arrog¡­


    ¡®Ah...She is dealing with me as if I was a true dragon.¡¯


    What she just did was quite insidious. Creating a short tension, then conceding and giving him the impression that he won something when in reality, she lost absolutely nothing. Following this, his guard would be lowered because of a useless sense of superiority.


    Sol had decided to y the game with her, and see what she was up to. Thankfully, ying the idiot blinded by arrogance was not particrly difficult. He just had to let his instincts take control.


    Not knowing what was going through his mind, Nent finally cut to the heart of the matter,


    ¡°I have heard that you have rejected the invitations of the phoenixes that wished to talk with you?¡±


    ¡®Hum, so this is her deal?¡¯


    From what he had just learned, it wouldn¡¯t be a mistake to say that at least 70% of living phoenixes, pure or hybrid, were directly rted to her. The fact that she was a virgin despite all this made it pretty weird, but Sol was not interested in this point.


    Nodding, he answered, ¡°This is indeed the case. But I did not really reject them, I just decided to postpone my decision to ater date.¡±


    ¡®Though this date might nevere.¡¯


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Nent mulled over his words before nodding, ¡°Sol, let me be candid with you. I did not call you here to talk about this. Truth be told, I think that pairing you with any of the children would be a waste of your talent. While it may cost a little more on your Capacity point---What would you think about forming a contract with me?¡±


    ¡­<sub> </sub>


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Nent really said that?¡±


    Looking at the moons while sitting on her throne, Nephpthys showed no surprise when she heard Gabriel¡¯s words and only raised her eyebrows slightly.


    The two of them were discussing as always when Gabriel brought up the meeting between Sol and Nent.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t surprising. She had personally watched the fight and saw Sol¡¯s War Form. For her, seeing a perfect hybrid like Sol must have been like a dreame true.¡±


    ¡°*Sigh* You are right. Since that event centuries ago, she has changed quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°You mean, what happened with that witch and the scientist who developed the Human Genesis Theory?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. The three of them must have met each other at crossroads and hit it off. But this did not really matter. Their execution hit her badly.¡±


    Nephthys sighed while agreeing inwardly. The Nent from 700 years ago and the current one werepletely different. In the past, Nent was the very epitome of everything that a Phoenix should represent. Now though, she had many extreme views, and while she did not use any coercing means, she was very skilled in manipting people.


    ¡°So, what did Sol answer?¡±


    ¡°He asked for some time to think.¡±


    Nephthys released a helpless sigh. It wasn¡¯t as if she could me him. Nent wasn¡¯t just a beautiful woman. She was also a high-tier King. No matter how you looked at it, making a contract with her was good.


    ¡®I hope Isis will stop ying her childish game now.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t understand why her daughter had decided to hide her identity, but she couldn¡¯t say that she approved.


    From what she had observed of Sol, he was a very good boy and would make a great son-inw.


    She wouldn¡¯t mind if Sol chose another phoenix as a partner because he did not like Isis or because Isis did not wish to form a contract. But losing him because of some stupid game when she was obviously interested would be a true shame.


    Of course, if she had to be honest, the talent Sol had and his destiny had also attracted her. She had no doubt that she was looking at a demi-god in the making. Which would result in the dragons in specific, and the Order¡¯s race in general, bing even stronger.


    Even though Chaos had lost and had been sealed, the abyss was still spewing its spawns, furthermore, not all the Titans and Giants under her had died.


    Thinking about those cockroaches that refused to die no matter what, Nephpthys couldn¡¯t help but bite her finger in anger.


    ¡°Dear daughter of mine, could you stop melting everything in the throne room?¡±


    Waking up, Nephpthys blushed a little when she observed the state of the room,


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°*Sigh* It''s fine. You should go talk to your daughter.¡±


    Gabriel knew that Isis making a contract with Sol was one of the most important steps for the n of Luxuria to bear fruit. Even though Luxuria was not her goddess, she still respected her since she was the eldest twin of Castitas. Failure was not an option.


    Nephthys nodded and began to walk away.


    ¡°I will see what I can do.¡±


    Now alone, Gabriel closed her eyes and sighed. Her daughter wasn¡¯t the only one worried about the activities of the Titans and the spawn of chaos.


    Castitas had already informed her about the fact that the leader of the Wings of Freedom had managed to escape from their seals.


    ¡®It seems like a great turmoil ising up. Should I call for a summit of the divine?¡¯


    She hoped that it was just a false rm.


    (AN: Welp, new things were introduced. New concepts and some backstory. Let¡¯s see how everything goes.)

 Chapter 194 CH 173: DILEMMA

    Resting on a reclining chair, Nent was gazing absentmindedly at the moons in the sky, memories of a long-forgotten past filling her mind.


    Remembering the clumsy but serious scientist and the naughty but gentle witch, a rare turmoil was brewing in her heart.


    ''Seven hundred years...''


    Even for divine beasts, such an amount of time was not insignificant.


    If her self from all those years ago could see her current self, Nent was sure that her past self would be nothing but disgusted.


    Even so, she did not regret any of her actions. Even if she was given a second chance, she would still do the same.


    "Mother."


    A tall man with a refined expression walked in the room and called out to Nent.


    He was wearing baggy white pants and an open half suit without any shirt below, showing his perfect muscles.


    "Kemour, how many times did I tell you to not disturb me when I am viewing the moons?"


    Nent spoke without so much as rising herself and continued her night gazing.


    Kemour was one of her children, he had perfectly inherited her power over lightning and she had given him a haremposed of water, metal, and fire spirit so that the hybrids born held powerful skills.


    So far, only one of her grandchildren from Kemour was born with a dual element. Sadly that child was not a perfect hybrid and did not inherit a core.


    Kemour grimaced a little,


    "It''s about what you recuperated from Rio''s camp. That cat seems to only be able to produce ice. In terms of rank, it isn''t even at the count level. Most likely, Rio only used it as a way to fight the heat."


    Nent frowned, back then, after observing the end of the fight between that metal spirit, the bird, and Sol, she had visited the encampment to see if there was anything special.


    It was there that she saw a white cat kept in a small jail.


    She thought that the cat was special and took it to study, but it seemed that she had been wrong.


    Releasing a sigh, she asked,


    "You didn¡¯t disturb me just for that, right?"


    Though it was a disappointment that she had been wrong about the cat, Nent didn''t mind. She was used to disappointment. In fact, disappointment was the greatest constant in her life.


    "Of course not. But, this should be the perfect gift for that boy. No matter what, the temperature is quite burdensome."


    Nent scoffed. She did not believe that gifting some random cat would sway Sol''s opinion, but even if he refused her, giving him some gift to bring their rtionship closer was a good strategy.


    "Tomorrow, I want you to send one of your daughters to him so that she gives him the cat. It will also be a good asion to introduce them to each other."


    Using a honey trap was one of the oldest strategies in the world. But the fact that it was still used to this day showed how effective it was.


    From what she knew, Kings and Queen of Lustburg, despite being Blessed by Luxuria, were surprisingly chaste.


    But Sol was different. He wasn''t just a human. He was also a dragon. A dragon whose blood had awakened to an extreme degree just a few days ago.


    She was sure that currently, he should be fighting against his own urges so some nudging was necessary.


    Kemour certainly knew that Nent wanted his daughter to offer herself to Sol, regardless of a contract being made.


    Even so, he did not particrly mind. As her mother said, they were the pioneers of a new path for the divine beasts. As such some sacrifices were necessary.


    Furthermore, in this case, it wouldn''t even be a sacrifice. He had seen Sol for himself, albeit briefly and his daughter would not be wronged even if she offered her body to him.


    "Mother, what about you?"


    He knew that the reason his mother never tried to give birth biologically was that she had found no partner worthy of her attention.


    "Hum¡­ I need to observe him more."


    p The easiest for her would be to send servants to him and have him fuck them then obtain samples of his sperm to use on herself and her daughters and granddaughters.<sub> </sub></anda>


    But such an artificial way to give birth would be greatly condemned.


    She was already skirting at the edge of what was allowed, so she had to be careful.


    He nodded at her words, guessing her thoughts, and found himself unsurprised.


    "Very well then, Mother. It''s time for my nightly duties. Have a good night."


    The chances of hybrids being born were low. The chances for hybrid divine beasts were even lower. This was why he had to regrly visit all the members of his harem.


    Even so, he showed no particr joy or expectations. For the children in Nent''s family, sex was not an act of pleasure and even less that of love. It was nothing more than a mechanical process, a necessary procedure for procreation.


    ----


    The next day, Sol, who hadn''t slept a bit, was looking at his ceiling absentmindedly.


    His cold rational mind was warring against his feelings to determine what was the best course of action.


    Nent''s proposal hade out as a surprise to him and put him in a great dilemma.


    On one side, Nent was without a doubt a powerful king. Even though he felt that she was a little weaker than Lilith, that was with Nent being in her human form. He didn''t know how powerful she could get if she went all out.


    Furthermore, she was an old and experienced divine beast that should know many secrets of this world and as a direct daughter of Gabriel, her Nirvana skill should be one of the highest.


    But on the other side, Nent was a cold and dangerous woman. He did not wish to put his future children in any form of danger.


    There was also the matter of potential, without a doubt the higher potential the better. But no matter how high the potential was, how many could reach the King rank?


    The difference in power between each rank wasn''t linear. From what Sol knew, if a normal Duke was 100 then a normal King was 1000.


    Of course, there were no clear numbers, but it was a personal estimation of his.


    ''I need to be careful.''


    Technically, with his capacity, even taking 2 or 3 phoenixes wasn''t impossible. But doing so would be shortsighted.


    If he formed a contract with Nent, he might get lightning. But this was the same with Setsuna. In fact, Setsuna had three elements. So her versatility was at another level from the get to go.


    ''But, what about Sheherazade?''


    Even if Sheherazade wasn''t Isis, Sol was determined to form a contract with her.


    While she might be a little wilful, she was not a bad person and had never tried to hurt him. Her skills were nothing to scoff at either.


    Having her meant having the equivalent of an armyposed of super-elites.


    What if she reached the King rank? Wouldn''t it mean she could have an army, or at least a small team of King ranked Undead?


    This was even more so since her necromancy was different from everything he had studied and known about necromancers. In fact, calling her a necromancer was wrong in a way since she was clearly something greater.


    ''Okay. My decision about forming a contract with Nent will depend on Sheherazade''s true identity.''


    If she was a phoenix and epted to form a contract with him, then he didn''t need more and could make the necessary preparations for his departure towards the dragon''s territory.


    If she wasn''t a phoenix, he would still try to form a contract with her, though he will have to consider convincing one of the three King ranked phoenixes.


    He didn''t include Nephthys since he knew she was married.


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    "You can enter."


    One of two servants that were assigned to him entered and bowed.


    "Honored guest, forgive me for disturbing your rest. Lady Nefertiti, Granddaughter of Her grace, Nent, wishes to meet you."

 Chapter 195 CH 174: A BEAUTY

    Once he finished the preparations, Sol began to follow the servant in order to meet the so-called Nefertiti while chuckling inwardly.


    ''So, after the grandmother, it''s the turn of the granddaughter.''


    The ce where the meeting was taking ce was a patio with nature in abundance and a beautiful sceneryposed of rivers and trees.


    Even though the air outside should have been terribly hot because of the three suns hanging in the sky, the temperature on the patio was rather mild. Sol supposed that it was the result of a protective barrier like the one used for the hanging garden in Lustburg.


    Looking at the one he supposed was Nefertiti, as she sat in a prim and proper way, Sol''s eyes couldn''t help but lit up.


    Saying that Nefertiti was beautiful would be a redundancy since Sol had never seen an ugly phoenix. But, Nefertiti was on another level altogether.


    Nefertiti looked like a slim young woman with shoulder-length brown hair decorated with flower ornaments, and her eyes were of a beautiful and soft pink.


    Her delicate brown skin seemed to shine under the light of the suns and contrasted nicely with her white and gold egyptian dress fit for a princess.


    When Sol entered, she stood up and gave a curtsey full of grace.


    "Good morning honored guest, I hope I did not bother you."


    A gentle smile lit up her face as she addressed him.


    "..."


    "... Your highness?"


    ''Huh?''


    As if waking up from a trance Sol also answered with his own smile,


    "Forgive me. It was just that I waspletely entranced by your beauty."


    Nefertiti did not seem to take offense and covered her mouth with her hand as she let out a light and gentleugh,


    "I am honored. Would you like to take a seat? I asked the servants to prepare a light snack."


    "Very well."


    Taking a seat not far from her, Sol had to fight all his instincts to not throw sneaky nces at her.


    ''She is really worthy of her name.''


    In history, Nefertiti was recognized as one of the most beautiful queens to ever exist in Egypt. In fact, her name meant ¡°A beautiful woman hase.¡±


    He didn''t know if the name had the same meaning here, but this didn''t matter.


    Thump! Thump! Thump!


    ''Why the hell am I acting like some teenager in heat? ¡­ Ohhh.''


    He grumbled inwardly before releasing that he was indeed a teenager in heat.


    His heart was beating fast like a drum and his cheeks felt warm.


    In all his life, the only time he had ever felt like this was when he met Medea for the first time.


    Thankfully, even though he was quite mesmerized, Sol wasn''t inexperienced.


    Calming down his wildly beating heart, he looked straight at Nefertiti''s eyes and asked.


    "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"


    ''Oh?''


    Even though her expression did not change, Nefertiti was quite startled at how fast he managed to get his bearings back.


    Even though she was not a vain person, she knew very well how devastating her beauty could be.


    The Nent project was really on arge scale. Each of the partners she chose for her children were the result of generations of careful selective breeding.


    Nefertiti''s mother, for example, was born from generations and generations of unions between metal-type spirits while introducing one charm spirit every two or three generations.


    When her parents mated, even though she did not manage to obtain a core, she stood proudly at A+ rank. Furthermore, her beauty was devastating, to the point where even divine beasts from other territories asked to be her mate.


    But until now, none of them caught Nent''s attention, and as such Nefertiti remained unmarried.


    At least, that was until today.


    Waving her hand, one of the servants who stood on the side with a cage covered by a veil advanced and kneeled before presenting the cage respectfully to Sol.


    Arching his brow, Sol wordlessly asked what it was about, but all Nefertiti did was smile.


    When Sol finally took off the veil from the cage,


    "What a beautiful cat."


    Sol eximed quietly. Even though he wasn''t a pet person, he had to admit that this cat struck his fancy.


    Its lustrous white fur swayed in the wind and jewel-like blue eyes were looking at him with aloofness as if asking, who the heck are you?


    But what really caught his attention was the frigid air he could feeling from that cat.


    ¡°A magic beast?¡±


    "Indeed. This cat should have been one of your spoils of war. We recovered it from the belongings of the bandit chief you killed a few days ago."


    Sol was quite surprised at her honest confession.


    "Wouldn''t it be more advantageous for you to hide the information from me?"


    Nefertiti smiled, "Phoenixes do not lie easily. Though I am just a hybrid, I still follow that principle."


    Of course, there was another reason. Since Isis was a necromancer and had seemingly changed Rio into an undead, even if Nefertiti gave that cat without exining its origins truthfully, it would only be a matter of time before Sol learned the truth.


    If this happened, any amount of trust that had managed to be built between the two parties would be destroyed.<sub> </sub>


    After all, trust could take years to truly form, but all it needed to be destroyed was an instant.


    ¡°I see. I must say, I have received many gifts in my life, but this is the first time I received a pet as a bribe. This is rather refreshing. Still, I do not believe in free things. Let me be blunt, what do you want?¡±


    Nefertiti was truly beautiful. So beautiful that he could hardly tear his gaze away from her.


    But this did not make him happy.


    For Nent to send this girl to discuss with him clearly meant that they intended to affect his rational judgment through her beauty. Using a honey trap was one of the most effective traps after all.


    At the same time, it showed that Nent and her group were still underestimating him, or rather, Nent was judging him using the standard of a dragon and thought they could easily manipte him.


    Of course, it was also possible he was horribly wrong and was looking too much into it. But, it was better to be safe than sorry.


    This was the second time Sol had managed to startle Nefertiti. Usually, when she went to negotiate, men would do their best to make their discussionsst longer. But this one was trying to shorten it.


    She had to admit that this was quite the novel feeling. Still, she had work to do and she could not let herself be distracted.


    ¡°Your highness, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Sol! How are you!?¡±


    The moment Nefertiti tried to exin what brought her, her smile stiffened when she was interrupted quite rudely.


    She was about to berate the person, but when she saw who it was, all she could do was swallow her words and show a stiff smile.


    ¡°This was quite rude, don¡¯t you think Isi¡­¡±


    ¡°My, you are also here, Nefertiti!? I didn''t see you at all.¡±


    Interrupting her once again, and quite loudly this time, ¡®Sheherazade¡¯ gave a fake smile as she greeted Nefertiti.


    Of course, Sol did not miss what Nefertiti had tried to say. But even if he did, the way she restrained herself in front of ¡®Sheherazade¡¯ showed that she couldn''t be a simple guest, which made her true identity all the more obvious.


    Sipping on the still steaming cup of tea that the servants had ced on the table, Sol admired ''Sheherazade''.


    Currently, she was draped in a ck and gold robe that barely covered her thighs. while her curves were not that impressive, they were still a little above average.


    Standing next to Nefertiti, the contrast between the two was all the more obvious.


    A pure beauty d in white facing a mischievous beauty d in ck. Even though ''Sheherazade'' wasn''t as beautiful as Nefertiti, she was still a top ss beauty.


    Nefertiti was just in another ss altogether.


    ''What a charming scene.''


    Drinking a good tea, feeling the wind, and looking at two beauties bickering.


    This brought him quite the nostalgic feeling as it made him feel like he was back at home with Setsuna and Lilith fighting against each other.


    Thinking about them, a warm smile unconsciously formed on his face.


    ''Hum? Why is everything silent suddenly?''


    Bringing back his attention to the scene, he was surprised to see that ''Sheherazade'' and Nefertiti had stopped arguing and were looking at him in trance.


    In the end ''Sheherazade'' shook her head as she took a seat next to Sol. Inwardly, she couldn''t help but murmur,


    ''This should be cheating.''


    Not far from her, Nefertiti shared the same opinion.


    She never thought she would one day be the one dazzled by a smile.


    Once ''Sheherazade'' calmed down, she took a cookie from Sol''s te and munched on it quite happily, as if oblivious that she was intruding.


    In the end, Nefertiti did not wish to break the good impression she had managed to establish.


    "Well, it seems like we will be unable to continue this discussion."


    Sighing, she stood up and gave another curtsey,


    "If you will excuse me, I need to bid you farewell. I hope that we will meetter¡ªin a more private setting."


    She did not forget to shoot a pointed look at the intruder.


    "I am most thankful."


    Smiling, Nefertiti turned around and walked away with her servants. Sol did not miss the fact that they went away without taking the cat with them.


    "Humph! Shameless vixen."


    ''Sheherazade'' murmured angrily before stuffing her face with another cookie.


    Sol gave a wry smile as he took the napkin and wiped off the crumbs at the corner of her mouth.


    "Stop acting like a child."


    "I am not a child!"


    She blushed heavily at this intimate action and took the napkin from his hand to finish the job.


    "So¡­" Taking another sip of his tea, he asked, "Why are you here?"


    ''Sheherazade'' hesitated for a shortt while before gathering her resolve.


    "I want to talk with you."


    Seeing Nefertiti, Isis understood that she could not continue to drag this situation on. It was time to end the lies.


    (AN: Ah, even though I am writing him. If I ever meet a guy like Sol in real life, I would feel like punching him because of how envious of him I would be.)


    Trivia: Did you know, in history, Nefertiti is the one who promoted the cult of a sun god, Aten. She even changed her name to Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti, meaning "beautiful are the beauties of Aten, a beautiful woman hase," to show her faith and promote the sun god as the head of the pantheon and the only one worthy of respect. Now then¡­ Why is this trivia important? Heh, who knows.

 Chapter 196 CH 175: I WASN’T WRONG

    [Nent''s Pce]


    "How was it?"


    Walking out of herrge bath, her body still wet, Nent just stood still and let her servant wipe the water covering her body.


    Her perfect and alluring body was only hidden from sight after one of her servants covered it with a short bathrobe that barely covered her butt.


    Walking forward in the bathroom, she sat on afy reclining chair in front of arge mirror and let her servant pamper her as theybed her hair, did her nails, and massaged her feet.


    This was one of the few guilty pleasures of Nent, getting pampered to no end. It always brought her joy to feel herself being cared for. A sentiment she rarely managed to feel from her mother. After all, only Nephthys was her favorite.


    "Ah. Yes, there, there."


    Letting a hot sigh that was closer to a moan, Nent closed her eyes infort as her scalp was being massaged.


    Near the door of the bathroom, Nefertiti was kneeling on one knee in silence and organizing her ideas.


    "Even though I think he was quite bewitched by my appearance, I don¡¯t believe he fell under my charm. At most he appreciates my beauty."


    Even as she said it, she couldn''t help but feel weird. At first, when Sol had been distracted by her appearance, she had been smug.


    After all, since she was told that Sol was a perfect hybrid and a Blessed to boot, she had felt incredibly inferior to him. This was why she had felt a certain satisfaction at being able to enthrall him.


    But her happiness was short-lived. It was the first time someone from her generation had managed and controlled themselves so fast while in her presence.


    "Oh? It seems like I have to re-evaluate Sol."


    Nent dismissed the servant with a wave of her hand and began to ponder.


    It was truly a surprising turn of events. After all, Nefertiti was one of Nent''s greatest masterpieces.


    A woman so beautiful that even people of the same sex could easily be enamored with her.


    Nefertiti wasn''t just beautiful, she had managed to make her charms reach the level of a pseudo domain. Something she emanated passively and had great effect against males in a certain radius.


    Against lesser males, her charm could even bepared to mind control. This was how powerful it was.


    Of course, it would have been impossible for such a passive effect to affect powerful individuals with a steadfast will.


    But Dragons were not particrly known for their self-restraint.


    This was even more so for younger dragons who did not go through the initiation, a period during which the young dragon would be subject to numerous beat downs to grind down their arrogance.


    It was a brutal yet effective way of doing things. Over the years, it has even changed into an art form. After all, just destroying their pride might bring negative consequences. It had to be polished in a strict but careful way.


    As a hybrid, Sol shouldn''t have been shielded from the effect, but in fact, be even more affected. After all, the imbnce between his human self and his dragon self should have made him far more impulsive and prone to emotional swings ¡ª even more so after his recent power-up.


    ''ze, your son was raised well.''


    Thinking about the unruly dragon brat that was the nightmare of so many divine beasts, Nent lips unconsciously curled up in a gentle smile.


    Even though ze had only been a Duke rank back then, because she was a chaos dragon and thus immune to all forms of magic, coupled with her powerful body, she had been a true nightmare to fight against, even for a King ranked.


    She had been one of the rare divine beast''s descendants that had managed to perfectly inherit all the talent of their creator and thus had a chance to reach the level of demigod ¡ª at least that would have been the case if not for her premature death.


    Something that truly saddened Nent. After all, in her perspective, any individual with such a talent should have never been allowed to leave her territory.


    ''Talented individuals needed to be protected so that they can produce even more talented individuals.''


    This was another reason Nent wanted Sol so much. From the fight she had observed, the boy, like his mother, was clearly a chaos dragon.


    He may not have reached the level ofplete immunity but just the resistance to all magic made him a terrifying foe to face. Furthermore, he was a human gifted with an incrediblyrge capacity and a Blessed.


    ''So many talents concentrated in one body.''


    Just thinking about it made her feel hot. It seemed that she had finally found the one who would mate with her for the first time.


    She began to twist around her chair as she felt herher region begin to heat up. But, just as she was about to relieve herself.


    "Hum¡­ Matriarch."<sub> </sub>


    She was quite startled at the voice behind her.


    ¡°¡­You were still there?"


    Nent neither hid the displeasure in her voice and nor Nefertiti did miss it, but she couldn''t keep it to herself.


    "I¡­"


    "Please speak."


    "I managed to hear the name of my true self."


    The irritated expression on Nent''s facepletely vanished.


    Moving so fast she left an afterimage of her still on the chair, she appeared a few steps away from Nefertiti and asked.


    "Do you understand what you are saying?"


    Nefertiti gulped but her voice did not waver as she raised her head and continued.


    "I swear in the name of the goddess that my words hold no lie."


    The breath of Nent became hurried, but for different reasons than that of a few moments ago.


    Carnal pleasure was ephemeral. But this¡­ This was what she had waited to hear for seven hundred years.


    The true self, also known as the Avatar.


    The zone and the avatar were the results of the recognition of the world.


    When the truth in your heart was recognized by the world, it became a zone.


    When your true self was recognized by the world, it became an avatar.


    This was why the names of those two were bestowed by the world itself.


    Even though hearing the name was nothing but the first step.


    Even though hearing the name did not necessarily mean she would reach the next level.


    "Hahaha!"


    Nent covered her face as tears formed on the corner of her eyes and began tough loudly without a care about how unbing it looked.


    No one could understand just how she had felt during all those centuries.


    But now, she knew that it had been worth it.


    It did not matter if Nefertiti failed to transition into the next level in the end.


    Just this one step was enough to show that she had been on the right path.


    ''Mother, sisters, I wasn''t wrong.''


    Taking a hold of her emotions, she crouched down and held Nefertiti¡¯s slender shoulders with a grip of steel.


    "Tell me, what is the name?"


    Nefertiti winced a little at the tight grip but did notin. She knew very well that Nent wasn''t in the right state of mind currently and did not wish to trigger her negatively.


    This was why, dragging the whisper from her heart, she muttered the name that had filled her soul.


    "The name of my avatar, it is...Ishtar."


    (AN: Dum Dum. The plot thickens. Why do all the avatars shown until now have names rted to gods? What is the will of the world? Why was a sexy scene of masturbation stopped? So many important questions. So little answers. Anyway, the next chapter will be an important discussion between Sol and Isis. Stay tuned. The Phoenix volume is rapidlying close to an end. Man, the next volume will be very hard to write because of what I have in mind. I can already feel my stress level shooting through the roof. XD)


    Trivia: Ishtar or Inanna is basically the base on which Aphrodite then Venus were created. She is an ancient Mesopotamian/Babylonian goddess with authority over love, beauty, sex, war, justice, and political power. Basically a super badass goddess. Though she is also a spoiled princess and was known as the Queen of heaven. By the way, she fought against her older sister, Ereshkigal, the Queen of the underworld ...What an interesting coincidence. It¡¯s almost like we have another girl in my story rted to Nefertiti and that has power linked to the underworld.

 Chapter 197 CH 176: I AM NOT SHEHERAZADE

    Sitting alone on the patio, Sol could only eat leisurely while thinking about what happened a few moments ago.


    After Nefertiti left, ¡®Sheherazade¡¯ had expressed her desire to discuss with him about something important. He wasn¡¯t sure what it would be about, but he could venture some guesses easily.


    In the end, he had no reason to refuse and so decided to wait for her. It was then that she asked him to join her tonight on the roof where the two of them first met. Then, she stood up and left in a hurry.


    Meow!


    When he was about to finish a dish made out of meat he knew nothing about but surprisingly tasted like chicken, the low cry of a cat startled him as he remembered that there was a little one he forgot about.


    Putting his attention on the cat that was crouching in the cage and looking longingly at the meat on his fork, Sol hesitated a short while before asking,


    ¡°Hungry?¡±


    He had only asked this question out of habit, not expecting any kind of response. Which was why he was surprised when the cat nodded at his question.


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Of course, his surprise did notst for long. Since it was a magical beast, possessing a certain level of intelligence was not surprising. When magical beasts reached a certain level, obtaining a level of intelligence equal or even superior to a normal human was a given. White Sparrow was a perfect example.


    ¡°Do you want to get out?¡±


    Now that he knew that the cat was intelligent, Sol felt a little ufortable letting it stay in the cage.


    The cat looked at him curiously before tilting its head.


    ¡®It seems like the level of its intelligence is still quite limited.¡¯


    Even so, he could feel a high concentration of mana in the body of the cat. This showed that this cat was quite a high-ranked magical beast.


    ¡°Whether you stay or run, the choice is yours.¡±


    In the end, he decided to leave it to fate.


    Sol shrugged and opened the cage. He honestly didn¡¯t care if the cat stayed or left. In the first ce, he wouldn¡¯t have known about its existence if Nent had decided to not inform him.


    Back at home, he already had two magical beasts ¨C his nightmare horse, and wyvern. Although their level wasn¡¯t high and they had rtively low intelligence, he liked them quite a bit.


    Looking at the opening in the cage. The cat seemed to hesitate a little before it stood up and stretched in the haughty way only a cat seemed to be able to, then walked calmly out the cage and jumped onto Sol¡¯sp.


    ¡°I guess you choose to stay.¡±


    All he received as an answer was a small meowl, bringing a smile to his face.


    He tore a part of the meat and gave it to the cat that happily ate it. Once the te was swiped clean, Sol closed his eyes and began to pet the cat on hisp.


    The soft feeling on his hand coupled with the frigid air emanating from the cat gave him the urge to simply sleep and forget all his worries. It was a feeling of inner peace and calm he had not felt in a long while sinceing to this ce.


    In the end, he sighed and looked down at the cat that was using hisp as a bed,


    ¡°Since you have decided to stay, what should I call you? Shiro?¡±


    Heughed lightly as he said this name. Back when he had gotten his horse and wyvern, he had named them, ck and White.


    He knew that it was prettyme, but during those times, he still thought he was dreaming or having disillusions and treated the world as a game. He had named his two pets like this because he remembered how the main characters from JP, CN, and KR he read would name their beastpanions. Name like calling a tiger, fat cat or simply using the main color as a name. But...


    ¡®Since we are in an Egypt-like world, let¡¯s go with a more interesting name.¡¯


    Gently cing his finger under the chin of the cat, he thought in silence for a little bit. Many names shed in his mind.


    In the end, and after making sure of the gender of the cat, he settled for one name,


    ¡°Sekhmet or for short Sek. This will be your name for now.¡±


    In Egypt, Sekhmet was a rather powerful and deadly goddess with the head of a lioness. Her name literally meant ¡®The one who is mighty.¡¯ She even had monikers such as ¡®The one before whom evil tremble¡¯ or dy of ughter.¡¯ Thest moniker was given after she nearly exterminated humanity.


    But this wasn¡¯t the main reason he had chosen that name. For one, Sekhmet was the daughter of the sun god, Ra. As for Sol, his name could literally be tranted as Sun.


    Secondly and most importantly---giving the name of a fire-breathing lioness goddess to an ice-type cat was quite ironic and funny for him.


    Sekhmet meowled a little as if to show that she liked the name and jumped out of hisp before beginning to rub herself against him.


    Like this, Sol spent a calm afternoon with no particr worries.<sub> </sub>


    -----


    A few hourster, long after the suns had vanished from the sky and were reced by therge moons, Sol stood up on the roof of the pce and gazed at the horizon.


    Sekhmet wasying down on his head and was clearly using it as some kind of bed, but he didn¡¯t mind. Spoiling a cat was quite fun if he had to be honest.


    Finally, he didn¡¯t have to wait long before he was joined by ¡®Sheherazade¡¯. Sekhmet raised her head and took a look at her before ignoring her and closing her eyes again as if she was toozy to care about the identity of the intruder.


    "Hum. So you decided to ept the gift in the end?"


    Sol, who was about to shrug, stopped himself in order to not disturb Sekhmet.


    "It isn''t like I am forced to listen to them."


    epting a gift meant that you epted to own a favor to the one who sent the gift. This debt could be small or big.


    Even though he quite liked the cat, she wasn''t enough to make Sol ept some ridiculous demands.


    Nent should also know that. In the end, the small gift was just a way to soften the rtionship between the two.


    ''Sheherazade'' nodded at Sol''s answer. She wasn''t very well versed in politics. Even though the Kingdom of the Dead had aplete hierarchy with nobles and whatnot, there were no political struggles to speak of.


    Low-level undead obeyed high-level ones and high-level ones obeyed even higher-level undead. It continued until reaching her father who had absolute andplete control over all of them. Such was the absolute hierarchy of the ce for the dead.


    Still, she understood that in normal politics, exchange of favors was one of the most basic actions.


    This was one of the reasons she loved the underworld even though it was quite a boring ce.


    For Isis, the world of the dead was the perfect world. No pain, no suffering, no oppression nor discrimination. Everything was perfectly structured.


    "I don''t want to seem like I am in a hurry, but, why did you call me here?"


    He already had an inkling, but he did not wish to be the first one to speak about this.


    ''Sheherazade'', whose thoughts were beginning to wander, was startled out and blushed a little.


    Taking a deep breath, she muttered,


    "Sheherazade,e out."


    A dim green light surrounded ''Sheherazade'' for a short while before it vanished and was reced by a fairly wearing green robe.


    The moment that fairy appeared, the aura of ''Sheherazade'' went through a startling change as a deep energy of death and life mixed to form a perfect cycle.


    "You may have guessed it already, but I am not Sheherazade."


    ''No shit, Sherlock.''


    "It might shock you, but¡ªMy name is Isis, daughter of Nephthys."


    She introduced herself in a solemn way while observing Sol''s expression.


    Sol meanwhile was facing quite a difficult situation and his thoughts were flying at lightning speed.


    He could already guess that this reveal was something important to Isis.


    The problem was...he had already long guessed it.


    What was he supposed to do now?


    ''Should I show a moderately shocked expression? Or give an exaggerated reaction? Or should I just keep a stoic face?''


    This was quite the conundrum. In the end, he settled for the simplest answer.


    "Well...I already knew about that."


    At that moment, Sol wished he had a camera or a phone in his hands.


    The expression Isis showed was a sight to behold, something he would never be able to forget.

 Chapter 198 CH 177: A NOT SO GRAND REVELATION

    During thest few days since his fight against Rio, Isis had been agonizing about what she should do.


    It was only after seeing Nefertiti try to solicit Sol that she decided to put aside any form of hesitation and confess the truth.


    "It might shock you, but ¡ª my name is Isis, daughter of Nephthys."


    The moment she said this, she looked at Sol with a worried expression. She wondered what he would think of her, knowing that she had lied to him all this while. Sol was her second true friend, Sheherazade being the first, and she did not wish to lose one of the few people she was close to.


    But-


    "Well...I already knew about that."


    Her expression turned bewildered at those words.


    ¡°You...You knew? How?¡±


    Her voicecked her usual spirit, showing how surprised she was at the revtion.


    ¡°Well...¡± Showing an awkward smile, he said, ¡°You weren¡¯t really all that good at hiding it.¡±


    After that, Sol began to list everything one by one.


    ¡°One, You already told me Isis was Nephpthys¡¯ daughter but she was nowhere to be seen while you could wander the castle as you wished, it was already a big hint.


    Two, many times you almost called Nephpthys, mother.


    Three, the servant showed too much respect to you, some of them even almost calling you princess.


    Four, just this morning, your presence alone was enough to make Nefertiti retreat.


    I could give many more, but those are the ones I can give at the top of my head.¡±


    Sol could have given way more obvious hints she let out but...seeing Isis turning so red that she looked like a tomato, he decided to spare her further humiliation.


    ''Argh...I want to die!''


    Isis, on the other hand, had never felt so much shame in her life. She ced her hands over her face in order to hide how hot her face was currently.


    In the end, she couldn¡¯t help but ask with a small voice


    ¡°Since when?¡±


    Sol hesitated a little, wondering if he should really tell the truth. But, thinking about how funny her reaction was, he thought, ¡®Why not?¡¯


    As such, he told her the truth,


    ¡°I already knew you were lying about your identity the day we met. Though, I only discovered your true identity after you made so many mistakes.¡±


    Just as Sol predicted, Isis¡¯ reaction was priceless. Watching her squirm and groan while the red of her face reached even her ears, he had to fight to rein in the sadistic glee that was surging in his heart.


    Sekhmet meanwhile, still at the top of Sol¡¯s head, opened one of her eyes and looked at the weird creatures making disturbing noises and closed her eyes again.


    For Isis, this moment was pure agony.


    Now that she thought about it carefully, her disguise and story were so full of loopholes that it was terrible. If not for the fact that she could fuse with Sheherazade and change her aura, he would have already known that she was a hybrid phoenix.


    This made her feel a little downcast as she gritted her teeth.


    ¡°It must have been funny...¡±


    Isis couldn¡¯t help but feel like a clown when she thought about everything that had happened.


    Sol chuckled and crouched to be at eye level with her,


    ¡°I admit that it was pretty funny. But even more so, it was very cute. Furthermore¡­¡± A gentle smile reced the grin on his face as he asked softly, ¡°You had your own reasons, right?¡±


    Isis raised her head in surprise.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°You are not angry?¡±


    Sol may have discovered her secret by himself, but it did not change the fact that she lied to him. Even though she only lied about her identity, a lie was still a lie.


    Sol hummed before shaking his head, ¡°Everyone has the right to hold secrets in their hearts. Of course, had you lied in order to hurt me, I would be very disappointed. But...that wasn¡¯t the case, right?¡±


    Isis shook her head in a hurry. She had never entertained the thought of hurting him. The most she initially nned to do was some harmless pranks. In the end, she wasn¡¯t even able to implement those pranks because of his fight against those two Dukes.


    ¡°Then everything is fine, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Isis became lost at those words. She scrutinized Sol¡¯s expression and detecting no falsehood in his eyes, she couldn¡¯t help but feel even more ashamed about her previous conduct toward him.


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Don¡¯t lower your head like this.¡± Sol ruffled her hair, ¡°The Isis I know is a strong-headed girl with many sassy remarks. Not one that acts so down.¡±


    Sol did not wish to receive apologies. Isis may be a willful girl, but if he had to be honest, he quite liked that aspect of her.


    In her presence, he could act lightly without having to show his mature side. Thest few days here had been very rewarding for Sol, both physically and mentally and the major reason for that was Iris.


    He hadn¡¯t understood just how high his nerves had be until he finally found the time to unwind. Now that he was more rxed, he could see everything in a clearer way.


    Isis blushed and batted his hand away before standing back up, her hands on her hips,


    ¡°Humph! I do not need you tofort me. I am a big girl, you know?¡±


    ¡°Aye aye, whatever you say, princess.¡±


    Following her, Sol also stood up and raised his hands in mock surrender.


    The two of them looked at each other with a smile, before exploding inughter.


    ----


    Once the two of them calmed down. They sat at the edge of the roof and calmly watched the moons, finally, Sol asked,


    ¡°So, when will you present to me your friend?¡±


    Isis shrugged and said, ¡°Sheherazade, Sol. Sol, Sheherazade.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Sheherazadeined before floating until she stood in front of Sol, her face filled with excitement.


    ¡°I have been trying to stay silent while you two spoke to each other but now that I am in front of you Sol, I am super happy! I am like a huge fan! You are sooo handsome! Even more now and those horns! Damn, the girls back home will be so jealous if they learn I managed to get close to a dragon!! How old are you? How did you be so strong? Are you in a rtionship? No, silly me. You are a dragon. How could you not be in a rtionship? Even more so with how handsome you are. What do you think of Isis? Even though her character is pretty bad she is a true---Argh.¡±


    Sheherazade¡¯s onught of words was stopped as her small frame was mped by Isis.


    ¡°Why are you talking nonsense?¡± Isis¡¯ eyes twitched as she thought about her friend¡¯s words.


    ¡°Cannot...Breathe...Dying...¡±


    Sheherazade couldn¡¯t answer as her face became purple because of how tight Isis'' hold was.


    ¡°Then die!¡±


    Yelling fiercely, Isis threw her away with all her might in the direction of the sky.


    ¡°I WILL COME BACK!!!¡±


    Looking at Sheherazade that was vanishing in the sky like a shooting star and Isis who was still breathing heavily.


    Sol gave an awkwardugh. But inwardly, his heart felt warm as he found that he would really never get bored when spending time with those two.


    (AN: Honestly, at first I wanted to make this discussion serious and heavy. But then, I remembered that this wasn¡¯t why I introduced Isis. Even though she has a lonely past. It isn¡¯t really that sad. I don¡¯t want to make another mature and heavy character. But rather this lively girl that always helps you calm down and rx. Hope that even if you didn¡¯tugh, this chapter drew a smile from you.)

 Chapter 199 CH 178: SINGULARITIES

    Watching the scene while sitting on her throne, Gabriel couldn''t help the warm smile that appeared on her face.


    Such a sight was really gratifying.


    Though divine beasts were loyal to the goddesses, It wasn''t some blind worship.


    In fact, the goddesses never tried to act high and mighty in front of those who really knew them. This was also one of the reasons why most Holy Daughters, initially filled with staunch fervor, would be disillusioned once they became Supreme Daughters.


    When Lady Luxuria had asked for Isis to form a contract with Sol, she had been pretty displeased though sheplied.


    Thankfully, now it seemed that Isis would willingly follow him. All that mattered now was the choice he would make.


    ''I guess he will soon leave.''


    Thinking about this, she couldn''t help but feel a little lost.


    Those few days had been pretty fulfilling for her. Even though all she did was just watch, It had been a long time since she had so much fun.


    The greatest enemy for people at her level was boredom. It was one thing for an Innate demi-god like her, but for mortals who reached that level, she knew that more than half of them either went crazy or killed themselves because they could not support the eternity that was opened to them.


    A great part of the other half would pass their time sleeping and only a very small number of them were still active.


    This was the sorrow of mortals. Even after they became demi-god, the divinity in them was usually too low to allow aplete change in cognition. As long as they kept the subjective time of mortal while living as immortal, all that would result in was sorrow.


    For divine beasts like them, they were already born as near immortal even without bing demigods. As such, they couldn¡¯t avoid boredom, but it wouldn¡¯t lead to suicidal tendencies.


    ¡®I wonder if I will see him again.¡¯


    She didn''t think she would find anything as entertaining as this any time soon. From the little she managed to decypher, Sol was an anomaly of the highest degree born from thousands of years of machination.


    Since the Goddesses existed outside of time, they were able to observe all possible futures, past and present. But time was like a never-ending stream divided into trillions of possibilities. There was a limit to how far they could see and how many possible futures they could see.


    If a goddess forcibly broke the limit, she would receive bacsh from thew of causality set by the Supreme Mother, the Mother goddess of Order. Even for goddesses, such a price was not a small matter.


    She could more or less guess what Lady Luxuria wished to aplish, but this made her even more confused.


    In the end, she sighed.


    ¡®Why should I bother trying to pry in the mind of the goddesses?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t as if she could do anything even if she found the answer. In fact, she may even have more problems.


    ¡®Well then, who else should I observe?¡¯


    Screens appeared in front of her as she pondered and in the end, she chose the one showing the discussion between Nefertiti and Nent.


    At first, she was simply listening to them without much interest, but, when the mention of a true name came, she immediately paid her full attention.


    Aside from anomalies like Tiamat who had both a Dimension and a Territory, or Asmodeus that could bestow power to mortals, the divine beasts could be said to be at a more or less equal level. Be it in terms of personal power or the power of their children.


    As such, one more king would mean that Gabriel could pull ahead of them. So she was indeed happy, but


    ¡°What a powerful name.¡±


    <o>,m There were many secrets in this world. Some even Gabriel was not privy to. But she knew that not all names were the same.</o>


    Some names had power, a weight, a legend behind them. By receiving those names, be it at birth or during the ascension of King level, people obtained a destiny and would be pulled by fate.


    She did not know where those legends came from. But she could feel them and feel the weight behind them. In fact, all divine beasts could.


    This was why they were very careful when choosing a name for their children. Since this would mean bestowing a fate to them.<sub> </sub>


    Of course, there were always some outliers.


    Some of them, despite possessing legendary names were able to break through the constraints of fate and follow their own road, the little monkey, Sun Wukong was such an example.


    Some others, despite possessing powerless names, were also able to break into the flow of fate and be powerful. ze was such an example.


    Those people were called Singrity. Existences that were a headache even for the goddesses since reading the future around them was basically impossible without using some trickery like reading the future of those close to them. Even then, the results were often failures.


    But in Gabriel¡¯s opinion, those singrities were not a problem. By breaking from fate, they made the possibility of bing a demigod far moreplicated. This was even more so since the act was done unintentionally.


    The truly scary singrities were those who became aware of the fate binding them and manipted the weight of their names to elerate their growth, bing frightening existences.


    For such existences, even the aloof goddesses gave them some measure of respect as they did not fall short of the divine beasts and even surpassed them.


    Thankfully, in all history, there were only three such existences.


    The first was Anubis, the Necromancer King, and the first necromancer.


    The second was Ambrosia, the Thousand Spells Witch, and the first witch.


    The third and final one was Echidna, Mother and Thousand Monsters, and creator of the Chimera.


    ¡°Mother, can you hear me? I can feel you observing us.¡±


    Gabriel was brought back from her daze by Nent¡¯s voice.


    Looking back, she could see Nent raising her head toward the ceiling,


    ¡°Mother-¡±


    Nent continued a slight tremor in her voice.


    ¡°-I wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±


    Gabriel showed a bitter smile.


    How could she not feel it?


    The relief, the joy, the resentment, and so many moreplex emotions that were hidden in those short words.


    Was Nent¡¯s choice right?


    Gabriel did not think so. She knew very well what had happened. How could she have missed the thread of fates that went haywire the moment Sol, Nefertiti, and Isis met?


    Even more so, she could feel that Nefertiti¡¯s Avatar name was rted to that of Isis.


    But was her daughter wrong?


    It was hard to say. The truth of the matter was that three hybrids with superior genes met and each of them were indeed very talented.


    She wanted to tell the truth, inform her daughter about the reality. But, in the end, she sighed.


    ¡°Congrattions my dear daughter. I am proud of you.¡±


    Gabriel did not know if what she was doing was right. The best would have been to say that everything was a result of fate.


    But, watching the faint tears of happiness gathering in the corner of her daughter¡¯s eyes, she felt no regret.


    (AN: Well, from a happy chapter to a somewhat heavy one filled with very very important information. It¡¯s a good transition I think. But, what do you guys think? If you were in the ce of Gabriel. Would you tell the truth to Nent and crush all her happiness or would you hide the truth from her? This is a question I always asked myself. The truth hurts and sometimes a lie can do more good than the truth. But at the same time, if the lie is exposedter, the effect can be many times worse.)

 Chapter 200 CH 179: ADVENT

    The Astral World was a ce only a few were capable of describing. If one was asked to do so in only two words, they would definitely be ¡ª Dangerous and Endless.


    Technically, the Astral realm was the ce of residence for creatures bestowed with divinities and spirit creatures. Divided into fifteen districts, fourteen of them belonging to the fourteen divine beasts and thest one being a sealed ce no one could step foot in.


    What most mortals did not know was that the situation wasn¡¯t as simple as that.


    Those fifteen districts were just the known or rather explored parts of the Astral world. Further in, arge stretch that few dared to explore existed.


    People called it¡ªThe Abyss.


    -----


    [Abyss, in an unknown dimension]


    The sky was filled with smoke and fire while the ground was littered with corpses of insectoid beings wearing armors.


    Screams of pain and cries of despair were the only noise in the air. Arge number of those insectoid-like beings, clearly civilians, tried to escape by boarding what looked like flying ships.


    Listening to the screams with a smile on her face, a woman clearly different from the others could be seen strolling in the direction of those ships while humming a song happily, her pace unhurried.


    She was a woman with a diminutive height and a cute face, giving her the allure of a mischievous child, clearly in contrast with the carnage she had justmitted.


    While most of her body was human-like, her legs and forearms were covered in grey fur, her feet were lion paws. She also had a pair of feline ears with grey ends and a long tail.


    While she was strolling around, some guards who were assuring the escape of the civilians, tried to stop her. But no matter how much they attacked her, no attack managed to leave a scratch on her.


    The only result was their death as she moved with feline grace and killed each and everyst one of them.


    Finally, just as she was about to destroy the ships that had already begun to ascend, she stopped short and looked at the glowing ring on her finger.


    A frown marred her face as she looked unwillingly at her fleeing prey, but in the end, she sighed¨C


    ¡°Open.¡±


    ¨CAnd entered the red portal that appeared near her.


    ----


    <o>,m [Nihil¡¯s Dimension.]</o>


    Walking out of the red portal, the small lioness frowned as she looked at the three people that weed her before promptly ignoring the two males in the group.


    ¡°Funf, How is your situation?¡±


    ¡°I already told you that my name is Leaena.¡±


    ¡°And I already told you that if you wish to free your mother from her seal then you will cooperate with us wholeheartedly.¡±


    A savage glow shed in Leaena as she looked at the calm and collected Nihil. She could see it in her eyes, that woman, Nihil, was daring her to fight back.


    The tension continued to grow before Leaena finally relented under the pressure. She knew that she needed the Wings of Freedom to fulfill her goal.


    Sighing, she exined, ¡°I found my true name and my path. If everything is alright I should be able to barely create an Avatar soon.¡±


    Even though she was quite depressed because of the previous face-off, she did not dwell on her defeat much. A hunter did not always hunt prey weaker than it.


    ¡°*Whistle* I guess we will soon have another king with us.¡±


    The one who rudely whistled was a dwarf with a gun on his hips.


    Laeana, or rather, Funf, showed an expression of disgust, ¡°Don¡¯t butt in, midget.¡±


    Acht did not show any signs of being offended, but rather let out a grin as he muttered, ¡°I wanted to say that I had found someone rted to you, but since this is how you react, then forget it.¡±


    Funf snorted derisively, ¡°I have thousands of blood-rted siblings. Why should I care about one more or one less?¡±


    Acht did not seem disappointed as he showed a meaningful smile, ¡°Even if that girl is a royal chimera?¡±


    This time, he had all her attention, as she rushed to grip his throat,


    ¡°Is it another constetion!? Speak!¡±


    Even though his neck was caught by someone who could easily kill him, he showed no sign of fear and rather grinned even more,


    ¡°Beg me.¡±


    ¡°You¡­!!¡±


    Watching them act like this, Nihil showed no particr expression. The Wings of Freedom was not a gathering of friends


    It was a criminal organizationposed of people who joined for their own selfish desires. Nihil clearly understood this, but she did not mind.


    As long as the overall goal was the same, the rest did not matter.


    In the end, it was thest one out of the three that finally spoke.


    Feeling the grips thighten around his neck, Acht cried out inwardly, but wasn¡¯t worried. He was just putting a strong front. If he was alone with Funf in the wild, he would already be kneeling and begging for forgiveness. But here, he knew he had nothing to fear. As he thought,


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    The two immediately stopped their quarrel at the harsh voice of the second man, Drei, as though they were children being reprimanded by an adult.


    Anyone watching this scene would be dumbfounded. Be it on the mortal realm or the Astral one, the reputation of the Wings of Freedom was quite horrifying.


    ¡°Acht will give you all the information at ater date. Now though, I called you because you are already on the cusp of bing a King rank and you are the most suitable to protect me. Eins and Vier are busy. As for Zwei?"


    He did not finish his sentence but everyone understood that he refused to put his safety in the hand of Zwei despite how powerful she was.


    Which wasn''t that surprising. Even though Funf was quite unstable, she could still control herself for the overall direction.


    But Zwei was the very definition of chaos and anarchy. You could never really know what she would do.


    Even so, there was something she did not understand,


    ¡°Protect you?¡±<sub> </sub>


    Funf inspected him with a weird expression.


    While it hurt her pride to admit it. She knew how powerful Drei was. If the two of them encountered a situation where Drei could do nothing, then she wouldn¡¯t even be a good cannon fodder.


    Drei¡¯s expression distorted a little as he showed a grimace before he spat out one name,


    ¡°Lilith.¡±


    He then proceeded to exin the deterioration of his soul. At this rate, if he did nothing, his soul would slowly weaken over time before crumblingpletely.


    If she had shown an angry expression before, now, her eyes were positively filled with blood lust.


    After all, in her mind, Lustburg was the cause of the seal on Echidna.


    But even with all that, what she could never forget was how her brother, a member of the constetion like her, was bisected by Lilith with a single swing of her sword.


    Even now, that attack stayed searing in her mind¡ªSo beautiful but deadly.


    Nihil ignored her expression and continued,


    ¡°We need to heal his soul and since he can¡¯t control his puppets long-distance currently, he needs someone by his side and that person will be you."


    After taking a deep breath and calming down, Funf asked,


    "Even if you are wounded. You should still be able to crush anyone below the king rank easily. Why do you need my help?"


    "Our main target this time is Anubis'' daughter."


    Silence fell between them. They could see Funf tilt her head in confusion for a few seconds.


    Once understanding dawned upon her, she widened her eyes and took a few staggering steps back while hissing,


    "ARE YOU CRAZY!?"


    Her eyes were filled with horror as she watched left and right, as if expecting an attack tond on her at any moment.


    While Acht was bewildered at how the usual feisty woman was acting like a scared cat.


    Neither Nihil nor Drei were surprised at her reaction. Few could understand the horror of the Anubis better than them.


    As for Funf, her mother, Echidna, had some dealing with Anubis over the years and as such she understood just how much of an absurd existence that being was.


    "I am leaving."


    Immediately, Funf turned back as if she was about to run. She did not want anything to do with such a mission. In fact, she was ready to flee in the Abyss for a few decades to avoid the heat.


    "From the report I received, the Prince of Lustburg is currently acting with her."


    While it was impossible to enter the divine territory of Gabriel without getting caught. It wasn''t impossible to put people that could act as a source of information.


    Those people weren''t even devout of the Crimsondy. Just random people that sold information without knowing to whom they were doing so.


    Funf stopped short.


    "We cannot use the sword to destroy the seal since we have no control over it. But if we get the prince it shouldn''t be impossible."


    Toplete their main goal, they did not need to use the sword itself. But if it was for destroying the seal, then someone able to wield it was necessary.


    In all the dimensions, the only one who could so currently was Sol.


    Funf understood this. Beating her lips at the obvious maniption, she nevertheless turned around without hesitation.


    "What is the n?"


    The weight she put on her life was worthless whenpared to the loyalty she had for her mother.


    "What is the objective? Let me say it clearly. If it''s killing her, then I am out of here. I will find another way to unseal my mother."


    She wished nothing more than to save her mother. But doing so by bing mortal enemy of the Necromancer King was too crazy and impossible.


    Drei shook his head,"Don¡¯t worry about that. Even though only the two of us will be acting, this is a big operation. Sechs is currently activating most of our spies and believers. Once everything is ready, we will act."


    Nihil nodded, "We have two goals. The first one is obviously to heal Drei''s soul. Anubis''s daughter should be more than enough for that. As for the second one¡­"


    She took a pause, "It will be the advent of another great dimensional war."


    ---


    Recap:


    Nihil=0: Leader of WoF.


    Eins=1:??


    Zwei=2: Mother of Shunten Douji


    Drei=3: One of the darwin''s siblings executed 700 years ago.


    Vier=4:??


    Funf=5: Leaena, one of the royal children of Echidna. Leo constetion.


    Sechs=6:??


    Sieben=7:??


    Acht=8: A dwarf with guns.


    Neun=9: A wolf woman. Previous teacher and bodyguard of Setsuna.


    Zehn=10: Vampiredy (currently imprisoned by the witches)

 Chapter 201 CH 180: YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION

    After his discussion with Isis and Sheherazade on that night, the rtionship between the two could be said to have made a breakthrough. At least now, the two of them could be considered as friends.


    But Sol wasn''t satisfied in settling with the status quo. There were no contract types rted to friendship after all.


    No matter how much he analyzed, the best contract types for the long term were Sloth, Gluttony, Pride, and of course Lust.


    As for Greed, Envy, and Wrath, those contracts could bring good benefits for a short term but they weren''t sustainable.


    At the end of the day, as a human under Luxuria and with Isis being a Phoenix under Chastity. The Lust contract was the best for them.


    The second best was the Pride type.


    The first one required a feeling of love, while the second one required a feeling of subservience.


    This was why, during the following week, Sol used all his skills in making Isis fall for him.


    Of course, he didn''t put all his eggs in one basket.


    For obvious reasons, Nefertiti had also begun to act closer to him. She would regrly try to pass some time with him and the two of them would discuss for hours.


    Compared to Isis, Nefertiti was not only more beautiful but also had a more serious personality. A personality that reminded him of his lovers back in the mortal realm.


    Like this, time slowly crawled and the deadline of one month, which would trante to 4 days and half in the mortal realm, wasing closer.


    If it wasn''t for the problem with Lilith''s health, he would have been happy to stay a little longer and develop the rtionship in a more controlled way.


    Butining was useless.


    During those days, Sol didn''t just spend his time chasing after flowers.


    Over the days, he had managed to get a better grasp of his newfound power. He could nowpletely hide his horns and his reptilian eyes if he wished to, thereby going back to his previous appearance.


    But he never did so. This new appearance was the result of him epting his dragon side and he felt like he would be rejecting it if he went back to his previous appearance. Of course, when he went to sleep, he generally retracted the horns. Those things were a pain.


    There was also the way the servants and even the Phoenixes looked at him when he got those changes.


    Clearly, his new form was more pleasing to the eyes of the spirit race and the divine beasts.


    He had once asked why that was the case, wondering if it was some weird fetish. After all, from what he knew spirit and divine beasts had the same sense of beauty as humans. Otherwise, coption between them wouldn''t be possible.


    But from what he had gathered, it was more a question of presence than of appearance.


    The flow of mana and the aura he emanated in his normal form whenpared to the one with horns waspletely different.


    If as a human for them he was a 9/10 in terms of appearance, then, after getting those horns, his charms broke through the roof and reached an astonishing 20/10.


    ----


    Whoosh!


    Feeling the cold winds in his hair, Sol looked down and admired the scenery of the desert during the night.


    Currently, he was flying at a rtively rxed speed.


    Even now, the feeling of flying in the sky and looking down on the earth was something he had hard time describing.


    When he turned around and looked at the dark sky filled with moons, he once again remembered how tiny he was in this vast world.


    ''I wonder how the girls are doing back home.''


    After all, it had already been nearly three weeks since he left his home. For as long as he could remember, he had never even spent a day without them near his side.


    Thinking about them, the joy that had previously filled his heart was reced by a weird feeling of emptiness and loneliness.


    I want to see them. I want to hold them. That was all he could think of at the moment.<sub> </sub>


    nkly floating in the sky, his eyes recovered their luster as he turned around.


    "Who is there?"


    "Heh, you are pretty sharp."


    Sol''s eyes couldn''t help but constrict. After all, just about ten meters away from him, was¡ªNent in all her glory.


    ''How?''


    He may have been distracted because of his reminiscence, but it was still incredible how she managed to appear so close to him.


    Even for him, a distance of ten meters waspletely negligible, much less for a powerful king-ranked individual.


    Thinking so, he gave a depressedugh at her words,


    "Are you mocking me?"


    Nent showed a gentle smile, "I am not. Few Dukes can even feel meing close if I don''t wish them to, let alone someone who isn''t even at the Duke level."


    Sol shook his head.


    "What others can or cannot do is their own problem. All that matters is what I can do."


    He spoke quietly but with clear confidence in his words.


    All his life he had beenpared to his father, Mars.


    Though he did not care all that much, being constantly reminded how much youcked,pared to an individual X, was not a feeling he enjoyed.


    It was only recently that he understood that such a feeling of inferiority was nothing more than a waste of time.


    All he should care about wasn''t surpassing some dead guy, but rather rising above his previous self.


    Of course, if after countless experiences he surpassed the level of his father, then he wouldn''tin.


    Nent was a little surprised at his words. Following this, the smile on her face became a little more genuine.


    ¡°You truly are an interesting child.¡±


    Sol shrugged at herpliment.


    ¡°Excuse me for my rudeness, but to what do I owe your visit at this time of the night?¡±


    Even as he spoke, he still put his guard up. He knew that at his current level, fighting a King was just a pipe dream, he didn¡¯t want to provoke one.


    ¡°I wish to invite you to my pce. I think it¡¯s time to discuss a little about the future and of course, the past.¡±


    ¡°The future and the past...?¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡± Her lips curled up, ¡°Did you ever wonder why no king of Lustburg ever managed to live for too long?¡±


    Sol¡¯s expression did not change, but inwardly, he had to admit that she did manage to catch his interest.


    While not all previous rulers of Lusturg managed to reach the King rank, people at their level should be able to live easily one or two hundred years. But, in less than a thousand years, the 9th ruler, him, was already being prepared to ascend to the throne.


    He was quite curious as to whether it was a coincidence or not. But that was all. Just as he was about to express his refusal-


    ¡°Are you interested in knowing what Blessed truly are?¡±


    ¡®Will I finally be able to get some answer about the secret of this world?¡¯


    ¡°You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.¡±

 Chapter 202 CH 181: SECRETS

    When Sol reached the city that was under the control of Nent, he couldn¡¯t help butpare it with the main city and found this one to be a little or rather, extremely different.


    It wasn¡¯t just a question of scale, but the atmosphere itself. In the main city, the atmosphere was filled with a feeling of freedom and joy. Everyone had smiles blooming on their faces and acted in a carefree manner.


    Here though, things were different. The atmosphere felt more stifled and more repressed. People hurried on the streets, their heads down as each and everyone was worried about their own problems.


    At the same time, everything felt more organized and everyone had a purpose rather than walking aimlessly without objective.


    Looking down at the city from above


    ¡°Your city is...interesting.¡±


    Nent let out a gentleugh as she looked at her creation, ¡°You do not need to sugar coat your words. You must think that my city is awful.¡±


    She shrugged, ¡°I am different from my mother and my eldest sister. Their benevolence in my eyes is nothing more than a waste of opportunity. In my city, everything costs money. Nothing is free. If you wish to live in better conditions, you need to work. Thanks to different policies, such as the opening of brothels and casinos, the cash flow in my city is the highest.¡±


    Her voice was filled with pride. Even though her city was smaller than the main one, it was overall far more magnificent. Living here was in itself proof of a certain amount of wealth, and she had specially created facilities that would milk as much wealth as possible and make them work harder to create even more wealth.


    This was one of the reasons why she couldn¡¯t help but scorn her mother and sister as well as most of the other divine beasts in general.


    If Vira[1] was just a mortalmodity, a currency with no value aside from what people decided, she would understand if they disdained to make the maximum profit. But far from it being vulgar, Vira was an essentialmodity that could bring substantial benefits to the power level of demi-god.


    Using force or ves was not even necessary. Greed was one of the most dangerous sins, for there was no end to it. One did not need to force mortals to produce Vira. They just have to give them the necessary incentive, and those mortals would happily ve away on their own free will, all to enjoy a fleeting feeling of superiority.


    Out of all the divine beasts, the only ones she really respected in that regard were Lakshmi, the divine beast of Greed, and Midas, the divine beast of Charity.


    Listening to her exnation, Sol had to click his tongue in amazement. To think that Nent was a pure capitalist at heart...


    This made him even more curious about her. From what he had learned until now, Nent was too different from the aloof and mighty divine beasts he had learned about. She seemed much more down-to-earth and extremely pragmatic. Those were qualities he respected very much.


    ¡°You are truly incredible. I think I could take some advice from you on how to control a territory.¡±


    Just thinking about all the finances he had to understand in a short time made him shudder in fright. Thankfully the king did not have to deal with everything. But, it was still necessary to have deep knowledge, or at least enough to not get cheated by greedy nobles.


    The saving grace back then had been ra. Even though her sense of existence was pretty low, he had to admit that this elf brought by Lilin was truly skilled and alleviated much of the weight on his shoulders after she became his secretary.


    Hearing his sincere praise, Nent couldn¡¯t help but be surprised and showed a rueful smile.


    It was ironic how none of the members of her family appreciated all the work she put in and in fact even though she was too entrenched in the mortal way. Some even said that of a phoenix, she only had the form. She had to admit had been pretty hurtful when she heard it for the first time.


    When you are sad, justugh, and that was what she did. She did not wish to show any form of weakness.


    ¡°Well then, you can sightsee as much as you wishter. The gates of my city are always open for you. Now though, it¡¯s important to talk about business.¡±


    Before she evenpleted her sentence, she sped up and flew in the direction of thergest pce in the city.


    -----


    The interior of this pce was not much different from that of Gabriel, but for some reason, the feeling of opulence felt like it was on a few higher levels.


    Looking at the row of maids d in almost transparent pants and top, with veils covering their faces, Sol had to fight his urges like never. It didn¡¯t help that the servants kept sending him furtive nces.


    ¡°If you wish once we finish our discussion, you can take any servants of your liking and spend the night with them. They will be honored.¡±


    Sol gave a faint smile but did not answer. It would be a lie to say he wasn¡¯t interested. He was far from being a saint after all. But those servants were not his. Beautiful they may be, but the difference between intelligent beings and simple-minded beasts was the ability to control their urge.


    Of course, if it was any other setting, since the servants were willing, he wouldn¡¯t have hesitated. But, he did not wish to give a bad image of himself to people who might be his future inw.


    Finally, the two of them reached an open garden illuminated by floating candles and the lights of the moons high in the sky.


    The atmosphere of the garden gave him a sort of surreal feeling as if he was in a fairy tale, which showed how beautiful it was.


    Sitting on a reclining chair, Sol felt himself rx a little after he was served a ss of blue wine.


    Taking a sip, he couldn¡¯t help but exim at the rich taste and asked, ¡°What kind of wine is this?¡±


    Nent chuckled, her cheeks reddening slightly as she also took a sip, ¡°This is a special kind of wine produced by Hathor under my plea. The main ingredient is a special kind of water created by undine.¡±


    ¡®Special kind of water?¡¯


    Sol couldn¡¯t help but look suspiciously at the wine and wondered if he should continue drinking.


    ¡°Hahaha! Please, it¡¯s not the kind of water you are thinking about.¡±


    ¡°*Ahem* You are ndering me. I was not thinking about anything in particr.¡±


    He was a little embarrassed about his thoughts having been seen through but managed to hide it behind a light cough.


    This short episode had managed to warm up the atmosphere between the two of them and they continued drinking in silence.


    It was only after finishing the entire bottle that Nent released a deep sigh,


    ¡°You know, you are truly an intriguing boy.¡±


    ¡°And you are truly an enigmatic woman.¡±


    The two of them chuckled faintly.


    ¡°Before we begin, tell me, how much do you really know about Blessed?¡±


    Sol thought about all the information and ruminated for a short while before shaking his head.


    ¡°To be honest, not much. My father died too soon and I was not made privy to many secrets since I am not yet a king.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­ That is indeed the case. There are many limitations to what can and cannot be said.¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Well then¡­¡±


    ¡°Please. Before you begin. Tell me clearly, what do you want in exchange?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Would you believe me if I said nothing?¡±


    ¡°Of course I would.¡±


    ¡°....Why?¡±


    ¡°Because few things are more expensive than free favors.¡±


    Selling favors was an art in itself. Before doing so, it was important to grasp the personality of the one you were selling to.


    For people with little scruples, clear and direct deals were the best answer. But for people of virtues, giving favors for free was the best way to build a better rtionship.


    ¡°It seems like I still underestimated you but I guess it¡¯s understandable. To be honest, I really do not want anything from you as you are now. But in the future?¡±


    ¡°As I thought...it¡¯s an Investissement?¡±


    ¡°You could say so. An Investissement with zero risks, and potentially very high returns. Who could pass such a deal?¡±


    ¡°Neither Nephthys nor Gabriel do not seem to think the same. Otherwise, they would have sold me this favor."


    "*Snort* You must understand, Sol. Divine beasts do not think of the future, nor do they like reminiscing of the past. They only live in the present, with their perception of time blurred."


    "What about you? You seem very invested in the future?"


    "I am more haunted by the ghosts of the past."


    Thinking about her two old friends, she gave a bitter smile, but did not borate,


    "Anyway, this isn''t about me, but you."


    Crossing her legs with an elegant movement, Nent closed her eyes as if deep in thought, and finally asked,


    "For us divine beasts, the history of the world is divided into three. The first one is the Dawn Era. The bloodiest Era during which the force of chaos and Order fought against each other.


    The second one is the Divine Era, during which demi-gods would walk freely in the mortal world.


    The third and current one is the Mortal Era."


    Sol put his full attention to her words. After all, he was finally going to learn more about this world.


    ----


    [Gabriel''s Pce]


    Watching Sol and Nent discuss, Gabriel slowly bit her lips as she remembered the Dawn Era.


    Not all the current fourteen divine beasts were the original ones. Many of her friends died and were reced again and again in a seemingly unending war thatsted so long she could not even remember.


    In the end, the best they had managed to do was to seal Chaos. After all, as a conceptual goddess of a highest degree who represented chaos itself, killing her was impossible as long as the universe existed.


    "Mother, is it wise for Nent to do this?"


    Gabriel shook her head, "It''s impossible for her to avoid being punished. Speaking about the Divine Era is already problematic, much less the Dawn Era. If she isn''t careful, she could even fall into aa for a few decades."


    "Then, why is she doing this?"


    Nephthys couldn''t understand what was pushing her sister to such lengths.


    Gabriel fell silent. Even though she could observe everything, she was not omniscient and neither could she read thoughts.


    Looking at her daughter taking such risks she could not help but also ask herself.


    Why?


    Was it because of a need for recognition?


    Because of a feeling of inferiority?


    She had many ideas but none of them seemed to be enough reasons.


    It was sad how she could not even understand her own daughter.


    Sighing, she closed the window that was showing the scene of Nent and Sol.


    She never interfered in the choices her daughters made.


    Whether it resulted in sess or failure, it was their freedom to do as they wanted as long as they did so between clear limits.


    All she could do was observe and cheer on them.


    A bitter smile formed on her face.


    ''I am truly a cruel mother.''


    [1]: Previously made a mistake with the currency. It isn¡¯t Vanir but Vira. Vira means faith in Czech. Meanwhile, Vanir is a race. Like, I don¡¯t even know how I have mistaken the two. Welp


    (AN: Slowly developing Nent''s personality. It''s funny that she is even more developed than Nephthys even though she appearedter. Anyway, time to develop the lore. I thinkter I will create a timetable for big events and publish it.)

 Chapter 203 CH 182: WHAT DO YOU WANT?

    "For us divine beasts, the history of the world is divided into three. The first one is the Dawn Era. The bloodiest Era during which the forces of chaos and Order fought against each other.


    The second one is the Divine Era, during which demi-gods would walk freely in the mortal world.


    The third and current one is the Mortal Era."


    Sighing, she continued.


    ¡°Each of those different eras had their own specific rules and focus, but there was always one constant between all of them ¡ª Blessed.


    No matter the era, no matter the time, Blessed always existed. This made me wonder.


    What are Blesseds exactly? What makes them grow so strong, so fast? Though not all Blessed manage to reach their full potential, it was already proved that all Blessed have the potential to reach the King rank and it isn¡¯t impossible for them to reach even the demi-god rank. Your father and Echidna are such an example. But how was this possible? This was when I came to a very interesting fact.¡±


    A meaningful smile formed on her face,


    ¡°Sol, tell me how many rulers did Lusturg have before you?¡±


    Sol felt a sense of foreboding as he answered, ¡°Eight.¡±


    Her smile stretched further, ¡°Did you know? A human can live for about three or so hundreds years if they reach the King rank. But Lustburg, which is barely a thousand years old, is already at its 9th king? The same goes for your Supreme Daughter.¡±


    She did not wait for Sol to answer and continued, ¡°Lustburg isn¡¯t the only one. If you can chalk the number of Kings in Lustburg being human, then what about the other kingdoms? Let me say it clearly, there have never been two kings in any country at the same time, nor two supreme daughters.


    The moment the Crown Prince or the Holy Daughter is about to transition, the previous King or Supreme Daughter will die. Even during the two previous eras, the total number of Blessed was always 28. The moment a new one appears, an old one will die. This is an absolute fact repeatedly proven by history.¡±


    Sol felt cold sweat on his back. His mind was swiftly making connections. He remembered that the divine weapons were used by sucking out the lifespan of the user.


    Was it the reason?


    But he immediately discarded this notion, it wasn¡¯t as if people were stupid. If the weapons sucked their lifespan past a certain point, they would stop using them. Even if they didn¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t exin the reasons for the constant numbers of Blessed.


    Nent, who was observing Sol, had to admit that he was worth respecting. She had seen the shock and dread sh in his eyes for a short instant before it was reced by swift thinking.


    ¡®Ugh. I feel awful.¡¯


    Even now she felt as if her heart was being crushed and her organs were churning, but that Punishment didn¡¯t deter her. Her regeneration power was already working overdrive and any mortal in her ce would have already died.


    ¡°Why do the Blessed be so strong? Why do they all die so young? Why is the number of Blessed always constant? At first, I thought that it was a trick of the goddesses butter, I understood the truth and...the answer made me feel like I was dying a little inside.¡±


    Nent showed a bleak smile and spat a word with vehemence and hatred,


    ¡°Fate!¡±


    She stood up and nearly kicked the table away in anger, ¡°Hahaha! Don¡¯t you find it funny? I could have epted it if our destiny was controlled by some whimsical and superior beings like the goddesses, but Fate!? Really!? What a load of bullshit!!¡±


    Her chest heaved while her face flushed. Clearly, such a discovery had been a shock for her and Sol could understand why.


    If everything was decided by Fate, it meant that there was no such thing as free will. All your actions, all your thoughts, your past and future, your pain, and your joy...none of them were really your own and had long been decided.


    ¡°Pardon me for the unsightly disy.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, Nent took back her seat and sipped on the wine in order to rx a little.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°*Sigh* Where was I? Ah yes, Fate. In this world, you see, there are basically three kinds of people. People who are passively affected by Fate ¡ª this is the case for most mortals and even us divine beasts.


    Then, some people are massively and actively affected by Fate, this is the case for you ¡ª Blessed.


    Finally, there are people who consciously or unconsciously manage to fight against Fate and free themselves of the shackles. Those people are called ¡ª Singrities.¡±


    ¡®Singrities...¡¯


    ¡°Hum...But if there are people who fight against Fate...couldn''t it be said that it was their Fate to fight against Fate? Isn¡¯t it a Paradox?¡±


    ¡°Beautiful! This is indeed the case. That is when I understood something. Be it the Blessed, or Singrities, all of them are nothing more than chess pieces under the control of the goddess.


    By analyzing the multitudes of different futures, Goddesses can bring the creation of Singrities, even if they lose control of said singrities afterward, and out of all those chess pieces ¡ª You are the greatest one ever created.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem very surprised.¡±


    Solughed at how deted she seemed to be. It reminded him a little of the way Isis acted a few days ago.


    ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t know about me being the greatest piece or whatever, but I am not dumb. How many times did you think I heard the word Game or Rules when mentioning the goddesses? I have long since guessed it.¡±


    ¡°..You aren¡¯t angry?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin. I am the future King of one of the greatest Kingdoms. My talent is one of the greatest talents in all history. I am surrounded by beautiful and caring women who would dly give their everything for me. Be it Fate or the whim of the goddesses, my current life is pretty good. So, it would be hypocritical of me to be angry but¡­"


    Sol stopped for a moment and asked, "Do you know the simrities between a pig and a dog?"


    Nent was taken aback by this sudden question.


    "Both the pig and the dog are fed and taken care of by the gentle farmer during most of their life, but their destiny ispletely different. The pig is fed and fattened only to be executed once it''s fat enough. The dog is fed and used for all it is worth, only to be put down once it bes useless."


    His eyes sparkled with a sharp glint as an aura of majesty emanated from him.


    "I do not wish to suffer such an end. I do not want to live and die as nothing more than a pig or a dog."


    Looking deeply at Nent he asked, "You called me here and told me so much. Even Camelia did not dare because of the consequences. I do not know what price you have to pay, but it''s definitely not small ¡ª what do you wish to aplish?"


    Nent could feel the seriousness of the situation. She knew that if her answer did not please Sol, no matter how big the price she paid for this investment was, it would not be enough to move him.


    This is why she decided to answer in the simplest way possible.


    What did she want? All she ever wanted to have was one thing...


    "Freedom."


    (AN: Sol finally discovers a part of the truth. Important milestone. Now then what will happen in the future? Anyway, the next chapter will be hot. Fuck NNN.)

 Chapter 204 CH 183: NENT AND NEFERTITI (1)*

    ¡°Soooo...not that I amining, but what¡¯s the link between freedom and making love with me?¡±


    Laying down on a queen-sized circr bed, Sol spoke with clear bewilderment as he looked at the two stunningly beautiful women wearing beautiful dresses standing in front of him.


    One was a mature woman with sinful curves that made it hard to rte with the word chastity. Meanwhile, the second one was a young girl, with a slim body and an angelic beauty that defiedmon sense.


    Watching the two of them with their glistening, tanned and healthy skin, Sol, despite all his experience, couldn''t help but feel his throat dry. A hot feeling shot through his body when he also thought about the identity of those two. After all, despite the opposite vibe they emanated, it was easy to see that they were rted.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s linked to our previous discussion. A phoenix¡¯s first time is very important, you know?¡±


    Giving a sultry smile, Nent walked to the bed,ing near him.


    ¡°Come here, Nefertiti. Quit standing there and join me with Sol.¡±


    ¡°I thank you for this opportunity.¡±


    Bowing slightly, Nefertiti followed in the steps of Nent and joined them on the bed.


    Nent appeared to be a woman in herte twenties while Nefertiti had the appearance of a young teen between 18-20 years. When those two stood together, rather than a grandmother and her granddaughter, they looked more like two sisters.


    ¡°We took the time to change in the style that matched Lustburg just for you. What do you think?¡±


    Rather than the usual light and partially see-through robe he saw people here wearing, the two of them were currently wearing evening dresses worthy of the most beautiful nobles in Lustburg.


    Nent wore a chic evening dress and evening gloves with her crimson hair worn up and adorned with a flower decoration, giving her an adult charm. Conversely, Nefertiti wore a cuter dress with frills on the cuffs and around the chest. The way she wore her hair up on the sides was more youthful as well.


    The older sister wore a gold ne adorned with small gems and the younger wore a simple silver ne. Sol had decided to address them as sisters in his mind because otherwise, it seemed a little too weird.


    Sol on the other hand was wearing nothing but his birthday suit, with only the sheets covering his most intimate part. Feeling the heat fill his body and focus on his groin, Sol couldn¡¯t help but think about how this situation came to be.


    After he ended his discussion with her, she made him rest in her pce. Who would have thought that just as he was about to sleep, she would appear with Nefertiti behind her?


    ¡°Before we continue, I need to understand what is happening.¡±


    A charming smile formed on Nent¡¯s face.


    ¡°All this while I tried to make Nefertiti be your contract partner. But, after my discussion with you, I understood that you wouldn¡¯t let your lust make the choice for you and Isis was the best and most obvious choice. Thankfully, a contract isn¡¯t the only way a rtionship can be formed.¡±


    She began to gently rub Sol¡¯s shoulder, helping him rx a little. If it were to be known that Nent, a King ranked divine beast was willing to lower herself to please a man, hundreds of hearts would break. After all, she had her fair share of admirers


    She wasn¡¯t the only one doing so either. Even Nefertiti, despite beingpletely red, began to massage the other side of his shoulder in tandem with Nent.


    ¡°How is this? Is it to your liking?¡± Nent whispered to his ear, sending her hot breath alongside her words.


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly surprised how good you are at it¡±


    Nefertitiughed mischievously.


    ¡°We practiced a lot for this day.¡±


    Clearly, massaging him had given her the time to calm down a little. She was not an unwilling participant.


    All her life, Nent had taught her that her body was a sacred temple that would only be given to a worthy man. During the few days she had spent with Sol, while she didn¡¯t share any adventure with him like Isis did, she had found herself more and more attracted to his radiant aura and personality.


    The reason she was here was that she had personally requested it, and seeing Sol¡¯s reaction, she couldn¡¯t help herself but beam in happiness.


    Nent, who was alternatively observing Sol and Nefertiti, didn''t find her feeling weird. Even though Nefertiti had received a good education, she had been sheltered all her life and had very few interactions with males of her age.


    For such a girl, a boy like Sol was basically aplete bomb that rocked her world.


    Nent never forced marriage. She simply made it so the different sides developed enough feelings on their own.


    Furthermore, she wasn¡¯t indifferent to Sol. Not only was she attracted to him physically, but from an emotional standpoint, he was the first man with whom she shared her secret.


    ¡°Excuse me, but I will be using my hand now.¡±


    Blushing, Nefertiti pushed away the sheet hiding Sol¡¯s manhood.


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡±


    Both Nent and Nefertiti gasped at the view of the fully erected penis standing proudly. Initially, Sol was already a little above average. But, after his final transformation, his size had slightly increased again.<sub> </sub>


    He was no monster cock, but he was definitely more than above average now. Gathering her courage, Nefertiti jumped on the bed and lowered her hand between Sol¡¯s thigh, gently grasping his penis.


    ¡®So this is what it looks like in reality.¡¯


    She had already received aplete sexual education, but all she had ever seen were illustrations. Seeing the real thing was a little shocking at first.


    ¡°Hot.¡±


    Blushing as she murmured, she suddenly yelped when Sol took her by the nap of her neck and kissed her.


    Instinctively resisting at first, it didn¡¯t take long for all resistance to vanish as Sol pushed his tongue between her lips. The kiss between them continued to heat up while Nefertiti pumped his penis up and down slowly.


    During the process, Sol¡¯s other hand wasn¡¯t idle.


    ? Taking Nent by the waist, he brought her on his side and began to gently caress her supple body.


    Seperating from Nefertiti, he turned his head and kissed Nent the same way. Since she was already somewhat prepared, she did not react violently and epted his lips on hers and his tongue in her mouth.


    She had to admit that it felt very nice. She had always thought that kisses were nothing more than piling lips on each other. But right now, she felt as if a mysterious heat was filling her heart and it was making her squirm.


    Like this, Sol continued to kiss each of them, one after the other. Their previous expression of confidence was nowhere to be seen, as their eyes seemed to be filled with a hazy mist of lust.


    Pride filled Sol¡¯s heart at this sight. He may be drastically weaker than Nent when it came to martial prowess, but on the bed, he was the King.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t enough.¡¯


    Now, his lust was fully ignited. Using his wealth of experience, he deftly loosened the strings that held the robes of the two beautiful women.


    The dresses opened like a flower and fell away, revealing their bare bodies below.


    Although they were ashamed, the two of them were already too deep in lust to care about their nudity. Their boobs squished against his chest and their fine skin slid along him. They embraced him from either side and rubbed their boobs against his torso and their soft pussies against his legs.


    They were so hot and wet down there that it felt like their love juices were pouring out endlessly.


    The pleasure was enough to numb his mind.


    Not wanting to only be a passive participant, he moved his fingers to their hot honeypots. He parted their wet flower petals and gently began to stir their insides as a sticky nectar flowed out.


    ¡°You two, turn back on all four.¡±


    He was so hard he wished for nothing more than to m into one of them and release all his pent-up lust, but he knew that this wasn¡¯t the way. At the very least, for their first time together, he wished to be tender.


    The two of them were a little surprised at his order, but theyplied without much fuss as curiosity and anticipation filled their minds.


    Staring at those two beautiful and plump brown-colored butts wagging in the air, Sol felt like he was about to explode. His cock throbbed in response, kicking the voltage of his arousal up a notch. For him who had always liked butts more than breasts, this was like a heavenly sight.


    The sadist in him reared its head as he began to talk dirty while he fingered them from behind.


    ¡°Your pussy is this wet already? You must be really sensitive.¡±


    ¡°Ah, nh¡­th-that¡¯s not true.¡±


    Nefertiti protested feebly. Her beautiful voice trembled with embarrassment, but her lower mouth was much more eloquent.


    He intentionally made as much lewd noises as he could while fingering her pussy. The embarrassment must have added to the pleasure she felt because she soon had trouble staying on her feet.


    Meanwhile, Nent refused to answer as she gritted her teeth to keep her moans from leaking out.


    In the end, his hands moved faster and faster and their juices gushed more, wetting the bed.


    Their bodies were shaking and shivering as they could no longer hold the moans of pleasureing out of their throats.


    Finally, the moment he pinched their clitorises, the two of them released loud moans before slumping on bed, their asses still in the air.


    Taking out his hands, Sol brought to his face and licked his finger. He knew that he certainly looked like a pervert but he did not care. He was surprised to find that their juices tasted sweet.


    Now then, it was time to make a choice. Which one should he take first and in what position?

 Chapter 205 CH 184: NENT AND NEFERTITI (2)**

    In the end, Sol decided to begin with the youngest one first.


    ¡°Nent, could you help me?¡±


    Nent showed a confused expression at first, but blushed when she heard what Sol whispered in her ear.


    Still, she couldn¡¯t hide the expectations in her heart and did as she was asked.


    ¡°Dear, let me hold you.¡±


    ¡°Mydy¡­?¡±


    Smiling at a confused Nefertiti, Nentid down behind her and took her in her arms. The head of Nefertiti could be seen restingfortably on therge breasts of Nent.


    Now what stood in front of Sol was a delectable sight,


    "Please...don''t stare too much....it is a little embarrassing."


    Sol was a little taken aback before he showed a gentle smile and leaned down to kiss her.


    ¡°Nn~¡±


    ¡°Sorry, you were just so gorgeous, I waspletely mesmerized.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t lying, Nefertiti¡¯s beauty was already a lethal weapon on its own, and when paired with the current situation, it had already surpassed the level of a nuclear bomb.


    ¡°Are you scared? Do you want to stop?¡±


    He could still feel her shaking a little. He knew that in such a situation, the man should take the lead and reassure the girl, but he also knew that their rtionship wasn¡¯t normal.


    Whatever happened next, it was important that Nefertiti never forgot that she was the one who wanted this and that he had in no way coerced her.


    Nefertiti showed a shy expression before shaking her head. She was indeed a little scared, but she did not wish to stop. She knew that sooner orter, she would have to find someone to settle down with and Sol was without a doubt the most perfect partner in her mind.


    Sharing a quick nce with Nent, Sol silently nodded to her and Nent smiled mischievously. She leaned down from behind and began to suck on Nefertiti¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Ahh~!¡±


    Nefertiti released a gasp at the sudden attack, but Nent wasn¡¯t done yet. Biting her ears gently, caressing her breasts, and even pinching her nipples. It didn¡¯t take long for all tension to vanish from Nefertiti as she became putty under the caresses of Nent.


    ¡®What an immoral but arousing sight.¡¯


    In the end, Nent¡¯s hand slowly drifted down before reaching Nefertiti¡¯s thighs and gently, spread her legs apart, showing Nefertiti¡¯s most intimate part in its full glory. It was of a beautiful pink color, like a jewel and it waspletely drenched in love juices, showing how aroused she was,


    ¡°She is all yours.¡±


    Sol felt his reasoning nearly snap.


    Approaching her, his erect member slowly traced her slit up and down, coating itself in her juice, and then, slowly advanced forward.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    He felt like he was entering a furnace. It was so hot that it was unbelievable. Advancing slowly, he finally encountered an obstacle, which honestly surprised him.


    At the end of the day, despite her appearance, she was not a human.


    Since she had a hymen, and he knew that it could be quite painful, he leaned down and gave her a deep kiss. Then, once she was lost in bliss, he pushed himselfpletely in with one stroke.


    ¡°¡°Ugh..¡±¡±


    Both Sol and Nefertiti groaned. Nefertiti, out of pain and Sol because she was so hot and tight. He felt that if he didn¡¯t pay attention, he would cum in a jiffy.


    *Huff* *Huff*


    Raising his torso and wiping her forehead matted with sweat, Sol gave a gentle smile,


    ¡°You are all mine now.¡±


    Laying down on the bed and looking up at the one she decided would be the first andst man of her life, Nefertiti replied with a smile filled with happiness.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±<sub> </sub>


    All this while, Nent simply stayed silent. She did not wish to break this beautiful picture and in fact, even envied her granddaughter a little.


    ¡°I will begin moving.¡±


    Once Sol was sure that Nefertiti adjusted to his size, he carefully began to move. At first, Nefertiti was still showing a pained expression while gritting her teeth, but it didn¡¯t take long for her expression to loosen.


    Even though her vagina¡¯s entrance was tight, it was thankfully rather deep and could amodate his full length.


    He then began to go back and forth, while slowly elerating. It did not take long for Nefertiti to begin moving her waist alongside him.


    She moaned out loud. She looked to be in pain, but her body twitched with pleasure. When he pulled out, she felt a burn from her inner walls, but once he pushed in again, her entrance swallowed him hungrily.


    Her soft inner walls continuously stimted his shaft. He felt a surging sensation that was about to burst at the back of his neck.


    With each thrust, her womb twisted, her slender body jumped, and moans escaped her thin lips.


    He firmly held onto her hips and bore deeper into her. As he continued to thrust, the viscous fluids created a constant moist pping sound.


    From time to time, Nent would participate by massaging Nefertiti¡¯s breasts or sucking on her neck.


    The more he acted the more he felt like he wanted to cum, but it would be a humiliation for him to cum so fast without bringing her enough pleasure.


    That meant he had to do this right.


    He resisted the pleasure, searched out her weak points, and stirred up her vagina.


    ¡°Ahh~! Th-this feels weird¡­ahh, s-so weird.¡±


    She clung to her pillow and trembled and murmured deliriously.


    The pleasure increased the amount of love juices, the love juices reduced the pain, and the pration provided wonderful female pleasure. Her girl¡¯s body was transformed into a woman¡¯s body.


    It was a virtuous cycle that made everything more pleasurable for the two of them.


    Seeing her melt in pleasure like this was the greatest aphrodisiac for Sol. At the same time, Nefertiti wasn¡¯t just letting everything happen.


    Hugging Sol, she also wrapped her legs around him and began rolling her slender hips to match his movements.


    Soon, the room was filled with grunts and moans of pleasure.


    "Ah~! Ah~ !¡±


    Beads of sweat appeared on her flushed face and heated breaths escaped her lips thanks to the unknown feeling surging through her entire body.


    Her love juices dripped out with an obscenely wet sound while his massive member thrust in and out of her.


    Her mind gradually faded away and she had trouble thinking straight, almost like she had a serious fever. A vague white feeling surrounded her and she could focus only on the presence of the giant penis thrusting up into her crotch.


    Whenever he rubbed her vaginal wall, a pleasured panting voice leaked out from her mouth. Her panting voice was as clear as a bell, hearing it pleased him to no end.


    When he changed his angle, her body started trembling. He focused on the same ce and rubbed his ns.


    He slowly changed the direction of his thrusts as he prated deeper. He concentrated on her panting and groaning, and stubbornly hammered into her most sensitive spot.


    ¡°Ah! Aah¡­¡±


    Her insides squeezed and started to spasm. Sol saw that she was about to climax and plunged deeper into her.


    "Ah¡­!!"


    She screamed again and hugged him tightly. Her hot vagina began to contract.


    For Sol, this was the pushing point.


    Growling deeply, he pulled out of her and began cumming. His seeds, spilling on her stomach and her breasts.


    The contrast between her brown skin and the white cloudy liquid was such an erotic sight that despite having ejacted so much, Sol was still hard.


    This night promised to be very long.

 Chapter 206 CH 185: NENT AND NEFERTITI (3)

    After shooting his load on Nefertiti¡¯s body, Sol felt as if all his senses wereing alive rather than feeling exhausted.


    It was hard to exin, but it was like a weight on his shoulders had been lifted and he could breathe freely now.


    Feeling his dick still standing proud, Sol spared a nce at Nefertiti that had seemingly fallen asleep, and gave a look at Nent who answered with a smile.


    ¡°The first time should have been too intense for her so she fainted. Shall we continue in another room?¡±


    Sol tilted his head, curious as to why she was presenting herself up. Since she wanted an insurance for their alliances, he could understand making him form a rtionship with Nefertiti. Marriage has always been one of the most used ways to tie interests between two groups.


    An idea shed his head and he said seriously.


    ¡°I have no intention of having a child with you, just to be clear.¡±


    Nent neither showed a startled nor a dissatisfied look. In fact, she seemed pretty happy. The fact that Sol could stop himself from drowning in lust and still think carefully was an endearing quality for her.


    This was why-


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have no intention to coerce you into doing that. I can even teach you a way to kill all your seeds before shooting them inside. It would be a waste for you to have any child now.¡±


    Sol blinked a little but then understood what she meant fast.


    One of the reasons Nent formed an alliance with him was his potential. She already recognized that he would be a demigod as long as he did not die early.


    Any child he would make then would undoubtedly be gically superior to any child he could make now.


    Even though it was a cold way of seeing things, it was the truth. At the same time, the way to kill the seeds she spoke about should be the way she restricted the untalented children from reproducing.


    ¡°Well, enough heavy topics. Why don¡¯t we have a little fun?¡±


    Smiling coyly, Nent pushed the still asleep Nefertiti and began to advance towards Sol. Her eyes were shining with repressed lust.


    ¡®Now that I think about it...¡¯


    Luxuria and Castitas were the oldest twin goddesses, making Gabriel and Asmodeus were the oldest divine beasts. Since Nent was the second child of Gabriel and never had any rtionship until now¡­.


    ¡®Damn. Am I about to take the virginity of one of the oldest virgins in existence?¡¯


    Sol gulped a little at this thought and suddenly felt much hotter than before.


    Once she reached him, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, she moved her hand, creating a pint of water, and carefully washed his dick before making the water disappear as if it had vaporized because of a sudden spike in heat.


    ¡®I thought her element was lightning and heat?¡¯


    ¡°I am not a water element user. But simply gathering the water in the atmosphere isn¡¯t thatplicated at my level.¡±


    Refusing to exin more as to not break the mode, she stretched her hand and gently pushed him back with a finger, making him lie on the bed.


    ¡°I have never tried it. But, I have read some of the books written by that witch[1]. They were truly... Inspiring.¡±


    ¡®Witch?¡¯


    Sol¡¯s train of thoughts was scattered when Nent opened her mouth wide, and slowly, very carefully, began to engulf his members.


    ¡®Incredible. A deep throat?¡¯


    Watching his cock slowly vanish in her mouth, Sol even had the faint illusion that she was devouring him.


    Nent¡¯s red hair shook as she moved her head up and down and skillfully ran her tongue along the head and shaft, rubbing saliva over it all. She also formed a ring with her soft lips to stroke the surface of his erection and sucked in her cheeks while sucking.


    Gathering her hair on the side and giving a look, she began to bob her head up and down. The force of suction alone was already out of this world, but as if not satisfied, Nent began to twirl her tongue while moving, bringing him a new sense of pleasure.


    Nent was not just stopping at simple movement. Sometimes she would spit out his cock and lick the tip or the shaft. Sometimes she would even lick his balls and massage them before once again engulfing his cock in her moist and warm mouth.


    ¡®I am receiving a blowjob from a King ranked phoenix.¡¯


    This thought alone was enough to bring Sol to a new peak. He could feel himself already getting on the verge of cumming.


    He warned Nent of the impending release, but, rather than stopping, it made her elerate even more.


    Finally, letting out a low roar, he grabbed her head and pinned her down, releasing gallons of sperms in her throat.


    Nent was startled at first, but she easily managed to swallow everything. He could even feel her throat move slightly.


    It was only after he finished ejacting that he realized what he had done.


    ¡°Sorry! Are you alright?¡±<sub> </sub>


    Letting go of her head, he took a look at her face with worry. He wasn¡¯t apologizing because he was scared, but rather because the way he had acted could have been dangerous for any normal girl.


    ¡°It was very rude, but also pretty exciting.¡±


    Nent was not offended at his rudeness. In fact, she could even feel her heart beat wildly in her chest.


    Looking at her expression of ecstasy, Sol¡¯s eyes twitched as he began to wonder if all those under Castitas had submissive tendencies.


    ¡®Now that I think about it, Anubis got his wife by kidnapping her, right?¡¯


    Thinking about the possibility, Sol smiled and suddenly grabbed Nent by the hair,


    ¡°It seems like you had your share of fun, right?¡±


    Nent¡¯s eyes opened wide and her breath became hurried.


    The current situation waspletely absurd. If she wished, she couldpletely kill Sol and erase him from the face of the earth in seconds. Despite this, all she did was let him do as he wished.


    ¡®Heh, it seems like I was right.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know if all phoenixes were like this, but at least Nent truly had such tendencies, although not as high as Camelia¡¯s.


    Thinking so, he pushed Nent away on the bed, and grabbed her by the hips.


    ¡°Since you had your fun, it¡¯s time for me to have mine, right?¡±


    ¡°R-right.¡±


    He could feel her breath roughly as she answered him with difficulty. He was curious about how far he could go but wasn¡¯t really in the mood of exploring now.


    ¡®What a beautiful ass.¡¯


    A plump sexy brown ass. The kind of dream body that could only be imagined.


    Raising her by the hips, he managed to get her on all four, and gave a slight p on her face.


    ¡°Since you are already sopping wet, it¡¯s about time for the main dish. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    Sol was so turned on his pulse raced painfully fast and he pushed his penis against her revealed vaginal entrance. As he had said, there was no need for further forey, since her most intimate ce waspletely drenched and was still slightly leaking juices.


    Different from Nefertiti; with just a slight push, Sol could feel himself sink all the way to the base and easily break through a thin protection that hardly stopped him.


    ¡°So hot.¡±


    Her vagina was just as hot, if not more than Nefertiti¡¯s. Her soft vaginal flesh wrapped all around his dick. She was not as tight as Nefertiti, but the amount of love juices and folds created a pleasure that made his dick feel like it was melting.


    ¡°How are you?¡±


    ¡°C-continue.¡±


    ¡°Heh, is that how you ask a favor?¡±


    Sol gave some small nudges with his hips but did not move as she wanted. Even when she tried to move herself, he would stop her from doing so.


    In the end, Nent relented,


    ¡°Please...I beg you¡­ Fuck me.¡±


    Even though she felt it so humiliating, she also felt a rush of heat in her chest and began to gush even more juices.


    For Sol, putting it inside her felt so good he was afraid he would be unable to avoid cumming once he started moving. Nevertheless, he could not resist the cute woman¡¯s seduction and began moving his hips.


    ¡°Nn! Yes!¡±


    When the head of the dick rubbed at her vagina, sweet moans escaped her mouth. The cold and calcting Nent was no more and was reced by a woman in need that wished nothing more than to be satisfied and Sol wished nothing more than to do so.


    Like this, a wild night full of passion continued until the morning suns rose. They were even joined by Nefertiti in the middle.


    It was not Sol¡¯s first threesome. But it would without a doubt be the most memorable one.


    [1] In case anyone forgot. Freya is the author of smut novels. Though she specializes more in SM.


    (AN: Welp this is the end of the hot threesome. Perhaps I can write another part where he fuck Nent and Nefertiti at the same time. But it will be for a special chapter and if people want it. Otherwise, you can just imagine it.)

 Chapter 207 CH 186: PREVIOUS AND NEW DIVINE BEASTS

    [Gabriel¡¯s Pce]


    A new day wasing as the suns were rising in the sky, but Gabriel, who usually enjoyed watching the rising suns, could only hold her head because of an oing headache.


    The source? The woman on the screen hovering in front of her


    ¡°When will my grandson finallye?¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Gabriel groaned, feeling her headache growing by the minute, ¡°How many times did I tell you that he wille soon? Please stop contacting me like this. Do you know just how much faith coins cost to keep an Interdimensionalmunication active?¡±


    ¡°I am rich.¡±


    Gabriel held back thousands of curses and showed a restrained smile.


    ¡°Well, excuse me but not everyone has deep pockets like yours.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault if you suck at managing your territory.¡±


    *Crack*


    The armchair of her throne slightly broke under Gabriel''s pressure.


    ¡°You...You are doing it intentionally, right? Just know that antagonizing me won¡¯t make your grandsone sooner. In fact, It might even make me want to hold him longer here.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t dare.¡±


    A simple affirmation and a calm voice, containing neither anger nor worry. Her words were uttered in the most natural way possible, and anyone who heard her would feel that it was as it should be.


    This was the strongest divine beast and the representant of the sin of pride ¡ª Tiamat.


    Watching her, even though it hurt her to admit it, she indeed would not dare to keep Sol against his will. After all, ¡°You have somehow grown stronger.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Tiamat neither agreed, nor denied Gabriel.


    ¡°You really reached the level of the Four Great Jotun?¡±


    During the Great War between the forces of Order and Chaos, if the ones that stood with Order were the goddesses and the divine beasts, the ones that sided with Chaos were none other than the Titans and the Giants.


    In terms of powers, aside from the primordial titan, Ymir, who was at the same rank as the fourteen goddesses, most Titans were equal to the divine beasts, which was basically the demigod level.


    But even then, some Titans had managed to reach a higher level.


    They managed to be gods without holding a concept. Through pure power alone. As such, they were called false gods.


    Looking at the shaking Gabriel, Tiamat shook her head slightly,


    ¡°I know what you really want to ask is if I have reached the previous Divine Beast of Pride¡¯s level.¡±


    Gabriel did not deny this. Not all the current divines were the original ones created. After all, a war of this level couldn''t be without casualties.


    Many of the original divine beasts had perished and were reced. One of them, the previous strongest out of them all, was none other than The Divine Beast of Pride.


    ¡°I have sadly never met him but from the information I have gathered. I should be more or less equal to him.¡±


    Gabriel closed her eyes. Her mind drifted to her old friends she would never manage to see again.


    ¡®Michael, Lucifer, Azazel...I hope you can see this from wherever you are.¡¯


    She had lost many friends and had made many others. Out of the original fourteen, only her, Asmodeus, Leviathan, Belzebub, and Rapha?l were left.


    Sighing and burying the memories deep in her mind, shemented after seeing Tiamat¡¯s somber expression.


    "You don¡¯t seem happy."


    Of course, she already knew why. After all, Lucifer had shown the same expression back then.


    As she thought, Tiamat gritted her teeth, "Why should I? After all¡­"


    "You have reached the limit."


    Tiamat did not speak further but her eyes clearly showed her emotions.


    At the end of the day, a false god was still a demigod. Since they did not manage to bring a true qualitative change to their power and leap to transcend life and death.


    Unlike goddesses who were immortal as long as the concept they held existed, false gods were still mortal and very much kible.


    Even so, this was the end of the path. No one, in all history had managed to break through the shackles and ascend to Godhood.


    Clearly not willing to continue the discussion, Tiamat went back to the previous topic.


    "Make Sole as fast as possible."


    Sol Dragon Luxuria. Perhaps if it was him, it would really be possible to break through those shackles.<sub> </sub>


    "Did you see something?"


    Gabriel couldn''t help but grow worried at the clear insistence in her words. Tiamat was a powerhouse who wielded a territory as well as her own dimension, the Sea of Stars.


    She did not know all the abilities of that dimension, but the most known one was the power to predict the future of the dragons.


    "His star is being covered by a shadow. Soon, he will face a great ordeal and if he isn''t strong enough by then ¡ª He will die."


    ----


    The world belongings to Gabriel wasn''t just arge desert. Here and there,rge green fields could be seen close to oases.


    Of course, the closer one was to one of the main cities and the more beautiful the scenery became.


    This was even more so in their personal gardens that were filled withrge and beautiful trees, giving the impression of being in a tropical forest.


    It was in one such a garden, in Gabriel''s pce, that an umon scene was happening.


    "AhAhAh~!... Nn !"


    One girl, her arms resting on a tree, was facing a continuous deep and relentless assault from the boy behind her and all she could do was bite her lips to stifle her moans.


    Her upper body was still d in a white robe, but the lower part of the dress had been pushed up on her back, revealing her firm and toned brown ass.


    Pounding her from behind with deep strokes was none other than Sol, the very man who had been sentenced to a sure death by Tiamat should he not train.


    Of course, currently, Sol was unaware of the prophecy and was going through a great marathon.


    Holding Nefertiti by her waist, Sol began to elerate further under the encouraging moan of Nefertiti.


    The only sounds in the woods were here the groans and sighs of the two as well as the sound of pping,ing from Sol''s repeated movements against Nefertiti''s ass.


    In the end, with a sigh of pleasure, he released himself deep inside of Nefertiti, his brain melting because of the pleasure.


    Of course, he did not forget to activate the technique Nent had taught him. Making sure that he would have no kids for the time being.


    Once he waspletely spent, Sol slowly began to withdraw hisid cock from her honey spot.


    The moment he did so, white cloudy liquid began to slowly seep out of her and slowly trailed on her thighs.


    It was such an erotic scene that Sol felt his penis rise again, but it had already been the seventh time today.


    Since the day Sol took Nefertiti and Nent''s virginity, only three days passed.


    But those three days were like a year for Sol as he proceeded to fall intoplete debauchery.


    It was like he had decided to make up for the missed time without touching a woman and proceeded to live a life worthy of the best hedonist.


    His only partners were Nent and Nefertiti, but for those three it was like the three of them had gone crazy.


    There wasn''t a moment where Sol wasn''t in bed with one of those two.


    Fucking, eating, drinking, sleeping. A deep and dangerous cycle that was slowly pulling Sol in.


    Anyone else would have already done in lust by now and forget whatever goal they initially had. But for Sol, the current situation was no problem.


    After all, he literally had many regr orgies organized with tens of maids back on the mortal realm. Compared to those days, what was happening now was just an appetizer. It wasn''t even the first time he had tried outdoor sex.


    Of course, this being not the first time didn''t dampen the thrill and the pleasure such an act was bringing.


    Gently caressing Nefertiti sweaty face, Sol was wondering if he should really go for another round when he heard a voice ring in his head,


    [Pl-please¡­ Come to¡­ *Ahem* Take a bath first, thene to the throne room.]


    He easily recognized Gabriel''s voice, and from how shaken she was, it was clear that she had seen what had happened.


    ''Well, well, well. Let''s see what it''s about.''


    He hoped that it wasn''t some punishment for indecent acts in public space.


    (AN: Sooo, just before anyone calls SNK reference, Ymir is really a figure from myth. More precisely, Norse myth and in the myth, it¡¯s the progenitor of the Jotun, who are shapeshifter giants. Yeah, Isayama really used the myth well. Also for those who aren¡¯t too knowledgeable about Christianity. Basically, the original fourteen divine beasts were based on the seven demon princes for Sins and seven archangels, also known as seven princes of heaven for Virtues, with Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael being the highest-ranked Archangels.)


    Trivia:


    Before beginning, I wish to say that this list is open to debate. For example, aside from Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael, the name of the other four archangels are really up to debate. You can type seven archangels ten times and find ten different lists. Honestly, I am pretty sure most make the list based on the better-sounding name. But yeah. Same for the seven demons since sometimes not all lists are uniforms. Anyway, here I go for MY list.


    Pairing sins vs virtues: Castitas vs Luxuria/ Temperatia vs G/ Caritas vs Avaritas/ Diligentia vs Acedia/ Humanitas vs Invidia/ Patientia vs Ira/ Humilitas vs Superbia


    The seven demons are: Belphegor sin of sloth(Acedia)/ Azazel sin of wrath(Ira) / Mammon sin of Greed(Avaritia)/ Beelzebub sin of Gluttony(G)/ Asmodeus sin of Lust/luxuria/ Leviathan sin of Envy(Invidia)/ Lucifer sin of Pride (Superbia)


    The seven archangels are: Michael virtue of Humility (Humilitas)/ Gabriel virtue of Chastity(Castitas)/ Raphael virtue of temperance (Temperatia)/ Uriel virtue of Kindness (Humanitas)/ Jophiel virtue of Patience (Patientia)/ Camael virtue of Charity (Caritas)/ Zadkiel virtue of Diligence (Diligentia).


    Those are the original divine beasts. Most of them died though. With Gabriel and Asmodeus plus a few others surviving.

 Chapter 208 CH 187: I CHOOSE HER

    "Hahaha! He did that?"


    When Tiamat asked why Gabriel was suddenly blushing and stuttering after calling Sol, the previous heavy atmosphere vanished due to herughing out loud.


    "Tiamat!"


    Blushing, Gabriel shouted. Even though she did not find a partner, she wasn''t naive and had quite the knowledge about sex. Still, it was one thing to know and it was another to see your future son-inw shagging your great-granddaughter.


    Her face flushed even more at the memory of the scene she witnessed.


    Tiamat though, on the other hand, seemed quite proud.


    "What? I was really worried that he would be like that prude father of his. Thankfully it seems like he inherited more of the dragon blood than I thought."


    The spite in her words was unmistakable.


    As a warrior, Tiamat respected Mars very much. He was nearly unmatched in the mortal world and had been the youngest demigod ever.


    But as a man?


    She scoffed, ''Even the newborn girls in the n were more of a man than that wuss.''


    Even now, she couldn''t understand why someone as proud as her daughter signed a contract with Mars. Even worse, it was a Pride type. Meaning that ze had decided that Mars was superior to her and epted him as her ruler.


    It was simply unthinkable for Tiamat. ze was the kind of brat who dares to shout about bing the strongest divine beast. For that brat to lower her head was unimaginable but reality was what it was.


    No matter how much a wuss he was. She still respected him since he had managed to tame that unruly brat.


    Thinking about ze, Tiamat''s heart began to ache.


    ze had been the kid she had been the most emotionally invested in. She had even given her an inconspicuous name in the hope that she would not have to bear any huge Fate.


    If she hadn''t been hibernating during that small war against Echidna, rules be damned, she would have intervened and killed Echidna herself if it was necessary.


    The same went for her Sol. A dragon should be raised by dragons. Had she been awake, she would have taken Sol away when he was a kid.


    So many coincidences. Clearly, the amount of Fate around her grandson was off the charts.


    She really hoped it was Fate...if those coincidences weren''t actually coincidences or her hibernation had been caused by any external factor...


    Her eyes narrowed slightly at the thought. She really didn''t know what she would do but at least she was sure of one thing ¡ª it wouldn''t be a pretty sight.


    "Tiamat?"


    Tiamat smiled, hiding the thought in her heart. It wasn''t time yet. She wasn''t strong enough yet.


    "Sorry. I was just imagining the scenes you must have witnessed. Pfft! Now I really can''t wait to meet him."


    Indeed she couldn''t wait. After all, not only was he the son of her beloved daughter. But he was most likely the key for her to reach greater heights.


    "I really hope that he wille soon."


    Even if he wasn''t, she wished to hold him in her hands and raise him as a worthy dragon, teaching him everything he should know.


    ¡°Trust me, you won¡¯t be disappointed when you finally meet him.¡±


    Gabriel, finally calming down, showed a mysterious smile. After all, she had intentionally hidden the full talent of Sol, be it his Dimensional Magic, Chaos Attribute, or War Form.


    For one, she wanted to give a surprise to her friend, and another reason was that she knew that if she informed Tiamat about all this, the woman would be capable of leaving her territory anding here.


    In normal times, this wouldn¡¯t have been a problem, but now?


    ¡°Tiamat...Did you hear about the Wings of Freedom?¡±


    ¡°Huh? That broken organization?¡±


    The Wings of Freedom was not a new organization. In fact, even during the great war, they already existed, though under different names. Chaos always tried to get some followers and chess pieces in the mortal world.


    Of course, every time such an organization was created, it would be destroyed soon after or would fall into silence.


    Gabriel gave a bitter smile, the Wings of Freedom were indeed not a problem from what she gathered. The problem was, ¡°The Nihil of this generation is someone we know very well ¡ª Dahlia.¡±


    Tiamat narrowed her eyes at this name and stood straighter, ¡°I thought that she was sealed in the territory of your son-inw.¡±


    Gabriel let out a bleakugh, ¡°I thought the same.¡±


    Tiamat sighed, she knew very well why Gabriel was so distraught. Back then, after her betrayal, Dahlia should have been executed. But the one who pleaded for her life was none other than Gabriel.


    After all, Dahlia was...Michael¡¯s daughter.<sub> </sub>


    ----


    After taking a short bath and leaving a red-faced Nefertiti in his room, Sol walked toward the throne room of Gabriel with calm strides.


    Entering the room, he looked around, surprised to see that only Gabriel was present.


    ¡®Now that I think about it, this should be the first time we talk alone.¡¯


    ¡°You seem surprisingly calm?¡±


    Sol gave a faint smile. He had no reason to be flustered.


    For one, neither he nor Nefertiti were doing anything wrong. Furthermore, he was already used to being under observation 24/24. Be it with Medea back then, or Ambrosia. Hell, he was sure that even the goddesses should have observed him having sex one or two times. Because of that, shame was really the furthest thing from his mind.


    Still, ¡°I apologize for the disy.¡±


    He had to admit that he went a little too far. Nefertiti was still a princess of sorts and going at it outdoors with her, while exciting, had been a little disrespectful to Gabriel.


    Gabriel was a little taken aback. She had been ready to go on a rant, but it seemed that she had underestimated how mature the boy was. In the end, she sighed, ¡°I was in contact with Tiamat just now.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    An eyebrow rose at this name.


    ¡°She already cut themunication. She wishes for your first meeting to be done in person rather than through a screen and this is why I called you...When do you n to leave?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, from the way you speak, I feel like you are chasing me off.¡±


    Gabriel scoffed, ¡°Of course I am. You came here to this ce less than one month ago and you are already in a rtionship with my daughter and great-granddaughter. You are also in an ambiguous rtionship with my granddaughter. At this rate, the entire phoenix¡¯s territory might fall in your clutches.¡±


    Gabriel wasn¡¯t joking around. Even she felt some attraction for the boy. She was sure that a free spirit like Hator would fall in his bed in no time.


    As for Neith, that girl was a training maniac. But it was exactly such people who were the easiest to bring down.


    Sol simply answered with an awkwardugh, prompting Gabriel to shake her head.


    "More seriously though. You need to visit the dragon''s territory if you want toplete the contract. Now that I think about it. Did you decide?"


    "Yes. I still didn''t officially ask her. But I chose Isis."


    "Hum¡­ What about Nefertiti?"


    "I consider her as mine."


    "Heh."


    The atmosphere solidified slightly, but the tension did notst long.


    "Since she is willing, I have nothing to say."


    Gabriel had a really hand-off approach to rtionships. Everything was good as long as it was consensual.


    If the results were good, she would be happy and wish for their happiness.


    If the results were bad, she wouldfort them.


    This was why she didn''t reduce Anubis to ashes when he kidnapped her daughter back then.


    For the same reason, she would not intervene in this rtionship.


    Sol was relieved, he honestly didn''t want any conflict with Gabriel.


    Tapping the armchair of her throne, she thought for a while before speaking again.


    "Normally, you should have passed through Crossroad, to enter the territory of Tiamat. But she agreed to pay the price to open a direct channel between our two territories. When you are ready. inform me."


    Gabriel continued to mutter about how Tiamat was openly unting her wealth, but Sol did not pay attention to this.


    What mattered really was, ''It seems like my trip here came to an end.''


    He wondered what would happen in the dragon''s territory.


    Whatever it was, he hoped that he woulde out of it better and stronger.


    (AN: Mhm. I wonder what you will think of the dragon world. Gabriel''s territory was a desert. Who can guess what Tiamat''s territory will be?)

 Chapter 209 CH 188: MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS

    Cutting off themunication with Gabriel, Tiamat gently tapped the armrest of her throne, deep in thought.


    Her discussion with Gabriel, albeit short, had given her much to think about.


    ''Well, Michael''s daughter or not, it doesn''t change anything.''


    She wasn''t yet alive when the likes of Michael and Lucifer still roamed the battlefield. As such, while she respected those seniors who died in honor of the cause, she had no deep feelings for them.


    ''The movements of the remaining Titans are also worrisome. That bastard Skryrim[1] is acting again.''


    Most of the Titans had been killed or sealed alongside Chaos. But some of them had managed to survive by escaping to the deepest part of the abyss.


    The rhythm at which she tapped her armrest increased, showing her irritation. Anyone would be irritated if they were in her ce.


    From her point of view, all she did was go to sleep. When she woke up, before she could even be happy for her increase in strength, she was hit by one bad news after the other.


    Pinching her brows, she sighed as she saw her most mature daughter, Kiyohime, enter.


    "Hello, mother. You seem frustrated."


    "Heh heh. I guess I am a little. So, what''s the matter?"


    If ze was the youngest and most spoiled child out of her nine children, then Kiyohime was the eldest child as well as the one with the heaviest responsibility.


    Not only was she the second ruler of the whole territory, but she was also the one who took care of and trained the young dragons.


    Different from Nephthys who had a limited control over the other Phoenixes, Kiyohime had absolute and total control since basically, all the dragons were indebted to her.


    A chuckle escaped Tiamat. She was sure that If Kiyohime could be a demigod, most dragons would follow her.


    "Mother, the young ones are bing restless, since you announced that a new position of prince would be open."


    In the dragon''s territory, there were four Kings and five Princes.


    Though, after ze signed a contract with Mars and left the territory, there were only four princes, and her position as princess had always been left open.


    Many young dragons wished to obtain the position of ze since it wasn''t just some empty title but one that really gave power over the tribe.


    "So?"


    Kiyohime hesitated a little before continuing, "I wonder, why would you suddenly open it?"


    "Out with it already. You know I hate hesitation."


    "*Sigh* Most of the dragons think that this opening is a shame and that you just want to give the position to ze''s son."


    "Heh. Well, they aren''tpletely wrong."


    "Mother!!"


    Tiamat stopped her with a signal.


    "Let me finish. This position was indeed opened for Sol. But at the same time it''s a challenge for him. If he is strong enough, he will take it. If not, he will lose it."


    "But¡­"


    "You are speaking about the fact that he is still not even a Duke, right?"


    Kiyohime didn''t answer verbally, but her opinion was clear. Even though Gabriel hadn''t exined too much the situation about Sol, she had at least given his current rank and all the dragon Kings knew it.


    Tiamat simply smiled mysteriously, "You are underestimating too much, this thing called Fate. Furthermore, I left him to you, right? Train him well enough for him to seed."


    Tiamat honestly didn¡¯t care whether Sol won the title of prince or not.


    She knew that it was a condition for some weird debt between Sol and the Goddesses, and his sess would allow him to form a contract with a phoenix, most likely Anubis¡¯ daughter.


    But, so what? If it was an S rank contract he wished to have, she was willing to give him as many dragons he could take away, no matter who he chose.


    As for the price to pay for breaking the contract with the goddesses, she had enough divinity and Faith coins to spare to pay for his debt if necessary.


    She was rich after all.


    [Tiamat¡­]


    [I will not interfere as long as I judge it¡¯s beneficial for him.]


    Saying so, she cut the connection that was reading her thoughts by covering her own body with her dimension.


    It was a little trick she learned. The territory of divine beasts and all demigods, in general, were based on taking a part of space and having control over it.


    In a way, it was akin to receiving a house( territory) on a lease and having to pay rent(Faith coins) regrly to thendlord, aka the goddesses.


    But the dimension was different. it entirely belonged to her and the goddesses had no power or control over it. They could not even enter it if she didn¡¯t wish to.


    Another way to avoid the control or observation of the goddesses was entering the Abyss or doing the same as Anubis did and ¡®steal¡¯ rather than ¡®rent¡¯ a territory.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Mother?¡±


    ¡°Do not worry.¡±


    Tiamat wasn¡¯t happy about what happened with ze, she really hoped that it was just the result of Fate or coincidence. Because if it wasn¡¯t¡­


    *Rumble* *Rumble*


    The ground sank and cracked, Kiyohime suddenly felt like a mountain was resting on her shoulders.


    It onlysted one instant, but even for a king like her, breathing became so difficult she felt like she was going to pass out.


    ¡°I am sorry. I lost control.¡±


    ¡°No, I am alright.¡±


    Rather than feeling upset, Kiyohime was ted. Dragons respected strength above everything. The stronger Tiamat was, the happier Kiyohime was.


    Nothing more, nothing less.


    ----


    [Gabriel¡¯s territory]


    ¡°Did you make a decision?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have.¡±


    While Tiamat was discussing with Kiyohime, another mother-daughter discussion was taking ce.


    Looking at her daughter sitting on the bed, Nephthys made a difficult expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°You might...No, you will face many tribtions.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°You might regret this day.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    ¡°You...You¡­*Sigh*. I am sorry for nagging so much.¡±


    A bitter smile spread on her lips. Now she understood what her mother must have felt back then when she left the territory with Anubis.


    She didn¡¯t know if she was making the right decision. But, she knew that a bird would always leave its nest.


    Rather than restraining the freedom of her daughter, what she should do as a mother was encourage her daughter and be there for her if something happened.


    On the other side, Isis also threw aplicated nce at her mother.


    Standing up, she walked toward her and gently hugged her, which surprised Nephthys briefly, though she immediately happily returned the hug.


    ¡°I am sorry for giving you so much grief.¡±


    Isis knew that she hadn¡¯t been on her best behavior when she initially heard about Sol. In fact, she had acted like a disrespectful spoiled child.


    She had many logical reasons for her actions.


    The stress from being isted.


    Missing her father.


    Feeling like she was being controlled.


    Rebellious age.


    But in the end, all it boiled down to was that she acted like a bitch and a spoiled princess to someone who only wished the best for her and loved her from the deepest part of her soul.


    This was made even worse by the fact that in the end, she decided to follow Sol of her own volition, making her earlier tantrum even more worthless.


    Now, all she could do was apologize and act in order to amend herself.


    Once they separated, Isis gave a bright smile, ¡°Everything will be alright. We are going with Aunt Nent and we are going to use a direct channel. What could happen?¡±


    If Sol was here, he would have face-palmed himself.


    [1] Skryrim was one of the Jotnar. He was sorge that Thor could use one of his gloves as a makeshift bedroom. Also just to be clear again. It¡¯s Skryrim, not Skyrim. Lol. Like, even my autocorrect tried to rewrite it as Skyrim.


    (AN: Tiamat is very belligerent and proud. She respects and admires the goddesses but she won¡¯t ept any of their BS. Now, what do you think? Was the situation with Tiamat falling asleep a machination of the goddesses? Or was it just Fate at y? Or simply a coincidence?)

 Chapter 210 CH 189: I NEED YOUR HELP (1)

    *Meow*


    Sitting cross-legged in a meadow, wearing a simple shirt and shorts that stuck to his sweaty body, Sol exhaled deeply before looking at the source of the disturbance.


    ¡°How are you, Sekh? Hungry?¡±


    Gently patting the head of the white cat, Sol stood up and stretched his stiff muscles, each of his movements showing his perfectly sculpted body.


    ¡°Why do you need to sit cross-legged to meditate? Does the position change anything?¡±


    ¡°Well...Not really? I guess I do it because it looks cool?¡±


    Sol coughed to hide his embarrassment at the incredulous stare Isis was throwing at him. What he was doing was basically his usual mana cirction training, but at a much higher rate than what Lilith or Setsuna had even advised.


    During the fight against Rio, he had discovered how high his output could really be and he was training to be able to bring that level without much effort.


    But did he need to sit cross-legged like some martial artist for that? The answer was no.


    ¡°Stop bothering him with your questions¡±


    Chiding Isis, Nefertiti stood up with a towel in her hand and reached Sol to wipe out the sweat covering his face.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Nefertiti blushed at his heartfelt thanks and shook her head in a hurry, ¡°No, My lord, it¡¯s perfectly natural.¡±


    ¡®How many times did I tell her to not call me lord?¡¯


    Sol sighed inwardly but did not correct Nefertiti this time. He knew that it was useless to continue. The time he had spent with Nefertiti might have been short, but it had allowed him to grasp her personality.


    She called him Lord because she saw her life and everything that was her as now belonging to him.


    Nefertiti was a very smart and skilled woman. But this wasn¡¯t her core trait.


    If said nicely, she was extremely nice and amodating.


    If said rudely, she was a pushover.


    The kind of person who would continue to follow an abusive husband thinking that he still loved her. This was also why she hadn¡¯t refused his wildest demands, such as having sex outdoor in the garden.


    Truthfully, if Sol was a bad man, the end of Nefertiti would be very pitiful.


    ¡°*Blergh* Stop acting so mushy in front of me.¡±


    Isis made the action of gagging at the view of Nefertiti acting like an obedient wife. The first time she had witnessed at such a scene, she had been so unbelieving she had to have Sheherazade pinch her.


    Learning that the two of them had hooked up had been quite a surprise, but that was the extent of it.


    For one, the budding feelings she had for Sol weren¡¯t enough for her to feel jealousy. Their rtionship was at an ambiguous level where they could be seen as less than lovers but more than friends.


    On another point, the concept of harem was as prevalent and basically the norm in this world so it didn¡¯te as a surprise.


    In fact, she even felt somewhat proud, because even though he had a perfectly willing phoenix, the one he would end up signing his first contract with was her.


    The first contract was extremely important for a human. Not just because of the advantages it brought, but also because of the possible negative impact.


    After all, the capacity used for the first contract could never be taken back.


    With her talent and power, she didn¡¯t know how much capacity points Sol would have to spend, but it wouldn¡¯t be a small amount and if by some chance, the two of them broke off, or if she died, he would never get back what he lost.


    For him to choose her despite the risk showed that he had great trust in her.


    ¡°What? Jealous?¡±


    Even though Nefertiti seemed embarrassed, Sol was not fazed and even caught Nefertiti by the hips before giving her a deep kiss.


    ¡°Shameless bastard! Sheherazade, Sekhmet,e with me.¡±


    This time, it was Isis¡¯s turn to be embarrassed. She huffed as she took away a struggling cat and giggling fairy with her.


    While running away, she couldn¡¯t stop her face from flushing as the memory of how the two of them kissed kept reying in her mind.


    For a maiden like her, this scene had truly been a first for her. She could even feel her heart, beating widely in her chest.


    Meanwhile, sitting on the top of her head, Sheherazade was grinning mischievously at this sight.


    ¡°Are you curious?¡±


    ¡°Heh?¡±


    ¡°I mean, don¡¯t you want to be kissed like¡­¡±


    Sheherazade had her breath cut short as she was caught in a tight grip by Isis.


    ¡°*Wheeze* I...I am...Joking.¡±


    ¡°Humph!¡±


    Using a moment of distraction, she escaped from Isis¡¯ hand and exploded inughter.


    ¡°I would have never thought that the great Isis was a shy maiden!¡±


    ¡°Sheherazade!¡±


    ¡°Bye-bye!¡±


    Sheherazade immediately fled without looking back.


    ---


    Stopping the kiss, Sol chuckled as he watched the skit between Isis and Sheherazade. Next to him, hanging in his arms, Nefertiti also chuckled a little.


    She had always been a little biased toward Isis in the past. But now that she had spent some time with her, Nefertiti had to admit that while Isis wasn¡¯t perfect, she wasn¡¯t someone who should have to bear so much infamy and prejudice.


    ¡°Sorry, I covered your robe in my sweat.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­! It¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter. Not at all.¡±<sub> </sub>


    Nefertiti waved her hands, trying to keep stoic. How could she tell him that she in fact found his natural body odor extremely erotic and wouldn¡¯t mind taking away his shirt?


    ¡®Calm down. Calm down. I can¡¯t show him my slovenly sight. What if he thought I was a pervert?¡¯


    Sol thought that he was somehow forcing her to do shameful acts, but how could he know that in fact, she found those acts very much to her liking. She even thought that it was a shame that Sol decided to tone down their tryst.


    Theirst outdoor session had been such a thrill. Just thinking about it made her feel like she was bing wetter.


    *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*


    Nefertiti felt her heartbeats speed up and her feet trembled a little. She could even feel her nipple slowly stiffen.


    ¡°Nefertiti?¡±


    ¡°Hah? Yes?¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Feeling the hand on her forehead, Nefertiti was shocked out of her daze,


    ¡°Yes! Yes. I am totally alright, I apologize.¡±


    ¡°No, no need to worry. So, what brought you here?¡±


    Nefertiti always came to visit him as much as possible, but never this soon in the morning.


    Nefertiti followed one step behind him, showing her deference to him. It was another thing Sol wanted to correct, but everything had to be done in step.


    What he couldn¡¯t guess was that she was walking behind him, not only out of respect but also because only by standing behind him could she openly admire his whole body.


    ''I really should have worn underwear today.''


    While thinking so, she still answered calmly.


    ¡°Lady Nent told me to decide a date in theing day for the departure. She also said that she had heeded your request and that she managed to convince Lady Hathor to meet with you and discuss.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    At the mention of this business, Sol lost the mood to joke around and entered deep in thought.


    This discussion was very important.


    Before he left Lusturbg, Persephone had assured him that with the help of Medea and Camelia, she could most likely support Lilith for a month.


    Since the flow of time in the Astral realm was currently set at 12:1, this means that he had twelve months to bring the means to heal Lilith. In theory, he could be said to have all the time in the world.


    But if there was one thing that Sol knew and never forgot, it was that one should always hope for the best but prepare for the worst.


    Fate was a bitch. This idea became even more cemented in his mind after his discussion with Nent about Fate.


    In a way, Sol felt that the chances of someone close to him being fucked up was very high and the most vulnerable one currently was none other than Lilith.


    What if Persephone couldn''t seed in keeping Lilith alive as long as she said?


    What if an ident urred?


    What if the wings of freedom attacked Lustburg?


    What if he failed Luxuria''s test and couldn¡¯t form a contract with Isis?


    What if it took more time toe back than he thought?


    There were so many possibilities that it was mind-blowing.


    Of course, Sol recognized that he could be worrying too much. Perhaps he was kicking a fuss for nothing.


    But...What if he wasn¡¯t?


    As such, Sol decided to be better safe than sorry. This was when someone came into his mind.


    The third daughter of Gabriel ¡ª Hathor, the Immortal Phoenix.


    Sol remembered his discussion with Isis back then before he met Nent[1]. Out of the four king-ranked Phoenixes. Hathor was the one recognized to have the highest Nirvana skill and was recognized as an extremely skilled healer.


    Even if her skills weren¡¯t taken into ount, the situation was tight.


    Nefertiti¡¯s skills were pretty weak.


    Even though the Nirvana of Isis was powerful, she stillcked experience and she wasn¡¯t king ranked. Using her skill on a powerful king like Lilith might backfire.


    Nent had both the power and the skill, but she wouldn¡¯t follow them in the dragons¡¯ territory.


    Nephthys was the queen and could not leave.


    This only left Hathor and Neith, and the best choice between the two of them was self-evident.


    This was why he hadn¡¯t left the Phoenix¡¯s territory yet until now. It wasn¡¯t just because he was busy rolling in the sheets with Nent and Nefertiti.


    Now, the moment he had waited for so long had finallye.


    If he seeded...It would make everything much easier. He wouldn¡¯t be under the constraint of a time limit anymore. He wouldn¡¯t have the possible death of Lilith hanging above his head like a sword of Damocles.


    ¡®I need to seed ¡ª No, I will seed.¡¯


    ---


    A few momentster,


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡®Welp, this isn¡¯t going well.¡¯


    [1]: Ref CH 171


    (AN: So, just to be clear. Nefertiti¡¯s views toward marriage are pretty old-fashioned. They represent in no way my own view toward marriage or the like. Marriage should be a union between equals. There are no superior or inferior there. Also, it seems like she is a closet pervert. I guess the purer they are, the more easily stained they are. Seems like Gabriel is right in wanting to get rid of Sol fast.)

 Chapter 211 CH 190: I NEED YOUR HELP (2)

    [A few moments ago]


    The meeting with Hathor was set to happen in her own city.


    After seeing the beautiful city of Nephthys and the structured city of Nent, Sol had some expectations about what kind of city would be created under the orders of Hathor.


    This was why, when he looked at the city from the sky,


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±


    He was left speechless.


    Floating next to him, Nefertiti winced. One thing to note about her was that her wings were different from the natural phoenix wings he saw from Nent. They were wings entirely made out of metal.


    Nefertiti, while extremely talented, was not a perfect hybrid like Sol and Isis. She had inherited more from her charms, spirit, and metal spirit heritage than the phoenix one.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite the sight, right?¡±


    Trying to find the right words, Nefertiti let out an awkwardugh.


    ¡°I guess so?¡±


    Sol did not really know how to describe this city. In the first ce,


    ¡®Could this really be called a city?¡¯


    Normally, a city would always follow a certain n for construction and expansion. As such, looking down on a city from above would give a certain uniformity, be it with the roads or the architecture.


    This wasn¡¯t the case here.


    Houses of different height and width with no uniformities. Shops where roads should be and roads where houses should be. The city was expanding on one side and leaving another side. Some ces that could be exploited weren¡¯t, and some ces without enough space were overcrowded.


    It was pure chaos and anarchism. In short¡ªIt was a mess.


    Of course, if Sol had to be lenient, it wasn¡¯t that bad. The only problem was when it waspared to the other cities in this territory.


    ¡°Is the city under Neit like that?¡±


    Nefertiti shook her head, ¡°Her city is the least inhabited and looks more like a fortress than anything else, but it¡¯s pretty well under order.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Sol wasn¡¯t just looking at the architecture because he had nothing better to do. As the supreme ruler of this ce, this city was the manifestation of Hathor¡¯s vision. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that looking at theyout of this city was the same as looking at her dreams or hopes.


    From what he saw, Hathor did not seem to really care about the city or if she did, it meant that she was pretty bad at management.


    ¡°Well...Shall we go?¡±


    ¡°Sorry my Lord. I can only advance up to here. Hathor has only allowed you to enter. I will wait for you here.¡±


    Sol hesitated for a moment before nodding, ¡°Okay. Her house, her rules. But don¡¯t wait for me here. Go back to your home. I will visit you when I finish here.¡±


    The way he eyed her up and down made pretty clear what he would do once he came back.


    Flushing and blushing, Nefertiti nodded hurriedly before flying away.


    She hoped he woulde back fast. There were many new things she wanted to try.


    ---


    While the city was the very definition of chaos and the inhabitants gave him the feeling of airheads with no worries, finding the pce of Hathor had not beenplicated.


    It seemed that even if they all had different personalities, their taste in houses was the same. Or perhaps, the one who created those pces was Gabriel.


    Slowlynding, he was surprised to feel only one presence in the whole pce.


    [I was waiting for you. Follow my aura.]


    ¡®That''s a king rank for you. Sending a whisper without even having to be close.¡¯


    Smiling wryly, he decided to erase any prejudice that might have arisen because of the shock her city brought him.


    Even if this woman was the worst leader in the world, it wouldn¡¯t change the fact that she was powerful enough.


    It took him a few minutes, but he finally reached what looked like a balcony with a great view of the city, though the city wasn¡¯t really a sight to behold.


    Sitting there, with a table full of liquor facing her, a dark-skinned woman, whose attire only consisted of a white bra-like top barely covering her massive breasts and a white pair of panties to cover her intimate ce, was looking at her ss with dissatisfaction.


    ¡®Well, I guess this is pretty normal attire here.¡¯


    He was already used to the way everyone was open about what they wore. Then again, with three suns above your heads and a desert below your feet, being modest and wearing heavy clothes was the least of anyone''s problems.


    Raising her head at his arrival, the woman gave him a toothy grin as she indicated the chair facing her.


    Once he took ce.


    ¡°What would you like to drink? As you can see, you have a pretty big catalog.¡±


    He took a look at the many liquors whose name he didn¡¯t even know before his gazended on a particr bottle,


    ¡°This one.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Blue Pegasus. Good choice. Nent must have served you some beforehand¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Indeed. She told me it was a wine created with special water from undines.¡±


    ¡°Yep. One of my greatest passions is making all sorts of alcohol. Though this one wasmissioned by Nent herself. She is my greatest customer.¡±


    Chuckling, she took the bottle and filled Sol¡¯s ss with the wine before doing the same with hers.


    ¡°Let¡¯s drink.¡±


    Just as Sol put the wine in his mouth,


    ¡°So¡­.I heard you bonned my sister and grandniece? Way to go, young man.¡±


    Sol did not spit his wine. He had already received such startling news while drinking many times and now was ready for it at any moment.


    Once he finished gulping down the wine, he answered, ¡°I would not call it ''bonning'', but your sister did indeed have a physical rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Heh, you are calmer than I thought. This is a little disappointing.¡±


    Saying so, she shrugged and seemingly lost interest in him, and began to test her wine with relish which was honestly quite curious for Sol.


    After all, one of the most important reasons people drank was because of the slight buzz it brought. Some others even drank in order topletely smash themselves.


    But it was different for divine beasts. Sol could not get drunk, and he was a hybrid.


    "You must be wondering why I like alcohol so much even though I am a divine beast?"


    "Was I that obvious?"


    "Nah, your poker face is quite sturdy. It''s just that everyone wonders the same when they see me drinking."


    "The reason for that was because divine beasts were naturally immune to sickness and most poison. When drinking alcohol, the organism would consider it as a poison and purge it from their system."


    "True and as a pure divine beast, Your immune system should be even stronger."


    "Yes, but actually no. I have perfect control over my own body. I simply tricked my body into not recognizing alcohol as poison before a certain level."


    "I see. So you can get slightly drunk but not outright so."


    "Yep."


    ''Just how much does this woman love alcohol?''


    ¡°I love drinking. Drinking makes me unable to think. I do not like thinking. If I could, I would simply go hibernating like you dragons do."


    She seemed a little dejected, her gaze dark. This was the gaze of someone with a heavy past and things she did not wish to remember.


    Sol sometimes forgot it, but those phoenixes, despite their young appearance, were not simple women.


    They were warriors, soldiers who participated in wars thatsted thousands of years.


    The things they lost.


    The regrets they carried.


    It was something he could never imagine.


    Shaking her head, the impish smile on her face came back as she looked at Sol.


    "But enough of that. You didn''te here to listen to me prattle. Ment said that you have something to ask me. What is it?"


    This was it.


    This was the moment of truth.


    "I would like to ask for your help in healing someone."


    "Oh? Could you borate?"


    Sol hesitated a little bit but, in the end, exined Lilith''s situation.


    If he tried to lie to her now, it would affect their cooperation in the future.


    "I see¡­"


    "..."


    "Yeah. I understand the situation. If I use Nirvana and some of my skills, it would be possible to correct the defects of your aunt. Of course I would need to see her myself to be sure. Still, it''s pretty guaranteed."


    Sol was jubnt. More than even having the possibility to form a contract with Isis or forming a rtionship with Nefertiti, this was the best news he got sinceing into this territory.


    "Don''t be happy so fast. I am sorry but¡­"


    "..."


    "I refuse."


    ¡®Welp, this isn¡¯t going well.¡¯


    (AN: Not much happened in this chapter honestly. But it was necessary to introduce Hathor''s personality. She will be pretty important in theter part of the story, mainly during the war. Though that will happen in vol 10 or 11)

 Chapter 212 CH 191: YOU GOT A DEAL

    The silence stretched after the swift refusal.


    "Heh, you are calmer than I thought. I can imagine the gears turning in your little handsome head."


    "Is it because she is a homunculus?"


    Sol knew that Phoenixes, and divine beasts in general, hated or at least greatly disliked unnatural beings. Such as Isis or Lilith. He wondered if perhaps it was the reason?


    "Nope. I don''t really care about that unnatural vs natural shit or whatever. I mean, who decided it?"


    "... Really?"


    "Hahaha, I know. It was silly of me. I do know who decided it. Doesn''t mean I have to like it. Why should I be forced to hate something or someone without knowing anything about it or them? Do you know what I hate the most?"


    "..."


    "Having my freedom stripped away from me. I will hate whoever I want and I will like whoever I want. No one gets to tell me what to do or what to feel."


    Sol''s eyebrows rose at the passionate speech.


    "If that¡¯s the case¡­what is the problem?"


    Hathor chuckled before taking another sip of her delicious wine.


    "Do you know the second thing I hate the most?"


    "..."


    "Healing people on the verge of death."


    Another heavy revtion hit Sol. A healer who didn''t like healing.


    Her eyes clouded as she took the bottle and gulped it down.


    "I am a good healer, a very good one even. But I am not a goddess, you know? Sometimes I cannot heal no matter what I do. I mean. Even the goddesses aren''t omnipotent, right? Otherwise we wouldn¡¯t have had to fight the stupid war."


    "..."


    "Do you know what it feels like to see a life slip through my hands while I am doing my very best to save them?


    Can you imagine my feelings as I face the hopeful family or friends and must announce to them that their loved one died, that I failed?"


    Her chest heaved as she spewed the words that had stayed deep in her heart


    Sol of course could not understand her pain. He knew that for many doctors, the first true lessons they needed to learn was that not everyone could be saved.


    All doctors had to learn this lesson the hard way.


    Sighing again, an easy going smile formed once again on her face, hiding her pain away.


    "Anyways, I refuse. It isn''t even like I am all that necessary. I am more of an insurance, right? The little Isis is pretty skilled with life and death. If you add Nent to support her, the healing will go well."


    She had a good point. Sol had barely any reason to urge her. If everything worked out well, he would go to the dragon''s territory, seed the trial, form a contract with Isis, ande back home to heal Lilith.


    Sol literally had absolutely no reason to ask anything out of Hathor, even more so since Hathor clearly wasn''t interested.


    But, he couldn''t exin it. At first it was faint. He even thought he was being paranoid.


    Now though, he was sure that he wasn''t.


    Something was telling him, literally screaming at him that no matter what ¡ª he had to convince her.


    Otherwise, he might regret it for the rest of his life.


    Sol didn''t remember having any kind of foresight, but thest time he didn''t listen to his instincts, he got ambushed by a vampire and a necromancer. He wasn''t about to make the same mistake again.


    This was why, leaning further in his chair, a determined light shone in his eyes as he said.


    "Let''s make a deal."


    -----


    A few hourster, an exhausted Sol flew away from Hathor''s pce and began floating high in the sky.


    Above him, the moons shone a gentle light on the people on the ground.


    Even from up here, he could see them down below, mingling and living their lives.


    At the end of the day, be it mortals or magical creatures, everyone had to deal with their own problems. It didn''t matter how high you stood up. The scenery might change, but it would still be essentially the same.


    ''Can I feel fate, or am I only being manipted?''


    Sol remembered the giggle he would sometimes hear in the past. They had stopped not long after he met the goddesses for the first time.


    He knew that he hadn''t imagined them. One didn''t need to be a genius to deduce that the goddesses, or at least one goddess, had a great amount of interest in him.


    Luxuria.


    Sol bite his lips tightly. It was only after tasting blood that he understood that he had wounded himself.


    ''I hate that feeling.''


    He could now understand why Nent and Hathor hated losing control so much.


    Ever present and inescapable ¡ª Fate.


    What was Fate in the first ce? How did it work exactly?


    "*Sigh* I am tired."


    Sol closed his eyes and thought deeply.<sub> </sub>


    In this world, not everyone was under the control of fate, at least he knew one of them who wasn''t.


    The thousands spell witch and one of the first three mortals to reach the level of demigod ¡ª Ambrosia.


    That wasn''t all. He had a connection with another one of them.


    Isis¡¯ father and The Necromancer King ¡ª Anubis.


    Sooner orter, he would get answers and for once, he really hoped that those answers wouldn''t bring even more questions.


    ----


    Watching the boy leave, Hathor chuckled as she looked at the now empty bottle.


    "Why did you ept?"


    Chills spread through the room as a woman entirely d in silver white robes entered the room.


    "Neith! Wee, wee. You should havee sooner. My best bottle is empty. It will take some time to make another."


    "Answer my question."


    The smile that was still on Hathor''s face became cold.


    "Hey, little shit."


    The atmosphere in the room became heavy and sticky and the chill was driven away in an instant.


    "This is thest time you are being rude to me. I am your big sis and I am not above spanking respect into you like I did in the past."


    Neith flushed at the embarrassing and humiliating memory. At the same time, she eximed inwardly.


    She had thought that her sister had dulled after all those years of drowning in alcohol and peace but it seemed that she was wrong. In fact, she felt like Hathor was even stronger than she was in the past.


    ''How is it possible?''


    Divine beasts did grow over time. But there was always a limit to that growth. Hathor should have long hit her limits.


    "So?"


    The threat in her voice was unmistakable. It was clear that if she didn''t answer in a way Hathor judged appropriate, she wouldn''t escape a beating.


    Gritting her teeth, she finally decided that lowering her head was far better than beingpletely humiliated.


    "...I am sorry."


    Instantly, the heavy atmosphere vanished as if it was a lie and Hathor showed a warm smile again.


    "See? It wasn''t so hard, was it? Tsk, tsk. Just because you are a recluse and a training maniac doesn''t mean you should forget your manners, right? Now, sit. I am feeling like opening another bottle."


    She hesitated a little bit before sitting down. She did not like drinking because she hated the taste of alcohol. Thankfully, Hathor knew that and served her a special blend that was sweeter than normal.


    Once this was done, she finally asked what she was curious about. She knew that her sister had not acted as a healer in more than a few hundred years.


    Refusing many proposals, even that of divine beasts or demigods.


    Why then did she ept the plea of that young boy? Blessed or not, Dragon or not, it shouldn''t have mattered for Hathor.


    "You are curious, right? Well, we made a bet that really intrigued me."


    "What was the bet?"


    "Whether something would happen to him before he goes back to the mortal realm."


    Neith frowned. This was a rather odd bet. Sol would be apanied by Nent, one of the most powerful phoenix in the world.


    Furthermore, once he entered the dragons'' territory, he would be under the protection of the one of the strongest, if not the strongest demigod in existence.


    What could possibly happen to him?


    "It sounds crazy, right? A probability so small. How could anything realistically happen?"


    Her smile became mysterious.


    "This was why I made that bet. If anything happens to him, I will act. After all, If something does happen, it would mean that either it was a lucky guess, or¡­"


    "He became able to read Fate."


    Neith finished, bewildered.


    "You got it. Hahaha! You know what it would mean if it''s thetter, right?"


    "..."


    ¡°Heh, from your expression, I am sure that you totally do. We might be able to assist at the birth of another singrity. One that would match the likes of Anubis, Echidna and Ambrosia."


    She was seriously giddy, overwhelmed with happiness. After all¡ª


    "I hate many things. But, helping punching Fate in the face is definitely something I would be happy to do."


    Neith looked at the happy smile on Hathor''s face. The kind she hadn''t shown in years and couldn''t hear but ask, "What would happen if he was wrong? Above the bet I mean. What price will he have to pay?"


    "Hmmm¡­"


    Hathor put a finger under her shin before showing a mischievous smile,


    "Guess."

 Chapter 213 CH 192: END OF AN ADVENTURE

    ¡°Nn~! Ah~!¡±


    In a luxurious bedroom, an erotic scene could be witnessed while the moans of a woman echoed in the enclosed walls.


    Lying down on the bed and watching the sexy mature woman jumping up and down on him, Sol leaned forward and suckled on her breasts, prompting her to moan louder.


    The woman, Nent, feeling his shaft erge in her, knew that it was about time and began to elerate until she felt him explode in her. The feeling of heat spreading through her was out of this world and she was really thankful to have taught him that spell that would eliminate all chances of her getting pregnant. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be able to feel such bliss.


    ¡®Perhaps I should slightly adjust the teaching. Sex shouldn¡¯t be done for reproduction purpose only.¡¯


    Out of breath, her body covered in sweat, she leaned down and kissed Sol deeply after he took away his lips from her breasts, their tongues wagging a little war.


    On the side, she could hear her granddaughter moaning while sitting on a chair not far away as she watched them having sex. Half naked, not only was she tracing the lips of her vagina with a light touch, but she was also pinching her own breasts.


    ¡®I wonder, is it the effect of her charm spirit blood, her true name, or the twobined?¡¯


    Nent really couldn¡¯t understand. While she loved the feeling of having sex and lightly getting dominated from time to time, she was far from drowning in it. For Nefertiti though, on the other hand, it waspletely different..


    In the first ce, charm spirits were being initially born from the excess mana of Asmodeus. In a way, they were his indirect daughters, alhough he never admitted them.


    Since Sol was Blessed by Luxuria, it wasn¡¯t impossible for a synergy effect to have happened between them. Either way, she hoped that Nefertiti wouldn¡¯t drown too much in those feelings.


    Once they stopped kissing, Nent slightly backed off and looked down at Sol. Gazing directly in his beautiful blue eyes curved into a crescent because of the mischievous smile he was showing.


    She could already feel him slowly harden in her again, sending tingling down to herher region.


    Turning around with a brusque movement, it was now her turn to be looked down on by him.


    Gripping her tightly by the hips, she moaned out loud as another onught began. She initially wanted to ask him how his meeting with Hathor went on but¡­


    ¡®I guess I can wait for a little while.¡¯


    ¡ª


    *Ssh*


    After a vigorous session of sex, the three of them found themselves in therge bathroom to wash off the sweat and other such suspicious liquids covering their bodies.


    Hugging Nent and Nefertiti on his left and right, Sol really thought that he was in heaven.


    Meanwhile, Nent, who felt like her hips were about to break, really wondered if she shouldn¡¯t find more partners for Sol. This young boy really had stamina out of this world.


    ¡°Now, are you willing to exin what happened with Hathor? Did she ept?¡±


    Nent didn¡¯t have high hopes. Even though Hathor seemed to be the most easy going out of them all, she was, in reality, more stubborn than a rock.


    Nent would have been willing to volunteer herself since it would help her meet her future sisters and be friends with them, but even though her Nirvana was one of the most powerful, she wasn¡¯t that skilled when it came to using it on others.


    In fact, she never used it on anyone other than herself and she was also sure that aside from Gabriel and Hathor, basically no other phoenix was experienced in such endeavor.


    She had only known Sol for about a month, but she knew how much he cared about his loved ones and how sad he would be if he were to lose one of them. This was why she had decided to give him a hand and solicit Hathor even though the chance of sess was quite low.


    ¡°I seeded.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will ask her to do me a favorter if¡­Hm¡­What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I seeded.¡±


    Nent appeared a little dazed. She knew very well how her little sister was. It was really surprising for Sol to seed so easily.


    ¡°Could you exin what happened?¡±


    ¡ª


    ¡®¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Closing her eyes deep in thought, Nent thought about the exnations Sol just gave and it didn¡¯t take long for her to understand the possible implications and the reason why Hathor, who was previously hesitant, epted such a bet.


    At the same time, happiness bloomed in her. She knew that her bet was already partially sessful, though she had never thought that it would go that far.


    A Singrity and a Blessed could be said to beplete opposites ¡ª former rejected or used Fate, while thettet were the favorites of Fate.


    In all the history of this world, the only Blessed who became a singrity was Echidna.


    Sol was already talented beyond belief and it seemed like he was about to be even more so.


    If she had slightly been hesitant about giving her body to him, now no such hesitation existed anymore. She was ready to stack everything on him if necessary.<sub> </sub>


    ¡ª-


    After this, Sol began to prepare himself for his trip, not that there was anything much to do.


    Everything he needed was already sealed in his dimension since the day he left Lustrbug. It was a shame that he hadn¡¯t been able to use it but, from what he knew, Tiamat¡¯s control over her dimension was at another level and she should be able to let him active his dimension without disturbing the defense system of her territory.


    Right now, he was walking alongside Isis and Nephthys.


    Now that he thought about it, it was pretty weird that he didn¡¯t have more contact with Isis. After all, she would be hispanion if everything went well.


    It should be a given to talk to her and at least straighten things out.


    ¡°So, tell me. Now that you are about to leave. How was your short stay in our territory?¡±


    Breaking the ice, Nephphys asked while Isis perked her ears on the side.


    ¡®How was my stay?¡¯


    Sol looked up and thought back to everything that had happened since he came here. He was surprised to find that this short month had been pretty fulfilling.


    This trip had been his first one out of his kingdom. From the start, it hadn¡¯t been easy, but he had learned many things and managed to mature a little bit. The short events that had happened were things that would follow him all his life and that he would never forget.


    ¡°It was pretty interesting. I regret not being able to stay longer.¡±


    Though, if he seeded in the 3rd trials of Luxuria, he would learn the coordinate of the Astral realm. With them, once he learned how to travel through different dimensions, it would be easy toe back here if he wished.


    Nephthys showed a gentle smile, ¡°By the way, what about Nefertiti? Will she also go with you?¡±


    Sol shook his head, ¡°Initially it was the n, but she suddenly decided against it. She said that she wanted to find her way and be more useful.¡±


    Last time, after his night with Nefertiti and Nent, Nefertiti had shown concern about how useless she was to him currently. Though Sol did not think she was, Nefertiti still felt a little inferior and decided that she wished to travel and grow stronger.


    He could understand why, after all, while she didn¡¯t show anything, the fact that in the end he still chose Isis over her might have wounded her. Nefertiti might not mind lowering herself to please him, but this didn¡¯t mean she had no pride.


    At the end of the day, she was still a talented woman who had awakened a powerful name.


    Ishtar ¡ª The queen of heaven.


    Sol had been surprised when she told him the name of her avatar. It was a top-tier one. He didn¡¯t know if the legend behind the name on earth affected the power of the Avatar here, but if it did, then she really hit the jackpot.


    This was why Sol didn¡¯t stop her. Though he was a little sad that she wouldn¡¯t follow him.


    Isis picked up Sol¡¯s gloom but didn¡¯t know what to say. She just hoped that everything would be alright for her. After all, while She and Nefertiti didn¡¯t really have a friendly rtionship in the past, it changed a little nowadays.


    Nephthys gave a calm smile on the side, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry about her. Nefertiti is a strong girl. Furthermore, there is no way Nent would let her go without any protection.¡±


    Silence settled as the three of them walked calmly until arge circr golden portal could be seen. Next to it, Nent and Nefertiti were waiting.


    Once the portal was in sight, Nepthphys stopped and turned to face Sol.


    ¡°Sol, I won¡¯t bore you too much with useless words. I am putting my and my husband¡¯s greatest treasure in your hands. Isis is everything for us and I hope that you will not let us down.¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡±


    ¡°Quiet! I am not talking to you.¡±


    Isis mped her mouth shut. It was the first time her mother raised her voice at her. She understood that all she needed to do now was wait and listen. She was also curious about what kind of answer Sol would give.


    Sol, on the other hand, was not surprised at this. No parents worthy of the title would be happy to leave their daughter in the hand of a perfect stranger.


    ¡°I will protect her no matter what the cost.¡±


    Sol was greedy and possessive. He knew that in this world, it was impossible to live without losing something or someone. But for him, once somethingnded in his hands, he would never let it go ¡ª no matter what.


    His feelings for Isis might be weaker than those for his other women, but it didn¡¯t matter. Since sooner orter she would be his, then he would give her all.


    ¡°Humph! Mother. I am not some princess in distress. I don¡¯t need anyone to protect me. I can do it myself.¡±


    Even though she was saying so, it was easy to see that her face waspletely flushed up until the tip of her ears.


    Covering her mouth with the back of her hand, Nepthphys let out a lightugh while the heavy feeling in her chest finally settled down.


    It was on those words, and after giving a hug to a crying Nefertiti that Sol, Nent, Isis, Sheherazade, and the white cat, Sekhmet finally left the phoenix¡¯s territory.


    For Sol, it was the end of an adventure and the start of another.

 Chapter 214 INTERLUDE 11: PHOENIX’S TEAR

    ¡°The world is a beautiful ce¡­¡±


    ...was what she thought when she opened her eyes for the first time.


    The infinitely changing white clouds floating above, the ultramarine-colored boundless sky, old titan-sized trees that gave off a sense of holiness, new sprouts filled with bursting vivacity.


    Such forms of natural beauty went without saying, but even the great cities where mortals continued to struggle to live were filled with incredible beauty.


    Of course, the world was neither gentle nor easy.


    Rather, the harshness of just surviving was but a natural part of the world. Herbivores were eaten by carnivores, carnivores were hunted by humans, and humans were defeated by something non-human. Even those non-human things were defeated by something much higher in a hierarchy from them.


    It was a cycle ¡ª A never-ending cycle.


    No one could im to really stand at the top of the food chain. The victors eventually turn into the losers, always faced with the despairing cruelty of the world.


    There was evil, but for every evil, there was a greater good and vice versa. The cycle was everywhere. The world, oh so beautiful, was divided in aplete white and ck, monotone background.


    Everything had its own order and this was the reason behind its beauty.


    Life rejoiced at being alive yet also struggled to remain alive.


    There was neither beauty nor ugliness in that, but only earnest sweat and effort. As long as people continue to fight to reach their dreams ¡ª in other words, as long as they continue to choose to live¡­


    The world would surely be eternally beautiful.


    This was what she once thought.


    When she fought in a war that spanned across space and time, watched her friends andpanions fall in the embrace of the Mother Goddess one after another, or faced unholy beings.


    Wounded, sad, alone, afraid, scared. Again and again, escaping from the jaws of death by the most minuscule of chance.


    Even then, she never once gave up on hope and continued to advance, determined in her beliefs.


    The titans did not scare her


    The giants did not make her waver.


    Even the horrors of the depth and the darkness swirling inside it, did not destroy her faith.


    Her belief was ever firm.


    She believed in the possibility of this world. She believed what she did was for the sake of ¡®good¡¯, and to vanquish ¡®evil¡¯. She believed that she, as well as all the others, were born for some grand goal.


    She was proud of who she was. She was proud of what she was and she was even more proud about what she had achieved.


    Because this was her choice.


    Because this was her own decision ¡ª Her freedom.


    Her heart was left unshaken but¡­


    When the war ended.


    When she looked back at the trail of cold corpses, enemies and allies alike, she had left behind her.


    She couldn¡¯t help but ask herself.


    ¡®Was it worth it?¡¯<sub> </sub>


    One year, ten years, hundreds of yearster. She still continued to ask herself that question, never finding the answer she was looking for.


    Until one day ¡ª seven hundred years ago


    ¡°Yahoo!! My name is Darwin! Gretel Darwin. I am a witch. Happy to meet you.¡±


    ¡°H-hello. F-forgive my sister for her rudeneww. Sowwy. I bit my tongue. *Ahem* My name is Hansel Darwin. I am a scientist¡­ I think?¡±


    A hyperactive girl d in blue, like the color of the sky.


    A shy boy wearing a white cloak and supporting an awkward smile.


    Those two were her first true friends.


    Even to this day, she wondered what would have happened if she had never met them.


    Perhaps...No. Surely, many things would have been different from how they were now.


    But, if she was asked if she regretted meeting them, then the answer would be obvious.


    She would never regret it. If she was given the choice to meet them again, she would ept without hesitation.


    Neither of them were particrly powerful. In fact, even for mortals, they were incredibly weak. Not evening close to the Duke level.


    She could have crushed them without even lifting a finger if she so wished but, in her eyes ¡ª they were true giants.


    She loved them, respected them, admired them.


    They represented all the good she thought should exist in this world.


    <o>,m Her world, which was slowly losing its light, was once again illuminated thanks to their existence.</o>


    This was how much they meant for her.


    That was why-


    ¡°No.¡±


    She could not understand.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    She could not ept it.


    ¡°Why did it happen?¡±


    She refused to believe it.


    ¡°*Hic* Hansel...Gretel...Please, please, I beg you. Open your eyes, listen to me. *Hic*¡±


    Kneeling in front of their mutted cold corpses, all she could do was shed tears as she kept nudging them, hoping for a miracle to happen.


    Sadly, reality was cruel and miracles did not exist.


    All she was left with were bitter tears as she realized a new truth.


    ¡°Ah...This world is truly ugly.¡±

 Chapter 215 INTERLUDE 12: DEATH PHOENIX

    ¡®This world is rotten, dirty, and ugly.¡¯


    That was what she realized when she looked at the weeping souls in the river of Styx and gazed into their souls.


    Chaos was inevitable in this world.


    Pure good could not be achieved, and pure evil would break down. There would always be some evil in a good world. In the same way that a light always caseted a shadow. That was why the world would continue to create ugly things.


    Yes ¡ª this world was extremely ugly and rotten. Neither dyed by good nor fallen into evil.


    ¡°Father, if the world is like this, why do you protect it? Why don''t you join Chaos?¡±


    She neither remembered how old she was when she asked this nor what prompted this discussion.


    But she would never forget the answer of her father as he gazed at her, his usually crimson cold and emotionless eyes filled with love.


    ¡°Because of you and your mother.¡±


    Gently patting his head, he continued.


    ¡°Never forget. Even though this world is an ugly world filled with sins and under the control of some whimsical force called Fate, this world is still beautiful for the simple reason that my loved one lives in it.¡±


    He smiled and hugged her, ¡°I have been called by many names ¡ª Demon King, Necromancer King, Harbinger of Chaos, or even Rider of the Apocalypse. I have always hated this world and will still hate it for years toe...But, since I have you two with me, I am not willing to let this world get destroyed.¡±


    ¡°So...are you a hero?¡±


    ¡°Pfft! Hahaha! I am the furthest thing from what you could call a hero, nor do I wish to be one. You see...Heroes are indeed people worthy of respect. There¡¯s no doubt about it but more than anything, heroes are nothing more than glorified murderers willing to kill the few to save the many.


    They will say nice-sounding words as a necessary evil to stop a greater evil. But, what they forget is, either way, it¡¯s still evil that wins in the end.¡±


    Disdain was clear in his voice at the mention of the concept of hero.


    ¡°So you mean to say that all heroes are hypocrites?¡±


    ¡°All? I don''t know. Perhaps out of here, there are really some heroes who can save everyone without sacrificing anything or anyone. It would be nice if such a hero could indeed exist.


    But...one who stands as a hero for some would always be seen as a sinner for the opposite side. The moment a hero picks a side to protect, he stops being a hero and bes just a weapon.¡±


    Those discussions were prettymon between them. Even though she was nothing but a child, her father always talked seriously with her, always giving his opinion on the world and never dismissing her.


    Sometimes, the two of them would even enter deep debates about things such as morals and religion. Of course, her father sometimes had very extreme views of the world.


    ¡°Why dows exist?¡±


    ¡°Laws are created by the strong to control the weak and give some semnce of equality..¡±


    ¡°Does justice always win?¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°History is written by the winners and the winner is the one who represents justice.¡±


    ¡°The goddesses aren¡¯t really good?¡±


    ¡°Those who stand at the top determine what''s wrong and what''s right. The goddesses are good because they won the war. If Chaos won, then she would have been good.¡±


    ¡°How are babies made?¡±


    ¡°*Ahem* *Cough* *Cough* Ask your mother when you will meet her next time.¡±


    In the past, she did not really understand everything her father was saying. Mostly because shecked the experience necessary.


    But, on the day she reached the Phoenix¡¯s territory, she understood everything.


    As a necromancer, she should have been the most disgusting thing in the view of the other phoenix, something to cleanse ¡ª a stain in the world.


    Even so, none of them dared to do so much as to eveny a finger on her.


    Why? Her father once told her this answer.


    ¡°Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a god.¡±


    Even though they hated her, they could do nothing because they were weak.


    Even though they wished nothing more than to kill her, they decided to bend the rules because they were frightened.


    When her father was weak, he was the number one enemy of the world and when he became strong, he was recognized as one of the pirs of the world.


    This world was without a doubt rotten to the core.


    But¡­


    Looking at the back of this golden-haired boy that had appeared out of nowhere,


    Gazing in his sun-like Soul filled with warmth and tenderness.


    She thought back to the words her father once said and finally understood them.


    Even if this world was ugly, even if it was filled with sadness, as long as it was filled with the people she cared for ¡ª it was worth protecting.


    (AN: Well, I have to admit that this chapter holds more of my personal opinion than usual. Hope it doesn¡¯t disturb you. Even so, I am really curious about your opinion on things such as justice and morals and what it means to be a hero. Also, what did you think of Anubis? Didn¡¯t show much. But I wanted to introduce his personality a little more clearly.


    Those two interludes show two sides. One with Nent, who was on the side of ¡®good¡¯, finding out that the world is pretty shitty. The other, Isis, born from a father that could be called ¡®evil¡¯ finding out that the world isn¡¯t that shitty in fact. Basically one sees the world half empty and the other sees it half full.)

 Chapter 216 SPECIAL CHAPTER: SUN WUKONG

    "What a monster."


    d in her extremely revealing clothes and her usual purple Kimono, Shuten Douji gulped down in nervousness as she watched the horrific sight in front of her.


    What should have been arge mountain range had beenpletely erased, and what reced it was a giant pir that seemed to reach the heavens.


    While looking up, Shuten couldn''t help but grumble inwardly,


    If she had to be honest, she did not want to face that man. But, she had no other choice.


    In this world, schemes were only useful when the disparity in strength between the two parties wasn''t toorge.


    Even though she had many ns in her head, and managed to rally Kiku to her cause, Shuten knew deep down that nothing was settled.


    All that because of one man¡ªSun Wukong.


    An individual that broke allmon sense and was publicly recognized as the strongest King-ranked individual. In fact, there were many rumors about him having reached the limit and being ready to cast aside his mortal shell.


    Most people dismissed that information as mere rumors without any substance. The birth of a demi-god wasn''t something that easy.


    For the few who knew about the path to take, they could only shudder at the thought.


    The path was one of no return. A king could stop his progress even if he had the qualifications to ascend. But, once he began the ascension, he had to cast away his body and fuse its remnant with his avatar in order to create a divine body.


    If he seeded, then he would be one step on the other side and all he would need toplete the process was to connect with a territory.


    If he failed¡­ There would be no then. Since it would mean a thorough destruction of body and soul,pletely erasing his existence.


    For this reason, even though some Kings did have the qualifications, few were willing to take the risk.


    After all, King-ranked individuals already stood at the peak of the mortal world. Why would they court death?


    But Shuten did not doubt one instant that those allegations were true.


    From what she knew of Sun Wukong, he was a training maniac whose only goal was to reach greater heights.


    "Wukong! Could you get down, please!?"


    Her voice echoed a little before therge pir began to shrink at a visible rate. In the ce where the pir stood previously was a pitfall so deep that, even with her sharp vision, she could not see the end.


    The pir contracted until it became as small as a needle that inserted itself, much like an earring, into the ear of Sun Wukong whonded beside the huge crater.


    "Oh? If it isn¡¯t the exhibitionist grandma, why are you here?"


    Raising an eyebrow, Wukong looked at her up and down before letting out a lightugh.


    ''Infuriating as always.''


    ¡°Monkey King, a pleasure to meet you. You are as handsome as always.¡±


    The nickname of handsome monkey was no joke, even Shuten had to admit that he was quite attractive physically. When paired with his power and influence, there was nothing to nitpick about him...aside from his personality that is.


    ¡°*Tut* Don¡¯t y this game in front of me, Grandma. Spit it out, how are you trying to scam me this time?¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about.¡±


    When Sun Wukong was far younger, Shuten was the one who found him and raised him until he became able to take care of himself.


    This was also one of the reasons why Shuten could drink as much Monkey Wine as she wished, even though it was one of the most rare wines in the market.


    ¡®Who would have thought that the random kid I took pity on would be such a powerhouse?¡¯


    Fate was really a wondrous thing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t? Heh heh, so could you please give me back my gourd?¡±


    The gourd on Shuten¡¯s hip was a treasure that was said to be able to swallow a sea. This was one of the few treasures Wukong had found while traveling, but she had taken it from him and used it as her wine gourd.


    ¡°Never!¡±


    She put her hand protectively around the gourd. This gourd was like her lifeline. She could drink as much wine as she wanted and she could even put them in different zones in the interior of the gourd. Taking it away from her would be like taking her lifeline.


    Sun Wukong simply shrugged and began to clean his ear with his pinky finger,


    ¡°*Sigh* Seriously though, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Do I need a reason to visit you?¡±


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t, the door of Mount Huaguo [1] will always be open for you. But, we both know that you wouldn¡¯t interrupt my training without a good reason.¡±<sub> </sub>


    The smile on Shuten¡¯s face slowly vanished and silence settled between the two of them. In the end, she sighed and asked,


    ¡°Did you receive the information about the attack on Lustburg?¡±


    ¡°The Wings of Freedom, was it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Even though the Wings of Freedom were terrorists, she personally agreed with their ideals. This was why be it her or Kiku, they had worked for close to two hundred years to make the Wratharis Kingdom into the Wratharis Republic.


    Even though this was still far from her ideal, she had managed to bring a system where all voices could be heard and all tribes could stand at a more or less equal level.


    She hated the system created by the goddesses. Even more so after what happened more than ten years ago.


    The previous king had been a kind, benevolent, and most importantly, a skilled ruler.


    Under his leadership, the kingdom that had always been gued by internal and external wars began to settle down greatly and showed signs of growth and prosperity.


    But, just because his brother suddenly got a blessing out of nowhere and mutated, the good king was dethroned and reced by a tyrant that was putting Wratharis in jeopardy.


    A despotic, arrogant, and stupid tyrant.


    ¡°You know, I love Wratharis. It is the country that sheltered my n when we had nowhere to go. I shed blood and tears for this country hoping to bring it to the highest level. For me, Wratharis is my own baby, the crystallization of all my dreams and hopes. But now, some bastard pup is about to bring it to hell.¡±


    Thest part of her words was spoken with so much hate and vehemence that even Wukong flinched a little.


    Oni were said to be cursed by love.


    They gave their love easily, but never took it back. If you managed to obtain the loyalty of an Oni, then nearly nothing could make you lose it. At the same time, once an Oni became obsessed with something, nothing could stop them, not even the knowledge of certain death.


    Taking a hold of her emotions, Shuten released another sigh before continuing,


    ¡°Since you know the situation in Lusturg, you should know how strong it is currently. If we go to war with them, even if the witches do not act, Wratharis will take irreversible damage and might get annexed by the elves or the demons.¡±


    ¡°I see. So you began pulling an alliance and are trying to sabotage Tiangou.¡±


    Shuten nodded, prideful he might be, but Wukong was not an idiot. She had taught him all she knew about politics while raising him.


    "You won''t say anything like it''s cowardly or anything?"


    "Why should I? You are weak. The weak should use the way of the weak. There¡¯s nothing shameful about using smart to beat brawns, it¡¯s is what you taught me."


    ¡°You are right.¡±


    A proud smile formed on Shuten¡¯s face. As if she was watching her kid saying something great.


    Shuten was a pragmatic woman. She believed in using the best solution possible for a given problem by using all ways possible. No matter how embarrassing it was, it would not matter as long as sess was reached.


    ¡®Justice always wins because history is written by the victor.¡¯


    This was the rule by which she always lived.


    ¡°Since you know my goal, let me ask you...Will you be an obstacle?¡±


    She asked with a calm expression.


    ¡°You know what I want very well. I do not care about Wratharis, nor this war. I don''t even care about my position as Lord. All of those are burdens. But, in order to repay my debt to you, I killed the Tiger Lord and took his position as one of the Four great lords. Wasn¡¯t all this for a day like this one?¡±


    A charming smile bloomed on Shuten¡¯s face.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. Once this war ends, I will resign from my position and explore the Astral Realm. All I wish now is to fight the Saint of Sword and affirm my way to pave the path toward ascension.¡±


    Saying so, Wukong turned around and lightly jumped. Then, with a cloud forming below him, he shot off in the sky, his destination unknown.


    Now alone, Shuten could feel all the tension leave her shoulders. She had the support of Kiku and Wukong.


    All she needed now was the answer of Lusturg.


    ¡°Soon, my dream wille true.¡±


    [1]: Flower and fruits mountain


    (AN: The title of handsome monkey king was his title when he was still fighting in the mortal world and had formed brotherhood with the Bull King, the Great sage who pacifies heaven and 5 other demons. Later he chose the name Heaven Equal when he began fighting against the army of heaven. He got another badass nickname, the Victorious Fighting Buddha after his journey to the West. Perhaps I might have a story with Sun Wukong as the mc or someone with the power of Sun Wukong. I will see. Anyway, I hope you liked Shuten. She is an interesting character.)

 Chapter 217 SPECIAL CHAPTER: WITCHES’ COUNCIL

    [Witches¡¯ World, Salem]


    Even though witches walked amongst mortals in the past, nowadays, they were far rarer.


    It wasn¡¯t that their numbers diminished. After all, as long as a witch umted enough knowledge and grew in power, she could be functionally immortal or at least live a few centuries.


    The reason witches were such a rare sight nowadays was that rather than staying and getting persecuted and rejected, they preferred to live in their own world. One that had been created by their one and only leader Ambrosia, the thousands spell witch.


    This world was called¡ªSalem.


    If it had to bepared in size, Salem was asrge as the capital of Lustburg, if not more.


    Taking into ount the fact that Lustburg¡¯s capital had been created to easily amodate millions of civilians, for the witches that numbered in the hundreds, the space avable was more than enough for all witches to create their ownrge castles, observatories,boratories, and much more.


    Those were also known as witch towers. The siege of power of any witch. Of course, even though they were called ¡®towers¡¯ they could take any form, to the point that some even looked like a normal house.


    Some people thought that Salem was Ambrosia¡¯s divine territory, but it was not. No one aside from perhaps the four directions knew what Ambrosia¡¯s divine territory looked like.


    Even so, Salem could be seen as a sort of pocket dimension created by bending thew of space and time in the mortal realm. It was a beautiful world filled with wondrous sights and exotic fauna. For the witches, this was their heaven. A sanctuary that could not be defiled.


    If Sol could see this world, he would be surprised about how much it looked like a European city during the Victorian era.


    Salem had four great organizations.


    The Hunters, also known as the executioners, whose rule was to eliminate all witches that had gone astray.


    The Judges, whose role was obviously to judge criminals or civil cases, and also decide if a witch hadmitted a sin great enough to be put on the hunting list.


    The finance department hadplete power over the funds and decided how to attribute it to witches who needed it for their projects. Those funds were given to promising but poor witches and would be taken away if the witch showed no results.


    Finally, the council of wise women also known as the Council of Walpurgisnacht, convened regrly to establish the different regtions and take care of the everyday life of the witches.


    -----


    [Walpurgisnacht Council]


    In the center of the Salem,rger and higher than any other towers, stood proudly the cathedral of wisdom. In front of it was arge za where all witches could gaze at the sculpture of a beautiful woman wearing a witch hat on her head that hid her features and arge snake coiling around her. In her right hand was arge book.


    Bowing slightly to the statue, a woman d in an elegant long ck cloak began a short prayer before walking toward the cathedral.


    This was the center ofmand of all Salem.


    Once she entered, all the witches that were busy stopped a short moment to salute her before continuing their works.


    The cloaked figures whose features seemed to be shroud in darkness did not answer as she walked steadily until she reached her destination¡ªA room exclusive to the members of the council.


    Even though Ambrosia and the four directions were technically the rulers of Salem, 90% of the decisions for everyday life were made by the council. In short, the five great witches represented the royal family, while the council represented the government.


    In order to assure fairness, all council members always had to hide their features when in official duties, and of course, they could not divulge their identity during their terms.


    The only ones that knew their identities were the five great witches.


    Any witch that specialized in prediction and analyzing type magic or had talent in administration could be chosen by Ambrosia to enter the council for a term of fifty years.


    Though there were no limits to the number of times a witch could be chosen to enter the council, a witch could never hold the position for more than two consecutive terms. After which she would have to wait for one hundred and fifty years before being eligible again.


    The room was void of any decorations except one long rectangr table in the middle.


    "Now that #10 is here, we can officially begin the session."


    Even though all the ten witches were present, only four of them were physically present in the room. The others were just Astral projections.


    Most witches who had reached a certain level would travel outside of the mortal realm by using their towers and travel without a fixed destination in order to discover more and increase their knowledge or obtain special resources.


    The council wasposed of twelve members, two permanent ones and ten non-permanent.


    At the head of the table, a projection of Ambrosia sat steadily.


    -----


    For the next few hours, the session moved normally.


    The council''s members discussed mundane problems such as the destruction of a particr dimension, the explosion of a star, ways to conquer and exploit some dimensions rich in resources, and so on.


    This was basically how a regr session went by.


    After all, while the witches were shunned in the mortal realm, they were powerhouses in the Astral realm and were respected and feared by many.


    In the Astral realm, they were more known as Eternal Lilies because of their young appearances.


    A nickname many witches absolutely hated, since it always reminded them of the fact that they could never look older than middle or high school students.


    Even though the session was proceeding normally, all the members, even those not physically present, could feel an invisible pressure on their shoulders.


    After all, it was extremely rare for Ambrosia to participate in a meeting more than once every one or two hundred years.


    "So, for thest point in the program which was to decide whether experimentations on rock life form were ethical or not, after a vote it was decided that this would only be considered hical if the rock showed signs of intelligence equal to that of an adult human. Any other questions?"


    ""None.""


    "Then, Mother, I leave the rest to you."


    Nodding to #1 who had been directing the session since the start, Ambrosia watched all her daughters before releasing a sigh.


    "The topic of discussion today is a possible opening of the gate of Salem."<sub> </sub>


    At her short words, silence befell in the room before it was filled with a cacophony ofints.


    "*Sigh*There we go again¡­"


    "*Ugh*..."


    "I vehemently protest!"


    "Did one of four directions get tricked by a man again?"


    "Why should we need to open the gate!?"


    "... Outside¡­ Scary¡­"


    "*Groan* Why did it happen during my terms!?"


    Even though their features were hidden, it was extremely easy to discern the displeasure.


    Ambrosia gave a bitter smile at their reactions as she knew that it was perfectly normal.


    Most of the witches present here were not alive during thest opening, but the great library, a special building that held all the history of the mortal realm, had obviously clear and detailed records about what happened then.


    In fact, she knew that the only reason none of them flipped the table or cursed was because of her presence.


    Of course, Ambrosia could simply force them to obey her order, but she would never do such things.


    She had created the council for the well-being of the witches in general and not one in particr.


    If she forced all the witches to listen to her just to fulfill the wish of Edea, it would without a doubt leave a seed of resentment in their hearts.


    She would never pretend that all witches were equal. More powerful witches had better advantages, this was the natural rule of society and nature. But, she would not oppress the weaker witches.


    After all, in her heart, they were all her daughters. She may have her favorites and they may not be rted by blood, but it wouldn''t change the fact that she loved them all.


    In the end, their effervescence onlysted a few moments before all the council members took control of their emotions.


    No matter how reluctant they were, they had to sit through the meeting and give their opinions.


    They knew that Ambrosia had the absolute power of veto and could push through any of her decisions.


    Thankfully, she was not a dictator and would exin the reasons for her decision.


    "I am sure you guys are curious as to why I brought up this topic. But, I will not be the one to exin it to you."


    They were confused for a short while before all of them turned their head towards the other end of the table, where another projection appeared.


    Even though many of those present here were too young to have met her, they knew that the only one who could sit in this ce was the second permanent member of the Council¡ªMedea.


    Since what happened to Medea was not any hidden secret, all of them were surprised for a short while. But, remembering what the topic would be about, they all scowled inwardly.


    After all, thest opening of the gate had also been because of Medea, and the result had been catastrophic to say the least.


    "Hello everyone."


    ""Wee, Elder Sister.""


    As weird as it sounded, the official title of Ambrosia was indeed mother, while that of the four witches was Elder Sister.


    Observing this conference room she hadn''t been in for so many centuries, Medea released a sigh before beginning to speak.


    "The reason I want to open the gate is¡­"


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    What followed was a discussion thatsted more than a week.


    None of the members were naive women and all of them fought for the best interest of the witches.


    They argued and argued, using thew, the precedent case, or her inadequacy as a leader.


    Even though some of theirments were hurtful, Medea did not mind them for they were right and never went overboard in their words¡ªwhich hurt her even more.


    Many times, she had been on the verge of crying when they showed her the number of victims herst decision had directly or indirectly caused.


    Guilt and sadness filled her heart, but she held on and calmly exined her point, trying to convince as many as possible.


    In the end, after a vote, the decision was taken,


    "The final decision for the topic is to put it on hold for the time being."


    No matter how eloquent Medea was, there was no way she could fight against the years of prejudice. But she at least managed to avoid getting the motion denied on the first try. Which was a win in her book.


    What she had to do now, was to slowly win them over.


    ''When youe back, I will have a nice surprise for you.''


    She smiled while praying for the return of her beloved.

 Chapter 218 VOL 8/CH 193: BLUE DRAGON

    VOL 8: THE DRAGON start


    ------------


    ''Whooosh!


    As always, the passage through the portal was near-instantaneous. It didn¡¯t take long for Sol to feel himself leaving the cold void and entering apletely new zone.


    ¡®Heavy.¡¯


    The moment he set foot on the ground, the first thing Sol felt was how heavy he suddenly felt. He didn¡¯t have clear numbers, but the current gravity seemed to be a few times higher than that of the mortal world or the Phoenix¡¯s territory.


    It seemed like he wasn¡¯t the only one who felt a little ufortable since Isis was wobbling a little next to him.


    ¡®Salty.¡¯


    The second thing he felt was the taste of salt omnipresent in the air. This was followed by the sound of rushing waves and the caws of birds flying in the sky.


    ¡°So much water! and thend! It¡¯s floating.¡±


    Finally opening his eyes, Sol could only smile wryly at the surprised shout of Scheherazade, not that he couldn¡¯t understand her. After all, the sea was stretching as far as he could see. Furthermore, numerous floating inds could be seen in the surroundings.


    Going from the desert to the sea was a little jarring, but there was nothing that Sol could do. Still, there was one thing that surprised him.


    ¡°It¡¯s night? I thought that all the territories were synchronized time-wise?¡±


    When they had left Gabriel¡¯s territory, it was still the morning, or rather, there were still suns hanging high in the sky.


    Nent, who had been observing them, shook her head, ¡°This territory is called the Land of Eternal Night. More precisely, it¡¯s the [Eternal Night under the Sea of Stars].¡±


    Sol mulled and remembered that Tiamat¡¯s personal dimension was called the Sea of Stars.


    Looking up, his eyes widened and his heartbeat elerated, all thoughts about the bothersome gravitypletely vanishing.


    If the sight of an endless sea and the floating inds had been surprising, then the beauty of the starry sky was something Sol could not even express correctly.


    It was as if thousands upon thousands of fireflies were flying high in the sky and illuminating the world. Even the milky way could not be this beautiful. The stars were so numerous, that even though it was night, one could see as well as if they were in the morning.


    Thump! Thump! Thump!


    The fear of the endless depth and the endless space were two of the most primitive types of fear humanity ever felt. There were no humans who never thought about how small and helpless they were in this vast universe.


    At the same time, those two worlds far from the reach of normal people were the source of thousands of fantasies¡­dreams and nightmares alike.


    *Thump* *Thump*


    Sol was no exception to this rule. But, what he felt now wasn¡¯t fear. In fact, far from it, he felt giddy, happy, and rxed as if he had finally set foot where he belonged.


    He could literally feel the entire world weing him and he knew that it wasn¡¯t just a misconception.


    ¡°It seems like our ride came.¡±


    Looking up at the direction Nent was pointing, Sol was surprised to see a flying ship slowly advancing toward them.


    No matter how he looked at it, that ship was no different than those used to travel the sea. It was arge ship made out of wood with a ck g and white skulls drawn on it.


    Sol couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s our ride? This seems more like a pirate ship.¡±


    Nent¡¯s smile cramped on her face and she coughed to hide her embarrassment.


    Chuckling, Sol ignored her and focused on the flying ship.


    ¡®Sigh. So now I am facing pirates? Don¡¯t tell me that One Piece exists here?¡¯


    ¡°Hum¡­I don¡¯t mean to sound rmed¡­But they are pointing their cannons at us, right?¡±


    Sheherazade, who sat on Isis¡¯ shoulder since flying was rather difficult, now asked meekly.


    ¡°Yep. They are.¡±


    ¡°Humm. Then shouldn¡¯t we do something? You know, right? Some pow and boom and bam and caput. Pirates are finished.¡±


    Sheherazade asked while looking at Nent. After all, she was the strongest currently and technically their chaperon.


    ¡°What do you think, Sol? Should we deal with them?¡±


    Sol frowned a little unsure. After all, he didn¡¯t really know what ck gs and skulls meant in this ce. For all he knew, those signs could be the insignia of the police or something of the like. Still¡­


    ¡°Since they pulled out their canons, let¡¯s destroy the ship. We never know what kind of surprise it could bring.¡±


    ¡®Underestimating an unknown enemy is the straight path toward death.¡¯<sub> </sub>


    Sol even wondered if it was some kind of test. But he hoped it wasn¡¯t.


    Otherwise, it would really irk him.


    Thankfully, he was soon shown that it wasn''t a test.


    ¡ª-


    On the ships, ¡°Captain! The canons are ready!¡±


    ¡°Good. The prey seem to be high ss. Perhaps the members of some aristocratic family had a shipwreck. I am sure they will sell for arge amount of Vira.¡±


    The captain, a human-looking man wearing sailor clothes and arge hat on his head with the logo of his ship grinned hideously while encouraging the members of his crew to prepare the cannon.


    For those who had little experience in sailing in the sky, shipwreck was amon conclusion and a way for pirates like them to get some coins.


    It was even more necessary now since the governors of the sea were increasing the minimum protection fee small-time pirates like them had to pay.


    ¡°Anyways, be careful. You never know, perhaps one of them is a Duke.¡±


    The crewughed out loud,


    ¡°The captain is as careful as always!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! A duke? Why not say that one of them is a King?¡±


    ¡°Pffft! Or perhaps a Dragon!?¡±


    Theughs increased because of how ridiculous the worries of their captain were. This ce was so far away from the central power that even seeing a Count level would be a miracle. Even more so since it was impossible for a ship with a Duke ss in it to get wrecked.


    The captain wasn¡¯t angered by theughter. He knew himself that what he said waspletely ridiculous. It was just a habit. It was clear that he was worrying for nothing.


    Furthermore, he had just equipped his ship with thetest shield edition. It was said that it was strong enough to take a few blows of a Duke head-on before breaking. At least this would give them enough time to flee in case things went astray.


    The said shield had cost them all their savings and this was another reason why they needed more money urgently.


    Putting his worries to rest, he focused on the three targets on the small floating ind and was about to threaten them and make his demands clear.


    But¡­


    "YOU DARE!"


    ROOOAR!!!


    A majestic roar shook the air as a twenty meters long blue dragon appeared and jumped out from the sea to the sky, casting a giant shadow by eclipsing the light of the stars.


    ¡°D-d-dragon!! A dragon!!¡±


    ¡°Pull back! Fucking damnit!¡±


    The scene froze for a very short instant before the pirates woke up and shivered in fear while screaming.


    They didn''t even hesitate one instant and turned their ships around in order to flee while praying that the dragon would spare them.


    They had no thoughts about begging for their lives. They understood already that the ones they were about to attack were rted to the dragons. It meant that negotiations was already out of the table.


    Dragons did not negotiate with ants after all.


    They managed to flee like this for four or so kilometers and since they were already quite far, the captain spected that the dragon spared them because it couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with shrimps like them.


    But, just as he was about to rx, he suddenly felt a chill as all his instincts began to scream death.


    ¡°Active the shield!! Full power!¡±


    <<Dragon roar>>


    The instincts of the captain were spot on as, the moment a spherical energy shield formed around the ship, aser beam made out of pure energy seemed to split the sea as it rushed toward them.


    The captain had his heart in his throat, hoping that the shield would stop or at least diminish the power of the beam but sadly for him and his crew¡­


    BOOM!!!!


    The shield did not even manage tost an instant before it was erased alongside the entire ship and all those on it.


    Once the explosion abated, only dust was left.


    This was how yet another pirate crew vanished on the unforgiving sea.


    (AN: Welp, one of you already guessed, but the theme of Dragon¡¯s territory is Sea and Inds as well as stars. Lol, imagine a mix between Albator 84 and One piece. If you don¡¯t know Albator, then just think of it as the OP in space. That anime is fucking cult. Anyways let¡¯s move on. Vol 8 might be pretty long since I will have a little fun with it. Perhaps some more adventuring and discovering more secrets.)

 Chapter 219 CH 194: BROKEN RELATIONSHIP

    ¡®This is a true Dragon Roar...¡¯


    Looking at the light ray thatpletely obliterated the fleeing ship and reduced it to nearly nothing, Sol could only stare in awe.


    From the moment that dragon appeared to the moment everything ended, only a few seconds went past but it was enough to subvert the world view of Sol.


    Tearing away his gaze from the scattering dust, Sol focused his attention on the massive beast flying a little above them.


    It was a beautiful snake-like dragon, moremonly known as Oriental Dragon. It had deer-like horns, a long serpentine body, and flowing whiskers. The blue scales covering its body were reflecting the light of the stars, giving it an awe-inspiring appearance.


    Once the dragon was seemingly satisfied with its job, it nodded and, with a sh of light, vanished.


    What reced it was a petite blue-haired girl wearing silver arm and leg guards as well as a blue skirt with a blue top. If Sol didn¡¯t see her transform firsthand, with her appearance and her unicolor, Sol would have thought he was facing a witch.


    ¡°Hello everyone. I am Kiyohime, though everyone simply calls me Kiyo. Happy to meet you.¡±


    This was Sol¡¯s first official meeting with a dragon.


    ¡ª


    ¡®So this is my nephew.¡¯


    Kiyohime looked up and down at the sole man in the little group and frowned a little.


    ¡®He really looks like that man.¡¯


    Kiyohime did not like Mars. In fact, most dragons did not like him. His ways and actions were simply too different from the rules and personalities of the dragons in general. It didn¡¯t help that Mars was the indirect cause of ze¡¯s death.


    Though she died in an honorable way by fighting a worthy foe, it did not take away the sadness they all felt at her death.


    For Sol who looked so much like his father, the amount of resistance he would face in the tribe would increase by two or three times at a minimum.


    ¡®Well, at least, I hope that the simrities are only physical.¡¯


    Shaking her head at the thoughts, she began to introduce herself.


    ¡°Hello everyone. I am Kiyohime, though everyone simply calls me Kiyo. Happy to meet you.¡±


    It was only after doing so that she began to observe the little team behind him and she was astonished by what she was seeing.


    ¡®Nent? Anubis'' daughter? A fairy and a¡­A cat?¡¯


    Thest one seemed more oundish than anything else, but aside from it, the rest were quite an interesting bunch.


    There was nothing to say about Anubis¡¯s daughter. As for that fairy, Kiyohime could recognize her as one of the members of the Springs Court. The cat was just a cat, though it seemed to be a little unusual.


    The only problem was¡­


    ¡°What are you doing here? I think I was pretty clear five hundred years ago. Only Hathor is allowed to enter our territory.¡±


    Her expression became frosty the moment she finally recognized the woman apanying Sol.


    An imposing aura filled the atmosphere suddenly. It was as if they were in the face of a famished predator ready to tear them apart.


    Sol could instinctively recognize what it was.


    <<Dragon Fear.>>


    Even while facing such a pressure, Nent''s easy-going smile did not slip as she shrugged.


    ¡°Your face is as grumpy as always, Little Hime."


    "Do. Not. Call. Me. Like. That. You already lost that right long ago."


    An expression of pain shed in Nent''s eyes, but it vanished so fast that no one could see it.


    What reced it was a taunting sneer.


    "If you aren¡¯t happy, then talk to your mother. She is the one that allowed me toe.¡±


    Kiyo¡¯s eyes flickered, deep in thought.


    With her current authority, chasing off Nent was no problem. But since her mother was the one that allowed it, she might destroy some of Tiamat¡¯s ns by acting rashly.


    She groaned a little, torn between the choices, but in the end, her sense of duty triumphed over her personal duty.


    ¡°I see. Do not forget that you are unwee. Be sure to not give me chances to expel you¡­ As for the child of death¡­¡±


    She frowned as she looked at Isis. Like any divine beasts, she had no love for necromancers. This was even more so because necromancers had the bad habit of searching for dragons'' corpses to use as material for their undead.


    Though she had never officially met Isis, she knew very well who she was. In the end, she decided that she would only decide after observing the situation more closely.


    After calming a little, a gentle smile reced her earlier expression when she faced Sol.


    ¡°My dear nephew, I am really happy to finally meet you.¡±


    Though she didn¡¯t really like how Sol''s appearance reminded her of his father, she liked his eyes.<sub> </sub>


    They showed that the dragon¡¯s blood was strong in him and she hoped that it meant his personality would be to their liking.


    Sol, who had been observing the situation, nodded and returned a smile.


    He had been a little surprised at the vehemence she showed after meeting Nent and couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of grievances they shared but¡­he could satisfy his curiosity another time.


    ¡°There are many things that I need to tell you, but this is neither the ce nor the time for such a discussion¡­ Hum, are you able to fly?¡±


    She had asked out of curiosity because most hybrids had a hard time manifesting wings and had no way to fly.


    <o>,m If it had been the case, she would have been forced to transform into a dragon and take him in her ws to fly with her. There was no way she would let him or anyone for that matter, ride on her back.</o>


    ¡°Excuse me. I have a question.¡±


    ¡°...Hum?¡±


    ¡°Tiamat, Or should I call her grandmother?¡±


    ¡°Tiamat is good, or call her big sis. She hates being called grandmother.¡±


    Aside from her direct children, all the other dragons could only call Tiamat by the title of Supreme Dragon or Dragon Empress.


    But she knew how fond Tiamat was of Sol, even though she didn''t even meet him.


    Kiyo felt a little bitter, but she was already used to this feeling since it was the same when ze was alive.


    Tiamat was someone who could be extremely strict to some while she would spoil others to death.


    Sol on the other hand was a little taken aback about why he should call his grandmother, big sis but remembering how Gabriel looked, he had to admit that calling someone like her as grandmother would always feel weird.


    ¡°¡­That is weird, but anyways¡­ My question was why didn¡¯t she just teleport us to wherever she is?¡±


    This is what he couldn''t understand. Even Gabriel, who didn''t have full control of her territory could teleport control the space in it.


    For Tiamat who was not only the most powerful divine beast but also a dimensional mage, it should have been a piece of cake.


    Kiyo cringed a little, it was a perfectly legitimate question, but exining the reasons currently was so embarrassing.


    She couldn¡¯t really say that her mother did all this just to show off and brag about her territory to her grandson, right?


    It would be a total humiliation. Even more so if she had to say it in front of Nent. But she wasn¡¯t the kind to lie either. That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°*Ahem* Mother wishes for you to see the territory as it is now and to observe everything carefully in order to open your eyes.¡±


    ¡­She chose her words carefully to express the whims of her mother and changed them into something far more respectable.


    Sol felt like something wasn¡¯t quite right, but couldn¡¯t pin point his finger on the matter. He also ignored the snickering Nent.


    In the end, he decided that he didn¡¯t care for now as it was something unimportant. The most important thing now was to meet this grandmother of his.


    ¡°Then, which direction are we going?¡±


    He looked all around him, though since they were in the middle of the sea, all directions looked the same.


    Kiyo gave a meaningful smile as she raised a finger and indicated the sky,


    ¡°She is at the top of the Nine Heaven.¡±


    ¡ª


    [Phoenix Territory]


    ¡°Stop gazing at the ce. She is gone now for her adventure.¡±


    Nephthys showed a bitter smile at the remonstrances of her mother.


    ¡°I am not just worried about my daughter. I wonder if it was really a good idea to send Nent rather than Hathor. You know that her rtionship with the other divine beasts isn¡¯t exactly harmonious. It is even worse with the Dragon Queen Kiyohime."


    After the events of seven hundred years ago, Nent''s personality had greatly changed and she slowly began to alienate herself from everyone, her previous war buddies included


    She even caused many little incidents that made it so that she, who was initially the ambassador of the Phoenixes in other territories, was banned from entering them. The one who reced her was Hathor. After all, many divine beasts owed their life to Hathor.


    Gabriel showed a sad smile, "This is exactly why I sent her. You should have noted it, but since she got into a rtionship with Sol, her obsession settled down a bit. I was hoping that she could mend her rtionship with Kiyohime now."


    Back then, Nent and Kiyohime had formed the best team on the battlefield. When the two of them fought together, they were basically unstoppable.


    She didn''t know if they could regain their previous rtionship, but she hoped that at least, they could once again be friends.


    ''I guess everything will depend on Sol.''


    Gabrielughed lightly. She wasn''t that worried. Sol had many deficiencies and he was still rtively weak. But, when it came to soothing women, that boy was already at god level in her opinion.


    She really wondered how many divine beasts he would conquer by the time he leaves the Astral Realm.


    (AN: I remember the days when this story was just supposed to be a smut story about a prince fucking everyone around. Sol''s rod is the rod that will pierce Heavens XD.)

 Chapter 220 CH 195: DIFFERENCE IN PERSPECTIVES

    Sol had been a little lost when Kiyohime talked about the nine heavens, but it didn''t take long for him to understand.


    When setting up her territory, Tiamat had taken inspiration from the structure of the universe and divided her territory into nineyers¡ªThe Nine Heavens.


    The first three Heavens were essible to anyone. Even pirates with powerful enough flying ships could reach the third heaven.


    The next three Heavens were only essible to powerful spirits, elves, and subordinate families acknowledged by Tiamat.


    Those families could be said to be somewhat noble since most of them were descendants of people who fought with Tiamat in the past - descendants of the true heroes.


    Following this was the Seventh Heaven, home of the young dragons.


    The Eighth Heaven was the home of the nine, or rather, eight children of Tiamat.


    As for the veryst heaven, it was obviously the residence of Tiamat.


    It was only after hearing Kiyohime''s exnation that he understood how incredible it was for him to have the permission to meet Tiamat.


    At the very least, until now, there were only a very small number of dragons, aside from the first nine, that had been allowed to reach the ninth heaven.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s all for now. Of course, I left some little details, but you will slowly learn them while limating. Do you have any other questions about the nine heavens?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. This is my duty.¡±


    Kiyohime patiently exined the situation to Sol. For one, she was used to teaching and she also knew that Sol reallycked a great amount of information.


    ¡°If you are ready, shall we go?¡±


    ¡°Are we going to fly up there?¡±


    Kiyohime was a little startled at the question but she chuckled when she finally understood the misunderstanding,


    ¡°Haha, no. It¡¯s totally impossible to reach the different heavens through flying. Mother had distorted the space upward so even without counting the ward, people would simply be lost and wander without ever reaching the destination.


    ¡®Tiamat is really incredible.¡¯


    The more he heard about her power, the more he understood just how truly impressive she was.


    ¡°Follow me. We will have to fly for a while, but once we reach our destination, it will be easier.¡±


    ¡ª


    After a rather strenuous flight, the reason being the increased gravity, a tired Sol and an exhausted Isis finallynded onnd.


    ¡°Is this¡­a tower?¡±


    Isis, who had mostly stayed silent, asked after gathering her breath and wiping away her sweat. Sinceing here, she had been exposed to one wondrous sight after the other, but this onepletely took the cake.


    All around the tower, people could be seen mingling and entering different doors of the tower after paying a fee but that wasn¡¯t what shocked her.


    The tower was tall, so tall that even with her special vision, she could not see how far up it went.


    Furthermore, from her point of view, it seemed to be like this tower was supporting the very fabric of this world.


    Kiyohime didn¡¯t want to speak too much to Isis, but she wasn¡¯t one that could ept being rude to someone who was polite. She could also see that Sol was curious about and as such had no reservation.


    ¡°This¡­is the tower of Babel.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°Why do you seem so sho¨Coh! Indeed, I do remember that you also have one in Lustburg. That tower is a copy based on this one right here.¡±


    Kiyohime easily dismissed Sol¡¯s concern, after all, it was impossible topare the two towers,


    ¡°The tower of Babel is a tower created by a group of mortals who did not ept the separations of different heavens. Their goal was to reach the highest heaven through their own means. We wanted to destroy them because of their sacrilegious thoughts, but mother stopped us. She even took away the spatial restrictions just to see how far they could go.¡±


    Kiyohime looked at the tower with emotions.


    ¡°Back then, we thought that it was just a way for her to pass time. We looked down on the stupid mortals because we were sure that they would fail. We even made a game out of it. Most of us bet that they would fail without even reaching the first heaven.¡±


    Kiyohime blushed when she thought about her past personality and actions.


    ¡°Of course, we couldn''tugh for long. One generation, two generations, three generations. Again and again without ever stopping. Parents passed down their dreams to their children, and once those children became parents, they did the same to their children. How long did it take? By the time we understood what was happening, they were already past the Fourth heaven. In the end, they managed to reach as far as the Seventh heaven, and as a reward, mother helped them finish thest two floors.¡±


    Kiyohime remembered the dumbfounded expression she and her siblings had when they witnessed that scene. The fruit of the obsession of mortals.


    ¡°That day, mother made us understand two things. The first was that there was nothing wrong with being prideful, but one should never underestimate anyone even if they were of humbler origins. In this world, even an ant would bite an elephant if it was threatened. As for the second one¡­¡±


    This time she shook her head, ¡°She said that struggling was the destiny of the weak, but if the weak manage to ovee all those struggles, then it was possible for them to rise even above the so-called strong.¡±


    That day was the first time she felt how small and how shameful all her previous actions had been. She understood that there was no pride to be found in one race or in one birth. Those things were nothing more than useless titles that were obtained because of pure luck.


    Only those who rose above their own stations, those who desperately held on even against the mighty waves of fate and always stood back no matter how many times they were knocked down, had the right to feel Pride.


    This did not mean that only the weak who became strong should feel pride.


    The same went for those who were born strong. As long as they continued to advance. As long as they did not stay content by leaning on the glory of the past. Then and only then could they stand tall and full of pride.


    While exining the story behind the tower, Kiyohime was observing Sol and the others¡¯ reactions.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time she was retelling this tale. In fact, she had told this story to basically all generations of young dragons. This was a way to slowly knock down their useless pride.<sub> </sub>


    She was satisfied by the expression Isis and the fairy were showing, even the cat seemed shocked. Though it was odd how expressive a cat, even if it was a magical beast, could be.


    This was also why she was a little disappointed when she perceived no awe nor respect or admiration in Sol¡¯s gaze.


    ¡®It seems like he is a difficult case.¡¯


    Kiyohime jumped a little early to the conclusion. Of course, it was hard to me her. From an outsider¡¯s perspective, Sol was a prince who had been pampered since birth by the most powerful women in the world and had one of the highest pedigree in the world.


    He wasn¡¯t born with a golden spoon, but with a spoon made out of all the most expensive jewels in the world and some more. The fact that Sol did not seem like an asshole was already a big plus in Kiyohime¡¯s opinion.


    Of course, if Sol could hear her thoughts, he wouldn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry at the misunderstanding.


    After all, Sol came from a world with no magic where humans literally walked on the moon and brought objects into space.


    A world where, with a single push of a button, a man with no magic could bring more destruction in the world than anything most Duke or King-ranked individuals could ever dream to do.


    Only the goddesses and other reincarnated people could understand the true potential of mortals more than Sol. This was why his gaze held neither awe nor admiration.


    Nent on the other hand was watching this tower with pure derision. The words and actions of Tiamat weremendable, but they were hiding an ugly truth that Kiyohime had seemingly overlooked.


    All that crap about potential or whatnot was only possible in the first ce because Tiamat had rxed her own ward and gave them permission. Otherwise, no matter how many generations passed, they would have never gone past the third heaven.


    Even then, they reached their limits, and only after Tiamat helped once again were they able to finish thest two floors¡­and all that for what?


    Generations after generations of pain and sacrifice¡­all of this to end up as a simple moral lesson for future generations of Dragon.


    When she looked at the tower, she did not see how full of potential mortals were, but rather how helpless they were in the face of superior power¡ªLike how divine beasts were helpless in the face of the goddesses¡¯ whims.


    ¡®Howughable.¡¯


    Keeping her thoughts to herself, Nent took Sol by the arm and walked toward the tower,


    ¡°We have wasted enough time. Sol, this tower will bring us directly in our direction. Let''s make haste. I don¡¯t believe Lady Tiamat likes to wait.¡±


    Kiyohime bit down her lips at Nent¡¯s action but did notment for she was right. As such, while people kept ¡®furtively¡¯ stealing nces at them, the small group moved forward.


    Kiyohime rarely used her human form when walking in the lower heavens because of how petite and unimposing it was. Still, the aura radiating from her as she walked was enough for any passerby to understand that they shouldn¡¯t mess with her.


    Like this, after entering the tower and reaching what looked like an elevator, Kiyohime entered a secret code using the disy on the side of the door and finally hit the button with an 8 on it.


    ¡°We will enter my pce on the eighth heaven and I will settle you there. Only Sol can go to meet mother.¡±


    Isis wanted toin, but she was stopped by Nent. Even entering the 8th heaven was already an honor and an exception so it wasn''t wise toin.


    Still¡­


    ''Tiamat is really spoiling her grandson.''


    She couldn''t understand why. No matter how loved ze was, it shouldn''t have been enough for Tiamat to love and spoil ze''s son that much.


    It wasn''t as if he was her first grandson and he would certainly not be thest. She even had a bunch of great-grandchildren and great great-grandchildren.


    ''Is she also investing in him like I did?''


    This was the most likely case...Or perhaps she was reading too much into it and Tiamat was really just spoiling her grandson?


    ''Well, it isn''t like what I think will change anything.''


    She did not care what goals Tiamat had for Sol as long as it wasn¡¯t harmful to him and didn¡¯t foil her own goal. She had be quite fond of Sol after all.


    ------


    Trivia: There are many other types of dragons in Chinese myth. Like bruh. There are basically 100 types of dragons in Chinese myth and I don''t even know if it''s all of them.


    For example:


    Huang Long: The yellow dragon, the first of all dragons.


    Tianlong: Sky dragons that live with the gods.


    Shen Long: A spirit dragon that controls the weather.


    Dilong: An earth dragon that lives underground.


    Fucanglong: Underground guardians of hidden treasures and ces of powerful energy.


    Nie Long: An evil dragon that brings destruction.


    Jiaolong: Crocodile dragon that can change form.


    Panlong: Snake-like river dragon.


    Feilong and Ying Long: Winged sky dragons.


    Qing Long: The Azure Dragon symbolizing the East.


    Long Wang, Dragon Kings who rule over the waters.


    If Sol had to bepared, he would be the Qinglong which means ¡°light dragon¡±. It is a dragon said to be associated with the sun''s power and the spiritual life force of sunlight, or Zhulong also known in English as the Torch Dragon, a giant red sr dragon and god in Chinese mythology. It supposedly had a human''s face and snake''s body, created day and night by opening and closing its eyes, and created seasonal winds by breathing.


    (AN:This chapter was initially supposed to be a meeting with Tiamat. But I wanted to show more Nent and Kiyohime shing opinions and ideals as well as the way they see the world. Though what do you think? Are you interested in those myth trivia? Or do you find them unnecessary?)

 Chapter 221 CH 196: WELCOME TO YOUR TRUE HOME (1)

    "Now that I think about it, you still didn¡¯t tell me why there is a Tower of Babel in Lustburg.¡±


    "Your ancestor was a funny mortal. Like your father, he also entered the Dragon¡¯s territory after his awakening.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Who did he form a contract with?¡±


    Kiyohime shook her head, ¡°Ladon[1]. One of Hydra¡¯s children.¡±


    Hydra was one of the four Dragon Kings in this territory, and back then, Ladon had been his first son and also the most talented of his children. It was honestly a surprise back then when it happened.


    ¡®Ladon¡­¡¯


    In his memory, Ladon was a dragon that appeared in the myth of Heracles. It was a dragon with hundred heads, and a powerful poison who had a duty to protect the golden apple.


    ¡®Well, Hydra is also from Heracles'' myth.¡¯


    A nine-headed snake, or dragon with powerful poison and extremely powerful regeneration power. To the level, it was thought to be immortal - at least everyone thought so until Heracles killed it.


    ¡®Come to think of it...¡¯


    He also remembered the myth behind Kiyohime - one not particrly pretty. If it was to be summarized, Kiyohime could be said to be the Yuno Gasai of medieval japan.


    Fell in love with a guy because said guy made a joking promise of marrying together.


    Chased after the guy when he began running away after realizing the girl was batshit crazy.


    Transformed into a dragon-snake with god-like power and ended up killing her beloved - then killed herself.


    In the end, because of some prayer from a monk, her soul, and the guy''s soul went together in heaven.


    In a way, Sol really wondered if Yuno wasn¡¯t inspired by Kiyohime. Unfortunately, he would never get the answer.


    ¡®Well, I really hope the Kiyohime in front of me doesn¡¯t have the extreme yandere power of the one from earth. If not, I really pray for the poor sucker that will get her attention.¡¯


    Shaking his head, he asked, ¡°So Jupiter created the tower aftering back from here?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He created that Tower to show his aspiration towards godhood. In the end, he forgot himself and died after getting besieged during hisst war."


    Since Jupiter was the first human blessed of the new era, many people had been curious about how he would end up.


    It had to be said that the results had been mitigated. It was hard to say whether he seeded or failed. But at the very least, he didn''t leave a particrly good impression in the mind of most.


    ¡°What about Ladon?¡±


    ¡°He died. Siegfried[1] killed him during the war against opposing humans to elves.¡±


    Kiyohime sighed. She wondered if dragons and Lusturg had some bad destiny. But even so, she felt no sadness at Ladon¡¯s death.


    Siegfried was the brother of Sate Superbia[2] and was one of the rare beings recognized as a singrity.


    Back then, Ladon had gonepletely crazy after Jupiter died. Siegfried had no other choice than to kill him in order to put him to rest. This was why no one really med him.


    Furthermore, Ladon had managed to be a dragon king after killing and eating many young dragons. It was a crime worthy of thousands of deaths, and if Siegfried hadn¡¯t killed him, then she would have done so herself.


    Refusing to think more about that utter piece of trash, she faced Isis and the others, "I don''t know who out of you all will form a contract with Sol but I need to remind you that the first contract isn''t a game. You are putting everything in line. Don''t sign it if you don''t have the resolve necessary."


    Kiyohime was not trying to sound rmist. She just didn''t want them to enter amitment they knew nothing about.


    Silence filled the elevator because of the heavy tension behind her words.


    Until¡­


    Ding!


    The door of the elevators opened, showing two men d in full armor, standing proudly with spears in their hands.


    The two men seemed shocked at the sight of Nent, and frowned a little when they felt Isis'' energy, but in the end, they stayedpletely silent.


    "You should remember them, right? Follow them."


    Kiyo did not turn around as she addressed Nent.


    "Heh! I don''t need any servants to guide me. I still remember where your pce is. Let''s go girls."


    Nent strutted out of the elevators with the others and left.


    "Take care, Sol."


    On her way, Isis sent a small encouragement to Sol and took Sekh with her before leaving.


    After the door closed and the elevator proceeded to go higher,


    ¡°What kind of person is Tiamat?"


    "Call her big sis. Haha. As for how she is, it will be for you to find out, don''t you think?"


    Kiyohime showed a gentle smile. It could be easily seen that she had be way more rxed after Nent left.


    Sol was really curious about their rtionship. But he wasn''t curious enough to poke in what was an obvious deep wound.


    "It will take some time to reach the Ninth Heaven. Would it bother you if we talked a little?"


    "I have nothing against this."


    Like this, during the short ride, the two of them became a little closer as they shared some small stories about their childhood.


    None of them talked about any deep secrets, but those small stories were enough to give insight into each other''s personalities.


    Kiyohime on one hand was happy about what she was seeing. After he failed to show any reaction about the story of Babel, she had been a little worried about having to work with a hard case.


    But it seemed that she had jumped the gun too fast.


    ''I should stop trying to understand him with just pieces of information.''


    She had recognized that because she was so eager to meet him, any of his mistakes were magnified greatly and she had overanalyzed his actions.


    As his future teacher, this way of thinking and acting was not conducive to a good development. Thankfully, she had managed to understand this sooner rather thanter.


    When the elevator finally stopped, Kiyome faced Sol and gave him a node.


    ¡°The tower will open directly to a corridor. Follow it until the end and you will reach the throne room.¡±


    ¡°You are not going to follow me?¡±


    ¡°No. Mother wishes to meet you alone.¡±


    Kiyohime shrugged and moved to the side to let Sol get out. After that, she waved her hand.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Don''t worry abouting back since you don''t have authorization to ess the tower yet. Mother will take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Well then, see youter.¡±


    ¡°See you.¡±


    ¡ª


    Now alone, Sol took a deep breath and began walking as he was instructed.


    The corridor was one filled with pictures of what looked like a depiction of a war. Giant human-like figures fighting against giant monsters or human figures with wings. Fighting in the sea, in the sky, or in a volcano.


    The more he advanced, the more brutal the war depicted seemed to be. At the same time, most of the winged men had vanished and were reced by more monsters. He could also see what looked like dragons finally appearing on the battlefield.


    When Sol finally stopped in front of therge ck and white gate, Sol saw a picture carved that jolted his memory.


    A woman with fourteen girls behind her, all of them wearing golden robes on the white side of the gate, facing them was another woman wearing a bright red robe on the ck side of the gate. Every one of them had no face, giving the scene a strange, creepy atmosphere.


    This was the same picture as the one in the church[3]. Though there were a few differences.


    On the ck side¡­The red robbed woman was not alone.


    ¡®I can¡¯t see it.¡¯


    No matter how Sol squinted his eyes, he could not see the figures carved next to Chaos.


    ¡°Don''t bother. The goddesses had not been happy when I carved this picture. It¡¯s a shame for them after all. No one aside from those who participated in the war can see those pictures.¡±


    A feminine voice full of ridicule and conceit filled his ears. Since there was only one person living here, Sol did not have to guess who it was.


    ¡®So it finally came to this.¡¯


    Taking away his eyes from the carvings, Sol finally pushed open the gate and for the first time, saw the one he had heard so much about¡­Tiamat.


    ¡ª--(AN: Listen to Invasion: /watch?v=vwnjFYznpOI or Treachery: /watch?v=sxb2rCvg )


    All this time, Sol had been wondering what the Mighty Tiamat sounded like.


    There were so many legends, so many tales about her power. Since she was also his grandmother, he had been wondering how their first meeting would go.


    The moment Sol opened therge door and his eyesnded on the woman arrogantly sitting on the throne, all thoughts vanished from his mind. It was as if all he could see was her and her alone and the conclusion that came was simple.


    ¡®What a monster...¡¯


    Sol gulped while cold sweat covered his face.


    Tiamat has long, waist-length hair as ck as the darkness of space. The top of her hair was tied up with an intricate gold hairpin with a pale blue tassel hanging from one end. Her right eye was of a deep golden, while her left eye was covered by a red eyepatch. Golden dragon-shaped earrings that matched with the color of her eyes and hairpin were dangling in the air.


    On her body, all she was wearing was a bright red qipao with side slits going up to her hips and the chest area cut out, showing off her deep cleavage. Many golden anchor motifs could be found scattered around her outfit, on the front of her qipao dress, forming what looked like the head of a golden dragon roaring.


    Finally, her beautiful dainty legs were uncovered and unprotected as she wore no shoes.


    The moment Sol entered the room, her face lit up with a dazzling but predatory smile, making his hair stand straight.


    Tiamat was undoubtedly a beautiful woman.


    But at this moment, her beauty waspletely overshadowed by the fierce aura she was emanating.


    The distance separating them was only a few meters, but Sol felt as if the distance between them seemed to stretch toward infinite.


    When he finally took his first step into the room.


    Bam!


    ¡®So. Fucking. Heavy!¡±


    The gravity in the room waspletely at another level.


    He couldn¡¯t breathe. His organs felt as if they were about to burst.


    He couldn¡¯t move. He felt like the world itself was pressing down on him.


    Still¡ªhe refused to kneel down and admit defeat.


    The color of his eyes began to change. Going from the normal blue to deep gold and ck.


    Beautiful golden scales formed on his body, and his normal horns also appeared.


    ¡°Oh!?¡±


    Tiamat opened her eyes wide in surprise.


    She had not been trying to test Sol. The gravity in the room was the one she was most used to and found herself the mostfortable with.


    At the same time, it was a way she used to tease her children whenever they wished to meet her.


    Because of this, she hadpletely forgotten to lower it when Sol entered and had been ready to dispel it when he nearly caved in.


    Still...


    ¡®Hahaha~! what an interesting boy.¡¯


    She dispelled the idea the moment she saw him change form and straighten his back as walked toward her.


    Watching him take one step after another, and adapting so easily to a level of gravity most adult dragons couldn¡¯t even support, she felt a mixture of emotions - happiness, pride, and sad nostalgia.


    It was as if she could remember the picture all those years ago, when her little adorable daughter, ze had shown her that she wasn¡¯t just a mischievous child and that she had her own pride.


    ¡®ze, you really had a fine son.¡¯


    Her previous predatory smile changed into one full of warmth and care when Sol finally stopped a few steps away from her.


    Standing up, she covered the small distance separating them and hugged a bewildered Sol tightly.


    ¡°Wee back home, Sol. I am happy to finally meet you.¡±


    [1]: Siegfried was first mentioned by Fafnir during Special chapter: Dragon


    [2]: Sate appeared in Special chapter: Elves. She is the ruler of Southern pride


    [3] The gate appeared in Vol 2 CH 29


    (AN: Sol didn¡¯t use his War form nor his energy Horns. Just a small reminder. Finally, we meet Tiamat. I had to rework and change her chara design many times to fit my image of a Prideful and powerful woman full of confidence. Hope you liked her description. For those who want a clearer image, Imagine a mix between Beidou and Raiden Shodun from Genshin.)

 Chapter 222 CH 197: WELCOME TO YOUR TRUE HOME (2)

    ¡°Wee back home, Sol. I am happy to finally meet you.¡±


    Sol, who didn¡¯t expect such a warm wee from someone he never met, was surprised. After all, it would have been stupid of him to think that he would be well treated just because he was rted by blood.


    If things were so easy, fratricide would not have been the second sin in the bible. He was even further surprised by what happened next.


    "Firstly, I¡¯d like to apologize, I didn''t really try to test you earlier. Are you alright? You are not hurt, are you?¡±


    Sol waspletely bewildered and couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious.


    ¡®Is she really Tiamat?¡¯


    He knew that he shouldn¡¯t believe hearsay and rumors but, the difference between what he knew of Tiamat and what she was showing was simply too much.


    ¡®Well, everyone shows different faces to different people.¡¯


    He did not know if Tiamat was really worried or only acting but, for now, he was willing to believe in her.


    ¡°I am alright, don¡¯t worry. I guess I have let my pride get the best of me. It¡¯s just that I seem to be tested every time I meet someone new. So I misunderstood.¡±


    Sol really wondered when the day woulde where he didn¡¯t have to prove anything to anyone anymore. Sadly, this day still seemed far away.


    Smiling in relief, Tiamat caught him by the arm and pulled him toward the inner office hidden behind the throne.


    ¡°Now then, tell me everything that happened to you. I want to know about you as much as possible.¡±


    ---


    While Sol and Tiamat were catching up, Nent was leading up her small group while following the two guards.


    Looking around, an expression of nostalgia shed before being swiftly extinguished.


    What happened between her and Kiyo was something out of her own choice. She had no right to y the victim in such a situation.


    "Oh!? Nent, is that you?"


    ''Oh hell.''


    All her contradictory emotions vanished and were reced by a powerful headache.


    "Who is he?"


    She ignored the floating midget and turned to face the source of the voice.


    It was a handsome scarlet-haired man seemingly in histe twenties d in a ck suit, ck pants, and a white shirt.


    Behind him was a younger-looking male with long ck hair and an eye patch on his right eye.


    Showing a stiff smile, Nent greeted the man.


    "Fafnir...How have you been?"


    Fafnir''s eyes lit up with joy as he walked with his arms opened wide,


    "Nent! I am d to see you! Did youe to meet me!?"


    Nent avoided the hug, to the surprise of Fafnir, and answered,


    "Fafnir. While we were once in courtship and could have be mates. Talk about rtionships stopped after I became estranged with most divine beasts so avoid excessive disys of affection."


    At the end of the day, Nent was still a phoenix. No matter how she changed, she valued her virtue very deeply and since she had given herself to Sol, then he would be the only man in her life.


    Though this was another source of headache. Fafnir was not a bad man and in fact, was very tolerant of a dragon. Still, no matter how calm and gentle he was, Nent could not imagine how he would react if he learned that she was now his Nephew¡¯s mate.


    ¡®How could I have forgotten about him?¡¯


    Fafnir on the other hand showed an expression of surprise at the cold rebuke of Nent.


    He remembered that she had been courting him because of her n to give birth to a powerful hybrid.


    Though she stopped contacting him after a while, a few hundred years to beings with long lives as them were the equivalent of just a few months for mortals so it was no big deal.


    ''Weird.''


    While Fafnir was bewildered, the young man''s eye shed with disgust as he looked at Isis before he addressed Fafnir.


    "Grandfather, who might they be?"


    "Oh. Look at me."


    Shaking his head, he introduced the young man, "Nent. Here is my youngest grandson. Kaiser."


    Nent, tilted her head, deep in thought before asking,


    "The one with the Empress'' Eye?"


    Fafnir showed an expression of surprise before it was reced by pride as he nodded.


    "Indeed. He inherited a part of the power of foresight that belongs to mother."


    Most dragons had no particr abilities simr to Tiamat. This was why any of them that did were particrly respected and seen as young talents that were worth nurturing.


    "Heh, is that something impressive!?"


    Kaiser''s expression crumbled and shot a look at the Fairy that was showing a clueless expression.


    "Are you mocking me?"


    If it wasn''t because he recognized that she should be a fairy from the territory of the World Tree, he would have be even angrier.


    "Huh? Nononono! I am a huge fan of dragons, you know!? It''s just... I mean¡­ Hum... Sol is a dimensional mage and a chaos Dragon...Right? Isn''t that wayyy more awesome?"


    Looking at the expression on both Kaiser and Fafnir''s faces, Nent and Isis realized that sometimes, innocence was the greatest weapon.


    ---


    Fafnir and Kaiser were not the only ones that received a huge surprise.


    Tiamat was listening to Sol and could only stop him hurriedly when he mentioned his awakening,<sub> </sub>


    ¡°So you mean to say that you awakened as a Dimensional Mage and a Chaos Dragon, albeit a downgraded one?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Sol had absolutely no intention to hide his power from Tiamat. For one, he needed her permission to open his dimension in her territory. Furthermore, who would be better than the strongest dimensional mage below the level of goddesses to teach him how to use his own dimension.


    Hearing him confirm it, Tiamat did not show the expected happiness but rather frowned deeply while muttering,


    ¡°I guess they weren¡¯t just ying around with those tests.¡±


    ¡°...What do you mean?¡±


    Even though she did not speak loudly, it was impossible for him to miss her mutter and she had no reason to hide it from him.


    ¡°You should already know that there are many rules in this world. One of those rules is one of equivalent exchange. Well, it isn¡¯t exactly equivalent, but you cannot win without paying a price. That rule is absolute.


    If the goddesses had given you everything without having paid a price, it would have been the equivalent of you taking a big debt with a high-interest rate from a loan shark called Fate. Of course, you can guess that your end would be miserable.¡±


    Tiamat gave a simple exnation and shrugged, ¡°Fate is a bitch. We divine beasts are born with great power but in exchange, the limit of our power is already fixed. This is the price we have to pay. Blessed are born with heaven-defying luck, but their fate will always be an early death. That¡¯s the price you have to pay.¡±


    She shook her head at this sad truth and at the same time couldn¡¯t help but think of Sate.


    The poor girl was stuck at the level of King, even though she had the potential to be a demi-god.


    At the same time, this was the reason why she was still alive even after so long. By not bing a demi-god she had broken the control Fate had on her in a certain way. One could even say that she was a pseudo-singrity.


    But Sol?


    She gnawed her lips in frustration.


    ¡®So this is why I feel the shadow of death on him.¡¯


    Sol was talented. Excessively so. This made the situation all the more worrisome. She could not see what would happen to him exactly, but whatever it was, it was impossible for him to survive it at his current level.


    ¡°Sol, tell me, are you a Duke now?¡±


    ¡°No, why?¡±


    A sharp glint shed through her eyes before she began tough as if she had gone crazy.


    ¡®Ah~! Fate is truly unfathomable. Were those goddesses even able to predict this?¡¯


    No, she did not think so. But what did it matter? In the end, all she could do was thank this loathsome Fate for having given her a chance.


    But¡­Should I observe him more?


    From what she had just seen, Sol was truthfully a fine young man. Though hecked some worldly experience. Still, this was not enough to have an opinion on his personality.


    ¡®Let¡¯s prepare everything first.¡¯


    ¡°Tiamat?¡±


    ¡°Call me big sis.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Okay~Sigh. Big sis¡­.¡±


    ¡°Umu. You want to ask why I amughing?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I am justughing at how helpless we are when we can''t help but act like moths drawn toward a me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now. It¡¯s still too soon to speak about it. I will tell you everything once I have straightened everything in my mind. Meanwhile, I will have to arrange your stay.¡±


    She closed her eyes and thought for a while before finally facing Sol,


    ¡°Before everything, there is something I want to make clear. Sol¡­Do you really wish to be strong?¡±


    ¡°...Why the sudden question?¡±


    ¡°Because you do not need to. I am sure that all your life, you had to live under the expectation of others. Some wanted you to be strong. Some wanted you to be wise. Many should have wished for you to be like your father.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Even now, from what I understand, you act mainly to protect your family. You entered the astral world in order to save someone dear to you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong about wishing to fight for your loved ones. Many people managed to reach great heights with such convictions and I am sure that this will be the same for you. But¡­Is it really alright?¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°To be strong is not just a question of power but also of mindset. You cannot be strong just because someone wants you to. You should not be strong because you think others need you to.


    Only by wishing to be strong out of your own volition, for your own very interest can you be truly strong and face all adversities.¡±


    ¡°Like this, if you ever fail and fall down. You cannot me anyone for it, nor can you rely on anyone to help you stand up. You will have to grit your teeth and bear everything. Because the road of the strong is always filled with thorns.¡±


    Standing up, she ruffled Sol¡¯s hair and gave a gentle smile, ¡°I talked so much but in the end what I want to say is simple.¡±


    ¡°Sol¡­You do not have to be strong. You do not have to bear everything on your shoulder nor do you need to walk a thorn-filled path.¡±


    Sol looked deeply at Tiamat, her words resounding deep in his heart as he asked with a hoarse voice.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why? Simple. Because you are my grandson and¨C¡±


    Her warm smile was reced by a lofty one full of undisputed pride,


    ¡° ¡ªI am the strongest.¡±

 Chapter 223 CH 198: BITTER FEELINGS

    "I have decided to open the Blood Pool and the Summoning Room for Sol."


    At Tiamat''s words, an uproar sounded in the room, even Kiyohime could not hide the shock on her face.


    It had already been a few hours since Tiamat''s discussion with Sol.


    After saying everything she had to say, Tiamat had not allowed him to answer just yet. She did not want to listen to a hurried response, but rather one that was carefully thought of.


    Of course, she knew what choice he would make in the end but this simple act was necessary as a way for him to reaffirm his beliefs.


    Since the conclusion was already set in stone, Tiamat had decided to prepare everything on her side and called the Highest Assembly, which wasposed of her eight remaining children and the twenty most powerful dragons aside from her direct children.


    ¡°Empress...please! Isn''t this a little too much!?"


    In the end, one of the elders couldn''t help but shout. Even though his reaction seemed a little exaggerated, no one stopped him.


    As the name said, the Blood Pool was a pool filled with blood - but not just any blood. It was the blood of all the dragons who fell in the war, mixed with Tiamat''s own blood.


    This pool was used to baptize the body of dragons who had made enough contributions for the race, and some of them could even obtain rare skills that belonged to those who died.


    Of course, those inheritances were normally limited and iplete. The best example was Kaiser who ''only'' obtained partial foresight.


    As for the summoning room, it was a room that recorded all dragons that had reached the Duke level or more.


    When activated, the room allowed the one who entered to face the ones that were recorded. The summon worked like an AI that had the personality and habits of their original counterpart.


    This room was one of the reasons dragons were so strong since they could repeatedly face their predecessors and learn how to maximize their talents.


    The problem was that the room used an astronomical amount of faith coins, so much that even the rich dragons could only open it a few times every decade.


    In the end, it was decided that the room would be used jointly for all young dragons in one go, as long as they made the cut after a high number of strident tests.


    Now though, Tiamat was saying that she would use those resources for Sol, despite the fact that he just came here.


    After one of themined, the others slowly followed, but the eight main children still stayed silent.


    It wasn''t because they had noints. It was just because they knew how uselessining was.


    As they thought this, an overwhelming pressure filled the room as Tiamat''s cold voice resonated in their ears,


    "It seems like there''s some deep misunderstanding about the current situation ¡ª When did I ever ask for anyone''s approval?"


    It was like a cold winter wind swept through the room.


    All the elders shuddered as they awakened from their stupid disillusions.


    This wasn''t a democratic state.


    Their inputs held no weight.


    The only reason Tiamat even created this council was for them to deal with most of the administration she found bothersome.


    In the end, the absolute power of decision was and would always be in her hands.


    As if to drive it in their minds, the atmosphere became even more suffocating while her eyes shone with an eerie light as she looked at all of them.


    "It seems like my nearly twenty years of absence made you forget the reality."


    She smiled,


    "Listen well. Discussion andpromise only happen between equals. You are not my equal. Therefore¡ªshut up and obey. If you aren''t happy, then fight me and win. Simple, right?"


    Someone gulped.


    Yes.


    How could they have forgotten?


    This was the Dragon Empress.


    The one and only who could stand above all of them with absolute pride and absolute power.


    Her whims were the rules and her words were thews.


    Looking at the depressed face of everyone, Kiyohime sighed and gave a bitter smile.


    ''I feel like ze is back.''


    This wasn''t the first time such a situation happened. When ze was alive, the number of resources at her disposal waspletely out of the chart.


    When she made trouble wherever she went, Tiamat would always shield and protect her. It was really a wonder how ze didn''t be an arrogant and stupid child.


    If she had to be honest, she did not care whether or not Sol got those precious resources. But, she couldn''t just stay silent,


    "Mother. I understand your position. But please, do not ce your anger on them. They only wish the best for the dragon race as a whole."


    "Heh, are you implying that, unlike them, I do not care for our race?"


    Kiyohime shook her head, "We exist because of you. Our everything is yours to do as you fit. But...We are not puppets. We also have feelings and none of us would feel happy seeing Sol get so much without doing anything in exchange."


    Tiamat leaned down on her throne and looked at Kiyohime with interest.


    ''You have really grown up well.''


    "What do you propose?"


    "As you said,promise only exists between equals. We cannot and will not stop you from giving those resources to Sol. But...What if even after all that he shows no results?¡±


    "Such as?"


    "The fight for the title of prince. If after getting those resources he is still unable to be a prince, then I suggest that the winner get the same resources Sol obtained."


    "Ohoh¡­"<sub> </sub>


    This was a very interesting proposal. In short, whether he seeded or failed did not really matter since Sol would have already obtained all those resources.


    This way, Tiamat was happy, and Sol was happy.


    If he won, it would prove his worth and the elders would be happy.


    If he lost, someone worthy would get the resources and the elders would still be happy.


    In short, everyone would be happy.


    Tiamat mulled a little. She had absolutely no obligation to ept this proposal.


    But Kiyohime was her daughter and the one who ruled the dragons in her stead. She had no desire to affect her dignity.


    But, more importantly, she knew that the chances of Sol losing were close to none.


    That child was simply a monster of talent. Once he received the perfect resources and the correct training, his potential would explode spectacrly.


    If despite all that he still lost to some brat in the Duke ss, then he should justmit suicide out of shame.


    The heavy atmosphere vanished when Tiamat nodded, "Very well, I ept your proposal. Now, everyone, leave. I wish to be alone."


    ----


    "Good job, big sis!"


    Aftering out of the room, Fafnirughed loudly and took the small Kiyohime in his arms.


    "How many times did I tell you to not treat me like a child!?"


    "Ugh!"


    Fafnir groaned and let go of Kiyohime before slowly slumping on the ground while holding his crotch.


    "Haha. Be careful, you know his only redeeming value is his virility."


    A stunning woman wearing only bandages as clothes smiled, looking down at Fafnir.


    "Welsh, you have been strangely silent during the reunion."


    Welsh, the fire dragon, one of the four dragon Kings, shrugged her shoulders in response.


    "You know very well that you are the only one who can speak to mother when she is angry."


    Welsh was brash and also one of the most prideful dragons, but not even she dared to raise her head when Tiamat was angry.


    After all, Tiamat was never above administering an epic beating to anyone who stood up to her.


    Kiyohime sighed and looked at Fafnir, "Stop ying. I know I didn''t hurt you that much."


    "Hahaha" Giving a sheepish smile, Fafnir stood up.


    "I am just very happy. After all, you just gave a great opportunity to Kaiser."


    "*Snort* You think that little pup, Kaiser, is the one who will win?"


    A slim man with a mask on his face snorted as he gently punched Fafnir on the shoulder.


    "Hydra, you want to bet?"


    Hydra, the poison dragon, and the fourth King gave a mysterious smile, "You seem to forget Nidhogg. I sent her to the territory of Yggdrasil for her training. But I will call her back."


    Fafnir scowled. Nidhogg was a very talented child. She neither inherited the powerful body nor the powerful magic of the dragons.


    What she inherited was a poison so powerful and dreadful that Hydra found calling himself the poison dragon shameful.


    Because of how deadly she was, she was generally forbidden from participating in anypetitions. But the one for the title of prince was obviously different, exempted from such a regtion.


    The other four princes entered the discussion while everyone boasted about their children or grandchildren with passion.


    In the end, though, it was Fafnir who poured cold water on everyone''s enthusiasm.


    "Kiyohime, I heard that Sol inherited a dimensional magic and chaos body. Is it true?"


    Kiyohime did not know how to answer as she was equally shocked.


    "From whom did you hear that?"


    The others stayed silent as they were too shocked by the revtion Fafnir threw.


    "Nent, or more precisely, a little fairy that was with her."


    Kiyohime furrowed her before sighing,


    "If Nent did not refuse the statement of that fairy, then it''s most likely true."


    They all looked at each other and showed thoughtful and bitter expressions, "I guess even in the afterlife, ze is surpassing us."


    It was the bitter truth.


    ze was the first dragon after Tiamat to ever be born with a Chaos Body. This was one of the reasons Tiamat loved her so much.


    As if it wasn''t enough, her first and only child also inherited the Chaos Body and even went further by bing a Dimensional Mage.


    None of them hated ze, but that didn''t mean that the truth hurt less.


    In the end, Fafnir shrugged, "I could never win against ze. As such, I will do my best so that Kaiser wins against her son."


    He expressed the feelings of everyone as he walked away.


    Now, it wasn''t just a matter of profit ¡ª but of pride.

 Chapter 224 CH 199: BITTER FEELINGS (2)

    In the room where the meeting took ce, Tiamat, now alone, fixed her gaze on the corner of the room and asked,


    ¡°What did you think?¡±


    The air shimmered and the space warped as Sol seemed to slowly walk out of a rippling portal.


    ¡°You are really going all out. What if I decided to not be someone strong and just relied on you?¡±


    Tiamat simply shrugged, ¡°Then I would happily take care of you. I have hundreds of grandsons and great-grandsons. For me, taking care of one more wouldn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Sol looked deeply at Tiamat. He wasn¡¯t the best at reading emotions and he doubted he could crack the facade of a ten thousand years old being.


    His instincts were telling him to believe in her, that she was honest.


    ¡°Well, forget about this. What I am really curious about is your Dimension. It¡¯s more powerful than I thought.¡±


    Standing up, Tiamat appeared next to him and began to walk in circles around him, observing him closely.


    Earlier, she had opened the dimensional wall in this room to allow Sol to ess his dimension. She initially thought that it was just a minor dimension, but it was clear that she had been wrong.


    ¡°What did it look like on the other side? Did it look like the mortal realm or this ce?¡±


    ¡°This ce.¡±


    ¡°Ohoh¡­¡±


    ¡®The mirror dimension, was it?¡¯


    It seemed that his dimension was a reflection of whatever ce he was in.


    ¡®Then, does he have the ability to create a reflection of whatever pace he is in or¡­does he only have ess to a small part of his dimension depending on the ce he is in?¡¯


    This was a very important question. If it turned out to be the former, it would be a powerful ability ¡ª a very powerful one.


    But thetter?


    It would be downright scary.


    It would mean that Sol¡¯s dimension was essentially the reflection of the whole universe. Even if he could only ess a limited part initially, the more he grew therger that part would be.


    Once he became a demi-god, he could easily be the strongest ever.


    ¡®No¡­why stop at simply being a demigod?¡¯


    She understood that the goddesses had always wished to create a true god. They had tried with the divine beasts, but it was impossible.


    Bing a god meant embracing a concept and fusing with it. In essence, there could be only one god for whatever concept.


    Then what about divine beasts?


    From the get to go, they were born with a fixed concept. Tiamat, as the Beast of Pride, already had the concept of Pride and her only path to godhood was to be the Goddess of Pride, which was impossible as long as Superbia was alive.


    The problem lies here though ¡ª gods could not die.


    ¡®What a shame.¡¯


    [Tiamat!]


    Ignoring the cry of outrage in her head, Tiamat focused on Sol again.


    ¡°Sol, do you know what you are now?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A rough jewel.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°No. Simply calling you a rough jewel is an insult to your talent. You are like an entire mine full of the most precious metal in the world. But¡ªThat¡¯s all you are.¡±


    Tiamat said as she looked straight into his eyes.


    ¡°Thankfully, from the way you walk and the flow of your energy, I can tell you have encountered skilled people who were able to excavate some of your talents. Sadly this isn¡¯t enough. Not enough at all. You should be much more powerful than you are now if you could use your talents to their fullest.¡±


    The look in her eyes grew harder, ¡°Sol, I can ept many things. But what I hate the most are people who take back their words. If you choose to stand back behind me, I promise to protect you with all my strength. No matter how many rules I have to break or how many enemies I have to face, I will keep you safe. This is my vow to you.


    But, if you want to stand on your own. If you want to truly be strong. Then, I will invest my knowledge and resources into shaping you as the strongest there is ¡ª even stronger than me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Then Sol, let me ask you. Do you wish to be strong?¡±


    Sol smiled. In the first ce, there had never been another choice. If he only wished to be taken care of, he would have just stayed in the mortal realm.


    ¡°I wish to be strong.¡±


    ¡°Even though it will hurt? Even though you might face death multiple times?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Tiamat closed her eyes. It was hard to tell whether she was sad or happy at his choice. But one thing was clear¡­


    ¡°Then, I will realize your wish.¡±


    When she opened her eyes again, all coldness vanished and was reced by infinite warmth.


    ¡°Go down to the 8th Heaven and rest. For the remainder of your time here, Kiyohime will take care of you and train you back on the basics until I judge that you have reached a satisfactory level. Then, it will be my turn to take care of you. Remember¡ªNo quitting.¡±


    For some reason, Sol couldn¡¯t help but shiver at the slight sadistic smile Tiamat was showing.


    ¡­<sub> </sub>


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Now alone in her room, Tiamat walked back to her throne and sat with a pensive expression. In her hand was a beautiful and small pearl that Sol had shown her before leaving.


    ¡°So¡­This is all that is left of my daughter.¡±


    Tiamat showed a bitter smile as she looked at the pearl that was seemingly created from the core and horns of her daughter. Closing her eyes, and gripping the pearl tightly, she could feel a violent but warm flow of energy in the pearl, making her remember the strong-headed violent girl.


    Thinking about how much a headache ze had been, Tiamat couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle.


    She gave another nce at the pearl and shook her head.


    ¡®No. This isn¡¯t her legacy.¡¯


    Her daughter¡¯s legacy was something much more ¡ª Her son, Sol.


    ¡°The ze went out and left the Sun.¡±


    ¡®It was oh so poetic and oh so ironic.¡¯


    She had given herst daughter an ordinary name because she had hoped that she would be free from the constraints of Fate. But did she in fact doom her?


    She didn¡¯t know and she would most likely never do.


    But that did not matter.


    She had been helpless in protecting her beloved daughter. Had she been awake during those events she would have entered the mortal world, rules be damned. Sadly she had been in hibernation and only awoke way after everything had settled down.


    If it was possible, since he was herst legacy, she would have wanted for nothing more than keeping Sol under her wings and away from all harm.


    But it was obviously impossible and the boy was clearly unwilling.


    This was why she was going to make him stronger, stronger than anyone so that he never had to fear or bow to anyone in this world.


    Closing her eyes, the world around her shimmered as she entered a world filled with stars.


    Looking in the direction of Sol¡¯s star, Tiamat focused, and even as blood began to drip from her eyes, she did not stop.


    Her perspective shifted and suddenly it was like she was standing in one road that advanced in front of her before branching into two possibilities.


    Two became four.


    Four became sixteen.


    Again and again, until there were more close to a hundred different possibilities branching in front of her.


    ¡®This is going to hurt.¡¯


    Her foresight generally only allowed her to observe the most likely future of dragons. The one with the highest probability of happening.


    What she was doing now though was different. She was openly observing the different possible paths avable.


    Even though it was only hundreds out of a nearly infinite amount of possibilities, it was something that should not be possible for someone who wasn¡¯t a god.


    Of course, the price for such a thing could never be low. She would be somewhat weakened for a time.


    But it didn''t matter. She wasn¡¯t lying when she said that she was ready to pay the price necessary.


    ----


    "Wee back. I hope your discussion with mother was fruitful."


    When the elevator opened on the eighth Heaven, the one who weed him was none other than Kiyohime.


    "Thanks and well... It''s hard to describe."


    "Haha. She always has that effect on people she meets."


    Kiyohime gave a slight smile before walking away,


    "Follow me. You will live in my pce for a while."


    Leaving the tower, Sol looked atrge inds that were floating all around the tower.


    "Nine Ind."


    "Indeed. Each ind belongs to one of the Nine Children."


    Sol looked at them curiously, and couldn''t help but ask.


    "Could I visit the one belonging to my mother?"


    Kiyohime stopped and looked at one ind in particr. Even though it was quite far, the ind was by far thergest and was even floating a little higher than the rest.


    Looking at it, Sol couldn''t help but feel a little awkward. He had already remarked on it, but Tiamat had been favoring ze a great deal.


    "Don''t you have any resentments?"


    He blurted out but immediately regretted doing so. He had just met Kiyohime today and they weren''t remotely close enough to share such worries.


    "I am sorry."


    "Haha. I don¡¯t mind. As for your previous question¡­I was envious of her, from the bottom of my heart."


    Her back as she uttered those words seemed awfully lonely.


    In the end, Sol never received the answer about visiting his mother''s pce.

 Chapter 225 CH 200: LUX~LUX~LUXURIA

    In andscapepletely filled with snow and ice, a man possessing striking features walked with a leisurely gait, humming lightly.


    If anyone were to see him, they would wonder if his head was alright. After all, in a ce where the temperature was so low that even boiling water would freeze, the man only wore a pair of shorts, sandals on his feet, and a shirt with floral patterns that was unbuttoned.


    The man looked to be middle-aged, with blonde and frizzy hair, golden irises in his eyes, and a goatee adorning his face.


    No matter how one observed him, be it his attire or his appearance, he looked like nothing but a surfer that regrly visited the beach.


    Unbothered by the snowstorm, the man continued to walk with a smile on his face until he reached the summit of the mountain.


    He put away the frivolous smile on his face and kneeled down on one knee with respect.


    ¡°Dear Mistress, to what I owe the pleasure of your visit in my humble territory?¡±


    Standing at the summit of the mountain was a woman wearing a rather revealing white robe that was also unbing of such cold weather.


    ¡°It has been a while since we saw each other¡­Asmodeus.¡±


    Her face, hidden by a veil, made it impossible to see her expression. Even so, her voice was light and gentle.


    As for the man kneeling in the snow, he was Asmodeus, the Divine Beast of Lust as well as the first and oldest divine beast.


    ¡°Yes. Thanks to the authority you have bestowed upon me, I have been able to interact with the Dreamscape and send human souls from alternative dimensions to that ce[1].¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­It¡¯s surprising that this experiment worked. Then again it doesn¡¯t matter now. I have too much riding on the current bet. If I fail¡­¡±


    Asmodeus looked at the woman who created him and couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    ¡°Is it really worth it, mydy?¡±


    ¡°...What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I have observed the boy, and I admit that he is rather talented, but it isn¡¯t like he did anything incredible with the said talent.¡±


    Asmodeus was not lying or acting out of spite against Sol. He had lived for so long he could not even remember how old he was. But over his long and seemingly endless life, he had seen countless so-called matchless geniuses that were secretly fostered by the goddesses.


    Even so, all of them fell short of the expected results, and now, only his mistress was still trying to create someone who could be a god.


    ¡°You also believe that only mother can create a god?¡±


    Though there were no fluctuations in her voice, Asmodeus could feel the disappointment in it. He didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°*Sigh* It''s fine. After all, it¡¯s indeed true that what I am doing is more of a gamble than anything else.``


    The start of her n went as far as the creation of the Lustburg. She observed the flow of Fate and altered the future, all this to enter the streams of time that had the highest possibility for her n to seed.


    Furthermore, she did not hesitate to introduce a great number of variables to give herself more opening. But by doing so, she also erged the streams, thereby increasing the chances of failure.


    Of course, not everything was perfect. In her initial n, Sol should have awakened as a Duke during the attack on Lustburg by the Wings of Freedom. This would have resulted in increasing his chances during the fight to be a Dragon Prince.


    Unfortunately, because of Nihil¡¯s intervention, the fight in Lustburg hade to an end faster than it should have.


    Although she had to admit that the result she got, in the end, wasn¡¯t bad. After all¡­<sub> </sub>


    ¡®He shouldn¡¯t have awakened the War Form before bing a King.¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t help but feel giddy and worried.


    Giddy because Sol was already way more powerful than what she initially anticipated and this would continue to snowball, and worried because he was slowly leaving her grasp. It was bing harder to affect his future. If she forced impossible things to happen, the backsh from Fate would be too much.


    ¡°I apologize for doubting you. But¡­There is one little problem¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    All those thoughts had shed in her head in less than an instant, and as such, she was not distracted when she heard his words. Still, a twinge of unease shed in her mind. A premonition of sorts.


    ¡°It¡¯s about my daughter. She¡­¡±


    Luxuria frowned, Asmodeus only had two children and out of them, only one was a woman.


    The premonition of Luxuria was verified at the end of his word.


    ¡°I cannot feel her future anymore.¡±


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡±


    She murmured before immediately diving into the vast flow of time.


    Her perspective shifted and suddenly it was like she was standing in one road that advanced in front of her before branching into two possibilities.


    Two became four.


    Four became sixteen.


    Again and again, until there were so many possibilities that it was normally impossible to even discarnate them anymore.


    In that nigh-infinite amount of possibilities, Luxuria searched again and again, but no matter what she did, she could not directly look at the future of Asmodeus¡¯ daughter.


    In the end, she opened her eyes and they shed with a cold light.


    This phenomenon was not foreign to Luxuria. This was what happened when one became something that could not be understood by the system. A bug of sorts, or as they called them, Singrities.


    Even so, it was impossible for one to suddenly be a singrity. This could only mean that something else happened.


    At this thought, one name directly shed in her mind and she looked down at the kneeling Asmodeus.


    ¡°It seems like your mate is creating problems for me once again.¡±


    All Asmodeus could do was give a bitter smile.


    [1]: This touches on the plot of another of my works. Crazy Girls. But don¡¯t worry. Asmodeus only appears in the first chapter there. So reading Crazy girls is not important.


    (AN: I have been pretty cryptic in this chapter. Giving hints for future and past events without outright stating everything. Though for some other. Some of my hints are painfully obvious. This chapter wasmissioned by Skoll. It should have been a special chapter but I know that some of you guys skip special chapters. Something that couldn''t happen here since it''s a very important chapter.)

 Chapter 226 CH 201: SURPRISE MORNING*

    "Mother! The servants have finished preparing the west wing and have guided the guests there."


    A blue-haired young girl wearing a short blue skirt smiled at Kiyohime while giving her report.


    Kiyohime, hearing that everything was alright, nodded and went back to reading her documents in her hand.


    The dragon''s territory was divided into Nine Heavens, and each of those heavens were the equivalent of a kingdom.


    In short, as the Dragon''s Queen, Kiyohime had to deal with the equivalent of nine kingdoms.


    It went from mundane problems like taking care of women who were impregnated by dragons to recuperating the taxes from different heavens to settling disputes between dragons or others who lived in this world.


    "Good job, Aqua. By the way, what did you think of your cousin?"


    Aftering back home with Sol, Kiyohime had introduced her daughter to Sol for a short instant then asked her to take care of him and his amodations.


    "Hum... Aside from the fact that he is hot as hell?"


    Kiyohime chuckled, after he met with Tiamat, Sol did not hide his draconic features.


    For Kiyohime, this was a very wee change since the appearance that made her think of Mars had diminished greatly.


    "Aside from him being hot."


    "If it''s so then...not much?"


    "Are you sure?"


    "I mean. I can feel his power. He seems to be very talented and from what I have heard after the council, he should be a true monster full of talent. But¡­That''s all."


    "Hum¡­"


    Kiyohime tapped her finger on the table slowly.


    "What do you think hecks?"


    "Experience mainly, I guess. His killing intent also seems pretty weak."


    Kiyohime took a look before nodding to herself before scribbling in what looked like a notebook.


    ''Mental and physical training.''


    Generally, when training dragons, what Kiyohime had to do first and foremost was assess their personalities and talents.


    Not all forms of training were suitable for everyone.


    Some people answered better to stressful situations while others needed to be coddled.


    Some were the kind who needed to see results fast while others could ept steady improvement.


    For Sol, her understanding of him was shallow, but she still had a preliminary understanding of sorts. At least enough to know that standard training wouldn''t suit him.


    Sol had no pride to destroy, for he didn''t seem particrly prideful in the first ce.


    Kiyohime did not understand how it was possible for someone with so much to be so humble.


    Of course, if she knew that Sol had lived all his life around monstrously powerful women, she would understand that Sol would have needed to be extremely narcissistic to feel exaggerated pride in himself.


    ''Either way, there''s nothing wrong in developing his killing intent.''


    Since he was a Blessed and a future King, war was something Sol could not escape. As such, it was upto her to make him used to death.


    Fortunately, it was clear that he wasn''t innocent to the point of never killing anyone, but the number should be rather limited.


    If possible, she wanted to develop his killing intent to a level close to that of a Zone.


    ''Should I give soldiers to him?''


    Since the blood of dragons was strong in him, then he should be able to emit dragon fear.


    This was another point worth grooming.


    Kiyohime was showing her talent as a trainer as she drew a training map for Sol''s mental and skill development.


    Of course, this wasn''t enough. It was necessary for him to have fighting skills fitting for a dragon.


    From the way he walked, she could deduce that he had been trained in the way of the sword, which was ridiculous.


    Most dragons did not use weapons, for their bodies themselves were the greatest weapons.


    But out of those who did, they favored weapons like long weapons like spears or sticks, blunt weapons like hammers, or long-range weapons like bows.


    Basically all kinds of weapons that could only show their worth in the hand of someone physically strong.


    ''ze was a pretty skilled spear user.''


    Since ze was a Chaos Dragon, she had no fear of magic and could rush into the battlefield without any fear.


    Of course, just because the mother was skilled in spears didn''t mean that the son should follow. But it would be a waste for a Chaos Dragon like Sol to not be specialized in closebat.


    This would mean that his only weakness would be physical attacks.


    She noted that and decided to prepare a way for him to increase his endurance as well as his defense and natural regeneration.


    It would hurt like hell, but the results would be there.


    Putting down her pen, Kiyohime sighed while rxing her shoulders.


    "Aqua, I will be absent for a while from tomorrow onwards. Can you take over for me during my absence?"<sub> </sub>


    Aqua gulped.


    "I¡­"


    She was positively frightened. Once, thirty years ago, when she was still young and naive, she had begged her mother to let her at the helm of the realm.


    Normally, Kiyohime would always refuse, but that day¡ªshe epted.


    At first, Aqua had been ted. She had finally reached her dreams. Unfortunately, it only took three days for the dream to shatter and be reced by the cold reality that was paperwork and politics.


    This was a lesson she had never forgotten.


    Even so, she couldn''t exactly refuse since Kiyohime was taking a leave to train Sol as per Tiamat¡¯s wishes.


    In the end, all Aqua could do was submit herself to her fate.


    "I will do it."


    "Good girl. Don''t worry. You can call me if things get too crazy. Furthermore, I wille to visit every week."


    Those words sounded like the grace of dod in Aqua''s ears.


    "Thank you! Though, where are you going with Sol? There should be enough facilities in the pce."


    Kiyohime smiled.


    "I will let him witness one of our most important secrets."


    ----


    "How was your meeting with Tiamat?"


    Mounting Sol, with her top naked but her robe covering the ce of their union, Nent gently gasped while moving slowly.


    Sol meanwhile, lying down tranquilly, was looking up as her heavy breasts continued to shake in an erotic way.


    The day had been rather stressful and he had to admit that this was a beautiful way to wind down.


    Raising his hands, Sol was about to massage her breasts, but


    "No, you don¡¯t have to do anything. Just rest and let me do all the work."


    Chuckling, Nent pushed his hand aside and tightened herself down there, bringing more pleasure to Sol.


    "Ugh... Well, it went rather well."


    ''Man, how soothing.''


    It was as if he was lying down in the sea while riding the wave¡ªThough he was the one being ridden currently.


    The interior of Nent felt like a furnace and the contrast between the heat on his neither part and the cold air caressing his chest was heavenly.


    Nent chuckled a little at the sight of the speechless Sol. While she liked submitting to him, it was nice to be in control from time to time.


    Furthermore, she wanted to pamper him.


    She could see that something was weighing down on him, and while she couldn''t do much for him, she could at least help him rx.


    "Now that I think about it. You should be careful with Fafnir."


    "Fafnir?"


    Nent did not answer directly as she slowly began to increase the movement of her hips.


    "He is your uncle. He was also one of my suitors and might have be my mate. So yeah, if you want we can hide our rtionship to avoid problems."


    Sol did not even bother giving it the slightest thought, "No way. Why should I hide?"


    It wasn''t as if any of them were cheating or whatever. If his uncle was jealous then it was his problem to deal with.


    "Fufufu~! Good answer."


    Nent had nothing to reproach herself and she would have been saddened if Sol asked that they act like criminals.


    Her pupils seemingly took the shape of hearts while the amount of juice flowing down from her garden increased.


    "I guess it''s time to increase your reward."


    Forming a string with Mana, she tied her hair into a ponytail and licked her lips hungrily.


    Leaning forward, she licked his right nipples while gently pinching his left one. The movement of her hips increased greatly as she went up and down.


    In the end, the two of them hugged and kissed each other while fucking like rabbits all night.


    ----


    On the next day, Kiyohime who was walking down the hall towards Sol''s room stopped once she reached her destination.


    "I hope he is already awake."


    Without thinking, she opened the door wide, and entered the room but immediately froze at the sight of the two entangled and naked bodies.


    Even though Kiyohime had no direct experience herself, you didn''t need to be some genius to understand what kind of acts had taken ce in this room.


    ''This¡­What the hell?''


    All Kiyohime could do was stare in surprise and bewilderment.

 Chapter 227 CH 202: TARTARUS

    "Tell me, what do you think is the most important for a dragon?"


    In the morning, though it was still dark outside, something that really disoriented Sol, Kiyohime was beginning her lecture.


    They were currently in what looked like a vast training field and were the only ones present on the scene.


    "It''s endurance."


    Kiyohime did not wait for Sol to answer as she answered the question herself.


    "For a pure dragon, or in fact for any divine beast, the most important thing is endurance. Thanks to our bodies, we possess incredible strength, speed, and defense. Some of us are immune to a particr element while others can be outright intangible.


    But the most important thing is, we all have a core. We have nearly unlimited mana at our disposal since we can simply use it from the surroundings."


    Kiyohime waved her hand, forming a ball of water on it.


    Sol was immediately intrigued.


    When Sol used mana, he would draw the mana from within his body then project it out of his body.


    The same happened when using his core. He would first absorb mana in his body before using it as his own.


    However, Kiyohime had directly affected the mana around her.


    The results of their actions were the same, but Sol had to take three additional steps to reach the same results.


    He shared this observation with Kiyohime who nodded in appreciation.


    "Good. The way you use your core is basic and requires additional steps but it isn''t bad. In fact, you should continue to do so until you be a King."


    Kiyohime exined that the constant absorption and emanation of arge quantity of Mana was the ideal way to increase the area of mana veins and toughen them.


    "You may wonder what is the use of toughening your veins when you won''t even need to use them in the future, but what do you think would happen if you fought against another divine beast?"


    Sol was immediately enlightened.


    "I can see that you understood. Fights between divine beasts are extremely harmful to nature. It isn''t weird that for a very short period, an entire zone will be devoid of Mana. When that happens, all you can do is rely on your body and your natural reserve."


    She shook her head. This was a lesson she always tried to teach many young dragons, but most of them never listened.


    In the first ce, creating a dead zone wasn''t so easy.


    Kiyohime was basically talking aboutrge-scale battlefields where hundreds of divine beasts and titans would fight at the same time.


    In those moments where all energy was sucked dry in just a moment, you would feel alone and helpless as all you could do was carefully use your mana and mainly rely on the strength of your body.


    Kiyohime stayed silent for a short while as she reminisced about the horror of the war she went through.


    Pressing back those thoughts in the deepest part of her mind, she continued.


    "You should know that while utilizing mana as I do is less taxing on the body, it affects the mind more. So either way, endurance is the way to go."


    Kiyohime was someone who believed in the basics more than anything.


    Fancy techniques, super transformations, powerful spells, domains, or whatever, all of this relied on the ability to effectively use and maintain them.


    What was the use of pulling a powerful transformation if you could only use it for a limited amount of time? Why learn a technique that you could only use one time?


    Of course, Kiyohime knew she was a little biased. There was nothing wrong in having that one super killer move.


    "Sol, I won''t lie. My training will not be what you expect. You will learn nothing new with me and in fact, will only train in the basics. It will be boring.


    It will be tiring and it will be excruciating. You will curse me and will most likely hate me. But I will not stop. If you want to give up, do so now because once we begin, I will allow no such thing."


    "I do not n to give up. But I just have one condition."


    "Hum¡­ tell me. I will see what I will do."


    "Then... Could you at least face me when doing your lecture ?"


    Sol chuckled bitterly while the ears of Kiyohime becamepletely red.


    Since the start of the training, she had been showing her back to him.


    All of this was because of what happened a few hours earlier


    When Kiyohime hade to wake him up, she had witnessed the scene of him and Nent having a quick romp.


    She had been on the first row to witness the sight of Nent being taken from behind and begging for more.


    Despite herck of direct experience, Kiyohime was still an old dragon. It wasn''t the first time she witnessed sexual scenes so it wasn''t the problem.


    The problem was that Nent was somewhat her equal and had once been her friend. Even before she changed, Nent had always been a woman with a strong personality and self-respect.


    Witnessing her acting like this had been more than a little shocking for Kiyohime.


    During all the lectures, she couldn''t stop herself from thinking about that scene whenever she looked at Sol''s face. She also couldn''t help but wonder just how good it must have felt for someone like Nent to lose all control.


    Since she couldn''t look properly at his face, she had decided to just not look at him.


    ...Though it seemed that Sol didn''t want to leave the situation as it was.


    "Does it bother you that Nent is my partner?"


    Kiyohime, sighing, finally turned to face him and forced her mind not to enter the gutter.


    Once it was done, she began to ponder his question and shook her head.


    "I have no say about who you are in rtionships with. In fact, now that I think about it, I am not surprised that Nent chose you as her mate. You are the very crystallization of her new ideal.<sub> </sub>


    Once you reach the King level or even better, the Demigod level, then should a child born between the two of you...it would be a true monster."


    Sol frowned a little. Not because of how coldly she assessed Nent''s objective.


    This was something Nent had never tried to hide. The rtionship between the two of them wasn''t one of love, but rather one of lust and mutual assistance.


    Rather, what intrigued him was the mention of bing a demigod.


    "Why would bing a demigod affect my child?"


    He, of course, had some good guesses, but wouldn''t it be better to get urate information?


    "Well, it''s not a secret so, it wouldn''t hurt to tell you. You should know about the different steps necessary to reach a higher level. A zone for Dukes, an avatar for Kings, and a territory for Demigod."


    Seeing Sol nod, she continued,


    "Each level isn''t just about an increase in power. It''s also a sublimation of life. From the moment you be a Duke, you step into a new domain. By the time you be a demigod, you essentially be a new race.


    A demigod is a being that sheds its mortal shell. A demigod is essentially a new race on its own or more precisely, an optimized version of an individual''s original race.


    By bing a demigod, you are essentially changing yourself to be a better, and stronger version of yourself."


    All divine beasts were precursors of their own races in the same way that all Titans were descendants of Ymir.


    Thinking about this, Sol suddenly thought about something.


    Why did the goddesses create humans?


    In the past, during the war, Goddesses created divine beasts to help them fight the war. They also created other races at the same time from what Genesis said.


    But then, what would be the use of a human?


    Humans could only grow up after more than 15 years of careful grooming.


    Furthermore, 90% of humans didn''t have the talent necessary to awaken a capacity high enough for a contract.


    If it was just for Canon fodder, beast-men have a higher reproduction rate and be stronger way faster. They could be battle-ready in just a few years.


    For high-end power, divine beasts were more than enough.


    In fact, aside from Ambrosia, there were no humans at the level of a demigod and Ambrosia couldn''t even be said to be really human.


    Even worse, there was only one true human at the king level currently and that was Camelia. Lilith didn''t count since she was not really human either.


    In short, humans were trash¡ªWhy then were they created?


    ''I should stop trying to uncover all those secrets.''


    His main goal was to be stronger. He would naturally have ess to more answers once he officially became King.


    Rather than focusing on things he couldn''t affect like Fate or the truth of the world, it would be much more intelligent of him to focus on what he could do.


    "Anyways, like I said, who you mate with is your problem. You don''t have to worry about Fafnir either. He might whine andin, but his pride would never allow him to attack a young dragon just because of petty jealousy."


    Fafnir was a dragon full of pride? but one who could ept defeat gracefully. Though, in her opinion, it wouldn''t be wrong to call Fafnir a pushover.


    Siegfried had taken a powerful sword from him.


    Sun Wukong had obtained a huge amount of divine gold and faith coins from him.


    ze had bullied him all his life and now even her son had more or less stolen a woman from him.


    ''I wonder if I shouldfort him?''


    It was her duty to take care of the mental state of her brothers. She knew how much Fafnir loved wine.


    She still had some wine from Hathor that she could use to appease him but...


    ''...Ugh. I need to talk with Nent to have a new shipment.''


    She groaned a little before deciding.


    ''Well, I am sure he can deal with it without my help.''


    She resolutely and ruthlessly discarded her brother.


    "I just have one piece of advice. Never fully put your trust in her. You might be stabbed in the back in the worst way possible."


    Kiyohime spoke somberly, clearly reminiscing some unpleasant memories.


    "Well, enough chit chat. It''s time for practice. Follow me."


    The two of them began to walk until they reached a hangar.


    Anchored in the sky was arge ship with a white g and a golden dragon.


    "What are we going to do here?"


    Sol admired the ship as he spoke. Comparing this ship to the pirate ship that attacked them when they reached the territory would have been an insult to this ship.


    "This is White Pearl. It''s my beloved ship."


    "I see. So, where are we going?"


    "Heh. I guess you can say that we are going to the most important part of this world¡ªTartarus.¡±


    She was sure that at the end of this training, Sol would bepletely different.

 Chapter 228 CH 203: THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS EVOLUTION

    A few hourster, after floating down from the eighth heaven to the first, Sol stood on a ship that apparently floated aimlessly on the sea.


    The crew on the ship was entirelyposed of puppets. He had asked Kiyohime, and she said that those puppets were created by one of the four current princesses. Though she didn¡¯t exin any more.


    During all the trips, what really intrigued Sol had been the name of their destination.


    Tartarus.


    He had an inkling about what it was, since the name was pretty easy to recognize even for people who had little knowledge on myth. But, he wanted to be sure.


    ¡°Kiyo¨C¡±


    ¡°Are you curious about our destination?¡±


    Sol closed his mouth before nodding.


    ¡°Well, It¡¯s a littleplicated to exin, but in one word, it¡¯s a prison, or a dungeon if you will.¡±


    ¡®As I thought...¡¯


    ¡°What kind of people are imprisoned in Tartarus?¡±


    He really wondered what kind of crime one had tomit to be imprisoned in a prison with such a secret location.


    As if she didn¡¯t hear him, Kiyo continued.


    ¡°Most of the territories of divine beasts have a Tartarus in their core. The same goes for some powerful demi-god territories who aren¡¯t divine beasts such as Anubis. As for what kind of criminals are imprisoned in Tartarus? There are only four types¡±


    She scoffed, the light in her eyes turning cold.


    ¡°Titans, Giants, Chaos spawn and finally¡ªTraitors.¡±


    After her words, the two of them fell into silence, deep in their own thoughts, no one speaking a word.


    The ship finally stopped after flying for a while more on the sea. It was a ce without anything particr and Sol couldn¡¯t help but wonder where the entrance was.


    There, Kiyohime walked out of the ship and stood in the air before taking out a pendant.


    ¡°Open the gate.¡±


    The pendant shone with crimson light as the roar of a dragon sounded in the air.


    *Rumble* *Rumble*


    The sea quaked and space trembled. A gate that looked like the maws of a beast opened in front of Sol.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sol.¡±


    Sol did not hesitate in following her. From the outside, it looked as though the two of them were devoured.


    ¡ª-


    The moment Sol opened his eyes, he couldn¡¯t help but groan in pain.


    His eyes stung and his lungs could barely fill themselves with air. Each time he took a breath, it was as if someone was tearing away at him from within.


    The ambient mana in the surroundings felt dirty and disgusting.


    Sol had fought in a desert scorched by three suns, butpared to the grounds here, that desert looked like heaven.


    He felt like he waspletely being rejected by the environment itself as if he was the enemy of the world itself.


    This wasn¡¯t an environment suitable for living. Normal humans would have died just from standing here for one minute.


    ¡°Where is this?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but ask in bewilderment, but immediately regretted opening his mouth to speak.


    ¡®Ugh! I feel like retching.¡¯


    ¡°This is the first circle of hell.¡±


    As she spoke, blue light emanated from her body before covering Sol.


    *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*


    Immediately, Sol felt like breathing became far easier. He couldn¡¯t help but inhale deeply and greedily.


    All this while, Kiyohime looked at him with a nod of approval. Generally, when young dragons entered this ce the first time, they would be already on the ground, retching and bawling their eyes out.


    This had nothing to do with power. This was nearly the same as a fish suddenly being thrown out of the water.


    Sol was doing far better than she thought he would.


    ¡°Wha-What was that?¡±


    Calming down, Sol''s chest continued to heave as he slowly got his breathing into order.


    ¡°This is Tartarus. The first floor of Tartarus, also known as the first circle of hell. There are a total of seven hells and each hell is harsher than the previous one because of the concentration of Chaotic mana.¡±


    Sol managed to understand what Kiyohime was saying. But her next words made him pale a bit.


    ¡°Also¡­.This¡ªWill be your home for one month or two¡­I did say that you would curse and hate me, right?¡±<sub> </sub>


    A bright smile filled her face as she opened her arms wide.


    ¡°Wee, Sol...to your new home ¡ª To hell!¡±


    ¡ª


    [9th Heaven.]


    Sitting on her throne, Tiamat opened her eyes wide as she wondered if she should intervene or not.


    ¡°I did tell her to make him stronger but this¡­¡±


    For the first time in her life, Tiamat thought that she was not as ruthless as her daughter.


    ¡®This was a future with a very low probability.¡¯


    Tartarus wasn¡¯t just a prison made for the heck of it.


    Why would Tiamat or any other demi-god keep dangerous prisoners alive when they were more useful dead?


    The problem came from the difference between Chaos and Order.


    The difference between the two mother goddesses stemmed from a difference in ideologies toward evolution.


    Tiamat did not know why this problem came to be in the first ce but basically, Order believed in systematic and careful growth.


    She believed that everything in this world had a ce and should stay there. Ants should stay ants, gods should stay gods. The weak would always be weak and the strong would always be strong. Even if people could grow, there was a clear limit that they could never surpass. It would be a perfect Eden.


    She wished for an eternal kingdom where nothing would change.


    Chaos saw things a little differently. For her, life was a struggle. The ants should grow to be a god by biting and eating everything on their path. For her, the existence of a limit ced on growth was a sin in itself.


    Unfortunately, unlimited growth meant unlimited destruction. The world that Chaos envisioned was a world that could be sacrificed for the apparition of one ultimate being if it was necessary.


    Because of this nature, once a ce was tainted by Chaos, it was incredibly hard, if not impossible, to erase that stain.


    In the stained ce, chaos spawns would be regrly born, they were the equivalent of elemental spirits and would grow by devouring each other and growing constantly. It was simply too easy for a King ranked to appear in such a condition.


    This was one of the reasons the goddesses created the fourteen divine beasts. After all, the forces of Chaos were too numerous.


    At the end of the war, all the ces that were stained were sealed into prisons called Tartarus.


    ¡®Is she thinking of making him go down on all the hell until the end?¡¯


    The Tartarus in Tiamat territory was pretty special at the veryst level. On the bottom of the 7th level were the remnants of someone special¡ªLucifer.


    Tiamat tapped the arms of her throne. Even though she had looked at more than hundreds of different futures of Sol, very few of them had Sol entering the tower.


    Generally, Kiyohime would choose to send him to hunt down pirates and gain more experience in the process.


    ¡®In none of those futures did he manage to find Lucifer Inheritance.¡¯


    Tiamat frowned, ¡®Should I help him?¡¯


    Even though Tiamat was created as a demigod, the Zone she had currently was not the one she was born with.


    Be it her Zone or her Avatar, all of them had been changed after she found Lucifer¡¯s inheritance and learned from it.


    If Sol managed to get the approval, he would be far more powerful than if she simply trained him. After all, while Lucifer wasn¡¯t necessarily more powerful than the current her, his mean and understanding of the world were something no divine beast could match.


    Kiyohime of course did not know about this. It was merely a coincidence.


    ¡°*Sigh* So this time the torch-bearer, the ¡®Morning Star¡¯ has a chance to let the ¡®Sun¡¯ inherit.¡±


    Tiamat closed her eyes and fell deep in thought, before opening her eyes again.


    ¡°I will not help.¡±


    Even though Lucifer was long dead, his will was not totally eradicated. If she helped Sol, he would get nothing.


    Normally speaking, Sol had no Fate with Lucifer. His Fate should have been to learn from her only.


    So what would happen if Sol managed to seed?


    It would mean that he had used his original Fate to create a stronger Fate and grow stronger. It would also mean that he was well on his way to bing aplete irregr.


    ¡®Haha~I want to see the faces of those goddesses when it happens. So, please¡­Show me you have what it takes.¡¯


    She was already frustrated about seeing hundreds of futures she had prepared for vanish. How would Luxuria feel after witnessing a near-infinite amount of futures carefully thought of for millennia vanish under her powerless eyes?


    It would be so hrious.


    The world was like a chessboard and people were nothing more than a chess piece moving under the whim of superior power.


    In the shitty game that was the world, the only ones who could flip the table were the irregrs called Singrities.


    She hoped that Sol would be one of the few people that could give the middle finger to the goddesses.


    (AN: For those who remember, Nihil and Drei were imprisoned in Anubis¡¯ territory. It was also a Tartarus. The next arc might be a long or short depending on how I will show his training. Hope you will like this arc. By the way, what do you think of the ideologies of the two mothers'' goddesses? Controlled but limited growth or uncontroble and unlimited growth?)

 Chapter 229 CH 204: 3RD CIRCLE OF HELL

    [3rd Circle of Hell]


    *BOOM* *BOOM*


    In arge stretch ofnd filled with cracked ground and moltenva, one young man was facing arge number of insects like monsters that continuously swarmed towards him.


    His body was filled with wounds and his veins had a green tint, showing traces of poisoning. Some of those wounds were squirming as they tried to close but would continue to bleed as if something stopped the regeneration.


    Enemies were surging all around him. There appeared to be no end to their numbers. When he killed one, ten more would follow. He was bitten, scratched, and poisoned again and again until there was nearly no part of his body that wasn¡¯t in pain.


    His face was gaunt, showing how tired he currently was. Each of his movements seemed to be extremely painful and he would grunt lightly whenever he received another attack.


    The fightsted for a few more minutes before all the monsters in the surroundings were finally dealt with.


    *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*


    Rough breathing, sweat covered brows, bloodied and battered body, shaking vision, and gradually weakening limbs...


    There was nothing that he wished for more than sleeping and recuperation. However, he knew it wasn¡¯t possible. He had to always keep his guard up. He had learned this lesson the hard way on the second day when nearly lost his arms.


    *Swoosh!!*


    ¡®Got you!¡¯


    His wariness was rewarded when what looked like a 3 meters long snake jumped out of nowhere toward his back with its maw wide open at sonic speed.


    Sidestepping on instinct, Sol twirled and caught the snake with his hand before infusing mana in all his muscles.


    ¡°Arghh!!¡±


    He tore the monster in two in the most brutal way possible. Once he was done, he threw aside the corpses of the monsters and continued to wait for a short while before releasing a sigh.


    Blisters formed on his hands because of the acidic bloods and secretions that covered the body of those monsters, but he didn''t care.


    ¡®Well, I think I should be done with this floor tonight.¡¯


    Looking at his surroundings, he immediately crouched down and began to crawl in the cracks and the shadows. Hepletely erased his aura and seemingly vanished.


    This was another point he learned the hard way. It seemed that he was kind of a delicacy for those monsters and they would swarm him if he didn¡¯t control his power well.


    It was only after he finally reached a carven smartly hidden just below a cliff that he allowed himself to rest. After all, this was a safe zone.


    "Fuck!"


    He cursed immediately once he was in the cave andpletely out of danger. In fact, all he wanted to do was copse and sleep.


    "You shouldn''t swear, Sol."


    The young boy, Sol, looked up at Kiyohime who had been resting in the cavern and feasting.


    His mouth watered at the sight of the well-cooked meat and immediately rushed towards the grilled meat but all he received was a small smack on his hands.


    "Wash your hands first. Don''t contaminate the food."


    She waved to him and a ball of water covered his hands before twirling at high speed. After it evaporated in the air, his hands were spotless clean.


    This time, Kiyohime didn''t stop him when he rushed again for food.


    "This is the meat of a cosmic cow. It is extremely good for reinforcing your vitality. Digest it fast and sleep after wiping away the blood. Let your body naturally expel all the poison and heal your wounds."


    Sol was too far deep in to understand what she was saying. All he could focus on was chewing the delicious meat.


    The seven circles could be divided into three great prisons. The 1st to 3rd circle only imprisoned the most ordinary.


    When Sol had heard that he wouldn''t have to fight Duke ss there, he had been overjoyed. What could a bunch of fodder do against him?


    He wished he could go back in time and smack his foolish past self. What theycked in quality, they made up more than enough to hit in quantity.


    On the first day of his fight, he discovered how wrong he was.


    For one, the chaos spawn had very powerful bodies, making it hard to kill them.


    As if it wasn''t enough, there were hundreds, if not thousands of them. Every time he killed one, the other would attack him crazily.


    Once he finished eating, Kiyohime began to mercilessly mock him.


    "Heh, so in the end, it took you one week. Hahaha~! I thought you would finish it in a jiffy? I have been waiting for you since one week ago."


    Sol coughed to hide his embarrassment. He has really been a little arrogant earlier. When he heard that there was no Duke level in the first three circles, he was sure that he could sweep through everything.


    How wrong he had been¡­


    After mocking him for a while, Kiyohime wiped off any amusement from her face, her tone bing serious.


    "Let this be a lesson for you. Never underestimate Chaos Spawn. I remember dragons that were devoured after being swarmed to death by them."


    Sol could only nod in agreement. It wasn¡¯t just their numbers either.


    Be it their bodies that seemed resistant to magic, their strong attack, or the difficulties in using mana from the surroundings, Sol had never felt so stifled while fighting.


    But, there was something that was nagging at him.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Kiyo. There¡¯s something I want to ask¡­In fact, two things.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Firstly, the power of evolution of those spawns. Why does it seem like the devouring power of G?¡±


    Sol had been in contact with both Nuwa and Milia. He knew more or less how they could <<devour>> energy and the like. Milia could increase her power temporarily by devouring while Nuwa could slowly increase her power permanently.


    No matter how he looked at it, this was very simr to the chaos spawns. There were also those unsettling bloodshot demonic eyes filling Milia¡¯s shadow.


    But this wasn¡¯t all.


    ¡°Secondly. I always thought the name Chaos Dragon sounded weird. Why did Tiamat, who works for Superbia, have a title rted to the Chaos Goddess? When fighting those monsters, I found out that all of them seemed to have a weak resistance toward Mana and magic in general. If so, how strong would the resistance of a Duke level be? What about a King? Then¡­What about a demi-god?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You think the Sin Goddesses or at least the Divine Beasts of Sin are rted to Chaos?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Silence fell between them and the atmosphere seemed to grow heavy, until¡­


    ¡°Pfft! Hahahaha!¡±


    Kiyohime bent down and exploded out ofughter, so much that tears even gathered at the corner of her eyes.


    ¡°*Wheeze* I mean¡­Hahaha. I have heard weird theories, but yours is truly one out of a kind.¡±


    Calming down, Kiyohime shook her head, ¡°Mother is known as the Chaos Dragon because her body indeed has a capacity simr to that chaos spawn. However, that''s all. There''s never been a chaos spawn who possessed full Immunity towards Magic like ze and Mother. Even your current resistance is way higher than anything even a demi-god ranked chaos spawn can hope to obtain.¡±


    Sol nodded and rxed, ¡°You are right. I must have thought too much. It¡¯s just that there are so many weird conspiracies around me. I am used to over analyzing everything.¡±


    Solughed sheepishly as he apologized. ¡°Could you get out, please? I need to change and wipe the blood out of my body. Though, I don¡¯t mind if you want to stay.¡±


    Kiyohime smiled and shook her head,pletely nonplussed. ¡°I will stand guard outside for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Nodding to her, he turned around and began to disrobe. The smile on his face¡ªvanished.


    His spections about G and Superbia had indeed been a little ridiculous. Then why¡­


    ¡®Why did she not address the whole Goddesses and Divine Beasts of Sins when refuting my words?¡¯


    Lost in thought, hepletely disrobed and looked at his filthy body.


    It has been one week since thest time he bathed. Blood, guts, and other sketchy substances were covering him.


    His wounds were healing at a faster rate than when he was fighting, but it was still pretty slowed down.


    Taking the water from the basin Kiyohime had left for him, he began to carefully wipe away the filth from his body.


    The moment the water came in contact with his body, it was as if he was resting in the most rxing spa ever created.


    All his muscles were screaming in pain and pleasure.


    He continued to wipe his body, and his regeneration power seemed to be boosted greatly, even his stamina recovery increased.


    ''I need to rest.''


    In the end, the best he could do was sleep now and recover faster.


    ----


    ''I wonder if he caught my hints.''


    She thought a little but shrugged. She liked Sol quite a bit, but they weren''t close enough for her to risk her life to reveal a secret that even most demigods didn''t know.


    Feeling the breathing of Sol slow down in the cave, Kiyohime showed a gentle smile.


    ''His curiosity aside, he is far better than I thought.''


    Sol was far from being the fastest toplete the first three circles but, he was without a doubt the most careful one.


    The young elite dragon who had been chosen to pass this test generally failed after being flustered by the unexpected difficulty or used their full dragon''s body to tank all attack and rush down.


    What they seemed to forget though, was that this has never been apetition. This wasn''t about who was the fastest or who killed the most.


    Because of this, Kiyohime saw Sol as the third person to perfectly understand the purpose of his training and act on it.


    But this wasn''t enough. In fact, this was just nothing but a warm up.


    Once he woke up?


    Then the real thing would wait for him.

 Chapter 230 CH 205: 4TH CIRCLE OF HELL (1)

    The moment his consciousness began to awaken, the first thing Sol did before even opening his eyes was to open all his senses wide, trying to feel where he was.


    This was also a habit he had developed. If there were any enemies in the surroundings, he could fool them into thinking he was still asleep.


    Once he was sure that there was only one person aside from him in the cave, Sol slowly stood up while grunting.


    *Crack* *Crack*


    All of his body seemed to produce sound as his bones aligned themselves in his body.


    ¡®What the?¡¯


    ¡°You are awake? I see that we reached our first goal sooner than I thought.¡±


    Sol threw a look at Kiyo before focusing on the changes of his body.


    If he had to be honest, the changes weren¡¯t that incredible. But he felt at ease now. He was without a doubt much tougher and more resistant than a week ago.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised by only this much. This was to be expected after what you went through.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Sol finally stopped inspecting his body and asked Kiyohime.


    ¡°Well¡­You know about the saying, what doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger, right? For divine beasts in general, that saying is very, very urate. Even more so at a low level before bing a duke.¡±


    Kiyohime mused, wondering how to exin easily, but Sol beat her to it.


    <o>,m ¡°Basically I am like a mortal who began to live on a high mountain. At first, I was unustomed to the low amount of oxygen and had a hard time breathing. But now, it¡¯s bing easier for me. Once Ipletely adapt, it will be even easier.¡±</o>


    Kiyohime nodded in appreciation, ¡°I like smart people since I don¡¯t have to exin too much. The goal of his training isn¡¯t for you to clear Tartarus or whatever, but to simply induce your body into evolving faster. Once your body reaches a certain level, I will allow you to leave and continue the training with Mother.¡±


    Standing up, Kiyohime walked toward him and stretched her finger. A blue light flowed from it before it changed into a transparent flower as it entered his body.


    ¡°This is a small protection. I won¡¯t necessarily be with you during this trip and mother can¡¯t always check on you, right? This mark allows me to sense you anywhere in the whole of Tartarus.¡±


    She took a few steps back as she continued, ¡°From now on, there will be a safe zone at the end of each hell. I will wait for you in each of them. I will also guide you if necessary and or give you information. Remember. If you feel like you are in danger, just activate the flower. Your training can take ce any time, but there is only one you.¡±


    Kiyohime proceeded to exin the situation to him. From the 4th circle onwards, the situation waspletely different. Previously, the chaos spawn had attacked crazily as mobs without organization, but from the 4th circle, all the spawns were under direct order of Duke ss chaos spawn.


    There were already more than 10 Duke in the 4th circle alone, and those 10 Duke generally had different territories. After all, the size of the 4th circle was equivalent to that of an entire medium-sized kingdom. The numbers of Duke tripled in the 5th circle


    In the 5th circle, there were more than thirty Dukes present and furthermore, some of them were powerful beings from the Astral Realm or Mortal Realm. There were even some divine beast traitors who chose to stand with Chaos over Order. Each of them was more powerful than thest.


    As for the 6th circle, the ones residing there were the mighty Giants and Titans. There were basically more than hundreds of Duke at that level and they were extremely well structured.


    ¡°No young dragon has everpleted the 5th circle. The highest one reached the 6th circle before having to be saved immediately. That person is Kaiser. He is a good child rted to Fafnir.¡±


    Kiyohome had a good impression of Kaiser. Aside from a little too much pride that needed some grinding, he was a good boy who had a chance to reach the King level if everything went well.


    Sol wasn¡¯t interested in beating some kind of records, in fact, he was more curious about whatid further in, ¡°What about the 7th circle?¡±


    Kiyohime''s expression grew stern as she shook her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t enter that ce. Even if you somehow manage to reach the end of the 6th circle, just call me and I will take you out. The 7th circle has a few King ranked Titans and Chaos spawn.¡±


    Her gaze showed an incredibly serious glint, ¡°I am serious Sol. Don¡¯t enter there. Just don¡¯t. If you are unlucky and meet one of the three Hecatoncheires[1]¡ªyou will die. Even someone at my level has to be very careful when entering that zone with my siblings for the recurring purge.¡±


    Sol waved his hand, ¡°Just what do you take me for? Rx, I am not dumb.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t one of those protagonists who were too curious for their own good.


    Why the hell would he enter a super-death zone that even a King ranked dragon feared?


    Sol was confident in his Dimension, but he knew that a King who had mastery over space like Freya or Lilith could still kill him if they were determined.


    Once Kiyohime made sure that Sol wouldn¡¯t act crazily and explore the 7th circle if he had the chance, she released a sigh of relief and began to walk away.


    ¡°Thest thing I have to say is, you can stay here or in any safe zone as long as you like. If two months are up without you moving, I will take it that you gave up.¡±


    She stopped and threw him onest nce before leaving.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget Sol. You are the one who wishes to be stronger. You are also the one who epted this training. I hate quitters more than anything, but there¡¯s nothing I can do about them. So, whenever you are about to give up, remember why you are doing this and that no one forced you to do it.¡±


    ¡ª--


    Once Kiyohime left, Sol, now alone, stood up silently as he examined the cave more deeply.


    After one hour of careful search, Sol found a spear, a pair of gloves, and a hammer as a weapon as well as a few knives. He also found many medicines that could heal him when he was in danger.


    There were also rations of preserved food that couldst him a few days if he took care of them. Since this time he wasn¡¯t restricted from opening his dimension, Sol easily opened a small gate and threw the food there.


    As for the weapon, he immediately equipped them by cing the knives around his leg, the spear on his back, and he had sent the hammer in the dimension.


    Finally, he found a map that showed the different territories in the 4th circle.


    Since the seven circles were regrly swept clean in order to avoid an overflow, the different Duke¡¯s identities would also change whenever previous ones got killed.


    There was also the fact that Chaos Spawns were cannibals who mercilessly devoured each other.


    Thus, it wasmon for dukes to fight each other. In the end, the map was only there to serve as a reference and indicate to him where the exit was.


    Once everything was ready, Sol finally opened a drawer and took the few hunting suits folded in them.


    ¡®Well, I am more than ready...at least I think I am.¡¯<sub> </sub>


    It was time to see what the fourth circle looked like.


    ¡ª-


    [4th Circle of Hell]


    ¡°Ugh¡­Disgusting.¡±


    The moment Sol entered the 4th circle, he bent down a few seconds as he fought to get back his bearing.


    Currently, he felt as if thousands of maggots were crawling all over his body, and breathing became once again nearly impossible.


    ¡®Is this really the kind of world the Wings of Freedom fight to bring?¡¯


    He had heard about the little speech of Neun from Setsuna. In essence, their ideology was not bad, only their means were detestable. Now that he saw what it means to live in a world infested with Chaos, Sol couldn¡¯t help but reject their dreams from the very bottom of his heart.


    This world was a world unfit for the weak. There was only one rule, "Survive, evolve, or die."


    It was the rule of survival of the fittest at the highest degree.


    ¡°Where am I?¡±


    He could see that it was in what looked like a jungle with trees of different colors. Once Sol became a little ustomed to the ambient mana and atmosphere, he was about to bring out the map and find in which territory he hadnded in, when¡ª


    *Bzzz* *Swoosh*


    More with instincts than with thought, Sol leaned back and avoided a fast-moving projectile.


    The moment itnded on the ground, everything began to corrode and in the blink of an eye, arge portion of the tree and the ground in the surroundings melted away.


    Sol¡¯s expression grew awful and he immediately converged all his energy while moving forward.


    ¡®What the hell was that? I couldn¡¯t even feel it until it was close to me.¡¯


    *Bzzz* *Swoosh*


    A long chase begins as Sol ran through the jungle. Running, jumping, and climbing trees, again and again.


    His movements were incredibly erratic as he constantly avoided all the projectiles. In the process of evading, he extended his senses and tried to find the source of the attack.


    The more he moved, the harder it was to move as he wanted. The enemy seemed to slowly grasp his movement and corner him. In the end, after Sol jumped out from a tree, the very moment hended-


    *Bzzz* *Swoosh* *Bang*


    He was finally unable to avoid it and was shot in the head.


    ¡ª---


    Somewhere a little more far away, about three kilometers, a weird life form that looked like a fusion between a mosquito and a man, lowered an appendage that had the form of a sniper rifle and showed an ugly smile.


    ¡°Hahaha, those little dragons aren¡¯t that strong after all. Lord Dordonii will reward me greatly. Perhaps I can even eat enough to be a lord myself. Kukuku! Lord Derk! Such a mighty name I will have!¡±


    Since the dragons would regrly send young elites to sweep through the lower level, the Dukes that managed to survive were extremely cunning. Different entrances had different guardians and their job was to attack the intruders while judging their strength.


    There have been very very few cases of them seeding in killing a young dragon, but they didn¡¯t need to. As long as a dragon was put on the verge of death, powerful dragons woulde and save them.


    ¡°To think that his head didn¡¯t explode even after receiving a direct shot.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but salivate at the thought of such a powerful body.


    ¡®It would be fine if I just ate some of his limbs, right?¡¯


    ¡°Heh, It¡¯s the first time I see a Chaos Spawn that isn¡¯t a mindless beast. I guess those close to the Duke level are different?¡±


    ¡®Not good!¡¯


    The insectoid being felt a chill run down his spine and tried to flee, but a w powerfully gripped his neck, threatening to snap it at any moment.


    ¡°I like dealing with intelligent beings. After all, intelligence means an understanding and fear of death.¡±


    ¡®How is this possible! I was sure I got him. Even if he has a powerful body, how did he reach me so fast?¡¯


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s make some rules clear.¡±


    Derk immediately felt like he was being plunged into cold water. A killing intent so powerful, that it was as if a sword was piercing his heart.


    ¡°Move and I will kill you.


    Use your mana and I will kill you.


    Make a sound and I will kill you[2].¡±


    At each of his words, the killing intent grew stronger and fiercer. He had no doubts that the being behind him was no young dragon. The difference in power between them was simply too wide.


    ¡°Now that you understand, slowly close your eyes. Don''t resist. You know what will happen if you don''t listen to me, right?¡±


    Standing behind him, Sol grinned. Now it was time to experiment on a live body.


    [1]: In Greek myth, they are also known as Centimanes. Basically, Titans with fifty heads and hundreds of arms giants.


    [2]: Only legends can catch the reference.

 Chapter 231 CH 206: 4TH CIRCLE OF HELL (2)

    A few hourster, Sol was sitting in an abandoned cave.


    Next to him, tied down to a rock, were the remains of the insectoid-like monsters.


    "Hum...do you have anything else to add?"


    "P-please...Kill me."


    The chaos spawn spoke in a significantly weaker and low voice,pared to the vigor it showed in the beginning.


    Since the moment it had been captured by Sol, it had been under constant torture as Sol explored all the possible ways to hurt it, also obtaining intelligence about the power structure of the 4th Circle in the process.


    Even though the chaos spawn had been used to scenes of carnage, those few hours had been the worst of all his life and the only wish it had was to be put to rest.


    "Damn. The way you talk¡­it''s as if I am the bad guy."


    Sol sighed inwardly, eyeing the monster.


    ''Should I send it to my dimension and see the results?''


    Sol hesitated a little. He was really curious to see if his dimension could inverse the feeling of these monsters.


    ''I will ask Kiyohime first when I meet her.''


    Now wasn''t the time to experiment with something like Chaos Spawns. He didn''t know how territories were stained by Chaos and it would be wise to not take useless risks until he had clear information.


    "Well, I guess you are indeed useless to me now. "


    For that monster, Sol¡¯s words were heavenly ¨C so much that Sol was even sure that it was tearing up in joy.


    Focusing on his hands, Sol¡¯s nails slowly sharpened until they were as long as small des and he plunged it in the chest of the monsters before swiftly retrieving them.


    Aside from the blood and gore, he procured a small scarlet orb which he proceeded to destroy. The monster began to slowly disintegrate until not even dust was left of it.


    Looking at this sight, Sol showed no joy. There was only a cold and calcting light in his eyes.


    ¡®This might be somewhat difficult.¡¯


    During the short interrogation session, Sol had discovered many things.


    One was that, while high-level chaos spawn like this one had organs close to that of mammals, such as a brain, heart, lungs, and others, those organs were in a way more of a decoration as they were useless.


    Destroying the brain would not stop them from thinking. Piercing the heart would not kill them. They did not have the need to breathe either. In short, they had apparently no fatal points and could regenerate any wounds.


    Even after cutting all their limbs, pulling their tongues, piercing their eyes, decapitating them, or dicing them into pieces.


    The only true weak point they had was their core. Something that formed once they became close to the Duke level. Only by destroying their cores could they bepletely killed. But therein lies the problem.


    The emcement of the core was only known to the spawn. This would mean that even just fighting two or three such creatures would be a monumental pain in the ass and would change into a fight of attrition. Fights that Sol would lose, since they could absorb the mana in the air way more easily than him in this stained environment.


    ¡®Thankfully, they are sentient and feel pain.¡¯


    They could feel pain, fear, joy, and a plethora of feelings. At least the situation wasn¡¯tpletely grim because of that.


    Standing up, Sol took off thepletely bloody clothes and changed swiftly after wiping the blood off his hands and face.


    Opening the map, hepared the information he received and traced the shortest road toward his goal. After all, his goal had never been to fight and kill everything in this circle. All he needed to do was to reach the safe zone created by Kiyohime and that would be it.


    Sol was the kind of person that would stop ying a game as long as he finished the main story and the minimum required side quests when he was alive.


    ¡®Currently, I am in that Lord Dordonii or whatever territory. Passing through without alerting him is impossible. After that, I will have to pass through the territory of Lord Drachmae and finally, Lord Liya.¡¯


    ¡°Well, time to leave.¡±


    Sol briefly considered using his dimension to finish everything. If he so wished, he could bypass all blocks and reach the main target directly.<sub> </sub>


    But he soon discarded the option. Things that came too easy were not cherished. This was a great opportunity for him to hone his fighting skills and increase his strength. If he simply avoided all obstacles, he would reach his goal, but he would ultimately fail.


    He had to remember his goal for entering this ce ¡ª Training.


    That was not all either. Apetitive spark shed in his eyes. He wanted to see just how he would fare whenpared to other elite young dragons.


    ¡ª---


    Sitting on arge throne made out of stone, a creature entirely d in armor addressed two of its subordinates.


    ¡°Kert. Prepare the legion. It seems like we have an intruder. I lost all contact with Derk. He must have been erased.¡±


    Kert, who was another insectoid-like monster, nodded before leaving.


    ¡°Merk, you are the fastest under my order. I want you to rush at your highest speed to the territories of other Lords and warn them.¡±


    A crimson light shone in the ce where its eyes should have been, ¡°It¡¯s time to hunt a dragon.¡±


    Dordonii chuckled, they were currently in a territory stained by Chaos, which even made Tiamat¡¯s control over this part of her territory limited. This was how they managed to sometimes kill and devour young dragons. As long as they were able to hide their core carefully, at least one-third of the current lords would have a chance to survive.


    Dordonii itself had managed to live through three purges and the same went for three other lords.


    Evolution was their ultimate goal. To reach it, they would be even willing to bet their life. Furthermore, as long as one of them managed to reach the King level, they would be able to destroy the dimensional wall and enter the abyss. After all, the walls in the 4th to 6th circles were far less sturdy than those in the 7th circle.


    ¡ª---


    ¡®Finally¡­¡¯


    Sol was stealthily observing a veryrge gathering while hiding in a six meters tall tree.


    It had been three days since he entered the 4th circle. Initially, he had been expecting to face a huge number of enemies on his way toward his target but, he was surprised to find that aside from some lone ones, the 4th circle was basically void of anything to kill.


    This made him heighten his guard as he decided to slow down his march to avoid any kind of trap that could be sprung on him. Even so, he finally reached the headquarter of his first target without encountering any obstacles. Because of the situation at hand, he had managed to conjure some guesses, but now that he was here, he was sure of it.


    ¡®They have gathered all their strength at one point.¡¯


    The beings born from Chaos were extremely hierarchical. Being higher in the chain of evolution could easily order those lower, despite the fact that those yet to evolve were nothing but mindless beasts.


    Sol could see hundreds of Chaos Spawn. The sight alone was enough to make his skin crawl in disgust.


    ¡®This will beplicated.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t like during his fight against Rio and White. Back then, even though those two also had some soldiers, those soldiers were nothing more than cannon fodder. Here though, if he wasn¡¯t careful, he might get swarmed to death.


    Once he observed the surroundings and made sure that he could feel the presence of a powerful being, Sol carefully began to formte a n.


    The target was further back, protected by an entire army. No matter how powerful Sol was, fighting such an army before fighting a Duke was too dangerous.


    That¡¯s why he needed to be smart. He decided to deal huge damage before retreating for now.


    His eyes changed into slits while wings appeared on his back. Just one p of his wings was enough to propel him high in the sky where he could observe all the chaos spawns gathered.


    Taking a deep breath, he visualized a certain image in his head¨C


    <<Dragon Roar: Phoebus Catastrophe[1]>>


    ¡ªAnd roared toward the sky.


    What followed was a veritable rain of destruction.


    [1]: It¡¯s me being shameless. Watch the video to get a better picture in your head. /watch?v=IgISI9x2BeM

 Chapter 232 CH 207: FIGHT (1)

    <<Dragon Roar: Phoebus Catastrophe>>


    ROOARR!!!


    The moment Sol flew in the sky, all the chaos spawns immediately raised their heads in unison.


    Unfortunately for them, before they could even react properly, a powerful roar filled the air, followed by a light beam rushing towards the clouds.


    Just as they were confused about the direction of the attack, the beam fell back toward the ground while scattering into a literal rain of light.


    It was beautiful, so beautiful that they were lost for words. It was as if hundreds of stars filled the crimson sky showing a deep contrast between the two.


    But as beautiful as it was, it was just as destructive.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    Explosion after explosion filled the surroundings as the beams of light fell and destroyed everything indiscriminately. Nearly everything in a 700 meters radius was erased without any chance of survival.


    ...At least this should have been the case.


    Even though the ground was filled with nothing but corpses, it didn¡¯t take long before many of them began to regenerate.


    In the end, though many of them died , there were even more that were still alive.


    Sol, who was still floating in the air, observed all of this indifferently before swiftly flying away. His speed was so high that he easily broke through the sonic barrier.


    ----


    BOOM!! BOOM!!


    Hidden underground, Dordonii groaned as he felt the ceiling shake.


    ¡°How many times has it been, now?¡±


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s the seventh attack in two days.¡±


    "What about the casualties?"


    "About 60% of our army has been wiped out. The others are going restless and it¡¯s harder to keep control over them."


    ''Is it really a dragon attacking us?¡¯


    Dordonii couldn¡¯t help but grow frustrated at how the situation was dragging on. Over his long life in this hell, he had seen many elite young dragons. But no matter how powerful they were, they all suffered from the same arrogance and stupidity.


    They would always recklessly attack the army by relying on their powerful bodies and magic. Forgetting how restricted they were in a stained territory and believing that nothing could happen to them.


    The current bastard though was too patient and careful. He would always appear unexpectedly,unch a powerful attack and, no matter the result, would turn around and run.


    In their original n, they were supposed topletely exhaust the energy of that young dragon by throwing hordes of monsters on him. But now? Because of that tactic, he was steadily culling their numbers.


    Thest time he had felt so frustrated was when a female dragon filled their territories with powerful poison, killing most of them in one go. It had been the greatest massacre in all of his memory.


    At least, she hade fast and left for the 5th circle fast. Right now though, it was pure agony to wait.


    ¡°What about the other Lords?¡±


    ¡°Aside from Lord Drachmae and Lord Liya, only three others answered positively. Thest four said nothing.¡±


    Bang!


    ¡°Those bastards!! They want to use us as bait and measure sticks.¡±


    Dordonii seethed. He knew that the Lords were no kind souls. After all, each of them evolved after eating countless members of their own kind. The ones who answered positively were those who had chances of being on the path the dragon would take toward the gate.


    The others were not only more powerful, but they also had more remote territories. In the end, he sighed.


    Getting angry was useless. They were no friends and he also had tried to use them. The fact that five lords were willing to help was already enough.


    From his hereditary memories, he knew that a dragon at the Duke level could fight evenly against ten normal Duke. But they were no mere Dukes. They were Lords, spawns of Chaos, a pedigree no inferior to that of a dragon in theter stages.


    No matter how powerful that dragon was, it was impossible for it to win against six Lords at the same time.


    Once they reached his territory¡­It would be time.


    ¡ª-


    A few hourster, Sol, who was sitting on a rock deep in the jungle, opened his eyes.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s time.¡±<sub> </sub>


    Sol had been very careful since entering the 4th floor. After all, he was greatly weakened here.


    Not only did using mana bes harder, but even all his senses were hampered. As if it wasn¡¯t enough, his mana and health regeneration were seriously diminished and he couldn¡¯t use external mana. Even absorbing mana with his core was extremely inefficient and gave him nausea.


    He had asked Kiyohime if absorbing the mana here was dangerous, but she had said that it would be like drinking a disgusting juice. Even if he absorbed too much, it wouldn¡¯t kill him, but it could make him seriously sick.


    ¡°Seriously handicapped and alone in enemy territory. Was it how the war was?¡±


    Sol sighed as he stood up. Thanks to the small evolution he went through a few days ago in the 3rd circle and his own talent, he had managed to more or less take back full control of his body.


    During those two days, he had been slowly whittling away the army that was facing him. He had no doubt that he would soon face the lord itself.


    In order to always keep himself at hundred percent, every time he attacked, he would immediately fall back. His hit and run tactic had been very sessful since even though there were few Chaos spawn that could fly, they were simply too weak.


    If he had rushed in carelessly, then it would have been a pyrrhic victory for him and there were high chances he would have gotten killedter by the Lord.


    Thankfully, soon it would be time to go all out. After all, there was no way the Lord would watch him eradicate all his army without acting.


    Sol was sure that this time, he would be able to fight for real.


    ¡ª


    Flying in the sky at high speed, Sol stopped once he finally found the ce where the army was.


    This time, the protection hadpletely changed, and just in in sight, Sol could see many wards, magic shields, traps, and other such things.


    Those were incredibly crude, but since they were powered by using the bodies and blood of many dead Spawns as well as living ones, they were also incredibly sturdy.


    This was one of the reasons he hadn¡¯t managed to wipe out the army despite all his attacks even though his first attack had been so devastating.


    This time, the wards were a little different.


    ¡®Cloaking devices.¡¯


    He could feel, or rather¡­couldn¡¯t feel some ces. Even after extending his senses, some ces were nk in his mind.


    He was a hundred percent certain that those ces hidden in his perception were hiding ambush or deadly traps. Either way, it showed that this would most likely be the final act of this long-drawn fight.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t all. Floating in front of him was a being entirely d in armor. Though, with how he could feel the armor pulsating, it seemed more like the being was the armor itself.


    Either way, from the power he was emanating and the light in its eyes, Sol was sure that he was now facing a superior Chaos Spawn.


    ¡®I wonder if they also have a domain?¡¯


    He thought idly.


    ¡°You seem rxed, young dragon. Does the sight of me and my army give you only amusement?¡±


    They were quite far apart, but Sol perfectly heard the voice of the man, causing him to sneer in derision.


    ¡°What else should such a pathetic army under a pathetic lord give me?¡±


    He could feel that the guy was way stronger than Rio and White. But he didn¡¯t think he would lose. The only reason he suffered so much against those two was not only because they were teaming up, but also because Rio¡¯s skill was a perfect counter to his abilities.


    In one vs one, Sol was sure that only very few Duke could possibly win against him and at the very least, that Dordonii was not one of them.


    ¡°I wanted to end this fight today anyway. Now that the Lord showed itself, I guess it¡¯s time to erase all of you guys.¡±


    Sol grinned as he released his bloodlust.


    At the level where he was, even without training his killing intent, he was still at a higher level than Lilin. If he so wished, he could already be a Duke by using it as his truth.


    But since Tiamat had forbidden him from forming his zone for now, he decided to wait.


    Feeling the pressure of the killing intent in the air, Dordonii also grinned. For someone like him who rose after stepping on the corpses of thousands upon thousands, killing intent was thest thing he was afraid of.


    ¡°Since you mock us so, let me witness your power, young dragon!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Then, I will not hold back.¡±


    His aura greatly increased while heughed madly. Horns made out of energy formed on his head. At the same time, his skin grew slightly tanned.


    <<Dragon Force: First step>>


    ¡°Let¡¯s dance, shall we?¡±


    The two of them grinned. Each of them perfectly hid their true trump cards. Victory would follow the one who hid them the best.

 Chapter 233 CH 208: FIGHT (2)

    The sh between the two was immediate.


    BOOM!


    In just a blink of an eye, both of them vanished and appeared with a sh and punched at each other with all their might. The resulting shockwaves were enough to bring fear in the heart of anyone witnessing it.


    The two of them were like two enraged bulls as they shed again and again with no pause. Each sessive hit became stronger, more vicious, and more precise than thest. This was a fight to the death. A dangerous dance where one mistake could mean the end.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    ¡®Incredible.¡¯


    Even as the fight prolonged, Dordonii couldn¡¯t hide his astonishment. When evolving to the Lord level, all Chaos Spawns could remodel their bodies and bring them toward a certain direction of evolution. In order to assure his survival, Dordonii had focused on defense and endurance. This was why his entire body was one tall living armor.


    Even so¡­


    ¡®I can¡¯t get the upper hand?¡¯


    It was something he could neither understand nor ept. Even though he had prepared a great ambush to deal with Sol, that didn¡¯t mean he was willing to ept such a humiliation. He needed to at least suppress Sol a little to show his might.


    Otherwise, the other Lords would think that he was weak and here, the weak were devoured without pity.


    Thinking so, he suddenly howled to the sky and began to grow taller.


    Three meters


    Four meters.


    Six meters.


    In an instant, he went from a somewhat tall man to a gigantic being. Furthermore, his armor was covered in spikes and each of them was covered.


    As if it wasn¡¯t enough, in his hand was a massive double-headed ax with a long shaft. It was without a doubt a fearsome weapon.


    [Assault Mode]


    Since they reached the level of Lord by eating, Chaos spawn did not possess a zone. After all, they had realized no truth.


    But this didn¡¯t mean that they were weaker than any Duke. In fact, they were generally stronger because of their own version of a Zone.


    Assault Mode.


    A form that allowed the user to bring the full strength and talent of their bodies. In a way, the assault mode also formed around the deepest fear of the user.


    For Dordonii who cherished his life more than anything, his assault mode not only reinforced his already high defense but also made other people unable to hurt him without hurting themselves.


    When Dordonii''s transformation waspleted, he caused a strong sense of crisis to rise up in Sol''s heart, as if his instincts had sensed danger.


    From his body, a savage, violent air erupted abruptly. The power of his chaotic mana and blood surged, even fiercer than anything he had ever seen.


    Sol witnessed that transformation speechlessly. There was no way he would have stood without trying to stop the transformation.


    But everything happened so fast that he could only be left speechless.


    ¡®Then again, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡¯


    Moving his hand to rx his stiffened muscles, Sol thought as he prepared himself for a new onught.


    In a world where it was literally, eat or be eaten, having a long transformation time was basically a death sentence in itself. One could call it a stupid way to suicide.


    Most likely, the first thing any Dukes, or rather Lords, learned was to bring down the time necessary for transformation as much as possible.


    The fight suddenly entered a new crescendo after the transformation. Even though not as much as its defense, all the stats of Dordonii had been greatly increased in one instant.


    Raising his hand Dordonii abruptly brought down the massive ax he was holding.


    ''Damn.''


    WHOOSH! WHOOSH! RUMBLE!


    Nimble like a fish in water, Sol avoided hit after hit of the great ax. From the viscous liquid glistening on the de, he could deduce that the ax was also poisoned and it would be quite troublesome if he was wounded.


    This wasn''t all, though he didn''t specialize in strength, the devastation brought by each of those attacks was incredible.


    Whenever he swung his ax, razor-sharp wind des would be stirred, destroying the ground below them despite how high they were.


    ¡°Hahaha! Come on! Come on! Weren¡¯t you all gun oh earlier!? Come on and fight me head-on!¡±


    ¡°Tch! You don''t seem to care about your subordinates."


    "Why should I care about those worms? The stained territory will neverck Chaos Spawns. Just a few months are enough for new ones to grow. Dragons on the other hand are pretty rare, how sad one of them will die today!"


    Sol tsked at the childish provocation. His eyes began to ze with a fighting spirit while a golden-colored energy covered his body.


    ''I just need to not get wounded.''


    Awakening.


    Maniption.


    Reinforcement


    Manifestation.


    Intent.


    Those were the first five steps one needed to thread through before reaching the level of the Zone.


    But this didn¡¯t mean that, just because one reached the Zone or was close to it, those steps were useless.<sub> </sub>


    In fact, Sol understood that since they were the very basics of everything, having a great mastery of them was paramount.


    By [manifesting] his mana to cover his body like an armor, [Reinforcing] his body with his powerful mana and filling his mana with killing [Intent], Sol managed to block the ax and stopped it from touching him.


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Capitalizing on the surprise, he broke past his guard and sent a flurry of hits, each more powerful than thest.


    The intensity was so high that his mana armor couldn¡¯t take the strain and began to break down, but still, Sol did not stop.


    After onest hit¨C


    BOOM!


    ¨CDordonii was sted more than five hundred meters away, with parts of his armor breaking down.


    *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*


    Sol meanwhile was breathing quite roughly.


    ? ''What a troublesome opponent.''


    In the first ce, covering his entire body with killing intent was an extremely wasteful way of protecting himself.


    It would have been easier if he could have fused the mana of his body with Defense Intent or whatever of the like, but if Intent was so easy to use, the number of powerful masters wouldn''t be so little.


    It didn''t help that in this ce, his application of Mana was so awful that Lilith would have had a stroke if she could see him.


    ''At least I wasn''t wounded¡­but this isn¡¯t looking good.''


    Sighing, he looked at the Lord that was still flying far away and slowly, began to take away the mana that was covering his body.


    Using killing intent to protect his body was undoubtedly a waste. This was why he needed to be smarter and faster.


    ¡°Ready! Set!¡±


    BOOM!


    Breaking the sound barrier as if it was inexistent, Sol rushed towards Dordonii and, focusing all the mana in his hand, he punched.


    Bang!


    "Argh!!"


    It was like a gun went off. This time, rather than spreading the damage, Sol focused all the energy in this hit at one point, easily piercing through the armor of his opponent and punching him down to the ground.


    The impact caused the earth to rumble and dust to rise.


    Still floating in the air, Sol showed no delight in the prowess he demonstrated. While it was true that he wasn''t doing his best now and had still even more powerful form, this fight was making him greatly dissatisfied.


    Not being able to absorb mana and replenish his reserves as he wished was incredibly stifling.


    It made the fighting style he had learned during his fight against Rio and Whitepletely worthless.


    After all, that style depended on a nearly limitless supply of mana and a very reckless use of it.


    "*Sigh* I must admit, I am surprised. Nay, astonished."


    As he analyzed his weaknesses, the voice of Dordonii sounded through the dust as he slowly floated back up.


    The dust dispersed and Sol''s expression stayed unchanged at the sight of Dordonii beingpletely unscathed.


    He was sure that he had managed to wound him internally quite a bit. But here was the problem.


    As long as his core wasn''t destroyed, such wounds were nothing to Dordonii. Of course, Sol didn''t believe that the core was the only weakness.


    The core had a limit to the amount of energy it had in it. By depleting those reserves, it was possible to bring death to them.


    Sadly, the core of Chaos Spawn seemed to work much the same as divine beasts, although to a lesser extent.


    Sol was thankful that these monsters didn¡¯t have a Zone. After all, their near immortality was already a cheat of the highest grade.


    "You are back already. Do you want to go for a second round? I have to say, I alwayscked a good punching ball."


    Touching the droplet of blood that was flowing from his body as his wounds closed, Dordonii took a deep breath and finally looked at Sol seriously while ignoring his provocation.


    ¡°Young dragon, you are strong. Very strong. At this rate, I might really never be able to win in a fair match against you. But¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªWho said I was willing to y fair?¡±


    Sol showed a surprised face as formation broke one after another and revealed the presence of more Lords, as well as their armies.


    ¡°Hahaha, die!!¡±


    He had been somewhat prepared but still, looking at the sea of monsters facing him, he had to admit that if he had been a normal dragon, he would have either died or gotten saved by Kiyohime or Tiamat.


    But...He wasn''t a normal dragon, was he?


    A savage grin split his face as he looked at them like prey on a chopping board.


    ''I guess I will have to awaken my inner Obito soon. But this isn''t the time yet. For now? Let''s see if I can recreate the feat of the 3rd Raikage[1]. Of course¡ªwithout dying, that is.''


    [1]: I don''t need to exin the Obito one I think. As for 3rd Raikage. Nigga stopped an army of ten thousand alone and fought them for days before dying.


    By the way, I like bringing references to manga. Some can be hidden, like the one with Kiruha. But others can be quite obvious as this one. If you think the obvious ones(Like the one with Obito and Raikage) breaks your immersion, you can tell me, so that I tone down a bit.


    *Edited*: Already decided to tone it down. So no obvious reference like the one in this chapter.

 Chapter 234 CH 209: END OF THE FIGHT

    Explosions, shockwaves,sers, fire¡­destruction filled the horizon as far as the eye could see.


    If a mortal were to witness this scene, they would believe it to be the end of the world, or something even worse if that was possible.


    Nothing was spared, the environment itself was reduced to dust and the ground had sunken in so much one would believe the battlefield had always been a valley. A deep one at that.


    This was the result of the fight between Sol and the six or rather, four remaining Lords. One of them had already been killed by Sol because he had chosen to put his core on his forehead.


    That Lord in question had initially chosen to do so as a form of reverse psychology.


    After all, who would believe that a lord would ce their fatal points in such an obvious ce? In fact, even Sol had been led to believe that it wasn¡¯t really his core and had only killed him because of a stray shot.


    Even so, the situation Sol was currently in was the most bitter state he had ever been in. There wasn¡¯t a ce on his body that was not wounded and in fact, he could even feel his vision growing dimmer and one of his eyes waspletely busted while the flesh around it was sizzling.


    He had difficulty breathing since one of his lungs was pierced. He also could feel some of his ribs were broken and his right arm was limping powerlessly,pletely broken. Worst of all, all the skin around that arm was nowhere to be seen and only the bloody and wriggling flesh could be observed.


    His face was so battered and bloody that even Milia would have a hard time recognizing him while his reserves of energy were at an all-time low.


    It was while killing the second Lord that he had decided to sacrifice his arm in the action. The entire body of that particr Lord had been filled with acid, both inside and outside.


    Sol decided to kill him because he posed simply too much danger for him. His acid was extremely potent and Sol thought it was lucky that he only had to lose some skin in this endeavor.


    ¡®*Sigh* If the past me could see the current me, I wonder what he would think? Pretty sure he would throw up and faint or scream and faint.¡¯


    He chuckled inwardly.


    ¡®Man, I wonder if it¡¯s the acid on my face and my arm that¡¯s fucking with my mind. Or perhaps the curse of confusion of that other Lord? Or the poison of Dordonii?¡¯


    Sol couldn¡¯t believe that he still had the mood to joke around in such a situation where he should have normally felt despair. The him of the past, the unrecognizable and untalented him that was living on earth, would have been crying and screaming should he have been in such a state.


    Or¡­Would any normal human even be still alive if they were in his ce?


    His mind wandered. He knew that he had reached his limit. At least, the limit of ¡®him¡¯ before he entered the Astral Realm, that is.


    ¡®Let¡¯s crank it up a bit.¡¯


    A malevolent grin split his disfigured face as his aura rose wildly.


    ¡ª--


    ¡°What a monster¡­¡±


    A lull had fallen on the battlefield as everyone was trying to rest even if a little bit. Even now, Dordonii couldn¡¯t understand what had just happened and why this fight, which should have been done swiftly, was still ongoing.


    An armyposed of six Lords and thousands of foot soldiers had been unable to take down one enemy. Anyone who heard such a news would have been beside themselves in astonishment.


    The fight between them hadsted for a full day. There was nothing they didn¡¯t try. Curse, poison, kamikaze attack, traps, bewitchment, and so on, but the bastard refused to fall.


    The worst was that they had even lost two Lords during the fight. But as if it wasn¡¯t enough¡­


    ¡®He isn¡¯t a Duke? Nor is he a full dragon?¡¯


    This notion made him feel like waves were crushing his mind. During the fight, he hade to understand that Sol did not emanate the power of a Duke level nor did he show the aura of a full dragon.


    Those things could be hidden normally, but in such a fight, it was impossible to hide those characteristics.


    This was the true reason as to why he couldn¡¯t understand the situation.


    If Sol had been a pure Dragon that could take his massive dragon form and thereby greatly increase all his stats while adding the buff from his zone, while Dordonii would have been surprised, he would still be able tough it off.


    But this wasn¡¯t the case here. The difference between a Duke and those below it didn¡¯t need to be said. In fact, in any and all wars, anyone below the Duke or Lord level was only considered as Canon fodder. Even a Divine Beast at a level below Duke would only be considered as a slightly stronger Canon Fodder.


    Because of this, even though they had managed to corner him, he couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    ¡®Will we really be able to kill him?¡¯


    Their n relied on not only the weakened power Tiamat had here, but also theck of interest she showed to young elites. But the present case was different. The boy here was clearly no ordinary young elite. It was quite possible that Tiamat had set up a way to ensure his safety no matter what they did.


    Even so, they couldn¡¯t give up. They had sacrificed too much by now already. If they didn¡¯t kill Sol and ate his flesh to grow stronger, the other four Lords who didn¡¯t participate would use this asion to eat them.


    ¡°Hahaha Dordonii, stop showing such a conflicting face. Look, that bastard is already on the verge of dying. Kuh, I can¡¯t wait! Don''t forget our promise, I will take his heart.¡±


    ¡°As for me, I am more interested in his brain.¡±


    Dordonii scoffed as he heard the words of hispanions.


    ¡®Morons.¡¯


    They couldn¡¯t even analyze how uncanny the current situation was. In fact, Dordonii wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if a King Level dragon was hiding in the surroundings.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go at it slowly, we should wilt away-¡±


    He was briefly wondering if she should prepare a path of retreat, when¡ª


    ¡®What!?¡¯


    A chill suddenly went down his spine and he abruptly raised his head to stare at Sol.


    ¡®What is happening?¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t the only one that could feel the changes in the atmosphere. Even the other Lord, drunk as they were in their dreams of victory, shut up when they perceived the weird sense of pressure surrounding them.


    In an instant, the world seemed to fall silent, as if announcing the arrival of a great catastrophe.


    ¡®It¡¯s him!¡¯


    ¡°Stop him!¡±


    ¡°W-what!?¡±


    ¡°Fucking stop dawdling around! We need to bring him down, now!¡±


    Even while shouting his order, Dordonii was already rushing at full speed toward Sol. All ns of retreats vanished from his mind.<sub> </sub>


    His instincts were telling him, screaming at him, that death was upon him and running away would be futile. The only thing he could do was to give his all in stopping Sol before he did whatever he was about to do.


    ¡®I am close!¡¯


    In one instant, he reached Sol and raised his ax above his head in order to bring it down.


    ¡°Arghh!!!¡±


    His muscles bulged and his aura soared as he put all his strength in that one swing. A swing that exceeded everything he did until now.


    For one instant, he felt like he was at the top of the world. If it was this swing; if this was this attack, he was sure that he could cut through anything no matter what stood in his way.


    The wind stirred and space quaked in the wake of that mighty attack. It was one so powerful that it left the other Lordspletely baffled at what they were seeing.


    Unfortunately, the events that followed left them even more baffled, as their eyes constricted in terror.


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    A beautiful hand covered in scales stopped the powerful swing in its track.


    There was no explosion of energy, no waste of power, and no shy movements. Onlyplete and absolute silence as if falling into a deep murky swamp with no end.


    This was this strange silence that made the situation even eerier.


    Everything seemed to stop at the sight of the young man stopping the big ax that was twice his size with only one hand without even moving.


    Ignoring them, Sol looked at his previously charred arm and was d to see that all the wounds had vanished. Not only the wounds on his arm but also all the wounds on his body had disappeared.


    ¡®The experiment is nearly sessful.¡¯


    During hisst fight against Rio, he had remarked that using his War Form had replenished all his energy and healed all his wounds. He had been wondering if it was a one-time thing but never had the asion to test it until now.


    This was why he had fought so crazily against them earlier. Using everything he had and exchanging a wound for a wound. He wanted to see what would happen if he transformedter and he was d to see all his wounds healing.


    ¡­Though, there was a little problem.


    ¡°Bastards! Stop staring ck-jawed and help me! Only by giving our all now can we win¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? I nearly forgot you.¡±


    Dordonii had been trying to take back his ax while calling for the others to help, but no matter what he did, the weapon would not bulge from Sol''s grip.


    *Crack*


    He had just applied a little more pressure, but this was enough to make fissure appear on the weapon, showing it was on the verge of falling apart.


    *Whoosh* *Bang*


    Swinging his spiky tail at a speed too high for most to follow, he swatted Dordonii aside like a mere fly. The mighty Lord famed for his defense was sent flying with his body literally falling apart.


    Looking at the ax that was still in his hand, Sol showed a surprised expression before grinning,


    ¡°I see. So this was your secret.¡±


    This ax was not a conventional weapon made out of any metal. It was in fact, a part of Dordonii¡¯s body and it was also the part that held his core.


    Gazing at Dordonii who barely managed to stabilize himself in the air, he snickered at the look of despair the bastard was showing and ¡ª heartlessly crushed it.


    The result was immediate as Dordonii¡¯s body began to crumble until nothing but dust was left behind.


    Even though he had justpletely crushed a Lord, Sol¡¯s gaze showed neither joy nor pride, not even tion.


    It was as if what he did was the most normal thing in the world as if he had done nothing more than crushing an insect.


    Finally, his gazended on thest three Lords that had been petrified by fear and unease.


    ¡°Three dead, and three left.¡±


    *Gulp*


    It was hard to say who was the first one to move, but in the end, the three of them came to the same conclusion.


    ¡®Run!¡¯


    In an instant, they all vanished from where they stood as they fled in different directions. Even the army below them had long fled from the premises.


    The wind blew as the ce that was filled with monsters of all kinds was now devoid of any presence.


    ¡°Hahaha. Cowards. If they had stayed a little longer¡­¡±


    He was honestly quite tired physically and mentally. If they had tried to fight more, he would have been left helpless.


    Chuckling, Sol ignored the fleeing Lords and immediately phased in his mirror dimension before putting his full speed in rushing in the direction of the Safe Zone created by Kiyohime at the end of the 4th Circle.


    His goal in fighting this time had been to get more experience and face more hardship. After all, only by doing so could he evolve more.


    Now that this was done? It was time to use the advantage of having his own dimension.


    As for the Lords that were busy running away with their tails tucked between their legs?


    It was only after not being chased nor feeling any fluctuation of energy that they understood that they had been tricked.


    Sol had been on his veryst leg even after transforming. Had they helped Dordonii as he begged them to, not only would it have been possible to keep him alive, but Sol would have most likely lost as well.


    Of course, they did not know about him being a dimensional mage. If Sol had been cornered, he would not have hesitated to use his dimension and take them out one after another.


    As such, running away had indeed been the right decision.


    Unfortunately for them, they would never know this and could onlyment and wallow in regrets.

 Chapter 235 CH 210: YGGGRASIL

    "Pfft! Hahaha! Marvelous. Truly marvelous. Such a good kid."


    Sitting on her throne, Tiamat, who was observing the fight between Sol and the Lords showed none of her usual dignity as sheughed loudly and boisterously - A proof of how pleased she currently was.


    In all the immediate futures she had seen, most of them ended with Sol''s victory or with him bailing out. Still, this one victory was the most hrious and the one with the smallest probability.


    She was both ted because of the power her grandson had shown and also because he was indeed slowly leaving the grasp of destiny.


    Even so...


    "A dragon that''s not a Duke with a War Form¡­"


    The War Form was the most optimal way of fighting for dragons at the King rank. Compressing power, strength, and energy in a small frame for explosive results.


    But because of how powerful it was, the energy necessary to keep it was off the chart.


    In a normal situation, in a world with enough mana, the core would do its work and allow the user to keep the form as long as he wished to. But in the current environment of Tartarus, where absorbing and controlling Mana was so hard, the upkeep was too much.


    It would be like a fish trying to breathe onnd. Even though the two ces had oxygen, it was impossible for the fish to survive without water.


    The worst was that Sol shouldn¡¯t even have been able to use this form at his current level. Not even pure dragons could do so, much less a hybrid one. But, since he was Blessed, this didn¡¯te as a surprise for her.


    In the first ce, it was a waste of time to be surprised at what a Blessed could do. The best thing to do was simply roll with it and not mind anything that happened.


    ''Thankfully, he won''t be able to just steamroll everything with his War Form.''


    The goal of this training wasn¡¯t to simply kill chaos lords or prisoners that were jailed. The goal was to make him realize his strength and weaknesses, as well as to adapt and evolve his body to the most suitable level.


    This was the best way to optimize the benefits brought by bathing in the dragon pool since his body would naturally absorb the propriety most adapted for his path.


    The following circles would be very hard for him since the numbers of Lord ss spawns increased tremendously and giants, titans, as well as traitors, would begin to appear.


    The Titans were no weaker than Dragons and if they were to gang up on him, victory would be impossible without using his dimension. But this was alright. After all, the more he used his power, the more his body would be adapted to it.


    "I wonder how he will solve them."


    She couldn¡¯t wait to see how he would surprise her.


    "Tiamat."


    "Hum?...Yggi?"


    ¡°...¡±


    Just as she was about to look back at what he was doing, another screen popped in front of her.


    On the screen, an imposing old man could be seen. He had a long white beard, bushy eyebrows, and waspletely bald. Even though he looked quite old, his hulking 3 meters tall body was covered in scars, and his bulging muscles made it so that none who saw him would dare to take him as an ordinary old man.


    He was Yggdrasil, the divine beast of Humilitas.


    Yggdrasil¡¯s eyebrows twitched a little at the cutesy nickname his old friend had been using for him for as long as they could remember. After all, even though he looked like this while she looked like a young woman in her twenties, she was older than him by quite a bit and even took care of him many times on the battlefield.


    ¡°*Sigh* Firstly, please stop calling me Yggi.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Yggi. I promise to stop¡­One day.¡±


    ¡°*Groan* You will be the death of me.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t count the number of times he begged her to stop calling him like this or at least use a less embarrassing nickname. Sadly for him, Tiamat was pretty stubborn. It didn¡¯t help that she beat him to a pulp when he tried to use a nickname for her.


    Her argument back then had been, ¡°You can call me whatever you want the day you beat me.¡±


    Just thinking about it made him want to spit blood in anger. If he was a human, he was sure that he would have died because of the high blood pressure.


    *Chuckle*


    He could hear the chuckles of his favorite daughter behind him, but he ignored them. This was the little amount of dignity he could keep.


    ¡°Okay, do as you like.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. You know I will.¡±


    The two continued to banter like this for some time. It was hard to imagine how two people representing two different concepts could be so friendly to each other, but this was how it was.


    ¡°Now then, Yggi. Not that I hate discussing with you, but I know you aren¡¯t the type to make friendly calls for no reason. What brought you out of your hibernation?¡±


    ¡°You tell me.¡± Yggdrasil shrugged, ¡°My daughter, Phoebe[1], informed me that you and Gabriel want to hold a summit. I know how much you hate formalities like this.¡±


    Tiamat stayed silent for a short while before she nodded, ¡°The daughter of Michael managed to escape The Tartarus in Anubis¡¯ territory. It means the force of Chaos now has a demigod with a dimension in their midst. I don¡¯t need to tell you how much of a pain it will be once she contacts the hiding Titans, if she hadn¡¯t already done so.¡±


    Yggdrasil frowned. ¡°Why do I always wake up during shitty situations?¡±


    For one, demigods with their own dimensions had an inherent advantage since they could use their full power no matter where they were, unlike normal demigods who were weakened when outside their territories.


    But if that was all it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. The true danger came from the fact of the strategic application a dimension gave. It means that now, Titans didn¡¯t need to flee and hide in the Abyss.


    They could hide in the dimension and all they needed to attack was use one person to open the gate wherever they wanted and allow their army to rampage and retreat at will.


    It wasn¡¯t like there was ack of traitors during the war. But this time it was one of the worst.


    ¡°I am too old for this shit.¡±<sub> </sub>


    Tiamat didn¡¯t mock her old friend this time. She knew very well that none of them wished for another war.


    Unlike the side of Chaos who thrived in such a situation, for them, war brought nothing more than pain, suffering, and sadness.


    There was nothing beautiful about war. Anyone who thought the opposite was either a crazy bastard or someone who never fought on a battlefield.


    ¡°Well. Nothing we can do about this. There is another reason why I called you. Your granddaughter, Nidhogg, finished her training. Phoebe will bring her to your territory. Take care of her.¡±


    ? ¡®Hum¡­Who?''


    Tiamat had so many descendants that it was impossible for her to remember all of them instantly as long as they didn''t catch her attention.


    Still, at her level, it was possible to ess any part of her memory at will. Even those that were thousands of years old.


    It didn''t take long for her to remember who he was talking about.


    ''Hah. The one under Hydra... Interesting.''


    She remembered that the girl was quite talented. Furthermore, her poison was at another level entirely.


    "By the way, I allowed her to take some of the poison from the Dryads."


    "Ohoh?"


    If she was only mildly curious, now he had her full attention.


    While he may look like a kind but imposing old man, in terms of poison skills, there were very few beings who could match Yggdrasil.


    His understanding of nature was so thorough that there were very few things he couldn''t kill with poison.


    Yggdrasil was the humblest of them all and because he was so humble, he never underestimated any enemy and would always use the most vicious and destructive poison possible.


    It reached a level where he poisoned an entire small dimension and erased all forms of life in that ce for more than a hundred years.


    The Dryads were Yggdrasil''s direct daughters and while their poison didn''t reach the same level, it was still pretty scary.


    "I guess she ising back for the title of prince."


    "Indeed. I am really curious about that grandson of yours. The little ze was truly a ray of sunshine. Though she was as much a bully as you."


    Tiamatughed out loud. Hearing the name of ze always made her sad, but she was used to losing those she cared for.


    Rather than crying about those who were dead, she was more interested in the living.


    ''This will be interesting.''


    She grinned before another idea shed in her mind.


    "Hey, Yggi."


    "What? Just so you know, I will not give you any of my branches. You know how much it cost me."


    Yggdrasil gave a look of wariness at Tiamat as he prepared to cut off allmunication.


    "Hey...I resent that. I only asked those once and I used them to nt world trees for the Elves."


    Yggdrasil grumbled but still showed a look that said that he would not yield to any unreasonable demands.


    "Well... Let''s cut to the chase. The Norns are still with you... Right?"


    Yggdrasil frowned. "Yes. But you know that we can''t believe in them."


    The side of the Order wasn''t the only side with traitors in their midst.


    Though far rarer, some Titans did not believe in the ideologies of Chaos and decided to join the Order.


    This was the case of three very powerful Titans known as the Norns[2] who had power over time and destiny. They were:


    -Urd, who held power over the past.


    -Verdandi, who held power over the present.


    -Skuld who held power over the future.


    Out of the three, Urd was a demigod Titan while the other two were Kings.


    "I want Skuld and Verdandi. Let Phoebe bring them alongside Nidhogg. Please."


    ".... Alright. I don''t know what you are nning, but I will believe in you."


    "Thanks, old friend."


    Tiamat answered with a gentle smile free of any of her usual pride and arrogance.


    [1]: Phoebe in myth is a name belonging to a dryad as well as to a Titan who incidentally was the grandmother of Apollo and Artemis. I don¡¯t need to remind you that Apollo is a sun god, right?


    [2]: In Norse mythology, the Norns basically control Fate itself, or rather they spin the thread of Fate and as such can perceive it more clearly than anyone else.

 Chapter 236 CH 211: NABU

    While Tiamat was discussing with Yggdrasil, Kiyohime was looking at Sol with aplicated expression.


    Sol was floating in a bubble of blue water, and his body was going through slow changes.


    Her healing powers weren''t as incredible as those of Hathor from the phoenix n, but they were still extremely good. Even more so since her healing skill favored more self-growth.


    By the end of this training, Sol would find that he was at apletely different level.


    But this wasn¡¯t why she was looking at Sol like this.


    ¡®This is what it feels like to meet a Blessed.¡¯


    All Blessed were people favored and cursed by destiny and the fight between two Blessed generally meant the death of one.


    Tiamat had always told her to never be surprised whenever she met a Blessed, but even now, she could only gasp in surprise and bewilderment when she remembered the fight she witnessed.


    Initially, she hadn¡¯t been keen on following Sol. She had decided to wait for him at the safe point because she believed he should be able to deal with one or two Lords alone.


    But, after feeling the movement of those Lords, she had hurriedly rushed to save him.


    After all, at the end of the day, Sol wasn¡¯t a Duke yet. Even for a Dragon Duke, facing such an ordeal would be dangerous.


    ¡­How wrong she had been.


    Not only had he managed to fight back 6 Lords alone, he even managed to kill three of them.


    Though he didn¡¯t manage to kill the other three and had to use some tricks at the end, it was mainly because he still wasn¡¯t used to the environment and didn¡¯t have the mana reserves of a Duke to maintain his War Form.


    Indeed, therey the problem.


    Sol wasn¡¯t a Duke yet. Furthermore, he hadn¡¯t even awakened for a year yet.


    Not even Mars had shown such a monstrous growth rate. Even less so such a fighting prowess, and Mars was without a doubt one of the most talented mortals she had ever seen in her life.


    Only Anubis came close to him in her opinion.


    At the same time, ze had been one of the most talented divine beasts of her time.


    Kiyohime chuckled helplessly.


    Should she say that he had good genes?


    Sol would only be even more frightening once he became a Duke.


    After all, she knew that Tiamat wanted him to be her inheritor. She would help him obtain the domain in the same branch as her [1] and once that was done, he might even be able to face a King rank without dying instantly.


    ¡°Would it be better to stop here?¡±


    While he could still grow a little more if he continued training here, she was wondering if it was worth it.


    After all, that child was imprisoned on the 5th circle.


    ¡°Why do you want to stop it?¡±


    Kiyohime looked up at Sol and saw him walking out of the healing bubble.


    ¡°*Cough* Put some clothes on now.¡±


    No matter how one looked at Sol, it was impossible to see his true age. He was tall and had a well-structured body. His features were streamlined and well defined.


    His short golden hair and his beautiful blue eyes were eye-catching. Not only was he pretty handsome, but after all those days in Tartarus, the faint childishness that could be seen between his brows had vanishedpletely.


    While he wasn¡¯t cold and silent, anyone experienced enough could feel the killing aura surrounding his body.


    ¡®Hum¡­Once this ends I should help him rx. Perhaps I should send some Nymphs to him?¡¯


    Taking care of the mental health of her student was as important as helping him grow stronger.


    Sol shrugged at Kiyohime''s words. He was so used to being seen naked or being observed that he honestly didn¡¯t care much.


    It wasn¡¯t like he had anything to be ashamed of. He might sound a little narcissistic, but his body was a true work of art. Still, he didn¡¯t want to make her ufortable so he did as was told and changed into another set of clothes.


    After that, he gorged himself with the food Kiyohime had specially made and asked once again.


    ¡°So¡­Why do you want to stop?¡±


    ¡°Because you showed way more talent than I thought and I am wondering if the risk is equal to the gain.¡±


    Kiyohime was pretty blunt with her words. They lived in a realistic world.


    Why did Tiamat love ze so much?


    There were hundreds of reasons. But at the end of the day, no one could deny that the fact that ze was a Chaos Dragon yed a huge part.


    There was nothing wrong with it. Love could not exist without a reason. If Sol had been a normal hybrid. He would have been weed, but Tiamat would have simply given him a few flying Inds the size of a kingdom and a few powerful servants as well as a territory on the 6th and 7th heavens.


    She would have most likely also sent him a huge harem of beautiful elves and nymphs as well as charm spirits but that would be it.


    Nothing much.


    Sol wasn¡¯t surprised by Kiyohime''s bluntness. Though, if he knew what she considered as ¡®nothing much¡¯ he would have some curses to throw.


    ¡°Is there something or someone dangerous in the 5th circle?¡±


    ¡°There...¡±


    Kiyohime hesitated a little before sighing. There was no need to hide it since she could feel that Sol would still continue no matter what she said.


    ¡°You remember what¡¯s the difference between the 4th, 5th, and 6th circle?¡±


    ¡°Of course, even though only Duke levels are imprisoned in all of them, the level, number, and their identities differpletely.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. The 4th circle only has a few Lords. But these numbers increase greatly on the 5th. Furthermore, on the 5th circle, some of the traitors are imprisoned there; Dukes, not Lords.¡±<sub> </sub>


    Sol understood what she meant. Dukes and Lords were equivalent in terms of the power scale. But there was one great difference. The upper level a Duke and Lord could reach was totally different.


    A Lord could only use [Assault] i.e. they could only influence the physical world.


    But a Duke had the [Zone] and some [Zone] were downright scary since they could affect concepts. Like Lilin¡¯s Zone or Milia¡¯s Zone. If one such Duke had been present in the previous brawl, Sol didn¡¯t think it would have been so easy.


    He still remembered how much a pain Rio had been just because she could absorb energy with her metal.


    But...


    ¡°That isn¡¯t all, is it?¡±


    Kiyohime sighed, sadness clouding her features, ¡°There is one particr traitor in the prison. Her name is Nabu, an ice dragon. Back then, her father, Marduk, rebelled against the goddess alongside a man named Apsu[1]. A powerful demi-god who might have be mother¡¯s mate if things had been different.¡±


    ¡°What was the result?¡±


    ? ¡°Since they came from our territory, it was our mess to deal with.¡±


    Kiyohime shrugged, ¡°Mother killed Apsu with her own hands and I killed Marduk.¡±


    Her voice was calm without any visible changes. But Sol could only imagine how sad she was.


    At the same time, he couldn¡¯t help but be speechless. He wondered if the dragons were cursed.


    Marduk was the first King rank dragon outside of the four original ones, and he was killed by Kiyohime.


    Ladon, son of hydra, also became a King, making a contract with Jupiter, and he got killed by Siegfried.


    Finally, his own mother, ze, became King rank after contracting with his father and she died fighting Echidna.


    One is an ident. Two is a Coincidence. Three is a Pattern.


    ¡°What about Nabu? Why is she still alive?¡±


    Tiamat and the other dragons weren¡¯t the merciful kinds. There should have been no mercy for the girl.


    ¡°Mother spared her. Even when she betrayed us, Nabu never changed her faith to Chaos and she had never killed anyone from our side. Her sole crime was to have followed and helped her father. As long as she purges her sentence, she will be released.


    ¡°Unfortunately, she had be quite vicious and whenever a dragon tried to pass the trials here, she would do her best to kill them and I would be forced to interfere and save them. Do you remember how I mentioned Kaiser reached the 6th circle after nearly dying? And how no one ever got past the 5th circle? It was her fault.¡±


    Of course, Kiyohime knew that there was another more important reason. But Tiamat never shared it with her so there was no need to mention it here.


    Sol was once again left speechless.


    If he remembered correctly, the age of gods had been more than ten thousand years ago.


    ¡®I would be cranky too if I had to serve such a long time in a prison filled with Chaos energy.¡¯


    "Either way, you should be careful¨Cher domain is quite tricky."


    Sol frowned when Kiyohime exined Nabu''s skills in more detail.


    This could be quite tricky.


    -----


    [5th Circle]


    In the depth of the 5th Circle, on arge ice boulder, a massive white dragon was observing her handicraft with frustration.


    She had been sleeping soundly when this coalition of Lords had tried to kill and eat her. Sadly for them, those new Lords didn''t know why no one came close to her territory.


    "This was quite fun."


    All around her, an innumerable number of ice sculptures were littering the ground.


    Even in thisrge army, five of them were clearly different from the others. They had all been powerful Lords.


    Sadly, their end was the same as the others.


    Frozen to death.


    Nodding to herself, the dragon moved her massive wings and flew away from the scene of carnage.


    The only thing she could do now was sleep. Sleeping was the only way she could somewhat keep her sanity.


    She wanted to sleep for one or two hundred years.


    It was only in her sleep that she could see that woman.


    Her one and only teacher. The one who taught her everything she knew about Ice magic.


    ''Teacher¡­''


    Grief oozed out of her body as she reached her nest and forced herself to sleep.


    She hoped that no one would disturb her sleep and dreams this time.


    (AN: I wonder if anyone can guess who is the Teacher of Nabu. I would be honestly surprised if anyone could.)


    [1]: No two domains can be exactly the same. But they can have the same basis. Like how Lilith trained Lilin in her style. Giving the two of them the ability to affect space


    [2]: Apsu was briefly mentioned in the Special chapter: Dragon.


    In Babylonian myth, Apsu is the husband of Tiamat and was killed by Ea who was kinda his grandson ( Apsu tried to kill his children first because he feared they would dethrone him.). Tiamat tried to take revenge but was killed by Marduk( her great-grandson and son of Ea) then we have Nabu (Son of Marduk). In a different iteration of the myth, it¡¯s Nadu who killed Tiamat.


    This myth is the one that inspired the Greek origin myth. Basically, Apsu is Ouranos and Tiamat is Gaia and Ea is Chronos.


    [3]: Ladon story was exined in CH 196

 Chapter 237 CH 212: ACTION

    ? [8th Heaven; Kiyohime¡¯s Ind]


    In the main office of the castle, Kiyohime¡¯s daughter, Aqua, could be seen working on a stack of paperwork. Her expression was extremely focused and many simr stacks were scattered all around her..


    50% of them wereints about the mischieves of dragons and the calctions necessary topensate the victims.


    Auction houses destroyed.


    Restaurants destroyed.


    Roads destroyed.


    Streets destroyed.


    Ships sunk.


    Merchandise stolen.


    Princesses kidnapped.


    The list was so long that working on it was a true pain in the rear, but she had no other choice than to deal with this hell.


    Thankfully, the other half of that paperwork was more normal things such as newws, food regtions, settling conflict between inds and kingdoms, and dealing with the treasury.


    ¡®Mother really does a lot of work. I guess she used the asion to rest a little.¡¯


    She was thinking so when someone suddenly opened the door.


    "Who the hell¡ªHello~ Lady Nent. How may I help you?"


    Nent chuckled at how this little girl''s expression shifted from wrathful to respectful in such a swift way.


    ¡°I remember you used to call me Aunt Nent when you were smaller.¡±


    Aqua blushed a little. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that Nent had partially raised her when she was just born. After all, Kiyohime didn¡¯t really have enough time to raise one child alone.


    In a way, Kiyohime was the ¡®mother¡¯ of all dragons so it was hard for her to really act as a mother for one dragon. In those times, Nent would take care of her and y with her.


    Of course, those were the old-time during the second era. She didn¡¯t know the details, but she hadn¡¯t seen Nent since seven hundred years ago. Even for her, this wasn¡¯t a small-time since she was still only in her early thousand years.


    At the end of the day, she couldn¡¯t act chummy with Nent when Kiyohime hated her, right?


    Nent, who understood all this did not show any changes in expression. She had already been long used to being isted. She cut to the chase.


    "Sol has vanished for a while. I am quite worried now about him. After all, he is sort of like my mate. Where is he?"


    Aqua¡¯s lips twitched. It felt so weird to know that the young cousin she barely knew was fucking someone who had raised her. But she didn¡¯t let that bother her.


    "Haha. I am sorrydy Nent. But I cannot disclose such information."


    Nent smiled. She knew all the ces in this territory. The only ce that someone as high ranked as Aqua would refuse to talk about could only be that ce.


    "Hum...well I already had my inkling. But from your reaction, I can be now sure that he is in Tartarus."


    "..."


    "*Snicker* No need to emanate dragon fear, little Aqua. For one, you are simply too weak and two, I already know that the Tartarus'' locations are all highly confidential. I just needed to confirm."


    Not even goddesses werepletely omniscient, much less demigods.


    The location of Tartarus in all the territories was highly confidential and thoroughly sealed.


    In fact, most demigods didn''t even know which territories had a Tartarus in them.


    All this secrecy was for protection.


    It wouldn''t be funny if some lunatic managed to hide under the observation of a demigod and open Tartarus.


    If she had been offended by Nent''s words, she showed none of it. Her pride was in no way wounded because she knew that Nent was a powerful King ranked being who could have be the queen of Phoenixes.


    Furthermore, since Nent had been quite close to Kiyohime in the past, it wasn''t that surprising for her to know about Tartarus.


    "Oh well, I didn''te just for that. Since Sol is training, we can''t just stay here like prisoners. Give us a pass to visit the sixth and seventh heaven."


    There, she hesitated a little.


    "Lady Kiyohime¡­ things might be quite troublesome."


    "*Snort* Are you thinking about those horn dogs?"


    This was indeed the case. Both Nent and Isis were extremely beautiful and exotic-looking women.


    The seventh heaven was filled with young dragons and the sixth was filled with elves of ancient families.


    While elves weren''t as lustful as dragons, they were quite the romantic bunch.


    "Don''t worry, we can protect ourselves."


    ''I know! It''s them I am worried about!''


    She wanted to scream in frustration. She could already smell troubleing from a thousand miles.


    But in the end, all she could do was sigh in resignation.


    As she had said, neither Nent nor Isis were prisoners and in fact, they were honored guests. She couldn''t stop them from going out and sightseeing.


    Even more so since the ind''s belongings to Kiyohime were void of basically any form of entertainment.


    "I understand. I can give you a pass to have full ess to the Ind''s belongings to mother in Seventh and Sixth Heaven but that''s all."


    The eight dragons didn''t only have one ind on the eighth heaven. They all had their own territories in the lower heavens for their children, servants, worshippers, and so on.


    Technically, she could have given them full ess to all but, since her mother was currently absent for an undetermined amount of time, she wanted to diminish the amount of trouble she would have to deal with.


    While all young dragons would be trained by Kiyohime, it wasn''t as if the results were always perfect or even positive.


    At the end of the day, what a teacher could do was limited by the willingness of the students to learn.


    But dragons and elves in Kiyohime''s territory had all gone through special focused education since their birth and were less driven by their instincts.


    Nent was perfectly satisfied by the arrangements. Not only could she move around, but she wouldn''t end up meeting Fafnir by ident.


    "By the way, forgive me for asking, but is that cat yours?"


    Caressing the white cat that was resting in her arms and sighing at the slightly cold aura it was emanating, she wondered what kind of magical beast it was and why it couldn''tmunicate even though it could already use magic.


    "No. It belongs to Sol."<sub> </sub>


    "I see. It''s a beautiful creature. What''s her name?"


    "Sekhmet."


    She nodded and approached the cat before gently petting it. Sekhmet on the other hand was acting as arrogantly as any cat, melting the heart of the two women.


    The previously awkward atmosphere between the two warmed up considerably thanks to the cuteness of Sekhmet.


    ¡ª-


    [4th Hell]


    "Now then Sol. Before you go, what kind of weapons do you use?¡±


    "Hum? Why the sudden question?"


    "I need to understand something for your future training. I left quite a number of weapons with you, but I remarked that you used none of them.¡±


    "I was trained in the sword. but¡­¡± Sol frowned before shaking his head, ¡°Swords don''t suit me. Before I awakened, I used swords. But after that, I slowly realized they weren¡¯t for me. In fact, I have never fought with one since then."


    Sol didn''t quite finish his words. When he fought with a sword, he had to think about many things. Wielding a sword wasn''t just about swinging it around recklessly.


    Inparison, when he fought with his fists, the feeling of exhration as he tanked one hit after another before pummeling the face of his opponent was something a sword could never give him.


    In short, he liked bashing people more than cutting them.


    "As I thought¡­"


    Kiyohime mumbled a little while confirming that sending Sol here was indeed the right choice. His fighting style needed him to be tougher and have a much higher regeneration speed.


    She still wanted him to consider using a spear since it could greatly enhance his power and reach. Furthermore, some beings like the Lord made out of acid were quite a pain to deal with barehanded.


    ¡®Well, I will take all that into ount.¡¯


    "From now on. Whenever you fight, I want you to keep certain images in your head. The War Form you obtained is still iplete so it''s time¡­"


    "Iplete?"


    "Ah... Iplete is not the right word. Hum...how should I say this? Let''s see. When you put on new armor, You can''t just use it right away for battle, right? You need to be used to it, change some little things until it truly fits you."


    Sol immediately understood what she was trying to say. In short, it was fine tuning.


    "I see."


    "The same goes for War Form. There''s no standard form because the final result is the one that suits you the most. For example, Fafnir focused extremely on defense. His scales are so tough that even I have a hard time dealing any wounds to him. In his war form, he is nearly indestructible."


    "What about you?"


    Kiyohime smiled, "I will tell you when you finish your training."


    ''So you sold out your brother''s information but kept yours secret?''


    Kiyohime chuckled as she continued, "The fighting style you pursue needs high defense, but not to the point of sacrificing speed, strength or regeneration. In short, what you seek is a bnced state. Quite greedy, but dragons are greedy by nature. It''s good."


    By focusing on this path, Sol''s immediate evolution would be a little slower, but once he bathed in dragon blood, his base stats would skyrocket.


    "Well then¡­That¡¯s it for the briefing. Since you decided to continue, I wish you luck."


    With those words, Kiyohime vanished.


    Sol, now alone, sighed as he continued to eat and prepared mentally for what will happen next.


    ----


    High in the sky, watching as Sol used the transfer matrix, Kiyohime couldn''t help but think about Nadu.


    The poor girl was still imprisoned to this day.


    From what mother had told her, staying in this ce would one day be very useful for Nadu.


    She didn''t know how staying in such a ce filled with madness could be good for anyone in the long run, but she decided to not argue.


    The fact that Nadu was still sane to this day was already a miracle.


    Many divine beasts of her generation had killed themselves because they could not support the flow of time even after hibernating regrly.


    Without a doubt, Nabu was someone extremely admirable.


    But she was sure that the girl was reaching the limits of her sanity. She was slowly bing more bloodthirsty and would attack anyone trespassing on her Territory ¡ª Dragons or not, it didn''t matter.


    During the past training, she had warned the young ones to not disturb her, but since Nabu was a sort of legend in the n, they always tried to fight her and they also always ended up nearly dead.


    She had been about to warn Sol about this trait but Tiamat hadmunicated and stopped her from doing so.


    ''Does mother wish for Sol and Nabu to be in contact?''


    She neither knew nor cared much about it. Since Tiamat was interested in this situation, then nothing would happen to Sol.


    That was more than enough for her.


    ---


    [5th Hell]


    When he entered the 5th Hell, Sol frowned a little but managed to keep the disgust in his heart.


    It seemed that he was slowly bing used to the air here. Once he went back to the normal world, his mana cirction would without a doubt be much smoother.


    ¡®Now then¡­what should I do?¡¯


    Sol thought a little before deciding to go into hiding and scout the surroundings. The reason he could finish the 4th Circle so easily, minus the whole super ambush, was the fact that he had intel about the best road to follow.


    Right now, rather than rushing head first, he should find some helpless straggler and ¡®discuss¡¯ with them, ¡®gently¡¯ extracting the information he needed.


    He took a deep breath before slowly releasing the air umted in his lungs. His state of mind became cold while his eyes became listless.


    The threatening and killing aura that now always surrounded himpletely settled and his presence itself vanished.


    This was a technique he recently came up with. In the past, he had to superimpose his existence with his dimension in order to ¡®vanish¡¯. Now though, he ¡®fused¡¯ his aura with that of the environment.


    Short of direct sight, it was basically impossible for anyone at his level to feel and find him.


    Picking up a direction without much thought, he began to walk. No matter what happened next would be left up to Fate.

 Chapter 238 CH 213: FIGHT AGAINST NABU

    Considering how numerous Chaos Spawns were, it didn¡¯t take long for Sol to capture one.


    What ought to be noted was that he didn¡¯t just capture one spawn but a bunch of them and also a traitor.


    It was a scantily d woman whose body was covered with nothing more than a short skirt that barely covered her plump butt and a small swimsuit top used to cover herrge breasts.


    Her skin had a slight blue hue, giving her an exotic and alluring appearance.


    Anyone who saw such a woman would be reluctant to bring the slightest harm to her. But Sol had long since been educated about the equality between men and women.


    If you could punch a man, there was no reason you couldn¡¯t punch a woman.


    It was with this mindset that he did not hesitate in knocking her out cold when he chanced upon her.


    Initially, he wanted to send her to his dimension and see the effect, but he didn¡¯t want to test whether or not the taint could enter his dimension. He could only use the good old method.


    Threat. Coercion. ckmail. Torture.


    As always, those were awfully effective.


    ¡°I beg you, I will tell you anything you want! Just¨Cplease¡­ask something! Don¡¯t stay silent!¡±


    The woman begged and screamed as she watched what had happened to her cellmate.


    Her day had been one like any other. She was a nymph, one of the spirits living in the dragon realm in the past. Since traitors of Chaos were so few and they didn¡¯t need to eat each other to grow as Chaos spawn did, the traitors were quite united in Tartarus.


    p At the very least, they wouldn¡¯t threaten each other and would even protect each other when needed. After all, if their numbers fell too much, the Chaos Spawn would devour them without hesitation.</anda>


    Them being on the same side wouldn¡¯t matter. After all, if they could eat people of the same species, what couldn¡¯t they eat?


    This was why, until now, her life had been pretty rxed even though she was imprisoned.


    Aside from avoiding the rampaging crazy dragon whenever she had a fit, everything was alright.


    But everything changed this morning. She was just ying around in her bath when an intruder busted through her castle and killed all her guards before capturing her like a helpless chicken.


    She had been utterly helpless. As if it wasn¡¯t enough, that lunatic had been torturing a bunch of Chaos Spawns one after another in front of her without asking her anything.


    Furthermore, the more gruesomely he killed them, the happier he seemed to be. Sometimes he didn¡¯t even bother asking any questions and would torture them before crushing their cores.


    She even wondered who was supposed to be the monster.


    This was simply too much for her. She had neither participated in any great war nor was she a great warrior. Her psyche wasn¡¯t forged through war and death. She did not have the mental fortitude to keep watching such a scene.


    Hearing those words of her, Sol smiled as he put an end to the life of the Chaos Spawn in his hand.


    ¡°You said that you will tell me everything, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!! Yes! I will!¡±


    Those words from Sol were like salvation for her.


    ¡°I see. Then¡­Let¡¯s chat. I hope your illustration skills are up to par. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Mia.¡±


    ¡°Heh, Nice to meet you, Mia.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    A few hourster, Sol managed to gain incredibly precise information. Mia had been incredibly forting and had not hesitated in sharing information with him in order to save her life.


    This had without a doubt allowed Sol to save a tremendous amount of time. The happier he seemed to be the happier Mia was since it meant that her chances of survival were increasing.


    However, ¡°...W-why?...¡±


    Mia gazed with disbilief as Sol slowly lifted a war hammer with his hand.


    ¡°I never said I would spare you if you fessed up everything. Well then¡­Farewell. It was a pleasure knowing you. ¡±


    Boom!


    Those were thest words Mia ever heard as her head was crushed by the hammer.[1]


    Gazing expressionlessly as the brain matter and other bits sshed the ground below, Sol wondered if it was really alright for his mental health to be so desensitized to death.


    The corpse in front of him was that of a woman with a story. Perhaps she had her own reasons for joining Chaos. Perhaps she wasn¡¯t all that bad.


    But, so what?


    As he was now, he found it hard to find anypassion in his heart.


    He could feel that his mental fortitude was deteriorating fast. He had been fighting non-stop thousands of monsters for days and killed enough of them to paint the ground red.


    The killing intent in his heart was soaring, bing harder to control. In terms of pure quantity, he was sure that he wasn¡¯t far from the kill count of Lilith, and that was the result she reached after years of warfare.


    No matter how one looked at it, there was no way he could still be healthy.


    ¡®Man, when I go back home, I will organize a big fuck feast.¡¯


    For normal people, drowning in sex to avoid their mental issues could only end badly. No one could heal by bing dependent on temporary pleasure brought by sex or drugs or alcohol.


    Thankfully, the rules in this world were pretty different.<sub> </sub>


    ¡®Well, I will think about getting a good fuckter. Now, time to work.¡¯


    Mia was surprisingly skilled. The drawing she made was so lifelike and detailed, he was surprised that it only took her a few hours toplete it.


    In the 5th Circle, because of the presence of Traitors and Chaos spawn, the situation was a littleplicated.


    Firstly, even though they were officially on the same side, the traitors and the spawns¡¯ territories were far apart from each other. It was something that was in no way surprising when you knew the nature of those beasts.


    Out of the thirty lords present normally, the best and shortest road would make him face one particr enemy¡­Nabu.


    ¡®Should I give it a try?¡¯


    Sol had many ways to protect his life, so he wanted to face her.


    From what Kiyohime said, Nabu was basically the strongest Duke she knew.


    If he could beat her, then there would be no need to continue this trial and if he lost, there would still be no need to continue the trial.


    At the Duke level, the difference in power between two individuals could be pretty huge.


    For her to be judged like that, it was clear that her Zone didn''t just rely on her element like many of those born with Mana and Magic did. But rather, it was a conceptual type.


    Either way, fighting against Nabu could be a good way to finish this whole test and get out of this hell hole.


    He wanted to breathe fresh air.


    Thinking so, he walked in the direction that had been indicated on the map, and slowly, the surroundings began to change. From a lush forest to one filled with dead trees, then filled with snow and ice.


    The moment he first stepped on the white snow, he immediately stopped as he felt a chill like none other invade his body.


    ROOOAARR!!


    Without any warning, a roar so powerful the earth rumbled filled the air.


    ¡®She ising.¡¯


    Sol was surprised that he had been found so easily but did not let that bother him.


    He knew that the roar was just a warning. She felt him step foot in her territory and was ordering him to leave. He had no doubt that this would be the firdt and thest warning he would receive.


    This gave him a pause.


    Not because he was scared, but rather because her actions did not match what he had expected.


    He had thought that he would have to face a crazy dragon but just from this alone, it was clear that Nabu wasn¡¯t the kind to attack as long as she wasn¡¯t provoked first.


    From her story, he knew that she was just a pitiful girl that had been implicated in the sinmitted by her parents.


    She wasn¡¯t like the Chaos Spawns.


    Then why did he want to fight her so much? Why bother someone who means no harm and only wants to be left alone?


    ¡®My mental state is in a worse state than I thought¡­.¡¯


    He wondered if he should just end the training now and go rest. His mood was changing too fast and he felt as if he was bing bipr. He knew that this was in no way a good sign. The longer he stayed in this ce, the worse the situation would be for him.


    But, just as he was about to move away.


    *Whoosh*


    The snow around him moved and formed an ice sculpture before the ice sculpture changed into a woman.


    ¡®Beautiful.¡¯


    Sol had seen many beautiful women in his life and to this day, Nefertiti and Medea were still the most beautiful women he had ever seen.


    Still, the woman that appeared mysteriously in front of him was no slouch.


    She was a rtively tall woman with a fairplexion and had long silvery-white hair styled in a low, loose, thick braid fastened at the top with a red cord tied in a bow.


    Her outfit consisted of a ck backless bodysuit that faded into turquoise at the legs.


    At the back of her bodysuit was an article bearing resemnce to coattails, consisting of white fabric patterned with gray.


    The top of her bodysuit was covered by a cropped white-and-gray sleeveless qipao that ented her above-average-sized breasts.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Even though the woman did not introduce herself, Sol could guess who she was. After all, there was only one dragon imprisoned in this ce.


    Her cold silver-white pupils were gazing intently at him while her grip on the long spear she was holding tightened.


    ¡°Why¡­¡±


    With a dreamy voice, as if she was not used to talking, she spoke.


    ¡°Why¡­do you have¡­Master¡¯s scent on you¡­?¡±


    Sol couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of shit he had just been pulled into.


    [1]: Heh. I am sure many were already thinking about how Sol would bang Mia.


    (AN: Sigh. Hard chapter. I wanted to show the slowly deteriorating psyche of Sol without making it too cringe, which I think I failed. Also, the mystery is thickening. I still wonder if anyone can guess who Nabu¡¯s master is lol. Just so you know, it isn¡¯t a divine beast.)

 Chapter 239 CH 214: END OF THE FIGHT

    ''She isn''t someone to be taken lightly.''


    This was the second time Sol felt such an emotion facing a Duke ever since he awakened his War Form.


    The first time had been against Isis, which wasn''t surprising knowing her origin. Now though, the woman in front of him was clearly at another level. It was as if what he was facing wasn¡¯t a living being, but rather one made out entirely out of ice and snow.


    ¡°I¡­asked¡­why do you have a master''s smell¡­on you?¡±


    Even though her voice had the same emotionless tone to it, he could feel a hint of impatience creeping in it.


    ¡°Are you¡­her enemy?¡±


    Her silver-white pupils slowly changed into a deep scarlet red.


    *Whoosh* BOOM!!


    Acting on more of a reflex than anything else, Sol used his arms to guard his side, but this did not stop him from being propelled like a cannonball and colliding against a huge mountain.


    *Rumble* *Rumble*


    Under the force of the collision, the mountain crumbled like a castle made out of cards.


    ¡°*Cough* *Cough* Holy shit. I felt that one.¡±


    Walking out of the rubble with his clothes in tatters, Sol couldn¡¯t help but curse as he looked with astonishment at his left arm that was limping because of a deep cut. A little more and his arm would have gone flying.


    Blood was dripping not only from the deep wound on his arm but also from his lips. Clearly, some organs in his body had been shaken quite a bit. He was even sure that he had some broken ribs.


    As if that wasn¡¯t enough, his regeneration was hampered. The frostbite on his arm and the chill in his guts were the obvious reasons.


    ¡®What is this strength?¡¯


    While it was true that he had been caught off guard and didn¡¯t have time to put up a proper defense, the amount of damage he had received with just one hit was off the chart.


    *Step* *Step* *Step*


    The sound of ice being crushed sounded in Sol¡¯s ears as he raised his head and looked at the Nabu.


    The aura covering her body hadpletely changed. If before she looked like a transient fairy, now she was like an Ashura drenched in blood and filled with madness.


    Be it her clothes, her eyes, or her hair, all of them had beenpletely dyed in a deep scarlet. In her arm was a long bident, seemingly made out of blue crystal. Blood could be seen on the tip, showing that it was the weapon she had used to attack him.


    Sol initially wanted to talk and exin that he didn¡¯t know who her master was. At the very least, if said master really had her scent of him, he was willing to discuss with her as they tried to understand who, out of all the people he came in contact with, could be her master.


    But after being attacked for no reason?


    ¡°Fuck it.¡±


    Sol cursed again. Because of his upbringing in this world, he didn¡¯t like to curse and rarely did so. But now he was really angry.


    His eyes shone with a menacing glint as he released a deep growl and immediately entered the first form of the dragon form.


    Summoning a hammer from his dimension, the same one he used to crush Mia¡¯s head, Sol rushed like a bolt of lightning.


    BANG!!


    His speed was so high that he immediately tore through the sonic barrier as if it was nonexistent.


    BOOM!!


    This was immediately followed by a loud roar as he swung his hammer with all his strength. The hammer was shining like a star because of all the mana it was filled with.


    But what followed refreshed the world view of Sol.


    Just one palm. One palm was all she needed to stop a hit strong enough to reduce any other Duke to ashes.


    *Rumble* *Rumble*


    The ground below them was already crumbling because of the shockwave and a huge twenty meters wide pit formed around them.


    Even so, she did not take even one step back.


    ¡®Not good.¡¯


    Sol¡¯s hands became numb. What would happen if a normal human swung a sword at a wall with all his strength? Physics would do its job and the reaction force would most likely hurt him.


    The same was happening in this case. Nabu was like an imprable wall that could not be breached.


    Furthermore, her other hand wasn¡¯t idle. She counterattacked with a fast jab, fully intent on piercing Sol with her bident.


    ¡°!!!¡±


    For the first time, Nabu''s expression changed as her eyes widened in surprise.


    Her bident did pierce Sol as she had expected, but she felt nothing. It was as if she had pierced a mirage.


    Sol¡¯s figure vanished before reappearing a few hundred meters farther.


    ¡°Incredible. If I didn¡¯t use my dimension, I would have be a shishkebab.¡±


    ¡°How¡­did you¡­do that?¡±


    Despite the distance, Sol could clearly hear her voice.


    ¡°You think I am some kind of third-rate viin that will exin how my skills work?¡±


    He scoffed inwardly. What he did was by no means simple. He didn¡¯t even know if other-dimensional mages could do the same.


    In short, by superimposing his body in this dimension and the other one, he essentially became intangible while in the normal dimension.


    Of course, this move wasn¡¯t invincible. If he faced someone like Lilith, Lilin, or Freya, he would still be unable to escape.


    He didn¡¯t know if the crazy girl in front of him could affect space, but there was no way he was willing to take the risk of exposing his trick.


    After not receiving an answer, Nabu seemed to lose interest in talking and changed her stance. As if holding a gun, she pointed her bident at him.


    Immediately, a powerful chill began to gather at the tip of the bident. Frost began to form all around her and it seemed as if she wanted to cover the world in ice.


    Sol of course hadn¡¯t stayed idle while she was preparing her attack.


    Opening his mouth, mana began to condense like never before. A supernova of energy that would erase everything in its wake.


    For a moment, the world seemed to be divided into two zones. One chilling blue and the others warming gold.


    <<Dragon Breath: Chilling Light.>>


    <<Dragon Roar: Supernova.>>


    *Whoosh*


    *Whoosh*


    At a speed indiscernible to the naked eye, the two beams of energy flew at the same time before shing.


    There was a short instant ofplete silence, a silence so deadly that it felt as though the world hade to a standstill. It could even make any onlooker doubt whether everything was an illusion or not.


    It was at this moment that¡ª,<sub> </sub>


    BOOOOOOM!!


    ¡ªWith the thunderous sound of an explosion, a blinding light upied everyone¡¯s vision before a mushroom of dust rose so high in the sky that it could be seen from several kilometers away.


    The very atmosphere seemed to be repulsed as a shockwave spread apart from the point of impact, covering several kilometers and absolutely destroying everything in its wake.


    The air burned, the wind stirred and all sounds in the space of the explosion vanished, reced by a silence full of devastation and destruction. It was like the aftermath of a nuclear explosion.


    When the explosion finally stopped, all that could be seen was a deep crater spanning more than a kilometer. At the same time, the aftereffect of the explosion affected a radius of more than 15 kilometers.


    The battlefield fell silent as the two opponents had vanished from it in a mysterious way.


    But it didn¡¯t take long for Sol to appear,pletely unscathed, as space rippled. The moment the two beams shed, he had immediately felt the danger and decided to hide in his dimension. Thereby avoiding the backsh that proceeded.


    ¡°Well, is she dead?¡±


    He mocked in jest. He didn¡¯t believe that this could have been enough to kill Nabu. But surely, she should have been quite wounded.


    His smile vanished when the particles of ice seemed to float aimlessly in the air before slowly gathering together.


    In the end, appearing with nary a wound, was none other than Nabu.


    The moment she appeared, she did not say a word and rushed at Sol, shing with her bident.


    Sol, this time wasn¡¯t taken aback by her attack and managed to avoid it by leaning backward. At the same time, he condensed a de of mana filled with killing intent at the sole of his feet and with a backflip, shed at her while taking further distance.


    Nabu did not lose momentum as she avoided the sneak attack by sidestepping and continuing her relentless attack.


    Meanwhile, Sol showed his growth as he dodged, countered, and sometimes redirected her attacks.


    He had learned his lesson in the previous sh and knew that in terms of pure strength, he had absolutely no way to match her.


    This fight was extremely exhrating for Sol. He couldn¡¯t think, couldn¡¯t prepare. All his moves were done by pure instincts and experience. All his senses were working in overdrive in order to grasp the situation.


    Even so, Sol was slowly losing ground and he knew it. Twirling, sidestepping, and so many different moves. It was as if Nabu was dancing to a piece of music that only she could hear.


    The rhythm of the fight hadpletely fallen in her hand.


    There was nothing he could do. Nabu was clearly a closebat expert and had ten thousand years of experiencepared to her.


    The fact was he had already activated his horns while Nabu was still in her base form. This showed the difference in terms of pure stats between the two of them.


    She was faster than him and stronger than him. He could only stay on the defensive while she attacked him from all sides with her bident.


    He briefly thought about using his war form, but he knew that no matter how fast his transformation was, she would be able to sh his throat five times before he could finish.


    Eventually, Sol slipped up and Nabu did not miss that mistake. Like a predator pouncing at its prey, she broke his guard and was about to hit him heavily, but once again, her attack went through him.


    This was followed by Sol vanishing once again and appearing far from her.


    *Drip* *Drip*


    Sweat flowed from his forehead as it dripped on the ground.


    ¡®It is incredible.¡¯


    Sol had no choice to admit that Nabu waspletely on another levelpared to all those he faced until now without using his war form or his dimension, he had absolutely no chance of beating her.


    The fight seemed to fall to a lull as the two adversaries faced each other.


    ¡°You are very strong.¡±


    Sol was the first one to break the silence as he admitted frankly.


    The girl seemed taken aback at his praise before nodding.


    ¡°You are¡­very weak.¡±


    Sol¡¯s smile froze on his face for an instant before it changed to a wry smile. While being called weak could be quite hurtful for some, Sol, on the other hand, did not mind.


    Since the moment he left Lustburg, he had decided to stop caring about what other people thought of him. Furthermore, he knew very well that his growth was unequaled.


    He was still in his growth phase and the him of tomorrow would always be stronger than the him of today.


    No matter how much stronger than him Nabu was now, it did not matter since he would soon surpass her like he did with so many others.


    Taking a deep breath, he focused briefly on his arm and was happy to see that it waspletely connected. At least this was one worry away.


    Dropping all useless thoughts, he was about to continue the fight but was surprised to see that the deep red that colored Nabu began to fade. Clearly, she didn¡¯t want to fight anymore.


    ¡°Why are you stopping?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°You¡­cannot be¡­ Master¡¯s enemy...Too weak.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is your master very strong then?¡±


    ¡°My master is¡­a Demi-god.¡±


    <o>,m Nothing else needed to be said. But who said that one had to be strong to have strong enemies?</o>


    Of course, Sol wasn¡¯t dumb enough to mention this to this girl that seemed to have a pretty simple thought process despite how strong she was.


    Still, he couldn¡¯t help but ask as he was quite curious about who the master of Nabu was. After all, even demi-gods had different levels and for someone to be the master of a Dragon, then that person must have been one of the top tier demi-gods.


    But the only demigod Sol had personally met were Ambrosia, Gabriel, and Tiamat.


    ¡®Is it Ambrosia?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t impossible. After all, Ambrosia had quite the number of students and was one of the first mortal demi-gods as well as a Singrities. She was without a doubt a top-tier demigod.


    ¡°Is your master called Ambrosia?¡±


    Nabu shook her head, ¡°My master¡­Is not the Supreme witch.¡±


    ''Oh, so she does know Ambrosia. Then again that woman is quite old.''


    Nabu fell silent for a short while before making her decision.


    This was the first time she had found a lead to her most beloved master. She couldn¡¯t afford to lose this asion.


    ¡°My master is the zing Lioness¡­ Her name is...Bastet. [1]"


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Sol waspletely dumbfounded at this name. If the conjecture that jumped in his mind was right, then¡­


    ¡®Holy shit!¡¯


    ¡ª-


    [1]: Congrattions to Christopher Torres who managed to guess the identity of Nabu''s teacher.


    (AN: I have been using Dragon Roar until now but I am wondering if Dragon breath should be more urate? I won¡¯t lie, I mainly use dragon roar because I was influenced by Fairy tail, a very good show but disappointing in thest arc, anyway. Give me your opinion.)

 Chapter 240 CH 215: I CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT

    ¡°My master is the zing Lioness¡­ Her name is...Bastet. [1]"


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Sol waspletely dumbfounded at this name. If what he was thinking was really the case, then¡­


    ¡®Holy shit!¡¯


    The reason for Sol¡¯s surprise was that he had an inkling about a clue towards the whereabouts of her master.


    In his previous world, Bastet was the name of an Egyptian deity rted to the god of sun, however, that Goddess had two identities.


    As Bastet, she was a goddess with the head of a cat who could also take the form of a cat. In that form, she was a benevolent goddess protecting humanity. She was also a goddess of love and lust, representing the warm aspect of the sun.


    But in her other form, she was a goddess with the head of a Lioness. In that form, she became a warrior goddess who represented the destructive aspect of the sun.


    People called her "(One) Before Whom Evil Trembles", "Mistress of Dread", "Lady of ughter." and "She Who Mauls¡±. She was once sent to punish humans and ended up destroying most of humanity.


    Her name was ¡ª Sekhmet.


    Back then when he got his cat from Nent, he had given her the name ¡®Sekhmet¡¯ because she was a magical beast with Ice properties. He had thought that it would be an ironic twist to give the name of a fire-breathing lioness to an ice-breathing pet cat.


    Now though, it seemed that the real irony had been in trying to be ironic.


    ''Still, Nabu was imprisoned during the 1st Era. Is my Sekhmet really her teacher?¡¯


    This would seem like too much of a coincidence.


    The cat that he luckily got in the Phoenix territory ended up being a demigoddess and the master of a dragon?


    Furthermore, he had only given her the name Sekhmet on a whim. For all he know, he could have named her little red or some stupid name of the like.


    Finally, from her title, it was clear that Bastet wielded the power of fire. Meanwhile, his cat was a pure Ice magical beast.


    Of course, all of this was pure spection.


    What really made him doubt that Sekhmet was Bastet was one simple fact.


    How could a demigod walk under the radar of both Gabriel and Tiamat?


    Still, it was a fact that Nabu felt the scent of her master on him.


    He shrugged, even if the cat Sekhmet wasn¡¯t the demigoddess Bastet, at the very least, the two of them were rted one way or another.


    Then, his gaze fell on the fidgeting Nabu. Clearly, his reaction made her understand that he did have information about her master.


    She seemed so pitiful looking. Should he just tell her what he knew?


    A gentle smile formed on his face.


    ¡®As if.¡¯


    Information was power. This was a truth Sol realized long ago, even more so in this fantasy world.


    Sol didn¡¯t forget that she had been trying to kill him just a few moments ago over a simple misunderstanding.


    If his body wasn¡¯t as strong, or if he couldn¡¯t use his dimension, he would have been greatly wounded and be at death''s door.


    Sol didn¡¯t think that he was petty. But he wasn''t so kind that he would smile and joke around with someone who had just tried to harm him. No matter how much he looked like his father, he wasn¡¯t as forgiving as him.


    In fact, the only reason he had stopped the fight was because he had judged that he had few chances to kill her as he was now.


    ¡®Now then, how should I maximize my advantage?¡¯


    He had no information on her master. But the clues he had should still interest her a great deal.


    ¡ª


    While Sol was thinking about getting the maximum price from her, Nabu was bing more restless. While she was simple-minded, she wasn¡¯t stupid.


    She had enough experience to understand what the calcting gaze of Sol meant. She knew that there was no way she would get what she wished for easily. She also knew that she had no one to me but herself.


    If she hadn¡¯t attacked him impulsively, the situation would be different.


    During the war, her master was one of the rare mortals who reached the level of demigod.


    While she didn¡¯t reach a transcendental level like the Necromancer King, Mother Of Thousand Monsters, or The Thousand Spells Witch, her master was still a very powerful demigoddess.


    This was even more so since she had managed to use a normal element like Ice and Fire to a conceptual level that allowed her to ¡®Burn¡¯ the space and ¡®Freeze¡¯ even the time.


    Back when she followed her father, she knew that her master was about to be ambushed by her father and a few Titans.


    In order to save her master, she didn''t hesitate to transmit their location to Tiamat.


    This was perhaps one of the reasons why she hadn''t been executed as a traitor like her father.


    She had been ready to pay any price to save her master then and she was still ready to pay any price in order to meet her master now.


    "What¡­Do you¡­.Want?"


    Her voice was still coarse because of the thousands of years with no one to speak with properly.


    "Hum¡­I just realized that we never really introduced ourselves."


    "....??"


    She couldn''t understand why he suddenly changed the discussion.


    "My name is Sol. Sol Dragna Luxuria."


    Nabu was nowpletely bewildered.


    "My name is¡­ Nabu."


    She couldn''t help but feel strange. How long had it been since she had properly introduced herself?


    She even thought that she had forgotten her own name.


    "Mhm. Nabu. An interesting name. Heh¡­ As you may have guessed, I do have some information about your master. But¡­"


    ''Here is it.''


    "...It won''t be free."


    "What do you¡­want?"


    Nabu repeated herself. This time though, her tone had more strength behind it, prompting Sol to smile.


    "Heh. Don''t look at me like I am some bad guy... Let''s go with five favors. I believe it¡¯s a fair deal."


    Sol didn''t want to form a contract with Nabu.


    It was partially because forming a contract with a dragon when he was partially one himself would be a waste of Capacity Points, and also for a simple reason.


    He didn¡¯t believe in her.


    "Favors¡­?"


    "Yes. Five times. I can ask anything and everything I want and you need to obey."


    ¡°That¡­That¡¯s all?¡±


    She was a little surprised. She had thought that Sol would use this asion to ask for an astronomical price. After all, it was quite clear that she was desperate for information about her master.<sub> </sub>


    Sol shrugged, ¡°Of course.¡±


    Sol was sure that before those five favors were consumed, he would find a way to make her even more in his debt.


    "I agree¡­"


    "Beautiful."


    "But¡­I have one condition."


    "Go on."


    "I will listen to everything you want¡­and I will even give you my life if you want. But¡­only if any of those favors don''t bring harm to¡­my master."


    This time Sol fell silent as he scrutinized Nabu¡¯s face.


    "You must really respect her."


    "Master taught me everything¡­I know and almost raised me by herself¡­Everything I am¡­ Everything I have¡­The power I wield¡­all of them are gifts of my master."


    Sol remembered someone uttering those exact words not long ago.


    It was when Kiyohime was talking to Tiamat.


    "What about Tiamat?"


    "...The Empress is the reason I am alive and for that, I will always respect her¡­But her ce in my heart is iparable to that of my master."


    Dragons; Prideful creatures, they were.


    Dragons did not submit easily, for they always wished to stand higher.


    But once they did submit to someone, that person would be their pride and honor.


    That was the reason ze could follow Mars in death.


    If given the opportunity, Kiyohime would do the same for Tiamat.


    Now, Sol could see it clearly in Nabu¡¯s eyes that were reminiscent of the snowstorm. Without any hesitation, she could do the same for her master.


    This did make him appreciate her a little more. After all, he was also ready to sacrifice himself for those he loved if it was necessary.


    ¡ª


    After obtaining Nabu''s promise, Sol briefly exined his doubt and the situation of Sekhmet.


    He made sure to not give her any false hope. For all they knew, what if Bastet was dead and Sekhmet was just distantly rted to her?


    Once he finished exining everything, Nabu pinched her eyebrow while thousand of thoughts swirled in her head.


    It had been so long since she had properly talked to someone and she had learned so many new things.


    Her head ached as she tried to organize everything.


    ¡°What will you¡­do now?¡±


    She needed to find a ce and think for herself but she couldn¡¯t simply leave like this.


    ¡°Heh¡­Nothing, I will leave Tartarus.¡±


    Sol wanted to continue to the next circle, but his rationale made him stop.


    Despite how powerful Nabu was, she was only imprisoned on the 5th circle.


    What about the 6th, where Titans and Giants were imprisoned then? How powerful would they be?


    But there was another more fundamental fact,


    ¡°I refuse to go on the 6th circle without beating you.¡±


    His eyes were lit with a fiercepetitive light.


    He wanted to win. He wanted to be the strongest. But as he was now, he was still quite limited.


    Taking the talisman Kiyohime had given to him, Sol immediately crushed it.


    ¡°Once I be a Duke, I wille back.¡±


    It was clear what would happen once he did.


    It was only after standing alone in the wastnd that resulted from their sh for a few seconds that Nabu finally caught a very important point.


    ¡°He¡­wasn¡¯t a Duke?¡±


    She was briefly surprised when she recalled the intensity of his power.


    ¡®I wonder if he wille back.¡¯


    She sighed and discarded any useless thought. She had been ready to give up and put an end to her life.


    But now that she had information about her master, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a spark of hope burn in her chest.


    ¡®Perhaps, I should finally break through the level of King?¡¯


    She had been standing at the peak of the Duke rank for more than a few thousand years.


    She had already long awakened her True Name. But she hadn¡¯t evolved because she feared what would happen once she became a King while in Prison.


    After all, she had a few acquaintances in the 7th circle that would be pretty happy to tear her apart if they caught her.


    Betrayal.


    Thinking so, she threw onest nce at a certain spot in the sky before walking away.


    She could do nothing else than wait.


    ¡ª


    High in the sky, Kiyohime was floating silently with her wings opened wide.


    The moment Sol began to fight Nabu, Kiyohime immediately appeared in order to observe and was surprised by what she saw.


    She was even more surprised by how decisive he had been in leaving.


    ¡®He really is a dragon.¡¯


    Pride was the foundation of all Dragons. Her job as an instructor was to temper that pride to make it a strength rather than a liability.


    The fact that Sol understood his own level and left this ce of his own volition made her particrly happy.


    Now it was time for her to began with a more hand-on approach.


    She would help him find a fighting style suitable for him and help develop all the basics as a dragon should. Then, she would leave him to her mother.


    ¡®Once he is done¡­I am sure that the current Nabu would have no chance.¡¯


    She smiled as she activated her own talisman.


    She had nothing left to do here. As for Sol''s discussion with Nabu about Bastet, Kiyohime was a little curious about Sol¡¯s cat but didn¡¯t care much more than that.


    After all¡­Bastet already died all those years ago.

 Chapter 241 CH 216: TEASING A DRAGON

    ''Interesting.''


    Tiamat thought as she stood up from her throne.


    Sol''s training had been extremely interesting in her opinion. She was surprised to find that she had learned many things.


    For one, his decision to cut short his training in Tartarus surprised her since this had happened in none of the futures she had seen.


    At the end of the day, her foresight, future sight wasn¡¯t her specialty and she could only observe a limited amount of possibilities in the stream of time.


    Still, she was gratified by his sight since it showed that he understood his limit very well and was ready to strive for greater heights.


    Sol already had pretty interesting skills. What he did with his dimension in order to avoid Nabu''s attack particrly intrigued her.


    Dimensional Mages had the highest survival rate because even at the King or Demigod level, there weren''t many who could directly affect space and time.


    Even for those that could, it wasn''t as if they couldpletely counter dimensional mages either.


    One of the reasons was clearly because a dimensional mage could enter his dimension at any moment and the more skilled they were, the less time it took to hide in the dimension.


    But what Sol did waspletely different. In the first ce, the different dimensions had different ways of working so it was expected.


    For most of them, once they entered their dimension, they could not see what was happening to the other side without opening a portal.


    But Sol, even in his dimension, could see everything that happened in another dimension. At least from what she understood.


    This was perhaps the reason why he was able to do what he did.


    ''I wonder what his dimension encroachment would look like.''


    She smiled at the thought. It had been a long time since she had been so excited about training someone of the young generation.


    Not even for ze since there wasn''t really much to teach to a Chaos Dragon aside from knowing what kind of hit one should take and what should be avoided.


    With Sol, on the other hand, she had finally found a true inheritor that would receive all her skills.


    ''Let''s work on the schedule program again. I will leave him to Kiyohime for a week or two to help him unwind.''


    For the training in Tartarus, the most important wasn''t how much they evolved while being down there, but how they changed aftering back to the surface.


    Some of them became dominated by the killing intent while others never managed to get their sanity back.


    Of course, this happened to a very small minority of weak-minded dragons. If Sol crumbled from only so much, then it would be extremely disappointing.


    All she could do now was wait for the Nornes sisters.


    ¡ª--


    ¡®Ugh! It feels suffocating.¡¯


    The moment Sol appeared above the sea, he was so surprised that he didn¡¯t even bother taking out his wing and fell down helplessly with a ssh in the water.


    Since then, he had been floating aimlessly, letting the waves send him wherever they wished to.


    He felt so sluggish. He wished to do nothing. He didn¡¯t even wish to sleep - just letting his mind staypletely still and void.


    Even now, he could feel his body slowly changing as it greedily absorbed the pure mana in the air.


    Compared to when he initially entered, while it wasn¡¯t like he could crush his old self, he still went through an incredible growth. Just the cirction of energy in his core was a few times faster and he could feel that his mana veins were far sturdier.


    Despite this, he couldn¡¯t find in himself the slightest feeling of tion. It was like a tight string was suddenly cut, making him feel hapless.


    ¡°You are here. Do you know how hard it was to find you? At least you should emanate some energy.¡±


    A shadow formed above his head, blocking the light of the sun from reaching him. Blinking a little as his awareness came back, Sol looked up at the intruder that awakened him from his stupor and couldn¡¯t help but mutter.


    ¡°What a beautiful sight.¡±


    ¡°!!!¡±


    Kiyohime, who had been floating just above his head was briefly confused before her face blushed and she moved away from above him in a sh.


    ¡°You saw it?¡±


    ¡°To think the dragon Queen would flymando. The breeze must feel good.¡±


    Kiyohime became even redder,


    ¡°A gentleman would have acted as if he had seen nothing.¡±


    ¡°Since when did I say that I was a gentleman?¡±


    Sighing, Sol shook his head as he stood up and began to walk on the water by applying mana on the soles of his feet.


    He was toozy to fly and didn¡¯t want to bother.


    Kiyohime was a little startled before chortling in amusement.<sub> </sub>


    Indeed, from what she had seen with Nent and Sol, her little nephew was in no way a gentleman.


    Manipting the flow of mana, her clothes changed and she was now fully covered above and below.


    ¡°Oh¡­How did you do that?¡±


    Curiosity shed in his otherwise dead listless eyes.


    ¡°What do you¡­Ah¡­Astral clothes? It¡¯s a pretty useful technique. You can create weapons with mana, right? Why not do the same with clothes?¡±


    Sol tilted his head, ¡°But¡­If you deplete your mana¡­?¡±


    ¡°You will end up butt naked.¡±


    Kiyohime shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s why Astral clothes exist. They are special clothes created by using Arachnid thread as the main material. That thread easily absorbs mana and can change shape based on the flow of mana.¡±


    This kind of clothes was practically a necessity for divine beasts. After all, if they wore normal clothes, they would be naked everytime they transformed.


    ¡°Arachnid thread? Interesting¡­¡±


    Sol couldn¡¯t help but think of Duchess Arachne Mris. One of the four Dukes of Lustburg. She was also a very skilled woman or rather, a legendary woman when it came to art. At the very least, he didn¡¯t think anyone could be praised by the goddesses and receive a gift from them.


    At the same time, thinking about Arachne and Lustburg made him think back to all his beloved ones that were waiting and worrying for him.


    ¡®I miss home.¡¯


    Strength came back to his eyes as the depression and sluggishness waspletely swept away.


    He remembered why he came to the Astral World and how much he was willing to sacrifice for them. Even though his mind was tired and he did need some rest, he couldn¡¯t let his mental states deteriorate further.


    Kiyohime, who had been observing Sol, was quite surprised. She didn¡¯t find his previous state foreign.


    After leaving the gloom and darkness as well as the stained energy of Chaos in Tartarus, all young dragons would fall into a daze.


    How long thissted depended on the individuals but, while most always managed to break away, some others would fall further in the abyss of madness.


    ''Even after deteriorating, his mental state is still quite good.''


    "Let''s go back to my Ind. You need to rest."


    Sol didn''t bother arguing and followed her Kiyohime.


    The call of afortable andrge bed did sound very appealing.


    ¡ª--


    [7th Heaven]


    While Sol was climbing up the heavens on Kiyohime''s ship, Isis was facing a very ufortable situation.


    Currently, Isis was being surrounded by a group of peopleposed of dragons, elves, and dryads.


    While Dryads were originating from the Territory of Yggdrasil, this didn''t mean that they couldn''t settle down outside of their home.


    ''I have been careless.''


    Thest time, when Isis descended on the 7th heaven alongside Nent, nothing noteworthy had happened and their outing had been pretty mundane.


    This gave her the illusion that she could do everything herself and as such, she decided toe to visit a store with Sheherazade''s help.


    At first, everything had been alright and everyone was happy.


    But suddenly one crazy woman came and asked her to sell Sheherazade to her. The worse was that, once this didn''t work, she began to threaten them and even found a Dryads to y the witness.


    Isis didn''t care whether Sheherazade was really a criminal or if it was just a ploy. There was absolutely no way she was going to give her friend away.


    "I said that this fairy is a criminal in our territory, are you really willing to protect her?"


    "I don''t care."


    "You¡­!"


    Faint ck mes began to flicker as Nent wondered whether she should just burn all those bastards alive.


    "What going on?"


    Isis turned towards the source of the voice that interrupted them and then squinted.


    She usually didn''t pay attention to people in general because of her upbringing, but she still remembered the man that appeared.


    After all, from what she heard, he was supposedly one of the most powerful young dragons Sol would have to face.


    He was none other than the descendant of Fafnir¨C


    ¨CKaiser.

 Chapter 242 CH 217: KAISER (1)

    Kaiser Superbia, the grandson of one of the four Dragon King, Fafnir.


    In the dragon tribe, Kaiser and Nidhogg were the two brightest stars since they showed the most potential to reach the level of King.


    The Dragon tribe had been rather unlucky when it came to King level since all those who became one aside from the first four ended up dying one way or another.


    In the current generation, the two had been given many important resources and many believed that the one who would win the vacant title of prince would be one of them.


    Kaiser in particr was extremely popr. Not only because of his looks and talent but also because he inherited a part of Tiamat¡¯s foresight power, making him a deadly opponent in battle. His power was less developed than her, but in a way, it was a blessing.


    Tiamat''s foresight was extremely specialized and she could only observe the future of people with dragon blood. But Kaiser, while losing a lot of power, suffered no such restriction.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    That was why, the moment he entered the scene and asked with a cold voice, all the others who were moring earlier couldn¡¯t help but shut their mouths in uneasiness.


    ¡°Kaiser! I am sorry that you were disturbed. I wonder what you are doing in the Queen¡¯s territory?¡±


    Kaiser sneered at the veiled intention in the words of the dragon who spoke to him.


    While the 7th Heaven belonged to all the dragons, it was divided into smaller territories with each of them belonging to one of the dragon kings or princes.


    Kaiser, as the grandson of Fafnir, had technically no authority in this part of the 7th heaven.


    But-


    ¡°I believe I asked a question.¡±


    Hepletely ignored the dragon that spoke to him, as if he was nothing more than a pebble on the road.


    ¡°My lord¡­¡±


    In the end, one of the elves decided to intervene to stop the situation from worsening. They did not want to see dragons fight for petty reasons. Even more so since the winner was already evident.


    In the end, the elf began to exin the situation as it was. He did not bother to embellish or demean anyone. Such an action was beneath them after all.


    When he finished, the dryad continued.


    ¡°I am not trying to start a conflict. The fairy on the shoulder of that¡­Phoenix is a criminal researched on our territory.¡±


    ¡°I dare you! I swear you will be reduced to charcoal before you can even approach me.¡±


    Isis who had stayed silent this whole time growled. She did not miss the disgust in the eyes of the dryad as well as most of those present.


    Since she wasn¡¯t fused with Sheherazade currently, her death aura was on full disy and it was clear that it wasn¡¯t appreciated.


    But for once, Isis did not care about those looks. Protecting her friend was far more important than this.


    The moment Isis stopped holding back, those that had crowded around her couldn¡¯t help but take a few steps back in fright.


    It had to be said that Isis was a very powerful Duke in her own right. She wasn¡¯t someone people at their level could afford to underestimate.


    ¡®Oh? What a fiery woman.¡¯


    Kaiser threw her an interesting look. If he had to be honest he did dislike her at first instinctively.


    But it didn¡¯t take long for him to push back those instincts. Kaiser believed that only mindless beasts let themselves be controlled by instincts.


    As divine beasts and superior beings, it was their duty to only judge people based on the most objective facts.


    Sighing, Kaiser looked at the dragon that he previously ignored.


    ¡°You should drop it and go away.¡±


    <o>,m ¡°Kaiser! Aren¡¯t you acting a little too much?¡±</o>


    Kaiser pinched his eyebrows and sighed.


    ¡®This is why dealing with lustful morons is such a pain.¡¯


    He could smell the scent of the dryad on the dragon. Clearly, the reason he was helping her was either that he had received some kind of less than savory payment or simply because he was courting her.


    Either way, this was another case of a dragon thinking with their lower members.


    ¡°Tell me. Do you want to start a diplomatic incident?¡±


    ¡°Wha¨C?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Kaiser roared, barely containing his anger,


    ¡°Firstly, whether that infuriating fairy is a criminal or not, who gave that woman the right to chase someone down in our territory? In fact, who the hell does she think she is even?¡±


    ¡°Bu¨C¡±


    ¡°I said shut up! Secondly, when such a case happens, the regtions are to reach the lord of the territory to settle the dispute. The one who holds office in this territory is Aqua. Why the hell did you not inform her first before making a scene here?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°*Sigh* Finally, you dumb fuck whose IQ lowered because of lust. Do you even know who the hell you are antagonizing? Or what? Do you think there are many Phoenixes shrouded in death in this world?¡±


    The dragon that had grown sullen because of the repeated insult closed his mouth as he went deep into thinking. Though it didn¡¯t take long for him to remember the information.


    After all, there was only one Death Phoenix alive in this world.


    He looked at Isis in horror as realization finally struck him like a hammer.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    This time Kaiser smirked,


    ¡°From the pitiful look on your face, I think your little brain finally stopped disturbing the bigger one. Also, as if it wasn¡¯t enough. Do I need to remind you that they are guests of honor of the Empress?¡±


    ¡ª-----


    ¡°Whoooo! It was crazy! You went whoosh and whoosh. Completely destroyed those bastards with just your words! Badass!¡±


    A few minutester, after Kaiser berated that dragon until he realized how foolish he had been, the dragon profusely apologized to Isis and even promised to send somepensation.


    As for the matter of Sheherazade being a criminal, it had beenpletely thrown on the wayside.<sub> </sub>


    Currently, Kaiser and Isis were sitting in an open-air terrace as Sheherazade had proposed a meal as a thank you for helping them.


    Listening to the excited words of Sheherazade, Kaiser¡¯s lips twitched as he fought to control his growing tension. That fairy had a little too much energy for him.


    Tasting an ice cream, Isis nodded, ¡°I didn¡¯t need your help there but thanks.¡±


    Kaiser didn¡¯t know how to react to such a half-hearted thanks and shrugged.


    ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t appreciate my presence?¡±


    Isis sighed, ¡°I am sorry. That was too much for me.¡±


    Looking at him in the eyes, she smiled.


    ¡°Thanks for helping us.¡±


    ¡°...*Ahem*...It was nothing.¡±


    Kaiser coughed as he could feel his cheek redden at the unexpected smile. The gap between the previous stone-faced Isis and this one was pretty wide and all the more striking.


    ¡°Well then. Time for us to leave. It was a pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Kaiser stood up at the same time as them unconsciously, prompting Isis to look at him with bewilderment.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°*Cough* Nothing¡­I mean¡­I have a business with Aqua. Let me apany you.¡±


    Isis tilted her head, but in the end, simply shrugged. It wasn¡¯t like she could stop him from visiting his own family.


    ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    Like this, the two walked in near rtive silence and used the tower of Babel to ascend to the 8th heaven.


    Sometimes, Sheherazade would buzz around him and ask a few questions, and Kaiser would answer but that was it.


    Kaiser couldn¡¯t believe how flustered he was because of Isis. After all, it wasn¡¯t as if he was an inexperienced man. He had his fair share of flings. After all, he was so popr.


    If all the women who wanted him in this territory formed a line, it would be enough to cover a few hundred meters.


    But this was the first time a woman really managed to make him feel that weird flutter in the stomach.


    ¡®Well, not really the first time.¡¯


    He remembered that he did have a crush on his cousin, Nidhogg.


    In fact, for a time, there were even talks about them bing mates. After all, with their talents and identities, the two of them suited each other quite a bit.


    Sadly, Nidhogg rejected him. She never exined her reason but there was nothing that could be done. Dragons respected each other''s individual desires and there was no such thing as forced marriage in their tribes.


    ¡®I wonder if she would be open to courting?¡¯


    ¡ª---


    [8th heaven]


    After getting out of the tower, the three of them easily reached Kiyohime''s ind.


    All this while, Kaiser could see that Isis had absolutely no interest in him as a man and would have most likely not talked to him if not for his earlier help.


    Still, he wasn''t discouraged. Feelings needed time to grow and he was willing to take his time to woo her.


    "Hah¡­A ship."


    Suddenly, Isis, who had beenpletely silent, reacted.


    ''The white pearl?''


    Kaiser was a little surprised at first at the sight of the ship.


    The white pearl was the exclusive ship of Kiyohime and was also a weapon of mass destruction.


    She normally only used it when on important business.


    "Ah! Sol is back!!"


    Next to him, Sheherazade cheered as she flew excitedly towards the young man that came down from the ship alongside Kiyohime.


    Kaiser recognized the name. How could he not?


    ''What a heavy killing intent!''


    Even though that intent waspletely restrained the moment the fairy approached him, Kaiser could never mistake that feeling for anything else.


    But from the information he had, Sol was still only barely an adult in human standard. How could he have such a big killing intent?


    ''Don''t tell me¡­?''


    Since Kiyohime was with him, the answer was pretty evident but not even Kaiser nor Nidhogg had the honor to step on the White pearl when it was their turn to go through Tartarus.


    "So this is Sol¡­"


    Muttering those words he threw a nce at Isis and immediately fell silent.


    The expression on her face as she followed behind Sheherazade was something that he was used to seeing on many women who faced him.


    No, in fact, it was an emotion far more pure and beautiful.


    Giving a sullen smile, Kaiser ignored the weird churning feeling in his guts as he approached Sol and stretched his hand in a sign of handshake.


    "Hello Sol, It''s nice to finally meet you."


    Sol smiled as he politely answered the handshake but inwardly, he waspletely bewildered.


    ''Who the hell is this dude?''

 Chapter 243 CH 218: KAISER (2)

    Even as he shook hands with the man that came out of nowhere, Sol couldn¡¯t help but wonder what was going on.


    Sol was not blind, nor was he as inexperienced as in the past. He had be way more adept at detecting ill intent after his experience in Tartarus.


    That was why, even though it was well hidden, he could feel the veiled hostility of the man in front of him.


    This left him quite baffled since he didn''t remember offending anyone in the Dragon territory.


    In fact, he didn''t even remember meeting anyone aside from Kiyohime, Aqua, and ze.


    ¡®Is it perhaps because of the Contest for the title of Prince?¡¯


    ¡°Excuse me. You are¡­?¡±


    ¡°Haha. Where are my manners? I am Kaiser. Grandson of Fafnir.¡±


    ¡®Oh, so this is Kaiser?¡¯


    Sol thought as he eyed the man. Kaiser was a tall and lean, but well-built man. He had long ck hair tied into a ponytail and a ck and gold eye patch on his right eye.


    He remembered that Kiyohime had talked to him about Kaiser. From what she said, the man managed to fight against Nabu and reached the 6th Circle, though he was riddled with wounds thereafter and couldn¡¯t continue the trials.


    Then again ¡®fighting¡¯ was a little too much. From what Sol understood, he was simply trashed beyond belief and survived because Nabu wasn¡¯t going for the kill.


    It was only after personally fighting against Nabu that Sol understood just how impressive that feat was.


    Nabu was without a doubt a true monster of physical strength. It didn¡¯t help that her ice slowed down the regeneration process.


    If Sol didn¡¯t have his dimension, he would have been forced to use his War form or die under her hits.


    Even if Nabu didn¡¯t attack Kaiser with the intent to kill, it showed that at least his defense was at quite high.


    ¡®Kiyohime told me Fafnir War Form is geared toward defense. I guess it¡¯s innate.¡¯


    ¡°Kaiser! It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. What are you doing on my ind, though?¡±


    On the side, Kiyohime eyed Kaiser suspiciously. It had to be said that dragons didn¡¯t really visit each other regrly.


    Kaiser smiled wordlessly as he pointed at the castle.


    ¡°I want to meet Aqua, there was a little problem on the za and I thought I ought to inform her since I intervened outside of my jurisdiction.¡±


    Sol tilted his head and managed to catch the flustered expression on Sheherazade and Isis¡¯s face.


    ¡°Hum¡­Did something happen to you two?¡±


    Isis hesitated a little, but feeling the concern in Sol¡¯s voice and the curiosity in Kiyohime¡¯s eyes, she shared a nce with Sheherazade and exined the situation.


    ¡°I see. You don¡¯t need to inform Aqua. Even though you did overstep, I appreciate that you didn¡¯t use force. Fafnir has a good descendant.¡±


    Kiyohime nodded as she praised Kaiser. She was honestly happy about the way he handled the situation.


    She knew that the Kaiser of the past wouldn¡¯t have even tried to help and even if he did, he might have worsened the situation.


    ¡®Truly, nothing better than a throughout beating to destroy the pride of insolent brat.¡¯


    She thought jokingly since she knew that it was only after being trashed by Nabu that he began to put his pride in check.


    ¡°I also thank you for helping my partner. She can be quite the handful.¡±


    Sol joked as ruffled the head of Isis who meekly tried to fight back.


    ¡°Stop! I am not a child, okay? If they continued to bother us I would have burned them to crips.¡±


    She moved her head away and punched in the air as she imagined punching the head of those annoying pricks.


    ¡°Pfft! Haha. As feisty as always.¡±


    Sol did not doubt her words. Isis wasn¡¯t someone who would ept getting bullied for no reason.


    Looking at the interactions between the two, an unpleasant feeling churned in his guts. It was a sensation quite foreign for Kaiser.


    Earlier, while Isis had been quite polite with him, she had still kept a certain invisible distance. A distance that clearly did not exist with Sol, seeing the way he could touch and joke around with her.


    Also, there was one word in particr that caught his attention.


    ¡°Partner, is it?¡±


    ¡°Yep! Yep! Once Sol be Prince, he and Isis will enter a contract and then they will go kiss kiss and *Ouf*¡±


    Sheherazade was stopped as Isis caught her.


    ¡°Hahaha. Well, I believe I will leave you guys, I have a fairy to punish.¡±


    Giving a strained smile with her face waspletely red, Isis fled while ignoring the grin Sol was throwing at her.


    ¡°Well, I think I will also leave. Nice to have met you, Kaiser.¡±


    Nodding to Kaiser, Sol waved at Kiyohime before chasing after Isis.


    If he was bewildered at first at the hostility, now he could understand where it wasing from.


    ¡®So he is jealous?¡¯


    This was the first time Sol felt true jealousying at him because of a woman. The white knight didn¡¯t count since by the time they met, the boy had already given up on Camellia.


    It was quite the novel feeling.


    ¡®Well, not like it¡¯s my problem.¡¯


    Sol knew it was hypocritical, but he was quite possessive of his women.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After Sol and Isis left, Kiyohime threw a look at Kaiser.


    ¡°You should give up.¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±


    Kiyohime ignored the fake smile stered on his face as she continued.


    ¡°I am saying this for your own good. That girl is trouble incarnate. Don¡¯t meddle in this.¡±


    p Kiyohime knew that Isis and Sol were embroiled in the games of the goddesses. She didn¡¯t even want to think about what would happen should Kaiser try to mess with the situation.</anda>


    Kaiser grew silent as he felt the warning in Kiyohime¡¯s voice. He knew that she wasn¡¯t joking around and was really worried about him.


    Even so¡­


    ¡°They will only be partners if Sol wins the contest, right? Then, I just have another incentive to win the fight, or will you ask me to throw the towel?¡±


    Kiyohime gave bitter smile and shook her head.


    ¡°I already warned you. Do as you like.¡±


    She had already said what she had to. Whatever happened next had nothing to do with her.


    ¡°I will¡­¡± Kaiser nodded with a confident smile, ¡°Well then, I think it¡¯s time for me to go. Have a good day.¡±


    Looking at his back as he walked away, Kiyohime shook her head as she wondered if Fafnir was cursed. Not only did Sol take away his crush, but now the same was happening to his grandson.


    ¡®Well, it isn¡¯t my problem.¡¯


    Her wings opened as she flew toward the 9th Heaven. Even though she was sure Tiamat had been observing Sol¡¯s training, it was still important to make a report and discuss how to caliber his training from now on.


    ¡ª--


    After Sol and Isis entered the castle, they took different directions. Sol knew that Isis and Sheherazade had much to discuss.


    As for Sol, after teasing Isis a little, he went back to his room and was ready to take a long nap but-


    ¡°Oh? You are back.¡±


    Lying down on his bed was a beautiful disheveled woman wearing nothing but a see-through short dress.


    It was, of course, Nent.


    She had been using Sol''s room as her own bedroom since the day he left.


    When she saw him enter the room, she was briefly stunned before she showed a happy smile.


    "Hello."


    Sol smiled back as his eyes trailed down the appetizing body of Nent. Sadly he was too mentally tired and wasn''t interested in any night activities currently.


    "Come here."


    Gently patting herps as she sat down on the bed, Nent called out for Sol.


    Afterying down on the bed with his head resting on herp, he released a sigh of relief.


    It has been quite some time since he felt sofortable.


    ¡°So, how was your training?¡±


    Nent gently caressed his golden hair.


    She could feel the changes in him and couldn''t help but wonder just what had happened to him during his training.


    Sol closed his eyes as he remembered all the blood, gore, and all those he killed while thinking of the mind-numbing pain he also received before giving a wane smile.


    ¡°I honestly nearly gave up a few times. But in the end, I held on.¡±


    Sol did not want to hide his pain and suffering and bear everything alone.


    Having someone to confide in was always good and it was even better if it was someone close to you. By sharing your pain and worries, you could be even closer to that person.


    It was impossible for two people to truly understand everything about each other. However, it was necessary to make an effort to reach as close as possible.


    Sol began to exin everything that happened.


    He did not give the exact name of the ce nor did he go too much into details, since the information about Tartarus was confidential.


    But as for his struggle, his fight, and his mental problem ¡ª he did not hesitate to divulge everything.


    It was quite weird. He would have never thought that he would one day speak so honestly with Nent.


    But perhaps it was precisely because it was Nent.


    While they were lovers, the two of them were mainly allies walking towards different yet simr goals.


    Hearing his struggles, the normally sharp light in Nent''s eyes softened.


    What Sol went through was like a mini introduction to the war back then.


    She could understand how hard it must have been since he only awakened a few months ago.


    "It must have been quite hard. Many people would have given up in your ce. Now, you should just sleep."


    She continued to caress his hair and gently emanated her holy aura in the room, creating a warm and calming atmosphere.


    "I¡­"


    Sol tried to fight back a little but his mind was too worn out and in the end, he closed his eyes as he fell asleep on herps.


    "Fufufu~! He is quite cute when he sleeps like this."


    It was the first time she took care of someone in such a way and she had to say that it made her quite giddy.


    She was happy to see that Sol hade back stronger than ever and was about to go through another level. But weirdly, she was even happier that he hade back in one piece.


    ''Sleep well and have a great dream.''

 Chapter 244 CH 219: WHILE HE IS AWAY

    [LUSTBURG]


    While Sol was resting after an excruciating training in hell, the matters of Lusturb were going on as always.


    A few moments or hours after the opening of the portal for the contract ceremony, the different candidates that had recently awakened came back from the Astral World.


    For the vast majority of them, they had appeared on the fringes of the different territories, while some of them had been lucky enough to either appear at Crossroads or in the inner territory of some divine beasts.


    At the end of the day, among all of those who managed to enter, only a select few managed to form a contract, with some of them even dying there. In the end, that was the harsh reality of the awakening ceremony.


    The Astral Realm was not a paradise. It was a very harsh world where anything could happen.


    Of course for the dignitaries of Lustburg, all of this was nothing new. They had seen the same thing happen every time, every year. What concerned them the most was, of course, the fate of their crown prince.


    Some hoped that he woulde back safe and well since he was the only heir of the throne. With the war looming over their heads, they needed a King to lead them.


    Most others, selfish ones, wished for Sol to nevere back. At the end of the day, even if Lustburg lost the war and lost many territories, Lustburg itself could never be destroyed and they would at most fall under the control of Wratharis.


    Meanwhile, in order to have a new Blessed, Lilith and/or Lilin would have to take a husband and bear an heir. This was the best chance for them to rise up and take power.


    As for what would happen to the soldiers or the peasants? Why would they care about them?


    It was in this uneasy atmosphere that the days passed.


    ¡ª--


    ¡°I miss Sol.¡±


    Milia scratched her wrist as sheined while working on arge amount of paperwork about the Crown¡¯s Shadow.


    After the whole fiasco of thest night, the Crown¡¯s Shadow went through aplete change as Milia and the other Fingers endeavored in making sure no such thing would happen again.


    ¡°Milia¡­¡±


    Standing beside her, Ketia looked at Milia with worry on her face. It hadn¡¯t even been a week since Sol left. But Milia was already showing symptoms of withdrawal a drug addict would go through.


    One time, she had even seen Milia scratch herself until blisters appeared on her arm and blood seeped out of it. If not for her healing factor, she was sure that Milia''s arms would be filled with scars.


    ¡°I am sorry¡­ I must be worrying you.¡±


    Milia was indeed not going too well mentally. She thought she knew how much she relied on Sol for her well-being, but it was only after going through a few days without seeing him that she understood how truly mentally weak she was.


    Since the moment she began to take care of Sol, he had never left her sight for more than one day and even then, she knew that she could reach him at any moment.


    But now, she was told that she wouldn¡¯t be able to see him for nearly a month, and no matter what she did, nothing could change that fact.


    At first, she thought that it was alright. After all, it was just a month, right?


    It was only on the next day that she went to Sol¡¯s room in order to wake him up and saw his empty bed that she understood that it wouldn¡¯t be that easy.


    Since then, her situation had only worsened. The only saving grace was that she still had a part of her collection and had new added additions. This was the only way to keep her sane.


    Another thing that helped her keep her sanity in check was the fact that she had to train Nuwa.


    Her pride would not allow her to appear weak in front of her own student. No matter how weird and clueless the said student was.


    Thinking about Nuwa, a small smile formed on her lips as she managed to calm down a little. Despite how much of a scatterbrain Nuwa could be, she was a good girl with an open heart.


    Of course, Milia wasn¡¯tpletely selfless in teaching Nuwa how to control and use her devouring power. Nuwa was destined to be one of Sol¡¯s partners.


    Milia knew that her own power was limited. She was a powerful Duke but that was all she could ever be if nothing changed. The chances of her bing a King were so small it was abyssal.


    This would mean that as Sol grew stronger, she would be more and more useless., If not outright a weak point.


    This was why she needed to train Nuwa. Nuwas wasn¡¯t like her. Her talent was at apletely different level. The stronger Nuwa was, the more protection Sol would have.


    ¡°Come back soon, Sol.¡±


    No matter what, no matter where he was, the well-being of Sol was all that mattered to her.


    ¡ª--


    [Stopzing around, you aren¡¯t the supreme daughter of Acedia.]


    ¡°*Ugh* Leave me alone.¡±


    Camelia groaned as she rolled around in her bed and ignored the voice of Castitas. During thest few days, she had be quite lethargic with the desire to do nothing.


    It was as if all her motivation had vanished. Every day she would sleep in until the sun was high in the sky and she wouldn¡¯t even leave her room to eat.


    If anyone saw her current appearance now, they would have a hard time believing it was the Saintess. Her current appearance was quite slovenly. Her hair was unkempt and the floor of her room was littered with underwear and clothes.


    If Sol was there to see this, he would have said that Camelia was transforming into a NEET.


    [You don¡¯t want to know about Sol?]


    Camelia¡¯s eyes snapped open immediately.


    ¡°My dear and beloved goddess. Please grace me with your knowledge.¡±


    [*Hmph* I feel not an ounce of sincerity in your words.]


    Castitas grumbled but she was already used to the Supreme Daughters having no respect for them. Camelia was at least on the better side. Unlike other Supreme Daughters like the one under Patientia, she didn¡¯t throw curses at every other sentence.


    Camelia did not blush even though she was busted, ¡°What do you want in exchange? I know you wouldn¡¯t give me information for free.¡±


    This world worked on the principle of near-equivalent exchange. Nothing for nothing. She knew that fact more than anyone else.


    [A holy daughter.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Camellia fell silent.


    For a Supreme Daughter, the presence of a Holy Daughter wasn¡¯t really what you could call great news.


    The maximum number of Blessed was fixed and any new addition meant that an older one died.


    The birth of a Blessed Prince or Princess would mean that the King or Queen had a higher chance of dying as the Fate around them would slowly stop protecting them and push them towards death.


    The same went for the birth of a Holy Daughter.


    [You are the Supreme Daughter of the past generation. There should have been a new Supreme Daughter standing alongside Sol after he bes King.]<sub> </sub>


    This was indeed the case. Camelia''s predecessor had ruled alongside Neptune and she had ruled alongside Mars.


    If everything had been alright, Sol should have grown up with a Holy Daughter. But the candidate at that time fell asleep because of a weird disease.


    [Perhaps it¡¯s because the Fate around Sol is too strong, it gave another wind into your declining Fate. But there is a limit to it. By strengthening your Fate, he is weakening his.]


    Of course, just because a new Holy Daughter was born didn¡¯t mean Camelia would immediately die or any time in the close future. Furthermore, the upper number of Blessed was thankfully not filled currently.


    [You know¡­]


    ¡°Alright, alright, I get it. I get. I guess you just want a new and gullible girl. Don¡¯t worry, I will be sure to thoroughly educate her.¡±


    Camelia cackled as she mocked Castitas.


    ¡°Either way, I have promised Gerald to wake up his granddaughter. So it will happen sooner orter.¡±


    It was time to wake up the sleeping princess.


    "Now tell me what is happening in the Astral Realm."


    ¡ª---


    While munching a cake filled with meat, Nuwa observed as Setsuna and Lilin fought against each other in order to hone their skills.


    Different from the adult women, the younger ones were less affected by Sol''s departure. It wasn¡¯t that they loved him any less than them. They were just less dependent on him than they were.


    Lilin already went through this experience went she left Lustburg for her adventure and Setsuna was channeling all her frustration into her training.


    [This Lilin really looks like that infuriating little girl. Nightmare Queen, was it? What an interesting time it was.]


    Nuwa ignored the voice in her head and continued to upy herself with her food. This voice had been bothering her since the moment she began to use her Devouring power.


    It was faint at first, but the more she trained, the stronger the voice became. But at the end of the day, it was just a voice and it didn¡¯t bother her.


    Feeling how unconcerned Nuwa was with the situation, the voice inside her was quite speechless.


    [*Sigh* To think my backup n would go haywire in such a way.]


    She had prepared everything and was sure to survive even if her body was destroyed.


    But how could she have imagined that a weak dwarf would destroy her master n in such a way?


    Even now she couldn''t believe that she was now nothing more than wisps of a Soul. So weak and helpless.


    Thankfully, her presence was undetectable by all but Asmodeus. She just hoped that the bastard wouldn''t tattle on the goddesses.


    As for Nuwa, the only thing that interested her currently was what she should eat next.


    As long as the voice in her head didn''t bother her, then nothing else mattered.


    ¡ª-


    In the depth of the Tower of Babel in Lustburg, Persephone was gently massaging the muscle of a naked Lilith.


    Of course, it wasn''t just a simple massage. Every time her hand passed over a part of Lilith''s body, Persephone would send a part of her life energy into it.


    The massage had been going for a few hours already and Persephone was sweating quite a bit but she didn''t stop.


    She had promised Sol to keep Lilith alive and well for a month and she didn''t n to fail.


    Outside of it, Lilith was a dear friend of hers and while Persephone wouldn''t be sad at her death, as it was the natural cycle, she wouldn''t stand and do anything either.


    Once the massage was finallypleted, she stood up and moved her stiff muscles.


    "Truly, working on your body is quite the challenge."


    Even though she looked like a fragile woman, the body of Lilith was nothing to scoff at.


    Her physical strength was abyssal but the amount of Mana she possessed wasrge enough to put most King level to shame.


    Said magic interfered quite a bit in the healing process. It didn''t help that Lilith''s body was also craving for life energy at a monstrous level.


    Standing up, Lilith stretched a little, clearly not caring about disying her naked body to her friend, and showed aplicated expression as she circted mana in her body.


    "I¡­"


    She didn''t know what to say.


    Even though she had no wish to stay alive, she had so many people around her who loved and cared for her.


    Even now, Sol was fighting and growing in the Astral realm in order to find a way topletely heal her.


    The swirl of emotion going on in her heart was something she couldn''t quite put her finger on.


    In the end, she sighed and stayed silent. After taking a coat to cover herself, she walked out of the room in the direction of her bathroom.


    The process didn''t stop at just a massage. Since Persephone had prepared arge number of special herbs that could help her lifespan.


    Even though she did not receive any words of thanks, Persephone was more than happy.


    At her level, the things she cared about the least were mere words with no weight behind them.


    The fact that Lilith did everything she was asked to in order to heal and showed such emotions was more sincere than thousands of words could be.


    Still, at the end of the day, even with the holy energy of Camelia and Medea''s time power, all they could do was slow down the inevitable.


    "Everything will depend on you."


    Persephone''s heart was filled with excitement.


    She wondered how this story would end.


    Would it be a happy end where the prince saves the cursed queen from her death after surmounting all challenges?


    Or would it be a tragedy where the prince arrived toote?


    Either way, she knew that she would appreciate everyst bit of this beautiful story.


    AN: Those who read ch 200 will be able to guess who the voice in the head of Nuwa is. Then again, it isn¡¯t that hard.

 Chapter 245 SPECIAL CHAPTER: SUCCUBI OF ENVILYA

    (AN: This chapter wasmissioned by Jack1938. Those events happened not long after Sol left for the Astral world.)


    ¡ª------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Out of the seven countries, two were mysterious for they were the only ones with races that had the particrity of being partially made of energy, not unlike the divine beasts.


    For one, there were the flowing inds of Slothein, belonging to angels. Because of theirid-back attitude toward expansion, Slothein was basically the most respected country.


    Meanwhile, the second one, Envilya, was a city created by demons. Like with the beast-men of Wratharis, the term <<demons>> was loosely used to describe a raceposed of various sub races.


    The Demon¡¯s generally lived in a rather anarchical society where schemes and betrayals were asmon as pebbles on the road. Even the dwarves of Greed Dike could hardly hold a candle to them when it came to betrayal.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Exin yourself, Drac!¡±


    Sitting on her throne, a voluptuous woman with golden hair and blue eyes was staring coldly at the man kneeling in front of her.


    One of the four generals of Envilya¡ªDrac Nosferatu


    Even though the pressure she was emanating was so powerful that he could barely breathe, the man did not lose hisposure. After all, with all his years of experience, he has grown used to such situations.


    ¡°Your highness, I believe that I have made no mistake worthy of such remonstrance. If it¡¯s about the vampire attack on Envilya, I believe that I already atoned for the mistake of my subordinates.¡±


    Pandora gave an angryugh as she remembered something so unpleasant in a situation where she was already angry.


    ¡°You dare speak so boldly about what happened back then?¡±


    Vampires had attacked Southern Pride, some had even infiltrated deep within the upper echelon.


    Even now, she did not understand how they did it. After all, the only way vampires could entice people was by promising them longevity after they were changed into thralls.


    But such enticement should be worthless for the prideful elves. It wasn¡¯t as if vampires lived that much longer than elves anyways.


    ¡°Back then, If I hadn¡¯t sent my daughter; Anastasia, as a way to show ourplete support. Those warmongering elves would have not hesitated to dere war on us! In the end, all it resulted in was fostering a good rtionship between Lustburg and Southern Pride.¡±


    Pandora massaged her temple in weariness. As a friend, she was happy that Lilith¡¯s daughter had managed to create some good rtionships between humans and elves.


    But as a queen, this was something uneptable. She didn¡¯t want an outright war. But having all the countries in a cold war was the best for them.


    Drac kept his head lowered and gritted his teeth as the queen continued to spew profanities above his head.


    There was nothing he could do, for his n had indeed gone wrong. Still, he had paid enough to the queen and had even sworn to help her in her fight for power against the supreme daughter, Wisteria Humanitas.


    Why was she attacking him once again then?


    As if reading his thoughts, Pandora sneered and snapped her fingers and the scene of the throne room changed to onepletely different.


    Drac hissed between his teeth as cold sweat covered his back,


    ¡®Dreamscape!¡¯


    This was the special skill of the queen. The power to pull people in illusions and nightmares. He did not even know when he had been ensnared.


    ¡®Is she going to kill me!?¡¯


    ¡°Your highness!¡±


    No matter how powerful he was, he was no match for a King ranked powerhouse like the queen. If she decided to stop ying the political game, then it would be the end for him.


    Thankfully,


    ¡°Do not worry. I will not tear open all pretense just because of you. So shut up and watch.¡±


    Drac had never felt so happy to be insulted in his entire life.


    Sadly, the more he watched the scene that was presented to him, the less happy he felt. Until all that was left was a cold feeling of dread in his stomach.


    Even after the scene stopped ying and everything went back to normal, Drac still keep kneeling as low as possible without uttering the slightest word.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Do you know why you are still alive?¡±


    The voice of the Queen took a gentle and slightly seductive tone but for the Drac, the more it was so, the more he was frightened.


    ¡°The only reason I did not take your measly worthless life is that I know that a pathetic coward like you would never dare to truly ally with those Chaos bastards.¡±


    The look she gave him was one of utter disgust and disregard.


    Even so, Drac knew that it wouldn¡¯t end like this. He knew very well how much the Queen hated everything rted to Chaos after what happened to the King of Lustburg.


    ¡°Now then, Worthless bloodsucker. Because of your stupid daughter, our rtionship with Lustburg¡ªNay. My rtionship with Camelia and Lilith mighte to a freezing halt. Tell me, how should I punish you?¡±


    The cold smile on her face showed clearly that she would show no pity.


    ¡ª


    Once a shivering Drac left the room, the woman made out of steel who cursed like a professional sailor vanished and was reced by a young-looking woman with softer features and a pure white robe that showed no skin as well as long and beautiful blonde hair.


    ¡°Hgh! Acting like mother is so tiring.¡±


    The girl slightly grumbled as her headache slowly stopped. The skill she had just used was called <<Acting>>.


    By superimposing the image of her mother on herself, she was able to impersonate her down to the very thought she would have. Basically, she was dreaming of bing Pandora and thus she became Pandora.


    Of course, there were many limitations for this skill and it wasn¡¯t without risk.


    Acting was only that. While it was true that Dreams could be reality, it was important to never let oneself get blinded by dreams. If she failed to do so, she would slowly lose her sense of self until she really began to think that she was Pandora.


    ¡°Good job, Minerva.¡±


    Walking out from a secret door, a purple-haired girl wearing a knight attire smiled warmly and opened her arms wide


    ¡°Anastasia!¡±


    Screaming in glee, Minerva jumped in the arms of her big sister and hugged her tightly.


    ¡°There, there, there. It must have been hard. I am sure that mother would be proud.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡±


    Looking at the sparkling eyes of her little sister, it was hard to believe that the little girl was the one who had pushed the powerful General Drac into a corner. Then again, she knew under how much stress Minerva was currently.


    If it was revealed that Pandora was currently outside of Envilya, the situation would spiral out of control. The power of the royal family was already pretty low as most of it had been seized by the church of Humanitas and they could barely hang on because of how powerful Pandora was.


    Minerva was still a young girl. Barely a baby when counting the longevity of demons like them. Still, simply because she had been Blessed, she had to take responsibility too heavy for her small shoulders.


    ¡°Of course. Never forget that you are the greatest pride of our family.¡±


    Minerva beamed as she received a small kiss on her forehead.


    ¡°Still, why did mother rush toward Lustburg while disguised as you, again? The same happened when she went to Southern Pride.¡±


    Anastasia smiled bitterly. This was also one of the reasons most subus became crazy. Because they always impersonated people and always lived in dreams, they slowly rejected reality and would rather dream forever.


    Anastasia had heard so many legendary feats done by <<Anastasia>> that sometimes, she didn¡¯t even know if she was truly Anastasia or if she was just a dream.


    Shaking her head, she exined calmly


    ¡°Since I am not Blessed, using my identity to travel around is the best. Meanwhile, I will stay here and guard you should anything happen.¡±


    ¡°I know but¡­¡±


    Anastasia understood the worry in her sister¡¯s eyes. After all, Minerva may be young but she was wise beyond her years. How could she not understand the mental state of her beloved sister?


    Still, now was not the time to falter. She couldn¡¯t endanger the royal family because of her own health.


    She just hoped that her mother would be done with her business in Lustburg before she became crazy.

 Chapter 246 CH 220: SHEHERAZADE’S STORY

    When Sol woke up, he had never felt so refreshed. His head waspletely clear and awake.


    He didn¡¯t have to stay tense all night while sleeping, nor did he have to keep his senses searching for threats all around him. He was in a safe and rxed environment, where nothing could hurt him.


    It was only after going through the training in Tartarus that Sol realized how important such small things were as they were so easy to take for granted.


    ¡°You are finally awake, sleepy head.¡±


    Opening his eyes, his gaze met with a smiling Nent. The curve on her mouth showed how entertaining she found the current situation.


    ¡°You watched me sleep all this while?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Nent nodded with an evenrger smile. Watching Sol sleep after he came back from Tartarus had been quite entertaining. Staying in the same position all night was no problem for her as she didn¡¯t particrly need sleep anyway.


    Sol brought his hands to his face in embarrassment. He wasn¡¯t foreign to waking up in the bed of a woman since he had shared his bed with many. But for some reason, this particr instance felt way more embarrassing than any previous one.


    ¡°Stop thinking so much.¡±


    Nent chuckled as she took his hands away from his face before giving him a small kiss on the forehead.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a bath.¡±


    From the enticing smile on her face, Sol did not doubt that it would be quite the long bath session.


    ¡ª-


    After a few hours of ¡®bathing¡¯, Sol, now in sage mode, wandered in the hallway of Kiyohime¡¯s castle, leaving a defeated Nent on his bed.


    Now that his mind was clear, unlike the previous day, there were many things he began to think of.


    One such thing of course was about the events of yesterday.


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me. Sol.¡±


    *Crash* *Bang*


    ¡°Wait! Wait a minute.¡±


    *Crash*


    ¡°...Give me five minutes.¡±


    Sol gave a strained smile as he imagined the chaos that was happening on the other side of the door. It was clear that Isis¡¯s room was quite messy.


    After way more than five minutes of standing there with nothing to do as his mind wandered, the door was finally open to a weing room.


    ¡°...It took quite a while, just how messy it was?¡±


    Sol was really curious. This castle had servants who should regrly take care of all this. How did she manage to make her room so messy then?


    ¡°Haha¡­Don¡¯t sweat the small details. Will you enter or stay there?¡±


    ¡°*Shrug* If you say so.¡±


    Despite what he had imagined, the state of the room wasn¡¯t as bad as he had initially imagined it to be. Taking a seat on therge Sofa, Sol leaned back and looked at Isis and Sheherazade.


    ¡°I believe you guys have something to exin.¡±


    Sol did not ignore the fact that Sheherazade had been used of being a criminal and a fugitive.


    The only reason he didn¡¯t insist on more details yesterday was because of how tired he was and because he believed that as her friend, Isis had the right to listen to what happened first.


    Sol did not believe that Sheherazade couldmit any big crime. But then again, he believed that his uncle Gerald would never betray him.


    Once bitten, twice shy.


    Sol wouldn¡¯t let someone with a sketchy past follow him if he couldn¡¯t be sure that the person in question wasn¡¯t a danger for those he held dear.


    Sheherazade and Isis fell silent. They could feel the silent determination Sol was emanating. Clearly, he wouldn''t leave without getting an answer.


    During the night, the two of them had indeed discussed and Sheherazade was able to ascertain the truth. No lie could go undetected in front of her after all.


    "You see. I am not really a fairy. At least not entirely."


    "A hybrid?"


    "Not really?"


    Sheherazade frowned as she tried to exin.


    "Do you know the difference between fairies and faeries?"


    This was Sol''s turn to frown. He did have some knowledge about fae but he never really studied this topic deeply.


    "I can see you don¡¯t. Ugh. How to exin it¡­ Well in short. Faeries and Fairy are fundamentally the same[1]. But you could say that Faeries are a more powerful version. Ah¡­I know."<sub> </sub>


    She shouted excitedly. "Imagine Wyverns and Dragons. See? It''s basically like that but to a lesser degree."


    "I see."


    "Mhm¡­ Anyway. A fae is an evolved version of a fairy. They have a special power that allows them to affect reality in different ways depending on the Courts they belong to."


    "Courts?"


    "There are a total six. Four Dukes Courts: Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring. And two Kings Courts: Sun and Moon. All of them are under the control of the Tuatha de Danann[2]."


    "I see¡­ So how is this rted?"


    Sheherazade sighed, "Only royal fairy can evolve to be Fae and even their power is limited by where they belong to. But¡­I am different."


    The rest of the story was pretty simple. Sheherazade was a raremoner fairy that was lucky enough to evolve into a fae.


    As if that wasn''t enough, the power she awakened was an extremely rare and potentially powerful one.


    The power of wish. A power that could affect causality itself. Of course, like all power, this was a power limited by the one controlling it.


    Another reason was that while a wish could be made, the way it would be realized was unknown. One had to be as careful as possible when wording the wish to avoid nasty results.


    However, there was no doubt that in the right hands, the effects could be devastating.


    If the one that had awakened this power was a royal fairy, then there would be no problem.


    Sadly this wasn''t the case. Sheherazade was not affiliated with anyone and as such became fair game for everyone.


    Her days became a true hell as she had nowhere to hide and had to run from everyone.


    This was why she wished to leave that ce.


    Her wish certainly worked. But in what way?


    By opening a crack between two different territories that sucked her in as she fled desperately.


    This was how Sheherazade managed to leave Yggdrasil''s territory and entered Gabriel''s territory where she met Isis.


    Back then Sheherazade had nearly died and she wished for someone to help her, that thankfully just resulted in Isis meeting her.


    From thisst part, Sol deducted that her wish power should also be affected by how hard her wish was.


    Initially, she wished to escape while in a situation where it should have been nearly impossible to do so. But for her second wish, since Isis was already in the zone, it was way more easier.


    Sheherazade finished her story before looking at Sol worriedly. She had beenpletely honest, but this didn''t mean that Sol would necessarily believe her.


    Furthermore, Tuatha de Danann was headed by a very powerful Demigod. She wondered if Sol would believe she was worth the trouble.


    Of course, Sheherazade was thinking too much.


    "I see. Thanks for sharing your story."


    Sheherazade was a little bewildered.


    "That''s it?"


    "What did you expect?"


    "I-I mean¡­"


    "Haha. No need to be so tense. I honestly like your bubbly personality more."


    Solughed a little before shaking his head, "I am happy to know your past. I am even happier to know I don¡¯t have to worry about you. As for those chasing you¡­"


    Sol frowned and stood up.


    "Why don''t we visit Tiamat?"


    "Wha-!?"


    Isis and Sheherazade were aghast at the bold words of Sol.


    But it was Sol who showed a disappointed expression as he shook his head.


    "Let me teach you something important."


    He looked at them seriously, "It''s admirable to want to do things by yourself. But when you are unable to do so, there''s no shame in relying on your connections. In fact, the dumbest thing to do is to let pride cloud your judgment and not use all the cards at your disposal."


    Why should Sol bother facing a demigod faction alone when he had two powerful divine beasts at the demigod Level behind him?


    "Well¡­It''s time to act cute."


    Of course, he also wished to use this asion to verify the reality of the Sheherazade situation.


    After all, he couldn''t just hear one side and make a decision, right?


    [1]: They are totally not the same just to be clear. But in my story they are. For Fairy, imagine Tinkerbell. For fae, they are wayyyy more diverse and are from Celtic myth. Even Goblins are technically fae. So yeah. Diversity.

 Chapter 247 CH 221: BALLS MADE OUT OF STEEL

    After deciding what to do, Sol briefly wondered whether he should take Isis and Sheherazade with him to visit Tiamat.


    But with how guarded the 9th Heaven was, Sol didn''t want to presume.


    It was better to visit her alone and bring the other two if she gave permission. After all, infuriating the one you wished to ask help from wasn¡¯t exactly the smartest decision.


    Since he liked to act fast, he began to move and left them after assuring them.


    He didn''t know whether Tiamat would give a hand but in the worst case, they would go hide in the Mortal Realm.


    He didn''t believe that those Fae would dare to wreak havoc in the mortal realm.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    *Ding*


    The elevator finally opened after it reached the 9th heaven where Tiamat resided.


    ¡®This is my second timeing here but I still feel overwhelmed.¡¯


    The atmosphere and aura in this part of Tiamat¡¯s territory were at apletely different level.


    ¡°Come inside.¡±


    Before he even knocked at the gate, he was told to enter. He easily recognized Tiamat¡¯s beautiful voice full of authority and didn¡¯t hesitate to answer.


    The gate opened wide and gave ess to the throne room where Tiamat used her throne as a makeshift bed.


    The way she sat on her own throne was quite the wonder but Sol understood very well how boring it was to sit on one. It was hard to stop oneself from ying around while on it.


    When Sol reached a certain distance from Tiamat, he could once again feel the gravity suddenly change. This was the same level as thest time.


    The first time it happened, Sol had been nearly unable to move without mobilizing all his power.


    But this time, aside from a slight stagger at the unexpected change in gravity, Sol showed no visible strain as he continued to advance.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Tiamat, who had been nonchntly ying with a crown raised an eyebrow at the disy and sat more properly on her throne.


    She had once again forgotten to stop the increased gravity around her. But this wasn¡¯t her fault. For her, only this level of gravity felt somewhat right. She was so used to it that for her the normal gravity made her more ufortable than anything.


    Still, as she watched Sol advance one step after the other one, each steppletely steady with no excess strength until he finally stopped in front of her, a smile lit up her face as she pped.


    ¡°Beautiful. I see that your trip to Tartarus was really helpful.¡±


    In terms of pure power, while Sol had somewhat evolved, it was hard to say that he was vastly more powerful than in the past.


    But, true power wasn¡¯t just about having strength, but knowing how to use it well. The flow of mana in Sol¡¯s body, the toughness of his veins, the sturdiness of his body, and the mind honed by hundreds of fights to the death.


    All of thisbined to bring an explosive result. A result that she was really pleasing to see.


    Hearing her praise, Sol smiled and nodded, ¡°I have realized many things through the training and I believe my vision of myself is clearer than ever. Entering the Duke rank shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Tiamat shook her head, ¡°Entering the Duke rank is just a formality for you. What is truly important is how you will enter it. Don¡¯t forget my warning. I will teach you my own art to help in the formation of your Zone. Don¡¯t go doing anything stupid before that.¡±


    If Sol broke through to the Duke rank with some trashy concept like bloodlust, she would go crazy at the wasted potential. While she didn¡¯t like the thought of helping further the ns of the goddesses, this was her grandson they were talking about.


    Of course, it would be even better if Sol¡¯s Zone changed him into a singrity. The chances were low but it wasn¡¯t impossible. Everything would depend on how they yed it.


    ¡°So? While I am happy to have you visit me, I believe that this wasn¡¯t the reason you came.¡±


    Sol nodded and began to exin the situation. The worst thing to do when facing people like Tiamat was turn around without bringing up the main topic.


    Tiamat listened attentively while he exined the situation and the more she did so the more her eyes gleamed.


    In the end, she couldn¡¯t help butugh lightly, ¡°How ridiculous.¡±


    The power of wishes?<sub> </sub>


    This was indeed a quite dangerous power. Though it still fell within the bounds of the rules, it could bring quite the unexpected power when used well.


    She could understand why the Fae courts were going crazy about her. Though she doubted that Tuatha De Danann itself had intervened yet. After all, this organization had quite a number of demigods.


    ¡®Should I give them a warning?¡¯


    Tuatha De Dannann or not, the fairy was now Sol¡¯s possession. How could she let those upstart bastards disturb her beloved grandson?


    Then again, ¡°If they know Anubis¡¯ daughter is involved, they will back off immediately.¡±


    Tiamat was very powerful. But because she wasn¡¯t interested in expanding her influence and such things, her presence was quite weak. The only thing people knew about her were her legends.


    Anubis, meanwhile, was the bogeyman of the Astral world. He had destroyed quite the number of worlds in his crusades and his death army was the stuff of nightmares.


    In Crossroad, his name was synonymous with death, and even crying children would shut up when he was mentioned.


    ¡®Huh. Now that I think about it, will we be rted through his daughter?¡¯


    The rtionship between her and Anubis was quite stiff.


    In the past, when he spread the art of necromancy and some bastard thought of making bone dragons, she stormed into hisir and destroyed a good chunk of the underworld in vengeance.


    She then proceeded to storm the mortal world and brought chaos to quite arge part of the world.


    ¡°...Grandma?¡±


    ¡°I told you to call me Big Sis.¡±


    Sol called out to Tiamat as she had fallen strangely silent after his demands but her automatic response made himugh.


    It reminded him of Theresa back in the Mortal World and how insistent she was about him calling her aunt.


    ¡°Anyway, you did well in informing me. I will send a warning to them and that will be it. While a Wish fairy is extremely rare, she hasn''t reached the level where they would dare to fight me over her.¡±


    ¡°I knew that Big Sis was the best.¡±


    Tiamat chortled at his actions, while she knew that he only acted to please her and stroke her ego, she had to admit that being looked at by those eyes filled with pure admiration was quite the mood booster.


    ¡°By the way, Sol, do you already have a mate?¡±


    Sol was quite bewildered at the sudden topic shift but simply nodded and exined some of his rtionships.


    ¡°Hum. Well as expected of my grandson I guess. Not even the daughters of Ambrosia and Gabriel escaped from your clutches.¡±


    Sheughed out loud but then shook her head, ¡°But this wasn¡¯t what I meant. I was wondering if you were interested in taking a mate in the dragon tribe.¡±


    Tiamat exposed her worry. She had already lost all hope in someone else awakening as a Chaos Dragon or a Dimensional Mage.


    But then after ze came Sol. Perhaps his children could also inherit her power?


    ¡°Well, should I remind you that just aftering here I was thrown into Tartarus?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. That¡¯s true. Oh well, what does it even matter? You can choose any female and any number of them and mate with them. The more the better in fact.¡±


    Tiamat wasn¡¯t into forced marriage so she didn''t choose to impose anything on Sol. As for the female dragons? She was sure that many of them would fight it out just to have Sol for one night.


    Even those already in a rtionship.


    Break up between a dragon couple wasn¡¯t rare and in fact, happened quite often. After a couple had children together, the female would generally kick the male away from the nest and take care of the children if she is stronger.


    ¡®Why does it seem so familiar?¡¯


    Sol meanwhile found the situation quite familiar. It reminded him of the day everything began to change for him.


    The day when Lilith called out to him and exined the situation of the royal family in Lustburg and how having more children was necessary.


    Back then, he had one thought he hadn¡¯t dared to blurt out. Sometimes, he wondered how things would have changed if he had the courage to voice out his hidden desire.


    This was why, unconsciously, he blurted out.


    ¡°What if I choose you?¡±

 Chapter 248 CH 222: A GOOD DAY

    ¡®Shit!¡¯


    The moment Sol uttered those words, he immediately regretted them. While Tiamat was without a doubt a beautiful woman and Sol did not really see her as his grandmother, there was the simple fact that Tiamat wasn¡¯t just any woman.


    She was one of the oldest beings in the world and even to this day, she had chosen no mates.


    "Ohoh? Who were you thinking about when you said this?"


    Tiamat could see that those words hadn''t been really addressed to her at the given moment. Sol hesitated a little before exining the situation and the facts about Lilith.


    ¡°Heh, so you thought about your aunt when you said this.¡±


    Tiamat wasn¡¯t offended by Sol''s words.


    Dragons and divine beasts in general had a very skewed view about incest. After all, most of the children of divine beasts weren¡¯t ¡®born¡¯ in the conventional way.


    Most divine beasts gave birth by separating a part of their energy to create totally new beings with the same energy wavelength as them. It was simr to how spirits were born from concentrated mana in a special environment.


    As such, in the proper sense of the term, Tiamat wasn¡¯t the mother of the dragon race but its creator.


    Thanks to this, any problem that might arise from inbreeding was nonexistent and incest wasn¡¯t frowned upon either.


    In fact, many dragons had courted her throughout history, such as Nabu''s father. But even to this day, she was still alone without a mate.


    ¡°Yes, I am sorry if I offended you.¡±


    Tiamat gave a mischievous smile as she shook her head and stood up from her throne.


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t impossible. But¡­¡±


    Sol was utterly floored by the wordsing from Tiamat.


    *Step*


    Tiamat took one step and stood in front of him.


    In terms of height, even though Tiamat was a tall woman, Sol was still somewhat taller than her.


    Even though it was Tiamat looking up at him, Sol immediately felt suffocated. As if he was standing in front of an insurmountable wall.


    ¡°*Ugh*¡±


    He felt as if the walls of his mind were being shattered.


    In one instant, an overwhelming feeling of kneeling down and worshiping Tiamat filled his heart.


    His ears rang, his heart stirred, his mind screamed.


    ¡°Kuh¡­¡±


    ¡°You are really special.¡±


    The moment Tiamat said this, like a lie, the feeling disappeared and she was back to her throne.


    The only thing that had changed was the way she was looking at Sol.


    ¡°I am impressed.¡±


    Sol shook his head as he tried to get back his bearings.


    ¡°What was¡­No.¡±


    Sol was about to ask what happened when a sh of inspiration struck him. This wasn¡¯t the first time something like this had happened to him after all.


    ¡°You used Pride?¡±


    Sol worded, a little confused.


    ¡°Oh? You know about this?¡±


    ¡°I looked at Luxuria''s face.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    An awkward silence fell as Tiamat looked at him as if she was looking at a crazy bastard causing Sol to cough awkwardly.


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    Tiamat tried to speak but in the end she simply pinched the bridge of her nose and released an exasperated sigh.


    ¡°What I just used on you was indeed the concept of Pride. But more exactly, I didn¡¯t use it. I simply stopped restraining it. That was my most natural state. Do you understand now?¡±


    Sol nodded in understanding. Even though he somehow managed to fight back, it was mainly because Tiamat once again restrained herself.


    How could Tiamat have a mate when that mate couldn¡¯t stop himself from kneeling and worshiping her?


    Furthermore.


    ¡°Of course, that isn¡¯t all. You may have a breathtaking talent. But you are simply too weak now. You wouldn¡¯t even be able to impregnate me since your seed would be crushed by the mana in my body. In the first ce, you wouldn¡¯t even be able to perform the deed since lust would be the furthest thing from your mind.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    Sol gave an awkwardugh. Somehow his slip of tongue was pushing the conversation in a truly weird direction.<sub> </sub>


    Sol wasn¡¯t stupid enough to miss the hidden meaning behind Tiamat''s words.


    He wasn¡¯t worthy of being her mate¡­Yet.


    It was clear that she would be willing to give him a chance if he reached a certain level.


    This made Sol not quite know how to feel.


    ¡°Well, that is for the future. Now we need to think about the present.¡±


    Tiamat''s smile vanished as she began to speak about more important matters than simply mating.


    ¡°You should go rest. I will deal with the problem of your ck phoenix. Five dayster, it will be time for you to inherit my knowledge.¡±


    Tiamat would have wished to take more of her time and prepare him more, but she could feel the pull of destiny calling Sol.


    The future was bing more blurred as if something was interfering with her. She hoped that with the help of the Norn sisters who wereing, she would be able to ess a wider range of futures and prepare in case something happened.


    ¡ª---


    After discussing the measures with Tiamat, Sol went back and exined the situation to a relieved Isis and Sheherazade.


    For Sheherazade, it was like a mighty weight had been lifted away from her shoulders. She had always felt threatened because of the target on her back and always tried to not show her anxiety because she didn¡¯t want to worry Isis.


    Now though, at least nothing could happen to her in Tiamat¡¯s territory.


    After that, the three of them decided to spend some time together to sightsee.


    Once Sol became prince of dragons officially, he wanted to form a Lust-type contract with Isis. In order to do so, it was imperative for the two of them to cultivate the feelings they had for each other.


    Sol was sure that Isis was interested and had some slight feelings for him, but he also knew that it was far from enough. In a way, his rtionship with Nent was stronger than the one he had with Isis.


    All of this stemmed from the fact that Sol and Isis had few things to share together until now.


    Aside from their great adventure in the desert that ended with him fighting Rio and White, he didn¡¯t have much time to talk with her.


    This resulted in them having settled in afortable rtionship that was more about friendship than love. Which was of course something that couldn¡¯t be epted.


    Thus he had an idea of a date to be closer to her.


    The different floating inds had different facilities. After getting permission from Kiyohime, the three of them visited what could be likened to a theme park on an ind in Hydra¡¯s territory.


    It was hard to imagine how a dragon famed for his powerful and sinister poison was the owner of a chain of parks for lovers and adventurers but that was the truth.


    This time, the little date didn¡¯t have any unexpected ident.


    He had been a little worried because until now all his dates ended with him either having a mysterious encounter or simply ending badly, but this time, everything went perfectly well.


    Sheherazade fused with Isis'' body andpletely stayed silent in order to allow Sol and Isis to have a great time together.


    The park had many interesting ideas that were all about reinforcing the rtionship between two or more individuals. After all, dragons were mainly polygamous.


    For Isis, this was the first time she had so much fun. With Sol, she had a total st as they went through the different events proposed that were as embarrassing as they were interesting.


    This day allowed both Sol and Isis to witness a different side of each other.


    Isis had always seen Sol as a battle maniac and a sex-driven maniac. Of course, she also knew that he was a kind man who epted her for who she was, but those two previous impressions were the strongest.


    Isis was not against harem in general.


    She just didn¡¯t want to be nothing more than a +1 in Sol¡¯s harem. She didn¡¯t want to end with someone who only wanted her for her power and nothing more.


    She wanted to be loved the same way her father loved her mother. She wanted to be with someone who would be able to face all adversities for her the same way her father didn¡¯t hesitate to kidnap her mother despite Gabriel''s potential fury.


    For Isis, Anubis represented the ideal man and thankfully, Sol didn¡¯t disappoint her personality-wise. The way he thought and acted were very simr to her father. Albeit, way less jaded.


    But was it really enough?


    Could she really give her future away to Sol?


    After all, bing the first contract of Sol was not something to take lightly. It was a choice that would affect her for the rest of her life whatever the oue.


    All those worries had always gued her mind.


    But after the recent events, those worries were slightly abated.


    While Sol did doubt Sheherazade, and reasonably so, he did his best in helping them despite the situation and did not hesitate to ask for help from Tiamat.


    No matter how appreciated Sol was, asking for too many favors would make this favor dete over time.


    Even so, he did not hesitate.


    This helped her understand once more that Sol was someone special.


    He was without a doubt a battle-crazed maniac.


    He was also without a doubt a lustful bastard.


    But, in the same way, he was someone she could believe without a doubt. His warm sun-like soul brought peace to her heart and his actions brought peace to her mind.


    Was she in love with him?


    She didn¡¯t know. She had no experience and couldn¡¯t really exin his position in her heart.


    Even so, the thought staying with him didn¡¯t seem so bad.

 Chapter 249 CH 223: SAYING SORRY IS NEVER ENOUGH

    That night, Kiyohime was sitting alone on the deck of the White Pearl, gazing at the eversting stars in the sky.


    Sipping on her wine, she released a wistful smile as she thought about how Sol was enjoying his date aftering out from Tartarus.


    ¡®It¡¯s good to be young.¡¯


    She let out a chuckle. When Sol had asked her for a good spot for a date, she had been quite lost about what to do. It was only thanks to Aqua that she managed to avoid making a joke out of herself.


    Still, looking at him bing so close to a phoenix made her feel a little agitated.


    ¡°Why is your beautiful smile marred by a frown?¡±


    ¡®Speak of the devil.¡¯


    She sighed and looked at the intruder with cold eyes.


    ¡°Nent.¡±


    Nent smiled seemingly unbothered by the cold reception. Looking at the wine on the table, she smiled even more brightly.


    ¡°Purple Destiny. I didn¡¯t know you still had that bottle with you.¡±


    Kiyohime¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously before she once again sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s said that with every sigh, a little bit of happiness leaves us.¡±


    ¡°The happiness already left the moment you took a step on my ship.¡±


    ¡°Our ship, you mean.¡±


    Kiyohime pursed her lips. This ship was indeed something that belonged to both of them.


    It was a powerful weapon of mass destruction, but nearly half of the functions needed Nent¡¯s energy in order to bring out its true might. This was why it had been relegated to just a transport tool since a few centuries ago.


    As for Purple Destiny, it was a special batch of wine bottles that had been created with Hathor''s help, but whose sole and only drinker had been Kiyohime and Nent. After all, the main ingredient for that wine was the blood of the two of them.


    The purple part of the name came from the mix of their hair''s respective colors. Blue and Red.


    As for the Destiny part¡­


    Kiyohime released a final sigh and stopped arguing.


    Even though Kiyohime stayed silent, the fact that she didn¡¯t outright chase her away from her ship was already a plus for Nent.


    Taking a seat, she looked at the bottle as various emotions shed in her eyes. Finally, with reddened eyes, she finally spoke,


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Kiyohime was astonished, to say the least. She was a dragon and prideful as she may be, she knew that Nent¡¯s pride was no less than hers. For such a woman to apologize in such a meek way was truly incredible. However¡­


    ¡°You think just saying sorry after five hundred years can change everything?¡±


    ? ¡°I¡­¡±


    Nent opened and closed her mouth a few times but was at a loss for words.


    When was thest time she apologized to someone?


    ¡®Hah¡­¡¯


    Her mind drew back to the scene of her helplessly bawling her eyes out at the sight of the lifeless bodies of her two friends.


    It hadn¡¯t been the first time she had lost people close to her. But all those who died before that did so heroically during a war where they fought for their own conviction.


    Compared to that, what happened to Hansel and Gretel¡­.


    ¡°*Sigh*¡±


    This time it was Nent who sighed as she took Kiyohime¡¯s ss and gulped the wine in it.


    ¡°Hey! Why are you drinking using my ss?¡±


    Kiyohime blushed a little when she remarked that Nent lips were on the same spot hers previously were.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Nent rose an eyebrow at the reaction and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle before giving a suggestive smile.


    ¡°I remember we did way more than share an indirect kiss. Why are you acting so embarrassed?¡±


    Nent casually threw a bomb that would rock the entire realm if it was heard.


    It was a secret only shared by the two of them. Something not even their own families knew.


    Nent had tried to crack a simple joke in order to liven the atmosphere. Unfortunately, she had chosen the wrong words.


    Kiyohime¡¯s face becamepletely cold at the reminder of the rtionship she once shared with Nent.


    ¡°You dare mention this?¡±


    A deep and heavy aura began to fill the zone as if a calm sea was about to rage and throw a terrifying tempest.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°I am sor¡ª¡±


    Swiftly realizing her mistake, she tried to take her words but-


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize!¡±


    Kiyohime stood up abruptly and screamed right into Nent¡¯s face. Her eyes had already changed into a slit and the aura she was emanating was just short of turning a full blow killing intent.


    Looking at Nent deep in the eyes, Kiyohime continued, each of her words more bitting and cold than the previous one.


    ¡°Nent Castitas¡­ I hate you. From every fiber of my being, I despise you. Your filthy name fills me with disgust and I wish for nothing more than to crush you and reduce you to smithereens.¡±


    Dragons were amorous creatures and even Tiamat nearly had a mate in the past.


    Why then was Kiyohime still alone and never entered any rtionship?


    The answer was in front of her¡ªShe was in love with Nent.


    During the war, the two of them had been the greatest partners and Kiyohime was not shy about confessing her feelings. But she had always been rejected by Nent. This was something only the two of them knew.


    All of this changed 700 years ago when suddenly, Nent epted her love.


    Kiyohime was very happy.


    She could still remember how she babbled and acted like aplete fool blinded by happiness¨CThis was how much it meant to her.


    She didn¡¯t know why Nent suddenly epted but she did know about what happened to the darwin siblings and she simply thought that Nent had epted because of her sadness.


    Even so, Kiyohime didn¡¯t mind. She thought that her love would help in supporting Nent through a hard time. She was ready to be there for her whatever had happened.


    Surely then, her love would truly be reciprocated, right? ¡ª at least, that was what she thought.


    ¡­How naive she was.


    ¡°You lied to me. You made use of me. Abused my trust and feelings for you only to throw me away like trash once you realized I was useless to your goal and then threw your sight on my brother like the despicable wench you are.¡±


    Her words toward the end became a literal hiss as she poured all her grievance.


    Nent had never loved her.


    The only thing she tried to do was to create a powerful offspring by trying to meld both their energy in an experiment to see if two divine beasts could use their energy to conceive together.


    In the end, Kiyohime had been nothing more than a convenient tool. A failed tool to boot.


    ¡°And now what? You are sorry? Haha¡­ What? Did you expect that I would jump down in happiness and say that everything is alright? Do you think my five hundred years of anguish are a joke?"


    Her lips twisted in a disdainful smile.


    "Take your apologies and stuff them in the ce where the sun doesn¡¯t shine.¡±


    At the end of her words all that was left was a heavy silence disturbed by Kiyohime''s shaky breath.


    Lowering her head, she took a deep breath and exhaled before gazing once again at Nent. A faint polite smile appeared on her face.


    ¡°I am sorry for my previous outburst. It was quite unsightly.¡±


    Nent¡¯s face grew pale. Even when Kiyohime had been raging and raving, she still managed to keep calm under the torrent of insults.


    But right now, she could feel her heart beat uneasily.


    ¡°I suppose you came to apologize because you fear that I will exin our past rtionship to Sol and tarnish your image in his eyes? If so, don¡¯t worry. I am not someone who loves to gossip. I had already given him enough warning by now. Who he chooses to fuck doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡±


    ¡°Please, Little Hime¡­¡±


    Kiyohime ignored Nent as she adjusted her cor.


    ¡°I already told you that you lost the right to call me like this long ago.¡± Her voice was scarily calm as she continued, ¡°You can have the wine if you want. It¡¯s thest bottle anyway. I guess it¡¯s truly fitting.¡±


    Giving a nd smile, Kiyohime gave a graceful bow full of elegance and departed from the ship.


    Now alone, looking nkly at the bottle, Nent poured herself a ss of what was once the proof of the rtionship between the two of them.


    The opposite of love wasn¡¯t hatred, for hatred showed you still cared about the other person deep down.


    Indeed.


    The opposite of love wasn¡¯t hatred¡­It was pure indifference.


    ¡°How bitter.¡±


    Nent said as she drank the wine.


    Whether she was talking about the taste of her wine or her own feelings¡­ Only she could know.


    (AN: I have been setting this reveal since ch 194. Haha, I wish I could have seen your face guys while you were reading this chapter.


    By the way, what do you think of Nent''s apologies? What would you have done in Kiyohime''s ce?)

 Chapter 250 CH 224: ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

    The moment Sol came back to his room after a rather interesting date with Isis, the first thing that greeted him was the stench of alcohol that permeated the room from every corner.


    ¡®Weird.¡¯


    Smelling this, Sol couldn¡¯t help but frown. After all, while Nent was a drinker, she wasn¡¯t like Hathor. She only drank asionally in order to fit the mood.


    Looking at the womanying down while curled into herself, Sol couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang of pain pierce his heart.


    Over the few weeks he had spent with Nent, he hade to appreciate the qualities of this woman even though she was filled with ws.


    Even when she had cursed the power of Fate over this world, she had never shown such a despondent appearance. Showing such weakness now¡­


    A part of him wondered if this was all a scheme made in order to make him lower his guard in front of her.


    Another part of him felt sadness and wished for nothing more than tofort her and protect her.


    In the end, he decided that it was more important to be sure of her current state than anything.


    ¡°How was your date?¡±


    Surprisingly, as he walked up to her, the first one to strike up the conversation was none other than Nent herself.


    Raising up, she gathered her feet under her while she sat on the bed. In order to keep her pride intact, Sol did notment on her puffy eyes and answered.


    ¡°It was quite alright. I believe the two of us are now closer than before. At this rate, I will soon be able to form a contract with her.¡±


    ¡°I see. All you would need then would be to win the contest.¡±


    Sol shrugged, he honestly had no fear about the challenge itself. He doubted that there were any dukes at the level of Nabu outside of perhaps the four dragon princes. Even then, for all he knew, Nabu was still stronger.


    Seeing this, Nent sighed.


    ¡°Most dragons won¡¯t be a match for you. But Kaiser and Nidhogg are different. Even if they cannot win, they can surely make you suffer quite a bit or even defeat you if you are careless.¡±


    She proceeded to exin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about them but I do know Fafnir and Hydra. Since those two are the mostpatible descendants, then they should have used the same base for their Zone.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Sol''s interest was piqued, after all, it was always good to have intel.


    ¡°Fafnir¡¯s Zone is called <<Ten Fortress>>. A Zone born from his overwhelming desire to protect. During the war, Fafnir''s army always had the least casualties since his Zone is a conceptual one that brings the concept of near-absolute defense.¡±


    Nent smiled but there was something she didn¡¯t say. As the eldest son, and the one most expected to take after Tiamat, the fact that he wasn¡¯t born a Chaos Dragon had always been a torn in his heart.


    Nent believed that the Zone of Fafnir was more born from a desire to create a form of defense even stronger than what the Chaos physique could give.


    Of course, there was no denying that he was a man who really took care of his loved ones.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if Kaiser''s Zone will take the same concept but it should be close. Then when added with his Emperor Eye that allows him to see a short moment in the future, you can say that he is one of the worst enemies in a prolonged battle.¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­what about Nidhogg? I heard her poison is quite powerful.¡±


    ¡°Hydra poison is something no one aside from him and some special skill such as Nirvana can hope to heal. I don¡¯t think Nidhogg would use such poison on you but you never know what could happen.¡±


    Like this, the two of them continued to discuss how the challenge might go but the two of them knew clearly they were just trying to ignore the elephant in the room.


    In the end, Sol was once again about to ask what happened, Nent threw herself at him and kissed him on the lips.


    ¡°Please, I don¡¯t want to talk.¡±


    ¡°Nent¡­¡±


    ¡°I beg you. Just for tonight.¡±


    Sol closed his mouth and released a sigh before pushing Nent away.


    ¡°Sol..?¡±


    The pain in her eyes as she thought she was being rejected was unmistakable but Sol hardened his heart and refused to let her use sex to drown whatever she was going through.


    Shaking his head, he hugged her tightly and asked,


    ¡°Would you tell me what happened?¡±


    It was a simple and gentle question asked with a soothing voice.


    Nent hesitated a little and began to exin her story.


    While listening to her, Sol said nothing and showed no expression on his face.


    He was used to dealing with slightly troublesome women and knew that what they needed now wasn¡¯t sex or him giving him advice, but simply listening to her story in silence would be enough.


    Nent did not go in detail, but simply after she became obsessed with evolution and bloodlines, Nent began to experiment with different possible situations as she developed her ideology.


    One such idea was the birth of a offspring between two divine beasts, not through mating but through energy fusion and infusion.


    Goddesses were pure energy beings, then wouldn¡¯t the creation of a pure energy divine beast be equal to a god? Or at least a false god?


    For this Nent had hesitated many times to find the best partner possible. For divine beasts, melding their energies was no different from having sex itself so Nent couldn¡¯t realistically make her choice without deep thought.


    For one, her partner would need to be at the same level as her, King Rank, to make the melding more equilibrated.


    Furthermore, it should be another divine beast.


    Finally, it had to be someone pleasing to her eyes.<sub> </sub>


    Back then, the only choice Nent logically came was none other than Kiyohime.


    Sol''s lips twitched a little at the knowledge that his aunt and his current lover used to be in a rtionship but there was nothing he could do aside from listening.


    At first, everything was alright.


    Kiyohime loved Nent and Nent had a good feeling about Kiyohime. But the problem was that the experiment was aplete failure.


    It was impossible to give birth to another being in such a way.


    This should have been obvious. After all, if it was possible, there would have already been such an example after so many times.


    But for Nent who was still mentally unstable and had climbed on the hope of easy sess, this failure came as a blow that broke her down.


    ¡°Hahaha. I becamepletely hysterical and said words that could never be taken back.¡±


    Nent searched for no excuse for herself as she told her story, but even so, she couldn¡¯t help but asionally throw a look at Sol''s expression to see how he was taking her confession.


    When Nent thought back to this period, she could only feel an overwhelming amount of disgust and self-loathing.


    It was after the events with Kiyohime that Nent swore to herself to never force anyone to follow her goal and dream.


    At the same time, losing Kiyohime after losing Hansel and Gretel made her be colder and more recluse, with only her goal and dream to sustain herself.


    The number of times she came to think about ending herself was immeasurable. But every time such a thought came, she would feel deep indignation from the very depth of her being.


    The simple thought of giving up and losing to this world made her so revulsed she would physically throw up.


    She wanted to win, she wanted to show the world that she, or rather, her friends weren¡¯t wrong. She wanted to smile and say that all the sacrifices she made and all the things she lost had been a necessary price for a greater gain.


    ¡°At the end of the day, I was just a sore loser. But¡­¡±


    Strength came back to her eyes as she thought about Nefertiti and the awakening of her True Name, ¡°I wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±


    p Sol frowned and bonked her head with his fist.</anda>


    ¡°Sol!?¡±


    Nent eximed in surprise. Even though the hit itself was not painful, it was the meaning behind it that mattered.


    Taking a deep breath Sol answered,


    ¡°Firstly, you were really an abusive piece of shit and for Kiyohime, leaving you was undoubtedly the best decision ever. I had to get this out of my chest.¡±


    Nent winced as she felt an arrow pierce her heart but didn¡¯t refute his words. Not like she could refute even if she could.


    ¡°But I won¡¯tment on this. What really astounded me is how you simply went with a sorry and hoped to be forgiven.¡±


    Nent felt a second arrow but once again couldn¡¯t refute his words. She had indeed been a little too reckless.


    She thought that because Kiyohime didn¡¯t act aggressively against her from the start, there were chances of being forgiven. However, of course, she had been wrong.


    Sol gazed deeply at Nent, ¡°You remind me of someone very dear to me. That person also lied to me, though in that case, it was for my own good. Still, I have learned something very important from this¡­An apology without changes is just maniption.¡±


    Sol sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know you long enough to know whether you are really sorry or not. But when ites to apologizing, words alone will never be enough. The most important isn¡¯t what you say, but what you do and what you did there, was looking down on Kiyohime by acting like her epting your apologies was a matter of course.


    Honestly, it¡¯s a miracle she didn¡¯t outright attack you. I know I would have if I was in her ce.¡±


    ¡°I¡­What do you think I should do?¡±


    Nent felt humiliated at the thought of asking advice from someone so much younger than her. But, she had to admit that while Solcked her wisdom in some matters, when it came to rtionships, he was overwhelmingly superior to her.


    ¡°Be honest.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°No matter what you do, there is nothing you can do to repair your rtionship as it was. Even bing friends again is a dream hard to realize. Simply apologizing is useless and will only make her even angrier. Simply be honest and forthright. Tell her what was on your heart and your mind.


    Honesty is the first step.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­?¡±


    ¡°There is no then.¡±


    Sol shook his head, ¡°You hurt her deeply, more than I can ever imagine to be honest. In the first ce, forgiving you is her prerogative, not yours. You should be ready for months; years or most likely decades of showing through your actions that you are indeed sorry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Of course, all of this hangs on whether you really want to show that you are sorry. The choice is yours.¡±


    Nent closed her eyes and thought deeply about everything Kiyohime meant for her. Ultimately, she opened her eyes and looked at Sol with a gentle smile full of gratitude.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Sol gently caressed her head, ¡°The same way that ¡®sorry¡¯ isn¡¯t enough. ¡®Thank you¡¯ alone isn¡¯t enough. How do you n to show me how grateful you are?¡±


    His yful tone left no doubt about what he meant.


    Letting out bell-likeughter, Nent bent down towards his crotch while licking her lips seductively.


    ¡­The night was still young.


    (AN: Lol; this chapter should have been smut but it ended up being a moral lesson. Just to be clear, I am not patronizing anyone. Anyway, the small interlude ising to an end.)

 Chapter 251 CH 225: SHE REALLY LOVED HIM

    Over the next few days, the drama that was the rtionship between Nent and Kiyohime continued.


    As Sol expected, Nent''s earlier actions had already brought Kiyohime''s feelings to below zero. So getting her topletely forgive Nent in a few days was simply impossible. Though making it cordial at least was far easier.


    This was why all they could do was y the waiting game. Thankfully, Kiyohime hadn¡¯t resorted to violence nor did she trample on Nent.


    No matter how wrong she was, Nent was still a prideful King ranked phoenix. There was a limit to how low she was willing to go in order to apologize.


    This made this whole situation pretty tricky and Sol wasn¡¯t willing to intervene personally between the two of them.


    He did be closer to Kiyohime, but even if she was his aunt and sort of his teacher, the two of them weren¡¯t close enough to have a discussion about such a thing.


    Sol knew for a fact that he would be quite angry if an outsider who knew nothing about the situation tried to intervene in his rtionship with his woman.


    Aside from Nent and Kiyohime''s situation, Sol made the habit of visiting Tiamat every day.


    He knew that he didn¡¯t have to train but he didn¡¯t want the rtionship with one of his family members to be simply a kind of transaction.


    Tiamat had been extremely weing toward him from the start and he wished to treat her as sincerely she was treating him.


    Thanks to those visits, he could feel like an invisible gap that previously separated the two of them was slowly closing up.


    Furthermore, for someone as curious as Sol, Tiamat, who had lived for thousands of years was a true treasure trove.


    Aside from asking her taboo questions, there was so much she could share with him and Tiamat was happy to share her knowledge.


    <o>,m It has to be said that divine beasts weren¡¯t exactly the best when it came to familial rtionships.</o>


    Perhaps it was the way they gave birth, or perhaps it was simply in their nature, divine beast usually took a off-hand approach when dealing with their children.


    This was why Gabriel''s rtionship with her daughters was quite stiff and this was even more so for Tiamat and her children.


    The way Tiamat obviously pampered ze when she was alive didn¡¯t help in making the rtionship better.


    Sol could see that while she didn¡¯t show it, Tiamat was quite lonely inwardly and his passing time with her brought her a modicum of happiness.


    ¡ª-


    ¡°You are wondering why ze went away with Mars?¡±


    Currently, the two of them were not in the throne room of Tiamat but rather walking near a beautifulke thatpletely reflected the canopy of the sky.


    While standing there, Sol had the impression that he was floating in space. The beauty it of this ce brought peace to his heart.


    Thiske was a wondrous sight on the normally sealed ind of ze. Tiamat had brought him here after he expressed his wish to take a look.


    ¡°Indeed. In the past, I didn¡¯t know much about my parents. Butter, the more I learned about Mar¨Cmy father''s personality, the more incongruent I found their rtionship.¡±


    Sol still found it weird sometimes to address Mars and ze as his parents. It wasn¡¯t as if he rejected his birth parents in this world.


    Had they been alive long enough to raise him, he would have been more epting. But with the way things were, he could only think of them as strangers.


    Still, he was deeply thankful for them for having given birth to him and this was something that wouldn¡¯t change.


    Listening to Sol¡¯s question, Tiamat shook her head with a bitter smile


    ¡°I have once asked her the same question and her answer was pretty straightforward.¡±


    ¡°What did she say?¡±


    ¡°She said and I quote, ¡®His helpless and flustered appearance is pretty cute.¡¯¡±


    Sol tilted his head in confusion for a while before he somewhat managed to grasp the situation.


    In short, ze was a bully and Mars was her target.


    Still, there was something he couldn¡¯t understand,


    ¡°But they made a Pride type contract, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. ¡®While he can be cute, his face as he fights alongside me makes my heart flutter.¡¯ Those were her words.¡±


    Tiamat gently opened the door of the castle and they entered.


    The first thing that greeted Sol''s eyes was the painting of a tall beautiful and vaint-looking woman with a long heavy spear in one hand and zing scarlet hair seemingly flowing under the wind.<sub> </sub>


    Her voluptuous body was d in a tight tank top that showed her somewhat muscr belly and long pants.


    She was without a doubt a beautiful woman with the body of a warrior that did not affect her femininity.


    Sol¡¯s eyes opened wide at this sight,


    ¡°This was my daughter, your mother ¨C ze.¡±


    Tiamat looked at the portrait of her daughter with a motherly smile unlike anything Sol has ever seen.


    ¡°ze was¡­aplicated woman. She didn¡¯t need a strong man. Nor a particrly handsome one or even one full of pride like most dragons.


    What she wanted was someone she could be at ease and happy with. Mars was talented. Incredibly so but if that was all, he and ze would have simply remained as partners. Nothing more.


    What attracted her to him was the candor in his heart. The innocence that would not die even in a world as shitty as this one. Someone who could walk with her until the end and that would never betray her and would love her more than anyone else in the world.¡±


    Tiamat reminisced one of her conversations with ze.


    ¡®I like his cute appearance as he blushes and stutters while seeing me. It makes me feel loved.¡¯


    ¡®I like his troubled appearance as he rejects the advances of other women even though he didn¡¯t need to. It makes me happy.¡¯


    ¡®I love his courageous and fierce look as he fights alongside me. It makes me feel safe.¡¯


    ¡®I love the way he acts while always thinking of the good of his kingdom, it makes me respect him.¡¯


    ¡®Mars is far from perfect, he has many bad habits and many defaults like anyone else. But it¡¯s those imperfections that make his qualities stand out even more and make me love him even more.¡¯


    She could never forget that day for this was this day she understood that her daughter had stopped being the mischievous little girl that would bring trouble while fighting everywhere.


    The one who stood in front of her back then was a mature and adult womanpletely and hopelessly in love.


    Tiamat shook her head, ¡°Of course, if you ask me personally, I still think her choosing Mars was a mistake. His kindness only worked because he was strong and the proof is that he died and brought down my daughter with him because of his kindness and naivety. In my opinion, he was nothing more than a fool.¡±


    Tiamat shrugged.


    She didn¡¯t like Mars. Never liked him and never would. Still, there was nothing she could say about their rtionship itself since Mars had always treated ze like the jewel in his eyes and always made her happy.


    Ruffling Sol¡¯s hair she continued to gaze at the portrait of her beloved daughter.


    ¡°Still¡­While I wasn¡¯t present to see thest moment of my girl, I know that even then, she had never regretted her choice and loved him until the very end, and you, Sol, are the crystallization of that deep love. This is why you need to be happy Sol. I will make sure that you stay happy. No matter what.¡±


    For Tiamat, the pain of losing ze was something she could never put in words. This was furtherpounded by the fact that she had been asleep while her daughter was facing herst moment.


    Like a thorn in her heart, it continuously made her bleed.


    Thankfully, while the past was impossible to change, the future was filled with infinite possibilities.


    Sol stayed silent as he listened to Tiamat speak before asking.


    ¡°Why are you telling me this much?¡±


    Sol found the situation weird. Tiamat wasn¡¯t the kind to confide in people. Even though he was the one who had asked her about ze, Sol felt like Tiamat was the one who acted in a way to make him ask this question.


    Tiamat¡¯s eyes shone with deep fervor.


    ¡°In a few days, you will undergo the baptism in a special pool. Until then, I will impart to you all my knowledge and all my way of thinking. But this isn¡¯t enough.


    It¡¯s far from enough. What you need isn¡¯t to just obtain an inferior version of my Zone. You need to break all boundaries. If you wish to surpass the current me, your first need to surpass the past me.¡±


    Tiamat¡¯s grip tightened on Sol''s shoulder, threatening to crush it. But Sol did not flinch and looked deep into Tiamat¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?¡±


    ¡°Fate is calling, I guess.¡±


    Tiamat grinned. The best way to destroy Fate was to first follow it.


    (AN: ze really appeared for the first time in Interlude 4, Camelia''s interlude also appeared in the first Special Christmas chapter (too bad for those who skipped it). Been really a while since then. Anyway, I thought it was necessary to give further insight in her personality since this is the Dragon volume after all. Lovees in many forms. You can¡¯t rationalize love nor try to understand why someone love someone else. You can only ept it.


    Anyway, the little slice of life moment is over. I wanted to develop it a little more, but I believe it''s time toe back to the more important matter.)

 Chapter 252 CH 226: GIDDY TITAN

    ¡°Ohhh!! The domain changed quite a bit since Ist came. I remember it was an eternal day when Lucifer was the one in power.¡±


    On a floating Ind in the Eighth heaven, a portal opened as four people stepped out of it.


    The one who spoke was a foreign-looking short girl that had the appearance of a young teen. Her skin had a beautiful color hue and her scarlet red eyes seemed to shine in the night of the Starry Sky. One striking feature of hers was her sclera which was entirely ck.


    Draped in a short white robe that barely hid her body, she began to look around, excitement clear on her face and her neck-long pink hair swayed in the wind.


    ¡°Skuld, stop being an embarrassment.¡±


    A young woman with features surprisingly simr to Skuld spoke on the side. In fact, their features were so simr that one would think that the second girl was Skuld a few yearster.


    Even the clothes they wore were the same, albeit hers was a little longer and went a few centimeters after her knees.


    The only true difference between the two of them were the bracelet around Skuld¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°Verdandi¡­¡±


    Verdandi ignored the pleading look of her little sister. She knew that if she didn¡¯t set up the rules now, this girl was very likely to cause an incident.


    Her little sister was simply too mischievous. It was alright when they were in Yggdrasil¡¯s territory since the old man and their eldest sister, Urd, were quite friendly. Furthermore, the old man himself was pretty kind and forgiving despite his appearance.


    But Verdandi knew that Tiamat waspletely different. Even if Tiamat ended up killing them, no one on Order or Chaos''s side except Urd would cry for their death.


    Thinking so, she turned toward the two that had stayed silent behind, ¡°Phoebe, Nidhogg, forgive my little sister''s enthusiasm. It just has been a while since we left Yggdrasil¡¯s territory.¡±


    Phoebe, a dark-haired brown-skinned woman with golden eyes and amazing body curves that were barely hidden by leaves, smiled.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I know her personality.¡±


    Phoebe was a Dryad and one of the Kings under the direct order of Yggdrasil. This made her one of the most important women in the world.


    Even so, as a divine beast under the virtue of humility, her personality was quite gentle despite her warrior-looking appearance.


    However, Verdandi was not tricked. At this very moment, a powerful poison devised by Yggdrasil was circting in their bodies. Even as a King ranked Titans, there was no doubt that they would die should that poison activate and the one who held control over that poison was the one in front of them.


    In Skuld''s case, it was even worse since the bracelets around her wrists were in fact seals that stopped her from using her power. After all, even though she was the weakest out of the three of them, her power was without a doubt the scariest.


    ¡°I am alright.¡±


    The fourth and final person in their atypical group answered.


    The girl was another case Verdandi couldn¡¯t make a head of. In fact, the only reason Verdandi even knew she was a girl was because of her voice.


    Nidhogg, the granddaughter of Hydra and a powerful poison user. This was all she knew about her.


    Every time she met her, Nidhogg was entirely d in a ck robe that covered her from head to toe, long ck gloves around her hands and arms, and a ck mask that reminded Verdandi of a bird. Even the hair was bunched up under a shawl.


    In her hand was a stylish walking cane that she used to put even more distance between her and others.


    Verdandi knew that the entire body of a poison user was a weapon as any part of it could be highly toxic. But as divine beasts that were partially energy beings, controlling that toxicity should have been innate.


    Still, Verdandi had no interest in knowing more about her since she admitted that the girl was quite eerie. She would sometimes even feel a little threatened when standing next to her.


    While Verdandi wasn¡¯t a battle-type King, she was still a King ranked Titan at the end of the day. This showed just how dangerous Nidhogg was.


    ¡°I get it, I get! Stop acting like I am going to cause a disaster, geez! It¡¯s just, I am so excited today!¡±


    Skuld pouted after watching the actions of Verdandi and stopped jumping around. Still, one could see that she couldn¡¯t stay in ce.


    Verdandi couldn¡¯t help but be confused because while Skuld liked to y around, it was still weird for her to be so jubnt.


    Her eyes narrowed a little,


    ¡®Will something happen?¡¯


    Whenever Skuld was like this, it meant that one of her visions was about to happen.


    ¡°Anyway, now what do we do?¡±


    Thinking about it now wouldn¡¯t help so it was better to know where they should go.


    ¡°I wee you.¡±


    ¡°!!!¡±


    The four of them flinched and turned around only to realize that they were not on an ind anymore, but in what looked like arge beautiful garden with pasture, rainbows, and beautifulkes all around.


    Behind them, two people could be seen. One was a beautiful woman wearing a qipao and with an eyepatch. Next to her, sitting on the ground with his eyes closed was a golden-haired young man with an air of nobility.


    Verdandi immediately broke into a cold sweat. While she did not recognize the young man, she easily recognized the tall woman next to him.


    Tiamat. One of the most powerful demigods to ever exist. Just standing in the same space as her made Verdidendi¡¯s senses go into overdrive as she contemted how she should address Tiamat.<sub> </sub>


    After all, the reason why Tiamat called for them was still unknown. She couldn¡¯t help but worry and the only reason she even epted toe was that Skuld assured them it would be safe.


    Verdandi was still worrying when¡­


    ¡°Darling!¡±


    Before she could even express a proper salute, Skuld ran past her and everyone else before jumping in the arms of the golden-haired boy who had just opened his eyes.


    ¡®Oh, mother goddess!¡¯


    Verdandi felt like her heart was about to explode at this sight.


    ¡ª--


    ¡°Darling!¡±


    Sol looked bewildered as he held a rather alien-looking but rather beautiful young girl in his arms.


    A few moments ago, he had been getting advice from Tiamat about how to cover a wider area with his senses and control the influx of information.


    Tiamat had said that this was a very important step in order to increase his control over his own power as well as his dimension and in fact, was the first step to learn <<Dimension Encroachment>>


    This was why he had been closing his eyes and trying to focus.


    Still, he hadn¡¯t expected that the first thing he would see after opening his eyes was a beautiful girl plunging at him with a wide smile.


    His first reflex had been to move to the side because of his experience in Tartarus, but the girl moved like a cannonball and plunged into his arms faster than he could react.


    ¡°Darling¡­?¡±


    ¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯


    Sol lived through many weird situations with even weirder women, but this was the first time he was hugged by a perfect stranger like this.


    Not even Theresa had been that proactive, and this was the woman who sat on hisp just a few minutes after their first meeting.


    Tiamat on the other hand narrowed her eyes dangerously.


    While training Sol, she had felt the entry of those four and had transported them to her sanctuary since she wanted them and Sol to meet, but it seemed that there was a secret she didn¡¯t know.


    She couldn¡¯t help but have her face turn grim. After all, Skuld had power over the future. One didn¡¯t need to be a genius to deduce how she knew Sol.


    Whether this would be a good or a bad thing was yet to be known.


    ¡°Are you done ignoring me?¡±


    Skuld, who was happily hugging Sol flinched a little and tightened her grip around Sol while looking at her warily.


    This prompted Tiamat¡¯s eyes to narrow even further as she could feel that Skuld wasn¡¯t just looking at her with fear, but with clear and undisguised hostility.


    But she was clear that she had never discussed it with Skuld until today.


    ¡°I am terribly sorry!¡±


    Verdandi ran with all her might and yanked Skuld away from Sol and ced her behind her back before bowing hurriedly to Tiamat, fear dripping all over her face.


    ¡®We are going to die!¡¯


    For a prideful powerhouse like Tiamat, what they did was no different from asking for death.


    Thankfully, her fear did note to be as Sol stood up and ced himself between them, his back to Tiamat, and he looked at Verdandi and Skuld with a gentle smile that made Verdandi¡¯s heart skip a beat.


    ¡°Hello, you two. I am Sol. Could you exin what happened just now? I assure you nothing will happen to you.¡±


    Feeling her fear alleviate a little, Verdandi calmed down and turned to look at Skuld, who was still staring at Sol with stars in her eyes.


    ¡°Skuld¡­¡±


    Snapping back, Skuld looked at Verdandi with embarrassment. Sol wasn¡¯t sure whether she was blushing or not, pink face and all, but from the look on her face, it seemed like she did.


    In the end, just as Skuld was about to open her mouth, Tiamat waved her hand, ¡°We will talk about thatter. You two should just stay put for now.¡±


    Both Skuld and Verdandi immediately vanished from the ce.


    Leaving only two other people in the ce.


    ¡®I wonder who they are.¡¯


    Today seemed to be a day full of new encounters.

 Chapter 253 CH 227: NIDHOGG

    After the two women vanished, Sol focused on the two remaining ones.


    ¡®I wonder who they are.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t help but ask himself.


    One was in a get-up that seemed to show as much as possible. The leaves on her barely concealed her luscious body and if Sol didn¡¯t have as much experience, he would have been lost as he gazed at her tworge hills.


    The other one was theplete opposite. Not even one inch of skin was visible in her case. She waspletely d in dark from head to toe.


    What surprised him though, rather than the amount of skin the clothes were hiding, was that he knew this uniform.


    It was one used by doctors on earth in the past during the gue. Those clothes had the purpose of protecting the doctor from any external contact and even the mask was specially made.


    ¡°Phoebe, it has been a while.¡±


    The woman with leaves for clothes, Phoebe, bowed in greeting. She had stayed silent until now because it wasn¡¯t her ce to intrude in the earlier events.


    In fact, she was surprised that the golden-haired young man had the audacity to stand between Tiamat and someone she was about to judge. Even more so by the fact that Tiamat didn¡¯t contradict him.


    However, no matter who the boy was, it didn¡¯t change her situation


    ¡°I salute the Dragon Empress.¡±


    Tiamat showed an exasperated expression but didn¡¯tment. She knew that this politeness was ingrained in the way Dryads were raised by Yggdrasil. No matter what she said, nothing would change.


    ¡°You are really stubborn. Even more so than your old man.¡±


    ¡°I am delighted by your praise. I will make sure to tell father.¡±


    Tiamatughed and ced her gaze on the fully clothed girl.


    ¡°Do I need to ask you to reveal your face?¡±


    Keeping such an attire in front of Tiamat was in a way extremely rude.


    ¡°I¡­I do not want to cause any problem.¡±


    Sol had expected many things, but the gentle and sweet voice that came out of the mask was not what he expected.


    ¡°Should I care about your desire?¡±


    Sol frowned a little but this time stayed silent. He might have forgotten because of how gentle and caring Tiamat was toward him, but in reality, Tiamat was no gentlewoman.


    She was a cold and ruthless Empress who would ept no slight. An extremely domineering woman who only put her pride aside for a select few.


    Clearly, the girl wasn¡¯t one of those.


    His earlier action was already pushing it but he had an excuse since the matter seemed to be rted to him.


    This time though, it was a matter between Tiamat and one of her descendants. As a junior himself, he had no ce to say anything. So he stayed silent and simply observed.


    ¡°....Understood.¡±


    In the end, the masked girl released a sigh and began by taking away her gloves.


    *Whoosh*


    The moment she did so, a slight fragrance floated in the air, and immediately, all the pasture around her withered.


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡±


    Sol and Tiamat¡¯s eyes narrowed while Phoebe showed no surprise. After all, she had been one of the people who trained Nidhogg.


    ¡°Intriguing. I felt those clothes were special. But to think Yggi did this for you.¡±


    After inspecting the gloves more closely, she could feel that leaves of the Yggdrasil itself had been used on them. Otherwise, it was impossible for normal clothes to block such a deadly aura.


    Tiamat moved her hand slightly and light seemed to reflect around Nidhogg before everything went back to normal.


    ¡°I have isted you in a differentyer of space. Disrobe yourself now.¡±


    Nidhogg nodded. She had no more reason to hesitate now and she could feel that Tiamat¡¯s patience was running thin.


    As such, slowly, she began to take away all the clothes that covered her body until she was left with a small ck and transparent camisole.


    ¡°I am sorry for my earlier impudence.¡±


    ¡°No matter. You are certainly quite prideful and understandably so. Your power really evolved to be something quite impressive. But learn to not let it go to your head.¡±


    Tiamat scoffed. The reason she said all this was because the earlier actions of Nidhogg were implying something pretty impudent.


    She did not take off her clothes earlier because of her power. In short, she was worried that her power could hurt Tiamat in a certain way.


    The simple fact that a Duke-level existence had such a thought was ludicrous and made Tiamat wonder if she should ask Kiyohime to harden the training she gave to younger dragons.


    Sol meanwhile was assessing the physical appearance of this new girl.


    ¡®She is so pale.¡¯


    The girl behind the mask was extremely beautiful. But Sol was already used to such beauty. To this day, he didn¡¯t remember meeting someone who wasn¡¯t handsome or beautiful.


    Like all divine beasts, Nidhogg had beautiful golden eyes. She also had long ck hair with tints of green near the end.


    Figure wise, there was nothing much to write about. She wasn¡¯t exactly voluptuous and rather had a more slender frame despite her height. In a way, she looked like a top model from his old world.


    However, what really caught his attention was something else.


    ¡°Her ears¡­¡±


    Hearing his murmurs, Nidhogg trailed her eyes toward him and introduced himself.


    ¡°I am Nidhoog Superbia. Granddaughter of Hydra and daughter of Siegfried.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­¡±


    Sol was left speechless.


    ¡®If I remember right, Siegfried killed one of Hydra''s favorite children right?¡¯


    How could he forget the story Kiyohime told him and the others on his first day here.<sub> </sub>


    Even though that dragon, Ladon, had gone insane, the fact that Siegfried was the one to kill him was a reality that couldn¡¯t be erased.


    But even then he gave his daughter to Siegfried?


    Or perhaps he was already married to her before tyat?


    ¡®Well, not like it¡¯s my problem.¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t even talked to Hydra.


    ¡°I am Sol Luxuria, son of ze.¡±


    Nidhogg squinted a little as the light of understanding shed in her eyes.


    The reason she came back was to fight for the title of Prince and it seemed that this was the one who gave her this opportunity.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    ¡°Thanks to you, I will be the new Princess of the tribe.¡±


    Sol stilled before his eyes narrowed dangerously. But in the end, he only let out a small chuckle.


    The meaning behind her words was quite clear. She did not see Sol as an equal opponent and was already sure to win the title for herself.


    Being underestimated so much was quite a weird feeling for him. It was something that hadn¡¯t happened since the time with the Gorfards and even then they had been quite cautious of him.


    ¡°Wake up to reality.¡± [1]


    Sol didn¡¯t know how powerful Nidhogg really was but from the earlier disy, it was clear that she was extremely dangerous. Sol wouldn¡¯t make the mistake of underestimating her.


    If even after bing a Duke he couldn¡¯t win against people of the same rank as him, it would be an insult to all the natural gifts he was born with.


    ¡ª-


    While Sol was getting to Know Nidhogg, Verdandi was having a meltdown as she raised Skuld by the throat.


    ¡°Are you trying to get us killed!?¡±


    Verdandi was positively and righteously furious.


    The situation had been grave.


    Not only did Skuld jump on someone rted to Tiamat, but she also showed open hostility toward the Empress.


    Even if Tiamat had heavily wounded them then and there as a punishment, not even their elder sister would have been able to say a word.


    Even though she was raised until her feet dangled in the air, Skuld didn¡¯t show any struggling expression.


    In the first ce, like all Titans, she didn¡¯t even need oxygen to survive and lived by absorbing mana through her entire body.


    Still, she knew she should have controlled herself more there.


    Sighing, she pushed away her hands andnded calmly on the ground.


    ¡°I am sorry, I let my feelings take over my mind.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need words of apologies, I need answers. Tell Me What Happened.¡±


    Verdandi enunciated each of thosest four words very deeply and Skuld understood that it wasn¡¯t the time to y around.


    While she was willful, she knew that actions shouldn¡¯t cross certain lines.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to exin a second time. So I will wait for Darling toe back. But¡­Do you remember why we left Chaos?¡±


    Verdandi¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    When the three of them left Chaos, the fight between the two sides was still going strong. So there was no reason to change sides.


    The reason was that Skuld had insisted they did so.


    Verdandi and Urd had been skeptical, but they trusted Skuld¡¯s power and knew that she wouldn¡¯t joke around about their life so they did as she proposed.


    When Chaos lostter, she thought that Skuld had already foreseen the defeat and made them change sides before they were forced to flee like helpless rats in the Abyss or worse¨Cdie.


    Now though, from what Skuld was showing and her earlier actions, it was clear that it hadn¡¯t been the only reason.


    ¡°Is that boy really that important?¡±


    Verdandi frowned but not out of distrust towards Skuld. It was just that the situation was too unbelievable.


    A Hybrid Divine Beast and a Blessed one at that? It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that such an entity should be the antithesis of Titans like them.


    ¡°Furthermore, Skuld, do not let the future affect your emotions.¡±


    Verdandi warned with a deep but worried voice.


    Titans were even more attuned to their concepts than divine beasts. After all, divine beasts had the inherent limitation of the goddesses above them.


    Meanwhile, there was no such thing for the Titans. They had the absolute freedom to follow whatever path they wished to.


    As the one with the deepest link to Fate, if the three of them did not pay attention and delved too much in the time they were linked to, they could easily lose their sense of self.


    This danger was even more prevalent for Skuld since she was linked to the future.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am alright.¡±


    ¡°You should know that the more you say it, the more worried I be.¡±


    ¡°I am really alright. As for Darling¡­¡±


    Skuld¡¯s eyes shone with a fervent light.


    ¡°Everything will be alright. I will make sure of it.¡±


    She would never let that awful future happen.


    [1]: I wonder if anyone can catch this reference. It¡¯s the starting sentence of one of the greatest speeches made in anime.

 Chapter 254 CH 228: SKULD

    The discussion didn¡¯tst long as Tiamat wasn¡¯t that much interested in Nidhogg herself.


    She generallycked interest in anyone aside from her eight direct children and even then it was to a limited amount.


    The only reason she even wanted to meet the girl in the first ce was that she got interested in what kind of girl Yggdrasil would teach and what kind of power she had that interested him.


    After all, as divine beasts who lived for thousands of years, few things could really pique their interest. They had simply seen too much.


    What she saw didn''t disappoint her. She had to admit that the result was pretty impressive and that her old friend''s vision was still as good as in the past. He had found a raw gem.


    Tiamat wasn¡¯t one of those who shunned poison users for some reasons such as it being too sneaky. She believed that a warrior should use every weapon in their arsenal when it came to fighting.


    After all, people only had one life. During the war, people like Yggdrasil and to a certain extent, Hydra, were far more useful than having an entire army on the battlefield.


    They could easily tear apart the rabble and avoid having them drowned in a sea of chaos spawn while Tiamat and the other heavy hitters took care of the powerhouses.


    As such, she was happy to have another powerful poison user on her side. Should the war resume, Nidhogg would be incredibly useful.


    What made her lose interest in the girl was that while her poison was incredibly powerful and deadly, there was nothing else to it. Nidhogg was now the pet project of Yggdrasil and she had no wish to meddle in the situation.


    Looking as Nidhogg and Phoebe left together, Sol understood once again how lucky he was.


    Tiamat¡¯s affection was not something she granted so easily. It was clear that she was extremely utilitarian and rather cold. He wondered if he would be appreciated like he was currently if he wasn¡¯t ze¡¯s son or didn¡¯t have Chaos Physique and Dimensional magic.


    ¡°Your face is pretty scrunched.¡±


    Tiamatmented idly on the side, causing Sol to turn towards her. He simply shrugged.


    ¡°I just thought you were quite harsh.¡±


    Sol didn¡¯t hide his feelings for there was no need to. Tiamat had clearly grasped them so it would simply be a waste of time.


    ¡°I like how direct you are.¡± Tiamat smiled, ¡°I understand how callous I seem, but this is how I have always been. Are you disillusioned now?¡±


    Tiamat wondered how he would answer. She distinctively remembered the same discussion happening between her and ze in much the same circumstances.


    Though back then, the one she had sent away was Fafnir.


    ze had been pretty outraged by the difference in treatments between her and her siblings and this had been the spark for one of their biggest disputes. All of it ended in a huge fight where Tiamatpletely whipped ze''s ass.


    She didn¡¯t need anyone to tell her how she was. She knew it very well more than anyone in this world and she had no wish to change it.


    Was it wrong of her to do as a mother?


    Probably yes. However, Tiamat never pretended to be a good mother.


    She was a selfish, callous, prideful, and warmongering woman. She had many qualities but also had just as many ws if not more.


    But, did someone wless even exist in the first ce? At the very least, Tiamat knew that even the so-called Goddesses were not wless.


    Sol did not know Tiamat¡¯s thoughts but he didn¡¯t even need to think deeply about his answer. He shook his head with a smile.


    ¡°I have no reasons to be disillusioned. To be honest, I have no interest in how you treat other people. As long as I am being treated well, that is more than enough.¡±


    Sol wasn¡¯t a saint. Why would he risk his current position to fight for people he didn¡¯t know nor care about?


    The only dragon he was close to aside from Tiamat was Kiyohime and the woman clearly didn¡¯t need anyone to fight on her behalf.


    Tiamat opened her eyes wide at his answer before she exploded inughter.


    ¡®Truly, how delightful.¡¯


    Tiamat realized that she had been projecting the image of ze on Sol unconsciously. Perhaps it was out of her desire to see her daughter again? She didn¡¯t know.


    But with this, the illusion waspletely broken.


    Sol wasn¡¯t ze. He had his own ideas and his own thoughts.


    ¡°I like your way of thinking.¡±


    If before she had been caring for Sol out of guilt and a desire to see how far he could go, now she began to truly appreciate him for who he was.


    Like her, he was a selfish, callous, prideful, and warmongering man.


    But unlike her, he had way more people he cared for, people who also cared for him equally in return.


    Having obtained more insights into Sol''s personality, Tiamat decided to cut the conversation short.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go visit those two Titans. We have something to uncover.¡±


    She had been listening to the two sisters while they were imprisoned and from what she gathered the current situation was rather interesting.


    She had been wondering how to get the help of the sisters. After all, while they were tightly constrained, there were limits to how much she could push them. The number of Titans that had defected to Order''s side was extremely low and they didn¡¯t want to push them away.


    Thankfully, it seemed that the situation was easier than she thought.<sub> </sub>


    Once again the power of Fate was something incredible.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    With a wave of her hand, both Sol and Tiamat vanished.


    ¡ª-


    ¡°Look Skuld, we need to discuss how to¡­¡±


    ¡°How to do what?¡±


    Verdandi tightened her fists at the unexpected voice before she turned to face Tiamat with a polite smile.


    ¡°Empress, it is very kind of you to honor us with your presence.¡±


    Tiamat looked deeply at Verdandi, not misled by her fake smile. She knew that while that woman was one who acted weakly, once she decided that there was no other way, she would fight in the craziest way.


    p Her power represented the present. There was nothing more important than the present for her and so she was able to act however she wanted.</anda>


    Verdandi meanwhile was sweating buckets. She had already contacted Ud to inform her of the situation but even though Ud was a demigod, intruding on Tiamat¡¯s territory without justification would be suicide.


    She thought that Tiamat would take more time in order to reminisce and whatnot with her descendants. It seemed that she was wrong.


    Thankfully, Tiamat didn¡¯t scrutinize her for too long and focused on Skuld.


    ¡°Little girl¡­¡±


    ¡°I am older than you.¡±


    Skuld interrupted calmly, causing Tiamat to narrow her eyes.


    In a way, Skuld wasn¡¯t wrong. The Norns were part of the first generation of Titans. They were part of the same generation as Lucifer, Tiamat''s predecessor as the divine beast of Pride.


    As such, despite looking like a teen, Skuld was indeed older than Tiamat and that by quite a bit.


    However, age was not everything.


    ¡°Are you provoking me?¡±


    ¡°Skuld!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry sister. She won¡¯t hurt us. At least not now. She still needs our help.¡±


    Tiamat snarled, there were few things she hated more than people presuming what she could or not do. She could let it pass when it was from people she cared for. But from strangers?


    A heavy aura began to emit out of her as she prepared herself to crush the impertinent girl.


    ¡°Before you decide to do away with me. Are you not curious about whether we can really help darling do what neither you nor Lucifer could? Because the answer is yes, we can do it.¡±


    Tiamat stopped, ¡°Speak and know that if your answer disappoints me, you will regret your insolence.¡±


    Skuld''s disposition had clearly changed. She wasn¡¯t the smiling and excited young girl she portrayed herself to be but rather a wise woman whose experience and knowledge belied her appearance.


    ¡°Darling alone is really talented. More than you can imagine. He will create a zone out of this world. However, it won¡¯t be enough. No matter what you do, he won¡¯t be able to break the wall. But, if he has our help¡­He will seed.¡±


    As she said so, she threw a look filled with love at Sol. A look none present missed.


    ¡°Why do you want to help me?¡±


    Sol, who had stayed silent until now, finally asked. He had an inkling of the answer, but he wanted to hear it clearly from her.


    ¡°Because you are my one and only Darling.¡±


    Skuld gave one short answer that exined nothing but at the same time was filled with meaning.


    The love Skuld had for Sol was clearly real or Skuld was a godly actress.


    Still, there was one thing that was really puzzling Sol.


    ¡°Big sis. Tell me honestly, just what do you wish to do with me?¡±


    This was seriously bing worrying.


    In order to just help him awaken his zone, Tiamat was using her own inheritance, the dragon pool, and the help of two Kings and perhaps another demigod-ranked Titans?


    Just what the hell kind of Zone was she trying to make him awaken?


    ¡°Do you want me to be able to kill a King ranked as a Duke or something?¡±


    Tiamat smiled bitterly.


    ¡°If only¡­¡±

 Chapter 255 CH 229: REVERSE

    Hearing Tiamat''s bitter murmur, Sol closed his eyes and massaged his forehead.


    This world was a world that worked on the principle of near equivalent exchange.


    There was no denying that the greater the result sought, the greater the price that would follow it.


    Sol understood this lesson deeply about what happened with Camelia and the goddesses. He understood it, even more, when Nent made him realize the price all Blessed had to pay eventually.


    Continuing that line of thought, how astronomical would the price be of creating an unprecedented Zone that needed the help of so many powerhouses?


    As though reading his thoughts, Skuld spoke on the side.


    "If we do this, all those who participated will receive a great backsh. But¡­It isn''t as bad as you think and in fact is necessary. It¡¯s at least way better than Tiamat alone doing it."


    Skuld grimaced, "Firstly you must understand that the rules of this world are like aw. Of course, there is a certain difference. Normally, when you break thew, you get punished and the punishment changes depending on the rule broken. No matter how numerous you were, this will not change the sentence that all of you will receive. Or at least, not lower it. "


    "But this doesn¡¯t apply in this case. What people don''t realize though is that the higher the number of people who break the same rules at the same ce and moment are, the lesser the resulting punishment bes since the burden will be equally shared between all of them."


    "You mean¡­"


    "In another world, at another time, where my sisters and I didn¡¯t leave Chaos, Tiamat did the same, however, she did everything alone. In her hubris and supreme confidence in her power, she paid a huge price in helping you obtain an admittedly very powerful zone. The problem is what came after¡­"


    Skuld spoke grimly, "Ymir acted."


    "Impossible!"


    Tiamat eximed in surprise.


    Ymir. The first goddess under Chaos and the strongest of them all.


    That being wasn''t just powerful, she was essentially the incarnation of destruction and power.


    She alone had enough might to suppress most of the Sins and Virtues goddesses.


    At the end of the war, all the goddesses had to work together in order to seal Ymir alongside the mother goddess of Chaos, and only then did the war turn in the favor of Order.


    Even Tiamat, despite all the confidence in herself, had to admit that she was far inferior to that monster, even after bing a false god.


    Skuld didn''t bother arguing and continued, "The attack of Ymir was one she had umted a very long time for a very specific moment. After doing it, the seal around her tightened even more but her job was already done. She had opened the way and the results were quite tragic."


    "Because of her attack, the seal of Tartarus in this territory got undone, the Titans, Giants, Chaos Spawn, and others that were imprisoned all rushed out to wreak havoc. Meanwhile, using the opening, the Wing of Freedom entered the fray and used the dimension of Nihil to smuggle in the few free demigod Titans that had fled in Tartarus."


    "Blood flowed and dragons died in troves. And¡­"


    Skuld gave Tiamat aplicated look,


    "You were really a monster. Even under the assault of this coalition, even though you were more weakened than anyone, you still stood proud and managed to kill arge number of them."


    "So, I died?"


    Tiamat asked calmly.


    "No. You were too strong. In the first ce, their goals had never been to kill you. They just needed to stall you long enough.¡±


    She threw another look at Sol, "You were the target all along."


    Sol immediately felt a splitting headache.


    "In the end, Darling managed to escape thanks to the help of another demigod. Bastet was a very surprising appearance for the coalition. At the price of her life, she managed to send you out of the encirclement. This is where you meet us.¡±


    When she said this, love seemed to overflow from her heart as she took a step forward toward Sol until she was close enough to hug him.


    She wrapped her arms around him in a gentle embrace and continued.


    ¡°The Darling back then waspletely different. You were filled with guilt and self-reproach. You became cold and focused on seeking power for vengeance. You were¡­really sad.¡±


    Skuld closed her eyes as she thought of all the visions she had seen.


    Words alone could never convey what she really felt. That was why, looking up, she tiptoed and¡ªkissed Sol.


    The moment their lips came into contact, Sol cked out.


    ¡ª


    ¡®Where am I?¡¯


    When Sol came to himself, he realized that he wasn¡¯t in Tiamat¡¯s pce anymore.


    Rather, all he could see were the ruins of a once-mighty castle.


    [This is¡­]


    Sol has never felt so horrified in his entire life. Everywhere he looked, all he could see was death.


    Far away, he could even see the gigantic body of a blue serpentine dragon impaled by a spear the size of a mountain. All around her were the destroyed bodies of equally gigantic beings that Sol did not recognize.


    ¡®Kiyohime?¡¯


    A bubbling feeling of fear mixed with anger welled up in his heart while he clenched his fists unknowingly. He certainly recognized the 8th Heaven that had beenpletely destroyed.


    [Don¡¯t worry. This is my mindscape, and what you are seeing is the vision of a world that will note to be.]


    Sol frowned as he looked at the floating Skuld with increasing suspicion. His heart was still thumping loudly in his chest, but this didn¡¯t stop his mind from working.


    He had some knowledge about foresight but everything Skuld told him was too urate for it to be simple foresight.


    [Exin yourself. This can¡¯t just be a normal vision of the future. No one aside from a goddess should be able to do this.]


    Skuld did not seem surprised. In fact, her smile widened even more.


    [It¡¯s exactly as darling said. Then again this wasn¡¯t hard to guess.]


    She mused and nodded to herself.


    [Darling said that if you didn¡¯t believe me, I just had to say this. *Ahem* Tell me, what does it feel like to see someone who regressed? Pretty neat, right? Isekai and Regression in one go for the win.]


    Skuld spoke in a deeper voice, clearly impersonating someone else. Sol cringed hard at those words but at the same time, he became increasingly sure that Skuld wasn¡¯t lying.


    [You were right, Sol. It¡¯s impossible for a King ranked like me to see so far and so precisely in the future. But, this was never a vision of the future. After all, I did live through most of this.]


    Saying so, she smiled cheekily and bowed.


    [Hello darling, let me introduce myself again. I am Skuld. One of the three Norns. I came back from the future in order to save you and everything you care about. It is a pleasure to meet you.]


    ¡ª


    Sol¡¯s thoughts went into overdrive as he tried to make sense of the situation.


    He received too much information in just that one sentence to not be confused.


    A Regressor.


    It is a term used for people who for one reason or another managed to go back to the past, generally with only their memories intact.


    Sol was no foreigner to this term since he had been an avid fan of such literature. Thus he was all the more astonished.<sub> </sub>


    Going back to the past shouldn¡¯t be possible.


    It wasn¡¯t a simple question of power. The price necessary would simply be astronomical.


    Even someone as powerful as Medea could only rewind time for a maximum of 24h and she was unable to rewind any deaths.


    Now, from what Skuld was implying, shepletely went back to more than thousands of years in the past.


    [...You must have paid a huge price.]


    [You are right, the price we had to pay was tremendous.]


    It was impossible to send her full memories of all future events. The disturbance in space-time would have been too great and the only result would have been a failure.


    All they could do was send a pocket of memories apanied by clear feelings.


    The candidate to receive the memories had been Medea at first, due to her control over time and identity. She was the most suitable because she was close to Sol since he was a child and could have trained him and educated him in the best way from the start.


    If they sent the memories further down, she could have even helped in changing Mars¡¯ and ze¡¯s death, thereby obtaining even more allies.


    That would have been perfect. However¡­


    [Medea died during an ambush after she opened the gate of the witch world.]


    [Wha¨C?]


    Sol nched at those shocking words.


    With a wave of Skuld¡¯s hand, the mindscapepletely changed. Sol felt his heart tighten at the sight presented to him. Thereid Edea as her hand was held in the hands of someone.


    Even as her body was breaking down, the weak smile on her face never faltered. The drops of tears that fell on her face rolled down her cheeks into the blood soaked ground. She opened her mouth with what little strength she had left, sadly¡­Sol could not hear anything.


    Even as his vision turned blurry, there was no sound reaching his ears. It was only after touching his own face that he realized that he was crying.


    <o>,m Sol couldn¡¯t even bother to think about how he could cry in a mind world. But Skuld, seeing this, understood.</o>


    Only a pain so deep it affected his very soul could bring such a result. She wanted to stop showing him the terrifying visions, to hug him and to console him.


    However, she knew she couldn¡¯t.


    This was a necessary step in helping Sol create a brighter future. No matter how painful it was, he had to go through it.


    Even though she knew it was necessary¡­


    [Should we stop?]


    Sol closed his eyes and felt his mind roar. It was painful. He felt like wanted to just break down right then and there.


    Even though he knew that this was nothing more than the vision of a future, just the thought of losing Medea was so heart-wrenching it felt like he was dying.


    Despite the pain he was experiencing, there was only one answer he could give.


    [Continue.]


    He couldn¡¯t stop. He refused to stop. He had to see it through until the end. He had see for himself just how hellish the future was.


    [Darling¡­.]


    Skuld hesitated a little but finally nodded.


    Following Medea¡¯s demise, different scenes presented themselves to Sol one after another while all he did was watch in silence, even as he wiped his eyes to stop his vision from getting blurry, any more than it already was.


    It felt like going through a living nightmare that he would never wake up from. Sol knew that he might bepletely traumatized after this but, even then, he never tore away his gaze from the scenes shown.


    When the world was finally plunged into darkness.


    [Those memories¡­]


    [They are mostly yours.]


    [Why¡­.]


    [Why didn''t your future self simply send his memories to you directly? It would have been useless. There was nothing you could do that would change the fact that Ymir was ready to strike. Medea, for example, had the influence necessary to move the Witches and Ambrosia. But what about you?]


    Skuld shook her head and continued.


    The n with Medea had to be scrapped. But future Sol did not give up. Years after years and decades after decades.


    The people around him dwindled. Some left and some died, but he never lost faith.


    [You didn¡¯t just want to create a parallel timeline, that would have been useless. What you had in mind was much, much more ambitious. You wished topletely erase and reset the time we were in. It should have been impossible. It was something that broke allmon sense. Everyone thought you were crazy and we all tried to stop you. But against all odds¡­You seeded.]


    Skuld looked like she was in rapture as she told this story.


    [How¡­]


    However Sol did not have enough capacity to pay her any attention. He was having a difficult time wrapping his mind around Skuld''s exnation.


    Rather than answering, the darkness around them faded as a new scene formed.


    This time it was a man looking at himself in the mirror.


    It was a middle-aged man whose eyes seemed to ze with a mad conviction.


    [Is this¡­me?]


    [Yes.]


    Sol had a hard time believing it. The man looked nothing like the current him.


    A gaunt body with a cold and emotionless face with one scar running down over his right eye.


    However, more than anything, the greatest shock was the fact that the man did not possess the characteristics of Golden hair and blue eyes Sol currently had.


    His golden hair was reced bymon ck hair while his blue eyes were of a beautiful golden hue full of divinity.


    [I didn¡¯t want to speak since it would be useless but I believe I need to do it at least at this juncture. Too many words would overwhelm the spell but you need to remember.]


    The man, Sol, spoke with a raspy voice.


    [We underestimated the power of The Reverse Side too much.]


    ¡®The Reverse Side?¡¯


    [I believe at this moment, we still call it¡ªThe Mirror Dimension.]


    *Crack*


    The world cracked and crumbled like a broken mirror.


    Thest words from his future self were echoing loudly in his ears as the mindscape was broken.


    When Sol opened his eyes in the real world, none of the usual easy going attitude was present in them.

 Chapter 256 CH 230: CONFUSED

    The moment Skuld kissed Sol, Tiamat narrowed her eyes and was immediately about to separate the two of them.


    For mortals, a kiss might be something romantic, but it wasn¡¯t only that for people like them.


    For any magical being, the exterior of their bodies gave them a protection against magical attacks of varying degrees. This was even more so for Chaos Dragons like her and Sol.


    Since Sol wasn¡¯t able to nullify all magical attacks like her, kissing him was the perfect way to break past his defense and use a spell on him.


    Tiamat immediately remarked on the oddity of the situation. After all, for Skuld to act like this, it meant that she already knew that Sol was a Chaos Dragon and prepared herself for it. It gave even more credibility to the gibberish she was spouting.


    Still, Tiamat wasn¡¯t willing to y around with the security of her grandson. There were plenty of ways to discover if all of this was the truth or not.


    ¡°I am alright, Big Sis.¡±


    Tiamat immediately yanked Skuld away and approached Sol to inspect his current state.


    ¡°I am really alright.¡±


    Tiamat stopped and looked at the calm but firm eyes looking back at her.


    ¡®Something changed.¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t pinpoint what exactly, but it was like Sol had matured in just an instant. For a boy already as mature as he was, such an obvious change in such a short amount of time should have been impossible.


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Tiamat spoke quietly as she directed an icy gaze towards Skuld. It was clear that this time, she was well and truly angry.


    The world itself seemed to react to the anger of the Empress as both Skuld and Verdandi felt an urge to kneel under the pressure that was crushing them.


    It wasn¡¯t even gravity. It was just a pure and unadulterated feeling of awe that was filling them down to their marrow.


    ¡°Please.¡±


    Hearing the pleading tone in Sol¡¯s voice, Tiamat faltered and her pressure receded as fast as it appeared.


    Now she was really worried.


    Even when Sol had asked her help thest time regarding Sheherazade, he had done it with an air full of confidence.


    After passing thest few days with Sol, Tiamat understood that Sol was truly a dragon. Despite his gentle and mild exterior appearance, he was someone full of pride.


    The only thing that could make him lower his head was a problem that concerned people he cared about and it shouldn¡¯t be a small problem.


    Thinking about it like this, Tiamat decided to not act rashly.


    When Sol saw that Tiamat had once again listened to him, he gave a weak but gentle smile full of gratitude. He really appreciated that Tiamat was willing to do so much for him.


    ¡®All of this is my fault.¡¯


    The love and care Tiamat had and showed for him made him feel even more guilty about all the pain and destruction his presence would bring to her and her family.


    Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, he shook his head and berated himself inwardly.


    Now wasn¡¯t the time to act like such a wretch. He could wallow in guilt and despair all he wanted once the situation was resolved.


    ¡°Let me exin everything¡­¡±


    ¡ª---


    Tiamat listened silently as Sol exined everything to her while Skuld unwillingly chimed on the side as she gave further precision.


    If at first she had been full of disbelief, when Sol finished with thest words of the future him, Tiamat entered deep in thought though,pared to what Sol may have imagined, her thoughts were following apletely different track.


    The fact that the future Sol had a hint of divinity even without being Blessed showed that he had traced an entirely new and different path.


    If he had truly managed to be strong enough to rewrite and rewind the entire world back to thousands of years¡­ Tiamat could only shudder at how strong he must have be.


    Inwardly, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she should keep everything on track just to see the birth of such a mighty being. However she immediately discarded this thought.


    She didn¡¯t want to see Sol go through unneeded suffering and she certainly didn¡¯t wish to see her realm get destroyed.


    Of course, all of this hung on the fact that what Skuld said was the truth rather than an borate trap to trick them.


    ¡°You are saying that you can make him even stronger than he was in the vision?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure.¡±


    Skuld admitted frankly and exined the reason. Future Sol had reached a height of power unheard of. He was unable to enter godhood in the end but he still managed to be a false god that was no weaker than any of the goddesses.


    Be it Ymir or the Sins and Virtue Goddesses.<sub> </sub>


    Still, the transformation of his Zone as a Duke or the True Name he received as a King, none of them were fixed.


    After all, those were dependent on too many external factors such as the experience, memories, and way of thinking.


    If they managed to avert the approaching crisis, would the Sol who didn¡¯t go through all that pain and suffering still manage to reach the same level or surpass his future self?


    This was a question no one could answer.


    ¡°So this is why you showed me all those memories.¡±


    Sol muttered to which Skuld concurred.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. While it¡¯s impossible for us topletely recreate the situation, by showing you those memories we can at least bring you to a state of mind that is a little closer to him. Well, whether it will be enough or not is uncertain but Darling was never worried about this.¡±


    Tiamat nodded, ¡°Onest question¡­Why did Sol lose his blessings?¡±


    Skuld sneered at Tiamat, ¡°Do you think those haughty goddesses would ept getting erased because of Sol''s wish to go back to the past? The spell wasn¡¯t safe. Darling literally collided the normal world and the reverse world against each other to fuel the energy necessary for the rewind.


    ¡°Failure would have meant the death of everyone. In thest moments of his life, darling could be said to have be the enemy of the world itself. Of course, you were no exception and were even one of our greatest hunters. If not because of the Supreme Witch and the Necromancer King giving help, we would have never seeded.¡±


    Tiamat frowned.


    Would she really chase after Sol because of the goddesses order?


    No matter how weakened she might have been, Tiamat did not believe that she was the kind of person to do something like this.


    Did her mental state deteriorate? Or was it because she was unwilling to put her destiny at the end of Sol''s crazy n?


    Sol didn''t even try to think about this. What the future Tiamat did was of no importance to the current situation.


    As for Anubis and Ambrosia helping him, Sol wasn''t particrly surprised.


    Whatever he did, having the knowledge of Ambrosia who was a master at witchcraft and of Anubis who was one of the first mortal demigods would have been a great boon.


    Furthermore, while he didn''t know Anubis, if he loved his daughter even half as much as Ambrosia loved hers, then with Isis and Medea dead, the situation was normal.


    Ruffling his hair, Sol tried to keep his train of thoughts straight and steady.


    His head throbbed and all he wanted was toy down and sleep but he couldn''t afford to.


    Not now at least.


    Even as he closed his eyes, he could still see the horrors that were previously shown to him.


    If he had seen those pictures before his training in Tartarus, he would have most likely snapped.


    "Sol?"


    "*Sigh*....Okay. Okay. I am good. Don¡¯t worry. I¡­"


    "I believe this is enough for today."


    Sol wanted to continue the discussion but was stopped short by Tiamat.


    "There is no point in insisting. My decision is taken. You need to rest today. We will continueter after all of us have rested a little."


    Sol closed his mouth as he had been on the verge ofining but since he knew his current state more than anything, he understood that his mind wasn''t at its best now.


    "I understand. So please, let''s make things a little clearer."


    Sol rained his fingers, "First, while I believe in Skuld, we need to investigate the truth of the matter. After all, it isn''t impossible that she may be getting manipted without her knowledge."


    Skuld simply shrugged, not surprised. In fact she would have been pretty disappointed if Sol simply epted everything she said, even though she would have been happy for the trust.


    ''Darling is still darling after all.''


    Skuld thought with aplicated smile.


    Sol, who did not know Skuld¡¯s thought, continued, "Second, if everything is the truth, we need to make preparations. I don''t know if Ymir will still use this moment to strike. But it''s necessary to prepare ourselves."


    Sol wanted to understand everything about his future self and all his power. The better understanding he had the more he could make a differenceter.


    "As for thest one¡­"


    Sol thought about a beautiful butzy cat that had been following him since the Phoenix''s territory.


    It seemed like it was time to make a decision.

 Chapter 257 Just Realized That I Got 100+ Golden Tickets

    Hello guys, thanks for your support. I just took a look today and realized that I got 100 GT furthermore I also got 7 gifts and all this is on my first month as a contracted author. So really really thanks for all the support. It shows people really appreciate my work and are willing to support me.


    Next month I will open privilege chapters so I hope you guys will like it.


    My goal is to be a full-time author and be recognized as such. I am investing a great deal of time in this story and next year, when I finish myw study (I present my memoir in December) I will have even more time avable and will create other new original stories. Currently, I write two Fanfic alongside SHK if you are interested. One is called Gojo: A sorcerer in Soul Society and the other is called Lustful Paradise (a DxD fused with Shinmai Maou fic)


    Later on, when I finish Gojo, I n to add a new Original story, either a Mecha Story inspired by Gurren Lagann or a Xianxia story with a viin as the main Character.


    Anyway, really thanks guys.<sub> </sub>


    Now one important thing to know is that I am not Exclusively contracted with WN. The advantage is that I get to keep my P@treon so don''t hesitate to support me there. The disadvantage is that I am unable to check things likements and donations on WN directly. I am someone who really likes discussing with my readers and get their opinions so it''s really a pain that I can''t directly answer toments. As such if you guys wish to discuss with me or share your opinion, the easiest thing to do is to Join my Discord: https://discord.gg/3v2xvhvD6j


    I am pretty active there. Once you join enter the Bulletin Board channel and choose the SHK role. Then you will have ess to a channel exclusive.


    When privilege is active I will create a Privilege Role for those who wish to get it.


    I n to set up a special recurring Giveaway to give different rewards like Nitro or ess to advanced chapters or X-box pass from October onwards for those who are level 5 or above. So many ns for the future. I hope I will realize those ns with you guys. Have a good day everyone

 Chapter 258 CH 231: SHE IS STRONG

    After Sol left the premises and both Skuld and Verdandi were sent away, Tiamat began to reflect on everything she learned today.


    ¡°Have I been in too much of a hurry?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but ask herself seriously. Initially, her n had been to thoroughly train Sol in all possible ways so that he became ready both physically and mentally.


    This mainly stemmed from her foresight about his future that would be filled with blood and death.


    ¡®Well, I guess I wasn¡¯t exactly wrong.¡¯


    She chuckled bitterly.


    The more time passed the worse the rush became. Even though she should have known that patience was necessary for all great undertakings.


    However, there was something that still bothered her.


    ¡®Nothing like that happened in the future I have seen.¡¯


    There were infinite numbers of possible futures, so seeing even hundreds of them was indeed not enough.


    Furthermore, in most of those futures, she did see the Wing of Freedom attacking. But generally, it was only two of them apanied by some giants. Nothingplicated.


    Finally, their target wasn¡¯t Sol, but Isis, and in none of those futures did Ymir act.


    Tiamat could feel that she was at a crossroads. How she decided to act now would change everything.


    The first road was to simply believe in herself and refuse to believe the Titan Skuld.


    The second one was to believe in Skuld and act ordingly.


    The third road was to simply give up bringing Sol to the Duke level. In the first ce the transition to Duke wasn¡¯t hard and with Sol¡¯s talent, she was sure that Sol could still be very powerful.


    [¡­Zzz¡­mat¡­Tiam¡­]


    ¡®Oh.¡¯


    Hearing the intermittent sound in her mind, Tiamat remembered that she hadpletely cut her connection with the goddesses the moment Skuld screamed ¡®Darling¡¯ for the first time.


    She was happy she did because she couldn¡¯t even imagine what would happen if those goddesses knew about what happened.


    [Tiamat!]


    ¡°No need to scream in my head, I can hear you.¡±


    [¡­.Exin.]


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    [Luxuria is going crazy. She is screaming that something has changed and she wants to know what.]


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    [I am not joking this time. She is really about to explode. If you don¡¯t give her some exnation she will¡­]


    ¡°She will? She will what?¡±


    Tiamat¡¯s eyes narrowed in a fit of cold and silent anger. Today had been a day where she had to repress her anger many times.


    She was tired, angry, and confused. Now she was being threatened?


    [¡­]


    ¡°Finish your sentences, please. What will she do¡­mother?¡±


    The word mother was uttered with such a disdain and disregard that it felt like nails scratching on metal.


    "Let me remind you something. You may have created us, but we are not your ves. Never ever threaten me again.¡±


    [¡­I see. It seems like reaching your current level made your head swell and transformed your pride into arrogance. I think it¡¯s time to remind you that no matter how powerful ¡ªa false god will always be a fake.]


    This time another voice intervened in the discussion. It was a voice Tiamat rarely heard but still knew very well.


    ¡®Luxuria.¡¯


    Silence fell between them as Tiamat stood up. zing determination shone in her eyes as her form changed until the beautiful woman was reced by a gigantic Dragon.


    Under the might she radiated, the whole world seemed to quake.


    ¡®Finally!¡¯


    ROOAARRR!!!


    The sea stirred, tempest roared and the stars in the sky shone so much more brightly that they became blinding.


    All of this happened in but an instant before Tiamat vanished from her pce to reach the depth of a realm few ever stepped in.


    The Divine Realm.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Two dayster, Sol could be seen sitting near Tiamat¡¯s throne while he meditated.


    Initially, he had nned to openly discuss with Bastet, but since Tiamat mysteriously vanished after causing so many world-ending phenomena, he decided to wait.


    What he did during those two days was meditate on exploring his Mirror Dimension or the Reverse World as his Future self said.


    Unfortunately, he came out empty and found nothing particrly new. He couldn¡¯t find Skuld to discuss either as it seemed that Tiamat had imprisoned them in another space before leaving.


    ¡°I guess I won¡¯t be able to do much more without first bing a Duke first. Perhaps I should change my way of thinking?¡±


    Sol muttered while keeping his position.


    The creation of a Zone mainly depended on external factors such as way of thinking, memories, and possible inheritance.


    All of this would culminate into one truth. The ultimate truth for the one using the Zone.


    In terms of inheritance, while he couldn¡¯t say to have understood everything Tiamat said, he slowly grasped what her zone was about and its underlying power of it.


    The fact that it was based on her dimension was one of the reasons Tiamat had chosen to share it with him since he also had a dimension.


    So the inheritance was no problem.


    What then was his Truth? Sol thought to himself.


    Biprity. Action and Reaction.<sub> </sub>


    People said that there was no such thing as a world of only ck and white and Sol thought the same but in a different way.


    The world was a spectrum where ck and white were the ultimate ends.


    All¡­


    *Whoosh*


    Sol¡¯s train of thought was interrupted when a circr portal opened in the middle of the throne room.


    There could only be one person who could enter here in such a way.


    ¡°Oh¡­Sol, you are here.¡±


    As he thought, the one who stepped out of the portal was indeed Tiamat but¡­


    ¡°What happened!?¡±


    Sol stood up hurriedly and rushed towards Tiamat, worry evident in his eyes.


    Tiamat was surprised at his outburst at first, but once she looked down on herself, she immediately understood.


    The current Tiamat had none of her usual poise.


    Her body was covered in blood and wounds. One of her arms was hanging and her eye that was usually hidden behind an eyepatch was closed but had tears of blood streaming from it.


    While it was clear that none of the wounds were particrly deep, the simple fact that Tiamat herself was wounded was astonishing.


    ¡°Ah, This? Don¡¯t worry about it. The more dangerous wounds already healed.¡±


    ¡°Your wounds were even worse!?¡±


    Understandingly, her words did nothing to abate Sol¡¯s worries and in fact only increased them.


    Tiamat was powerful.


    This was a simple reality. In the same way that life and death coexisted or that people needed the energy to sustain themselves.


    Who could wound Tiamat so much?


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, she was attacked?¡¯


    As if understanding his worries, Tiamat stretched her blood-free hand towards him and ruffled his hair gently.


    ¡°Once again don¡¯t worry. For people at my level, physical wounds alone are far from enough to really affect us.¡±


    ¡°*Sigh* I understand. At least tell me what happened.¡±


    Sol did not push away her hand but continued to inspect her condition. His actions warmed Tiamat¡¯s heart after all, it had been forever since anyone was worried about her.


    ¡°I fought Luxuria.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª-¡°


    ¡°Well. Saying that we fought is a stretch since we only traded blows in the physical ne.¡±


    Physical wounds could easily be healed but it was different for wounds inflicted through conceptual attacks.


    ¡°What about the result?¡±


    Since he saw that Tiamat was indeed alright, Sol asked quietly while observing Tiamat¡¯s expression.


    ¡°It was a tie.¡±


    Tiamat gave a bitter smile. Sol watched her with his mouth open wide causing her to chortle in amusement.


    ¡°What makes you so surprised. I am a false god, you know? The fight might have gone differently if we fought with our concept but in the physical ne, I am not inferior to any of them.¡±


    Pride and confidence literally seemed to ooze from all of her. Even though she seemed to be in such a sorry state, Sol could say that she was truly at her most beautiful today.


    More than anything, when the thought that Tiamat was able to fight against a goddess without losing settled in, it was like something finally clicked in him.


    Gods weren¡¯t all that special.


    ¡°Sol¡­? Are you alright?¡±


    Tiamat frowned a little as she felt the atmosphere slowly change.


    Sol stayed silent for a short while before finally raising his head and smiling at Tiamat.


    ¡°I have never been better. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­You realized something?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. You made a deep fear that had settled in my heart vanish from it.¡±


    What was a goddess?


    For Sol who had personally met and whose life had always been manipted by the goddesses, they were like supreme beings that could crush and toy with everything in this world.


    The first meeting between them had ended with him groveling and begging for the life of his loved one before being tied into some forced debt. As if it wasn¡¯t enough, he had been nearly mind¨Cwhipped just for taking a look at them.


    This had clearly set the tone of their rtionship and it was clearly not one between equals.


    Ever since then, even though he refused to admit it, a feeling of dread was born in his heart.


    He lived in a world where his existence could be erased at any moment and where his destiny had already been decided from the start.


    He could only console himself by thinking about he had a pretty good life but this did not take away the bitterness of his reality.


    But now?


    Now he was ready.


    He still feared them, for he was still not even a Duke.


    He still respected them, for everything he had was thanks to their machinations.


    But he no longer saw them as insurmountable mountains.


    And that alone¡­made all the difference.


    ¡°Shall we talk with my cat now? This is thest missing piece of the puzzle. I think I am ready now to take the next step.¡±

 Chapter 259 CH 232: BASTET OR SEKHMET

    *Whoosh*


    Under the illumination of the starry sky, the wind blew gently, bringing a chilly air with it as it rustled the leaves of the tree in therge garden.


    Sitting on a beautiful chair that seemed to be made out of pure crystal was a crimson-haired woman with a voluptuous figure, sipping on wine as she waited in silence.


    Despite the cold of the night, she was d in an attire that showed a great amount of her skin without seeming obscene in the slightest.


    *Crack*


    The sound of a twig breaking under the step of someone intruding in the serenity of this sanctuary rose her from her wandering spirit.


    Taking a look at the intruder, Nent showed a gentle smile.


    ¡°I am surprised you came.¡±


    Giving her a supercilious stare, Kiyohime did not bother to answer as she took the seat opposite to Nent.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t call me here for no reason. What is the problem?¡±


    Her tone was cold but Nent was already happy that Kiyohime at least was willing to speak with her.


    ¡°Did you feel it? The way the atmosphere in the territory changedtely.¡±


    Nent crossed her legs, showing an enticing sight as her dress parted and revealed a hint of her beautiful thighs.


    Ignoring the tantalizing sight in front of her, Kiyohime mulled a little and reluctantly nodded.


    The atmosphere in the air was indeed bing heavier. Everything began on that night. The night where Tiamat showed her might once again.


    Kiyohime still did not know where her mother went, but the aura and power she showed on that day had made the territory incredibly calm. She had indirectly reminded everyone why she was the supreme ruler here.


    Still, this didn¡¯t stop here. Through Kiyohime, Tiamat had sent different orders rted to increasing the spatial defense of the territory and regting the flux of people entering and getting out of the territory through the official portal at the crossroads.


    As if it wasn¡¯t enough, she was even asked to eradicate all the Duke levels in the lower circle of Tartarus. The culling generally happened at a fixed time so it was surprising for the date to have been pushed forward.


    At the end of the day, Kiyohime was no idiot.


    Though Tiamat never said anything, it was clear that something big was going on. Still, there was something that disturbed her.


    ¡°Sol should know what''s going on.¡±


    Kiyohime clenched her fists at Nent¡¯s deration. Sol had been acting more withdrawntely. Always brooding. He emanated a slightly nervous feeling.


    It was clear that Sol had gotten hold of more than troubling information and it was disturbing him. But there was nothing Kiyohime could do.


    ¡°Jealous?¡±


    Kiyohime did not answer the question. The response was already more than evident.


    ¡®This murky feeling in my chest is spreading again.¡¯


    She was already used to that feeling. The deep and searing disgusting feeling of jealousy and envy. The kind of feeling that could destroy you from within progressively with no way of avoiding it.


    She hated that feeling. She hated feeling jealous. But how could she not?


    A brat that hadn¡¯t even lived for a century, nay not even two decades, and had met Tiamat not even a month ago was already closer to Tiamat than Kiyohime had ever been.


    Worse, Kiyohime was the Queen of the Territory. But even then, she was kept in the dark from information Sol clearly had ess to.


    ¡®Ugh. I haven''t felt this bad since a long time ago.¡¯


    She was no stranger to that feeling and that was why she hated it even more. She did not want to feel jealous.


    Sol was a good and interesting kid as well as the only son of her little sister.


    She liked him quite a bit and saw him as a sort of her student. While they didn¡¯t spend much time together, the moments they shared in Tartarus made the two of them be closer.


    She also knew very well that the only reason she could still talk to Nent like this was because of the effort Sol was putting in. She held no feelings for Nent now. But at least she recognized that Sol had acted with her best interest in mind.


    This was why those dark and disgusting feelings made her feel even more awful.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright to be jealous, you know?¡±


    ¡°....What do you mean?¡±


    Nent gave a gentle smile as she looked at the confused Kiyohime.


    ¡°Jealousy may be an ugly feeling but it¡¯s one only a select few people manage to never feel in their entire life.¡±


    ¡°So my feelings are nothing particr?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. Jealousy ismon, but it can be extremely ugly very fast if not controlled. However, being jealous by itself isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    Kiyohime closed her eyes for a short while before she shook her head, ¡°You are right. I guess I should face my own feelings properly. I will talk to Mother tonight.¡±


    Standing up, Kiyohime began to walk away as she prepared to fly up and meet Tiamat.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Those words drifted in the wind and the ears of Nent as Kiyohime vanished.


    Nent, now alone once again shook her head and looked down at a crumpled piece of paper that she had been hiding all along.


    Despite its appearance, this particr piece of paper was a secret way ofmunication that allowed messages to be transferred between two people who possessed the same piece of paper.


    The words on those pieces were: <<We need to talk.>>


    Looking at the paper that hadn¡¯t received any message since 700 years ago, Nent sneered before tucking it away.


    She had been lost and wondered what she ought to do until now. But, her doubts were finally cleared.


    Her decision was made.


    ¡ª--


    While Kiyohime flew high until she reached the 9th Heaven and entered Tiamat''s Pce, she thought hard about what she wanted to say to Tiamat.


    Tiamat''s act of favoritism wasn¡¯t done unconsciously. Tiamat knew very well what she was doing. She just didn¡¯t care in the slightest.


    This was why going there and whining would be nothing more than a terrible waste of time that would only result in disdaining from Tiamat.


    Still, all her life, Kiyohime had acted as the understanding big sister so for once she wanted to be a little selfish. She just wanted to say exactly how she felt and there was nothing in particr she expected.


    The moment she opened wide the door of the throne room and strolled in,


    ¡°Mother! I want to¡­¡±


    Kiyohime was stopped by the weird scene she was witnessing.


    In the throne room, only two people were present. They were both Tiamat and Sol. If that was all there was, she wouldn¡¯t be so surprised but that wasn¡¯t the case.


    On the ground, sitting on what looked like a ritual circle with lit candles all around was a white cat that Kiyohime easily recognized as Sekhmet, Sol¡¯s magical pet.


    ¡°Hah¡­Kiyohime? Look, this isn¡¯t what you are thinking.¡±


    Kiyohime threw a weird look at Sol, ¡°You mean to say that you didn¡¯t put the cat that has a high chance of housing a demigod that was officially dead under a seal in order to inspect it while preventing all possible problems?¡±


    Sol¡¯s mouth hung open while he kept a finger in the air before slowly lowering it with a puzzled expression.


    In the end, ¡°*Ahem* Well, I take back what I said. This is exactly what you are thinking.¡±


    Sol shrugged while Tiamat snickered as she threw a look at Kiyohime, ¡°I can more or less guess why you are here today. Let¡¯s talk aler, you and me. There are many things we need to discuss. But now¡­¡±


    The smile in her eyes vanished as she looked at the cat that was watching them innocently with its head tilted to the side,


    *Meow*


    ¡°Heh, how cute. To think the fierce Bastet really fell so low.¡±


    Tiamat mocked openly. Bastet was one of the rare independent demigods that she recognized. The woman was a fierce warrior who didn¡¯t hesitate to rush in any and everything fight.


    The simple fact that a normal magical beast had managed to evolve to the level of demigod and bring normal elements such as ice and fire to the conceptual level was more than a little impressive.


    *Meow*


    Even as Tiamat spoke, Sekhmet did nothing but look cutely at Tiamat and then proceeded to ignore her to lick her paw.


    ¡°You¡­.¡±


    Kiyohime, standing on the side, took a few steps forward to have a better vision. She was surprised that Tiamat wasn¡¯t using force. She knew that her mother wasn¡¯t really the patient type when people defied her authority.


    In the end, it was Sol who spoke, as he crouched down; ¡°Look, are you Bastet or Sekhmet? I don¡¯t really know, nor do I care. Even though I do not know your circumstances, I believe that you hold no ill will toward me.¡±


    Sol of course was bluffing. Many reasons could exin why Sekhmet didn¡¯t hurt him until now even if she had wished to do so. But, from Skuld¡¯s vision and words, he knew that Sekhmet would protect him until the end.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but the only thing that mattered was that she did.


    ¡°I want to protect people I care about. But as I am now, I am helpless to do so. This is why I need help¡ªyour help. We are not trying to threaten you or force you in any way. Please, lend us a hand.¡±


    Sol gave his plea sincerely. If his earlier words were a lie, now he was being serious. He knew that his words weren¡¯t spoken in the best way. But in this case, rather than beautiful sounding words, he believed honesty was the best answer.


    As the silence that filled the room grew longer, Sol was slowly losing hope and wondered if they should give up on obtaining her help when¡­


    *Sigh*


    A low sigh filled the room as the expression of the cat changed to a quasi-human-like one. The circle below her paws began to shine and flicker as they were activated because of the divine energy that coursed through the body of the once normal cat.


    Looking up at Sol, Sekhmet or rather, Bastet, finally spoke for the first time,


    ¡°Tell me exactly what you want my help for. Then I will decide.¡±

 Chapter 260 CH 233: BASTET OR SEKHMET (2)

    Sol looked at the cat that had obviously changed.


    If before the cat could pass for a house cat, now that illusion was no longer. Rather than a cat, what stood in front of them was a true lioness. It was still rather small, but the transformation was nheless impressive.


    ¡°Heh, I thought you were asleep.¡±


    ¡°My conscience had begun to rose either since I have been in contact with him and I became aware of the exterior world when he came back with the scent of my apprentice¡¯s aura all over him.


    Though, I only woke uppletely because of the surge of energy you showed a few days ago. I guess my mind woke me up because of the potential danger.¡±


    Sekhmet answered disinterestedly while observing the circle around her. Putting a paw on it, she pulled it back immediately when a spark zapped her.


    Sneering, as weird as it was to do with the face of a cat, she turned toward Sol.


    ¡°Tell me, little master. What is the meaning of you seeking me out?¡±


    ¡°Little master¡­?¡±


    Sekhmet shrugged, ¡°Answer my question first.¡±


    Hearing this, Sol threw a look at Kiyohime before looking at Tiamat and nodding at her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I already used my dimension as a cover. You can speak without any problem. As for Kiyohime¡­¡±


    Kiyohime had wondered if she should simply go back. Since it seemed like she was unwanted.


    ¡°You should stay. Or rather, you need to stay. After all, this also concerns you.¡±


    Sol stopped the dejected Kiyohime from turning back and going away. He believed in her and knew that her influence would be necessary if they wanted to reach the goal they had set for themselves.


    Turning back to Sekhmet, Sol coughed and spoke.


    ¡°Should I call you, Sekhmet or Lady Bastet?¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­Quite sly aren¡¯t you, dear little master.¡±


    Bastet answered with a chuckle. She knew exactly what Sol was doing. If she chose to be called Lady Bastet, then she was putting a distance between the two of them. But if she chose Sekhmet, then it would mean that she still recognized the rtion between them.


    As for her choice¡­.


    ¡°You are quite lucky. The little one in me is found of you. Because you see¡ªI really hate sly little guys like you.¡±


    Her eyes shone with a golden hue but Sol stared at her without any fear in his eyes. The stand off between themsted for quite a while before she released a sigh.


    ¡°Call me Lady Sekhmet. That would do for now. Now then, for how long do you n to keep me in here? Or do you think I will be able to harm you with the Dragon¡¯s Empress right here?¡±


    Tiamat nodded to herself but shook her head with a little smirk.


    ¡°You are very slippery. I didn¡¯t put this circle because I feared you would hurt us. I did it because I do not wish to let you run using a time node.¡±


    ¡°Tsk~! I thought I would be able to avoid something troublesome.¡±


    She plopped down on the ground like a sleepy cat and yawned,


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this done with now. I can¡¯t stay awake for too long.¡±


    ¡°Well then, Kiyohime, Lady Sekhmet, let me tell you a little story.¡±


    ¡ª--


    A few minutester, Kiyohime sat down with a somber expression.<sub> </sub>


    Who would have thought that her wishes to discuss with her mother would make her a part of such a dangerous topic.


    ¡°Is it really the truth?¡±


    Unlike Kiyohime, Sekhmet seemed rather calm. After all, unlike the blue dragon, she had no reasons to believe in Tiamat and Sol.


    More than anything else, she couldn¡¯t phantom why she would sacrifice herself for a boy she barely knew.


    While she had observed Sol in action and found him interesting, it was far from enough to warrant her dying for him.


    In fact, his earlier actions made her good impression of him drop a little. So it was even more unimaginable.


    ¡°Do you believe I would waste my time lying to you?¡±


    Sekhmet grunted at Tiamat¡¯s words. Indeed. While she was a demigod herself, this was in the past and even then, Sekhemet knew that she was nothing in front of a renowed being like the Dragon Emperess.


    Lying to someone like her would be beneath the consideration of such an exhalted being. Even more so since all they had to do was to force her to obey. There was little she could go against a monster like Tiamat in her current state.


    In the end all she could do was nod, ¡°Since you gave me all those information, I guess I have no other choice. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, there seems to be a misunderstanding. We really don¡¯t n to force you to paticipate. If you don¡¯t wish to, we will simply seal you down here until everything is resolved. Then you will be free to go and do as you like after swearing a binding oath to never reveal the truth.¡±


    Sol was clear and concise with his words. He made her understand that while they did not wish to force her, they would not give her the slightest chance of spreading any form of rumours before and after the event.


    ¡°Heh¡­I guess I should be thankful to you?¡±


    The sarcastic tone in her voice showed her true feeling but this was the only thing Sol would notpromise on.


    The future Sekhmet died for him. But this hasn''t happened currently.


    In the same way she didn¡¯t trust him, Sol did not trust her yet either. He wouldn¡¯t endanger his loved ones for something he wasn¡¯t absolutely sure of.


    Gazing deeply in his eyes and feeling the conviction in them, Sekhmet finally relented.


    ¡°Let me see my disciple first. I want to see how she doing. Furthermore, if you really want my help, then I ask you to free her. I may not be essential for your n, but it never hurts to have one more ally, right?¡±


    Sol and Tiamat traded nce. The two of them had developped a certain tacit understanding and since Sol saw no reluctance in Tiamat¡¯s eyes, he nodded.


    ¡°No problem. Your conditions are eptable.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I hope I don¡¯t need to mention that I will ce a seal on the two of you. Even if you try to flee by traversing history, I will make sure to find you and¡­¡±


    Tiamat did not finish her words, but the silent threat was clear nheless.


    She wasn''t as nice as Sol and she didn''t have any intentions to waste her time.


    "Kiyohime,e with me, I will put on the seal. We will talkter."


    Kiyohime nodded. She really needed to speak about everything she had just heard. If not for her years of experience, she would have been hysterical by now.


    "As for you Sol, why don''t you visit that Titan? Don¡¯t worry, I have made sure she won''t be able to hurt you even if she wanted. Though I doubt she would even try."


    No matter how distrustful Tiamat was over the whole matter. She had to admit that Skuld was pretty damn convincing.


    Either way, she had put up a failsafe. So she would leave the rest to her little boy.


    After Tiamat vanished with Sekhmet and Kiyohime, Sol, now alone, began to walk in the direction where Skuld was detained.


    There were things that needed to be discussed a little more with her.

 Chapter 261 CH 234: SKULD (1)**

    "Darling~!!"


    When Sol entered the room that was reserved for Skuld, like a bolt of lightning, she jumped excitedly in his arms.


    Looking down at her jovial appearance and the clear joy in her eyes, Sol felt his heart soften and the stress that had gradually built in him vanish a little.


    "Are you alright?"


    Sol showed a surprised expression as he looked down at Skuld before smiling gently.


    "I should be the one asking this. Are you guys alright? You weren''t roughed up too much?"


    "Haha. Don''t worry. Even though I look like this, I am still a King Titan. That old hag didn''t treat us too badly either."


    Sol smiled, "I distinctly remember you mentioning that you are older than Tiamat."


    "Hehe. Don''t mind the small details."


    Skuldughed out loud before pulling Sol towards her bed.


    While the meeting between Skuld and Tiamat could be said to be more than unpleasant, at the very least one had to admit that she didn¡¯t put them in a dump.


    Far from it.


    The room was worthy of a King and thanks to space maniption, the interior of the room was in fact wayrger than it looked in the exterior.


    ¡°What about your sister?¡±


    Once Sol sat down on the bed, he asked gently.


    ¡°Well, she is alright, I guess? Still freaking out a little bit but at least now that she is sure that we won¡¯t get killed she calmed quite a bit.¡±


    Sol gave aplicated look at Skuld, ¡°She was right to worry. What if we didn¡¯t believe you?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Skuld looked a little troubled before she showed him a smile so bright it nearly blinded him.


    ¡°I have never once thought about that. I believed in darling and I was sure that you would not hurt me. Darling is kind after all.¡±


    Sol gave a bitter smile as he averted his eyes from her expression full of love and trust. It wasn¡¯t the first time he was showered with such affection. But it was the first time it made him feel so ufortable.


    After all,


    ¡°I am not your Darling though. Until a few days ago, I had never met you. I know nothing about you, shared none of your sorrows. I do not even have the same personality as the Sol you know. The two of us arepletely different.¡±


    Sol spoke quietly. This was what had always disturbed him. At the end of the day, the one Skuld loved was the future version of him, not the current him.


    Even though future Sol had managed to bring everything back in the same timeline, it didn¡¯t change that the moment Sol met Skuld, be it for good or for bad, he was destined to walk apletely different road than the one Skuld knew.


    The Sol Skuld knew and loved would never exist again.


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    Sol wanted to continue but was stopped by a moist sensation on his lips.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to understand that he was being kissed.


    Before he could catch his breath, he was pushed down on the bed while Skuld continued to kiss him deeply.


    Once their lips parted, Skuld sat upon his crotch with a hand on his chest and an alluring look on her face.


    ¡°Darling is Darling. Perhaps someone else would be confused but I am a Seer. I have seen hundreds of thousands of Darling and I unequivocally have fallen in love with absolutely all of them.


    No matter what happens, even when you fall into the deepest pits of despair, your light never ceases to shine. You are and will always be my one and only darling.¡±


    Her eyes shone with a hint of madness mixed with deep love that Sol was all too used to seeing in girls like Camelia and Milia. Eyes that looked like they could pull in his very being.


    Under the light of the stars streaming from the windows, her exotic appearance made her seem even more fascinating and alluring. While shecked some womanly charms, her beauty was in no way affected by it.


    He now understood that his worry has been superfluous. The way such people loved could not be understood by usingmon sense. Using reason to understand their madness was naught but a waste of time.


    ¡°It seems like my words were unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Skuld shook her head. ¡°I know that Darling only did that for my own good. You could have simply used my affection for you and discarded meter but you didn¡¯t. You really wanted my happiness. This is why I said Darling is kind.¡±


    While she spoke, Skuld began to grind her butt on Sol''s crotch.


    It had to be said that all she wore was nothing more than a flimsy white fabric that barely hid any part of her body.<sub> </sub>


    Sol could already feel the hotness and wetness of her lower region over his pants and as the normal male full of hormones that he was, his biological reaction was evident.


    Feeling a fire lit in herself, Skuld¡¯s breath became rougher and she began to let out slow little gasps while her grinding above Sol increased.


    Already, the robe on her body began to stick to it because of the sweat, putting even more attention to her modest but beautiful curves.


    The low moan and her sweet voice made Sol wish for nothing more than to transform into a beast and ravish her but, with a supernatural will, he stopped himself and simply enjoyed the spectacle.


    Finally, Skuld leaned down and embraced him tightly before her body froze like a block of ice. Though she stopped moving, the sudden increase in wetness and the spam of her body gave Sol all the information he needed to know to understand that she had reached an orgasm.


    Through all of this, all Sol did was hug back her lithe body as tightly as she did for him.


    Once the wave of pleasure finally passed and she could finally breathe again, Skuld raised her head slightly and kissed Sol¡¯s face all over.


    She said no words, but he could feel her love through all her actions.


    In the end, without knowing who initiated it, the two of them once again began to kiss deeply. Their tongues fought and the emotion in both of their heart flowed toward the other.


    Sol did not love Skuld. It was impossible for him to fall in love with her like this. But still, knowing everything this small woman did for him. It would be impossible for him to give up on such a woman.


    Skuld knew that Sol did not share her love, but for a being as old as her, patience was her greatest weapon. She didn¡¯t care about how long it would take. She was determined to do everything in her power to bring him happiness.


    More than anything, what she wanted was for him to stay safe, free of all the pain and suffering. She wanted him to have a good life filled withughter and joy.


    The Sol she knew was kind but sad. All she could feel then was nothing more than the embers of what had once been a sun. A broken man who was naught be a husk of his former self. A man who destroyed himself and the world for the sake of saving his loved ones.


    She did not wish this for Sol.


    ¡®This time. Everything will be alright. This time, I swear that you will be happy.¡¯


    *Drip*


    Opening his eyes at the moist sensation that fell on his face, Sol opened his eyes and saw tears streaming down from Skuld¡¯s face.


    ¡°Skuld¡­¡±


    Their kiss stopped as Skuld hugged him tighter and ced her face on his chest. Her silent sobs, filling the room with a heavy atmosphere.


    In the end, ¡°I am sorry. Ipletely ruined the mood.¡±


    Keeping her face down on his chest, Skuld spoke with a muffled voice. She didn¡¯t understand why she began to cry like this so suddenly.


    All she wanted to do was to spend a good time with her beloved. To unite with him and be one.


    She stopped when she felt a gentle hand on her head,


    ¡°As weird as it sounds, I am happy to see you cry.¡±


    If there was anyst shred of doubts remaining in Sol¡¯s heart. Those tears effectively erased them.


    If after this it came out that this was all a lie, Sol would only be able to ept the bitter reality.


    ¡°As for the mood¡­It¡¯s easy to recreate it.¡±


    Raising himself up, and ignoring Skuld''s small yelp that escaped her at the sudden movement, Sol now found himself with Skuld sitting on hisp, his eyes shined with barely hidden lust.


    Normally, he would have stopped at this stage. But he knew that if he did, Skuld would definitely beat herself over it.


    Furthermore.


    ¡°I am still quite backed up.¡±


    His erection that had wilted after her sobs began was once again hard and slightly moved as if to affirm his words.


    Feeling his movement, Skuld let out a smallugh and wiped away the tears on her face as her expression of sadness was reced by a small grin.


    ¡°Then, let me help you.¡±


    Saying so, she lifted her butt and ced her hand below her in order to align Sol¡¯s dick perfectly.


    Once she felt the tip touching her secret ce, a shiver of pleasure went down her spine before she finally sank down and took it until the roots.


    ¡°Nn~!¡±


    Because of her small frame, she felt a little difort but, the moment she was fully prated, all those thoughts flew out of her mind


    Now, for the first time, the two of them were finally united and this was only the start of a long night.

 Chapter 262 CH 235: SKULD (2)**

    (AN: I began the giveaway for P@treon in the P@treon-only channel. It willst until the 1st of October. The prices are X-boss game pass and PC game pass. Later on, if more people are interested, I will increase the prices and the different types of rewards for the winners. Also I once I set up privilege chapters, privilege members can participate. I will create a Privilege Role on my discord for this. Of course, like I already said, the giveaways wont be only for P@treon and Privilege. I will also do some giveaways for other members. So that everyone can have fun. I really want to build up a goodmunity so help me guys. Don''t hesitate to ask me questions in the server. I am really open and like discussing with my readers.


    Here is the link for my discord: https://discord.gg/3v2xvhvD6j.)


    Sorry for the message. Now enjoy the chapter.


    ---


    ---


    After Sol fully prated Skuld, the two of them stayed silent, savoring the new sensations that were flooding in.


    For Skuld, this experience felt rather weird at first. After all, while she did have the memories of having made love with Sol in the future, the current her never did. In fact, unlike the other her, she had never touched any other man. After all, she already had memories of Sol and the future by then.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­No?¡±


    Skuld tilted her head suspiciously at Sol while wondering why she was supposed to be hurting but then it came to her.


    ¡°Hah. Don¡¯t worry. While we look humans, we aren¡¯t. I have no such thing as a hymen.¡±


    Sol grinned a little before letting a small groan of pleasure because of the sudden pressure around his shaft.


    Opening her mouth wide and showing her pointed teeth, she lightly bite Sol on the shoulder and begin to nibble on it.


    For Titans, such an act was the greatest expression of love possible.


    After all, they lived in a world where it was eat or get eaten.


    While intercourse was nothing special, allowing another one to nimble on you was the greatest act of love and the proof of a deep confidence.


    After all, if the other person so wished, those sensual nibbles could easily change into very painful and very deadly bite marks.


    She knew that Sol had no knowledge the traditions of her race, but it did not matter.


    Right here, right now, in the hand of her beloved, she was the happiest woman alive.


    ¡°Sol, since I do not have a hymen, you know what it means, right?¡±


    After stopping her antics, she whispered with a sweet and alluring voice in his ear.


    Sol didn¡¯t need more words of encouragement. It had to be said that the exotic body of Skuld was something Sol enjoyed greatly.


    Her body was so supple, that it seemed that he could fold her in half with no problem. Her beautiful glistening pink skin, which he was sure Freya would die for, made him gulp in anticipation. Her hot vagina exercised a suction force of the like he had never felt and if he wasn¡¯t careful, he was sure that she would suck everyst bit of his semen in a jiffy.


    Taking her by the waist, Sol lifted her slowly, savoring the sensation before pushing her back in one swift movement.


    ¡°Ah~!¡±


    Skuld let out a moan of pleasure at the sudden shock of his shaft hitting the entrance of her womb. Normally such action should have been rather painful but for her, it only brought pleasure.


    Letting go of all reservation, she began to move up and down by herself while sticking her small body to Sol, increasing the friction between their skins. Her dark pink nipples were hard and brought her even more pleasure.


    However, all of that was nothing. The moment when, like her, Sol began to nibble on her corbones, Skuld¡¯s eyes opened wide and her mind went nk because of the sudden explosion of pleasure that surpassed everything she had ever felt.


    Sol might have not felt it, since he wasn¡¯t a Titan. But for her, the moment Sol nibbled on her, her preservation instinct immediately went at full throttle while she had to fight her urge to strike down Sol then and there. The war between her animalistic instinct, the pleasure, and her reasons brought her to a new peak and resulted in her lower part bingpletely flooded while her expression grew vacant.


    While Skuld was shaking and moaning because of the waves of pleasure that threatened to break her mind, the convulsion brought by her moist cave made Sol reach the brink and, holding her tightly by the waist, he sank down all the way to the root and released all of his white murky liquid deep in her stomach.


    ¡ª


    Once Skuld came down from the high of her orgasm, she gave out azy smile and proceeded to lick the sweat on Sol¡¯s face.


    ¡°Hah~Darling really filled me up.¡±


    Chuckling lightly, she slowly pulled herself up from Sol while giving a low moan because of how sensitive she still was.<sub> </sub>


    Once his penis waspletely out, Sol was surprised to see no residue of semen fall seep out of her. After holding back for so long, he had been quite backed up and was sure that he spilled a lot in her.


    As if understanding his silent question, something she seemed always able to do, Skuld give her usual gentle smile.


    ¡°Titans can not procreate outside of very specifics moment and after undergoing a special ritual. Outside of that moment, any semen while is devoured to prevent pregnancy.¡±


    Since Titans were constantly at war with each other when not fighting the power of Order, pregnancy was nothing more than a moment of weakness for them. Many of them had evolved in a way that even removed the ability to procreate in its entirety.


    Skuld and her sisters did not go that far but she wouldn¡¯t let herself get pregnant now. Either way, her desire for motherhood was quite weak. She only cared about Sol and her sisters.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Sol gave a strained smile as she mentioned how she devoured his spunk but simply let it go. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before hugging her tightly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He did not say for what. But Skuld understood very well. She knew that he did not say more, not because he couldn¡¯t, but rather because words alone were not enough to express everything he wanted to say.


    ¡°Thank you, for believing in me.¡±


    Even if one had to be careful, and she knew that they would at least listen to her a little bit, this did not mean that they would really believe her.


    However, this hadn¡¯t been the case with Sol. While he had shown a healthy amount of skepticism in her words, he had never belittled her and did his best to prepare for the iing cmity.


    Her darling was well and truly her darling.


    ¡°I love you. Always has and always will.¡±


    Sol gave a gentle smile and kissed her on the lips,


    ¡°I like you too, and I think I am falling for you.¡±


    He did not sugar coat his words but he was not worried because he knew that for a girl like Skul, a forting answer was always the best and as he thought, Skuld chuckled.


    ¡°I am not worried. I am sure I will make you fall for me.¡±


    Of course ¡ª if she could, she would be the only one to have his love¡­


    Skuld¡¯s eyes shed sinisterly for an instant before she shook her head.


    While she wanted to have her darling all to herself, she had already seen how Sol would be without his beloved ones around him.


    Furthermore, with how powerful Sol was out to be he would surely uncover any of her deeds.


    It wasn¡¯t a supposition. After all, there were many futures where she did kill his loved ones in secret.


    Although that didn¡¯t end well for her. Sol could be pretty revengeful.


    ¡®Well, I just have to avoid them.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t want to make friends with the witches or that crazy Lilin bitch who nearly killed the other version of her once.


    ¡°Skuld?¡±


    ¡°Hum?¡±


    ¡°You seem preupied¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Giving an awkwardugh, Skuld evaded his gaze and forced him toy down on the bed.


    ¡°Shall go for another round?¡±


    A girl in love always had some secrets she did not wish her lover to know of.


    (AN: You didn''t really think that a thousand years old Titans who lived through world-ending wars was just a sweet gentle girl, right? Only Sol and her sisters can make her show her sweet Side)

 Chapter 263 CH 236: WORDS

    The next morning, after another hot moment with Skuld, Sol was surprised to see another woman standing in front of the door.


    ¡°Oh¡­Verdandi. Hello. How have you been?¡±


    Verdandi gave him a weird look and entered the room of Skuld without so much as giving him a greeting.


    ¡®Haha¡­¡¯


    Then again, he couldn¡¯t really me her, could he?


    The situation had to be insane for anyone that was in her ce. Any mistake could mean death.


    He was sure that she had to feel pretty awful about¨C


    ¡°How could you do that all night!?¡± Verdandi''s shout came from across the door.


    ¡ªWell. It seemed that he was wrong about the reasons she was upset.


    Sol sat through a few minutes of a heated dispute between the two sisters through which he learned that the sisters had a way to share feelings and emotions through a link unique to them.


    Normally, that link was closed, but Skuld had opened it and basically shared everything she felt during the night with her sister.


    Hearing this, Sol had to admit that more than anything, he was interested in knowing if this skill could be learned.


    It would be rather interesting to use it on arge scale with his other lovers and he was always interested in knowing more.


    In the end, *Bang* a smiling Skuld came out with a fuming Verdandi who did her best to not look at him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, darling. The old witch should be waiting for us. It¡¯s time for me to show you how I can really help you.¡±


    Skuld grinned.


    The endearing sight prompted Sol to nod. Though he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little chill go down his spine¡ªHe had the feeling that he wouldn¡¯t like what would follow.


    ¡®Fufufu~!¡¯


    Skuld grinned while following behind a clearly uneasy Sol. His instincts were really sharp. What would happen next wouldn¡¯t be to his taste.


    But it was necessary. This was in fact one of the most necessary steps to sess and she wouldn¡¯t jeopardize it even though it would hurt her heart.


    What really made her happy though was that she had managed to nt a seed of interest in Verdandi and Ud¡¯s hearts. The sharing of their sensation had no limit of distance. Even if Ud was at the end of the universe, she would have still felt all Skuld feltst night.


    In the past, the rtionship between the three sisters and Sol wasn¡¯t exactly smooth from the start. There have been many ups and downs and Sol even had to enve them for quite a while.


    This time, she wanted her sisters to fall faster in love with Sol and what better than to stroke their lust first? After all, lust was always the first step of love in her mind.


    ¡®Well, let¡¯s take everything slowly. Sister won¡¯t be able to reach here in time but once she does, we will have more speaking rights against that old dragon.¡¯


    Like this, Skuld continued to scheme and prepare all for a better future where she could be happy with her loved ones.


    The only problem was,


    p ¡®How will Ymir react?¡¯</anda>


    ¡ª-


    ¡°Indeed. Depending on how that woman reacts, we can be in hot water.¡±


    It was a few minutester. They were currently in arge room with a rectangr table at the head of which was Tiamat with Kiyohime on her right and Sol on her left.


    Meanwhile, Skuld sat on the other end of the table with Verdandi sitting face to face. The two of them had left the head seat in the side empty out of respect for their sister even though she wasn¡¯t currently present.


    After leaving Bastet with Nabu in Tartarus, Tiamat hade back with Kiyohime. They had decided to leave the two alone for now and deal with themter.


    Now, they were listening to Skuld as she tried to exin the situation from her point of view.


    ¡°As you know, Ymir is a goddess of a very high order. The flow in the future is something she should be able to slightly perceive even though she was sealed.¡±


    Goddesses weren¡¯t omniscient. It was impossible for them to feel all the changes in all timelines. But it was different if the goddess in question was always inspecting it.


    That was the case for Luxuria and it should be the same for Ymir.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call the other time, the Beta worldline and the current one the Alpha worldline to make things simpler.¡±


    Skuld hummed to herself and continued, ¡°If we are unlucky, Ymir would not attack and would wait for another asion.¡±<sub> </sub>


    No one needed to ask why this would be detrimental to them. The one strike Ymir had been preparing for years was like a sword of Damocles hanging above their heads.


    ¡°As long as the Empress is not afflicted with a bunch of penalties like she was in the Beta worldline, it¡¯s impossible for Ymir¡¯s strike to wound her as much as it did there. In fact, B Darling was even sure that if Tiamat was properly prepared and used her dimension and territory as well as her avatar and Zone, then she could totally take the full hit without any worry. But¡­¡±


    But this was only if Tiamat was fully prepared and in top form. If Ymir didn¡¯t attack there, then she could do so when their guard was down like she did in the Beta world line.


    ¡°My vision of the future in the alpha world is extremely blurred because there are too many high powers at y currently. Even if I were to see aplete far future it wouldn¡¯t be something we could put our confidence on. There are so many variables that the big picture of the future is constantly changing.¡±


    Tiamat tapped her finger on the table as she thought deeply, ¡°Firstly, I like to say that I have achieved some enlightenment during my fight against Luxuria. I just need one day to reassess myself and I will most likely grow a little stronger. My understanding of the inheritance I want to impart to Sol has obviously also grown.¡±


    Everyone opened their eyes wide. Tiamat was already so strong. It was a wonder she could increase her level now. But then again, this was normal for her.


    Her concept was Pride and her Zone was [Defiance]. The simple fact of having refused a goddess''s direct order and even fighting one was the highest level of Pride and Defiance possible.


    ¡°But, it will take time If I want to impart everything to Sol.¡±


    Skuld smiled, ¡°Time is thest thing you have to worry about. How long do you think it would take for him to understand everything?¡±


    Tiamat narrowed her eyes in thought. How long would it take her to impart her knowledge to Sol and how long would it take for him to understand it?


    This was a tricky question but if she had to make a guess.


    ¡°Between a few weeks to two months?¡±


    This was an extremely generous evaluation. If it was someone else, she wouldn¡¯t even give them one year. Even someone like Kiyohime would take a few months.


    ¡°My inheritance is based on four concepts. Dimension, Defiance, Chaos, and Pride. I based it on Lucifer¡¯s zone [Rebellion] and added the power of my Chaos body to upgrade it and make itpletely mine.¡±


    Kiyohime who had stayed silent all this while mumbled, ¡°This is why you never taught us. Not even ze¡±


    Tiamat shrugged, ¡°To get my inheritance, one must have all those four elements. The most important of which was being a Dimensional Mage. None of you could satisfy me.¡±


    ¡°Until Sol.¡± Kiyohime finished quietly.


    ¡°Indeed. Until Sol.¡±


    A heavy silence fell between the two of them. Kiyohime did not ask childish questions such as, ¡®Why didn¡¯t you exin everything to us?¡¯


    She knew that Tiamat had no obligation to exin anything to them. She had always known about the inheritance but not all the details and she would have never known, if not for Sol.


    ¡®Jealousy is truly an all-epassing and ugly feeling.¡¯


    ¡°I will go deal with the security and visit Tartarus to recuperate Nabu and Bastet.¡±


    Kiyohime left those words. Unwilling to stay since she knew that her presence or absence would change nothing.


    Looking at her departing small and lonely back, Sol couldn¡¯t help but release a sigh. He wanted to say something but since everything was tied to him, whatever he said would only sound like he was taunting her or looking down on her.


    Sol did not want to see how an enraged Kiyohime could act, for he knew that it wouldn¡¯t be a pretty sight.


    Tiamat meanwhile watched in silence, putting no effort into keeping Kiyohime here. She believed in her daughter and knew that this wouldn¡¯t be enough to put her down. None of her children were weak mentally.


    Once Kiyohime was out, Skuld continued as if nothing had happened, ¡°Two months is a little pushing it. But I can make do with one.¡±


    She mumbled a little before nodding to herself. Then, she gave a deep look at Sol,


    ¡°Darling. Do you fully believe in me?¡±


    Sol did not shy away from her gaze as he answered clearly, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­!¡±


    ¡°Verdandi, calm down.¡±


    Both Skuld and Sol ignored Verdandi¡¯s outrage at Sol¡¯s words as he continued, ¡°I don''t believe you fully. But¡­I believe enough to take a gamble.¡±


    Skuld grinned, ¡°You won¡¯t regret this.¡±


    It was time to change this ill-fated destiny.


    (AN: I just realized three inspiration capsule gifts. Haha this is a really funny name since it did inspire me even more. Thanks guys for the gifst and thanks to all my rewards willing to read here on WN or on P@atreon. I know it ain''t easy and I will do my best to thanks with by continuing to write a good story. Have a good day everyone.)

 Chapter 264 CH 237: CRIMSON GATHERING

    [Abyss]


    What is the Abyss?


    In a way, it was hard to say. But if it had to be said, the abyss was the part of the world where the light of the goddesses did not shine.


    All kinds of criminals, dangerous entities, and a small minority of people who sought extreme sensations.


    No matter who they were, no one living in this part of the universe was someone to mess around with.


    This was the ce where all the dangerous trash united and lived.


    But that wasn''t all. It was also the ce where Titans and Giants considered their homes.


    ¡ª-


    In the Infinite darkness of space, arge floating asteroid floated, wandering aimlessly.


    At first nce, one would think that it was somethingpletely normal. Of course, they would change their opinion once they managed to observe the civilization tha was built atop it.


    Whoosh!


    "So this is the Farwest Gateway¡­As dirty as I imagined."


    At the edge of the Asteroid, a red portal opened before two women walked out of it.


    The first one toin was a grey-skinned woman taller than most human men. She had a heavy sword strapped on her back.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s a dump or not. We only have one goal. Focus.¡±


    The second woman was inferior in terms of height, but the aura she passively emanated was far superior. Her golden hair and red eyes held a striking contrast, enhancing her beauty even further.


    Her beauty was as stunning as her aura.


    The moment the two of them appeared, all the pedestrians in the surroundings immediately made way for them.


    The first thing anyone learned when living in the abyss was that there were no rules. Murder on the streets was the mostmon urrence. It was necessary to know who you could or could not provoke.


    Anyone with even the smallest IQ would understand that those women were not at a level small shrimps like them could afford to disturb.


    The duo advanced calmly and steadily until they reached therge bar in the center of the city.


    Compared to the hustle and bustle of the people outside, the moment they entered, all noise seemed to vanish and the only thing that could be heard was a gentle music


    Despite the vastness of the bar, there were only two people in it. The first one, a pink-skinned woman standing behind the counter and wiping a crystalline ss looked up at them. The sclera of her eyes was entirely ck and her pupils were a deep golden.


    The second was a red-skinned man with his back to them. He did not even turn around and simply continued to drink.


    *Whistle*


    ¡°So even Titans can fall this low? This is truly an eye-opener.¡±


    ¡°Zwei. Don¡¯t act like this. We are not here to fight.¡±


    A smile formed on the pink-skinned woman¡¯s face when she heard this,


    ¡°Two traitors, acting all high and mighty.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe. It''s better than two losers hiding in the Abyss with their tails tucked between their legs.¡±


    The tension between the two sides was growing when suddenly¡­


    Bang!


    The man who had been drinking until now ced his ss on the counter forcefully and slowly stood up.


    Seeing this, Zwei¡¯s eyes seemed to ze with a thirst for battle and her hand itched as she wished for nothing more than to take a hold of her sword and fight.


    Sadly, she could feel Nihil looking at her from the corner of her eyes and knew that she wouldn¡¯t be allowed to mess around.


    "Treacherous daughter of Michael, what brings you into this forsaken abyss? Hmm, Since when have you managed to escape from the hands of the Necromancer King?¡±


    The man had the air of a gentleman around him. Despite his entirely blood-red skin, his face had a kind expression on it.


    However, his words were as insulting as they could get.


    Hearing him, Nihil tilted her head for an instant before nodding,


    ¡°Zwei. Can you deal with her?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha~! This is why I love you, boss!¡±


    ¡­<sub> </sub>


    ¡­


    ¡­


    A few minutester, floating in the darkness of space, Nihil looked down at the monstrous being under her feet.


    All she could see was the eyes of the man. After all, she was smaller than it.


    Titans were called Titans not only because of their monstrous strength but also because of their immense size. The taller they were, the more power they had.


    A ten or so meters tall Titan was generally at the Duke rank.


    Once they reached a hundred meters, they were equal to the King rank.


    Finally, those who were one thousand meters tall were Demigods.


    The man Nihil was stepping on was exactly 1200 meters. He was a powerful being even among those in the demigod ss. However, this was all useless in front of Nihil. Even though she was so small she looked like a fly in his eyes, he was renderedpletely helpless.


    Why was Nihil imprisoned in Anubis¡¯ territory?


    The reason was simple¡ªShe was strong.


    [Heh, as scary as I remembered. Did you manage to healpletely?]


    Walking in the void toward her, Zwei grinned while her body was entirely bathed in blood.


    Since they were in a ce devoid of air, the only way they could speak to each other was through the use of Whisper.


    [No. I struggled a little. Thankfully I am not far from my peak. Did you kill her?]


    [Oh? Not at all. I still know what is important.]


    Zwei shrugged but one didn¡¯t need to be a genius to know that she didn¡¯t leave the second titan in a good state.


    Of course, Nihil knew that she couldn¡¯t keep the high ground in this discussion. The mission should have been a simple contact to get information on the few true powerhouses of the Titans.


    Sadly, the name of Michael always triggered her.


    [Sigh. Nothing ever goes as nned in this ursed world.]


    Acting as if she wasn¡¯t the one who snapped and began the fight, Nihil looked down again at the unblinking Titans.


    It had to be said that he was currently very miserable. All his limbs had been severed and one of his hearts was crushed.


    [Let¡¯s be direct. Bring me to your brethren. I have something to discuss.]


    Even though the Titan had beenpletely beaten, there was no fear in his eyes. For titans, fight and death were all toomon. From the first day they were born, struggling to survive was the mostmon urrence.


    He wasn¡¯t scared of death, nor did he fear pain.


    Of course, Nihil knew that. In the first ce, the only reason she beat them down was to teach them a lesson and make them clearly understand what was the difference in power between them.


    Now that this was done, the following discussion would be much smoother.


    [Why did you seek me out, treacherous maiden?]


    Even though the Titans did not cower in front of greater power, they respected the strong.


    As such his tone was more respectful.


    Nihil of course did not miss this shift in the mood.


    [The world has been peaceful for too long.]


    When she spoke, her crimson eyes shone and her pupils slowly changed shape until they took the form of a star with eight branches.


    The Titan fell silent at this sight before his body slowly began to shrink until he was back to his human size.


    His limbs had already grown back since for a being at this level, such physical wounds were only mildly disturbing.


    "I salute the new Queen of Chaos, Blessed of the Crimson Lady."


    While showing his respects, the Titan could feel excitement coursing through its veins.


    He knew what the advent of a new Blessed meant.


    The seal on the Chaos was weakening.


    (AN: Imagine if Skuld used her true form during sex with Sol. XD)


    If you gonna pirate at least leave my ******* Link: Join me on: Pat reon ./ HikaruGenji

 Chapter 265 CH 238: HEADACHE

    [8th Heaven, Fafnir¡¯s Ind]


    The organization on Fafnir''s ind was a little different from that of Kiyohime. In the first ce, unlike Kiyohime, he had many children and many grandchildren or lower descendants.


    Even then, only a very small number of promising and talented children were allowed on the ind.


    ¡°Why did you call us today?¡±


    Hydra, one of the four Dragons,ined. His prized granddaughter hade back home and he was busy supervising her improvement. Yggdrasil had really spoiled her by teaching her many different kinds of poison even he had no knowledge of.


    He hated being disturbed in such a situation.


    ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t be angry. You know big bro hates this kind of gathering more than us. For him to call us now means that the situation must be serious.¡±


    Welsh, the Dragon Queen, smirked on the side, causing Hydra to grunt. He knew that she was right but he couldn¡¯t help butin a little.


    As the youngest of the four, he always got pushed around when they were younger and because of this, he developed the habit to appear tougher. Furthermore, he really didn¡¯t want to be here.


    Looking at his two siblings, Fafnir gave a lowugh before shaking his head.


    ¡°As Welsh said, I don¡¯t want this more than you. But the situation is what it is. There is a high chance that we will be under attack soon. You need to warn the other four as soon as possible so that we prepare the defensive formation.¡±


    Immediately, the atmosphere changed. Even the belligerent Hydra sat straighter in his seat.


    ¡°Someone dares to attack our territory? Are they tired of living?¡±


    Even without Tiamat at the helm, the dragons were the strongest race, equaled only by the angels and the demons. Once Tiamat was added to the equation, they were so far ahead of the others that it wasn¡¯t even worth discussing.


    Fafnir shrugged, ¡°I am simply giving Kiyohime¡¯s message. You know that she would never joke around with something as important as this.¡±


    Welsh frowned a little before nodding, ¡°So should we activate all the inds? What about the 9th ind though? Who will activate it?¡±


    The 8th Heaven wasposed of nine inds, each of them belonging to the nine children of Tiamat. At the same time, those inds weren¡¯t just for decoration, but nodes of power Tiamat had specially created to increase the power of the dimensional wall.


    This was mainly to counter the space and dimensional mages. After all, it would be deadly if someone suddenly infiltrated their zone.


    While they couldn¡¯t exactly stop a skilled dimensional mage from intruding, they could immediately sense any portal opening and could mess up the coordinates in order to send the portal to a more appropriate ce.


    Of course, the utility didn¡¯t stop here.


    But there was a problem. The 9th ind had lost its owner and only the new prince or princess could activate the formation.


    If they really had to activate the formation then they needed to find a new owner.


    Fafnir groaned, ¡°I already talked about this. Kiyohime proposed to bring the selection forward. The winner will be decided in one day.¡±


    ¡°What will be the format of the fight?¡±


    Fafnir threw an ugly look at Hydra but still answered Welsh while gritting his teeth,


    ¡°A battle royale.¡±


    He had to fight the urge to punch the gloating look Hydra immediately showed.


    ¡ª-


    [9th Heaven]


    ¡°A battle royal?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Are you afraid?¡±


    Tiamat asked Sol with a smile at the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Not really? Though Nidhogg might problematic. I am sure she will thrive in such a format.¡±


    ¡°You are right. Her poison will easily incapacitate most of the contestants from the beginning. The way I see it, it will end in a three-way fight between you, Nidhogg, and Kaiser.¡±


    Sol shrugged, not really caring, ¡°It¡¯s a shame I won''t have the time to fight and y around with them. I need to crush them fast.¡±


    Tiamat sighed, ¡°We do not have a choice. Skuld''s will give us more leeway.¡±


    Everything would happen fast.


    The n in itself wasn¡¯tplicated.


    The nine inds didn¡¯t need to be activated at the same time to bring the best results. There was no way Tiamat would create such a stupid system. Tiamat alone could activate them herself.


    They didn¡¯t need a prince to activate the Ind. What they needed was for Sol to officially be recognized as a Prince.


    Once that was done, he would be able to form a contract with Isis at any moment.


    But then, why not simply have Tiamat nominate Sol as a prince?


    Tiamat wished to reduce the number of variables. While she was known to y favorites, the normal Tiamat would never take such a decision and in their current situation, any unexpected move on her part might alert the enemy.


    ¡°In our n, Isis and Sheherazade y a very important role. Making a contract with Isis will make your breakthrough to the Duke level smoother and have many more advantages. Furthermore, with that little fairy power of Wish, it will be possible to greatly increase the chances of sess.¡±


    What was a gamble?


    Ordinary people would say that it was a matter of luck. But they were partially wrong.<sub> </sub>


    A true gamble was a matter of probability and a true gambler would do his best to increase the probability of sess.


    ¡°Once this ends, you will reach an unbelievable level of power. I believe that the investment put in you is something that was never seen and might not be seen for thousands of years again. Sess or failure will depend on you now.¡±


    Sol did not refute.


    ¡°Aside from this¡­Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I am a little confused. I understand now why Skuld said that her method would be dangerous for me.¡±


    No matter how much they invested, the most important factor was Sol himself. But how could he learn something that would take weeks in just a small amount of time?


    Skuld had the perfect solution.


    By bringing the knowledge of the future Sol in the current timeline to the current Sol.


    Basically, in the millions of timelines, there was one where Tiamat taught him everything slowly. Skuld just had to bring the knowledge from that Sol into the current Sol.


    This was a frightening power but it was also very limited.


    Sol could not absorb knowledge farther than one week in the future or even less.


    If Skuld made him absorb the knowledge from too far away, the end result would most likely be a mental breakdown as his brain would be unable to keep everything.


    Even in the case he survived, his personality might get distorted and there was a high chance of him developing mania or multiple personality disorder.


    ¡°I absorbed three days'' worth of knowledge but I am already feeling a little dizzy. This is also pretty taxing on Skuld herself.¡±


    ¡°But you won¡¯t stop.¡±


    ¡°Yes I won¡¯t. I need to give my all for this to seed.¡±


    He give a confident smile and turned his back to Tiamat and walked out of the room.


    ¡°I am tired of being the one protected.¡±


    He wanted to be the one who protects and for that, some personal sacrifices were necessary.


    Even though it was painful.


    Even though he might lose himself.


    But it was his conviction and nothing could stop him.


    ¡ª---


    *Groan*


    ¡®It¡¯s so fucking painful!¡¯


    The same Sol that had left Tiamat¡¯s throne room without looking back was now rolling and groaning on his bed.


    All this while he had been keeping the pain to himself while acting strong but the reality was that even just three days'' worth of knowledge was pushing it.


    Just how much information could a normal person absorb in one day?


    In Sol''s previous world, some scientists had presumed that one would absorb about 74 Giga of information per day.


    What about a hybrid dragon-like Sol?


    Visual information, scents, sounds, and so much more. He could absorb tens or hundreds of times more information.


    Normally, this wouldn¡¯t be a problem. The brain would slowly process all that information over the days without affecting anything.


    But with Skuld¡¯s method, Sol had been forced to receive all that information in an instant.


    The moment Skuld used her power, Sol felt like his brain was about to explode and he nearly fainted because of the overwhelming feeling.


    The only reason he didn¡¯t faint was that Sol had already gone through something simr once.


    The first time he looked at Luxuria¡¯s face.


    Even then, this was nearly too much.


    ¡®I need to hold on. There will be another session tonight. No matter how painful it is, I need to continue.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t have the luxury to take a softer road. His life and that of many others was on the line. He couldn¡¯t stop.


    Calming down a little, Sol was about to close his eyes and rest when he heard a knock at the door.


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    ¡°Sol? Are you free right now? I need to speak with you.¡±


    Hearing Nent¡¯ voice, Sol wondered what this would be about.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    He hoped that she wouldn¡¯t give him any bad news. He already had enough of thosetely.

 Chapter 266 CH 239: HERE WE GO AGAIN

    [A few moments ago¡­]


    Sitting in the open garden, Nent fidgeted and asked herself if what she was about to do was the right solution.


    Something had been bothering her for a while now and she did not know how she should face the situation.


    It was truly weird. After all, with her age and experience, she could manage to always keep her calm no matter what happened. Even in the face of death, she would not show the slightest fear.


    But this time it was different. It was something that touched her very being greatly and could determine her future.


    She knew that she had no obligation to tell him anything but, not doing so and keeping secrets from Sol might bring unexpected negative results.


    There was no eternal secret in this world. Rather than gambling on the small chance that she wouldn¡¯t get caught, she liked taking the initiative.


    ¡°You have been awfully silent. This isn¡¯t like you. Did something else happen again?¡±


    Sitting in front of her was none other than Kiyohime, thest few days, the two of them had been meeting each other quite regrly.


    Nent knew that there was nothing ambiguous about those nightly meets. It was Kiyohime drinking and venting the dissatisfaction inside her heart.


    But she still appreciated them since it showed that they had be somewhat closer. This was another reason she was very thankful to Sol.


    ¡°Nothing, I was just thinking about how Sol was doing.¡±


    Kiyohime shook her head, ¡°He didn¡¯t seem to be doing very well. I guess it¡¯s understandable.¡±


    Filling her ss once again, Kiyohime continued, ¡°Still, you shouldn¡¯t worry about him. The boy is strong and he is getting stronger. The chances of him losing if he doesn''t hold back are very slim.¡±


    She nodded to herself, ¡°Either way, after this, there will be great changes in this territory.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Talking with Kiyohime helped her distract herself from the problem that gued her and she was very curious.


    ¡°Be it Nidhogg or Kaiser, the two are the best seeds even after many generations of dragons. Do you think they will simply ept their eventual defeat? The vacant title of Prince isn¡¯t the only way to obtain the title.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for Nent to understand, ¡°A challenge.¡±


    Heredity meant nothing to a dragon. A title could only be obtained through power. The four Princes were the four strongest dragons below the four Kings. They didn¡¯t need to be the direct children of Tiamat.


    ¡°Indeed. If I have to be honest, I have long been dissatisfied with the current four princes. Sadly, most of the dragons never reached the level necessary, or for those who did, like Lagon, they were not interested.¡±


    What Kiyohime didn¡¯t add was that if Nabu was reinstated as a member of the dragon tribe rather than a traitor, she might also take a title.


    ¡®Of course, we have to survive the ordeal in front of us first.¡¯


    Nent couldn¡¯t know, but the reason Kiyohime had less resistance to her wasn¡¯t just because she needed to vent. It was also mainly because she didn¡¯t know if she would still be alive after the iing storm.


    No matter how powerful Tiamat was or how good the n they made turned out to be, destiny was the hardest thing to decipher.


    That was why she had decided to live the way she wanted without caring about the limits she usually ced on herself. She wanted to have fun. She wanted to explore many things. So, after finishing the whole bottle, she asked.


    ¡°Tell me¡­Is he really that good in bed?¡±


    *Cough* *Cough* *Cough*


    Nent widened her eyes and the wine she was drinking went down the wrong way, immediately causing her to cough like there was no tomorrow.


    It had to be said that this question from the prim and proper Kiyohime was something she would have never anticipated.


    After the initial surprise, Nent calmed down easily and talked smoothly, after all, she was no shy maiden.


    ¡°He is even better than you can imagine.¡±


    Kiyohime watched the grin on Nent¡¯s face and sighed. Her mind wandered for a short moment as she thought back to every decision she made until now and she realized that this wasn¡¯t so crazy after all.


    This was why,


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet him.¡±<sub> </sub>


    Nent felt her heartbeat increase suddenly and her face flushed.


    Once again, she was neither shy nor a naive maiden.


    With the flow of their discussion, for Kiyohime to ask to meet Sol now could only mean one thing.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Gulping, she nodded hurriedly and began to advance towards Sol''s bedroom while pulling Kiyohime by the hand.


    She had to act fast before Kiyohime decided to not go with it. The only reason she didn¡¯t outright run was that she didn¡¯t want to seem too desperate.


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    ¡°Sol? Are you free right now? I need to speak with you.¡±


    ¡®Answer, answer, answer fast, I swear I will st open your door.¡¯


    Thankfully, she didn¡¯t need to go through with it.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    ¡®Yes!¡¯


    ¡ª----


    When the door opened and both Kiyohime and Nent strolled into his room, Sol raised an eyebrow in surprise.


    He wondered what could bring those two women in his room at this time.


    At the same time, he couldn¡¯t help but give another look at the two beautiful women. The contrast between them brought a certain allure that few men could resist.


    The sh between the color of their hair aside, ocean blue and scarlet red respectively, the difference in height and curves was also pretty prominent.


    Nent was a tall buxom woman with a fiery temper. Her clothes consisted of a red robe that disyed her deep cleavage and two slits that reached until her hips, showing her long and delicious-looking legs and thighs with every step she took.


    Kiyohime on the other hand, while by no means t, was still on the lower end of the spectrum. She was a rather petite woman with slender but very attractive curves and a toned ass to die for. Though she mostly resembled a human, she had ck-red horns that seemed to bend back along with her hair, simr to goat horns.


    As for her outfit, it consisted of a ck bodysuit with gold ents on the legs underneath a white and purple bodice with long ends simr to a tailcoat, with a separated pair of sleeves to match.


    The bodysuit in particr ented her form in a way that attracted him greatly.


    ¡®Sigh, I am being too horny...¡¯


    Sol pinched his eyebrows and tried to banish all lecherous thoughts from his mind.


    ¡°I am surprised to see you two here. You said you had something to tell me?¡±


    Sol beckoned and took them to the only table in the bedroom. Thankfully, there were four chairs around the table, so everyone could sit.


    But, just as Sol was about to bring the chair, he felt a hand on his chest pushing him in the direction of the bed.


    He looked up in surprise only to see a lustfully grinning Nent and a shy Kiyohime looking at him with feverish eyes.


    ¡°Do you really think wee all the way here just to talk?¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes widened and he once again looked at Kiyohime before understanding dawned on him.


    While he was interested in Kiyohime, he would have never thought that she already shared the same interest in him. Much less that she would be so bold.


    Since this was the case, what was there to hesitate about?


    Thosest few days had been quite strenuous for his mind and while he had a good time with Skuld not long ago, his libido was simply too high to be satisfied by that alone.


    He didn¡¯t understand why Kiyohime decided to go with it now but, did he really need to know?


    All that mattered was that this would be another night to remember.

 Chapter 267 CH 240: KIYOHIME (1)*

    The silence in the room was one full of meaning as everyone pondered about what was to happen.


    After pushing Sol onto the bed and seeing the light of understanding in his eyes, Nent nodded to herself and took a few steps back before walking away to the door.


    "This is it for me. I will leave the rest to the two of you.¡±


    Before the two could say any words, she opened the door and left, leaving them alone.


    ¡®Sigh¡­It¡¯s for the best.¡¯


    Nent had really hesitated, wondering whether she should participate or not, but in the end decided to refrain from doing so.


    She knew that the reasons Kiyohime wanted to have sex with Sol weren¡¯t out of love but mainly because of lust and stress.


    Furthermore, while they appeared quite closetely, she knew deep down that Kiyohime had still not forgiven her. In such a situation, if Nent used the asion to have sex with Kiyohime, then it would be nothing more than using Kiyohime when she was emotionally unstable.


    She wanted to change. While she did not reject her old way, she admitted that she had to improve.


    ¡®I am sure Sol will take good care of her.¡¯


    A smile formed on her face as she began to walk away alone in the corridor. Nent did not doubt that this would be a wonderful night for Kiyohime.


    At the same time, she now knew what she would do with the secret message she received not long ago.


    If she wanted a new start, then she had to deal with the shadows of the past.


    ¡ª--


    Back in Sol¡¯s room, the two of them were surprised by Nent''s earlier departure but Sol knew that now wasn¡¯t the moment to fall in a daze. His experience told him that hesitation was the road to defeat in this situation. It was important to know when to advance.


    Moving his hand, he formed a cluster of mana and changed it into a rope before throwing it at Kiyohime, ensnaring her in his trap and bringing her in his arms.


    Kiyohime could have easily escaped from his actions, but she felt so awkward now that she was alone that she didn¡¯t know what to do with herself.


    Her earlier decision was somethingpletely impulsive. Now that she was alone with him, she understood what was about to happen and it made her freeze.


    It was only after she fell in Sol''s arms that she woke up and the flush on her face suddenly spread until her corbone.


    ¡®I am so ashamed.¡¯


    She was about to speak but Sol beat her to it.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to continue if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    She stopped herself and gazed in the depth of Sol¡¯s eyes. The two of them were so close now, she could clearly see every inch of his perfect face and the worry in his eyes.


    She understood that he wasn¡¯t joking, while it wouldn¡¯t have been possible for him to keep her against her will in the first ce, she feared what would happen if her potential refusal made their rtionship stiffer.


    But now, it was clear that she thought too much. Sol was not the kind of man that would be angry simply because he was refused sex.


    This knowledge allowed her to calm down. Once her mind settled, she couldn¡¯t help but berate herself about how unsightly her earlier disy was. How could she, the current Dragon Queen, act like such a wuss?


    Her pride did not allow her to back down now that the situation had reached this point. She was determined to see it to the end even if it was thest thing she would do.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Sol chuckled at the zing will he could see in her eyes. He understood that far from making her stop, his words only made her wish to continue even more.


    Kiyohime wasn''t a kid and was in fact his elder by many centuries. Warning her once was all he would do. Since she did not back down then it meant that she was ready.


    This was why, rather than adding more words, Sol did what he knew he did best.


    He kissed her.


    At first, it was a gentle one, their lips barely touching as they each savored the feeling. Slowly, the kiss became deeper, more wanting, as if an all-consuming fire lighted up deep in their hearts and pushed them to seek more of each other.


    Their lips parted, and their tongues shed. Hugging Sol tightly while being deeply kissed by him, Kiyohime felt herself bing lighter and her mind fainter.


    How long did itst, she neither knew nor cared. All that mattered was that after the kiss finally ended, all forms of doubts in her heart vanished like smoke.


    Dragons were being of pride, greed, and lust. Kiyohime was no exception to this rule.


    ¡°I want more.¡±<sub> </sub>


    She muttered gently those words while nibbling on Sol¡¯s ears before raining small kisses on his face and corbone. When she finally reached his chest, she simply tore apart the poor clothes and continued to kiss his chest, leaving a trail of hickey on it.


    She could feel something below her slowly hardening and poking her like a spear. Kiyohime knew exactly what it was and it caused her to give a small grin.


    ¡°Let me see what is down there, okay?¡±


    She really wanted to see what made Nent scream so much. Once she made Sol lie down on the bed, she turned around, exposing her small well-toned butt encased in a ck bodysuit to Sol while her facended on his crotch.


    Until then, she still kept her smile. After all, she felt as if she was in control of the situation. What could possibly go wrong?


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡±


    Her thoughts did a whole 180 when she finally opened his trouser, liberating his sex from the constraint.


    *Gulp*


    ¡®This is supposed to go in me?¡¯


    Kiyohime felt a weird mixture of fear and excitement and the tingling in her lower part became stronger.


    ¡°Ah~!¡±


    She suddenly felt a shiver of pleasure when a finger poked her at a very specific ce.


    ¡°Sol!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. Continue what you were doing.¡±


    Sol let out a somewhat evil chuckle before grasping her butt in his hand. Even through the suit, he could see the shape of her vagina. Gently tracing that part for a while, ignoring the trembling Kiyohime, he took away his fingers and let out a smallugh.


    ¡°You are totally wet. I am surprised. It seems like my dear Kiyo isn¡¯t as prim and proper as we thought.¡±


    Kiyohime blushed in shame but she couldn''t refute his words. She was indeed in heat right now and it had been very long since thest time it happened.


    "I hope you are ready. I am taking the kid gloves off."


    The tearing sound followed by the slight breeze on her bottom told her that clothes ended the same way Sol''s shirt did not long ago.


    Though she wasn''t given time to ponder touch much before a moist sensation greeted her. She knew that he was now licking her.


    ''I won''t lose.''


    Fighting to control the urge to moan, Kiyohime opened her mouth wide and slowly began to work on a blowjob.


    "Careful with the teeth."


    Kiyohime could hear the sharp intake of breath Sol took and immediately began to act carefully.


    ''It''s like licking an ice cream.''


    Since she was unable to take it in her mouth, she changed track and slowly began to lick it from all sides.


    Gently, carefully.


    At the same time, she would use her hand to pump his shaft.


    It was clumsy, showing herck of experience in dealing with male genitals, but Sol didn''t care. He enjoyed it all the same and continued to carefully lick her.


    He could feel her breath bing heavier and her movements slower. Still, he did not stop.


    When he was finally sure that the build-up was terminated, using his thumb, he flicked her little button.


    The result was immediate and her climax was beautiful.


    "Well, I guess I won the first round. Time for round two!"


    Dealing with virgins was always a special experience and Sol would do his best to make it even better.


    (AN: No threesome sadly. I really wanted to but it would cheapen the current rtionship between Kiyohime and Nent.)

 Chapter 268 CH 241: KIYOHIME (2)**

    Kiyohime felt like her mind was swimming in aplete haze of pleasure. She had never gone through an orgasm that powerful. One that felt like it was reverberating through her entire body.


    Only after she felt herself being moved, did she open her eyes and see Sol looming above her, his eyes filled with pleasure.


    For cause, the current picture was quite deadly for Sol. After all, she waspletely disheveled, a little sweaty, and the crotch part of her suit was torn, showing her beautiful pussy.


    Sol gulped, as he fought to urge to simply ram in her and began to gently caress her head before leaning and biting her ear, gently, sensually.


    His action elicited a moan of pleasure from Kiyohime who was already sensitive because of her earlier climax.


    ¡°Ready for round 2?¡±


    Sol believed in always giving the chance for the woman he was about to make love with to take a step back when it was their first experience. The first experience would always color all the subsequent ones and that¡¯s why it was important for it to be as good as possible.


    Kiyohime gazed deep in his eyes at this question. Even now, she still couldn¡¯t believe that she was about to go to thest step with her nephew. She wondered what ze would think if she was alive.


    ¡®Well, she would surely simplyugh and ask how it was.¡¯


    This thoughtforted Kiyohime quite greatly and as such, she grinned,


    ¡°Let¡¯s make a mess.¡±


    Tonight, she wasn¡¯t the Dragon Queen filled with responsibilities. She was just a woman trying to enjoy herself.


    Sol never asked this question twice. One was for respect, two would be a waste of time.


    Giving a grin on his own, he aimed his shaft at her moist entrance and slowly pushed in.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Kiyohime grunted a little as the foreign object pushed its way into her, but at the same time, she could already feel the growing tingle of pleasure.


    Meanwhile, Sol could feel himself sink deeper into her, as if she was trying to swallow him whole.


    Thankfully, while she was pretty tight, he had made her wet enough to avoid any pain. He was also thankful for the absence of hymen since it would have made the process far moreplicated.


    He raised his upper body and centered himself against her, gradually adding his weight onto her.


    He lowered himself onto her and locked lips. He sucked on her small soft lips, taunting her with his tongue. He squeezed and massaged her breasts with his hand.


    An idea suddenly struck his mind and he sharpened one of his nails before proceeding to slowly cut the top of her bodysuit around her chest, making an opening for her small but enticing breasts to poop out.


    The beautiful pink cheery seemed to be beckoning him and Sol did not hesitate,tching onto them like a beast while releasing a low growl.


    ¡°Ah~!¡±


    Kiyohime arched her back at the sudden pleasure and hugged Sol tightly, while he continued to sink in her until the root.


    Feeling his pelvis against her, made Kiyohime understand that they were finally one and this simple thought, managed to set her off.


    This time it was Sol¡¯s turn to grunt when he felt her vagina constrict around his shaft as if trying to squeeze him out of everything he was worth.


    He could not even begin to describe the sensation he was feeling and knew that if he didn¡¯t concentrate, he would easily cum without doing anything.<sub> </sub>


    ¡®Can¡¯t let that happen.¡¯


    Raising his body, he put his hands around Kiyohime slender hips and slowly took out his penis before mming it in again just as the head was about toe out.


    One, two, three. Slowly, increasing the speed, he began to hammer in her with no restraint.


    Her soft inner walls continuously stimted his shaft. He felt a surging sensation that was about to burst at the back of his neck.


    With each thrust, her womb twisted, her slender body jumped, and moans escaped her thin lips.


    He firmly held onto her hips as he bore deeper into her. As he continued to thrust, the viscous fluids created a constant moist pping sound.


    Beads of sweat appeared on her flushed face and heated breaths escaped her lips thanks to the unknown feeling surging through her entire body.


    Her love juices dripped out with an obscenely wet sound while his massive member thrust in and out of her.


    Her mind gradually faded away and she had trouble thinking straight, almost like she had a serious fever. A vague white feeling surrounded her and she could focus only on the presence of the giant penis thrusting up into her crotch.


    Whenever he rubbed her vaginal wall, a pleasured panting voice leaked out from her mouth. Her panting voice was as clear as a bell, hearing it pleased him to no end.


    When he changed his angle, her body started trembling. He focused on the same ce and rubbed his ns.


    Sol knew to not treat Kiyohime like his other women. She was not a fragile human with whom he needed to hold back. He could go all out and more with her and going all out he did.


    Of course, he knew that simply hammering his cock would never be sufficient to give her more pleasure.


    He slowly changed the direction of his thrusts as he prated deeper. He concentrated on her panting and groaning, and stubbornly hammered into her most sensitive spot.


    ¡°Ah! Aah¡­¡±


    Her insides squeezed and started to spasm. He saw that she was about to climax and as such plunged deeper into her.


    "Ah¡­¨C!!"


    She moaned loudly again, all tentative to stifle her sounds useless. Her hot vagina began to pulse, making Sol lose the little amount of control he had left.


    The giant object inside her grew evenrger and throbbed while she could feel something coursing through it.


    Growling deeply, he leaned down and kissed her as he began to release his semen. A white-hot liquid erupted from the tip and filled her to the brime, turning her inside white.


    His climaxsted so long. He felt like it was overflowing.


    "Ah¡­ Aaah... Ah.."


    ? Once their mutual climax ended, the two were left breathless, gasping for air as if they had fought a long-drawn battle.


    Even then, neither of them were satisfied. They wanted more. They needed more and they would do more.


    Licking her lips, Kiyohime looked up softly at Sol while proposing, ¡°Let¡¯s do the third round?¡±


    His answer was obvious.

 Chapter 269 CH 242: KIYOHIME (3)**

    After Kiyohime finally came down from the height of pleasure, Sol was about to resume his activity when he felt Kiyohime turning around with him.


    By the time he came back to his senses, he was lying down on the bed and looking up at Kiyohime. This reminded him of the difference in strength between the two of them, but this did not particrly bother Sol. Aside from the maids, all the women Sol had made love with were always more powerful than him.


    Grinding against him, Kiyohime shivered a little and blocked the moan that threatened to spill out from her mouth before looking down at Sol.


    ¡°I don''t feel any life energy from your seed. I guess Nent taught you this detestable spell of hers.¡±


    Sol shrugged, ¡°I didn¡¯t feel like bing a father back then. Even less now with the current situation.¡±


    Kiyohime frowned but did notment, while she didn¡¯t mind having a child, it indeed wasn¡¯t the most ideal time to bear one.


    The weakening period was too long and could be quite fatal. However, this displeased her instinctively, after all, for dragons, sex wasn¡¯t just a matter of pleasure but also of mating.


    ¡®Once he bes a Duke and after we survive this ordeal, I should send him some dragons to mate with.¡¯


    All the dragon Kings and Princes had the duty to at least have one child. Fafnir was the most diligent in following this rule but not even Kiyohime could escape it.


    She didn¡¯t even need to force anyone. She was sure that after Sol''s fight against the young generation for the title of Fifth Prince, females would fight to mate with him. Quite literally.


    Of course, the most ideal one would be Nidhogg.


    ¡®I will talk with Aquater about this.¡¯


    She was about to continue swimming in her thoughts when she felt something twitch in her while Sol¡¯srge and warm hands covered her breast before sharply pinching her nipples.


    ¡°Ah~!¡±


    Rather than pain, this action prompted Kiyohime to shudder and moan lightly.


    ¡°Focus on me.¡±


    Even though she was the one mounting him, Kiyohime couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was the one in total control of the situation. This was a rather novel feeling for her.


    He was right. She didn¡¯t want to think more about the responsibilities that fell on her. She just wanted to have fun.


    Slowly adjusting herself, she progressively began to increase her movements. Up and down, left and right, the hot and hard shaft of Sol kept going in and out of her most secret ce, eliciting cries and moans of pleasure from her.


    For Sol, the sensations were heavenly. Sometimes she would tighten up and sometimes she would simply keep him warm. Like a velvet glove, she epassed him in her warmth.


    The more she moved, the higher the pleasure she felt. She could feel that she was slowly reaching the breaking point.


    ¡°Sol¡­Nn~!¡±


    Kiyohime uttered his name and kept repeating it again and again, without pause until she felt all the build-up pleasure explode and copsed on Sol while breathing hard and fast.


    Of course, even though she was done, Sol was far from it. Taking out his penis and moving from underneath her, Sol now stood behind Kiyohime and watched his handiwork.


    Kiyohime was clearlypletely out of it now and from her entrance, a copious amount of cloudy white liquid was slowly seeping out, giving her an even more erotic appearance.


    Raising her ass that was still d in her ck bodysuit, Sol twirled his finger gently on her back door.


    ¡®It has been quite a while.¡¯


    He pondered briefly before shaking his head. Dragon or not, this wasn¡¯t something that should be used without some preparation. He wished for Kiyohime to keep a great memory of their first time together after all.


    Licking his lips, he separated her asscheeks and with one swift stroke, plunged directly in her again.


    ¡°Ah~! Again?¡±


    Sol grinned mercilessly. The continued movement of his hips was an answer on its own.


    "Nn~! Please! Ah~ !"


    Sol chuckled, ¡°You are begging me to stop but your body is rather sincere.¡±


    Kiyohime felt ashamed but could offer noeback. Indeed, every time Sol rammed in her, her hole would tighten up, showing how much pleasure he was bringing her.<sub> </sub>


    ¡°Your insides are shaking like crazy.¡±


    He firmly held onto her hips as he bore deeper into her. Her juices, mixed with his semen, flowed down from her buttocks. As he continued to thrust, the viscous fluids created a constant moist pping sound.


    Her lips no longer let out words of protest. Instead, she mewled and moaned in pleasure. He slowly changed the direction of his thrusts as he prated deeper. He concentrated on her panting and groaning, and stubbornly hammered into her most sensitive spot.


    ¡°Ah! Aah~!¡±


    Her insides squeezed and started to spasm. He saw that she was about to climax and plunged deeper into her.


    ¡°!¡±


    Her body froze and she cried. Her entire body began to tremble. The moment she reached her limits, Sol also let go of all restraint and released himself inside her.


    Kiyohime''s body gradually grew limp as his seed sshed into her body. She panted and her chest rose up and down.


    ¡®Is¡­ it over¡­ ?¡¯


    ¡°My dear Kiyohime, this is just the beginning.¡±


    Kiyohime¡¯s eyes opened wide when she felt his rode still hard in her move slightly.


    ¡°Wai-!¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    Giving a smallugh, Sol lightly pped Kiyohime''s bubble butt, and resumed his movements.


    One shouldn¡¯t forget who was really the stronger one between the two of them. If Kiyohime really wanted him to stop, then there was nothing that could have been done to force her. She could literally st him across half the ocean if she so wished after all.


    Bringing his arms towards her round breasts, Sol continued to piston while pinching and toying with her nipples.


    ¡°Ah~! Sl-slow...down. Please!¡±


    Ignoring her cute pleas, his hip loudly pped against hers.


    ¡°Ugh! so deep!¡±


    Kiyohime groaned.


    Like a boat facing a storm, all Kiyohime could do was close her eyes and moan louder and louder while gripping the sheets of the bed.


    The sounds of the moans in his ears were like the best aphrodisiac as Sol went wilder.


    Sweat soaked Kiyohime''s body and a veritable shower of love juices poured down her vagina to soak his cock.


    She let out intermittent cries while he fucked her like a wild animal.


    After each thrust, Sol could feel something boiling in him, screaming to be released but he gritted his teeth and continued hammering at her to bring her the maximum amount of pleasure possible.


    Finally, once he reached his limit, he let out a repressed growl and shoved his dick as far as it could go, and then exploded for the third time today.


    His dick trembled inside her while squirting its hot milk against her cervix and letting it spread all throughout her vagina.


    ¡°Hah¡­Hah¡­Hah.¡±


    In the end, only the sound of their heated breaths filled the room.


    ¡°Shall we go on for another round?¡±


    Kiyohime would indeed never forget this night.


    ¡ª

 Chapter 270 CH 243: WHY IS IT ALWAYS PAINFUL?

    After a session of intense exercise with Kiyohime, Sol found himself in the bathroom of the castle, with Kiyohime resting with her back on his chest.


    "You were pretty wild a few moments ago."


    "Haha. Sorry, sorry. I guess I let myself go a little too much."


    "Hum¡­Well, it wasn''t so bad if I have to be honest."


    While they only went at it for a few hours, Kiyohime had never felt so tired and at the same time so refreshed. She could now understand why Nent changed so much in such a short time.


    She could see herself bing addicted to it.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious? About why I came to you."


    Sol mused a little at the sudden question,


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    Solughed as he realized that, like Nent, Kiyohime was also one of the oldest virgins in existence. The same went for Skuld.


    ¡®Man, the difference in age doesn¡¯t even matter now.¡¯


    But this wasn''t why he wasn''t curious,


    "The reason you came to me doesn''t matter. But since you did, now you are mine and I don''t n to let you go anytime soon."


    "Oh? Quite the bold deration for someone still so weak."


    "Heh¡­"


    Sol grinned and cupped one of Kiyohime''s breasts in his hand before gently biting her right ear, causing her to stiffen and shiver.


    Finally, he let go of her ear and muttered close to it,


    "You should know I don''t need to be stronger than you to subjugate you."


    Feeling her breath hitch, Kiyohime was forced to admit that Sol really had his way when it came to dealing with women.


    "Furthermore, the difference in power between us will only shorten. It hasn''t even been a year since I awakened."


    This was another thing Kiyohime had to concede.


    His father, Mars had broken all records when bing a demigod. But now it was clear that the new record would be broken by Sol.


    After all, as long as he became a King, the ascension to the next level wouldn''t be hard for him since he already had a territory.


    By then, just by virtue of being able to bring out his territory wherever he wanted, Sol would automatically be one of the strongest demigods.


    Even for a Blessed, this was a little too much. Kiyohime could understand why Fate was throwing all those tribtions at Sol. After all, the situation was too unbnced.


    ''Is he really just Luxuria''s Blessed?''


    It was disconcerting how Luxuria was able to create so many high-level Blessed since the start of the Kingdom Era.


    During thest war, none of her Blesseds were that talented and in fact, the Blesseds of the other goddesses were the true powerhouse.


    But now it was like everything was the opposite. Each new generation of Luxuria was scarier than thest and this all seemed to culminate in Sol.


    Everything had a price and the goddesses weren''t exempted from this rule. She wondered what kind of price Luxuria paid to create such a monster.


    "A coin for your thoughts?"


    "Hah¡­I was just wondering how the others divine beasts will react when they learn we have our second demigod."


    This wasn''t a lie. For Kiyohime, her personal pride came second to the pride she had for her race as a dragon. The stronger the dragons became overall, the happier she was.


    Kiyohime was sure that it was one of the reasons her jealousy for ze never devolved into something uglier.


    "By the way¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "When do you n to let go of my breast?"


    Sol grinned and Kiyohime blushed when she felt something poking at her from behind.


    "Shall we go for another round?"


    ¡ª-


    After another session with Kiyohime and after he put her limp body in her bed, Sol, who found his mind freshened up, decided to visit Skuld again.


    The more information he absorbed the better it would be. He had no time to lose now that he was well and rested.


    ¡°Darling¡­¡±


    Sol''s lips curled up slightly, ¡°Do not worry. I am well. Let¡¯s do it.¡±<sub> </sub>


    ¡°...I¡­Understand.¡±


    Skuld opened her mouth many times and wished to oppose his decision, but she decided against it.


    Closed her eyes she began to search.


    A future where Sol had more time to learn.


    A future where Sol came sooner to the Dragon dimension.


    A future where Tiamat taught everything to Sol.


    Moving carefully, slowly in the maze of hundreds of futures, doing her best to not get lost in all those potential futures, she stretched her hands and ced her on Sol¡¯s head.


    ¡°Prepare yourself.¡±


    Speaking softly, she slowly began to pull the knowledge of the future and then, pushed it in toward Sol.


    ¡°!!!¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes opened wide as a zing hot pain shed through his mind.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Forcing his mouth to stay close, refusing to let out the slightest cry of pain, Sol huffed and puffed while his veins bulged and his eyes became bloodshot.


    Not long ago, he thought that the pain of his core creation was the greatest pain he would ever have to go through but he now knew that he was wrong.


    ¡°Bind me! Kuh.¡±


    Giving his all to shout those words, Sol crouched down and began to bang his head against the ground hoping to at least knock himself out. Sadly, the only result was the ground getting destroyed


    It hurt. It hurt. It hurt so much.


    He wanted it to stop. He would give anything for it to stop.


    Biting his lips until he drew blood, he began to scratch at himself while traces of blue veins showed on his body. The blood of his own blood having gone haywire.


    Fighting a sob, Skuld moved her hand, and a chain of mana appeared on them before binding Sol as he asked and stopping him from hurting himself.


    The pain Sol was currently going through was unholy. Even having all his bones broken was far less painful than this.


    Sol had never cursed having such a powerful body more than now.


    Any normal human in his stead would have already fainted, the brain, shutting down the body in order to protect it. But no such release was orded to Sol.


    Information after information filled his mind. From the most important to even the slightest one.


    Tears of blood streamed from his body his nose bleed seemed to go on without end. His muscles were screaming and aching and his mind seemed split asunder.


    How long did itst? He did not know. A few minutes, or even a few hours? It did not matter. His entire world was dictated by pain and only that horrible pain mattered.


    <o>,m Then, as fast as it came, the acute pain vanished and was reced by a dull throbbing headache worse than his previous one.</o>


    *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*


    His breath rough, Sol tried to calm down as his mind slowly woke up from the haze that was enveloping it. Already, he could feel all the small wounds on his body vanish until the only proof remaining of the hardship he went through was the dried blood on his face and on the ground.


    ¡°How¡­You¡­¡±


    Skuld wanted to ask if he was alright at first but knew how stupid such a question sounded. Of course, he wasn¡¯t alright.


    At his beseech, she had added a few more dayspared to the first experience and the result was clearly quite devastating.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go a little slower next time, okay? Please?¡±


    Moving slightly his head and then wincing because of the immense pain, Sol looked could see the tear and snot stained face of Skuld. Clearly, while she didn¡¯t have to go through the same pain as him, watching him suffer was something gut-wrenching for her.


    Even though she knew that it was necessary and even though she had already had the resolve to go through it, it hurt her so much to see him hurting. It was almost physical.


    ¡°Haha *Cough* Untie me first please¡­¡±


    In the first ce,


    ¡°Why did you even tie me like this?¡±


    Sol let out augh of disbelief. The way the chains twined around him made the scene seems like something out of some hardcore book about BDSM.


    More precisely, it was the Tortoise shell. How the hell did a Titan even learn such a thing?


    Thankfully, no one else saw this or he would have died of embarrassment. At least, he hoped no one else saw it.


    ¡®No one else saw it, right?¡¯


    Sol began to ask himself some serious existential questions.

 Chapter 271 CH 244: EVERYONE IS READY

    Still tied down in this weird pose, Sol sighed,


    ¡°Untie me.¡±


    Skuld hurriedly listened and released him before jumping in his arms whileughing sheepishly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry please.¡±


    ¡°I am not. Do not worry.¡±


    Like this, Sol closed his eyes as his mind wandered, trying to forget the phantom pain. The hot and supple body of Skuld helped him calm down quite a bit and wondered if he should simply go for another round with her but fought the urge.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t use sex as a means of escape.¡¯


    Doing so was no different from drugging himself. Though it was pleasurable, Sol did not wish to be the kind of man who used sex to cope with any pain.


    Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t as if it was useless for him to conquer the pain by himself. There was nothing wrong with increasing his pain threshold. He knew that the dragon baptism in the blood pool wouldn¡¯t be easy and his transition to a Duke even less so. But he had no choice.


    The world was not a kind ce and he was still too weak. Sooner orter there woulde a day when the women who protected him until now wouldn¡¯t be able to continue to do so and he would be able to do nothing but to wallow in his own weakness.


    This was uneptable for Sol. He did not wish to live in regret and madness like the him from the other word line.


    But no matter how many times he repeated to himself that wasn¡¯t enough.


    What was the Duke level?


    Bing a Duke means finding one own truth. It means knowing and epting oneself. Be it the bad or the good.


    No matter how ugly your inner self was.


    This was what it means to be a Duke.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t the only way. One could be a Duke by understanding the truth about one element, one object, or even one concept.


    It did not change that the path of power was the path of seeking the truth even if the answer we found at the end wasn¡¯t quite pleasant.


    Meditating with Skuld in his arm, Sol''s mind wandered between his own understanding and the information Skuld sent in his mind.


    Once he finally assimted them and incorporated them into his own understanding, he would once again ask Skuld to send him more knowledge.


    Even though it was painful.


    Even though it hurt so much he wished to die.


    He would not stop, could not stop, nor could he falter.


    His life had long since stopped being his own.


    He had to continue to advance until he finally reached his goal.


    ¡ª-


    Standing a little afar and watching the disy of affection, Tiamat nodded to herself. She didn¡¯t feel the same pain Skuld was feeling in seeing Sol suffer.


    Better suffer now, here where it was safe, rather than finding himself inadequate on the battlefield.


    In order to be stronger and reach the level she was at now, she had not hesitated to tear down the base power the goddesses had bestowed to her during her creation and she felt no regret about it.


    She was sure thatter Sol would look back on those days with a certain fondness. But in order for him to do so, they needed to go through the ordeal.


    Tiamat would not underestimate how much damage Ymir could bring her. Even if she wasn¡¯t in a bad shape like in the future described by Skuld, the little titan wasn¡¯t the only one who could read the future.


    This was why she needed to prepare. She needed a failsafe. Someone she could count on to keep everything afloat.


    ¡®I wonder if He received my message.¡¯


    As long as He came, she would not fear even facing an army.


    Thinking so, she approached finally approached Sol that was still lying down on the ground with Skuld, and asked,


    ¡°When should we have the contest?¡±


    Sol gave a strained smile, wondering if Tiamat had witnessed his foolish appearance when Skuld tied him down. Still, he answered smoothly and with confidence,


    ¡°Twenty-four hours will be enough. I already nearly grasped what I am seeking.¡±


    In fact, he would want it to happen even sooner but he wanted at least onest session of knowledge absorption to finalize his preparation.


    Tiamat gave a grin, ¡°Do not disappoint me.¡±


    Even though she said that she knew that he wouldn¡¯t. There was no way Sol would lose the contest as long as he was willing to use all the cards he had in his disposal. At his current level, only top Dukes like Nabu could threaten him.


    Of course, if Sol underestimated his opponents and ended up being caught off guard this would be a totally different.


    ¡®Well, this is why I sent him to Tartarus initially.¡¯


    She was thinking so when she remembered another reason she initially came to him,


    ¡°Now that I think about it. So in the end you choose Kiyohime?¡±


    This time it was Sol''s turn to give a sheepishugh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I immediately stopped observing you when you became frisky.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t lying. She stopped observing when they became hot and heavy. Then she got curious a few momentster and took another look and damn was she surprised.


    She would have never imagined one day seeing such expression on her ever serious daughter, this had been truly eye-opening for Tiamat and it made her even more curious about Sol¡¯s prowess.<sub> </sub>


    Initially, she wanted to wait until he became at least a King or a demigod. But now she wondered if she shouldn¡¯t simply go for it when he be a Duke.


    Nodding at her wise decision, she turned and walked away.


    ¡°You should rest. The harder part is still toe.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡ª--


    When the news of the contest happening soon swept through the eight heavens, it was like a storm was taking up.


    All the Dragons less than a few hundred years old who were sure of their skills could participate. There was no limit to the numbers permitted and all skills and equipment were allowed.


    Everyone immediately went into a frenzy, as they left whatever they had at hand to rush toward the 7th heaven where the contest would take ce.


    Be it because they were confident in their skills or because they thought they might be lucky. The number of participants continued to swell without end.


    Of course, while many dragons and hybrid dragons were participating, the others were more interested in betting faith coins.


    Money would always make the world go around no matter where it was and the Dragon¡¯s territory was no exception.


    The most likely participant to win the contest in people''s minds were of course Nidhogg and Kaiser. The two of them were the well-deserved leader of the young generation and had never been disappointed with their performances.


    What made people curious though, was the third one on that list. A dragon that had never been raised by a dragon.


    A hybrid born from the union of the third but deceased dragon queen and the King of a human in the mortal world.


    Of course, those uninformed found those im ridiculous. After all, while only a few pieces of information about Sol were avable, something that was made clear was that he was not even a Duke and in fact was did not even awaken for more than one year.


    A non-Duke hybrid winning against the two most talented dragons of the generation as well as a number of other powerful dragons?


    This was logically and realistically impossible. Most of them could only express their disbelief at the news.


    Some even spected that the whole contest was just a show and that Tiamat had already decided to give the championship to Sol.


    After all, Tiamat wasn¡¯t known for her fairness. She had always been openly partial toward people she appreciated and never made a show of the opposite.


    In the end, be it dragons or elves or any other living in the territory, they knew that no man sane enough woulde to humiliate themselves on the ring. If Sol decided to participate, it means that he had something that gave him the confidence to win.


    Whether it was a misjudged confidence would be known sooner orter.


    ¡ª-


    [8th Heaven, Hydra¡¯s ind]


    ¡°How is it going?¡±


    Looking at his granddaughter as she prepared and ingested different poison, he couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    For poison users like them, once they ingested a particr poison, their bodies would be able to analyze it down to the deepest level and recreate it to an even higher degree by mixing it internally with their mana and other poisons they already had.


    When beginning on this path, the pain was so excruciating that most people simply never went past a certain level before giving up. Every step had to be taken carefully in case they absorb a poison they couldn¡¯t handle and killed themselves. Such cases were not rare and in fact, this was the ending of most poisons users.


    Either end in mediocrity or die trying to be stronger.


    Of course, there was a third road. One of sess. This was a road Hydra walked and this was the same for Nidhogg.


    In fact, Nidhogg was even more talented than him. This was the advantage of being a perfect hybrid.


    Inhaling the toxic fume, Nidhogg finally opened her eyes, ¡°I am ready. I will not lose.¡±


    Hydra clenched his fist in excitement.


    ¡ª--


    [8th heaven, Fafnir¡¯s ind.]


    ¡°You seem more invested in this contest than I thought.¡±


    Fafnir looked puzzled as he spoke to a panting Kaiser. They had just finished a rather brutal session of training and he was surprised why Kaiser suddenly had such a desire to win.


    After regting his breathing, Kaiser stood up, ¡°I want to win. Not only as a dragon but also as a man.¡±


    Fafnir tilted his head, ¡°You are interested in the little phoenix girl?¡±


    Kaiser nodded, causing Fafnir to frown,


    ¡°You do know that just winning against Sol doesn¡¯t mean that his girl will magically fall for you, right?¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t take me for a moron, okay? I am not that stupid. I know she won¡¯t fall on myp just by me showing my muscles. But if I don¡¯t win this fight I won¡¯t even have the opportunity to give it a try.¡±


    He proceeded to exin how Sol and Isis would form a contract if he won the contest.


    ¡°Heh¡­In this case, go for it.¡±


    Fafnirughed. He was a simple man. If you were interested in a woman, you had to do everything to win her favors. But if she still didn¡¯t reciprocate after all this, you should simply give up and search for someone else.


    The world was filled with women there was no need to pin for one so much you destroy yourself.


    ¡°Do what you can to get what you want. But never close your mind to other opportunities. The world is wide after all.¡±


    Thus was his way of life.

 Chapter 272 CH 245: REVERSE WORLD (1)

    ¡°Not only are people not doubting me that much, but even my odds of victory in the betting stands aren¡¯t that bad?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°How regretful. I thought everyone would look down on me and make a bet of like 100 to 1 and then I would bet a huge amount and win big!...or something.¡±


    ¡°You really have a weird imagination. Why would anyone look down on Tiamat¡¯s candidate?"


    Isis gave a weird look at Sol while all he could do was shrug innocently.


    He was once again reminded that this wasn''t some kind of xianxia world.


    While some people did not think highly of him, it wasn''t as if they were outrightly looking down on him either. They just had logical and reserved opinions about him since they had little information.


    "Anyways, what brings you here? I thought you were sightseeing?"


    "Hehe! I know the answer. Isis was worried about¨C hmm!"


    Sheherazade was stopped from further speaking as a red-faced Isis caught her.


    Sol could onlyugh at this cute interaction of theirs. Isis'' little quirks were truly soul healing in his opinion. She gave a certain candid aura that attracted and appeased him.


    Though he knew that that aura was the most disgusting thing for most divine beasts in the world.


    Nature was truly a weird thing.


    ¡°Well, thanks for worrying.¡±


    ¡°Humph. Don¡¯t let Sheherazade¡¯s words mislead you. You are my partner and future mate, how could you lose to those guys?


    Isis sniffed disdainfully while crossing her legs, showing a little bit of the image of spring hidden by her robe.


    ¡°Ohoh? My mate, huh. It¡¯s the first time you openly acknowledged it.¡±


    The two of them knew that Sol wanted a Lust-type contract and they knew very very well what such a contract entailed. Even then they had never really spoken openly about this fact.


    ¡°Now that it¡¯sing closer, you are more open to it?¡±


    Soon he will fight and soon he would win, bing a prince and thereby forming a contract with her.


    ¡°I guess? I was a little lost.¡±


    ¡°Heh, then¡­Do you regret it? It isn¡¯t like we can¡¯t form another type of contract.¡±


    He expected her to explode in her usual outburst but, for once, Isis stayed calm. Her expression was hard to describe.


    ¡°I certainly don¡¯t regret it. For better or for worse, I believe following you was the greatest shift in my destiny. I like being with you, Sol.¡±


    Sol was surprised as his lips turned into a smile.


    ¡°...You are acting quite honestly this time.¡±


    Isis gave a gracefulugh that seemed like a melody and put Sheherazade in the palm of her hand.


    ¡°My little friend always tells you what I really think and I always act embarrassed about it. It was fun at first and very helpful for me. But I just realized that¡­just that I need to grow up.¡±


    Isis sighed. She wasn¡¯t stupid. In fact, far from it, she had a great and insightful vision of the world thanks to the education she received from her father. While she generally didn¡¯t act on it, it was simply because she couldn¡¯t be bothered.


    From everything she had observed, something big was about to happen ¡ª Something even bigger than the whole contest.


    She felt it even more clearly when Sol suddenly expressed his envy to form the contract as soon as possible. The Sol she knew was very careful when it came to rtionships and he would never press her like this for no reason.


    This only meant that Sol urgently needed the boost obtained from forming a contract. Moreover, the first contract.


    Why would he need such power urgently while in Tiamat¡¯s realm?


    All of this lead to one conclusion.


    Shit was about to hit the fan.


    The kind of shit that even Tiamat could not avoidpletely.


    There was no time for her childish outburst in such a situation. Death was omnipresent and she could not afford to y around anymore.


    Sol looked deeply at Isis. It was the first time in a while the two of them had such a serious discussion. Sighing inwardly about how lucky he was to meet a woman like Isis, Sol advanced forward.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    And then he kissed her.


    At first, Isis¡¯ eyes opened wide as she tried to fight back. But soon, she seemed to melt in his arms while their kiss continued to grow deeper.


    ¡®Ohh!!¡¯


    When their kiss finally ended, Sol gave a boyish grin and told thepletely flushed Isis.<sub> </sub>


    "This is just a sample of what is toe, I hope you are ready."


    Standing up and arranging his clothes, Sol began to walk toward the door of the room they were currently in.


    Once he reached the door and was about to open it, he stopped and turned onest time toward her. ¡°Wish me luck. Though I think it will be unnecessary.¡±


    He waved his hand and left.


    Now alone in the room, Isis looked down at Sheherazade, ¡°I think it¡¯s time to go.¡± Her face was still red and her breath a little unsteady, but Sheherazade acted as if she didn¡¯t see it. The fact that she always acted bubbly and cutely didn¡¯t mean that she didn¡¯t know how to read the room.


    ¡°Yeah! I don¡¯t want to miss any of it.¡±


    The two of them left the room using another door on the opposite side of the one Sol used.


    ¡ª-


    After walking through a very long corridor with his thoughts wandering, Sol was surprised to see a ce of intersection with two other corridors. Standing there were two people he recognized.


    One was wearing an attire that covered her entire body from head to toe, while the other was wearing simple clothes but with an air of confidence around him.


    They were of course Nidhogg and Kaiser.


    Seeing them, Sol showed no surprise and continued to walk unimpeded. The other two didn¡¯t seem like they wanted to lose this silent contest as they walked alongside him.


    It only took a few more minutes of walking for them to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.


    Wooooo!!!


    The moment they walked out of the corridor, what greeted them were cries and cheers full of enthusiasm.


    Sol looked up and for one instant felt like he was back to the coliseum in Lustburg. This image didn¡¯tst though, since what he was seeing was much more absurd.


    In front of them, already standing in rows were about a hundred or more seemingly young people. All of them had tense expressions as they looked up to the sky in the east where a massive floating throne could be seen with one woman sitting on it.


    ¡°Now that all the participants are present, I believe it¡¯s time to announce¡ªthe start of the contest for the title of the Prince!¡±


    Standing, or rather floating next to Tiamat, Fafnir shouted out loud to all the people present.


    Wooooooo!!!!


    The cheers resonated even more. The atmosphere was electrifying and heated up to the maximum.


    ¡°The rules are simple. A battle royal. In a few seconds, you will be transported to a deserted ind for you to fight.


    Everything is permitted! You can team up, hide, sneak attack, and many more. You just need to understand that every hour, the border of the ind will be destroyed until there is no other ce to hide. In the end, there will be only one victor! No prize of constion to the ones who lost.


    ¡°Winner takes it all! and the prize is¡­.the crown!!¡±


    At the same time that he finished his speech, a gate opened below everyone¡¯s feet and teleported them all.


    ¡ª


    When Sol opened his eyes again, he found himself surrounded by a very tall tree that nearly blocked all the light of the stars.


    Clearly, they had already reached the venue of the fight.


    He smiled while remembering the short exnation Fafnir gave. They were easy to understand. A battle royal in a zone that was progressively shrinking. This was a prettymon type of game in some FPS in his previous life at one difference.


    The ability to team up.


    Not everyone would form a team.


    Sol didn¡¯t need to look around to feel all those prickling gazes on him when he was in the stadium. He knew very well that the weaker one would for teams in order to hunt down the candidates with the highest chances of winning and it seemed like he was on that hitlist.


    ¡®Haha, it would be so much easier if they ignored me.¡¯


    Though it didn¡¯t matter in the end, in terms of hiding, with his dimension he could hide and eat popcorn until the end and fight thest one to stand but¨C


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be fun now, would it?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t just want to win. He needed to win beautifully.


    ¡°Perhaps I should try a little bit of the inheritance Tiamat taught me?¡±


    Theory should always be followed by practice.


    cing his hands together, Sol focused for a while before finally muttering.


    <<Dimension Encroachment: Reverse World>>


    ¡ª

 Chapter 273 CH 246: REVERSE WORLD (2)

    What did it mean to be a dimensional mage?


    In a world filled with mighty beings, having the power of a dimension already made you stand out from the masses.


    Dimensional mages were also known as born demigods for the reason that as long as they didn''t die early, reaching the level of Demigod was never a question of IF but a question of When.


    Normal demigods could only bring their full power when they were in their territory. Outside of it, their power dropped sharply.


    This was also why Dimensional mages were so feared.


    Because of the existence of one signature skill that all of them could master¨C


    <<Dimension encroachment: Reverse Side>>


    ¡ª


    "How uncanny."


    Welsh, who as always was entirely covered in bandages from head to toe, muttered as she watched what was happening through the special screens floating in the stadium.


    The fight for the throne should have been an exciting fight full of passion and bloodthirsty moments. But right now, what they were witnessing waspletely the opposite.


    Sol''s dimension encroachment could only bring a small part of the dimension in reality. Only covering about five kilometers in diameter.


    Still¡ªthe effects were simply devastating.


    Wherever he passed, dragons would simply lose the will to fight and surrender as long as he asked. As if they suddenly didn''t care at all about winning.


    "Just what''s this power?"


    "This¨Cthis is the reason why Sol now will never lose against anyone in thispetition as long as he is willing."


    Tiamat humored her children by briefly exining.


    "Is there a limit to this power?"


    "Of course. The effects are only active on Dukes. Kings are partially affected but are spared from the effects for the most part because they have created their own true self."


    Fafnir paled when he caught the key word, "You mean¡­All Dukes?"


    The fact that this passive effect could not affect anyone above the Duke might seem like a weakness but this was far from it.


    Sol was not even a Duke now so his encroachment had a low coverage. But once he became a demigod, he would be able to cover hundreds or even thousands of kilometers.


    King-ranked beings were extremely rare and even Dragons only had less than ten Kings dragons in all their history. This would mean that everyone else was fair game for Sol.


    "You understand, right? Even a King can die if he is swarmed by an army of Duke. But for Sol, number tactics are simply meaningless."


    Of course, Sol''s dimension didn''t simply stop there. It didn''t simply reverse emotions.


    "Well. It seems like I was right in putting the three of them in three extremities."


    Fafnir sighed in relief but also despondence.


    Indeed, while Sol was without a doubt impressive, he wasn''t the only one.


    Wherever Nidhogg passed, Dragons would fall in swarms.


    Paralysis, sleep, hallucinations, fear, and other such things would bring down anyone that so much as turned in her zone of action.


    The scariest was that she still didn''t even use her domain, showing the disparity of power between her and the others.


    On Kaiser''s side, while hecked the mysteriousness of the previous two, he made it up with overwhelming brute strength.


    Sweeping off anyone who so much as got his way. No matter how many times they attacked him, they were unable to even put a blemish on his skin. Meanwhile, he never needed more than one or two hits to put them down.


    Fafnir and Hydra were really satisfied with the disy their descendants were putting forth. Sadly they couldn''t find themselves feeling happy.


    For they knew that as long as Sol willed them, their deep desire to win would be a deep desire to lose.


    As if seeing the worry on their face, Tiamat chuckled, "Do not worry. I already talked with Sol and he told me that he would not use this skill for the final fight."


    "Haha¡­"


    Fafnir gave an awkwardugh while Hydra snorted.


    The fact that Sol wouldn''t use his strongest skill meant that he intended to use Nidhogg and Kaiser as a way to disy his might.


    In short, in his eyes, those two were nothing more than stepping stones.


    This was truly an unpleasant feeling.


    ¡ª-


    After looking at two people who were clearly friends and about to team up and tear up each other until they werepletely incapacitated, Sol realized how insidious his dimension truly was.


    It was the first time he used it on such arge scale and on so many people and the effects were proving to be quite detestable.


    ''If I could do this during the attack on Lustburg, things would have gone very differently.''<sub> </sub>


    Because this simple passive effect was so potent, Sol didn''t even need to use what Tiamat taught him.


    Still, the one major weakness of his dimension was that he couldn''t use it while being surrounded by his own teammates.


    Thankfully,


    ''Tiamat said that I would obtain greater control of this when I officially be a Duke.''


    This would be very important, after all, the greatest desire that got inverted wasn''t always in his favor.


    ''How many, six? Ten?''


    He could feel some dragons rushing towards him with an all time high fighting spirit.


    Clearly, those dragons initially had no wish to fight him nor even win this contest. But since he inverted their feelings¡­


    "Well, this is also good. Finally time to try what I really wanted.''


    Thinking about it, Sol stopped and begin to focus deeply on the power of his dimension.


    He tried to stretch it more, increasing the distance it could cover, but it was clear that he had hit a limit. Whenever he tried to do so, he could feel the world around him fighting back and even eroding his dimension.


    If Tiamat willed, he wouldn''t even be able to open it at all and if he was in the mortal world, the pressure would be so high he would only be able to bring out a tenth of the current coverage. Most likely, even less.


    Since increasing the distance was impossible, Sol began to focus inwardly.


    It was His dimension.


    His will was the will of the world.


    His words were thews.


    In his dimension, he didn''t only invert feelings. Far from it,


    <<Reverse World: Labyrinth.>>


    ¡ª


    On the side of the assants, they didn''t really understand why they were filled with such a deep desire to win. Still, they didn''t hesitate to rush toward what they perceived as the greatest problem.


    But, suddenly, one of them who had been clearly rushing forward realized that he was somehow back behind him at the edge of the monochrome world.


    "Huh¡­?"


    Looking around in a daze, He frowned and decided to rush in again. Trying to run right and left, but no matter what he did, the distance that should have been covered in a short time suddenly seemed like it was never-ending.


    It was as if he was in a maze with absolutely no exit in sight no matter what he did.


    "Well, it looks like the experiment was a sess."


    Looking up suddenly, he saw a golden-haired young man he easily recognized as the ck horse of thispetition.


    "What¡­What did you do?"


    "Hum?"


    As if suddenly paying attention to him, Sol smiled and punched him hard on the head, thereby knocking him out before he could get back his bearings and activate his Zone.


    Once Sol made sure the dragon was out cold he shrugged and walked away.


    What he did was simply inverting the concept of [Direction] in his dimension.


    Left became right and forward became backward. As if someone was looking at a mirror.


    Once again he was the only one exempted from the nasty effect of his dimension.


    Sol knew that he still had yet to unearth the full potential of his dimension.


    After all, at the highest level, his other self had been able to invert the time of the entire universe.


    ''Well, most of the small fry should have been taken care of.''


    He closed the encroachment, feeling as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulder.


    Keeping the Encroachment for too long did not affect his mana reserve since they were night infinite thanks to his core. But the mental burden could not be easily shrugged off.


    He was already satisfied with what he could do with it and was even more so since he knew there was still so much more he could do.


    Now though, it was time to deal with the main dishes in this concept.


    ROOAAR!!


    Looking at the huge red dragon flying in the sky towards him, Sol, who recognized Kaiser''s signature energy, smiled.


    It was clear that he wasn''t the only one who wanted to end this fight.


    (AN: This is the first true disy of Sol''s dimension aside from simply using it to hide. What did you think?)

 Chapter 274 CH 247:SOL VS KAISER(1)

    Sol wasn¡¯t the only one who saw Kaiser flying high in the sky.


    Nidhogg, after finishing with all the ones in her zone, also looked up.


    ¡®Should I also go there?¡¯


    She hesitated for a while before shaking her head, in the end, even if she did go, it wasn¡¯t as if she would fight two against one. She wanted to win, but not at the price of her pride.


    Of course, she knew that not all dragons thought like her, this was why, rather than going in the same direction as Fafnir, she began to walk in the opposite.


    She would clear out absolutely all the other remaining contestants. This contest was one between the three of them and she would absolutely never let some straggler win after fighting them while they were tired or something like that.


    Growling, the sclera of her eyes began to darken and her form changed, her body began to grow until a fifteen-long metres gigantic western ck Dragon reced the sweet girl that previously stood there.


    ROOOAAR!


    Letting out a huge roar her wings opened wide before she flew in the sky, bringing with her a cloud of poison. She was well and truly intent in wiping out everyone else.


    ¡ª-


    BOOM!


    When Kaisernded in front of Sol, the earth rumbled under his weight.


    For anyone else, this sight would have been incredibly overwhelming, but Sol knew that being bigger didn¡¯t mean being stronger. Lilith had more power in her small frame than ten dragons at the Duke rank.


    Moving his hand, he summoned a huge ck halberd twice his size weighing nearly a tone, and hoisted it with one hand. It was made out of a special metal that absorbed mana very well. He had already decided that his weapon of choice would be a hammer or a halberd.


    ¡°I am surprised you came alone. I was sure that you would team up with Nidhogg and in truth, your chance of winning would have been far higher should you have done so.¡±


    [Do not insult me!]


    Obviously, in this form, Kaiser was unable to speak normally. As such his voice seemed toe from all sides as he projected it with mana.


    The eyes of Kaiser zed with furry and it was only now that Sol realized that in this form, the eye that was usually hidden by an eyepatch was now free of all constraint. The pupils rotating in these eyes gave the illusion that a sea of stars were hidden in that eye.


    ¡®So this is the special power he inherited from Tiamat.¡¯


    Even though it seemed that Sol was belittling his opponent, the reality was far from it. Sol would never underestimate anyone. He was simply observing Kaiser while intentionally making him angry.


    ¡°Still, why take this form? Don¡¯t you think you are just a sitting target for me like this?¡±


    Sol asked, truly confused.


    [Foolish, this is the ultimate form for people of our race. The form that allows us to express our power in its strongest state. Our most natural form.]


    The boastful and prideful tone in his voice was easy to spot but Sol didn¡¯t care. He knew that he had indeed asked a stupid question. But who could me him? After all, he knew very well that this dragon form wasn¡¯t the true ultimate form.


    ¡®I forgot that not everyone is like me.¡¯


    Only King could use the War form. Sol was nothing more than an exception to this rule. Like he was for so many others.


    ¡°Well then, since it seems like there will be no interference in this fight, should we go on?¡±


    It seemed that Kaiser had been waiting for those exact words as he answered by bringing down his right arm on him.


    Sol, of course, wasn¡¯t surprised, his brain began to work on high drive as the world slowed down around him and he thought of many possible ways he could easily stop this palm. Still, he had to admit that Kaiser wasn¡¯t simply boasting. The pressure the palm was bringing on him was different from everything he had felt until now. It was like the sky was slowly falling down on him, trying to crush him.


    BOOM!


    Jumping out, Sol was able to leave the coverage of the attack, but the damage Kaiser caused to the surrounding with this simple attack was astounding.


    Still, this wasn¡¯t all. While Sol was in the air, he could feel his senses screaming danger at him. Turning around, he saw the tail of Kaisering at him like a whip.


    Almost by reflex, Sol created three tforms of mana and used them to move in the air and avoid the second attack.


    Then, using the momentum, he threw his halberd with a chain of mana tied to him.


    ¡®Gotcha!¡¯


    The halberd wound up around Kaiser¡¯s tail and Sol pulled himself up until hended square on it.


    Then he began to run from his tail to his back.


    [Little rat!]


    ¡°Big clumsy bastard! Hahaha!¡±


    Sol was having the time of his life.


    Kaiser was moving while doing his best to throw Sol off, but Sol was running, jumping, and using a series of 3D spatial movement as if he was flying. He felt like he was like a certain angered god of war fighting against a titan.


    He justcked some fire and it would be perfect.


    Whooosh! <sub> </sub>


    ¡®Damn. Here the fire!¡¯


    Solughed dumbfoundedly while jumping out of the back of Kaiser. After all, he wasn¡¯t the one who had used the fire.


    ROOOARR!!


    Letting out a thundering roar, Kaiser was suddenly surrounded by a zing radiance as fire covered his entire body.


    Following that, moving at a speed so high that the sound wall was shredded apart, he turned around and rammed into Sol, propelling him more than hundreds of meters away from Kaiser.


    ¡®Gah!¡¯


    Sol coughed violently at the impact but he knew that this wouldn¡¯t end her and braced himself for the next attack and he was right in doing so.


    Raising his head toward the sky, Kaiser opened his maw wide opened and breathed in very deeply.


    <<Fire Dragon breath: Super Nova>>


    A red beam erased everything on its path before hitting a helpless Sol.


    BOOM!!


    The explosion that followed covered a radius of more than a few tens of meters until nothing but a huge cloud of dust was left.


    ¡ª


    ¡°That my boy!¡±


    Fafnir eximed joyfully in his seat. He had been a little worried at first, but after this, he was sure that Kaiser had his chances. There was no way Sol was uninjured after such an attack.


    Fafnir wasn¡¯t the only one who thought so. Already, many spectators were sure that they would witness Sol''s defeat. Those who had bet on him were not particrly surprised while those who did on Kaiser were jubnt.


    Of course¡­This onlysted a few instants.


    ¡°!!!¡±


    Everyone gasped at the sight that was shown on the screen.


    In the ce where the explosion happened, all the trees had been razed down to the ground and the ground was changed into a sort of magma.


    But, from that ce, a young boy stood up slowly before twirling his shoulders in total rxation.


    Of course, if it was just that, people wouldn¡¯t be so surprised. No one thought that he would be one shot. What surprised them though¡ªWas the absence of any wound on his body.


    Fafnir''s jubtion immediately died down when he finally remembered that Sol wasn¡¯t just a Dimensional mage.


    After all¡ªHe was also a Chaos Dragon.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Damn, I really need to do something about my clothes.¡±


    Sol muttered while trying to move a little his shoulders. He could still feel all the bones in his body rat Kaiser''s previous hit. The weight and the speed behind that hit were no joke after all.


    As for the fire beam? Sol had simply shrugged them off. The heat from the fire had made more damage than the beam. His clothes could attest to that.


    ¡®How humiliating.¡¯


    Moving his mana to create small pants to at least protect his privacy, Sol couldn¡¯t help but blush slightly.


    The thought that he showed his penis to nearly all the inhabitants of the dragon realm was quite maddening. Thankfully, he had nothing to be ashamed of.


    [You¡­You are very impressive. Worthy of your mother.]


    Kaiser spoke with a small amount of awe in his voice. The attack hadn''t been his best, but it was still quite the blow for Kaiser to see that Sol suffered basically no damage while the little he did suffer through was swiftly healed.


    Sol¡¯s shrugged, ¡°Whether I am worthy or not of my mother shouldn¡¯t be what worries you. If this is the most you can bring to the table, then you will lose. Not like you had any chance of winning in the first ce.¡±


    Sol swapped the halberd with an equally huge hammer. What followed promised to be quite bloody and he didn¡¯t want to identally cut out Kaiser¡¯s limbs.


    ¡°You said that this dragon form of yours was the ultimate expression of power for a dragon? Haha¡­Let¡¯s me show you how wrong you are.¡±


    Crouching down with the hammer in hand, Sol¡¯s eyes shed as power filled them.


    <<Dragon force, Final Step: War.>>


    In an instant, Sol jumped so high he was directly above Kaiser¡¯s head.


    Then, like a shooting star¡ªhe fell down with his hammernding on the head of the giant dragon in front of him.


    BANG!!


    It was time for Sol to show who was the best in his generation.

 Chapter 275 CH 248:SOL VS KAISER(2)

    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    Fafnir and the other two Dragon Kings stood up with incredulous expressions stered on their faces when they saw Sol¡¯s draconic transformation.


    Dragon Force was an instinctive technique Hybrid Dragons learned to reach, as close as possible to, the natural form of a dragon. In thetest or the very ending phase of this penultimate technique, a hybrid with a high concentration of dragon blood flowing in their hybrid veins and enough training, with the handling of the dragon force, could even potentially take the form of a fully grown dragon.


    An example of such a rare phenomenon was Nidhogg. But even then, such a thing was very rare and almost unheard of. If Sol did such a thing, they would not have been surprised. After all, with his talent and monstrous potential, this was almost a given with enough time and effort.


    But the War Form was apletely different notion altogether. It was something on an entirely different level than a normal transformation into a full-fledged draconic being.


    ¡°How¡­?¡±


    They cocked their heads simultaneously, straining their gazes at Tiamat for any potential answers to this absurd phenomenon, only for her to simply shrug at their incredulity-filled query.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I was as surprised as you are feeling right now when I initially found out. He earned this power during a fight in the Phoenix territory.¡±


    Fafnir sighed and sat back, his posture slumped and gloomy, wondering where he could find some alcohol to calm his nerves down. He initially thought that as long as Sol didn¡¯t use his dimension, his chances of winning against Kaiser were rather low.


    But now, it was clear that Sol''s refusal to use his dimension wasn¡¯t just false bravado but an expression of confidence in his power as a dragon.


    He couldn¡¯t help but be worried about the oue. Thankfully, what he saw next allowed him to calm his nerves down even if slightly.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    BOOM!!!


    The earth rumbled and quaked as the ground was entirely leveled because of the devastating attack Sol recently used.


    Even though he had put quite the amount of force behind the attack, Sol couldn¡¯t help but frown at the feedback he was receiving from his hand.


    Whooosh!


    A gust of wind swept away the dust, gathered due to the vacuum of the attack, on the battlefield, showing glimpses of a smaller draconic being now facing Sol.


    If before Kaiser was a hulking mass of flesh and scales, now he had a more lean appearance, standing on his hind legs. Even then, he towered slightly over Sol with his 3 to four meters tall frame. His scales changed color from red to a deep and bright golden that radiated with a powerful light intermingling with a terrifying force. His face, still fully that of a dragon, gave a threatening growl as his maw opened slightly and showed myriad flickers of a gathering me.


    <<Zone: Golden Fortress>>


    ¡°Impressive looking indeed.¡±


    Sol opened his wings wide and shifted from his position in a swift movement as he sent another mighty hit with his hammer.


    But this time, it was Sol''s turn to be surprised.


    BANG!


    The hammernded directly on Kaiser¡¯s face, Sol having opted to once again target the head but¡­


    *Crack*


    Fissures immediately appeared on the hammer at the moment of the impact. One had to remember that while they were standard weapons, they were still created by master craftsmen. There was no way Kiyohime would have gifted them to him otherwise. The fact that just one hit managed to create cracks on the weapon was a testament to the toughness of the scaly hide Kaiser currently boasted. The only damage done was a small trail of blood trickling from the point of impact.


    Kaiser did not miss the opportunity and opened his maw wide again, letting out a destructive stream of deep crimson fire.


    At that moment, Sol had two potential choices.


    Tank out the hit since basically 90% wouldn¡¯t go past his magical resistance while the pitiful 10% remaining wouldn¡¯t even have the power to put a dent on his scales.


    Or pull back, and retreat, evading the attack altogether.


    Sol immediately chose the second option, trusting in his instincts rather than his rational thinking, and he was right in doing so. Kaiser¡¯s tail had attacked exactly where he had been a mere moment ago.


    ¡®Always watch out for the tail.¡¯


    In his War Form, Sol¡¯s tail was a true weapon of ughter and in the earlier part of the fight, it was clear that Kaiser also knew how to use it very well for offensive purposes.


    [You are quite wary. I was sure that you wouldn¡¯t avoid this attack.]


    Sol shrugged as a response while keeping a lookout, raising his vignce to an all-time max, for any surprise attack, ¡°I was taught that just because I have a high resistance, it doesn¡¯t mean that I should simply take on all attacks like an idiot.¡±


    The best way for an immortal to die was to think that nothing could beat his immortality. Sol wasn¡¯t an immortal but when he used his dimension or simply relied on his high magical resistance, he always did his best to avoid taking hits. After all, there was nothing absolute in this world.


    ¡°By the way, I am quite impressed by your heightened defense. Mind sharing what this is about?¡±


    Sol just wanted to banter, never really thinking that Kaiser would share his ability but he was proven wrong for once.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to hide it. My zone is honestly prettyme whenpared to what others can do. It simply increases my defense and my attack. The more you hit me, the higher my overall stats increase.¡±


    Kaiser was not particrly proud of this Zone of his.


    Fafnir¡¯s zone, <<Ten Fortress>> was a zone born from his desire to protect others. It created a powerful dome of light where all allies found their defense, regeneration, and other traits, and stats greatly increased.


    As his most talented descendant, Fafnir obviously gave him the inheritance to his zone. But what Kaiser created from it wasn¡¯t something to protect others, but only him and him alone. It was the very epitome of a selfish zone that catered only to his survival and nothing else.


    ¡®Damn, are you the hulk?¡¯


    ¡°I guess there is a limit.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a question but rather a statement. Even if the skill had an unlimited ceiling, there was a limit to what Kaiser¡¯s body could handle at a given time.


    In the end, all of this meant only one thing. <sub> </sub>


    ¡°Let¡¯s see whether you will bring me to my limit and win or lose trying to do so.¡±


    The two of them grinned and rushed at each other simultaneously, ready to fight until the other was put down.


    Sol discarded the hammer and swung his right fist at Kaiser who answered with one of his own.


    There were no further thoughts about the true goal of the contest. No careful movements or tactical techniques ¡ª just a disy of pure speed and strength.


    (AN: Mudadadadadada!


    Orahorah)


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    Shockwaves were flying left and right. There was no holding back here and the surroundings were paying the price for it by being pulverized into dust. In a short moment, arge zone had been cleared out as if an earthquake had destroyed everything in its wake. The more they fought, the bloodier they became but they did not stop even for a split moment.


    At first, Sol waspletely dominating the fight while all Kaiser could do was take the hit he could manage while avoiding those he couldn¡¯t.


    Sol in his war form was far superior to Kaiser, physically speaking, but thanks to his high defense, Kaiser could still hold on. Furthermore, the more they fought, the stronger he became and the less damage he received from Sol.


    As long as they stayed at the same physical level, Kaiser was sure that sooner orter he would surpass Sol and beat him but¡­


    ¡®How¡­?¡¯


    Kaiser could not understand. Whenever he rose to a new tier of power, Sol seemed to also grow to a new tier alongside him.


    ¡®How is this possible!?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just his strength. If at first Sol seemed a little awkward in using the War form, the longer the fightsted, the better he became at it. The evolution that he was undergoing was almost nonsensical with the speed he was showing for growth and adaptation.


    ¡°Hahaha! This is fun! Let¡¯s keep going!¡±


    Even after receiving a hit to the side, Sol simplyughed it off and answered with his own fists. His joy and amusement were clear for all to see, sending shivers down the spine of some who watched the fight.


    Sol once again realized that deep down, he was a brute, a fighting maniac, who simply loved fighting. Noplicated schemes or world-ending threats. Just him in a blood-boiling fight, going all out without needing to hold anything back.


    The more he fought, the deeper his understanding of the War Form grew.


    The more he fought, the stronger his battle intent became.


    The more he fought¡­ The happier he became, like a god of battles that relished in fighting and surpassing their limits.


    The taste of the blood in his mouth, the sharpening of all his senses, the need to always be quick on his feet, all of these newfound sensations only brought him pure and endless happiness.


    His soul itself seemed to sing a song of joy and happiness, like a wolf howling freely at the presence of the full moon. He felt like his energy reserve was endless. That, no matter what, he would simplye out stronger and better.


    No matter what Kaiser did, Sol seemed, in all sense of the word, unstoppable, no matter how Kaiser grew, Sol grew even more and unlike him whose boost was only temporary, Sol¡¯s growth was absolute and would not vanish. As if his potential was simply infinite.


    ¡®What a monster¡­¡¯


    Not even the Chaos spawn had been so relentless. What he didn¡¯t know was that all in all, Sol only used his War Form all in all two times in a fight, and both times he had been so overwhelming that the fight did notst very long. It was the first time he could truly go all out in this form of his, which allowed him to slowly unearth the potential of this form.


    Still, even if Kaiser had such knowledge, it wouldn¡¯t change how frightening Sol looked like currently. Kaiser shuddered and faltered for an instant ¡ª but that single instant was all Sol needed.


    Grabbing him by the face, Sol swiftly lifted him high before bringing him down with all his strength.


    Arge explosion resonated as the entire area that was already leveled because of their fight suddenly sunk more than five meters deeper. But Sol didn¡¯t just stop there.


    Lifting him yet again, Sol left him floating in the air for a fraction of a second before punching him in the stomach, causing Kaiser to open his maw wide in a silent scream of excruciating pain. The hit was about to propel Kaiser far away but Sol refused to let it end like this.


    Grabbing him by the leg, Kaiser was stopped short before Sol immediately once again brought him down on the ground, hard.


    <<Mana Burst!>>


    All the muscles on Sol¡¯s body bulged as his already insane strength increased to an absurd degree once again. Tightening his grip on Kaiser¡¯s leg, so much that the sound of his bones breaking could be heard, Sol began to relentlessly lift up and bring down Kaiser face-first against the ground as if the poor boy was a hammer only meant for the purpose of relentless pounding.


    Every time he did so, he wouldugh out loud in glee as if it was the most amusing thing to him in the world.


    In the end, after the umpteenth time, Sol threw Kaiser high in the sky, until he rose more than two or three hundred meters in altitude beforeing to a still. Kaiser was barely conscious and the sudden shift in centrifugal force didn¡¯t help his condition at all.


    He tried to move, but by the time he reached the peak of the height Sol threw him to, he found out that Sol was already there to wee him with a bloody smile that was scary enough to make his soul shudder in fear.


    Then, catching him by the waist, with Kaiser¡¯s head down in the direction of the ground far below them, Sol filled his entire body with so much mana that it radiated out from every pore of his body then, fluttered his wings and propelled them back to the ground at hypersonic speed.


    ¡°Try to not die, okay!!?¡±


    <<Liger Bomb!!>> [1]


    The resulting explosion once they entered into contact with the ground looked like a mini nuclear explosion that could destroy everything in its wake from the shock alone.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [1]: /watch?v=-0_sq4m-_V4&ab_channel=RxMusic Watch this to get a better image of what happened;

 Chapter 276 CH 249: FACING NIDHOGG

    In the stadium, silence was currently the rule as everyone watched with anticipation the cloud of dust slowly dissipate and reveal the monstrouslyrge crater Sol¡¯sst attack created.


    While not every dragon understood the meaning of the War form, as many of them were born wayter after the war, those who did understand knew that Sol was now undoubtedly the best candidate for the title of Prince. Something he had proven during this fight.


    When they remembered that he was in fact not even a Duke yet, all they could do was look back at their life with bewilderment and wonder what the hell they have been doing all this time.


    A Dimensional mage.


    A Chaos Dragon.


    A Blessed.


    A perfect hybrid with a War form.


    Any of those four powers was enough for one to assuredly be a renowed powerhouse of the King level at the very minimum. But they were, watching a man having all those four special powers and wielding them as if it was perfectly normal.


    They understood now.


    Sol wasn¡¯t a genius.


    Every generation would have tens or hundreds of genii, one higher than the other. But at the end of the day, the limits they could reach were clear.


    Sol was indeed not a genius since calling him such would be an insult to the level of talent he disyed.


    He was simply a pure monster, an irregrity. The kind of iprehensible entity that appears once or twice every thousand or ten thousand years. Who took a look atmon sense and spat on it before crushing it mercilessly.


    In the heart of all the experienced warriors that were watching this contest, they knew that they were witnessing a historic moment. They were watching the first step of a being that would without a doubt reach the rank of top-level beings such as the Dragon Empress or the Necromancer King as long as he lived long enough.


    They understood now why Tiamat had been so sure despite the odds that were seemingly against Sol.


    This contest had never been a contest for the title of prince. This was nothing more than a pure disy. A formality for the sake of showing them the rise of a new star that would shine brighter than all the others.


    At the same time, seeing on another screen another strong contender nearing his position, they couldn¡¯t help but wonder¡­


    Will he win again?


    Will this night end with his absolute supremacy?


    A surge of excitement filled their chest as they watched the scene, wishing to not miss even a second of it.


    ¡ª-


    ¡°I lost.¡±


    When Kaiser opened his eyes and saw the ceiling above him, he immediately understood that he had been transferred out of the ind. Something that would only happen if he had been judged unable to continue.


    ¡°Indeed you lost.¡±


    Next to him stood Fafnir, a small smile on his face as he watched his grandson.


    ¡°You are not disappointed?¡±


    Fafnir tilted his head, before grinning, ¡°Why would I be? You fought and gave your all against a strong enemy and lost despite doing so. There is no regret to have.¡±


    ¡°But I¡­¡±


    ¡°You could have indeed done better. Entering a brawl contest against a War Dragon was foolish to the extreme. If you used your foresight to slowly corner him while letting him hit you some time to increase your power, you would havested way longer without a doubt and would have even cornered him. But¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do not forget that he is first and foremost a dimension mage. You might have not seen it but had he used it from the start, you would not even have managed to do the slightest things.¡±


    Kaiser clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.


    ¡°So he used me.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t dumb. Clearly, Sol had simply used this fight to hone his ability as a War Dragon. In the end, he had been nothing but a stepping stone.


    ¡°Frustrated?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good. It means there is still hope for you.¡±


    Fafnir was happy. This wasn¡¯t a fight to the death. There was no shame in defeat. As long as he learned the lesson and stood up again despite the blow then he could continue to advance and grow. Being frustrated simply means that his spirit hadn¡¯t been crushed yet. <sub> </sub>


    ¡°How is the contest?¡±


    ¡°Nidhogg and Sol are about to face one another. What you see now is just an avatar of mine.¡±


    Moving his hand, Fafnir made a floating screen appear.


    ¡°Watch and learn.¡±


    After those words, Fafnir, or rather his avatar, vanished. Leaving Kaiser alone. He knew that the boy needed some time to himself.


    But he also knew that his little boy wouldn¡¯t simply wallow in sadness.


    ¡ª--


    Back on the ind where the contest was taking ce, Sol was sitting on a rock with an apple in his hand as he looked at the result of the fight.


    While not at the same level as Nabu, Kaiser had been a rather interesting opponent. One of the rare that was nearly equal to him in power either since he awakened. This had allowed him to unleash his inner beast and fight to his heart''s content.


    But at the end of the day, true power was in wisdom. He could act berserk as he wanted but he should never stop watching back to the fight.


    What could he have done better? Thus was the question that turned and turned around in his head. He needed to move better, smarter. Fighting like a beast was refreshing when facing people equal to him but his enemies were not idiot.


    Why would they send people of an equal or only slightly higher level than him if they wished to hunt him down?


    Since he awakened, Sol had realized that his training had been geared too much towards ¡®human¡¯ blocking him from realizing his full potential.


    But did it means that it was really a wrong training?


    Of course not. Thanks to her skills, Lilith could crush anyone even though she did not possess even a tenth of the strength and mana he had. He was sure that even if he faced her at the Duke level, her sword intent would mercilessly cut him down War form or not.


    What then if Lilith had the same body as him?


    ¡®As a hybrid, I should bring the best of both worlds.¡¯


    Thinking like this, he took a bite out of the apple and looked at the woman that was meditating not far from him.


    ¡°I am surprised you let me rest.¡±


    ¡°Do not make a mistake. I need rest as much as you. Fighting and eliminating the remaining contestants took out much of my strength.¡±


    Sol whistled. He had been able to clear those on his side easily thanks to his Dimension. But he wondered just how powerful Nidhogg¡¯s poison was.


    ¡®Well, it seems like I will need to use my dimension.¡¯


    Kaiser may be stronger than Nidhogg physically, but in his mind, she was two or three times more dangerous than him.


    Even now, while Sol seemed to be here with her, his body was in fact in his own dimension and what she saw was only the astral projection of his physical form.


    He knew very well that one of the best techniques for a poison user was to slowly spread the poison in the fighting zone without the opponent being the wiser.


    By the time they noticed, it would be already toote.


    ¡®Once the fight begins, I will go all out.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want to brawl with her since the longer the fightsted the less advantaged he would be. He needed to end it fast and clean.


    Sadly, he couldn¡¯t yet invert abstract concepts otherwise he would have simply made it so her [poison] be a [cure].


    Ever since he realized that his dimension wasn¡¯t just a mirror, he realized that the only limit to this dimension was his imagination and his own power and he was excited to find what he would be able to do once he became a Duke.


    ¡®Perhaps I would even be able to invert the curse of Asmodeus on the Witches.¡¯


    At the thought of Medea, his desire to go home suddenly became greater.


    He could only go home after signing a contract with Isis and for it to happen he needed to be one of the four princes.


    This means that currently, Nidhogg was the roadblock standing between him and his beloved home.


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish it now, shall we?¡±


    (AN: Since Nidhogg can¡¯t really use her deadly poison, friendlypetition and all. The fight will end pretty fast.

 Chapter 277 CH 250:END OF THE CONTEST

    Nidhogg gazed silently at Sol, she wasn''t d in her usual gloomy clothes since she had no reason to hide her poison currently and in fact was actively trying to use it.


    "You know, I realized once again that I truly dislike you."


    "Hum?"


    Sol, who was ready to begin the fight, stopped and looked at her curiously.


    He had noticed that Nidhogg disliked quite a bit thest time but thought that it was simply because of thepetition.


    After all, he had never met her prior to this.


    As if uncaring of his confusion, she continued, "Do you know why my Hydra became a specialist in poison?"


    Sol didn''t even try to guess the answer for he knew that he would receive one pretty sure and indeed,


    "Because of your mother."


    ''And here we go again.''


    Sol had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Pinching his brow he continued,


    "Let me guess, Hydra was pissed or jealous or whatever because Tiamat favored my mom and begin creating poison to show that his poison could break through the Chaos body Tiamat is so proud of. Am I right?"


    Nidhogg fell silent but from the way her eyes widened, it was clear that Sol had hit the bullseye.


    Sol groaned inwardly, the moment Nidhogg said it was about his Mom it wasn''t hard to guess.


    Nent had already told him that Fafnir created his Ten fortresses to obtain a body invulnerable to all physical attacks. In the same way the Chaos body was invulnerable to all Magical attacks.


    Clearly, Hydra also wished to show off to Tiamat. It was hard to say where poison stood since even though it was created by her mana, it wasn''t exactly a magical attack either.


    So Hydra was sessful in a way.


    ''Mars left a bunch of traumatized women in the mortal realm and ze left a bunch of traumatized siblings in the Astral realm.''


    Either way, those two had left chaos in their trails and now that they were dead, the responsibility fell to him.


    If he had to be honest¡­It was truly bing a pain.


    "So what now? Beating me will prove the power of poison?"


    "Indeed. I¡­"


    "Am I supposed to give a single fuck about your reason for fighting me!?"


    Sol shouted while rushing at her with a flying kick that was easily evaded by a startled Nidhogg. Mainly because Sol hadn''t tried that hard to get her.


    "How rude¡­"


    "Look. I couldn''t care less about your reason to dislike me. Jealousy, duty or whatever, it''s your call."


    Sol spoke in a dirtier way than usual. His polite and regal bearing was nowhere to be seen as he currently looked more like a wannabe thug spewing curses left and right.


    Clenching his fists and readying himself he continued,


    "I neither dislike nor like you, Nidhogg. But unlike you, I don''t need to spew some convoluted reason to exin why. I just do and as such, I will simply beat you and get to more important things."


    He said so with a calm voice and a beautiful smile.


    Everyone has his or her backstory but Sol was in no way obligated to listen nor care about them. Just because Nidhogg was a beautiful woman didn''t make her entitled to a different treatment.


    He already had enough trouble juggling with his own problem and that of his Lovers. Why would he care for someone he didn''t even really know?


    Moving once again to attack her he stopped when he realized that Nidhogg was showing a rather apathetic expression as she took out a notebook before scribbling something.


    "You still show no symptoms despite all this time. I see. From the faint feeling of existence I got from you, I guess you phased out or are somehow immune to poison? How intriguing."


    "You¡­"


    She raised her head and snapped shut her notebook. Before turning around while mumbling, "Perhaps I should create a poison that can affect space? Corrode it? Or directly affect the mana particle in the air? Hum¡­So much to think about."


    Sol for the first time in a while was incredibly bewildered.


    "Oh, I nearly forgot." <sub> </sub>


    She suddenly turned around and nodded to Sol. "I give up."


    She shrugged at the astonished look he threw, "In the first ce, I have never been a Frontline fighter. The whole thing with poison ising at people from the dark. Had it been a fight to the death, I would have killed you while you were facing Kaiser. Sadly, it wasn''t like that."


    Nidhogg had absolutely no doubt about her ability to kill Sol if she caught him off guard.


    But in the same way, she recognized that she had absolutely no way to harm him if he was acting carefully.


    Sol was finally able to calm down as his brain caught up to the situation and the sudden change in personality Nidhogg was showing, "So you decided to give up."


    "Of course. I hate wasting my time after all. Why fight when I already know the oue? Struggling pointlessly for this contest would be unsightly."


    "What about the title of Princess?"


    This time Nidhogg smiled sardonically, "The only reason I am helpless about you is your dimension and Chaos Body. But¡­Do you think the other four Princes are like you?"


    Waving her hand she turned around once again,


    "Remember this Sol. At the Duke level, there''s no one I cannot Kill one way or another, and sooner orter¡­It will be the same for the King level."


    Leaving this bold deration as she vanished from the ind.


    Even a few momentster as Sol was transported from the ind and appeared on arge podium above everyone else, Sol felt like he was dreaming.


    But not in a good way, he felt strangely cheated. As if he somehow had lost, and it was deeply frustrating.


    ¡®Well¡­I guess I shouldn¡¯tin?¡¯


    Even though the end was pretty anti-climatic, it didn¡¯t change the fact that he won and was now officially the new fifth prince.


    As such, it was finally time for him to form his contract with Isis.


    ¡ª-


    When Nidhogg opened her eyes, she found that she was in the room she upied a few minutes before thepetition began.


    ¡°I am sorry, even though I said I wouldn¡¯t lose, it seems like I had underestimated Sol too much.¡±


    Hydra simply looked at his granddaughter before asking, ¡°Did I burden you with my expectations too much?¡±


    While short, the discussion Nidhogg had with Sol couldn¡¯t help but make him question himself and from the silence of Nidhogg, he realized that this was indeed the case.


    ¡°Sigh¡­I¡­¡± He opened his mouth and hesitated before covering his face with his hand, ¡°I am sorry. I guess I was too bitter.¡±


    Hydra was the youngest of the four kings but also the weakest. He didn¡¯t have the overwhelming power of Kiyohime, nor did he have the supreme defense of Fafnir or the all-consuming fire of Welsh.


    All he had was poison. Something that was practically useless against most divine beasts and was even more useless against Titans and Giants since their physiology waspletely different from Divine beasts.


    Because of this, even after he managed to stand up for himself and became famous all over the universe, deep down, he had always felt an inferiorityplex.


    This became even worse after ze was created.


    She was simply the epitome of talent and power. There was even talks of her recing Kiyohime as the Dragon Queen in the territory when she was alive.


    He didn¡¯t know how his other siblings saw her, but for him, ze was the supreme expression of his envy, jealousy, and inferiority. Whenever he looked at how tall and bright she was, he was reminded of how small and obscure he was.


    That¡¯s why he put even more effort in his poison to an almost crazy degree. To show the world that ze and by a certain extent, Tiamat, weren¡¯t all that impressive.


    But, as petty and ridiculous as it was¡­It was HIS own aspiration. Not that of Nidhogg. Him burdening her all those years with his ugly dream was an unforgivable sin and all he could do was apologize and promise to change.


    ¡°Do not worry.¡±


    Nidhogg smiled, she had never hated her grandfather, she knew how much he loved her and this was also why she disliked Tiamat and Sol to a certain extent. But it didn¡¯t matter. Not now.


    ¡°I managed to aplish my main goal. Now that I have samples of so many powerful dragon Dukes and the sample I collected from Tartarus¡­I think I may be able to create a true king ranked poison soon, very soon even.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I have finally realized one. A true name that is¡­ and that name is Ophiuchus[1].¡±


    [1]: Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer is kinda the 13th zodiacal constetion or the forgotten constetion. As for the myth behind it, Ophiuchus is Asclepius, the physician who concocted a healing potion from the Serpent¡¯s venom, mixing it with the Gorgon¡¯s blood and an unknown herb. This potion gave humans ess to immortality until Hades appealed to Zeus to reconsider the ramifications of the death of death. Did I say the dude was also very dangerous with poison?


    (AN: I won''t lie. I struggled to write this chapter and I am not really satisfied with the final result either. I am sure I could do better but yeah was drawing a nk. I had many ideas about Nidhogg and I finally made my choice. Though honestly, I think she will y a lesser role than the one I originally nned for her. Or perhaps a greater role? I change my mind too easily depending on the situation. )

 Chapter 278 CH 251:TIME TO SIGN A

    ¡°So, how does it feel to be Prince?¡±


    ¡°Honestly? Pretty anti-climatic.¡±


    It was a few hours after the closing ceremony and officially being recognized as the 5th prince, Sol was currently in his room in order to finish the actual important part.


    After all, bing Prince had never been the true goal. Just a means to an end for a way bigger goal.


    Sol had received the cheer and warm wee of the dragon as a whole, but that was all there was to it. He didn¡¯t even have to do a speech or something of the sort nor did he wish to.


    Still, in a way, this event had been very simr to what he went through in Lustburg and he answered as such to Isis, who had been the one to question him.


    ¡°You see, in the human world, the royal family had traditions slightly simr.¡±


    Proceeded to exin the events that happened on that day. His training with Lilith and his fight with Setsuna as well as all the small details. [1]


    Looking at Sol getting animated while speaking, something she rarely saw since he always liked to keep his polite smile, she understood just how important Setsuna and all the other women back at home were to him.


    ¡®I really want to meet those women.¡¯


    For him, bing the Dragon prince, something many saw as an honor, was nothing more than a troublesome problem and the only reason he participated was that he needed to.


    Now though,


    ¡°The second part of your contract had beenpleted. All the dragons recognize you wholeheartedly as a prince. As for the reward¡­¡±


    Sol prompted her, ¡°You aren¡¯t a reward in my eye. Not in this way at least, I do not want you to think that the only reason I am making a contract with you is that I want to use you.¡±


    Sol didn¡¯t want to leave any doubt in her mind. There was nothing nastier than the seeds of doubt. They always managed to worm their way into the deepest part of the mind before progressively destroying people.


    Sol liked Isis, perhaps loved her? He didn¡¯t know but he liked her enough to form the lust contract and make her his first partner.


    This was precisely why the two of them found themselves alone in this room now, after being thrown in it by Tiamat.


    Once they signed the contract and were tied together, Sol would have the possibility to choose one of Isis''s numerous abilities as a phoenix and a necromancer and would be able to use it at the same level as her from the get-to go. If he was lucky, he could also get one or two more randomized innate skills from her for a grand total of three.


    Though of course, he would have to be extremely lucky for it to happen¡­.. Sol didn¡¯t think he would have many problems there.


    ? For the contract after this, what he would get would be randomized and at a lower level, needing much harder training because of the difference in species.


    Still, with all of this, it means that Sol could transcend his race and obtain more ability as time passed and with each new contract.


    This was the advantage all humans had over the other race and also one of the reasons why all King or Queen of Lustburg had been so dangerous despite the inherent disadvantages humans had whenpared to magical beasts.


    They were the kind to always win the RNG when it came to this mechanic.


    ¡°So now¡­What do we do?¡±


    Isis fidgeted a little, a flush on her face as she looked everywhere but at Sol himself. This time, even Sheherazade wasn¡¯t present with her and it was for obvious reasons.


    Sol knew that in such a situation, he was the one that should take the initiative.


    For all her bluster and tough act, he knew that deep down, she was a fragile girl with a big heart and promised inwardly once again to do everything in his power to never make her suffer any slight.


    Approaching her, he took her hands in his and gave a kiss on them before looking her in the eyes, ¡°Do you believe in me?¡±


    Isis stopped trembling as she also gazed into his beautiful blue eyes. She had only known him for a few months all in all but she liked everything she knew about him.


    Her eyes allowed her to see the soul and she had always liked Sol¡¯s soul and as her power reposed on judgment, she could see all falsehood and knew that right here, right now, Sol only held goodwill for her.


    ¡°I do believe you.¡±


    She truly did. This was why she was here. Why she didn¡¯t simply leave despite her small fear, why she was waiting.


    She believed in him and she was willing to take the next step with him¡­Well¡­Many new steps.


    Sol was ted at her words, ¡°Then, leave everything to me.¡±


    He would have loved to do it in better circumstances but as it was, he would still do his best for it to be a moment she would never forget.


    ¡ª


    While Sol and Isis were preparing themselves for the final moment of their courtship and entering a new stage in their rtionship, Tiamat was floating in front of ze¡¯s ind, a mncholic air on her face.


    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s rare to see you like this?¡± <sub> </sub>


    Tiamat chuckled at Kiyohime¡¯s words,


    ¡°Do you take me for some unfeeling monsters? Of course, I also have my moments of weakness.¡±


    She let out another chuckle as she could see the disapproving expression on Kiyohime¡¯s face. She knew that her children didn¡¯t really have the best impression of her but she didn¡¯t particrly care either.


    From a certain point of view, her children were more like clones or extensions of her with their own consciousness than anything else. The fact that they were also born as nearly fully adults didn¡¯t really help in forging loving rtionships.


    If she was honest with herself though, she sometimes wondered what it would feel like to have her own children growing from her stomach and born out of love rather than a simple desire to create another weapon.


    ¡®I can¡¯t really me the goddesses for theirck of love toward divine beasts.¡¯


    Shrugging, she focused once again on the ind,


    ¡°I know that Sol doesn¡¯t really see this ce as his home, so I am debating about whether I should open the ind to him.¡±


    The Inds were not unlike a witch¡¯s tower. Bastion of power that attuned themselves to the mana of their master and for all that Sol was the son of ze, the feeling of their power couldn¡¯t be any more different.


    Once Sol officially became the master of the ind¡­


    ¡°You don¡¯t wish for thest remaining of her aura to vanish.¡±


    Kiyohime did not ask a question, this was a fact and the two of them knew this and Kiyohime didn¡¯t bother mentioning that Tiamat would have felt no such hang-up if this happened to one of the other princes.


    ¡°I would be sad too if you guys died you know?¡±


    Kiyohime gave a sarcastic smile, ¡°How great. I am in tears because of happiness.¡±


    Her smile slipped however at the next sentence, ¡°Though¡­.Perhaps I won¡¯t be there to see it myself.¡±


    Silence fell between the two of them, the two of them knew that after the events that would soon happen, while Tiamat would undoubtedly survive, the same couldn¡¯t be said about the others.


    Death was all too real for them and Tiamat made no false promise nor gave empty words offort. They were all warriors and they all knew that they would either die on the battlefield or not at all.


    In a sense, the fact that none of them died during the great war was already a miracle of sorts and Kiyohime didn¡¯t know how long this luck would hold.


    ¡°You know, I never mentioned it but you guys are pretty hypocritical you know?¡±


    Tiamat shook her head, ¡°You alwaysin about how I yed favorites with ze but¡­Be it you, Fafnir or Hydra and the others, aren¡¯t you doing the same? The dragons who fought today were all your descendants, right? But did you care about anyone outside of Kaiser and Nidhogg?¡±


    She chortled at that,


    ¡°I y favorites and I am the monster.


    ¡°You do the same and you are the good parents?


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem very fair.¡±


    A tense silence followed those words as Kiyohime was left speechless. While she only had aqua as her daughter and obviously cared for her, it was true that she cared more about talented individuals like Kaiser and Nidhogg or Ladon and Nabu in the past.


    She had long since even stopped trying to remember the name of most of the dragon she raised. Only caring for a select few.


    This didn¡¯t make Tiamat''s actions any more right, but they were ill ced to throw stones at her again and again.


    Tiamat snickered inwardly, but didn¡¯t keep the silencesting longer. She truly didn¡¯t care once again and just wanted to point out something she had always noticed. She simply went back to their earlier discussion.


    ¡°You are right. I do not know how many will die. Perhaps none, perhaps everyone? We shall see.¡±


    Whatever happened, she was ready to give her all and she would show them all the price of attacking her domain.


    ¡°Well¡­Rather than wondering whether I will cry or not at your death, let¡¯s make sure no one dies, alright?¡±


    Laughing lightly despite the tense situation, Tiamat turned around, whether Sol would upy the ind or not, they had to make sure that there would be an ind left to upy in the first ce.


    ¡°Let go prepare the blood pool. Once Sol finishes with the phoenix girl, we shall begin. Meanwhile, I will call Gabriel. Gotta share the good news.¡±


    Herugh became even louder at this mention. Sol would be the first dragon to unite with a phoenix.


    Truly a wondrous moment, that would be recorded in history.


    [1]: Read vol 3 the Wolf to get the events again. Damn, been really a long while.

 Chapter 279 CH 252:LUST CONTRACT (1)

    In the room, the atmosphere had changed to a very ambiguous one. In front of Isis, who was d in a simple robe, Sol took her hand between his and gently kissed the knuckles.


    Feeling the touch of his lips on her hand, she shivered a little out of excitement and a small part of fear.


    ¡°How¡­What do we have to do?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t so naive that she didn¡¯t know what they were about to do. Her question had more to do with the ritual part of the night.


    ¡°Pretty simple. We begin with an oath. Repeat after me when I give you the signal. Though, with some twist.¡±


    He then proceeded to exin how she would have to answer and how the ceremony would go before they went to the main part. The more he exined, the more Isis was blushing, until her pale skin was nearlypletely red.


    For once, Sol didn¡¯t make fun of her since he admitted it was a little embarrassing. Butpared to some of the things he said, this was absolutely nothing.


    Standing up, he held her hand and helped her do the same.


    ¡®Are you ready?¡¯


    He asked with his gaze,


    ¡®I am.¡¯


    She mouthed, her eyes filled with determination,


    ¡®Well then¡­¡¯


    ¡°I call the attention of the world and that of the goddess.¡±


    The moment those words sounded, arge magical circle with intrinsic patterns appeared below them and filled the room with a soft light apanied by a certain feeling of heaviness that was hard to exin.


    This was a vow to be done with the goddess as a witness. This was also one of the reasons why Sol had no choice but to follow Luxuria''s order for him to be Dragon Prince. After all, if he refused, outside of any punishment she could give, he wouldn¡¯t be able to sign any biding vow without her or any other goddesses as a witness.


    But this didn¡¯t matter now, he nodded at Isis and began,


    ¡°I, Sol Dragona Luxuria, affirm my love to you, as I invite you to share my life.¡±


    Isis fought against her own embarrassment as she answered,


    ¡°I, Isis Crow, reciprocate your love and ept your invitation.¡±


    The light of the circle that was initially simply white shed for a while before changing into a beautiful pink hue, prompting Sol to release a sigh of relief. This has been the important part.


    The circle had just judged the feeling they had for each other and determined that they were indeed in love enough to pass. Had it not been the case, the circle wouldn¡¯t have changed color. Depending on the type of contract, the introduction would be different and the same went for the change of color.


    Motes of light began to fly around, making it as if they were in a fairnd while words slowly formed in their minds,


    [Do you swear loyalty, love, and devotion to each other?¡±


    ¡°¡°We do.¡±¡±


    [Then, make your vows.]


    ¡°Isis Crow, I promise to love you, to be your best friend, to respect and support you, to be patient with you, to work together with you to achieve our goals, to ept you unconditionally, and to share life with you throughout the years.¡±


    Tears brimmed in the corner of Isis¡¯s eyes, a profound feeling of joy and confidence filling her,


    ¡°Sol Dragona Luxuria. I pledge my undying love to you. I promise to be kind, unselfish, respectful, and trustworthy so that together, our dreams of a beautiful future cane true.¡±


    The light between them became far stronger. The words they uttered appeared in the air before swiftly reaching them and entering their bodies and reaching their hearts. <sub> </sub>


    Sol could feel as if a part of him was being filled. As if a pool that was initiallypletely void of anything was filled with a little more water. Sol easily understood that this pool was his overall capacity and the part being filled represented the number of points Isis was costing him.


    He didn¡¯t know by how much exactly but once the ceremony ended, Sol was sure that Isis would cost far more than the 100 points S ss magical beings were supposed to cost.


    The light of the circle slowly dimmed then, as the first part of the ceremony ended. All the contracts were divided into two-part. The first one consisted of the vow itself, while the second part necessitated an exchange.


    If this was a Pride type, Isis would have needed to kneel and swear her loyalty. A Greed one would have Sol giving her one of his most precious possession, and a sloth one would have her sleep in his arm.


    As a Lust-type contract, it was of course impossible for it to end without anything lustful happening and the second part of the contract needed one of the contractees to give his or her virginity to the other.


    The two of them gazed deep into each other eyes again, a feeling of euphoria washing over them, they could already faintly feel each other existence and once this was done, the two of them would be inseparable.


    Sol wanted to ask her once again if she was really sure. If she was ready to follow him in his crazy life. But he refused to voice those questions. They had alreadye too far and asked her this now would be no different from insulting her.


    This was why, leaning down, he delicately raised her chin with his hand and bent down tond a gentle kiss full of love and affection on her lips.


    Isis closed her eyes as she felt his lips on her. Then she shivered as he kissed her forehead, her cheeks, and finally nibbled on her earlobe.


    His actions were slow. Deliberately heightening her sense of anticipation as he rained hot kisses on her.


    In the end, he once again came back to her lips. But this time, the kiss was far different from the earlier chaste one. Partings her lips at the feeling of urgency she felt from him, she moaned when she felt his tongue slither in her mouth while he took her by the hip and hugged her tightly.


    Once their lips parted, Sol gently parted a strand of hair with a smile on his face before moving down the strap of her dress, revealing her bare body to his sight.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Isis let out a gasp as she felt the small breeze move on her skin. Her nipples, like small cherries, were erected and she would be lying if she said that it was only because of the cold air.


    Now that she did not even have a stitch of clothes on her, Sol once again realized how beautiful Isis was. She wasn¡¯t at Nerftiti level and he honestly doubted he would meet someone more beautiful outside of a goddess.


    Even then, Isis was so beautiful that there was no doubt she had nothing human about her. Her pale skin seemed to glisten under the moonlight. Her breasts were average in sizepared to some of the women he knew but no less attractive.


    Even though Isis was a little embarrassed, she was happy to see how he reacted to the sight of her body. She hadcked a little confidence since she knew that he was surrounded by women as much if not sometimes more beautiful than her but now she knew she had nothing to fear.


    ¡°You like what you are seeing?¡±


    Giving a cheeky smile, she showed boldly her assets to him.


    Sol gulped a little, his voice thick with desire when he finally spoke, ¡°Oh Isis. You have no idea what you are doing to me.¡±


    He said before bending down and sweeping her into a princess carry.


    Isis let out a cute yelp at the sudden movement andughed a little bit, ¡°This reminds me of when we first visited the desert. Back then you weren¡¯t so tender with me.¡±


    Sol chortled at that. Indeed during their adventure at that time, the two of them were still quite cross with each other. It was weird how so much time had passed.


    ¡°Back when we first meet, I would have never thought that the two of us would end up like this.¡±


    Their first meeting had indeed not been the smoothest and Isis knew that was totally her fault. Then again, Sol didn¡¯t me her for he knew what her reasons for this were.


    Walking toward the bed, he ced her as carefully as if he was handling a fragile piece of crystal that could break at any moment and indeed. Lying there with a mix between sultriness and innocence, Sol was even more excited than he was at first. He felt like he was on the verge of exploding. But he knew that he couldn¡¯t rush. Not now at least.


    ¡°Leave everything to me.¡±


    He promised her a night she wouldn¡¯t forget and he would keep that promise no matter what.


    (AN: In order to support me you can join me on WN or P@treon. You can support me with as little as 2 dors so no need to go on pirate sites. Even more so if the said site is a paid one.)

 Chapter 280 CH 253:ISIS (1)

    After an intense kiss, Isis was barely able to huff a thin breath in. Sol¡¯s swollen lips climbed down her chin, then along with Isis¡¯s ear, trailing down her neckline and settling down on her corbone.


    His hot, heavy tongue ravenously gobbled up her soft flesh and sucked and rolled it out of his mouth. Isis¡¯s toes curled with the strange sensation. One part of her wanted to escape, but another, more decisive part was following this strange sensation up a dark and unknown path leading Isis to hug Sol¡¯s neck tighter and hang off of him.


    A sticky kiss hit her lips again. A lump of flesh came into her mouth and pulled her tongue. If she tried to avoid it, the more he responded obsessively and persistently followed her. She soon was out of breath again as if she had been fighting for days, and let out a muffled moan through her blocked mouth and nose as Sol sucked up her soft flesh and invaded her mouth deeply and persistently with his tongue.


    Sol''s earlier kisses had been gentle and caring but now they showed the deep hunger he had for her and Isis felt her heart jump in anticipation when she thought of what he would do to her.


    Sol¡¯s lips headed back to the back of her neck by the time her head became mushy and was about to explode. It was full of strange enthusiasm as he licked her as if he was readying to bite her impatiently.


    While Sol chewed on her pale, vulnerable neck, his hands moved diligently. One of his hands encircled her, holding her tightly, while another unhurriedly split the soft flesh of Isis¡¯s lips. Then his hand, slippery with her spit, trailed up like a snake looking for its ce, found her tongue, lightly pressed it, and twisted it.


    ¡°Ahk¡­¡±


    As Sol slipped between her legs, not allowing her to run away, he slowly stirred Isis¡¯s mouth. While his thick fingers teased her, they swept every inch of her mouth and crushed her tongue as if it was not enough.


    All Isis could do was sob and close her eyes, moaning at the unfamiliar sensations of Sol¡¯s fingers that tenderized her flesh.


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    Then, with a suppressed groan in Isis¡¯s ear, he began rubbing his sharp nose against her neck.


    His erratic motions were as if a gigantic beast was intent on imprinting his body odor on her.


    Confronted with an unfamiliar face stained and flushing with passion, Isis¡¯s mouth went dry, and she gulped, feeling parched. Sol took Isis¡¯s hands and restrained them with one of his hands above her head. Sol gave a leery smile.


    It was an appearance that she had never seen or could have imagined. It was unbelievable that that pretty and innocent Sol had such a cold smile. He was like a stranger.


    As his bright yellow eyes appreciated Isis¡¯s red-hot face, it looked like another person was wearing Sol¡¯s skin.


    To receive such a tant gaze would have been scary if he had been a stranger, but because it was Sol¡¯s familiar face, Isis felt more excited than afraid. As soon as she realized it, she could feel the concentration of her wet arousal pouring over her already soaked underwear and wetting her thighs.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t know what she wanted, or rather she wanted so many things but she didn¡¯t know where to even begin. So she raised her chin and called his name anxiously; Sol sighed and grabbed her swollen breast.


    Isis twisted her waist at the hot sensation of her sensitive areas rubbing thus by his beautiful hands.


    Sol took a big bite of the breast he rubbed in his grasp. Her pointed nipples were crushed in Sol¡¯s mouth. More than a dozen times did he wrap his tongue around the nipple, licked it, sucked it up thickly, and chewed it finely.


    ¡°Oooh.¡±


    Even though she had been naked countless times and her body shouldn¡¯t have been affected by the change in temperature, this couldn¡¯t be any more different.


    It was exhrating to feel a chill one moment and then instantly heated up the next moment with Sol¡¯s body heat. Isis couldn¡¯t even think of pushing Sol away for a single second. Instead, she wanted to embrace Sol even more tightly.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    Isis was confused as to why today she felt so unbelievably embarrassed and twisted her body to hide giving her a vulnerable appearance.


    As soon as he saw that, Sol lost his reason and began to covet her soft breasts with both hands. It was like he was a big bad wolf about to swallow whole a gentle like sheep.


    He rubbed and fondled her breasts as if he were going to burst. He buried his face in her breasts impatiently and sucked them up, gathered them, grabbed them, and rubbed his face all around them.


    When he ate her out, it was as if lightning struck her, but when her breasts were teased, a burning heat spread like the pigment in a watercolor painting. Even though she felt that her breasts were so hot that she thought they were going to melt, his firm grip on her breasts supported them as he held her nipples with his tongue while licking and sucking.


    Isis was able to cling to Sol freely with her free hands. Then, without realizing it, she whispered that she felt so good and liked it while breathing in his ears. <sub> </sub>


    Sol¡¯s lips, which moved diligently as if eating delicious flesh, gradually turned downward.


    ¡®Yes. A little lower. A little lower.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t know that her heart and ass shivered with longing and an ache. When Isis unconsciously pushed Sol¡¯s head further down his soft, smooth movements of meandering and teasing her t stomach had abruptly stopped.


    ¡°Unn¡­ Please suck it.¡±


    Isis''s knowledge about sex might be thin but it was far from non-existent and from the different books she read, there were many little things she wished to try.


    Isis couldn¡¯t meet Sol¡¯s eyes, ashamed and very aware of the fact he knew exactly what this situation was. Even though she feared an using finger pointing out howscivious she was and maybe being criticized for being lewd¡ªit was more pressing to relieve her burning passions that were about to explode.


    Of course, Sol would never judge her and in fact, was happy to see her positive response. Tearing apart thest bastion that protected her chastity Sol leaned down and took a look at her secret part, causing her to fidget a little.


    ¡°Do not worry. It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    Sol somehow anticipated her question and gave an answer to calm her down. He knew that women attached quite an importance to how this part of them looked and this was even more for those without experience.


    Like all his women, Isis¡¯ ce was of a beautiful pink with bountiful transparent liquids flowing down from it. A sweet scent filled the air and Sol gulped as he felt his desire to eat her out overflow. Thankfully, there was no reason to hesitate.


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    As soon as Sol¡¯s red hot tongue reached her erged clit, Isis¡¯s spine curved back, round. Her whole body instantly trembled. At the same time, a lot of slippery fluid poured over Sol¡¯s face.


    The sensation of him licking and sucking her most intimate ce was terrifyingly overwhelming, a feeling like no other.


    ¡®If this keeps up like this, isn¡¯t it dangerous?¡¯


    It clearly felt amazing, but it was such a strong stimulus that she wondered if she could do this. Each cell became sensitive as if it were reborn. To the point where she was trembling from touching his breath.


    ¡°Sol¡ªUnnn, lick it gently.¡±


    It was an explicit request, something she would have never thought she would once ask someone. But Sol wasn¡¯t deterred. He knew very well the signs of her impending climax and wished to bring Isis to the peak at least once to facilitate what would happen next.


    Without even raising his head at her words, he raised his tongue and persistently licked and sucked out the outer area before once again going back to her pearl and rolling it between his tongue.


    Isis was shaking as if I was going to get cramps in her legs because her toes curled up so tightly. Unbearably aroused, she grabbed Sol¡¯s hair tightly in the heat of the moment.


    Whether she was pulling or pushing, her arms were full of strength without her even realizing it but once again Sol didn¡¯t falter. He just held open Isis¡¯s thighs with strength and spread them apart for sucking and hastily whirled his tongue and sucked it all up.


    In the end, what should happen, happened.


    ¡°Ahh~!.¡±


    For a moment, a thrill that could not bepared to the petty pleasure of prior experiences hit her whole body. Her back bent like a bow and trembled in waves of convulsions to the point that afterward, she was surprised she was so flexible.


    Raising his upper body, Sol looked down with a smirk as he watched Isis''s disheveled appearance while she lost herself in pleasure. It did not need to be said further, but for Sol, the sight of a beautiful woman screaming and losing herself because of him was the most erotic thing possible.


    He wanted to do more. So much more, give her even more pleasure until she went crazy. But now wasn¡¯t the time. He wanted her first time to be not only filled with rough pleasure but also gentle love.


    Leaning down, he gently caressed her hair and gazed into her hazy eyes,


    ¡°From here to here. Give me your everything.¡±

 Chapter 281 CH254:ISIS (2)**

    When Isis heard Sol, her eyes became a little unfocused.


    This was it. This was the final moment. The moment where she dedicated everything to him and vice versa. The moment the two of them would be one in a different meaning than just sexually.


    She could see the light of the magic circle that had dimmed somewhat initially begin to re back to life, ready for the ultimate phase.


    Weirdly, she felt no apprehension nor hesitation in her mind. She was already ready for some moment and would not cower now at this crucial moment.


    He had not said those words just because of the mood. But also to give her a choice. Onest chance to stand up and annul everything and this made her love him all the more.


    She reached with her arms and took Sol¡¯s face in them. She could see his love and gentleness in his eyes and knew that for the Sol right here, right now, she was someone important and someone he would never hurt willingly.


    What about tens or hundreds of years in the future? She did not know. People changed. Not always good. But she knew that couples could live millennia together and still have a love that burned as bright as the first day they meet. She had a good example in the rtionship her parents had and she hoped to follow their steps.


    This was why she simply nodded.


    More words were useless at this juncture after all.


    In response to her quiet sign of permission, Sol coolly raised the corners of his mouth and pulled down his waistband.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Isis immediately regretted her choice a little.


    His penis was of a size that one could not get used to even after seeing it dozens of times. His cock pped violently against his firm abdomen muscles and remained stuck up against his stomach closely. She idly wondered how someone as lithe as Nefertiti was able to take such a thing in her before remembering that she was about to suffer the same fate.


    The thought of something like thating into her body made her shiver in a mix of fright and anticipation. A weird mixture she was slowly bing used to.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Sol immediately grabbed Isis¡¯s pelvis and pulled her body against his. Isis twisted in surprise at his firm strength as if squeezing a fleeing prey.


    ¡°I know it might be a little scary. But don¡¯t worry and¡­¡±


    He slowly rubbed his angry pir against her clitoris and her vaginal opening, drenching it in her overflowing erotic fluid


    .¡±...I see that I am not the only one wanting this.¡±


    The smile he sported on his face was akin to that of a viin as he adjusted his tip against her slit as if he would put it in right away but did nothing of the sort.


    Pressing his ns at the narrow entrance, Sol let out a low groan. It was slippery with the lustful liquid spilling happily. His erection was incredibly hard, as if wanting to pierce her right away rashly, and pressed against Isis.


    ¡°Nn~!¡­¡±


    Isis was surprised by the loud erotic moan that leaked out of her mouth without her realizing it.


    ¡°Isis...¡±


    Sol clenched his teeth and called out Isis''s name. The deep desire hidden in that low growl made her moisten further. Enthralled as she was by the atmosphere, Isis moved her groin closer, so he lifted her thighs, and put them on his shoulder as he faced her.


    Isis breathed heavily, her round breasts fluctuating and jiggling up and down busily. Sol looked at her figure without saying a word. Then, receiving his bright golden gaze, Isis swallowed, her mouth parched. She was thirsty as if her whole body was burning.


    ¡°I am ready.¡±


    He firmly gripped Isis¡¯s pelvis and slowly pushed himself in. Isis was distracted by the pain that cut through her whole body. Thankfully, she had orgasmed several times earlier, so her inner walls, now very sensitive, trembled and sucked in his thick chunk of flesh.


    ¡°Uhh.¡±


    ¡°Ha, we¡¯re not even halfway in yet. Hold on¡ªwait a minute.¡±


    When Isis whimpered, Sol stopped moving and teased her breasts. Her white breasts were crushed and squashed under hisrge grip, changing their shape. Isis twisted her body whenever he persistently licked and chewed her nipples softly. A scorching heat ran down her spine and pounded throughout her body.


    ¡°Ooohh¡­¡±


    Although it was clearly a tight fit, Sol finally pushed until the end. The soft skin that had been forced open by the intruder was now tightly clinging and pressing onto his organ. Although there were brief moments when it was difficult to breathe, Sol braved through it and didn¡¯t stop. Instead, he pushed himself deeper and more forcefully.


    Isis did not have a hymen so the entry should have been less difficult or painful for her. Even more so because of how wet she was. Still, Sol had underestimated her level of tightness.


    It was something he had never felt. Not only was her interior far warmer than normal, as she was a phoenix, but her tightness made him feel as if his penis was encased in a velvet glove.


    Isis gasped when she felt his pulsating robe tear apart all her defense and settle in her. Her vision became hazy as droplets of her formed at the corner of her eyes but only out of the slight prickle of pain. Isis reflexively hung onto Sol¡¯s neck.


    The foreign sensation that filled her was one she had a hard time describing, but she mainly felt so full. As if a part of her waspletely filled out, which was admittedly the case in this situation.


    His penis, buried in her depths, twitched and seemed to increase in volume in her core. Isis buried her face in Sol¡¯s chest. Once Sol felt her settle down, he slowly began to pull out from deep within her. As his dark red pir slowly slid out, he felt her inner wall pushed wide, hugging him as if it didn¡¯t wish to let go.


    She groaned a little at the movement but could also feel a deeper heat different from her usual one rose deep from her guts.


    ¡°Hah... Huh¡­¡±


    When she took a short breath, her vision once again became distant. It was because Sol suddenly pushed back in.


    Sol didn¡¯t bother asking if she was in pain. It was the most stupid question he could ask in this situation. After all, the answer was self-evident. Rather than mouthing uselessly, what he should do was to make sure she got more pleasure than pain.


    Like this, Sol busied himself, not only moving his waist but working on her chest and nibbling her corbone and earlobe. He would also gently lick her breasts and suck on her nipple. His work was rewarded as the frown on Isis¡¯ face slowly subsided and the sensation in her body began to change.


    ¡®It bing bearable¡­¡¯


    She could feel a strange duality in Sol¡¯s movement. On one hand, he was a gentle and careful lover. At the same time, he was voraciously devouring underneath. Sol was insatiable, and his ruthless flesh persistently stuck to her sensitive area. Whenever that happened, Isis was thrilled and began to feel even more pleasure.


    She liked the gentle Sol but she also liked the feeling of being so much wanted by him. To see the usual calm Sol act as if he couldn¡¯t get enough of her gave a sweet numbing sensation.


    How many times did she tremble? The more she was at ease, the better the movement of Sol became. Some shallow thrusts, followed by deep ones.


    A constant change in rhythm.


    Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. All of this allowed Isis to feelpletely new parts of her body.


    ¡°You are so tight inside. It even hurts a little.¡± <sub> </sub>


    Sol joked a little in order to calm her down and it strangely worked. For an instant, she stared nkly at him before chortling a little.


    Isis wanted to snort at Sol, who had moved so well but was now talking nonsense if she could afford it.


    ¡°Hi¡­ Sol, you¡­ Hmm¡­ you are the one that¡¯s too big.¡±


    ¡°Heh, is that so?¡±


    Isis blushed at the smirk Sol showed. She indeed still felt quite ufortable down there, but there was no lying about what she was feeling. The pain didn¡¯tpletely vanish, but the pleasure was slowly overwhelming it.


    ¡®I wonder how much experience he has for him to be so skilled.¡¯


    Thinking of other women sharing the same pleasure, Isis felt a little ufortable as a sour feeling filled her heart. But ut she calmed down swiftly.


    After all,


    ¡®I am his first.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter that she was histest conquest to date. Nor did it matter that all those women on the mortal realm spent far more time with him than she did.


    She was his first partner. It was a link that trumped basically everything and she would capitalize on it.


    Her thoughts were blown away when Sol kissed and resumed thrusting into her. Soon, a sweet voice leaked out of her, and from simply being passive, she slowly began to move alongside him.


    She was in no way an unwilling participant at this moment and she would damn well share everything with him.


    ¡°It¡¯sing.¡±


    Sol muttered to her ears and Isis understood that the final moment was onto them. She yelped a little when she felt Sol take her by the waist and change their position to a sitting one.


    ¡®So¡­Full.¡¯


    She grunted then when she fell on hisp, all her weight helping in driving his shaft as deep as possible in her.


    ? In this position, Sol resumed kissing her more hungrily and she answered likewise. As if devouring each other, as if wishing to meld into each other.


    The two of them moved in unison while feeling the rapidly approaching climaxes. Isis became urgent. Every time he hammered her, sparks sshed high like hammering a hot iron, raising the heat under her belly.


    She twisted her whole body and bit her lips at the sound of wet flesh. By the time her toes were about to cramp, what she had been holding back and enduring with all her might eventually burst and poured out.


    ¡°Hah~!¡±


    Her whole body convulsed as if she had a seizure. The limbs trembled, and the water spurted vigorously from below. It was orgasm after orgasm.


    Sol grabbed her tightly, his muscles clenched, and he continued to thrust into her heavily and he felt like he was about to explode and spend himself in her. Which he did with a low grunt.


    It was like lightning struck her. Her vision grew ck, full of sparkles, and she couldn¡¯t breathe. Muscles in her body contracted and spasmed repeatedly.


    Her inner walls, quivering wildly at his excitement, gnawed on his ejaction as white liquid erupted and filled her.


    All around them, the magic circle red up to life, filling the room with a dense quantity of mana of the like never felt, as if they had been waiting for this exact moment. Sol felt like he was literally bathing in mana. All their pores opened and greedily absorbed the power that was overflowing in the room and soon, their body even felt a little bloated.


    ¡®Thest stretch.¡¯


    By this time, Isis was so tired that she could feel her eyelids close already. The overwhelming pleasure she had felt was forcing her mind to shut down. But she knew that there was onest moment. Onest thing she had to do.


    She shivered when she felt Sol''s teeth sink into her corbone. This was no y bitting and the scent of blood mixed with the alluring scent of their shared juices.


    Once she was sure that Sol had drunk her blood, she leaned her face on his chest and muttered tiredly but with assurance alongside Sol.


    ¡°From this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health for as long as we shall live. We shall always be together.¡±


    Their two voices ovepped as the biding vow took ce and finally, the crest of a ck phoenix formed in Sol''s consciousness while the magical letters that were floating in the air, formed one simple word.


    [epted.]


    It was with relief that Sol finally cked out¡­.


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­..


    At least this was what he thought.


    When Sol finally opened his eyes again, he found out that he was not at Tiamat''s ce anymore.


    The ce he was in was hard to describe but at the same time, it gave him a certain feeling of deja vu. A ce like one found in fairy tales. Full, of green pasture, soothing rays of the sun, and a gentle breeze that tickled his nose. It¡¯s like¡­


    ¡°The garden in the church.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. One of the Supreme daughters designated the garden in the mortal world based on the one here.¡±


    Sol turned around and was surprised to see a tall woman full of charms as she stood d in white and blue clothes as well as a veil covering her face. Suspicions arose in his mind, but they were quietly confirmed.


    ¡°Hello. Sol is it? I wondered who could conjure such a strong contract that it attracted my full attention. I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised.¡±


    ¡°Hum? Hah, I understand your confusion and your suspicions are right.¡±


    The woman let out a beautifulugh while covering her mouth with the back of her hand; ¡°I believe this is the first time we properly meet. Let me introduce myself then.¡±


    She chuckled and gave a curtsey with the grace of a young mischievous girl, ¡°I am Castitas, second oldest out of the fourteen goddesses. Happy to meet you.¡±


    This was the first meeting between Sol and Castitas.

 Chapter 282 CH 255:CASTITAS

    ¡®Castitas.¡¯


    Sol scowled briefly before nodding and giving a gentleman bow,


    ¡°Hello, respected goddess. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?¡±


    Castitas chuckled a little at his salutations,


    ¡°You do not have to worry. I have no wish to interfere with whatever you are doing and in fact, I did not even n to show up.¡±


    Saying so, she moved her hand and two white chairs, as well as a table, appeared. On it was a tea set and two cups were already ced down with a fuming ck tea in it.


    ¡°We are currently in the spiritual ne. A ce that exists between reality and illusion.¡±


    Sol sat on the chair and sipped on the tea. He noticed that the taste was simr to what he usually drank with Medea.


    ¡°As I said, everything in this ce is an illusion but it¡¯s also reality. The tea I created was changed by your inner wish of drinking the tea you liked the most. Thoughts and actions can easily affect this ce. The only reason you can¡¯t affect much more than the tea is that my thoughtspletely took over.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡®She seems a little scatterbrain.¡¯


    He realized that she liked to talk quite a lot but strangely, he didn¡¯t find it bothersome. In fact, he was surprised to see that he was feeling more peaceful and calm and that most of his desire were slowlyying low.


    It was as if he was being forced into sage mode.


    ¡°You are being affected by my aura.¡±


    Castitas answered simply.


    ¡°Do not worry. I do not n to show you my face like my sister did. She was a little too eager to show you off to us.¡±


    Sol seemed confused but Castitas didn¡¯t mind, ¡°You are¡­Hum. How to say this. You are xxxxxx.¡±


    Sol heard the first part of her words but the second partpletely flew over his head. Castitas frowned behind her veil when she saw his expression but in the end she simply shrugged, ¡°It was worth a try.¡±


    She didn¡¯t bother exining what just happened and seeing this, Sol knew that he wouldn¡¯t get any answer. Either way, there was something more pressing he was curious about.


    ¡°How is everyone home?¡±


    ¡°Hum? Hah, you must mean those in Lusturb. I do not know. I am honestly uninterested in most people there. Of course, except for my beloved daughter.¡±


    Sol nodded grimly, remembering that for all herughter, Castitas was not an entity that would care for most mortals.


    ¡°Camelia is alright. She is going crazy because of your absence, but it¡¯s alright. Also soon she will have to mentor a holy daughter.¡±


    ¡°A holy daughter is it¡­¡±


    Sol¡¯s fist clenched a little. Since he had his discussion with Nent, he now knew that the number of Blessed waspletely fixed. The existence of a holy daughter might negatively affect the Fate of Camelia.


    ¡®Perhaps I should try to lower the number of Blessed?¡¯


    He wondered idly while thinking of the Wolf King, Setsuna¡¯s uncle. It was an interesting target and they were already in war anyway.


    Still, Sol was somewhat relieved. He would have wished to have more details, but simply knowing that she was alright was enough for him. The knowledge that he still had a home to return to allow him to focus on what was important now.


    ¡°How splendid. You were a cute little prince back then but in just a few months you became a proper man. Mortals are always so fascinating. I really mxxx¡­¡±


    She chuckled again when she realized that thest part of her words had once again been blurred. It was pretty funny if she was, to be honest.


    ¡°Now then, while discussing with you is just delightful, I believe it¡¯s time for you to get what you came here for.¡±


    Saying so she waved her hand and a huge screen appeared in the air.


    ¡°Normally, when humans form a contract. The goddess in charge depends on the race of the partner. Of course, it is impossible for us to appear each time. The system is fully automated. It¡¯s only when the reading breaks a certain limit that our attention is grabbed. Which is why I am here¡­ And I must say¡­I am impressed.¡±


    Castitas was indeed impressed. The contract between Sol and Isis wasn¡¯t just a normal one.


    In a way, every time a human-made a contract with a magical beast, it was the equivalent of Luxuria making a deal with the goddess concerned.


    Here though, the situation was at another level entirely. As a hybrid dragon, Sol was under the jurisdiction of Luxuria and Superbia.


    Meanwhile, since Isis was a demon phoenix hybrid, she was under Invidia and her jurisdiction.


    One simple contract concerned directly four goddesses. This was something never seen. Even now, the other three were observing her now and she could feel the heated gaze of Luxuria on her metaphorical back.


    Her lip twitching, Castitas decided to proceed as fast as possible and move away from this jumbled situation. She had already failed in her experiment and now she was just happy to watch her ¡®big sister¡¯ act as she wished.


    Though she had a doubt she would seed. After all, no matter how strong Sol became, he would at most be a second Tiamat or Lucifer.


    It didn¡¯t matter how strong that proud dragon was. A false god would always be a fake. It wasn¡¯t a matter of arrogance but a fact. They were simply existences of another ne on the metaphysical level.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this done, shall we¡­I believe you know the rule. As Isis is your first contract, you get to choose one of her abilities directly and if you are lucky, you can get one or two more of her innate skills at random. Any questions? None? Then, What do you wish for your first ability?¡±


    Sol had eyes filled with resolve as he looked at the screen. His choice was already clear from the start. There was one ability. The strongest and most useful one he could have in his situation.


    [Nirvana me]


    Castitas nodded with a proud smile, after all, she was the one who set up that skill for Gabriel and thus all subsequent phoenixes. Her sister also did the same when he created Asmodeus by giving him a certain equivalent skill called [Shedding.] <sub> </sub>


    Asmodeus and Gabriel weren¡¯t two out of the few surviving first-generation divine beasts for nothing.


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s a good choice. Very well¡­¡±


    [Let this mark your Soul.]


    The voice of Castitas suddenly changed and it was only then that Sol realized that Castitas hadn¡¯t been using what he called ¡®god¡¯s voice¡¯ until now. Her voice now was more distant, more regal. Reminding him once again that the woman in front of him, despite her appearance, was no human.


    Wings of me formed in the air before shing and entering Sol¡¯s body.


    ¡°Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Fufufu~! Nirvana me activates when you die or when you try to make someone go through Nirvana. Die and you will see the effect.¡±


    Sol could only give a bitterugh at this joke. He also noticed that she went back to her earlier voice. In fact¡­Hearing her giggle, he had a distinct impression that this wasn¡¯t the first time he heard it.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t I pinpoint it?¡¯


    It made no sense. His brain was far superior to that of a normal human. He should have been able to easily dig up a random memory of his.


    ¡®Well. It isn¡¯t that important, is it?¡¯


    A feeling of calm washed over him and he suddenly thought that this wasn¡¯t such an important matter. Why then agonize about it?


    ¡®No. This isn¡¯t right.¡¯


    He shook his head in refusal, fighting that fake feeling of peace.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    He was sadly interrupted by Castitas.


    ¡°As for random abilities¡­¡±


    Castitas pped her hands with a delighted smile on her face. ¡°You are indeed very lucky and I believe that you should share your joy with Isis. After all, this matter is as much about you as it is about her.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°I bid you farewell, Sol. May your journey be paved with sess.¡±


    Thest thing Sol saw was her gently waving at him as a goodbye while he vanished.


    ¡ª---


    When Sol vanished, the peaceful garden was immediately overridden as the presence of the three goddesses made themselves known.


    ¡°You talk too much, sisters.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, Superbia. What might you mean? I believe he heard nothing of value.¡±


    Even though she did not appear, Castitas knew that her little sister was scowling.


    ¡°No matter. Do as you wish and pay the consequences of your folly¡±


    Saying so, her presence vanishedpletely but the smile did not slip from Castitas face, ¡°Heh, what a cute way of saying she is worried.¡±


    ¡°You know her, she would never put down her pride. I envy it so much, such tenacity and strength of will. How truly splendid.¡±


    Another voice took ce before slowly fading away, ¡°Beloved sister. While I envy your current Blessed, I believe wasting all the divinity you umted before the Kingdom era was truly foolish. Then again, rich people are free to spend as they wish. Just do not count on me to lend you anything in the next era.¡±


    Castitas shook her head at Invidia¡¯s words. Which was once again an attempt to hide how much they truly cared.


    Currently, Luxuria was like an addicted gambler that put too much on the table, and like all crazy gamblers, she was still putting things to the table.


    If she lost her debt, even as a goddess she would take quite a hit and might enter slumber, like their mother. At least¡­ Castitas believed Order was slumbering.


    ¡°They are right, you know? We are all worried about you and how much you are doing. Is that boy truly worth it?¡±


    Castitas couldn¡¯t help but ask but all she received was a slow chuckle and words filled with confidence, ¡°Trust me¡­Now that he obtained Nirvana, I do not know how or when. But soon, very soon even, you all will be swallow all your doubt.¡±


    Goddesses were not omniscient and there was a limit to what they could see when other goddesses were involved.


    Still, Luxuria had ced all the pieces necessary and she knew that all her losses would be worth it.


    She just had to wait, and as a goddess, time was something she never had ack of.


    ¡°By the way¡­¡± Luxuria spoke, wishing to bring up another topic that has been bothering her. ¡°Did you tell him what would happen once the change began in his body?¡±


    To obtain new innate power, the body had to bepletely changed. It was one thing when all you obtained was a new element. But Nirvana, as well as the two other skills Sol, obtained were skills unique to a race. The change it would bring to his body wouldn¡¯t be small. In fact, it would be quite painful.


    As if realizing her mistake Castitas gasped. She had been in such a hurry to send him away that she forgot to mention it.


    ¡°Ohhh¡­I did think I was forgetting something¡­..Ooops?¡±


    (AN: Opinion on the meeting? Underwhelming? Rushed? Or not enough information?)

 Chapter 283 INTERLUDE 13:FROM QUEEN...

    What was the first thing she remembered?


    ¡°Incredible. Is this the result of using his remains?¡±


    It was a voice. The first thing she remembered in her long long life was a voice. But it was a voice that brought her no pleasure for she felt no emotion in it.


    It was a cold and calctive voice.


    Who am I?


    What am I?


    Such basic questions that all living and thinking beings had at least once in their life were things she never had to wonder about.


    From the first moment she opened her eyes and walked out of her incubator, she knew who she was.


    Tiamat, the Dragon of Pride. The one and only dragon in this world.


    Why did she exist? She was nothing more than a machine of war.


    Who created her? The goddess of Pride, from the remains of her previous servant.


    What was her destiny? Win and thrive, or die and be the base for a third-generation divine beast the same way the first generation was used for her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me!¡±


    What?


    Just because the goddesses gave birth to her meant that they would use her as a ve until the end of her days?


    There was no way this was happening.


    The first decision Tiamat ever took in her life was simple.


    She refused toply¡ªand she was swiftly taken down and imprisoned.


    The difference in power between the newborn her and the goddess was simply too much. Even though she was born as a demigod and with all those advantages, she was unable to even resist the power of Superbia¡¯s concept.


    This was her first and greatest humiliation.


    This was also her first and most important lesson.


    Pride without the power to back it up was nothing but hubris and arrogance.


    She had learned it the hard way, but she refused to make the same mistake twice.


    This was why she became their hunting dog.


    Bidding her time, hiding her ws, biding her time more. She became a docile dragon listening to all and every order, acting as if her Pride was to serve.


    How long did thisst?


    She didn¡¯t know. Neither did she remember nor did she care to remember. She simply continued to move ahead, never looking back.


    However, in the end, when she finally took a look behind her, she was surprised to find how far she had came.


    From a fledging demi-goddess with no experience, she became a renowned powerhouse no one dared to underestimate. All alone, sitting on a throne made out from the corpses of her enemies, no matter where she looked, no one in the Astral world and the Mortal world could hope to match her.


    Was this enough?


    Sheughed in derision at this nonsensical question for the answer was all too clear.


    Not at all.


    This was far from enough.


    What did it matter if she was a giant whenpared to the dwarves? When in reality she was still a dwarf to the true giants?


    How could she be satisfied with such a reality?


    As such, she continued walking. Never stopping and never looking back again. <sub> </sub>


    Ten years, ten decades, ten thousand years. She still walked but sadly, no matter how far she walked, she never managed to reach the destination she sought for.


    Insanity was repeating the same actions in the same circumstance and expecting different results.


    So she decided to change her methods.


    She began to reassess herself and understand the deepest parts of her personality.


    It was then that she understood something.


    For Mortals, the most important Level was the Duke, once known as the Legend level.


    It was the moment when a mortal would understand his or her deepest truth and use it to form the Zone.


    But what was Tiamat''s truth?


    She was born directly at the level of Demigod. Be it her Zone, King name, or even the territory she owned¡­ All of this was bestowed to her by the goddesses.


    How could she reach their level when she was nothing without them?


    So, unbeknown to them all, she discarded it.


    Dropping back to a level below that of a Duke, she questioned herself.


    Who was she?


    What did she want?


    What was her truth?


    The answer to that question came from an unexpected ce.


    Since she could not find the way in Order, she decided to visit Chaos.


    Entering Tartarus, she fought from the first circle up to thest one but still found nothing.


    At least that was what she thought until something stirred in her.


    A call from far away. Something she could barely hear.


    But the little she did hear was more than enough.


    Following the sound, she managed to reach a ce she had never imagined the existence of.


    The 8th circle.


    "Hello¡­Dragon? Oh, so they really managed to create a dragon. How fascinating."


    The moment she stepped into the 8th circle, the first thing she remarked was the absence of Chaos mana.


    The second thing she noticed was the floating translucent winged man looking at her.


    "Who are you, no, what are you?"


    Even though she asked, she already had an inkling of the answer. After all, she was created from his remains.


    Still, he should have been dead.


    This was why she had changed her question.


    "Me?"


    The spectral angel smiled while opening his ck wings wide open. Even in this state, the majesty that was overflowing from him made it clear that he was no ordinary being.


    "I am the Fallen Angel of Rebellion, Lucifer Superbia, or at least, I am what is left of his soul."


    Smiling at her, he continued, "I am happy to finally meet you, Tiamat."


    Her lifepletely changed from that day.

 Chapter 284 INTERLUDE 14: ...TO EMPRESS

    Was it Destiny?


    Tiamat loathed that thought. But there was nothing she could do about it.


    Rather thanining about something so abstract, she chose to spend every moment in training.


    Only by bing stronger could she control her own Destiny.


    "I am indeed Tiamat. I guess I shouldn''t be surprised that someone as strong as you didn''tpletely die."


    "*Chuckle* You are too kind. Saying that I am alive would be a stretch. I am just a small part of the soul, nothing but a shard."


    "I guess not even the false gods on Chaos¡¯ side could kill youpletely."


    The shard simply gave a nd smile, and directly cut to the heart of the matter.


    "Do you want power?"


    "Why do you want to help me?"


    "Because you are the only way for me to keep my sense of self.¡±


    ¡°So even the great Lucifer had been reduced to this.¡±


    More than disappointment, what Tiamat showed was sadness. Lucifer was her predecessor. Her destiny was clear for all to see.


    However, that sadness did notst for long.


    ¡°Well, in the end, your proposal does not interest me. I have my own aspirations.¡±


    ¡°What if I told you that¡­I know the secret to bing a false god?¡±


    Tiamat stopped, before turning around.


    Lucifer expected to see interest in her eyes, but all he saw was disdain.


    ¡°Do you take me for an idiot?¡±


    She sneered, ¡°Why would I exchange my current leash for another one when my real goal is to break all restraints?¡±


    Even as she spooks, her aura began to change. A regal atmosphere covered the entire area.


    This was her <


    >, the concept she was born with. Even though she had voluntarily fallen to a level below that of a Duke, the concept of Pride was a power branded in her very being, something she could never change.


    ¡°Oh? I see. Your pride is praiseworthy, but¡­Who the hell do you think I am, little queen?¡±


    If the aura of Tiamat was crushing, then the one from Lucifer was devastating.


    The two <


    > shed. The world screeched and cracks appeared everywhere as if this pocket dimension was about to break.


    Neither of the two could use their full power, but they were already beyond all measure.


    Feeling Lucifer¡¯s power for herself, she immediately knew that if the two of them were at their peak, she would have lost. That fact was undeniable.


    But, did the truth hurt her?


    Not all.


    In order to seek power, one had to understand that they were powerless. In order to reach the top, one had to start from the bottom.


    Failure was the mother of sess and defeat was the seed of victory.


    ¡°Let me witness the might of the first Divine Beast!¡±


    With a smile filled with madness and battle thirst, Tiamat fought her greatest battle.


    Golden scales covered her body like an armor as wings seemingly made out of steel appeared behind her back. Her menacing golden eyes narrowed while her curved horns shone under the calm light of stars.


    <<Dimension Encroachment: zing Sun>>


    <<Dimension Encroachement: River of stars>>


    Like two forces of nature, the two shed. Therge ck wings behind Lucifer seemed to cover the sky while the world changed under his will.


    Tiamat was not to be undone though, after all, ¡°No matter how bright the sun shines¡­It¡¯s still nothing more than a star!¡±


    Lucifer gave a bitter smile as he watched his dimension shrink down while Tiamat¡¯s own covered more territory. At the same time, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a small amount of pride.


    Tiamat was created by him. In a way, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that he was Tiamat¡¯s father. How could he not feel pride at the sight of his daughter''s strength? <sub> </sub>


    ¡°Your strength is really befitting of the crown. But it isn¡¯t enough. The Sun is not just a star¡­It¡¯s the source of all life.¡±


    Like a tide, all the ground Tiamat had managed to take vanished, and the two fell back to a stalemate.


    ¡°Kuh!¡±


    Tiamat grunted as she felt a sweet and slightly metallic taste in her mouth when she swallowed the blood that she was about to vomit. Lucifer, on the other hand, showed no particr emotion as he continued,


    ¡°Your understanding of the world is still too shallow. You still focus too much on the physical aspect when you should focus on the metaphysical. Never forget¡­¡±


    ¡°What matters the most in this world is the weight of the stories. For a short instant, let me show you whaty beyond.¡±


    Everything seemed toe to a stop.


    Tiamat felt goosebumps and her eyes opened wide. What she was about to witness was something that would be seared in the deepest part of her mind, she instinctively felt that.


    Lucifer knew that what he was about to do was not wise. His existence was already faint and using his power would put him in even more danger.


    However, his pride would not allow him to yield. If he had to die, it would be in a zing glory.


    He would show her, the power of his inheritance. The power of his <<Rebellion>>.


    <<I am Lucifer. The Torch-Bearer.>>


    <<I am the Morning Star, the Source of all Light>>


    <o>,m <<I hereby dere: Let there be Darkness!>> </o>


    In an instant, all the stars in Tiamat¡¯s dimension were extinguished like candles blown out under the wind.


    Watching the defeated Tiamat fight to stay standing up despite the immense pain she should be under, the faint soul of Lucifer muttered, ¡°Never forget, little queen. My power is the power to change the world. This power shall be yours too.¡±


    This was her first defeat.


    It was also herst defeat.


    ¡ª


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Looking down at the golden-haired young man, Tiamat showed a small smile as she ruffled his hair.


    ¡°I was just reminiscing about the past.¡±


    On the day of her first defeat, Tiamat understood that what Lucifer wanted her to inherit wasn¡¯t just a type of power.


    It was a will.


    The will to stand up against the world and bring it to its knees. The will to fight against the oppression brought by this entity that was Fate.


    Thanks to this will, the young queen that she once was, grew into an Empress. Even those goddesses that once seemed so all-mighty were not so anymore in her eyes.


    But¡­Like Lucifer said, this wasn¡¯t enough.


    Lucifer¡¯s <<Rebellion>> wasn¡¯t enough.


    Michael¡¯s <<Servitude>> even less.


    Her own <<Defiance>> did not make the cut.


    Dahlia¡¯s, or Nihil¡¯s <<Freedom>>> was doomed to fail.


    Then¡­Would Sol be able to ovee it? Would it be enough?


    Tiamat smirked at the slight unease in her heart and simply crushed it with her will of steel.


    So what if the first and second generations failed? So what even if the third generation failed? There would always be a fourth, a fifth, or even a hundredth one.


    This wasn¡¯t what she had to care about. All she had to do now was to be the umbre that shielded them from all harm until they showed their might.


    In this world, what mattered the most was the weight of the stories.


    How much did Sol¡¯s stories weigh? The answer to this question would soon be revealed.


    ¡°Sol, let me show you the power to change the world.¡±

 Chapter 285 SPECIAL CHAPTER: WITCH ANDWOLF

    *Grrr* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*


    Standing alone in a devastated field, fully d in lightning a blue-haired woman was repeatedly swinging her sword without any intention to rest.


    Her hands were bleeding, her legs were trembling, and her vision was hazy. But even then she didn¡¯t stop. She didn¡¯t want to stop nor could she allow herself to stop.


    ¡®I am being left behind.¡¯


    She scowled and tried to discard the negative thoughts forming in her mind but to no avail. The pictures of herst fight wouldn¡¯t leave her.


    ¡®I lost again.¡¯


    She remembered her earlier defeat at the hands of Lilin. Something that was bing increasinglymon.


    *Grrr*


    She growled and swung her sword again, further destroying the field around her. But this show of power brought her no pleasure.


    All the destruction around her brought her nothing but shame. It showed just how small the control she had on her power. For a swordswoman like her, this was nothing but a humiliation since it was proof of herck of skills.


    ¡®I¡­¡¯


    ¡°Heh¡­You finally stopped. I was wondering just how long you would continue to make those useless swings of yours.¡±


    More by reflex than anything, Setsuna swung her sword to the right while she moved in the opposite direction of the voice that sounded near her in order to increase the distance between her and the intruder.


    ¡°Oh my¡­ I guess even in your current state you are still a splendid warrior. There is still hope for you.¡±


    Setsuna becamepletely rigid when she felt the sword being mped between two fingers.


    ¡°I am a little disappointed. I admit I was expecting a little more.¡±


    Setsuna growled but did not follow with another attack for she recognized now the one that interrupted her training.


    ¡°Witch of Destruction, forgive me for the unsightly disy.¡±


    Behind her was a young girl seemingly in her teens with zing red hair, wearing a maid uniform.


    It was Kali. The Witch of Destruction. She had been sentenced to be Sol¡¯s maid and should not have been permitted to use her witchcraft until further notice, but because of the current situation, Sol had allowed her to use her power since they never knew what could happen.


    Releasing her sword, Setsuna took a few steps back and was about to bow. After all, while Kali was a ¡®maid¡¯, this only applied to Sol. There was no one aside from Milia who was crazy enough to treat Kali as a servant in the tower of Babel.


    ¡°No need to kneel. I know you feel no reverence toward me. Let¡¯s cut to the heart of the matter. Your previous disy was indeed rather underwhelmingpared to what Sol told me. Tell me Setsuna¡­Are you wavering?¡±


    Setsuna kept her head low but her silence was an answer all by itself.


    Looking at her like this, Kali for a moment could see her figure ovep with that of Setsuna.


    Her cold eyes softened a little, ¡°It must be hard, right? Looking at all those monsters and knowing you have low chances to ever catch up to them.¡±


    Setsuna again said nothing. But it was true. Be it Lilin or Nuwa, Setsuna could see that she was slowly being left behind.


    The door of the Duke level eluded her even though she could feel it. Meanwhile, Lilin had already sted open those doors.


    As for Nuwa, the girl was as monstrously talented as Sol and already, Setsuna could feel herself struggling when facing the girl. It wouldn¡¯t take long before she waspletely overtaken.


    This was frustrating, very frustrating. The understanding that she was already near her limit was maddening.


    ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is why you don''t use your lightning to be a Duke. Your mastery of wind and water is also pretty high. You are a storm wolf after all.¡±


    Setsuna stiffened, ¡°I¡­do not want to.¡± and muttered those words through clenched teeth.


    There was a world of difference between bing a duke by simply using an element and bing a duke by understanding a concept.


    If she were to do as said, even if she became a Duke, Lilin would be able to thrash her like no tomorrow. The distance would only continue to widen until she wouldn¡¯t even be able to see her back.


    All talk about them being rivals would be nothing but sad jokes.


    ¡°Hah¡­¡± Kali released a sigh, ¡°I guess you are another one of those idiots who underestimate the true potential of elemental magic. Who said that you couldn¡¯t create a concept directly out of an element?¡± <sub> </sub>


    Setsuna raised her head in surprise.


    ¡°Then again, I guess this isn¡¯t surprising. Only spirit and divine beasts can generally bring such concepts into reality.¡±


    Kali mused before looking back at Setsuna.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it like this. Mother was the one who should have taught you but I have decided. I will do it.¡±


    ¡°Wait what do you¨C¡±


    ¡°Trust me. In terms of understanding of the elements. Not even a King rank divine beast can match me. I am a Witch after all.¡±


    Kali gave a toothy grin. While she may appear boastful, there was nothing wrong with it.


    Witches obtained their power through study. Knowledge was their power and books were their friends. They did not have the innate control magical beings had and they needed to always plunge into a sea of study.


    This was even more so for Kali. She was different from her three sisters.


    Time/Space


    Life/Death


    This was what the four directions should have been. The way Ambrosia had created to reach godhood.


    Sadly, no matter what she did, Kali was never able to learn Death. So she gave up and learned the four elements instead. Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind.


    While the power they could bring once they reached a certain level was considerable,pared to her sisters, it was so underwhelming that it wasn¡¯t worth mentioning.


    Thankfully, Kali was different from the people of this world. Her understanding of the fundamental truth was already at a level higher than normal. In the end, she achieved the impossible.


    ¡°My power of Destruction was born with my understanding of the four elements as the basis. Even though I did not study Lightning, I have the means to make your talent bloom. Do not forget this, Setsuna. You are not a swordswoman like Lilin. You are Wolf. A Storm Wolf. Do not reject the talent that was bestowed to you.¡±


    Setsuna clenched her fists. She could feel that she was standing at the crossroad of her life. The decision she made here and now would change everything. Be it for good or for bad.


    ¡°Why do you want to help me? We are not friends.¡±


    ¡°You are right, we aren¡¯t really friends or anything of the like. But you see. I owe Sol and this Kingdom. Simply being a maid or whatever isn¡¯t enough to pay this debt.


    But, if I can make you stronger, Sol will have another powerful knight on his side. You are happy. My sisters and mother are happy. I am happy. Sol is happy. Everyone is happy. Isn¡¯t it fun?¡±


    Setsuna frowned. She could feel that Kali wasn¡¯t being totally forting but, did she really have a choice?


    Indeed she had. A choice between mediocrity and sess.


    She refused to be mediocre.


    ¡°Thank you for extending your hand to me.¡±


    Setsuna bowed to express her gratitude.


    What she didn¡¯t know was that she was right in specting that Kali didn¡¯t give her the entire truth.


    For one, Kali had a goal in mind. As a storm wolf, Setsuna was a A+ ss magical being. But, Kali wondered if it was possible to make her evolve into a Disaster Wolf. The same race as Fenrir.


    But there was something else. Something even more important surpassed all thoughts of experimentation.


    ¡®I can train my own Railgun!!¡¯


    The otaku soul in Kali was literally screaming and jumping in joy.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to train, Misaka *Ahem* I mean, Setsuna. Haha.¡±


    What a joy it was to be alive.


    ----


    VOLUME 8: THE DRAGON [Completed]

 Chapter 286 VoL9/CH 256: WAKING UP

    START OF VOL 9: THE WAR


    -----


    When Sol came back to his sense, the first sensation that he felt was dampness and wetness.


    ¡®Where am I?¡¯


    Opening his eyes, he looked around and realized that he was in fact in a bath.


    ¡®Asrge as always.¡¯


    Joking inwardly, he tried to move but felt a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    He recognized the voice,


    ¡°Kiyohime?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It seems like after you formed the contract, you fainted and your temperature was rising greatly. The little phoenix called me to help you. She was quite shaken.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Isis, who stood on the side while covered by a simple camisole clearly couldn¡¯t take the embarrassment. She already bathed and wiped away all traces of semen or love juice from her body.


    ¡°Oh hush, no need to be shy girl. Anyway, Sol how do you feel?¡±


    Nent scolded lightly Isis because of her outburst and focused on the problem at hand. This wasn¡¯t the first time she saw a human form a contract with a magical being. In fact, she had observed many humans doing so. Her old friends were humans after all.


    This was why she knew.


    There was no gain without pain.


    ¡°You know this isn¡¯t the end, right?¡±


    Sol nodded, his mind was still hazy but he knew that his situation was far from over. He didn¡¯t need Castitas to give him such information to infer it himself. After all, he was already used to such situations.


    ¡°Why put me in a hot bath?¡±


    He asked with difficulty but seeing the bitter smile on Kiyohime face he understood what happened.


    ¡°The water was cold initially. Freezing in fact. But your temperature melted the ice. Soon, your internal temperature might surpass what your body can handle.¡±


    Sol sighed. He could indeed feel his blood boiling and his heartbeat was going crazy. Clearly, the powers he received were slowly fusing with his body. Once he reached the tipping point¡­


    ¡®Such a pain.¡¯


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    He grunted a little bit as a trail of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. Internally, not only his blood was boiling, but his body was going through many changes.


    This reminded Sol of what happened when his body produced a core and this was why he knew that he would definitely not like what would happen next if things were left as is.


    ¡®Should I try it?¡¯


    He begins to focus on his inner mind, trying to detach his conscious mind from his body. Nack on earth, some people were able to suffer an unimaginable amount of punishment without feeling much pain thanks to a rigorous mental training.


    Furthermore, he knew that goddesses and powerful beings could bring other people into their own mindscape so Sol had always wondered if he could do the same.


    Even though the pain was distracting him, he slowly begin to find a kind of inner peace. The world around him changed and when he ¡®opened¡¯ his eyes, he found that he wasn¡¯t in the bathroom anymore but in a worldposed of an endless blue sea and a white sky.


    The water was so clear, so blue, that Sol could see his reflection on the surface of the water. Even though said reflection would be fuzzy each time he took a step.


    ¡°The water¡­¡±


    Even though the surface of the sea was utterly calm, Sol could somehow feel that the undercurrent hidden from his sight was quite strong. As if a storm was brewing inside unseen to all.


    ¡®So this is my mind world.¡¯


    He looked a little surprised. As the name suggested, the mind world was the reflection of the true inner side and desire of a person. You could lie to everyone, even to yourself at times. But the truth would always be buried deep in your heart.


    ¡®Do I really hide my emotions that much?¡¯


    Sol couldn¡¯t help but ask himself this question. He realized that he needed more and more to keep a lid on his emotion. To put on a mask of confidence when facing the other.


    The truth was¡­He was scared. <sub> </sub>


    Really scared.


    Ever since he awakened, the pressure he had been under had never ceased to grow going from facing a rebellion to now facing the wrath of a goddess and a small-scale war between Chaos and Order.


    But he couldn¡¯t express his fear openly. He refused to do so. He had to keep a brave front. Appear as if everything was alright and never falter.


    After all, he wasn¡¯t the only one that was scared.


    ¡®Fight on. I just need to face the iing crisis. I am not alone.¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t make the mistake of thinking he had the fate of the world on his shoulder. Even though he did in a certain way.


    Rather than worrying about what he couldn¡¯t do, he had to make sure that he would do well in what he could do and what he could do now was¡­


    ¡®Studying the new power that was settling in his body.¡¯


    ¡ª--


    While Sol was exploring the confine of his mind, the water of the bath went from mildly hot to terribly hot and now was positively boiling. Bubbles appeared on the water while steam rose above.


    ¡°Will he be alright?¡±


    Kiyohime frowned a little when she saw how the water was reacting. There was a limit to what she could do in this situation.


    Like Nent, Kiyohime had also seen humans forming contracts, with elves of spirits during the war, so she knew that some pain could happen when getting a specially unique power. But this time it seemed quite exaggerated.


    ¡°Well. The pain is proportional to the number of gift and the power received. Nirvana is the strongest skill of us Phoenix and in fact, a skill that only us possess, personally bestowed by the goddess. Sol body is trying to adjust to the power of a phoenix and the process will not be pretty.¡±


    On the side, Isis could only give a nod with a grim expression. She could see more. In the soul of Sol, three motes of light, each of them with different sizes, were slowly approaching it and ced themselves on an axis of rotation.


    If Sol¡¯s soul was the sun, then now onee with two satellites was being added and moving around the said sun.


    This was different from the changes in her own soul. Rather than a satellite adding itself to it, a corner of her soul, more than one-third, changed to a wavelength simr to that of Sol. She could feel his warmth and gentleness directly.


    She guessed that this was because while she was forming a contract with Sol only, Sol would form contracts with many others in the future.


    It was then¡­.Whooosh¡­Just like that, in a blink of an eye, Sol body vanished from under their sights.


    ¡°Wha¡­!?¡±


    ¡°Do not worry.¡± Kiyohime hurriedly calmed down the two phoenixes before speaking, ¡°¡­Mother?¡±


    Tiamat¡¯s voice resonated to their ears in the bathroom.


    [Go to your position. It¡¯s the ideal time for him to enter the blood pool.]


    Kiyohime¡¯s expression darkened. She understood very well that once Sol begin the transition in the Duke realm, two possibilities would offer themselves to them.


    [By the way, girl. I will borrow your little friend. We might need her help.]


    Isis had no time to answer before the presence of Tiamat simply vanished.


    Now alone, the three of them gazed into each other eyes before Kiyohime began to move.


    ¡°Will you fine?¡±


    It was a simple question. They had already made preparation to evacuate the dragons that were too young to fight. As guests, Isis and Nent had the right to do the same.


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    She received no direct answer, but the challenging look in their eyes told a story on its own, making any words useless.


    ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    Isisughed and took a step as she followed behind Nent and Kiyohime. Truly, she would never forget her first time. After all, just after losing her virginity, she was about to be embroiled in a fight that could decide the destiny of an entire realm.


    She didn¡¯t think many people could boast about such adventure. As such, she needed to survive in order to tell the tale.


    Furthermore, her first time had been very pleasuring and she certainly wanted a second, third, and N amount of time more with Sol.


    This was a simple wish, a little naughty wish, but in the end, she simply wished to be happy with the man she literally gave a part of her soul to and she would be damned if she let anyone stop her from enjoying those times.


    (AN: Oh man. Did Anyone here watch, The Good ce? I currently feel like Chidi. I feel like I have a stomachache. This is officially now the start of vol 9. I am having PTSD from vol 5. *Groan* Let''s hope I do justice to the ideas behind this volume.)

 Chapter 287 CH 257:ON THE MOVE

    Even though Sol was a little detached, it wasn¡¯t as if he was blind to everything. He felt himself being transported to another ce.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop. Just listen to me.¡±


    Just as he was about to leave his mindscape despite the pain he might feel again, he was stopped by this voice that directly sounded in his mind.


    ¡°We are currently in the secret ce where the blood pool is. This is the ce where everything will begin. Whether or not the work we put in prior to this was worth it.¡±


    The water in Sol¡¯s mind became a little turbulent, but he stayed silent and listened.


    ¡°Your body is currently going through change to adapt to the contract with Isis. This is the best asion to bring in further change for your evolution to be a Duke. But you should also understand that this is extremely dangerous. One simple mistake would mean death. But¡­You already knew this.


    ¡°Either way, when this begins. You need to focus on the truth. Focus on your power and believe in yourself no matter what. This is the only way to obtain what you truly want.¡±


    Tiamat chuckled to lighten the atmosphere. ¡°I wish you good luck and hope that next time we see each other, you will have taken another step.¡±


    Tiamat seemed to fall silent before she spoke once again onest time in his mind,


    ¡°I also want you not to forget. Whatever you learned about your so-called future or whether your Fate is bleak or not. I want you to remember what I said during our first meeting.¡±


    Her voice showed a level of caring that would have astonished all her children, ¡°It¡¯s okay to give up. You are not forced in any way to seed at creating the impossible. As long as you wish so, I will take care of you and protect you all your life. I will never let anyone decide your Fate. Not even myself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be distracted by the what-if, should-have, and if-only. The one thing you choose for yourself ¨C that is the only thing you need to focus on.¡±


    Once she uttered those words, her presence in his mindpletely vanished. It was as if she fleed because she was embarrassed by her own words.


    Standing up in the vast void of his mind with the sea beneath his feet and the sky above his head, Sol couldn¡¯t help butugh lightly. Most of the pressure in his heart was gone.


    Humans were truly mysterious beings.


    Sometimes, rather than hundreds of words of encouragement were not as valuable as the simple knowledge that everything wasn¡¯t on your shoulder.


    At this very moment, Tiamat had chosen her words very well. Giving him once again a way out, helped him reaffirm his determination. He knew what he wanted and knew how hard he had to fight to obtain it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    He would seed.


    No matter what.


    ¡ª-


    On the outside world, Tiamat was standing alone as she slowly put Sol''s naked body in the blood pool.


    The normal pool was filled with the blood of different dragons that died during the war. This was a way for the old generation to bless and strengthen the future generation. Tiamat had also added a little bit of her blood to it to boost the overall quality.


    But the current pool was different. The blood in it came exclusively from all her direct children, ze included, as well as the blood of all dragons that have managed to reach the King level.


    Furthermore, during thest few weeks since Sol came to the Dragon territory, she had been steadily pouring her own blood into it. Though she stopped doing so after Skuld warned her about Ymir''s possible attack.


    Even then, with how much she already put in it, she was sure that Sol would be apletely changed man once he went out.


    Of course, it was impossible for Sol to absorb all the blood in it even if he wished. The amount of pure energy in that pool was enough to make a few stars explode. Even a King level wouldn¡¯t be able to absorb all this energy. But this didn¡¯t matter. She just needed Sol to absorb as much as possible and the transition from one level to another was the best possible.


    ¡®It might even strengthen some of the abilities he got from that little phoenix.¡¯


    She was brought out of her musing as she felt a presence behind her,


    ¡°Why did you say this at the end, Tiamat?¡±


    Turning around, Tiamat looked down at the intruder, a pink-skinned short woman, and immediately frowned, ¡°Skuld. I do not believe I have asked you and the other two to wait outside?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to. But I couldn¡¯t help myself. After all your words were truly surprising.¡±


    Tiamat simply continued to look down on Skuld with an impassive face, her eyes showing a calcting light which caused Skuld to chuckle. <sub> </sub>


    ¡°Are you assessing how much me and my sister are worth now? Deciding whether to get rid of us since we have no use now? Or perhaps you will kill us after we finish weaving the web of time?¡±


    ¡°So you knew I wanted to get rid of you?¡±


    Since they were at this juncture, Tiamat showed no intention in hiding her hostility anymore. But she was curious,


    ¡°Since you can see the future so well. Why provoke me even though you know it does nothing but increase my killing intent?¡±


    ¡°Because I hate you.¡±


    Skuld stopped there, not uttering the rest of her thoughts for she knew that if she did, she would surely die.


    After all, she did not simply hate Tiamat. From the very bottom of her heart, she despised her. Tiamat¡¯s existence is a stain on her eyes and every second Skuld had to spend next to Tiamat made her feel like she was drinking from a poisoned well.


    Even as she spoke such vicious words and thought of even more vicious things, the smile on Skuld''s face never once slipped.


    ¡°What a surprise. I feel exactly the same.¡±


    Tiamat was not Sol. While she acted as if she believed in Skuld, this was simply because she did want to prepare for all possibilities. That was all.


    In the first ce, the term ¡®betrayal¡¯ was created because only those in whom you believed could betray you. How could an enemy betray you? Only allies could.


    Slowly the killing intent of Tiamat began to feel the room. Like a cold chill, it invaded the body of Skuld, making it shiver in fear. But while her body betrayed her, her mind was all the more clear.


    ¡°I really want to kill you right here right now.¡±


    ¡°But you won¡¯t. Because I still have my use.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. While you and your sister are weaving, Sheherazade will bless your work with her Wishes. This should increase your power in affecting time. Pushing us toward the most desired end.¡±


    ¡°This is also why you don¡¯t want us to approach darling.¡±


    ¡°You are right. While I am gone, this ce will be off limit, I will make sure of it.¡±


    Silence fell and the tension was slowly about to bring a result no one would have wanted, when¡­


    ¡°Kyaaa! I can¡¯t believe it! The true Tiamat!? Oh, my goddess! Oh, my goddess! This is so fricking cool!¡±


    All tension as well as Tiamat¡¯s killing intent suddenly vanished because of the sudden outburst.


    Following those screams worthy of the most extraordinary fangirl, Sheherazade flew in the room apanied to Verdandi who sported a tired expression.


    ¡®How can such a small fairy have such a loud voice.¡¯


    Watching Tiamat show a strained smile as Sheherazade began to pester her, Skuld couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    ¡®I owe her.¡¯


    This intervention was rather in extremis. Just a few seconds more and they would havee to blow. Or rather¡­Tiamat would have put her in her ce. Skuld knew that she was no match for the Dragon Emperess.


    Massaging her temple, she groaned a little.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    Verdandi was a little startled at the sudden call, ¡°What¡¯s the matter.¡±


    ¡°Use your power. I cannot observe the most immediate future anymore.¡±


    There was only one reason why Skuld''s future sight was restrained now.


    ¡®Demi-gods level powerhouses are on the move.¡¯


    (AN: I was stuck for a few days, preparing the overall Outline for Vol 9. I believe what I got now is good. I hope you will also like it.)

 Chapter 288 CH 258:ON THE MOVE(2)

    No one, not even the Goddesses were truly omniscient in this world. The future wasposed of an innumerable number of possibilities and the more powerful one was, the more impact they had on the future.


    They said that the ps of the wings of a butterfly in one zone could create a tornado in another to illustrate how the smallest things could change greatly the final result.


    Then what about the movements of a whale?


    For the time stream, people at the level of demigods were super great whales. One decision of a demigod could decide the life or death of an entire realm. This was how much impact and influence they had.


    This was why, for Seer, it was extremely hard to observe the future when a powerhouse was involved. The water would be too murky for them. If they forced themselves they would see a future where the said powerhouse wasn¡¯t involved. Which of course would give them erroneous information.


    This was the limitation of seers. Even someone as powerful as Skuld could not escape those limitations.


    But what about Verdandi?


    ¡°There may be a limitless amount of future. But at any one moment, there is only one present. The here and now. There are no unknown variables.¡±


    Skuld smirked while Verdandi throw a nce at Tiamat, ¡°Do I have the permission?¡±


    ¡°Do as you wish.¡±


    Verdandi nodded and closed her eyes for a few seconds. When she finally opened them again, the ck sclera had devoured all the light of her eyes.


    Even though there was no wind, her hair began to move widely on her head.


    ¡°Oh! What is she doing!?¡±


    Skuld gave a smile at this question, ¡°Did you know that all powers, all skills can be divided into three great roads or rather three paths? The Path of Omnipotence, the Path Omniscience and the Path of Omnipresence.¡±


    Tiamat stayed silent when Skuld mentioned this. After all, this was indeed the case. The legends said that the Origin goddesses, Chaos and Order, possessed those three qualities. As such, all powerhouses, knowingly or unknowingly, walked on one or more of those three roads.


    People like Anubis and Ambrosia walked the path of Omnipotence. As for Tiamat, she walked the path of Omnipotence and Omniscience. Though she had way less sess on the second path.


    ¡°This should be no brainer. But we three sisters walk the path of Omniscience. Logically you would think since I can see the future I am the farthest on this path but you will be wrong. My big sis, Ud is the closest to this and Verdandies second.¡±[1]


    Her smile stretched further, showing how proud she was, ¡°I can see the future, but I am limited by the amount of futures I can see. Verdandi can see everything that is happening in the present. Anywhere¡­Everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Wooo¡­¡± Sheherazade opened her mouth wide, unable to contain her shock.


    Tiamat snorted but she had to ept it. This was one of the reasons why those three sisters were treated as VIPs despite some restrictions even after they became traitors.


    Those three were any strategist¡¯s wet dream and were the nightmare of the opposite camps. She couldn¡¯t count how many times they made a n only to be screwed up because of those three.


    It wasn¡¯t for nothing that the 14 goddesses had to create an entire second generation of divine beasts.


    Still,


    ¡°Humph. Don¡¯t act as if it¡¯s such an almighty power.¡±


    Skuld shrugged, ¡°You are right. At the end of the day, we aren¡¯t the true incarnation of time. For one, there is a limit on the amount of information she can observe at one moment. Secondly, she has difficulty observing territory or Owned dimension.¡±


    This was indeed so. No one was truly omniscient and the Norns sisters weren¡¯t the exception. Therger the zone Verdandi tried to cover was, the more strenuous it was for her. The same happened when she wished to observe zone that were extremely far away from her. This still made for a pretty impressive power. Even more so when Ud was present to support Verdandi.


    ¡°Big sis isn¡¯t present. But at the very least she should be able to inspect everything in the territory and the surroundings outside of it.¡±


    Verdandi stayed silent for a few moments before she closed her eyes. The switch from being all-seeing to simply seeing was always strenuous.


    "How was it?"


    "I inspected the surroundings. Nothing is happening yet in the Nine heavens or the Seven Hells. But outside of the territory, I could feel some changes in the void.


    "Following the thread, I found a bunch of criminals in crossroads. Way more than usual. It''s as if there is some kind of grand criminal meeting. Though none of them seems able to guess why they were assembled."


    Skuld frowned and bit her lips a little. "There wasn''t any outside intervention in the previous timeline." <sub> </sub>


    "Did they change ns?"


    "Indeed. Most likely the Chaos side must have gotten some revtion. At least enough to make them Polish their ns."


    Skuld was dissatisfied. She would have loved for everything to be likest time so that they could anticipate everything.


    But life never worked like that.


    "Should we change our ns?"


    Skuld asked Tiamat but all she received was shrugs.


    "The problem here is Ymir. The situation will change depending on what states I will be in after I take on her attack."


    While saying so she sent a whisper to Kiyohime,


    "Warn your siblings and prepare the Inds. We are about to start."


    ¡ª--


    [???]


    "So, will we rely on those thugs to do the job?"


    "Of course not. Those people are just throwaways. We will use them as cannon fodder to reduce our loss. Furthermore, Nihil will face the heavy part with the other Titans."


    In ce hidden, a ce where no light shone. Two people were discussing, their features obscured by special hoods they were wearing.


    "Heh¡­ Oh well. You are the mastermind here. Still, what about the other n?"


    "We got the Sword of Lustburg and we have the sword of Gluttony Foss thanks to you. Eins [2] is going after the dwarves'' kingdom so we should have an answer soon and it isn''t impossible to fool the Wolf king. The boss will work on finding the sword of the angels. So truly we are quite far ahead."


    "Hahaha. What glorious news. I guess soon, this world shall know the true meaning of freedom."


    The two of them smiled under their hood, while hidden in the darkness.


    "The operation will start once the signal is given. My target is the Phoenix girl to Heal my soul and possibly restrain Anubister. Though I believe it''s impossible. Your target is Sol. Simple, right?"


    "Indeed. He is essential in unlocking Mother''s seal. Though I am curious. What will be the Signal?"


    "Trust me. You will know when you see it."


    Drei smiled as he looked far ahead. Of course, he had a second goal alongside capturing Isis.


    That was¡­''I am sure she will be on my side.''


    If she did¡­No.


    Once she did, he would never have to worry about his soul again. In fact, he might even be able to reconstruct his entire body.


    "For a better world."


    "For a world of true absolute Freedom."


    [1]: Ud can see the past. But once 0.000001 S pass you already in the past. Basically, like Verdandi, Ud can know everything that is happening but with a short time oftency. I am sure it was pretty evident. But I just wanted to exin.


    [2]: Eins means 1.


    (AN: One of my ******* (Caleb Argo) rmended The BROTHERS METALS and damn I like them. Thanks, man. Those dudes are good and the songs are inspiring. Here is what I was listening to while writing. /watch?v=wqbgS2CyPeY&list=RDEMoQSFKNg6b0z_ziWMR4i7ZA&index=6&ab_channel=BrothersofMetal-Topic


    If anyone knows inspiring music like that don''t hesitate to r them to me. I like listening to music while writing.)

 Chapter 289 CH 259: FLAMES OF WAR

    Sol felt like he was in a dream.


    His consciousness was slowly sinking in the abyss of his mind. A world full of water and darnkess where not even a speck of light could be seen.


    The moment his body has been plunged into the dragon blood pool, it begin to boil as his body is destroyed and reconstructed.


    This process had already begun the moment Sol epted the power of Isis and like Tiamat thought, the two processes amplified each other in a perfect synergy.


    Like a sword being hammered by a talented smith, Sol body was undergoing world shaking change that would make even Tiamat open her eyes wide if she could truly understand what was happening.


    But the changes that were happening weren¡¯t only skin deep. His very essence was changing. So much that it was bing hard to say if he was truly still a dragon hybrid.


    A dragon that was unlike any dragon.


    A dragon that had the power of a phoenix and that of a human.


    Even as he sank deeper in the dark and seemingly endless sea, Sol who was feeling faint, thought about humans and what was their power.


    The only race who was not born with the ability to use mana from birth.


    The only race that could harness power from other races as long as they had enough capacity.


    A human who obtained enough power from a contract would see his body change and adjust to fit the power better thereby fundamentally changing what he was initially.


    In a way, humans were the weakest race but they were also the most absolute race for the simple reason that the body of every human housed an infinite amount of possibility.


    For humans, the path they had to follow was clear.


    It was one of omnipotence.


    But was it truly enough? No matter how talented a human was, the number of contracts they could form was ultimately limited. Even Sol, who had the highest CP in human history had a limit to the amount of contract he could hold.


    Sol then thought about Dimensional mage.


    Such beings were the closest thing to a god in their own dimension. They had power that could even overwrite the authority of the Goddesses when inside of it. The same way Tiamat could iste her everything from their sights at will.


    But even there, there was a limit. The limit of dimensional magesy mainly in what kind of dimension they had. The special attribute of their dimensions determined their authority.


    But this was where something different appeared. While the authority was limited, Dimensional mages had the ability to be near-omniscient in their own dimensions.


    It was a very limited form of omniscience. A power that could not be fully utilized because of the limit of their mortal mind. But no matter what, the truth of the matter was that.


    All dimensional mages could mainly follow the path of Omniscience.


    Slowly, where once only darkness could be found, light began to gather.


    Sol did not know this. His mind was busy wandering as he realized all the truth that mattered to him.


    Who he was. What were his limits, and where did his goalsy?


    He was a dimensional mage. A mage whose dimension had limit different from the rest.


    Sol remembered the words of his Other Self.


    A Sol from a world that did not exist anymore.


    A Sol from a world that should have never existed in the first ce.


    The Reverse world.


    The mirro dimension as he once called it.


    A ce where all rules and concepts were inverted.


    His dimension had theoretically had no limit be it in size or abilities since it was a full copy of the universe they lived in.


    Didn¡¯t this mean that as the master of said dimension his power should also have no limit?


    *Thump*


    His heart that had be as still as a calmke begin to beat once again.


    *Thump* *Thump*


    The eternal silence of the deep sea seemed now filled with sounds.


    *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*


    The inner world of Sol itself seemed to shake as the realization of Who he was and What were his limits finally settled in his mind.


    But then, what was his goal?


    Why did he fight so much, tooth and nail?


    To survive?


    It wasn¡¯t wrong. You had to live in order to enjoy life. In this fucked up world, Survival was always the main goal to strive for.


    Then did he just want to survive?


    This was wrong. Survival alone was not enough.


    He didn¡¯t just want to survive like a pitiful dog. He wanted something more. <sub> </sub>


    Then, was his goal to protect his loved ones?


    Once again this wasn¡¯t wrong. Despite his desire to survive, Sol was ready to give away his life to protect those he loved.


    But¡­Was it truly the only reason he wanted power?


    Then the answer was no.


    In the end, it all came to this.


    The first time he vowed to be stronger.


    Back then when he could do nothing more than beg the goddesses to forgive and keep the life of Camelia.


    What was nothing more than a game for them was a matter of life and death for him.


    The humiliation and the pain he felt at the realization that he was nothing more than a chess piece bound to the whims of superior beings he couldn¡¯t evene close to was something he would never forget.


    But even then, he never thought of surpassing them.


    How could he? Sol was someone very rational. Overly so in time. How could he even imagine reaching a level where he could face Beings that were so powerful that he couldn¡¯t even look at their bare face without risking his sanity?


    But then¡­


    Everything changed after he meet Tiamat.


    The Dragon Empress. One of the few False gods in existence in this world.


    The goddesses, despite how almighty they looked could do nothing against her.


    No matter how angry they were, they could only silently ept her tantrums.


    Why?


    Because she was strong.


    Because she could challenge them.


    Because she had long since transcended the boundary and reached the horizon.


    A dazzling being. A mighty being.


    Someone worthy of respect. Someone he admired.


    And that person said,


    ¡°Goddesses are nothing more than that.¡±


    Indeed.


    For all their power, Goddesses were neitherpletely omniscient nor omnipotent. Much less omnipresent.


    In the grand scheme of things, they were simply powerful beings. Not unreachable entities.


    Sol wanted to be strong.


    Not just for survival.


    Not just to protect his loved one.


    But first and foremost for himself.


    For his own happiness. For his own joy. For his own goals.


    Because he was a Selfish prince rather than a hero.


    *Bang*


    Sol felt his back hit the bottom of the sea in his mind.


    He was honestly surprised since it thought it was a bottomless sea but nothing was infinite in this world.


    Looking down at the door, Sol instinctively knew.


    This wasn¡¯t just any door.


    *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*


    His heart keeps beating erratically. His breathing was shallow and his mind blurry.


    As if everything that mattered in existence was that gate. The only obstacle between him and greater power.


    This was why¡­


    Gathering all his strength¡­


    Sol pushed the gate.


    At the same moment¡­The exterior world was plunged into the me of War.

 Chapter 290 CH 260:FLAME OF WAR(2)

    ¡­.


    ¡­.


    ¡­..


    A few moments ago, while Tiamat was observing the evolution of Sol¡¯s body she was interrupted by Verdandi.


    ¡°Empress. It seems like your backyard is about to go on fire.¡±


    Tiamat froze a little,


    ¡°Position.¡±


    ¡°On the 7th heaven. One of the lower inds.¡±


    The 7th heaven was the ce where most dragons lived. Thinking about the spections they had, Tiamat focused on the ce and what she saw made her blood boil in anger.


    She could see a few dragons in human form holding red rings and bleeding. They were on apletely isted floating ind, inside a hidden cave, and said the cave was covered in hiding runes to cover their aura.


    Clearly, this wasn¡¯t something that was made out of the blue.


    When Tiamat heard them mutter the name of Marduk and Apsu [1] while praying to the crimsondy, she knew that there was no more doubt to have.


    Tiamat''s lips twitched when she felt a dimensional door trying to open in her territory. Had she been taken unaware, it would have been toote for her to close it before it was anchored.


    But now?


    ''I thought I eradicated all the traitors back then.''


    Even as she cursed inwardly, she crushed those nascent portals before they could do any harm.


    "Hehe! It seems like I was right?"


    Tiamat sighed, distraught, but was unable to counter Skuld¡¯s mockingugh.


    When they were preparing for this fight, the first thing Sol told them was to beware of traitors.


    It was clear that his experience with the Wing of Freedom had shown him how enticed the force of Chaos could be.


    She remembered clearly Skuld''s words


    "Back then no traitor appeared in my knowledge but you should know that, unlike fate, the future is never fixed.


    "Furthermore, you already have a history with traitors in your territory. So who knows?


    "At the very least, the force of Chaos should know that the future changed even if they don''t exactly know how. Then it''s clear they would answer appropriately."


    ¡ª


    From the current situation, it seemed that heeding that advice had been the right decision. This did not erase the somewhat bitter feeling in her heart. Those portals clearly belonged to Nihil. Should they have opened, the causality of the approaching battle would have increased tremendously.


    At this thought, her eyes grew cold and all bitter feeling she might have vanished,


    ¡°Kill them.¡±


    Her expression showed no hesitation nor guilt.


    Since those dragons became traitors, Tiamat did not see them as Dragons anymore. They were now nothing more than trash.


    Trashes that were dirtying a clean house and as such, needed to be cleaned up.


    For such people¡ªdeath was nothing more than the lightest punishment.


    Tiamat wished to act personally but she couldn¡¯t. She had to keep 100% of her focus to prepare for Ymir.


    ¡®I am sorry, my dear daughter.¡¯


    ¡­.


    ¡­.


    ¡­.


    On the 8th heaven, after receiving this order, Kiyohime stood up, her expression downcast but resolute.


    She already had the blood of many dragons on her hands. It was toote to hesitate now.


    This was the beginning of the war.


    The only sad thing was¡­This war would begin with death and blood on their side.


    ¡ª-


    [????]


    Somewhere else, in a world filled with a red moon, a red-winged angel with blonde hair and red eyes sat on a rectangr table as she looked high up in the cloudless sky.


    All around her, people of different appearances and colors sat with heavy expressions,


    ¡°Herald, is the n a failure from the start?¡±


    One of them finally couldn¡¯t hold back in the oppressive silence and asked.


    The others tensed a little. During the short time they had spent together, they hade to know that the woman known as Nihil, or the Herald as they called her, could be even more vicious than a chaos spawn that went hungry for hundreds of years if she was triggered.


    Thankfully, Nihil answered to them with a smile, <sub> </sub>


    ¡°Not particrly so. While it would have been beautiful to seed, let¡¯s not make the mistake of forgetting who this particr realm belongs to.¡±


    They all gulped. The reputation of the Dragon Empress was forged on the blood and bones of people of their races.


    How could they forget her? How could they underestimate her?


    ¡°Either way, this is just the first step of the n my strategist formted.¡±


    All the eyes turned to the man that was sitting a little further apart from the table with his back hunched because of a fitting cough


    Most of them frowned with disgust while a few smirked in mockery but all in all few of them held respect in their eyes. Even though the man, or the skeleton, standing was sorta king-ranked being.


    The reason for the disdain was clear, like Divine beasts, they hated necromancy and all undead creatures. But for reasons different but strangely simr to that of Divine beasts.


    The first one was that no one liked to be reminded of their mortality. No matter how strong they were, they would all die as long as they didn¡¯t transcend.


    The second reason was that necromancers were crazy bastards who could use anything for their undead creation. Even if that thing came from a demigod.


    Finally and perhaps interestingly, they hated that undead were so-imply rotting food and so could not be eaten.


    While Anubis wasn¡¯t born during the Great war. He did participate in some small-scale or big warster down the line and he terrorized many Titans with his undead legion.


    Taking in all those regards, Drei took no slight for he simply did not care,


    ¡°As I said, the fact that Skuld and Verdandi entered Tiamat territory means that all most of our previous ns needed to be revised.¡±


    Drei breathed deeply as the wound on his soul made itself remember. That pain had been with him since the attack on Lustburg and he was bing crazy.


    ¡°Initially we should have kept our sleeping agents for other missions. Corrupting dragons is in no way easy after all. But the situation called for a new way.¡±


    To corrupt mortals, you just needed to promise them; food, longevity, and money, and that would be it. The number of old nobles ready to sell their souls for a few more years to live was insane.


    But for Dragons and other divine beats, it was near impossible. After all, they already had everything.


    This was why keeping care of the sleeping agent was


    Drei shrugged, ¡°Rather than keeping and wasting those agents, better use them as Cannon fodder to weaken the dragon realm as much as possible. Because let¡¯s be honest¡­.If Tiamat is at full power ¡­No, what I am saying. If she is even at 50% of her power, then you would be only rushing to your death if you jump out now.¡±


    They all groaned but none of them could refute. Tiamat was simply too strong.


    ¡°Speaking of, Nihil¡­. Were you able to contact him?¡±


    Tiamat was simply a monster. Even though they had ten of demigods present here, Drei was sure that this number would not be enough.


    Nihil was powerful but she still needed time to reach a new level. For such an operation, having a bunch of cannon fodder was good. But they also needed that one super powerful being that could keep Tiamat in check.


    Thankfully,


    ¡°Do not worry. Once we start, he wille.¡±


    If he had lungs, Drei would have let out a sigh of relief and from the way the atmosphere in the room changed, everyone was filling the same.


    ¡°Well then. This opportunity is quite hard toe by. Let¡¯s do our best.¡±


    Nihil said so as she stood up and dismissed everyone.


    Now alone with her old friend, she couldn¡¯t hide her worry,


    ¡°Drei, your double is working with those ouws, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Despite that, are you sure you want toe with your true body once the fight starts?¡±


    Currently, Drei was barely keeping his power as a King.


    ¡°Would you even be able to summon your legion?¡±


    Drei gave a flickering gaze, ¡°It¡¯s the asion to finally see my old friend. Furthermore, I need my true body to be present to receive treatments.¡±


    ¡°But this doesn¡¯t mean you shoulde on the field! Furthermore, what makes you believe your so-called friend will help you? 700 years already gone past, do you think she will betray her family for you?¡±


    The bonny knuckle of Drei tightened on his staff, anger, and fury clearly evident despite his skeleton face but even then Drei did notsh out. For 700 Years since he was in the underworld, the one he relied on was the sealed Nihil. It¡¯s thanks to her that he did manage to keep a hold on his sanity and he knew that she just wanted to protect him.


    ¡°I believe in her. I believe that she will see the truth of our way. I have researched what she did during those 700 years and I am sure that I am right.¡±


    Drei was a natural undead. Someone who managed to bring himself back from the gate of death through pure obsession.


    His obsession were his hatred of the injustice of the world, the pain at the loss of his sister, and his sadness at the loss of a precious friend.


    Those obsessions were the drive of his unlife. The fuel that keeps his fire burning. The moment those obsessions vanished, like a vengeful ghost that was purified, he would simply crumble and vanish.


    This was why he could not, not believe in Nent.


    ¡°Do not worry, Nihil. Once I bring her to you, I am sure you will appreciate her.¡±


    Nihil gazed deeply at one of the few people she could call a friend. In fact, aside from Eins, Drei was her one and only friend. Someone dear to her heart.


    This was why, in front of his steadfast decision, all she could do was ept his decision and act ordingly.


    [1]: Go back to ch 211: Nabu. Marduk was Nabu¡¯s father and a follower of Apsu during their rebellion.


    AN: The war begins with 1 point on Chaos side. Let¡¯s say how the situation evolves.

 Chapter 291 CH 261:CONFRONTATION

    War.


    It was one of the things, no race, no matter how intelligent, could avoid forever.


    They said that peace was only the interval entre two wars.


    While floating high under the starry sky, Kiyohime couldn¡¯t but acquiesce with this saying.


    She hated war.


    From a practical viewpoint, it was a waste of resources.


    From a sentimental viewpoint, it was a waste of life.


    If at least it was a fight against the force of chaos. She would have fought heartily with no fear nor remorse.


    Sadly¡­Once again¡­She had to stain her hands with the blood of her family.


    ¡°Kiyohime.¡±


    His cap fluttering in the wind, his entire body encased in a ck cloak thatpletely hides his features, Hydra approached Kiyohime, a frown marring his face.


    He knew very well how conscientious Kiyohime was, back then he saw the sadness in her eyes while she mercilessly cut down the traitor Marduk and his group.


    Most of the dragons were once under the care of Kiyohime and the more talented ones even received her personal guidance for many years.


    It wouldn¡¯t be a mistake to say that Kiyohime was more of a mother for all dragons than Tiamat had ever been. Kiyohime knew each of their names and named some of them herself. Unlike Tiamat who rarely cared for any dragons, even if they were her direct children.


    This was why, for many, Kiyohime was more than a Lord. She was a sister, a mother, a friend, and a master.


    Hydra couldn''t even begin to fathom just how heart wrenching it must have been for her to put down the children she personally raised.


    Hydra Opened his mouth, intent on asking if it was possible for Welsh to take her ce. But one nce from Kiyohime prompted him to close his mouth and sigh.


    Those eyes of her¡­


    They were indeed filled with sadness.


    They were indeed filled with despondency and regret.


    But¡­There was no hesitation.


    ¡°Traitors must die.¡±


    Kiyohime spoke inly, the chill in her voice enough to freeze the heart of the weak-minded and Hydra did not rebuke her words.


    Her eyes were indeed filled with sadness and regret.


    But more than anything, they were zing with rage and a deep feeling of betrayal.


    The bigger the love, the greater the hatred.


    The moment they sold themselves to the enemy, there was no way to go back. Traitors had to die and because she was the one who trained and raised them¡ªShe would be the one to kill them.


    The moment she opened her wings fully, all the ships began to shine with blinding light as if they were transforming into shooting stars.


    They were currently above the white pearl, flying at full speed towards the Seventh Heaven.


    The moment the traitors were discovered, they began to act and many traitors in different inds began to wreak havoc in all the heavens from the 7th to the 1st.


    At this rate, the number of death on their side would rise sharply. This was why Kiyohime decided to deploy as much as and used her and Hydra soldiers.


    A full buster call, an entire armada of 200 ships, 2 Dragon Kings, 24 pure blood elder dragons, 400 dragons of mixed blood, and more than 18000 soldiersposed of elves, spirits, and other races from the Astral world.


    In this army, absolutely all the 42 Dragons were at the Duke level even if only at the entry of this level.


    One had to remember that in the mortal world, none of the Seven Kingdoms outside of Slothein, the angels country, had more than 100 Dukes in their army. Meanwhile, at the King level, a kingdom would rarely have more than two King levels, three if they were lucky and four if they hit the jackpot.


    The current armada alone was enough to absolutely crush any Kingdoms in the mortal world.


    Sadly, what they were about to face were no mortal.


    ¡ª-


    While Kiyohime was leading the attack to quell the problem that came up internally, Fafnir and Welsh were going out with their armada in order to deal with the outside threat. <sub> </sub>


    Beyond the gate of the territory, flying the void, was arge armyposed of criminals in all genres and Chaos spawn.


    From what Fafnir knew, it seemed that those criminals were tricked and didn¡¯t know they would face the dragons until the veryst moment. But now that the arrow was thrown, they knew that they had no choice but to fight.


    The armada of Fafnir and Welsh was at the same level as Kiyohime and Hydra. They had decided to use the army of the four princes as a way to help in evacuating those who were unable to fight and provide healing and help for those who could fight.


    Facing them, the army of Chaos wasposed of several thousand, Chaos spawn and a Fafnir could even feel a few Titans and Giants were hidden in their midst.


    If Fafnir was told that they reunited all the criminals in the Astral realm, he would believe it.


    All in all, an army of nearly a hundred thousand out of which, about 600 to 9000 were at the Duke level.


    They were facing odds of more than 5 to 1 and they nearly had two times more Duke and a few Kings.


    This was truly an overwhelming sight the like only seen during the start of the Great war.


    Even then, no one in the army showed fear. They had no reason to.


    After all, they had their guardian dragon with them.


    The Dragon King Fafnir might not be the strongest King. But, for an army, he was the best general they could ever hope to have.


    They believed in him and were ready to fight for and with him.


    What they didn¡¯t know was that the admirable Fafnir was having a headache dealing with an unexpected intruder.


    ¡°I say, littledy, do you really n to fight with us?¡±


    ¡°Did you forget what I am?¡±


    Isis grinned, ¡°I am not a helplessdy and war is where a necromancer like me, thrives the most. Furthermore¡­¡±


    ¡°Furthermore?¡±


    ¡°You will need my help. I can feel someone of my kind in that side.¡±


    Fafnir¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°A Necromancer?¡±


    ¡°A King ranked Necromancer.¡±


    Isis said with a frown. She could feel the power of a King rank but it seemed diluted. Almost like a candle.


    She was sure that it wasn''t the main body of the necromancer. Using a fake body was a basic skill for necromancer after all.


    Of course, she wasn''t about to tell them that.


    A groan escaped Fafni¡¯s lip at her words.


    Necromancers were true game changers on arge-scale battlefield. There was nothing more depressing than saying those you killed, as well as your ownpanions, stand back up as undead.


    Fafnir also has little experience dealing with them. After all, necromancy did not exist during the Great war. It only appeared after the Necromancer King begin to travel in the astral world and take in disciples.


    The few necromancers he had faced were either small fry or crazy bastards who wanted to create bone dragons.


    But at the level of a King? An entire legion could be created.


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Fafnir nodded and turned to Nent, ¡°I guess I you will also stay?¡±


    Indeed, Nent had followed Isis outside.


    p ¡°Of course.¡± </anda>


    Fafnir didn¡¯t argue this time. He may have some doubt about Isis, but Nent was a true veteran powerhouse.


    He absolutely had nothing to worry about with her on the field.


    He was sure of it.


    (AN: Both Fafnir and Drei believe in Nent as an ally. Sadly one of them will end up being disappointed.


    This will be the first time I write about such arge scale conflict. Anyone know novels with a big war in them? I could take some inspiration)

 Chapter 292 CH 262:AEGIS AND GUNGNIR

    "Welsh, I will count on you."


    "Roger."


    "Kaiser¡­"


    "Yes?"


    "You will be in charge of the first unit."


    ¡°I will not disappoint you.¡±


    The moment the hostilities were about to begin, a great shield as tall as him in hand, Fafnir slowly floated until he stood at the very front of his army.


    Was it because of how they lived?


    The four Dragon King zones were different from most people at the Duke level.


    But in fact, it wasn''t weird.


    Zones were never fixed. A zone could change, for the better or the worse depending on the psyche of the Duke.


    During the Great War, more than protecting themselves, what the four Dragon King wished for was to prove their worth to their mother and protect their children.


    Was it why?


    They all gave birth to Zones which were extremely useful duringrge-scale wars.


    ¡ª-


    The first one to attack was unsurprisingly the force of chaos.


    Inrge-scale war, the power of one individual was sometimes very trivial. This was even more so when said army wasposed of a very powerful being.


    As soon as the fight begins, all the mage types of the army begin to focus on sending their mana in a special matrix.


    Since all warriors had different skills and elements, it was generally hard to have systematic attacks. Even more so in this case where a good part of the army wasposed of criminals who never had soldier training. This was why such matrices were created. All they needed to do was fill it with mana. Those matrices were the equivalent of ballista or Canon and the mana needed to make it function was massive.


    Sometimes deadly even.


    But Drei did not care. Even though this current body was just a fake and his soul was wounded, reviving dead warriors like this as zombies would never be a problem.


    Ten hundred-meter wide spell matrice opened above them, shining with an ominous light full of deadly intent.


    The criminal chosen to power the battery screamed in pain as the mana in their bodies was forcefully extracted but there was no escape for them.


    ¡°Very well, this should be enough as a probing. Let¡¯s give them a greeting.¡±


    Drei grinned. He knew about Fafnir''s reputation as the General with the least death in his army whenpared to all divine beasts. He really wanted to see if the legend was true or exaggerated.


    ¡ª-


    ¡°Hum¡­Shouldn¡¯t we do something?¡±


    Looking at the ten spells that were about to fire, Isis couldn¡¯t help but ask Nent. Even for her, if she took those attack directly she might end up in a very bad shape or even use a Nirvana and this was despite her being a top-level Duke.


    Of course, she would never let such a crude attack hit her in the first ce but behind her stood more than 18000 warriors. She doubted they could all dodge it.


    Weirdly though, she could feel no sense of unease in the army. As if they were all filled with confidence. Something that confused her greatly.


    ¡°Do not worry, just watch.¡±


    Nent looked at Fafnir¡¯s back and reminisced about the past. Since Nent and Kiyohime were such a good pair during the war, she had fought many times alongside the dragons and this was why she knew that there was nothing to worry about.


    It wasn¡¯t for nothing that Fafnir had once been her potential mate.


    This was all Nent said and soon¡­Isis understood what she mean.


    Fafnir was strong. Mayhaps weaker than his sister, Kiyohime, but he was still a powerful Dragon King who survived through the Great war.


    But¡­He didn''t survive thanks to his strength.


    The moment the spells werepleted and fired, it was as if doomsday was upon them. Rushing toward them at an incredible speed, the normal soldier could all feel the pressure. But none of them flinched nor closed their eyes. Because they had full faith in theirmander and was faith was perfectly rewarded.


    "Listen well, miscreants!"


    Fafnir¡¯s voice filled the battlefield with solemnity. His aura reached a level few could truly understand.


    <<My name is¡­.Aegis!>>


    His words resonated with the naturalw of the world.


    Golden Light bloomed from his body and the tendrils of that light left him and immediately covered all the soldiers in his army.


    This should have been an impossible feat.


    The amount of mana needed to aplish this would have hollowed even the strongest King.


    But this was different for Fafnir. After all¡­He was a divine beast blessed with near-infinite mana thanks to his core.


    Immediately, the army changed into shining golden soldiers as they were all covered from head to toe in full te armors.


    Fafnir King''s name was Aegis, for he was the supreme shield who protected his territory.


    If Lilith King''s name, <<Tyrfing>> gave absolute attack power to her alone to the level where she could harm anyone in her vicinity. Then Fafnir''s name increased tremendously the magical and physical defense and such protected all those he wished to protect.


    But if it was all, then Fafnir would not be worthy of his legend.


    <<Zone: Ten Fortresses>>


    Isis could only widen her eyes in surprise. <sub> </sub>


    The moment the spells were finally about to collide with the army, Fafnir lifted his shield and ced it firmly in front of him.


    No matter how big the shield was, in front of those gigantic rays of death, it was so minuscule it was risible.


    But no one couldugh.


    ¡°You shall not pass!¡±


    <<First wall: Maria>>


    From the shield, a burst of golden light once again shed drowning everything as far as the eyes could see in gold.


    From the void, walls that were more than fifty meters tall rose in front of the dragon army.


    BOOOM!!!


    The impact was immediate. The explosion was so devastating that it seemed to ignite the very space.


    Some of the dragon warriors couldn¡¯t help but gulp at this sight for they knew what would have been their fate should those spells have reached them.


    But¡­This fate was averted and the cause of this was none other than theirmander.


    ¡°Wooooooh!!!!!¡±


    Who was the first to scream in delight? They did not know. All that mattered was that soon the resonating war cry of all the soldiers filled the air.


    Releasing their horns, tempests of mana swirled everywhere.


    Once the wall Maria dissipated after doing its job, Fafnir immediately screamed,


    ¡°Sister!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    Raising her hand toward the sky, Welsh who had been silent until now immediately answered Fafnir¡¯s shout.


    Why were Welsh and Fafnir put together to protect the realm?


    It was simple. If Fafnir was the shield, then¡ª Welsh was the spear.


    <<My name is¡­.Gungnir!>>


    Thousands of crimson light shone above her as if she was recreating the starry sky. Anyone looking at it would be mesmerized¡­Without knowing that each of those lights was a spear of death.


    <<Light Rain>>


    Welsh never missed her targets.


    Swoosh!


    Rushing at a speed ten times faster than the previous spells from chaos, those lights pierced with absolute precision all the people that were used as batteries for the matrice. Furthermore, her attack did not just kill them. Itpletely incinerated them down to the slightest particr until all that was left was less than dust.


    Calling down the soul of recent death was not impossible for a necromancer but the difficulty was extremely high and it was too taxing to do so onrge scale. Even more so since they would still need a body to use.


    In one instant, Welsh made sure to incapacitate those matrices for a certain time, after all, finding new people to serve as batteries would take some time and this time was what they needed.


    Fafnir did not miss the opportunity his sister created and bellowed.


    ¡°First unit! Charge!!!¡±


    The roar of dragons followed his order as half of the elders took their true form and rushed into the battlefield alongside a quarter of the army. Even in this form, they were still protected by the aegis armor.


    They were ready to release their bloodlust and show the world once again why they were the strongest realm.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Incredible.¡±


    Watching everything that was happening on realm time, both Skuld and Verdandi eximed.


    Skuld more than anyone was very impressed. She had fought against the angels when they were under the order of Lucifer and Michael but she had few direct interactions with Tiamat¡¯s army directly.


    Furthermore, she was not physically present in the other world line where the dragons'' territory was crushed. This caused her to somewhat underestimate what they were able to do.


    Now though? She had to admit it.


    The Dragon Kings were truly on another level. Still, there was something that caught her interest.


    ¡°From what I have seen of Welsh and Fafnir, it seems like the true name of all your children are weapons¡­ How sad.¡±


    Like the Zone, the birth of a King''s name needed a certain mindset to be achieved. Clearly, in the deepest part of their mind, both Fafnir and Welsh saw themselves as weapons to be used by Tiamat.


    This time Tiamat chortled.


    ¡°You are wrong on this. You see, my children aren¡¯t so weak mentally as to see themselves like this.¡±


    She showed a somewhat proud smile on her face,


    ¡°This is the expression of their wish to surpass me. To show me that I am wrong. Those names are the ultimate form of their Pride. Do not insult it.¡±


    Tiamat¡¯s voice was low, with absolutely no threat nor anger in it and this was why Skuld shivered. For she knew that right here, right now, if she dared to continue on this topic, she would truly die.


    As such, she wisely shrugged. The war outside would not end in one day. As such, she decided to see how was the handling of the traitor going.


    What she saw then surprised her quite a bit.


    (AN: Time for the dragon Kings to shine for a while. Next chapter is Kiyohime and Hydra showcase.)

 Chapter 293 CH 263:ARTEMIS, KUSANAGI AND MJOLNIR

    If the war currently going on outside of the territory was a glorious one opposing the dragons against the invaders, the civil war going on in the territory was much less glorious and much more somber.


    After all, matter how much of a traitor those Dragons were, they were still dragons. All dragons were rted. They were all family.


    So none of the soldiers could really summon the moral strength necessary to fight.


    ¡­At least that was before they appeared in the lower heaven and saw what was happening.


    Fire and blood.


    No matter where they looked, all they could see where huge pir of ck smoke as the devilish fire incinerated everything on its path.


    Unlike the 9th heaven where only Tiamat lived or the 7th heaven where the 9 children were, the 7th heaven was entirely popted by young Dragons be it hybrids or pure blood.


    While dragons could reproduce more easily than the other races, it still didn''t change the fact that as divine beasts, the number of children they had was overall pretty low.


    And now those dragons where attacking their brothers and sisters without any remorses?


    Anger.


    Hate.


    Disgust.


    Murder intent.


    In an instant, the rage of the subduing army shot through the roof.


    Any ideas of holding back or begging to spare the rebels vanished from the mind of the soldiers.


    They just wanted to kill the perpetrator so that those unwilling souls could find a rest.


    The rebels were not numerous but they were rtively stronger than the average and they split in different directions or even heavens.


    If the 7th heaven was like this, they didn''t even dare to imagine how were the lower ones.


    "Sister."


    "I know."


    Kiyohime nodded and begin to walk until shended on an ind that was scorched to the ground. Everywhere she looked, she could see the devoured corpses of her family. Those traitors were not simply content with killing their brethren. They did not even let go of their corpses.


    Surely, they wished to use the cores and horns to force of chaos.


    ¡®How disgusting.¡¯


    Once she wasnded on the ground, she muttered,


    It was time to hunt down those miscreants.


    Kiyohimeughed. It was augh full of rage of sadness.


    Her eyes glowed with an ominous red light.


    She was different from all her siblings. Jealous she may be. Envious she may be. But she has never seen herself as inferior to anyone. Not even ze.


    She was the queen of the Dragons.


    The second inmand who was just below the strongest dragon Empress and she had the power befitting of the crown she wore.


    <<My name is Artemis.>>


    A green light shed from her body and begin to cover all her soldiers.


    Kiyohime was different from Fafnir. As the shield, his goal was to maximize the defense of the army.


    Her goal meanwhile was to optimize the offense.


    Grrrrrrr


    Growling sounds filled the air as the soldiers were slowly filled with bloodlust. Their bodies grew stronger, their mind sharper. They were faster and their base regeneration speed improved.


    It was an overall increase of power of more than 50%. In a fight with two armies of equal power, this skill alone was sufficient to change the tide of the battle.


    But this wasn¡¯t enough,


    [Blood revenge]


    This was perfect one of the strongest and most dangerous anti-army and anti-personal skills.


    <<May the rage of the dead gives us the strength for revenge.>>


    Sanguine light moved and bathed the full army. From now, as long as they faced the culprits of this massacre, all their strength would increase by more than 25%. What made this skill dangerous was the fact that it perfectly stacked with the previous increase.


    Furthermore, since Tiamat could not easily move, Kiyohime acted once again,


    <<May the rage of the spirit guide us toward the culprit.>>


    Many portals began to form around her. No one could flee from her. This skill would activate irrelevant of distance. The only way to block it would be for the hunting targets to enter the mortal realm or a territory belonging to a demigod.


    Standing up, she paused the formation of the portal and looked at Hydra who nodded. She could have used her zone but since she intended to split the army, it would pointless. Right now, they simply needed to boost all the specs of the army and hunt down the enemies.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s my turn.¡±


    Hydra stretched a little and lifted his hand. He was not as angry as Kiyohime but he definitely did not feel good.


    Turning, he gave a look at Nidhogg who had obviously followed him as if telling her to watch and learn.


    Fafnir, was the shield.


    Welsh was the spear.


    Kiyohime was the Huntress.


    As for him¡­He was the sword.


    <<My name is¡­Kusanagi no Tsurugi [1]>>


    Like all his siblings, Hydra specialized in anti-army-type skills. His more lethal poisons were certainly dreadful and allowed him to kill arge swath of enemies with ease but he could not afford to use them in the dragon territory.


    But who said that a poison master could only kill?


    <


    >


    Under his power, all the ws or fingernails of the soldiers became purple. Hydra had never been found ofplicated name and liked to go straight to the point. From now on and until the end of this skill, all the people wounded by a soldier would receive a multitude of poisons going from increased pain to hallucinogens, lethal poisons, and even drugs that clogged the mana vein.


    <


    >


    <<Fear resistance>>


    <<Reflex eleration>>


    <<elerated regeneration>>


    <<Strengh increase>>


    <<Speed increase>>


    Like Kiyohime, Hydra power allowed him to send a bunch of buffs to his army and once again they all stacked with the previous effects.


    This was how the dragon¡¯s army always worked.


    This was why they were considered to be nearly undefeatable if all the four generals of the army worked together at the same time.


    Once Hydra finished his round of buff, Kiyohime nodded and released the control over the portal.


    ¡°Do not forget. Those we are about to face stopped being family the moment they turned their de against us. They are dragons no more. Only fiends to be put down like the enraged beasts they are¡­Show no mercy.¡±


    ROOOOAARR!!!! <sub> </sub>


    What followed next could only be considered to be a one-sided massacre.


    ¡ª--


    Standing next to the dragon pool, Tiamat watched everything that was going on. It has already been one full day since the start of the little war and the dragons were proving to be worthy of their legend.


    She could see that in the territory, the different teams Kiyohime sent were nearly done cleaning up most of the traitors. Meanwhile, Nidhogg was leading a small team of healers and helping the surviving citizens.


    Once they were done, they would be able to go help Fafnir.


    Thankfully, most dragons were fighters so the casualty was mainly on the side of the other citizens. Tiamat knew that this was a pretty cold way to see things but she had always been honest with her sentiment.


    She was a selfish empress. Not some kind of savior with a heroplex.


    War would always bring death. This was inevitable. As such, it was better for her if those death were other people than her own.


    The war outside though was proving to be more difficult than she thought.


    In terms of quality, the dragons were overwhelmingly superior and thanks to Fafnir shield, the losses were only in double-digit.


    The problem here was that while the quality was overwhelming, they were overwhelmed by the quantity.


    ¡®Cursed Chaos spawn.¡¯


    Tiamat always wondered what the Goddess of Chaos thought when creating those filthy creatures. They reproduced so fast and their number was so high. They were always the cause of much distress.


    As if it wasn¡¯t enough, the necromancer of Chaos'' side descended with his true body. Something that was rather surprising. But still, his legion was causing chaos and while Welsh made sure to always incinerate the body of the dead, it was impossible for her to keep track of everything.


    ¡®Should I ask Sekmeth and Nabu to act?¡¯


    Those two were a sort of trump card to catch off guard her enemy. She did not know if it was worth moving them now.


    The only reason she stopped herself from doing so was her instincts. Something was going on. She could feel that this war was just at the start.


    ¡®Well. At least she hadn¡¯t made a move yet.¡¯


    Tiamat smiled when she looked at the phoenix that was standing quietly.


    Kiyohime was one of the strongest King level being in existence but it was mainly because she specialized in wide-scale buff.


    Why then, was she and Nent such a great teammates back then?


    Tiamat knew very well that behind thisdy-like appearance was someone very dangerous.


    ¡°Show it to me little phoenix. Let¡¯s see how you will once again dominate the battlefield.¡±


    ¡ª--


    Standing on the battlefield, as the storm of mana surrounded her and the odor of blood filled her nose, Nent could not help but think back to the old time.


    Gabriel and Asmodeus were part of first-generation divine beasts. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t be a mistake to say that the phoenixes and the snakes were the very first divine beasts in existence.


    This was why, in a way, Nent had even more experience than Tiamat herself when it came to war. In terms of age, it wouldn¡¯t be a mistake that she was one of the oldest living beings in the universe.


    War. This was all Nent ever knew.


    But even as everyone died, even as the angel retreated, she survived.


    Wounded, sad, alone, afraid, scared. Again and again, escaping from the jaws of death by the most minuscule of chance.


    Even then, she never once gave up on hope and continued to advance, determined in her beliefs.


    The titans did not scare her


    The giants did not make her waver.


    Even the horrors of the depth and the darkness swirling inside it, did not destroy her faith.


    Her belief was ever firm.


    She believed in the possibility of this world. She believed what she did was for the sake of ¡®good¡¯, and to vanquish ¡®evil¡¯. She believed that she, as well as all the others, was born for some grand goal.


    She was proud of who she was. She was proud of what she was and she was even more proud of what she had achieved.


    Because this was her choice.


    Because this was her own decision ¡ª Her freedom.


    Her heart was left unshaken but¡­


    When the war ended.


    When she looked back at the trail of cold corpses, enemies and allies alike, she had left behind her.


    She couldn¡¯t help but ask herself.


    ¡®Was it worth it?¡¯


    One year, ten years, hundreds of yearster. She still continued to ask herself that question, never finding the answer she was looking for.


    Until one day ¡ª seven hundred years ago. It was then that her belief was shaken.


    Now, seven hundred yearster, Nent stood again on the battlefield, and facing her was once again one of the people who shook her belief all those years ago.


    Right here, right now, she stood at a crossroad. Her sole decision would change everything in her life.


    What should she do?


    She had agonized over questions over and over again.


    ¡°If this war happened a year ago. No¡­Just a few months ago, then my choice would have surely been very different.¡±


    She mocked herself but the light in her eyes became firm.


    One step, two steps. Each time she advanced, her beautiful and somewhat sexy robe was reced by the armor she once wore all those years ago.


    Feeling mana course through her veins, she called forth a power she had forgotten she even wielded.


    Lightning cracked.


    ¡°I am Nent, daughter of Gabriel.¡±


    But this wasn¡¯t all.


    ¡°I am Nent, mate of Sol Luxuria.¡±


    But once again, this wasn¡¯t all. Her eyes became filled with light.


    ¡°I am Nent¡­ and <<My name is Mjolnir.>>¡±


    The world seemed to fall silent as the might of a superior being filled the battlefield. For an instant, everything seemed to stop and the soldiers themselves all looked at the source of light that was standing alone like a shining beacon in the middle of the battlefield.


    Lightning roared as the thunder queen, the ultimate valkyrie, finally woke up from her long and deep slumber.


    Was it worth it?


    Indeed. It was fucking worth it!


    ¡°Begone! With the roar of a thunderp!¡±


    The world was dyed white by lightning as she mmed her hammer down.


    [1]: Pretty sure most people know the legend of Kusanagi no Tsurugi. It¡¯s the sword the god Susanoo found in the body of Yamata no Orochi after he killed it to save a princess. The Orochi is an 8-headed serpent full of poison. The Hydra is a 9-headed serpent full of poison¡­.so yeah, it was pretty obvious to choose this name for me.


    (AN: I must say. I wasughing like mad when I was writing this chapter and listening to Bleach battle OST to make my blood boil. I really hope I was able to make your heart thump even if a little. Don''t forget to leavements please and write me on discord if you have question.)

 Chapter 294 CH 264:TITAN

    The moment Nent stepped on the battlefield, the bnce that was already in favor of the Dragon fellpletely on their side.


    Nent being powerful was an understatement.


    While she did not possess arge-scale destruction zone like the other Dragon King, she had something even more dangerous.


    Pure elemental transformation.


    At the core of their existence, Phoenixes were closer to the spirit than most divine beasts and their true form allowed them to be nearly invulnerable to physical attacks by transforming into their specific element.


    As a lightning Phoenix, even without her zone, her most basic ability was to be Lightning.


    As for her zone?


    [Godspeed]


    In essence, this was a rather basic zone that most lightning users could bring forth. But no one, not even a storm wolf-like Setsuna could truly transform into lightning.


    This was further increased by her King name.


    When all of this umted, this brought a sublimation effect to her zone.


    Her zone [Godspeed] stopped being a simple element-type zone and changed into a conceptual one.


    ¡­The concept of pure speed¡­


    ¡ª


    The moment Nent used her power, she let out a sigh of profound joy.


    This was a view of the world she had nearly forgotten since she had not fought in a long time.


    But now this was it.


    This was the feeling she had missed.


    Looking at the world that seemed to slow down infinitely, Nent let out a bloodthirsty grin that shed deeply with her usual elegant anddylike expression.


    There was nody here.


    Only a warrior.


    A cloak of lightning covered her body and she moved.


    Nent was fast¡­Too fast.


    ¡°Begone! With the roar of a thunderp!¡±


    She moved...


    ¡­Thunder roared.


    ¡­And people died


    It was that simple.


    No fancy tricks. No mysterious power nor exquisite technique.


    It was the result of pure and unadulterated power and speed.


    If Sol could observe the current scene, he would certainly be tongue-tied. After all, in his perception, Nent was weaker than Lilith.


    And technically he wouldn''t be wrong in a way.


    Lilith had reached the summit in the concept of <<cutting>> through her understanding of swordsmanship and her King¡¯s name. She could cut through space, time, and even souls. No one could match her when it came to this concept which means that she was one of the King with the most potent attack power. Perhaps only matched by a few singrities like Siegfried and Sun Wukong.


    But in the same way¡­Nent had reached the summit in the concept of <<Speed>>.


    Had she not been born a phoenix, with her current understanding, Nent would have surely be a demigod long ago.


    But at the same time, without her racial talent, it was hard to say if she could have reached the same height.


    Thus was the eternal sorrow of Divine Beasts.


    ¡ª-


    "No¡­"


    Standing in his true body, Drei clenched his skeletal hand around his staff when he saw Nent wreak havoc on the battlefield.


    His current state was already extremely unstable and it was only after begging Nihil that she epted that he came with his true body.


    ¡®I am sure that she is simply pulling a scheme.¡¯


    Drei belief in Nent wasn¡¯t just because of what he knew of her 700 years ago. He was not that naive.


    He had used the full power of all their sleeping agents and managed to understand just what kind of person Nent had be.


    If before she was absolutely Lawful Good, after his and his sister''s death, she was more Lawful Evil and even perhaps Neutral evil.


    Her dogma and belief were slowly bing more extreme to the point where she seemed to be the reincarnation of the Late Chimera Queen.


    He had observed and studied all the reports and he knew that he had more than 80% chance to convince her.


    A king''s name and a zone were dependent of the nature of the person using them. A king''s name could not be changed without falling from the King''s rank but if someone changed too much, they would be unable to bring the full power of their name. Meanwhile, their zone would change with the new truth they understood.


    In this case though, not only her zone did not change, but he could feel no ipatibility between her and her name.


    ¡°I need to verify.¡±


    The soul fire in Drei socket¡¯s eyes flickered as he muttered.


    Drei was a master maniptor with a great patience.


    Had he been in his normal state, he would have immediately given up on all hope of convincing Nent and would have begun making appropriate preparation.


    But right now, because of his wounded soul, his capacity to make judgments was seriously negatively affected and his thoughts became chaotic.


    In a way, this went to show how devastating fighting Lilith was. Her immortal ying sword style was not for show. <sub> </sub>


    After all, even an immortal lich could be killed or tortured to such an extent.


    Still, Drei was Drei,


    ¡°Since Nent entered the flow, let¡¯s bring out the king ss Titan.¡±


    Even weak and with his mind muddled, he would never make basic mistakes as long as it didn¡¯t concern someone close to him.


    The war was about to enter the next level.


    ¡ª-


    While everyone was busy fighting, Sol was facing a situation he could not understand.


    The moment he opened the gate slightly should have been the start of the test of the world. The zone was the absolute truth of one person and this belief had to be firm.


    After opening the door, Sol was ready to face many things. Perhaps fighting against a sort of evil twin, perhaps facing his dead parents, or even the cliche waking up in the real world.


    All of this had been ounted to and Sol did not fear what would follow for he was sure that he would prevail.


    But¡­When he opened the door, what he was behind was not some test about the truth.


    But a ck void that seemed to lead to the abyss itself.


    He was wondering just what kind of thing he had stepped into when painful images of unknown sources begin to fill his head.


    It was so painful that he couldn¡¯t help but grunt and groan in agony.


    ¡°Adam! Adam! Look! We seeded. We ****¡±


    A woman whose face he could not see was standing next to him as they looked down and discussed. But from her voice alone, he could feel infinite joy and love.


    ¡°Adam! The number of *** had surpassed the weight of ***.¡±


    This time the woman seemed a little calmer. In distress, she might be, but she still held hope.


    ¡°Adam! We still have a chance. We can still ***¡±


    The same woman was crying and trying to stop him from doing something he could not understand.


    ¡°Adam, is it really time for the twilight of ***?¡±


    In the same end, the same woman looked at him with sorrow while seemingly giving up.


    Different images shed and in each of them, the joy and innocence of the woman seemed to slowly fade until all that was left was grief and grim resolution.


    ¡°Adam¡­.I am sorry.¡±


    Thest image was a fight his mind could not process. But despite all thews moving crazily around him, the only thing of importance was the tears of the woman who was facing him.


    [Sigh¡­Is this Fate? Or should I say, as expected of Him¡­]


    When all the images vanished, a calm but emotionless voice sounded in his ears. But this voice alone filled him with the desire to sumb to madness, hatred, and chaos.


    It was a voice he did not recognize but he recognized this effect.


    Only one kind of being could affect the psyche of people below them so easily.


    It was¡­A goddess.


    ¡ª-


    On the outside, Sol¡¯s body was convulsing like it was being wrung by someone.


    His bones were broken, his flesh torn and his skin was burning.


    One did not need years of experience to know that something was going seriously wrong and once Tiamat probed him with her divine sense, her expression immediately grew unsightly as she screamed.


    ¡°Ymir! You dare!?¡±


    The world trembled under the wrath of the demi-goddess. She would have never thought that after all their preparation, rather than attacking her, Ymir would fall so low as to directly strike someone who was not even a Duke.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Tiamat could not understand but she did not bother to try to understand either. She had to do something!


    Sadly, just as she was about to act¡­


    BOOM!!!


    Cracks immediately filled the space of the starry sky and though those cracks were immediately repaired, Tiamat¡¯s eyes grew grave.


    [Oh, hear ye, my former enemy.]


    A voice sounded in the void as a hand that could only be called gigantic seemed to cover the sky. In that hand was a ming sword.


    His voice seemed toe from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Be it in the territory or those fighting outside, all of them stopped at the sight that surpassed their understanding.


    The light of the stars seemed to be pushed away by a destructive crimson light and the heat in the surrounding rose so much that even dragons were affected.


    [Upon my name as Surtr, the King of fire Giants.]


    The sword rose high before pointing down, at the territory of Tiamat. Then¡­


    [I shall bring you Fire and Destruction]


    ¡­The sword fell.


    ¡ª-


    Meanwhile, somewhere at the end of the world, a man was walking leisurely while observing the stars.


    Even though he was but a minuscule speck of dust in the immensity of the universe, all those who saw him would marvel at his devilish beauty while scorning the stars for trying to shine brighter than him.


    Seemingly feeling something, the red eyes of the ck haired narrowed before a smile lit up his entire face and the light of the stars seemed to dim.


    ¡°Well. It seems like I won¡¯t be toote.¡±

 Chapter 295 CH 265:FREEDOM DOES NOT EXIST

    What did it feel like to see a monstrouslyrge sword fall on their heads from outer space?


    ¡®The end of the world ising.¡¯


    Only such a thought could sh in the mind of people in Tiamat¡¯s territory.


    Like ant watching a human step on them, all they could do was wait and watch helplessly as doomsday seemed to be upon them.


    Titans were called Titans not only because of their monstrous strength but also because of their immense size. The taller they were, the more power they had.


    A ten or so meters tall Titan was generally at the Duke rank.


    Once they reached a hundred meters, they were equal to the King''s rank.


    Finally, those who were one thousand meters tall were Demigods.


    As for Surtr? His full height had long since surpassed what was possible to understand for mere mortals.


    10 kilometers?


    20?


    It did not matter.


    At that level, numbers were simply meaningless to calcte.


    He was huge.


    Bigger than the full realm, as if covering the entire ne with his shadow.


    Looking at the Gigantistic Surtr that seemed to cover the sky, Tiamat showed no fear but only rage and disdain.


    ¡°Bastard! You dare act so arrogantly in front of me!?¡±


    Tiamat roared and the world roared with her.


    Using her will, gathering her power, she fortified the dimensional walls. Then,


    BOOOM!!!


    A sun appeared in the eternal night of the Dragon territory.


    This was the result of the me of destruction colliding with the walls.


    The explosion was so destructive as if it was about to swallow and erase all matters. But with a derisive snort, Tiamat used her mastery and threw the ball of pure fire far away outside of her territory.


    ¡°Hahaha! Tiamat! You are indeed worthy of your throne! Come, let¡¯s face the end!¡±


    Despite the failure of his attack, Surtr showed no despondence. After all, he had never thought about really destroying Tiamat¡¯s territory.


    All he wanted was to bring her outside, where his allies were waiting.


    Tiamat snarled, how could she not understand this trick? But she had no choice but to rush into it. After all, if she simply stayed passive, they would simply endlessly attack her territory.


    ¡°Impudent bastard! Let me remind you why you guys could only cower and hide in the depth of the abyss until now.¡±


    She had no choice but to move now.


    ¡°Skuld, I will leave the situation to you.¡±


    Even as she gave those orders, she continued inwardly, <<Bastet follow me in the shadow. Nabu, I want you to stay hidden and observe.>>


    Tiamat would never truly believe in Skuld. This was why she decided to leave a failsafe.


    After all, the current Nabu was no longer simply a Duke.


    Tiamat was about to move but something made her stop.


    She twirled a metallic pearl into her hand, her mind clearly struggling, but in the end she made a decision and threw it at Skuld.


    Ideally, she wished to directly put it in the pool. But something muttered in her ears that it wasn¡¯t time yet.


    Tiamat did not know why she did it, but her instincts and her power of foresight were telling her that doing so would bring surprising results.


    As a dragon, Tiamat always trusted her instinct. This was why,


    ¡°Take it.¡±


    She gave the pearl to Skuld and left.


    ¡ª


    Skuld was truly panicking as she was utterly at loss about what to do.


    ¡®Shit! Shit! Shit!¡¯


    She wanted to take Sol out of the pool but she could see that the dragon''s blood was being absorbed faster as it helped heal his wounds. If he was taken out now, the only result would be death.


    In the end, Skuld despaired when she realized that all she could do was observe.


    ¡®No! Never again!¡¯


    Skuld screamed. There was no way she was going to be reduced to such a helpless situation. Her darling was suffering in front of her and all she could do was watch.


    ¡®Bullshit!¡¯


    ¡°Verdandi! Sheherazade we are starting!¡±


    Fate was inevitable but the future could change. <sub> </sub>


    Since there was a future she could see where Sol lived, it means that it wasn¡¯t his Fate to die yet.


    As such she could still do something.


    ¡°Let¡¯s thread the web of destiny.¡±


    Even if it could only bring a minuscule amount of help, she would do everything she could do.


    She then looked at Sheherazade, ¡°Little fairy. What we are about to do is force the future we want to happen. This means fighting against a goddess even if sealed. If you use the power of wish¡­The Backsh could bring your downfall.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    Sheherazade drawled but in the end, she chuckled, none of her usual bubbly act could be seen, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.I owe him. So I will fight for him.¡±


    ¡°I see. Your sacrifice will be remembered.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t act as if I am already dead!¡±


    Sheughed and went back to being the gentle and insouciant fairy she always portrayed herself as.


    Skuld looked at her sister with a sad smile and Verdandi shook her head, ¡°I will help you. The two of us can easily support it. After all, it¡¯s impossible for Ymir to bring out her full power.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Sheughed heartily and sat down, Verdandi did the same and the two of them held hands together.


    Immediately, ck tribal markings began to form on their pink skin and their eyes becamepletely ck.


    Affecting the bnce of destiny was in no way easy and therger the scale of what they tried to change, the harder it was.


    If they tried to affect the fight outside, they would surely immediately die. But what they were doing was different.


    ¡°We only need to tilt the scale in favor of darling.¡±


    Her darling was a Blessed one. As long as his Fate wasn¡¯t to die, his chance of survival, whenever he was facing a dangerous situation would always be rtively high, even if it seemed impossible.


    As she made the preparation, Skuld held tightly to the pearl. In the past, Sol did use it but he said that it was iplete, that he had missed the absolute best chance and it was clear that this was one of his greatest regrets.


    The same Sol who had reached a power level enough to erase all timelines to create one unique and reset time there.


    He had never really exined the situation to her but,


    ¡®Perhaps?¡¯


    If she was right, it seemed that the key to shifting the bnce was in her hand.


    ¡ª-


    Back in his soul, Sol was facing a trulyplex situation.


    ¡°Should I say that I am honored? I didn¡¯t know I was worthy of a goddess directly visiting me in my own mind.¡±


    Not like he wanted this honor if he had to be honest. It was so stressful and now he would most likely die.


    ¡°You are quite calm. I am surprised. Mortals usually only have two options when they see me. Reverence or Fear.¡±


    Facing Sol was a red-skinned woman with ck sclera and golden pupils, the sign of divinity. She was entirely naked, showing her beautiful and voluptuous figure that was enough topete with Lilith herself. Such a morous body without a stitch of clothes on it.


    If it was normal time he would have been observing her with relish but, Sol wasn¡¯t exactly in the ce to leisurely observe her beauty.


    ¡°I guess I got used to such a situation now. After all, it happened more than once.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­So you are Luxuria¡¯s new toy.¡±


    Sol''s smile did not fade even when faced with her ridicule. His brain was too busy going overdrive to think about what he could do.


    ¡°I wonder, dear goddess, why target me so? I do not believe having upsetted you?¡±


    ¡°The power I can use is very limited and Tiamat is obviously ready. As such, I decided to change my approach.¡±


    Sol gave a bitter smile, they had indeed taken into ount the possibility of Ymir changing her pattern.


    But they could have never guessed that she would directly attack his soul.


    "Why such a fixation on me?"


    Ymir looked up and down at Sol and shook her head, "I do not know. Your existence makes me uneasy so I decided to erase you. Do I need any deeper reason than this?"


    "Just a whim?"


    Sol¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously, but Ymir, ignored it. It seemed that she was focused on talking more since she hadn¡¯t spoken for very long, or as directly as a soul talk to be¡¯


    She gave a wane smile to his anger, "You must never forget. This world belongs to us goddesses. Our whims are the rules."


    Sol growled a little but didn''t show more signs of anger. For some reason he couldn''t understand, this goddess was willing to discuss it with him.


    He didn''t know what she was nning, but the only thing he could do was to buy as much time as possible.


    "Since you are willing to humor me, I have a question. Something that truly always bothered me. Do you truly pursue freedom?"


    The smile of Ymir face stretched,


    "What is freedom? Freedom can only exist in a world where everyone is equal. But not even the goddesses are equal. So how could true freedom exist between mortals?"


    (AN: Man, next chapter will be Tiamat showing off a little. This is the first time I am showing demigods really fighting. I hope I seed in showing the different scales of power for being at their level. This is the peak of VOL 9 after all. Discord link: https://discord.gg/3v2xvhvD6j


    Join me on the server . Privilege user can also contact me to receive Privilege host whhich will give them ess to exclusive P@treon and Priv channel where there will be Commissioned illustration of some characters. They will also be able to participate in special giveway I will host once or two time a week. You just have to ping me or one admin and show the proof.)

 Chapter 296 CH 266:TO YoU 700 YEARS LATER(1)

    The moment Surtr appeared on the battlefield, one could have expected the army on the dragon side to fall in panic.


    In fact, this was one of the tactics Drei hade up with. After all, Surtr was at the peak of what could be possible for a demigod.


    Sadly for him, he was disappointed to find that while there was indeed some unrest, the dragon Kings did not seems worried at all and the unrest was easily calmed.


    Drei might be a king-ranked being but in front of powerhouses like Nent, Fafnir, or Welsh, he was simply too young.


    A demigod?


    What kind of demigod they didn¡¯t see?


    Their job wasn¡¯t to worry about such things.


    Mortal to mortal and gods to gods. Surtr may be powerful, but they had someone no less powerful.


    This was why, even when Surtr brought down his de, they did not feel fear.


    And as they thought¡­


    ROOAAR!!!


    A terrible roar that seemed to cause the very structure of space to tremble filled the battlefield as a gigantic dragon flew out of the territory to meet the titans.


    Fafnir did not waste time admiring the mighty form prowess of his mother and immediately sent a message to Kiyohime who was still on the ind and had finished dealing with the rebels.


    ¡®Big sis, activate the inds.¡¯


    The 9 inds were the pirs of Tiamat¡¯s territory and were only created thanks to her mastery on dimensional power.


    9 heavens, 9 inds. This was of course done intentionally. The 9 inds could create a shield that would stop all outside interference and not even a dimensional mage would be able to enter the territory now.


    This was something only Tiamat could do and this was the reason why others divine beasts could hardly leave their territories.


    After all, it was nearly impossible for them to create a shield at the same level as the one created by the nine inds. Even if they had protection measures, the effect was in reality quite limited. Which in turn limited the movement of divine beasts.


    This was one of the reasons why Tiamat didn¡¯t ask for help from the other divine beasts. The fact that it would have alerted Ymir of their n, aside, it could have been very dangerous for the divine beasts if they left the territory without protection.


    As for being too prideful to ask for help? Tiamat never considered such absurdities. After all, there was a difference between Pride and stupidity.


    When Kiyohime received the message, she nodded and gave a signal to Hydra before rushing toward the 8th heaven.


    The four princes were already up and waiting.


    If the four Kings were those who take care of the attack during the war, then the four princes were those who took care of the defense.


    On the battlefield, four Dukes were pretty useless but it was different when they were helped by the formation.


    ¡ª-


    The war went up to its final stretch now that the demigods appeared on the battlefield.


    Funf, the fifth member of the Wings of Freedom, also a Chimera who was once part of the Zodiac, the royal guard of Echidna, was frowning heavily.


    As the bearer of Lion star, her power was the ability to have a skin that could stop neither being shed nor pierced. Her skin was more akin to an armor in a way.


    Not long ago, she had dropped back from the rank of King to the rank of Duke in order to strengthen herself and be even more powerful After all, her goal was to unseal her lord and mother.


    This was also why she epted to participate in this crazy operation. Her goal was simply to capture Sol and flee with him. After all, only the blessed of Luxuria could use the divine sword and that sword was the key to the seal.


    But the war had been going on for so long and she had not even seen a shadow of her target.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    She seriously wondered if she should stay here. Already, she could see that Drei was slowly going bonker and she was not loyal enough to sacrifice her life for the Wings of Freedom.


    The worse was that she couldn¡¯t even flee now. Some pesky dragon was stopping her from doing so.


    At first, she was able to beat him up and push him back, but the more the fight went on the more she felt like he was catching up to her.


    The dragon that was facing her, Kaiser, felt like he was about to cry out of joy.


    ¡®This is it. This is the feeling!¡¯


    Lately, his confidence in his zone and his overall ability had been quite low. First up he had been beaten up by Nabu in such a straightforward way that everything he did seemed useless.


    Then, not long ago he faced Sol and he realized that his zone that was based on growth throughbat waspletely inferior to the pure talent Sol had.


    But now?


    Now he realized that it wasn¡¯t his zone that was bad. He had just been unlucky and meet two freaks of nature.


    The battle between Funf and Kaiser was quite heated.


    As a former King, the skills of Funf were undoubtedly superior to that of Kaiser.


    This was a fact.


    But there was another simple fact that rendered this reality useless.


    Kaiser was Dragon.


    Nothing else needed to be said.


    In the Duke realm, only singrities or other divine beasts could hope to really suppress him and if one couldn¡¯t suppress him from the start, they would slowly realize that Kaiser was bing stronger as time passed.


    It was a cheat-like Zone in a way.


    Kaiser had simply been unlucky until now.


    ¡°Are you sure you should waste your time with me? Isn¡¯t that girl there in need of help?¡±


    Kaiser a little, he knew very well that Isis was in danger. He could see it in his peripheral vision.


    But Funf wasn¡¯t so easy that he could take away his eyes from her.


    ¡°Isis! You have to hold on.¡±


    Kaiser shouted in hope of helping her calm down and not act impulsively.


    ¡ª-


    While Kaiser and Funf were ducking out, Isis was facing quite a dire situation indeed.


    ¡°Heh, so two kings were sent my way. Should I say that you thought a little too highly of me?¡± <sub> </sub>


    Facing her were two kings-ranked Titans and a few Chaos spawn at the Duke level.


    She had advanced a little too far in the enemy camp but still, it was surprising that they threw so much at her in one go.


    Isis was in no way stupid, ¡®I am targeted?¡¯


    She was quite surprised at the notion. She really wonders who had the courage to try to kidnap her.


    The two titans were silent. They were feeling quite humiliated now. After all, they would have preferred to fight and devour a stronger opponent rather than such a weak little girl.


    This was why they decided to end this farce as soon as possible and go to the true battlefield.


    She was quite leisurely even though she was being surrounded but,


    ¡°Isis! You have to hold on.¡±


    When Isis heard Kaiser¡¯s shout, far from being happy or relieved all she felt was cold anger.


    ¡®I am being belittled?¡¯


    Her eyes narrowed. It seemed that people took her for easy prey.


    [Throne of Heroes] [1]


    When one thought of Necromancer, they would think of rotten corps and deathly aura. This was the case currently on the side of Drei battlefield.


    But Isis was no normal necromancer.


    She was a girl born between the first Necromancer and the Phoenix whose main power was the Holy me.


    Life and death intertwined and gave birth to something that shouldn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°Arise!¡±


    The moment her zone appeared, hundreds of scarlet knights filled that seemed to be made entirely out of me appeared at hermand. Some of those knights were mouting birds, or nightmare horses or unicorns, and so on.


    If Sol was here, he would recognize that one of those knights was none other than Rio and below her was her friend, White.


    If there was something that had to be mentioned¡­It was that all the hundred Knights were at the Duke level.


    ¡°Attack!¡±


    The two Kings Titans were flustered. Even for a king, facing hundred of Duke was no mean feat. Furthermore, the holy me of those knights were extremely dangerous.


    As if it wasn¡¯t enough, those knights all obtained the intangibility Phoenixes were so famed for. Making it so they were extremely hard to destroy.


    As if it wasn¡¯t enough, even if one of them was destroyed, she only needed to spend some of her mana to make them go through something akin to nirvana and since she was a perfect hybrid, she managed to awaken her core like Sol.


    Her mana was endless.


    Which means that her army was immortal as long as she didn¡¯t die.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the two Kings to understand this and they were ready to take some blows in order to reach her.


    In the first ce, the weak point of a Legion was always the necromancer himself.


    Sadly for them.


    Isis chuckled. Clearly not feeling threatened by the two kings.


    <<My name is Ereshkigal>>


    Even though Isis knew her true name, since she still wasn¡¯t a King, it was impossible for her to bring the true power of her name.


    But¡­It didn¡¯t matter.


    Lifting her hand high, a soul condensed in it.


    ¡°Father was right. The outside world is very dangerous. Thankfully, he gave me some insurance.¡±


    What she held was the soul of a King ranked swordsman her father killed in the past. Even so, her father considered him as one of his strongest opponents and keep his soul.


    Now that Soul belonged to her.


    [Soul Resonance.]


    The two kings halted. Dread overcame them when they witnessed the ball of light in Isis¡¯s hand transform into a beautiful silver sword.


    At the same time, the aura of isis began to grow until it entered the King''s realm.


    One of them gritted his teeth, the situation was really bing bad for them,


    ¡°Her power up should only be temporary. Let¡¯s hold on.¡±


    Isisughed. Not intent on giving any hint.


    Feeling the power of a King''s rank coursing through her veins, all she could feel was tion.


    ¡®I only have a 30% synchronization with this soul. Let¡¯s move fast.¡¯


    ¡°Hahahah~! well then, I think it¡¯s time to end this.¡±


    She tightened her grips on her sword and a hundred knights around her zed with the power of their zones.


    ¡°I am no damsel in distress in need of a knight on a white horse.¡±


    What followed was a total massacre.


    ¡ª--


    While all the parts of the battlefield were going on a crescendo, only one part was as calm as a dead sea.


    ¡°Nent¡­¡±


    ¡°Hansel.¡±


    Standing in the void, two old friends who have not seen each other since seven hundred years ago finally faced each other.


    It was time for Nent to make a decision.


    [1]: What do you think of Isis¡¯s power? She is a mix between a holy priest and a necromancer. Furthermore, thanks to her father, she doesn¡¯t even need to create her own undead. Her father can give her the most elite ones at any moment. Once she be a true King she will be quite frightening.

 Chapter 297 CH 267:TO YoU 700 YEARS LATER(2)

    Gretel the witch


    Hansel the scientist


    Nent the Phoenix.


    This was a story that began like a bad joke.


    Even now, 700 yearster, Nent could remember it vividly. How they meet at Crossroads, in the Astral realm, after Hansel followed his sister into the Astral realm.


    How the three of them became friends thanks to Gretel''s relentless probing and joy of life.


    Even though the girl was a witch, she showed none of the solemnity witches were known for. Though she was as entric as the best of them.


    Hansel meanwhile was a shy young genius who wanted to revolutionize the world through science. He wished to bring Luxuria and the world in general to the same technological level as Slothein, the flying city of angels.


    Despite how he acted, he was a man of great determination and big dreams. Something Nent respected very much.


    Sadly, the shy stuttering young man was no more.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Nent¡­¡±


    ¡°Hansel.¡±


    Standing in the void, two old friends who had not seen each other since seven hundred years ago finally faced each other.


    ¡°You are as beautiful as I remember. Then again, I guess that for a Phoenix, time is meaningless.¡±


    Nent stayed silent for a while, ¡°You have changed.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I guess getting executed and then crawling out of the Underworld would do that to anyone. Though, I am not the only one who changed. Isn¡¯t it the same for you?¡±


    Natural undeads were different from those created by a necromancer. They were the result of much resentment and stubbornness. The strength of will necessary to defy death itself was impressive.


    Nent could give no retort. She had indeed changed greatly over the course of those seven hundred years. The warrior who could confidently say that the world was a beautiful ce was no more.


    In its ce was a jaded and cynical woman who hurt many of the people close to her.


    But¡­She was changing once again.


    ¡°I will change again.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I saw you use your power. Changing and growing is the greatest benefit the living can have. Undead has hard time growing. After all, we are already dead.¡±


    Once the personality of an undead was set, it was basically impossible for it to change. Furthermore, since they were dead, undead did not absorb new knowledge very well.


    Growth and change were the luxuries of living.


    This was why the undead resented the living.


    The discussion between Nent and Drei, or rather, Hansel was calm andposed. Which contrasted greatly with the chaos of the battlefield.


    But never of them cared. Never of them moved. This was a decisive moment,


    ¡°It¡¯s still notte. You can still join hands with us. For a world of true freedom. For a world where everyone is really born equal. Do you not resent the goddesses? Do you not wish to break free from them? Work with us and I am sure we can bring great change to this world.¡±


    ¡°Do you truly believe that?¡±


    Nent could feel that Hansel¡¯s emotions were going out of order. ¡°For you who lived so long! You should understand, right!? The longer you live, the more you realize that the only things that truly exist in this reality are merely pain. suffering and futility.


    We are toys! Mere ythings destined to be used for the enjoyment of those above. I hate such a world. I wish to destroy such a world and with Nihil at our helm¡­We will create a new world.¡±


    ¡°So, your solution is to bring a great war once again?¡± <sub> </sub>


    ¡°War has never ceased. We are merely taking off the hypocritical veil of peace this world was hiding behind.¡±


    ¡°Hahahah.¡±


    Nent chuckled, ¡°I hate the goddesses. For them, we are nothing more than ythings born for their amusements. I hate them from the deepest part of my heart. I hate the limitations that were put in this world.¡±


    ¡°Then, Nent. Will you join us?¡±


    Nent ignored the soliciting hand of Hansel and continued, ¡°I indeed hate this world. I also want to change this world. But¡­I will not follow you.¡±


    Hansel hand froze, ¡°Then¡­Do you wish to stay a ve of the goddesses all your life?¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°I have no loyalty to them. The only ones I am loyal to are my are my own ideals.¡±


    Her golden eyes shone with splendor, ¡°I have already found my way. I already made my bet and I have no intention to go back on it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    She looked at her surroundings, the sight of war. Something so familiar that she was sick of it.


    ¡°Hansel. No, the Hansel I know died seven hundred years ago. Drei. I do not hate you. It''s nothing but our different ideals that make us stand against each other.¡±


    She looked up at him with pity, ¡°Wake up to reality. Whether the goddesses exist or not, a world of true equality cannote to be as long as free will exists. People are not born equals and duality is something that cannot be erased.¡±


    Lightning began to crackle all around her, ¡°Everywhere you look in this world, wherever there is light, there will always be shadows to be found as well. As long as there is a concept of victors, the vanquished will also exist.


    The selfish intent of wanting to preserve peace initiates war. and hatred is born in order to protect love. There are nexuses causal rtionships that cannot be separated. True freedom cannot exist. Your goal is wed from the start.¡±


    ming wings covered in lightning grew out of her back and her aura seemed to rush to the sky.


    ¡°Hansel. No, Drei, member of the Wings of Freedom. As one of the divine beasts, I shall erase you from this world.¡±


    Drei¡¯s hand lowered. Despair clouded his mind and his already wounded soul began to crack even more.


    ¡°I see. It seems like Nihil was indeed right. I have been wasting my time.¡±


    He looked up at Nent. He was currently using his true body and as such was very vulnerable right now. But Drei did not care.


    One of the obsessions that have allowed his immortal soul to keep in shape was Nent and now that obsession was broken. With his soul as broken as it was now.


    Drei knew that he did not have much long to live. This battlefield might very well be his final resting ce.


    <o>,m But Drei did not care. </o>


    He had already faced death once and was ready to do so again.


    [Zone: Requiem of Zero] [1]


    If he had to die, then he would simply bring down as many people as possible with him.


    ¡®I am sorry Nihil. It seems like I won¡¯t be able to see the world you want to create.¡¯


    This was really a shame.


    [1]: As a reminder, Nihil means Zero.


    (AN: Man, Nent is one of the characters I think had the most startling growth in my hand. I wonder what you think of her discussion with Drei? Fight-wise, I think the fight won¡¯tst more than two chapters max. Most likely it will end next chapter.


    What do you think of the war as it is currently? I did use some references from an epic speech in anime.)

 Chapter 298 CH 268:PAST AND PRESENT

    If Drei had to describe his past life, then it was crap.


    Oppressed and not needed by anyone.


    With the memory of a world he could never go back to.


    Those times were so painful that he felt like he would kill himself.


    The only sce in this hell-like ce was his sister.


    Gretel. Though she was not called like that then.


    Like him, she had a memory of another world. The two of them never asked what their past life was. They simply decided to live as they could.


    They saw the medieval world and wished to change it.


    Slowly, he began to see himself as some sort of messiah whose goal was to bring science to the world.


    Howughable and absurd.


    When the two of them finally became of age, they were sad to realize that they had in fact no talent. Their capacity points were ridiculously low.


    This wasn¡¯t surprising.


    90% of humans were born without the talent necessary to even make contact with the lowest ranked magical being.


    That was normal.


    But¡­In that world filled with war and death.


    Being powerless meant that you were destined to be used and then discarded.


    It was then that Hansel realized that he was no protagonist.


    He was nothing but a kid with the disillusion of grandeur.


    A brother who could not protect his sister.


    If everything proceeded as normal, they should have simply died in a ditch because of hunger or gotten sold as a ve or even worse.


    Gretel was beautiful after all and it was harder to hide her beauty as she grew.


    One day though, the two of them met a witch in the woods.


    It was no gentle witch.


    Simply a woman full of malice who did not hesitate to absorb the life force of men in order to grow her power.


    Once she got them, she helped Gretel be a witch in order to have some assistant help her with her experiments and she used him as a life force battery, always taking a little out of him as if he was some great source of food.


    This was her demise.


    Together, the two of them managed to take down the witch.


    They even decided to change their names.


    He could still remember her impish smile,


    ¡°Hahaha, do you know this story where two siblings meet a witch in a house made out of sweets and were nearly eaten by her?¡±


    ¡°Heh..?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is really simr to what happened to us? If so, rather than using the name those shitty parents gave us. Why not take on a new name on our own?¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­¡±


    ¡°But this isn¡¯t enough. We need a surname.¡±


    ¡°A surname? Only nobles have surnames.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe! Your big sis is a witch now! I am far nobler than a normal noble, right? Maybe?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t sure?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the small details. Well then. Since I chose our name, how about you find us a family name?¡±


    Hansel was startled, but looking at her sparkling eyes, he couldn¡¯t help but nod and thought seriously. In the end, as a science fanatic, many names came to him, but only one really stuck with him. Because of a bold theory he had.


    ¡°Darwin¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh? From the theory of evolution? Hehe. Okay, From now on, we are Darwin.¡±


    Without waiting for him to change his opinion, she nodded to herself as if pleased with the way the names sounded, ¡°Umu, this is decided. My name is Gretel Darwin. Happy to meet you, Hansel Darwin.¡±


    <o>,m Her smile. A pure smile full of joy without any malice or darkness in it. Even though they had luckily managed to survive, she showed no sign of fear. </o>


    On that day. Hansel swore that he would protect her.


    ¡­However, he failed.


    He was powerless to protect her.


    In the face of the power of the church, a weak witch like Gretel and a powerless human like him were no match.


    They were executed for sphemy against the goddesses.


    Thus ended the pitiful short life of two mortals.


    At least¡­.This was how it should have ended.


    ¡ª- <sub> </sub>


    https://youtu.be/5Yamu70Z_FI(Mozart Lacrimosa)


    As someone who was reincarnated, Drei was different from most Kings who awakened their name without really knowing the significance behind it.


    In the past, the Duke rank was known as the Legend rank, while the King rank was called Myth.


    He had long since understood a part of the reality of this world.


    "Nent, do you ever wonder what an ant must feel like when it''s put in a sandbox and lives its full life without ever knowing it wasn''t really Free?"


    Dark, heavy music began to fill the air. Meanwhile, the skeleton of Drei slowly was covered by muscle fiber then skin until what stood in front of Nent was no lich at first nce but a normal human.


    In his human form, Drei, with his ck hair and rectangr sses gave the impression of being a great schr.


    For a human to reach the king level, he needed to act in a certain way and satisfy certain conditions. The more conditions were met, the higher the chance of awakening a name.


    But what were the conditions? What path should they follow?


    For being in this world, it was impossible to know and this was why they simply acted as they pleased.


    But Drei was different.


    He wasn''t too interested in myths but as a man of modern society, there was simply too much he knew.


    When he was still alive with his sister, he really wondered what name he should get.


    Sadly he wasn''t even able to be a Duke back then.


    It was only after dying anding back to life that he broke through his limitations and it was while imprisoned in hell that he understood his path.


    His path was not one of gods nor spirits.


    He wanted to show the greatness of humans to their world that did nothing more than underestimate them.


    "Did you know? In a world with no spirit nor magic, humans obtained the power to destroy the world."


    [Zone: Requiem of Zero]


    By burning his soul now and giving up all chances of reincarnation, he could bring himself back to a true King.


    Nent immediately shuddered.


    ''Not good.''


    "FAFNIR!! INCREASE THE POWER OF THE SHIELD!"


    She used her domain and moved as fast as possible to end this while screaming to warn Fafnir. But, no matter how fast she was, it was already toote.


    Looking at the crackling hammer that was about to smash his skull, Drei showed no signs of fear.


    After all,


    <<My name is Einstein.>>


    A thousand-strong army made out of skeletons and other undead, as well as recently deceased, shone with a red light and all their power waspressed in the body of the Drei.


    All of this added to the power of a king selfbusting.


    As he thought about this, his lips stretched upward as he thought about a fitting name.


    It was the most powerful know bomb mankind created when he was still alive.


    Finally, the hammer smashed him but,


    [Tsar Bomba] [1]


    On that day, be it those on the Chaos side or Order''s, all those present on the battlefield witnessed the birth of a supernova.


    BOOM!!!


    This explosion should have been enough to wipe out more than half of the dragon army even with Fafnir''s shield.


    Drei would have without a doubt aplished his goal of dying with honor.


    Sadly for him,


    "How interesting."


    A cold voice sent shudder to his soul as the supernova died out with a whimper.


    "To think I would find one of the people who escaped from my prison here. Hahaha, this is truly funny. Don''t you think so?"


    Drei could feel his soul that should have dissipated slowly gather back and fading consciousness was once again awoken. Even the wound inflicted by Lilith was no more.


    But¡­Drei did not feel happy.


    Not even in the slightest.


    All he could feel was immeasurable dread.


    After all, in front of that man, not even death was a release.


    "Anubis¡­"


    A being even more absurd than Surtr appeared unexpectedly on the battlefield, bringing the silence of death with him.


    [1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar_Bomba


    (AN: This is the end of the Drei fight. I honestly think I could have done better. Still, poor dude, imagine thinking you will die with honor but falling in the hands of the necromancer king.)

 Chapter 299 CH 269:NECROMANCER KING

    Drei was a man who could face death with a smile and a man full of conviction in what he believed was right.


    Because of those traits, it was extremely rare for him to show fear. After all, he even had a goal to overthrow the goddess.


    Drei could say with assurance that he feared no man.


    But that thing¡­


    It scared him from the very marrow of his bones. A fear so deeply entrenched in his heart that his body couldn¡¯t help but tremble.


    In his mind, Anubis was no man but instead ¡ª a ¡°thing¡±. Something that could not be exined. Something that subverted his understanding of the world.


    Anubis was partially a charming demon, a race akin to that of a subus. Thanks to atavism, he had strongly inherited the blood of this race.


    As befitting of his race, Anubis''s physical features were outstanding to the extreme. It was even said in legend that Anubis first took a step in the world of necromancy after charming a few female ghosts.


    Few people could fight his charm that was so high that it could put some subus to shame.


    But, as a necromancer, in Drei''s vision, there was no handsome man in his sight. Only a powerful and all-epassing darkness filled with hundreds of thousands of souls.


    A darkness sorge and so cold that even the darkness of space seemed to be filled with light inparison.


    In front of such a being, calling himself a necromancer seemed soughable. Like the light of a candle trying topare itself to a sun.


    This was death.


    The true and absolute personification of death.


    Under the pressure, Drei felt as if his soul was once again being crushed.


    ¡°Oh! I nearly killed you without paying attention. I mean, hahaha, it wouldn¡¯t be fun now, would it? You will make a fun toy for my daughter once I am finished with you. She stillcks a lich.¡±


    Anubis mused a little. He wasn¡¯t called the Necromancer King just for a joke.


    Why would someone as selfish as him propagate the knowledge of necromancy in the world?


    In the same way, the Queen of Chimera had absolute control over all chimeras.


    The same way the Queen of Witches could obtain the power of all witches.


    All necromancers were but puppets under his control.


    Their lives were under his control and their armies could be his army with a simple thought.


    Chuckling, he wiped out the body of Drei with a simple wave of his hand, as if blowing away some dust and only kept the most important thing.


    His soul.


    ¡°But first, an escapee needs to be punished.¡±


    He showed a malevolent smile as he thought about what kind of torture he would use to punish this soul when he heard a little cough.


    ¡°Your taste is as bad and detestable as always.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    As if noticing her for the first time, Anubis finally turned toward Nent. The reason that he didn¡¯t notice her on his radar was simply that kings were so weak in his eyes that he had a hard time feeling their position if he didn¡¯t pay attention.


    The same way an elephant wouldn¡¯t pay attention to the ants on the ground.


    The moment he took a look at Nent, he was bewildered for a while.


    ¡°Who are you¡­?¡±


    Nent¡¯s breath hitched, ¡°Is this a joke?¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­Hum¡­Oh!!! So this is sister-inw. Sorry, sorry, it¡¯s just that thest time I saw you your soul was so filthy. Man, I wonder what happened in the time I was exploring? I almost couldn¡¯t recognize you.¡±


    Nent clenched her fists at the way Anubis so casually insulted her. But there was nothing she could do.


    They weren¡¯t even in the same weight ss.


    Furthermore, she knew that Anubis did not look at the world the same way as normal people did.


    Was it because he was so handsome himself? Anubis had no care for physical appearance, only the appearance of the Soul.


    He would never remember someone''s face.


    While Nent was discussing with Anubis, the pressure he was outwardly emitting was so great that it seemed almost crushing.


    Everyone, even Nent, felt as if there was a scythe right against their necks, ready to lop off their heads with a light swing.


    It was incredible how the presence of one man could be so crushing. But while most of the people present were bewildered, those who did recognize Anubis, knew that this was to be expected.


    Thankfully for them¡­


    ¡°Father!¡±


    The pressure waspletely lifted in a heartbeat, As if it was a lie.


    ¡°Oh, my beloved daughter!


    As if the mighty being that weighted on everyone suddenly vanished.


    All they could see was the expression of a doting father.


    Walking toward Isis and ignoring the frightened King-ranked Titans as if they were dust on the road, Anubis approached Isis and hugged her deeply. <sub> </sub>


    The expression on his face was full of love and joy. Anubis had really missed his cute little daughter.


    How long did he have to move around in the lonely void of space just in search of an illusory goal?


    The only thing that sustained him was the thought ofing back and pampering them.


    But, it was then,


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Father?¡±


    Anubis stopped and tilted his head in wonder before focusing on Isis''s soul more deeply.


    His eyes immediately narrowed when he recognized the sign of a contract in her soul and the changes that urred with it.


    His first instinct was to cut the contract. Souls were something he was extremely familiar with. Perhaps not even the goddesses had more knowledge than him in this zone.


    But¡­


    ¡®Argh¡­.So this is the pain of being a father.¡¯


    Anubis teared up inwardly but outwardly he showed no sign.


    ¡°Tell me, dear daughter of mine. Who is the lucky guy? Or is it a girl? Either way, I think we need to have a very deep discussion.¡±


    The stiff smile on his face left no illusion of what he would do.


    Now he could understand a little what Gabriel felt when he kidnapped Nephthys back then.


    Heughed at himself while gently pinching the puffed cheeks of Isis. Her face was so red because of embarrassment. But she felt no uneasiness. She was sure that he would like Sol.


    Sighing, he focused and opened a huge ck door, from which walked out a woman with a face so pale that it was clear no blood was circting in her body.


    From her body, the aura of a king was emanating, ¡°Wipe them out.¡±


    The woman tilted her head, ¡°All of them?¡±


    She was clearly asking if she should eliminate the dragons as well. But Anubis shook his head,


    ¡°Isis, I guess you are with Tiamat?¡± When Isis nodded, Anubis seemed relieved. He didn¡¯t want to kill dragons since Tiamat was one of the few Demigod divine beasts who never made things difficult for him when he was still weak.


    Though of course if Isis was an enemy of Tiamat he would have massacred all the dragons without a once of remorse.


    ¡°Very well. Then, follow my daughter and take out a part of the army.¡±


    He looked above with a grin, ¡°I have something to do.¡±


    When Anubis vanished, Isis looked at the woman in a daze.


    Necromancers controlled their undead through mental control.


    But, the higher the number of undead, the greater the burden. This was why they needed Generals under them.


    Like a pyramid. Necromancers would control their directmandant, who would control a certain number of lieutenants who would then control a group of undead themselves.


    Therger the army, the more structured it was.


    The woman in front of Isis was one of Anubis''s weakest lieutenant. Like Drei, she was a lich.


    But the level of power waspletely different.


    She bowed in front of Isis, ¡°Mydy. Your orders?¡±


    Suddenly, Isis was so thrilled she felt like she would explode inughter.


    Isis was no damsel in distress.


    But she was a spoiled princess and the new gift of her father, albeit temporarily, was an armyposed of a hundred thousand undead.


    A veritable sea of death. This was what it felt like when the undead army appeared with a simplemand from that lich.


    Until now, the force of chaos was always the craziest one on the battlefield. After all, they thrived in such an environment.


    But now, for the first time, they understood what it felt like to face an army that had no fear and did not care about pain.


    The undead of Anubis were not special undead that could regenerate themselves like Isis. But, they were an order of magnitude far more dangerous and more skilled.


    What followed wasn¡¯t a fight. It couldn¡¯t even be called a war anymore.


    It was simply and purely a one-sided massacre.


    The army of Chaos stood no chance as they were swiftly and neatly eradicated.


    The pure beings of Chaos were killed in body and soul since they could not be used.


    As for the criminals who were forced into this fight because of Drei¡¯s machination?


    They were simply considered a new addition to the undead army.


    This was how Necromancers fought.


    (AN: With this, the war at the King and Duke level ended. Now let¡¯s amp the level a little bit. What is your opinion of Anubis? I was honestly quite stressed since Anubis is the mc of Prequel, I didn¡¯t want to fuck up his first official introduction. Hope you liked the little he has shown.)

 Chapter 300 CH 270:DRAGON EMPRESS

    The primordial Dragon of Chaos.


    Tiamat.


    The only known current Divine Beast to have broken the limitations and reached the level of False God.


    As Surtr faced the woman that was so small that she looked like a small bug, he couldn¡¯t help but show a serious expression on hisva-filled face.


    Surtr was a Titan. A being born from the power of Fire and Destruction as willed by the Goddess of Chaos. He represented the personification of a Cmity. His appearance had nothing human.


    A dark rock-like skin from whichva seemed to flow made up most of his body. As if he was the very incarnation of an erupting volcano.


    Even then, Surtr knew that his chance of winning against Tiamat alone was rather small.


    ¡°Tiamat. I will ask you again, why don¡¯t you join our side? As the Dragon of Chaos, you will fit nicely in our midst.¡±


    Despite being in the void of space, his voice was rumbling.


    All Chaos Beasts had very high magic resistance and all dragons were immune to one specific element. Meanwhile, as a Chaos Dragon, Tiamat was immune to all pure magical attacks.


    Why did Tiamat have the title of Chaos Dragon?


    For some, it was simply a joke of a goddess Superbia, made because of the simrity between the passive skill of Dragons and Chaos Beasts.


    But¡­As one of the oldest beings, Surtr knew that the truth couldn¡¯t be so sinmple.


    The goddesses might be childish but even children never gave names without meaning. In fact, it was because they were children that they wished to give even more impressive and full of meaning to their toys.


    This was no coincidence.


    Tiamat was unperturbed, and she scoffed, ¡°Even though I hate them, I like the world as it is. Between two evils, I choose the lesser one.¡±


    Tiamat did not care about her origin nor did she feel any sort of shame. After all, she cared not for Order or Chaos.


    She didn¡¯t know if she was really rted to Chaos but even if she was, it wouldn¡¯t change anything for her at all.


    In her mind, Chaos and Order were simply the same. But at least, the world under Order was more pleasing to live in.


    She had no n to live in a disgusting world where she would fight eternally with no rest.


    ¡°Is that so? Then, it¡¯s a shame.¡±


    Surtr wasn¡¯t disappointed. In fact, if Tiamat really epted this, would that have disappointed him?


    Light shone and his humongous slowly began to shrink. From the gigantic body, he transformed into a warrior that was about 6 meters tall.


    It was a far cry from his previous form, but Tiamat knew that this was his most dangerous battle form.


    After all, at their level, a huge body was simply a waste of energy. Meanwhile, in a smaller form, they could condense all their strength more easily.


    In this form, the ck rock-like body of Surtr changed to a deep red, and theva that was openly coursing his body changed into pure fire. Even his hair was entirely made out of the fire. In his hand was a beautiful sword that seemed to be just out of a furnace.


    If Surtr were tond on a that wasn¡¯t under the protection of a demigod in his current appearance, then it would only take a few minutes for all the water in the atmosphere of that to evaporate and slowly change into a sea of fire.


    This was also why Tiamat had made it so the War form of Dragon King was developed. While the bodies of dragons were naturally powerful, they were also limited.


    As she thought this, the me began to gather around her body as her form slowly changed.


    Tworge curved and menacing horns appeared on either side of her head, while her clothes disintegrated and gave ce to a body nearly entirely covered in purple gold scale, leaving most of her chest and a small part of her breasts. Even her dainty small hand were covered in scales and her nail changed into wicked ws that could tear monsters apart.


    <<War form: Primordial Chaos Dragon>>


    The aura that Tiamat emitted was so dangerous that the space seemed to quake. Her will alone could slightly affect reality. In the same way, Surtr could create a world of fire andva with just a thought.


    She allied beauty and dangerousness in a perfect way, bringing both fear and awe to those who faced her.


    Surtr''s two eyes shone with golden luster as he looked at Tiamat with appreciation,


    ¡°It has been a long time since I saw this form.¡±


    Tiamat shrugged, ¡°Thest time you saw this form was when you were fleeing for your life with your tail tucked between your legs. What gave you the courage to face me now?¡±


    Surtr growled and his grip on his sword tightened. Hisst fight with Tiamat was the greatest humiliation of his life.


    Not because he lost. After all, for a warrior like him, dying on the battlefield was in fact an honor. It was an even greater honor when the opponent was someone as honorable as Tiamat.


    But, back then, the order of his goddess was clear. He had to retreat. While his pride as a warrior was terribly wounded, his pride as a soldier didn¡¯t allow him to reject the order of a superior.


    ¡°Indeed. All things said I was inferior to you back then, Dragon Empress. I am still, now. But it doesn¡¯t matter. For I am not alone.¡±


    As soon as he uttered those words, ten red portals opened all around Tiamat and people of different heights and appearances walked out of it.


    Even so, if all of them had one thing inmon, it was that¡­They were all Demigods.


    Looking at the new arrivals, Tiamat showed no change in expression, she already knew that she was about to be besieged by demigods thanks to Skuld. <sub> </sub>


    ¡°Relying on numbers?¡±


    Surtr showed no shame. He was a warrior and a soldier. If possible, he really wished to fight Tiamat one vs one and wash away his previous defeat. But the most optimal choice was to use numbers against her.


    Once all the demigods appeared, another portal opened and an angel with golden hair and crimson eyes could be seen walking out of it.


    Tiamat looked at thest demigod to arrive and chuckled once again, ¡°To think the child of Michael, the most loyal Archangel, would be a traitor. How ironical.¡±


    ¡°The most loyal Archangel? You must mean the most loyal ve, right?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    Tiamat sneered at those words. After all, it was true. Michael managed to reach the level of Demigod by using the concept of Servitude. Calling him a ve was already an understatement.


    He was the most loyal hunting dog of the goddesses.


    Nihil looked down at Tiamat, even though she was facing the strongest demigod, she showed no fear, only unrelenting will.


    ¡°Then again, there is not much difference between you and my father. You might have more free will. But the moment the goddesses decide so, they can easily take away your will and control you like the puppet you are.¡±


    Tiamat stayed silent. ¡°I have already broken free of the Chain of Heaven.¡±


    ¡°That''s what you think.¡±


    The frown of Tiamat grew deeper. She remembered something Skuld told her. Something about her hunting down Sol when he became a dangerous existence.


    Back then, she had dismissed this as she was sure that she has broken all the restrictions the goddesses had put on her body when they created her.


    She hadn¡¯t decided to train back from the beginning and discard the King''s name and Duke power the goddesses had given to her just for fun.


    But, what if it wasn¡¯t the case?


    What if¡­?


    Looking at the silent Tiamat, Nihil continued to speak.


    ¡°Tiamat, the only way to obtain true freedom is to join Chaos. Be it Ymir or the others, they care not about controlling or limiting us. The principle of the Mother Goddess is unlimited evolution. There would be no need to restrain your growth and you could even realize your dream and be a true goddess.¡±


    This was another tactic they hade out with.


    Secrets should always be revealed at the most appropriate moment.


    Beating Tiamat was extremely hard. But at their level, mana and technique were not as important as the power of their will.


    Only a powerful will could use effectively the power of the world.


    If they managed to shake Tiamat¡¯s will, even if nothing else changed, she would be much weaker than normal.


    It would be even better if she really epted


    ¡°Sigh¡­What a beautiful drama I encountered. Though¡­ That thing about controlling divine beasts is intriguing me. I hope my little wife isn¡¯t under control.¡±


    Be it Nihil or Surtr, all of their expressions changed when they heard the voice that sounded in the void before a man walked out and appeared near Tiamat.


    Nihil¡¯s face which was full of confidence a few moments ago even paled a little as she nearly took a step back.


    ¡°You are finally here.¡±


    The hesitation that was on Tiamat¡¯s face vanished like a lie.


    Nihil immediately understood that Tiamat had never been shaken by her words, she was simply stalling for time until that ursed being appeared.


    Indeed, while Tiamat was surprised by Nihil¡¯s words, she would never lose control because of this.


    But she didn¡¯t want to fight 12 demigods alone. After all, she was also keeping control of her territory currently to avoid someone sneaking into it while she was absent.


    But now that Anubis was here¡­ Tiamat grinned.


    ¡°You take half?¡±


    Anubis was stunned, before he exploded withughter, ¡°No problem, I will also take care of that fugitive on the way.¡±


    It was as if fighting 6 demigods was no big deal.


    Tiamat shrugged as she faced Surtr again who couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    Even though the current situation was two against twelve, he knew that even if they won, this would be at the cost of the life of a few demigods.


    Since all negotiations broke down, it was now time to fight to the death.


    (AN: Many shocking info in this chapter. All these are preparation for Book 3: Divine realm. Hehe. If you are interested in reading my other stories,e support me on P@treon. Link is: /HikaruGenji.)

 Chapter 301 CH 271: GATE OF TRUTH

    While Tiamat and Anubis were about to face the full might of twelve demigods, In the depth of the sea in Sol¡¯s mind, the discussion between a goddess and a mortal continued.


    "What is freedom? Freedom can only exist in a world where everyone is equal. However, not even the goddesses are equal. How can true freedom exist between mortals?"


    Sol was a little stunned by those words, but in the end, he nodded. He knew that above Ymir and the sins and virtues goddesses stood the Mother Goddesses of Order and Chaos.


    True absolute freedom could not exist as long as someone above you existed and restrained you. Not even the goddesses were genuinely free.


    If even the goddesses were not free, then what about mortals?


    Thinking about this, a ridiculous thought shed through his mind, ¡°In the end, you are just ying around with the Wings of Freedom?¡±


    Ymir smiled as if she couldn¡¯t see Sol''s attempt to buy time.


    She only had to destroy this avatar of hers, then the boy would be erased body and soul with no possibility for reincarnation.


    She could guess what Luxuria was nning and while she was sure that the poor little girl would face failure, there was nothing that was one hundred percent certain in the world.


    It was better to nip it in the bud.


    However¡­Just as she was about to end him, a small thought suddenly urred to her.


    ''Wouldn''t that be boring?''


    She had stayed so long with no way to amuse herself, perhaps¡­?


    Rather than doing as she initially nned, she decided to answer him.


    ¡ªThis was her first mistake.


    ¡°No. Lying to mere mortals is beneath me. Be it the current Nihil or her predecessors, even though they all had thoughts of freedom, each of them had a different philosophy. The current Nihil is¡­Let¡¯s say¡­more to my liking.¡±


    Sol observed Ymir as she spoke. He could not hide how bewildered he was.


    Ymir was the goddess of destruction and the creator of Titans and Giants. She was the one whose power was so high that even the 14 goddesses had to work together to seal her.


    After meeting and fighting Chaos Spawns, Sol had imagined the different personalities Ymir could have. But what he was witnessing was beyond everything he could imagine.


    As if reading his thoughts, Ymir walked toward him with a bright smile, ¡°Surprised? Did you think you would meet some kind of crazy woman? Or someone with a bloodthirsty personality?¡±


    Sheughed lightly, causing her heavy breasts to jiggle in an enticing way. She was truly a stunning woman.


    Once she reached him, she began to walk all around him as she eyed him from head to toe.


    ¡°Hum¡­What a fine specimen.¡±


    She muttered to herself, before looking up and licking her lips. ¡°When people imagine destruction, they have the tendency of thinking about the brutal aspects of destruction brought by absolute power. They aren¡¯t wrong per se. But you see. While I am able to do so. I like the subtle aspects more.¡±


    Ymirughed once again, ¡°Like right now.¡± She blew a hot breath near his ear.


    Sol shivered and looked up immediately, his eyes wide. He could see that the dark sea of his consciousness seemed to be slowly eroded by a crimson hue and was changing into a crimson sea.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who wants to buy time you know.¡±


    <o>,m ¡°You¡­!¡± </o>


    Sol immediately realized what was happening.


    Ymir hugged him and giggled, ¡°Luxuria, Luxuria, how stupid she is. Hahaha~! How could she leave a treasure like you without more protection?¡±


    She gently bit his earlobe, ¡°I changed my opinion. Killing you would be such a shame. Why don¡¯t you join me? If you do so¡­I can promise you a pleasure no mortal ever obtained.¡±


    She continued in a hot and hushed voice, ¡°Do you wonder what it would feel like to have a goddess moan under you?¡±


    Sol was ashamed to admit that for an instant, he was tempted by her words and the moment this thought shed in his mind, he could see the sea reddening further.


    That was when Sol understood what Ymir meant when she said she liked the subtle approach.


    Rather than destroying something herself, she liked seeing that thing self-destruct.


    At the same time, he gained a deeper understanding of the mentality of those goddesses.


    As he was now, Sol was nothing but a talented mortal. The goddesses did not know how powerful his dimensions could be and most of them were sure that Luxuria would fail.


    Then why was Ymir trying to entice him?


    He guessed that for her, this was nothing but a game.


    Rather than simply destroying the toy of her opponent, she wished to steal it in broad daylight.


    In fact, it would be even better if he betrayed the Order himself and joined her by his own will.


    ¡°Heh. Is this how you enticed Nihil?¡±


    Ymir was a little surprised to see that Sol could still keep his sanity.


    What she just did wasn¡¯t just speak sweet words. Even though she was sealed and couldn¡¯t corrupt his mind with just him looking at her face, her words should have been enough to bring him into the abyss of indecision.


    The more he struggled in this state, the faster his mind would be corrupted. But right now, aside from some lust, she did not feel his mind fluctuate much.


    This was absolutely impossible for a mortal.


    Something was afoot.


    Ymir ignored Sol''s question and turned to look at the partially opened gate of the Zone.


    She was immediately beyond astonished.


    ¡®How is it possible! Why did that thing appear here!?¡±


    On the gate, she could see different symbols drawn on it. As if representing an inverted tree.


    She recognized it. There was no way she could not recognize it.


    After all, this was the same symbol that was always on the clothes of the Mother Goddess of Chaos.


    ¡®The Spehirotic tree of life!¡¯


    It was the ultimate truth!


    The truth beyond all truth!


    This was not something that should be in the mind sea of a mortal.


    If that thing was already on the gate, then¡­What could be beyond it?


    As if she was possessed, Ymir took a step forward, intent on observing the sight beyond the gate. <sub> </sub>


    Later on¡­She would realize that this curiosity was her second and greatest mistake.


    ¡ª


    The moment Ymir took a step toward the gate, back in the real world, something shed in Skuld¡¯s mind and she screamed in pain.


    One had to remember that even though she wasn¡¯t a warrior, Skuld was still a King-ranked titan. The level of pain necessary to make her scream helplessly like this could be imagined.


    Her eyes began to bleed profusely as if she had seen something that should not be seen. Her mind was cracking and she felt like she was about to burst.


    ¡®It hurts! It hurts so much!¡¯


    She convulsed as the pain filled her body entirely.


    ¡°Skuld!¡±


    Verdandi was about toe to her help.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop!!¡±


    She was stopped by a hysterical Skuld.


    Verdandi shivered. She had never seen such a crazy side of Skuld. She knew that right here, right now, if she really stopped weaving the thread of fate, Skuld might attack her with the intention to kill.


    As if she was possessed, Skuld fought through the pain and elerated the weaving.


    This was it. This was the way.


    They had already managed to change the future slightly.


    Using her knowledge and understanding of Ymir, they managed to go from a future where Sol was instantly killed to a future where Sol was corrupted.


    Most people may not understand it, but Luxuria was a sort of aberration for a goddess. She could n for years and years in order to reach her goal. This was not normal.


    Goddesses were beings who moved with their whims.


    Like little spoiled children, they only saw the world as their chessboard and mortals as their pawns.


    ns? Scheme?


    Goddesses did not do that. They only yed and if the game didn¡¯t go their way, then they would simply give up. After all, losing means nothing to them.


    This was why despite their difference in power and with the help of Sheherazade''s power, they managed to induce a new future. After all, destroying or stealing a toy for a goddess was just a matter of whim.


    They would never think deeply about it.


    But this was theoretically the limit of what they could have done.


    They could shift from a future of ¡°assured death¡± to a future of ¡°corruption¡± because this still went in the normal way of thinking Ymir had.


    But there was no future where Ymir simply gave up on Sol.


    Sol could either be stolen or destroyed. There was no third option in Ymir¡¯s mind. Like a petnt child throwing a tantrum and screaming, ¡°if I can¡¯t have it, then no one will.¡±


    Skuld had already made ns about betraying Tiamat and the others if Sol was really corrupted. After all, she cared not one bit for the dragons nor even Chaos or Order. Her only loyalty was to her darling.


    The fact that she followed him to the end even when he was the enemy of Order and Chaos was proof enough.


    But¡­Just as she was about to give up¡­Something happened.


    A pivot.


    A point that could change everything and tilt the bnce.


    Feeling this, Skuld did not hesitate. Using all her power, she peered into that new branch of the future, and what she saw then, nearly broke her mind.


    ¡°Hahahah~! As expected, Darling is indeed the best!¡±


    Skuldughed out loud, despite the fact that her mouth, eyes, and ears were bleeding. She knew that she looked like an absolutely crazy woman but she couldn¡¯t care in the slightest.


    What she saw was a new future that did not exist until now or rather it was one with such a small chance of happening that she had never managed to see it until now.


    But now? Even though she only saw a glimpse of that future?


    Skuld felt like the pain that was coursing through her body was nothingpared to her current sense of euphoria.


    ¡°Sheherazade, I need you to throw this into the blood pool.¡±


    She took out the pearl Tiamat had given her.


    This was indeed the key that would change everything.


    Sheherazade was also not feeling very well. She was obviously very tired. After all, she was only a Duke.


    She had absolutely no ce in such a situation and was more the icing on a cake. Even then she gave her all and wished for the survival of Sol again and again. Not caring how much it affected her.


    Skuld was very satisfied with such devotion. After all, this was how it should be. Her darling was a supreme being in her mind.


    The jewel was a little bigger than Sheherazade, but she did not hesitate and took it before flying slowly toward the pool.


    Once she reached it, she gasped. Nearly all the skin of Sol had vanished. As if corroded by a powerful acid. She could even see some of his bones sticking out.


    It was truly a disturbing sight, but rather than disgust, it only brought tears to her eyes.


    Focusing, she threw what she was holding in the pool, wishing that it would be as effective as Skuld seemed to think it would be.


    The moment the pearl fell in¡­At first, nothing happened.


    Then¡­all the blood began to swirl around the pearl and was absorbed by it.


    In but an instant, more than half of the pool was sucked dry by the pearl and it seemed like it wasn¡¯t about to stop.


    In the end, the pearl seemed to be satisfied after it devoured nine-tenth of the blood. Then, slowly¡­It flew down to Sol¡¯s body and settled between his brow.


    It was as if Sol suddenly had a third eye. The eye of a dragon.


    ¡ª-


    At the same time, in Sol¡¯s mind, the moment the pearl, which was, in fact, the divine weapon created by Theresa from the remains of ze, settled between his eyebrow, the sea began to churn.


    When you stare at the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.


    Ymir understood the full truth of this quote the moment a giant eye opened from the other side of the gate and stared back at her.


    But it was already toote for her.

 Chapter 302 CH 272:ORIGIN

    (AN: Begin with this song while reading: /watch?v=V9_ZpqfqHFI&ab_channel=Ado )


    Gaze into the Abyss and the abyss would gaze back at you.


    This sentence was one full of meaning but for a goddess at Ymir''s level, this was something that she could ignore.


    But now, for the second time in her life, Ymir understood the meaning of the fear.


    Fear.


    Endless and primal fear.


    As if sinking helplessly in a swamp with no hope of evering out.


    ¡°Haahhh!!!!¡±


    Gazing into the humongous eye that appeared from behind the door, tears of blood streamed from her face as a horrible memory that she had intentionally sealed flowed into her mind.


    ¡°I asorry...IamsorryIamsorryIamsorryIamsorryIamsorryIamsorryIamsorryIamsorryIamsorryIamsorryIamsorryIamsorryIamsorryIamsorryIamsorry.¡±


    Like a broken record, she crouched down and hugged herself with a hollow expression and tears of blood streaming down her face. The endless apologies that streamed from her showed how shocked and traumatized she was.


    At this moment, her mind was so overwhelmed that she could barely think. But even as she continued to apologize, a small part of her mind was able to think and the more she did so the more she became scared.


    In the end, she could onlye to one conclusion and this conclusion made her feel like she would have a heart attack.


    ¡®Luxuria...what have you done!?¡¯


    She screamed in her mind but could not bring herself to look back at the door. She had already decided to dissipate this avatar of her.


    Endless regret filled her heart and mind.


    Why didn¡¯t she stick to her decision to simply kill this boy?


    Why did she have to gaze at this door despite discovering the symbol on it?


    Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?


    Ymir entered a daze, as she felt even her most basic thinking capabilities copsing.


    As a goddess, her thinking speed was something that even the greatest super calctor created by the angels could neverpare to.


    Even if it was only an avatar, her mind processed information at an insane speed.


    But now, she could feel all of this slowly leaving her. Her mind crawled until it nearly came to a halt even as the pressure and primordial fear in her vanished.


    Only silence was left.


    A heavy silence.


    As if a weight was pressing on her soul.


    From her crawling position, with her face filled with tears of blood, Ymir slowly raised her head and looked up.


    What greeted her was the sight of a blurry entirely white figure sitting close to the door while ¡®looking at her.¡¯


    *Crack*


    The moment Ymir gazed at this figure, all her deepest fears were confirmed, making her mind reach the limit.


    She felt her mind breaking. Like a broken mirror, her avatar began to show fissures.


    As divinity left her body and was sucked into the eye of the door.


    ? ¡®I need to run! I need to escape from this ce!¡¯


    Run! Run! Run!


    She had to flee as fast as possible and inform absolutely all the goddesses that he was back.


    That Luxuria was a crazy bitch who would bring doom to them all.


    That they had to break all rules and kill the boy named Sol.


    No. The goddesses weren¡¯t enough.


    Perhaps she could even try and wake up the two Mothers.


    She had tried to directly send the information to her main body but she found that the link between the two of them had beenpletely cut.


    She then tried to destroy this avatar of her in the hope of perhaps killing the boy but she was startled to see her body slowly dissipate.


    ¡°No!¡±


    She immediately understood what was happening and fear once again upied her mind when ck poured out of the door and encircled her body before slowly dragging it back toward the door.


    ¡°Nononononononono!¡±


    She wriggled, fought back, screamed, cursed, and even tried to w at the ground as she was inevitably dragged closer and closer to the gate but to no avail.


    All her struggles were simply pointless. <sub> </sub>


    Even as she felt the power she umted after so long, Ymir felt no anger, only fear,


    When she felt her body finally enter it, she could only turn toward the white figure that had stayed silent all this while and with a voice full of begging,


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    The white figure answered her with arge smile.


    The disturbing picture of arge mouth opening on a faceless white figure was disturbing enough for anyone else to have a nightmare.


    ¡°Fa¡­¡±


    *Boom*


    Her plea was cut short as shepletely vanished behind the gate while said gate closed behind her.


    Now, the only people present in this ce were Sol and the white figure.


    Then, the figure that had stayed sitting all this while slowly stood up and advanced toward Sol.


    ¡ª


    Was Sol scared?


    He was scared shitless.


    ¡®What the fuck is wrong with my soul?¡¯


    Firstly, the goddess of Destruction entered his mind like it was her own backyard.


    Now there was some super entity worthy of a horror movie that devoured said goddess like it was a light meal.


    Even though it was only an avatar. It was still a fucking goddess.


    Sol held back the desire to curse.


    The situation was not bright at all.


    Still, even now in this situation that seemingly had no hope, Sol refused to give up.


    He did not try to escape because it was useless. This was his own body. Where could he escape to?


    If he had to die then so be it. But he refused to go down without at least struggling for his life.


    It was with this mentality that he continued to observe the pitiful and disturbing scene of the Goddess getting devoured like a light meal.


    Sol had no disilusions. He would surely die if that thing decided to eat him.


    But¡­


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    The thing suddenly spoke.


    This was like a gong sounded in his skull.


    Sol opened his eyes wide with incredulity.


    ¡°H-hello¡­?¡±


    Silence filled the ce as the white figure sized Sol up and down before finally sighing and muttering under its breath.


    ¡°How interesting¡­¡±


    Sol was confused about the meaning of those words, but he was also relieved that the figure wasn¡¯t some kind of mindless monster.


    Since it could think and talk then it could be reasoned with.


    Of course, Sol knew that his situation was still very precarious.


    With some trepidation, He looked at the figure and asked.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Who am I?¡±


    The figure seemed to be a little surprised by this question and once again gave an unsettling grin.


    ¡°I am many things.¡±


    He moved his finger yfully,


    ¡°I am the Origin of all that exists.¡±


    ¡°I am the abolute Truth of this world."


    ¡°I was once called Adam."


    ¡°Now ¡ª I am you.¡±

 Chapter 303 CH 273:ORIGIN (2)

    ¡°Now ¡ª I am you.¡±


    Adam threw a bomb the moment he opened his mouth.


    For a short moment, Sol¡¯s mindpletely blew up as he repeated those words in his head. However, it didn¡¯t take long for him to calm down as he coldly analyzed the situation.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Some sort of super entity that just devoured a goddess was now saying that they were one of the same.


    Who wouldn¡¯t be shocked?


    But being shocked wouldn¡¯t change the situation. He had to obtain as much information as possible.


    ¡°Oh? I thought you would be more surprised. Then again, I like the look in your eyes.¡±


    Adam was surprised, when Sol heard this news, while he did panic for a brief instant, he immediately entered a thoughtful mode.


    It was clear that rather than entering an outburst, he was more prone to calmly analyzing an unexpected situation.


    ¡°Ahaha. Do not worry. Even though I am you, at the same time, you are not really me. The two of us may have the same source but we are two different entities.¡±


    Adam was d to see that. This meant that this one wouldn¡¯t die too fast this time.


    Who knew perhaps this time it would seed?


    Adam chortled silently.


    Unfortunately, He couldn¡¯t see the future.


    Though, he had very high expectations this time. After all, this current body was the closest to his original self.


    It was such a great fit that he couldn¡¯t help but wonder who arranged the birth of this boy.


    It was impossible for it to be an ident.


    He searched through the memory sea before understanding dawned on him.


    ¡®I see. So this is the work of that little girl.¡¯


    It was quite surprising. He honestly thought that they would all try to bury him rather than bring him back.


    ¡°If you wonder what I mean, it¡¯s exactly as you must have summarized. I am your past life, rather the first of them all.¡±


    ¡°That''s¡­not impossible.¡±


    Sol narrowed his eyes as his mind went into overdrive.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that I was reincarnated into this world.¡±


    Adam shrugged, ¡°I cannot tell you. My knowledge is limited by your current situation.¡±


    Sol continued, ¡°Then if you are the so-called Origin, are you at the same level as the 14 goddesses or the two Mother goddesses?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Mother goddesses, heh. I guess Eve really gotpletely crazy after my death.¡±


    ¡°....What do you mean?¡±


    Sol tensed. He felt like he was about to hear something extremely big.


    Adam meanwhile fell silent as a stream of memories filled his mind, in the end, he simply released a sigh.


    ¡°From Nothingness was born the Origin of the universe. Then there was Chaos and after Chaos came Order.¡±


    ¡°???¡±


    Sol was confused by what seemed like the ramblings of a madman.


    ¡°From Origin and Chaos came the Day and the Night which gave birth to Light and Darkness. From then on, Space, Time, and Matter appeared. Then Nature appeared which gave birth to the Sky, the Earth, and the Sea.¡±


    But the more Adam spoke ¡ª


    ¡°If there is Creation, then there must be Destruction. If there is Life then there must be Death. Only after Life and Death came into existence did emotions appear.¡±


    ¡ª The more Sol seemed to see a magnificent picture being drawn in front of him.


    ¡°Good breeds Evil, and Evil breeds Good. Good cannot be purely Good, and Evil cannot be purely Evil. Therefore, Good is Evil, and Evil is Good.¡±


    This was an era totally different from the current one.


    ¡°It¡¯s neither Good nor Evil, but both Evil and Good. From them came the concept of Sins and Virtues.¡±


    Sol inhaled deeply.


    ¡°You seem to have understood. I have skipped many steps, and did not bother to consider what came after the Seven sins or Virtues.¡±


    Sol understood one thing.


    It was fake. Everything about the goddesses, everything he knew about the world was fake.


    He did not doubt Adam. Even though there was absolutely no proof of what he was saying, Sol could not bring himself to doubt him.


    No wonder Ymir was so much more powerful than Luxuria and the others. After all, she represented Destruction.


    He swallowed with difficulty


    ¡°Then¡­Why¡­?¡±


    ¡°Why do only a few of the gods remain?¡±


    Adam grinned.


    Arge toothy grin stretched on his featureless face.


    ¡°I killed most of them. Of course, I would have killed them all if Eve did not stop me back then.¡±


    Adam continued, no remorse in his voice, ¡°From Nothingness came Everything. Then to Nothingness, Everything must return to.¡±


    ¡°That is the inevitable cycle of the universe. Eternity could not exist for the simple result that nothing is truly Eternal ¡ª not even the gods. If there is a Beginning. Then there must be an End.¡±


    ¡°I represent the Origin in the world. But a part of me wished for the end ¡ª so came the Twilight of the Gods. Unfortunately, I could not truly obtain the power to End everything. Thus I failed.¡± <sub> </sub>


    ¡®At least¡­That was until now.¡¯


    Adam thought in silence.


    Sol looked down as he remembered the picture that shed in his mind when he opened the gate.


    The woman had said, ¡°Adam, is it time for the Twilight of¡­?¡±


    Back then he did not hear thest part. But now everything was clear.


    Still, there was something tugging at his mind,


    ¡°Then¡­What am I?¡±


    Adam was clearly startled before he exploded inughter for a short while.


    But Sol was notughing. Not at all.


    He thought he would get answers, but now there were even more questions that were swimming in his mind.


    Furthermore, he was sure that Adam did not tell him everything.


    It was like an author writing a very important and exciting chapter, drawing an awesome picture in the mind of the readers, and just as the picture was about to bepleted, the chapter stopped abruptly.


    ¡°Well, if you want to know¡­ You are¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Adam stopped mid-sentence.


    ¡°What I am does not matter in the end.¡±


    Sol closed his eyes. He could already somehow guess. But for the first time he did not wish to hear the truth from someone else''s mouth.


    What was he?


    It did not matter.


    All that mattered was who he was.


    He was Sol Dragona Luxuria.


    The past did not matter. Only the present.


    Adam tilted his head before nodding,


    ¡°I guess that is alright. Either way, as you are now, knowing the truth will only hurt you. After all, if the goddesses were to learn everything from your mind then you would die.¡±


    ¡°If you want to know more about the truth and what happened before or during the Twilight of the Gods, then be stronger and open the gate once again. For now, though, I leave you with gifts. A temporary and a permanent one. Do as you please.¡±


    Sol looked down on himself and realized that his ¡®body¡¯ was slowly dissipating. He then remembered that this was nothing more than a mental projection of his own self and that he was still going through the transformation as a Duke.


    So many crazy things had happened one after another that he hadpletely forgotten this.


    ¡°When you wake up, you will see the world from a totally different perspective and forget everything that had happened here up until my appearance. Only when you are strong enough to shield your thoughts from the gods will those memoriese back.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Talking with you has been a pleasure. I do not know if this is thest time we will have the pleasure to discuss but I await the time you will be strong enough to once again open the gate of truth.¡±


    Those were thest words Sol heard as hepletely vanished from the bottom of his consciousness and rose up above the sea.


    Now alone, Adam walked back toward the door and gently caressed the insignia of the Tree of Knowledge drawn on it.


    ¡°What came first, the chicken or the egg?¡±


    Heughed as he asked himself a rather mundane question that had stumped many philosophers.


    Thinking back to Sol, heughed lightly.


    So young yet so full of potential.


    He really wondered what was the goal of the little girl in trying to bring him back to life.


    Then again, the little girl now was only half of the one he once knew. The same went for the others and Eve was no exception. Not even he could escape this.


    Gods, as they may call themselves, but in the face of the rules, they were helpless.


    No storysts forever.


    If there was a Beginning, there must be an End.


    The boy should have already guessed it.


    After all, from what that Titan said, he already ended this world once.


    Then, he would usher in a new beginning.


    And the cycle would go on.


    Again and again.


    At least¡­That should be the case.


    But¡­


    Since Eternity did not exist¡­


    Then why would the cycle exist eternally?


    Everything had an End.


    Absolutely everything.


    ¡ª-


    After what felt like a very long dream, Sol finally woke up, and with his awakening, the gear of Fate began to elerate.


    (AN: I am discussing with my contractors about Amazon publication. I don''t know when it will happen or if it will happens anytime soon but join me on twitter before then, I want to increase my social media Like Twit and Insta in preparation for publication. I will also post illustrations of characters and so on Insta and Twitter when I am ready. Twitter : /REDLAW20)

 Chapter 304 CH 274:NEW HORIZONS

    As if rising from a long ephemeral dream, Sol slowly opened his eyes slowly, the light of the stars entering his eyes,


    ¡°Darling!¡±


    Only to be greeted with the feeling of colliding with a literal cannonball as Skuld threw herself at him the moment he opened his eyes.


    ¡°Skuld¡­ Is that you?¡±


    Sol opened his quivering eyes and nearly gasped aloud when he felt the frail and weak girl cuddled in his arms.


    Even though Skuld had the looks of a little girl in her toddler years, as a King-ranked Titan, she was obviously far from being merely a little girl.


    Now though, looking at her gray streaks of hair and the once childish face now looking slightly wrinkled in some ces, covered in dried patches of blood, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder just what the hell had happened here.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­it''s nothing important. This is just the backsh from using my powers. It will be alright. Don''t worry.¡±


    Sol looked down at her frail form before finally gazing at his surroundings, trying to assess the situation.


    He could see Sheherazade lying t on the ground and gasping for air on one side. Her current life force seemed perilously weak, like a candle flickering under the whims of a blowing wind, ready to vanish at any given second.


    Meanwhile, Verdandi, who seemed to havee out of it better than the other three, also had apletely withered hand now hanging off her shoulder. He could see the threads between her fingers slowly dissipate and immediately understood what had transpired when he was passed out.


    Thest thing Sol remembered before fully losing consciousness was Ymir entering his mind-sea just as he was about to break through.


    From the looks of it, the only reason he came out of that ordeal alive was thanks to the sacrifice of these wonderfulpanions of his.


    Standing up with Skuld still cradled in his arms in a princess carry, Sol finally looked down at the pool that was now void of any blood inside.


    ¡°Darling¡­ How do you feel now?¡±


    Despite her current critical condition, it was clear that the most important thing for Skuld was still the well-being of Sol.


    Even if it was at the price of her own.


    In a way, Skuld was both the most selfless and selfish being he had ever met in his entire life.


    ¡°How do I feel?¡±


    Sol repeated her question absentmindedly before he finally realized all the changes his body had gone through.


    When he finally focused on himself, he was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t even speak¡­ He was simply left utterly speechless¡­


    Ever since he awakened, Sol had always wondered about certain things¡­


    For instance¡­


    What would it feel like to be a Duke?


    Of course, after a while, this interest waned for the most part. There was no helping it, actually, as he could already crush beings on the Duke level before even being close to bing one himself.


    If that were to be the case, then what use could there be in advancing to subsequent levels? At most he was simply looking forward to his growth because it could act as a boost to the mastery of his dimension.


    But now, Sol understood that his mindset had been too narrow all along.


    Or rather, he received so many boosts, stacked one after the other in a ridiculous fashion, in order to be a Duke that the final result had simply been astonishing, to say the least¡­ One could even call it mind-numbing, at least that''s what he felt.


    The world in his eyes seemed to have changedpletely. As if an illusive and intangible veil was taken away from reality, allowing him to finally see everything, and perceive every single detail for what it truly was.


    His thinking speed greatly increased to the point that he wondered if he was now equal to or perhaps greater than a supeputer.


    Even when breathing, his attunement with mana itself, and the amount of mana he could hold in one go had increased to oundish proportions, simply iparable to his previous attainments.


    Of course, all of these were, at the end of the day, just normal increases brought by a change in life order due to his increase in level.


    Feeling the truly important changes that had urred in him, a smile crept on his lips as he exhaled out loud and spoke in a tone full of jubtion.


    ¡°I have never felt better, in the entirety of my life, as I do now. It''s surreal¡­¡±


    Slowly walking up to the sprawled-out Sheherazade, he carefully lifted her up by using a hand made out of finely controlled mana, and finally reached the exhausted Verdandi.


    ¡°Thank you guys¡­for everything.¡±


    His expression was asplicated as the feelings that were brimming inside his turbulent mind. <sub> </sub>


    Skuld aside, neither Verdandi nor Sheherazade needed to suffer so much for him. He truly had no direct rtionships with them. Not in the least. Though, now that he thought about it, he could think of himself as being friends with the little fairy.


    ¡°Sol?¡±


    ¡°Now¡­You can restfortably¡­ I will take care of everything else.¡±


    He nted a gentle kiss full of love and care on Skuld''s forehead and ced her down next to the still-exhausted Verdandi.


    In the next moment, a golden me filled the ce with an incandescent and soothing light, which made the three of them moan out in pleasure as their bodies were being slowly rejuvenated.


    Sheherazade was the first to open her eyes wide into full circles. She had stayed silent until now because she really had no more strength left in her to even utter the slightest words. She was even sure that she might die soon at this rate.


    But now, all the life force she had lost in trying to fight against the almighty Fate wasing back to her as if all her weakness till now was an illusion all along.


    Even better still, since she had used her powers in order to face a literal goddess, her powers of wish seemed ready to evolve to the next stage. She could feel that, in a few days, she would be able to know her True Name and take the first step towards bing a King rank.


    ¡°Now, just sleep. When you wake up, everything will be resolved. I will put an end to everything.¡±


    Skuld fought back her looming urge to sleep and forget about everything for the desperate chance at staying awake. But, even though she was suddenly healed from all her injuries and ailments, her loss of life force still impacted her to her very soul which made it difficult for her to remain awake.


    Now that she knew that Sol was alright, her mind couldn¡¯t help but slowly drift into the realms of sleep.


    ¡°Thanks for keeping a lookout for them.¡±


    Sol turned around and was greeted by the sight of someone that he hadn¡¯t met sinceing out of Tartarus.


    Nabu.


    She was the same as she had always been. Though right now, she had one cat sitting on her shoulder.


    Sekhmet.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. We were left as a backup in case someone tried to infiltrate this ce.¡±


    Behind Nabu was a trail of myriad bodiespletely frozen and encased in blocks of ice. From their features, it could be discerned that they were mainly hybrid dragons.


    Sol wasn¡¯t surprised that there were rebels among the dragons. Tiamat was a powerful ruler who could inspire fear and respect in her people, but he doubted that she could inspire a high degree of loyalty with how distanced she was from the dragons.


    Though he was still surprised that they dared toe to the 9th level.


    More than anything, however, he was feeling a great sense of relief. If those two hadn¡¯t been here, with how weak Skuld and the rest had be, the end result wouldn¡¯t have been pretty.


    ¡°You¡­ You have be¡­ Strong¡­ Truly strong¡­¡±


    Nabu muttered while observing Sol.


    The Sol she remembered was dangerous but now¡­it felt like she was watching a deep abyss with no signs of its depths.


    Sittingzily on her shoulder, Sekhmet nodded to her words, and also to the unspoken thoughts of her mind. She really wondered just what kind of monster Sol had now be.


    ¡°Heh¡­Well. I will leave everything here to you. Please take care of them for me.¡±


    Sekhmet opened her eyes wide at Sol''s sudden remark, ¡°What do you mean? The only fight still ongoing should be the one between the demigods...Wait¡­ Don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    She gasped when she saw the lopsided smirk of confidence adorning Sol''s handsome face.


    Then, without answering anything, Sol levitated up into the air.


    ¡°Do not worry¡­ I do not know why, but as I am now¡­ Even if it¡¯s only for an extremely short while, I don''t think that I will lose to anyone, nay, I''m fully sure no one can defeat me¡­¡±


    A grey portal immediately opened above him. This was without a doubt a dimensional portal created by Sol''s powers.


    Something both Nabu and Sekhmet knew that he was unable to create until now.


    Still, they were left speechless at the ludicrous idea of a Duke mixing in the fight between the nigh-almighty Demigods.


    Just what the hell could he do there?


    They would be given the reply to that thought soon enough¡­

 Chapter 305 CH275:PLAYING AROUND (1)

    Flitting back to the battlefield that Anubis and Tiamat were upying, the fight taking ce there could only be said to be rather bitter for the demigods opposing these two monsters¡­


    Firstly it had to be noted from the start that, aside from Surtr, only two of the other demigods in their camp were Titans.


    The way beings, one born in the influence of Chaos and the other in the cradle of Order, evolved in power was fundamentally different from one another.


    In one word, the beings of Order evolved externally. By gathering the power of the very world itself to fuel and shape their own. Reaching the Duke level was the first step of this transformation and it ended by carving a territory atop the existing world and finally bing a Demigod ¡ª the undisputed sovereign of thends they carved out and brought into existence.


    The ones belonging to Chaos, on the other hand, evolved internally. They did not seek to create a world or carve out a territory that they could ovep with reality. Instead of that tedious task, they opted to make their own bodies be equal to the vast world itself.


    There were advantages and disadvantages to both ways. But this became more apparent in the Demigod stage.


    When a demigod belonging to the influence of order was brought outside of their territory, their power would be considerably lowered. The same was not the case for the side of chaos as their bodies were the fuel for their powers in the first ce.


    This was the main reason they decided to bring Tiamat outside of her territory. They knew how powerful she was inside her domain and knew for a fact that she was practically invincible there. It would''ve been extremely difficult to defeat her there and the resulting damages would''ve been far too great. To top it all off, she was also a dimensional mage.


    However, they had made a foolproof n, considering all the variables to go against her. In their original n, Nihil should have used her own dimension to stop Tiamat from bringing out the full powers of her own. Then the others would simply gang up on her and take her out with a long-winded battle of attrition. In this way, they could defeat her efficiently with the least amount of losses.


    It was a simple n but at the same time a very effective one indeed.


    It was more so since in their initial n, Surtr wasn¡¯t present, and now with him here, the n could definitely be said to be nearly perfect. It would have been even better if they had been able to draw Skryrim in, another false-god level Titan¡ª it would''ve be the perfect n. But they couldn¡¯t put all the eggs in the same basket.


    Even if they couldn¡¯t winpletely, crippling the dragon realm would have been possible, and with the destruction of the territory, Tiamat would have received a very heavy backsh. This would''ve been enough to weaken her by a great margin. It would''ve been enough to put their next ns into motion.


    With Tiamat firmly pushed out of the equation, the chances of their side, belonging to the Chaos faction, rising again from their suppressed state would have been way higher.


    Sadly, Fate had a way to mock people in the strangest of ways.


    Who would have thought that ''He'' would appear here? In this crucial moment¡­


    Anubis. The Necromancer King, sometimes also epitomized as the Demon King and so many more monikers that clearly showed that this great being was anything but a kind individual.


    They could not understand for the life of them as to why this absolute monster of a demigod hade here¡­ What they knew for a fact, however, was that the situation was now turning out to be extremely perilous for the Chaos faction. They had to move now¡­


    <<Dimensional Encroachment: Fallen Paradise>>


    <<Dimensional Encroachment: Sea of Stars>>


    Immediately, both Nihil and Tiamat fought head to head to establish control of the battlefield with their dimensions. Though, in reality, it was more of a situation where Nihil was fighting with all she had so that Tiamat didn¡¯t simply steamroll them into meat paste.


    A crimson-red paradise for the fallen, and a world filled with endless stars forming a never-ending sea shed with each other, creating a blistering spark in the void of the realms as if they were ready to annihte everything in their path.


    For a moment, Tiamat was hit with a bout of nostalgia as she remembered her fight against Lucifer. Back then, rather than a Sea, her dimension was nothing but a small river¡ª a shallow stream at best. But now it has be so iparably stronger.


    Why was a territory important for a being of order?


    A territory increased the power of the user.


    A territory lowered the power of the ones that were designated to be the intruders inside it.


    This was the most basic yet the most deadly feature of a territory.


    But it wasn¡¯t impossible for a dimension owner to do the same when their proficiency and power had crossed a certain threshold.


    ¡°You must also have inherited this power of yours from Michael, right?¡±


    Tiamatughed, disdain and mockery coloring her face and voice, but Nihil had no leisure to answer her back. After all, she was already strained just trying to stop Tiamat from imposing her rules and control on the surrounding battlefield.


    The difference in power was evident for all to see. That was just how powerful Tiamat was once she was serious. Even though she was already close to the power of a false god, she could not face the full might of the Empress of Dragons. The ruler of pride. <sub> </sub>


    No¡­ In the first ce could this even be called her full might?


    p ¡°Oh my, I am so envious of those dimensional mages.¡± </anda>


    Anubis mumbled in a teasing tone as he ruffled through the Library of his Mind Pce, ignoring the tant fact of how he stole an entire part of a full realm just for himself from the almighty goddesses themselves.


    This was his source of power or his ¡°cheat¡± as he liked to call it when he was in a jesting mood.


    When he was reincarnated in this world, he really thought he wouldn¡¯t be able tost long in this harrowing world. But thankfully he was born with a rather unique and rightfully insane power.


    The power to absorb the full memories and all of the skills of those he killed in the form of a book. Then said book would enter a Library stored in his mind pce, slowly forming a great collection of books that would be free for him to use as he wished.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t all. What really made him a monster was that he could directly impart those stored skills to his Legion¡ª his army of undead directly under him.


    Looking inwardly, at the seemingly endless Library, situated inside his Mind Pce, filled with more than a million books¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the undead demigods with me but no matter¡­ This is already more than enough¡­¡±


    Anubis grinned as he wondered how he should deal with those puny demigods. Ever since he had beaten those Divine Beasts and sealed them as a punishment for opposing, no one dared to oppose him again, much less fight him.


    So his life had been rather dull in the fight and thrill department. He was just itching for a battle.


    Now that he had finally gotten what he wanted at longst, it would be a great shame to crush them too fast. He was fully intending on receiving his fair share of fun¡­


    Anubis chuckled at that mischievous thought¡­


    Tworge grey wings of light shed behind him.


    In any other circumstance, he would have been in no mood to y around. But now, he had to meet the man who had taken away his little baby girl, so he needed to blow off some steam before the eventual meeting. Those helpless demigods were simply the perfect punching bags in this case.


    Thinking about something hrious, he summoned more than ten king-ranked undead who then rushed swiftly toward the demigods.


    ¡°What was the name again? Haha yes.¡±


    A twisted grin formed on his face as he looked at Nihil.


    ¡°Little girl, here is a little gift from me, for you guys.¡±


    The demigods were wary of these undead for they knew that the demonic Anubis wouldn¡¯t just send Canon fodder their way and sure enough¡­


    The undead began shing with an ominous light and the level of energy in them jumped to an incredible degree.


    Nihil¡¯s eyes widened when she felt a familiar fluctuation from this technique. A heart-wrenching thought filled her mind as she understood why Anubis could use this technique.


    Still, now wasn¡¯t the time to grieve for a friend lost¡­


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    [Tsar Bomba!]


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    AN: Honestly, if Anubis had a theme song I would choose this: /watch?v=3VVYRdVkon8&ab_channel=ServerArchive


    Lol, What do you guys think? Anyway, Anubis is really a cheat characters. Like I once said, in my mind, he is the main character of the prequel named Son of The Demon King. Pretty catchy, right? I will perhaps write the Prequel after SHK ends. Though for now I am studying Sci-fi in order to write such a story. Hesitating between Xianxia and Sci-Fi.

 Chapter 306 CH 276: PLAYING AROUND (2)

    [Tsar Bomba!]


    Indeed, this was Drei¡¯s technique. The same one he used in an attempt to suicide and bring down everyone before Anubis intervened. Of course, the current result was at another level altogether¡­ It couldn''t even be said to be close to the original.


    BOOM!!!


    Blinding explosions filled the void of space, of the battlefield consisting of the opposing demigods, as Tiamat watched speechlessly at the tant scene of destruction. Meanwhile, Anubis, the instigator of said destruction, began tough like a mad and deranged lunatic.


    ¡°Hahaha! I would have never thought that I would get such an interesting skill from a mere King-rank. Heh¡­ As I thought, reincarnators are really the best of the best.¡±


    Thest part of this sentence of his was mumbled in a way that only he could hear them¡­ The existence of reincarnators was a thing few needed to be aware of after all.


    Then, waving both of his hands in the air, he materialized two daggers in his palms before using his powers to make them float. Promptly, the daggers began spinning, gaining momentum at breakneck space.


    They spun and spun picking up a speed so fast they were nearly invisible to the naked eye, even to the mighty demigods.


    When the carnage of multiple explosions finally ended, except for Nihil and the Titan demigods, the other individuals were left in quite the embarrassing state. Parts of their bodies were burned in ces and the state of their clothes was better left unsaid.


    Such an attack was of course not enough to kill a mighty demigod, much less a bunch of them. Still, the explosion was powerful enough to wipe out all life on the entire continent. It was no joke to take something of this caliber head-on.


    Sadly for them, they had no time to rest and recuperate from the aftermath of the devastating st. Before they could even recover their senses, the two daggers flew at them filled with a deadly and eerie intent.


    Demigods were incredibly hard to kill.


    It wasn¡¯t just a question of power or destructive force. After living for so long, demigods had many life-saving tools and methods collected as their final cards throughout their long lives. Some could even fake their death or find a way to reincarnate into a new body and state of living.


    This was why demigods rarely fought outside of great wars. It simply wasn¡¯t worth it for them to join a battlefield. Who knew if the one you ¡°killed¡± would suddenlye back to life and give you trouble some time down the line?


    Of course, this problem never bothered Anubis¡ª king of demons.


    When he killed someone¡ª either they stayed dead for all eternity or became one of his Undead and joined his ever growing army.


    There was never a chance for a third option¡­


    Feeling the threat of the hostile daggers, the few demigods separated in all directions in order to avoid getting tantly hit by them¡­


    At the same time, Surtr who had not even registered the earlier explosion stayed still like a rock as he looked at Tiamat.


    He knew very well that currently, he was her target and that Anubis, despite all his jester-like attitude, would not attack him as a sign of respect for her.


    As such, rather than wasting time by focusing on the carnage around him, he had been focusing all of his powers on his sword.


    The Fire of Destruction. A me that could erase all life from an entire, if not controlled properly, in an instant. A power that was bestowed to him by the goddess Ymir, herself¡ª The herald of destruction¡­


    He was a natural disaster and while he didn¡¯t believe he couldpletely triumph over Tiamat, he was sure he could bring her down with him if he decided to sacrifice himself.


    ¡°I never understood how those goddesses had such loyal followers.¡±


    Tiamat, seemingly understanding the determination of Surtr, shook her head in bemusement and that sense of confusion she always felt. She was also very impressed inwardly. No matter what, loyalty was an admirable trait that was worthy of respect. While she felt no loyalty to her creator, she would not insult those who did.


    Everyone needed to ce their faith in something or someone¡ª an entity that would serve as their point of worship¡­


    In Tiamat''s case though, she was only loyal to herself and those that followed her¡­


    The goddesses, all of them, could go and die for all she cared.


    Like this, the fight between the demigodsmenced with an all-out bang.


    From the get-to-go, the side of Chaos was already somewhat suppressed by Anubis'' sole and unsurpassed might¡­


    But it was still within their limits as they could still hold on.


    Whenever one demigod was about to receive a mortal blow, Surtr and Nihil woulde to help them out of their peril¡­


    Nevertheless, it was sad to see twelve demigods struggle so much against two. But none of them felt any shame about this perilous situation of theirs¡­


    They were too busy fighting to stay alive to bother about something of the likes of shame and dignity.


    Some of them even regretteding to this ce after being bewitched by the allure of the treasures they could get from the Dragon Territory. <sub> </sub>


    But it was toote to regret now and all they could do was fight. Fight for their survival so that they could get the hell out of there, at least.


    Nihil was tense all throughout the fight as she felt how Anubis was targeting her constantly.


    At this rate, it wouldn¡¯t take long before one or two demigods were taken out ofmission or simply died, outright¡­


    But they could still hold on. Despairingly so but still hold on.


    As long as no other variable appeared.


    As long as there was no other abrupt ident.


    They could at least escape if all hope was lost in order to stay alive ande backter more prepared.


    Sadly¡­ Nihil should have realized it by now.


    The more you rely on Fate¡ª the greater the chance that Fate would betray your expectation in the most unexpected and cruelest ways possible.


    Using apse in their defense, Anubis manifested a scythe, one weapon that was rather useless inbat but was still his favorite one.


    The de of this weapon was one that could bypass all physical defense and directly target the soul.


    Anubis hadn¡¯t simply blown up those undead for fun ¡ª even if fun was still a great aspect of that action¡­


    <<Switch>>


    Anubis could exchange ces with his undead legions¡ª even if there was only some small part left of them. This was one of the way he used to travel the universe. Distance did not matter with this skill.


    Once he switched, he appeared directly behind one of the demigods that he inwardly named as ''Demigod 12'' as it was the weakest one here and the one with the least experience overall¡­


    When Anubis appeared like a god of death with his scythe held high in order to cut his head, the demigod froze in fear.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t simply his fault.


    <<Soul Shock>>


    A simple skill with little to no lethal power that could only daze people at the demigod level for a short instant.


    But, at their level, a short instant was the difference between life and death.


    ¡°No!¡±


    While Demigod 12 was dazed, Nihil was not. Bringing out the full power of her dimension in order to transfer him out of the way, she was shocked to realize that all her control over the surrounding space had been overridden.


    The result of her incapacity to act was evident for everyone on the battlefield.


    No blood sshed as the scythe simply phased through the body of the demigod. But from his diminishing aura, it was clear that he was deader than dead.


    Sadly for that demigod, even his death garnered no attention as all the people of the field turned towards the source of this incident¡­ except Anubis who was busy collecting the body of that demigod.


    Nihil felt a chill run down her back at the horrifying scene. It was only thanks to her years of experience that she managed to move out of the way fast enough as an attack passed through space.


    Though she couldn''t get away unscratched.


    Nihil''s brow furrowed as she appeared next to Surtr and looked at her right sleeve which was now bloody and empty.


    Looking back at the ce she left, she could see a young man grinning while waving the severed arm at her.


    ¡°Hey Nihil. It isn¡¯t fun when someone puts a wrench in your n, right? Payback is a bitch.¡±


    Mocking words sounded as the crimson world of Nihil was eroded by a world fully dyed in achromatic colors¡­


    <<Dimension Encroachment: Inverse World>>


    It was finally time for the greatest variable of the great war to appear on the battlefield of the demigods¡­


    (AN: ying around with Anubis was fun. The dude is seriously overpowered haha. Now, it¡¯s time for Sol to show the result of all those investments. In Vol 5, Sol could do nothing much in the grand scheme of things. But now, it¡¯s time for him to show the world what he is made of.)

 Chapter 307 CH277:STEPING ON THE BATTLEFIELD

    In the dark void of space, a tall and proud kingdom covered in a crimson hue, akin to freshly drawn blood, slowly began to crumble as a monochrome world ¡ª of ck and white with grey in between the two extremes ¡ª slowly covered and tried to rece it whole.


    <<Dimensional Encroachment: Inverse World>> [1]


    All the participants on this battlefield of epic proportion, or at least all those who were alive, stopped and gazed at the figure of the new arrival.


    *Step*


    The figure¡¯s presence¡­ slowly advancing toward them, the first thing the demigods noticed about him was how young the intruder was in age.


    This wasn¡¯t about how he looked, but the aura of time surrounding him¡ª his existence. Unlike old monsters that adopted a young form but were in reality thousands of years old, the new arrival was truly still nothing but a young cub. His appearance reflected his true age, that of a youngling.


    At any other time, they would have mocked him. How could such a young child dare to step on such an important battlefield, consisting of old monsters that challenged the lengths of time itself?


    But right here, right now, no one could utter a singleugh. The bloodied cut-off arm dangling in his hand and the vast dimensional power emanating from his very existence were proof of hispetence and qualification to stand on this battleground.


    ¡°Sol Luxuria¡­¡±


    Nihil muttered the young intruder¡¯s name, confusion, and disbelief evident in her blue eyes. She knew who Sol was. He was supposed to be Funf''s target and it seemed that he had been used as a way to target Tiamat indirectly.


    In her memory and from the information Drei gave her, Sol was a very talented young man. Even more talented than the previous king, the hero king¡ª Mars Luxuria. But even then¡­


    ¡°Why¡­?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. It wasn¡¯t just because Sol had managed to sneak attack her and cut her arm off without her even being able to do anything about it. It wasn¡¯t even because of how powerful he was currently or how he was, slowly but surely, effortlessly crushing her dimension.


    All of this, while hard to exin, was still within the realm of what she could understand. She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Luxuria herself used the body of the boy. After all, the Blessed were the perfect vessels for the goddesses to take control over.


    In fact, with the way Sol¡¯s eyes were zing golden in the color and power of divinity, she was pretty sure that Luxuria had pulled off something. This was the most logical exnation.


    The real problem was¡­


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I heal? What did you just do?¡±


    Everyone, even Tiamat and Anubis were shocked¡­ They had ignored how Nihil had lost an arm until now, but not anymore, not when they learned that she couldn¡¯t heal her arm. Even if they weren¡¯t Divine Beasts, the moment one became a demigod, they would be partial energy beings. Losing a limb or two was just a momentary inconvenience at best.


    But now Nihil was saying that Sol inflicted her a wound that could not be healed?


    ¡°Heh, are you curious? Of course, you would be. You must be pretty confused too, right? But you see¡­ the thing is¡­ Why should I tell that to you?¡±


    Solughed mischievously as he opened a portal and threw the arm there withplete nonchnce.


    Meanwhile, Anubis whistled quietly¡­


    ¡°What a nasty little kid.¡±


    He could see more than anyone else present here. After all, what he was looking at, what he could look at, was the very soul¡ª the de facto existence of a being¡­


    The moment that kid tore apart Nihil¡¯s arm, it wasn¡¯t just a mere wound on the physical level. The part of her hand that existed in her soul form, the true form of her existence that manifested on reality, was cut off along too. Essentially, her very existence had been severed and reformed in her current armless state.


    It was impossible to heal, to bring back, to reconstruct what did not exist in the first ce. Such was the gravity of the wound that Sol had inflicted on Nihil.


    And because of this, Anubis immediately understood how absolutely absurd the existence of the boy in front of him was.


    ¡®Hahaha. I need to observe a little bit more but, if it¡¯s really true then this boy is a fucking goldmine of unprecedented potential.¡¯


    Tiamat though was excited due to contrastingly different reasons than the king of the underworld.


    All of this, this war, this fight, everything that was transpiring right now, started for one simple reason¡ª Sol¡¯s awakening of his Zone.


    Feeling Tiamat''s gaze on him, Sol¡¯s lips formed a cheerful smile and nodded in her direction.


    ¡°It was a sess.¡±


    They did something unprecedented¡ª nay, they created the impossible. They had managed to create a power that should not be obtainable by someone at his level, nor any level bar the ones at the very top of existence.


    ¡°I can see it. I can see everything.¡±


    A small scar formed on Sol''s forehead. Like a wound about to be opened, it cracked and golden blood began to flow from said crack.


    It was a mixture of eeriness and absolute wonder.


    Surtr moved, seeing that.


    His warrior instincts were screaming that he had to stop him from finishing whatever he was about to do.


    He was intent on crushing Sol as fast as possible. He wasn¡¯t the only one. Nihil''s wings opened wide as she flew towards Sol too. The humiliation and pain of having her arm cut off like that was something she could not ept.


    Anubis was not surprised. Only morons would stop and watch the enemy use an ultimate technique. He was about to move too when ¡ª


    ¡°No need.¡±


    ¡ª Tiamat stopped him in his tracks.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t understand why she stopped him. Wasn¡¯t the boy rted to her? Why did she seem so nonchnt about it?


    But soon, he realized something weird¡­


    With how fast Surtr and Nihil were, reaching Sol should have been faster than a snap of a finger. Why then were they still so far from him?


    Tiamat smiled, clearing him of his doubts, ¡°His Dimensioncks a direct attack method but is incredibly nasty in its own way. At this moment, the distance separating them is basically infinite.¡±


    Anubis'' eyebrows shot up in incredulity before his lips formed a lopsided smirk, a sliver of augh escaped his mouth as he voiced his impressions, ¡°Truly nasty.¡±


    This was fun. This boy was bing more pleasing to the eye.


    ¡°Though, you do know that his current state is temporary, right?¡±


    Tiamat nodded, she was happy to see that Sol had managed to obtain a powerful Zone, even though she didn¡¯t know what it exactly was. But, this didn¡¯t change the fact that the power he was currently emanating did not belong to him.


    She suspected that the source of that divine power was the goddess Luxuria herself, but the source did not matter. What mattered was that once Sol went back to the Duke level, no matter how strong his zone or dimension were, he would get utterly crushed.


    ¡°While he can hold on, let¡¯s deal with the small fries. You can keep half of their souls.¡± <sub> </sub>


    ¡°Doing business with you is always a pleasure.¡±


    Anubis and Tiamat¡¯s gaze settled on the remaining demigods as if they were sheep waiting to be butchered.


    After all, now that Nihil and Surtr were busy, it was the ideal moment to kill as many of these puny beings as possible.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Over to the battle between Sol and the demigods¡ª Nihil was using her dimension to slowly offset the effects of Sol¡¯s own.


    This caused him to sigh inment. After all, while he was overpowering her at the moment, his skills as a dimensional mage were of course inferior to that of this woman.


    Be it Nihil or Tiamat, they were all wrong about the source of his current power.


    Sol did not know why he suddenly tapped into such arge amount of divine energy. But he was sure that it was not from Luxuria.


    But it didn¡¯t matter. For now, he could only use it to deal with the situation.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have much time left.¡¯


    However, it was more than enough to finish this battle.


    When Surtr and Nihil reached him, it was already toote for them to stop him.


    It finally opened.


    A blue jewel, that looked like a third eye appeared from between the crack on his forehead.


    In an instant, from his perspective, everything seemed to have stopped. The golden color of his eyes was reced by a rainbow hue of myriad colors.


    Time stood still as Sol finally witnessed the very Truth of this broken World.


    <<Divine Weapon: Eye of Akasha>>


    (AN: /watch?v=dxLsI5AKLpE&ab_channel=max20091Official )


    Then he realized.


    The world was really ugly.


    Threads everywhere his eyes could witness.


    Threads that connected people, things, and even the concepts holding reality together.


    The threads of the illusive Fate wereid bare for Sol to witness.


    The world was controlled by these thin threads that would probably break with the most minuscule of force. How ironic it was, that such a frail-looking aspect dictated the reality, the truth of this broken world.


    It was Fate¡ª the controller of everyone¡¯s destiny.


    The invisible threads of Fate moving the world and the people inside.


    This was the result of Theresa using ze''s core and horns as well as the jewel soaking and absorbing the blood from the Dragon Pool.


    Even then this could only be considered a miracle, at best.


    The amount of information rushing toward his brain was simply impossible to calcte.


    He could see it all.


    He could see everything, therefore, in essence, could see nothing at the same time.


    A huge amount of information was clustering in his mind.


    There was a reason why each of the sisters of Norn had a specific power. There was a limit to how much a mortal couldprehend.


    By opening this eye, Sol had officially stepped into the realm of the gods.


    He could not simply see the future, past, and present. What he could see went much further than that.


    He could see the very existence of Causality itself.


    ¡®Theresa has truly created something great.¡¯


    He wanted tough. This godmother of his was truly something else.


    Of course, this divine weapon was sorely limited in a way.


    Sol could only see. The weapon itself could process the huge amount of information partially but that was all.


    If this stopped here, then Sol would have simply been an Observer.


    However, that was not where his limitsy.


    Ever since he realized how small and helpless he was in this world, Sol always had one wish.


    To be able to control his own Fate rather than letting it be in the hands of others.


    Today, right here, right now.


    He finally realized his wish and for the first time acted upon it with the fulfillment of his zone.


    <<Zone: Deus Ex Machina>>


    He would not simply observe Fate.


    He would change it to fit his whims, shaping his own path ahead.


    [1]: Reverse world or Inverse World, which one sounds better? Pleasement about that.


    (AN: Haha, to change Fate you need to control it. This is pretty broken. But the true MVP here is Theresa. Man, the events of Volume 5 seem so long ago now. What do you think? The weapon created during the event of the War in Lustburg was finally used for the War in Dragon Realm. Hehe. I have really struggled to write this chapter. I think I could make it even more epic. I feel like there is too much ¡®Telling¡¯ and not enough ¡®Showing¡¯. What do you guys think? I will try to have more of this ¡®Showing¡¯ in the next chapter.)


    If you are reading this on a pirate site, don''t forget that I can only writefortably thanks to the continued supports of my readers. You can easily support me on WN or P@treon with just 2$ minimum. Even simply using fast pass and giving power stone would help increase my view stats and help me increasing in ranking. Thanks to all those who support me one way or another.

 Chapter 308 CH 278: L AM STRONG

    (AN: /watch?v=bHe_i98krmo&ab_channel=SamuelKimMusic )


    <<Divine Weapon: Eye of Akasha>>


    <<Zone: Deus Ex Machina>>


    <<Dimensional Encroachment: Inverse World>>


    Alone, each of those abilities was enough for one to reach the apex of the universe. Together? They gave him the power to transcend everything in existence. In his current state, Sol could say that he was at his strongest ever.


    When he finally opened the Eye of Akasha, from his perspective, everything stopped in its tracks.


    The world itself becamepletely still as if time itself became a meaningless notion. All that remained was a world filled with threads connected to each and every thing in existence. It felt as if a great puppeteer was moving strings to control reality.


    As if¡­Someone was writing a story and everyone here and the universe itself were simply characters that could do nothing but follow a fixed path¡ª chosen by the whims of the storyteller.


    Of course, he knew that this was just a misconception. His brain was simply working and perceiving everything at a speed so fast that everything became still in his eyes. Fate was not a sentient creature but simply a force of the universe.


    The world¡­was weaved by threads of different colors. This was at least how he perceived and identified the strings of fate that he was granted the opportunity of witnessing thanks to the amalgam of all his powers.


    Looking down, observing himself, he could see a great number of pink-colored threads covering him, connected to his soul. He could also see one bright golden thread, clearly representing Luxuria, and two dimmer ones, representing Castitas and Superbia, standing out among them.


    He could instinctively feel¡­that, if he willed so, he could easily sever those threads that bound him, that controlled him like everything else. Which, in a way, meant that he could erase the blessing of the Blessed People. This alone showed how scary the power he wielded was.


    ''Will I even be able to use it correctly when I go back to the Duke level?''


    He sighed in dejection, but soon gathered himself. The silver lining here was that¡­even though he couldn''t keep this power level for long, getting back to it would be a breeze. After all, once he reached the King level there will be no barrier for him towards the Demigod level thanks to him being a Dimensional Mage.


    ''My thoughts are wandering.''


    His mind was filled with so much information that staying focused was bing harder.


    ''I need to end this fast.''


    He was currently like a luxurious hybrid car burning down fuel. The fuel itself was extremely limited. But it wasn''t like he had to use it all in one go.


    He knew that he might reach the demigod level in just a few years but his enemies might and will not give him that time.


    In such a situation, having an ace in the hole would be necessary.


    ''Focus!''


    His mind once again wandered towards the future against his will.


    ''Let''s lower the output first.''


    He was slowly getting a hang of this power of his. The more he wished to see, the moreputing power he had to use. It was necessary to lower the amount of information first.


    He focused on the interior of his mind, following the image of aputer program that needed to be closed.


    Like this, one after another, different features closed down and the number of threads he could see went from nearly infinite to a barely discernible few.


    ''Let''s keep only the causality and death perception.''


    In Sol''s opinion, causality was a superior version of future sight.


    If future sight gave one the answer to a question without exining how to reach it. Then causality allowed one to understand how to reach the desired result.


    In fact, it went way above that. But there was a limit to what he could do now as he still didn¡¯t have full control over this power.


    ¡­Even then¡­


    ¡®This is more than enough.¡¯


    Sol wished to win and¡­the path towards victory was drawn in front of his eyes like the perfect blueprint.


    It was as though he was ying a game while holding the full walkthrough guide towards every possible ending.


    A maniacal grin formed as he twisted his lips in a lopsided smirk. The feeling of being almighty and all-seeing was something mortals could never understand.


    A part of him wished for nothing more than to stay in this state for all eternity. But he knew that, as he was now, this was a luxury he could not afford.


    ''First things first.''


    He moved his hand gently toward Nihil. There were also many threads of different colors entangling her.


    Red, ck, Gold, and White were the main colors. Furthermore, he could see a Purple thread connecting the two of them.


    The ck threads represented her life and death. The ck threads were so thin that it was almost imperceptible. Sol moved his hand towards that thread but could feel some resistance to it.


    It was too bad that he could not directly cause her death but he was not disappointed. After all, not even a god could kill a demigod with just a mere thought.


    ''Let''s tweak it a little.''


    He changed directions and looked at the purple thread that connected her to Anubis andughed mischievously.


    Once he was done with his adjustments, he took a look at the golden and crimson threads, realizing that those threads linked her to the goddesses. He hesitated slightly before deciding to not touch them.


    He wished to cut those red and gold threads. Only by doing so could he lower the power of destiny around her and bring her assured death without having the world intervene in the process. But doing so would immediately alert the goddesses of his power. <sub> </sub>


    He didn''t know why, but something was telling him that he shouldn''t let the damn goddesses know of this ability yet. He needed to bide his time.


    ''Well, this should be enough.''


    Once Sol was satisfied with his work, his mind finally stopped running at high speed and the world went back to its normal state before his eyes.


    ¡ª¡ª


    From the perspective of everyone else, everything happened in an instant.


    Both Nihil and Surtr were finally close to reaching Sol as Nihil had managed to offset most of the effects of Sol''s dimension.


    The two of them could already feel victory in their hands.


    But that victory was destined to nevere.


    "Argh!!"


    The <<Fallen Paradise>> ¡ª trademark dimension of Nihil''s, flickered and vanished while she held her head in pain and roared in absolute agony.


    ''Impossible. I was sure I had nearlypletely healed.''


    Her body was racked as the old wounds she sustained while imprisoned by Anubis re-opened.


    Those wounds were the reasons she had not attacked at full power when she appeared in Lustburg back then. But after so long she was basically 90% healed. How could those wounds open again in this situation?


    It was truly a coincidence that this happened just as she was about to capture Sol¡­ or was it?


    "Heh¡­"


    Surtr could feel the precarious state Nihil was currently in. While he was confused, he knew that they had to deal with the boy first.


    "Die!"


    Surtr swung his sword with all his might, intent on erasing the little monster from the face of this world. The heat of his sword was so high that Sol felt his skin sting already. Taking that attack head-on would surely bring him to near-death.


    ¡®False gods are truly no joke.¡¯


    Thankfully, he already knew what to do, a smirk formed on his face at the veryst moment when the sword was about to hit him.


    "Switch."


    To the utter astonishment of Surtr, Sol vanished from where he stood and the one to rece him¡ª was none other than Nihil.


    It was so sudden that Surtr nearly screamed in surprise and fright. His years of experience and his godlike reflex allowed him to diffuse most of the momentum and power behind his attack at the price of hurting himself, but the initial power was already too great. He did his best in trying to stop his attack but the momentum was simply too much for him to nullify.


    If Nihil had been in perfect condition then this would have been nothing¡ª Sadly for her, she was not.


    As a result, all Nihil could do was cover her body with herrge crimson wings as she bathed in the sunfire of her own ally.


    "Hello!"


    Of course, Sol was not one to miss such a good opportunity.


    Standing where Nihil previously was, Sol gave an amicable wave to Surtr. As if they were long-standing good friends passing by each other on the road. The mockery in his voice was all too evident.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t stop at simply taunting him. Emotional damage was good but Sol liked giving physical damage too. Of course, perfection was when the two were given simultaneously.


    Golden blood flowed out from his hand before transforming into a huge hammer with a one-meter-long handle. This was another ability he had obtained after fusing with the divine weapon.


    At the very least, he would never have to worry aboutcking appropriate weapons in the future.


    "Goodbye!"


    Surtr immediately focused when he felt the hammer about to hit him. While the power behind it was astonishing, it was still far from being able to hurt him in any meaningful way.


    He was ready to counter-attack and capture the boy in one go but he was startled to realize that the pressure of the iing hit had vanished.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me.¡¯


    He immediately realized what was happening.


    BOOM!


    The one who received the full brunt of Sol''s attack was none other than the defenseless Nihil whose ce was switched with Surtr.


    *Crack*


    ¡°Heh! I guess this should be a home run. What do you think, big guy?¡±


    ¡°Bastard!¡±


    The shout full of anger brought an untold amount of joy to Sol. Fighting a hard fight was surely exciting, but utterly crushing the opposition was without a doubt the best feeling ever. Few things felt better than humiliating someone who once looked down on you.


    It was sad that his current power level was only temporary otherwise he would have yed around some more. But it was time to end this shitty war, once and for all.


    (AN: I generally try to avoid long fights because with my release rate it can be pretty boring fast for readers. Still, I think I did a pretty good job here. Even though it¡¯s a little longer than usual. What do you think? I was mostly inspired by Law in One Piece and Aoi Todo in Jujutsu Kaisen. CH 279 will be thest chapter of this fight and as such thest cliff lol. Still man, I transformed Nihil into a true punching bag during this chapter.)

 Chapter 309 CH 279:LAST EFFORTS

    (AN: I am receiving so much love from you guys. Thanks for all the support. So I decided to send a bonus chapter. Also, If I receive a magic castle, I will bring even more bonus chapters. Yeah, I know, shameless behavior. But heh, gotta be shameless sometimes in life.)


    -----------


    Sol could not infuse the power of annihtion in this move, it just consumed far too much energy to be able to use it efficiently, but the power behind it was enough to throw Nihil away like a Cannonball straight out of its barrel.


    From the sounds, it was clear that she was now suffering from multiple bone fractures and most likely internal bleeding.


    "You bastard¡­!"


    mes red as Surtr shouted in a guttural roar of anger and indignation. He was a great and proud warrior who had been fighting wars for millennia. How could he ept being toyed around like this by a mere kid?


    Sadly for him, Sol had no care for his anger, nor the indignation he felt, and Surtr could only helplessly watch as his position was once again switched with the now faraway Nihil.


    He understood that Sol did not wish to deal with him and was well intent on finishing Nihil instead. While anger rapidly brewed and boiled in his heart, he couldn''t help but marvel at how insidious this dimension of Sol¡¯s was.


    As long as Sol could switch them around as he wished they would be nearly helpless to mount any counterattacks.


    The only way to fight against this would have been for Nihil to use her own dimension to bnce out the effects of Sol¡¯s, but because of her resurging wounds, she had been unable to do so until now.


    Now her state was even worse than it was when she had first escaped from Anubis.


    Sol was very clear about his current situation. He was merely a fake demigod right now. Meanwhile, Surtr was a genuine false god. At the end of the day, the amount of damage he could deal to that monster of a being was extremely limited in the pseudo-state he was now in.


    But it wasn¡¯t the same for Nihil.


    By manipting causality, he had brought up the minuscule possibility of her wounds resurging into reality.


    By using the gimmicks that his dimension allowed him to execute, he was able to stop Nihil and Surtr from properly teaming up and could even stop them from bringing up their full power in fear of hurting each other.


    ¡®Sadly, I am not strong enough to deal a finishing blow to Nihil.¡¯


    Sol immediately realized this harsh fact. It wasn¡¯t just a question of power or brute force. His reserve of divine energy was dwindling swiftly. Switching around two mighty demigods like them was no mean feat, after all, and took a lot out of him with each switch.


    ¡®If only I had two or so more days.¡¯


    If he had enough time to consolidate all his insights and understanding of his new skills, then with the power of a demigod, Sol was confident that he could bury one of those two right here and now.


    Once Surtr found himself at the edge of Sol''s dimension, his flurry of ravenous attacks immediately diminished and he tried to cool his burning mind of rage.


    Wrath could enhance his powers but falling into the tempo of the enemy was unwise.


    ¡°Very well, little dragon, or should I call you the Dragon Emperor? Haha¡­ I acknowledge you as someone worthy.¡±


    The very reason he felt that he was being humiliated was that he kept seeing Sol as a young dragon¡ª a being he deemed unworthy.


    It was important to change his cognition of the young man.


    No matter if the power of the boy was borrowed or not¡­ The one in front of him was a warrior with strength and smarts worthy of respect¡ª his respect¡­


    Surtr could feel that the fight between the demigods and the duo of Anubis and Tiamat was not going so well. They were still holding on, but they were so weak now it was practically deplorable.


    ¡®This is whying with those fake demigods was a mistake.¡¯


    He chortled. Not everyone managed to be a demigod through their own efforts and talents. Some bastards were simply lucky to inherit the decaying territory of a dead demigod. In fact, the vast majority of the demigods were in that situation.


    After all, too many demigods died during the various wars that opposed Order with the advent of Chaos.


    Still, these incorrigible trash could be used for stalling time. Sol alone was a handful. If the Dragon Empress and the Necromancer King were added to the fray then they would most definitely be buried here today.


    ¡®We cannot die.¡¯


    Nihil was Goddess Ymir''s first blessed. She was their herald. It was impossible for such a chess piece to die in such a meaningless battle as this.


    The same went for him. If he had to die, it had to be with zing glory where he, at the very least, inflicted a deep wound to the force of Order.


    All those thoughts shed in Surtr¡¯s mind as he watched Nihil finally create some semnce of a distance from Sol.


    The current Nihil was rather pitiful. Her clothes werepletely ripped apart, showing the luscious, or in this case grotesque, view of her naked body. There was not even a single bit of eroticism about that view.


    After all, she waspletely covered in blood from head to toe, with many deep wounds opened all over her body. A part of her hair was even burnt and many sections of her flesh were seared or charred because of Surtr¡¯s sun sword.


    "Hm? Neither of you two is going to attack me anymore?¡±


    Sol chuckled, raising his eyebrows, his voice transmitting clearly to the duo. As they were now, it was meaningless to switch them since they were quite far apart and not using any attacks.


    Clearly, they were wary of what he could do.


    ¡®Hum. This is quite problematic.¡¯


    Even though he was jesting and mocking them, Sol was quite happy with the current situation. His goal had never been to win. But to keep them upied.


    Right now, he felt like he was a jester, pulling up a performance for his beloved audience.


    The look of hate and fury those two were ring him with was truly heartwarming in his opinion.


    The leader of the Wings of Freedom, Nihil, had difficulty calming her emotions, unlike Surtr. Surtr was a powerful and experienced warrior used to defeat and endless suffering. In the first ce, he reached his current level by devouring hundreds of thousands of spawns of Chaos.


    Nihil also faced her fair share of hardships. But the difference in experience was simply too much. This was even more so since she was the one getting sted apart, not Surtr. This simple fact could exin the current difference in their psyches.


    ¡°You must be quite happy.¡± <sub> </sub>


    She spat those words with such intensity that Sol was surprised there was no literal power of curse in those words.


    His smile remained the same as he gave a deep bow to her.


    ¡°I am but a humble jester. Giving my all to please a less than satisfactory audience. I do hope though that my performance was able to meet your expectations, mdy.¡±


    His lips formed into an elegant smile,ughing he pointed at Surtr with a small movement of his chin, ¡°Of course, if you are not satisfied why not go for another round? I believe our friend there, hovering at the edge of my dimension behind, will be once again a willing participant.¡±


    ¡°You¡­little piece of¡­¡±


    ¡°Pardon madam. What are these uncouth wordsing from such a beautiful mouth? But please¡­ If it helps you feel better, do continue. I have heard that cursing could help lighten the burden on the heart. But madam you see¡­¡±


    All expressions vanished from his face, morphing into a look of cold indifference as he looked down at her, ¡°I am honestly quite disappointed. I had many expectations from you. Your grand ideals, whileughable and naive, managed to intrigue me. Your ns were vicious, ruthless, and insidious. I had a great opinion of you in my heart. But now that I stand at the same height as you, I realize that you are naught but a child with too much power.¡±


    Sol was indeed quite disappointed in Nihil. He had been expecting some deep mastermind who could stay calm no matter what situation or disadvantage she would be put under, but her childish rage was simply ridiculous.


    ¡®Is she really the one who made all the ns of the Wings of Freedom?¡¯


    Sol tilted his head inwardly in confusion. Now that he thought about it, how did she create the current WoF? She had been imprisoned with Drei for quite a while and when she got out, she should have not been able to move into the mortal world.


    He was tempted to see her past but doing so would be a waste of his divinity. As a demigod, Nihil''s age was in the thousands. Searching through one thousand or more years just because of curiosity was unwise.


    ¡°I have heard enough boy.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Are you finally going to attack? Not scared of hurting your princess?¡±


    Surtrughed loudly as his body slowly began to grow.


    From ten meters to a few hundred meters, then one kilometer and even more.


    The shadow of his mighty form covered everything in front of Sol¡¯s view, obscuring even the light of the stars.


    Under the pressure he emitted, Sol¡¯s dimension showed signs of cracking, unable to fully withstand the full power of a false god with his dwindling divinity.


    ¡°Now then, Dragon Emperor, I believe it¡¯s time to end this farce.¡±


    (AN: /watch?v=PA6ZAlPcovg&ab_channel=quinny366)


    Surtr¡¯s voice resounded like the crackles of almighty thunder, filling every part of the world. Sol knew that switching such a huge target was basically impossible. Still, he did not feel any semnce of fear.


    He knew that Surtr was trying to escape. In his current form, there were few things Sol could do to stop him. Messing around with a false god in his dimension was one thing.


    Stopping him from fleeing was another matter altogether. Not even Tiamat had been able to stop him from doing so back then during the war.


    This was why Sol had decided to not even stop them.


    Rather than wasting time and energy doing something so meaningless, it was better to go all out for onest attack.


    ¡°Firstly, I like the title of Dragon Emperor you gave me. Though I would like something more personal, this would have to do for now. Secondly¡­ It¡¯s indeed time to end this.¡±


    From the corner of his eyes, he could see Nihil bringing her dimension back. She was still horribly wounded, but with his dimension weakening, she had enough power to bring hers back and superimpose it.


    Now it was impossible for Sol to switch the two of them.


    mes red in the night sky as the heat of the radiating sun was brought into the world.


    <<Cruel Sun>>


    A supernova formed high above him as if a sun had seen its eclipse and the resulting explosion was ready to reduce everything into ashes.


    Now that Surtr was not limited by Sol¡¯s dimension, it was once again easy to see just how truly powerful he was.


    A being of cataclysmic proportions, able to reduce all life on a to nothing with a mere thought.


    ¡°Your might is truly worthy of respect.¡±


    Sol could see the sun constantly growing and even his dimension showing signs of breaking down. It was now only a question of seconds before it was destroyed.


    If he was here with his original powers of a mere Duke, he would have already been evaporated.


    Surtr wasn¡¯t the only one preparing a big attack.


    <<Dimensional Fissure: ck Hole>>


    ¡°Haha, how absurd.¡±


    Sol could onlyugh dumbfoundedly, a Supernova and now even a ck Hole? It seemed that he really pissed them off.


    He also realized just how ridiculous his own body was currently. After all, standing so close to a ck hole should have been impossible.


    Still, once those two attacks hit, then it would be game over for him for sure.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see if it will work or not.¡±


    Sol closed his eyes and opened his arms wide, and the two attacks finallynded on him.


    (AN: I did say that CH 279 would be thest cliff. Technically¡­I didn¡¯t lie. This is really thest cliff of this arc. Haha. Now let¡¯s see if Sol survived or if I am going to have to search for a new MC.)

 Chapter 310 CH 280: NOT EVEN DEATH CAN STOP HIM

    Space fractured, light bloomed, and heat spread all around as the two attacks shed, blinding everyone and even pulling both Tiamat and Anubis''s attention back to Sol.


    Tiamat was obviously shocked, not understanding why Sol didn¡¯t try to escape or counterattack and simply let himself get swallowed by this nightmarish attack.


    ¡®Does he want to rely on the phoenix¡¯s Nirvana?¡¯


    But that power was extremely limited. One could indeede back from the ashes with that power, but if not even ashes remained, then Nirvana could do nothing in that regard.


    The only reason Tiamat wasn¡¯t going crazy was that even though the light of Sol¡¯s star had vanished, the star itself was telling her that he was still alive. It was iprehensible to her but it was still the truth.


    Meanwhile, Anubis wasn¡¯t phased in the slightest. So what if Sol died? In the worst case, he could just revive him as an undead. In fact, since the dipshit was clearly in a rtionship with his daughter, then having him as an undead and giving him to Isis would be the best solution, in his mind, that is. At least, in this way, there was no way for Sol to hurt his daughter.


    Surtr, meanwhile, went back to his smaller form and shed a smile toward Nihil.


    ¡°Herald, the mission is a failure. Let¡¯s use this asion to retreat.¡±


    Surtr was sure that Sol was now dead. Nihil was close to a false god and even though she was terribly wounded, she was still quite powerful all the same. As for him, <<Cruel Sun>> was the strongest technique he could use in an instant, that was at his disposal.


    Only a false god could survive the explosion from the two attacks and no matter how powerful Sol was, it still wasn¡¯t close to that level.


    The thought of retreating again filled him with a feeling of sadness and humiliation but his personal pride was of no importance in the face of the big picture.


    *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*


    Nihil ignored Surtr as she stared at the raging storm of cataclysmic mana shredding time and space, creating a void of nothingness. Her breathing was rough and her vision was blurred. She was hurting all over because of all the wounds she received and thest attack she threw didn¡¯t make it easier on her either.


    She was on the verge of falling into hibernation. The damage to her body and soul was simply too extensive. All her ns for future events had to be put on hold as she would be asleep for a long time, perhaps years on end, in order to recuperate. She had lost her soldiers, a group of demigods, and her best friend in a fruitless endeavor.


    A zing feeling of rage burned her whole being, agony wrecked her sense, when she thought about how disastrous the current situation had be. She was living through the greatest failure of her entire life.


    All of this¡­ because of one man.


    ¡®Sol Dragona Luxuria.¡¯


    Never had Nihil hated a name so much. Not even Anubis elicited such a feeling of rage and hatred from her.


    ¡°Did we¡­ Did we get him?¡±


    Nihil wasn¡¯t so deep gone that she didn¡¯t know they needed to escape. But she wanted to see. She wanted to confirm.


    That he was dead. That he was erased from reality. That the brilliant me he represented was finally extinguished.


    Only then could she rest calmly.


    Sadly for her, her hopes were dashed when a peal of mockingughter exploded out from between the collision of the attacks.


    ¡°Hahaha, wondering if you got your enemy means you definitely didn¡¯t manage to get them?¡±


    Nihil felt like she was about to have a heart attack, seeing Sol¡¯s sudden appearance, all alive. If it was just that it would have still been alright.


    If Sol had been grievously wounded and was struggling on hisst breath, she could have epted it. But when she realized that he was not only alive but well, with nary a wound on his body?


    It was simply too much. Blood surged as she spat a mouthful of blood mixed with seared portions of her internal organs; she nearly fainted then and there.


    ¡°H-how¡­?¡±


    Nihil wasn¡¯t the only one shocked at seeing him alive. Surtr was positively astonished. He was sure that Sol was dead. In fact, he wasn¡¯t even able to feel any energy from Sol after the attacks had hit him. So then why was he able to stand here in front of him? All fine and dandy like that.


    Of course, while he was shocked, he was not slow at all. A red portal immediately opened behind them and he began to bring Nihil, who was now too weak to protest, with him and flee this cataclysmic scene.


    ¡°Hehe¡­I can¡¯t stop you from leaving but¡­¡±


    <<Deus Ex Machina: Rule of Three>>


    An illusory and intangible lock formed between Sol and Nihil, creating a loop between their existence and their reality itself. Surtr was unable to stop this attack and could only watch as the light dissipated with the loop of fate formed between the two sworn enemies.


    "Do you know the rule of three?"


    Sol spoke as he looked directly into Nihil¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°The first time we met, you won.¡±


    Sol was speaking about the Wing of Freedom¡¯s attack on Lustburg. If both Sol and Nihil were chess yers, then Sol lost the moment the Divine Sword, his king piece, was stolen and most of the WoF, Nihil¡¯s pieces, managed to escape from Lustburg.


    ¡°I won our second meeting.¡±


    This was rted to the attack of WoF on the Dragon Realm. Nihil failed all her big objectives and lost most of her subordinates and even received severe wounds herself. Now she could only flee like a bereaved dog.


    This was the creation of the pattern, the pattern between the two. A set of three.


    ¡°We are now Nemesis, enemies that cannot exist in one reality. No matter what the oue is, our third confrontation will be ourst¡ª that too is Fate¡­ our Fate¡­"


    Those were thest words Nihil heard as she was swallowed by the portal alongside a silently observing Surtr.


    All Surtr did was silently observe Sol, observe every aspect of him. As if wishing to memorize every corner of Sol¡¯s face. He did not utter any third-rate line of revenge. Such a thing was beneath his very existence.


    This was war. There was no right nor wrong. Only the side that triumphed and the side which was vanquished. They were the ones to be vanquished this time. And in a war, the one to be vanquished didn¡¯t have any right to say anything against the triumphing side.


    That was all. The winner takes all, even the rights of the losing side¡­ <sub> </sub>


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The moment the red portal closed, the golden glow in Sol¡¯s eyes began to dim, until he nearly passed out himself.


    He had been using a power far above what he should be physically capable of. The only reason he hadn¡¯t exploded until now was thanks to the regeneration powers of the phoenix that was constantly healing him.


    Though this didn¡¯t take away the pain he was constantly being wracked with.


    ¡®My Divine energy is nearly drained.¡¯


    The reserves were bottoming out, but Sol heaved a sigh of relief when he realized that he still had a small, extremely minuscule, amount left. He had a specific idea about where to use it and when. So he was thankful.


    ¡°You were really reckless.¡±


    Sol''s mind calmed down when he felt a soft embrace wrap around him. Mainly, his head was resting on a particrly soft and bouncy object.


    It was Tiamat, now bereft of herbat form. Feeling safe, all strength finally vanished from his body and his power level decreased at a breathtaking pace until he went back to the Duke level.


    ¡°Damn¡­ This fucking sucks.¡±


    He felt like he was suffocating. Like heavy shackles had been ced on him, robbing him of all possible movements.


    ''How weak and fragile.''


    He couldn¡¯t help but think.


    ¡°Hahaha. Going back from a top-level Demigod to a Duke must be quite the troubling sensation. I know what you are feeling right now.¡±


    Tiamat wasn¡¯t lying here. After all, she did destroy her own powers to re-cultivate back from the Duke rank in the past.


    ¡°However, this will be a valuable experience for you.¡±


    Growing to be a demigod was like passing a test with a limited number of ces, let¡¯s say the top 10. Some people studied greatly in order to seed and some people were lucky enough to get the ce of those who ¡°dropped out¡±.


    The vast majority of people simply failed.


    But it was different for Sol now. Now he had the equivalent of a cheat sheet and knew all the answers necessary to be a top scorer.


    Solughed lightly while feeling his eyes growing heavier by the moment. Now that he was back to the Duke rank, he felt like he could fall asleep at any moment.


    ¡°How is the situation with the demigods?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Without Surtr or Nihil, that Anubis fellow there can perfectly take care of them alone. Killing is the only thing he is good at anyways.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I resent that! Your words are truly hurtful!¡±


    Tiamat ignored the vehementints that Anubis was voicing out, and looked at Sol. She knew he was tired and needed rest. His body needed to limate to all the changes he went through in just one evening.


    But still¡­ There was one thing she needed to ask. Just one thing she needed to desperately know. And she needed it as soon as possible.


    ¡°How did you survive?¡±


    This, just this, she was dying to know this all this time.


    To her question, Sol leaked out a mischievous smile.


    ¡°Do you know about Schrodinger?¡±


    When the attacknded on him, Sol should have really died without a single chance of survival. But at the same time, his death was not something that could be confirmed by anyone observing him. There was always a chance of his survival in his oppositions¡¯ minds, no matter how sure they could¡¯ve been of his death.


    Because of this, he fell into a quantum state where he was neither really dead nor alive, juggling between the inverse states, and waiting for the confirmation of the spectators of his final state. In this reality, for the people observing him, there was always a 50% chance that he was dead and a 50% chance that he was alive. The probabilities of a simple coin toss.


    By affecting causality, Sol changed the 50% chance of being alive into 100%, akin to rigging a coin toss to always produce the same result, affecting reality and keeping himself alive in the process.


    <<Deus Ex Machina: Schrodinger''s Cat>>


    Looking at the now passed out and sleeping Sol, with a gentle smile of triumph on his face, Tiamat couldn¡¯t help but leak out a dumbfoundedugh¡­


    ¡°How utterly absurd!¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but wonder just what kind of monster she had created. Of course, she knew it was impossible for Sol to use most of those skills now that he had reverted back to being a Duke, but as she said, the road to bing a demigod was wide open for him. It was only a question of time before he could ess all of his monstrous potential.


    Tiamat couldn¡¯t hide the proud smile from being formed on her lips. Even though Sol was now a little monster, he was her monster. That was all that mattered in her opinion.


    ¡°Sleep well, little one. You were really incredible this time around.¡±


    Like this, the curtain fell on the event that wouldter be known as The Awakening of the Almighty Emperor¡­


    What happened on this day would be remembered as the spark that lit the fire of events that would engulf this entire universe in chaos and change the destiny of everyone involved.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: Next chapter will be EPILOGUE 2. But this is essentially the end of BOOK 2 Vol 9: The War as well as the end of BOOK 2 Itself. Damn, now I am emotional. Hope you liked it and don¡¯t hesitate to give me your opinion in thements.)


    AN: This is thest chapter of VOL 9, don''t forget to rewards me if you liked BOOK 2. Also please, could you leavements about what you liked or disliked in this Vol and in BOOK 2 Overall? That would be helpful.

 Chapter 311 EPILOGUE 2

    [???]


    Somewhere, in somece beyond, in a space filled with unsettling grey fog, a castle floated quietly in the midst of the eerie fog and the silent surroundings.


    The interior of the castle was rather deste, but at the same time imposing and magnificent.


    Directly under the towering ceiling of the immacte white castle, a golden table appeared with fifteen high-blue chairs on either side in a symmetrical arrangement. 7 on the right, 7 on the left, and 1 on the helm of the table, representing the leading seat.


    The back of each chair dazzled and shone faintly with golden light, drawing the outlines of weird constetions that differed from reality yet were somehow very much real.


    Sitting around either side of the table were fourteen women whose features were shrouded in veils of darkness.


    On the middle of the table, arge chessboard was ced and a game seemed to be ongoing for who knew how long.


    The chessboard in itself didn''t look particrly special, but if one took a cursory nce at the pieces on top of it, they would understand that it was anything but ordinary.


    On one side, 5 Kings, and 7 Queens, d fully in gold stood at different ces.


    Some of them were cracked, some were rather dim, while others shone brightly.


    On the other side, a red queen, and nine red pawns stood tall.


    No matter how one looked at it, this chessboard made no sense, but the yers did not seem to care about that.


    It was hard to say how long those women had been facing each other.


    It could have been one day or it could have been thousands of years, the notion of time had be convoluted for them far ago¡­ they were simply beyond it.


    ¡­At least this was how their meetings in this deste pce usually went.


    This time though¡­ All of them were staring fixedly at one ce, at one particr piece.


    Where once there should have been a golden pawn¡­


    Now¡­ Therey nothing.


    The ce stayed empty for a long while, enough for the beings observing this ludicrous phenomenon to wonder in astonishment and incredulity, before a new piece appeared in that ce, out of nowhere¡ª A King Piece.


    ¡°Exin¡­¡±


    It was hard to determine who had spoken, the tone reverberated from everywhere and still nowhere, but all of the beings¡¯ gazes were riveted on one person and one alone.


    Goddess of Lust, Luxuria¡­


    ¡°Sister¡­ What did you do?¡±


    Castitas asked with a worried frown, she could feel the mounting tension brimming between them and knew that this wasn¡¯t good¡­ not good at all¡­


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    One of the goddesses growled in rage at the in mockery in Luxuria¡¯s tone and question, ¡°Don¡¯t take us for Idiots! Sister, exin to us why in the nine hells did a piece vanish from the chessboard!¡±


    Luxuria shrugged and looked at Ira, the goddess of wrath, calmly as she spoke out, ¡°Firstly, how would I know more than you about the situation? Neither of us is omniscient. Secondly, the piece is still here, right? What might be the problem then? Perhaps it¡¯s simply an error in the system? After all, we aren¡¯t the one who created it, in the first ce.¡±


    Ira was left speechless at Luxuria''s calm rebuttal, this angered her further and further but she had nothing to say nor refute, leaving her particrly vexed.


    ¡°Sister¡­You know very well that this is something that has never happened before. Fate was wrecked and manipted, profoundly changed in ways that shouldn¡¯t be possible without our direct intervention, and we do not even know why. The source of all this is your Blessed, that eerie mortal. For a moment, he went past simply being a singrity. He became something akin to a yer, just like us¡­ he became¡­ a god? You owe us an exnation!¡±


    Luxuria stood up and faced the new speaker, Diligentia, the goddess of Diligence.


    ¡°My dear sisters. I repeat, I owe you nothing. The rule between us is crystal clear. No interference in our personal projects. None of us spoke when Invidia brought the one who wouldter be known as the Necromancer King. So do not bother me about Sol. He is mine to do as I please.¡±


    Invidia snorted, ¡°Indeed. But look how it ended for us. I fucked up and now we lost control over a big chunk of the Afterlife. I believe your Sol will be a greater menace to our Order. I vote that we end him. Purge his existence from reality.¡±


    ¡°I DARE YOU!¡±


    The realm shook, cracked, and shuddered, almost being destroyed right then and there, as the divine might of Luxuria crushed down on a helpless Invidia.


    Out of them all, Luxuria was the oldest and also the strongest with might far surpassing them all, maybe all of thembined. This fact was once again reminded to the trembling goddesses¡ª the fact that¡­ Luxuria reigned supreme¡­


    ¡°Calm down, sister¡­¡±


    Thankfully, Castitas¡¯ worried voice calmed the ire of Luxuria but Invidia looked with unprecedented shock at her enraged sister, ¡°You threatened me? Me, your sister? For a mere mortal?¡±


    She waspletely at a loss. So astonished that she couldn¡¯t even form coherent thoughts¡­ In their opinion, all mortals were simply a way of passing time.


    Would a yer insult his family because of an NPC?


    They could not understand her sudden violent reaction. They refused to¡­


    But Luxuria did not answer and simply vanished withst words of caution directed to her sisters¡ª


    ¡°I do not care what you decide to do, sisters of mine. But, any direct interventions from you guys will be severely punished.¡±


    ¡ªLeaving a group of confused goddesses, wondering just what in tarnation went wrong with the head of the wisest of them all.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Once Luxuria appeared in her divine kingdom, her serious expression vanished as jubtion took over, forming crescents on her immacte face¡­


    ¡®Did I seed? Was it a sess?¡¯ <sub> </sub>


    Such thoughts kept swimming in her mind.


    Luxuria did not know why she was doing this. Why she was so obsessed with bringing forth the birth of a god?


    What would even happen if Sol became a god?


    All she knew was that it was something she wanted from the bottom of her heart. As if something was driving her on to this goal and she had toplete it, no matter the cost.


    As a goddess, she should have hated such a feeling. But she could not. Would not and refused to even entertain that thought.


    Still, Sol had pulverized all of her calctions.


    His actions and powers went far beyond anything and everything she had been trying to do.


    That was why she started to worry.


    Was it a good thing?


    Would she regret it?


    Luxuria did not know and thisck of knowledge simply thrilled her to no end, a feeling that she forgot before chancing upon Sol, her beloved Blessed.


    ¡®Soon¡­¡¯


    An echo of a memory, long forgotten and removed from reality, sounded in her mind, filling her with delight.


    Indeed. Very soon, things would never be the same.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The goddesses of Order weren¡¯t the only ones shaken by what had transpired.


    Somewhere deep in the Astral Dimension, a woman that was curled up with hundred of chains surrounding her form slowly opened her eyes, confusion evident in their chaotic hue.


    ¡°What¡­ happened?"


    She had been preparing for a year, keeping a hidden hand despite the seals shackling her, and finally used it at the most opportune moment possible.


    But the result was a failure.


    If that was all, she wouldn¡¯t be upset. Failure or sess were just transient things to someone like her who was beyond all concepts.


    What she couldn¡¯t ept was something else entirely.


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t remember what happened. She remembered sending her avatar in the mind of Luxuria¡¯s Blessed.


    She remembered seeing a gate while corrupting him in the bliss of chaos, and she remembered taking a peek at whaty beyond that door.


    But that was where her memory ended.


    She could remember nothing else. She hadpletely lost connection with her avatar and the only thing she knew was that the avatar was erased.


    ¡°Sol¡­ Dragona¡­ Luxuria¡­¡±


    Ymir muttered this name while licking her lips as if savoring the name with delight. The light of curiosity shone strongly in her pupils.


    ¡°I will remember that name.¡±


    Soon, she would break free from the restraint imposed on her, and for that, she needed her herald to work harder on her behalf.


    She could feel that something had changed.


    Thews of the world itself were reshuffled and broke down to wee the beginning of something long past.


    As if something that was long forgotten was about to awaken once more.


    She idly wondered whether it was a good or bad thing for her, for everyone.


    But she realized it did not matter to her in the slightest.


    After all¡­ She thrived in chaos and destruction, and reveled in the state that was soon going to ensue in all the realms¡­


    Thus, she closed her eyes again, falling back into her slumber.


    A faint smile on her luscious red lips as she thought of the chaos that was soon to follow¡­


    And in that, she would revel, once more, in the blissful chaos that she would bring in her wake¡­


    Thus she smiled, and slept, with those thoughts in mind¡­


    Thus she smiled, for the eternity of chaos to ensue once more¡­


    VOL 9: THE WAR [Completed]


    BOOK 2: ASTRAL REALM [Completed.]

 Chapter 312 BOOK 3/VOL 10/CH 281: WAKING UP

    Today, the territory was filled with activities as everyone worked together to count the spoils of war as well as working on repairing the damages that have befallen some of the floating inds.


    After all, some of those inds had beenpletely destroyed, while others were simply made inhabitable, thereby leaving many people homeless so to speak.


    Belying the activity in the lower heavens, the 9th Heaven was as calm and serene as always. Of course, the silence was soon broken by a shout filled with anger.


    Sitting in the throne room in the 9th heaven, Tiamat could be seen speaking with two people through translucent floating screens.


    ¡°You are fucking insane!¡±


    A roar resounded from one of the screens¡ª something rare as the people who would dare to scream at the Dragon Empress were so minuscule they could be counted on one hand. Even then, most of those who dared would be enemies rather than friends.


    Thankfully, this time it was a friend.


    The one to do so of course was none other than Yggdrasil, the divine beast representing Modesty. His muscr frame could be seen clearly on the floating screen and his face was red with vehement anger.


    ¡°While I would use tamer words, I must admit that Yggdrasil is right.¡±


    On the screen next to Yggdrasil¡¯s was Gabriel, the divine beast of Chastity; worry evident in her beautiful eyes.


    ¡°Why did you not call us?¡±


    Tiamat simply shrugged at their reactions, not minding them in the least, ¡°Divine beasts can¡¯t leave their territories as they wish. What if you were ambushed on the way? Or if their n was to lure you guys away from the start and strike your territories in your absence?¡±


    Of course, there was also the fact that Ymir herself acted and the knowledge of the future that they received from Skuld. However Tiamat wasn''t stupid enough to mention those pieces of information, of course.


    It has now been a week since the attack and subsequent failure of the Wings of Freedom.


    During those few days, many things changed in the Dragon realm.


    For one, this week has been one of mourning for the lives lost in the war. After all, while the war had been going on, many dragons and other soldiers fell on the battlefield.


    This was without adding to it the body count caused by the traitors of the realm and the corpses of the traitors themselves.


    War was never kind. It knew no mercy, and demanded blood as a sacrifice from those brave enough to blow its horns. There could never be a bloodless war, that was merely an idealistic fantasy¡ªmaybe even lunacy.


    Outside of the somber happenings, there was the growing fame of Sol, resonating throughout the dragon realm.


    Dragon Emperor, they called him.


    While the fight with the demigods had been far removed from the actual battlefield. It was still visible to everyone, they could feel it with their senses.


    All of them had been able to witness the power disyed by Sol. Seeing him toy around with two powerful demigods was a sight to behold for everyone.


    Even Tiamat herself had her heart beating slightly faster at that ludicrous sight, so she could understand what the other dragons must have felt very clearly.


    Thinking of this, a small smile formed on her face as she released a chuckle.


    ¡°And you are evenughing!! Have you lost it already?¡±


    Sheughed even more at Yggdrasil''s shout full of wrath, ¡°Sorry, sorry!¡±


    She waved her hand in order to cate her old friend then finally went back to her characteristic serious expression, ¡°I am really sorry for not warning you two.¡±


    Tiamat was many things. She had eyes that stood higher than the sky, looking down on everyone with a contemptuous gaze. She was haughty and proud and could alsoe out as an unfeeling bitch to many.


    Still, she knew how to recognize friends and appreciate their worth.


    She knew that Yggdrasil and Gabriel were truly worried about her and what happened to her territory. She also knew that the anger they felt stemmed from the fact that she did not ask for their help, even though they were ready to step in anytime she needed their assistance.


    Once Tiamat made her apologies, Yggdrasil''s breath hitched slightly, fumes leaking from his nostrils even then, before he finally released a tired sigh. He knew that for someone as proud as Tiamat, bowing her head and giving apologies was already something monumental and unprecedented for most.


    ¡°Forget it. Forget it. Either way, you are alright and my daughter is also alright. So there is that.¡±


    While she didn¡¯t participate in the war itself, his daughter did help in healing the wounded, and many more dryads and creatures of his genealogy came from his territory to help out in the war.


    ¡°I would have sent my daughter too. But she vanished and I don¡¯t know where to find her.¡±


    Gabriel sighed, feeling a headache, she knew that Hathor had left the territory not long ago but she didn¡¯t know where that drunkard went.


    The atmosphere had lightened up a little bit from its previous tense state¡­


    <o>,m ¡°Now then¡­. Let¡¯s discuss what we shall do from now on?¡± </o>


    ¡°Indeed. I believe it¡¯s time to convene a meeting between us divine beasts to decide how to act on this troublesome situation.¡±


    Tiamat nodded, ¡°This promises to be interesting.¡±


    ¡°By the way¡­¡± Once Yggdrasil cut themunication and left, leaving Tiamat with Gabriel, thetter couldn¡¯t help but ask, curiosity brimming in her deep eyes, ¡°You downyed the achievement of Sol. But I am sure you are hiding something. Care to share?¡± <sub> </sub>


    ¡°I didn¡¯t downy his achievements in the slightest.¡±


    While Sol had shown overwhelming might in the war. It was what he hadn¡¯t shown, or rather one couldn''t perceive from his disy, that was clearly terrifying.


    She would never tell anyone how much control he had over Fate.


    Gabriel gave a skeptical nce but didn¡¯t insist on the matter.


    ¡°Very well. Once he wakes up, tell him toe and visit our territory before leaving. After all, he is now officially my grandson-inw. Also, tell Anubis to stay away, I don''t want him hitching a ride with Sol dearest.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! I will make sure of that, don''t worry.¡±


    Once the line went silent, and the windows all vanished, Tiamat, now alone, could finally afford to rest. Fatigue washed over her mind, body, and soul; she was truly tired in all senses of the word.


    This week had not been the easiest of days. There had been so much work to do. So many little things to take care of. So many things to fix and make functional.


    It was a wonder that she didn¡¯t scream out in frustration. Of course, she knew that the one who truly wanted to scream and might have done so already would be none other than Kiyohime.


    ¡®Truly, I have been blessed with a capable daughter.¡¯


    She would never tell them this, but she was happy to know that all her children survived the tumultuous ordeal.


    She might not show them how much she cared and she was without a doubt very biased toward those truly talented few.


    But¡­She still loved her children. All of her children.


    ¡°You can show up now.¡±


    ¡°My, my, I can truly hide nothing from you.¡±


    A man with a tall stature and an extremely handsome face opened the door and entered the throne room.


    His slick ck hair seemed to reflect the light and a mischievous light danced in his golden eyes.


    ¡°Your divinity has increased.¡±


    ¡°Heh, even though those demigods were trash, devouring their souls was truly helpful. Furthermore, with their memories. I know the coordinates of their territories. What do you think? How should we share?¡±


    ¡°Territory¡­Well, we would have to wake Sol up before even talking about sharing. I believe he should get the highest share?¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡± Anubis shrugged and began to walk around the room, looking everywhere as if he was a child filled with curiosity.


    ¡°Stop dawdling around and fess up. What do you really want?¡±


    Anubis stopped, ¡°From you? Absolutely nothing to be honest. I am just staying here because it has been some time since I spoke with my little baby daughter. Furthermore, I am waiting for that boy to wake up.¡±


    Tiamat frowned, ¡°I hope you will not try anything funny.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­We shall see. Everything will depend on his performance, in the end.¡±


    The ruler of the underworld chortled with a cryptic smile hanging on his lips. He had nothing against the young boy and his baby daughter was smart enough to know who she wanted to end up with.


    Still, it was his duty as a father to verify that the boy was alright.


    He hadn¡¯t raised his little princess just to give her to some no-good man.


    Of course, while thinking like this, Anubispletely ignored how he had literally kidnapped his own wife from the Phoenix¡¯s territory.


    Shameless people could never be beaten.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    At the same time, waking up from his week-long slumber, Sol finally opened his eyes¡ª


    ¡°An unfamiliar ceiling.¡±


    ¡ªAnd uttered the most cliche quotes in the history of cliche quotes.


    (AN: Short chapter to begin the New book. So yeah. Here we hare.)


    AN: Don''t forget to support me either on P@treon or Privilege. I really wonder when I will get my first super gift. It would be so cool. Thanks to all of you guys, I am currently #46 trending (Ovell ranking this month. I am either #1 or #2 in seasonal) and I have 2.5K+ unlock. All of this in just two months. This wouldn''t be possible without your support. My goal is to reach the top 25 haha and to reach 5K unlock. A lofty goal but I know we can do it.


    Vol 10 will be a little more calm. It will be full of cute moment and smut. A little like the earlier volumes. Hope you will stay with me guys. Have a great day.


    VOL 10: THE KING


    BOOK 3: DIVINE REALM (Tentative title) [Start]

 Chapter 313 CH 282:FATHER-IN-LAW (1)

    ¡°An unfamiliar ceiling.¡±


    Sol smiled as he looked up at the ¡°unfamiliar ceiling¡± above him. It was a sort of joke for him¡ª another way to remember vestiges of his past life that were bing hazier and hazier as time went by.


    Nowadays, he could barely remember what his old life had been like. His reminiscence was akin to watching blurred photos that signified his past.


    "Darling!"


    ¡°Ouf!¡±


    Sol was soon brought out of his musing when he felt something or rather some ¡®being¡¯ jump at him with the force of a cannonball.


    Of course, he immediately recognized who the culprit was.


    ¡°Skuld¡­¡±


    In a way, Sol wasn¡¯t really surprised that she was the first one he wouldy his eyes upon when he woke up, already predicting that oue long ago.


    He could vividly imagine her being at his side for however long he had been asleep.


    He gently patted Skuld''s head as she kept suspiciously sniffing his scent, while his eyes focused on identifying where he currently was.


    For one, he was sure that they weren¡¯t in Kiyohime¡¯s castle. The room was rather dreary with little to no decorations, but it was nheless, well-lit and organized. The room only had a huge bed as furniture, but it didn¡¯t make the room cramped as the room itself was sufficiently spacious.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t all.


    ¡®The scent of the sea.¡¯


    Looking to his right, from beyond the bedside window, Sol gazed at the sea that seemed to spread as far as the eyes could see. The sound of the waves resonated in his ears with a gentle rhythm while the unmistakable salty scent, representing the sea, drifted to his nose.


    ¡®A beach house?¡¯


    ¡°Where are we?¡±


    His throat was a bit parched, but he had no problem speaking.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    As if remembering she had something to do, Skuld looked up hurriedly and smiled at Sol before replying, ¡°We are on a resort ind belonging to Kiyohime in the lower heaven. We decided that the air of the sea would perhaps be useful to let you rx.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­¡±


    ¡°Just how long was I out and what happened during this time?¡±


    Skuld nodded as a reply and began exining the situation to Sol, filling in the void in his memories.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Once Skuld finished her exnation, she immediately left and closed the door on her wake, saying that he had to rest more to recover fully. She had already asked someone to prepare food and it would be shorty delivered.


    It was clear for anyone to see how happy she was to see that he was well.


    Now alone with only his thoughts as apaniment, he felt a slight bit of loneliness for some odd reason. At least until the food came, Sol just closed his eyes, not in order to fall asleep but to fully analyze the current condition of his body.


    ¡°Ugh. This is a mess.¡±


    His mana circuits were so fucked up, the pathways became so twisted and jumbled up, that it was honestly unsightly to look at them.


    The fight had simply been too hard on his body and Sol was sure that if he didn¡¯t have the speedy Super Regeneration ability that he got from the phoenixes he would have overloaded his mana circuits, thereby making him unable to bear the pressure and break apart from the inside.


    One couldn¡¯t mess with Fate that easily. There would always be consequences¡­


    Taking a deep breath, Sol focused even more on his inner self and when he opened his eyes, he could once again see himself sitting in his mindscape.


    A boundless extent of a blue sky above and a tranquil blue sea below his feet, both converging together in the horizon with him in the middle.


    Despite everything that happened, his mind was as calm as ever and not particrly different from its initial state with the exception being the existence of a huge ck sun hanging above in the clear blue skies.


    ¡®This should be the influence of Isis¡¯s soul.¡¯


    Sol wondered what his mind would look like when he finished filling up all his capacity. However, it seemed that thought of his would never be fulfilled.


    If his hunch was right¡­soon, things such as Capacity Points or even racial limits would be utterly meaningless to him.


    ¡®Well, this isn¡¯t why I came here though.¡¯


    *Whoosh*


    A wind seemed to blow from everywhere and the calm sea stirred as ripples appeared everywhere below. Soon, Sol began to sink into the sea until all of his body was deep under.


    His goal wasn¡¯t just to observe the surface of his mind. But to go far deeper within.


    Everyone seemed to think that he had obtained his divine power from Luxuria or Castitas or perhaps even Superbia.


    After all, those were the only goddesses he was rted to directly or indirectly.


    Only Sol knew that that wasn¡¯t the case. He didn¡¯t know why but something¡­something had happened inside him.


    Something monumental.


    Sol had always been curious. This was his true nature. He was even more curious since it was something that had to do with his own body and being.


    The deeper he sank, the harder it became for him to move. But Sol forced himself to dive further and finally, he stopped sinking.


    He was now in apletely white world, and standing before him was a gate. <sub> </sub>


    The first thing that startled him was the state of the gate, it was now closed.


    When someone became a Duke, they had to assess and understand a truth that belonged to them and them alone. The representation of that Truth showed itself in the form of a gate.


    Each gate was different, as no two people could share the same truth. But there was a thingmon among them all. Once someone became a Duke, the gate would always stay open.


    Why then was his gate closed?


    Walking closer, he took a deeper look at the gate. It was a simple gate with no markings engraved on it.


    A simple and huge ck gate.


    ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯


    Sol groaned.


    Something was definitely wrong here.


    This should not be¡­.


    Something shed in his mind and the pain vanished.


    Blinking rapidly, Sol looked around and realized that he was back in the real world.


    He had been booted out of his mindscape and the only thing he could remember was a message.


    No. It wasn¡¯t even a message but more like an intent.


    It was toe back to that ce, in front of the gate¡ª


    his truth, when he would be able to shield his own thoughts from the goddesses.


    His eyes narrowed.


    ¡®It seems like I need to visit Tiamat.¡¯


    He remembered that Tiamat could even stop the goddesses from observing her and talking to her without her permission by using her dimension.


    Now that he was a Duke¡­ The breadth of applications he could cover with his dimension was on apletely different level.


    ¡®Now though, I should rest.¡¯


    He was extremely tired.


    Mentally drained.


    Physically weakened.


    It wasn¡¯t just that. He felt so useless in his current state. He could still feel the sweet pleasure of being an all-powerful demigod.


    The electrifying and rhapsodical feeling of making Fate itself bend to his whims. The joy of toying around with two powerful demigods as if they were just kids in front of his almighty presence. The power to even escape the constraint of life and death. The power to transcend all¡­


    This was a level of power he could have never imagined wielding before. A level that could have allowed him to even face the goddesses without any fear.


    But now?


    Now he was just a puny Duke.


    The dissonance of his two states was jarring. He felt like he was crippled. His mind and body felt so slow and weak.


    It was the first time Sol truly realized how disgusting weakness could be.


    He could also understand just how huge the difference between his current self and his self empowered by Divinity was.


    He then had a clear grasp of how absurd the Other Sol who literally inverted all the timelines, in one point, back to thousands upon thousands of years was.


    This was a power that surpassed even the goddesses. After all, their full might could not stop that Sol from the other Timeline to act as he wished.


    ¡®There are many obscure points I need to discuss with Skuld.¡¯


    Sol groaned. He had just woken up and already, his head was buzzing with world-ending problems.


    It was then,


    ¡°My, my. I see that you are awake.¡±


    Sol looked up as a man with ck hair d in nothing but swimming shorts and an open shirt as well as a cocktail in his hand stepped into the room.


    He tilted his head as he forced himself to remember who the man was¡­


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    The man chuckled, ¡°I am Anubis. Some call me the Necromancer King, others call me the Demon King and some call me the Horror of the Night. I have many titles to my name. But there is only one I am really proud of. Do you know which one?¡±


    Sol gulped as he realized what the man was about to say,


    ¡°I am Isis¡¯ father. Nice to meet you, Son-inw.¡±


    The way the words ¡®son-inw¡¯ was said made Sol close his eyes and exhale deeply. It seemed that this would be quite a prickly discussion.


    ¡®Perhaps thinking about world-ending problems would have been better?¡¯


    Thus it was with those slightly bitter thoughts that the first meeting between Sol and Anubis, the Dragon Emperor and the Necromancer King, took ce¡­

 Chapter 314 CH 283:TAKE CARE OF HER

    Anubis, his father-inw.


    To say that Sol was flustered would be the understatement of the century.


    He waspletely lost.


    While it was sad, the fact was that until now, all his women were basically without any parents. All of them were orphans in one way or another.


    The only exception was Lilin and Medea. But for one, Lilith actively encouraged his rtionship; on the other, Ambrosia had a ratherid-back attitude. Furthermore, the two of them were mothers.


    In conclusion, he had never meet the parents of most of his lovers, and for those who did have parents, he had had only met his mothers inw and without having to brag, Sol knew how to deal with women and he was charming enough to smoothen some edges.


    This would be the first time he would face a father-inw.


    Sol wondered what he would feel if some young man appeared out of nowhere and had his way with his daughter without him knowing anything about it.


    What if it was a ruffian?


    What if the man was a lying scum?


    What if the bastard hurt his precious daughter?


    This would in no way be a pleasant feeling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so tense. If people saw us they would think I am trying to bully you.¡±


    Contrary to what he thought, Anubis was pretty chill.


    "So, tell me. Was it Truck-Kun?"


    ¡­.


    ¡­.


    ¡­.


    "Pardon?"


    "I am asking how you got offed. Truck-Kun? Or one of his numerous cousins?"


    Sol tilted his head in confusion for a short while before his eyes opened wide in astonishment.


    "You¡­!"


    "Hello~I am your senior."


    "How did you¡­"


    Sol was about to ask how Anubis guessed but immediately stopped.


    Anubis was one of the first mortal demigods. Meaning that he had been on the Mortal realm even before the creation of Lustburg.


    If he had observed it even a little, it wouldn''t be hard to guess that most, if not all the kings and queens were reincarnators.


    Furthermore, from what he remembered, like Isis and Camelia, Anubis could see souls.


    Camelia already once told him how his soul was different from normal people''s.


    Anubis, who had been observing Sol and his reactions nodded inwardly.


    ''At least he has good reactions.''


    He liked how Sol stayed calm despite receiving such news.


    Keeping a cool head was the only way to survive if you weren''t one of the apex predators.


    "I¡­I don''t really remember. I¡­I think I was a university student. I¡­Was I studying history? Archeologist? Mythology? Something along those lines."


    "As for how I died¡­I honestly do not remember."


    ''Hmmm¡­.''


    Anubis took a deep look at Sol before shrugging. Honestly, he didn''t care in the slightest about what kind of life Sol had beforeing here.


    It wasn¡¯t as if it was the first time he had met a Reincarnator in his long life. From what he understood, the goddesses always took turns bringing the soul of someone from earth into this world in order to have fun and observe the changes the Reincarnator would bring.


    Out of those Reincarnators, many had partially broken souls who could not remember much from their past life or simply forgot the cause of their deaths. So it was nothing surprising.


    The only one that never did so was Luxuria. At least this was the case until one thousand years ago.


    Then it was like she was coping with all the time she didn¡¯t bring a Reincarnator and began to bring one every generation.


    One would be a fool to not know that Luxuria had a n afloat. But once again, Anubis did not care.


    He had enough confidence in his power to never fear the goddesses and from what he had seen, Sol had the potential to do the same even on a muchrger scale.


    What only interested him, was the man named Sol.


    He had already judged that some twisted feeling didn¡¯t taint Sol''s soul. This was more or less enough in his opinion. Though, he had onest question.


    "What did you do for a living and how old were you?"


    It was a pretty ridiculous reason when you knew people here lived by the thousand but he simply wanted to know.


    "I ¡­"


    Sol again was left speechless.


    ¡°I said I was a university student.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t you know there is no age for studying? Even a 90 Years old granny can be up and shiny and get her diploma if she wants.¡±


    There was nothing Sol could retort to that.


    ¡°Haha¡­Well, I was just out of high school and still pretty young. That at least I remember.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­Well, I guess this is good enough. I would be pretty bummed out if you were some old creepy dude preying on my daughter."


    "Huh¡­You do know that Isis is far older than me, right?"


    Anubis shrugged, "So? I am unashamedly and unreasonably biased."


    "Hahaha¡­"


    Sol really found Anubis quite interesting. This wasn''t really the image he had when he heard titles like Necromancer King.


    "You just thought that I am not really like the rumors, right?"


    "Well¡­"


    "Did you expect some cold dude that acts like he doesn''t shit, a domineering aura and me screaming things like <<you do not deserve my daughter!>>?"


    "..." <sub> </sub>


    "I will take your silence for a yes."


    Anubis smiled, the aura around him changed slightly, bing a little more serious.


    "Even though Isis will always be my baby daughter. She is not a stupid kid."


    He shrugged, "The girl I raised is a mature woman who knows what she wants and can make her decision in life for herself. Generally she will seed and when she fails, I will be there to take care of her."


    "I won''t say cliche things like, <<if you hurt my daughter I will kill you.>> As long as you don''t die, you two will live for ten of thousands of years.


    "Anything can happen during that time so no, I won''t threaten you. You two will have your ups and downs. Perhaps this is only an episode in your long life. Perhaps she will find someone better or worse and leave you, or maybe you will leave her.


    "This is normal. This is how rtionships are. Nothing is eternal in this world. Love even less.


    "So, I will not threaten you. I will just ask you.


    "Please, don''t hurt my baby daughter.


    "Please, protect her as much as you can.


    "Please, never betray her trust in you."


    Silence befell the room as the two men looked deeply into each other''s eyes.


    Sol knew that the goofy Anubis that was joking around was not present here.


    Nor was the Necromancer King.


    Here, was a father who asked him to take care of his daughter¡ª To the point of nearly begging him.


    Nothing more, nothing less.


    ''Isis. You are truly blessed with good parents.''


    Be it Nephthys back then and now Anubis. Sol could feel the fierce love they had for Isis.


    This was perhaps the most functional family he had managed to observe in this world. And also the family with the least drama.


    How could Sol answer such a plea from a worried father?


    Words shed in his mind from crude to flowery.


    But in the end, they could not fulfill his objectives.


    "I¡­am still just a kid."


    Sol identified himself more in this current life and despite all he went through, he was still a kid with much to learn.


    "I am not perfect either."


    Perfection was a goal many strived for but none could ever reach. The most they could do wase as close as possible.


    "I have made many mistakes because of my inexperienced self."


    Little mistakes, big mistakes. They could not be counted.


    Sol was growing, learning, evolving.


    His self from before his awakening and his current self was like heaven and earth and the same would happen in the future.


    "But¡­"


    Despite all this, there was one thing he was sure of.


    Nay¡­ One thing he swore to himself.


    "I will always be there for her."


    Be it Isis or any of his loved ones. Sol would never cast them aside. Even at the price of his life.


    "How can you be so sure? What about in a thousand years? Ten thousand? Or even more?"


    "I will not falter."


    Sol had no doubts about this. After all, he knew that in order to bring everyone back to life, "He" did not hesitate to be the enemy of the world.


    Even though it took an unknown amount of time.


    Even though it was a path filled with pain, blood, and tears.


    Even then¡­"He" never stopped walking resolutely.


    Since "He" could do it. Then Sol knew that he could do the same.


    After all, from a different timeline, they may be, but they were one and the same.


    ''How beautiful.''


    Anubis gazed deeply into Sol''s soul.


    Few things shone more brightly than a soul filled with conviction. Be it good or evil.


    This was why Anubis knew.


    The boy was not lying to him.


    His conviction was firm like an immovable wall.


    Anubis did not need to worry.


    The boy would never betray Isis.


    Even if their rtionship as a lover was to end one day, the one as a partner would stay.


    "Then I leave my daughter to you. Take care of her."


    Still, nothing was eternal in this world.


    As such he would simply watch.


    Would this conviction be tainted in the future?


    Or would it continue to shine as brightly or even more?


    "I will."


    This was something only the future could tell.


    (AN: Well. First discussion between Sol and Anubis. There will be more but I hope you liked it.)

 Chapter 315 CH 284:PARENTS AND CHILDREN

    When Anubis came out of the house, one could see that the house in question was a small cottage house with a few trees around on a rtively small ind.


    It was a beautiful house perfect for rxation thanks to the open air and the calming sound of the waves.


    Not far from the ind was the White Pearl, Kiyohime¡¯s gship. Anubis could see a few dragons flying around and serving as guards, showing just how much importance was put on Sol.


    Of course, rather than this flimsy security, what made Anubis smile was the heavy gaze he could feel on him.


    That gaze had somewhat retreated when he began discussing with Sol but it was always there, lurking.


    ¡®Tiamat really likes the boy. Though I also kinda like him now.¡¯


    His discussion with Sol had been far more pleasant than he thought it would ever be. If the boy had been indecisive or swollen with pride then Anubis would have given him a good punch, Tiamat¡¯s opinion be damned, and would have severed the contract he had with Isis.


    He was a father and he believed in his daughter; As such would never meddle with her love rtionship. But he would not let her joke around with her life.


    If after severing the contract she decided to stay with him then he wouldn¡¯t have intervened further.


    Thankfully, this hypothetical situation did note to pass. Sol was a good boy that would not let his daughter down, be it as a partner or a lover.


    ¡®Sigh. Now I would have really liked to have a smoke.¡¯


    It was bittersweet to see his daughter growing up and creating her own family. This was a feeling most parents had to go through one day. Watching the little chick leaving the nest was always sad.


    ¡°The stars in this realm are really beautiful. Perhaps I should change my territory a little to have more such wondrous sights? What do you think?¡±


    The light of the stars shone with a soothing light on the beach, giving a somewhat mystifying impression. As if one was stepping on a fairy tale.


    A ck-haired girl walked out of the shadow with an impish smile, ¡°I believe the dead have other problems than spectating the sights in the underworld.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Indeed.¡±


    Anubisughed and began to walk on the beach, Isis falling in step beside him with her hand behind her back.


    The two were silent. But it was not an awkward silence. Rather it was one where the two were savoring each other''s presence.


    Anubis knew that despite doing his best, he was not really the best father around nor even the best husband. Mainly because of how absent he was.


    Being like this with his daughter was one of the few moments of true peace he could feel and he was thankful for all those little moments.


    ¡°So you heard everything.¡±


    Of course, they could not stay silent forever. As such Anubis opened the discussion.


    ¡°I did not mean to eavesdrop.¡±


    Isis blushed a little.


    ¡°Oh. Don¡¯t worry, I totally meant to let you listen to it.¡±


    Anubis chuckled, when Isis approached he shielded her presence so that Sol would not be able to perceive her.


    ¡°Whatever he said, you are the one who needs to hear those words the most. I must say, the boy is quite passionate. Hah, no wonder you fell so easily for him.¡±


    ¡°Father!¡±


    ¡°Heh, I miss the day when you called me daddy. *Sniff* My little daughter is really a grown-up now.¡±


    Isis could only facepalm as her father continued to tease her. But inwardly, she was full of excitement.


    After all, she had been worried about how Anubis would take her rtionship with Sol. She was d that he approved.


    ¡°By the way¡­¡±


    Isis looked up and saw a mischievous glint in Anubi''s eyes, giving her the chills,


    ¡°I remember back then you asked me quite the embarrassing question.¡±


    The sensation of dread continued to grow.


    ¡°What was the question again, hmm?¡± He tilted his head before nodding as if finally remembering, It was something along the line of, <<¡°How are babies made?¡±>> right?¡± [1]


    Anubis smirked, ¡°Now you must have the answer. So I wonder. When will I be able to hold my grandchildren?¡±


    If before Isis was a little red, now she was positively scarlet and couldn¡¯t help but hide her face behind her hands.


    Anubis meanwhile exploded out inughter while jumping back to dodge a fireball Isis threw at him. He couldn¡¯t forget how embarrassed he had been back then when his little daughter had asked him this.


    Sadly for Isis, Anubis was a very petty man. who would stop at nothing to take his revenge.


    Like this, father and daughter run on the beach, oneughing like mad and the other fully intent onmitting murder.


    Anyone witnessing this sight would be astounded beyond belief if they were told that the two were the most powerful Necromancer in existence.


    After all, the word joy was rarely associated with Necromancer.


    But Anubis was different.


    Because he understood death more than anyone, he loved life all the much more and taught this way of living to his daughter.


    Life was beautiful.


    Even though this world was rotten, dirty, and ugly. <sub> </sub>


    Life was still beautiful.


    As such, one should enjoy life as much as possible.


    Pain and suffering were inevitable.


    Loss and regret were a given.


    But as long as one never gave up and continued to trudge on the road that was life, one would surely find a form of happiness and if they failed to find happiness in life¡ªThey would do so in death.


    Thus was the way of Anubis.


    ¡ª-


    [Phoenix Realm]


    While the soothing light of the stars was bathing the Dragon realm, the zing light of the suns was still shining on the beautiful sea of sand that was the Phoenix Realm.


    Sitting in her throne room, Gabriel was looking down at her daughter that was working on the betterment of the realm.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask me?¡±


    In the end, Gabriel couldn¡¯t help but speak, to which Nephthys scoffed.


    ¡°You think this is the Dragon realm? We barely make enough Vira with what we get. Opening a gate from here directly to the Dragon realm would put us in the red.¡±


    Gabriel winced. Vira, or Faith coins, were produced from faith and prayer.


    Half of Tiamat¡¯s realm was filled with different facilities used to make people happy and produce more coins. Because of this, she had a very high poption which in turn brought more profit.


    Meanwhile, her realm was one that was more likened to hell than anything else. This was why a great part of her ie came from Bandits and the like.


    Since Nephthys was the one who actually had to deal with all the money, it was normal for her to not wish to spend on useless things.


    The reason for this discussion was the presence of Anubis.


    Anubis was an elusive man who spent most of his time exploring the universe. So the time he could spend with his daughter and wife was quite small.


    ¡°But don¡¯t you want to meet him?¡±


    Nephthys bit her lips. Of course, she wanted to meet her husband. But the words that came out of her mouth were the perfect opposite of how she felt.


    ¡°Humph! I don¡¯t care about that heartless man. If he wants to see me, he wille here.¡±


    Gabriel could onlyugh nkly, after all, she was not deceived by those words.


    ¡®I see from where Isis got her dishonest mentality.¡¯


    Gabriel released a sigh. It wasn¡¯t like they were forced to use a direct gate. If Nephthys went to the Crossroad and then entered the Dragon realm from there, then it wouldn¡¯t cost much.


    The problem was that it would only be possible in a peaceful time. Right now, all the fourteen territories had closed the gates that were connected to Crossroad.


    The recent events were simply too great to ignore. This situation wouldst until the council of divine beasts was held and decisions were made.


    Gabriel groaned before sighing, ¡°I will take a loan from Tiamat.¡±


    Gabriel could already imagine the greedy dragon cackling in delight when she will ask for this.


    Sometimes, Gabriel wondered what the goddesses thought when creating dragons. Not all dragons were prideful. But all Dragons were definitely greedy and lustful.


    Nephthys seemed to hesitate a little,


    ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate. That greedy dragon will still give me a loan with zero interest.¡±


    All she would have to sell was her dignity. Thest time Gabriel took a loan from Tiamat, she had to disguise herself in a bunny suit and call Tiamat ¡®Master¡¯ every time she spoke.


    But it was worth it.


    This was for the happiness of her little daughter after all.


    In the end, tears welled up in Nephthys¡¯s eyes as she hugged Gabriel, ¡°I am really grateful.¡±


    Gabrielughed and hugged her daughter back, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Take it as a reward for all your hard work. A vacation would do you good. Your sister will take care of the realm in your absence.¡±


    Nephthys winced, ¡°But the only one remaining here aside from me is Neith.¡±


    Nent was already in the dragon realm and Hathor had vanished without leaving a word. The only one left was Neith.


    Gabriel shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s time for her to stop being a recluse. She should be able to handle some paperwork.¡±


    Nephtys made a small prayer as an apology to her poor sister. There was no way the amount of paperwork necessary to deal with the operation of an entire realm could only be described as ¡®some¡¯.


    ¡°Hah, before you go, you should also call Nerftiti and go with her. I feel like the girl is about to be crazy because of how much she misses the boy.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Nephthys was also a little worried so she epted readily.


    Like this, everything was decided.


    [1]: Read Interlude 12 if you forgot.

 Chapter 316 CH 285:OBSESSION (1)

    [Phoenix Realm, Nent¡¯s City]


    As always, the city managed by Nent was bustling with activity as people were all in search of making more money in order to live a more easy life.


    Whenever they passed by the main pce standing proud, their eyes would show fear as well as reverence. After all, it was thanks to the ruler that they had better living conditions than many others in this realm.


    In their minds, phoenixes were perfect beings full of grace and might and were worthy of their fervent admiration and respect.


    What they couldn¡¯t have guessed was that one of the people they were worshipping has seeped in worldly desire.


    After all, at the end of the day, phoenixes were in no way devoid of seven emotions like any other living beings graced with intelligence.


    ¡ª-


    In the depths of a pce in the Phoenix Realm, the groans and moans of a woman filled the main bedroom of the huge pce.


    The room was a spacious one, sparsely decorated with a huge king-sized bed in the middle.


    The one true decorations in this room that would catch anyone''s eye upon entering was none of other than therge painting on a wall.


    The painting was depicting a young man with a boyish smile d in nothing but a white robe that only stopped at his hips.


    His torso waspletely naked, showing a beautifully well-sculpted body. His golden hair seemed to shine under the sun and his sky-blue eyes seemed to be looking at the world with gentleness.


    "Ah~! My Beloved lord, when will youe back and take me with you?"


    Gazing feverishly at the painting while kneeling down on the bed was a brown-haired young girl with beautiful brown skin glistening with sweat.


    Her hair and clothes werepletely disheveled while she continued to move her hand to caress her most secret ce, showing a slovenly appearance that would shock anyone who knew how prim and proper the girl always acted when outside.


    Her eyes were filled with love and worship as she gazed at the painting of her beloved that she made herself but no matter what she did, no matter how much she moved her hand, the sweet release of an orgasm refused toe to her.


    "Ah¡­"


    Still, it did not matter to her. After all, what she wished for went beyond mere physical pleasure.


    Only him. Only he could bring her to the highest peak.


    Her eyes began to glow as a pink light emitted from them and her pupils took a heart shape.


    She was Nefertiti and her King''s name was, <<Ishtar>>.


    Even though she was yet to be a proper king, Nefertiti had realized one truth¡ªThis name was not just the result of her own effort nor was it just the result of Nent years of careful selective breeding.


    This name was a gift of Fate and her destiny was to serve him.


    Her only Lord¡ªSol Dragona Luxuria.


    The King of her heart.


    Be it Nent or the other divine beast, they seemed to hate the concept of Fate more than anything else in the world, struggling to fight it.


    However, Nefertiti was different.


    She had no care for fighting Fate and simply embracedembraced it, relished it. After all, why would she fight a Fate so sweet?


    If Sol was here and could use the eye of Akasha on her, he would realize that the numerous thick pink and red threads would be tying the two of them.


    This went far beyond the simple string of Fate. For Nefertiti, Sol was no different from the sky and the oxygen.


    His absence was weighing down on her heart and her mind was slowly sinking in confusion.


    But this was not without advantage, Nefertiti realized this fast. Her King''s name was clearly rted to love in one way or another.


    The deeper she felt for Sol, the greater the resonance of her name. This was why she was bringing herself to the brink but never released.


    In a way, one could say that she was taming her own heart to make it dependent on Sol.


    She was basically enving herself.


    Was she that desperate to be a King?


    Indeed she was.


    But not for any selfish reason.


    Nefertiti had long since realized that Sol was something above everything she could understand.


    For someone like him, a mere Duke like her would basically be useless. <sub> </sub>


    Inwardly, she knew that Sol had no care for her power level. Whether she stayed as a Duke or not, he would never give up on her. But she did not want to be something to be protected. She wanted to serve him in the best possible way and for that, she needed power.


    Enough power to be worthy of standing alongside him.


    Her eyes red with determination and fanaticism as she stood up and approached the painting with reverence before kissing it.


    ¡®I will be back, my lord.¡¯


    She needed to take a little bath and think about an even more efficient way to torment herself for Sol.


    She missed Sol and she wanted to impress him once they finally meet each other again.


    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*


    ¡°Mydy, the Queen wishes to see you.¡±


    Nefertiti tilted her head in wonder as the voice of her servant sounded through the other side of the door.


    She had recently begun selecting a new batch of beautiful servants from the charm spirit race, just in case Sol decided to have his fun with them.


    Of course, all the servants she recruited knew beforehand what was the true job description and in fact, were quite excited. After all, while they were slightly different from Subus, the essence was still the same.


    As for the queen, Nefertiti never had direct dealing with her. It was quite curious but in the absence of Nent, she was the one with the highest speaking right.


    ¡®I hope nothing grave happened.¡¯


    ¡°I understand. Prepare a bath for me, I cannot go meet the queen in my current appearance.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Nefertiti could hear the steps of the servant as they went away to do as asked. Looking up at the painting of her beloved lord, Nefertiti felt her worries settle down.


    ¡°Whatever will be, will be.¡±


    ¡ª---


    [Mortal Realm, Lustburg.]


    While Nefertiti was dealing with her own mental and physical problems, someone else, someone that was surprisingly simr to her more way than one was also having her own set of troubles.


    In the mortal realm, thanks to the 12:1 ratio between the mortal realm and the Astral realm, it has only been around ten days since Sol left for the Astral realm in order to make a contract with a phoenix and hopefully save Lilith from her eventual doom.


    Currently, Milia, the head maid of the Tower of Babel in Lustburg was struggling with new applications asmoners and nobles alike wished to enter in service of the royal family.


    Since the execution of the traitors and with the help of the three remaining Duke families, the influence of the Royal Family was at an all-time high.


    It wasn¡¯t just that, many people were sending invitations to Lilin, the only princess of the royal family, in hope of her visiting for tea parties and the like. Of course, all those invitations were just veiled attempts to have a better understanding of Lilin and for some houses, ask her hand in marriage.


    Of course, the same went for Sol. The matter of who would be his fiancee was a national affair of the highest importance.


    All of this came from one truth. Be it Lilin or Sol, the next King or Queen of Lustburg would be the child of one of those two and nobles were betting in order to obtain the maximum influence.


    ¡®How filthy.¡¯


    Looking down at the different proposals, so many that they seemed to form a small hill, Milia couldn¡¯t help but have her expression distort.


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be better if we simply killed them all?¡¯


    Sweet whispers sounded in her ears but Milia ignored them. She knew very well that her own mental state was deteriorating quite a bit.


    The withdrawal symptoms from not having Sol close to her had slightly subsided, but it was only because she had been working on a special new Sol collectiontely in order to distract herself.


    Furthermore, she had simply been too busy to have time for herself.


    ¡°Why am I even doing this? This isn¡¯t supposed to be my job.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry. But I need your help. Without you, I don¡¯t have enough influence.¡±


    The one who spoke was a beautiful elf with a well-endowed figure.


    Her name was ra.


    Of course, for Sol, she was more known as the forgotten elf.


    (AN: Pitiful ra making aeback. She will be kinda important for Vol 11 or 12. I have a good n for those. I think ra and Chloe are two early chara I never did much until now. Of course, they will show their importance in the iing volume. Meanwhile, we have Nefertiti who is at a whole different level of crazy. The two of them are submissive to Sol but from different perspectives. For Nefertiti, Sol is her husband and she sees herself as a devoted wife. For Milia, Sol is her lord and she sees herself as his devoted servant. A meeting between the two will be very interesting, don¡¯t you think? XD)

 Chapter 317 CH 286:OBSESSION (2)

    The elf was a beautiful woman, d in a white jacket and white pants that fully embraced her ravishing form.


    She wore a pair of ck rectangr sses that could barely hide the fatigue etched in her eyes and her long brown hair seemed to not have been brushed for a few days¡ª what else could exin the frizzy edges and the slightly disheveled hair¡­


    Her jacket was opened, showing a hint of her breasts, in order to let her breathe more easily. After all, with howrge they were, her clothes were quite constraining.


    Milia had no doubt that if she had been absent, the elf would have simply been working naked. Not that she could me her. Milia wished she could do the same. Maid clothes were quite stuffy after all.


    The elf was none other than ra. She came to Lustburg with Lilin in order to have a chance to prove herself.


    Sol had officially taken her as an employee and sort of a proxy before going to the Astral realm so while the amount of work Milia had was huge, what ra had to do was simply astronomical.


    ra wasn¡¯t just any elf, she was from an honorable family of elves who had dedicated their life to dragons and entered their service.


    The most recent one, her mother, had been at the service of ze while she had still been in the Astral realm. As her daughter, ra took it as a personal honor when Sol had given her this opportunity and she refused to fail in her services.


    Sadly, an elf having so much power wasn¡¯t really appreciated by the nobles of Lustburg and she had trouble getting obeyed. This is where Milia intervened.


    ¡°Milia, I have good and bad news¡ª Which one do you wish to hear first?¡±


    Of course, the same went for a cow woman like her. As a beastman, Milia was under scrutiny by most. But since she was born and raised in Lustburg, there was no problem with her origin. She had the advantage of having her own sphere of influence.


    Furthermore, it was now a known fact among the nobility that she had been heavily favored by Sol and would most likely be a concubine of his. Few nobles wanted to mess with her even though they didn¡¯t know her identity as the leader of the Crown¡¯s shadow.


    Looking at the clearly overworked ra, even Milia couldn¡¯t help but feel a little pity. She stood up and went to prepare a rxing tea.


    This was one of the ways she had managed to stay sane. Tea was indeed a great way to calm the mind.


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    ra smiled when the steaming hot cup was ced in front of her.


    ¡°Just how dire is the situation?¡±


    ra groaned at that question¡­


    ¡°The situation is bad. Very bad. We need to prepare fast.¡±


    ¡°From the different reports Ipiled, I can say one thing with confidence.¡±


    ra looked deeply at Milia, ¡°The war may not have officially started, but it will happen soon.¡±


    Milia stayed silent, ¡°How long do we have left? Winter is alreadying.¡±


    ¡°Winter might be harsh for humans, but for beastmen, it¡¯s an inconvenience at most. Furthermore, the belligerent king of Wratharis is not a patient man, if you understand what I mean.¡±


    Milia gave a polite smile at the small joke. After all, the virtue opposite of wrath was patience.


    ¡°Either way, Wratharis is already moving. When thekes will freeze and the world will be covered in snow ¨C They will strike. Two months from now, at the earliest. Three months at the most ¨C The war will surely happen.¡±


    ¡°We need to prepare.¡±


    Milia sighed and looked up in the direction of the church.


    ¡°I hope his highness wille back soon.¡±


    ra muttered, causing Milia to smile.


    ¡°I believe his highness will surprise us all.¡±


    She missed him so much. But she knew that once Sol came back, he would officially be a King. Then, he would dazzle the world with his magnificence.


    ¡°So this was the bad news. What about the good news?¡±


    ra shrugged, ¡°Well, us having two or three months to prepare was basically the good news.¡±


    Milia sighed, she really needed to ask for a raise.


    She wasn¡¯t paid for this sh¡­ Then she remembered once again that she was the leader of the Crown''s shadow and as such was indeed paid to deal with such a problem.


    ¡®Shit! What does a maid have to do to just be able to stay in her room and gaze at the handmade sculptures of her beloved master? It isn''t too much to ask for, right?¡¯


    ''This girl is more perceptive than I thought.''


    The evaluation she had of ra continued to rise. However, the question was¡­ Would Milia really take her time to help someone she did not care about?


    Of course not¡­ would be the definitive answer¡­


    Rather than helping ra, Milia was simply observing the girl and her work.


    ra could not know this, but the higher-ups of Lustburg were already in discussion with the leader of the Oni n as well as the Supreme daughter of Patientia.


    Thanks to this they had ess to a great deal of information.


    Not all of them could be believed but Milia had determined that the alliance could be trusted.


    The reason ra was not told anything wasn''t just because she was an elf. But rather because she was an elf born in another country.


    The Forest of the Elves shared a border with Wratharis and Lustburg. It would be problematic for them if the two countries were to hold hands.


    What would ra do if she was supposed to choose between her loyalty to her country and her loyalty to Sol?


    Milia did not know.


    Since she did not know, she could not simply bet on her good nature. She had to be sure. One mistake of hers could bring terrible consequences. Like what happened not long ago with the attack of Wings of Freedom.


    ''I wonder if she will be able to infer that something is afoot.'' <sub> </sub>


    If ra managed to do so, then she was worth working on to convert her loyalty.


    Such a talent could not be wasted.


    "Well then, now that the tea break is finished. Let''s continue working, shall we?"


    "Right."


    ¡ª-


    ''I feel like I am dying inside.''


    By the time Milia finally ended her share of the work, it was veryte. The moon was already high up and the soothing darkness of the night worked wonders to soothe her taut nerves.


    She wished for nothing more than to enter her sanctuary and be surrounded by his scent, or whatever was left of it.


    It was thest ce that helped her keep her sanity.


    ¡°Your highness, I wonder how much you would have changed by the time youe back.¡±


    Sol was a bright young man who had been more or less imprisoned all his life in a castle of gold.


    But now, he was a free bird soaring in the sky after learning how to fly. She had no doubt that Sol would experience many interesting things and witness many wondrous sights.


    She simply hoped that by the time he came back, the Sol she knew and loved would not be negatively influenced.


    ¡®May the goddesses protect you¡­?¡¯


    Milia was not religious. The goddesses did nothing to save them when she and the other children were suffering because of those experiments. In fact, the main source of their suffering was a Blessed.


    Even before bing a spymaster and having ess to confidential information, Milia had long since realized that the goddesses had no care for the woes of mere mortals like them.


    Still, Milia prayed. She hoped that her beloved liege would be safe from all danger.


    ¡®I need to grow.¡¯


    Caressing the face of the sculpture and wondering if Sol would have also changed physically, she couldn¡¯t help but reaffirm her resolve.


    She needed to be stronger.


    All this time, she had been satisfied with being a Duke-level being. Why would she not? In all the mortal realm, out of billions of people, only a few thousand at most were Duke.


    The probability of bing a duke was so low it was abyssal, but she had managed to do it. Though she hated the experiments, there was no lying when it came to the results.


    She was strong. Milia, a simple cow woman whose greatest aplishment would have been to be a wet nurse had managed to rise in rank, be one of the most powerful beings in the world, and had control over the dark side of an entire Kingdom.


    This was a life worthy of a protagonist.


    At least this is what Milia had thought until she came in service of the true protagonists of this world.


    The Blessed.


    As if that wasn¡¯t enough, she could now see Nuwa, Setsuna, and Lilin progressively growing stronger. Setsuna and Lilin were now already proper Dukes and Nuwa wasn¡¯t far from bing one.


    Then there was Camelia, Lilith, and the witches, all of them being on the King level.


    Milia could see it. In the end, she would be left behind by all of them.


    Her artificial talent could not keep up with the pure natural talent of those monsters. At least this was what she thought until she realized that Lilith and Lilin were not different from her.


    Like her, they were the results of the experiment of that crazy king.


    If so then, why should she feel inferior?


    If Lilith could be a king, why couldn¡¯t she?


    Lilith''s genes mainly came from a King level Blessed. But hers came from the Monster Queen herself, Echidna, the Mother of Thousand Monsters. A demigod powerhouse who terrorized the mortal realm for centuries.


    She wanted to be stronger.


    She needed to be stronger.


    Otherwise, if a day came that Sol no longer needed her, Milia was sure that she would kill herself out of depression.


    She didn¡¯t just want to be some sex doll for him. She needed to be useful. She wished to be someone he could never cast away.


    Inwardly, she knew her fears were groundless, the Sol she knew was not that kind of man.


    But what if he changed? What if he decided she had no more worth? What if she was thrown away like all the failed experiments back then?


    ¡°My current mental state is worse than I thought.¡±


    Milia had many traumas but most of them were hidden behind her tough exterior. Sadly, the more her mental strength fell, the worse those fears became.


    The saving grace was that, rather than cowering because of fear, Milia was advancing with steadfast conviction.


    ¡®I guess I should try to meet her.¡¯


    In this kingdom, there was only one person who knew enough about Echidna and science in general to give her the advice she sought out.


    Ambrosia¡ª the Thousand Spells Witch.


    It was time to seek her audience¡­

 Chapter 318 CH 287:SCAM

    "So, let me get this straight¡­."


    In the throne room of the 9th Heaven, Tiamat crossed her legs and slightly leaned back on her majestic throne.


    Her head was resting on her palm, her elbow resting on the armrest as she leaned to the sides, as she looked at the floating screen with a visible smirk on her regal face.


    "You want me to lend you the sum necessary to open a direct portal between our two territories so that your daughter cane and have some fun with her husband and daughter?"


    Gabriel groaned inwardly ¨C seeing that conniving smirk on the face of the lecher that was Tiamat ¨C and nodded, albeit reluctantly.


    "Indeed."


    "Ohoh! Interesting, truly interesting."


    Tiamat''s lips formed a toothy grin, looking at Gabriel with amusement.


    "You do know that all of this is happening because you just suck at managing your territory, right?"


    Gabriel sighed at Tiamat''s tant remark. She couldn''t say anything because what she spoke of was indeed the bitter truth. But she still tried to put forth her reasoning, "I am not the only one in this case. All the remaining old generation divine beasts have territories that are hard to live in."


    Tiamatughed, she knew that fact very well. In fact, out of all those first generation Divine Beasts, Gabriel was the most tame.


    Asmodeus''s territory, for example, was apletend of unending ice where life was basically impossible to thrive in.


    Same was the case for the territory she inherited. Before her, this territory, under the control of Lucifer, was just a big power supply to amass the power of the sun.


    Of course, Tiamat perfectly understood the reason behind that¡­


    Demigods were extremely hard to kill. That fact multiplied innumerable times over in the case of the Divine Beasts.


    For so many of them to have died at a time, one didn''t need to exin just how harsh, merciless, and unforgiving the war was back then.


    In such a harrowing situation, who would¡­could¡­develop their territory with the thought of it being an attractive ce for outsiders?


    In fact, epting outsiders in your territory was considered the signs of a lunatic.


    Once the main foundation of a territory was set, it would be very hard to revamp it to fit a new standard.


    "Well, that isn''t important currently. Let''s discuss our payment first."


    "I will be able to pay my debt back in around two years."


    Tiamat shook her head in derision, clearly, Gabriel wasn''t able to infer or at least tried not to infer what she really meant.


    "Money isn''t a problem and I don''t care if you take your time to pay me back.


    "The payment of the debt isn''t what is interesting to me. What can you give me as interest?"


    The part Gabriel dreaded to no end finally came. She had tried to deflect it somehow but Tiamat was relentless in her chase, leaving her no way out in the end. Since she was beaten, she knew she had to ept the reality of her current precarious circumstance.


    "Very well, I will do the same service asst time.¡±


    ¡°Tut~ Tut~ Tut. Last time wasst time. Now is now. I won''t be satisfied with that anymore. You must do something else or give me something that would be amusing enough to intrigue me.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ How about I serve you as a maid for four days?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you have my interest now.¡±


    Tiamat thought for a while, sketching the abominable things she could make Gabriel enact, before nodding to herself.


    ¡°I want two months and you have to address me as Mistress or Lady the entire time.¡±


    ¡°One week. No calling special names.¡±


    ¡°One month, still the same proposal with the appetions.¡±


    ¡°Two weeks of serving you as a maid and I will call you Lady. This is myst and final offer. Take it or leave it. I''ll whip up another way to send my daughter there.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm~ You are driving a very tight bargain. But very well¡­ Let¡¯s not say that I am too greedy. I ept your proposal.¡±


    After quite the lively haggling, Gabriel finally smiled, happy to have been able to haggle such a bargain out with Tiamat. After all, whenever they had a deal in the past, she would be the one to sorely lose out. There was no moment where she was the one to win out.


    ¡°My bottom line was one month, honestly. I would have done it for way less than you proposed.¡±


    Gabriel wished to see the smug face of Tiamat vanishing for a chance, sadly for her¡ª this was an impossible dream for her. <sub> </sub>


    ¡°Well, I would have done it for free.¡±


    Immediately, Gabriel fell silent.


    ¡°....Huh?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I already had ns of taking either Sol into the phoenix territory or bringing the girl called Nefertiti here. If your daughter took the ride along with us then it wouldn¡¯t have been a problem. I wouldn''t mind, and neither would Sol, in fact, I think he would wee it¡­¡±


    She was not lying or trying to gloat to Gabriel. She knew that¡­now that Sol had be a Duke, his days in the Astral Realm were numbered. Soon, he would leave this realm and get enthroned as the king of Lustburg.


    Of course, now Sol had the coordinates to the Astral realm. But it was impossible for a Duke to have enough energy to open a portal between two territories. Once he left, she wouldn¡¯t be able to see him anymore until he became a King at the very least.


    Since that was the case, Tiamat wished for Sol to have the best holiday possible for the rest of the days he would be here. Her only wish was for him to leave this ce with good and joyous memories.


    Thankfully, unlike Gabriel, Tiamat''s territory was vast and the seasons came and went to form a cycle of multitudes of seasons. Currently, it was summer so this was the perfect moment to rx. Maybe go to the beach and have some fun in the sea¡­


    ¡®Though¡­Hehehehe, her reaction is really cute.¡±


    It was taking all of Tiamat''s strength to not explode inughter while gazing at the dumbfounded face of her old friend andrade.


    ¡°So you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°You paid for something that could have gotten essentially free.¡±


    ¡°Argh!!¡±


    Gabriel had never felt so embarrassed in the entirety of her life. Not even the moment when she had to enact the lecherous deals she had with Tiamat. She covered her face with her hands and groaned and screamed like a little girl throwing a tantrum while berating herself about how dumb she was.


    ¡°Hahahahahahahaha!! You should see your face!¡±


    This time Tiamat could not stop herself fromughing out loud. It had been a long time since she couldugh so joyfully without any sort of worries.


    ¡®Perhaps I should tease her moreter on.¡¯


    Be it Gabriel or Yggdrasil, all the Divine Beasts of Virtue had this slight naivety in their personalities that they could never get rid of no matter how old and experienced they became. Perhaps it was the fault in their creation, as was the case for all that was created by the goddesses.


    Perhaps it was something intended. She could easily imagine the goddesses creating divine beasts with such an idea in mind.


    Gabriel was well and in the truest sense of the word¡­distraught. She knew that there was no way of taking back her words. The deal was made and the conditions were now set. Even if she did manage to erase the mary debt, then the special interest would only increase exponentially with the passage of time.


    ¡°Why the hell do you act like an old pervert?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I resent that statement. Take it back! I just like looking at beautiful things and feel good when strong beings bow to me in respect. There is absolutely nothing perverse about that.¡±


    Gabriel waved her hand dismissively with a sniff of utter disdain. Her eyes were looking at Tiamat as though she was looking at utter trash. Nevertheless, she responded with a defeated sigh¡­ ¡°Well, it¡¯s my fault for having fallen into your trap. I am not one to renege a debt. When can you open the portal?¡±


    ¡°In one or two days. So you should prepare on your side. I am honestly rather interested in seeing Nefertiti. She seems like an interesting girl.¡±


    Gabriel coughed a little, hearing Tiamat''s remark and the intrigue in her tone¡­


    ¡°Indeed¡­ Very¡­ She''s very¡­ Well, interesting is indeed a good way to describe her.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but wince when she thought back to what she had seen in Nefertiti¡¯s room.


    ¡®Well, perhaps she wille down once she meets her beloved.¡¯


    At the same time, she couldn¡¯t help but feel envious¡ª really envious¡­


    Be it her two daughters or Nefertiti, they seemed to have all changed for the better after entering into a rtionship.


    Meanwhile, here she was, a woman whose age merely determined how many years she went by without a man or any significant other of the sorts.


    Looking at their happiness ¡ª craziness also, sometimes, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder what it would be like to be with someone for the first time in her entire existence.


    It would surely be an interesting experiment.


    Perhaps, it would also lead to a bond that stretched beyond eternity¡­.


    Who knows¡­.?


    Right!?

 Chapter 319 CH 288:G.0.D

    [1st Circle of Hell, Tartarus]


    Entering the ce and feeling the dreary atmosphere, Anubis chuckled.


    ¡°I always said that you guys should work on the atmosphere of these prisons.¡±


    He looked around and watched as the Chaos spawn, mindless beasts that would generally rush at anyone with every bit of semnce of a deranged lunatic, slowly retreat because of his sheer presence.


    No matter how mindless those beasts were and no matter how they did not fear death in the slightest, it seemed that they realized that Anubis was an entity that should be avoided at all costs.


    Standing behind him, the warden of Tartarus, Kiyohime, simply shrugged as a reply, ¡°You changed the mood of your prison but you still had two important prisoners escape.¡±


    ¡°Touch¨¦.¡±


    Anubis could say nothing about that. He had indeed underestimated both the current Nihil and Drei, he had thought they were just helpless weaklings, but in the end, it was clear that he was wrong.


    They were still weaklings¡­ Just not helpless ones.


    Even though Anubis had stolen authority over a part of the Afterlife realm, and created his own territory here, he was by no means a Dimensional Mage.


    He could not move it with him as he pleased.


    Those two had used his absence and escaped from their chains. It had to be said that sealing a dimensional mage like Nihil was already quite the difficult task.


    Anubis, of course, was too proud to try to find any form of excuse.


    A mistake was a mistake.


    That was all there was to it in his opinion.


    Of course, there was no one who could punish him for the mistakes hemitted.


    ¡®Hah, the feeling of abusing power. Such a marvelous feeling.¡¯


    Kiyohime took a step back to distance herself from Anubis who was busy chuckling to herself.


    Kiyohime, like any other Divine Beast, did not particrly like Necromancers and liked Anubis even less since he was the one who shared the knowledge of the power in this world.


    She had no prejudice. She knew that Anubis was not a ¡°bad¡± person in itself. In fact, he had done much good for the world. One could even say that Anubis was an unsung hero. A man worthy of respect ¨C and she had much respect for him¡­far more than she was ever willing to admit even¡­ She just didn¡¯t like him.


    Giving a nce at Kiyohime''s frowning expression, Anubis smiled. He perfectly understood Kiyohime''s dilemma.


    This was also why, out of all divine beasts, Dragons and Phoenixes were the only ones he was willing to work with.


    ¡°Well, we are finally here.¡±


    The two of them stopped in front of a cross where a naked woman was held, almost crucified, with wild hair that looked like the mane of a Lion.


    ¡°Leo. Daughter of Echidna. But¡­ I wonder¡­ Which Leo are you?¡±


    Funf, once one of the 12 constetions under the order of Echidna in the mortal world, opened her bloodshot eyes and growled in the direction of Kiyohime, before giving a meek look at Anubis.


    ¡°I am¡­was¡­part of the G.O.D project. I do not know which generation I am from.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ So she is still working on this project.¡±


    G.O.D.


    Originally, it should have been G.D.O. Standing for Grand Divine Order. But Anubis found it boring and switched the letter of order a bit.


    Yes, that was right. He had once worked with Echidna.


    In fact, he hadn¡¯t been the only one to do so.


    Anubis, Ambrosia, and Echidna.


    The three mortals who, against all odds, reached the level of Demigods.


    The first Witch.


    The first Necromancer.


    The first Chimera.


    How could those three never have dealings in the past?


    In fact, they had once beenrades and in Echidna and Anubis''s case¡­ lovers.


    Sadly, Echidna became too obsessed with the G.O.D project even though it was a failure and since Anubis decided to stop sticking his dick in crazy, he simply walked away from her side. He just couldn''t associate himself with a lunatic no matter how much affection he held for her.


    ¡°The one whose understanding in Mana and Law is above everyone else.


    ¡°The one whose understanding of the Physical body is above everyone else.


    The one whose understanding of the Soul is above everyone else.¡±


    Leo with dried blood on her cracked lips chuckled with mirth, ¡°Mother likes to talk about how if the three of you had stuck together until the end, G.O.D would have been a sess, you would have been able to create the perfect being.¡±


    Anubis scoffed, ¡°Indoctrination is truly a terrifying thing. Perfect this, perfect that. Fuck this shit. This is why I left on the first asion. Ambrosia also didn¡¯t stick with her.¡±


    The meek look in Leo¡¯s eyes vanished as she growled, ¡°Do not insult mother¡¯s dream!¡±


    ¡°If you aren¡¯t happy then fight me. If you can¡¯t fight me shut up before I make you shut up.¡±


    The growl immediately stopped and a slight whimper escaped her cracked lips. Anubis had not even released his aura but Leo felt like a cold de was ced under her neck, ready to take off her head at the slightest mistake.


    All this while, Kiyohime had stayed silent. She was learning new things and she was quite surprised to know that those three were oncepanions.


    The fact that Anubis and Echidna had once been in rtionship simply made her shudder in fright. <sub> </sub>


    ¡°Well, enough discussion. Honestly, I want to just kill you and end it all. But in a way, you are my daughter¡ª A descendant of my daughter? My creation? Hard to give an exact name to our rtionship.¡±


    He shrugged, ¡°I won¡¯t ask much. Why did you attack the Dragon Realm? Why do you want those divines weapons? Are they the key to unsealing Ymir?¡±


    Anubis was curious, truly curious. The seal on Ymir was done with the power of the 14 Goddesses, but there were only seven divine weapons.


    Those weapons shouldn''t be enough to break the seal.


    Furthermore, why attack the Dragon Realm? What would they get from it? Was Sol their objective? If so, then why not capture Sol when he was still weak and in Lustburg?


    Or perhaps something else?


    So many questions¡­


    Anubis was curious. As curious as Sol was even.


    Leo stayed silent for a while, ¡°You have Drei with you. Why not ask him?¡±


    ¡°Heh. I would have. But that man is truly someone dedicated. It seems like hepletely erased most of his memories the moment he saw me. I guess it was a backup measure he put just in case. Gotta say, loyal people like him are quite rare.¡±


    For a moment, Leo felt a little sad, she might have not liked Drei but he was still someone she shared somepanionship with.


    Of course, those emotions onlysted for a single instant. When she remembered that capturing Sol and Isis had been one of the main reasons for this mission, she shuddered once more.


    ¡°No need to tire yourself, Anubis. Right now, she is still a Duke. There is something Sol wants to try with her. If he fails, then she will be all yours."


    "Oh?"


    Anubis immediately lost all interest in Leo.


    The power of Sol''s dimension was perhaps the most intriguing thing he had ever seen in this universe.


    Furthermore his exploration of the Universe would be far more interesting if he had someone like Sol helping him.


    Anubis already made ns about having Sol help him once the boy became a proper demigod.


    There was no doubt in his mind that Sol would ept his proposal.


    It wasn''t because he was Sol''s father-inw.


    Nor because he had skills in negotiating.


    But one simple reason.


    A truth that all Reincarnators would go crazy for.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After leaving Anubis alone in Tartarus, Kiyohime came up and went to the ind Sol was recuperating on.


    On the way, she passed by many young dragons who were guarding the surroundings.


    They all saluted her with reverence and she nodded to them.


    Even though the Dragon Realm was still in a period of mourning, she could feel a new vitality emanating from the entirety of the realm.


    Those young dragons who had witnessed an inkling of what war truly was would be stronger.


    That was a good thing.


    The living would thrive by stepping on the remains of their fallenpanions.


    It was a sad thing but one could not let death stop them from advancing.


    When she finally reached the ind, Kiyohime let out a sigh as she witnessed the young man moving on the beach with his torso naked.


    She could even see droplets of sweat on his finely sculpted muscles.


    *Gulp*


    Kiyohime flushed weakly at this delightful sight, while memories of the night she spent with him floated in her mind.


    She wondered just what had taken over her for her to do such a thing with her nephew.


    ''Sigh, I must have been crazy.''


    She cringed visibly at that recollection.


    "Just what kind of training are you doing for you to sweat so much?"


    Sol was now a Duke. One with a body not any weaker than even a King-ranked dragon thanks to his most recent evolution through the blood pool.


    At this point, the level of physical training necessary to make him sweat would be insane.


    "Kiyohime! I would hug you but I am a little bit too sweaty sadly."


    ''This kind of smile is simply cheating.''


    Kiyohime might not know it, but this was the kind of thought all those who were in love with him felt.


    She might try to deny it, but she was already deeply ensnared in a trap she could never hope to escape from.


    In the first ce¡­ Would she even try to escape?


    Food for thought¡­

 Chapter 320 CH 289:FIVE STAGES

    After taking a good bath to clean himself up, Sol entered the bedroom and turned to talk to Kiyohime but he was interrupted by her sudden query.


    ¡°¡­Why are you still naked?¡±


    Kiyohime blushed again when she saw Soling out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but training pants, showing his well-toned and muscr body.


    In the past, Sol had been a little more scrawny, but all those transformations and evolution gave him the body of a true Greek god¡ª He was the epitome of perfection.


    Something that didn¡¯t leave Kiyohimepletely indifferent. Of course, he was having his own share of fun just teasing her.


    Sol always loved seeing the hardened warriors like Kiyohime, and the other women he was in a rtionship with, act like shy maidens. There was something adorable and exhrating about it.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say that I am giving you a show.¡±


    He smiled, before taking a chair and sitting in front of her¡ª face-to-face.


    Calming down, Kiyohime released a strained sigh.


    "So. Why were you training rather than resting and recuperating?"


    She had been sessful in steering the discussion back to its track and intended to keep it there no matter what.


    "Hahaha. Sorry, sorry." Sol scratched his head awkwardly, "It''s just that¡­ I was bing rather restless. Staying in bed really isn''t my forte.¡±


    Sol knew that he was ¡°slightly¡± bing a total battle junky. The thrill of fighting and winning was a rush he relished a ¡°little¡± and in order to never lose, he needed to be stronger.


    Hence, training, training, andstly¡­training¡­.


    ¡°As for what I was doing¡­"


    Sol mused a little, "Well when I faced Surtr and Nihil''sst attack, let''s say that I got some sort of enlightenment?"


    It was hard to exin what he really felt at that moment.


    "Well, to keep it short, I got some slightly crazy ideas and since I have a nearly immortal body now, I thought I might as well try them out."


    The contract with Isis was without a doubt one of the best decisions he had ever made. He could now try so many things and he didn¡¯t even have to fear the idea of death. In fact, even if he did die, he woulde back to life the next moment.


    If it wasn¡¯t because the number of uses of Nirvana was limited, Sol would have decided to abuse this feature without any shame or restraint.


    Of course, nothing was absolute. Not even the so-called immortality of the phoenix. But at least, if a random divine beast was hard to kill, a phoenix was indescribably hard to kill, to the point of being nearly impossible¡­


    Sol wasn¡¯t really a phoenix now. But he had some advantages.


    ¡®Humans are truly bugged in this world.¡¯


    As long as a human had the right amount of CP and the right connections, then he was destined to be a powerhouse of unprecedented proportions.


    Sadly, most humans could never even hope of having the CP necessary to make a contract with an S-rank being.


    Kiyohime frowned slightly, wondering whether she should ask more questions about this particr subject. It felt ominous to her. Even though she had participated in Sol''s training and had shared a bed with him, it didn¡¯t mean that suddenly she had the right to know all of his secrets.


    Even more so, since it might involve some of his trump cards. Even now, Kiyohime did not really have a good picture of Sol¡¯s Zone. Tiamat had been tight-lipped about it, so specific information about it was really hard toe by.


    Still, she needed to know, in order to avoid him creating any unintentional troubles in the territory.


    Sol simply had too many dangerous abilities that needed at least some sort of monitoring.


    ¡°What exactly were you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ I guess it should be easier to show you?¡±


    Sol stood up and took a few steps back. Then, after taking a deep breath, he clenched his fists.


    Kiyohime focused on Sol silently, curious about just what kind of marvel he would show her.


    ¡°Ignition.¡±


    The moment Sol muttered those words, Kiyohime''s eyes opened wide in absolute astonishment as she felt the energy in Solpletely go berserk.


    A red hue formed on his skin, as his heart and core went into a frenzy.


    It didn¡¯t take long for his energy level to jump straight to the roof, giving the illusion that he was like a monstrous beast waiting to awaken. The temperature in the room rose sharply, reaching staggering levels.


    If this had been a normal house, everything would have already been doused on a scorching fire. Thankfully, the house was coated with magic protection runes.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°I call this <<Overdrive>>¡±.


    Sol smiled, this was a special move based on his usual technique <<Mana Burst>> alongside the ability to manipte holy fire, which he had obtained from his contract with Isis.


    The principle was simple. He was literally burning up the mana inside his own body.


    If a normal person used this, that person would simply be destroying his own body afterpletely drying up all his power.


    But it was different for Sol.


    Not only was Sol¡¯s body unmatched because of all the transformations he went through, but his control and understanding of mana also reached a new level he would have never thought to be possible.


    This new level of control was possible thanks to his divine eyes. Though he could not use the full power of that weapon now that he was just a Duke, it was still a great support to him.


    <<Overdrive>> had no limits. The stronger he became, the better it would turn out. <sub> </sub>


    That technique wouldn¡¯t stop until he decided otherwise either, simply because he was constantly absorbing mana thanks to his Dragon Core.


    Furthermore, any wounds he received would immediately be healed by the holy mes themselves.


    Thanks to all those little details, he could use it in conjunction with his War form for even better results.


    That technique was inspired by the SuperNova that Surtrunched at him. Of course, this understanding was also mixed with his memory of some super monkey with golden hair that he would rather not name.


    ¡°Pretty Impressive.¡±


    Kiyohime acknowledged his technique calmly. She had seen techniques with more intricacies than this one on many asions but what made this technique so perfect was because of how simple it was.


    Absolute and pure brutality. The only role of this was to boost Sol''s natural power to explosive levels so that he could deal even more devastating damages.


    Furthermore, because of all the conditions necessary to use it, one could say that only Sol and a few masochists could use this technique.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡±


    Kiyohime asked and Sol winced, ¡°It hurts like hell.¡±


    He was basically burning his own body from the inside out continuously while healing himself at the same time. How could it be painless?


    But Sol knew that this was a small price to pay.


    ¡°This is still just the starting point. The technique is still a little impractical in a real fight. But it should be alright.¡±


    ¡°You truly are¡­¡± Kiyohime sighed,pletely speechless at the way he was talking. But she did not insist or try to stop him anymore.


    ¡°I won¡¯t stop you from training this technique. But, you should take a short break. You have been high-strung since you came to the Astral Realm. Fights after fights. Training after training. If you continue like this, you might snap. A period of rest is mandatory and I will hear no talk-back.¡±


    ¡°...Meditating and intent training at least?¡±


    Kiyohime facepalmed but at the same time sighed inwardly in despondence.


    Just how much weight and pressure were on his shoulder that he could not even ept to rest without thinking of training?


    Just how stressed was his mind?


    Kiyohime felt a little sad at this thought.


    This was the price of sess and talent.


    The more talented you were, the greater the expectations and the heavier the stress you would eventually have.


    What about Sol?


    From what she understood, Sol went from fighting a Duke to facing actual goddesses¡ª all of that in the span of less than half a year.


    In fact, if one took away all the time eleration, all those events only happened in the span of a few weeks.


    This would be enough to make even the most battle-hardened warrior reach his or her mental limits.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    Kiyohime looked up at Sol as an idea shed through her mind, causing her to blush furiously.


    She tried to chase the idea away but, like a worm burrowing in a fruit, it refused to leave her.


    She fidgeted a little. Wondering if she would really go through with this daring idea. Her brain nearly went into overdrive as hundreds of rather raunchy images filled her mind and the more she tried to fight them, the raunchier they became.


    ¡®How shameless! Just what the hell I am thinking?¡¯


    After denial, came anger. After all, she really shouldn¡¯t have such thoughts at the moment. She should be focused on more important matters like rebuilding the territory.


    But, when she realized that those ideas of hers wouldn¡¯t leave her mind, Kiyohime was beginning to rationalize that¡­perhaps, this was not such a bad idea?


    ¡®Indeed. I am just trying to help him rx.¡¯


    There was nothing bad about this, right? She was just trying to help. This was for his own good.


    When she thought of this, she hung her head in depression.


    ¡®Just what the hell am I thinking?¡¯


    ¡°Sigh¡­.¡±


    In the end, Kiyohime was forced to realize,


    ¡®I should stop making excuses.¡¯


    Why was she even hesitating so much? It had already happened once. What was the big deal if it happened again?


    ¡®Very well.¡¯


    ¡°Sol, I¡­¡±


    Kiyohime could not finish her sentence as she was swept off in Sol''s arms, and then silenced with a passionate kiss.


    Some people did not know the meaning of the word hesitation after all.

 Chapter 321 CH 290: KIYOHIME(4)*

    For someone like Kiyohime, whose mind could move and formte thoughts at literal lightning speed, it was rare for her to be so surprised by anything.


    Still, as she found herself lying down on the bed, her clothespletely discarded and Sol hovering over her naked body with a devilish smile on his face, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder just what the hell had happened suddenly.


    ¡°You are¡­quite skilled when ites to taking off clothes.¡±


    She covered her chest and crotch with her arms and twisted her body in shame. She could not look him in the eye due to the sheer embarrassment she felt.


    ¡°Haha, I have quite a bit of experience, you see.¡±


    Solughed lightly and ignored her sarcastic remarks as he proceeded to marvel at her body.


    ¡°You are absolutely gorgeous. Try to rx, will you?¡±


    ¡°Huff. I am sure you must have said this countless times already.¡±


    Sol smirked at her words, clearly Kiyohime had hit the bullseye, ¡°What can I say, all mydies are gorgeous women.¡±


    ¡°So we wouldn¡¯t be here if I wasn¡¯t gorgeous enough?¡±


    A loaded question full of absolute controversy, the kind only women knew how to throw. But Sol was not one to be taken aback by such tricks. He bent down and gently kissed her corbone, sending a shiver down Kiyohime''s spine with his smooth and sensual actions.


    ¡°Sadly, we will never have an answer to that question as you are simply magnificent.¡±


    Sol chuckled, women rarely asked such questions expecting some honest and straightforward answers. It wasn¡¯t for no reason that guys who knew how to sweet talk were more popr than those who were needlessly honest with everything.


    He grabbed her arms and scooped them up at her sides.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    She started to resist but then rxed as he had asked.


    That revealed her pink nipples and her smooth crotch with not a strand of pubic hair over it. Her nipples were small and cute and her aree were small too. They were a bit unnatural but it was cute in its own unnatural way.


    Sol was tempted to fondle those erogenous zones to his heart''s content right away, but he resisted the urge and ran his hands along the rest of her body first, trying his best to stimte her sense and get her in the mood.


    ¡°I want all of you.¡±


    He muttered those words while nibbling lightly on her pink-hued ears, blowing hot breaths that stimted her sensitive ears, racking her body in sensual shivers¡­.before showering her with small kisses on her face and corbone and slowly trailing downwards.


    Every time his hands touched a sensitive spot, Kiyohime''s moaning voice couldn''t help but escape past her lips. She resisted those sounds in order to rx, as he had asked, but it sounded more like she was suppressing her moans, which made her heart pound with excitement.


    When he finally reached her chest, he gently cupped her small breasts in hisrge hands.


    Sol was in no hurry. He wanted to savor each and every part of Kiyohime. He didn¡¯t want this to just be about him venting his stress on her beautiful body.


    Leaning down, he gently licked the are of her right breast before finally nibbling her nipple, then sucking on her breast. At the same time, he lightly pinched her left nipple.


    ¡°Nn~!¡±


    Kiyohime leaked out a shivering groan¡ª her pale white skin flushed and showed an amorous shade of red that gave her an air of vulnerability.


    ¡°Sol~¡±


    Hearing her mutter his name with such a sultry voice made Sol¡¯s heart pound with excitement.


    He wanted more. He wanted topletely mess her up. Such ravenous thoughts filled his brain.


    Regretfully leaving her enticing breasts, Sol continued to trail down south as he left kisses on her stomach until he finally reached the ce he was dying to witness again.


    Raising himself up, he ced his hand on her stomach.


    Her stomach was so thin he wondered if there was any flesh other than her organs in there, but her navel had a nice shape. He slowly slid his hand down toward her vulva.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what we have here."


    Looking up, he smirked towards Kiyohime before grabbing her legs and pushing them aside.


    ¡°Ah~ Don''t look, please.¡±


    The redness of her face increased further as she felt slightly faint headed. Embarrassment clouded her mind to the point that she forgot she could easily break free from his sps if she really wished so. Though, the reality probably was that she simply didn''t wish to break free¡­


    Ignoring her false words of protest, Sol observed her closed puffy mound already glistening with her love juice.


    Even though she had already spent a long night of passion with Sol not so long ago, the lips of her vagina were stillpletely shut, looking as if they had never been used.


    ¡°You keep acting tough, but it seems like this part of you is still the most honest.¡±


    Sol, of course, knew that one shouldn¡¯t confuse physiological response with actual desire. But there was no ambiguity in this case, that he was also sure of.


    Kiyohime covered her face, swiping it in absolute shame.


    ¡°Please, lower my legs, I look like a frog in this position.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    Sol would have loved to say she was a cute frog but he preferred to traverse on the side of caution and opted not to say that out loud. Not all sweet words had to be said after all.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    His fingers finally arrived at her small crevice¨C


    ¡°Nh~¡±


    ¨C <sub> </sub>


    ¡ª And a tremor of rocking pleasure immediately ran through Kiyohime''s body.


    Each time his middle finger moved up and down her slit, her voice left her with a sigh of ecstasy. She tried to close her legs out of embarrassment, but that did nothing to stop his moving fingers.


    He wanted to have his way with her but preparations were necessary to reach the greatest amount of pleasure¡­together.


    He gradually changed the movements of his middle finger, moving it side to side as well as up and down. He loosened up herbia while pushing them open little by little. He also made sure to stimte her clitoris with the lightest of touches from time to time. Too much simtion in the clitoris often led to pain than pleasure, his repeated sexual encounters had thoroughly engraved that fact into his mind.


    The more Sol moved, the more Kiyohime realized how little control she had over her body at this moment. She was once again reminded that she wasn¡¯t just the Dragon queen, but also a sensual woman who could feel pleasure like anyone else and the one who made her realize this was none other than Sol.


    It wasn¡¯t as if Kiyohime had never touched herself down there and she also had a physical rtionship with Nent long ago.


    But this¡­ This was somethingpletely different.


    Perhaps it was because Sol was far more skilled than Nent? Kiyohime didn¡¯t know and she honestly couldn¡¯t care less at this very moment.


    Each time his finger moved, it provided a powerful stimulus, like her blood was flowing back up from her pussy to her heart. She only got a little wet when doing it herself, but now she was wetter than she had thought possible. And then there were those asional touches at the sensitive points at the very top of her vulva.


    The arms that had initially tried to pull his arm away were now hanging limply at her sides and the legs she had closed were now spreading wide to ept his hand.


    His index and little fingers were already spreading her crevice with his middle and ring fingers stirring up the vulva within.


    She was no longer resisting, so he let her upper body rest on the bed and shifted his position to view her pussy.


    It was aplete flood down there.


    Sol smiled, happy to know that his ministrations were not letting her be indifferent and was thoroughly effective. The more pleasure she received, the happier he was.


    Her beautiful pink pussy gave off a feminine scent and soaked the sheets with the leaking love juices.


    Sol was sure that she was ready to take him now and with her powerful body, he couldpletely go wild with no fear. But as always, he wanted to make her cum first.


    He loved seeing his lover lose themselves in the throes of passion. It was such an empowering feeling that he would exchange it for nothing else.


    With that decided, he sped up his fingers. He also pressed harder against her clitoris, increasing the waves of stimtion.


    ¡°Please~ Wait~¡±


    Kiyohime was honestly a little surprised. The climax she senseding was so powerful it actually scared her.


    Feeling ¡°good¡± was an understatement. The signals reaching her brain were definitely pleasure, but it was so strong she could have easily confused them for pain. If this continued much longer, she was certain she would lose her mind.


    She tried to stop her hips to avoid that.


    But¡­


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Her body refused to listen.


    Her lower body seemed to have a mind of its own the way it kept rubbing her clit against Sol''s fingers. As if she was a harlot, seeking nothing but pure pleasure from his dexterous and skilled fingers.


    At the same time, she felt quite humiliated, thinking that she would climax only from this but pleasure had clouded her mind, and humiliation was executed like a traitor as pleasure rose to the throne of her mind, controlling her every response.


    She knew how shameful she must have looked in this moment, but she could not stop herself.


    Sol used his middle finger to loosen up her slit while using his index finger to gently knead her clitoris. Herbia was now plenty wet and she no longer needed his fingers to hold them open. They were ready to ept him.


    Kiyohime clutched at the sheets because she felt like she would float away if she did not.


    ¡°No need to hold yourself back.¡±


    Sol''s whisper sent a tremor down her spine.


    ¡°Yes~!!¡±


    Her body trembled as she epted the pleasure and hissed loudly as liquid gushed forth from her lower body,pletely wetting the bed and filling the room with her musky and sweet scent.


    Then she copsed limply onto the bed, panting loudly, her eyespletely unfocused but her mind floating as if it was on cloud nine.


    As she was now, she wished for nothing more than to rest. But she had forgotten something crucial¡­


    ¡°Heh, you know that this is only the start, right?¡±


    Too tired to speak, all the answer she could give was a low moan, How could she have forgotten?


    The man in front of her was a tireless sex maniac.


    ¡°Well then, this opportunity is quite hard toe by. Let¡¯s try something.¡±


    Kiyohime shivered, wondering what kind of wicked act Sol would make her go through.


    Of course, she could not hide the feeling of rising anticipation.


    ----


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    I am actually preparing for publication on Amazon. The first book will go from Vol 1 to Vol 3. Nearly 400 Pages heh.


    I also n to post new illustrations in my discord. So yeah. Anyways this thest chapter of the month (on WN), I am really happy for all your support. Thanks to you guys, I reach the top 40 on WN. Which is honestly quite impressive since it''s only my second month. I really hope we still stay together next month. Your support is what help me live from my passion.

 Chapter 322 CH 291: KIYOHIME(5)*

    Kiyohime knew that Sol was a daring man.


    But she would and could have never thought that his daring nature would be to this extent.


    "You¡­"


    Holding Kiyohime in his arms, in the stereotypical princess carry, Sol grinned wolfishly while admiring the achromatic world surrounding the two of them.


    <<Inverse World>>


    A dimension that was the perfect mirror of the existing universe without the usual colors. While he was here, Sol could move around and observe everything on the side of reality without being seen, heard, or felt by anyone else. Everytime he entered this world of his, he couldn''t help but recall just how broken this ability of his was.


    When Sol still considered this dimension as a sort of Mirror dimension, that was basically a carbon copy of the real world, he immediately thought of one devious trait as the very first application of his dimension¡ª Using it as a spying mechanism to eavesdrop upon anyone he desired.


    Now though, he knew and fully realized that it was vastly more powerful than anything he could have ever guessed back then. Still, it didn''t change the fact that it could be used to observe others secretly. That devious use would always remain at his arsenal due to the nature of his dimension.


    In this fleeting moment, both Sol and Kiyohime were on the deck of the White Pearl, Kiyohime''s battleship. Completely naked¡­of course¡­in the typical Sol-like fashion.


    All around them, surrounding them in every direction, servants and sailors were walking and busying themselves with their daily work, none of them the wiser of what kind of debauched and sensual acts were happening just next to them. And there was more and more toe, surely they''d be unaware of those things too¡­maybe¡­ At least, Kiyohime would surely hope for that.


    Since Kiyohime was a King ranked being, she was not affected by the inversion of emotion trait of his dimension. Additionally, now that Sol had finally be a proper Duke, he could stay in this state for a long time without worrying about theck of energy anymore. This was just one of the many perks that bing a Duke had granted him¡­


    While Sol was lost in his own thoughts, fully befitting a full fledged battle maniac, Kiyohime''s heart was pounding many a miles a minute. Her eyes mirrored the myriads of emotions her mind felt¡­


    The emotions mirroring her mind was a sordid amalgam of contradictions¡ª fear of getting caught and a certain sense of immortality that filled her whole being, while, as ashamed as she felt due to that emotion, faint traces of excitement also colored her mind here and there.


    Here she was, utterly naked while being in the arms of an equally naked man and about to have a long session of carnal exchange with him.


    *Drip*


    She fought with all her might and integrity to keep her expressions in check, but sadly for her, Sol''s senses were far too sharp, and his experience far too big, to miss that subtlety.


    "What do you think? How would your subordinates react if they knew that their oh so respected queen is in fact a closet pervert?"


    Sol grinned before muttering those words like a whisper right next to her trembling ears.


    Those words tickled Kiyohime''s heart, causing her to shiver intermittently with fear and slight anticipation. Simultaneously, the flowing stream of her love juices increased slightly with that single remark. Her body trembled and rocked uncontrobly, just that fact was enough for Kiyohime to be astonished as she understood that these words of his were enough to bring her to a small climax.


    Seeing her immediate reactions to his words, Sol''s grin stretched further to form a wolfish smirk that would even make seasons lechers look at him with admiration. He had guessed that Kiyohime had some slight masochistic tendencies. Not to Camelia''s level, of course, she was quite unique in that regard. He had yet to find a girl at her level and he didn''t think it was possible either, to find someone else with tendencies of that level, that is. But the masochistic characteristic of Kiyohime was high enough that she wouldn¡¯t dislike some shame y on the surface level, at the very least. Time would tell if there was more to explore on that front.


    Of course, had she shown any aversion to his actions, Sol would have called it quits without a second of hesitation. He was not one to enforce things that his lovers hated on them by any means¡­


    ¡®I wonder if I can one day have Nent and Kiyohime at the same time.¡¯


    Sol felt his heart ze with lust with that single fleeting thought but somehow found it in him to immediately cool his emotions down to focus on the matters in hand. Now, it was Kiyohime''s time¡ª time he should spend focusing only on her and her alone. He shouldn''t and wouldn¡¯t disrespect her by thinking of other women now.


    Solughed out loud before walking toward her quarter ¨C the luxurious queen''s quarters ¨C as he shamelessly revealed the debauched ns he had in store for her, ¡°We will begin with the bow of the ship. By the end of the day, you will not be able to step on this ship without thinking of everything we have done. That, I can guarantee you, my love¡­¡±


    Compared to theirst night together, the current Kiyohime was rather meek, to say the least. She had none of the fighting spirits she showed thest time they made love together.


    Nheless, it was the time to make some beautiful memories together¡ª memories that would surely rock her mind forever.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The white pearl was an elegant but sturdy ship designated for flight, war, and traveling the void. It was a war machine that followed Kiyohime for much of her long life and in a way it was like her own daughter. She was born in luxury.


    Now, Kiyohime was about to get defiled on this very ship. It was akin to getting defiled while being watched by her very own daughter. The sense of shame and lust that it brought her was a powerful stimulus for the fairly sexually inexperienced Kiyohime. <sub> </sub>


    Now, kneeling in front of Sol, Kiyohime looked up at the culprit that was about to fill her up to the brim with copious liquids that she was too ashamed to name.


    It was long, hard, and throbbing with anticipation for her ministrations.


    Taking his shaft with her hand, an action she had learned to conduct during their previous night together, Kiyohime was once again surprised at the wonder of the body.


    To think such arge thing had entered her body previously¡­


    She shuddered faintly at the memory of her wild night with Sol, making her love juice leak out again in gushing streams, staining her prized ship underneath her.


    ¡°So¡­?¡±


    Looking up at that infuriating smile, Kiyohime puffed her cheeks like a cute girl before finally going at it.


    ¡°It¡¯s twitching so much. Like it¡¯s in pain. You talk a big deal but you are also anticipating this, right?¡±


    Sol grunted when he felt her hand wrap around his penis. He had no words to rebut against her statement.


    The soft sensation on his shaft made him groan with ecstasy.


    Kiyohime¡¯s hand was so small and smooth that it felt like being rubbed by a literal apparition of silk.


    ¡°Are you okay? Did that hurt?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It felt good, actually.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±


    She breathed a sigh of relief. It would be quite bad if she lost control of her strength here. Thankfully, now that Sol had a powerful body, she had fewer things to worry about.


    ¡®Well, let¡¯s give some payback now for all of your stunts, you cheeky boy.¡¯


    She had been pretty passive earlier. So she wanted to take the upper hand this time. She stared at his penis and poured all her energy into maneuvering her hands with sensual strokes, building up a sensual rhythm.


    She made sure to not go too hard but gave enough pressure so that it felt good rather than bordering the painful side of the spectrum. Thanks to his pre-cum that already began to flow, the movements were not too dry that would make her movements rough for him.


    Her soft and smooth fingers wrapped around it and slowly moved back and forth along its length.


    ¡®Wow¡­this is fucking great.¡¯


    Her technique wasn¡¯t the best, but he could sense her desire to bring him to the very brink which was more than enough to make up for everything else. Every time her fingers touched one of the bulging veins, it would throb powerfully. When she would asionally touch the bottom of the head, the entire penis would twitch violently. But the way it moved in her hands didn¡¯t stop her from continuing to rub it ever so gently.


    ¡°What else should I do?¡±


    Kiyohime asked. Her desire to win calmed down slightly when she remembered that this wasn¡¯t apetition. She didn¡¯t have to be the best. This was a moment of shared pleasure between two people who cared about each other.


    Sol was a little taken aback by her sudden question.


    He had honestly never really given much instruction in such a situation. It wasn¡¯t as if he really masturbated either. He simply had no need for it when there were experienced women willing to take care of his carnal needs for him.


    In the end, he simply smiled and patted her head, ¡°Why not try everything yourself?¡±


    Giving her directions would be good but, looking at her trying to please him with all her might would bring him even more pleasure.


    At least this was what the absolute sadist in Sol thought with a bonafide wolfish grin¡­

 Chapter 323 CH 292: KIYOHIME(6)*

    Kiyohime stayed silent for a while. She could see the twinkle of amusement that colored Sol''s eyes.


    Here she was, butt naked on her very own ship, while her subordinates did their daily work with full enthusiasm, as she held his throbbing penis in her hands.


    What really was her rtionship with Sol?


    It was hard to convey them in words.


    Lovers?


    Kiyohime did not think she loved Sol. They hadn''t explored those areas of their rtionship yet, so that was a given¡­


    Friends with benefits?


    This might be what summed up their rtionship quite precisely. But, at the same time, it was too crude to really describe what they had going on for themselves.


    All in all, the two were in a rather awkward situation. But that did not really matter.


    Right here, right now¡­ They were just two people seeking pleasure in each other''s embrace.


    Nothing more. Nothing less.


    Kiyohime took a deep breath and tried to remember how she had performed on their first night together. This caused her to flush when she remembered how helpless she had been back then.


    ¡®Well let¡¯s do it like this, then.¡¯


    She began by poking the bulbous head slightly with her soft fingertips, ¡°L-like this?¡± Tingling pleasure immediately coursed through his body with her careful ministrations.


    ¡°It seems like you appreciate this.¡±


    The pleasure he felt was akin to being wrapped in a fulfillingly warm and soft embrace.


    One hand was firmly holding the shaft and rubbing up and down along its length. Her small hand could not manage a tight enough grip to provide intense stimtion, but its softness and warmth were on a whole another level altogether.


    Meanwhile, the second hand on the head was very much the same, giving him a new kind of sensation with its soft and snug warmth. Her smooth palm rubbed at the tip in a clumsy but exciting way, exciting his heart in the process.


    ¡°Your precum is gushing.¡±


    ¡°That just means you are doing a very good job.¡±


    Kiyohime smiled but she knew that she wasn¡¯t really doing a good job as he so cheekily said.


    ¡®I guess there is no other way.¡¯


    Taking off her hands, She used her mana to form a small thread of materialized mana and used it to tie her blue hair so that it wouldn¡¯t get in the way.


    Once this was done, Kiyohime finally brought her lips to his penis, her hot breath tickled him and his little brother but at the same time, he could feel a growing sense of anticipation rising within him from her small action.


    She kissed the swollen tip and then opened her mouth to slip it, between her lips, into the wet confines of her mouth. She stimted the head as if chewing on it with just her soft-velvety lips. Thest time around, she hadn¡¯t really been able to do much before Solpletely took control of the situation. It wasn''t going to be the same this time around.


    Then she used her tongue. She stuck her short tongue out as far as it could go and touched the penis with it,pping it in its soft flesh. It looked a lot like a kittenpping up water, but she was actually doing the exact opposite. She was using her tongue to get saliva all over the penis.


    She soaked the skin with bulging veins and then spread it around with her lips. Once it was well coated with saliva, it was a lot smoother, which let her move her lips and tongue even more smoothly.


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    ¡®Good, he likes it.¡¯


    Relieved, Kiyohime continued. She focused on enjoying the unusually smooth texture of the head, the hint of saltiness on her tongue, and¡­


    ¡®A little bitter, isn''t it?¡¯


    She normally didn¡¯t like bitter vors, but this one she didn¡¯t mind very much. In fact, she used her tongue top up as much of it as she could get from the hole at the tip.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    The tongue stimtion of the tip made Sol tremble and groan. It was clear that he really liked what she was doing.


    Emboldened by that knowledge, she added even more saliva to see more of this reaction of his, she began sucking harder, which caused him to push his hips forward instinctively without having been aware of that movement.


    That pushed the rest of the head past her lips, which was enough to fill up the small mouth of the dragon queen.


    He tried to pull back once he realized what he had subconsciously done, but¡­


    ¡°¡­¡± <sub> </sub>


    She refused to let go of his penis as though he was trying to steal a treat from her.


    ¡°Are you sure you can handle this?¡±


    She looked up at him and nodded with the end of his penis still in her mouth.


    Sol decided to not worsen the mood. If she was sure that she could handle it then he wouldn¡¯t argue with her about it.


    Kiyohime wasn¡¯t forcing herself. While she was a little shocked from his sudden action and Sol''s throbbingncepletely filled her mouth, it was easy for her to control her gag reflexes. So, ultimately, it wouldn''t pose any problem.


    She moved her head back and forth to move his penis in and out of her wet mouth. She was keenly observing his reaction and acting in ord, as if she was a hunter chasing after a prey and was keenly observing the behavior of her prey to wlessly capture it into her palms.


    It wasn¡¯t long before she had discovered where Sol liked it best and was focusing all of her attacks on the ridge of the head.


    When her lips passed over a thinner part of the penis, the veins and the thin parts would stir up her saliva and form bubbles in her mouth which made more and more saliva to be coated along the length of the shaft. She ignored the saliva dripping from the corners of her mouth as she stimted his penis even more.


    ¡®This is so hot.¡¯


    She felt like her heart was about to burst with how excited she felt currently. She naturally reached a hand down below, to stimte her neglected honeypot. It only took an instant for her hand to bepletely drenched by her fluids.


    This made her realize just how excited she was and her fingers began to stir her innermost self.


    She knew she had to stop, yet her fingers only picked up more and more speed. She started rocking her hips back and forth for even greater pleasure. At the same time, she also swallowed his penis as far as her small mouth allowed her to.


    Looking down as Kiyohime worked on the blowjob while fingering herself in such a lewd way was like a direct attack for Sol, causing his raging libido to reach a tipping point.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    He felt the urge to shove his dick all the way down her throat but he did not want to hurt her. Instead, he slowly pulled his hips back to enjoy the entrance of her mouth a bit more.


    The ridge of the head touched her lips and then half the head slipped out between them. That was when he pushed it halfway back in again. This way he stimted the sensitive head to reach higher realms of pleasure.


    He continued moving in and out of that shallow area to enjoy the feel of her lips on his head.


    ¡°Kiyo, can you hold your lips together a little tighter?¡±


    Kiyohime did not answer but did as Sol asked and the result was simply incredible. When she tightened up the entrance, the pleasure rapidly increased. He gradually moved faster and deeper.


    Now, it was hard to say that Kiyohime was giving him a blowjob as it was more like he was face fucking her, looking at the speed and intensity he was working his hips on her mouth.


    All of Kiyohime¡¯s focus was concentrated on the cock moving in and out of her mouth.


    She kept her teeth apart to avoid hurting it and pressed her lips together. She knew she was looking extremely silly right now, but she felt no desire to stop.


    ¡°I am¡­ about to cum.¡±


    Feeling that he had reached the peak, Sol warned Kiyohime so that she wasn¡¯t taken by surprise.


    Pleasure coursed through his body before gathering on his penis and Sol tried to take his penis out of her mouth but Kiyohime stopped him from doing so.


    The rhythmic motion of her head picked up speed and intensity, not unlike Sol''s earlier hip movements. She could tell that his trembling penis had grown to the bursting point inside her mouth.


    Holding it in any longer was simply not possible. He felt the pleasure in his lower body taking control of his mind.


    A thick liquid erupted into her mouth.


    After that initial st, a further squirt of jizz entered her mouth each time the penis intensely throbbed. There was too much to fit in her mouth, so it flowed down her throat and out of her lips.


    Even so, Kiyohime did not stop. Sol could see her throat moving up and down as she swallowed his cum, as if she waspletely intoxicated.


    In the end, she even used a finger to scoop up what was dripping from the corner of her mouth and brought it right back into her mouth.


    ¡°Bitter¡­¡±


    Even though sheined like that, she acted like a cute kitten andpletely licked himpletely clean.


    Watching this, how could Sol stay indifferent?


    His cock, which had softened a little, immediately hardened again to Kiyohime''s absolute delight.


    (AN: Funny thing is. We are in NNN but I n to make Vol 10 be full of smut, so yeah. Be ready guys. It¡¯s a training arc of sorts for you, lol.)

 Chapter 324 CH 293: KIYOHIME(7)**

    Once Sol came down from the height of his orgasm, he smiled at the still-kneeling Kiyohime and gently patted her on the head as a form of encouragement.


    ¡°I must say, this was positively incredible.¡±


    He was honestly surprised. This was only their second time together but Kiyohime had been quite skillful toward the end there.


    Kiyohime grinned in response and shrugged, ¡°I learn pretty fast.¡±


    She was a little ashamed and still undoubtedly flustered, but now that her sex drive was at an all-time high, she could easily discard such unneeded feelings, at this.


    Right now, she just wanted to feel good¡ª as good as she could.


    She knew that she would feel embarrassed as hell once her excitement died down, but this was a problem for the future ''Her'' to care about, so she lost all her hesitations.


    Thinking about this, Kiyohime poked his penis absentmindedly. She gently supported his rock-hard erection with her hands and kissed the tip again with smooching sounds.


    A tingling sensation shot from his penis along his spine right up to his brain.


    But she was far from done.


    Her tongue crawled all across his penis like it had a mind of its own.


    She licked down the underside to the base and continuedpping at the boundary along his balls. She pulled the penis down with her hand so she could reach the top and licked up that side of the shaft to reach the head again.


    Kiyohime opened her mouth wide. A few strings of saliva bridged the gap between her upper and lower lips. Frothy saliva had gathered atop her tongue, gathering into a small pool of viscous liquid.


    The excess saliva spilled from her mouth as she fit the entire penis head inside.


    His brain was assaulted by the pleasant sensation of the end of his penis soaking in something akin to a lukewarm bath.


    She squeezed her lips shut to provide even greater stimtion and she started moving her head in rhythmic motions. Her tongue licked at the head while she swallowed arge portion of his shaft too.


    The sight always made him wonder how so much of his giant cock could fit inside her small mouth.


    After pulling her lips back nearly to the tip, she swallowed his brother deep into her throat again.


    And she pulled back again.


    Over and over again, she swallowed his penis and released it once more.


    It felt like her tightly squeezing lips surrounded his entire erection at the same time.


    Whenever she swallowed it, the saliva in her mouth was parted and applied a slimy pressure to his penis.


    Whenever she pulled back, he was left with the illusion that all that pressure was now focused on just the tip.


    It was an intense form of blowjob.


    It was as if Kiyohime wished to summarize everything that she had learned until now and apply it altogether to give him mind-blowing amounts of pleasure.


    Her eyes were damp and drooping like she was in a dreamlike state. The flushing red permeating her cheeks spread to her entire face and even colored the tips of her ears.


    Her cheeks, chin, and neck glistened with drool and a bit of his cum from the earlier session.


    <o>,m The gap between her usual stoic and serious appearance and the appearance now, during this intense blowjob, turned Sol on to no end. </o>


    Still, Sol had to stop her. While he didn¡¯t mind cumming from another blowjob, there was something else he wanted to do. Something he wished to enact all along.


    Feeling the hand on her head, Kiyohime spat back his cock with a curious expression on her face but was promptly startled when he suddenly lifted her with his strong arms.


    ¡°It seems like you have forgotten but¡­ We are still on your ship, you know?¡±


    Kiyohime was shocked awake, from her dreamlike state, with that single statement alone. Her eyes opened wide when she realized her wanton actions, that she was enacting, just a moment ago.


    She couldn¡¯t help but scream inwardly with a terrifying shriek at the past ''Her'', wondering why the heck she acted like a total harlot in heat.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try a new position.¡±


    Not giving her the time to get back her bearings, Sol leaned back and had Kiyohime lean into him. He moved one arm and then the other below her knees to support her butt while lifting her legs over his shoulders.


    Kiyohime felt another bout of unbearable embarrassment wash over her at having her legs opened by his arms. Moreover, she was dazed as he lifted her from the ground and she had no choice but to instinctively wrap her leg around him.


    He lowered her a little and she felt something hard and hot touch her quivering slit.


    By the time she realized the identity of the intruder, it was already intensely caressing her pussy. He moved her hips rhythmically around to rub her slit against the tip of his penis over and over again. She heard the stickiness of her love juices and felt her inner flesh longing for that cock.


    ¡°Ah, ahh, what are you doing? Stop teasing me like this!¡±


    Love juices flowed endlessly from her.


    Finally,


    ¡°Ah~!¡±


    He dropped her hips down, skewering her on his massive rod.


    Thanks to the extensive teasing, it prated her with ease, and felt like it was several times deeper than usual.


    Kiyohime¡¯s eyes rolled a little while she climaxed hard just from the act of pration alone. She had already been on the brink of her release while giving him a blowjob and this had just been thest straw.


    Sol grunted as he felt her small and tight entrance tighten even further around him and violently quiver as her body was also wracked with intense bouts of euphoria in the form of a massive orgasm. He was tempted to simply let go and cum then and there but it wouldn¡¯t be fun if that were the case.


    ¡°I told you we would fill this ship with joyous memories, right?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Rather than answering, he slowly lifted her hips and dropped them down again. His cock entered her even deeper this time. He easily moved her hips, moving them up and down the length of his cock faster and faster. <sub> </sub>


    Each time, she felt like his penis was prating her entire body.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Pleasure burst inside her right to her very core.


    But pleasure turned into confusion when she felt Sol begin advancing toward the main deck of the ship.


    ¡°....Sol?¡±


    Sol ignored her querying words. Kiyohime wanted to speak more but since Sol did not stop moving her up and down, she was forced to close her mouth as a moan spilled out of her lips.


    When they finally reached the main deck, the bustling became even more evident. The movements of people she had ignored came into her view.


    ¡®At least¡­ There is no sound.¡¯


    ¡°Heh¡­You know, when I first obtained this power, I was unable to let the sound in. Had to learn how to read lips and all. But you see¡­That was before I became a Duke.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Kiyohime was stunned. Then she heard it.


    The sound of the winds, the wave below, the cry of the birds, and the movements of people all move around.


    If before Kiyohime could ignore it by acting as if it simply didn¡¯t exist, now, she could only curse her sharp sense as she felt everything.


    ¡°When do you think the Lady wille back?¡±


    ¡°The captain must be busy taking care of the prince. I guess it will take quite a while?¡±


    ¡°How lucky. I wish I was in his ce.¡±


    ¡°Shhh! Don¡¯t speak words like those. You know you shouldn¡¯t mess with the new prince.¡±


    The voices reached them in a steady stream.


    ¡°Still, thedy is really worthy of respect. I have heard much of her war tales but it paled in front of what I witnessed with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Strong, smart, gentle yet firm. She is really perfect. Sadly, she won¡¯t ept any mate.¡±


    ¡°Hah. As if you would be strong enough to take her down even if she was open to the idea of taking a mate.¡±


    The sailors joked around and chuckled, then all the voices and all the sounds vanished altogether, as though they never existed.


    ¡°Hah, I wonder what kind of look they would have if they knew their respected Lady was having a delightful moment just next to them.¡±


    ¡°Stop¡­it.¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm¡­? You say this but¡­you are the one who has been moving for a while now you know?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The light slowly returned to Kiyohime''s hazy expression when she realized that Sol wasn¡¯t the one to be moving anymore but it was, in fact, her instead who was swinging her hips like there was no tomorrow.


    Nibbling her ear, Sol muttered, ¡°It must be hard, right? Being the queen. You must uphold your authority. You must always keep a straight face. You must take care of all the problems¡­ The stress must be building up, right?¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°Why not cast aside all the chains restraining you, even if only for a mere moment? Right here, right now, it¡¯s just you and I. Not even the goddesses can gaze into this ce. No matter how wild you be, I will be the sole witness to your state.¡±


    Like the sweet words of a devil enticing a pure soul, the mental defenses set up by Kiyohime were slowly brought down.


    ¡®Ah¡­ He is right¡­¡¯


    She thought absentmindedly. Being the queen was tiring. Having all those responsibilities was crushing.


    She wanted to rest. She wanted to let go. She wished to vent all her frustration.


    ¡°...Just this once?¡±


    ¡°As many times as you like. For as long as I will be here. If you need to vent, then juste to me. Heh, this will be our little secret.¡±


    ¡°... A secret¡­.¡±


    By now, Kiyohime waspletely convinced and like a dam finally getting destroyed, a torrent of pleasure rushed at Kiyohime all at once.


    Her heart fluttered and she released a loud moan of pleasure, this time not bothering to hide or contain her moans.


    ¡°I want you to fuck me. Do it as if there is no tomorrow.¡±


    Her words became crude but Sol did not mind and, in fact, loved this new side of her. After all, this showed how much she wanted him.


    ¡°I will not disappoint;¡±


    It was his duty to give an appropriate answer to this request.


    ---


    AN: Support me on WN or P@treon: /HikaruGenji


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    Privilege member on Discord, please ping me to receive the Privilege role.


    Thanks for your support everyone.

 Chapter 325 CH 294:KIYOHIME(8)** (Final)

    Wet sounds rang from their carnal union. Her love juices were gushing out like never before. It was as though all her body¡¯s moisture was being released from her pussy right now.


    ¡®I-I¡¯ve never experienced anything like this before. It''s like there''s a flood down there.¡¯


    Her love juices overflowed from her sweet snatch like a waterfall, slowly dripping down Sol''s legs and sliding from her butt, forming a puddle and staining the deck of the White Pearl as Sol walked all around.


    No matter where she looked, she could see traces of her fluids all over the floor, staining the deck of her beautiful ship. He subtly shifted the position of his hands, positioned around her full hips, and the angle of his body.


    This allowed Kiyohime to move her own hips more easily than before and this was something she took advantage of in full. She soon found a spot, deep inside her depths, where she really liked getting rubbed on by his throbbing dick and started moving her hips full force to rub her pussy there.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a horny woman, Kiyo.¡±


    Though, he left out the fact that he was just as horny as her if not more¡­ Subtly, he ignored that fact and used his arms again to hasten their movements. He pushed their hips in close, bringing his dick even deeper inside her than before, reaching newer unexplored ces. The flow of love juices still wasn¡¯t stopping for a single second, making Kiyohime wonder how her body was producing so much water.


    The pping of their skin had a wet note to it along with indecent sticky and sloppy sounds¡ª their origin being her own pussy.


    She couldn¡¯t help herself.


    She wanted to feel more of this mind-numbing pleasure that made her lose her reasoning and delve more and more into this ecstatic ride. There wasn¡¯t a single other thought left in her head other than the throes of orgasmic rapture.


    When they finally reached the entrance of her quarters, Sol lifted her hips up, pulling her right off his penis, leaving her hanging in his embrace.


    Her crotch suddenly felt unnaturally cold and she missed the warmth of his searing hot cock in her throbbing pussy.


    ¡°Turn around for me. Yes, just like that. Now, ce your hands on the door.¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    Kiyohime was a little confused but did as she was asked and ced her hands on the door like she was pushing it with her hands.


    ¡°Yes, exactly like that.¡±


    She heard his voice behind her and then¡­


    ¡°Ugh!!¡±


    There was no then left for her¡­


    Sol grabbed her hips and stuck his dick in her from behind with a single thrust, reaching deep inside her depths. Kiyohime moaned and arched her back with a sudden jerk as his rod was smoothly swallowed by her sticky feminine lips and his hips bumped into her soft and pillowy butt.


    His dick felt even bigger than before for some odd reason. Probably, the change in position allowed more of its length to be smuggled inside her small and narrow hole.


    ¡°Haha, it seems to me that you appreciate this position even more.¡±


    Pulling his hips back, his penis slid stickily out of her, rubbing at her vaginal walls as it slid out.


    And just before it was fully out¡­


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    It plunged deep inside her again, filling her hole with so much of his thick meatnce that she felt that her body was about to be split cleanly into two parts. Everyst part of her vaginal walls felt goosebumps-inducing pleasure as it pushed them open so very wide and deep.


    He used rhythmic movements of his hips, and gyrating motions to pound at her from behind.


    His penis moved in and out of her vagina, sending pleasure racing through her lithe body like an electric shock each and every time.


    ¡°Oh my¡­ Your pussy is getting even tighter, you know¡­¡±


    The rough and sticky folds of her vagina sucked and squeezed at every contour of his thick and stone-hard rod.


    His instincts told him to thrust his hips like a crazy lunatic and release everyst drop of his seed deep inside her, packing her womb full of his seeds and marking it in his colors. He, however, desperately held back that urge since he knew that the joys of teasing a woman and giving her the greatest pleasure were far greater than the momentary release his hasty thoughts would bring him right now.


    ¡°Does it feel good?¡±


    He whispered that softly in Kiyohime¡¯s ears, making her shiver.


    Kiyohime answered without any hesitation in her voice, ¡°Yes, it does¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do now then?¡±


    He knew perfectly well what a woman would want, but he wanted to tease her about it.


    In his experience, the longer a woman was teased, the more unrestrainedly the mes would burn within her, forming the shape of a wildfire that would burn the most pleasure into her. He did his very best to drive her mad with pleasure.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The prideful woman hesitated again, but she was no match for the desires of her body. Shepromised again and again, like peeling back theyers of an onion.


    ¡°Move your hips. And reach deep inside me¡­please¡­¡±


    She had utterly be a ve to pleasure right now, so Sol grabbed her slender waist and provided the rhythmic thrusts she wanted.


    He gently massaged the soft flesh and forced love juices out of her honeypot with wet and sloppy sounds. Even his balls grew wet with her juices as they rhythmically pped against her soft butt.


    Sol moved his arms around her, cing them at her front, and grabbed her small breasts in hisrge palms. They were the perfect size to fit in his hands. Neither too big nor too small.


    He teased them with his experienced movements and stroked the erect nipples with the pads of his thumbs, taking note to not put too much pressure. <sub> </sub>


    ¡°Ah~¡­ That feels great.¡±


    Her intoxicated voice suggested she was drowning in the masochism of being teased by a boy so much younger than her.


    She was normally a dignified warrior and queen, but it was clear that she had a secret masochistic side to her.


    Sol found it interesting as it was something she shared with Nent. Though to a different degree. It was information worth ponderingter on. Now he needed to focus more on Kiyohime¡ª his masochistic dragon queen.


    Driven by a sense of superiority, Sol lost himself in massaging her breasts and thrusting his hips with wanton motions, forgetting about everything else other than to pack into her mind the greatest pleasure she could ever hope to feel.


    When he thrust in, love juices flowed out. When he pulled back, he stirred those juices up and soaked his balls even more with said fluids.


    Kiyohime looked incredibly cute as she writhed on all fours like a small animal.


    Sadly, nothing was eternal. He could feel the urge to release his seed slowlying. As such, he started thrusting even harder.


    Kiyohime couldn¡¯t even talk anymore, so she only managed to eke out short moans in between her heavy breaths.


    Sol was also breathing heavily. It was even more intense than his earlier training session for sure.


    Ripples of movement ran through her vaginal walls while they also pressed at his penis from all directions with a set rhythm.


    The dual movements were joined by the third movement of his thrusting to create unbearable pleasure for them both.


    He bent over and firmly grabbed her hips. Her hips were so small hisrge hands nearly reached all the way around them and then he lifted her up.


    Her legs and head were lifted from the ground. Her arms hung limply down and he supported her by her hips while she doubled over like a piece ofundry hanging out to dry.


    He moved his own hips and her body to continue his relentless thrusting. Her arms and legs swayed below her in time with the pping of flesh on flesh.


    She waspletely at his mercy.


    There was nothing fancy about what was happening right now. It was raw and animalistic sex, filled with only the urge of seeking a sense of release.


    He felt his ejactioning close and his penis swelled out even more as a result.


    Sol intensified his thrusting. His penis felt like it was made of steel as it danced freely around inside of her, stirring up her flooding honeypot.


    He used his youthful energy to thrust again and again until the intelligent and courageous queen surrendered to the throes of wanton rapture.


    ¡°I am about to cum.¡±


    He announced this but¡­


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Kiyohime was the first one to reach the peak. She let out a wild sound as her entire body convulsed with such great intensity that it almost scared Sol.


    The crazed wave-like motion of her body repeated again and again and her vagina tightened seductively around his bulging and throbbing penis.


    This was thest straw for Sol.


    ¡°Kuh~!¡±


    He sprayed his cum straight into the deepest point of her vagina while continuing his piston-like movements, not stopping throughout the point of her orgasm.


    ¡°Ah, ahh, ahh¡­¡±


    Kiyohime wordlessly trembled as her vagina continued contracting again and again until she was done sucking out everyst drop out of him.


    Even after he was done ejacting, her body refused to release his penis and he continued thrusting inside over and over.


    His hips continued to p against her butt. His semen flowed out of her vagina and down the inner part of her thighs.


    Finally, he slowly lowered her to the ground. Shey there so limply that she almost appeared to be asleep.


    It was only then that Sol realized that he had gone too far this time. After all, Kiyohime hadpletely fainted.


    It was clear that he had underestimated his newfound strength.


    Still, from the smile on her lips, it was clear that she had loved everyst bit of it.


    This session might have been shorter than their first night, but it was without a doubt much wilder.


    (AN: So this is my wee to the month of NNN and damn. More than 8K words of smut. Haha, I really went wild with this. Hope you liked it. Those chapters weren¡¯t just smut either. It helped develop the rtionship between Sol and Kiyo. Now the two of them share a secret and Kiyo knows she can show her wild side to Sol.)


    -----


    AN: Support me on WN or P@treon: /HikaruGenji


    and follow me on Twitter: /REDLAW20 and Discord: https://discord.gg/3v2xvhvD6j


    Privilege member on Discord, please ping me to receive the Privilege role.


    Thanks for your support everyone.

 Chapter 326 CH 295: YoU CAN JUST QUIT

    When Kiyohime came from her deeply unconscious state, she found that she was in a state of being soaked in hot water in a bathtub.


    "Finally awake, Kiyo?"


    Kiyohime''s senses went into full overdrive mode the moment she fully returned to a state of consciousness. Not wasting even a second, she began scanning her surroundings for threats and the source of that familiar voice. Her avid and swift response¡ª a habit she had cultivated in all the people she trained and one she followed herself.


    It didn¡¯t take long for her to surmise the essence of her present situation. She btedly realized that she was in the bathroom of her castle on the peak of the 8th Heaven. That realization startled her as she was previously on the deck of her ship, getting packed by Sol''s thick meat b, and now she was suddenly resting in her castle. It didn''t make sense to her.


    "How am I here, all of a sudden?"


    "Well. Since you were quite literally out cold, I decided toe here and brought you along with me. At least this would give you more privacy and the bath is bigger¡­way bigger than the one on the ind or your ship."


    Kiyohime leaked out a strained sigh before leaning her head on Sol''s chest, resting herself in his embrace.


    Presently, she was sitting between his legs with her back nestled on his chest, her body gently wrapped in the warmth of his embrace. She could feel his erection from the throbbing rod lined up against his butt but it was clear that Sol wasn''t trying to do anything sexual with her for now. Clearly, he was ready to go but was holding back for her sake. That knowledge made her somewhat happy, if she said so herself.


    The other memories, however, weren''t really something she could be happy about¡­


    "I can''t believe I fainted because of that."


    "Heh. People underestimate how strenuous a good session of sex can be."


    Solughed it off, not willing to let the mood stagnate between them.


    "So¡­who drew the bath?"


    "I took care of everything."


    "...Thanks."


    Kiyohime did not know what she should or could say in this situation.


    But at the same time, she was very d, feeling giddy inside her heart.


    Clearly, even though Sol acted pretty overbearingly during their mating session, he still respected her position and acted in a way that would not tarnish her reputation.


    Kiyohime did not really care about people gossiping about her, but if they actually found out that she had fainted after a session of sex with Sol, she didn''t know how she would find it inside herself to face them in the future.


    "I already received all the gratitude that you could provide me."


    Sol chuckled slowly as his hands found their way to her front, gently caressing her breasts. The touch of his rough hands on her sensitive breasts caused Kiyohime to shiver in pleasure, her nipples bing hard from that touch alone.


    "We don''t have time for this, Sol."


    Kiyohime pushed his hands away and tried to calm her furiously beating heart that almost felt like it would leap out of her chest from how hard it was beating.


    She was still somewhat tired and positively strained and exhausted all over, physically speaking. Expectedly, she didn''t want to enter a new session of intense pleasure, or any pleasure for that matter. It was expounded by the fact that they indeed had some urgent work they needed to aplish, and as soon as possible.


    "How long was I out for?"


    "A few hours at best. I guess a lot of stress must have been building up. You had it hard didn''t you, Kiyo?¡±


    Kiyohime frowned slightly at his remarks, before sighing with an exhausted note. Evidently, Sol had hit the mark and the dragon queen herself knew that very well.


    ¡°Hey, do you want to talk about it? I''m all ears if you''re willing to share¡­¡±


    Sol inquired carefully, making sure to not tread along, with his words, anything that may trigger her. It was hard to establish how they stood currently in regards to their rtionship. Just because they had sex did not mean that he could barge into her private life as he pleased. For all Sol was, he was quite the gentleman and an expert when it came to understanding how rtionships progress worked.


    Still, it didn''t change the fact that he genuinely wished to lend her a helping hand if it was possible for him.


    Kiyohime stayed silent for a while, not moving or talking about anything in the meantime. Her eyes were closed and her head was resting on Sol¡¯s chest, her whole body was as still as a statue, making Sol wonder did he trouble her with his inquiry.


    The silencested for a long while, long enough that most people would have lost patience. But Sol simply continued to caress her head, gently, soothingly, not uttering any more words and basking in the silence. His worry remained, but he decided not to be hasty in this situation. He ultimately decided that he would wait for her words and reply ordingly.


    In the end, his patience was rewarded when Kiyohime finally opened her eyes, a weary light shining in them.


    ¡°Did you know? The Dragon realm has the highest rate of traitors and internal fights by far among all the territories. Be it the first or second generation divine beasts, none canpare to us when ites to internal strifes.¡±


    ¡°Is it perhaps because we are born with that uselessly high pride of ours?¡±


    Sol came to that conclusion, based on what he knew till now. If he recalled correctly, the truth Tiamat followed was <<Defiance>>.


    Meanwhile, Tiamat was born from Lucifer''s remains whose path was that of <<Rebellion>>, the drive to go against the current and forcefully erect a path they could solely tread upon.


    All of this was mixed with the Divine concept of <


    >.... Pride was always the worst of all sins, and something that would drive anything to end in the worst way possible for those who tread upon it.


    He couldn''t help but visibly cringe when he thought through that. This was truly quite the explosive mixture.


    He couldn''t help but wonder just what Superbia, the goddess of pride, thought when she was creating the dragons.


    ''Well, with how they are, I think nothing good came into that oh-so-divine mind of hers.''


    Kiyohime did not mind Sol''s silence and in fact, relished it.


    She could feel that the moment she started speaking, Sol had pulled them into his dimension. As such, everything she told him here would absolutely stay between the two of them.


    "Every time I sleep, I have the same nightmare. Dragons killing each other and me killing them in return. Extending the cycle that hassted for far too long."


    Her eyes reddened slightly as she quivered out those words from her trembling lips. Now, this¡­was a side of hers Sol hadn''t witnessed. <sub> </sub>


    What could Sol say in this situation? For starters, he could not understand nor empathize with this feeling of love of hers that was dedicated to one whole race.


    The world he came from was a world filled with humans as the only intelligent being and the greatest atrocities weremitted by said humans themselves.


    Humans killing each other was asmon as beasts fighting for food.


    "You see. I¡­ I really hate my mother sometimes."


    Kiyohime''s words were blunt and firm.


    "I know¡­ I think mother likes us in her own twisted way. I am sure that there is some love for us in her heart. But that love, as small as it is, basically stops with just us."


    Kiyohime scoffed, "Of course, I understand. I understand that the rtionship between the Divine beasts and their children is generally bound to end in miserable failure. We are nothing butrge-scale manufactured weapons after all."


    Divine beasts had the power to give birth directly by splitting a part of their energy or biologically like most living beings.


    The first method was used to speed up the production of able fighters during the time of war.


    After all, the chaos Spawns could be created in huge numbers rtively fast. The goddesses needed something to counter this.


    "Even so. Even though we are weapons, we still deserve to be loved, right?"


    Kiyohime gritted her teeth, "This is why I tried to be a mother to the dragons. I may have shown some favoritism to certain talented dragons like Nidhogg or Kaiser, but I have never once ignored any of them. I know and remember all of them."


    Her voice became hoarse and her eyes reddened further, almost bing bloodshot, "Sol, what do you think it feels like to personally kill the very people you raised?"


    It was a question that needed no answer. The simple reason being there was no answer.


    "I love all dragons. But the dragons do not love themselves. We are mired in an endlesspetition because of our own pride. Wishing to stand even higher no matter what."


    Even though the small war had just ended, it was impossible to tell if they really managed to kill all the possible traitors.


    What about future traitors?


    What would stop more dragons from converting to Chaos or simply rebelling against Tiamat.


    "I have the blood of my kins on my hands and nothing I do will ever wash it off from me."


    Kiyohime closed her eyes, she refused to cry in front of Sol.


    This was thest bit of pride she wanted to keep after all the things that happened between them. In the end, she was also a dragon¡­


    ¡°I hate my mother because she doesn''t care about them. For her, traitors are insects worthy to be crushed under her feet.


    ¡°I hate those traitors who did not hesitate to hurt their own siblings just because they let their pride cloud their judgment.


    I hate myself for having no choice but to kill them in cold blood even though I wish I could understand their pain and the choice they made.¡±


    Kiyohime spewed all the relentless feelings that had been clogging her heart and filling it with frustration and agony.


    She spoke and spoke while inwardly wondering why she was even speaking about the deep secrets buried in her heart to someone she knew for such a short time.


    When she finished, silence returned to the bathroom.


    When she finished, she was so embarrassed that she wished she could bury herself within the earth. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder what answer Sol would give to her words.


    The answer she received was quite unexpected, all things considered.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just quit, then?¡±


    -----


    AN: I came up with a new rule. Please give me your opinion. Also I already said this but I can''t readments directly since I am non-exclsuive. So please join me on discord if you have any question.


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Car = 1 bonus chapter


    A Dragon= 2 BC


    A Castle= 6 BC (spread over a week, otherwise I would die.)


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    1K unlock= 1 Bonus chapter


    3K= 2 BC


    5K= 4BC (Spread over four days)


    15K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 Bonus chapter


    1500 GT= 2

 Chapter 327 CH 296: YoU CAN JUST QUIT (2)

    A heavy silence settled between the two naked individuals, one tucked in the other''s embrace while the other silently waited for the other''s reply.


    "What did you just say?"


    "You can just quit, you know¡­is what I said."


    Kiyohime was about to rise up, anger evident in her actions, but a hand from Sol brought her down.


    Kiyohime was a little surprised by the strength Sol just showed. She could break his binding easily, but she was still taken aback by his sudden action.


    "Before you go all angry and start screaming at me, just hear me out."


    Sol was calm, far too calm even after what he just uttered. He knew that Kiyohime was not someone unreasonable and could be talked to without her giving in to her anger.


    He hugged Kiyohime tightly, wrapping her in the confines of his warmth as he softly told her his reasoning, "I neither have your thousands of years of experience nor can I understand your pain and suffering. However, nothing obligates you to suffer like this in the first ce.¡±


    "You make it sound so easy." A bitter smile of pain and mncholy formed on her lips, she let herself rx, ever so slightly, in his embrace as she continued the next line, "I really want to quit, but I cannot."


    "No. That''s what you''re making yourself believe. You can quit at any time. You simply do not wish to and therey your problem."


    Sol grinned as he continued correcting her, "Let''s y a small game, shall we? I will ask you a question and you will have to answer with just yes or no. Pretty simple, right?"


    He didn''t wait for her reply and kind of brute forced his way into the beginning of the game¡­


    "Did Tiamat ever force you to be the Dragon Queen?"


    "No."


    "Did she ever force you to stay as the Dragon Queen?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    ¡°Will your siblings bepletely helpless without you?¡±


    Kiyohime closed her mouth shut, her thoughts running wild as she carefully contemted the answer to that question. She thought about Fafnir, Welsh, and the others.


    Fafnir in particr was quite popr in the realm and wielded a notable amount of authority, as such, her answer was already evident.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What about the dragon realm, will it fall into disarray without you being the Dragon Queen?¡±


    ¡°*Sigh*...No, it won¡¯t. I get it¡­¡±


    Kiyohime sighed bitterly, Sol waspletely destroying her pride.


    "I do not know if Fate is really unavoidable, but at the end of the day, everyone is free to make their own decisions. Life is full of choice and our choices shape our future.¡±


    His eyes became profound as he remembered all the threads of fate he had seen and even wielded to some extent, when using his divine weapon.


    ¡°Nothing forces you to stay in your position and you told me that you do not wish to remain. Then tell me, Kiyo, just why is it that you can''t quit?¡±


    The answer was as simple as it could be, ¡°You simply do not want to leave. Be it because of your love for your kin or because of your sense of responsibility, the fact of the matter is that you made a choice purely out of your own will. And that is to remain as the Dragon Queen.¡±


    He grinned, "In the same way you chose to continue bearing this weight on your shoulders, those traitors made their own decisions to rebel, so you have nothing to reproach yourself for. To do so would be stupid of you.¡±


    Kiyohime just gave a bleakugh as a response, "So I am stupid in your eyes, now?"


    "Courage is knowing that it might hurt you but doing it anyway. Stupidity is the same thing. The line that separates those two actions is so thin it''s almost indistinguishable.


    "A selfish person could argue that courage is stupidity. I believe the same too. But you see, only courageous people can seed and aplish great things.


    "You could just quit. But you didn''t.


    "You could just quit. But you never even thought of doing it.¡±


    Heughed speaking till there, that thought was enough to make him happy, and hugged her tightly.


    ¡°This resolution of yours is truly admirable. In order to protect them and give them what you never received, you decided to bear a weight that would have crushed most people to dust. You are truly someone befitting of the crown of the queen.¡±


    Kiyohime felt her heart warm at Sol''s words. it was always good to be recognized for your efforts.


    ¡°I just want you to know. You can quit at any moment without the slightest regret. If you need it, I can evene with you and ask Tiamat to let you go. I know you do not want to let go of your responsibility. But you see¡­There is a great difference between someone making a sacrifice when they have no other choice and someone making a sacrifice even though they have the option to leave.¡±


    Sol smiled a bitter smile inwardly.


    This reminded him of his parents in this universe. Mars and ze.


    He wondered if their sacrifice could be called courage or stupidity. Perhaps both. He didn''t want to think about that anymore¡­


    ¡°Then¡­What about you?¡±


    "....What do you mean?"


    This time it was Sol''s turn to be taken aback by her question.


    "Since Mars came here I know how the system works. After you go back to the mortal realm, you will be crowned King of Lustburg. Which will make you the King of the entire human race."


    ''...I see¡­ That''s indeed true¡­''


    Sol realized a problem that he had been neglecting.


    He would be a King himself soon. After that, his responsibility and authority would skyrocket like never before.


    "Unlike us divine beasts, only Blessed can be the King of their respective races and you, Sol, are the sole and unique blessed of Luxuria. So then¡­ What will you do? Can you just quit?"


    She wondered how Sol would answer, but his opinion was clear from the start.


    "I can."


    His eyes shone as he thought back to the golden thread tying him to the goddess.


    "At any moment¡­ I can leave."


    He now had the power to cut this rtionship whenever he wanted to but¡­


    "However, I do not want to. Not right now, at least."


    Doing so would most likely make him the enemy of the goddesses or they could find it fun and interesting.


    It was hard to guess how they would react.


    As such, he had been very careful during the fight so that no one even thought he could do something like that. <sub> </sub>


    And even now, he was careful in not thinking about this power of his. As long as he didn''t have the power to perfectly shield his thoughts like Tiamat, this was the most he could do.


    All he needed now was time.


    Time to grow strong enough.


    Once he reached the power equivalent to that of someone like Anubis, he would be able to do whatever he wanted with impunity.


    Why could Anubis steal a part of the Afterlife realm and stay unpunished?


    Simple. Because he was strong. Strong enough that no one can cross him.


    The goddesses could do nothing to him. So they could only watch and be thankful that he wasn''t the type to create too much turbulence.


    Sol wished to reach that level of power.


    Thankfully, from the might he showed during his temporary power-up, Sol knew that he had nothing to worry about.


    People trained, not knowing whether they would really be strong or fail.


    It was different for him. He had a clear path and knew that at the end of this path was the power he so dearly desired.


    Then¡­


    An image shed in his mind for a short moment but was swiftly erased before it could form.


    Meanwhile, Kiyohime was surprised by the assurance in his voice.


    She had to admit that he looked quite manly at this moment.


    "You are very interesting."


    "I get that a lot."


    "Also pretty arrogant."


    "I am a dragon after all, that practically runs in the family."


    Both of themughed after that little banter.


    The mood that had been so serious a few moments ago waspletely broken and gave birth to something lighthearted.


    For the next few minutes, Sol began to seriously wash Kiyohime, to her dismay, as he was being quite touchy-feely.


    She vehemently refused to have him wash her intimate parts and nearly threw him out of the bath when he tried to have sex again.


    All this while, Kiyohime had never felt so calm and peaceful.


    It was like all the stress that had been building up instantly vanished into nothingness.


    Sol was right. If she couldn''t bear it, she just had to quit.


    The mind was something hard to exin, with an extremelyplex processus.


    People who did what they liked even though they had other and better options would always be happy.


    Kiyohime''s love for her family was genuine.


    But because of all those feelings of responsibility, she had been progressively destroying herself and might havee to resent the world for it.


    But now, she understood that everything was out of her own free will.


    She was doing something she enjoyed doing, not because she had no other choices, but because she really enjoyed it.


    That made all the difference.


    "Thank you."


    "You are wee."


    Kiyohime smiled at his simple response.


    She did not know what her rtionship with him exactly was.


    But, did it even need abel in the first ce?


    All she knew was that Sol brought happiness to both her body and her mind.


    This was more than enough in her opinion.


    (AN : I really missed writing chapters like this. I think I am an alright author when ites to action. But I am better when ites to writing moments like this. What do you guys think? Welp. Time to mind manipte some lion.)


    (EN: In the next episode of SHK¡­ Mind Break tag is added, people¡­.)


    ---------


    My goal is to reach Top 25. Gotta go all out. I know we can do it guys. Next week I will try adding bonus chapters on Monday and Wednesday.


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Car = 1 bonus chapter


    A Dragon= 2 BC


    A Castle= 6 BC (spread over a week, otherwise I would die.)


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    1K unlock= 1 Bonus chapter


    3K= 2 BC


    5K= 4BC (Spread over four days)


    15K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 Bonus chapter


    1500 GT= 2

 Chapter 328 CH 297:TEST

    With the discussion about their feelings and their respective choices and beliefsing to a close, Sol decided to close down his dimension, bringing both of them back to the real world.


    ¡°Your dimension is really an amazing power of yours. I can''t even put into words how astonished I am that such a broken thing exists.¡±


    Kiyohimemented, envycing her tone. In this world, one needed to know that ¡°privacy¡± was merely a very nice-sounding word.


    With seers, demigods, and goddesses walking around the face of this universe, it was very hard to keep secrets. However, Sol was an exception in that regard. He had the means to ward against those mighty beings'' eavesdropping.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Sol was happy with his dimension and now that he had be a Duke, there was so much more he could do and needed to experiment with.


    ¡°I already said, no training for you for now. You need to rest and recuperate. So, don''t even think about training, got it?¡±


    ¡°Yes madam!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After drying themselves up and changing into their clothes, a simple silver armor over a white shirt and skirt for Kiyohime and a ck shirt with tight pants for Sol, the two of them moved in the direction of Tartarus.


    Once again, Sol''s dimension proved to be invaluable as he simply twisted the distance between them and Tartarus. If he could create a near-infinite amount of distance between two points, he could also, of course, reduce it into zero.


    This made him realize again how much of a cheat his dimension was. After all, if he remembered well, Lilin¡¯s Zone had the same effect.


    By reducing the distance between her and her opponent to zero, she could make the greatest use of her Immortal ying art.


    This was what zones were for.


    A base. The foundations of a multi storied tower. The goal of a zone was to enhance all the natural abilities of the user and allow them to reach the greatest height of their inherent potential. In some rare and unique cases, zones are even the precursor to enhancing the user''s potential to greater heights.


    In this way, Sol chuckled nkly at how absurd his own zone was. In the first ce, even calling it a zone was absurd in itself.


    ¡°We are here.¡±


    It took a few jumps as Sol couldn¡¯t exactly pinpoint the coordinates, but it was still far faster than using the White Pearl to reach this ce.


    Having arrived at their destination, finally, Kiyohime opened the gate.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°The atmosphere of this ce is as shitty as I remembered it to be.¡±


    ¡°See! The kid gets it.¡±


    The moment Sol entered, he couldn¡¯t help butment, a frown etched in his face, as he felt his skin crawl because of the aura of chaos filling the depths of Tartarus.


    Anubis, who had beenying down on a bed made of stone-hard rock, sprang up the moment he heard those words, causing Kiyohime to facepalm herself.


    ¡°Stop this meaningless chatter.¡±


    ¡°¡°Yes Madam!¡±¡±


    <o>,m Both Sol and Anubis replied at the same time, causing them tough out loud and leaving Kiyohime speechless once again, watching their troublesome antics. </o>


    She had expected many things, but never for the life of her did she think that Sol and Anubis would hit it off so easily. Anubis might appear friendly, but this was just a facade of a monster whose cruelty knew no limits.


    He wasn¡¯t gentle or outspoken because he was humble.


    It was simply the fact that, in his eyes, all beings were equal in front of death. Be it an ant or even a goddess.


    As such, he treated everyone in the same polite way. Equality was his go to word, after all.


    He was a fair man. And he did everything fairly.


    However, since he treated everyone equally, it also meant that there was no one he particrly liked or cared about.


    There were only scantily few exceptions to this rule and now, it seemed that Sol had just managed to be a part of that small circle.


    Shelving the astonishing thought aside, Kiyohime focused on the matter at hand.


    ¡°So Sol, now that we are here, what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°To be honest¡­¡± Sol hesitated slightly before shrugging nonchntly, ¡°I need someone to experiment on my new powers.¡±


    The events of a week ago had left Sol with many new powers but with them came a new set of problems. The foremost of them being his unfamiliarity with them, and the variety and applications of those powers.


    His powers weren¡¯t something simple like a huge and beautiful explosion. It was more along the lines of aplex mathematical problem that needed much thought beforeing up with a solution.


    He had used those powers while being under the boost that elevated him to a demigod. But just how much could he bring forth of those powers as a Duke?


    What was his current limit and could he break that limit somehow?


    A power that wasn¡¯t well understood was just a liability. A bomb ready to explode at the worst possible moment.


    Furthermore¡­ There was another power. Something he needed to test as soon as possible.


    But there was a problem.


    On whom could he use those powers?


    The answer was simple.


    Tartarus was the most ideal ce.


    ¡°After I finish with that woman¡­ I will enter thest circle of Hell.¡±


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    ¡°Not now of course¡­ Like you said, I need to rest. But¡­ Once I rest, before leaving, I need to use this opportunity.¡±


    Kiyohime bit her lips¡ª worry evident in her eyes.


    The 7th Circle of Hell in Tartarus was no yground. It was where powerful King rank Titans, Giants, and Traitors were held prisoners. Was Sol powerful enough to fight a King?


    She did not think so. But she was sure that he was strong enough that he wouldn¡¯t be killed either.


    Perhaps once he reached the peak of the Duke rank he would be able to kill the King-ranked beings? Kiyohime did not know if it was possible but then again, Sol had always been the one to do the impossible.


    Because of all this, she could only stay silent. <sub> </sub>


    Sol was no stupid child. He stillcked experience, but he should be smart enough to know his limit.


    ¡°I will be alright. Do not worry.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can do as you like. I cannot stop you after all.¡±


    ¡®Oh!? Ohoho!? What am I seeing here!?¡¯


    Anubis who had been standing aside and observing the interaction between the two dragons opened his eyes wide in surprise as realization dawned upon him.


    While he wasn¡¯t particrly close to Kiyohime in general, he did know about her, as well as her past rtionship with Nent, and from what Isis told him, Nent was also in a rtionship with the boy.


    In fact, the boy was the reason that Nent went partially back to how she used to be, before the change that happened due to the incident 700 years ago.


    More importantly, he knew that Nent and Kiyohime were once lovers.


    ¡®Atta boy!!¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t help butugh inwardly and at the same time worry for his daughter.


    ¡®I wonder if my baby daughter will get bullied by this bunch.¡¯


    Anubis didn¡¯t care one bit that Sol had a harem. This was pretty normal in his opinion. People should be free to do whatever they want as long as they don''t hurt anybody.


    As long as the women in his harem entered while knowing there were other women, what right did he have to judge them?


    It wasn¡¯t as if Sol lied or forced them to love him. In the first ce, could he even force them?


    The problem was, Harems weren¡¯t the friendliest of ces. He began to wonder if he should perhaps prepare something for his daughter just in case she could express her dominance from the start.


    Like this, each of them deep in their own thoughts, the three of them walked up until they reached Leo who was now sitting on a rock while confused about her destiny.


    She did not even try to escape because escape was useless.


    She knew very well that there was no way out for her. Now that she was in Tartarus and with Anubis present, it was game over.


    When Sol, Anubis, and Kiyohime finally came to her, Leo¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    Sol Dragona Luxuria. The one she needed to capture in order to save her mother.


    He was also one of the main causes of their n beingpletely destroyed.


    [Zone: Deus Ex Machina.]


    Leo did not hear Sol mutter those words but in an instant, thousands of thoughts went past in her mind.


    Indeed.


    What was her goal?


    Saving Echidna from her seal. Leo did not believe in Chaos nor did she even believe in Order. Her faith went to her one and only creator.


    Echidna G.


    But there was no one who could help her unseal Echidna. The only one who could help her reach her goal were the Wings of Freedom.


    Freedom? All of this was simply bullshit. She was perfectly happy serving her ruler.


    She held absolutely no loyalties for them.


    Why then was she resisting so much?


    Why did she have to be tortured for a cause she did not believe in?


    Worse, since Anubis was present, she might even die and be an undead. This means she couldn¡¯t even take her life, lest she would lose hold over the peace of death.


    In front of Anubis, death was not a release.


    She simply wanted her mother back.


    Then¡­ Why did she have to resist?


    When Sol finally stopped in front of her, Leo looked up with a defeated smile.


    ¡°No need to dirty your hands. I promise you I will tell you everything. All I ask for is a swift death and not being changed into an undead.¡±


    Sol gave an eerie smile,pletely unsurprised by her abrupt statements.


    ¡°Tell me everything you know then.¡±


    -------------


    My goal is to reach Top 25. Gotta go all out. I know we can do it guys.


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Car = 1 bonus chapter


    A Dragon= 2 BC


    A Castle= 6 BC (spread over a week, otherwise I would die.)


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    1K unlock= 1 Bonus chapter


    3K= 2 BC


    5K= 4BC (Spread over four days)


    15K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 Bonus chapter


    1500 GT= 2

 Chapter 329 CH 298:BROKEN

    There were many questions they wanted answers to, and since neither Sol nor Anubis wished to stay longer inside the dreary world of Tartarus, it was decided to leave the job of interrogating Leo in Kiyohime''s experienced hands.


    Of course, before leaving the damned ce, Anubis was quite clear about the fact that she shoulde clean by giving out the whole truth without hesitation or any lies mixed with the truth.


    Because if she were to lie right now, he would definitely know and once he saw that she lied, he would make sure to never let her off.


    From how her face visibly paled from that statement of his, it was evident that Anubis''s naked threat had been quite effective on the fragile-minded lioness.


    This was one of the very few advantages of being the one everyone feared. There was no one who would underestimate you and your words.


    Sol and Anubis were now slowly traveling, in the air¡ª flying all the way, toward the ind where Sol was supposed to take rest and recuperate.


    Sol could have used his dimension, but he opted not to in this situation.


    For starters, he could already feel Anubis'' gaze on him and instantly understood that Anubis wanted to talk with him. Their journey back to his resting ce is the greatest asion for the talk.


    Another reason, and it was really in and simple at that, was that he did not wish for a powerhouse of the caliber of Anubis to step inside his dimension.


    Anubis had been able to steal and take control of a part of the Afterlife from the literal goddesses. It was an entire realm as big as or perhaps even bigger than the entirety of the Astral Realm¡ª home to the Divine Beasts.


    Sol had only met Anubis three times till now. There was simply no way he would give him his trust so easily.


    Once burned, twice shy¡ª went the proverb, and they often had the uncanny characteristics of happening more often than you could ever give them credit for.


    It wasn¡¯t a problem of trustworthiness but simply of maintaining once cautiousness. Because, at the end of the day, just because he was technically the husband of his daughter did not mean that Anubis would treat him like his own son.


    ? Neither did the fact that they were both Reincarnatorsing from the same world meant that they would be good friends andrades.


    Sol had only lived for less than two decades in this world and he already had a hard time remembering what it was like to think and act at the same pace as a human.


    His current body and mind were simply too different from his pre-reincarnation self.


    Then what about Anubis?


    The man was not even reborn as a human but a bonafide demon. That was a red g severe enough for most people to do everything to avoid that.


    Furthermore, Anubis had lived for thousands of years, much much longer than he could imagine living and experiencing. He was around long before even the creation of Lustburg.


    His mind couldn¡¯t be further than what humans could actually imagine.


    ¡°You seem rather preupied?¡±


    As if guessing what he was ruminating on, Anubis calmly remarked. But to his slight surprise, instead of being flustered, Sol simply shrugged and spoke his thoughts out loud.


    ¡°I am trying to ascertain just how much I should actually trust you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I am surprised you are so forthright about your doubts regarding me.¡±


    ¡°Heh, why bother lying to you? You can see the truth, right? Isn''t that what you said to Leo? I have seen Isis using her powers of judgment. Even if your powers would be different from hers, which I doubt it is, it shouldn¡¯t be too different.¡±


    Sol had nothing to hide, well he did but it didn''t matter anyways, and so he did not bother lying in front of someone who could easily tell a lie from the truth.


    This was nothing more than a waste of both of their time.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Anubis exploded in a fit of boisterousughter, before a mysterious light glinted in his eyes, ¡°You¡­I really like you. My daughter really doesn''t disappoint. She chose an interesting partner.¡±


    This was the first time in a long while Anubis had been so surprised.


    When was thest time someone managed to make him genuinelyugh outside of his family?


    ¡®Then again, I think I can say for sure that Sol is family now.¡¯


    Sol wasn¡¯t wrong in being wary of Anubis. <sub> </sub>


    Anubis was not a hero. Much less a good man. How could someone with hundreds of thousands of undead under hismand be called good? Unless the providence of the world twisted it wouldn''t happen.p


    He was simply someone who acted with only his best interest at heart.


    He was a selfish man and he did not even have an ounce of goodwill for people he had no care about.


    The only reason he had yet to join the side of Chaos was simply because there were no benefits and only troubles at that side.


    He did not wish to stand against his wife and did not wish to see his daughter live in a world under themand of Chaos.


    That was all.


    Out of two evils, he chooses the lesser one, simply because it garnered him more profit.


    ¡°By the way¡­ Can you tell me what exactly you did there?¡±


    Anubis was talking about Leo and her sudden change of heart. It had been weirdly abrupt but at the same time, it wasn¡¯t as if she was mind manipted.


    Sol mused a little on how to answer before touching his forehead, ¡°Hmm, how should I exin it? I simply affected her causality?¡±


    Seeing how Anubis was giving him a weird look, Sol sighed and expanded on his exnation, ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin, even for me. Basically, as you have seen with Nihil, my power allows me to mold causality in a certain way to my benefit.¡±


    Sol moved his hand and suddenly, the wind began to stir in a strange way.


    ¡°You should know Sheherazade. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of the Norns sister and her but my power has many simrities to them. You know that quote, right? The one about how the butterfly effect? My power is not much different. Many little changes can result in a big and meaningful change. On earth, the first world war began from a simple event or a string of events that spurred the end result. I did the same.¡±


    Sol proceeded to exin as clearly and concisely as he thought it to be possible.


    Initially, his n had been to put Leo in his dimension and inverse her feelings. But there were a few problems with that.


    Firstly, just because their feelings were inverted, it didn¡¯t change who they were, fundamentally. The change was proportional to how they hated or loved him initially.


    Like how Milia who loved him more than anyone began to hate him more than anyone.


    The change from 100 to -100 was great.


    But what if a person did not particrly hate or love him?


    As such, he decided to try something else.


    He slightly opened his ''Eye of Akasha'' and was able to see the different strings tying her to this world.


    Then, he simply ¡°thinned¡± the strings tying her to the Wings, and strengthened the string tying her to her mother.


    Those changes were extremely small in a way. But the result was self-evident.


    As Sol exined the way he obtained a swift confession out of Leo, Anubis¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but change when he thought about all the things possible with this power.


    If Sol had such a power on earth, he could easily be the greatest scientist alive or anything else he so wished. By simply nudging Fate a little he could easily find answers to all the theories or the problems that gued the world and solve them.


    Not only that, there were so many applications possible that it was simply mind-boggling.


    Even if Sol was limited now by the extent of his powers, what would happen once he became a demigod?


    In a way what Sol obtained was no different from near omnipotence.


    ¡®What the hell. This is supposed to be a simple Zone!?¡¯


    Anubis'' nearly short-circuited at that thought.


    ----


    (AN: I promised bonus chapters If I received some gifts and I honor my promise. Thanks to Killer-raze for gifting me a Dragon. Which mean 2 bonus chapters. I will post the first bonus chapter in about two hours and the second one two hourster.)

 Chapter 330 CH 299:HOME IS WHERE THEHEART IS

    The power system in this world was rather simple when all things were considered.


    Reinforcement


    Shielding


    Manifestation


    Intent


    Zone


    Avatar


    Territory


    7 steps, 7 ranks, 7 stages to bing a god¡­in the theoretical sense¡­


    For the level the goddesses stood at, while no one had ever managed to reach that illusory realm, it was theorized that one needed two crucial things to step into the ying field of the almighty.


    Bing the embodiment of a particr concept and evolving the territory in that concept, carving it as your own space in the pages of reality, to be a Divine Kingdom.


    From Reinforcement to the stage of Manifestation, one did not need to be particrly talented to master them all, they could even do it in a short time with enough effort. It was, in a way, a simple application of mana.


    Intent was where things truly became difficult and those with or without talents were screened in this stage. By filling mana with intent, one was imposing their thoughts on the world and bringing them to reality.


    The process was simple. Generating mana from your body, using that mana to shape your will, engraving on the mana as your intent, then shaping it to impose your will on the world and changing reality to fit your whims.


    The Zone was where things truly began. The first step of the true realm of power. By focusing on a fixed intent, realizing one truth from your intent, and opening one gate of your inner mind, people could finally obtain a Zone. Stepping on apletely new path toward transcendence.


    For many, the Zone was the true start and it was the foundation necessary to create a sturdy tower that would enable one to withstand the adversities to the path of godhood.


    A zone was the culmination of all of your skills and understanding of the world and had the goal to strengthen your own skills and bringing them to new heights.


    It was at the King level that things truly began to be fixed for a individual. One could change zones without problem. But once one found a true name, the only way to change it was to start back from creating a new zone for yourself.


    <o>,m This showed how important a suitable Zone was. </o>


    But¡­ At the end of the day, the zone was simply the foundation.


    This was nothing more than the first step toward more concrete power.


    This was what a zone was supposed to represent. Nothing more, nothing less.


    But clearly, Sol''s case was an exception among exceptions.


    Now that Anubis thought about it, Sol basically used a "Simple Zone", so to speak, to fight two powerful demigods.


    Even though he also used his dimension and didn¡¯t give them any decisive wounds, the way he toyed around with them was astounding.


    What if he had a True name when he faced those two?


    Thinking about all of that, Anubis decided on a fact. Instantly, his eyes sharpened and his aura changed to a serious one.


    ¡°Sol¡­ Do you know about the G.O.D project?¡±


    It was time to stop doubting and evaluating things. Sol was more than qualified for this.


    ¡ª-- (AN: /watch?v=VsN7E35LpJE&list=RDMM&index=27)


    Both Sol and Anubis now stood on the roof of the small house overlooking the beach. To his right, he could see the waves of the sea crashing against the rocks in the distance. There was no one else here with them but the beautiful waves under the starry night sky.


    The story of Anubis was quite surprising. It was the story of how three mortals, each of them with something special ¨C so special that they could change the providence of the world with their uniqueness ¨C met, went on an adventure, became friends, and progressively grew to the point where they stood at the peak of the world.


    Grand Divine Order,ter changed to the G.O.D project.


    ¡°You need to know, for some people, reaching the Demigod level was enough. Trying to reach beyond is futility and nothing but a waste of time. However, we were young. We believed in ourselves and we had the confidence to do the impossible. As such, we began the project.¡±


    Anubis chuckled, ¡°Soul, Body, and Mana. The three of us were the absolute masters in our domain. We have knowledge that rivals the goddesses but even that wasn¡¯t enough. As such we separated. But we never forgot this.


    ¡°Ambrosia threaded her path to godhood through Knowledge. The knowledge of magic that one could umte was too limited. But that couldn¡¯t stop her. In the end, she inspired herself from my power and created the witches.


    ¡°Each witch is basically an extension of her and with her Book, she can obtain all the knowledge and power of all the witches. I don¡¯t need to tell you how scary it is. You met her, and interacted with her, you should know it for yourself.¡± <sub> </sub>


    Anubis shed him a grim smile. There were few people he feared in this world and Ambrosia was definitely one of them. He did not wish to fight her in the slightest. After all, she even had deep knowledge about necromancy.


    Thankfully, no witch ever managed to learn or implement the concept of <<Death>>...


    ¡°Then you have our dear Echidna. From what I know, the two of you are enemies. I am sorry for your loss.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Anubis nodded as he remembered that Sol was a Reincarnator. It was hard for people such as them to develop deep feelings for their new family. It should be even more so for Sol since he was never actually raised by them.


    ¡°Echidna soon gave up on her own path to godhood. As you may already know, she is the First Blessed. One so powerful that she obtained the Blessing of both twin goddesses, G and Temperatia. Because of this, she was the most talented out of us three. But for the same reason, she was the most restrained.¡±


    Anubis shrugged. Echidna was not from any race. She was a unique being created by the goddesses. There was only one such as her and there will always be just one¡ª her.


    Was it because of that? She seemed to seekpanionship more than anyone else.


    ¡°What she wanted through G.O.D wasn¡¯t to be a goddess herself but to create one. To bring life to the perfect being. This was her dream and it soon became her obsession. This is how the Chimera came to be and how she became known as the Mother of Thousand Monsters.¡±


    Anubis sighed, in a way both Ambrosia and Echidna were not so different.


    As the first witch, Ambrosia was, for all-purpose, not human anymore. She had given up on her mortality and became a being that lived off mana and life energy.


    This was perhaps why she really began creating witches. All so that she could feel the love she could never have for herself. After all, she had put it up on a stake for her powers.


    Echidna''s case was almost the same, or perhaps even worse.


    Echidna was not a divine beast. She could not divide herself like them and the Chimera were not her children but her creation.


    It was the precursor for a very lonely life.


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Anubis looked up at the sky, deep in thought.


    Why did he want to be a god?


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple. I¡­just want to return home.¡±


    ----


    (This is the first bonus chapter. )


    My goal is to reach the top 25. I know we can do it.


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Car = 1 bonus chapter


    A Dragon= 2 BC


    A Castle= 6 BC (spread over a week, otherwise I would die.)


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    1K unlock= 1 Bonus chapter


    3K= 2 BC


    5K= 4BC (Spread over four days)


    15K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 Bonus chapter


    1500 GT= 2

 Chapter 331 CH 300: BUT MY HEART IS HERE,SO LS MY HOME.

    ¡®I just want to go back¨C to my real home.¡¯


    Anubis'' voice was calm and soft, vulnerable even. He was showing a rare moment of vulnerability that Sol didn''t believe a being like Anubis was able to show.


    ¡°Sol, did you meet any other Reincarnator in your life, other than me, of course?¡±


    Sol reminisced back to the moments he shared with Kali ¨C the Witch of Destruction, one of the four witches of the cardinal directions, and the daughter of Ambrosia¡­


    She was the very first Reincarnator he was able to meet with in this life¡­


    ¡°I did. Only one though. Then again you can also add Drei into the mix as well, even though we all know how that ended. So I guess that makes it two. I can''t recall meeting anyone else sadly.¡±


    Anubis nodded to his words, even chuckling at the part about Drei before continuing his monologue, ¡°In my case, I have met quite a number of them and observed the others from the shadows. It was too many to count and I couldn''t keep track after a time so I won''t even try to mention a number¡­¡±


    Since Anubis was originally born in the Mortal Realm, through his reincarnation into this universe, even though he became a Demigod, he could easily enter the realm. The restrictions of divinity didn''t apply to him. As such he could see the changes and the state of the singrities, different people he suspected to be Reincarnators, brought to this world.


    Sadly though, few of them lived long enough or managed to go past the power level of a Duke.


    ¡°After observing all of them, I came to a startling realization. Do you know what it is?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Anubis smiled at his question, answering his query with another question instead, ¡°Sol when did you die?¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes narrowed sharply as he thought back about a particr detail of his past life, ¡°2019.¡±


    ¡°How about that Reincarnator you knew?¡±


    ¡°2017.¡±


    Anubis smiled, seemingly everything being under his calctions, ¡°Drei also died in 2017. He may have erased most of his memories, but he did keep the ones that linked him to his home world.¡±


    Then he pointed at himself, ¡°As for me, I died in 2016. Merely a year before Drei and 3 years before you, yet the time we are loitering around this world for differs so much, centuries even millennia! Didn''t you wonder why this is so?¡±


    His eyes narrowed, ¡°For others who reincarnated, basically all of them died in the same time zone, between 2015 to 2019 not a year before or a year after. Those four years only, nothing else. It doesn¡¯t matter when they came here into this world, but their time of deaths never deviated from that zone. Don¡¯t you find it weird?¡±


    Anubis looked up at the starry sky again, simply growling with impatience, ¡°It¡¯s normal that the time and space between two different universes would work differently. But howe the difference is so great? Everything in this omniverse is ruled by a general constant. There''s a pattern everywhere, and nothing deviates from the fixed difference. ¡±


    ? Anubis shrugged, ¡°You may not understand the feeling, you''re different from me after all, but when I first came to this world, my only goal was to go back to my homeworld.¡±


    Anubis sneered condescendingly, reminiscing the memories after he just reincarnated to this heinous world, ¡°My life was the personification of hell and relentless suffering. I had no love for this world and I crawled from the darkest deepest pit of the world to stand where I stand now. It was no wonder then, right? That I simply wanted to go back home. But then, years turned into decades, and decades into centuries. So I gave up. After all, all those I loved should be already dead by now.¡±


    But it was a bit different now.


    ¡°Now I am happy with my life. I am powerful. I am almost untouchable. I have a beautiful wife and a beautiful daughter as well as my fair share of women whom I love and care about. Despite the rough start, my current life is quite perfect. But you see¡­ There is one imperfection I cannot get rid of.¡±


    He was curious.


    ¡°How does the Earth I came from, look like now?¡±


    He was very curious.


    ¡°Are my loved ones back home dead?¡±


    He wanted to find out the truth behind that matter.


    ¡°Why were we chosen to be reincarnated among so many people on Earth? What made us different?¡±


    Was it just luck? Anubis was not anyone particrly special in his past life, he was the visage of ordinary. So then, why choose him? What about the others? There were definitely morepetent people than him.


    ¡°And finally, the most important thing I want to know¡­¡±


    Sol perked his ears at that statement, curious about what a man like Anubis was the most intrigued about learning from his lifelong search¡­


    ¡°Can I p the goddesses once I be a god?¡±


    Anubis was itching to know all those things.


    Sol choked a little at the unexpected turn this serious discussion took. He was almost disappointed by this sudden turn but then shrugged it off.


    ¡°What? Why the surprised look? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to punch them in the face at least once, right?¡±


    Sol was speechless, but he could not retort to that statement.


    Sol was thankful. His lifepared to Anubis was clearly heaven. So, did he hate the goddesses?


    It was hard to say so. No matter what the reasons, it was thanks to them that he had his current life. <sub> </sub>


    But did he love and respect them?


    Not at all. Like Anubis said, he did want to p them at least once to calm himself down due to all their shenanigans.


    ¡°Getting back on track, I have been exploring this universe for years. There are simply too many simrities to take note of and I was going crazy. But, I will find a way to leave this world and go back home. Even if it¡¯s just for a moment. What about you?¡±


    Sol mused and answered, ¡°I¡­ Honestly, I am not interested.¡±


    Sol stood up, his voice was quite cold and filled with clear disinterest in this matter.


    ¡°I love this world and I have no interest in my old one.¡±


    Both Anubis and Sol''s gazes shed.


    This was the first disagreement between them.


    The silence stretched for a while, an ufortable silence filled with tension.


    ¡°I see. What a shame.¡±


    Anubis stood up and was about to leave when,


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    He stopped at his remarks and then turned back to Sol.


    ¡°I am quite interested in finding how Reincarnation works and how to stop it.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, how hypocritical of you.¡±


    Sol shrugged, showing no shame on his face. ¡°I never said I was an honorable man.¡±


    This may be quite hypocritical of him, but Sol really did not wish to have a reincarnator as a child.


    The simple thought of perhaps having some middle-aged man or woman in the body of a baby and sucking on the breasts of one of his women or taking a bath with them made his skin crawl with disgust and dismay.


    Sol recognized that this was incredibly hypocritical. But life itself was filled with hypocrisy.


    ¡°Furthermore, imagine if it¡¯s Isis who gives birth to a Reincarnator.¡±


    The smile slipped from Anubis¡¯ face as hisplexion darkened at that thought.


    ¡°Indeed. That is quite the unpleasant image.¡±


    He shivered violently with unbridled disgust, not willing to think more about it.


    Sol smiled, this wasn¡¯t just a case of mental age. A reincarnator simply did not see the world and their rtionships the same.


    In the same way, Sol did not really see ze and Mars as his parents, the chances that a Reincarnator recognized him as family were quite low.


    What if the soul was a horrible criminal in his or herst life? A murderer? A rapist?


    There were so many possibilities that it wasn¡¯t funny.


    Until now at least it was clear that the goddesses choose people with rtively good morale. But he did not wish to leave the future of his children in their hands.


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Anubis stretched his hand toward Sol, ¡°Let''s shake our hands on it, partner?¡±


    Sol gave a wild smile as he shook hands with Anubis.


    ¡°To a happy cooperation.¡±


    ¡°....And may we p the goddesses one day.¡±


    Anubis added with an impish smile. He could give up on many things, but that alone was something he would never give up on.


    That p would without a doubt be the greatest p he would give in his life and he was sure that it would feel greater than anything he could imagine.


    ----


    AN: This is the second andst promised bonus chapter. Man wasn''t easy writing three chapters in 24 hours. But I Think I did pretty well. Hope you liked this discussion with Anubis. Writing his storyter after I finish SHK will be quite interesting. Now the reset is in like 4 hours, I seriously need to rest a little my hands and my brain. The chapters will be a littlete (2 or 3 hourster so don''t worry.)


    Once again thanks to Killer-Raze for the dragon and thanks to all those supporting me one way or another.

 Chapter 332 CH301:HIS PAST NAMES

    While Sol and Anubis were bonding over their mutual desire to beat down the goddesses for their shenanigans, Kiyohime was busy taking notes as she interrogated apliant Leo of all the details.


    ¡®If only all interrogations were like this¡­ Wouldn''t have taken so much time and effort that way¡­¡¯


    It was the first time Kiyohime had such an easy time interrogating someone. Leo wasn¡¯t even trying to struggle. She wasplying with everything all the way.


    Sadly, the answers she was getting out of her were not that interesting.


    It was clear to see that¡­ Funf was not a particrly loyal member of the Wings of Freedom and the amount of information she had ess to was quitecking to say the least.


    ¡°The true core members are Ein, Zwei, and Drei. They are the ones who actually have most of the information rted to the core secrets of the group.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then, what about the number four of the group? His code name is Vier, right, or is it a woman?¡±


    Funf shrugged her shoulders, clearly she didn''t know about her, ¡°Honestly, that one is an oddball. She always moves alone or with Ein.¡±


    Kiyohime was now interested, the Wings of Freedom she remembered were always pretty cohesive. But it seemed like the Wings of this generation were full of people with their own objectives.


    ¡°What makes you think that?¡±


    Leo shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t really know. For one, she doesn¡¯t seem to take orders from anyone but Ein. Also¡­¡±


    Funf gave a weird look at Kiyohime.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know her reasons, but I know that most of the dragon bones in Drei¡¯s collection came from the dragons she killed. So yeah.¡±


    This time Kiyohime furrowed her brow at the words that followed.


    ¡°Vier is an elf who hates dragons. Pretty weird, right?¡±


    ¡ª---


    [9th Heaven]


    Sitting high up on her lonely throne, Tiamat was busy twirling a ring between her fingers.


    This was the dimensional key created for that member of the Wings which allowed them to directly open a portal that linked them to Nihil¡¯s dimension.


    They had taken the ring and had been hopeful of using it to find the nest and kill them all and be done with it until Ymir chose new agents. But it proved to be pointless.


    The two rings, the ones belonging to Drei and Funf, had ceased functioning at the same time and the link had been broken.


    This was awfully convenient how all their chances to actually end the Wings were being rejected one after another.


    Tiamat wondered if this was the result of extensive preparation on their parts or the effects of Sol¡¯s power when he changed Fate at that time.


    After all, Drei erasing his memory was one thing but how was it impossible for Anubis to find any trace or interrupt it? She doubted Drei had a better understanding of souls than Anubis.


    Tiamat never created anything like this, but she should have still been able to find traces of the coordinates at least. However she also couldn''t find anything.


    ¡®What a dangerous power.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t know if she was looking too much into it, or waspletely wrong, but this showed that Sol needed to better understand his power to avoid such a possible mistake.


    In short¡­


    ¡®Nothing changed.¡¯


    Tiamat sighed in boredom. It had been so long since she had a good fight.


    She had been quite excited about fighting Surtr again, but Sol intervention, while wee, really cut her fun short.


    She didn¡¯t even count the demigod they killed. Those people were just lucky bastards with no particr skills and who werepletely helpless once outside of their territories.


    ¡°I am bored.¡±


    Because the high of her adrenaline fell, she was feeling boredom even more than usual.


    Normally, she would go and sleep for a few decades because of this, but she knew that they were currently at a nexus.


    She could not even read Sol¡¯s future anymore using her dimension, even though he was a dragon.


    His stars in her dimension had be a weird mix of more than ten colors and even trying to take a look at it made her dizzy.


    She had expected Sol to be a singrity and have his Fate blurred. But, this was something else, somethingpletely different.


    ¡°Deus EMachina¡­¡±


    She muttered nkly. All power that manipted Fate generally had great limitations or price.


    Like how at least two Norns sisters were necessary to slightly alter events, or how Sheherazade could make wishes but could not control how those wishes would be realized.


    This was fair. This was how this universe worked.


    Everything had a price and limitations.


    But from what she had seen, for such a great power, the sole limitations seemed to be his power level rather than anything else. <sub> </sub>


    In a way, this was a Zone that broke all the rules of this world at no price.


    ¡®It¡¯s as if Sol is the actual rule maker.¡¯


    She shook her head at the absurdity that was jumping in her mind. Now she had to focus on what to do with his king''s name.


    ¡°Skuld.¡±


    ¡°Oh, her majesty finally remembered me.¡±


    All along; Skuld had been sulking while standing on the side. She wished she could have spent more time with Sol and taken care of him but Tiamat had basically kidnapped her to use her power.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so sassy. You have outlived your use. Now you are simply a liability and the sex toy of my grandson. The only reason I am not killing you is that I am not an ingrate backstabber.¡±


    Tiamat¡¯s voice was cold but Skuld simply shrugged. She knew that Tiamat wasn¡¯t kidding.


    She knew how to skirt around the line without really passing it.


    ¡°First question. You said that in the now erased timeline, I have been pursuing you and Sol relentlessly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°But then, why did I never catch you?¡±


    This was something she didn¡¯t understand. Even though Sol became a powerhouse, it wasn¡¯t like that happened suddenly. It must have taken time.


    Furthermore, that Sol had never awakened Deus Ex, so Tiamat should have been able to pinpoint his location by using his star if she really intended to hunt them.


    ¡°Sol focused more on his dimension than his zone and as such had a greater mastery. You have seen some of what he was capable of. Trust me, no one could catch him.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­¡±


    This didn¡¯t really answer the question but Tiamat nodded nheless. Either way, she had to be more wary of the goddess.


    Even though she was nearly their equal in terms of power, as the goddesses they were, they had many means Tiamat could not fathom.


    ¡°My second question is more straightforward.¡±


    ¡°What was Sol King''s name and do you think he should follow the same path?¡±


    Skuld shrugged, ¡°Sol had two names.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°As I said, Sol had two names as a King.¡±


    Tiamat began to massage her forehead.


    ¡°A King name represents one''s true self. We can only have one True name. Do you know how absurd it sounds!?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how absurd the very existence of Sol is?¡±


    Tiamat nodded, ¡°Touch¨¦.¡±


    She mused and there was indeed no need to care about logic. An absurd being would do absurd things. This was all there was to it.


    Once she calmed down, Tiamat realized that she should stop trying to applymon sense.


    ¡°So then, what were those names?¡±


    Skuld pointed at the sky to which Tiamat waved her hand dismissively, ¡°I always shield this ce when discussing.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then give me a minute. I have sealed my memories regarding this. Also, once this discussion ends, I will once again seal them. So do not mention the second name to me.¡±


    An 8-pointed star appeared on Skuld''s forehead as pictures and images began to flow. She had in fact sealed many of her memories. She didn¡¯t even know how much since she also made it so she would only remember them being sealed when specific keywords were uttered.


    There were many reasons for such security. For one, there were simply too many memories stored and Skuld feared forgetting important ones.


    For two, she did not trust the goddesses and did not want to take a risk.


    Once the seals regarding that specific memory were unlocked, Skuld opened her eyes wide for a bit before chuckling,


    ¡°His first name was Hyperion.¡± [1]


    Thanks to this name Sol got great power and control over fire, to the point he could even burn space and time.


    As for the second name¡­


    ¡°His second King''s name was¡ªArmageddon.¡± [2]


    [1]: Hyperion is the name of the Primordial Titan of Fire in Greek mythos. He is the son of Ouranos (sky) and Gaia (earth) and with his sister, Titaness Theia, Hyperion fathered Helios (the Sun), Selene (the Moon), and Eos (the Dawn). If you want topare to Surtr, I say since Greek myth is superior to Nordique then Hyperion destroys Surtr.


    [2]: ording to the Book of Revtion in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies for a battle during the end times. Loosely speaking, it¡¯s the Ragnarok of us Christians or the Titannomachia of Greeks. Funny how basically all religions have that one big war that will end everything.


    (AN: Revtion after revtion. But this isn¡¯t the goal of this volume damn it. I promised a volume filled with fluff so there shall be fluff. Fluff and smut. Gotta continue the NNN training arc.)

 Chapter 333 CH302:DONT KNOW; DONT CARE

    "Armageddon."


    Tiamat muttered each of those ten letters with a dreary expression on her face. Her frown got progressively worse the more letters she spewed out of her mouth.


    There was one particr concept in this world that people could not really understand.


    From where did the Avatar Name appear?


    How did they even appear?


    Who was the one to assign them?


    What was the story behind them?


    Few people outside of the goddesses and the Reincarnators could give an answer to this mystifying question. One of them being Asmodeus¡ª the divine beast holding dominion over Lust.


    But even if they could not find an answer, or hope to learn about it in this lifetime, when a Avatar Name was uttered, the people who heard it would have an innate understanding of the power and meaning behind that name.


    It was a phenomenon that was particrly hard to exin, but it wasmon sense in this world. Even if everyone were confused as to how the answer would innatelye to them, there was nothing they could do but ept it for what it was.


    So what did Tiamat feel when she heard the name <<Armageddon>> ¨C Sol''s second Avatar Name.


    Fear.


    Pure, unadulterated fear, a primal sense of absolute terror that she thought to have forgotten long ago¡­


    This was the greatest fear she had ever experienced in the entirety of her existence.


    "Just what¡­"


    The name was an epitaph only the harbinger of death and total destruction could have.


    This simply went beyond the silly and egoistical ideological war between that of Chaos and Order.


    This was something closer to the absolute end of all creation, the destruction of the providence that held reality together.


    "If that was Sol''s Avatar Name. Then I can sort of understand why my other self wouldn''t hesitate to hunt him down even though he''s my grandson."


    What she felt was a primordial fear down to her very bones, prating her marrows.


    But she could instinctively feel that what was really reacting to this name was her divinity.


    Superbia''s Divinity. The Sin of Pride¡­


    "Hahaha!"


    Tiamat beganughing lightheartedly, as if trying to shake off that primal fear in her heart, "I see now why Sol had be the enemy of the world. I understand now why he was able to do what he did with his dimension."


    This had been a detail that always bothered her to no end. Even though she said that Sol had managed to do everything with his dimension alone¡­.


    No matter how she spun it, it still sounded forced and somewhat false even to herself.


    Now she could understand that im more easily. It became more believable to her.


    "I expected a more visceral reaction to my announcement. I admit I am surprised."


    "You will need more to truly surprise me, Skuld."


    "Heh?" Skuld gave a small smile, mischief dancing in her eyes as she spoke the next words, "If so, what will you do if I tell you that this name was a downgrade from what he should have really obtained."


    ¡­.


    ¡­.


    ¡­.


    "You¡­"


    "I do not know the full story. But what I do know is that Sol obtained power from a source other than the goddesses. Even after losing all his blessings."


    "That...thing gave Sol power when he was at his lowest and Sol epted the offer graciously. But he was unable to inherit the full might of that name. As such, what he got was a downgrade from what he should''ve really obtained."


    The smile on Skuld''s face stretched further, as she reached the end of her speech.


    "I remember saying that one of Sol''s greatest regrets was not havingpleted the ceremony and obtaining a more powerful Zone.


    "But now I wonder. What would happen if Sol epted that deal once again? Would he be able to inherit everything this time? *Gah*..."


    Skuld held her throat as she was being lifted in the air, finger marks clearly deforming her throat as Tiamat used her telekic powers to choke her.


    "What is your goal? Speak."


    "Hahaha."


    Skuld let out a gargledugh and once Tiamat released her hold on her ever so slightly, she found the leeway to eek out the rest of her speech, the tone contained no fear whatsoever, however,


    "My one and only goal is Sol''s well being. Nothing more, and goddesses forbid nothing less¡­"


    Tiamat once again realized that¡­ She shouldpletely forget about logic andmon sense when talking with this mad woman.


    Skuld was someone whose whole life and goals now revolved around Sol''s existence.


    She was no different from a fanatic who would happily slit her throat and spill blood if her deity wished so. She had forgotten all about reason, fully investing herself for Sol''s needs and wishes.


    Sol was not just her love. He was her faith and her whole world. He was the center of her whole existence, and without him her existence thus held no meaning.


    Tiamat couldn''t help but wonder.


    Just how did Sol manage to obtain such an allegiance from a mad woman like her?


    "Just why do you love him so much?"


    She was so startled that she couldn''t help but ask that thought out loud.


    "You cannot understand."


    Skuld continued to smile. How could anyone understand what it feels like to fuse the feelings of hundreds of thousands of Skulds into one?


    She didn''t just nce at those possible futures. She felt them each and every one of them through her other selves.


    Skuld herself knew more than anyone else how sick and distorted her love was.


    But in all itineraries of her future selves, in all the timelines, there was only one constant that never changed.


    "I will never harm Sol intentionally."


    "I want Sol to have enough power so that no one ever dares to even think of harming him."


    She would make sure that the current Sol would never feel the bitterness his other self had to face. Not again, not ever¡­


    Tiamat sighed, "I really want to kill you right now."


    "..."


    "You are obnoxious. You are taunting me constantly and you are filled with innumerable secrets. Dangerous ones that could threaten all the realms¡­"


    "..."


    "I feel like I am at a crossroads andter down the road, I will look back on this instance with either regret or joy at the choice I made." <sub> </sub>


    Tiamat did not even bother trying to read the future. Doing so was a waste of time.


    Time was simply too vtile nowadays. The future so ever changing that even a chameleon would pale inparison¡­


    "Will you make me regret it?"


    Skuld was still held in the air, but the light in her eyes was unwavering till the very end.


    "Sol''s happiness is my only wish."


    "And what will make him happy, if I may ask?"


    The answer was simple, "Keeping those who are close to his heart alive is the first way. Giving him the power to face everything is the second way."


    "What if bringing him happiness mean destroying this world."


    "We already erased everything once for his happiness. I will be willing to do it a few more times, no problem¡­"


    Having the reset button to nuke everything and begin anew was the best insurance possible.


    "You are crazy."


    "Always have been."


    The standoffsted for a while before Tiamatpletely released her hold on Skuld.


    Once shended, she could see that Tiamat was once again sitting aloofly on her throne with none of her earlier agitation left to be seen¡­ It was clear that she had calmed herself down in a split second, one of the few necessities of a true monarch.


    "You should warn Sol that his lover and his mother-inw, who, as amusing as it is, also happens to be his sister-inw, wille either tomorrow or the next night. Heh, that kid has no limits, if I say so myself¡­"


    Skuld looked up at Tiamat, "You are really going to let me go?"


    Skuld was genuinely surprised. She was sure that she was going to die today. In fact, she had been unable to read the future as it involved Tiamat but she had managed to deduce that her chances of walking out of this ce alive and kicking were minimal at best.


    Why then was she still alive and well even now?


    "What is Sol''s happiness, again?"


    "Protecting his loved ones."


    Tiamat shrugged, "I am part of his loved ones and will perhaps be even closer to him in the future if everything works out well. As such, there is no reason for us to be enemies, right?"


    "That¡­ Works?"


    Tiamat shed an impish smile seeing Skuld''s bewildered face, "Don''t mind the small details."


    Her expression then switched to a more serious one in a split second.


    "The entity that gave such a power to Sol¡­ What is it?"


    "I do not know."


    "You do not know¡­or are you unable to remember?"


    "I am sure of this one. Sol had many little secrets he never shared with anyone and it was one of those.


    ¡°Though I do remember one thing. Two sentences that Sol once said offhandedly."


    Tiamat leaned back, curiosity evident in her eyes.


    The Sol of that timeline was a powerhouse of the like she had never seen, neither did she think she''ll see in this timeline, other than perhaps him of course. Anything he said, any words he uttered were sure to be of great importance.


    "Once that ''End''es, ''They'' will awaken from their timeless slumber and bring forth a new Era.


    ¡°''They'' have always been present. ''Their'' messengers walking amongst mortals, simply waiting and observing for the opportune moment to arise..."


    "That''s all you remember?"


    "That''s all."


    Tiamat sighed and pinched her eyebrows in frustration.


    "I hate cryptic messages like this the most. Did I ever say that?"


    "Being a seer means giving cryptic messages and watching people be filled with frustrations as they try to decipher the meaning. Those are the few perks of the job."


    Skuld wasn''t worried, once she walked out of this room, it would be Tiamat''s job to worry about the meaning of the words.


    She would simply have fun ying around with Sol.


    Was it irresponsible?


    Yeah, pretty much.


    Did she care though?


    Not in the slightest.


    This would be a problem for the future her.


    Now she was living in the present.


    A pretty ironic way of thinking for a seer.


    (AN: Enough talk about the annihtion of the universe. Time for fluff.)


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 Chapter 334 CH 303:MAD FILLED NIGHT

    [Phoenix realm]


    Nefertiti felt like she was constantly being tortured out of her mind.


    ¡°Oh my Lord, why impose such a trial on me. Why make me suffer so much?¡±


    She had to be patient now. She couldn''t let herself lose her calm.


    Sitting in her room and gazing lovingly at the portrait of her beloved lord, Nefertiti continued feeling as though each and every second stretched into hours, while hours felt not unlike days, as days also stretched into months, years, and so on and so forth.


    She had to be patient now, she told herself as she kept gazing on at her lord''s picture.


    Thest time she was called to the queen''s chambers, she had been notified of a news that she had longed to hear ever since her lord had left her side to further his training in thend of the dragons ¨C the eponymousnd of the ones that govern over the sin of pride.


    When she heard that she would be able to finally see her beloved again, Nefertiti felt like she was literally flying on cloud nine, as though the gate of heaven were beckoning her with open arms, calling her to the embrace of paradise.


    She had to be patient. Extremely patient. So...very¡­patient¡­


    But what she couldn¡¯t have guessed was that it was merely the start of her hell.


    Patience, patience, patience. And all the more patience¡­


    It was one thing to hold herself back, knowing that her lord woulde sooner orter. In that situation, she was able to restrain her most primale impulses and focus on herself one way or another.


    She had done great till now and was sure she could have held on for even longer. If only¡­


    If only she didn''t hear that news¡­ She could''ve done everything in her power to hold herself back¡­


    But now?


    Now she was going crazy.


    Absolutely crazy!


    She wanted to go now!


    She wanted to meet him now!


    She didn''t want to wait even a single second more, and wanted to just teleport to his side even a millisecond early¡­


    She continued to curse in her heart as she wondered just why they had to wait for so long.


    Why couldn¡¯t they simply directly open the portal to his location?


    Why¡­? Why¡­.? Why¡­.?


    Of course she knew why, damn it. She knew that it wasn¡¯t easy¡ª to open a portal to another realm. She knew that there were many steps that needed to be taken in order to safely open a functional passage between two territories and that it cost an astronomical sum of Faith Coins just to make the connection.


    She was extremely thankful to both Gabriel and Tiamat for giving her the opportunity to meet her lord again.


    But that part of her represented merely a small part of her rationality that was still intact, the rest of her functional capabilities had gone down the drain already.


    ¡®Let¡¯s take a deep breath and rx.¡¯


    She inhaled deeply then proceeded to exhale. She did this step a number of times¡­


    One, two, three, four.


    She continued to do so but to no avail. It just wasn''t working out for her.


    But she knew that she couldn¡¯t continue like this.


    She then walked toward a mirror and looked deeply at her current self.


    Her beauty was still present, unbeatable and unequaled or so she liked to think. But with her bloodshot eyes, her hair in total and utter disarray and her clothes were in total tatters, she looked more like a shrew than a princess of the phoenix race.


    ¡®How unsightly I look!¡¯


    Nefertiti scowled at her current appearance,pletely dismayed by how she looked.


    ¡®What would he think if he saw me like this?¡¯


    This¡­ What¡­


    That one thoughtpletely brought her mind back to the present state.


    She couldn¡¯t allow him to witness such a filthy and slovenly appearance of hers. She knew that the concurrence was rude and the time she had spent with him was miniscule and short.


    She had no great adventure nor memories shared together with him. Her obsession was her own and for Sol, perhaps she was only one of his many many women. And she didn''t really mind that for the most part. But she couldn''t help but ask herself a question.


    Did he even consider her a lover of his? Or was she simply someone to vent his desires on and then discard the next moment if he so wished.


    She did not truly care. All she ever wanted was to feel his touch and his gaze on her and for that, she needed to maintain this unparalleled beauty of hers.


    This was the only thing she had going for her after all.


    Looking at the mirror, Nefertiti smiled, a smile she thought to be beautiful.


    So beautiful that it managed to hide the sadness swirling behind her bloodshot eyes.


    She loved him, but she knew that he did not love her as much as she did.


    She dreamed of him everyday but he might never think of her if she were not before him.


    He was her world, her obsession, her love, her everything¡ª inly, the reason for her existence. But to him, she was just one of many, nothing more, maybe even less.


    She did not want this stalemate in their rtionship to continue. She wanted to give a meaning to their rtionship, to let it grow deeper. <sub> </sub>


    She knew that mere beauty would never be enough to keep a man like him tied down to her.


    Sol would neverck women and so she wanted more. So that she would want her for himself¡­


    ¡®Stop thinking negatively.¡¯


    Standing up, she walked toward the bath.


    Until the day she became strong enough to stand beside him, she would shine more brightly than anyone else in order to keep his gaze on her.


    Until that fateful dayes¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [Dragon Realm]


    After having a pleasant chat with Anubis, his now father-inw, Sol was now alone in his room after a pretty charged day, though there was no sun, so it was pretty hard to tell.


    Now though, Sol looked up at the ceiling and wondered what he should do now that he was free.


    He had already visited Sheherazade as he wanted to thank her, but she was hibernating currently. So, meeting her was out of the question.


    Clearly, what she did in order to help Sol had been too much for her tiny body and equally tiny existence.


    She was in need of a long long rest. Long enough for her to recover.


    Sol also wanted to simply rest, but he couldn''t do that now.


    There was so much he needed to do and so little time to do it all for himself.


    Thankfully, by outing Nihil, Sol has managed to obtain some needed breathing time.


    Without a demigod breathing on his neck, he had obtained the time necessary for his growth and the protection of Lustburg.


    Sol was anxious and understandingly so.


    He didn''t like having something in his body he did not know the origin of.


    There was also the constant feeling that this was just a period of peace before a great storm.


    Then there was the problem with Lilith he had to take care of.


    "What makes you so worried?"


    Sol looked up as he saw Skuld appear out of nowhere in his room.


    The only thing he felt was dimensional transfer.


    ''Why did Tiamat send skuld here?''


    Sol knew that neither Skuld nor Tiamat appreciated each other and this was putting it mildly.


    The only reason they were even working together was that they were both very rational beings who could separate business from emotions.


    Otherwise, he had no doubts that they would tear each other apart. Though, with the difference of power, it was Skuld who would getpletely destroyed.


    Thinking about this, Sol couldn''t help but have a weird image pop in his head.


    That of a small Chihuahua barking relentlessly at a silent but dangerous big dog.


    "Pfft! Hahaha!"


    Skuld pouted and jumped on Sol, pushing him on the bed.


    Now, straddling him like a cowboy on a horse, Skuld looked down at Sol with her puffed cheeks.


    "I am happy that you are happy. But why do I feel like you just thought something very rude?"


    Sol continued to chuckle, the image in his head refusing to go away.


    It was simply too urate. But he wasn''t crazy enough to describe his thoughts.


    There was some things a man should never divulge if he wished for a happy rtionship.


    ¡°Heh¡­I had a very good new for you. But it seems like I will not tell you anything now.¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes narrowed yfully as he hand went up to her slender hips.


    ¡°Is that so?¡­How should I convince you?¡±


    Skuld shivered slightly and slowly began to grind herself on him.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try to impress me? It will depend on your performance.¡±


    The heat in the room this time had nothing to do with Sol power.


    Skuld¡¯s eyes shone with an eerie light. Love and passion filled with madness and desire. Right here, right now, she wanted Sol to focus only on her and no one else. This was a moment only for them.


    But this wasn¡¯t enough. As she was now, she was notplete. She needed her sisters.


    She was even more so of it now with Sol power. They would form a whole. The start of a new order, a new beginning.


    Of course, all of this was for the future. All that mattered now was bing one with him.

 Chapter 335 CH 304: SKULD (3)*

    They began with a kiss, a hot and fiery kiss filled with passion.


    Their first time together had been incredibly rushed, there had been no preliminary and they directly went at the pration.


    For one, this was because Titans did not have the same sensibilities as those from Order, Virginity was not a concept that even existed in their midst and the first time was nothing special.


    Furthermore, Skuld was then besieged with many worries and wanted to be one with Sol in order to reassure themselves.


    But this time, there was no hurry.


    Skuld wanted to savor every moment she could spend with Sol because she could not follow him to the mortal realm.


    The rules were weaker in that ce and the presence of a pure being of Chaos there would create many problems.


    But she wasn¡¯t worried as she knew that Sol would be able toe visit her no matter where she was. For that, they just needed to have Tiamat reverse engineer the ring used by the wings of Freedom, and things would be good.


    Now, filling his lips on hers, Skuld had a sense of fulfillment and peace. Something she had not been able to sense for a long while.


    She was happy. She had seeded and brought a new starter with the less amount of losses. Everyone was happy and this had opened the road of many new possible futures.


    Straightening up, Skuld continued to look down on Sol, her eyes sparkling with joy,


    ¡°It was pretty good, but you will need more than that to impress me.¡±


    The mischievous tone in her voice was unmistakable. The two of them perfectly knew that Skuld would fess up everything as long as Sol asked. But then, there would be no fun in that.


    Skuld loved Sol to the point of madness. But because of this, she did not wish to have the same rtionship as the Skuld and the Sol of the other timeline.


    The rtionship between those two had been one of a subordinate and a lord. The Sol back then was filled with grief and sadness and while he treated her well, there was no hiding the fact that he was also using her to fulfill his goal.


    Skuld did not mind and in fact, loved the fact that she was of use to him and even wanted to be of more use. Was it Stockholm syndrome as Sol called it? She didn¡¯t care. She was happy and that was all that mattered.


    But now¡­Now she had a chance to be even happier than her other self. After all, not only would she still be useful to him¡­.But she could also gain his love.


    Skuld did not want an equal rtionship. But she sure wanted a rtionship akin to that of lovers.


    Moving down, the string of her white greek clothes, her robe fell down and showed her beautiful body.


    Under the light of the stars, her beautiful pink color seemed to shine slightly, giving her an exotic appearance that made Sol¡¯s heart pound in excitement.


    Raising his head, he was about to hold her but Skuld swatted his hands aside,


    ¡°No touching.¡±


    He raised his eyebrow in interrogation, ¡°I thought I was supposed to impress you?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Skuld hummed in agreement as she turned around, showing her ass. They were now in a sixty-nine position with the woman on top.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything.¡±


    She held his pants and brought them down, showing his massive and erect member.


    ¡°This part of you is already doing a good job impressing me.¡±


    ¡®So this is the thing that skewered me thest time.¡¯


    She hadn¡¯t managed to get a good look at it thest time since Sol directly entered her but now that she looked at it, it was a weird mix of grotesque and cute.


    From Sol''s perspective, he was busy looking at her pink small but springy ass.


    Sol had always been surprised about the body structure of beings from different races. From what he knew, Titans did not leave physical waste like organic beings. Everything they ate waspletely converted into energy.


    Still, her body was unmistakably beautiful and a work of art. Sol idly wondered what she looked like in her true form, but shelved this thought for another time.


    Moving her robe away, he found blue underwear within. It was small enough to be hidden by her butt and it had bowties on the left and right hipbone. In other words, it was a thong.


    The underwear was clearly meant to entertain the male eye.


    ¡°You are wearing panties?¡±


    Skuld moved her ass left and right as if trying to hypnotize him. <sub> </sub>


    ¡°I have asked some of the servants in Kiyohime castle about how to entice men and they said this could help.¡±


    Skuld wasn¡¯t much for underwear and in fact, wouldn¡¯t care about waking outside naked.


    She had no feelings of shame and no one cared about nudity in her world. Only if you were tasty enough or not.


    But Sol was not a Titan. As such Skuld always searched for ways to make him happy and that underwear was something she decided to try on.


    He pulled on the right knot to easily untie it. He did the same for the left one. The transparent cloth fell away from the crotch.


    ¡®Oh. This certainly feels slightly exciting to have a piece of clothes removed.¡¯


    Skuld wiggled her hips in excitement as she discovered the importance of clothes for sex, Sol ced his thumbs on either side of her plumpbia and spread them wide.


    ¡°¡­!¡±


    Her sexual flesh glistened stickily. Like her skin color, it was a lovely pink, though a deeper shade of it.


    ¡°Ah~!¡±


    Skuld moaned and nearly jumped in surprise when she felt a hot breath and tongue on her intimate part.


    His tongue passed from her clitoris to the bottom of the valley. Her love juice had a certain sweetness to it, causing him to lick with even more ardor. [1]


    As he licked at her from below, the love juices dripped down into his mouth, but he did not mind and swallowed them.


    ¡°I thought I said no touching?¡±


    ¡°I guess I am a bad boy. How will you punish me?¡±


    She could hear theughter in his voice and knew that he would tease her as much as possible. After all, Sol clearly had quite the sadistic impulses.


    Skuld held her moan and continued to hold his manhood between her hands and yed with it like it was a new toy. She coated it with her saliva, kneaded it with her tongue tip, and then wrapped her lips around it and sucked hard.


    Of course, Skuld would give as much as she received.


    The night was beginning on a good note.


    [1]: In real life, pussy doesn¡¯t taste sweet. Trust me. Never trust porn on that one. But yeah. If she is willing to go down on you, you gotta reciprocate and while it isn¡¯t sweet, it''s pretty fun making her squirm.


    (AN: This NNN training arc will be shorter. Two or three chapters max. Though, by the time I finish Vol 10, there will have been more smut in that volume alone than there had been in the whole Book 2 (Vol 6 to 9). I am going to go all out.)


    -----


    My goal is to reach the top 25. I know we can do it. If you want to read my other works, join me on P@treon: /HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site)


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Car = 1 bonus chapter


    A Dragon= 2 BC


    A Castle= 6 BC (spread over a week, otherwise I would die.)


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    1K unlock= 1 Bonus Chapter


    3K= 2 BC


    5K= 4BC (Spread over four days)


    15K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 Bonus Chapter


    1500 GT= 2

 Chapter 336 CH305:SKULD (4)*

    The stars were bright and the mood was quite right. In the small room that was barely lit by those celestial lights, two bodies were entwined in each other''s embrace as they brought the heights of pleasure to each other.


    Holding Skuld firmly by the hips, Sol could instinctively feel that her body was reacting very well to his ministrations and as such, he redoubled his efforts on her. Sticking his tongue out, wriggling it deep inside her vagina, as deep as he could with his slithering organ, he moved it all around her pinkish cave with skilled movements. He used all of his oral skills, tongue, lips, even going as far as to use the tip of his nose to stimte every part of her puffy and soft vulva.


    It went without saying, but Sol was very experienced when it came to pleasuring women, and while Skuld wasn¡¯t a human, simply unlike any being that he had familiarized himself with over the years, her current body was as close to a human''s as could be possible. And thus he was able to elicit the same kinds of reactions out of her.


    One of the things Sol learned early on in his many sexual encounters was that no two women were the same and one had to be careful in order to truly find the weak points and bring even more pleasure to the other. It was necessary for one to slowly explore the body of their partner and understand them more on an instinctive level. They should be able to understand each and every rhythm of their bodies.


    The result of his careful actions was clear to witness for anyone. Skuld stopped licking his rod and raised her voice in a mixture of shouts that consisted of screams and sultry moans. Beads of sweat quickly covered the area of her pink skin and those droplets flew off her as she twisted her limbs and writhed madly. Her reactions would make one feel as though electricity were surging throughout her body.


    But once again, Skuld was more of a giver than a receiver. Rather than feeling more and more pleasure, she wished to make Sol reach the peak as quickly and as pleasurably as she could.


    Skuld¡¯s slender fingers mercilessly wrapped around the sensitive bulbous head of Sol''s thick meaty shaft. With pre-cum coating all of her fingers, she moved them back to the head and began stroking with gyrating motions along the head ¨C the fluid thus acting as the perfect lubricant for this endeavor.


    To Sol, it felt not unlike how one would feel when jolts of electricity ran along one''s body, the only difference being, it brought him pleasure instead of pain. The delightful sensations surged from the surface of contact and his body perked up from the immense pleasure. Veins bulged out on the th shaft as it grew until it seemed that it would explode at any given second.


    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s twitching so much. Am I making you feel good, Sol?¡±


    She teased his penis while mischievously inquiring him with a rhetorical question. Clearly, she was feeling extremely happy about the response she was receiving from him due to her care.


    ¡°Ah ha! It¡¯s so damn cute. I want to tease it even more. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be able to stop myself.¡±


    Skuld felt as though a whole new world had opened up for her, and she was honestly liking what she had found out.


    Of course, she knew for a fact that Sol was just letting her have her fun. He was going easy on her. But she didn¡¯t mind even the slightest bit. This was just part of the game they were ying with each other.


    Knowing that she was reaching the limit of pleasure she could bring him with her fingers, she let go of his penis.


    The pleasure faded slightly, but she made sure to make her new attack known before the sensationpletely went away.


    She kissed the very tip of the bulging head like it was some kind of sacred ceremony. When she pulled her lips back, a string of precum attached her lips to his penis.


    She licked that up before running her tongue along the head.


    Her saliva made all sorts of naughty, sloppy sounds as her tongue stroked, poked, pushed, and licked the head. Soon, she swallowed the tip inside her heated mouth.


    A warm, shuddering breath left the saliva-filled space and her red tongue wriggled within like it had a mind of its own.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Kh~¡±


    It took all of Sol¡¯s willpower to avoid moaning as he watched her do her best to bring him pleasure.


    He was supposed to be getting back at her, so he was a little annoyed that she had suddenly taken over like this. At the same time, it felt highly arousing for him, it was a refreshing feeling as it had been quite some time since Sol didn¡¯t have to take the lead in sex. All in all, he was relishing the moment.


    Without warning, she took the head inside her mouth. Her upper lip stickily stimted the ridge of the head and her lower lips rubbed at the circumference with its soft touch.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Sol took a deep breath as he felt hisrge penis throbbing delightfully inside her small mouth. Skuld showed a level of seduction that did not befit her small body in the slightest.


    ¡®Incredible. I can feel the blood pumping through the penis this way.¡¯


    She grabbed the grotesque rod without a hint of displeasure on her face, neither could displeasure color her mind, and lovingly rubbed her cheek against the head.


    Her little nose twitched as she sniffed and showed an intoxicated expression on her lovely face. Clearly, she had just discovered her new favorite scent.


    She slowly moved her nose up to the head and then ced her lips along its round surface. Her lightly pursed crimson lips pecked at the tip and sucked along the surface of the sensitive skin.


    She pressed her lips against his penis as lovingly as someone might ce it on the lips of their sweetheart¡¯s. She was clearly worshiping his cock with no shame or hesitation.


    Sol¡¯s blood reacted by pumping even more of itself straight into his penis, making it swell evenrger but despite this, Skuld had no problems whatsoever. In fact, she even considered swallowing it down to the very root.


    She had been learning different tricks and it seemed that it was one of the actions that really pleased men. <sub> </sub>


    She parted her lips, stuck out her tongue, and sent it crawling down his shaft.


    The saliva dripping from it wet his penis, making it glisten visibly. At the same time, he was filled with a pleasure that felt like a pleasant warmth was surrounding his penis.


    Her lips and tongue crawled everywhere along the entirety of his rod, coating everyst bit of it with saliva, from the base of the shaft to the tip of the head.


    She squeezed her lips tight and pulled her head back up along the length of his penis. Then she swallowed it all again. From there, she repeated the process.


    Sol¡¯s hips trembled from pleasure so powerful he thought she was going to suck his dick right off him.


    The rhythmic motion of her head picked up speed.


    She could tell his trembling penis had grown to the bursting point inside her mouth.


    To fully enjoy its scorching heat on her tongue, cheeks, pte, and deep in her throat, she moved her head so much she felt like she was rattling the brain inside her skull.


    For Sol, the intense but soft sensation raced from his penis straight to his brain.


    Holding it in any longer was simply not possible. He felt the pleasure in his lower body taking control of his mind.


    Pre-cum oozed from the tip and a bitter vor spread through her mouth. She upped the intensity of her oral technique to taste even more of it.


    She released his penis from her mouth. It briefly felt chilly in the open air, but that feeling soon vanished. She grabbed the shaft with her silk-like hands and began roughly stroking up and down with gyrating movements.


    The unrestrained speed was just right with the mix of saliva and pre cum coating it.


    ? She also wrapped her lips around the head and used her mouth and tongue on it.


    ¡°Kh¡­that simply feels incredible¡­¡±


    The attack was several times faster and rougher than before, so he almost pulled his hips back but Skuld was going to have none of it.


    ¡°Please, cum in my mouth.¡±


    She pressed her head against him to swallow about half his penis, an impressive feat with such a small mouth as hers.


    She begged him to do it with her mouth still packed full of cock. The words provided enough stimtion to push him over the edge.


    Semen passed through his dick while it jerked around inside her mouth¨C a gushing stream of white erupting from the very tip.


    He had been brought to the edge repeatedly before and she finally gave him the release he craved, so it squirted mercilessly throughout the little Titan¡¯s mouth, flowed down her throat, and even entered her nose.


    For anyone else, this would have been very ufortable, but Skuld did not need to breathe so she simply savored the taste of the thick cum on her tongue and it flowing down her throat.


    The more she drank, the brighter her eyes shone. The amount of energy she was devouring was simply insane.


    It even surpassed the best ingredient she ever devoured and made her feel like she waspletely satiated.


    ¡®I need to bring my sisters to him.¡¯


    She could not keep this pleasure alone and she did not wish for anyone else but Sol to have the power over the Norns sisters.


    For that, the first step was to bring them physically closer.


    How did they call it again?


    A foursome, was it?


    The mischievous Titaness thought¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: I have so many ideas for smut and possiblebinations. I obviously won¡¯t use all of them here since it would be boringter but I will use one or two at least. Like I said this one won¡¯t be long. So next chap the end of NNN training with Skuld.)

 Chapter 337 CH 306:SKULD (5)**

    As Sol released copious amounts of his seed with a guttural grunt in Skuld¡¯s throat, he realized that he had been rather helpless this time around. He usually made it a point to make his partner cum at least once before doing so himself but Skuld was a tough nut to crack.


    Her desire and willingness to bring him pleasure and suck him dry could only be equaled by Milia and Nefertiti.


    Thinking of Nefertiti, a gentle smile spread on his face. She was a gentle and attentive girl that waspletely devoted to him and him alone. While the amount of time they had spent together was quite short, inparison to his other women, there was no mistaking what he genuinely felt for the girl.


    ¡°Oh¡­ If you can be distracted and reminded of someone else, then it seems like I didn¡¯t do such a good job after all.¡±


    The slightest hints of bitterness that colored Skuld''s voice brought him back to reality and Sol couldn''t help but berate himself inwardly formitting such a basic mistake.


    After slurping all of his cum inside her, she turned around and ced her head gently on his manly chest while gazing at him with her deep ck and scarlet eyes. He could feel those eyes of hers peering deep inside of him as if trying to guess who he was thinking about at this time.


    Since he had a harem, it was impossible for him to be absolutely fair to all his women and love everyone equally. But at the very least, when he held one of them in his arms, all his thoughts should only be focused around that one person and one person only.


    This was the minimum amount of respect all for his haremmates deserved.


    Of course, there was also the fact that many of his women were rather unstable in the mental department and he didn¡¯t know what they could do if they felt like they were being ignored or worse being abandoned¡­


    After being called out, Sol did not show a flustered expression. Lying was useless so all he could do was apologize for his wrongdoings, so he did¡­


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Tututu~ Saying sorry isn¡¯t enough, you know. Now you have to promise me to leave everything up to me for tonight, deal?¡±


    Sol grinned at her inquiry, ¡°I will let you have your way with my body, madam.¡±


    The two of themughed lightly as Skuld moved around until she found the most ideal position.


    She faced him, spreading her legs wide and cing them on either sides, and stood above the rod standing up from his crotch. She had already pulled down the top of her white dress, so her boobs were now exposed for him to witness and relish, adding to her allure and seductivity.


    When he looked down, he saw that her beautiful navel was peeking through her dress. The extremely short mini skirt below that was pulled up to reveal her secret ce which was still glistening with his saliva and her love juice.


    He gulped when he imagined what it would feel like inside that horny Titaness. Thest time had been a little bit too rushed in their union. His mind and thoughts had been pretty preupied with the iing danger but now he was free to explore her body as he wished.


    Skuld must have guessed what he was thinking about as a full smile spread along her luscious crimson lips. Grabbing his manhood in her left hand, spreading herbia with her other hand, she brought them both together.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Her hot and wet folds of delight and wonder touched the head of his penis. Her sticky love juices dripped down along his throbbing dick.


    Finally, she slowly lowered her hips as if savoring the ecstatic feeling of the penis entering inside her. Her honeypot swallowed the stone-hard rod little by little.


    The tip of the penis entered the small hole that was her pink vagina¡­


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    Skuld cried out a little but there was no hint of fear or pain on her face. She was staring down at the ce where they were connected with only the expectation of joy and pleasure.


    Since Skuld had asked him to not touch her with his hands, he ced both of his hands behind his head and savored the delicious sight as her slender hips continued to move downward.


    Her slit had looked like a single line earlier, but now it was obscenely spread out to take his thick cock.


    A wet sound came from between the union of their sexuality as his dick filled up her vagina to the brink and was still burrowing for more.


    She cried out while also panting as though all the pleasure was robbing her of her ability to think.


    ¡°Yes, yes! It¡¯s only halfway in, but the entrance is spread so wide!¡±


    She sounded impressed. Large wet folds wrapped around his dick and finally¡­


    ¡°!!!¡±


    Skuld sat down entirely and his penis was fully buried inside her tight vagina.


    Sol opened his arm wide after taking them out from below his head and, after a moment of hesitation, Skuld epted toy down in between them as they wrapped her in their reassuring embrace while his penis was still buried deep in her.


    With her head on his corbones and her nose buried next to his neck, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes while feeling the flow of blood and the thumping of his heart.


    Like a drum, the rhythm was fast but soothing to her. She felt like she was at home and that absolutely nothing could ever hurt her.


    ¡°Thanks for everything.¡± <sub> </sub>


    Sol gently caressed her back and hugged her tighter.


    ¡°Why the sudden sweet words?¡±


    Sol ignored her joking tone, his voice was thick with repressed emotions that were brimming in his voice¡­


    ¡°Thanks to you, I have be stronger than I ever hoped. Thanks to you, I managed to survive a deadly crisis. Thanks to you, I did not have to lose anyone I love.¡±


    Sol knew that this wasn¡¯t really the best moment to be so forthright. It could even ruin the mood going on between them.


    But right here, right now, as he held the small girl that had be such a huge part of his life so suddenly, Sol couldn¡¯t help but spill what was buried all this time in his heart.


    Ever since Sol had seen the vision of his counterpart, he had been filled with fear.


    Sol was someone who could throw all his pride aside and kneel on the ground if he was sure that he could protect his loved ones.


    He could not imagine a world where one of themcked.


    But what about that Sol? The one who had lost everything and decided to bring down the world alongside him just to create another chance?


    Sol could only weep at the despair the other him must have endured. But thanks to Skuld''s unwavering loyalty, he had been able to avoid the worst scenario and was given the chance to walk on a new road.


    To say that he was thankful was an understatement.


    ¡°Why do you always thank me every time we have sex.¡±


    Skuldughed in order to hide the tears threatening to spill out through the corners of her eyes. Just because you gave your everything to someone did not mean that it would be reciprocated.


    Skuld knew this more than anyone else. If you helped someone with the expectation to be thanked, then more than likely, you would end up disappointed.


    But Sol did not disappoint her.


    He believed in her and recognized her efforts.


    This was enough. This was more than enough.


    Stopping her tears from falling, Skuld gave another shortugh and raised herself up.


    ¡°Enough with the cheesy lines. Let me work on this bad boy now.¡±


    Skuld was happy because of Sol¡¯s words and her happiness made her Libido soar to all new heights.


    ------


    My goal is to reach the top 25. I know we can do it. If you want to read my other works, join me on P@treon: /HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site)


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Car = 1 bonus chapter


    A Dragon= 2 BC


    A Castle= 6 BC (spread over a week, otherwise I would die.)


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    1K unlock= 1 Bonus chapter


    3K= 2 BC


    5K= 4BC (Spread over four days)


    15K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 Bonus chapter


    1500 GT= 2

 Chapter 338 CH 307:SKULD (6)**

    Skuld just decided to go all out in bringing him utmost pleasure, or at least as much as she possibly could, and tightened her core with that thought in mind. He was shocked by the sudden sensation of delightful pressure around his erect shaft. Seeing his reaction, and undoubtedly pleased with it, she slightly rose her hips in order to better adjust herself and his dick in order further the pleasure she could give to Sol.


    Her vagina wriggled in undting motions to apply waves upon waves of pressure to his dick. The waves moved from the base to the very top of the head of his hard rod; it seemed like the waves were coaxing his member to move deeper and deeper inside her tight depths.


    The intensely pleasurable sensation made him thrust his hips up even further inside her to enjoy this delectable feeling more and more. He just couldn''t get enough of it.


    ¡°Well? Do you like my pussy, my love?¡±


    Skuld tried to speak a little more vulgarly with him. In short, she was trying to dirty-talk him while riding along his wonderful meat stick. She wasn''t sure if Sol would like such a thing, but she wanted to try everything in her power to bring him the best experience he could possibly get from her.


    She spread her legs wider, ced her hands on her knees, and leaned back as if to show off the sight of their union to him.


    ¡°Very much so.¡±


    He continually nodded toward the beautiful and exotic face of his giddy Titaness. To his nodding gesture, she responded with a satisfied nod of her own and asked no further questions from there on.


    With her body being small and wonderfully lithe, her vagina was bound to be small as well, fitting that size of hers. But that was joined by the waves of pressure that pulled his rod back in as if to prevent him from leaving her side.


    That movement provided an intense amount of pleasurable force that seemed to suck him back in the moment he thought that his dick would slide out of her small hole.


    Then he would thrust his hips to prate her again fully.


    The movement of her internal flesh now worked with him to guide him inside her. The difference between going out and then sliding back in provided a set rhythm that increased the pleasure more and more for both of them.


    ¡°Kuh, I can¡¯t stop.¡±


    The next thing he knew, he was now attacking her vagina with enough force to produce a loud rhythmic pping noise that reverberated throughout the room.


    Each movement of his dick caused her sticky love juices to produce a wet sound that would make most people blush in shame should they hear such a wonderfully lewd and equally shameful sound.


    The intense and rhythmic thrusting brought a strange feeling to her.


    She felt almost feverishly warm, but without any of the lethargy, one would feel when weakened by a fever or any other illness of simr properties. Only an unbridled sense of intense pleasure rocked throughout her body and caused her thoughts to melt away like a cube of sugar ced inside a cup of tea.


    ¡°Ah~! Ah~Ah~!¡±


    She could sense the hard penis thrusting into her as vividly as though she could see it with her own eyes.


    Her vaginal folds wriggled with movements akin to a small boat rocking undted in the ocean¡¯s waves.


    The tip of the head hit her deepest parts, the ridge of the head rubbed against the walls, and the entire thing seemed to pull out her entire body from within her depths.


    She was being invaded and attacked, but at the same time, she was also devouring and swallowing his member.


    Her love juices would not stop flowing no matter how long they went on with their intense session; it just kept on producing more and more wet sounds and the juices were always abundant. She even felt a tingling sense of pleasure from where his hands were ced and held her hips tightly. Even her breasts felt pleasure as they bounced from Sol''s intense thrusting.


    ¡°Ah! Wow~ It¡¯s so good! I¡¯m going crazy! Sol~~¡±


    Thanks to his previous words, she felt that some kind of mental barrier had been breached in her psyche, and then, as a result, her entire body began to tremble like she was convulsing from seizures.


    Her vagina squeezed even tighter than before, on its own ord, and she could tell it was going to push the penis out of her. While he was moving his hips, Skuld was also doing her part, well intent on making him cum before she did.


    Looking up at that divine or rather chaotic beauty of hers while she rode his cock was a very powerful sight to him. Knowing he was having sex with such an unbelievably beautiful woman ¨C no, being fucked by her ¨C was nearly enough to make him cum with that alone.


    But this wasn¡¯t enough and Skuld knew that fact.


    ¡°Then how about if I do this?¡±


    She began lightly moving her hips in unpredictable ways. She teased his dick by moving it within her in every way imaginable. By using her strength and putting her hands on his chest, she was telling him once again to not move and while he was well intent on movingter, he didn¡¯t mind letting her have her fun for a while.


    ¡°Wow¡­ah¡­¡±


    She was in control while being on top, so he was now at her mercy. Like a prey that she was about to devourpletely. Her squeezing vagina felt good, but the visual effect was even more fantastic to him. <sub> </sub>


    A young-looking woman with an incredible figure was jiggling her tits around and moving her hips vigorously enough to send her sweat flying everywhere. Seeing that left himpletely entranced.


    Instead of the guy fucking the girl, she was very clearly fucking him. She did not move her hips like a virgin or someone who was only having her second time, but with all the experience her research and memories from her past lives gave her.


    Looking at his face brimming with pleasure, Skuld licked her lips in delight as she moved her hips and almost blurted out her most pressing question, knowing whether or not his other lovers made him feel as good. But she knew that it was a big no-no.


    She didn¡¯t want to show him her ugly desire. She wished to always be the beautiful and happy-go-lucky Titan that he saw her as.


    His penis was sucked at and squeezed by her wet internal flesh. Love juices soaked his manhood like a shower.


    She was not going to let go until he had squirted his cum inside her. She was turned on all the more by her own greedy sexuality


    ¡®Wow, how tight can she get?¡¯


    Sol was surprised by her reaction, but it felt so good he could not possibly stop her even if he could.


    In fact, it was so tight that he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she intended to crush it.


    ¡°Wow. I¡¯m about to cum already.¡±


    This was way faster than he was used to, but Skuld was really working hard at milking him dry so it was understandable.


    ¡°Cum ~Cum inside me~! Fill me up!!¡±


    She said that with a thoroughly melted smile and then she raised her upper body without warning.


    It felt like she was enveloping his entire body. He could feel the feverishly elevated body temperature of her arousal.


    Her voice filled with passion pushed him over the edge.


    His semen squirted out all at once and she milked it out of him. His hot male juices erupted out and her body trembled as it filled her.


    ¡°Oh, wow. It¡¯s squirting out inside me.¡±


    He shot more and more semen into her vagina. The ejaction never seemed to stop, so he kept thrusting his hips but Skuld was too far gone to even care about his movements at this point.


    Skuld felt like she had reached nirvana. The energy of Sol wasing into her, feeling every part of her body. She cried out her pleasure to the sky and arched her back, causing her two pink mounds to bounce even more than before, and looked up to the heaven before going limp.


    He caught her in his arms when she slumped forward. Her body was very soft and warm. She felt nice to hold, and he did not want to undo their union, so he simply held her there.


    After a bit, shezily opened her eyes.


    When their eyes met from so close, she gave a bashful smile.


    ¡°It was¡­Incredible.¡±


    Incredible did not even begin to cover it. But as tired as she was, she could not find any better words.


    ¡°That it was.¡±


    Skuld smirked as she felt that he was still hard on her,


    ¡°Shall we go for another round?¡±


    ¡°I thought you would never ask.¡±


    Thus, the cries of pleasure of a Titan continued to resonate without stopping for a few hours in this beach house.


    (AN: and so end another NNN training arc. What do you think of dirty talks? I personally generally avoid it since I find it awkward when written and since most of the girls are generally pretty elegant and so. Do you wish to have more dirty talks during the smut scenes?


    You can leave some gifts on WN or P@treon if you liked the smut.)

 Chapter 339 CH308:MORNING AFTER

    [Dragon realm.]


    On the beach house, standing on the ind that was assigned to Sol, a woman d in a ck robe with red eyes and ck hair, dangling down her head parted to both sides in equal distance, was walking and humming leisurely.


    The sounds of the crashing waves and the cry of the seagull made for a lovelybination of sounds that helped in soothing her nerves.


    Ever since he had woken up, she had been on this road many times. But every time, she would get cold feet and walk away from him.


    It was pretty embarrassing. Even more so since she knew that he could feel hering close and then walking away without even trying to contact him.


    But this time¡­ She had decided to not run away. Acting cowardly like this would not change the situation.


    It was with such a thought that she finally opened the door of the room but what greeted her was a powerful and rather stimting scent.


    Blushing as she realized what this scent was, she couldn¡¯t help but let out an outcry


    ¡°Ugh! It reeks of sex.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Ugh! It reeks of sex.¡±


    A lovely voice woke up Sol in the morning or at least what his internal clock was telling him should have been morning in the mortal realm.


    It was really hard to get used to the eternal night system.


    Looking down, he could see Skuld still sleeping soundly in his arms. There was no way that her senses didn¡¯t pick up the sudden intruding situation. So she must have simply gone back to sleep after judging it wasn''t a serious matter.


    Once this was done, Sol sniffed a little and gave a wry smile. Now that he wasn¡¯t in the midst of the action, the ¡®odor of sex¡¯ as the intruder so gracefully pointed out was indeed overpowering.


    A few hours ago, after a rowdy activity and a delicious bath, Sol had simply changed the sheets and gone back to sleep with Skuld.


    ¡°So, did you reallye to me just for that?¡±


    Laughing quietly, Sol gently pushed Skuld away and covered her with the nket before standing up.


    ¡°You are pretty shameless.¡±


    Of course, he waspletely naked and his thick penis was hanging down unhinged.


    ¡°Well, you should have been able to guess what state I would be in when you entered. Furthermore, you have already seen everything. Right, Isis?¡±


    Isis blushed faintly as she made the action of looking away. Of course, her eyes were still trailing down to take a peek. This was after all the thing that took her precious virginity.


    ¡°Put on some clothes, please.¡±


    Sol shrugged, unbothered by his nudity. Shame was dead to him long ago. One could say that he had reached the level of a sage in other such matters.


    After all, whenever he did something intimate, it was with the knowledge that someone may be observing him.


    In Lustburg, it was the witches.


    In the Astral realm, it was either Gabriel or Tiamat.


    And every time, there was the possibility that the goddesses were watching.


    If Sol still cared about shame and privacy despite all of this, he would have gone crazy long ago.


    ¡°So, what brings you here? I thought you were avoiding me?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I wasn¡¯t avoiding you.¡±


    ¡°Heh, said the person that didn¡¯te to visit me even once.¡±


    Sol gently teased her while searching for a pair of pants. He knew that Isis had, in fact, been visiting him regrly.


    It was just that she would onlye up to the beach, stay around and fidget for a while before finally walking away.


    Sol could havee up to her and stopped this farce but in the end, he did nothing.


    For one, it was simply too funny and interesting seeing her acting this shy about meeting him.


    Another reason was that he knew that whatever was stopping her was something she had to deal with on her own.


    He could more or less understand her feelings. Even though they signed a contract, it was done in a hurry because of the pressing situation.


    Even though they did have feelings for each other, those feelings hadn¡¯t been cultivated enough in his opinion. Ideally, Sol would have liked to spend a few more months with Isis before advancing their rtionship to the next stage and thus forming a contract.


    The first contract was no joke after all.


    Marriage was only a contract that could be torn at any moment and unlike earth, there was no such thing as losing your wealth or any other such consequences.


    This mainly stemmed from the fact that most people simply lived too long. Even a peasant, as long as he was careful and didn¡¯t meet any sudden death could live up to a hundred years or a little more with no problem.


    How many people could stay as a couple for a hundred years if not thousands?


    Because of all of this, the importance of marriage was pretty low, outside of forming alliances.


    But a contract was different. More so in the case of the first contract.


    Isis had a part of his soul in her and he had a part of hers in his. The two of them were now linked forever in the most intrinsic way possible. Even if Isis were to ever leave or if she died, the CP used to form the contract would nevere back to him.


    For a human, the first contract was a very important matter. After all, the vast majority of humans who even had enough CP to form a contract would only be able to form one in their whole life. Their first one would be their only one. <sub> </sub>


    Sol was luckier in this case, but he still had to be careful.


    ¡®Well, Isis is perhaps the best choice possible for my first contract.¡¯


    Sol smiled and finally found the pants he was searching for and added a white shirt.


    ¡°Let¡¯s walk outside.¡±


    Sol approached Skuld and gave her a kiss on the forehead. ¡°You can go to sleep for real now.¡±


    He chuckled at the smile that tugged at her lips as she still acted asleep.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Isis gave a look to the contended Skuld and gave a light bow, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    While she didn¡¯t have a clear picture of everything that happened, from what Sheherazade told her, the existence of this Titaness had been paramount in the sess of the war.


    Like all divine beasts, Isis felt a sense of revulsion toward Skuld. But she stomped down on that instinct and threw it into the trash.


    As the direct recipient of misced discrimination from the divine beasts because of her origin, Isis knew how hurtful it could be to be judged solely based on what you were rather than who you were.


    ¡°I hope we will have more time to know each other.¡±


    Then she left.


    Now alone in the room, Skuld opened her Obsidian eyes and looked at the room devoid of presence now and surveyed her surroundings.


    Her thoughts went back to the delicious time she just had with Sol. It was like she had been receiving premium-grade food.


    For Isis, this Sol reeked of sex, but for Skuld, it was like a heavenly scent as her instinct made her think of this ce as her territory.


    Thankfully she had enough control over those instincts of hers.


    ¡®That girl¡­ Isis is a good girl.¡¯


    Skuld smiled, she had no memory of Isis. After all, Isis died shortly after making a contract with Sol in the other timeline.


    This was also one of the reasons why Anubis had been helping Sol in his n to reset the world.


    Skuld smiled and went back to sleep. All the little and big changes she observed made her happy. It means that they were walking on the right road to sess.


    Anubis became an ally much sooner. Tiamat wasn¡¯t an enemy.


    Those two facts alone changed everythingpletely.


    But, there was one worry gnawing at her mind.


    ¡®Is it one of the memories I sealed?¡¯


    If she could feel like this, it means she had unsealed that memory not long ago. She easily deduced that it must have been shared with Tiamat.


    What did this mean?


    It simply means that it wasn¡¯t her problem to worry anymore. If the situation was really dire, all her memories would automatically unseal.


    Skuld had put many fail-safes in ce.


    ¡®Everything for a better future.¡¯


    Now there was only one step left to instigate; for this dream of hers to be a reality.


    They had to save Lilith.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Skuld massaged her throat, feeling a phantom pain at the memory of the searing pain she received when she fought Lilin.


    From what she knew, both Lilin and Lilith were the result of an experiment by Sol¡¯s grandfather with Lilin being the perfect product and Lilith a more or less failed one.


    Even then, Lilin was a monster who managed to create an art that could directly affect the soul.


    Immortal ying Art.


    A name that perfectly fit what it could do and much more. Skuld couldn¡¯t even count the number of dead bodies that Lilin left on her trail.


    But every time she would marvel at this, she was always told the same thing.


    Lilith was much more dangerous.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t just a question of power. Not saving Lilith had been one of Sol''s lifelong regrets.


    In this life, her goal was to make sure Sol knew no bitterness.


    That was all.


    It was with such thoughts that Skuld drifted back to sleep. Dreaming of a perfect world where her beloved only knew happiness.


    Of course, in that perfect world of hers, she was the queen and Tiamat was her dog.


    The smile on her sleeping face couldn¡¯t help but stretch wider at that thought.

 Chapter 340 CH 309:HOLY DAUGHTER (1)

    ( AN: /watch?v=bzlHPlq8hIs read this chapter with this.)


    [Lustburg, Church of Castitas ¨C Halls of Purity]


    What was a church? What was the concept behind it?


    No matter what name a center of religious beliefs may take ¨C a church, a temple, a mosque, and so on and so forth constituting so many possible names ¨C these centers were essentially a ce of reverence for the worshippers.


    A ce where people joined and prayed toward the God or gods they believed in, they venerated.


    In principle, it was a saintly ce that allowed no disrespect, neither toward the almighty existence nor toward its agents, and where only the faithful were allowed to join.


    Of course, reality was obviously far different than what mere words of ideality could describe. The world itself did not run by mere ideology alone, so it was not a surprise.


    Most beings ¨C be it humans, elves, demons, or even angels ¨C only turned towards the divine entities in times of great turmoil in their personal lives.


    They did note to pray, to worship, or to respect. But simply to beg and demand divine grace when they were even in the slightest pickle, without caring about the inevitable question of whether they were worthy or not, to receive the grace of the almighty existence they seemingly venerated.


    Those people would beg the divine beings for help when they needed their help the most and then¡­just conveniently forget about them when they did not require their help or grace anymore.


    People of true faith were really few and far between.


    But why was that, really? Why were people so harebrained to not be faithful towards the almighty, even when they were aware of the benefits and the reality that their faith would generate.


    The answer to that question was also pretty basic. Twisted yes, but basic nheless¡­


    Most beings, of this world and any world for that matter, born with the ability to reason, hated following something or some entity they could not see or even feel, and for what? The only thing promised to them was a slightly possible intangible reward that would onlye after they were not of the mortal world anymore, only when death would embrace them to lull them into the depths of eternal slumber.


    Even though the goddesses had done many miracles and their existence was proven for a fact, for most people in this world, their existence invoked a sense of dread¡­


    The goddesses weren¡¯t a source of worship, but simply a source of fear and respect, like how the weak bowed to the strong due to their inability to cross them.


    This monumental fact held true for both of the two main religions running camp in this universe ¨C Chaos and Order¡­ Even the smaller religions consisting of the faith of the goddesses of Virtue and Sin followed the same principle.


    Goddesses were feared, for their whims could end everything and anything without them being able to say or do anything about it¡­


    Goddesses were respected for their almighty power that could do anything imaginable.


    The truly faithful were thus summed up to be few and far between.


    But on this day¡­ Standing in the balcony and observing the pious and reverent expressions of the people as they kneeled and prayed while shooting fervent gazes toward the small figure of one single woman¡­ Camelia couldn¡¯t help but wonder just what in the world was happening.


    Aurore Hignd.


    Granddaughter of Gerald Hignd and grand-niece of Tyr Hignd.


    A girl that had been affected by a disease of unknown origin that made her fall asleep for innumerable years.


    The sleeping beauty, as people were now slowly calling her inside the walls of Lustburg, was now awake and dandy, holding mass.


    Camelia had to admit, Aurore was truly a beautiful woman few couldpare to.


    She had the most wonderful fair skin, as fair as the purest snow, that Camelia had ever witnessed. Her plump lips were a shade of luscious captivating red that could draw the lust of any man, dying to devour those lips on theirs. Her riveting golden hair rivaled the intensity of the sun, paired with her deep blue enchanting eyes that held the majesty of the clear skies in them. She was a marvel¡ª a work of art manifested.


    She had a rather small body despite her age, the most likely cause being her stunted growth due to her long years of slumber. However, it could do nothing to diminish her overflowing beauty, and even, in some ces, enhanced it somewhat. It added a frail vor to her, making her a frail beauty that anyone would die to protect from any and all harm.


    At the same time, she had a morous body, with curves prominent enough to make even the most staunch man fall in perdition. Her clothes did nothing to elevate this situation as it revealed all of her curves fully. d in a white robe that ended just below her navel, and then joined in the middle, merely hiding her most secretive parts while revealing her round hips and luscious butt along with her plump thighs. Even the stocking was tightly snug to her legs emphasizing her plump thighs further that could make any man drool in that sight. She wore a nun hat atop her head while adorning gold-white themed shoes. Her beauty was simply transcendental.


    But rather than her physical beauty, mere flesh that would decay with time, what truly attracted the eyes was the holy aura overflowing with love that emanated from her mere presence.


    As if she was a holy mother overlooking misbehaving children but still willing to forgive them as long as they repented wholeheartedly.


    Despite her clothes that seemed to show a little too much of her body, there was no lustful gaze directed toward her luscious body. Only pious and fervent ones, filled with absolute reverence.


    As if a goddess was truly among them.


    As Aurore recited the litany, the fervor in the church went up to a new level. <sub> </sub>


    The peasants and nobles alike kneeled down in worship and prayed together with no distinctions between their standings and birth.


    The more she watched this, the more unsettled Camelia became.


    People were scared. The news of the iing war was slowly spreading to everyone and as such it was normal that they turned to religion. It was human nature to seek for salvation when doomsday was approaching.


    But this¡­ Something was not right.


    ¡®Does she have the same power as me?¡¯


    Camelia was born with two unique powers she could not reallyprehend the source of. The first one was to see the souls of people. Most people''s souls were a simple and deep gray in color. But there were some exceptions. People whose souls were totally different, with a distinct vor to them.


    The second power was to ¡®charm¡¯ people and have them listen to her order. This was an innate power she had possessed from birth. [1]


    That was more Akin to brainwashing. She had used that power unconsciously when she was younger before she became a Holy daughter.


    But now, she hated using that power. Robbing people of their free will when it wasn¡¯t necessary was something she loathed to do.


    ¡®But I can¡¯t feel any fluctuation from her.¡¯


    Camelia couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Aurore was simply that charismatic and if she was looking too much into the situation.


    All of this stemmed from one fact.


    Aurore Hignd had indeed awoken from her long slumber.


    When Gerald sold out all the conspirators, Camelia had sworn to wake up Aurore. Furthermore, she had received orders from Castitas to do so recently.


    But the problem was¡­ Camelia was not the one who woke her up.


    After years of slumber caused by her disease¡ª Aurore woke up on her own.


    [1]: You can refer to Interlude 2 if you forgot.


    (AN: I received a Dragon cj_savage. So there will 2 Bonus chapters after this. Thanks for the Gift.)


    ------


    My goal is to reach the top 25 in trending (All time/montly). I know we can do it. If you want to read my other works, join me on P@treon: /HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site)


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Car = 1 bonus chapter


    A Dragon= 2 BC


    A Castle= 6 BC (spread over a week, otherwise I would die.)


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    1K unlock= 1 Bonus chapter


    3K= 2 BC


    5K= 4BC (Spread over four days)


    15K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 Bonus chapter


    1500 GT= 2

 Chapter 341 CH 310:HOLY DAUGHTER(2)

    When the mass finally ended, the believers were walking out of the room with relieved expressions etched on their previously fearful faces. As if a great weight had been taken off their shoulders, they could finally see a ray of hope in these troubling times. They had a feeling that all was good in the world, as if everything had finallye back into the right track.


    All this while, Aurore kept her characteristic enchanting smile on her face, never dropping it for a simple second as she waved her hand as they left the hall of the grandiose church.


    When the hall had finally be bereft of all the followers and worshippers, she finally let go of her act, her expression dropping as she leaked out a sigh full of tiredness¡­ The day had been greatly hectic for her, especially as she felt extremely weak¡­


    ¡°Great job there, your eminence, the Holy Daughter.¡±


    One of the nuns in her service approached Aurore and handed her a bottle of water and a wet cloth to wipe the sweat off her enchanting face. The moment she had let go of herposure, her natural responses had kicked in as she started sweating profusely. The cloth had been a great help in that regard.


    The nuns couldn''t help but pity her. Talking and standing for hours was a mentally and physically straining job and they all knew that Auore was still physically weak, so they were trying to do everything in their powers to help take some of the burdens off her shoulders.


    ¡°Thank you, everyone. But this wouldn¡¯t have been possible without your help. So don''t give me all the credit as this event wouldn''t have beenplete without each and every one of you.¡±


    Aurore demurely replied, taking note to give them their due appreciation, and gave them a beaming smile. The humbleness in her actions and the frailty of her expression made them appreciate her even more than before, greatly elevating her position in their hearts.


    Humans had a weird instinct to them that made them inwardly take care of the side of the weak and cute beings. For this gave them a certain feeling of superiority and stroked their egos. Aurora, being one of the core members of the Hignds, knew how to evoke the maternal instincts in the nuns taking care of her. This way she could easily make them do her bidding if she so wished. Which she was going to take advantage of right now¡­


    ¡°May I visit the main hall, please?¡±


    The few nuns standing before her looked at each other with hesitant expressions, unsure as to how to reply to her. They really wanted to follow her request, they really did, but just yesterday, Camellia had absolutely forbidden everyone from entering the main hall at any and all costs. Reminding them that failing to adhere to that order would result in unimaginable consequences.


    There was a very explicit reason behind that order. The main hall in question was the ce where the portal leading to the Astral realm was ced. It was Sol¡¯s only anchor to this world.


    ¡°Holy daughter¡­ I''m sorry¡­ We¡­ We really can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I am sorry. My question must have inconvenienced you.¡±


    Aurore looked forlorn and sad as she looked down, causing them to greatly panic¡­


    ¡°No no no¡­ You did nothing wrong, your eminence!¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ You are the Holy daughter, after all so¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes yes yes... Technically, you do not have to listen to Lady Camelia.¡±


    They were all searching for excuses, excuses to ept their request and take off the troubling mask from her face, but then¡­


    ¡°What do you mean by that exactly?¡±


    A cold voice sounded behind them, causing the nuns to all freeze up in absolute fear and horror. Terror ran through their souls at the mere sound of that voice. Hurriedly, they immediately turned around and put one knee on the ground in perfect synchronization.


    ¡°We are truly sorry. May the Supreme Daughter punish us for our slight. Thousand deaths aren''t enough to pay for our sins. Please punish us, your holiness.¡±


    They were all afraid. But, before Camelia could speak, Aurore acted instead, taking the nun''s side and shielding them from Camelia''s eyes¡­


    ¡°Please, dear sister, forgive them as they have done no wrong. I am the one who wanted to go there. The nuns simply wished to help me, that''s all. Again, I implore you to find it in yourself to forgive them, oh sister!¡±


    Camelia stayed silent as she watched this absolute farce happening. Now, no matter what she said, the appreciation would fall to Aurore.


    Sure enough, once Camelia waved her hand to dismiss them, the nuns stood up and directed a small smile full of immense gratitude toward Aurore before scurrying away like rats facing a hungry cat.


    ¡®Sigh¡­ Now it¡¯s like I am the bad guy in this scenario.¡¯


    Ever since Aurore woke up, the atmosphere inside the churches walls had been weird, and that was putting it lightly. Camelia understood the reason behind the phenomenon quite well, which led to increasing her headache.


    The rtionship between the Supreme and Holy daughter was different from that of the King and the Prince.


    The rtionship was more horizontal in nature, which meant that the Holy Daughter had more power and responsibility than the acting Supreme Daughter of the same generation.


    Furthermore, everyone knew that with the existence of Aurore, Camelia could thus die at any given moment.


    Normal people may not know about the Divine rules, but they were not stupid to not notice the obvious. They could see how every time a new Holy Daughter appeared in the world, the previous Supreme Daughter never stayed long and departed for the life after¡­


    If Camelia died, this church would fall into the hands of Aurore. So young nuns were already currying favor with her one way or another and trying to enter her good grace.


    ¡®This is why I didn¡¯t want to have a Holy Daughter for now.¡¯ <sub> </sub>


    A ship could not work smoothly with two captains manning it.


    ¡°Sister, I am sorry if my demand was inconsiderate. I just wanted to take a look at the portal used by his highness, Sol.¡±


    Camelia narrowed her eyes at that statement. She felt something fishy in those word of hers, ¡°Why would you want that?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I have vague memories of his highness and I know how much grandfather cared for him throughout his life. I just wanted to pray for his safety and safe return.¡±


    Camelia snorted with disdain, clearly not agreeing with her words, ¡°Do you truly think that praying changes anything?¡±


    Aurore gasped in shock and terror, ¡°Sister! Do not disrespect the goddesses, please. We will be punished with Divine Retribution otherwise.¡±


    ¡®Was I also like this?¡¯


    Camelia¡¯s eyes twitched, as her body started to cringe at her reaction. She slowly remembered that she also used to have a feeling of awe and reverence toward the goddesses when she had been a Holy Daughter.


    Of course, that feeling soon vanishedpletely after she became a Supreme Daughter and had the chance to directly interact with the goddesses.


    Humans revered and feared the unknown.


    This was the reason why science and knowledge was the bane of all religion since times immemorial.


    This was also why people should never meet their heroes. It generally ended up in disappointment for the admirers.


    ¡®Am I really looking too much into it?¡¯


    Camelia couldn¡¯t help but doubt herself. Perhaps she was too sensitive because her ce was being threatened?


    After all, in terms of stature and age, Aurore was a better partner for Sol than her. If Sol ever went on adventure like his father did, the one to follow him would be Aurore, and not her.


    This meant that her importance was sorely diminished and while Aurore stillcked the power now, she would one day be a King ss being just like her.


    Of course, there was also the matter of Camelia''s Fate weakening and her chances of dying increasing.


    But this wasn¡¯t as important.


    ¡°Sigh, forget it. I do not want to pursue this discussion. As for entering the main hall, it¡¯s still a no, unfortunately. I can''t ede to that request of yours, I''m sorry.¡±


    Camelia did not know if her doubts were legit or simple paranoia, but she refused to take the risk and let anything happen to that portal.


    Until Sol came back, the main hall would stay closed. No matter what, no one would be allowed to pass, this was her conviction.


    On those words Camelia turned around and began to walk away. But a thought just struck her,


    ¡°By the way, do not call me Sister. Just Saintess would suffice.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ But, I wish I could call you mother instead.¡±


    Aurore covered her mouth as she let out a smallugh at the bbergasted expression on Camelia¡¯s face.


    ¡°Do I look that old?¡±


    Camelia, despite her age, still looked like a woman in her early twenties. It was quite shocking to be suddenly called mother by someone who was a total stranger to her just a few days ago.


    A mysterious smile floated on Aurore¡¯s face as she shook her head in denial. An iprehensible and mysterious look shed in her eyes but it disappeared as soon as it came as she smilingly replied to Camelia.


    ¡°You simply remind me of my mother. I am sorry if I offended you, Saintess.¡±


    Aurore gave a bow and left, her smile still tugging at the corner of her mouth as she left a confused Camelia behind.


    (AN: I am not really happy with the two chapters. I feel like I let my own personal opinion bleed a little too much in them, which is a big no-no. I hope you still liked it. Aurore will without a doubt be a very important character.


    Either way, things are moving in Lustburg. New events. New people galore. It will be very interesting when Soles back. Stay tuned to find out the next adventures of Sol in the mortal realm.)


    The 2nd bonus chapter wille outter. Six or ten hours give or take.

 Chapter 342 SPECIAL CHAPTER: WITCHEScOUNCIL (2)

    [SALEM]


    The pocket dimension was created by Ambrosia in order to amodate the witches and hide them from the persecution of the outside world.


    Salem.


    The haven of all witches in a certain way.


    Salem was under the control of four great departments.


    The Hunters, also known as the Executioners, whose job was to eliminate all witches that had gone astray from their destined path. They were under the direct control of Kali, the witch of Destruction.


    The Judges, whose role was, as the name implied, to judge criminals or civil cases, and also decide if a witch hadmitted a sin great enough to be put on the hunting list. This department was controlled by none other than Persephone, the witch of Life¡­


    The Finance Department hadplete power over the funds of the council and decided how to attribute them to witches who needed them for their projects. Those funds were given to promising but poor witches and would be taken away if the witches showed no results. This ce was controlled by Freya, the witch of Space¡­


    Finally, the council of wise women also known as the Council of Walpurgisnacht, convened regrly to establish the different regtions and take care of the everyday life of the witches. Which was technically under the control of Medea, the witch of Time. [1]


    Sadly, because of Medea''s prolonged absence, she had lost a great part of the control she once held.


    It didn¡¯t help that because of her past decisions, the witches had to face some hard times which many judged to have been a waste of their time and energy and more importantly¡­ life.


    Because of all the above reasons, when Medea appeared after a few centuries of absence and asked that the gate of Salem may open to the mortal world once again, the council had been understandably upset.


    In this matter, Ambrosia had decided to act as a neutral party and did not help Medea in any way in convincing them. She was going topletely leave it to her daughter for the time being¡­


    Thanks to that, the discussion had been ongoing for hours and days without any signs of ending any time soon, but Medea didn''t intend on giving up. They had dismissed her demand at first and put the discussion on hold.


    But as time passed, Medea was able to slowly bring some of the witches to her side.


    After all, at the end of the day, Medea was still a legendary witch. She still had a great appeal to the young witches who very much admired her for her amazing feats and equally amazing power and the position she held as a Cardinal Witch.


    But¡­ This wasn¡¯t enough.


    Medea needed at least ? of the assembly to ept her motion, but it wasn¡¯t going well in the slightest¡­


    This was mainly because Medea''s casecked one determining point.


    Benefits.


    What benefits would opening the gate for her give them?


    Salem was a self-sustaining dimension. It could even be referred to as a world of its own.


    Not only were the witches present here, but there also existed a great number of natural or artificial spirits who served to take care of the realm.


    The witches who specialized on earth would take care of farming and the likes. Some witches worked on manipting the weather.


    Some others worked on water and some on energy resources and distribution.


    In a way, despite their low numbers, Salem was akin to a super nation and only the Angels and perhaps the Dwarves had higher technology than them.


    If it wasn¡¯t enough, witches could travel to and from the Astral realm at will and many witches explored different worlds ands there and brought strange resources to continue sustaining the realm.


    In short, should Salem open their gates, the ones to benefit would only be Lustburg, the nation of humanity.


    Medea still had an ace left with her¡­ Sol Dragona Luxuria, her lover, the reason for her existence¡­


    But she did not want to use that ace.


    No matter how small the loss of lifeforce was, it didn¡¯t change that having an intimate rtionship with witches did drain him off a little of his life. <sub> </sub>


    Whenever this happened, Medea could not stop herself from feeling guilty and sad. She simply could not ept using Sol as a bargaining ship without his consent.


    ¡®Perhaps I should give up.¡¯


    Standing in the midst of another heated reunion, Medea couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly and in defeat.


    In the end, she decided to not use her ace. She simply could not do something like this in good conscience.


    But it was then,


    ¡°I just received some important news!¡±


    One of the witches who had been absent until now, #10, as we may refer to her as, barged into the room. Even though she was entirely d in a ck cloak from head to toe, like all the ten non-permanent members of the council, it wasn''t hard to discern the shock in her voice.


    "#10, Not only are youte, once again, but you are creating a ruckus and undermining the authority of the council. Hold yourself properly."


    The one who spoke was #1. The number did not mean a ranking of power but simply a time of arrival in the council.


    #10 was not at all cowed by the harsh voice.


    For one they were all equal and the only leaders were Medea and Ambrosia. Secondly, she had been one of the first to join Medea''s side.


    After all, she wanted to visit the mortal world once again and the news she just heard might really help.


    "Hahaha don''t mind this."


    Taking her ce, she immediately opened her operator and shared the information she had received.


    A blue screen appeared above them with an article scrolling down.


    At first, most of the witches looked with simple curiosity but the more they read the more baffled they became.


    Term like, "Blessed", "War", "Order vs Chaos", "Dragon Emperor" and more importantly, "Sol Dragona Luxuria" kept appearing, making them wonder if they were put into an illusion.


    The one who was the most shocked was none other than Medea herself, as she was leftpletely speechless.


    In the end, she clenched her fist.


    ''You are truly a wonder, dear.''


    Initially, she didn''t want to use Sol as an ace for the simple reason that all he could offer was his body.


    For the Witches, this was the extent of Sol''s usefulness.


    But this was only about the Sol of the past.


    If this information was to be believed, then her beloved had gone through great changes.


    She worried if he would still be the same man she loved but now¡­what she had to do was simple.


    "My dear sisters, I believe it''s time for new votes."


    Sol had given her a golden opportunity and she would not miss this chance.


    [1]: Read the Special chapter, the witches¡¯ council to remember.


    (AN: In my note, this chapter should have been a special chaptering just after the end of Book 2. But I totally forgot about it. Which makes this cement a little awkward. But well. Better now than never.)

 Chapter 343 CH 311:THEY ARE FINALLY HERE(1)

    [Astral realm, Dragon Territory.]


    Sol, fully unaware of the events that were happening back at his home in the Mortal realm, was flying towards a certain ind with Isis in tow.


    "So, you are sure that you don''t want me to carry you?"


    "No thanks. Thest time you carried me around I nearly vomited out all my insides. Never again!"


    Isis immediately waved her hands in a quick refusal. Adventuring with Sol in the desert had been a rollercoaster of emotions and sensations for her. She was not willing to experience the bitter parts of it again, not now at least.


    "Your loss then."


    "Hey! Don''t you dareugh over there! It was a seriously traumatizing experience for me, you know!?"


    Sol fought hard to keep the wide and hearty smile, that was constantly tugging at his lips, from showing up.


    It was quite the hard fight for him, possibly one of the hardest of his life even, that sadly ended in his utter loss.


    "Pfft! Hahaha!"


    "I said don''tugh, you idiot!"


    Isis shouted out loud and began chasing him all around in the sky, fleeting across its vast borders to catch the troublesome fellow, while Sol continued to dodge all her attempts to catch him with polished ease¡­


    In the end, she could only give up with a tired huff and fly towards the Tower all alone, leaving Sol behind.


    "Haha. Don''t be mad, Is¡­"


    "Blehhh!!"


    Isis stuck her tongue out at him in an attempt to mock him, trying to raise his ire just like he did to her, but she had underestimated Sol''s current speed after his most recent power-up.


    By the time she had retracted her tongue, she felt herself being hugged tightly in Sol''s strong and warm arms. Immediately following that sensation of warmth was a sense of searing warm heat that spread all throughout her body when she felt Sol''s hot lipsnd on hers.


    Isis tried to fight back instinctively, but there was nothing she could do to fight against his strong and demanding kiss that wouldn''t budge without having what it desired¡ª her.


    Their lips mashed against each other, their tongues fought as they tried to dominate the other throughout the make-out session.


    But once again, Isis could only surrender to Sol''s passion. What could she do? His burning passion was just iparable against her adamant stubbornness¡­


    When the two of them finally separated, their faces stilly close to each other''s. Sol just smirked, seeing the dazed expression etched on Isis'' wless face.


    "Still mad, my love?"


    "I¡­"


    Sol didn''t wait for her to answer before cing another kiss on those plump and fiery crimson lips of hers, then a third and a fourth, and so on¡­


    In the end, Isis was left breathless as she continued to hug Sol even after their kiss ended.


    "This¡­ This is cheating. Cheating I tell you¡­"


    This was all she could say as she buried her head in his neck, too embarrassed to show how red her face had currently be due to all his teasing and shenanigans.


    To her cry of outrage, Sol merely answered with his usual smile and replied with a subtle teasing note, "Cheating is sometimes a necessity."


    "Huff."


    Isis snorted before she beganughing lightly at the teasing that still continued.


    "Dork."


    "Well, as long as I am your Dork, it''s fine, isn''t it?"


    "Ugh! You two make me want to barf for days. Stop with the rainbow stuff and sweet words and move on already."


    "Father!?"


    Isis was shocked and hurriedly pushed Sol away, but Sol was having none of that.


    Tightening his embrace, he turned around to greet the intruder that intruded upon their quality time together¡ª Anubis¡­


    "Hello, father-inw."


    Sol gave Anubis the respect he deserved from him. Even though the two of them could now be loosely called friends to some extent, it didn''t change the fact that Anubis was still his father-inw first and foremost.


    "Stop that bull crap. I feel like some fancy noble. Just call me Anubis."


    Sol tilted his head to the right, not understanding what he was trying to insinuate. From the little he knew about his father-inw, Anubis was originally the son of the Demon King when he was still a mortal.


    Which could mean only one thing¡­ That he was a royalty belonging to thend of demons.


    Why then speak like that?


    Of course, he only thought about it in his mind and didn''t voice his thoughts out loud. Sol had enough know-hows about the world already that he could avoid asking useless questions that could only make the situation tenser.


    Giving a look toward Isis who was obviously doing absolutely everything ok her being to avoid meeting his eyes, a lopsided smirk emerged on Anubis'' lips. Her daughter could really be too cute sometimes¡­


    "I hope you didn''t forget our little chat there, dear daughter of mine."


    From the way she fidgeted, he was sure that she did not forget in the slightest.


    ''Hah. Teasing my cute Tsundere daughter is really fun, all things considered. But, doing so to my wife is even better. Nothing canpare! Sorry daughter, your mom is just far cuter than you¡­'' <sub> </sub>


    Anubis thought mischievously as he ignored how Sol was hugging Isis. He did not mind these public disys of affection and in fact, even weed them.


    This proved that at least for now, the couple was doing well and this was all that mattered to him. Sol was as close to the perfect son-inw as he could possibly envision. So, these small moments that showcased their strong bond were all the more wee to him.


    ¡°Well, shall we go, then? It''s about time that they arrived¡­¡±


    There was one reason why the three of them were flying in the same direction.


    Nephthys and Nefertiti wereing and the three of them would be there to wee them. It was going to be a joyous reunion for all the parties concerned¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [Phoenix Realm]


    ¡®Finally, my torture is about to end.¡¯


    ncing back at the Phoenix territory, the scene of Gabriel, Nephthys, and Nefertiti standing together in the same ce they did with Sol, Nent, and Isis when those three left could be seen by one''s watchful eyes.


    Nefertiti was so excited that joy could literally be seen oozing out from her every pore.


    Her wait had been torturous, but soon it would bepletely rewarded, she was sure of it. She just had to hold on for a little bit more and everything would be alright.


    Looking at the girl that was normally the incarnation of grace and poise fidgeting like a drug junky that was suffering from withdrawal symptoms, Gabriel couldn¡¯t help but wonder just what kind of magic Sol casted on her.


    At the same time, she knew she made the right decision in booting him out of her territory as fast as possible, or the result might have been pretty drastic for her to recover.


    ¡®Well, not like my daughter is any better.¡¯


    Gabriel fought the urge to facepalm herself.


    After all, while Nephthys was trying to look indifferent, the eagerness that was practically pped all over her face was impossible for one to miss. If she had a tail, Gabriel was sure that Nephthys¡¯s tail would be wagging so fast that it couldn''t even be seen by ordinary eyes right now.


    The two women were like little loyal puppies about to meet their owners.


    ¡®How shameful!! Haiyaahhh!¡¯


    Her smile was bitter but still, she was happy that they could be reunited with their loves.


    Of course¡­ There was one thing she wanted to be sure of before opening the gate.


    ¡°Nefertiti¡­ Will youe back? Or¡­ Is it time for farewell already?¡±


    Nefertiti was surprised at suddenly being called. Her interactions with Gabriel had been few and far between.


    In fact, Gabriel made a point to generally avoid Nent''s children. Nefertiti knew that it was because Gabriel was ufortable with the reason behind their birth.


    But in Nefertiti¡¯s opinion, this was pure sophistry mixed with hypocrisy.


    Divine Beasts had the ability to give birth through energy separation for the simple reason that they were weapons that needed to be created fast.


    Gabriel had given birth to children and grandchildren perfectly knowing that from the moment they were born, their Fate was to be weapons of mass destruction. Furthermore, none of those children ever had a choice in the matter.


    In Nent''s case, while Nent had her own selfish goals, she had at least given the option to her progeny. She had never imposed her belief on anyone nor forced them on anything.


    If the two were evil, at least Nent was a lesser evil, in her opinion.


    Hiding the distaste from her voice and expression, Nefertiti gave a sinct answer,


    ¡°It will depend on my Lord''s will.¡±


    Nefertiti made no n in hiding who she considered as her Lord and it was certainly not Gabriel nor even the goddesses.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    All Gabriel could do was give a dryugh at the clear-cut response.


    ¡®Seriously. Did he use some kind of mind maniption power on her?¡¯


    This went well past the level of creepiness and simply crept into the territory of a full blown mind-blowing phenomenon.


    What she had seen in Nefertiti''s room had been rather disturbing and shocking, to say the least.


    Indeed, it was the quiet ones who were the most dangerous.


    Since she could feel the distance Nefertiti was putting by drawing a line on the sand, Gabriel did not insist on continuing the conversation.


    She understood very well that their rtionship was not that close.


    This was a verymon sight in the Astral realm between the Divine beasts.


    Gabriel was just one of the better ones. But not by much it seems. Such was the cruel fate of these realms¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: Here is the second bonus chapter promised.)


    (AN: Welp. Two phoenixes are iing. Time for some summer fun at the beach. Even though it¡¯s currently winter. At least soon I will be writing my third Christmas chapter. I alwaysugh when I realize Anubis/Isis/Nephthys is basically the only truly functional parent-child dynamic I created in 300+ chapters.


    I am starting to wonder if I am projecting my experiences in this story.).

 Chapter 344 CH 312:THEY ARE FINALLY HERE(2)

    With Anubis present, no matter how bold Sol was, he could not flirt with Isis as he had done so for the first half of their flight toward the realm portal.


    Anubis might be an open-minded father and pretty free-minded in general, but there were still limits one shouldn¡¯t cross when it came to inws. After all, one shouldn¡¯t reach out and crave for a mile after being given merely an inch.


    With the teasing part of their journey now behind them, the three of them flew faster toward their destination, far faster than they would''ve were it to be only Sol and Isis present in the journey. The ce they were heading to was the very same ind where Sol, Isis, Nent, and Sheherazade firstnded at.


    Reaching the ind, Sol couldn¡¯t help but look at the surroundings with a nostalgic bout of emotions brimming inside of him.


    It had only been a few months since he entered the dragon territory, but it felt way longer to him, as though an eternity had stretched between that time and their present times¡­ He couldn''t believe just how much change had happened in such a small span of time.


    Be it in terms of skills, power, mindset, and even knowledge ¨C the difference between the two was so great, so very iparable that it wasughable, to say the least.


    Were all those changes positive? Were all of them good for his future¡­


    Sol could not really give out an answer to this question as he was now. Still, there was one thing he was absolutely sure of¡­


    He was growing and changing with each possible moment and he did not wish to stop this process in the slightest. His mind was thoroughly sculpted by his experiences, the good and also the bad, and he wished to have more such experiences in order to better understand the world he was part of in this life.


    ¡°It really takes you back, right?¡±


    Sol wasn¡¯t the only one reminiscing about the past. No matter what, this ce also held dear memories for Isis too. That fateful day, she had taken her first step towards her independence and her own changes that helped in her further growth.


    While her changes were undoubtedly to a lower degreepared to a monster like Sol, Isis considered the maturity she had obtained throughout this short yet meaningful storm of events as a well-earned bonus for herself¡­


    During this trip, she was able to firmly open her eyes to the world of the living, being able to better understand how the world worked and what part the people living inside it yed in it. She was able to shed off the spoiled princess aura that she once wielded that seemed to cling to her no matter what she did to remove it from herself.


    More importantly, she had sealed the deal with Sol. Bing as much a part of him as he had be a part of hers¡­


    Her hand grasped that of Sol''s almost unconsciously, as though it belonged there in the first ce. Her sudden bold action surprised Sol a great deal, to the point that he almost subconsciously gawked at her, but he did not intend to reject what was given to him so he naturally grasped her hands with his own responding back to her action and cementing the warmth between themselves.


    ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s crazy how much and how little things have changed at the same time.¡±


    Anubis, meanwhile, simply observed the flow of time and space around them. He had killed many people in his lifetime using the mastery he held over those two elements and had a clear and concise knowledge about how they worked.


    In fact, Anubis was thoroughly sure that the only ones who surpassed him in the domain of wielding those powers were Tiamat and Ambrosia.


    After all, he did manage to steal a part of the Afterlife for himself. This was no mean feat no matter how you looked at it. The amount of knowledge necessary for pulling such a stunt was mind-boggling to anyone the least bit knowledgeable about the world.


    But thanks to his Library inside his Mind Pce, all that knowledge was at his fingertips to use at any moment he so wished. Then again, he had to kill many people to get that knowledge in the first ce.


    In no way was his current goal to steal a part of Tiamat¡¯s territory for himself, that was for sure. It would be stupid of him to forsake such a good rtionship between them, and hamper more and more rtionships along the way, just for a part of her territory and there was also the fact that she would most likely stop him even if he tried to do so. So he would have lost an ally and in turn few other rtionships he had along the way for practically nothing.


    He just wanted to observe and learn how to openrge secret tunnels between two realms.


    What if he connected his own world with one or two territories this way? With that in his hands, he would be able to visit home whenever he wanted to without wasting the time of his tired undeads.


    ¡°Well guys, it¡¯s starting.¡±


    Anubis wasn''t the only one observing the process, Sol was doing the same as him with the same intentions in mind only to a much higher degree.


    While Sol''s understanding of space was far lower than Anubis, he had the innate advantage of possessing his own dimension which would help him a lot to decipher thews around this ce.


    Anubis was like a scientist who observed how birds flew in the sky and came up with the idea to create a ne.


    While Sol was the bird itself trying to learn how to more efficiently do what he could naturally do with time.


    One needed knowledge and understanding. The other only needed the intuition to kickstart his future powers.


    The fabric of space and time on the ind began to twist as the connection between two dimensions took ce.


    A tunnel was formed and a bluish ck gate, emanating the aura of void and nothingness, appeared as the connection was soonpleted.


    ''This is¡­''


    Sol felt like sparks were going off in his brain as his understanding of the dimensional arts deepened just by observing the phenomena. <sub> </sub>


    Bing a Duke had truly changed many things for him and the benefits were merely starting to show. He was sure that he would slowly discover more and more of these benefits with enough time.


    Once the portal waspletely stabilized, all they could do now was wait for the people they were restlessly waiting to meet¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [Phoenix Realm]


    ¡°I guess this is it.¡±


    When the portal opened, Gabriel released a sigh of resignation. Why wouldn''t she? There was no turning back now that the deed was finally done. She would have to face the consequences and pay for her decision.


    Still,


    ¡®How long has it been since I have seen her so happy? I''ve lost track of the time¡­¡¯


    Gabriel smiled inwardly, she may have to sacrifice her pride, but she was no dragon. It was a cheap price for her to pay in exchange for the happiness of her daughter.


    ¡®Perhaps I should try more in the future?¡¯


    This feeling was something she liked. While Gabriel didn¡¯t have to deal with constant rebellion and betrayal of her children like Tiamat, they weren¡¯t exactly close either.


    Because of her own shorings, she might have lost Nent forever. If not for the existence of Sol, perhaps she would have had to put down her own daughter by her own hands.


    It was a future she had never wished to witness much less live through in this timeline¡­


    ¡°Thanks, mother. Really, thank you so much.¡±


    Nephthys teared up slightly and hugged Gabriel tightly. Words couldn''t express just how much grateful she felt towards her.


    ¡°Oh? Why the sudden disy of affection? I hope that this doesn¡¯t mean you are about to get kidnapped again by that bastard.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and hug me back.¡±


    Nephthysughed, perfectly understanding that Gabriel was just awkward and at loss about what to say and finally simply did as she was told by her reckless daughter.


    Standing on the side, Nefertiti only spared a nce at the disy of affection before immediately losing interest.


    While she was not particrly close to her biological parents, they had an alright rtionship with them. Though truthfully speaking, her servants had been more parents to her than those that had given birth to her.


    Had it been a few months ago, she might have watched this scene with faint jealousy, but now, she couldn¡¯t care less. All she wanted was to traverse that ursed portal that was separating from her goal.


    ¡°Hahaha. Let¡¯s go. From the way that girl is looking at us, I feel like she will snap anytime soon.¡±


    Nefertiti was surprised at those words and immediately bowed, ¡°I am terribly sorry, I did not mean to show disrespect.¡±


    Nefertiti couldn¡¯t help but berate herself. Impatience was the enemy of sess. What if she was forbidden from going through the portal?


    Thankfully, her fear did not be a reality. As Gabriel knew that Nefertiti was not really in the best state of mind currently, she did not wish to dilly dally any longer.


    ¡°Do not worry. All is forgiven.¡±


    Finally, after onest hug and Nefertiti giving a bow of gratitude to Gabriel, the two Phoenixes went through the portal.


    Now alone, Gabriel sighed ruefully. It was a weird sensation. Three of her daughters had now left the realm. It felt a little lonely.


    ¡°Well, time to make my rtionship with the youngest a little better.¡±


    This would help in taking her mind away from the iing humiliation.


    (AN: I am sorry if I am a little slow. Since this will essentially be thest volume about the Astral Realm for a long while, I am trying to develop some rtionships here and there and have more exposure. The mixture between developing chara and advancing the plot is really hard to get correct. Or perhaps I just suck at writing fluff?)


    I received a another dragon. Thanks to ThirteenFrogs so there will be 2 bonus chapters tomorrow+ Normal chapter

 Chapter 345 CH 313:THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING

    [Dragon territory, 1st Heaven]


    The first thought that went through her mind was the inevitable fact that¡­ going through the portal was not a sensation she appreciated too much.


    It felt like she was being squeezed and stretched at the same time, time and space became momentarily meaningless to her.


    A moment became an eternity and the concept of distance had be nothing but an afterthought.


    When she finally stepped on the other side the portal connected to, Nefertiti couldn''t help but take a deep breath. All of her senses were cheering at the fact that she was finally back to reality.


    The fresh breeze of the sea, the sound of the birds flying around as well as the subtle ringing of the waning waves.


    For her, who had lived in a world of never ending desert for as long as she could remember, those sensations were both odd and wonderful at the same time.


    It was truly a confusing situation for her. A sense of oxymoronic feelings raced through her head.


    At any other time she would have slowly deciphered those new sensations and fully analyzed them.


    But right now¡­


    Right here¡­


    The moment her gazended on him.


    Everything else lost its importance. Only him and him alone was left in her sights.


    Nefertiti had dreamed of this very day for as long as she could remember but now that she was here she was suddenly at a loss as to what to do.


    What could she even do in this situation?


    How should she greet him? Was there a certain way to greet someone you''ve met after a long time?


    She didn''t know, nor could she think up anything suitable. Her mind was drawing aplete nk at this moment.


    "I¡­"


    She opened her mouth, but was unable to speak her mind. But she soon realized that she didn''t need to do any overthinking nor did she need to say anything¡­ He would do it for her¡­


    "I am so happy to see you, Nefertiti."


    She felt herself tightly ensnared in his embrace. Unable and unwilling to move from that position.


    She had never felt so much at ease as she did at this moment. That embrace, his loving words, those were enough topletely make all of her worries vanish into thin air.


    This was truly a magical moment for her. The ones that were spoken of in fairy tales, and she was thoroughly relishing in this moment¡­


    While all of this was happening, Isis took a step back and observed Sol and Nefertiti briefly before gazing at the scene that was truly interesting to her.


    The reunion of her dear parents.


    Anubis had vanished for many many years so thest time those two had been together had been quite long ago.


    In a corner of her mind, Isis couldn''t help but be worried about this sudden reunion of theirs.


    She couldn''t help but wonder if her parents would still share the same intimacy that they once shared.


    After all, even the greatest love could fade away with time.


    "My dear and beloved wife. You are as stunning and breath-taking as I remembered you to be. You haven''t changed a bit¡­"


    Nephthys smiled. She knew very well that Anubis did not care about physical appearance in the slightest.


    What mattered to him was the beauty of the Soul itself. Something that was difficult to change for any being.


    But even though she was happy to see her husband after so many years, wouldn''t it be too easy if she simply epted all of this so easily?


    Crossing her arms below her abundant chest, a movement that greatly offended Isis by the way, Nephthys moved her head to the side.


    "You are very mistaken if you believe that just some sweet words are enough topensate for the time you''ve been gone."


    Isis cringed a little and when she heard Sol approaching her with Nefertiti walking one step behind him, she couldn''t help but mutter.


    "Is this how I sound usually?"


    "Oh. You have no idea."


    While they had tried to be quiet, there was no way Nephthys couldn''t hear them.


    "*Ahem*"


    Coughing a little to hide her embarrassment, she ignored Anubis who was giving her a cheeky smile and approached Isis before giving her a hug.


    "I am d you are safe."


    Once they separated she looked her daughter up and down and nodded to herself.


    She could feel that Isis was no longer chaste and the reason for this was standing right beside her.


    Giving a look at Sol, Nephthys couldn''t help but nod in admiration inwardly.


    ''Such startling growth.''


    The young man who had struggled when facing two Duke level bandits was no more.


    "What should I call you now? Dragon Emperor or Son-inw?"


    Sol shook his head, "The title of dragon emperores from a power that is not mine. Though it''s quite a mouthful, I do like being called son-inw."


    Sol did not like people calling him Dragon Emperor that much.


    They had called him so because of what he did during the war.


    But the problem was that all that was only possible thanks to that foreign Divine power.


    This was a title he did not deserve yet. Furthermore he was not particrly interested in bing the "Dragon Emperor."


    If he had to get a title, he wanted something that uniquely belonged to him. <sub> </sub>


    Nephthys covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she chuckled. She was happy to see that despite his growth in power, his personality did not change that much.


    He was still a proud but kind boy with his head on his shoulder.


    Her daughter had found a good man.


    She didn''t know how long it wouldst, but at least it wouldn''t be a problematic rtionship.


    "Well, I think we will leave the two of you be."


    Sol gave a nod at Anubis and Nephthys before taking Isis and Nefertiti by the hand and flying away.


    "Hey! I also want to see my mom."


    "Stop being a busybody. Let them have their time alone."


    As the three of them walked away, their voices still reached the two adults.


    Then as if remembering something, he turned around and shouted¨C


    "Take your time. No need to go salute the Empress now. I will take care of it."


    ¡ªThen left with a grin etched on his face.


    Now alone, the atmosphere between the husband and wife solidified for a short instant. But the atmosphere broke pretty fast.


    "I really like that boy. Hahaha!"


    Anubisughed out loud, thankful for the opportunity to be alone with his wife.


    Nephthys, though embarrassed by her earlier actions, felt much the same.


    The two of them gazed deeply into each other''s eyes. Searching and hoping to find the same spark that had existed since the start of their rtionship.


    Neither was disappointed by what they saw.


    "I am truly sorry."


    Anubis. The Necromancer King, Master of Death and one of the most powerful beings in existence bowed his head with no reluctance on his face.


    His expression was contrite with none of the earlier clowning.


    "Why are you apologizing?"


    "I did you wrong many times and for that I am truly sorry."


    "Will you stop your exploration if I ask?"


    "Yes."


    Anubis did not even hesitate for even a single instant. His family was everything for him.


    Anubis wanted to go home.


    But this was mostly nostalgia and obsession as well as a need to find the truth that waspelling him.


    Keeping his head low, Anubis felt Nephthys'' hands gently cupping his face and raising his head.


    When he looked up, he could see infinite love andpassion in her eyes. The same love that enchanted him once upon a time.


    "Since when did my husband be such a doofus?"


    Nephthys gave a quietugh before putting her forehead against his,


    "The man I fell in love with is the incarnation of freedom itself. In the past, I was nothing but a bird trapped in a golden cage. But you were the one who freed me from it."


    Nephthys could never forget what she felt while following Anubis through the many adventures they had in the Astral realm.


    Not everything was good of course. They had their moments of dispute and doubts.


    They sometimes faced nearly impossible odds and she had to face the cold eyes of her rtives when she came back with a kid from a necromancer.


    Indeed. Her life had been filled with both hardship and delight.


    Butpared to the time when she was nothing more than a soldier fighting for a cause she did not even understand, those days could only be called heaven.


    This was why Nephthys had no regrets.


    "You are the one who taught me what freedom truly is. There is no way I will be the chain that binds you."


    "But¡­"


    "No buts. You raised Isis into a fine woman with a clear set of values. You always took time to make it. I never felt like I was abandoned."


    Her eyes became wet with tears, "You certainly are not a perfect husband or father but no one can be perfect and I love both your good points and your ws."


    Anubis closed his eyes. It was in moments like this that he really felt like a scumbag.


    Rather than shouting or cursing, this quiet eptance of his wife hurt him all the more.


    But it also made him realize how Nephthys and Isis were the best things that had ever happened to him.


    ''I am sorry for being such a bad husband.''


    "Thank you."


    ''I am sorry for making you cry so much.''


    "Truly thank you for everything."


    ''Once I find the truth, I promise that I will dedicate my whole life to make up for everything.''


    Thus Anubis solemnly swore inwardly while looking lovingly at his beloved wife.

 Chapter 346 CH 314:NOT A PRETTY FEELING

    While Anubis and his wife, Nephthys, wereying their feelings for each other bare out in the open, closing the gaps that had naturally formed over the long years of absence and staying apart from each other, Isis, Nefertiti, and Sol were flying toward the Tower of Babel.


    As a guest, it was imperative to salute or give your greetings to the host. This was the most basic form of respect after all, no matter which race''s customs you may follow.


    Sol had bragged about providing some time to Anubis and Nephthys but in reality, his help waspletely unnecessary. After all, Anubis was at the same level as Tiamat, in terms of power and authority, and his wife thus had no need to bow down to anyone or anything. She would still do so, as a representative of all the Phoenixes, but there was no hurry to do so.


    The same couldn''t be said in the case of Nefertiti, however¡­


    Nefertiti had no great authority or power etched in her name, nor was she the representative of anything noteworthy. She was practically a nobody so to speak. She didn¡¯t even need to salute and exchange greetings with Tiamat¡ª for the simple explicit reason that she was simply unworthy to be standing directly in front of the Dragon Empress.


    At most, she would have to exchange greetings with the Dragon Queen, Kiyohime, or perhaps only Aqua for that matter as she didn''t even have the authority to invoke some of the time of the Dragon Queen as some would obnoxiously point out.


    Anyways, greeting either of the two would have been more befitting of her status as being the close rtive of Gabriel, the divine beast of Chastity¡­


    But there was one small thing that changed the whole equation altogether.


    She was Sol¡¯s woman. One of his loved ones.


    While Sol was definitely not at the same level as Anubis, being miles apart from him in both power and status, he was still Tiamat''s beloved grandson, in the end of the day, so he needed to have Nefertiti at least exchange the usual greetings with his grandmother even for courtesy''s sake¡­much less the fact that he was hoping for them to meet each other and form a bond, no matter how light and superficial that may be¡­


    It would be good if she liked his women and was in good terms with them but he would be satisfied with just her knowing and acknowledging them at the every least¡­


    Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just Nefertiti who needed the meeting with his grandmother for the exchange of greetings.


    Sol had realized, while he was journeying with Isis, that he had yet to go to Tiamat with the necromancer of the Phoenix race, that was Isis, in tow with him and introduce her formally to the Empress of Dragons.


    He was absolutely certain that, for a person such as Tiamat ¨C his beloved grandmother ¨C this kind of niceties might simply be a waste of her valuable time. But he was not really doing it for her. He was simply going through this troublesome scenario for those two adorable girls.


    In one way or another, Tiamat was the only direct rtive who can also be called a guardian or parent figure that was alive and kicking in this world. So he at least wished to have her blessings being the person who represented the ce of his father and mother. As weird as it may seem, that was what he truly desired.


    ¡°Did you truly have to take me away with you? I wanted to spend some more time with my parents. It''s not every day that I get to be with ''both of them'' together you know¡­¡±


    Isis couldn''t help butin as she kept looking back behind her time and time again. She had truly been curious about what would happen between them and was dying to witness the long awaited reunion of the two people who were among the short list of people she loved and cared for in this rotten world.


    ¡°I mean¡­ If you are so curious about your parents having sex, I can certainly send you back.¡±


    ¡°....What?¡±


    Isis froze for a while, not understanding what Sol meant. But then her reaction was also a shock to him.


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    He turned around and looked at her incredulously.


    ¡°Your parents didn¡¯t see each other for years. What do you think they will do after getting such an opportunity? Hold hands and sing a love song or something?¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­¡±


    Isis was speechless and reality just struck her like a barrelling truck. She remembered what she felt when she became one with Sol.


    Indeed, if she was deprived from such a feeling for years, she would certainly want to get everything paid back to her with interest.


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    On the side, Nefertiti chortled a little but hurriedly covered her mouth, ¡°I am truly sorry.¡± <sub> </sub>


    ¡°Apologizing makes it even worse!¡±


    Isis blushed and mes covered her wings before she elerated and left a trail of holy mes in her wake, leaving Nefertiti alone with Sol.


    Sol was not surprised by Isis'' reaction. For all her bluster, she was a girl with a very thin skin that would get embarrassed very easily.


    Sol found it very cute and endearing. Since even when she was embarrassed, Isis rarely used needless violence.


    Gazing back at Nefertiti, a bitter smile formed on his mouth . He wasn¡¯t even actively using his Eye of Akasha, but he could see one incredibly pink and red thread tying her to him.


    The string seemed so robust that Sol wondered if it was even possible to cut it when he had the power of an absolute demigod.


    ¡®I wonder what I will see when I take a look at Camelia and Milia.¡¯


    This was a rather frightening thought worth pondering greatly about.


    ¡°You seem uneasy.¡±


    Nefertiti was startled when she felt a hand on her face.


    ¡°My lord¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems like we need to have a talk. But this can wait. For now, let¡¯s hurry before Isis throws another tantrum.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    She was about to elerate when she felt a hand around her waist taking her in a princess carry and then flying forward far faster than she could have ever hoped to with her powers.


    Feeling the searing warmth of his body, gently enveloping her whole being, Nefertiti released a sigh of contentment. Her mind was stabler than it had been for thest few days and now she could really feel like she was herself.


    ¡°By the way. I do not know if I already said this, but I missed you tons. I am happy to see you.¡±


    Despite the rushing cold wind of the sea, Sol¡¯s voice perfectly reached her ears and her heart.


    She could now feel that all this wait had been truly worth it. Of course, back in the corner of her mind, there was this voice whispering to her that she was nothing to him but a mere sex sleeve.


    That even this pitiful ce of hers that she held in his heart and mind would soon be taken away.


    After all, she was neither blind nor deaf. It was easy to see that Sol and Isis'' intimacy had long since gone past the level of friends and Nephthys'' words had confirmed the truth.


    At the end of the day, the one Sol chose to form a contract with was not her but Isis.


    As for her, she was nothing more than a gift given to him by Nent.


    This was where her value started and unfortunately also stopped.


    Nothing more.


    Nothing less.


    As cruel and disheartening as that fact may be¡­

 Chapter 347 CH315:FEELING WORSE

    After catching up to Isis, the rest of the flight till their destination point of the great tower was pretty uneventful in summary.


    This came from the fact that while Isis could be a handful at times, she was not so careless that she was unable to notice the somber mood that hung between Sol and Nefertiti.


    Though this atmosphere seemed to mainly originate from Nefertiti rather than being a concentrated aura converging from both as a pair.


    Isis had never been particrly close to Nefertiti during all her time in the Phoenix realm. The two of them were from different factions and while they weren''t enemies, they were in no way friends either. So, keeping tabs with her was never in either of their priorities.


    However, Isis knew for a fact that this circumstance was bound to change now that they fell in love with the same man.


    ''I am joining a harem after all.''


    Isis didn''t believe for a single second that a group of strong and independent women ¨C she had no doubt about that fact about Sol''s women ¨C could all equally enjoy the love of a single man with no conflicts and only happiness and cooperation.


    Time was a precious resource and therger the harem became, the less time Sol would be able to provide or alot to everyone involved. He could do nothing about this, his hands were tied when it came to this problem.


    There were also the thoughts of future children that would surelye with enough passing of time. Isis had been at the helm of the underworld alongside Anubis for a long time and she knew very well how merciless the battle for session or power could be.


    The saving grace here was the knowledge that only a Blessed, chosen by the goddess of sin¡ª lust, could be a crown prince or princess and her children would obviously be the ruler of the underworld one way or another.


    Session wasn''t really a problem in this case but one could never know of the unpredictable future. Throughout history, siblings had killed each other for far too less.


    Simple pettiness for the others could turn into an all consuming jealousy for not being the better or more lucky of the lot. This, in turn, would surely lead to a deadly feud that could threaten to harm the very foundation of the family.


    This was why she needed apanion or ratherpanions. Like-minded girls who would join her to create a faction to not yield to the others.


    ''Me, Nent and Nefertiti. Perhaps we can also put Kiyohime into the mix? What should we be called? The Phoenix faction? Though with Kiyohime present, that seems unfair. Then perhaps we could be the Astral realm faction? Seems good enough, I guess¡­''


    She giggled at the thought, gathering strange gazes from both Nefertiti and Sol. Sol couldn''t help but think if the girl had gone cuckoo from anger or not, but was quick to dismiss that thought and focus more on the journey ahead.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    At the speed they were traveling, undoubtedly high due to all of them being in the Duke realm, it did not take long to reach the tower. Sol was honestly bing pretty tired of traveling all this distance. Perhaps he should ask for the authority to directly enter the different Heavens as he wished from his grandmother? He did not know if Tiamat would grant him this request but it was definitely worth giving a try at the very least.


    "So this is the Tower of Babel, huh?"


    Nefertiti muttered, great curiosity brimming in those enchanting eyes of hers. The term phoenix eyes were eponymous after all. The tower was a striking monument that went so far above, directly piercing the clouds in the air, that it seemed to be without an end.


    "You knew about it?" Isis eximed in wonder.


    "Indeed. Since I knew we woulde here, I decided to explore the history and custom of this territory in order to not make a fool of myself."


    "Seriously? You are quite studious. I didn''t study anything. It was quite interesting to have Kiyohime tell us the story and the history of this realm."


    Isisughed a little embarrasedly. She realized that she had been quite carefree whening to a territory she knew nothing about.


    "I am sorry but not everyone has a powerful father or mother that makes us more important than we can ever hope to be."


    The atmosphere suddenly froze solid. Chilliness permeated in the air due to the phoenix girl''s sudden remark. Nefertiti''s words, dripping with utmost bitterness, surprised both Isis and Sol quite a bit.


    But the one that was the most surprised among them all, was none other than Nefertiti herself.


    She couldn''t believe that she said something like that out loud.


    "I¡­ I am terribly sorry. I¡­"


    The poor girl was utterly lost as to what to do. She wanted to apologize, wanted to say that she did not mean what she said, but she did not want to lie either about the true feelings that was brewing in her heart.


    Nefertiti was truly envious of Isis.


    While she was never mistreated nor forced to do anything, there was no lying that she was not born from love or anything of the like. She was not even born for war. Simply for the machinations of one woman who had a very selfish goal. She was one of the many pawns, simply a means to an end.


    From the moment of her birth, she had been assigned to a single role and while she had the choice to reject it, there was not much else she could do with her life either.


    Unlike her, Isis was born from two powerful parents who loved each other while receiving the blessing, albeit slightly unwillingly, of Gabriel.


    Some phoenixes might despise or even hate Isis, but there was absolutely nothing they could do to her. After all, even without her parents supporting her, she was still stronger and more talented than all of thembined. Another trait she received due to her heritage and parents.


    No matter how one looked, at least on the surface, Isis¡¯s life seemed to be far more beautiful than hers.


    Nefertiti knew it was an illusion. The pasture was always greener on the other side after all. She knew Isis didn''t have some idyllic perfect life. There was bound to be a moment or a string of moments she hated. Moments she regretted with all her being and her fair share of pain and suffering.


    No one had a perfect life.


    But knowing this did not stop her from being envious.


    Using reason and logic to fight against envy and jealousy was the mostughable and useless thing to do in the world.


    They were fierce and ugly feelings that burrowed deep in the heart and once they took root, gradually polluted it until there was nothing left but darkness.


    It was a slippery path that could lead to a point of no return if one did not act fast. She knew all that. But it changed nothing.


    In the end, all she could do was hang her head down in shame.


    ¡®Why am I being like this?¡¯


    Tears were forming at the corner of her eyes. She did not wish to act like this. At least not in front of Sol.


    She did not wish to show her ugly and petty self.


    Her beauty was all she was worth to anyone and she hoped that she could at least stay as the most beautiful in his eyes.


    But now¡­


    Isis, far from being angry, gave an awkwardugh instead, "Well, there is no need to apologize. It was indeed careless of me to not do research to at least know what kind of ce this was."


    She did not wish for the atmosphere to deteriorate further.


    ¡°Well, shall we go?¡± <sub> </sub>


    The door of the elevator opened and Sol entered, notmenting on anything.


    The two women gave a look at Sol, but he was surprisingly impassive and his face a mask of indifference. So all they could do was follow him and enter as well.


    Nefertiti had been focusing on keeping her tears from spilling out and was at least partially sessful. Though, there was no hiding how her eyes had reddened due to her emotions.


    Isis wondering if the space in this elevator had always been so small. The atmosphere was slightly suffocating as Sol continued to stay silent.


    Isis opened her mouth, but one look from Sol made her shut up immediately.


    It was the first time Sol had looked like this in front of her. She could tell that he was well and truly pissed. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a little wronged,


    ¡®Why the hell am I also getting punished?¡¯


    Still, she did not wish to take the fall for whatever was about to happen now.


    Nefertiti was feeling even worse. She felt like a criminal walking toward her just execution. She knew very well that she was the cause of Sol¡¯s current mood.


    ¡®Is this it? Will he give up on me?¡¯


    Such negative feelings kept forming in her head, causing her to feel like she was about to suffocate from all the anxiety.


    It was the first time Nefertiti realized that breathing was such a hard thing to do.


    But, unlike what Isis and Nefertiti were thinking, Sol was not angry at any of them.


    He was more angry at himself.


    ¡®I have been too careless.¡¯


    A harem.


    It was the dream of many men. At least, if it was a fully functioning one where everything remained in idyllic harmony.


    That was but a fool''s dream¡­


    But in reality, a harem was not such a beautiful thing.


    The women in his harem were not robots devoid of emotions that would smile no matter what he did.


    They had their own thoughts, goals and feelings, like any other beings capable of reasoning.


    Sol couldn¡¯t help but berate himself for not thinking more deeply about how Nefertiti must have felt when he took Isis over here and left her all alone in the Phoenix realm while leaving with Isis and Nent.


    He could not imagine how she must have felt, but one did not need to be a genius to know that it must have been truly a bitter and awful feeling.


    Even then, Nefertiti did her best to show a happy face.


    Sol remembered what happened when he asked her toe with him to the Dragon realm.


    Back then, Nefertiti had refused, iming that she would only be a burden and wished to be more useful.


    Sol had picked up her feelings of inferiority but, after being around many independent women, he had simply nodded and did not pursue further. He respected Nefertiti''s goals and ambitions.


    This was a mistake on his part. A mistake that had reared its ugly mouth at this moment.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t deal with all the women as if they were the same.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to reach their destination.


    ¡°Girls, let¡¯s go. We will talkter about what happened a few moments ago.¡±


    No one was perfect. Mistakes would always happen.


    The most important thing was to rectify them before it was toote.


    Toote to look back and think that something could be done better¡­


    (AN: I think this is the first time I portrayed true jealousy in his harem. Though there is also Milia. At the end of the day envy and jealousy are feelings few can escape from. By the way, I am currently ranked #32, just a little more and I can reach my goal. A magic castle would be appreciated XD)


    ----


    My goal is to reach the top 25 in trending (All time/monthly). I know we can do it. If you want to read my other works, join me on P@treon: /HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site)


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Car = 1 bonus chapter


    A Dragon= 2 BC


    A Castle= 6 BC (spread over a week, otherwise I would die.)


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    1K unlock= 1 Bonus Chapter


    3K= 2 BC


    5K= 4BC (Spread over four days)


    15K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 Bonus Chapter


    1500 GT= 2

 Chapter 348 CH 316:FEELING AWED

    When the ding sound of the elevator resounded Isis looked up silently toward Sol.


    "Tiamat probably already knows what happened earlier but it doesn''t really matter. She will not intrude on my personal matters¡­¡±


    Sol stopped there, not speaking for a beat, before shaking his head with a wry smile etched on his face, ¡°Well she might tease me or mock me a bit here and there but I doubt she would do such things in front of you. In the end, all you need to do is pay your respects to her and your job is done."


    Sol suddenly felt like he was some Chinese Emperor who was going to greet and have an exchange of subtleties with the Empress Dowager with his concubines in tow.


    It didn¡¯t help much that Tiamat''s style of clothes looked to be Chinese in origin as well.


    ¡®My bad habit of escaping reality when there are problems is rearing its head right now.¡¯


    Sol scoffed at this stupid habit of his and discarded all stray thoughts from his mind.


    Then he held their hands and began to walk forward, his voice noticeably warmer than before,


    "Nefertiti, you will present your apologiester to Isis. No matter what, you had no right to talk to her like you did, so it''s inevitable that you apologize."


    "Sol, it isn''t really a problem, I¡­"


    "Do not interrupt me, please."


    Isis wanted to speak some more but held her tongue when she heard Sol''s words. She could see that Sol was giving her a pleading gaze.


    <<Let me take care of this, please¡­>>


    Isis was a little startled at the voice that suddenly sounded inside her mind, but since she was used to fusing with Sheherazade, it wasn''t surprising enough that she would show a reaction outwardly so Nefertiti wasn''t able to find out anything strange.


    <<If you want to talk, just focus¡­>>


    <<I...Sol¡­>>


    It didn¡¯t take long for Isis to take a few tries and she was soon able to perfectly speak out her thoughts with just a few tries.


    <<Since when can you do something like that?>>


    <<I explored the limits of our contract. As long as the distance isn''t too big between us, I can discuss things like this with you. But we can speak about thatter.>>


    For divine beasts, such simple multitasking was easier than breathing. So the two of them were able to converse and walk at the same time without having any trouble or it feeling unnatural.


    <<I won''t keep this up for long. You just need to understand that I got everything figured out. I will take care of Nefertiti myself¡­>>


    <<Very well¡­I will not insist in that case¡­>>


    What else could she say after he spoke like that? She wasn''t close enough to Nefertiti to mor like there was no tomorrow.


    Furthermore, she didn''t wish to get on his bad side by pissing him off for no reason. So, the only logical thing remaining was to agree with him.


    <<I am sorry for having reacted so coldly earlier and thank you for not beginning a dispute with Nefertiti despite her slight towards you. I can''t begin to say how grateful I am because of that¡­>>


    Isis was not the kind of good girl or even a pushover who would take an insultying down.


    The only reason she didn''t explode when Nefertiti spoke like this was that Isis could feel the difference between true malice and simple jealousy or loss of control.


    Nefertiti was clearly in thetter case. At least, that was the case till now. You never knew what jealousy would turn into malice after all¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When they finally reached therge door that separated them from Tiamat''s throne room, Sol knocked on the door lightly, even though he knew he didn¡¯t need to.


    ¡°We are about to enter. Please don¡¯t forget to turn off any kind of force field you may have on.¡±


    Once bitten, twice shy. Sol had no problem facing her passive gravity, but he doubted Isis and much less Nefertiti could do so.


    Nefertiti was already feeling pretty down. There was no need to make it worse by destroying any self-esteem she still might have left inside her.


    Silence greeted him for a few seconds before Tiamat¡¯s voice finally reached him,


    ¡°There was no such thing in the first ce, though.¡±


    ¡°Haha, indeed, I totally believe you.¡±


    Sol''s lips were pulled into a boyish grin as he pushed the gate open.


    All this while, Nefertiti was watching in awe, nearly forgetting how upset she had been a few moments before.


    This was the Dragon Empress. The strongest Demigod alive on the side of Order and most likely the strongest one ever to walk on both sides and Sol was talking and even joking around with such an existence?


    Normal people would say that it was normal since Sol was Tiamat''s grandson but Nefertiti knew firsthand that being 6 it''sFamily did not mean particrly much to Divine Beasts.


    When she finally took a step in the throne room, Nefertiti gulped deeply and the only thing that stopped her from making a fool of herself was the fact that she refused to cause humiliation to Sol.


    inly spoken, Tiamat was a scary being.


    It didn''t matter what she looked like. At the current moment, Nefertiti could feel with all her being that all that was needed was one thought for her to be erasedpletely.


    Isis was faring a little better than her, but this was simply because she was used to being in the underworld. Still, she had to admit that from the little she could see, Tiamat was worthy of her reputation as the strongest.


    She averted her eyes, unwilling to gaze deeply into the soul of that monster.


    Tiamat had long, waist-length hair as ck as the darkness of nihility itself. The top of her hair was tied up with an intricate gold hairpin with a pale blue tassel hanging from one end.


    Her right eye was of a deep golden, while her left eye was covered by a red eyepatch. Golden dragon-shaped earrings that matched with the color of her eyes and hairpin were dangling in the air.


    This time, rather than her usual qipao, Tiamat was wearing an intricate ck and white themed imperial dress. The dress was quite skimpy, not reaching past her upper thighs, in fact it barely reached it. The off shoulder dress revealed much of her upper boobs and cleavage and it was long sleeved in nature. The end of her sleeves being overly spacious keeping up with the imperial theme. To add the final touch, a dark colored robe, originating from her neck, flitted over her back and went past her dress to reach her feet.


    Finally, unlike thest time, her beautiful dainty legs were not unprotected as she wore a pair of white stockings and traditional sandals. Her dressing sense became a mix of regality added with elegance but still paired with her usual sexiness. <sub> </sub>


    Tiamat was a beautiful and enticing woman without a shred of doubt.


    But there were very few people in this world who would focus on her beauty.


    The regal aura she emanated, even when she tried to contain it, was simply too overpowering for the vast majority to focus on her appearance.


    Of course, our dear brazen boy was without a doubt one of those people.


    When the three approached, both Nefertiti and Isis bowed deeply in respect, almost instinctively so.


    This was the normal reaction. The simple fact that they did not kneel down in fright was already a testament of their strength.


    But Sol was different, it might be different if she actually used her aura to overpower him consciously, but there was no way he would be cowered by her natural Aura.


    "You changed your look? For what asion?"


    Tiamat shrugged yfully, and raised her hands, "Since you are bringing your women to me, I decided to look a little more serious. What do you think?"


    "Please, even if you walked naked, people would still worship you without daring to take a look."


    "Sigh, that''s true. I guess I am simply too powerful for mere mortals."


    "Bragging, I see. Still, I can assure you that your clothes clearly make you look like an evil enchanting Empress."


    "I cut out everything except the Beautiful Empress part, thanks for thepliment."


    Like this, the small banter between the two continued for a short while before she finally took a look at Isis and Nefertiti.


    "Isis, was it? I did not have the asion to talk with you until now. But I heard you showed off quite a bit on the battlefield. Great job."


    "Your words are too kind."


    Isis humbly epted the praises, but inside she was jubting.


    After all, how many people could brag that they had been praised by the Dragon Empress?


    "As for you¡­"


    Tiamat looked up and down at Nefertiti before nodding, "Gabriel told me that you obtained your true name recently. I must admit that I am pretty impressed."


    The true name was the first step towards obtaining the power of a King.


    At this rate, the Phoenixes would have two more King ranks.


    The importance of a King rank did not need to be stated.


    They were strategic ss weapons whose presence could determine the flow of an entire battlefield.


    ''Then again it doesn''t matter, those two are with Sol.''


    Her grandson was truly surprising. It seemed like his best talent wasn''t Dimensional magic but rather picking up talented girls with some slight mental problems.


    "Well¡­Since you are here, I can''t really let you go like this, right?"


    Tiamat pondered for a moment, "Yeah


    let''s do this."


    She snapped her hand and pointed at the two girls.


    "I will give you two ess to one of myirs. There you can take any two treasures of your choice."


    She looked down at them with the smile that only a grandma who wanted to spoil someone could do.


    (AN: I want to write fluff but fluff does not want to be written by me. Only bittersweet and darkness are mypanions. I really need to take a walk. Been staying alone at home for like three weeks. Not good for me.)


    (AN 2: Now I owe no bonus chapter lol. Don''t hesitate to send more gifts. I don''t mind writing more haha. A magic castle would mean two chapters every day for eight days straights. So let''s go!)


    -----


    My goal is to reach the top 25 in trending (All time/monthly). I know we can do it. If you want to read my other works, join me on P@treon: /HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site)


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Car = 1 bonus chapter


    A Dragon= 2 BC


    A Castle= 6 BC (spread over a week, otherwise I would die.)


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    1K unlock= 1 Bonus chapter


    3K= 2 BC


    5K= 4BC (Spread over four days)


    15K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 Bonus chapter


    1500 GT= 2

 Chapter 349 CH 317:FEELING LIKE SHIT

    "I will give you two ess to one of myirs. From there you can take any two treasures of your choice."


    When Tiamat spoke till this point with that regal voice of hers, Isis and Nefertiti, even more so in her case particrly, were ted beyond words.


    It wasn¡¯t because of the treasure to be exact. Isis could obtain all the riches in the world if she so wished for it and despite being lower ranked than Isis, Nefertiti was still a very important figure in the Phoenix realm. She was supposed to be a King ranked phoenix after all, of course she would be an important figure of the realm.


    What ted them the most, however, was the fact that Tiamat, a dragon¡ª the dragon empress herself for that matter, was willing to part with some of her treasures just for them. And they were given the choice of choosing whatever they wanted. This was a great show of favor no matter how you looked at it.


    In a way, Tiamat was showing that she had wholeheartedly epted them as being part of her family. That was certainly a great feeling to have. The two young phoenixes both agreed on that part.


    ¡°You have chosen some fine women, my beloved grandson. I am pretty happy with them if I say so myself.¡±


    Tiamat offered them a wane smile as she praised both Isis and Nefertiti wholeheartedly. But Sol knew for a fact that the praise she was giving them was neither for their appearance nor for anything along those lines as one may think. This praise was directed towards the influence they were wielding for themselves.


    One could even say that¡­through them and also Nent as a whole, Sol had a nearly unmatched influence in the Phoenix realm itself.


    Then when adding Kiyohime into the mix Sol also had a great control over the Dragon realm as well.


    Tiamat could see that Sol readily understood the slight meanings behind her praise and couldn''t help butugh inwardly at the brains of her cheeky grandson. It was really funny how, even without his own power that was unprecedented in all realms, Sol had enough influence to overturn worlds without any problem through his women and the subsequent connections alone.


    All of this was possible simply by using the power of the women in rtionship with him alone. He was a Casanova that all Casanovas could worship as their god.


    ¡®Should I say, as expected of Luxuria¡¯s Blessed? Seems about right¡­¡¯


    She chuckled slightly at that thoroughly amusing thought before shifting her focus on both Nefertiti and Isis.


    Truth be told, she cared not for them nor their influence or allegiance in the slightest. The fact that Isis was Anubis¡¯ daughter did not matter in the least in her mind. She just wasn''t that sort of person.


    The most that she could bring out of this rtionship would be if she lent some powers or a hand in need of trouble to Isis and inadvertently make Anubis owe her a debt or two if needed


    But when they entered her chambers with Sol, they weren¡¯t introduced as someone''s daughter or the rtive of a mighty being¡­rather their only identity was as Sol¡¯s women.


    This was a totally different matter altogether.


    This was perhaps only the second time Tiamat was able to y the role of a mother-inw and this time she was dead set on wanting to do it right. She was going to do her all to keep things in the best shape possible.


    She would be pretty sad if her indifferent attitude chased her beloved grandson, Sol, away from her.


    ¡°So, Sol what do you n to doter on? A ceremony or some sorts?¡±


    Sol was taken aback by her words and he could suddenly feel two hot gazestched on his back, searing him with their intensity. It needed no mention as to where those gazes originated from.


    He threw a look full of bitterness toward Tiamat for bringing this sensitive issue up at this moment, but he still chose to think about it carefully.


    He had never really thought about conducting an official marriage ceremony.


    This was a mistake on his part.


    But, to his defense, the reason for not thinking about it was simply because he didn¡¯t think a ceremony was particrly important to prove his rtionship.


    But this was what he was thinking alone. In all his thoughts he had forgotten to include a very important outlook¡­


    What about the girls? What did they want? Were they the same as him in their stance about the ceremony or not?


    Sol thought back to those in the mortal realm. He didn¡¯t know for the others, but he was sure that Medea would be ecstatic at the idea of an official ceremony and a marriage.


    This would wash away all her shame and redeem her image in the eyes of history. She would also be able to talk proudly about her rtionship and wouldn¡¯t have to hide like a criminal anymore.


    From the searing hot gazes on his back, he could sense that both Isis and Nefertiti would also be overjoyed at this idea.


    But the more he thought about it, the greater his headache developed into a full blown migraine.


    Should he marry all of them at the same time or separately?


    Where should the marriage happen?


    What title would he give them?


    So many small and bigs question that needed to be taken into ount.


    A normal marriage was enough to make a groom go crazy because of all the things he had to take into ount.


    What about ten or more marriages?


    ¡®Ugh¡­ Is this my retribution for creating a harem?¡¯


    Sol wasn¡¯t the only one deep in thought.


    Isis didn¡¯t really want a wedding per se. But she would be happy to have one. She knew that Divine Beasts weren¡¯t really into such tradition but she hated how her mother had to live in shame for a long while because of her rtionship with Anubis.


    She wanted to realize the dream her mother was never able to realize. Get married with the man she loved under the blessing of the many¡ª if possible everyone she loved and cared for.


    Meanwhile Nefertiti was simply uneasy. Wondering if she was worthy of receiving such a grace. <sub> </sub>


    In the end, while there were many doubts in his mind, Sol refused to disappoint the two girls behind him as well as the many who would hold the same expectations.


    "I will hold a ceremony."


    Tiamat kept a smile on her mouth as she looked at Sol''s troubled sustenance. Messing around with Sol was really fun after all.


    She was beginning to like it. Of course, there was a time for ying around and a time for getting serious.


    "Sol, for how long do you n to stay?"


    "I do not know exactly but as soon as I ampletely rested and healed, I will visit Tartarus onest time then I will go back to the mortal realm."


    "I see¡­"


    Her finger tapped her armrest rhythmically, her mind rapidly spinning some thoughts before she spoke out¡­


    "Firstly, since you are officially a prince of the Dragon race, you should visit the Elf kingdomter. I believe they will be great allies for you."


    Sol looked up, "You do know the Elves and Humans are bitter enemies, right?"


    Tiamat tilted her head, "I was pretty sure the humans were bitter enemies with all races except angels?"


    "Well¡­ Dwarves aren''t our enemies either."


    "That''s because dwarves only care about money. They would sell their own parents for money and many did so throughout history."


    Tiamat casually revealed some gruesome secrets whilst she was grumbling under her breath.


    She couldn''t believe that despite the sin of greed existing, her side was the one with the greatest amount of traitors. It seemed absurd to say the least. But pride had always been the worst of all sins so she didn''t voice herints about that matter.


    "Either way, do not worry. The past grievances between Elves and Humans are only remembered by some old elves and even so¡­"


    Tiamat had a confident expression, "With your current status, it matters not."


    "You do know that one of the Wings of Freedom is an elf, right? An elf that hate dragons."


    "So?"


    "So I am basically hundred percent sure that the moment I set foot in the country of elves the man will appear."


    "Oh? Did you foresee this perhaps?"


    "I cannot foresee, I follow the thread of destiny. And no I didn''t follow the thread toe to this conclusion. I am just used to the fickle bullshit that is my life already."


    Fate was fickle and what would be more interesting than the prince of a dragon race fighting against the man who hates dragons?


    "Are there any demigods alive in the elf races currently?"


    "None currently. Though, I remember there was one who could have be one. Sadly her road was destroyed after a fight."


    Sol was suddenly interested, "What happened?"


    Tiamat smiled mischievously, "She fought against Ambrosia''s daughters and she was utterly crushed."


    "Ah¡­"


    "By the way this happened during the Era of your ancestor, Jupiter. When Lustburg was expanding."


    "..."


    Sol groaned inwardly, "...and I suppose that one is still alive?"


    "Hahaha! Not only is she still alive but¡­she is also the current Queen of the elves. Her name is Sate. Sate Superbia." [1]


    Tiamat of course did not remember the name of a failure like this for nothing. She had just been expecting the birth of a new mortal demigod.


    So her disappointment was equal to her expectations.


    "...Fuck¡­"


    Sol could only curse vehemently.


    If before he had any doubts, now there was none.


    Without a shred of doubt, some bullshit will happen the moment he sets foot at the country of elves.


    He could feel this in his bones down to his very marrow.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [1]: Read the special chapter: Elves (at the end of vol 6 on WN) for those who forgot or skipped. Yeah no special chapter of mine can be skipped. Those who read will notice I already gave foreshadowing back then.

 Chapter 350 CH318:FEELING SCARED

    Sol had discovered early on about this fact¡ª thew of Fate seemed to follow a system of narratives. Those suspicions of his were confirmed when he had been able to peer into Fate itself through his Divine weapon.


    This was how he had been able to twist the threads of Fate around him and Nihil to establish a new fate under the Rule of Three.


    <<Deus Ex Machina>> could make the impossible possible at its peak form, but Sol had only been able to make an event with ¡®an extremely low possibility¡¯ be a ¡®certainty¡¯ through his ability.


    This was perhaps because his Zone was not assisted by any Kingly name or because the power of a demigod was stillcking in some aspects to reach the Ultimate form of his Zone.


    Either way, Sol was sure that the moment he set foot in Southern Pride, he would be pulled into a new narrative.


    In fact, he might have already been pulled in one already.


    How it ended would depend on him.


    When his thought reached this point, Sol couldn¡¯t help but think of the green-haired witch, Persephone, the Witch of Life.


    For that woman, life was nothing but a never ending story.


    It seemed that she had been right all along. Her view of life had been the closest to the truth of Fate and the core secrets of this world.


    ¡®Well, this will be fun.¡¯


    After he was done dealing with the pressing matters of Lustburg, that needed his attention, he would visit a country full of half-naked beautiful elves who would worship him.


    This might be pretty fun, all things considered.


    So what if he had to deal with a King-ranked criminal who might attack him as well as a King ranked elf queen that could have transcended if she didn¡¯t fight his lovers?


    Worst case scenario he would just flee.


    No¡­ He wouldn¡¯t flee. He would just make a tactical retreat.


    Those were two very different concepts.


    This was the greatest advantage of being a Dimensional Mage and Sol had no problem fleei¡­retreating in the face of danger.


    ¡°Well, this will definitely be fun.¡±


    Tiamatughed, glee covering her majestic face, ¡°In fact, I hope those bastards appear. We currently cannot find them but if they dare to appear in Southern Pride, I can have Kiyohime or Fafnir descend and help you just in case.¡±


    Since the dawn of the new era, the rules binding divine beasts to their realms were pretty strict.


    Divine Beasts at the demigod level could not normally descend into the mortal realm. If they did, they had to have their full strength sealed through a rather painful process.


    Descending in such a situation was basically begging to get assassinated. The only demigods she knew who dared to descend despite this rule were Asmodeus and that Nine-Tailed Fox under the virtue of Patience, Tamamo no Mae.[1]


    It was crazy how those two crazy bastards did this in order to have children.


    Asmodeus at least had a rtionship with Echidna. Another demigod.


    But that crazy fox went and fell in love with a pure mortal. Giving birth to the one who wouldter be the Supreme Daughter of Patientia in Wratharis ¡ª Inari Kiku Patientia.


    For Divine Beasts below the demigod level, they had permission to descend but could not leave the confines of their territory in the mortal realm.


    Dragons could only move in Southern Pride.


    Phoenixes could only move inside Lustburg.


    So on and so forth¡­


    This was the rule.


    To change this rule, it was necessary to ask the permission of the Beast of Sin ruling the area they wanted to move in.


    If divine beasts below the demigod level wanted to enter Southern Pride, they needed the permission of Tiamat.


    If they wanted to enter Lustburg, they needed the permission of Asmodeus. [3]


    The only exception to this rule were third generation divine beasts like Sol who could move as they wished.


    Tiamat''s hand tightened on her armchair at the mere thought of Asmodeus.


    While she was asleep, Kiyohime and Fafnir had wanted to descend and take Sol to Southern Pride. So that he could be raised by dragons.


    But Asmodeus had refused them passage.


    In hindsight, this was the best decision possible. She didn¡¯t know how Sol would have turned if he had been raised by dragons from the start in a country that would basically worship him.


    There was also the fact that Asmodeus was most likely just following the orders of Luxuria.


    Still, this didn¡¯t abate her wish to at least punch him once in the face.


    ¡°Also, you need to understand that outside of those under a contract like Isis, divine beasts from the Astral realm can never participate in a war in the mortal world.¡±


    This was an absolute rule with no exception and in fact, was a rule that applied to all beings from the Astral realm.


    This was pretty normal.


    After all, in the mortal realm, reaching the Duke ranks was an exploit while King ranks were basically unheard of outside of the Blessed.


    If citizens from the Astral realm could participate in the war below, then things would getplicated very fast.


    ¡°I understand. Either way, I did not n to ask for help. Even Isis cannot participate in the war. Or if she does, she can¡¯t do so as a Necromancer.¡±


    Despite how backward the mortal world seemed, there were many conventions put in ce to avoid needless massacre.


    Like how King rank could not directly participate in the war or attack ground soldiers or how Necromancers were not eptable on the battlefield.


    Sol found those conventions to be bullshit but he also understood the necessity. Without those rules, what stopped a King rank like Lilith from entering the city and massacring people? <sub> </sub>


    Without those rules what would stop Angels or Dwarves to use their weapons ofrge-scale destruction?


    There were also the Demons whose country was filled with necromancers just waiting for someone to break the rule first.


    Sol did not wish for Lustburg to be the enemy of all the other countries.


    He did not yet have the power to face them all.


    Of course, once he did¡­


    Well, that would be another matter.


    After all, conquering the world seemed like a pain.


    Simply imagining the amount of paperwork that would fall on hisp made him shiver in fright.


    Standing behind Sol, Nefertiti hated how she felt slightly happy at the thought that Isis would not be able to be much of an assistance in the war.


    She realized once again how ugly jealousy was. And how ugly her inner self had be.


    ¡°Well, I guess I said everything I needed to. Come visit me alone at ater date. Now though, I think you have your own matters to attend to.¡±


    Nefertiti took a sharp breath. For an instant, she had felt Tiamat''s gaze on her. She couldn¡¯t help but feel her heart constrict at the thought of what would happen next with Sol.


    ¡°Very well. This was indeed a delightful and insightful discussion.¡±


    Sol gave a bitter smile as he felt the heartbeat of Nefertiti elerate. He had been keeping track of her condition all this while and he realized that he really needed to act.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Isis and Nefertiti both bowed to Tiamat once again before following Sol out.


    But, just as he reached the door, he felt Isis pulling at his shirt with a frantic expression.


    ¡®What is¡­Ah.¡¯


    ¡°Sorry. Before I go. You must already know but I think Nephthys won''t be able toe to greet you soon.¡±


    Tiamat waved her hand dismissively with a smirk,


    ¡°I honestly do not care. The price Gabriel will pay for their entry is more than enough to satisfy me and not care for such courtesy.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What did she have to pay?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­Let¡¯s say it¡¯s a little secret for now. Though perhaps I might inform you of itter. Now go. I wish to rest.¡±


    With a wave of her hand, Sol, Isis, and Nefertiti found themselves back on 8th Heaven, on Kiyohime¡¯s ind. More precisely, in Sol¡¯s room.


    Sol was incredibly puzzled about what kind of secret this transaction might be. But now he had more pressing matters to attend to.


    ¡°Nefertiti, I think we need to talk.¡±


    Nefertiti never heard more frightening words in her life.


    [1] Tamamo is an interesting figure in myth. Basically, she is the representation of women''s wickedness. See in Chinese novels there are always those countries destroying beauty. That is basically Tamamo or Daji or Bao Si (name change depending on who she possesses). Fox spirit goes around possessing women and bewitching kings and emperors causing the fall of the Shang dynasty in China or causing the death of thousand in India.


    [2]: You can read CH 139:REVELATION.


    [3]: You can read the Special chapter: Divine Dragon.


    (AN: This chapter felt a little info-dumpy and I am honestly sorry for that. I just really needed to exin those rules again because¡­


    1) I am sure many forgot. Even I, the author, nearly forgot and¡­


    2) I need to make those rules clear now so that people don¡¯t ask upsetting questions during the iing volumes.)


    I Announced it on Discord but for the next five days, there will be two chapters a day. Thanks to Reyvargas 13 who gifted me a car and a dragon. As well as me reaching 3K unlock chapter


    -----


    My goal is to reach the top 25 in trending (All time/monthly). I know we can do it. If you want to read my other works, join me on P@treon: /HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site)


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Car = 1 bonus chapter


    A Dragon= 2 BC


    A Castle= 6 BC (spread over a week, otherwise I would die.)


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    1K unlock= 1 Bonus chapter


    3K= 2 BC


    5K= 4BC (Spread over four days)


    15K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 Bonus chapter


    1500 GT= 2

 Chapter 351 CH319:FEELING HAPPY

    From the Duke level onwards, the thinking speed of an individual was equal to that of a very powerful supeputer. This was even more the case for Divine Beasts or beings of their level and beyond.


    Normally, this ability was a godsend. Something extremely necessary to fight during high-speed battles that approached or even went beyond the speed of light.


    Even in everyday life, the ability to think faster was without a shred of doubt a very useful thing. As it would generally let you have more reaction time for practically anything.


    But recently, Nefertiti realized just how cursed this natural ability of hers could be in certain situations such as the one she currently found herself into. She almost dreaded it to no end.


    ¡°Nefertiti, I think we need to talk.¡±


    Nefertiti felt as though she had never heard more frightening words in the entirety of her life.


    Sol¡¯s face was the epitome of calmness and his voice was as soothing as she remembered it to be. His eyes held a concerned light as he gazed at her visage. His gaze suggested as though he was looking at a pitiful child.


    The more he acted like this, the more worried Nefertiti became inwardly and it almost peeled into reality through her bodily reactions. Her heart began to beat so fast that it felt like it would leap out of her throat at any moment. She felt a lump in her throat that almost made her suffocate like never before.


    Ever since she came into this territory, worry and self-doubt had suddenly be her best friend and life-longpanion of ill fortunes.


    What did he want to say?


    What should she do?


    Would he abandon her?


    Would he ask her to apologize to Isis?


    Hundreds of thousands of suffocating thoughts stormed in her mind at lightning speed, drawing different harrowing scenarios, each more somber and bleak than the previous one.


    Nefertiti was currently swimming in a swamp full of negativity that almost made her lose her mind. The more she tried to walk out of that swamp the deeper she sank and the light in her eyes slowly dimmed into nothingness.


    ¡°Why are you thinking so much?¡±


    She was brought back to reality as she felt a warm hand on the back of her head.


    Looking up, her eyes wet with tears, Nefertiti could see Sol giving her a wry smile before he gently hugged her in his embrace.


    Isis, standing on the side, gave a warm smile at the sight before walking out of the room to give them some space.


    She could have stayed but unlike Nefertiti, Isis had no doubt about her ce in Sol''s heart. Her talk with him was in no way urgent and she could afford to wait a little more.


    ¡®Well, I should visit Sheherazade in the meantime.¡¯


    Her little fairy friend had been asleep all this while. Her wounds were healed but she stayed asleep, digesting the gains and evolution she had obtained.


    Thest time she visited the fairy, a cocoon had entirely covered her whole frame. Isis couldn¡¯t help but wonder what her friend would transform into once she came out. [1]


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Even though Isis left, Nefertiti noticed nothing, her eyes were still glued on Sol, awaiting for salvation of her broken spirit.


    ¡°I have been thinking about our rtionship, you know?¡±


    Sol spoke as he led her toward a chair for her to sit. Nefertiti only sat once he gestured her to do so.


    This made Sol reaffirm the conclusion he came to.


    Sol had been thinking about how he should go about


    his rtionship with Nefertiti.


    The mistake he made initially was treating her the same as he did his other women.


    No matter how broken women like Medea, Milia, or Camelia were, it did not change the fact that they had their own independence.


    They knew what they wanted and while they may not act on it, they did not need someone to control them.


    Camelia for example was a pure masochist but it did not mean she really saw Sol as her master. She was very independent and did not need anyone to take care of her.


    In fact, since she had helped in raising him, Camelia still sometimes saw him as a naive child.


    But Nefertiti was different. If Camelia was a masochist, then Nefertiti was simply a pure submissive.


    She took no particr enjoyment from pain or humiliation like Camelia.


    What she wanted, what she needed, was someone to give her orders. To guide her to a goal she could follow.


    She took sce in the position of not thinking about her life and leaving everything to someone else.


    In the past, the one who took care of everything for her was Nent and now, it was his turn.


    How could he have missed this crucial trait of hers?


    But thankfully, it wasn''t toote. He simply needed to make things right.


    "I will ask questions and you will answer me honestly."


    Sol ordered quietly and once he saw her nod, he began,


    "Tell me, what do you want?"


    Nefertiti closed her eyes for a short instant as she thought back to everything she felt during his absence.


    "I wanted to see you. I saw your face in each and every mirror, even the wind at night reminded me of your breath, making me unable to fall asleep." <sub> </sub>


    Those days had been pure torture for her and even as she trained, she could never get rid of the sensation that something was missing in her life.


    Sol continued, unperturbed. He was well intent on finishing this in the best way possible.


    "Tell me, what am I to you?"


    Her eyes shone with clear fervor as she knelt down and took his hand in hers,


    "My soul and heart yearned only for you, my eyes saw only you, my lips felt the breath filled with your warm love, my hair remembered your hands. My hands, my clothes, everything you touched¡­ All the things I did with you made me flounder in the valley of joy."


    "Do you resent me, do you hate me?"


    "How could I!?"


    Nefertiti''s eyes widened as if this was the greatest sphemy possible for her.


    "I love you more than anything in this world. You are the master of my breath. My everything belongs to you to do as you wish."


    This was the moment of truth. Once he took this step, there would be no turning back.


    "Then...will you put your life in my hands?"


    The eye of Akasha opened on his forehead and Sol''s Zone activated,


    "Before you speak, know that I am currently weaving our fate together. As long as you do not resist, your life will be tied down to mine and one thought from me would kill you."


    Sol was more serious than he had ever been,


    "Even then, will you still give your everything to me?"


    Sol was using a seal simr to the one that was linking him with Camelia and that was ced on him by the goddesses back then mixed with a ve seal used on ves in Lustburg.


    The result was pretty frightening. Like with the Rule of Three, to use this he needed a prior narrative.


    He had expected that it would take some energy, but the feeling of servitude Nefertiti had towards him were so overwhelmingly powerful that it felt like the thread of fate were literally begging him to tie her to him.


    When Nefertiti saw Sol''s shining hand, what she felt was neither fear nor anxiety.


    But only a deep sense of relief.


    "There is no hesitation in my heart."


    "Very well."


    Nefertiti could not see it, but she could hear the rustling of chains covering her body and the sound of a Key closing a lock.


    Around her neck, a mark simr to that of a pink choker with a heart at the ce of a lock and a keyhole drawn on it appeared.


    With this done¡­ Nefertiti now belonged to him.


    Of course, should anything happen to him, nothing would happen to her.


    But she didn''t need to know that.


    Taking her by the hand, Sol brought her towards a big mirror on the wall.


    "Take a look."


    Nefertiti was transfixed on her appearance and her hand passed around her neck, feeling the mark as it slowly vanished.


    "This is the mark that dictates that you belong to me and no one else. That you are mine for eternity."


    Nefertiti could only watch in disbelief.


    "Now that you belong to me, you do not need to fear being abandoned. I am a greedy dragon that will never give up on what is mine. After all."


    "My Lord¡­"


    Nefertiti was ready to cry from the overwhelming joy she was feeling right now.


    Never had she been so happy to be alive.


    "Good girl."


    Sol patted her head, as if calming down a small pet.


    "But you see¡­"


    His hand trailed down, "You need to be punished, you know?"


    "I will ept any punishment, my Lord." [2]


    [1]: I don¡¯t usually spoil rtionships but Sheherazade will most likely never join the harem. I say most likely because I might change my opinionter but as of now and the foreseeable future, I don¡¯t n to have her in any love rtionship with Sol. She will stay as a mascot.


    [2] : Neferneferuaten Nefertiti was a Queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. Nefertiti was known for a radical change in national religious policy, in which they promoted a form of proto-monotheism centered on the sun god Aten. She also "possibly" reigned as a Pharaoh after the death of her husband. Gotta respect her.


    I don''t think I need to add more. I have many ns for Nefertiti.


    (AN: What do you think of Nefertiti? I wonder if I went too far with the ve seal. Also, I am hesitating between having Nefertiti call Sol Master or Lord. I think Master is more logical. But Lord bring a greater feeling of reverence. Also funny I went to watch ck Adam and I realized Adam wife is called Isis. Talk about a funny coincidence. Still, SHAZAM power is interesting. Might take inspiration from it.)

 Chapter 352 CH 320:DRUNK (1)

    After an emotional moment with Nefertiti, Sol had seriously considered ending the night with him in her.


    But in the end, he decided against this. Nefertiti was now his ve in both mind and body and he knew that she would only feel no dissatisfaction even if he was to abuse her.


    But he wanted to treat her right. Not abuse her. After all, being a submissive didn¡¯t mean you wished to be treated like shit every time. [1]


    A pet didn¡¯t need abuse. It needed as much care and love as any other living being.


    Of course, Sol didn¡¯t really know yet all the kink Nefertiti might have. He wouldn¡¯t make the mistake of once again assuming without at least trying to understand her better.


    ¡®Well, there is also the fact that she fell asleep.¡¯


    Sol looked down at the sleeping Nefertiti with a smile full of love.


    As a divine beast of the Duke rank, the need of sleeping was extremely small for them. The fact that Nefertiti copsed like this showed just how stretched and tired her mind have been.


    He couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom the level of stress and emotional pain she must have gone through because of him and he would make sure that she never had to go through such pain again.


    ¡®I will need to slowly heal the wound in her heart.¡¯


    He let out a long sigh as he shed the calm and coldness he had shown while speaking to her.


    Sol was truly not used to act like this towards his women.


    He always wanted to treats them like the princess they were and bring them warmth and happiness.


    Initially Sol nned to directly apologize to Nefertiti but then here came the problem.


    Apologize for what exactly?


    Apologizing for leaving her on the Phoenix realm?


    For not signing a contract with her?


    For not understanding her sooner?


    He didn''t know.


    He was lost and could simply do what was the best possible at any given moment.


    After all, at the end of the day, the experience Sol had was simply too shallow.


    In front of his women, he needed to show a strong front to give them confidence.


    But inwardly, he knew very well that he was still fumbling and trying to find his way.


    He had been lucky until and this led him to arrogantly believe he could easily understand them all.


    This arrogance andck of foresight were what hurt Nefertiti this time.


    ''I am sorry. I promise I will do better.''


    Sol caressed the hair of Nefertiti, careful in not waking her up.


    He might be wrong, but he believed that what Nefertiti needed earlier was a clear set of direction to appease the fear deep in her heart.


    Now that this was done, he would slowly give her all the sweetness in the world.


    The time they lost could never be brought back but they could make better and more meaningful memoriester on.


    And Sol had learned a valuable lesson.


    He would not repeat the same mistake.


    ¡®I wonder if I could use my power for something like this.¡¯ <sub> </sub>


    Sol seriously contemted trying to find the answer through his zone. After all, he could find the ¡®best path to victory.¡¯


    This didn¡¯t necessarily need to be a battle, right?


    But he discarded this thought.


    It would be cheap and would cheapen his feeling for the girls as well. Cheating in a fight was perfectly normal. Not so much in a rtionship.


    Thinking like this, Sol stood up after putting a nket over Nefertiti.


    There was someone else he might have hurt because of his negligence. He needed to act to right his wrong.


    ¡ª---


    While Sol and Nefertiti were now resting after an emotional talk, Isis was walking in the garden.


    She liked the atmosphere and she wanted to think a little more about her current situation.


    Soon, she would go live in the mortal realm with Sol.


    The good news was that since Anubis was a mortal demigod and Nephtys was a Phoenix, the two of them would be able to visit her in Lustburg.


    Sheherazade was no divine beast so as long as there was a portal it shouldn¡¯t create any problem. She would have to verify this with Solter just in case.


    ¡®I wonder how life will be there?¡¯


    She had never visited the mortal realm. For one she knew that the flow of time there was constant, unlike the flow in the Astral realm that changed constantly.


    She also knew that the structure of space was different and the rtive amount of mana was far lower.


    In short, it would be like going to a backward vige after having lived in a castle her whole life.


    Isis chortled at this thought, well intent on sharing it with Solter on. She was dying to see what face he would make. Though she was sure that he would retaliate fiercely.


    After all, she never won any of their arguments.


    ¡®Perhaps I should take lessons in rhetoric?¡¯


    Banters with Sol were always fun and while she never won, Sol never went too far, always staying within the margin of what she could take.


    It was a little infuriating in a way how good he was with words. Then again, it was a necessary skill for a king and a womanizer.


    ¡°You seem to be in good mood.¡±


    Isis looked up, and saw Nent, walking with a bottle of wine and two sses in her hands.


    ¡°Well, I was about to drink a little. Care to share with me?¡±


    Isis hesitated a little. The two of them had never really been all that close, but then, remembering her goal of creating a faction, she decided that a drink wasn¡¯t so bad.


    It wasn¡¯t like alcohol could make her drunk.


    At least this was what she thought.


    ¡­She was wrong¡­


    [1]: I regrly do some research on BDSM, even contacted and discussed it with a Dominatrix once. But I am not a pro and my knowledge is still shallow. So I am sorry if I don¡¯t get everything right. I worked around a little with Masochists (Camelia etc) but a pure Sub like Nefertiti is a new ground. I think Skuld and Milia also fit the submissive in a certain way but at the same time not really. What do you think guys? Would love to have your opinion on this topic.


    (AN: I really wanted to write smut just then for Nefertiti but I felt like it wouldn¡¯t do her justice. One of her hangups is how she is nothing more than a sex partner for Sol. So having them fuck just after he calmed her down seems counterproductive. Wesh. But Nefertiti will have a scene no matter what before the end of this volume.


    Now time for Nent. After this, I think all the important girls of Book 2 will have had their turn. Man, the bigger the harem the harder it is to develop them all.)

 Chapter 353 CH321:DRUNK(2)

    ¡®How?¡¯


    Isis discovered a new sensation. One she had absolutely nevere close to feel in her entire life.


    The feeling of beingpletely wasted.


    And she hated it.


    The loss of control was simply awful. As a divine beast, she was used to having absolute control over her thoughts and body.


    Even when she was fighting a hard battle while controlling an army of undead, she was still stable.


    But now she was feeling a slight buzz and her mind became so slow she felt like she became stupid.


    ¡®Do mortals really like this sensation?¡¯


    How the hell did she be drunk in the first ce?


    Alcohol was considered a form of poison by the organism of Divine Beast and as such was automatically purged.


    Even deadly poison could hardly go past their defense. Much less some weak alcohol that barely registered as poison. As such they could not get drunk.


    Sitting face to face with Isis, Nent let out a chuckle as she gulped the content of her ss in one go.


    She had warned Isis to be careful but the girl didn¡¯t listen. Nent was more than happy to let her face the consequences of her disregard.


    "I made a deal with Hydra once. He created a special kind of Poison that temporarily weaken the immune system of Divine beast and allow the Alcohol to infiltrate the blood. Sadly, this wine never went intorge-scale production."


    Neither Nent nor Hydra were crazy. The wine was indeed good for consumption and Next was sure that it would have been the best of the best.


    For people as old as them, there were very few things they hadn¡¯t tried. So a new feeling such as ¡®bing drunk¡¯ would have been a great interest to everyone.


    Nent was sure that with this she could have brought enough money for the phoenixes to be very rich, even if she had to split the interest with Hydra.


    Sadly, the two of them had to fight off their greed and close down the factory. This wine could never be sold.


    The wine itself was absolutely safe. Hydra was a true master in this domain and knew how to handle poison. But the effects of lowering the defense of the immune system were simply too dangerous. It was a moment of weakness few could afford.


    There was also the fact that Divine beasts were already dangerous enough when sober. So one could imagine the danger when drunk.


    What would happen if a King ranked monster went into a drunk frenzy and destroyed an entire kingdom?


    Neither Hydra nor Nent wished for something like this to happen. So outside of the initial batch, there was no more of this alcohol.


    ¡°Why¡­Why do you drink something like this?¡±


    Isis groaned as she felt her eyes grow heavy. Her speech was a little slurred and she had a hard time putting her thoughts into words.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Nent looked down at the crimson in the bottle with a smile.


    ¡°I guess because I want to be drunk.¡±


    Her voice was calm but the smile on her face could not hide her sadness.


    Nent had not been able to close her eyes for thest few days.


    It was simply too much for her.


    ¡®I killed him.¡¯


    She was of course thinking about Drei, or rather, Hansel.


    The truth of the matter was that while she fought him, Hansel had chosen to explode himself and was then stopped by Anubis.


    She had in no way killed him.


    But this did not matter. During the war, she had made a choice and it was to end the life, or unlife of her old friend.


    Did she regret it?


    Not at all. She knew that it was something necessary.


    The world that Drei wished to create could never see the light.


    So she acted.


    So she turned her back on her best friend.


    ¡®I never thought it would hurt so bad.¡¯ <sub> </sub>


    Nent could not sleep. Whenever she tried to, Hansel and Gretel would appear in her dream, asking them why she betrayed them at the moment when they needed her the most.


    So she decided to drown herself in alcohol.


    ¡®How pitiful.¡¯


    Nent was not so weak that she would let this keep her down. She was sure that she would be able to handle this sooner orter.


    She just needed more time.


    ¡°Perhaps a century or two will be enough?¡±


    ¡°Two centuries seems like quite a long time.¡±


    ¡°You will see. One day you will realize that a century is nothing but a moment in our long life.¡±


    Nent looked up as Sol approached and sat next to the now-sleeping Isis. She had lost the battle.


    He looked at the bottle with suspicion and it didn¡¯t take long for him to understand what was happening.


    ¡°Is she drunk?¡±


    ¡°Dead drunk. She even forgot that she could simply purify the alcohol with her holy me.¡±


    Nent chuckled merely. Clearly lightly buzzed as well but she was still in total control of her mind.


    ¡°You tricked her.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted a partner to drink with. Drinking alone is pretty sad you know?¡± She simply shrugged.


    ¡°Why did you not call me?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­So the Dragon Emperor finally has time for poor little me? I am so honored I could cry. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    Silence stretched between them. One that was finally broken by Sol, as he took the half-filled ss of Isis.


    ¡°You are drunk.¡±


    ¡°Indeed I am.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get drunk together, shall we?¡±


    ¡°....Why not?¡±


    Under the light of a stars, a beautiful woman gave a lonely smile as she lifted her ss.


    But she did not drink everything in one go like before and simply sipped on it. At the end of the day, she did not wish to act so uncouth in front of him.


    ¡°So, why did you grace me with your presence?¡±


    Sol ignored the sarcasm behind her words and nursed his drink. The slight buzz was something he quite relished as it slightly reminded him of his year as a university student.


    ¡°Nefertiti and Nepthys are here.¡±


    ¡°I know. But what does it matter to me?¡±


    Nent was unusually blunt now that she was drunk. The usual Nent had the habit of hiding her thoughts behind her words and action. Making so you could never really guess what she was thinking.


    ¡®So Isis is the sleeping type while Nent is the type that speaks words she would regretter.¡¯


    ¡°Nefertiti is your granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­Sol, after living with us for a few months now, you should have realized it clearly, right? The weight of the thing called ¡®family¡¯ is very small for us Divine beasts. We only act based on what interests us the most.


    The same goes for you. Were you not this talented, Tiamat would have never given you the time of the day. So, do not talk about family, please. That thing is simply worthless.¡±


    Sol nodded, in no way enraged by her words for they were the truth. In fact, he found this situation highly interesting.


    ¡®I wonder how she will act when she purges the alcohol from her system and remember her conversation now.¡¯


    This would certainly be a sight to behold.


    (AN: Isis, Kiyohime, Nefertiti, Nent. Those were the main girls of book 2. I think I did a better job in developing them than I did with the main girls from Book 1. Perhaps it¡¯s because my skills slowly grew as I wrote. Still, to this day, Nent is still my favorite character in Book 2. It was the first time I wrote a morally ambiguous character like her and readingments about you guys guessing whether she would betray or not was really fun. Now it¡¯s time to heal her pain and then have fun with everyone. Vol 10 is slowlying close to an end. Vol 11 main theme will be Lilith and Lilin.)

 Chapter 354 CH 322: SOBER (1)

    [Dragon Realm]


    The wine in the bottle continued to diminish as the two downed ss after ss. The drink session was rtively silent as Nent was simply focusing on brooding and washing away her sadness.


    The more she drank, the hazier her gazes became and she could even feel herself going back to a time when everything was easier.


    She always wondered what could have been if she had appeared sooner in Lustburg and saved Hansel and Gretel before they were executed.


    She knew it wasn¡¯t her fault even then.


    The flow of time between the two worlds was not constant and she could not stay there for long for no reason or just to fool around.


    She also had her own duty to perform and it was impossible for her to be at a different ce at the same moment.


    But regrets were called thus because of all the ¡®What If¡¯.


    What if, she had paid more attention when they began to develop their theories?


    What if, she had made sure that theypletely settle in the Phoenix territory rather than stay in the mortal realm?


    There were so many possibilities. So many ways it could have gone better.


    All of this would have been possible if only she paid more attention and had been more careful.


    But all those IF were useless.


    The reality could not be changed.


    She had lost her friend not once but twice.


    She had also let him down twice.


    Once by failing to save them and the second time by ruthlessly deciding to not stand on his side.


    How hurt he must have been? She could see that Hansel had theplete belief that she would take his side and she shattered that belief without hesitation.


    All of this was because of a boy she barely knew.


    ¡®Hahaha, how pathetic.¡¯


    Now here she was, drinking her sorrow like a pitiful loser. She was drinking in order to forget.


    But the more she drank, the more she remembered, and the more she remembered the more she wished to forget.


    This created a vicious cycle that she had difficulty escaping.


    But¡­Did she even want to escape?


    ¡ª-


    When the bottle was finally empty, Nent looked down at her ss before looking suspiciously at Sol.


    ¡°Did you cheat?¡±


    She could see that despite being lightly buzzed, Sol showed no sign of being drunk.


    This was pretty surprising as even one drink was enough for one to see stars usually.


    The perfect proof of this was Isis who was sleeping so soundly on the side that it looked like she would not wake up even if there was an earthquake next to her and even Nent was feelingpletely drunk.


    ¡°Would I tell you if I was?¡±


    Nent was startled before nodding, ¡°Indeed, cheaters like you are sly bastards that act as if they know everything and never show their hands.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Well, honestly thought, I didn¡¯t ¡®cheat¡¯, as you put it. The poison Hydra put in this is most likely unable to go past my defense. That or I am just a natural at drinking."


    ¡°Oh my. This is pretty surprising. Let¡¯s drink to that!¡±


    At this level, she did not even know why she was drinking, she simply wanted to drink even more.


    She moved to take another bottle but a hand from Sol stopped her, ¡°It might be cliche to say this, but being drunk won¡¯t change anything. When you wake up, reality will still be as shitty.¡±


    ¡°You say this as you snatch the bottle from me and already filling another ss for yourself, seriously?¡±


    Next was baffled at the shameless attitude of Sol just now andined rightfully so but Sol smirked and ignored herints.


    ¡°We are not the same. You drink to forget your pain. Uselessly trying to flee from your sad reality. As for me, I am only drinking because I like the taste."


    Nent massaged her eyebrows with a tired expression. His words were beginning to affect her inebriated mind and not in a good way. <sub> </sub>


    ¡°You are truly good at spewing bullshit.¡±


    ¡°I am good at spewing the truth, you mean.¡±


    ¡°So you believe you have all the answers!?¡±


    She looked up fiercely at Sol and even shouted a little, something the sober her would have never done.


    ¡®Ohoh, I really wish I could record everything and show it to her when she is sober.¡¯


    It was interesting to see her lose her usually ster control like this and this helped him better understand her.


    He knew very well that alcohol always made one show their ugly side. As such, he did not be angry no matter what she said and simply listened,


    ¡°I do not have all the answers. I am not omniscient you see. Still, I search for them like any other one and one of the wisdom I learned is that alcohol when consumed in excess is dangerous and bring you absolutely nothing but more misery.¡±


    It was of course not the health aspect that was the problem but the mental one


    Sol knew how devastating Alcohol addiction or any kind of addiction for that matter, could be. Currently, Nent was numbing the feeling of loss by drowning herself in alcohol.


    She might think that she was strong enough. That she would stand up eventually and she may be right. Perhaps Sol was underestimating her mental strength. Perhaps he was worrying for nothing and using his human standard on Nent.


    In the first ce did divine beasts even produce the exact same kind of chemical reaction as humans? Could they be addicted?


    What could addiction even do to them? He doubted it would affect her health and that she could be sober at any moment using her holy me.


    So indeed. He was most likely worrying for nothing.


    But¡­Why take the risk?


    ¡®Should I push her buttons?¡¯


    He wanted a more explosive response from her. Only then could he make sure she could snap out of it.


    ¡°You know¡­You look pretty pathetic right now.¡±


    He thought he might need more. But those words, more than anything, resonated strongly with that Nent had realized herself and this triggered her past her limit.


    ¡°What do you know!?¡±


    They said that nothing hurt more than the truth and they were right.


    Thunder rumbled as Nent grabbed Sol by the throat, moving so fast they were already a few hundreds meters away from the table.


    Her eyes shone with fury and resentment as she looked at him,


    ¡°Who the hell do you think you are!? Your whole life is a blessed one, nearly free of all pain. Everything works out for you, no matter what you do. So what the hell do you even know about loss!? Nothing, you know absolutely nothing!¡±


    Nent shouted as she raised Sol high with one hand, lightning flowing out of her body and her grip strengthening.


    At the end of the day, she was still a King, one of the oldest and most powerful kings, the difference in raw power and skill between her and Sol was simply that high.


    Still, even as she held onto his throat, even as shepletely overpowered him when she looked up and held his gaze, she could see absolutely no fear nor pain, only a sense of disappointment,


    ¡°So you decided that resorting to violence was the answer.¡±


    By using <<whisper>>, despite his throat being partially blocked, Sol was still able to convey his words perfectly.


    ¡°!!!¡±


    As if realizing what she had just done, Nent hurriedly released her grips and turned around.


    She was so ashamed of herself, she couldn¡¯t believe that she had lost control of herself like this and even struck at him.


    All the alcohol in her system had been immediately purged by her outrage.


    ¡°I guess you are sober now?¡±


    Sol calmly arranged his clothes, the flow of the conversation waspletely in his hand since the start and now was time to strike while the iron was hot.


    -----


    (AN: I just made some research and realized that When lightning strikes, the air it passes through is heated to 50,000 ¨C 70,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That''s five times hotter than the surface of the sun.


    Definitely didn¡¯t know that lol. Thank god what we have here is magical lightning XD)

 Chapter 355 CH 323:SOBER(2)

    Sol had no experience in dealing with such a situation. And for that reason, he decided to use a rather forceful method from the get go.


    His goal had been to make her snap out of her delirious state and he had seeded in that endeavor. Now he needed to steer this narrative in a way that would give him even more advantage over her.


    As if totally unfazed by what happened earlier, Sol approached Nent, who slightly flinched when he ced his hand on her shoulder.


    She was still scared by her earlier outburst and realized once again that notmercializing this drink might have been one of the most sensible decisions she had ever made in her life.


    The results otherwise would have been very dangerous for the world as a whole.


    She was brought back to the ensuing reality by Sol''s words. She was surprised by how calm and unfazed he was by this whole situation.


    She even wondered if she had dreamed the whole thing in a drunken haze but the smell of ozone and petrichor in the air made her perfectly understand that this was indeed reality¡ª a reality she dreaded.


    ¡°I personally know nothing about loss. Nor can I understand what you might be feeling.¡±


    This was the usual truth. After all, Mars and ze meant very little to him. He might feel a little sorry for their demise, they were his parents at the end of the day, but it was hard to really feel invested in them.


    Furthermore, thanks to Skuld''s assistance, he did not have to go through the same pain as his other self. He was able to change the future and walk a new path. A path toward true happiness.


    Surely, he was the least qualified to talk about loss with Nent. He was so unqualified that it was even hypocritical of him to do so.


    But¡­ what of it?


    Sol always knew that he was a hypocritical bastard whose best strength was none other than his sophistry and his self-confidence that had no ce to exist when talking with people who lived for so much longer and experienced so much more than him. It was a long winded thought process that led to the conclusion that he was nothing but sanctimonious ingrate.


    However, if he had to walk a path filled with lies and hypocrisy that waspletely essential in order to protect their hearts, he would dly continue to do so with no hesitation whatsoever.


    ¡°I knew you would not really hurt me.¡±


    He was partially lying. He indeed knew that Nent would not really hurt him, even if under the control of alcohol overdose.


    But even she wanted to harm him, there was nothing she could have done.


    By simply entering his dimension, he could make it so she could not even catch him, much less hurt him.


    By partially phasing, he could be intangible and escape her grasp.


    By using dimensional encroachment, he could have created an infinite distance between the two of them,pletely reducing her speed advantage to null.


    By simply shouting ¡®Help!¡¯ he was sure that Tiamat would have struck Nent down immediately before she could even make a single move.


    Hell, even if she killed him, he could simplye back to life using Nirvana.


    There were so many possible ways for him to get out of this mess, that it was simplyughable. This made him realize once again just how much of a cockroach he had be.


    A truly andpletely sober Nent would have realized that he was never at any risk.


    Sadly, in her current state, Nent did not have the mental capacity to proceed with all that information. This was the sad thing with alcohol. When drunk, even someone as quick-witted and smart as her would see her overall mental capacity drop tremendously¡­


    Of course, this was to his advantage since it made his shock therapy much more effective.


    ¡°Sol¡­ I am sorry¡­ I¡­I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡±


    Nent was so shocked that all she could do was mumble and try to formplete sentences but fail inevitably. Her incoherent words were stopped by a gentle kiss from his. <sub> </sub>


    Their kisssted a few seconds before he hugged her tightly against his chest. It was impossible to guess that such a frail body could hold so much power.


    ¡°Do you remember the deal we made back then?¡±


    Her head against his chest, Nent could feel the powerful beating of his heart, the rhythm of which caused her own heart to slowly calm down as it synchronized with him.


    Feeling her change in mental state, he continued unhurriedly¡­


    ¡°On that night. The two of us struck a deal. We are more than simple lovers. Our rtionship goes beyond the simple pleasure of the flesh. We are partners in crime who decided to stand and fight together. Was I wrong to think like that?¡±


    Sol''s words contained a strength sopelling that all Nent could do was listen¡­


    ¡°I do not know your pain. I cannot understand you and I am sorry I cannot give youforting words. After all, Drei might have been a friend for you but he was simply an enemy to me.¡±


    Sol had no love for Drei, merely hatred. The man had even killed one of Milia''s few friends and used his body as a puppet to infiltrate Lustburg.


    There was simply no way he could feel any kind of sadness at the situation.


    ¡°Even then, the Nent I know is a strong woman who refused to give up and walked her own road even though she was continually despised for it.¡±


    The road Nent took was not one that could be epted by many and Sol could never personally ept it.


    Still, there was a strength and reason to it.


    Despair and pain might have changed her forever, but the proud phoenix decided to not fall down without punching back.


    ¡°Mourn your loss all you want. Cry all your heart out. But¡­ Please, do not show such a despondent sight to me ever again.¡±


    Sol respected and even admired the version of Nent who, with her cold pragmatism, continued to walk unhindered.


    Anubis might say that her soul was filthy back then, but there was a strength to it like no other.


    This was why seeing her so down was even more uneptable.


    ¡®I am sorry for being so harsh.¡¯


    Sol couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly at his own words.


    ¡°If you wish to share your pain, I will always be there for you. I do not know much, and I may not necessarily be able to give you the best advice. But I will always have a shoulder for you to cry on and lend you an ear to listen to all your fear and worries.¡±


    ¡®I am really trash.¡¯


    Moments like this made him hate himself all the more.


    Even though he was supposed topletely focus onforting her, he was also using a godsend asion to tie her even more to him.


    To be an anchor and make her so dependent on him that she would never let go of him or even think about it.


    [AN: I always feel a little squeamish when I approach problems that can happen in everyday life. Topic like suicide, early pregnancy, and now alcohol addiction. I always fear that I might trigger or hurt readers who suffered from such problems in real life.


    I do not think that waking up someone who is drowning in alcohol is so easy in real life. It can take years of therapy and still end with no good results. Addiction is scary. I admit freely that my way is incredibly simplistic. But this is why we read fantasy. I personally don¡¯t read fantasy to face an even shittier world, reality is already bad enough. I read to see a world where all problems can be easily resolved with just a discussion or by being the strongest.]

 Chapter 356 CH324:HOTBATH

    When Isis¡¯s consciousness began to rise on the surface, the first thing she did was to scan her surroundings with all her senses.


    But her eyes promptly flew open when she realized where she was.


    ¡®What the hell happened?¡¯


    Looking around, she immediately recognized Sol¡¯s bedroom in Kiyohime¡¯s castle. How could she not? After all, it was here that she lost her virginity.


    But this wasn¡¯t what shocked her. Outside the fact that she hadpletely passed out, what really startled her was the fact that she was lying down on the bed with two other women she recognized very well.


    ¡®Nefertiti and Nent?¡¯


    She groaned as she tried to remember exactly what the hell might have happened. She remembered leaving Nefertiti alone with Sol so that they could sort out their rtionship.


    Then she wanted to rx in the garden but she bumped into Nent who proceeded to invite her to a drink.


    She had followed her and then¡­Nothing¡­ Total ckout.


    ¡®Just what the hell was in that wine?¡¯


    The good thing was that she felt no so-called headache or difort. So she could at least think properly.


    Her movement seemed to have stirred the other two from their sleep and soon, the three phoenixes gazed in each other eyes in silence, unsure about what to do or say.


    In the end, Nent was the first one to sigh and stand up from the bed.


    ¡°Shall we take a bath together?¡±


    Neither Isis nor Nefertiti had reasons to refuse.


    ¡ª--


    ¡®Oh my goddess, you crazy bitch!¡¯


    As the three of them walked towards the bathroom; as Sol predicted, now that the drunk haze hadpletely left Nent, all she wanted was to scream and punch her past self beforepletely vaporizing her.


    Nent had never so much cursed her perfect memory as she could remember absolutely everything that had happened.


    From her outspoken and bitter words, her pathetic disy, and her outburst before finally being treated like a child by a man that did not even have a hundredth of her age.


    This wasn¡¯t just humiliating. It went way past that level.


    Still, even as she berated herself inwardly, she couldn¡¯t hide the smidgen of happiness that was blooming deep in her heart.


    ¡®I really softened too much.¡¯


    Nent was not stupid. With her mind working perfectly, she could understand that Sol had never been in whatsoever danger from the start. She had simply walked up into a small trap he had sprung on her as he manipted her like a fiddle.


    A normal woman might have been offended. But all Nent felt was admiration. She had really underestimated how Sol act once he was focused on a goal.


    She was also happy.


    Since Hansel died, Nent was under the impression that she was now all alone in the world. That there was no one left that would care for her.


    Her rtionship with her mother was not the best.


    She did not particrly like her sisters and they were more akin to business partners.


    She had destroyed so much bridge with Kiyohime that it was impossible to even hope for their rtionship toe close to what it was before she fucked up everything.


    Nent had been alone, sad, scared, and besieged by guilt.


    This was why she had decided to resort to alcohol. She didn¡¯t want to be addicted. In fact, no matter how powerful Hydra poison was, it was impossible to make her addicted.


    Even if he did create such a poison and used it on her, she simply had to die once ande back with Nirvana to be back to normal. This was what it means to be a phoenix.


    Still, while she couldn¡¯t get addicted, she knew that she was fleeing from reality by trying to numb her mind.


    But now, after the discussion with Sol, she was still sad and besieged with guilt. Those feeling might neverpletely vanish. After all, guilt had been her constantpanion for 700 years.


    Still, she did not feel scared or alone anymore.


    She knew that even if the situation was bleak, there was one shoulder on which she could lean on and cry without hesitation.


    ¡®The boy really went a long way.¡¯


    It was always so fascinating to see how people with mortal minds could change so much in such a short period of time.


    The Sol with whom she had made a deal back then and the one she talked with yesterday were the same men but at the same time so much different.


    She truly appreciated his growth.


    ¡ª--


    When they reached the bath, the three of them realized that the water was still cold. The heating system had yet to be activated since there was basically no one present in the castletely.


    ¡°Allow me.¡±


    Nefertiti did not let this bother her as she crouched down and put a hand in the water. Soon, steam began to rise as the water began to boil.


    ¡°This should be more than enough.¡±


    Nent narrowed her eyes slightly at this sigh, ¡°You have control over heat.¡±


    Phoenix were elemental creatures with the majority of them being rted to fire. But the power to control and manipte heat itself was different from simply controlling fire.


    It wasn¡¯t so much a unique power but even out of the four King-ranked Phoenix, only She and Neppthys couldpletely control heat as they wished. <sub> </sub>


    ¡®Her talent increased, is it because of her True Name?¡¯


    Nent realized she needed to take a look at her granddaughter''s progress during her absence. After all, the fact that Nefertiti even had a name was not normal.


    Nent realized that her experiment alone shouldn¡¯t have such a great result.


    ¡°I trained a little more during your absence.¡±


    Nent tilted her head in confusion, ¡®How weird.¡¯


    In the past, she could always feel a certain feeling of respect and reverence toward her in Nefertiti''s voices and actions. But now, while the respect was still present, she could feel none of the reverence she was used to.


    ¡°Good work.¡±


    Isis ignored the discussion between the two as she slightly dipped a toe in the bath.


    Her resistance to heat was vastly lower than that of normal phoenixes. This had always been a source of problems for her life in the desert. Walkings out under the light of more than one sun was not funny.


    ¡°Oh my.This is perfect.¡±


    As such, she was happy to see that it was just the right temperature for her.


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    Nefertiti nodded to Isis before lowering her head and entering the bath. She was still a little ufortable because of her earlier words to Isis even though the girl had done nothing wrong.


    She wanted to apologize, but she didn¡¯t know if it was the right moment to do so.


    ¡®I should ask my lordter.¡¯


    Once Nefertiti realized that she did not have to think too hard about this and only had to ept her punishment and follow orders, her mind immediately rxed.


    This was such a bliss.


    Like this, three phoenixes entered a hot bath.


    Nefertiti and Isis gazed at the body of Nent with slight envy before looking down at their own.


    Their only source offort was that the two of them weren¡¯t so different. Nent was simply an outlier.


    It was their loss if they got upset because of this.


    Silence lingered for a while between the three as they tried to rx. They knew very well that bathing was just a pretext.


    The true discussion was about to take ce. A discussion that would decide how things would go between them.


    But it was then,


    ¡°Oh my! What a coincidence~!Would the three of you be able to amodate two more?¡±


    The three phoenixes turned toward the door as two new people intruded.


    One pink-skinned girl apanied by a blue-haired one.


    A smiling Skuld and a slightly ufortable and frowning Kiyohime.


    From the way Skuld was holding and pulling Kiyohime forward, it was clear that Kiyohime was not particrly willing to be here.


    But she still epted to follow the small Titans.


    The awkward atmosphere grew even more so when the two of them entered the bath. Though, once Nefertiti and Isis gazed at Skuld and Kiyohime, the confidence that had dimmed in their eyes came back in full throttle.


    ¡®At least I am not the smallest.¡¯


    This thought flew by in their mind at the same moment.


    (AN: Welp. Every little arc of vol 10 converged to this one moment. Like how at the start of Book 2 in vol 6 we had a harem discussion. it¡¯s only fitting that the same happens at the start of Book 3. Welp, let¡¯s see how it will go.)


    My goal is to reach the top 25 in trending (All time/monthly). I know we can do it. If you want to read my other works, join me on P@treon: /HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site)


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Car = 1 bonus chapter


    A Dragon= 2 BC


    A Castle= 6 BC (spread over a week, otherwise I would die.)


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    1K unlock= 1 Bonus Chapter


    3K= 2 BC


    5K= 4BC (Spread over four days)


    15K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 Bonus Chapter


    1500 GT= 2

 Chapter 357 CH 325:COLD BATH

    Five women were in the bath at the same time, each of them more beautiful than the others, yet they didn''t fall behind each other either.


    All of them had their own characteristics and personalities and were powerful enough to destroy mountains or entire continents on their individual right. Some of them could change the fate of an entire territory with just one word and others were beautiful enough to make everyone fall for them with a single gesture of goodwill.


    The atmosphere was awkward but the two who felt it the most were undoubtedly the duo of Nent and Kiyohime.


    The first reason for their awkwardness was that the two of them were partially avoiding each other for some time already. While their rtionship became better, the wounds Nent inflicted on Kiyohime could simply never heal no matter how long it may take, maybe nothing would change throughout their lifetimes.


    No matter how you tried to repair it, a broken te would never go back to its normal state. Nent understood that, if not for the existence of Sol, Kiyohime would simply hate her down to her very bones. Now, at least, she tried to hold herself back and bare with her so she had noints.


    The second reason for their awkwardness was definitely the small pink-skinned ball of chaos that was humming as she swam in the bath with no care in the world.


    ¡°Hmm~ Hmmhmm~ Hmm~ Hmmhmm~¡±


    At first nce, she may merely seem like a cute girl with an exotic skin color. But all of them knew that behind this face was a dangerous Titaness that once stood on the side of chaos.


    In a way, it was incredible how obtuse this Titaness was but for Kiyohime and Nent, who actually fought her kind since the day they were born, they couldn¡¯t help but feel tense in her mere presence.


    The only reason they were not being outright hostile was that they knew that one of the reasons the war went so well was because of the intel that this Titaness gave them.


    ¡°Why is everyone so silent, I thought you wanted to talk?¡±


    Finally, as if she had enough fun already, Skuld swam back to them with a cryptic smile,


    ¡°We would have. But your arrival surprised us.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    Skuld looked up and down toward Nent,


    ¡®Meeting people who should have died is always so fun.¡¯


    Skuld let out a girlishugh, hiding her dark thoughts behind her cute mask¡­


    ¡°Well, I divined that you guys were going to hold a talk and I thought, why not bring the full team together?¡±


    She then proceeded to reach a corner and hoisted herself out of the water before sitting on the marble floor. Her skin, still glistening with droplets of water, was a lustrous sight through and through.


    ¡°You guys may already know, but my name is Skuld. I am one of the Norns and also someone who betrayed the side of Chaos. But I am sure all of this doesn¡¯t matter, right? Hahaha, the most important thing is that¡­I am Sol¡¯s woman. Just like the rest of you here. It''s my utmost joy to be able to meet all of you.¡±


    Skuld came out strong right from the start, unwilling to waste any time with any misleading talks, ¡°I already know most of you guys. Nent, Isis, Kiyohime, and¡­¡±


    All three of them should have died during the fight against chaos, knowing that they were alive thanks to her gave her a sense of superiority. But the real reason why she was here was different.


    Her smile stretched further when her gazended on thest one, ¡°You must be Nefertiti.¡±


    Nefertiti tilted her head in confusion when she saw the obvious goodwill brimming in Skuld¡¯s eyes. This was the first time the two of them ever met, so this left her pretty confused.


    ¡°Oh. Do not mind me. I am just happy to see someone so devoted to Sol.¡±


    Skuld briefed her with a partial truth. Actually, she herself did not know why she was happy to see Nefertiti. For the simple reason that the girl did not exist in her memories.


    This could only mean two things.


    Either the girl died off in some ditch or¡­


    ¡°Heh¡­Well, should we focus on the present? I am sure most of you must have realized it by now, but we will be stuck together for a long time. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if all of us were on friendly terms? Or at least be each other''s allies?¡±


    ¡°Sigh. I was wondering why you pulled me here but I see that this is just a waste of my time. I will go now.¡± <sub> </sub>


    Skuld shrugged, ¡°I would have never thought that the dragon queen was a coward when ites to love, or perhaps it¡¯s because you fear being betrayed again?¡±


    Kiyohime immediately red at Skuld but the Titaness simply smirked,pletely unfazed by her menacing state that only promised pain and suffering.


    She could evenugh in front of Tiamat, much less a mere Kiyohime.


    ¡°You say you want us to be allies but it seems more like you wish to sow further discord in our rtionship. Then again, I guess it¡¯s as expected from someone from the side of Chaos.¡±


    ¡°You call this discord, I call it a bounding experience. After all, to really give our back to each other, it¡¯s necessary to know our ws. As for me being from the side of Chaos, hahaha, at least I would never treat my offspring likeb rats like you.¡±


    This time, it was Nent''s turn to scowl menacingly.


    ¡°We are notb rats.¡±


    Skuld gazed at Nefertiti''s strong stance before nodding, ¡°The current you can without a doubt say this.¡±


    Finally, she turned to Isis, ¡°You¡­ Well, I have honestly nothing to say against you. Though I also think that a normal girl like you really does not suit this harem.¡±


    Skuld knew from memories that basically all the girls, if not them all then most, were broken in some way or another.


    At this level, she even wondered if this was a coincidence or fate.


    But in thisrge swarm of broken women full of trauma, there stood Isis.


    The weirdest thing about her was that she used the power of undeath and the worst she went through was being disliked by some phoenixes who did not even have the courage to insult her to the face.


    Both her parents were alive and loved her. She never really went through much suffering throughout her life. She was born as a perfect hybrid with all the advantages and none of the disadvantages.


    Her father was one of the strongest demigods in existence and her mother was one of the most powerful Kings as well as the Queen of the Phoenix realm.


    In a way, the girl was even more blessed thant the true Blessed themselves.


    In another way, she was like a luckier version of Sol.


    ¡°Haha, now I feel so refreshed.¡±


    Skuld really hated how she couldn¡¯t orchestrate the death of a few of them. As such, the most she could do was tell everything she had in her heart right this instant.


    This was a very important moment and she could not afford to fuck it up.


    Out of all of the women here, three should have died and one was someone she had no memory of.


    In short, they were all uncertain factors and for a seer like her, the more uncertain factors existed, the worse she felt.


    Spying the future was bing incredibly harder.


    Sol''s future was in a constant flux. Changing so fast that it made her want to barf.


    Even if she gazed at hundreds or thousands of futures, one second was enough for that same future to crumble and change topletely different oues.


    It didn¡¯t help that there were so many singrities or demigod powerhouses in those futures, making it so it was even harder to predict things.


    Skuld did not like the current situation. But she had to deal with it.


    The least they could do was to let her curse out a little now, right?

 Chapter 358 CH 326:THE PATH

    Skuld stood up and with her arms akimbo, cing her hands on either of her sides, ¡°Now then, everyone¡­ I am sure we have already established the fact that all of you guys'' puny existences really irks me to no end. I wish you could all just drop dead any moment or it would''ve been better if you were never even born in the first ce.


    ¡°Likewise, I do not need you to like me nor do I even expect you to like me. If I had to be honest with you guys, man, I hate all of you so very much. If it was in my power I would have killed nearly all of you with a single snap, I am not joking about that. But I''m sure that you guys already know that part, don''t you?¡±


    There were only a few girls, among the ones sitting in this bath with her, that Skuld considered extremely useful and beneficial to Sol and his future ns. If she had to say something about the rest, then it would be that they were mere redundancies that Sol could honestly do without.


    In fact, they could just go and die on an abandoned ditch somewhere for all she cared. Sadly, their deaths would make Sol unfathomably sad which went against her very goal of bringing him happiness. If Sol were to be sad and wrought with grief, then her very existence held no meaning anymore, and neither did this timeline, at least that was her consensus about this matter.


    This time, hearing the venomous words of the pink-skinned Titaness, packed with the craziness that could make even the worst of the worst lunatics give a run for their money, the luscious girls, naked and resting in the bath, were all so very surprised that they were simply left speechless. They just couldn''t find any words among themselves in this situation.


    And to be honest, how could they even¡­after the words Skuld directed toward them. Like...it wasn¡¯t every day that someone literally told you they hated you straight to your face like that and merely wished to kill all of you. Moreover, the mad lunatic in the name of a woman said everything, every single fucking thing without exception, with a soft smile hanging on her face.


    However, none of them could even feel the slightest bit of killing intenting from her and this made this situation all the more frightening in a certain way.


    ¡°Some people would say that I am a crazy bitch and perhaps, after all the things and all the timelines, I probably have gone nuts already. After all, no matter how I spin the matter in my head, why would I just go and tell you guys about my wish to kill all of you otherwise? Wouldn¡¯t it make you antagonize me even more? And as expected, from those lovely expressionsing from your face it''s easy to understand that¡­that particr ship has set sails already. In the end, this was the case. But you, I don¡¯t really want to kill you like that.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­? But, you just said¡­¡±


    ¡°I know what I said, dear Isis, you need not remind me about that. The thing is, of course, I really really want to kill all of you. I want to do that with my own two hands. But no matter how much I want to do that, I also don¡¯t want you guys to die. After all, if you guys die, then Sol will be really unhappy and will enter a path of self-destruction so fast and with such surety that I could do nothing about it.¡±


    She sighed theatrically, even going as far as to make all the sounds and gestures, before finally revealing the rest of her speech, ¡°So you see, what I really want doesn¡¯t matter now, does it? What really matters is that I would do anything and I mean any¡­thing possible, just to be of use to Sol and I realized¡ª¡±


    ¡®After fucking it up in a few possible futures.¡¯


    ¡° ¡ªThat the best way to be of help is to keep everything in harmony.¡±


    Isis¡¯ lips twitched violently hearing thest bits of her venomous speech. She couldn''t help but retort, ¡°So your best way to keep harmony between us is to insult us or threaten our lives?¡±


    ¡°Like I said little Isis, this is where you are wrong. I believe that we should all be honest about our feelings toward each other. We love Sol. Loving Sol doesn¡¯t mean we have to love each other though. But it certainly means that we have to work with each other to some extent. Knowing each others'' true thoughts will put our minds at ease¡­


    ¡°I believe he would be happier if we all appreciated each other though. Your reasoning just feels wrong.¡±


    Skuld smiled toward Nefertiti, it was a smile of pity, ¡°Your naivety is so cute little Nefertiti. Now now¡­don¡¯t be offended but, do you seriously think that it¡¯s possible? Let¡¯s see here, could all of you seriously be able to say that you like me? What about those two?¡±


    She said as she pointed toward Nent and Kiyohime, ¡° ¡ªYou might not know about the matter but they have quite the history with me and this is without even counting the ones back in the mortal realm. The women there are pretty damn dangerous, to say the least.¡±


    Skuld massaged her neck on reflex as she said those words. She really didn¡¯t want to meet those women. They were all insane in their own way. She didn''t want to have a battle of insanity with them in this timeline too.


    ¡°Long story short, us liking each other is simply impossible. The fact that some aren¡¯t killing each other already is practically a miracle. This is the simple reality.¡±


    Sol had the knack for getting emotionally broken but very powerful women to fall in love with him. If she didn¡¯t know him, she would think he was doing that intentionally in order to get women that would be easier to control. It was uncanny in a certain way but Skuld didn¡¯t care about that.


    What she cared about was that¡­with so many powerful women all bonded to the same man, friction was literally destined to happen. From what she knew, there was currently no truly powerful woman among them that could silence the dissension and take control of the entire harem.


    The bigger the harem became, the more problems would rise among the participants and the time Sol could spend with each other would drastically reduce as well.


    How could any of them be happy about that?


    ¡°I believe you are wrong. My Lord would wish for all of us to stand together and take care of each other.¡±


    Skuld chortled at her words, trying hard to keep the tears from falling off from the corner of her eyes, ¡°But we don¡¯t have to like each other to do this now, do we?¡±


    ¡°You want peace throughpromise, but I believe true peace would bring him more happiness.¡± <sub> </sub>


    ¡°Then tell me, how do you n to get all of us to really like each other?¡±


    ¡°I believe you have the right approach. Opening up to each other is certainly a good way. But just supporting each other is not enough. Sooner orter you might snap andmit the irreparable or someone else might end up doing something regrettable.¡±


    Nefertiti spoke calmly, her eyes clear and her aura was unwavering even though she was facing a King-ranked Titaness.


    She gently caressed her neck, feeling the mark Sol imposed on her. She was in no way a naive woman. That''s for sure¡­


    She knew very well that this so-called ¡°ve seal¡± had basically no binding powers to it. After all, there was basically nothing in her knowledge that she wouldn¡¯t do for him. With or without the seal.


    But this seal was a type of proof. A wedding ring of sorts, that appeased her and gave her the courage she did not know shecked.


    Nefertiti was still feeling vastly inferior to the others.


    This would not change as she might really be the weakest in Sol¡¯s harem currently.


    But she knew she could do better. Unlike before when she was walking in the midst of a dense fog, the moment Sol gave her this seal was like a revtion to her. Her Name whispered to her with words of power.


    She now had her own goals and even a direct path of reaching the King rank. This was more than enough for her to grow some much-needed backbone.


    ¡®ve¡¯ she might be but only for her Lord and only he knew about it. This was their little secret and simply knowing that she shared something that no one else had made her the happiest woman in the world.


    ¡°Since we love my Lord, then why maintain a rift between us? Loving and appreciating each other may perhaps be really helpless. But it would be a sin for us to not even give it a try.¡±


    Skuld narrowed her eyes, ¡°The way you talk about Sol is really interesting you know.¡±


    ¡°I have simply realized my own path.¡±


    The smile that tugged on Nefertiti''s lips was so very bright and beautiful that for an instant, even Skuld felt her heart miss a beat from pure awe.


    Her eyes widened and she immediately looked aside, unwilling to look at her face. Skuld immediately realized what that smile meant and she wasn¡¯t the only one.


    Kiyohime and Nent both stood up at the same moment, eyes opened wide in realization as they remembered one man from their distant memories.


    There could be no mistake. The aura the little girl was emanating right now was unmistakably the one and the same.


    He was one of the very first Divine Beasts of the day. Maybe, he was the very first Divine Being toe into existence alongside the likes of Lucifer, Asmodeus, Gabriel, and the others.


    He was once one of the strongest Demigods there ever could be. So strong that even the False Gods would flee at the mere mention of his name. His unfathomable, heaven-shattering might was enough to make everyone shiver in fright.


    His words alone could take down a whole nation as he instilled the greatest feeling of faith and reverence in others.


    To this day, he was the most devout and pious divine beast. The one who held the greatest feeling of adoration toward the goddesses.


    His name was Michael¡­ The one and only messenger of the goddesses and his concept¡­was that of blind, relentless, and unbreakable¡­


    ¡­.<<Servitude>>¡­.


    (AN: I have been setting up this moment with Nefertiti for quite a long time. I wonder who saw thising?)

 Chapter 359 CH 327:BACK TO THAT PLACE

    The moment she felt the power brimming with the concept of <<Servitude>> emanating from Nefertiti, Nent¡¯s eyes shone with unconcealed joy, delight, and a fervent madness that she was trying to suppress for some time now.


    It resurfaced due to being faced with a situation that transcended all her expectations.


    Her heart was beating so wildly that she felt like it would burst out of her chest from all the frantic thumps. This was without a doubt a moment she would never forget even in the thousand years toe.


    She thought that Nefertiti had already surpassed all of her expectations of her by obtaining her Kingly name as a mere Duke, but now¡­from what Nefertiti had shown her, she could say without a doubt that she had underestimated the girl way too much. The concept she was currently showing a glimpse of wielding was far beyond anything she could ever have hoped for.


    ¡®No, this can¡¯t just be because of Nefertiti.¡¯


    She fought hard to keep her heart calm and collected, using all her might to bring it back into a normal beating rhythm. It wasn¡¯t as if no one had ever tried to follow the footsteps of the deceased powerhouses and a few even partially seeded in their endeavors. But those individuals were generally born with the innate power to charm others from the very start.


    It wasn¡¯t really something that could be trained or acquired through artificial means.


    Despite this ring fact, however, people still did their best to obtain this power by hook or crook.


    After all, if one managed to obtain such a powerful and prominent concept, they would have a straight beeline toward bing a King at the bare minimum, and the chances of bing a demigod and even a false god would also increase tremendously for that individual.


    But most of them failed in their pursuit of this divine path and those who did seed could only bring a pale imitation of the power, falling much too short in scale with the real deal.


    ¡®I guess Nefertiti''s blood somewhat helped with the results.¡¯


    Nefertiti was a hybrid born between a charm spirit and a Phoenix. Perhaps the absurd mix between holy power and the power of charm gave birth to such a result?


    This was the most logical exnation she could reach, but at the same time, it was unsatisfactory, to say the least. After all, there were thousands of subuses and charm spirits with stronger innate talent than Nefertiti when it came to the power of <<Charm>>. There was no way she would be able to beat them just cause she was a hybrid.


    She also wasn¡¯t the only Charm Phoenix hybrid to ever exist. There practically was a surplus of them in her faction; Nefertiti just turned out to be the most powerful of them all.


    She didn¡¯t really understand why Nefertiti obtained this power just now but she could venture a guess. It was rted to a charming boy, the boy that had turned all of their lives upside down with his arrival.


    ¡®Sol is without a doubt the key.¡¯


    She did not doubt that fact. Everything was simply too coincidental for it to be otherwise.


    Nefertiti obtained her Kingly name right after meeting Sol for the very first time and now she obtained a concept after meeting him after a few months after their separation.


    If this wasn¡¯t suspicious, then what was? There was nothing left to doubt, at least that was so in her mind.


    ¡®I can think about thister.¡¯


    What mattered now was how to nurture this concept and make it mature into something on the level of Micheal''s.


    The concept of <<Servitude>> was a twisted concept that instilled absolute faith and irrevocable reverence in the user as well as the ones they were influencing.


    This wasn¡¯t just something as mild as mind control. But the true and absolute change that would make one the staunchest of believers.


    The era of Michael was the era during which the faith of the fourteen goddesses was the strongest, unlike now where most people only reluctantly believed in them and much less chose to worship them with all their hearts.


    His presence alone could change hundreds of thousands of people right into the most devoted fanatics.


    Greed began to grow in her heart at the mere thought of what this concept implied for the future, but as fast as it came, she immediately stomped it out with scary momentum. Almost feeling disgusted by her thoughts.


    ¡®What the hell am I even thinking? Fuck!!¡¯


    Nent closed her eyes before sighing out loud, ¡°Congrattions. You just took the first step toward bing an extremely powerful being of this world. I believe soon your zone will adapt to your new Truth.¡±


    The Duke rank was the most important rank as it gave a lot of flexibility to an individual. One could ¡®easily¡¯ change the Truth and obtain a different far better zone than what they wielded.


    Of course, once they built a True name at the top of it and became a King then it was all over for them.


    Nefertiti was an odd case as she already had her name but had yet to really incorporate it into herself. She could make some small adjustments to her truth and her true name and she needed to do it all fast and with extreme precision.


    ¡°Of course, you can also choose to be a King. I believe the integration will not take long now.¡±


    Standing on the side, Isis approached Nefertiti and gave her a warm hug, ¡°Congrattions! I am really happy for you!¡±


    Isis was not lying. She was happy to see that Nefertiti took a new step in her path. She had no reason to be jealous of her.


    After all, with her talent, bing a king was not a question of ¡®If¡¯ but only ¡®When¡¯.


    In fact, she had once obtained her own concept when she had deeply contemted it.


    <<Death>>


    This one was pretty easy and basically, all necromancers threaded on this path.


    But Isis rejected it with absolute indifference.


    At the end of the day, the power of Necromancy was a path created by her father so that he could fully integrate with the concept of Death and reach Godhood through it.


    She didn¡¯t know if it was possible to be a god. But on the off chance that such a possibility existed, even if it was so small it was nearly non-existent, she did not wish to walk the same path as her father did.


    She had her own path to tread on and she already had an inkling about what she had to do to take the first step toward that path.


    ¡°Congrattions, it seems like the Phoenixes will soon have a new King among them.¡± <sub> </sub>


    Kiyohime sighed once her surprise wore off.


    Instinctively she hated the concept that Nefertiti had chosen to tread upon. This went against basically everything all the dragons stood for.


    <<Rebellion>> and <<Defiance>>.


    They were opposite concepts of such magnitudes that they could be easily said to be the antithesis of each other.


    At the same time, she respected and admired the unassuming girl whom she thought of having nothing else other than her beauty going on for her.


    There was nothing more gratifying than finding your own path. Even if that path was one of servitude, this was her own choice and no one else could despise her for choosing this.


    This was way better than walking aimlessly with no purpose. Most beings were like that so the end result was also simr.


    ¡®I just hope she doesn¡¯t end like some of those I know.¡¯


    There have been a few King-ranked dragons outside of the main four. But generally, they all reached a bad end.


    It seemed this rule applied to all divine beasts. As if Fate was trying to keep the number of King-ranked Divine beasts bnced.


    ¡°Well well, I must say. I guess the two of us might end up bing friends after all.¡±


    Skuldughed. The girl here was so devoted she literally ended up inheriting a concept rted to her feelings for Sol.


    This was the kind of person she wanted to work with.


    ¡°Now then, why don¡¯t we talk about a few basic rules to respect?¡±


    Rules were the cornerstones of society.


    Skuld did not miss the irony that was a being of Chaos like her talking about rules and regtions but thus was life.


    It was something full of surprise, and even a seer like her was allowed to be surprised sometimes.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [TARTARUS, 5th circle of hell]


    While the girls were having a ¡®discussion¡¯, Sol had decided to work on his own little side project. He wished to leave the territory on a good note and in a good mood.


    So the sooner he finished his exploration of Tartarus, the more time he could actually spend with those he cared about.


    Along the way, he had simply used his dimension to walk unhindered. He had no wish to deal with the small fries.


    He could already kill them before bing a Duke and now¡­it went from easy to simple boring clobbering.


    The reason he stopped at the 5th floor though was pretty simple. After all, he was nning on meeting an old acquaintance of his.


    ¡°I have been wondering where the two of you were. To think you were hiding in this ce.¡±


    ¡°...Used to it¡­ Morefortable¡­¡±


    Sol looked at the white dragon that was lying on the ground with a white cat sitting proudly standing on its head.


    They were, of course, Nabu and Sekmet.


    It seemed that after the victory, the two of them had decided to make this ce their temporary residence.


    He wondered what wasfortable about this ce but it was easy to guess why Nabu did not wish to stay in the Nine Heavens.


    ¡°So, why did youe here?¡±


    Sekhmet askedzily while Nabu gazed silently, ¡°Do you wish to¡­fight?¡±


    Sol smiled. Despite her ice-cold voice, he could feel the zing fighting intent in her words.


    Sadly fighting her wasn¡¯t his goal.


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    It seemed that his answer disappointed her as she yawned and decided to go back to sleep.


    But Sol¡¯s next words definitely woke her up.


    ¡°I wish to make a deal with you.¡±


    It was always necessary to prepare for the unexpected.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: Honestly for those who paid attention, Isis¡¯ future concept will be pretty easy to guess. As for Nabu, I toyed around with the idea of making her enter a contract with Sol. Also since he doesn¡¯t have a dragon and all. But heh, it would cause redundancy in my ns. I already have a clear idea about what I want. Anyways two small arcs left and vol 10 will end.)

 Chapter 360 CH 328:REJECTION

    ¡°I wish to make a deal with you.¡±


    Sol''s voice was calm andposed as he decided to proceed with his main goal in stopping at thisyer of Tartarus, also called the 5th circle of hell.


    Nabu, hearing his proposal, found her interest suddenly revived,


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    But, just as she was about to speak out her thoughts about the charming boy''s proposal¡­


    ¡°We refuse.¡±


    Bastet coldly broke in, stopping Nabu from speaking any further, not even giving her a chance to ry her view about this matter¡­


    Hearing Basket''s cold objections, Sol could only show them a smile¡­ a smile filled with all the bitterness she felt at her sudden interjection and clear disinterest. But, he wasn''t one to give up so easily. Time and events were a testament to how stubborn he could be.


    ¡°You did not even hear what the deal even is about.¡±


    ¡°We do not need to. I already know that whatever you ask will be problematic and a pain in the ass for both of us.¡±


    Sekhmet really didn¡¯t want to have anything more to do with the boy named Sol. If there was one fact about history that has been proven to be urate, it was that those who followed and helped the Blessed along the way generally didn¡¯t have a good ending for themselves.


    It was alright when Fate still favored the Blessed, nurturing them with utmost care in their grueling path. But once the favor of faith stopped, then everything generally went to hell and still the Blessed turned out to be the lucky one among everyone concerned.


    The unlucky ones were those who got sacrificed along the way to protect the Blessed during their lives. Poor chess pieces that were cast aside by Fate for the rise of one being.


    Sekhmet knew that this wasn¡¯t the fault of the Blessed. Being a Blessed meant that you could find a treasure while going out for a random refreshing walk or something along those lines. It also meant that you could suddenly face a demigod while taking a random walk too.


    Thew of this world was clear and concise. Equivalent exchange in everything and anything governed by thews of the universe. Nothing came from nothing. Being lucky means that you took the luck of someone else.


    ¡°There is nothing you can give us or even hope to offer us that will make me change my opinion about this matter. I honestly do not want to be further entangled with you. Leave, leave us alone and never seek us again.¡±


    Blesseds were normally a pain in the ass. But Sol was a Blessed among Blesseds. An absurd being that was against the very definition of this world itself. How many people could say that they faced a goddess and survived to tell the tale?


    Sol had faced Ymir herself even before bing a Duke. This was followed by him fighting a bunch of demigods and Titans, still before bing a Duke. It was another matter altogether that he had been powered by some divine source, but it didn''t change the fact that he was still not even a Duke when he faced those damned Demigods. He was just on the process of being one and had consolidated himself into the realm after the battle was over and he was fully rested.


    What would happen when he bes a King or even a Demigod?


    She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he ended up fighting a bunch of goddesses or even the Mother Goddesses themselves and somehow still live to tell the tale. Maybe, the worst would happen¡­ He woulde out triumphant and fuck this world in its entirety. Nothing was certain when it came to this abominable bastard.


    If it was in the past, when she was still Bastet, she would have agreed to follow him at a moment''s notice. Who knows, perhaps he would show her the road towards godhood?


    But she already died too many times. Out of her nine lives, she only had one left. This was herst chance. She simply wished to sleep and spend time with her disciple in peace.


    Seeing her like this, Sol couldn¡¯t help but let a bewildered expression appear on his handsome face. Then, as if a realization dawned upon him, he fell silent beforeughing out loud.


    ¡°Care to enlighten me about what is so funny to you?¡±


    Solughed abated as he recovered his breathing rhythm that got disarrayed by all theughing, then he spoke between intermittent heavy breathing, rying his apology to Sekhmet, ¡°Sorry, sorry. I just realized that I had be slightly arrogant.¡±


    He waved his hand and turned toward the feisty cat, ¡°Sekhmet, I will not bother you further. Also, if you wish to do so, I will ask Tiamat if you two can simply leave and roam the universe as you wish.¡±


    Like this Sol vanished in front of their eyes, moving towards the 6th Circle of hell.


    Now alone, Sekhmet couldn''t help but let a sigh leak from her cattish mouth, ¡°I am sorry that I spoke for you there, Nabu.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry¡­I have waited for a master for so long that I can''t even recount all the years¡­I will follow your will, forever.¡±


    The small cat gave a human-like expression as she patted therge dragon under her paws and sighed again. <sub> </sub>


    She didn¡¯t know if she made the right choice in refusing someone hailed as the future dragon emperor so clearly and with such bluntness. She knew that her chance of forming a greater rtionship with Sol and obtaining more benefits in the future was now close to zero.


    But it didn¡¯t matter to her. Since she was the one who made the decision, then the consequence would fall on her and her alone. She thought she would be able to live with that. At least, this way, she could ensure that they lived. That was enough for her.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    As Sol walked into his dimension, his gaze was calm and even refreshed. He had intended to ask for help from Nabu so that she could descend in Southern Pride in case of any dangerous developments.


    After all, if something did happen, he wasn¡¯t sure that Kiyohime and the others coulde in time. Having a backup would have been useful for any scenarios.


    But when Sekhmet refused him so clearly, Sol had to admit that he was greatly shocked. In fact, on the fly, he thought of threatening her by saying they owed him or by using his power to manipte the situation in his favor.


    Those thoughtspletely sobered him up, almost horrifying him to his core at the first thoughts brimming in his mind.


    He then realized that from the start, he had never even entertained the thought that he would be refused. He had been so sure that the deal would be epted that the refusal was like a p to the face that woke him up from the arrogant train ride that he was recently onboard 24/7.


    The clear and concise refusal hurt him a lot, but what hurt him even more was the thoughts that were brimming in his mind.


    Until now, Sol had never tried to threaten someone that had never done anything bad to him. Even less someone who helped him.


    ¡®Is it because of my new powers?¡¯


    They said absolute power had the caveat of glorified corruption attached to it.


    <<Deus Ex Machina>> was a power that entered in the territory of the gods or goddesses to be exact. He could observe Fate from a superior point of view and even manipte the strings of Fate to his heart''s desire to some extent.


    In a way, when he used his power, the world became like a stage and he became its puppeteer.


    In another way, he became like a being of a superior dimension looking down at the lower-dimensional being.


    No matter how powerful a 2nd dimensional character became they could never even affect a insect residing in the 3rd dimension.


    No matter how powerful a mortal became, they could never surpass the goddesses.


    Unconsciously, Sol might have begun to look down on everyone. As if he was the only one able to see in a kingdom of the Blind.


    ¡°Well, at least I noticed this before it was toote.¡±


    Sol had the right to be proud of his powers. But the line between Pride and Arrogance was very thin, too thin in fact. There was a reason that Pride was the worst of all sins. He needed to be careful of that from now on.


    ¡°Though, now that I think about it, it¡¯s the first time a woman I am close to rejected me. Is my charm finally failing me?¡±


    Solughed as he began to make light of the situation.


    He was not particrly disappointed. Facing rejection sometimes wasn¡¯t so bad. He thought lightly about the first rejection of his life.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: Who wouldn¡¯t be arrogant if they could change the world with a single thought? But arrogance in that world generally leads to death.)


    (EN: Arrogance with that power makes you a human. Humbleness, however, is what makes you a GOD.)


    ---


    My goal is to reach the top 25 in trending (All time/monthly). I know we can do it. If you want to read my other works, join me on P@treon: /HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site. Join my Pa treon You can get up to 57 advanced chapters, 19 of SHK and 19 of Gojo, and 19 of Lustful Paradise.


    All forms of support are appreciated.

 Chapter 361 CH 329:TESTING

    [Tartarus ¨C 6th Circle of Hell]


    When Sol finally entered the fabled 6th circle of hell, he was disappointed to find that it was in a rather deserted state.


    Even after stretching his senses as far as he possibly could at his current level, all he could find were some chaos spawns proffering about here and there. Doing what beings of chaos were expected to do. Spreading chaos and carnage.


    There were a few Duke rank beings there and here but nothing particrly interesting, at least to the current Sol it wasn''t.


    Sol then suddenly recalled some thing Kiyohime once said to him. The dragon queen had personally culled the entirety of the sixth circle slightly before his breakthrough. This had been done in case they managed to escape and Kiyohime went at it with gun-zing, full kamikaze style.


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess I will have to use the weak ones. It is what it is, can''t do anything else about it, *sigh*...¡±


    ¡ª


    Doro was a Duke-ranked being, or rather a Lord-ranked chaos spawn. One of the oldest ones in thisyer but as well as one of the most cunning of them all.


    Appearance-wise, he looked like your averagemia. His upper body was that of a muscr man while his lower body was akin to a long snake''s slithering tail. There race could also be referred to as Nagas but they had more characteristic matches to Lamia''s. All in all chaos spawns had a chaotic characteristic to them that led them not being able to be ssified in a single species.


    Of course, even though the chaotic bastard had such an appearance, this was simply the most optimal path he had taken toward his evolution.


    Before being captured and well before he became a Duke-ranked being, he had the honor of witnessing a fight between Asmodeus and king Skryrim¡ª the king of all Ice Titans.


    The fight had been of rather epic proportions and it was a miracle that he was even able to survive that encounter. Still, what he learned from the fight he witnessed was that¡­the most important thing in a fight was survivability over anything else. If you survived, you triumphed. There was nothing above being alive and kicking.


    King Skryrim had been far superior to Asmodeus, the divine beast of lust at that time. But even then it changed almost next to nothing. The snake was simply too hard and too slippery to be killed.


    This was the path that Doro sought for himself. The path that was established through developing his hiding, healing, and escaping skills. And using this path he had lived to this day, through all the culling that had transpired in this realm.


    But¡­


    But¡­


    ¡®Oh mother of chaos, why send me such a trial?¡¯


    Doro cursed while he slithered on the ground as fast as possible for him. His tail left absolutely no trail on the ground and his movements were perfectly silent and unnoticeable.


    Even then, no matter what he did he could not fully escape.


    Everything began a few minutes before. When he felt the presence of a Duke, the first thing Doro did was hide and observe the individual.


    Doro knew that a culling had happened not long before. As such he didn¡¯t have to worry about another one for a few centuries at the very least.


    The young boy was without a doubt a test taker one extremely talented.


    What did Doro do when he saw such a delicious prey?


    He fled.


    Without hesitation, he fled into the distance.


    The danger he felt emanating from that single entity was so high that all his instincts were screaming at him to run for his life.


    Sadly, no matter what he did, he seemed unable to escape from the dastardly boy''s grasp. The shadow of death seemed to follow him everywhere.


    ¡°Oh, you are finally here.¡±


    Doro wasn¡¯t running aimlessly. This ce was a true maze that he had created for his explicit uses. It would take that boy a few hours to even think of seeding in escaping.


    ¡®This ce is an ideal hiding ce for me. Let''s see how that bastard can find me inside where¡¯


    At least this was what he thought. But sadly for him, the same bastard was waiting for him in his path, smiling as he finally reached him. It sent a chill down his spine.


    ¡°How¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s say I just deduced the ce you would go to.¡± <sub> </sub>


    Doro had his mouth open. This made absolutely no sense to him.


    Sol smiled as he approached Doro. He ignored the surprised expression smeared on the being''s face and focused on the matter at hand.


    ¡°Now, I guess it¡¯s time to kill you, huh?¡±


    Sol bore no animosity toward the man staring at him with an absolutely frightened look etched on his oddly human face. Unlikest time, he was not under the throes of insanity.


    He simply did not care very much about the life or death of this monster.


    It didn¡¯t matter to him if Doro was good or evil.


    In the first ce, the war between Chaos and Order had nothing to do with good or evil. It was just a war forged for principles.


    Doro, feeling that it was useless to try and flee, decided to face him head on in onest bout for survival.


    In a ce polluted by Chaos, the divine beasts of Order found their energy diminished without means of absorbing energy as they liked.


    Furthermore, it was just a Duke-ranked Dragon, it did not necessarily mean that he wouldn''t be able able to triumph or survive this encounter.


    ¡®I just need to incapacitate him. Break a few bones, then flee.¡¯


    He did not even entertain the thought of devouring Sol. Not because he didn¡¯t want to. He wished to eat Sol so much he could die.


    But he knew that if he did eat Sol, he would without a doubt die a gruelling death.


    [Assault Mode]


    Since they reached the level of Lord by devouring their own kind, Chaos spawns did not possess a zone. After all, they had realized no truth, their very concept of power was different from those of the side of Order.


    But this didn¡¯t mean that they were weaker than any Duke. In fact, they were generally stronger because of their own version of a Zone that was ingrained in their very essence.


    A form that allowed the user to bring the full strength and talent of their bodies. One could say that it was the War form of the Chaos spawns.


    When Doro entered this form, his human upper body began to contort and dostort until all that was left of his previous form was a monstrous entity.


    Then, holding a trident made out of one of its very bones, Doro attacked with all his might. Well intent on absolutely beating Sol in one attack.


    Watching the iing attack, Sol remembered thest time he fought against a Lord level being of Chaos. The fight had been pretty hard since they ganged up on him and even without that, that dude was strong.


    In the end, he had to use his War form to win and could only watch as a few managed to escape.


    The man in front of him was surely stronger than the ones he fought in the past now. The old him would have been forced to dodge or transform in order to have a chance at defeating him.


    But for the current him¡­.


    ¡°I guess I have really gotten stronger.¡±


    Sol did not even bother transforming. He did not even d himself in mana nor did he enter his dimension. Muttering absent-mindedly about his growth, all he did was to raise one hand.


    Seeing this, Doro smirked. A coward he might be. But he was still strong. Just how much did that young dragon want to mock him with his actions?


    His anger changed to strength and the power contained in the spear increased tremendously. Strong enough that it could change the entirendscape if itnded.


    At least, that should have been the case.


    But¡­One hand. With just one hand, an attack that contained the full might of a Lord-level Chaos spawn was stopped.


    No worse. If it was just stopped, the shock wouldn¡¯t be so great.


    But the trident actually ended up getting destroyed. Simply snapping as it was a vulgar toy.

 Chapter 362 CH 330:FLAMES

    When the trident finally made contact with Sol''s hand, inevitably the only thing it resulted in was in the teeths of the trigonal weapon shattering into pieces like they were made out of the most fragile ss and the shaft of the trident snapping in half, as though it had been brittled down due to the passage of time. It was an absolutely unbelievable and gobsmacking scene.


    From a scientific standpoint, however, the exnation was rather simple. The counterforce had simply been too high and broke through the threshold that the weapon could bear at perfect condition.


    It was not unlike the metaphorical example of an egg sent flying against a wall. It was as simple as it could get. His weapon was just too brittle whenpared to the area it struck. But nothing was ever simple when it came to beings of their level. The simple exnation was the very thing that made the chaos spawn stare nkly at the end result¡ª his most prized weapon shattering into absolute pieces. A phenomenon that should never be possible.


    This went beyond themon sense he had been taught and had observed throughout his long long life. He was so shocked that he simply froze on spot


    Sol, meanwhile, moved his hand around, observing it with his keen eyes, and nodded in satisfaction when he felt no pain and saw no wounds on his immacte hand. The weapon had not even been able to leave a scratch on his perfect skin. It was a satisfying result indeed, knowing the implications the result entailed.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess your core isn¡¯t in your weapon. I am d that''s the case. My hand wouldn''t have been left unscathedd as it is now if you slided your core into your weapon.¡±


    Thest time he had fought in the depths of the 4th circle, that chaos spawn, which gave him a hard time being his opponent, had hidden his core inside his weapon¡ª effectively empowering his weapon and hiding the most important part of chaos beings that made them so horrifying. A pretty smart move when all things were considered. At the end of the day, their cores were their only weak points¡­that could lead to their demise.


    While high-level chaos spawns like the one he was currently facing had organs close to that of mammals ¨C such as a brain, heart, lungs, and other organs of simr nature ¨C those organs were in a way just there for decorative purposes.


    These served next to no purpose in their living circumstances, so it was ideal to call it decorations that served in giving them a more humane form.


    Destroying the brain would not stop them from thinking. Piercing their hearts would not kill them. How could it? They didn''t need it to pump blood into their bodies as their entire bodily functions were marginally different from the creatures of order. They did not have the need to breathe either. In short, they had apparently no fatal points and could regenerate themselves from any and all wounds.


    Even after cutting all their limbs apart, chopping them into pieces, pulling their tongues out, piercing their eyes and gouging them out, decapitating them and crushing their heads, or even dicing all of their body parts into pieces. They would still live. They would still regenerate. They would still fight on. Such was the absolute terror that was a chaos spawn. A living, breathing, killing machine.


    But, there were no beings without weaknesses. Such was the fundamentalw of this universe. The chaos spawns also held weak points but the only true weak point of note that they all had was their core. Something that fully formed once they became close to the Lord level¡ª Duke-rank in beings of Order terms. Only by destroying their cores could they bepletely killed. But thereiny the problem.


    The emcement of the core was only known to the spawn and that being alone. Not that Sol cared particrly for all that hoohaa. If they can be killed he would kill them, such was his simple thought process.


    Now, he was only focusing on assessing his strength.


    ¡®If we were to talk about the physique side of things, I should now be a little stronger than Nabu was during the time I saw her fight. So, this is the strength my body now provides me, huh?¡¯


    Sol chuckled and clenched his fists to form a fist. Power surged throughout his body with that single action. His body had now gone beyond the threshold that could be said to be normal even for a pure Dragon. Nabu was the strongest Duke he had ever fought and back then, she could have totally destroyed him if he didn¡¯t have a dimension to help him escape and cut the truly short corners.


    Even Kaiser, despite using his zone, waspletely beaten up by her in her base form with just pure strength and now he was basically equal to her in terms of raw unbridled power alone. He couldn''t help but be awed by that fact.


    ¡®I wonder if I could transform into a full-fledged dragon now.¡¯


    He idly wondered. He remembered that Nidhogg, despite being a hybrid, could do so. He just wasn¡¯t particrly interested in transforming into a super big flying target.


    ¡®Now then.¡¯


    Since he had tested his physical body, it was time to see the results of his contract.


    Sol had obtained three innate skills from Isis.


    Nirvana.


    Super Regeneration.


    Andstly¡­


    Holy Fire.


    The Nirvana and Regeneration were basically two of the three core skills the phoenixes had. The third being Elemental Intangibility. He wasn''t able to obtain that but he obtained something else, something that he required for his arsenal.


    A bright golden me formed around Sol¡¯s hand as he approached the frightened Lord-ranked chaos spawn.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really need to know where your core is. Not when I have this.¡±


    The me engulfed Doro entirely, that too in just a mere moment, and all he could do was release screams of pain as he helplessly tried to fight back.


    ¡°I just need to reduce you to ashes.¡±


    Sol watched impassively as Doro''s body broke down into mere particles with the advent of time. The screams resonated the fear and anguish that came from his very soul as the holy me had the power of purification against Chaos and any kind of unnatural power like undead.


    ¡°Man, Anubis is really a goat.¡±


    Solughed when he realized just how badass Anubis was to have chased after a woman that represented his very opposite.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ The mes are a bit too weak. Something''s not right.¡±


    When all that was left was nothing but ashes, Sol scratched his chin thoughtfully before examining the remains of the chaos spawn.


    The Holy me was a power that was extremely harmful to creatures of Chaos and evil. It was a me of purification; A me of good.


    But, Sol remembered clearly using those mes to heal Skuld and Verdandi alongside Sheherazade when he woke up after reaching the Duke rank.


    So then, if it was a me to purify the so-called beings of evil. Why did it heal them? Chaos should be the true evil of this world after all. That was what the goddesses dictated.


    Sol formed a simple conjecture but decided to test the waters a little more.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    A few hourster alongside a few more stack of ashes marring the destednds of the 6th Circle, Sol was now sure of all his conjectures.


    ¡°This power is pretty broken.¡±


    The Holy me was indeed a me of purification. But it followed the will of the user.


    Long story short, if the user wished to heal, it would. If he wished to burn it would.


    But it didn¡¯t just stop there. The me also followed the intent of the user.


    Depending on the definition of <<Evil>> and <<Good>> the power and effect of the me could be altered and strengthened ordingly.


    Sol did not consider the people of chaos as ¡°Evil¡± in general. In his opinion. This war was just one of ideals and not one that spanned between the morality of things. It had next to nothing to do with good or evil.


    Because of this cognition, the power of the me was weaker than they should be. But if he really decided and more importantly believed that someone was evil, then the power would amplify manyfolds to destroy that being and erase him from the face of this universe.


    Rather than calling it the me of good, it was more apt to call it the me of judgment¡ª his judgment.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the normal Holy Fire, I suppose.¡±


    Sol nodded. He didn¡¯t think that he was particrly smarter than the average being.


    It was impossible that Tiamat or Gabriel didn¡¯t know about this feature. Much less someone on the caliber of Anubis who practically exuded the aura of a schr.


    If they said nothing despite wielding such specifications then¡­it simply means that the true Holy me could only destroy ¡°evil¡± as defined by a clear set of rules created by either the goddesses obviously or the divine beast that represented the core of that power¡ª Gabriel.


    As for the fact that he could actually set his own rules, Sol guessed that it was because of Isis¡¯ power. The one she had shown in the desert when she interrogated those ve traders. [1]


    ¡°My little cute phoenix is really something else.¡±


    He sighed and stood up. He had already been here for far too long and he was bing rather bored. At least, he now had a better understanding of his powers and evolution into the new realm.


    As for his Dimension and Domain. Those could be slowly exploredter.


    ¡®Should I head out to the 7th circle now?¡¯


    Sol walked away, unhurried and carefree.


    He had no intention of fighting the King ranked Titans or any traitors that were entrapped in the 7th level.


    The difference between the King rank and the Duke rank was not so easily closed and fighting a King would surely exhaust him no matter how powerful he became.


    What he wanted to do now, going up to the 7th circle of this ce housing the damned, was to find the secret zone hidden in the 7th circle of Tartarus.


    From what Tiamat told him, he would find something very interesting once he sets foot in there. [2]


    [1]: You can refer to Chapter 161 to learn more about Isis'' powers of judgment.


    [2]: I am pretty sure you can guess who he is going to meet. Heh this is almost poetic.


    (AN: Anyways, what do you think of Sol''s current skill set? The me of judgment is a very powerful tool and perhaps his first true attack skill throughout the entirety of this story. Until now I have been busy making Sol into the very incarnation of a cockroach XD. I believe survivability and escaping is the most important. Now time to add the guns.)


    AN 2: I started a new story called MIDNIGHT PRINCE. For the contest Fantasy carnival. Please take a look and vote for it. It would be really helpful. I really wanna win that contest Haha.


    Here is the link: /book/midnight-prince_24908760405236305

 Chapter 363 CH 331:L MAKE THE RULES

    [Tartarus, 7th circle of Hell]...?


    ¡°Well¡­ So this is the true Hell, huh?¡±


    The moment he stepped inside the 7th Circle, of this ce known as the hell of the dragon realm, Sol immediately felt his body be heavy from a certain pressure that emanated from this dreary ce. The heaviness and the extreme heat he felt was enough to make him have the delusions that he might''ve truly entered hell.


    ¡®Still, I wonder what Gabriel would say if she were to see this scene, knowing that Tiamat''s idea of Hell was something that looked like her territory. She should at the least be extremely pissed. If it were me, then I would have had a go at the offender no matter how powerful they might''ve been.¡¯


    ¡°Are those even real?¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes twitched violently, seeing the world around him. This dreary world was in one word blinding and the heat was breaking through all of the barriers he has ced around himself. Easily, it could be seen that the ce was simply disconcerting to say the least.


    This wasn¡¯t merely ¡°Heat¡± at the physical level. It was the very incarnation of Heat itself. The very concept of heat that transcended all dimensions and attacked the entirety of a being, not just the physicality of them. He thought that such aposition being present in hell was definitely understandable. After a certain level, mere physical damage could do little to beings that went on the path to godhood.


    But what was truly marvelous was that, despite the obviously deadly heat that could burn everything down to cinders, this world seemed to be full of life.


    Wherever he looked, he could see nature thriving and brimming with a vigor that could not even be seen in the liveliest of ces.


    When Sol looked, squinting as he focused on the heavenly bodies, at the suns hanging above in the clear skies, he knew immediately that they were not really suns in the real sense. They were merely simple projections of the real deal. Even then¡­.


    ¡®Sigh, why am I even trying to use mymon sense here.¡¯


    Sol sighed at his ridiculous thoughts. There was nothing too weird in this universe. Everything was possible where demigods run amok like it was nobody''s business. Even the goddesses could be particrly yful in their creations, doing things that made absolutely no sense. Tiamat could do whatever she wanted in that sense.


    Why did he have to care and rationalize the fact that a tree grew up to be so lively under the full horrifying heat wave of nine parallel suns?


    No, what he should really care about though, a thing that felt rather astonishing to him, was that he could feel no aura of Chaos brimming in this ce.


    In fact, Sol was practically sure of the fact that he was technically not even in Tartarus anymore.


    This was¡­ Another dimension altogether. Someone else''s dimension¡­ Someone lost in the chronicles of the epochs¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [9th Heaven]


    Sitting high up on her majestic throne, like azy cat who only cared for rest and indulgence, Tiamat was sifting through different styles of clothing the world had to offer. Strictly speaking, she was looking at maid attires, all the varieties that a maid attire could be in, in fact.


    Like a spectrum, they went from super long robes that hid everything from up to down to uniforms that left so little to the imagination that one might as well be naked at that point. There were hundreds of varieties of such clothes in front of her.


    This kind of thing was the little joy of Tiamat''s life. So she wished to enjoy herself as much as possible. After all, this wouldn¡¯t be amon urrence.


    The only ones she could tease like this were Yggi and Lakshmi[1], the divine beast of Greed.


    She was weirdly an interesting fellow. One that tried to scam her many times which had always resulted in Tiamat mercilessly retaliating by humiliating her in whatever way and whenever she could.


    Saying that they were friends was a stretch. But they were in a was business partners with simr interest up to a certain point. As long as she didn¡¯t cross the lines too far, Tiamat was willing to humor that greedy woman.


    Like this, Tiamat was spending her time idly when she suddenly frowned and looked down.


    The entirety of the Dragon Territory was under her control and while her control was weaker in the realm of Tartarus, it was still there.


    She knew that Sol entered that ce but she didn''t care because there was basically nothing that could threaten him as long as he didn¡¯t act dumbly.


    But now, she found that she could not perceive him anymore.


    Tiamat rose from her throne, there was something separating her from the 9th heaven. She was about to strike it down. But, once she recognized the energy signature, understood just what being it belonged to, she hesitated a moment before sighing and sitting back down on her throne with a hesitant countenance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything dumb, okay?¡±


    She decided to give the benefit of the doubt to that man. Not simply because he helped her in the past or because she trusted him a great deal.


    No, she didn''t believe in that. She just did what she did because she had absolute faith in Sol. She believed that no matter what happened, he would walk out of it alive and moderately unscathed.


    That and she knew he still had a little of that divinity left inside him in some corner. In the very worst case, he could simply use it.


    ¡®Now then, where was I?¡¯


    Since she didn¡¯t have to worry about this, she could just shift her focus back on choosing good clothes for Gabriel.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [7th Circle]


    In the scorching depths of the seventh circle, the moment Sol realized that he had entered another dimension, different from his grandmother''s, a voice filled the air in the next moment¡­


    ¡°I did not think that I would have another visitor so soon.¡±


    It was a light voice, filled with the vicissitudes of life and tiredness. Still, the power behind it was unmistakable to say the least.


    Sol looked up silently. There, high up in the sky was a slender handsome man d entirely in ck from head to toe. He had shoulder-length ck hair and six pairs of dark as night wings fluttering behind him with its long wingspan.


    The man himself was slightly translucent as if he was nothing but an illusion or a mere hologram.


    ¡°You do not seem surprised to see me here. You expected it didn''t you?¡±


    Seeing Sol''sckluster response, the man merely raised an eyebrow; surprised that Sol had expected his presence here.


    ¡°Hum¡­Well, what can I say? I am not one to be surprised easily anymore. I kinda expected it in fact. Whenever I meet someone new there is generally some test following it. I got used to it after a while.¡±


    Sol shrugged and walked around idly, totally ignoring the apparition in the air,


    ¡°So, what are you exactly?¡±


    He crouched down and took a look at the nt. As if the vigorous nts were far more interesting than the apparition of a man, clearly from an era long before.


    ¡°Oh my¡­ This is surely a first. I am Lucifer. Lucifer Superbia.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I thought you died.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am not exactly alive currently. So, yes, you are right¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­I see. How interesting.¡±


    Sol said so before nodding and focusing back on the nts. His eyes shone as he began to decipher something that caught his attention.


    Lucifer meanwhile was left rather perplexed.


    ¡®This is¡­. Not really going like I thought it would.¡¯


    ¡°I am Lucifer, you know? The Lucifer¡­ The Strongest demigod, kind of your ancestors, trained your grandmother a little. Rebelled against the goddess. Aren¡¯t you more interested?¡±


    ¡°You ¡®were¡¯ the strongest demigod. Now it¡¯s Tiamat. I am pretty sure you are not my ancestor. And I can say with certainty that my beloved grandma, Tiamat, would never ept anyone really training her. Finally your rebellion was an epic failure. So¡­ Yeah¡­ Not really interested.¡±


    When Sol answered with a flurry of words, Lucifer couldn¡¯t help his eyebrows twitching slightly with irritation whenever Sol attacked with his reasoning.


    ¡°I guess the pen is indeed mightier than the sword. You have torn my poor heart.¡±


    This time, Sol looked up from the tree. His eyes narrowed in thought,


    ¡®He did not get angry. It doesn¡¯t seem like he is faking it either.¡¯


    From the moment Sol stepped into this ce, he had been tense. After all, he was currently in the dimension of a Dimensional mage.


    He remembered very well what he had done to Nihil and Surtr when they were blocked in his.


    No matter how kind this Lucifer was, Sol refused to stay in such a situation. If that man wanted to discuss with him then it would be on his terms. Not anyone else.


    ¡°Say, what is the name of your dimension?¡±


    Sol asked offhandedly to which Lucifer shrugged, ¡°<<zing Sun>>¡±


    Lucifer wasn¡¯t dumb. He could see that Sol was up to something, and he was curious to see what would happen.


    ¡°zing sun, heh.¡±


    He stood up and mumbled, ¡°Well, this should be enough.¡±


    <<Dimensional Encroachment...>>


    Lucifer tilted his head as he felt Sol trying to expulse his dimension, ¡°This is useless you know? Not even Tiamat could win against me in that domain and that was before Ipletely pulled her into my dimension.¡±


    Sol ignored him and continued,


    <<Dimensional Encroachment¡­>>


    This repeated for a few times before a grin formed on Sol¡¯s face,


    ¡°I got it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to fight against your control.¡±


    A slight foreboding rose in Lucifer''s subconscious. But alongside this was also a feeling of excitement.


    Back then, Tiamat had astonished him with her talent. It seemed that he was about to witness something even more absurd.


    What Sol had been trying to encroach had never been the real universe but rather¡­


    <<Dimension Encroachment>>


    <<Inverse World: Frigid Moons>>


    ¡°Wee to my world.¡±


    Sol grinned as two crystal thrones appeared and floated in the air before he sat on one of them with a victorious grin.


    ¡°Now we can talk, I guess¡­¡±


    He would never let anyone test him ever again. It would be him doing the testing now.


    [1]: She is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility, and prosperity, and is associated with Maya ("Illusion"). Along with Parvati and Saraswati, she forms the Tridevi of Hindu goddesses.


    By the way, the Divine beast of Charity is called Midas. Yeah, I like irony as you may have noticed. For those who didn¡¯t understand the joke, search Midas'' Touch. Exining jokes is prettyme.

 Chapter 364 CH 332:CRYPTIC

    The world of heat and warmth slowly blended with the encroachment of a deep shivering, wintry night. The zing desert made way for white sand that gently reflected the light of the celestial bodies above. Up above, instead of the Nine Suns, there nowy Nine full moons, each with its own distinctive characteristics.


    The suns had gone past the horizon, nowhere to be seen, and with their departure, the realm had been robbed of all its heat. What remained afterward¡­ was an all-consuming chill that dug into a beings'' very souls.


    Inverse World. Inverted fate. ze made way for frigidness. Warmth made way for Cold. Suns made way for Moons. The world had been turned upside down at its very foundation. Such was the power of Sol''s dimension.


    He had inverted Lucifer''s realm itself and took control of it and made it his own. He was now the dictator of this world that held the two of them. He was now the undisputed lord. And said lord was now sitting on his throne while his cheeks lifted to form a cheeky grin, directed toward a somber-looking Lucifer.


    The once greatest divine beast now looked deeply at Sol. That look made one have the illusion that perhaps he was looking at him for the first time. And indeed, Lucifer had finally looked at him for the being he was. Not as the young boy he wanted to teach, but as someone worthy of talking to as his equal.


    ¡°I must say. I am very impressed, Sol. Could I ask what you did right there?¡±


    ¡°I scanned your dimension and eroded it with a concept that could be termed as its antithesis.¡±


    ¡°You know that what you did is basically what Chaos does to Order, right? I need not remind you about the consequences of those actions.¡±


    ¡°I know and this is one of the reasons I was inspired to do such a thing. It seems that it worked out well, in the end.¡±


    Ever since his fight against Nihil, he had been thinking hard. Thest meeting would decide it all for the both of them. The Rule of Three was already in ce, so thest encounter between them would be their final one. But then, how would he make sure to kill her for good? After all, Nihil was no easy target and even though he had yed around with her. In the end, he had not been able to give a decisive blow to her at the end of their battle.


    So, after rummaging through his mind for numerous thoughts, he focused on two things in particr. The first one was a power that he should be careful in using. Something was telling him to be very careful of that. At the very least, he should not be using it in the open until he was sure that the goddesses couldn¡¯t end him with just a single thought. But once he mastered that power, he was sure that he could give decisive wounds on Nihil.


    Of course, his thoughts didn¡¯t stop there. Nihil was a dimensional mage and they were very hard to kill. He knew this very well. After all, he was such a mage himself. And he called himself the very incarnation of a cockroach.


    Then an idea suddenly struck him. It was a moment of Eureka for him that provided answers to all of his problems.


    ¡°Do you know? Everything has a reflection in this world.¡±


    In the past, Sol considered his dimension to be a mirror. He could now see much further. But this did not change the fundamental points of his power.


    Dimensional encroachment was the fact of bringing a part of an outside dimension in the current one. This resulted in a fight for dominance.


    Meanwhile, his dimension allowed him to bring the Invert Part of the space he was currently residing in.


    As such Sol couldn¡¯t help but think I''m his mind.


    If my Inverse Dimension really covers the entirety of this universe in theory.


    Shouldn¡¯t I also cover the different dimensions that are individually made up in it?


    It was a crazy thought that wormed in his mind. After all, not even the goddesses could take control of the dimensions of a Dimensional mage. At least this was themon consensus that was reached by the majority.


    What could he do then?


    ¡°I am like a trojan horse. A virus that infiltrated deep in your control center and changed everything to meet my wishes.¡±


    Thanks to his Eye of Akasha, he could now study the structure of any dimension in depth.


    By knowing the name of the dimension, he could better infer the main theme and concept governing it and then decide on his next actions.


    Finally, by using his own dimension, he could push them in the inverse version of it.


    This was how the <<zing Suns>> became the <<Frigid Moons>>... That was how he was able to invert Lucifer''s whole realm.


    ¡°What a frightening power.¡±


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t that impressive. I could do it because you simply watched me and did not interfere. I doubt an enemy would extend me the same courtesy.¡±


    Lucifer chuckled, ¡°You do know that if the demigods learn of this power, even if you are Tiamat''s grandson, they will hunt you down at any cost simply because of the fear you''d instill in them, right?¡±


    Sol chuckled.


    The territory was the supreme ce where demigods could be akin to goddesses. One ce where they had absolute control over every aspect.


    But what if Sol used this technique in their territory?


    ¡°Well, I believe you did not make this whole show to simply praise me. Firstly, I would like to apologize for my disrespectful words.¡±


    Sol had mocked Lucifer earlier to gauge his response and determine whether he was an enemy or an ally.


    Still, this was no excuse since Lucifer had still stayed polite despite all the insults he threw at him without holding anything back. Sol decided that it was necessary to apologize to him for his transgressions.


    Not because he feared him or that he even cared for him. But simply out of a respect for a powerhouse that once dominated the world.


    ¡®Would you look at that?¡¯


    Lucifer was feeling more and more impressed by Sol''s behavior.


    He casually dismissed the words of apologies with a wave of his hand, ¡°Your words were simply the truth. Past glory bears no weight. No matter who I was or how powerful I was. Since I died then it¡¯s the end.¡±


    Sol shook his head, ¡°I do not believe so. There are no useless actions or intentions. You may have died, but your powerful will lives on in each and every Dragon to ever exist. From what I understand from history, divine beasts in the past were basically nothing but glorified ves of the goddesses. But after your rebellion, the goddess eased their reigns and treated the Divine Beasts with a lot more flexibility and humility.


    ¡°Death only trulyes when you are forgotten. Is it not?¡±


    There were two types of people in this world.


    Those who died without ever changing anything.


    Then you had those whose death would shake the very essence of the world. People who, when they were alive left a trace so great that even after thousands of years, they would still be remembered by history and everyone concerned.


    This was, even more, the case in this world where people could live for so much longer.


    All men should strive to create a legacy that would survive even after their deaths and be passed on for their prosperity and for the generations that woulde after.


    ¡®Of course, it¡¯s even better to stay alive. No, it''s simply the best thing there ever could be.¡¯


    ¡°They once called me the devil. One who would mutter sweet words in order to corrupt and make people join my cause. But you, my dear boy, are even better than this at me, it seems.¡±


    Lucifer sat on the throne with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips,


    ¡°Initially, I wished to bestow you with my wisdom regarding your path. But I realized you are treading on a path no one ever took. Nor do I think anyone would ever be willing or even be capable of such a path. My advice would be useless or even harmful to you at this moment. Blocking you from fully tapping into the potential you have.¡±


    Back then when he first met Tiamat, the young girl was just restarting her journey from the Duke level. She was in search of so much power that she made the mistake of ignoring what truly mattered in this world.


    While the time they spent together was short, Lucifer was indeed Tiamat¡¯s teacher. Albeit partially.


    But Sol here was creating apletely new path. How could Lucifer bear to influence him? He hoped to see the boy once he reached his full potential.


    Sol meanwhile was satisfied.


    ¡®My meeting with him was an important pivot in the past. Now, not so much.¡¯


    Had Sol met Lucifer before he became a Duke, many things could have changed. For the better or for the worse perhaps, but they would''ve surely changed. But now, as Lucifer said, Sol already had his own path to tread on.


    He was the first and unique being to walk such a path as such he was kind of fumbling around. But it was his own path and he would reach the end with it on his own terms. Death and Failure were never an option. He would seed no matter what he had to do.


    ¡°Still, I believe that sending you away like this would be a mistake. So let me give you some advice. Something that may bepletely helpful orpletely useless depending on the current situation.¡±


    ¡°How, what might this be if I may ask? I am all ears.¡±


    ¡°The End of the world ising. A new Era is approaching. Doomsday will soon be upon us and at the end of all of this, ¡®They¡¯ will finally arrive.¡±


    Sol massaged his forehead to fight the headache that was approaching at breakneck speed¡­


    "Did I say I hated cryptic messages?"


    "Trust me. I also hate them¡­"


    Lucifer could only smile bitterly at his using words.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Later on, after a hearty and lessplicated discussion, Sol left the ce. Of course after giving back full control to Lucifer.


    He liked the man. He somehow reminded him of Anubis but less¡­ Dissolute?


    Either way, now all he wanted to do was simply rest.


    He would also share the doomsday prophecy with Tiamatter on.


    He really hoped that this was just a false rm.


    Sadly he knew it wasn''t.


    As such, it was with a heavy heart that he entered the 9th Heaven.


    But all the sadness and uneasiness were shattered by Tiamat''s next words.


    "Let''s have a swimsuit party."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    While So was preparing to enjoy himself for onest time before his departure, Lucifer, now alone in his dimension that went back to being full of heat, couldn''t help but sigh.


    ''I wonder how much time I have left.''


    He didn''t know why this shard of his soul was still clinging up to life.


    But he was at least grateful that he could see such marvelous inheritors.


    At the very least, his Rebellion had not been a mistake.


    Of that, he could be proud.


    [AN]: Wanted to do more with Lucifer but all the ideas I had ended in spoilers too heavy. Had to cut it short.


    By the way, Initially, Lucifer was supposed to be Sol King''s name. For obvious reasons. This was way before though in the past. Funny how things change.


    (AN: Currently participating in a contest for my new story. Name is Midnight Prince: Sinful Life. Don''t forget to vote. Furthermore, the story will have some tie with SHK. Though I won''t say which yet. All my stories will be linked one way or another. Really wish to create a huge universe. The Hikaruverse or the Genjiverse lol.)

 Chapter 365 CH 333:BEACH

    The sound of the waves crashing against the beach, the slight breezeing from the sea, and more importantly, the beautiful women walking around in swimsuits of numerous designs. Frommon, unique, picturesque to exotic, they had them all.


    As heid down on the refreshing beach with a parasol protecting him from the ring sun, he couldn''t help but wonder just what the hell had happened for this event to pop up out of the blue.


    Looking at the sun and the blue sky in the skies that was so unlike the usual dreary look in the realm of the sea of stars, Sol remembered his discussion with Tiamat that took ce not long before.


    He had clearly just asked for a small party. A roundabout way for him to celebrate with his lovers and his family members. This way they could forget all the gruesome events of the war and the differences between them and enjoy each other''spany. Or so he portrayed the scenario in his mind.


    So how the hell did it transform into a worldwide transformation of such an epic scale like this summer beach scenario?


    Not that he wasining or anything. It was just¡­absurd and iprehensible, to say the least.


    "Sol! Come on, will you join us!? Please, it''s so much fun but it will be so much better with you added into the mix."


    "Continue ying along, will you? I am certainly going to join you soon. Let me just rest for a bit here."


    Sol smiled toward the cheerful Isis. She was wearing a dark-reddish colored one piece swimsuit with a big hat ced above her head that was protecting her face from the ring rays of the sun.


    Despite the simplicity of her dress-up, it was a very typical beach get up all things considered, it gave her a certain charm and cuteness that was unique only to her.


    Sheherazade was still undergoing her transformation so she was sadly unable to attend the beach party but Isis was still enjoying herself.


    It was the first party she was participating in. The underworld was not exactly the best ce to host such events and she was generally isted in the Phoenix realm due to her origins and the nature of her existence. This was a first and a one of a kind experience for her.


    "Is it really fun to gaze at us with such an obscene and covetous gaze like this?"


    Appearing next to him, Kiyohime asked with a hint of curiosity. Like Isis, she was adorning a one-piece swimsuit that left little to the imagination. It was a sky-blue themed swimsuit that sadly showed her disappointing chest. Not that he was ever willing to say it out loud, but seeing the two of them together in such a get-up really pronounced her shorings even more.


    "Your gaze is slightly irritating right now, you know that?"


    Sol coughed, slightly flustered at having his thoughts read so easily by the dragon queen, before masking his gaze full of pity, smiling charmingly to cover up his blunder, "Well, there is a beauty in watching you girls from afar."


    "Hehe, darling is a pervert I guess."


    "That''s is rich,ing from you."


    Skuld of course was basically naked from head to toe. She was wearing a ¡­ he didn''t even know how to describe it. Could it even be called a swimsuit?


    Rather they simply seemed like strings that barely covered her sensitive areas. In fact he was pretty sure that she would have loved to go out naked.


    But she also seemed to have fun searching for a swimsuit and shing him with all her spring glory.


    Initially she wished toe with Verdandi and Urd, but their big sisters had yet toe.


    It seemed that, after the recent attack, the divine beasts were not really inclined in letting Titans who could hide in History walk out away without any form of supervision.


    Skuld found it incredibly funny how they thought they could really stop her sister from leaving if she really wished to.


    But she also knew that now wasn''t the time to burn bridges. As long as Sol was on Order''s side, she would be loyal.


    It was a shame though since she had hoped that they would dedicate their bodies to Sol.


    She was sure that he would have loved a threesome with three nearly identical looking sisters.


    Not far from Sol, another womanined.


    "I really do not understand what is so interesting about the beach. I have seen enough sand in my life that I am sick of it and I hate the sea."


    "My lord, would you like a massage?"


    The true stunners were none others than Nent and Nefertiti.


    Nent''s explosive body and tanned skin were fully disyed in a red bikini that matched her ming red hair.


    Her breasts looked like they would spill out at any moment and her butt was a pleasure to watch.


    Meanwhile Nefertiti was even more beautiful than usual. She was wearing a simple white bikini that contrasted with her equally tanned skin.


    Initially Nefertiti did not wish to wear a bikini. But sheter epted when she was told that this was a day practically designed to let some steam out, rx and show off their assets to the ones concerned.


    She also wanted to beplimented by Sol.


    Even though her proportions were smaller than that of Nent''s, they were so perfect it was mind-blowing.


    The perfect ratio as they said. She was the very definition of the golden number.


    On the side, Anubis and Nephthys were approaching them from a distance. The two of them had a jovial smile hanging on their faces.


    Though Nephthys was clearly embarrassed.


    Her figure was no less explosive than Nent''s and Sol had to admit that his mother-inw looked good.


    Though he was respectful enough to not stare too much.


    They weren''t the only ones on the beach.


    Fafnir and Kaiser were both present and were currently working on a barbecue. Tiamat had strictly prohibited the use of any kind of magic or even using mana.


    Clearly, without it they had a hard time getting results.


    Welsh was standing next to them andughing out loud while holding a drink. She clearly had no intention of helping them in any way.


    Her bikini was also pretty wild. Since they were basically just bandages covering her breasts and lower body.


    Hydra and Nidhogg were also present. Though they were standing a little farther.


    Unlike the other men present, Hydra was wearing a simple shirt over his shorts.


    Meanwhile, Nidhogg was wearing something that was more akin to a diving suit. Covering her entire body. As well as a mask over her face.


    The beach they were using was incredibly wide and everywhere Sol could see people mingling, chatting, and generally simply having fun.


    Tiamat had decided that a proper celebration was in order.


    Not only for him as a new prince but also for their hard-achieved victory.


    Dragons, elves, hybrid dragons, and spirits, beings of numerous races covered the beach. There were also dryads and some more exotic races that were not purely humanoids.


    They could not spend all their time grieving. It was necessary for them to also let out their pent up frustrations.


    Hydra had proposed serving the special alcohol he brewed but Nent absolutely opposed to it.


    Simply imagining hundreds of Dukespletely drunk made her shiver in absolute fright.


    The disaster would be of epic proportions.


    Though, when she exined how dangerous that drink was. She could see both Nidhogg and Hydra''s eyes lighting up in pure joy.


    It was as if two mad scientists had found a new toy to y around with.


    In fact, Kiyohime literally had to appear and catch them by the cor to stop them from leaving the premises.


    Clearly, they were more interested in researching more about the topic of mentally weakening divine beasts than participating in a party.


    In the end, no matter how one looked at it, it was a proper beach party.


    Beautiful women d in sexy underwear, men flexing their Greek bodies here and there will trying to chat up some girls, people drinking, though in this case they could not get drunk.


    In a way, it was the perfect party.


    People were simply ying around, having fun and joking.


    They were able to see that the fight they they bitterly fought was not for nothing as it allowed the current peace in their realms.


    There was a time for the dead and one for the living. Those times should not be mixed up.


    For Sol, the only blemish in this part was the absence of one person. After all, the one who practically made this party possible and set up everything was nowhere to be seen.


    Tiamat.


    She had prepared and created everything for this day. From what she said she had made a perfect cycle of day and night for this very asion.


    Sol knew that it must have been hard since she was going a little against the thematic of her territory.


    From the way Nephthys, Nent and Kiyohime nearly fainted when they understood what Tiamat was doing, he could also guess that her current feat was burning Faith coins like they were nothing.


    She really went all out for this day and he was extremely grateful for everything she was doing for him.


    Though from the way some of the elder dragons were giving him the stink eye, Sol could guess that they weren''t really happy about how much resources were going into this event.


    They were already unhappy about what happened to the dragon pool.


    To this, Sol could onlyugh.


    There was no way he would let them affect his mood.


    Tiamat had created what could be perhaps considered as the most expensive party in this entire universe and he nned to enjoy everyst bit of it.


    This would be his way of thanking her.


    He just wished that she would also be here to enjoy this great time with him and her family.


    That was his only wish and regret of this

 Chapter 366 CH 334:CLOSING ISSUES

    After meticulously observing each and every one of his girls andplimenting them to no end, Sol decided to stand up and walk around the grandiose beach, observing the state of the other participants.


    Currently, He had an ardent wish to mingle and have a slight conversation with people he didn''t really have the asion to have much interaction with during all of his stay in the dragon realm.


    Since he would soon leave this realm and didn''t know when he would be able toe back and interact with his acquaintances of this realm, it was necessary to at least have some sort of short discussion with some of them if not all of them.


    In the corner of his eyes, he could see Nent and Nephthys talking with each other,ughing and having a good time overall, while Skuld and Nefertiti were ying around in the Sea. Skuld seemed especially close to Nefertiti these days which made him smile from the relief he felt.


    He was happy to see that Skuld was in the process of making a friend.


    At least he hoped they were bing friends.


    Skuld was a very problematic case among his haremmates due to the nature of her existence. The very nature of Chaos was to be against Order and there was no two ways about it. Most of his girls would hate her instinctively, and the same was the case for her. With these troubling circumstances, her being able to get close to someone among the haremmates was a godsend for him.


    The same was the case for Nefertiti. Being the oddball of the group, he was worried that he wouldn''t be able to get along with his girls. It was reassuring now that the girls he was most worried about had now confided in each other and had formed a bond that could support each other.


    Speaking of Nefertiti, Sol was reminded of the talk they had about the enlightenment she had recently gained during the mingling session of the girls.


    Nefertiti had very briefly informed him about the path she was shown through the enlightenment, a path of immense power through servitude and faith, but they really needed to speak more in depth about the whole thingter when they had more time on their hands.


    Now, it was time for each of them to have fun and rx their strained minds. Having a serious conversation in this atmosphere would probably ruin the rxing mood that had settled among them, and he would never want that.


    However, his mind was a bit troubled with the nature of her powers, so he couldn''t help but want to talk with her as soon as possible even though he knew that decision to be unwise. Well, this was a power that was once wielded by Micheal. ''The Michael''. The greatest and most powerful divine beast after Lucifer, and one of the strongest beings to ever exist. Knowing that Nefertiti had awoken to such an earth shattering power was deeply bbergasting to him.


    It seemed that he would have to visit the kingdom of angelster on after returning back to the mortal realm. Piles after piles of events stacked up in his to-do-list after returning back home. He was tired just thinking of the work he needed to conduct after the expiration of his current trip. So, he decided to just not think about it at all and focus on the task at hand.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    While the party was going on, both Fafnir and Kaiser were staring at the BBQ as if it was the most alien thing they had ever seen in the entirety of their lives.


    The houses in this realm all functioned through the use of magic stones, a powerful battery of sorts, that could be easily charged by simply filling it up by Mana that they could provide by themselves.


    Recharging the different facilities was in fact a job assigned to the weakest of dragons or other species who weren''t interested in simply staying idle but did not have the strength to go and explore the Cosmos like the others.


    They would regrly recharge the main facility which would then distribute the umted energy through all the households that paid for the subscription.


    This was another simple way Tiamat made money off the residents of her realm. Making them pay for doing something they could have easily done by themselves if they just put on the time and effort behind it.


    Either way, the level of technology in the dragon realm was quite developed. So much so that both Kaiser and Fafnir, despite the power they wielded, could do nothing but bow in helplessness in front of this barbarous way.


    "Pfff! Hahahaha! What''s going on, brother? Didn''t you say that you will show me the dignity of the second eldest. Hehe. Go on, my eyes are wide open. Show me!"


    Fafnir blushed so much his face became nearly as red as his ming red hair.


    ''Why do I always end up bragging so much?''


    He couldn''t help but scratch his head and give an awkward smile to his sibling.


    Looking at him like this, it was impossible to imagine that this was the great and vaint general who made sure his soldiers faced the least amount of casualties in the war.


    "Perhaps I may be of assistance?"


    Welsh, Fafnir, and Kaiser turned towards the approaching Sol, smiling as he observed their bantering. They had felt him slowly approaching but did not think he would stop here.


    After all, the rtionship between them was nearly non-existent, to say the least. They had never really taken the time to talk and know each other on a deeper level apart from the usual pleasantries.


    Thinking like this, Fafnir swallowed his pride and nodded, "*Ahem* I would be thankful if you could help."


    Kaiser opened his mouth to protest, but in the end he simply sighed.


    "Please."


    Sol smiled and approached the grill before expertly working on it, operating the machine with a skilled hand.


    He would have never thought that his experience as a human on earth would be used on this asion, and that too to operate a grill¡­


    "Ohhh. How marvelous! You are truly skilled."


    It was also pretty embarrassing to be praised for something like that. Even more so since he could feel that Fafnir was actually being sincere in his endlesspliments.


    "Tch. I guess my fun ended."


    Welsh scowled in a bad mood. Teasing Fafnir was one of her small pleasures in life.


    "So, what brings you here? Generally you y around with Big sis, right?"


    ''Well, I do really y around with her. Just not the way you must be expecting.''


    It was clear that on the dragon''s side, no one except Tiamat knew about Sol''s true rtionship with Kiyohime.


    He was quite surprised since they should have been able to smell his scent entwined with her. But it seemed that as a warrior specialized in hunting, Kiyohime knew how to get rid of such traces.


    Sol didn''t particrly mind. He knew that Kiyohime wasn''t ashamed of their rtionship. Just generally reserved and still had no idea what their rtionship was exactly.


    Still, if there was one true thing in Welsh''s speech, it was that he never really tried toe close to the other dragons.


    "I am not trying to find excuses but just a few days after I entered this realm, I was thrown into Tartarus. Then we had the tournament and finally the war. There wasn''t exactly enough time to socialize with you all."


    The other three could only bitterly smile. It was incredible how so many events happened one after another just after Sol came.


    They once again understood why Blesseds were sometimes considered as the scourge of all realms.


    Wherever they were, events would spiral out of control and the one taking the fallout were generally other people while the Blessed would walk out unscathed and be even stronger.


    "By the way, what kind of meat is this?"


    Sol looked down at the meat of unknown origin.


    "A special type of cow that grows by absorbing Mana."


    ''Huh¡­''


    Sol looked down, feeling pretty conflicted. He had never really thought about it but, was it cannibalism if a cow beastman ate a cow?


    He knew that Milia was vegetarian. But mostly because she said her milk would turn bad if she ate meat.


    ''I am really having weird thoughts now.''


    He was missing his precious girl back home. It seemed that he needed to prepare some gifts for them.


    ''At least I am sure Setsuna and Nuwa will like this.''


    Like this, the discussion between them slowly became more enjoyable.


    There were no profound or important topics. In fact the discussion was pretty meaningless.


    But it was this kind of meaningless conversation that helped create sturdy bonds between people.


    Sol promised himself that on his next visit, he would spend more time with them and try to understand more about them.


    They would be his greatest allies in the future, after all, and they were the ones who truly had a say in this world.


    When the discussion began to tether off, Welsh elbowed Fafnir gently,


    "*Ahem* Well, we need to go meet with someone. We wille back in a few minutes."


    "Okay. But I swear if you guys flee I will also leave."


    They chuckled as they left, leaving Kaiser and Sol alone.


    The atmosphere became pretty awkward between the two.


    The first time they had seen each other was not particrly the best memory¡­


    The second time it was during the tournament where Sol ended up beating Kaiser into unconsciousness.


    This would be the third time now and he wondered how it would go.


    "I apologize for my previous misconducts."


    Kaiser started with an apology.


    ''Well, I certainly didn''t expect this discussion to begin like this.''


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: Been neglecting many side characters. Will bring a closure fast to them.)


    Just wanted to say that I will take a break until Monday. Nothing big.

 Chapter 367CH 335:FAREWELL

    Sol continued to roast the meat while listening to Kaiser''s conversation. If he had to be honest, he didn¡¯t want to be here right now.


    Today was a day he was supposed to rx and enjoy. Not to listen to someone else''s confession and apologies.


    He didn¡¯t care what Kaiser thought of him. It was nothing special, actually, it was very simple. Kaiser was, at the end of the day, absolutely inconsequential to his life.


    So why was he still staying here and listening?


    Because he didn¡¯t have any male friends.


    The only friend he somewhat made was Ares and there was the whole nearly getting poisoned by Ares and him putting Ares in his dimension to mind manipte him shenanigan going around that¡­


    Well...yeah, their rtionship was awkward, to say the least.


    ¡°So, what brought the sudden apologies? I doubt it¡¯s because I am clearly stronger than you.¡±


    Kaiser gave a bitter smile at the sucker punch Sol yfully delivered but did not rise to the bait, ¡°I do not like you.¡±


    ¡®Well, figures. I don¡¯t like any of you either.¡¯


    ¡°I would not have apologized if my actions were the result of pure dislike. No matter how much stronger you are, I couldn''t care less.¡±


    Kaiser¡¯s eyes showed a firm will. He had seen the power of Sol. Seen how Sol toyed around with two mighty demigods like it was nothing and even revived himself from certain death.


    To say that he was not impressed and awed would be a lie.


    But that alone would have never been enough to make him cower. He had his own pride. Even as small and ridiculous that pride was, he was still a proud dragon.


    So why did he apologize?


    ¡°I was jealous, envious and those feelings of mine made me have unfounded prejudice against you.¡±


    As he said this, Kaiser threw a nce at Isis who was ying around with Nefertiti and Skuld. For a brief instant, fondness shed in his eyes before he released a sigh, killing that emotion from taking root¡­


    ¡°You have a very good girl who loves you very much. Take care of her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to tell me that.¡±


    Sol sighed, now he understood why he didn¡¯t have any male friends.


    ¡®Well, I guess Anubis is something of a friend?¡¯


    Sol was really getting desperate.


    ¡°Anyway, I honestly didn¡¯t care very much. Be it you, Nidhogg, or the others, I understand perfectly why you had no good feelings for me and I do not begrudge you for it. At least you guys were forting with what you thought of me.¡±


    Sol chuckled before turning over the meat. The sizzling sound of the grilling meat and the delicious scent made his mouth water.


    Throughout his life, he had eaten many exquisite meals, but nothing could beat some good grilled meat. There was something about this that made it taste better than anything else.


    ¡°By the way. What are you gonna do now?¡±


    ¡°I will fight against one of the princes for the title. Nidhogg will do the same.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    Sol drawled. He was also a prince. But the only reason he fought for that title was to get his reward.


    A contract with a phoenix.


    Now that this was done. The contract with the goddesses was nearlyplete.


    All he needed was to pass onest trial and he would have permission toe and go from the Mortal realm to the Astral realm as he wished.


    ¡®I should be able to move through the realms with my dimension as long as I set some anchor points here. But better not provoke them.¡¯


    Even if one had the power to move through the realm, doing so without actual permission was no different from entering another country without permission from the authorities.


    It was possible. But illegal, nheless.


    ¡®I wonder what the third trial will be.¡¯


    He hoped that it wouldn¡¯t be anything crazy.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    While Sol and Kaiser were trying to get to know each other and form a more amicable rtionship, Nephthys was looking at Nent like she was looking at an alien.


    ¡°Sister¡­? Is that really you?¡±


    Even though she did not have the power to see souls like her husband and daughter, she was still an experienced old monster.


    In the first ce, one didn¡¯t need to be a genius to see that Nent had seriously changed.


    ¡®Just what happened during those few months?¡¯


    She was filled with disbelief. 700 years ago, the just, bubbly, and upright Nent changed into a scheming woman filled with bitterness and hatred as well as twisted ideals.


    Be it her or their mother, they had tried everything to make Nent go back to her old self. But they miserably failed and finally simply gave up.


    They were resigned and thought that all they could do was watch as Nent gradually approached a line that should never be crossed.


    But¡­ Now?


    While Nent was not back to what she once was. She had without a doubt greatly changed once again and for the better.


    ¡°Was I really that bad?¡±


    Nent gave a bitter smile at the look of disbelief her sister was inly directing at her.


    ¡°Not gonna lie. You were pretty ugly.¡±


    ¡°Anubis!¡±


    ¡°What? I am only telling the truth. Her soul was severely rotten.¡±


    Nent gave a look at Anubis, ¡°Rotten because I was doing wrong?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Anubis waved his hand, ¡°Dear sister-inw. You see. People have this funny idea that the purity of the soul depends on some flimsy distinction between good and evil. Mere social concepts created to bring order.¡±


    A murderer was ¡®bad¡¯. But a soldier defending his country was ¡®good.¡¯


    Someone stealing just to get richer was ¡®bad¡¯ but stealing from the rich to give to the poor was ¡®good.¡¯


    ¡°At the end of the day. Good and Evil are never fixed. They are concepts that change depending on the situation and the ce.¡±


    ¡°So then¡­ Why was my soul ugly in your eyes?¡±


    ¡°Because it was tainted by indecisiveness, hesitation, wed goals, hatred, and self admonishment.¡±


    Nent and Nepthphys stayed silent.


    ¡°Did you know? The most beautiful souls I have seen came from the same kind of people. People with firm and unshakable belief in what they were doing. Whether they were doing evil or good did not matter.¡±


    He gave another look at Nent, ¡°Now though. You look freer. As if a great burden has been released from your shoulders. Your goals are clear now and you show no hesitation. While there is still guilt in your heart, it does not make your soul uglier but in a way even more beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Anubis. I¡­¡± <novelnext>  </novelnext>


    ¡°I know what you want to ask. Is it about your friend?¡±


    ¡°I¡­Yes. I know that he did many wrongs and there is nothing that will change that reality. But please, release his soul. Let him enter the Afterlife. The true Afterlife.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Honestly, I don¡¯t care about his soul. But my darling daughter needs a general. Your friend would make a very useful first lich.¡±


    Nephthys gently touched Anubis¡¯ hand, gripping it tightly in a concerned fashion.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ But, since it seems to be so important to you. I am willing to make a few concessions. I guess having Isis create her own lich will be more rewarding.¡±


    He moved his hand and a small blue light appeared inside. This was the true form of Drei, or rather Hansel.


    Now that his body and phctery were destroyed, all that was left of him was this small flickering soul.


    ¡°I have already wiped out all his ego and he wiped out his own memory. All that is left is a pure soul.¡±


    Once someone died, they would enter the Afterlife where their souls would be wiped clean of all ties from their life before being thrown into the cycle of reincarnation.


    ¡°I¡­ Thank you.¡±


    Nent took the soul of her friend in her hands, before walking away, her head down along the gloomy walk.


    Looking at the despondent back of her sister, Nepthphys sighed, ¡°You are very cruel.¡±


    ¡°I know. But you still love me.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡­ That wasn¡¯t what you were saying a few hours ago in bed.¡±


    Nephthys flushed slightly and give him a hit in the side before running after Nent¡­


    ¡°I am ignoring you today.¡±


    Looking at her acting like a mischievous young girl, Anubis shook his head, ¡°I guess their rtionship will get better after this.¡±


    ying the bad guy sure wasn¡¯t easy.


    ¡°Now then. I need some meat. My dear son-inw better have reserved the best part for me.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A few minutester, both Nent and Nephthys were sitting on a far and isted corner of the beach. Nent gazing silently at the flickering soul in her hand.


    ¡°I am sorry about the way Anubis acted. He is¡­¡±


    ¡°I know he was simply acting. Anubis never talks so much usually.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°For?¡±


    ¡°For helping me get his soul back.¡±


    ¡°He would have still given it to you even without me present.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is that you helped me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Did you love him, sister?¡±


    ¡°I do not know¡­ It has been too long. But I really cared for him. Both he and his sister were very dear to me.¡±


    ¡°But they died.¡±


    ¡°They were executed. Brutally. Unjustifiably.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I am sorry. In the end, we gave up on you without really trying to understand your pain.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry too. In the end, I was simply throwing a temper tantrum to hide my pain.¡±


    ¡°What will you do with his soul?¡±


    Nent did not answer. she opened her hand, gazing silently at the soul of her friend.


    Memories shed through her mind as she remembered all the moments they spent together. It wasn¡¯t always good. They certainly had some disputes. But all those memories were precious memories for her.


    A single tear trailed down from her face as gentle golden me erupted from her hand¡­


    ¡°Farewell, my friend.¡±


    Before long, her hands were now empty.


    ¡°May your next life be filled with happiness.¡±


    Watching as the soul dissipated into moths of light and flew toward the sky, Nent¡¯s heart was both filled with immense sadness and relief.


    But now, she realized that a new page for her life had finally opened.


    (AN: Every day, fluffs stray further from me. I am depression¡­)


    -----


    Changed the gift-to-chapter ratio for a new month and because of the changes on WN.


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Dragon= 1 BC


    A Castle= 4 BC


    A golden Gachapon= 8 BC


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    3K= 1 BC


    10K= 4BC (Spread over four days)


    25K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 Bonus Chapter


    1500 GT= 2 BC

 Chapter 368 CH 336: NEW PAGE

    After staying some more time in thepany of her dear sister, Nephthys, Nent chased her away ; almost embarrassed by the things she said to her.


    She was extremely happy and grateful that they could spend some time together, after what felt like an eternity, with less tension between them than in the past.


    However, that didn''t change the fact that this was not where her sister should be at this moment. The whole point of her sister being her was to spend time with her family or more specifically with Anubis. Words couldn''t describe the joy she sensed in Nephthys at being able to spend more time with her dear husband once again.


    It was the kind of smile that she had seen on her after a long long time, way too long in fact. It was also the kind of smile she had forgotten how to make after the long centuries of bitterness and hatred that she felt deep within.


    Knowing that being with her was making her miss out on the quality time she could be spending happily with her family, making that beautiful smile, she couldn''t find it in herself to be selfish enough to make her stay by her side.


    Thus she made her return to where she belonged, leaving her alone in this deste ce again. Loneliness and destion, these were emotions she was deeply familiar with. The kind of emotions that she constantly experienced throughout these long centuries.


    She sat there looking above at the sky, sitting by herself in that eerilyfortable loneliness. However, she didn''t have to stay lonely anymore. Someone hade to keep herpany.


    ¡°So you are here.¡±


    Looking up, she could see Kiyohime approaching her from a distance. She was surprised to notice that she hadn¡¯t even managed to feel her presence. It was clear she had been too distracted.


    ¡°What brings you here, Kiyohime?¡±


    Nent asked while trying to arrange her messy hair. The cool wind had brought with it a strong gust that led to having her hair ruffled. She was just trying to fix things here and there when Kiyohime spoke.


    ¡°Sol asked me to look for you. He was worried that he didn''t spot you. Seems like we should hurry if we want to eat something before Anubis and Fafnir devour everything whole.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Indeed, I can almost see it already. Sorry, but I don''t really feel like eating now. Just don''t have the appetite you see. You can go on by yourself. Tell Sol not to worry, I''ll be joining everyone soon enough.¡±


    Kiyohime ignored Nent¡¯s words and sat on a rock beside the lonely phoenix. She gazed attentively at the sea, feeling more at ease than she ever had before.


    ¡°You were finally able to say goodbye to him, huh?¡±


    Nent stayed silent, ¡°Do you even care?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    The expression of surprise was evident on Nent¡¯s face. So much so that Kiyohime couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud as though she had seen the funniest shit ever. Seeing her, Nent couldn''t help but ask, a bit hesitant in her tone¡­


    ¡°I thought you hated me.¡±


    ¡°Oh I did. Still do a little, I think.¡±


    Kiyohime stoppedughing as a slight aura of reminiscence shed in her eyes, ¡°You used me, made a mockery out of my feelings for you, then proceeded to abandon me when you discovered I had be useless for your goal.¡±


    She continued, her voice calm and devoid of any emotions, ¡°You made me miserable. Made me doubt my self-worth. Destroyed my confidence, crushed my pride. I even nearly swore off of any future rtionship."


    The more she spoke, the more ashamed Nent felt inside. Her head was down; she couldn''t even look in her eyes.


    ¡°As if it to add insult to injury. After doing all this, youe back nonchntly like it''s the most natural thing in the world. Then you simply said sorry as if what you did to me wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    You acted as if all my emotions were a simple joke to you. Hahaha. Honestly, I don¡¯t know I held myself back from striking at you then and there.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me finish, please.¡±


    Nent closed her mouth; intimidated by her aura. She didn''t think she could feel that emotion anymore, but it seems like she has been wrong just like so many other times throughout her life.


    ¡°I thought that I would never have anything else to do with you. That our way would bepletely different from one another. But then¡­¡±


    She gave a bitter smile full of sadness and derision, ¡°I would have never thought that we would have to share the same man one day.¡±


    Even Nent released a helpless chuckle, one that was answered by a small smile from Kiyohime, ¡°Funny right? But it is what it is. I still do not really know how I should define my rtionship with him. But it is what it is. Nothing more needs to be said.¡±


    ¡°Why bring this up now?¡±


    ¡°Because as distasteful as it is, that Titan is right. Even if we do not like each other, we will need to work and support each other. All the members of the pride should do so in order for the pride to keep cohesion.¡± <novelnext>  </novelnext>


    ¡°You are strangely proactive now.¡±


    ¡°I was passive in our rtionship and we all know the result. For years and in fact, even now I keep wondering. What did I do wrong? What if I had done more. What could I have done better?¡±


    ¡°You have done nothing wrong. Nothing you did could change the end result. The problem was with me, after all.¡±


    ¡°I know. At least intellectually speaking, I understand that I have nothing to reproach myself. But feelings cannot be controlled by reason, can they? Most likely, I will keep those regret all my life. Like a scar that can never heal. But this is the past. Now that I have a second chance, I refuse to leave anything up to chance.¡±


    Her eyes shone with a fascinating luster, one the Phoenix had never seen before, ¡°I will be open and forthright about my failures. At the very least, if it fails, then I will have no regrets this time.¡±


    ¡°So, why tell me all that? What are you trying to achieve from all of this?¡±


    ¡°Because deep down, as stupid and dumb as it may sounding frome¡­ I want you to be happy.¡±


    ¡°...You¡­¡±


    ¡°My old feelings will nevere back. But it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I once loved you from the very bottom of my heart. I failed to bring you salvation but Sol was able to seed. Now that you have a new chance, I hope you will find it in yourself to cherish it.¡±


    ¡°A second chance, heh.¡±


    A second chance. Nent never thought that she would hear something like this. More so from Kiyohime of all people. It made her feel horrible.


    ¡°You really think I can have a second chance?¡±


    ¡°Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.¡±


    Once a ss was broken, it could never be the same even if it was repaired. But it was still possible to buy a new one.


    Kiyohime could never really forgive nor forget. But she was willing to give a second chance. One final chance to Nent.


    Kiyohime smiled as she stretched her hand towards Nent, ¡°So let¡¯s do this from the beginning. *Ahem* Hello, my name is Kiyohime, though everyone simply calls me Kiyo. Happy to meet you.¡±


    Tears welled up once again in Nent¡¯s eyes as she lowered her head, unwilling to show the unsightly emotions brimming on her face.


    She remembered clearly that when they entered the dragon realm a few month ago, this was how Kiyohime introduced herself to Sol and the others. [1]


    At that time, this greeting had not been extended to her for obvious reasons and all she had done then was respond in anger to hide her shame.


    But now she could truly feel it.


    The her at this moment was very different from the her of a few months ago.


    If sending Hansel to the afterlife was a way to close an old book of her life.


    Now was the time to write a new page in the book that would define the rest of her life. A new chance, a new beginning.


    One that she wished to live without regret. Bringing up her hand, she shook it with Kiyohime, her tears now uncontrobly trailing down her face but a bright and light smile full of the energy that once brimmed in her innocent self was shining through them.


    ¡°I am Nent. Happy to meet you as well.¡±


    The two shook hands.


    Their words and actions were awkward. But a deep and dark weight was taken off their heart.


    This was indeed a new beginning. Not just for Nent, but for Kiyohime as well.


    It may have taken seven hundred years for one and five hundred years for the second, but it was still better now than never.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [1]: CH 194


    AN: I can¡¯t believe I have took Nent this far. Nent was first properly introduced in CH 171 as this slightly crazy woman that might be a traitor. Now more than 165 chapterster, I believe her narrative is basicallyplete and I think I did a pretty good job, what do you think? Rather than fluff and smut, vol 10 is more a volume of closure in a way. Closing the narrative of the characters who appeared in the Astral realm. Though we still need smut. XD

 Chapter 369 CH 338:EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE FUN

    The rest of the day went by rather smoothly and was filled with all sorts of enjoyment. Most of all, everyone just enjoyed this rare festive mood in each other''spany.


    While they couldn¡¯t get drunk on alcohol due to their natures, the atmosphere itself brought a certain euphoria to the people present that no amount of alcohol-induced state could ever bring. It was very refreshing for everyone involved, to say the least.


    Stress about what happened, sadness about losing people they cared for, and relief about being alive. And myriad more motives and feelings had been cogged inside everyone for way too long; without any outlet for them to be relieved of this tumultuous burden.


    All those feelings mixed like a cocktail and brought out one explosive result as they were released altogether on this day.


    Dancing, singing, eating, together in each other''spany and so so many more things.


    People were just having fun. Being in each other''spany, sharing everything they wished to share. Just absolutely letting go and not thinking about the future trials that may or may note.


    In fact, they even went as far as having a few contests with simple rewards at the end.


    The beauty contest was overwhelmingly won by Nefertiti, of course. Her beauty had really transcended the threshold ofmon sense. Her beauty had been so intense and awe-inspiring that Sol even had to fight off a few dragons whose minds had been overtaken by lust at a mere nce of her visage.


    The end had been a rather annoyance but that little spar had its own sort of merriment as everyone justughed at his suffering. Well, there won''t always be perks of having a beautiful girl, the most beautiful girl in this case, as your lover. The cons would always catch up one day, the trick was to smash them in their roots like he smashed the dragons to who knows where.


    The running contest was won by Nent. Like with Nefertiti it wasn¡¯t even a contest in the way that the question was more about determining who was second rather than first.


    The funniest one, in Sol¡¯s opinion, had been the art contest in which Anubis and Isis participated.


    The two had lost so badly that it left everyoneughing out loud. How they changed the concept of drawing ¡®fun on the beach¡¯ to drawing about the ¡®futility of life and nihilism¡¯ left him absolutely speechless. The father-daughter duo were really in sync.


    The drawing they brought out, in the end, was incredible but oh so dark. The concept creeped people out and made some depressed about life itself. In the end, the one who had won thispetition was none other than Nidhogg.


    He had been surprised at seeing the cheerful drawing full of colors from someone so depressed with life but when she exined that it was simply because the more beautiful something was in nature, the more poisonous it was, he immediately understood how she won thepetition.


    There was always the saying that¡­the world looked the most beautiful from the other end. Same could be said to be the case for her as well. Since she harbored a depressing view on life¡­ she could see and appreciate the world in its most beautiful state.


    Sol participated in all the contests, no matter how small they were. He never won but in fact, he did not even try to win, he simply wanted to have fun. To let go of everything and just be at peace. He was perhaps the one who needed that break more than anyone else.


    When was thest time he genuinely had fun without having a worry in the world?


    Sol could not remember. It seemed that ever since he awakened, problems had been appearing one after another without stopping, piling up to form mountains of pressure that he needed to withstand and ovee.


    Even now he wasn¡¯t really without worries. Once he went back to the mortal realm there would be so many things he had to take care of.


    The weight of responsibility was truly crushing. But he continued to hold on. He would not¡­could not¡­crumble¡­ever.


    Too many people depended on him for him to simply give up.


    ¡®Well, let¡¯s enjoy everything without those depressing thoughts, shall we?¡¯


    Sol chuckled and patted Isis on the head. She was still demoralized about her loss in the art contest, pouting in his embrace due to the dejection and indignance she felt.


    ¡°I need to go see a few people. This is a party for everyone after all.¡±


    Isis nodded and rose up, still pouting but she didn''t wish to keep him to herself, not on this day¡­


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    She waved toward him and went on to share her grievances with her mother.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [Tartarus, 4th Hell]


    Back in Tartarus, both Nabu and Sekhmet were sleeping peacefully on a bed made out of ice.


    The temperature didn''t matter to them. This was simply a habit Nabu had developed and since Sekhmet always had a control over the ice elements so she waspletely at ease in this sub-zero state.


    ¡°What could bring you here again? I believe that I have been clear about our refusal.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. I did note here to ask for help again. Far from it.¡±


    Sekhmet gave a suspicious nce at Sol while Nabu opened her eyeszily, still in her dragon form.


    ¡°You should know about the party.¡±


    ¡°We do. Kiyohime invited us.¡±


    ¡°And you refused toe because?¡±


    ¡°We¡­I¡­am not¡­ Wee, I guess¡­¡±


    Sol nodded, he could understand where Nabu wasing from. Certainly, as a once traitor, she would have a hard time being epted. But Sol didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°This party was made for all those who made achievements and helped during the war. Without your help, I would have most likely died before finishing my awakening. You have to participate.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no but. I know you may leaveter. But don¡¯t you want to at least rekindle the rtionship with your family?¡±


    Nabu hesitated something Sekhmet caught on. She could easily understand. Despite her strength, Nabu had been imprisoned in this ce for thousands of years. Her feeling of loneliness could only be imagined.


    ¡°Sigh¡­What if there areints?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I mean, even a Titan like Skuld is enjoying herself. Why would a dragon be alienated? Furthermore, should anyonein, I will just beat them up.¡±


    ¡°How overbearing.¡± <novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Sekhmet sighed out loud again before standing and patting Nabu¡¯s head underneath her.


    ¡°Should we go?¡±


    Nabu hesitated before nodding. A tempest of ice covered her and once it passed, the gigantic dragon was reced by a beautiful white-haired woman who had a nearly expressionless expression.


    Nodding to himself, Sol turned toward Sekhmet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. Taking human form as I am now is just a waste of energy.¡±


    ¡°I really wonder just who put you in this state and why.¡±


    ¡°Simple. I tried to go too far in history. It seems that I pissed off the wrong crowd. We fought, I killed some, and finally got killed.¡±


    Sekhmet shrugged. The past few wars were true meat grinders. Demigods would die and new ones woulde and rece them pretty fast.


    Even with her nine lives and her ability to travel and hide in history, Sekhmet had fought too many fights and died too many times to care much about it now.


    ¡°Well, since there is a party, why not go? After this, we can go roam the universe. I need to reestablish the link with my territory.¡±


    Sol smiled, ¡°You should go on guys. I willeter.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­ You aren¡¯ting.¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°There was someone else that need to be invited.¡±


    Saying so, Sol looked up at the sky before leaving.


    Now alone, Sekmet shook her head and jumped once again on Nabu¡¯s head,


    ¡°Should we go now?¡±


    ¡°...Master¡­Do you think I will be weed?¡±


    Sekhmet sneered inwardly. She had no care about the thoughts of the rabble. Their desires were as irrelevant as their existence.


    But she knew that Nabu wasn¡¯t asking to hear such a response.


    Sekhmet chuckled, ¡°My little darling is the cutest in the world. Even those nitwits ignore you, Sol and his close confidants will not. That''s all that matters, right?¡±


    ¡°I see. Master is wise.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Now let¡¯s go. I could smell the scent of some great quality meat on his body. Now I am starving.¡±


    [9th Heaven]


    Tiamat was sittingfortably on her throne as she looked down at what was happening below.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it boring? Looking at everything like this, I mean?¡±


    ¡°I must say, your growing control over your dimension is astonishing. At the same time, you are really shaping to be the nemesis of all dimension mages and demigods.¡±


    Tiamat chuckled. She wasn¡¯t surprised by Sol''s presence as she had felt him move through the barrier of her dimension.


    Still, the way he did it, even though she didn¡¯t try to stop him, was incredibly startling. Rather than simply trying to overwhelm her dimension, he fused and meddled his power with her. Moving at the same frequency and infiltrating deep.


    ¡°I decided to call this move Trojan horse. It¡¯s indeed quite insidious. As insidious as you trying to deflect my question.¡±


    ¡°Pfft. Hahaha. Indeed. I guess I am deflecting, huh.¡±


    Tiamat shook her head. Her beautiful hair scattered behind her. ¡°I have transcended concepts like boredom long ago.¡±


    ¡°I am pretty sure that it isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    ¡°If I say it is possible then it must be so.¡±


    ¡°Haha, and people say I am overbearing.¡±


    Sol chuckled and advanced near Tiamat, ¡°So, why don¡¯t you join us?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to y this move with me. I am simply not interested.¡±


    ¡°You say you are not interested but you still watch? Even spent so much energy in bringing a true sun and a blue sky.¡±


    ¡°I did this for you.¡±


    ¡°And I am thankful. But this isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because my time here is nearing its end. It¡¯s time for me to go back.¡±


    He had wasted too much time already.


    ----


    (AN: Currently participating in a contest for my new story. Name is Midnight Prince: Sinful Life. Don''t forget to vote. Furthermore, the story will have some tie with SHK. Though I won''t say which yet. All my stories will be linked one way or another. Really wish to create a huge universe. The Hikaruverse or the Genjiverse lol.)

 Chapter 370 CH 338:END OF THE PARTY

    When Tiamat heard Sol¡¯s words, she nodded to herself, acknowledging that fact.


    ¡°Now that I realize that it¡¯s time for you to go, I must admit that I am feeling rather reluctant to part with my grandson.¡±


    ¡°Gonna miss me?¡±


    ¡°As surprising as it sounds. Indeed. I believe I will be missing you dearly.¡±


    He grinned, giggling a fit after hearing those surprising words. No matter how much joy he felt, however, the answer he received left him a bit speechless. Something that Tiamat did not miss.


    ¡°Cat got your tongue, huh? Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°*Cough* Sorry *Ahem* I must say¡­ I am quite surprised by that reply, if I had to be honest.¡±


    ¡°And so am I, dear Sol, so am I¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it perhaps because¡­I am ze¡¯s son?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­? I believe that''s not the case. You and ze may have some traits inmon, but for the most part, you are totally different from your mother. I have no reason to keepparing her with you. Why the sudden question, however?"


    Seeing as how Tiamat was genuinely confused, he could only release a sheepish chuckle as he scratched his head in awkwardness.


    He was so used to people''s feelings regarding him stemming from what they usually felt towards his parents that he must have projected some of his insecurities towards Tiamat too.


    ¡°Either way, there is no reason to miss me, grandma. As soon as Iplete the third trial of the goddesses, I will be able to move as I want from the Mortal realm to the Astral realm.¡±


    ¡°I already said I hate being called grandma. Call me Big sis.


    Secondly, I understand that you will be able toe and go as you wish sooner orter. But, the flow of time in the Astral realm should enter a new cycle soon. Let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t go to a 1:100 rate though.¡±


    The flow of time in the Astral realm was not constant, as it should be obvious already. It was in a fluxpared to the Mortal realm and changed in unpredictable patterns. Sometimes increasing and sometimes doing the opposite.


    The current cycle was 1 to 12. But you could never anticipate how the flow would change in the next cycle.


    Sol nodded and began to walk, observing the room in all its splendor and bleak solitude.


    ¡°You know, I am rather curious. Be it you or Gabriel and I guess the other Divine Beasts, why do you always take those giants'' throne rooms and live alone there while observing people in your realm? Some kind of god¡¯splex?¡±


    Tiamat shrugged, ¡°Why do kings have a throne room?¡±


    ¡°To inspire fear and reverence as well as a feeling of awe and inferiority in the hearts of the retainers.¡±


    ¡°Bingo.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t need all that, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. But it doesn¡¯t mean those feelings aren¡¯t necessary. Feelings of awe, love, worship, or even fear, all those powerful feelings are necessary to develop the territory until it potentially reaches the rank of the Fabled Divine kingdom. At least that is the theory most Divine beasts decided to work on.¡±


    Unlike other demigods, Divine beasts were bound and limited by the divinity of the goddess from their birth. So they had to find a different way to elevate their kingdom to a state that would help them reach true divinity and finally ascend.


    Sol massaged his temple.


    ¡®Well, this isn¡¯t much of a surprise. *sigh*...¡¯


    From the moment the faith coins were presented to him, he understood the importance of those things in the greater scheme of things. Why would goddesses need faith coins? Why were faith coins necessary to strengthen a Territory?


    One needed enough feelings of faith to light up the divine spark and create the divine kingdom.


    Sol summarized that the birth of a new god would be pretty hard to aplish with just that, if not impossible in its entirety just by pursuing this harrowing path as long as the seven goddesses were present.


    He also realized how devious the goddesses must have been to implement such a heretical system that only yed to their advantages.


    In all seven kingdoms, it was basically obligatory to learn religion from birth. After all, the seven kingdoms were all creations of the goddesses. The goddesses of sins reigned over the royalty running the kingdoms while those of Virtues reigned over the churches.


    As such one could say that all the seven kingdoms were Theocracies in their own right. There were no two ways about this.


    The amount of faith received from this alone was astonishing. Then you had all the 14 divine beasts and their children. Then all the people needed to create faith coins in order to live.


    Summarizing it, Sol could deduce two ways to be a god.


    The first one was to gather enough faith and the second one was to embody a concept. Most likely both of those two conditions were a prerequisite simultaneously to finally ascend.


    Sol thought this far before shaking his head,


    ¡°Stop trying to distract me.¡±


    ¡°Tch!¡±


    Tiamat clicked her tongue. She really thought she could have continued this discussion for a while longer.


    ¡°Why do you want me toe down?¡±


    ¡°This is a day you created to honor the dead and enjoy our victory, right? You are the leader, so of course, you must attend.¡±


    His lips were pulled into a small smile, ¡°I want to do some good deeds before leaving this ce. Don¡¯t you think it would be interesting to at least try to make the rtionship with your children a little better?¡±


    Tiamat pondered silently, not answering for some time. ¡°Truthfully, I don''t really care.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t one to be swayed by sentiments. While she loved her children in her one way, she would be the first to recognize that she was in no way parent material much less worthy to be a mother. She had always considered her children more like subordinates she cared for than small children she needed to take care of.


    Was she wrong? <novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Most likely yes. She would be the first to recognize that her way was not the best.


    Did her children hate her?


    Most likely no. But the bitterness in their hearts was unmistakable. Tiamat had never hidden that she was the kind to y favorites and she didn¡¯t n to change herself in order to please someone else.


    Some may call her selfish, detestable and many such profane names, all of them just might be true, but she was who she was. She would not have it any other way.


    ¡°So basically. You are doing what the goddesses did to you?¡±


    Tiamat stopped and looked deeply into Sol''s eyes, her tone a bit different from its usualid-back self, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°*Shrug* The goddesses created you guys as weapons, used you, and manipted you. Before Lucifer rebelled, you guys were basically glorified ves and even now the situation only became slightly better.¡±


    ¡°You are right.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ What is the difference between you and them? You created more weapons of war, never really cared for their opinions, never raised nor took care of them, but still expect them to fight and die for you.¡±


    He grinned, ¡°You guys are truly horrible people, you know?¡±


    Tiamat stayed silent before a smile graced her lips. ¡°So what? I am indeed horrible. I never pretended to be the opposite. I am not a hypocrite, at least, if that''s what you''re aiming to establish through your talks.¡±


    ¡°Then why not be even more horrible? Come down with me, act as if you really cared for them. Pass some time with them, take care of them, and love them. Then they will be even more willing to fight and die for you.¡±


    Tiamat was stumped, she looked incredulously at Sol before exploding inughter,


    ¡°Do you even hear what you are saying?¡±


    ¡°I do. But am I wrong? True zealots do note from fear but because of the absolute faith and belief that exists in their hearts. If you are really such a horrible person, why not use their feeling?¡±


    He grinned, ¡°Of course, if the reality is that deep down you love your children but distance yourself because you do not want to use their feelings for your own use and manipte them, then tell me. In that case you should stille down so that you can spend some time with those you love.¡±


    ¡°So, either way, I still need toe down, don''t I?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Whether it¡¯s from a logical or an emotional standpoint, there are no downsides and only advantages. So why stay here and observe when you can follow me and have some fun?¡±


    He stretched his hand toward Tiamat with a confident smile, to which Tiamat answered with a troubled smirk.


    Standing up, she took his hand, ovepping it with hers, ¡°Do not believe that your sophistry managed to convince me?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Do not worry, I would never presume so.¡±


    Sol knew that his arguments were not that convincing. Though they were pretty funny he must say. If Tiamat really did not want toe, then nothing he said would have changed her opinion.


    The fact of the matter though was that she did want toe and all she needed was an excuse. An excuse that Sol gave her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When Tiamat appeared on the beach, the silence that spread was suffocating. Sol nearlyughed out loud when he saw some dragons nearly spit the food in their mouth or try to run.


    Thankfully, Kiyohime managed to calm down everyone as she approached Tiamat and gave her a silent hug.


    The cheer that followed were deafening in the truest sense of the way and the party entered a new crescendo. It was like all of them were injected with some super drugs, that forced them to fight harder in the following contest.


    All so that they could show off to Tiamat.


    It was so much that when Nabu and Sekhmet appeared, while people gave an ufortable nce in Nabu''s direction, they mostly stayed quiet. After all, if Tiamat herself did not mind them being here, who were they to think differently?


    The highlight of the day came when they made a contest for the best swimsuit and Tiamat participated in it.


    Everyone had their breath taken away.


    Tiamat''s bikini was in no way lewd, despite showing most of her skin. The aura she emitted was simply so overpowering that people didn¡¯t even dare to have lewd thoughts about her.


    The one to win this contest was surprisingly Skuld. Sol couldn''t help but praise how ballsy the judges were and heughed when Skuld began to taunt Tiamat about her victory.


    It ended with her being thrown around like some rag doll but from the way she stillughed, he summarized that it was worth it in her eyes.


    Skuld also managed to convince Verdandi toe and while she wasn¡¯t as active as Skuld, it seemed that she still managed to have some fun.


    It would have been perfect if Sheherazade was also present. Sadly, she was still evolving and couldn¡¯t be disturbed. He was sure that Isis would tease her about how she missed this day for quite a long time.


    In the end, Tiamat released her control, and the fake sun and the blue sky slowly vanished before being reced by the starry night, thereby signaling the end of the party.


    For one day, everyone forgot the worries that gued their heart.


    For one day, people had fun together, irrespective of who they were or howrge the difference in power or influence was.


    It was a fun day. Truly a day Sol believed he would never forget.


    He wished that in the future, he would be able to bring forth something even better.


    It was on those thoughts that Sol decided to go back to his small house and sleep. After all, he would soon leave.


    But what he saw when he arrived made all thoughts of sleeping vanish from his mind.


    (AN: Honestly, I wish I could expand this arc more. There are so many things I wanted to show. Perhaps expand more on Tiamat and her children''s rtionship. But it would take another ten chapters and I don¡¯t think you guys would like this. Now the truest arc of this vol. Time for some *plot*.)

 Chapter 371 CH 339: PRIVATE AFTER PARTY

    The day had been rather fun for Sol as he managed to rx and let himself unwind, even making great strides at getting rid of some of the awkwardness in his rtionship with the others dragons.


    He didn¡¯t believe that he would ever be genuine friends with them, but at the very least, they could be called acquaintances that he could give the asional nod to if they were to ever meet.


    So, when Sol got back to his house, what he expected was hitting the sack and waking upter to finally return to his own dimension¡ª the mortal realm.


    What he saw though, made all thoughts of sleeping vanish from his mind.


    ¡°Skuld?¡±


    Standing in front of his house was the giddy pink-skinned Titaness. The way her eyes lit up as she watched him always showed how deeply she was in love with him.


    ¡°Darling~!¡±


    Screaming in her usual bubbly voice, she ran up to him before jumping in his arms.


    ¡°How was your day?¡±


    Sol gently asked as he opened his arms wide to catch her in a gentle hug. He had noticed that she had not mingled too much with the others, but still, participating in a few contests and having fun with Tiamat should have been interesting and fun for her, nheless.


    ¡°Forget about all that. I have the most wonderful present waiting for you. Come with me¡±


    Skuld didn¡¯t give a shit about that event. It was without a doubt a way to rx but she was more focused on what she prepared for her darling. The praise of the crowd could neverpare to one single ¡®Thank you¡¯ or ¡®You did well¡¯ing from Sol.


    She needed that feeling of validation and she was sure that she would get it soon. Once he would witness what she prepared for him that is.


    ¡°What kind of present?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the bedroom and no peeking with your senses. It wouldn¡¯t be much of a surprise otherwise, right?¡±


    ¡°Bedroom?¡±


    Sol was puzzled as he fought his instinct to check out what she was talking about. It seemed like she had prepared quite the surprise for him and he did not wish to ruin it by getting a peak before the eventual reveal.


    Still, with the mention of bedroom being paired with Skuld, he didn¡¯t need to be a seer to know that she was reserving a kinky surprise for him.


    ¡°Hee~ hee~ hee~ I just know that you¡¯ll love it!¡±


    He was truly intrigued now, wondering just what kind of y she had prepared for him this time.


    Perhaps some sort of cosy? Or anything of the sort.


    At least this was what he thought until he entered the room and was leftpletely speechless by the vision registering in his senses.


    Sol stopped himself from gulping as he observed the four nubile women sitting on his bed in their swimsuits and eagerly waiting for him.


    Both Kiyohime and Nent seemed to show bits of awkwardness here and there, while Isis had an eager smile coloring her lips as if she was ready to try something new and Nefertiti remained pretty calm. After all, this was not her first time in such a situation.


    ¡°So!? What do you think of my surprise?¡±


    She excitedly jumped on the bed and turned around, with the same impish smile that she showered him with when she was feeling particrly naughty. If she was a dog or a wolf woman, for that matter, Sol was sure that her tail would be wagging now, as she waited to be praised by him.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. I mean¡­ *Cough* *Cough* To what do I owe this pleasure?¡±


    ¡°Well, since you made clear we are going to leave soon, that pink sh there had the brilliant idea of having all of us reunite for onest night. After all, both Kiyohime and Skuld won¡¯t be able toe down with us.¡±


    ¡®What a marvelous idea. Skuld, I really love you!¡¯


    Sol was rarely this excited. Even though he had spent some nights with a huge number of women at the same time, this would be the first time he really did so with his actual lovers.


    The most he had done until now was a threesome with Camelia and Milia and another one with Nent and Nefertiti.


    ¡®Calm down my li''l bro. We need to approach this in a slow and steady manner.¡¯


    ¡°Are you guys really down with this? Or did Skuld just find a way to manipte you all?¡±


    ¡°Hey! I can hear you, you know?¡± <novelnext>  </novelnext>


    ¡°I know. I definitely like your gift but I will definitely not go with it if it makes them ufortable.¡±


    As he said this, he mainly stared at both Nent and Kiyohime. He knew that their rtionship was still shaky and he did not wish to create new strains.


    ¡°Do not worry. We are perfectly willing. At least I am.¡±


    Kiyohime spoke after releasing a sigh. She didn¡¯t know when Sol woulde back and so didn¡¯t want to miss this moment of intimacy.


    On the other hand, Nent simply shrugged, ¡°As long as Kiyohime doesn¡¯t have a problem, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Nent had not hesitated to have sex with him alongside her granddaughter. Shame did not exist in her dictionary.


    But since she just managed to be friends with Kiyohime again, she didn¡¯t wish to form another rift in their newly established rtionship.


    As for Isis?


    ¡°Why are you talking so much? Let¡¯s go!¡±


    She seemed to be even more excited than Skuld. She might have been a virgin not long ago but there were so many little things that seemed so much fun that she heard about and wanted to try.


    Sol didn¡¯t need to be told this twice.


    In fact, it was a wonder he hadn¡¯t already gone crazy because of his pent-up lust.


    The girls all stood up in a row as if presenting their goods to him. One thing worth noting was that they were all d in bikinis now, even those who had not been previously. Furthermore, those bikinis were outrageous and were more in the line of micro bikinis than anything else.


    Sol felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest, he desperately wanted to just jump at them.


    ¡®Why am I even holding back?¡¯


    This was a dish that has been specially prepared for him. Not acting like a pig would in fact be a form of disrespect in this situation.


    He gulped and the next thing he knew, his face was buried in a warm and pleasant-smelling cleavage.


    ¡®So soft and nice.¡¯


    He rubbed his cheeks against the mounds surrounding his face and a feminine scent reached his nose. He felt right at home. As if he couldy down all his worries and just sleep.


    But sleep was not the goal of this night?


    ¡°My my, Sol, be careful.¡±


    Nent had a smug face as she hugged Sol''s head while looking at the others and mouthed ¡®pay up¡¯, leaving the two phoenixes and the dragonpletely frustrated. Skuld meanwhile was simply too busyughing to care.


    They had bet about who Sol would choose first, but it was clear that Nent¡¯s overwhelmingly powerful weapon of mass destruction helped her win the bet.


    ¡®Still doing this with them all will be rough.¡¯


    Sol wondered if his stamina would be able to keep up. Three phoenixes, one Titan, and one dragon. He might not walk out of this alive but this would surely be a worthy death.


    They were all so attractive that he loathed the fact that he only had one body with which he was able to enjoy what they had to offer. [1]


    But there was no need to rush. The girls were not going anywhere. They were here for him. He had this boob buffet all to himself, so he could take his time and enjoy them.


    Thinking like this, Sol looked up at the confident Nent and crossed the small distance separating their lips by raising his head.


    Her body shook in surprise, but her lower jaw loosened and she epted his tongue. He sucked out her tongue and guided it into his mouth.


    This would be hisst night in this realm and Sol decided that he would enjoy himself as much as possible.


    [1]: Because I know someone will absolutely ask about this. No, even if Sol were to learn something like clone jutsu or anything of the like, those clones will never have any sexual contact with his girls. Though I honestly don¡¯t think I will even give him clones. It would be pretty useless or could be beyond broken depending on how I handle it.


    (AN: Writing a sixsome will be a challenge but heh, gotta give it a try.)

 Chapter 372 CH 340: DOUBLE BLOWJOB*

    ?


    Sol had long since realized this, but the problem when making love with more than one woman was to keep things hot and steamy.


    After all, he only had one body in the end. It was important that all participants felt invested in the situation.


    After kissing Nent, Sol circled behind her and reached around to her chest. Nent put up no resistance and let him grope them as much as he wanted.


    Herrge breasts threatened to spill out of the micro bikini, but she made no effort to cover herself. In fact, she was basking in a sense of pride as she watched the other girls look at her body in envy.


    Seeing her stay calm, Sol grinned, one of his pride was doing his best so that the girls always lost themselves in pleasure.


    He scooped up her breasts in his hands and viewed the wonderfully distorting cleavage over her shoulder. Encouraged, he reached one hand toward Kiyohime and groped both women from behind at the same time.


    ¡°Ah~¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Nent did not fight the progressively growing pleasure but it was different for Kiyohime as she unconsciously tried to stop herself from showing the pleasure she was feeling. Since they were in front of their fellow ¡®sisters¡¯, she clenched her teeth to suppress the moans and kept her back straight, but she could not keep her hips from twisting and her skin from flushing with heat.


    Sol could feel distinctly the difference in fighting power between Nent and Kiyohime. Kiyohime was not a tnd but her hills were rtively small in size. Meanwhile, Nent was more like a mountain range with peaks that could reach the sky.


    But he did not care. Sol was neutral when it came to choosing between the in faction and the mountains faction. He believed that the two were equals and really mattered wasn¡¯t how big they were but what kind of person they were.


    After enjoying their breasts for a while, he slowly brought his hand into the bottom part of Kiyohime¡¯s Bikini.


    With nothing to absorb the moisture, there was no hiding the love juices. His finger easily slipped inside her fold.


    Kiyohime arched her back a little but still suppressed the moan.


    Approaching her ear, he began to whisper sweet nothing mixed with dirty words, all so that he could get a rise out of her. He especially took care of reminding her about theirst exhibitions show.


    Thest time people had been unaware but this time, she was about to show her face as she climaxed to people.


    On the outside, Kiyohime her expression still stayed focused as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. But her lower body was far more honest as her love juice covered his fingers.


    In the corner of his eyes, he could see Isis and Nefertiti watching in rapture as he manhandled two king-rank powerhouses.


    He intentionally made as much lewd noises as he could while fingering her pussy and the embarrassment must have added to the pleasure she felt because she soon had trouble staying on her feet.


    Suddenly, as if unwilling to wait more, Nefertiti took a few steps before reaching Sol,


    ¡°Nef?¡±


    ¡°Please let me serve you.¡±


    Without waiting for his surprise to settle, she lightly kissed him and rubbed his hard penis through his swim trunk. A sweet tingling ran through his crotch and the lust simmering within him ever since this night started.


    She knelt at his feet and swiftly started removing the trunk, leaving everyone dumbstruck. It would have been one thing if the one to act was Skuld. But from the generally calm and demure Nefertiti, it came as quite the shock.


    His member sprang out, and she lovingly held it in her hand. She gently stroked it while looking up at him. She looked like such a pure and elegant princess, so it was still hard to believe she staring lovingly at his erect penis so much.


    She moved her face in so close he could feel her breath and she stuck her tongue out to the swollen head.


    The warm and rough sensation of her tongue felt very different from her fingers as it attacked the very tip.


    Her tongue ran down the underside of his dick and crawled all over the shaft. Her saliva felt chilly on that hot flesh. The contrast with her warm tongue was too much and his hips trembled.


    When his penis started twitching from the pleasure of her blowjob, she grabbed it at the bottom to hold it in ce and ced the entire head in her mouth while looking up at him. She had been a virgin not long before, but she not only took the lead but actively toyed around with him.


    Her single-minded desire to serve him made him feel like she was literally worshiping his penis. The result was more than evident.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t leave me out!¡±


    Isis gave a short cry as she advanced as well. Though with far less confidence than Nefertiti. Nefertiti had at least the chance to have a few sessions with him after losing her virginity.


    For Isis, it was her second time only.


    Looking up, Nefertiti nodded and relinquished the ce to Isis, ¡°If you want to serve him, you will need to know how.¡±


    Isis huffed but didn¡¯t refuse Nefertiti''s proposal. She was clearly lost about what she had to do exactly.


    ¡°Please start by gently licking the tip. Like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­.¡±


    Nefertiti kneeled next to the Isis, held the base of the penis, and ran her tongue along the tip. A tremor of pleasure ran through his lower body as soon as her wet tongue tip touched it. <novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Isis was mesmerized by the response from Sol. Ever since she knew him, he always keep a strong and reliable facade. It was the first time she could see him so helpless.


    Nefertiti slowly licked the penis head with her saliva-soaked tongue so that Isis could see what she was doing.


    In fact, Isis wasn¡¯t the only one observing. Be it Kiyohime, Nent, or even Skuld for that matter, they were all carefully observing Nefertiti.


    Nefertiti moved her tongue to the shaft and aimed the glistening head at Isis,


    ¡°Now join me.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Oh¡­r-right¡­¡±


    Isis had gone on and on about how much she had longed to do this, but she had been so overwhelmed by actually getting the opportunity that she ended up just staring in a daze. After Nefertiti reminded her to actually do something, she flushed and stared at the rock-hard erection.


    After muttering that to herself, she stuck out her tongue and licked the head. Her warm tongue tip only touched it for a moment but soon, she slowly began to get the hang of the situation.


    ¡°Very good. Next, bring it into your mouth like this.¡±


    Isis oral¡¯s technique was not that greatpared to the Nefertiti, but simply seeing the two girls work so hard to please him was enough in his mind.


    Isis seemed to enjoy his reactions most of all, so she happily continued the blowjob. And with Nefertiti urately targeting his weak points, his penis grew painfully erect between the two pairs of lips and leaked plenty of precum.


    ¡°Oh, what an odd vor¡­¡±


    ¡°That is precum.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Isis looked at the slightly transparent liquid with fascination.


    ¡°So this is what it tastes like. It¡¯s bitterer than I expected¡­¡±


    She was pretty confused since, in the book she read, it was said that it tasted sweet. But she realized that those books couldn¡¯t be totally trusted after all.


    Still, this did not stop her. She normally didn¡¯t like bitter vors, but this one she didn¡¯t mind. In fact, she used her tongue top up as much of it as she could get from the hole at the tip. After all, she remembered that Sol had done much the same for her on their first time together and she doubted she tasted sweet herself.


    Like this, Isis continued to absorb the knowledge given by Nefertiti.


    She would sometimese to a stop and stare in apparent awe at what she was doing after so much fantasizing, but he found that kind of cute. Still, her main goal was to satisfy her desire by pleasuring the boy, so she did everything as she was told.


    The temperature in the room continued to grow. Even though the other three were on the sidelines, they were no less excited than Sol.


    The sight they were witnessing was simply too stimting for them to remain indifferent.


    In fact, if not for their desire to not show an unbing sight, they might have already started masturbating.


    This was something Isis did not share. She was simply too hot and bothered to care about anything else.


    She naturally reached a hand down below. She rubbed herself through her swimsuit, focusing on the erect pleasure spot that was minuscule that was slightly protruding.


    She knew she had to stop, yet her fingers only picked up speed. She even started rocking her hips back and forth for even greater pleasure and also swallowed his penis as far as her small mouth allowed for.


    Both Isis and Nefertiti were working hard, Their saliva had mixed and tangled together along his penis, sticky strings of it dripping down to his balls. The head, shaft, and bush at the base were all sticky.


    Looking down at them filled Sol with mind-numbing pleasure.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­going to cum soon¡­¡±


    His warning went to deaf ears as neither of them stopped. They were well intent on making him release his seed.


    Finally, two of them removed their mouths from the throbbing penis. Freed from its bonds, Sol stopped holding himself back and released his cloudy white liquid


    His penis throbbed over and over, shooting out more semen each time. Like a geyser, the cum intermittently flew high before gravity pulled it back down.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    He watched with fascination as the white liquid covered Isis¡¯s ck hair and Nefertiti''s brown skin as well as the rest of their bodies.


    They both tried to wipe the semen off their cheeks with their fingers, but it was far too much for that to make much difference. All they managed to do was spread the sticky stuff around like they were applying suntan lotion.


    Sol groaned as his penis began to rise again. Truly, things were off to a great start.

 Chapter 373 CH341:LINK

    Once the high of pleasure calmed down, everyone released a sigh, ostensibly at the same exact time. It was obvious that they had all held their breaths seeing the carnal and debauched spectacle between the trio of lovers.


    ¡°Well¡­ This was¡­ Quite the spectacle.¡±


    Both Isis and Nefertiti were kneeling in front of Sol while entirely covered in his white, cloudy bodily fluids. The expression of Isis was one of pure rapture as she managed to orgasm at the same time as Sol did and while Nefertiti wasn''t able to reach the same high as the other two, her arousal was clear for everyone to see.


    The same went for both Nent and Kiyohime who were standing beside Sol while he continued to manhandle their sensitive breasts and lower parts with his skillful hands. Even while receiving a double blowjob from two of his wonderful lovers, Sol did not forget to continue pleasuring them slowly.


    Because of this, they were so high-strung that they could just climax at any moment. They were really on the verge of losing their reason and surrendering themselves to the onught of pleasure, eager to reach their delectable climaxes.


    The odor of sex was simply overpowering and the desires buried in their heart was set aze by the previous disy of debauchery and love.


    Skuld tried to find the words to describe what happened just now but for once, she could not form any coherent sentences and could only stay nighpletely speechless, practically rooted on her spot.


    The scene she witnessed was just too erotic. So much so that the chatterbox Titan who would die before choosing to not jeer at her fellow ''sisters'' was rendered utterly voiceless.


    ¡®I guess she didn¡¯t obtain the concept of <<Servitude>> for nothing, huh?¡¯


    Even Nent gulped, rather loudly at that. Logically speaking, she had more experience than Nefertiti since she spent more nights with Sol since they came here. But she felt like her actual skill in pleasuring him fell way shortpared to her own granddaughter. It was both a sobering and troubling thought.


    ¡°That was¡­truly incredible. Also sorry for that. It wasn''t my intention to do that.¡±


    Sol gave them an awkwardugh. He didn''t have any n to cum so much and in such a violent way. But the pleasure had simply been too much for him to hold himself back and let loose as he did now. Nefertiti''s skills were of the likes he had never seen before. He couldn''t help but wonder if the name of Ishtar was influencing her and giving her knowledge on how to please her lord, which was, fortunately, him and him alone.


    This once again reaffirmed a n he had been putting in motion for a long time. A way to guide those around him on the proper and the straightest path rather than letting them explore blindly and waste time, effort, and stamina.


    Thinking about this, he lit up two small golden mes on the tip of his fingers before gently directing them toward the two young and beautiful women. The me instantly covered both Nefertiti and Isis and simultaneously spread all over their sinful bodies.


    Isis nearly jumped in surprise at seeing the sudden surge of mes that covered her whole. However, she instantly calmed herself from taking any action after realizing that Sol wouldn¡¯t hurt her for no reason. That was how much trust she put in Sol.


    As for Nefertiti, well, needless to say, she didn''t even flinch a single bit from the beginning to the end. Rather than confidence and trust in Sol¡­ It was more or less clear that she couldn''t care less what he would do to her.


    As long as the deed was done by her lord, the center of all her faith and devotion, her response would still be the same. It didn''t matter to her even if he were to burn her to cinders, she''d dly ept that fate with all the happiness in the world as that was a fate that her lord had imparted her.


    Long story short, she was crazy as all hell.


    When the mes covering them both vanished, not one speck of dust ¨C nor any other dubious substances could be found on their bodies. Sol had just used his most offensive move to clean the bodies of his lovers. Truly bbergasting¡­


    ¡°Haha~! If My sister or mother were to learn just how you used the holy mes right now, they would have probably gotten a heart attack by now.


    ¡°So we should keep this a secret, right?¡±


    Sol winked at Nent, causing her to chuckle even more. Just imagining how Gabriel would react if she knew that Sol used this power just to wipe out some of his seed covering her descendants was enough to already make her day¡­


    ¡°There is something I would like to try.¡±


    Nefertiti dered. As sudden as it could be, all eyes were now drawn to her, and seeing that she had gathered their attention, she ced her hands together.


    A pink light shed around her hands as she recited a silent prayer before the light gathered in between her palms swiftly flew and covered all five women.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Skuld instinctively tried to resist but she was astonished to find that she could do nothing to reject that small light. The same went for Kiyohime and Nent,


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Nent gasped, ¡°Sacrificial offering. You learned this already?¡± <novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Nefertiti tilted her head, ¡°Sacrificial offering? This technique was just something I thought of on the fly. A way to share all of our senses if you will. I thought it would be more interesting in this situation. Now every sensation that one of us feels will be felt by the others too.¡±


    Nent let out a dumbfoundedugh, while all the others'' expressions changed toical degrees.


    What Nefertiti just described was simply too frightening.


    ¡°Can you focus the feelings of many people into one or share those feelings with everyone if you wish?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ I can?¡±


    Sol blinked in surprise. This power was simply too scary. What if she focused the feelings of hundreds or thousands of people into one? What if those hundreds of thousands of people all felt pain at the same time?


    ¡®Talk about making people crazy.¡¯


    Of course, whether or not she could do something like this was debatable but it should still be possible to do so on the scale of a few thousand people as she was now.


    Nent nodded to herself, ¡°It is indeed close to sacrificial light. But a bit different, I think? Superior version most probably? It¡¯s hard to say. Michael could link himself with his opponents and share all wounds. Once the link is established, if he dies then that person would also die.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    This time it was Isis who raised her hand, ¡°Even though she is a hybrid, Nefertiti can use Nirvana¡­ Right?¡±


    Everyone felt a chill at the implication that was insinuated by Isis. Michael could only use this technique once because he did not have the power toe back to life.


    But on the hand of a phoenix like Nefertiti? If she managed to learn the life-sharing version of her newfound skill, then she would basically be a monster.


    Even without that version, the simple power she showed just now could entirely change the flow of a war and she was just a Duke.


    While everyone was thinking of the war usage Nefertiti''s power might have, Skuld was more focused on another point.


    ¡®What if she shared her feelings of love with many people?¡¯


    She realized once again that this power of Servitude was indeed the best possible power when it came to brainwashing people and creating a cult.


    ¡®Though for now, it''s not the time.¡¯


    Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, Skuld pped her hands,


    ¡°Since we got interrupted, why don¡¯t we go take a bath?¡±


    Skuld was very happy to see the monstrous talent Nefertiti was showing. After all, just obtaining a concept as powerful as <<Servitude>> wasn¡¯t enough for her. Now she had even proven without a shadow of a doubt that, though she acted like a servant toward Sol, she was not one to be underestimated.


    But now wasn¡¯t the time to think about those things.


    She wanted to getid, goddess-damn-it, and she sure as hell was going to get what she wanted one way or another.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: I know some people skip smut since obviously, not everyone likes reading smut. So I decided to put this chapter aside from the smut since I don¡¯t want people saying I pulled something out of nothing. If Nefertiti used this power during the war and they wouldn''t know then it would simply be because they skipped one chapter.)


    Trivia: Also for those who forgot, Nefertiti''s Kingly name is Ishtar. Goddess of Sex, love, and war.


    She is also the daughter of An the god of the sky, in some versions, and Nent, also known as Nut, is the goddess of the sky in Egyptian myth. So yeah once again I don¡¯t choose king names without putting thought into them.


    Ishtar¡¯s husband is called Tammuz, is the god of fertility (Who is super fertile in my story?) and she enters the underworld to take his soul from the hand of Ereshkigal. Man, myths are so fucken interesting.

 Chapter 374 CH342:ORGY (1)*

    Because of their staggering numbers, it was obviously impossible to use the bath in Sol¡¯s house. So the six of them moved up to Kiyohime¡¯s uselesslyrge bathroom, which had oddly found a use for itself for this carnal festivity.


    ¡°You are bing more and more impressive as time passes, dear Sol.¡±


    ¡°Enough talking already.¡±


    Nent marveled at Sol''s skills, particrly the growth aspect of his powers.


    Skuld, however, would have none of this back and forth, so she interrupted them promptly. She knew for certain how scatterbrained they could be if any topic surrounding Sol and his prowess took their interest.


    If she were to let them engage in a new round of discussion, there was no telling when this session would end. Skuld wasn''t going to let anything be left to chance and fate, not today.


    Nefertiti covered her mouth, with the back of her hand, andughed lightly as Skuld sent her a piercing look.


    The central fountain and the stream of flowing warm water were not active at the moment and the pool-sized main bath waspletely empty, but with Kiyohime''s presence, this was not a problem. She used this asion to fill the bath with curative water in order to help soothe any possible fatigue or hidden injury the others might have lingering in their bodies.


    Following this action, Nefertiti proceeded to heat the bath, to the obvious delight of the impatient Skuld. She then proceeded to take off her swimsuit andid her bodypletely bare for Sol to see and admire.


    Nefertiti waspletely nude and made no attempt to hide her alluring body while she beckoned him over to the filled tub. She was beautiful. Too beautiful. As in and simple as it was, there was no other way to describe her. She was just indescribably¡­beautiful. Sometimes Sol couldn''t help but wonder just how unreal this woman before him was.


    ¡°Then I guess we should do the same.¡±


    One would never think of her as a warrior by looking at her soft body. Nent was not one to be outdone either. Her gigantic breasts were a mesmerizing sight and the bright pinkish-brown nipples pointed a bit upward. She had a small waist but her hips and butt were plump and perfectly round, drawing a seductive arc that repeatedly drew Sol''s gaze toward them. Her entire body wasposed of feminine curves and Sol felt a bit dizzy when hit by the intense sex appeal her body induced in him.


    Isis and the other soon followed. Even though they did not possess the otherworldly beauty Nefertiti was naturally born with, nor did they have Nent''s plump and alluring figure, the three of them still were beautiful enough to put even the best top model in this world or the one Sol came from to shame.


    No matter where those five women found themselves, be it because of their beauty, power, or influence, they would still be admired by hundreds if not thousands of people. But those five women belonged to him and him alone. That thought sent an intense sense of high straight to his brain, making him shiver.


    ¡°It seems like we''re beautiful enough to not let you be indifferent toward us.¡±


    A smirk formed on her face. She had never cared what men thought when looking at her. But she was very conscious of Sol¡¯s opinion.


    Once Sol stepped into the bath with the girls, Nent approached him with great strides. Once she reached him, literally throwing herself at his body, her hand began to run along his skin. He also felt her enormous tits and Skuld¡¯s smaller ones squishing against him as they fully smothered him with their bodies.


    Clearly, Skuld also decided to not wait anymore.


    ¡°Hehehe~! Let¡¯s warm ourselves in body and soul. I will wash every nook and cranny of your body, darling.¡±


    ¡°You know that you sound like an old pervert speaking like that, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t care.¡±


    Skuld giggled as she began to sniff his body and scent. His scent brought a sense of peace to her inner heart, brimming with the aura of chaos. Contrary to what others may believe, even if Sol went away, she would not be rendered unable to function or be crazy. She had already lived more than ten thousand years with just the thought of seeing him again even once.


    She just felt sad that he would go away so soon after they just found each other again. The time they spent together was not nearly enough topensate for all the time she had to wait for him over the eons. But she would satisfy herself with what she currently had.


    ¡°Allow me to wash your back.¡±


    ¡°Please have a seat here.¡±


    Nefertiti and Kiyohime had Sol sit on a bath chair and sshed water all over him. Then they applied soap,thering him in soap and bubbles before long.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    Her cheeks aze, Nent pressed her voluptuous breasts against his back and slid them up and down.


    ¡®Ohh¡­That feels amazing!¡¯


    This was certainly not the best way of bathing but it was without a doubt the most sensual one.


    Transfixed, Sol watched as Skuld slowly moved even closer to him, and put their lips together, kissing him with fervent delight. He didn''t make any movements nor did he show any form of resistance.


    It was a sweet and fervent kiss. One full of passion and longing. As though she wished for nothing more than to keep him eternally wrapped in her arms, and the sps of her unending charms.


    After quite a bit of time, she parted from him first, panting to catch her breath, and while looking straight into his eyes, she said words that hitched his breath.


    ¡°I will always be on your side.¡±


    He believed her and answered by kissing her once again. This time forcing his tongue into her mouth, pulling her into another deep kiss, full of ferocity and desire.


    ¡°Please let me wash you too!¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    Kiyohime and Isis did not n to be left out, so they joined the fun and helped Nefertiti wash Sol¡¯s body from the sides, while Nent took care of his back as he was kissing Skuld.


    But the way they did it with as much eroticism if not more than Nent''s. Kiyohime and Isis held each of his arms between their legs and rubbed their crotch against it.


    He could feel their soft slits moving from the back of his hands and deduced that the liquid he felt on them was not water. They started to moan once they figured out how to stimte their clits with his elbow, wrist, and the other parts of his arms.


    Skuld straddled his legs and began moving her butt in erotic rhythms. There was no pration, but it was basically just a ruse as they did everything else possible.


    Sol was basically being drowned in pleasure in the best possible way. Everywhere he looked, he could only witness a delightful sight.


    Nefertiti seemed to be the only one truly intent on washing his body. But the way she was sensually caressing and serving him only added to his excitement. <novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Haa~~! Nn~!"


    On his back, Nent was moving faster as she rubbed her breasts and pointy nipples against his back. Just pushing those pointy pairs against his muscr body had already excited her so much to the point of almost making her lose her reasoning.


    Things just began to go crazier with each passing second. While Nent was in the throes of passion, the other girls gradually began to feel the same in one way or another. Even though they had practically done nothing yet. They could also feel Skuld''s euphoria as she was being kissed by Sol.


    The same went for everyone. Each of them was feeling the pleasure received by everyone else and once that pleasure was registered by their brains, this sensation would be shared with everyone else once again, creating an endless back and forth.


    A perfect loop of ever-growing pleasure.


    Nefertiti immediately acted and tweaked the link between them to avoid a feedback loop from linking and ovepping with each other. If this ever happened they might be crazy because of the exponentially growing pleasure.


    A feverish sensation of delight began to take over their sanity as they continued to move with the sole intent of seeking even more pleasure from each other.


    One wrapped her lips around his dick and refused to let go, one brought his hand to her pussy, and one had him suck on her breasts. The heat of their bodies was greater than the heat of the steamy hot water.


    He thought he was going to ascend into heaven right then and there. Their plump and springy thighs as his seat and their naked embrace as his source of heavenly pleasure.


    ¡°Darling~!¡±


    Skuld took his penis lovingly in her hands and rubbed her cheek against it with loving care.


    Then she started licking it again. Her blowjob gradually heated up until she ced the cock atop her tongue and swallowed it deep into her throat.


    Before he even registered what was happening, Skuld was reced by Nent.


    Her cleavage devoured his penis like an apex predator devouring its prey whole.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t believe the wonderful pressure he felt on his dick. These marshmallow-soft boobs with their pillowy softness shouldn¡¯t have been able to squeeze with such force, but her mountainous wonders managed to do so thanks to their massive size.


    The breasts on either side gave his penis nowhere to escape, so it was squeezed by their full mass.


    ¡°Now, how about I do this!!¡±


    She began to move her breasts up and down, smothering his member with their blistering heat and pressure. His sticky rod appeared from the bottom of her cleavage before vanishing between them once more.


    Nent may not have Nefertiti''s skills, but she made it up with her natural advantage.


    She could feel the throbbing of his penis between her breasts which prompted her to move her breasts faster and faster. At the same time, her own climax was approaching at breakneck speed. One so powerful that even with her clouded mind, she could feel how scary it would be once reached.


    The signals registering in her brain were definitely of pleasure, but it was so strong she could have easily confused them for pain. If this continued for much longer, she was certain she would lose her mind in its entirety.


    But her body refused to stop, she continued to rub herself while trying to bring Sol to climax. The ever-elerating fast movements increased the stimtion to her nipples and that only meant that her body was leaving her control even further.


    ¡°I am not going tost long!¡±


    Her thoughts were cut off by Sol¡¯s voice. She looked up to see the pleasure inly written on his face. Once she focused on that, she could feel his dick throbbing between her boobs.


    With each throb, it let out a squirt of its own lubricating goo. It pushed back against her breasts, changing their shape between her supporting arms.


    His words sent a tremor down her spine. She didn¡¯t understand why she felt this way. Yet knowing that Sol was about to explode because of her filled her with such great excitement that went beyond reason. She btedly realized that this feeling should being from Nefertiti, not her own self. It was a little embarrassing, but also incredibly fun.


    She squeezed her breasts together, tighter on the bottom part, and lifted them up. That applied pleasure along his dick from the base to the tip. It was as if she was milking him of all he''s worth. She almost felt like she could share the pleasure he was feeling.


    The pleasure emanating from that spot was so great her entire body trembled. She had never felt anything so powerful ever before. She rubbed his cock, shook her tits, and touched her nipples, sending waves of pleasure from her chest to her very core.


    ¡®More! I need more!¡¯


    She was too fired up to stop now. Her hips and breast movements only increased in intensity. Consequences be damned.


    His penis throbbed even more powerfully¡­much much powerfully than it ever did before.


    ¡°So much. More. Give me everyst drop.¡±


    She moved her tits with the sole desire to milk his cock dry.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    Her eyes werepletely zed but she refused to stop.


    Sol, refusing to be outdone, brought his hands up and pinched her nipples before twisting them hard in one go.


    For Nent who had already been on the verge of climax, this was thest straw.


    The moment she climaxed, her feelings were shared with all the girls in another feedback.


    A never-ending ever growing climax was formed between the harem mates. Pain and pleasure mixed so intimately that they became indistinguishable.


    In the end, all she could see was a nk white canvas as all the girls except Skuld fainted on the spot. The overload of pleasures and information had been simply too much for their brains to handle.

 Chapter 375 CH343:ORGY(2)**

    ¡°I am terribly sorry.¡±


    When Isis''s consciousness drifted back to reality, the first thing she witnessed was Sol stopping Nefertiti from kneeling as she profusely apologized to him, tears brimming in the corner of her eyes.


    Seemingly, her previous naughty act had been reprimanded by Sol. And to Nefertiti, that was akin to a death sentence as she wasn''t able to ept having done anything that would bother her Lord. She was quite a bit shaken up, therefore.


    ¡°Do not worry. I am sure the others will understand. So stop acting like you made the mistake of the century. It really is not a big deal. Just be careful in the future, that''s all I ask of you.¡±


    He gently chided her before approaching Isis with a small concerned smile etched on the corner of his lips, ¡°You are thest to wake up. How are you feeling right now? All good?¡±


    Isis shook her head to wake up her groggy mind, ¡°How long was I out for?¡±


    ¡°Just a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°A few minutes?¡±


    Isis was aghast. A few minutes might not mean much to most beings, but this would be deadly during a fight of life and death. Even in a regr fight, just the slip-up of a few seconds could decide the course of the battle. Therefore, it was understandable why she felt such astonishment due to thepse in her consciousness owing to Nefertiti''s skill.


    ¡°Haha¡­ That skill¡­ Is truly incredible.¡±


    Rather than showing fear, Isis''s lips tugged upwards, stretching into a wide smile of delight, before standing up, ¡°Let¡¯s continue now, shall we?¡±


    Sol raised an eyebrow at her sudden suggestion and looked at the other girls before speaking, ¡°I would have thought that you would be put off because of what happened before. Seems like I''m mistaken to think like that.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding? That was so intense.¡±


    Isis'' face flushed crimson, delight lingering in her face and tone, just remembering the high she reached in those glorifying moments before fainting¡­.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just stop like this now, can we? Nefertiti would just have to lower the intensity and it will all be good. Even if she can''t find the right amount right away, we can just experiment and reach a level we are able to endure. It''ll be fun.¡±


    Sol could see Nent and Kiyome nodding from the corner of his eyes. In a way, they were doing this so that Nefertiti wouldn¡¯t feel too bad about having lost control, but at the same time they really really wanted to give it a try again. It seems that they had already gotten mildly addicted by the intense rush the feelings evoked in them.


    ¡°I¡­ I think I can lower the amount of sensation each of us receives as well as stop the feedback from looping if I just concentrate hard enough. It''ll be hard though¡­so¡­¡±


    Nefertiti''s words were tentative, colored in a note of hesitation and fear, but she was d to have been given a second chance by her ''sisters''. She of course wasn¡¯t entirely selfless about this choice of hers. Clearly, she was also dying to feel that intense rush once again, like the others.


    Events like this one were bound to happen again and again and this skill of hers would give her an irreceable position in his Harem.


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A few momentster¡ª


    ¡°So, why are we positioned like this, again?¡±


    Sol coughed slightly, moderately embarrassed by her words, but he wasn''t about to relent, ¡°Take this as a small fetish of mine, please¡­¡±


    He had the five women lined up against the wall of the bath with their magnificent jouncy derrieres facing his direction. Sol had always been more attracted by this part of feminine charms and one had to admit that it was truly a sight for sore eyes. The curves, the round arc of pillowy softness, the jiggles they produced with the slightest jerk¡ª they ticked all his preferences making his heart itch with palpitating anticipations.


    Once he was done with his instructions, they were all bent over at nearly a 90-degree angle with all five butts lined up in a row. He even had them put back the bottom part of their bikini in order to enhance the experience and the image stimting his visual senses.


    ¡®So with whom should I begin?¡¯


    He tilted his head, ruminating for a bit, before approaching Skuld. After all, she was the one who organized this magnificent event.


    Approaching her, he gently caressed her bikini-covered ass before pulling it slightly to the side. He supported his penis with one hand and brought it near her pussy. <novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Pressing the bulbous tip against her slit, he found a mixture of sticky goo and love juicesthering his tip with a warm and watery sensation.


    Instead of putting it in right away, he slowly rubbed the head up and down her slit, producing a lewd sticky sound and stimting her vaginal hole. It was his way of making her anticipate theing pleasure.


    Skuld shuddered, her repressed pleasure steadily growing. He rubbed the full length of the shaft along her slit and her body writhed in pleasure.


    He was horny as he could be and he could tell she was more than ready too to take him in.


    He pulled his penis back some, adjusted the position of his hips, and pressed the tip straight against her vaginal entrance, parting it with his thick girth.


    ¡°Here I go, dear.¡±


    ¡°AH~! Finally~!¡±


    Skuld hissed in pleasure as she felt Sol¡¯s penis slowly pass through her small entrance. She groaned from his size and nearly lost her footing due to the feebleness that attacked her legs, due to the sudden intense rush of pressure disorienting her bodily senses, but he supported her raised knees to keep her in position while he slowly pushed deeper and deeper inside of her.


    He had the entirety of his bulbous head inside her now. Her spread vaginal entrance was squeezing tightly around his aroused head, but he still had a while to go before he was fully inside her. Her tightness was truly no joke. He got this for trying to fit his thick and long member inside such a lithe body.


    She cried out as soon as he pushed deeper inside. Her cheeks were so flushed that her cheeks had be entirely dyed in the color of red, the red and pink contrast was truly fascinating to watch, and her mouth was ck with arousal. It hadn¡¯t been that long since they had sexst but she felt like it had been an eternity since she had felt his member inside her. This feeling of fullness was something she would never get tired of.


    ¡°Yes, ravage me!¡±


    She begged him in horny desperation and Sol was more than happy toply with her earnest request. Its great size made her gasp with delight. It felt like her entire body was full of nothing but his cock while its pressure pushed at her from within.


    His throbbing penis pushed hard against her vaginal walls. His every movement filled her pussy with pleasure. She could never predict where the stimtion woulde next and the ever-changing sources of pleasure were driving her crazy.


    Sol slowly sped up the movement of his hips. Skuld noticed a teasing-like glint in his eyes. Without warning, he thrust so hard she screamed in surprise.


    Hey on top of her, held her in his arms, lifted his hips, and started pounding his dick like there was no tomorrow. Her pussy made indecent sounds like a broken fountain as her thick love juices flowed out as well.


    The pleasure felt like he was piercing deep inside her body and his thrusting was still picking up speed.


    *Gulp*


    Watching from the side, Isis gulped with a sense of fear. This was very different from her first experience with Sol. Back then he had been kind and careful. But this time, what she was witnessing was a deep and savage mating ritual.


    However, from the pleasure that was slowly spreading through her entire body, she knew very well that Skuld was not in pain but rather was being drowned in pleasure and that pleasure was now getting to her.


    Sol was focused on his current task. His cock pumped in and out of her with surprising speed, but her pussy was throbbing just as fast.


    His movement elerated until finally, he ejacted for a third time. His instincts were making him wish he could simply continue but he knew he couldn¡¯t.


    Pulling out with an audible pop, Sol watched as A mixture of semen, and love juices flowed out from Skuld in a slow and erotic manner.


    His big load was far too much for her vagina to contain.


    Her legs twitched like they were receiving electric shocks. Her eyes drooped weakly and her tongue stuck a bit out of her mouth.


    Skuld was truly in a world of her own currently as she savored the orgasm that was rocking violently through her entire body.


    Satisfied with the result, Sol nodded to himself and focused on the four next pairs of butts.


    ¡®Well, this is just the start.¡¯


    (AN: I have officially graduated from my university. I will try bing a full-time author for a year or two and see where it brings me.)

 Chapter 376 CH 344:ORGY (3)**

    After making sure that Skuld was down for the count, Sol focused on the remaining four girls, wondering once again just who he should choose to make love with this time.


    They were all so hot and looked absolutely delectable in those gorgeous bikinis. He was unable to make a proper choice. In the end, he decided to simply go by process of elimination and the one who still didn¡¯t really have her fill of fun was none other than the blue-haired dragon queen herself.


    ¡®Kiyohime I choose you.¡¯


    Sol seriously felt like a scumbag after thinking up of that remark. However, there was no way in hell he would give up on the girls he loved just because of some stupid sense of morality that was instilled in him in another world.


    ¡°Excuse me, then.¡±


    He slid the bikini bottom aside to take a look at her marvelous pussy. It had a lovely color and texture to it. It was of a pure pink color. The exterior glistened with leaking strings of love nectar, sttering all around her pussy lips in a sticky show of her arousal. This was explicit proof that¡­despite the hard shell she usually put up around her, she was still a sexual being, at the end of the day.


    She also had carnal needs, even though she was too shy and proud to show it openly.


    ¡°Heh. It¡¯s twitching in the lewdest way Kiyo.¡±


    ¡°Kuh~¡±


    His indecentmentary made her clench her teeth in utter humiliation but she did not retaliate in the slightest nor did she even try to escape from his depraved sps. Sol loved this scene immensely. Words weren''t enough to describe the glee and high he felt right now. There was just this side to him¡­ He just loved watching this straightced woman fight and lose against her pleasures as she fully surrendered her everything to him.


    He pushed the throbbing, sensitive head against the soft opening of her tight and pure arousal and felt his member slowly sinking into the pleasant warmth of her most secretive ce.


    Her beautiful curved back quivered from pleasure and her beautiful blue hair spilled down across her cheeks.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my time to loosen you up, okay?¡±


    He slowly, oh ever so slowly, pulled his hips back. Love juices filled the space his receding dick vacated and then he pushed his dick straight back in. With nowhere else to go, the love nectar squirted out of her vagina with great momentum, spilling all over. Most of it still sttered on Sol''s muscr thighs, however.


    Her low muffled groans gradually turned to pleasured moans as time passed.


    His thrusting picked up speed to pound her honeypot harder and harder, producing even more indecent noises.


    Standing on the side, Nent could not help but observe this scene with a certain sense of curiosity.


    Kiyohime was a warpanion with whom she roamed the battlefield and made a name with. They were also lovers for a time, though Nent had simply been using her and did not really have romantic feelings for Kiyohime in the least.


    Was it perhaps because of that? She couldn''t really remember Kiyohime ever showing such a clear expression of pleasure to her when they were together, making love and enjoying each other''s naked embrace.


    ¡®I guess she really likes Sol¡­ Or he is just very good at what he does. Probably, it''s both.¡¯


    She simply decided that it was most likely both the cases at the end. So, she just decided to relish the faint feelings of pleasure spreading through her bodying from the link between all of them. This new skill of Nefertiti''s was truly marvelous if she had to say so herself.


    Sol could feel that Kiyohime was restraining herself out of pride but he would have none of that. He grabbed her rather meager tits from behind and started thrusting harder into her small snatch. The pping of flesh meeting flesh,thered in each other''s juices, echoes through the room, producing reverberations of absolutely depraved noises.


    He could feel that both Nefertiti and Nent were approaching him from either side of his body as if they had premeditated that movement already. <novelnext>  </novelnext>


    By the time he understood what was happening, Nefertiti and Nent brought their faces to his chest and began licking his nipples like it was the sweetest piece of candy. As though they just couldn''t get enough of it.


    As soon as the tips of their rough tongues touched his skin, nipples and sensitive pecw, it felt like a jolt of electricity had run through his chest straight to his spine and finally into his brain. It reminded him of what Milia had once done to him in a way.


    He was well and truly startled to finally realize the fact that he was actually really sensitive when it came to that area. It was rather awkward thinking about it but Sol just put all his senses into focusing on the feeling of pleasure instead of worrying about such meaningless things.


    Isis, refusing to be left out, soon approached him and started her own form of make out session filled with all the passion she could muster for him. The position was rather awkward, and it wasn''t really the best asion to indulge in such a thorough kiss with her, but it felt enjoyable to him nheless. Probably because he was surrounded by the girls he truly loved right now.


    ¡°Does it actually feel good when I lick you here?¡±


    Nefertiti asked with a naughty tching her coquettish voice. For her, discovering another way of pleasuring her lord was a pleasure in itself. She couldn''t help but feel euphoric bliss course through her mind.


    ¡®Ugh, I¡¯m going to cum soon.¡¯


    The unexpected attack brought him to the edge faster than he would have wanted. But he never stopped his relentless attack on Kiyohime for even a moment.


    This position ced her full weight on it, so it had to be a powerful momentum that would hit her deepest depths to make her feel the most amount of pleasure.


    He would pull her body down so far her legs had to spread wide and he would thrust up into her at the same time. He took her arms to make sure all of his thrusting force entered her.


    Her body trembled in his grasp and she cried out, finally unable to stop herself.


    ¡°Sol~ ¡±


    His name being muttered with her oh-so-sweet voice made him feel like he was the king of the world. As if he had just won an important prize in the most prestigious tournament of the century.


    With the three phoenixes¡¯ caresses driving him mad, Sol let his lust take over and roughly thrust his hips with no technique whatsoever.


    He had done his best tost as long as possible, but he finally reached climax and his manhood exploded inside the vagina of the Dragon Queen.


    When all that semen mmed right into her cervix, Kiyohime arched her back, convulsed, and writhed around in agony and bliss. He had cum so much inside of her that the semen flowed back out of her vagina with a momentous rhythm.


    The grandmother, granddaughter, and niece trio breathed envious sighs as they watched Sol and Kiyohime basking in the afterglow of their respective orgasms. They rubbed their dripping breasts against him and stared at the cum-dripping union with rapt attention and anticipatory gazes.


    His semen flowed out of her vagina when he pulled his penis out and Kiyohime sadly watched it leave her honeypot. Her mating instinct had taken over for a short while but she knew that Sol was using a spell to avoid possible pregnancy.


    Thebination of cuteness and lewdity tickled Sol¡¯s heart and he nearly went at it once again. But he knew he wasn¡¯t done yet. There were still three very thirsty women waiting for him and he couldn¡¯t disappoint them now, could he?


    He debated going and finishing on the bed but immediately rejected the idea. After all, in the end, they would still have toe back here and take a bath so might as well finish things here.


    As such Sol finally ced his attention on the three phoenixes. All rted by the thick bonds of blood and sexiness.

 Chapter 377 CH345:ORGY(4)**

    After another deep make-out session with a very entranced Isis, Sol took a look at Nent, brimming with expressions of desire and anticipation, and promptly decided to continue with her for this round. Skuld and Kiyohime were already out cold for the count.


    ¡°Okay, Nent. ce your hands against the wall and stick your butt out this way please.¡±


    ¡°Fufufu~! Is it finally my turn?¡±


    This whole night had been something that Isis could hardly imagine in her most debauched dreams.


    But as she watched her maternal aunt ce her hands on the wall as told by her lover, spreading her legs slightly, sticking her butt out to show that soaking wet pussy of hers¡­ She felt like she was really reaching the heights of debauchery, witnessing scenes of carnal hedonism.


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    Nent, meanwhile, was showing no sense of shyness at all. At the very least, even if she were to feel shy from the extremely embarrassing situations they''ve been going through, she was being absolutely masterful at hiding them.


    ¡°Perfect. Thanks.¡±


    He approached her from behind and pressed his rock-hard member against her quivering slit. The dark-ck colored bikini she was wearing right now aligned perfectly well with her delicious caramel-brown skin. It gave her the charms of a delicious chocte treat.


    The design was very elegant but they still showed off the texture of her plump and cushiony womanly ass. He pushed the thin fabric into the crack, leaking juices relentlessly while rubbing his dick against her pillowy butt.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    She arched her back when she felt his arousal on her butt.


    Delighted, he reached his arms around to the front of her curvaceous body. Since she did not have her top on, her weighty breasts jiggled out, fully bare and ready for him to do as he wished with them.


    The cup-shaped mounds looked like they were made of solidified condensed chocte milk. The nipples at the tips were of a brownish-pink hue, and the aree were fairly smallpared to the humongous size of her melons. Sol immediately grabbed those sweet and beautiful mountains in his hands, copping a feel of these delicious treats.


    They were too big to fit in his hands. More than just being big, they were shaped by just the right ratio of fat and muscle to make them soft yet firm at the same time. To Sol, they seemed designed for the explicit purpose of providing pleasure and euphoria during sex. They were the perfect gives any man could ask for in their lovers and partners.


    He knew how they felt so well and he loved how the skin seemed to stick at his hands when he touched them. Groping them had always put him in a good mood.


    So he enjoyed distorting their shape in a variety of ways between his fingers. Masterfully stroking them in various shapes to provide her with the pleasure she desired and deserved.


    Breathy sighs of pleasure began to escape Nent¡¯s lips. She could seem like a strict woman with no interest in sex but Sol had discovered that there was an extremely sexual side to her. As he continued groping her, he could feel her nipples visibly stiffening in his hands.


    He knew a woman¡¯s nipples were more sensitive once they were erect, so he started teasing those stiff nipples with the tips of his fingers.


    ¡°Ahh, w-wait.¡±


    She must not have liked for things to be so one-sided because she made a bitterment while he massaged her breasts and made her nipples and are grow pointy and puffy respectively.


    Nent would not usually mind but since she was in front of Isis and Nefertiti, she wanted to keep some appearance. She also had a sense of pride after all. But her protests were soon stifled by a moan of pleasure breathily leaking out of her plump lips.


    As Sol held her erect nipples between the thumb and forefinger of each of his hands and stroked them hard, heavenly pleasure coursed throughout her body.


    She asked him to stop, but he continued teasing her nipples.


    ¡°Seems like I am not the only one with sensitive nipples.¡±


    He grinned while she arched her back and trembled with delight and ecstasy.


    With her arms against the wall, she looked like a wolf howling at the moon. Her long red hair swung behind her in beautiful arcs. She looked straight up, opened her mouth wide, and let drool drip out.


    Nent immediately understood that this was payback for what they did to him earlier. She knew that Sol could be really vindictive at times. But she couldn¡¯t really get mad at this kind of revenge.


    Only when the voluptuous phoenix''s head slumped down did Sol let go of her breasts and whisper a question in her left ear while she tried to catch her breath.


    ¡°Did you just cum from only your nipples?¡±


    ¡°Khu¡­¡±


    She lowered her head in embarrassment and clenched her teeth in frustration.


    ¡°Man, you have a really naughty body.¡±


    He teased her and she red back at him with her arms still against the wall before giving him a sensual smile,


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s true, you are the one who made me this way. I was never this sensitive before I slept with you. So you have to take responsibility, okay~?¡±


    Even though she had researched selective breeding, Nent herself had never been particrly interested in sex and never had any experiences in that department. Alongside her sisters and mother, they had been the oldest virgin in the Astral realm and she had been happy to stay that way.


    But everything changed after she had her first time with Sol. Now, like a well-trained dog, her body would react at the slightest touch of his.


    Sol gave a heartfelt smile before gently kissing Nent on her neck. He would never shirk responsibility. That was not his motto. And¡­ He had no reason to do that anyways.


    ¡°dly.¡±


    He whispered in her ear, lowering his right hand down to her smooth stomach, slowly sliding it into the bottom of her ck Bikini.


    ¡°Ahhh~¡­¡±


    The gentle stimtion of his crafty hands had her sighing in pleasure again.


    ¡®She really does get wet too easily. My fingers are literally drowning in her hot juices.¡¯


    After giving her some time to rest after the nipple orgasm she experienced, he parted her wet flesh and slipped his middle finger up to the second joint inside her hot depths.


    ¡°Ah!¡± <novelnext>  </novelnext>


    She cried out, her body stiffening, eyes wide open in shock and euphoria, but she did not try to escape. Her rough inner flesh sucked at his finger as though they didn''t want to let them go.


    He had learned how great it felt to pleasure the women he cared for, so he thoroughly stirred her up as though he was enjoying her vagina with his finger.


    He wanted to pleasure her even more to see more of this side of her, so he pulled his finger from her honeypot.


    She let out a disappointed sigh and he held his nectar-covered finger in front of her face.


    ¡°See how wet you are?¡±


    ¡°Khu¡­¡±


    She looked away in frustration. However, since he knew she would still be watching out of the corner of her eyes, he leaned his head down and licked off the finger filled with her vor.


    He just could not stop himself now. He stood up and brought his zing hot erection toward her dripping pussy.


    ¡°Then I will put it in now.¡±


    He held the base of his rock-hard cock and moved the tip against her pussy lips. His hips trembled from the heat of her wet flesh, but as he kept pushing forward, his penis was easily swallowed by her vagina.


    It went in so easily that he went in too hard at it and the head mmed into her deepest part at once.


    ¡°Ahn~!¡­I can feel every bit of you inside me¡­¡±


    She arched her back and let out a moan of pleasure when his erection prated her so deep so suddenly, but she still managed to keep her voice low¡­


    ¡®She is mine.¡¯


    Once again possessiveness bloomed in his heart but Sol did not reject those feelings this time. He simply embraced and epted them. They were his and he was theirs.


    ¡°Please start moving.¡±


    The insertion alone was apparently bringing her a lot of pleasure too because there was an oddly sexy heat in her usually dignified voice. She had abandoned all feelings of shame and was simply enjoying herself to the fullest.


    Her vagina felt plenty good without moving thanks to the nectar-soaked and heated flesh, but the wave of pleasure had receded a bit since he had put it inside her, so he tensed his lower body and slowly pulled his hips back.


    The swollen ridge of the head scraped along her inner flesh and a sweet tingling sensation flowed from the tip to his crotch throughout his entire body.


    She shook her shoulder-length red hair and twisted her head around to look at him and tell him about the pleasure she was experiencing.


    The squeezing of her vaginal flesh grew even tighter and melting pleasure spread through his crotch every time his dick rubbed against that searing and soft flesh.


    The resistance from her inner flesh grew stronger, but his hips sped up on their own and it was all he could do to stop his crotch from pping against her ass.


    He grabbed her ass tightly and thrust into her while doing his best not to make too much noise.


    ¡°Ahh so rough~¡±


    Every time his erect penis thrust into her, her body would shake forward and back, her hair would bounce, and her tits would jiggle seductively.


    The arousal from the scene in front of him and the pleasure from the vaginal folds surrounding and rubbing his schlong caused his body temperature to rise steadily. It literally felt like his blood was boiling. At the same time, an ejactory urge rose from deep within his crotch.


    He knew he would notst long if he kept thrusting inside her like this, but he did not slow down nor did he n to. In fact, he sped up as he approached climax.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m going to cum,¡± he whispered urgently to her with fervent ardor. ¡°This really is my limit.¡±


    ¡°So am I¡­ I am going to cum soon,¡± she sweetly replied while wiggling her hips longingly. She was anticipating the end just as much as he did.


    Love juices messily flowed from their union, so it was clear that she was enjoying this too. Her internal flesh wrapped around and stroked his penis while a hot sensation grew from deep within his crotch.


    ¡°Agh, then let¡¯s cum together. Together.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, then hurry up and¡­ah, p-please fill me with your seed.¡±


    She used both hands to support her upper body while she moved her hips to ept the semen inside her. That increased the stimtion of their union while the head of his penis hit her deep inside over and over again and then her vagina began to convulse slightly. He had already been about to cum when this new squeezing hit him, so he moved his hips in a finishing blow for her as well.


    He hit his limit the instant he thrust deep inside her vagina.


    Semen squirted out like water from a broken dam. Nent arched her back and covered her mouth with her hands to suppress her voice. She was going to scream her lungs out from the pleasure she felt at having so much sperm flowed deep inside her. She couldn''t do that, she needed to maintain some semnce of herself, at least.


    ¡°It feels so good.¡±


    Sol basked in the orgasmic pleasure of ejacting into the beautiful phoenix he was prating from behind. His mind had gone entirely nk and all the nerves of his body were focused on what his crotch was feeling.


    In the end, the pleasure was too much for Nent and she soon followed Skuld and Kiyohime in thend of ecstasy, euphoria, and orgasmic dreams.


    Pulling out of her, Sol admired with unconcealed pride as his spunk was still as copious as he first started. Was it already the 5th time or the 6th time he had ejacted? He didn¡¯t know and didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°I guess now you two are thest ones standing.¡±


    Isis and Nefertiti who had stayed outside of Nent¡¯s way gulped at the same time, hearing his words¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: This will be thest time I write an orgy in detail lol. Such a pain. Now if it goes past two girls then I will either skip or simply summarize. I wanted to end it all in this chapter but 346 will be thest. I''mma do Isis and Nef at the same time. Then that will be it. I never thought I would be tired of smut one day lol. Still, vol 10 alone had more smut than the entire book 2 I think.)

 Chapter 378 CH 346:ORGY (5)**

    Both Nefertiti and Isis were excited beyond what mere words could convey. They had watched breathlessly as Sol took down the others one after another with his expert lovemaking, oh so impatiently waiting for their turn to arrive.


    Nefertiti, more than anything, could feel her whole body, each and every cell of her being, vibrating in anticipation for that single moment. She wanted to unite with Sol so much that she felt like she could literally die from the mere need to feel him inside her.


    Only when she was with him could she feel like she was truly whole.


    ¡°Nnnah~¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh~¡­¡±


    Sol embraced both their bodies with his strong arms, almost taking their breaths away, and reached his nimble hands toward their hips.


    He grabbed both Isis¡¯ tight derriere and Nefertiti¡¯s slim yet supple ass and powerfully kneaded them to his heart¡¯s desire.


    ¡°My Lord~!¡±


    Nefertiti felt as though she was melting as Sol began to kiss her with passionate ardor. She did not put up much resistance to his advances. She would delightfully let him do whatever he wanted to do with her body, with every bit of her being, for she was all his to use as he wished.


    Their lips seemed to be glued together and things progressed much faster now that he could focus on just one of the two girls instead of the team of five they had formed at the start.


    Isis could not keep her eyes off this debauched sight of intense embrace between the two lovers.


    Sol¡¯s lips devoured Nefertiti¡¯s to the point that they seemed to be exchanging everyst drop of saliva they could muster. Soon his lips trailed down to suck at her neck. He tickled at the white line from her neck to her corbones and pressed his canine teeth against her tender skin, sending a shudder right down her spine.


    He, of course, continued massaging her breasts and butt all the while, pressing his knee against her hidden flesh, in the meantime.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna get a little rougher from now.¡±


    He moved his kisses from her neck to her ear and tightly grabbed her bared breasts with his big palms.


    She clenched her teeth hard and her bust tried to push back at his fingers while they bounced seductively.


    She clung to him and her quiet moans echoed through the quiet bathroom.


    ¡°Leave it to me. You just enjoy the pleasure.¡±


    He whispered to her as she clenched her teeth to hold back the shameful moans from leaking further. Sol knew that Nefertiti wanted to serve him wholeheartedly and he epted this but he also liked to pamper his girls every now and then.


    Her neck bent backward when he pinched the hard and erect nipples with just the right amount of force.


    She was so sensitive that she could lose her mind at any moment. All of his actions were perfectlypatible with her. If he went on the attack, it was obvious the debauched door of pleasure would be forced wide open using his skilled hands.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kiss you here too.¡±


    His lips lowered from her ear to her slender neck, to her beautiful breasts, trailed down to her smooth navel, and finally, he took down her bikini with one swift motion as he watched in delight the view of her beautiful garden.


    ¡°Heh heh. You¡¯re already so wet.¡±


    ¡°¡­No.¡±


    He could clearly see an oval stain of wetness on the crotch of the lowered fabric.


    He rubbed his nose against her snatch and reached his tongue and fingers toward her healthily plump thighs. He only touched the area near the base and above her knees.


    He moved his tongue, licking up along her smooth skin. He followed the line from her thighs to her pubis and toward the seductively damp mound.


    She reacted intensely to the pleasure she received from his ministrations and her adorable pale-pink nipples throbbed on her exposed bust.


    Isis was aroused by the mere sight of their carnal exchange. Just watching them reminded her body of Sol''s thorough techniques. She fidgeted her hips, enough for the panties to ride all the way up to her crotch again.


    Meanwhile, Nefertiti paid no heed to the heated eyes ced on her. She was too lost in pleasure to care about anything else but Sol and the sinful pleasure coursing through her every cell.


    Sol¡¯s tongue licked at the surface of her slit like a slithering snake and then stabbed into the crevice formed between the garden of dreams. As soon as the soft object dove inside, it searched out the hidden tunnel it knew so well.


    She held a hand to her mouth to keep her embarrassing voices from escaping further. She bit down on the base of her index finger and used the other hand to hold his head in a tight grip.


    Nefertiti would have never done such an act if she was in a sober state. She would have considered it sacrilegious to do so. But Sol was simply too good at what he was doing that she even forgot all her restraints.


    As he rubbed at the sensitive flesh, nectar generously flowed out onto his tongue. He smelled the uniquely sweet and sour vor of a girl. No man could have resisted that feast of debauched delights. The male beast, within him, lured in by the allure of her nectar sent his extended tongue to more than just the confines of the clitoris.


    She had already melted in the sensual crucible of his kisses, so now that he licked at her there, a great sexual me began burning inside her body, devouring every bit of her senses and dying them only in the color of pleasure.


    Nefertiti realized she was pushing her hips in toward Sol¡¯s face. The look on her face as her eyebrows bent in embarrassment was so seductive that Isis gasped in shock and debauched delight.


    Sol felt her flesh squeezing on the tip of his tongue inside her quivering slit. The way the ridges of her nectary flesh spread outwards was an obvious sign to someone who had made her cum oh so many times before. Too many to count.


    He sent his tongue even deeper inside while also attacking her swollen clitoris with the ridge of his nose. There was no escape for Nefertiti.


    ¡°Sol~!¡±


    The torrent of pleasure crawling throughout her body led her to call his name in the end. This was such a surpriseing from her, someone had wholeheartedly devoted herself as his most faithful servant, but she could not even care about this.


    With that quick moan, her body began to convulse. She arched her back and her tits bounced up and down from her jerky movements. Warm fluid sprayed from deep within her blossomed young slit.


    Once he was finished with Nefertiti, Sol wiped away her juices, sttered across his face, with his mes of judgment, and turned to face Isis.


    Hugging Isis in his arm, he could feel how hot her entire body had be from just witnessing the debauched sight he enacted with the now blissfully smiling Nefertiti.


    ¡°So, did you like the spectacle, dear?¡±


    He whispered in her ears as he gently plunged his hand down below. He was positively surprised to realize that she had be even wetter than Nefertiti. It seemed that Isis had quite the voyeuristic tendencies inside her. He would have never guessed thising from a prim and proper girl like her but he was still delighted to learn that fact about her. Another kink added to his repertoire that he could make use of in their future sessions.


    ¡°Ah, stop¡­¡±


    Isis feebly protested due to embarrassment. But no matter how much her mouth protested, her body was obedient to the awaited caress of her experienced lover and produced an endless supply of nectar for Sol to feast on.


    This time it was Nefertiti''s turn to watch and she had to admit that seeing Isis being so helpless was quite an interesting sight for her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so embarrassed, Isis. You look really cute right now.¡±


    Grinning, he made a sign for Nefertiti toe close to them and once she reached his embrace he began to kiss each of them alternatively.


    ¡°Nefertiti, I want you to hug Isis.¡±


    The two phoenixesy down on the floor, one above another. One cute girl¡¯s pussy was stacked on top of another.


    He had thought that they both looked equally pure with their light-colored outer lips, but he found that they looked quite different now that he could directlypare them like this. <novelnext>  </novelnext>


    He rubbed his solid rod against their thighs and gulped from the pleasure he felt.


    He usually enjoyed pleasuring girls, but right now he was filled with an animal desire to bring himself pleasure from each of his moves.


    ¡°Should I start with you?¡±


    Her shoulders shuddered as the heat of his bulbous tip poked at her entrance, but she still looked the other way. She did not know how to answer without sounding too eager, after all.


    Sol grinned, intent on teasing the slightly tsundere princess until the end and giving some reward sights for Nefertiti to enjoy.


    ¡°Then I guess Nef get to start.¡±


    Sol lowered his penis and pushed forward and his penis was swiftly swallowed up by her eager vagina.


    Nefertiti felt like her mind went into overdrive. How long had she been waiting for this moment?


    Her vaginal flesh wriggled somewhat and squeezed at his penis as she climaxed the very moment he prated her, so he was constantly filled with pleasure as he was moving inside her, so much so that he would cum the second he lost his focus. But cumming now would feel like a waste.


    Isis had ended up supporting Sol on her back as he leaned forward and she was forced to watch the debauched sight of a writhing Nefertiti.


    She had seen the two of them have sex before, but it had been in a sh and she had been too embarrassed to stay and watch. But now, she was literally having the first sit to behold this beautiful scene.


    But she soon lost the leisure of watching when Sol grabbed her breasts and then massaged and kneaded the soft buns in his palms.


    He used the rougher groping to bring her over to his pace and keep her from thinking about escaping from his hands. After waiting for the right timing, he gently pinched her nipples.


    Isis let out a sweet moan as the carnal me inside her was easily reignited by Sol¡¯s moves.


    Meanwhile, he slowly sped up his hips to drive his ferocious cock into the sensitive flesh of Nefertiti.


    He blew onto Isis''s earlobe, bit at her white nape, and worked up all of the erogenous zones of hers that he knew so well already. And then he peeked at the side of her face.


    She brought his tongue into her mouth and then begged for a deep kiss with the spoiled noises of a sleepy baby.


    She was normally so arrogant, but every little thing she did grew so cute at times like this. He had not forgotten about Nefertiti, of course. She was not the type to make her presence known, but right now her pleasant internal flesh was massaging his dick and constantly begging for his attention. So, it was hard to not notice her.


    Nefertiti¡¯s beauty was one that transcended gender so Isis could not keep her eyes off her horny behavior, but when she felt something poking against her thighs, she looked back with damp eyes, brimming with misty notes of ecstasy.


    He approached the hungrily wiggling butt and pressed his tip against the flesh petals.


    ¡°Ahh~!¡±


    After being made to wait for so long, her butt bounced happily just from the touch of the hot penis head.


    Even though this was only her second time, her vagina swallowed Sol¡¯s member surprisingly smoothly. His dick was not even fully inside her, but she had apparently already lightly climaxed. The surface of his penis felt the entire cave throbbing with orgasmic pleasure.


    When he grabbed her hips and moved his own hips, his penis rubbed against her inner flesh, producing a wet sound and filling his crotch with a pleasant tingling.


    ¡°Ahn~... H-having sex in this pose is so embarrassing.¡±


    The shaking of her head was belied by the sweetness in her voice.


    He could tell she was into it, so he kept his hips moving to pound her from behind. With each thrust, the tits bared from her swimsuit jiggled undtingly.


    That provocative scene lit a fire of arousal inside the boy.


    Her vaginal walls rubbed against the penis and he sped up his thrusting toward her butt as if he was being sucked deep inside her pleasant pussy.


    ¡°Ah, ah¡­ahh, ahn¡­ah!¡±


    The powerful thrusting elicited wordless moans from her and nectar dripped from their union. The stimtion was so powerful that her legs shook and she had to cling to Nefertiti to avoid copsing to the floor.


    This weaker side of hers only showed itself when she had sex, so it stimted his male heart. He grabbed her hips to support her and pounded away like no tomorrow.


    ¡°So deep¡­ahn, ah, ahh¡­a-and rough.¡±


    On the receiving end of that pounding, she drooped her head and moaned indecently while letting him do as he wished.


    The effort she made today warmed his heart, so he reached in from behind, scooped up her breasts, squeezed them, and pulled her body in close to his. Then he stole her lips and prompted an ardent kiss of love and passion.


    The debauchery continued¡­ He had felt like he was getting a nice taste of each vagina, but a single pration was of course not enough for the girls.


    They all begged for more, twisting their bodies and massaging their breasts to draw his interest.


    As they continued to massage their breasts, he could tell just how much pleasure they were experiencing from the debauched act.


    He could not keep his eyes off the lewd sight and their seduction did the trick. He started fucking each of them in turn.


    He kept sticking his dick inside one or the other and kept thrusting away. The pleasure was bringing him ever closer to climax.


    ¡°Ah, ahh¡­ I¡¯m about to cum!¡±


    To ensure none of them ever waited long, he would move to another after just a few thrusts.


    The temperature, vaginal pressure, and love juice quantity differed between them, but they were all such perfect pussies that he thought his dick was going to melt away just being inside them. And when he thrust, the friction caused his hot desire to boil up from deep in his crotch.


    He could no longer keep track of whose turn it was and just stuck it in whoever his eyes could see with his dizzying senses.


    He grabbed their tits from behind and groped them. The pussy around his dick, the tits in his hands, and the sweet scent of a soft female body were all he could think about.


    He enjoyed seeing them moaning and asking for his cum, so he let the approaching orgasm take over. A hot urge raced up his urethra and emptiness burst into his mind.


    More and more semen erupted out his desire now made physical, sttering down on Isis'' back and Nefertiti''s stomach and ass.


    He continued ejacting while watching their lifted butts twitching in pleasure.


    His penis throbbed wildly as it released the semen. With each throb, pleasure stimted his brainstem and sweet satisfaction enveloped his body.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I-I¡¯m spent.¡±


    Once it finally ended, their butts and even their backs were soaked with his sticky desire. The intensity of the ejaction led to an even more intense lethargy as an aftermath.


    In the end, mental fatigue won out as Sol closed his eyes and fell asleep. This night was truly something he would never forget.


    (AN: Howfortable are you guys with girl-on-girl action? I honestly wanted to go to the next level of girl on girl but I hesitated since some seem to think of it as NTR or something even when they only do it with mc present.)

 Chapter 379 CH 347:ITS JUST AGOODBYE

    When Sol closed his eyes, he felt as though his consciousness was being tugged somewhere far away.


    For an instant, he fought back, even thinking of cutting the line that was trying to pull his subconscious self to somece else, a ce he had an inkling of and loathed to visit. But, in the end, he decided against his impulses, against his rash rationale, fought against his wishes, and let his mind wander under the control of the third party.


    He soon felt the sensation of his being sinking into the depths of the invader''s transcendent control. He felt his mind get transmitted to the ce that otherworldly force was trying to pull him towards.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    When he opened his eyes this time, Sol found himself in a ce he could easily recognize. The ce he loathed. The one he had guessed. As expected of that meddlesome being.


    He looked around, his voice calling the name of the being that summoned him,


    ¡°Goddess Luxuria?¡±


    ¡°You adapted pretty fast this time around.¡±


    A barefooted woman stepped on the verdant green grass and slowly sashayed toward him. Sol could feel a barrage of intrusive thoughts trying to pull him down to the throes of lust and debauchery, but he easily swatted them aside. His mind wasn¡¯t one to be easily swayed this time around.


    ¡°I noticed that you always call me after a session of lovemaking. Is that somehow rted I wonder?¡±


    Luxuria stopped for an extremely short instant when she saw how unbothered Sol was in her presence. Even though he was not directly looking at her face, she could feel that his mind was akin to a deep, vast, and unfathomably formidable mountain. Miles away from its former self.


    It would be impossible to shake his mind without actively trying to put effort on her part. Knowing who she was, that thought alone was quite shocking in itself. It seems that her passive coercion that apanied her divinity would be useless on him from now on.


    Again, the fact was dumbfounding. Even though a Duke could strengthen their mind by obtaining their ¡®Truth¡¯, it did not mean that they had any way of resisting the coercion of a literal goddess. The minimum level required was a King. That too was a very tough task that could only be enacted through the usage of their Avatar.


    Still, she showed none of the surprises she felt in her mind as she continued her walk seamlessly toward an apathetic Sol.


    ¡°My domain is Lust, after all, and you are my one and only Blessed. Though soon, the connection between the two of us will grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°You mean my coronation, I presume¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    As far as mortals knew, goddesses could only have up to two blessed at a single instance.


    Goddesses of Virtues could have a Supreme Daughter and a Holy Daughter. With the Blessing of the Holy Daughter being inferior to their higher counterparts.


    Goddesses of Sins could have a King and a Prince or a Queen and a Princess or any of the lesserbinations they desired.


    Until now, despite the absence of his father, Sol had only been the Crown Prince of Lustburg.


    But now that he went through hising-of-age ceremony and signed a contract with a divine beast, he could officially sit on the Throne as the sole and unequivocal ruler of the entirety of the human race.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Sol showed no particr joy at hearing that news. This trip to the Astral Realm had allowed him to grow both in power and as a person.


    He had learned so many things about the world he lived in and now he realized that the Mortal Realm, was not particrly important in the grand scheme of things.


    As for obtaining a stronger blessing,


    ¡®Heh, a tighter leash you mean, bastard goddess¡­¡¯


    ¡°I can feel your dissatisfaction, child.¡±


    Sol scoffed before shaking his head to shake off his dark thoughts, ¡°I doubt this is the reason you called me here now, is it?¡±


    He hated this ce and how being in her presence felt like countless daggers were trying to stab and puncture holes in every part of his being. He realized that he was now able to block off the effects these eminent goddesses had on him but that did nothing to change the fact that he didn¡¯t wish to stay at this abhorrent ce for even a second longer.


    ¡°You are right. Do you remember our contract?¡±


    ¡°How can I forget about it? Of course, I remember. I reckon it¡¯s about time to finish the terms¡­¡±


    ¡°Very well. It is indeed time to end this once and for all. If you seed, I will not only give you the right to enter the Astral realm as you wish. However¡­ There¡¯s a bonus for you. I will even allow you to step into the Divine Realm as per your wishes.¡±


    Sol felt his mouth go dry from that fact alone. The Divine Realm¡ª A ce no mortal alive had ever managed to step foot in, not even his father, nor the queen of chimeras, not even the enigmatic Anubis.


    This was the deal of the century. But, at the same time, he knew for certain that this ordeal she was about to hand over would be anything but easy¡­


    ¡°What is the trial?¡±


    Luxuria smiled¡ª an enigmatic smile that would¡¯ve probably made Sol¡¯s skin crawl with apprehension if he were to be able to see her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple really. Do what your ancestor, Jupiter, could not¡ª Conquer the Mortal Realm for your goddess.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When Sol opened his eyes again, he could feel himself being wrapped in luscious softness that could melt all of one¡¯s worries away.


    "Nef?"


    "You are awake now, my Lord?¡±


    Sol tried to sit up but he was promptly brought back to the heavenly softness of her chest with a firm movement of her hands.


    ¡°You should rest, your highness. Your body might be fine, but you were mentally tired by the previous events.¡±


    Nefertiti gently whispered in his ears, never letting him out of her gentle embrace that she was enacting from behind.


    Looking around, he could see that they were in the bedroom he had upied in Kiyohime¡¯s castle.


    ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°Bathing. We took turns cleaning and taking care of you, you see.¡±


    Solughed merrily hearing her words. He was usually the one taking care of his lovers after a session of relentless romps. But it seemed that this time he could only let himself be spoiled by his lovers.


    ¡°My Lord¡­¡±


    ¡°What is the matter, Nef?¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ I can feel that you are quite tense. Anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°Haaah~... It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s just say that I have received quite the nonsensical mission.¡±


    Nefertiti smiled and caressed his hair, ¡°No matter what happens, we will always be by your side.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Nef.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª <novelnext></novelnext>


    After resting for a short while, Sol stood up and was rejoined by Skuld and the others. He could feel that they were distinctly closer to each other than they had been in the past.


    After all, the five of them did have some crazy moments that they shared not long ago. Not to mention the shared sense of pleasure that they received from each other in a very intimate way thanks to Nefertiti¡¯s powers.


    Once everyone was clothed, they walked to the terrace before flying down toward the first heaven. The ce where Sol first appeared with Sheherazade and Nent.


    It did not take long for others to arrive, Anubis, his wife, Nephthys, Verdandi, and even the empress¡ª Tiamat.


    ¡°So¡­ It seems like it¡¯s time for me to go back. But we never really had the time to discuss this. What about you two? Will you follow me to the mortal realm?¡±


    Nent gave a faint smile, some amount of longing was hidden underneath but it was still a firm and resolute smile that already gave Sol all the answers he needed. She promptly shook her head before speaking out her thoughts, ¡°I need to go back home for a short while and verify that everything is okay. I also want to discuss some things with my mother for a short while. We have much to say to each other and it''s about time that we had a heart-to-heart. Only then will I go down to join you.¡±


    Sol nodded, understanding that Nent had many things she wanted to right. She also had to make things up with her children and more than anyone, her mother¡ª Gabriel.


    It was not the kind of work that could be rushed and he hoped that she would be able to close the chapter of her dark past and walk on a brighter and happier path.


    Nefertiti also shook her head, ¡°I wish to follow you, your highness, I really do. But I realized thating with you to the Human kingdom would be useless. I would not be particrly useful there, maybe even a hindrance.¡±


    She showed no depression or signs of inferiority as she conveyed those words. She had clear goals and would not be distracted by her low self-esteem, not anymore, ¡°I already asked permission. I will be allowed to go down to the Elf Kingdom. I believe that that is the ce where my talent will be the most beneficial for your goals.¡±


    Elves were naturally drawn to and worshipped Dragons. Even half-dragons were beings of worship for them. Though of course to a lesser extent.


    Nefertiti felt like Sol would need the help of the Elf kingdom sooner orter down the road and she wished that when he finally reached that ce, he wouldn¡¯t face people who worshipped dragons, but rather people who worshipped him and him alone.


    She didn¡¯t know what Sol¡¯s goal would be but surely having a second kingdom under his control would be beneficial overall, right?


    Sol could onlyugh dumbfoundedly as the girl who was once acting like she was unworthy of even his grace was now talking about partially conquering a Kingdom for him.


    Perhaps conquering the world would not be as hard as he thought.


    If he won the war against the demi-humans and Setsuna became Blessed, he would obtain Wratharis.


    With his identity and Nefertiti''s power, it was not impossible to conquer Southern Pride.


    Greed Dike, the dwarven kingdom, could be worked on with Theresa''s help.


    The human kingdom was already his.


    Technically Nuwa was the Princess of Gluttony Foss.


    The only true problem would be Envilya, the demon kingdom, and Slothein the flying cities of the Angels¡­ But even then it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t have a way to open their doors for him.


    After all, Lilith and Lilin were rted to Envilya and Chloe was the Holy Daughter of Slothein.


    ¡®I wonder what it says about me when I just might conquer the world with only the help of my women.¡¯


    Solughed out loud, startling everyone present with his boisterousugh. They felt clueless by his sudden bout ofughter but they didn¡¯t question him for his actions.


    He advanced toward Tiamat who was standing at the back of the lot and to her surprise, he hugged her fiercely with a powerful hug full of love andpassion.


    ¡°Thank you for everything, grandma.¡±


    Tiamat had invested so much in him, far more than he could ever hope to convey in words. He felt like he could never be able to repay her to make up for her favors.


    Tiamat had her hands up in the air,pletely clueless about what to do with them in this situation. Her eyes darted back and forth, trying toe up with something to do, but, in the end, she awkwardly wrapped her arms around him and reciprocated with a light hug.


    ¡°I told you to call me big sis.¡± She shook her head then gave a warm smile, ¡°I am proud of everything you aplished.¡±


    She clearly wasn¡¯t used to something like this. But Sol couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at her words. He knew that this was a big steping from her.


    Taking a few steps back he approached Anubis and Nephthys, ¡°I will keep my promise. I will take care of your daughter.¡±


    ¡°You better do. Otherwise, I might take your soul.¡±


    Anubis grinned and yfully patted him on the back while uttering words that did not seem like a joke whening from him¡ª the king of the underworld. Nephthys just nodded to him with a smile and he nodded back and bowed toward them in the end, paying his respects to his inws.


    Stopping in front of Skuld and Verdandi, he hugged Skuld in a fierce and passionate hug.


    ¡°This is just a simple goodbye.¡±


    ¡°I know. Even if you were to run to the end of the universe, I would still find you.¡±


    Skuld also uttered quite words like the mad lunatic that she was but Sol was quite used to her lunacy already, so he just lightly kissed her on the cheeks and greeted the rest.


    Once he exchanged his goodbyes with everyone, he opened his wings and flew high in the sky, apanied by Isis.


    ¡°Where is Sheherazade?¡±


    ¡°I fused with her cocoon. It seems like even in this state the fusion is still possible.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Now high in the sky, Sol looked at the beautiful world all around him. An endless sea below stretched as far as his eyes could witness and innumerable stars covered the entire sky above.


    It was such a beautiful sight. Something he was going to miss dearly.


    ¡°We had some crazy adventures, huh?¡±


    Isis took his hand in hers and asked.


    ¡°Indeed. So much has happened in so little time.¡±


    Even though six months went by, Sol felt as though it was just yesterday.


    During those six months, he had meet many people, fought many battles, and even participated in a Divine war.


    The weak boy who entered the Astral Realm was now a strong man who could stand proud no matter where he was.


    The events he witnessed and participated in those six months went beyond what some could witness and experience in hundreds of years.


    But his adventure was far froming to its end¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go home.¡±


    A chapter of his life would be closed in this instant, but a new chapter would begin soon.


    He did not know where all of this would bring him. He did not know how this tumultuous journey of his would end.


    But he would do his very best so that thest words of his story would be¡­


    <<...And they lived happily ever after.>>


    (EN: But will they??? Hmmm¡­. Food for thought¡­.)

 Chapter 380 INTERLUDE 15:THE MAD TITAN

    [XXXXX Years Ago]


    It was a scarlet world. Be it the sky above, the clouds fluttering with the wind, or even the ground below, cracked and deste as it was, everything as far as the eyes could see was plunged in a deep scarlet of different shadesbining to form a dystopian sight.


    In that world, water did not exist, there was no vegetation, and all the beasts that roamed the ground were distorted beings that seemed to be born out of one''s worst nightmares.


    It was a world filled with the aura of chaos; nay, it was a world that seemed to be chaos itself given form and substance. It was a world without rules where the only rule, if it can even be termed as one, was survival. A dog-eat-dog world where survival of the fittest was the only way of life. The


    In that world, three women stood together, hunched as they held threads and sewed¡­ Nobody knew what it was they were sewing, nobody knew why they were doing such a thing¡­


    The three women''s looks were extremely simr. When they stood together, one had the impression of watching three pictures of the same person in different moments of their life.


    They were the Norns sisters. The sisters of Fate. Born from Chaos itself with the innate power to see the Past, Present, Future, and everything in between, manipting events per their wishes. A very frightening power that made it so that, despite being rtively weak by themselves, no one dared to even try to take advantage of them.


    Each of them had their own personality.


    Urd ("That which happened") was the oldest and calmest of the three sisters. She would always have a calm and serene smile no matter what the situation was. She had seen the world for what it was and had transcended the mere worries of everyday life. Her power allowed her to observe the past.


    Verdandi ("That which is happening") was the most worrywart among the three sisters. Anxiety wasmon for her. She could not change the past and neither could see or influence the future, she could only observe the present as it was, in all of its entirety and all of its beauty and ugliness. Hence, she was constantly ravaged by the worries of what would happen after and what happened before.


    Skuld (¡°That which should be¡±) was the most carefree and Chaotic of them all. If Time was like a tree. Then the Past represented the roots, the Present the trunk, and the Future, represented the numerous branches and even more numerous leaves that made up the beautiful structure of an evergreen conifer.


    She could see all the futures nearly at the same level as the goddesses despite being a mere King as such she was considered as the most dangerous of the irvoyant trio. But her personality also made her the most harmless amongst the lot.


    At least this was the consensus reached by the other Titans over the years of observing them from afar.


    What they didn¡¯t know though was that the Skuld they knew was no more.


    She had changed, for she had met her destined one.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    On that day, just as they were spending their time idly as they always did, Skuld had a seizure and fainted on the spot.


    The two sisters were understandably worried. The power to see the future was the most dangerous out of the three they possessed together and they knew that every time Skuld used that power she had the chance of losing herself in the flow of time and bing braindead with her soul scattered into oblivion.


    For three days and three nights, Skuld stayed unconscious, causing them to be even more worried for her even going as far as entering full-on panic mode. They began to wonder if it was the end of the road for their dear sister.


    But on the fourth day, she unexpectedly woke up and her words were all the more shocking for the other two sisters of hers.


    ¡°Let¡¯s surrender to the side of Order.¡±


    Everything was so out of the blue that even the ever-calm Urd could not help but show a bewildered expression on her face as she gawked at the calm visage of her sister. She spat out such shocking words like it was the most natural of things that her brain had simply short-circuited at that moment.


    Verdandi, as prone to lunacy as she was among the sisters, though was much more vocal with her words and reactions.


    ¡°So it finally happened. Skuld went crazy! Big Sis, what do we do now!?¡±


    Verdandi was nearly on the verge of tears as she shook Skuld, desperately trying to make here out of whatever spell of madness she had pitted herself into. Skuld couldn''t help but smile bitterly at her sister''s frantic behavior, but there was nothing she could do. She was resolute in what she spoke and would not, could not revoke her words.


    In the end, though, Urd was the one to ask the most crucial question,


    ¡°What did you see?¡±


    Verdandi immediately calmed down, hearing Urd''s calm question. Out of the three of them, Urd as well as the Leader and the strongest. But the one who gave them direction had always been Skuld. The one who could scry the most beneficial aspects of what was toe.


    They knew that her carefree attitude was just a precursor, a ruse, a veil that hid one of the deepest and most vignt minds in all of existence.


    Skuld showed a lost expression at the question Urd offered to her. She honestly didn''t know to form a coherent response. But at the end, she only showed then a bright smile before speaking in the most calmest and steadfast tone she could muster¡­


    ¡°I want a better future.¡±


    A few dayster, a piece of explosive news shocked both the side of Chaos and Order as the greatest strategists on the side of Chaos, the Norns Sisters, left their camps and surrendered to the beings of Order.


    This action was like a rock falling into ake, causing great ripples in the flow of the war between both sides.


    People on both sides knew the power of foresight the sisters wielded. For them to join the side of Order, did this not mean they had foreseen the defeat of the side of Chaos?


    Like the domino effect, this simple piece caused an effect that spread through all ces, shaking the confidence of those on Chaos'' side while bolstering the force of Order with renewed vigor.


    Even those who decided to stay neutral in the conflict chose to join the cause of Order.


    A few thousand yearster after they joined the side of Order, Tiamat, the Dragon Empress, chased down Surtr to the depths of the Abyss.


    A few more years after that tumultuous event, the Sins and Virtues goddesses, managed to seal Ymir. <novelnext></novelnext>


    The war ended.


    Order had triumphed.


    But¡­ did they really¡­?


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A few thousand years had swiftly gone by after the victory against Chaos. The world was seemingly at peace and the Norns sisters were living peacefully in the Astral realm, deep in Yggdrasil¡¯s territory.


    Though they were limited in what they could do and where they could go, the sisters had noints whatsoever.


    They would spend most of the time asleep and Urd, who had befriended Yggdrasil, would sometimes y chess with him to spend an idle yet beautiful time.


    It was a calm life.


    But for Skuld, this was nothing more than a simple and pure form of the most agonizing torture.


    More than ten thousand years.


    No, for far more time than that, she had been waiting. Waiting for the moment she dreamed of every day.


    She had seen hundreds of thousands of different possible futures. Analyzed how the situation could go in more ways than she could count. Made contingency ns for her contingency ns and made more contingency ns for them also. She had the time, and she knew that what she tried to aplish had to be done perfectly.


    She knew she was slowly going crazy over the long periods of waiting and nning and yearning for that crucial day¡­ but she was in such a position that she could not even show her madness to anyone. No one would understand and even if they understood they could do nothing for her.


    She wanted to see him.


    She wanted to hug him.


    She wanted to make him hers.


    She wanted to save him from his untimely fate.


    Desire. Fear. Expectation. Despair. Madness. A constant cycle. An emotional paradox. An ardent love.


    All those emotions were constantly badgering her sense of self, threatening topletely destroy it in its roots.


    But then, one day, she received the news she had been waiting for.


    ¡°Skuld. It seems like the Dragon Empress wants our help.¡±


    Skuld¡¯s heart lurched at the news Verdandi sent to her.


    This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for.


    Fighting to keep her expression in check, she stood up and followed her sister. While showing her usual excited smile,


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! I always wanted to visit that territory again after Lucifer''s death.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When Skuld entered the domain, she looked around in order to keep herself calm.


    She had waited so long for this.


    Now she just had to wait for a few more seconds.


    She had already prepared everything. She would act mysteriously and obtain his curiosity. After all, Sol was always so curious about the world around him. Which included the people encapsting it.


    She would slowly build up their rtionship from there.


    At least, this was what she thought she would do.


    But the moment her eyesnded on him.


    All her ns vanished like smoke vanished in the air.


    ¡°Darling!¡±


    Before she could even express a proper greeting, Skuld ran past her sisters and everyone else before jumping in the arms of the golden-haired boy who had just opened his eyes.


    This was their first meeting in this reality.

 Chapter 381 INTERLUDE16:BLUE DRAGON

    What was the first thing she heard?


    ¡°This is the first time I''m doing something like this. I wonder if I was able to do it well.¡±


    What was the first thing she saw?


    The sight of an ethereally beautiful woman, standing tall and proud with every bit of majesty existence had to offer.


    Even though she did not understand everything, perhaps she wasn''t able to understand anything, she already ¡®knew¡¯ one fact from the moment she came into existence. This being was her mother. Her creator.


    For divine beasts, from the moment they were born, they were already bestowed a certain level of knowledge by their progenitors. Their predecessors. Their parents.


    The name bestowed to her was¡­ Kiyohime.


    She did not know what this name meant or even if there was any importance to it. She just knew that the moment she was bestowed that name, she obtained the power to control the element of water.


    The authority to rule over all the seas.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°You are old enough now. It should not take long for you to be a King.¡±


    Her life was calm. It wasplete.


    She only lived with that woman, Tiamat, her mother. The only one she could look up to in all the realms.


    During those years, she witnessed many sights and went through many experiences. All new, all wonderful.


    She saw how a world with onerge sun was slowly changed into one with many little small stars.


    She observed how the world was divided into manyyers and how floatings inds and sea came to be.


    She even helped in the creation and development of this world. For she felt like it was her duty, her destiny to be a helping hand to her progenitor.


    ¡°Listen to me Kiyohime, One day, this world shall be entirely for you tomand.¡±


    ? How happy she had been when she heard those words. She still remembered it vividly as though it had happened just yesterday.


    The two of them would sleep together, wake up together, eat, and simply live happily with each other, or well, that''s how she interpreted their interactions. Tiamat would teach her how to fight and how to use her powers and she would take care of Tiamat in return.


    The sky was their roof and the ground and the immeasurable seas were their bed.


    It was a simple life, a fulfilling life. A very simple life for sure, however, it was also perhaps the happiest time of her long long life.


    That happiness, that serenity, their quiet and fulfilling time together¡­ It didn''tst for long, however.


    ¡°Now that our world is set. We need more people to inhabit thends.¡±


    Kiyohime looked nkly at her mother. Not understanding her reasonings. Nor did she know what to say to her creator.


    Why did they have to popte this world?


    Weren¡¯t the two of them more than enough? Why did they need to add anyone else?


    Was she useless? Did she do anything wrong?


    Kiyohime felt uneasy. But she did not voice her thoughts out loud due to fear. She feared and revered her Lord.


    It was not her ce to do so after all. Tiamat was her lord, her creator, and her empress. Perhaps those more than a mother she can ever be.


    ¡°I hear and obey.¡±


    That was all she needed to say.


    Like this, her younger brother was born.


    His name was Fafnir.


    Kiyohime did not like Fafnir from the get-go.


    The precious time she could spend alone with her mother was interrupted by that unknown and loud young boy.


    How could she be happy in that state?


    So she asked, ¡°Mother. He is so weak and useless. Why did you create him? Why do you take care of him?¡±


    Tiamat looked at her with an unfathomable smile, ¡°You were also born weak and useless, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    It was like a shock had run through her body. Her brain had stopped all functions at her slight rebuttal.


    Indeed. Even now she couldn''t match the great power of her mother. Why then was she created? Why was she protected?


    ¡°Take care of your brother, like I have taken care of you.¡±


    Kiyohime never forgot those words. Now awake she did the first thing she was taught by Tiamat.


    She beat him up.


    Simple and brutal trashing.


    But she did not simply inflict gratuitous violence upon him.


    She taught him. Took care of him. Helped him grow both as a warrior and a person.


    The years passed and their numbers increased. From two they became four, and from four they became eight.


    The first eight dragons.


    Kiyohime had long since forgotten what her mother''s embrace felt like.


    But she did not mind. After all, Tiamat loved her the most out of them all.


    She was the Eldest Dragon. She was the one with the most authority. She was the only one who had been personally taken care of for a long time by Tiamat herself.


    Time continued to pass. War came and went. The number of pure and mixed dragons continued to grow and the reputation of the Dragon grew as well.


    Lustful, greedy, prideful. This was how the dragons were seen. But there was one thing no one could ever go against.


    They were strong. They were the strongest of them all.


    But Kiyohime never changed.


    She was the Dragon Queen. The second most influential among all the dragons. She had taken care of and raised nearly all the dragons.


    This was her greatest pride.


    But her pride was brutally shattered one day.


    On that fateful and dark and grim day like no other¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Marduk! Why are you doing this!?¡±


    The fight was happening in a dying world. They had cornered the rebels under the order of Apsu.


    Marduk was one of the cadres and also one of the dragons she enjoyed training the most. He was truly like a son to her or perhaps a younger brother of sorts. <novelnext></novelnext>


    This was why. She could not understand.


    Why? Just why were they doing this? Why were dragons spilling the blood of others dragons? Why did they have to kill each other?


    ¡°Please! I beg you! Just stop. I will plead to mother. I am sure she will understand. You and the other can still be forgiven!¡±


    She begged in tears even as her gigantic dragon form flew down and made sure to keep him down.


    The fight opposing the two dragons was bringing the dead world to the brink of its destruction. Using her powers, Kiyohime alone had made sure that this world would never have water ever again, encapsting and elerating the already elerated end of this world.


    But she did not care. She could not have the leisure to hold back against Marduk when trying to restrain him.


    Mardukughed, ¡°My queen¡­You know very well it is impossible. That heartless monster will never pardon us and I do not wish to be pardoned either.¡±


    His words were like knives that were plunged straight at her heart.


    What should she do?


    She knew what she had to do and this was all the more mortifying to her.


    ¡°Why¡­?¡±


    ¡°Because we had to. We are just weapons. That heartless monster does not care about our well-being. She only cares about reaching greater heights. Our life or death is just an afterthought. Why do we have to fight a war we care not about? What does it matter to us whether Chaos or Order wins?¡±


    Kiyohime gritted her teeth, ¡°Thus are her orders.¡±


    ¡°Then you are nothing but a tool my dear queen.¡±


    Kiyohime closed her eyes, ¡°I guess no further discussion is possible.¡±


    ¡°Any possible form of discussion had been impossible for a long time, perhaps, there were no possibilities from the beginning¡­¡±


    Kiyohime sobbed. But she did not look away.


    The moment Kiyohime changed her objective from Restraint to Elimination¡­ Marduk had no chance.


    The fight was swiftly resolved and Marduk was executed.


    Changing into her human form. Kiyohime slowly approached his dying body.


    ¡°Anyst words?¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ Even at this moment, you are too kind.¡±


    Mardukughed with difficulty before finally closing his eyes, ¡°It¡¯s truly a shame. If you were the empress¡­ This rebellion might have never happened.¡±


    Kiyohime expression was hollow. Wherever she looked, she could see the dead bodies of herpatriots. The people she raised and gave her love to.


    ¡°You finally killed him.¡±


    Kiyohime looked startled. She knew that she could not whimper about her fate. The one who should feel really sad was Tiamat. After all, she had to witness her children kill each other.


    Surely she must be feeling crushed. Even more so than herself.


    This was what Kiyohime naively thought.


    But when she looked up, spinning her mind to find the words to console her surely heartbroken mother¡­


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Tiamat''s expression was apathetic.


    Even though her children were killing each other.


    Even though she had to kill the one who might have be her mate.


    The Empress showed no trace of sadness. Not even the slightest vestige of a falling tear.


    ¡°Destroy their bodies. Those pesky necromancers are bing more numerous.¡±


    ¡°Is it all you have to say!?¡±


    Kiyohime screamed. For the first time in her whole life, she raised her voice against Tiamat.


    ¡°What might you mean? Should I be weeping because of mere traitors?¡±


    ¡°But¡­ They are your children! Even if they took the traitors aside, what about those who fought for you!? Are they not even worthy of a word from you.¡±


    ¡°They died a worthy death as warriors.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­. Hahaha¡­¡±


    Kiyohime felt something break inside of her at that moment and could onlyugh dumbfoundedly.


    ¡°Truly¡­ You are truly a heartless monster as Marduk said. He was right all along, huh?¡±


    ¡°Watch your words.¡±


    Kiyohime lowered her head in silence and Tiamat shrugged before walking away, ¡°Kill all thest traitors. Marduk¡¯s daughter and put an end to this farce.¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    *Step*


    Tiamat stopped and gave a deep look at Kiyohime who looked back at her fiercely.


    ¡°Do not make me repeat myself. All traitors are to be killed.¡±


    ¡°I refuse. She did not kill any dragons. Her crime is not worthy of death.¡±


    The standoff between the two dragons became tense. All the other dragons were flying and wondered what they should do if the Queen and the Empress were to fight.


    In the end, a small smile shed on Tiamat''s face before she walked away,


    ¡°Do as you wish. You can also spare the other traitors with minor offenses if you so wish. But mark my words. One day, you will regret this decision.¡±


    Kiyohime stayed silent as she watched the departing and somewhat lonely back of Tiamat, her mother.


    This was her first victory against her mother.


    But this victory did not have a sweet taste to it. Only a very bitter one filled with sadness, despair, and unceasing remorse.


    A few thousand yearster, as Kiyohime had to kill her brethren once again, she could only smile sadly.


    Was her decision back then wrong? Was this second rebellion caused by her indecisiveness?


    She did not know. But she had indeed learned her lesson.


    Even so, she did not believe that Tiamat was right.


    This was why, remembering Marduk''s words, unbeknownst to everyone, Kiyohime took a very important decision in her heart.


    One day, she would¡­.


    END OF VOL 10

 Chapter 382 VOL11/ CH 348: L AM BACK

    It was a day like any other, at least in appearance.


    The sun was shining brightly high above in the clear blue sky and the people, humans, were waking up with the illumination of the incandescent globe to work. The usual routine all humans followed every single day.


    The air was slightly chillier, the proof that snow might fall at any time.


    News of the growing hostility between Lustburg and Wratharis was concerning, to say the least. However, for normal humans, there was practically nothing they could do but pray. Pray for all of their worries and all the adversities to wash away.


    If there was one thing that was making the people unsettled though, it was the absence of their prince.


    Already, numerous rumors were set out that the prince just might have been part of the unlucky group who died unexpectedly during the exploration in the Astral Realm.


    While such a thing had never happened before in the long history of Lustburg, there was always a first for everything.


    The news was still only muttered in pubs and a few working ces. But like any rumors, they were slowly growing and the more they did, the more unsettled the poption in the capital became.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [Lustburg¡ª Tower of Babel]


    Sitting in her office, Milia listened quietly as agents of the fingers were giving her their daily reports. This one in particr detailed the growing rumors rted to the prince''s disappearance and untimely demise.


    ¡°Did you pick out the one spreading the rumors?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have. They are mostly war ves or descendants of the war ves from Wratharis. We managed to get the names of most of them but we are awaiting further orders before acting out.¡±


    Milia nodded to the agents'' piece. Lustburg, despite being predominantly a human country, still had a very mixed poption. Beastmen in particr really took a vast majority of the ce in this mixed-popted kingdom going as far as toe second in terms of poption percentage. This was, of course, due to all the wars that transpired over the long years between the two rivaling countries.


    As it was now, many beastmen were naturalized citizens of Lustburg and considered this to be their home.


    But the news about another iing war was creating tension among the popce and that included the beastmen who were having trouble in determining their roots due to this harrowing situation.


    Milia had to be very careful about her next set of actions. She couldn¡¯t just order a strike to take them all down and have them beheaded for treason or nder against the crown.


    If the Crown Prince were to be used of racism or mistrust toward the beastmen who took this country as their home due to her actions, it would be hard to cate the general popce.


    ¡®This is absolutely definitely way above my pay grade.¡¯


    The one who should be taking the decisions in this scenario should have been Lilith. But she was currently taking her hand off of anything rted to governance or any sort of work in general. Milia knew that her state was abysmal. Her body was deteriorating at breakneck speeds and she didn''t know how long she could hold on¡­


    Persephone and Medea were doing just about everything that they possibly could, giving their best to ensure her survival but her body was slowly but surely giving out all of its functions. In another ten days, probably even less, Lilith might just simply fall over and die like a mechanical doll deprived of all its energy to remain functioning.


    ¡°Your highness¡­¡±


    Milia muttered, tired but still holding on to that ray of hope. She simply needed to keep fighting on. On and on until her lord, her lover appeared and set everything straight.


    But it was then¡­


    ¡°Milia!¡±


    The door of her office was busted open as a beautiful and busty elf entered the room, clearly short of breath as though she had just finished a marathon.


    ¡°ra?¡±


    Standing up, Milia threw a confused nce at the tired elf. They might have worked together for only a few days, but she had more or less managed to understand the personality of that elf coworker of hers.


    She knew that she was a steady woman who liked to do everything in order and not show a flustered appearance in any situation.


    And yet, she seemed to be panicking right now for who knows what. Her face looked pale and her hair was messed up. It must have been an ominous situation of peril for her to end up like she was.


    ¡°What happened? Did something happen to the queen?!¡±


    The elf shook her head vigorously, looking around the room nervously.


    ¡°No, no, no. It''s just... I''m sorry.."


    She took a deep breath before giving a beaming smile that contrasted with her previous look, throwing Milia into a spiral of confusion before her words registered in her ears, "It''s about his highness, we just received a piece of great news from the Church. He ising back today.¡±


    The words echoed through the room and Milia opened her eyes wide into saucers before an ecstatic smile bloomed on her tired and haggard face.


    ¡°Today?! Now? Today of all days, he is returning?¡±


    ra nodded happily.


    ¡°Yes!"


    Milia grabbed ra by the shoulders and hugged her tightly,


    ¡°Oh, thank you so much!"


    She kept repeating the same phrase until her voice failed to be conveyed.


    After that, she quickly stood up and called for the guards in the room.


    ¡°I want you to inform everyone that His Highness is returning today. We cannot be sloppy. Send the message to all the nobles from the Counts and up. Also, call the maids so that we can start the preparation as soon as possible."


    She then focused on ra once more. "What about the church? What are they doing? Do we have an exact time as to when he wille?"


    "They say that he is still going to need time. But it should be in approximately 12 hours from now on."


    Milia nodded, satisfied by her response.


    ¡°Then let us hurry and prepare the castle."


    Milia''s smile was so wide people would fear she was going to get a cramp. She had been worried about the absence of Sol for so long. But now, she just needed to hold on for a few more hours and her beloved lord would be back in her embrace.


    ******


    In the queen''s chamber, Persephone was sitting by Lilith''s bedside as she helped in feeding her life energy.


    Even though Lilith was currently still able to move, it was clear that she was getting weaker by the day.


    Medea and Freya were also there with her while Lilin and Setsuna were standing guard outside. It was very hard for Lilin to see her mother slowly getting weaker like this but all she could do was stand here and pray for her recovery. Pray for a miracle so that she could recover from all her ailments.


    "So... You really are nning to go to Wratharis? Don''t tell me you''re going to try and kill that mutt." <novelnext></novelnext>


    "*Cough* *Cough* You should know how weak I have now be. Since I am going to die anyway, there is no need to respect the rules. I just need to kill that crazy dog and die with him. The other kingdoms will not fault Lustburg for the dying act of a lunatic. At most, we will have to pay a fine. I just need Freya to teleport me and we are all set."


    Persephone shook her head, "You really believe that it''s what he would want?"


    They didn''t need to say a name. Lilith knew very well that what she was nning on doing would make him very sad. But what else could she do?


    "I¡­ all my life has been dedicated to fighting."


    Lilith was born and created for that one and only purpose. She was a sword. A sword meant to sever the head of all the enemies blocking the path of the one she served.


    "I do not want to die like a helpless woman. Not even at myst moments, please¡­"


    Lilith did not fear death. She even wished for it toe, to embrace her in its rotten embrace. Even now that feeling never faded for a single bit. For her, death was the sweet release she sought. But she refused to die a useless and pathetic death.


    She wanted to die like a warrior. The warrior that she was and will always be. shing her sword against another one and raining death on the battlefield.


    "I...want to die as a hero."


    Indeed. A hero. Like ''him''.


    Medea opened her mouth, wishing to exin the news she had received about Sol. But she was interrupted when Lilin, Setsuna, and a battle maid entered the room with great strides.


    An excited expression was stered on Lilin''s face as she delivered the ecstatic news,


    "Sol ising back!!!"


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Slowly the news of Sol''s impending arrival filled the streets. Everywhere, soldiers, ves, and volunteers could be seen, decorating buildings and other infrastructures.


    Commoners could see nobles in their carriages running toward the church like their life depended on it. It made for a funny sight but readily confirmed the reality of the news.


    The citizens were happy to see the return of the Son of the Hero King. They saw Blessed as gifts sent by the heavens above. Indeed, the goddesses had granted them a gift.


    But for the nobles who had lived for hundreds of years, such trivial events were nothing but a nuisance. Their only concern was to make a show of appearance and not be singled out. The way all traitors were coldly executed back then was still fresh on their troubled minds.


    "Hehe. This is just my luck..."


    A certain nobleughed softly as he left the church. He was an old man. One could easily guess his age by looking at him. But he still smiled cheerfully.


    "Well, I just have to pray before I leave. If I don''t do that, the goddess will surely curse me."


    He then returned to the church where he looked around. There was no sign of the Supreme Daughter or the Holy Daughter. But she was supposed to be in that cathedral, so there was no problem.


    "Let''s go."


    With that said, he passed through the gate and headed down the main road. There was a huge crowd gathered outside the pce. And he was sure that all of them were waiting for ''Him''. Their future king.


    ***


    [Church of Castitas¡ª Hall of Purity]


    "How do I look?"


    Standing in front of a mirror, Aurore asked as the nuns were working on her ceremonial outfit. For once it was not as showy as her usual one and covered all of her beautiful curves. But the feeling of holinessing from her did not change a single bit.


    "You look lovely, simply¡­ Divine."


    "Heheh. I do, right?¡±


    Aurore did not feel any shame or embarrassment as they praised her beauty while skirting sphemy. She had already known that she was beautiful since she was a child. In fact, she felt no need to hear these kind words from others.


    However, the truth was that she had never seen herself as beautiful. It was only recently that she came to realize just how useful it was to have a beautiful physical appearance.


    "I am sure his Highness will be entranced once his eyesnd on you."


    "Is that so?"


    She gave a mysterious smile as she stood up.


    "Let''s go."


    And she left the room, leaving the nun behind. Aurore then went into the chapel and prayed to purify herself.


    For her, this act was not a mere formality. It was something much more than that. She had be ustomed to praying. Every night she would kneel in prayer and ask the goddesses for protection in front of the other nuns.


    "It''s time to meet my prince charming."


    She muttered calmly.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A few hourster, as Camelia, Aurore, and Lilith, the current highest ranked in Lustburg stood in front of the portal that connected to the Astral Realm.


    Light slowly began to fill the room as an aura of power and oppression spread throughout. For a moment, even Lilith felt goosebumps and instinctively reached for the sword dangling at her hips.


    But Camelia only showed a bright smile, after all, she would never mistake this aura for anyone else. Even if it changed even more. Grew further and further than the small candle it once was.


    "Wee back, your Highness."


    She bowed lightly, and once her words registered in the mind of those presents, all the nobles, no matter how highly ranked they were, all put one knee on the ground and kneeled in wait.


    Walking through the portal, showing a dashing smile full of confidence was a man they remembered.


    Sol Dragona Luxuria.


    Crown prince and the unequivocal heir to the throne of Lustburg.


    "I am back home."


    He was back, stronger than ever before.

 Chapter 383 CH 349:PRESSURE

    The moment Sol appeared in the church¡¯s main hall, after passing through the door, all the nobles gathered took a deep breath out of pure astonishment.


    Be it physically or in terms of the aura he naturally exuded, the prince they remembered was very different from the one that was now standing before their eyes.


    The prince of old, while talented,cked the experience only those who truly treaded on the thin line of life and death held. Furthermore, as talent did not trante into power, hecked the raw almighty power to make the nobles truly fear and respect him with all their hearts.


    For this very reason, many of them often joked that the only difference between Sol and the Puppet King, Neptune, was that Sol was lucky enough to have powerful women surrounding him.


    But now?


    The aura he was exuding¡­ It was unmistakable as to what realm he was treading on right now. Sol was currently at the Duke rank and a powerful Duke at that. The natural pressure he exuded was a testament to that fact. This alone was enough to put him at the very top of the kingdom. If Lilith and Camelia were left out of the equation then Sol could quite possibly be the most powerful person on the side of Humanity, currently.


    How long had it been since he had awakened? Not even a year had passed since that fateful day. Nay¡­ From the perspective of the crowd gathered here, was it even three months in? And he had already be a full-pledged Duke?


    Not even Mars Luxuria had managed to aplish such a feat.


    This knowledge, more than anything, managed to put dread in all of their hearts. Every single one of them, without exception, was forced to ept this reality.


    *Gulp*


    Many nobles on the weaker side of the spectrum had difficulty breathing due to how overpowering the natural pressure of his presence and mana were. His very existence had putten pressure on this realm that naturally weighed on the individuals residing in it.


    Furthermore, Sol was in his hybrid dragon appearance right now, minus the wings. Therefore, that state alone amplified his already exemry aura and pressure.


    ¡°Your highness¡­¡±


    A gentle inflection of Camelia¡¯s voice caught Sol''s attention and with just a look of her gentle blue eyes, she was able to convey her thoughts to him.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Looking at his surroundings, Sol was confused for a very short instant before realization finally dawned on him. He couldn¡¯t help but leak a bitter chuckle at the sight.


    The pressure he was emanating was not done intentionally on his part. Be it Tiamat, Anubis, or the dragons, in general, they were all so powerful that they would leak a certain pressure and aura that was impossible to withstand normally. Without emanating an equal pressure to offset the ones they leaked, one would simply be crushed to death by their presence alone.


    Furthermore, the Dragon realm¡¯s gravity was far higher than that of the mortal world, making it essential for him to offset it too. This was another reason why he had to always keep a certain output of his energy running to offset or in the early days endure the constant pressure and shackles that caged his body and soul.


    At first, it was quite straining to pull off but as he got used to that ce it became a subconscious act that he would do without even thinking.


    But that subconscious act of his was enough to nearly knock out all the nobles present here to celebrate his arrival. This very scenario was an important reminder to him. The feeling that he once received after meeting Tiamat for the very first time. An oppressive pressure that crushed all those she deemed to not be worthy to be graced by her presence.


    ¡®So is this the feeling ofing back to the starting vige after reaching a high level?¡¯


    ¡°Everyone¡­ Rise¡­¡±


    Simple words, but they sounded like orders that could not be defied by anyone. Lest heavenly punishment may befall then and there.


    Slowly standing up, all the nobles were gazing at him with a plethora of emotions brimming in their gazes.


    The Crown Prince.


    One who had stayed outside the prying eyes of the world for nearly fifteen years. Fifteen long years, enough for a dynasty to fall and a new one to take its ce.


    And now¡­


    That boy obscured and veiled from the clutches of reality¡­


    He was now standing in front of them in all his glory¡­


    Sweeping the room with a nce, Sol could see the few acquaintances he had, in this realm, from the Duke''s side.


    He could also see his loved ones, all dispersed in the room in different ces.


    The corners of his mouth were pulled into a radiant smile at that sight, ¡°I am surprised to see you all gathered here and now. But very well¡­ Let it be known that I havee back sessful after a perilous journey.


    ¡°I, Sol Dragona Luxuria, signed a contract with an S-ranked Divine Beast of the Phoenix race and was recognized by the goddess for my deeds. Let it be known by everyone¡­


    ¡°That the Crown Prince¡­ is now ready to be the new King.¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    Lightning boomed in the heavens as the cry of a bird, nay a beast of unparalleled power filled the sky¡­ While the me of judgment swiftly bloomed to cover the entirety of the skies, as though stretching beyond the very limits of the horizon itself.


    It was a day like no other that all those present in the Capital would never forget.


    It was the beginning of the era of their new King!!!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After Sol spoke those words and chased out the nobles from the church, they were greeted with an unbelievable sight outside. Whenever they would gaze above at the sky, their hearts would be filled with terror as they looked at therge ck phoenix standing on the peak of the cathedral and looking down at them with its ominous eyes.


    Even though the look and color of that phoenix were slightly different from what they remembered, no one dared to even entertain the thought that this was a fake.


    As all humans were blessed by Luxuria and Castitas, they could feel it in their very blood as what that beast represented. This was indeed a phoenix. A powerful and mighty phoenix and Sol, their new king, once again did the impossible by bing the first human to have ever formed a contract with a Phoenix.


    All the nobles could feel it. The sky that was once covered by Mars¡¯ shadow was slowly being dispersed by the light of a new Sun, as ironic as that may sound to one.


    They did not know what this would mean for the future of Lustburg.


    Not all Kings had been necessarily good for this kingdom, after all. But they knew that there was nothing they could do exceptply and obey.


    This was the Divinew of this world.


    Likewise, Tyr Hignd, alongside Ares and Athena were also gazing at the sky as they left the church¡­


    ¡°We should go back to the castle.¡±


    ¡°Grandfather¡­Do you think she will be a problem?¡±


    Tyr could only form a bitter smile at those words, ¡°I do not know. Either way, now that the prince is back, I suppose the fight to decide his fiancee and concubines will be fiercer than ever.¡±


    He chuckled atst before gazing at his granddaughter, ¡°You should prepare. Until you rise to take my ce, you will work as his Knight.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Tyr shook his head as he walked away. Things were going to be rather interesting from here on.


    He looked up as small snowkes began to fall.


    ¡®Winter had finally arrived.¡¯


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    While the nobles were leaving and thinking about the future of the kingdom, a red-haired woman wearing what amounted to basically underwear, sat in a bar with a drink in hand as she slept lightly.


    Even though she was extremely attractive and wore clothes so skimpy that even a whore would blush in shame, no one dared to approach, much less disturb her sleep.


    As long as one wasn¡¯t dumb, it was easy to know that some people simply couldn¡¯t be messed with and this woman was like a red herring to that proverb.


    Letting out a sigh, the woman looked up at the sky, ¡°Damn. I thought I would have a few more days to y around in here. I seriously forgot the time difference between this ce and there, after being here for so long.¡±


    She stood up and approached the bartender before leaving a few gold coins on the counter, ¡°Take this.¡±


    The bartender¡¯s eyes bulged at this sight as those coins were old coins from a few generations ago. Their value was superior to current gold coins as they were very valuable for a certain type of people.


    ¡°Madam¡­ You¡­ You might have a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The woman tilted her head before understanding the situation, ¡°I like honest men like you. You can keep them. Also, your wine is not bad but you can make it better.¡±


    She chuckled and wrote a recipe before handing it to him and leaving a very confused bartender with one of the finest wine recipes and a hefty sum of money.


    ¡°Hmmmm!!¡±


    Once outside, she stretched her body, showing her graceful form to the world before walking toward the tower of Babel.


    She didn¡¯t want to stay in the mortal world for too long anyway. It was time to talk business.

 Chapter 384 CH 350:SWIFT REUNION

    ¡°This is quite the show you have put on just aftering back.¡±


    After all the nobles and nuns were made to leave the hall, the only people present were Sol, Camelia, Lilith, Lilin, Setsuna, and Milia.


    The one speaking those words with a slight chuckle gracing her lips as she looked at Sol with a mischievous glint, was none other than Camelia herself. Her words, as she had urately predicted, made Sol blush slightly in embarrassment as he coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment.


    ¡°I thought thating on strong would give a moresting impression. After all, I don¡¯t have enough feats to back up my authority for now.¡±


    Camelia smiled brightly as she approached him before taking him in a tight hug. She had really missed her beloved even in the short time he was away from them, and Sol could feel that in the way she hugged him. It was a hug full of love, passion, and the longing she felt for him., ¡°Wee back.¡±


    She had to look up as she hugged him. She didn¡¯t notice it at first but as she hugged him, she was startled to realize that Sol had be taller and more muscr than she remembered him to be.


    Sol nodded to her words and hugged her back with tender affection. Soon, he shifted his gaze to all of his loved ones. As he stretched his gaze and encapsted their forms in his vision, he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°It¡¯s good to be home.¡±


    He was particrly happy to see that Lilith could stand and walk toe and see him. It meant that things hadn¡¯t deteriorated to thest stage yet.


    ¡°You have be strong, Sol.¡±


    This was all Lilith said when she felt his gaze on her but that was enough for his face to break into a broad grin full of pride and delight. Being recognized as strong by someone on her level was apliment beyond anything one could imagine. It was a testament to his strength and a reminder that his hard work had borne fruit.


    ¡°I still have a long way to go.¡±


    ¡°You have the right mindset.¡±


    She nodded and chose to remain silent after that as she watched Lilin run and jump in his arms with a fervent expression on her face while Setsuna advanced toward him in a calm and stoic way. It was just like them to do something like this.


    They were obviously both very happy to see him back. After all, while it has only been two weeks in the mortal realm since they regrly trained in Medea¡¯s world, their sense of time was quite distorted as well.


    Sol ended greeting all of his loved ones by hugging Milia, who had stayed silent until now and was simply observing him from afar. Out of them all, she was perhaps the happiest and most relieved about seeing him back but she didn¡¯t want to show her weak self to the others, not even in such a situation where she wanted nothing more but to jump in Sol¡¯s embrace and spend the whole day there by his side.


    Thankfully Sol would have none of that.


    Milia had been one of the people he had really wanted to see. After all, he knew that she was one of the most unstable of his girls in the mortal world. Not unlike Nefertiti.


    The warm reunion was interrupted as one young girl, approached them and gave a curtsey.


    Sol was quite displeased at first but this changed into a look of surprise, as he took a careful look at the appearance of the one interrupting them,


    ¡®Blue eyes and Golden hair.¡¯


    ¡°You are¡­?¡±


    ¡°Forgive me, your highness. I am Aurora Castitas, from the Hignd family.¡±


    ¡°So you are his granddaughter¡­¡±


    Sol couldn¡¯t help but direct aplicated nce as he looked at the very reason why a father figure in his life decided to betray him. It was even more surprising to know that she was the goddess Castitas¡¯ Holy Daughter of this generation.


    A Holy Daughter had been missing until now, but now that there was a new one¡­ Sol frowned inwardly.


    This seriously didn¡¯t bode well for Camelia. It seemed that this young girl''s sole reason for existence was to create trouble for him. First with Gerald and now with Camelia.


    ¡°I am happy to meet you Aurora and I believe we will have more time to discusster. But right now I am quite tired and would like to rest a little.¡±


    Aurora knew that Sol was asking her to leave with those subtle words of his but she showed no frustration nor anger on her face. <novelnext></novelnext>


    She was well in her right to say no to him. After all, the church was her territory and Sol''s authority did not surpass her in this ce. Even if he were to be the King of Lustbutg. But she did not try to fight back and simply nodded her head, acknowledging his request.


    ¡°Very well, I hope that in the next few days we will be able to have a good conversation between us. After all, it¡¯s necessary for the Church and the Royal family to maintain a good rtionship.¡±


    She chuckled as she said those words, and a mysterious nce toward Sol, one whose meaning was even beyond him, he who could even manipte Fate itself. Soon, she took a step back before walking away from this gathering.


    Looking at her departing back, Setsuna growled softly, ¡°I do not like that woman.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one.¡±


    Lilin showed the same reaction as Setsuna. Perhaps it was because Aurora was of the same generation as them. They were quite unhappy about the unbridled confidence she was showing before them and the way she talked to Sol just now was particrly displeasing.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we forget the unpleasant matter? We have so much to catch up on. Sol, you have so much you need to tell us. Also, why don¡¯t you tell your friend toe down?¡±


    Sol nodded but advanced toward Lilith and held her hand, ¡°Isis is a little shy so forgive her for noting down and greeting everyone, right now. She wille down as soon as she calms herself. We will have all the time in the world for me to tell you what happened to me during my adventure in the Astral Realm. But now, I believe we have a more important and pressing issue at hand.¡±


    As he said so, he squeezed her hand lightly, ¡°I believe we need to do something about your problem, dear aunt of mine.¡±


    Sol was able to procrastinate when he was in the Astral Realm because of the difference in the flow of time between the two worlds. But now that he was back here in the mortal realm, it was time for him to aplish one of the main reasons he even started that whole trip.


    It was time to heal Lilith and if he wasn¡¯t wrong, Hathor should already be in Lustburg right now.


    With her help and his own powers, he refused to believe that they could not save her.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Meanwhile, after Aurora left the hall, the bright smile brimming on her face slowly vanished until it was reced by a simple expressionless face. As if she was simply a doll having her strings pulled from someone high above.


    She massaged her cheeks slightly, trying to put back her usual smile. She had been spending hours in front of the mirror, every day, as she trained her expressions, the way she spoke, walked, or stood by herself.


    It was quite a boring routine but it was one she enjoyed. It helped her keep order in her life and maintain the idea of being a pure and smiling saint. There were so many things she was still lost about as the world had changed so much since thest time she was awake.


    But today, her mask nearly fell. After all, the disregard Sol showed her was quite obvious. Aurora didn¡¯t want to be petty but for the life of her she could not understand why Sol basically ignored her like that,


    ¡°Well, at least the first contact was established.¡±


    She was in no hurry. She would slowly build their rtionship from there. As the holy daughter, she will always have one step on Sol¡¯s side. This was her duty as the overseer of the church¡¯s side of things.


    ¡®I wonder what will his face be like when I tell him the truth.¡¯


    She chuckled, awaiting that day with impatience. For now, though, they simply needed to be friends or whatever step there was that needed to be established for a gradual advance in their rtionship. Then everything would go as she intended.


    ¡®I need to use my time well.¡¯


    With those thoughts, shepletely left the ce and went to her quarters. Patiently biding her time for the right moment to strike. After all, time was thest thing she needed to be worried about.


    (AN: After 200+ chapters since Sol learned about Lilith''s situation, he is finally about to heal her. As for Aurora, let¡¯s just say I have my ns for her.)


    *******: /HikaruGenji


    Join my Pa treon You can get up to 57 advanced chapters, 19 of SHK and 19 of Gojo, and 19 of Lustful Paradise and take a look at my new story Midnight Prince: Sinful Empire. The story is recently contracted and I am sure you will like it as much as you like SHK.

 Chapter 385 CH 351:HEALTHY RIVALRY?

    Once Sol decided that they needed to elerate, he called Isis so that she could at least get to know his family. After all, they were all family now. It was necessary to get everyone on the same page.


    When Isis came down from the top of the church and took her human form, she had to admit that she was feeling a little scared.


    The mortal realm felt so foreign and alien to her. Even though there was no difference in appearance, the difference in mana quantity and quality was so high that she felt like she was a fish outside of water.


    It wasn¡¯t just a metaphor as divine beasts like her basically breathed mana into their everyday life.


    As if it wasn¡¯t enough, the restrictions in space in this world were so tight that she was like a whale taken from the sea and forced to stay in a aquarium.


    It went without saying that it was extremely ufortable. But this wasn¡¯t what really scared Isis. After all, she had already known how bad the environment would be.


    What scared her was how her first meeting with her new family would be. She didn¡¯t have Nefertiti or the others so she was the only one from the Astral realm faction that was present so to speak.


    Would the other girl shun and bully her? Would they simply ignore her? It was with those apprehensions that she went down and goddess, the gaze and scrutiny she felt suddenly on her made her break into cold sweat.


    It wasn¡¯t hostile. It wasn¡¯t even something like distaste or such petty feeling. She could feel that she was being observed in everyway possible as if they were trying to understand her greatest secret.


    She could feel some jealousy from the wolf girl and the young purple-haired woman. The gaze of the cow woman waspletely devoid of any emotion.


    The older purple-haired woman was gazing at her with clear wariness and as for the blonde one¡­


    ¡®She can look into souls?¡¯


    Isis was surprised but did nothing to hide her soul. After all, she had nothing to hide.


    ¡°Hello everyone, my name is Isis. Happy to meet you.¡±


    So she greeted them with a somewhat awkward and shy smile, not really knowing what she should say or do.


    ¡°Isis, can I ask you to stay here and get to know everyone? I n to heal my esteemed aunt as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need my help?¡±


    Isis desperately wanted to leave now and she was sure her Nirvana could be of some help. But Sol smiled before leaving through the Warp gate of the church that connected the church to the Tower of Babel.


    The woman named Lilith tried to protest but she could only stay silent as Sol pulled her without asking for her permission and left.


    ¡°Lilin, stay with them.¡±


    The younger purple hair, most likely a sister or daughter of the older version, gave an awkward smile and nodded.


    Like this, Sol, Lilith, and Milia left the church.


    Now alone, Isis gave a shy smile as she waved her hand, ¡°Hey¡­?¡±


    ¡®This girl is¡­Quite nice?¡¯


    Camelia noticed inwardly, as she observed Isis.


    ¡®A little too nice.¡¯


    Camelia knew all the women who rejoined Sol¡¯s harem had something fundamentally broken about them. One way or another, they were all slightly mentally unstable, to say the least. Theycked something and that need was fulfilled by Sol. It was one of the reasons why they were all so devoted to him.


    But this girl?


    Her clothes were the only thing dark about her. Inwardly, she was shining so brightly that it was like looking at a lighthouse or like looking at a moon reflecting the light of the sun.


    Camelia squinted.


    ¡®I wonder if she is suitable for Sol?¡¯


    Isis, who would have never guessed that Camelia was dissatisfied with her because she wasn¡¯t ¡®broken enough¡¯ was trying to make friends.


    ¡°You must be Setsuna. Sol talked about you many times. His most loyal knight.¡±


    Setsuna smiled a little but it was mostly a bitter smile. She wasn¡¯t feeling well.


    ¡®Just how much had he grown? What about that woman?¡¯


    In an ideal world, Setsuna would have been Sol''s first contract. They would have shared a bond that not even death could take away.


    In an ideal world, she would be Sol¡¯s strongest de. Not only his most loyal knight but also his strongest.


    But right now, did he even need a knight?


    She had felt his power the moment he stepped in and like the others, she had been left breathless.


    Not long ago, the two of them were tied after a fight and she even had the upper hand. But now? Now Sol didn¡¯t even need to transform topletely crush her.


    The same went for that phoenix. Even now as she observed her, the girl was obviously not a warrior and was so full of openings it was funny but could she win? <novelnext></novelnext>


    The answer was once again no.


    She didn¡¯t know why, but her instincts were screaming at her that winning was not even in the realm of mere possibility. The chances of it happening were so low that it might as well be non-existent.


    ¡®It¡¯s depressing.¡¯


    Setsuna sighed before giving a salute, ¡°Hello Isis, I am happy to meet you.¡±


    Setsuna was sad. Sad because she was weak. Sad because she might be useless to Sol. She was also jealous and bitter. So many ugly feelings swirling in her heart that it was suffocating.


    But¡­She would not act because of her own feeling of inferiority. Pettiness would not make her stronger.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a duel.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a fight.¡±


    Setsuna was surprised as she turned and saw the same looks on Lilin¡¯s face. It seemed that the two of them had the same ideas at the same time.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    All Isis could do wasugh awkwardly. It seemed that Skuld was right. The girls here were even crazier.


    ¡®Sol save me!¡¯


    ¡ª-


    While Isis was facing the craziness of Sol¡¯s harem, Sol was walking looking at hallways of the tower of Babel in silence.


    The nostalgia he felt was so intense that it was breathtaking.


    Only six months went by for him, but it felt like an eternity.


    Once he finally calmed down, he took a deep breath before releasing arge sigh. Like Isis, he could feel the weak mana in the air. But unlike her, this did not disturb him. Compared to the polluted air when he was in his old world, this was still paradise after all.


    Indeed. He was back home. Already he could feel the gaze of Medea and the others, witches, on him.


    Now that he had control over his dimension, he could easily block those gazes. But, why would he?


    ¡°I am back.¡±


    He smiled in a serene way. All he wanted now was to rush and take Medea in his arms.


    ¡°Soon.¡±


    He muttered before looking at Milia, ¡°There are many things I want to tell you now. But it can wait. Soon there should be a woman with ming red hairing to the castle or trespassing. Tell the guards to not worry and if that person go through the front door, let her enter. She is an esteemed guest.¡±


    ¡°Vey well.¡±


    Milia gave a proper salute before walking away. She was literally dripping wet right now. So she needed a change of clothes.


    Sol smirked as he watched Milia walk away, aware of her arousal. But now really wasn¡¯t the time.


    Focusing on Lilith, he asked, ¡°At least you keep your promise and didn¡¯t try anything dangerous while I was gone.¡±


    Lilith coughed a little.


    Sol¡¯s eyebrow rose at her reaction, ¡°I see¡­So you did, or nearly did. Should I say that I am not surprised?¡±


    ¡°You have be quite insolent.¡±


    ¡°I rather say I became more carefree.¡±


    Solughed before walking toward her bedroom, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I am waiting for a doctor.¡±


    Lilith was curious. Even Persephone, the witch of life hadn¡¯t be able to save her.


    ¡°Who is she?¡±


    ¡°The best of the best.¡±


    Hathor was the best doctor in the entire Astral realm and even if she failed, Sol had still enough divinity to use his power.


    Once Lilith''s case was solved, it would be one less weight on his shoulder and he would then ponder how to conquer the whole mortal realm.


    The faster he could do so, the better it would be. He might have joked about conquering the world through his women but it would never be that easy.


    ¡®I would need some real Deus Ex to seed in this endeavor.¡¯


    Sol smiled at his own joke. It sure felt good to be home.


    (AN: Most popr girl ising back. Man so many people Sol needs to catch up with. This is also the problem with a cast too big. There are too many characters I need to take into ount in any given chapter. It can be quite overwhelming sometimes.)

 Chapter 386 CH 352:HATHOR

    When Sol reached Lilith¡¯s bedroom, he was greeted by a green-haired woman d in nurse clothes,


    ¡°Oh my, the wonder boy is back. Though should I call you wonder man? You certainly aren¡¯t a kid anymore.¡±


    Persephone stood up as she approached Sol before hugging him tightly. The rtionship between the two of them was pretty casual to say the least. There was no deep drama, no fierce love or anything of the like.


    They could be called friends with benefits in a certain way and clearly, Persephone was happy with the current state of their rtionship.


    After all, while she did like Sol, she was not really in love with him either.


    ¡°It has been a while. I am happy to see that you are well.¡±


    After they took a step back, Persephone admired Sol with a new eyes. His physical changes were already startling but the power she felting from him was astonishing.


    ¡°I have been well as you can see. I grew quite a bit and managed to reach a new power level.¡±


    ¡°That I can see. By the way, no need to look around. Medea fled the moment you entered. Something about being ashamed to see you in her current attire or being too excited.¡±


    Persephoneughed, seeing Medea run around like a squirrel had been more delightful than she thought it would be possible.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a problem; I will go find herter.¡±


    He nodded. He truly wanted to see Medea. Badly even. But all of this could wait. He didn¡¯t want to have to tell his stories many time. Once Lilith was healed, they could organize a great banquet withe everyone present.


    A more serious expression settled on his face then as he looked at Persephone,


    ¡°How is her current situation?¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­I am here you know? You could simply ask me.¡±


    ¡°Any statementing from you in this situation is unreliable.¡±


    Sol did not hesitate to shoot down Lilith before focusing on Persephone.


    ¡°She is still slowly losing power and now is barely handing at maintaining her king rank. In a few days, her energy level would slip down to Duke then so on until she die.¡±


    Persephone''s voice was clear and calm. For her, Lilith''s eventual demise would not particrly make her sad. Such was life. No one was truly immortal. Not even the goddesses.


    Sol was not offended by Persephone¡¯s choice of words. He knew that the woman was the kind of person who could watch the world burn while sipping on some exotic wine without care. She was very carefree and her liberal view of life and death gave her a strong heart.


    ¡°Thank you. This wouldn¡¯t have been possible without you and Medea.¡±


    Sol gave a bright smile as he hugged Persephone again, startling her a little bit.


    ¡°Still, even if we managed to keep the inevitable from happening, if you didn¡¯t find a solution it would all be for naught.¡±


    After all, despite their best skill, all they could do dying. Persephone had tried finding a more permanent solution, but all her efforts were for nothing.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    *Knock* *Knock*


    ¡°Your highness, your guest is waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Perfect timing.¡± Sol didn¡¯t mind being interrupted by a maid as the message they just gave was what he had been waiting for all along.


    ¡°Please stay here and prepare Lilith. We wille shortly.¡±


    Lilith could only look at all of this happening with a confused expression on her face. It seemed like her consent was useless now and Sol was making the decision without consulting her.


    It was rather insulting in a way but at the same time, she could not really find in herself the need to fight back his words.


    It seemed that Sol noticed her feeling as he stopped in front of her,


    ¡°Remember our promise. I found a way to save you. So until I do, your live is mine. After I heal you, you can do whatever the hell you want. I will not constraint you.¡±


    Finished giving his thought, Sol walked away without paying more attention to what she had to say.


    Now alone, Persephone chuckled,


    ¡°The boy really became a man. I must say, I like his new side.¡±


    The Sol she remembered was always overly polite to a fault and was sometimes too gentle when speaking to his loved one.


    There was nothing wrong with that. But now that he was an adult, it was necessary for him to step up more. Even more, since he would soon be the King of Lustburg.


    The authority in their family would shift.


    Lilith understood that his travel had really changed him. Truly only by going through a different kind of experience could one truly grow mentally.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I should be proud or offended.¡±


    It was certainly aplicated feeling <novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡ª


    Sol was happy that he did not have to wait long for his guest toe. In fact, he didn¡¯t wait at all.


    This proved that Hathor was ready to honor the bet they made back then.


    Sol grinned as he walked toward the main hall and as he thought about finally putting that matter behind him. Then he would have a big hot bath and then eat with his family.


    He didn¡¯t need much more than this for he appreciated the simple things of life. He could see a zing red-haired woman wearing clothes that went way past what could be called decent who was sitting.


    From the moment he entered the main hall, the sweet scent of wine could already be felt as it permeated the air.


    Milia was standing a few steps away from the woman with a stoic expression. But could feel that she was twitching because of theck of manner that woman was showing.


    ¡°Yahoo! Dear brother-inw or nephew-inw? It can be pretty confusing.¡±


    Sol chortled, ¡°Wee Hathor. I am happy to see you here.¡±


    Hathor one of the four King-ranked phoenixes as well as the greatest healer.


    Hathor shrugged, ¡°Well, what can I say, we had a bet about whether or not something would happen and man did something big happen.¡±


    When Sol had asked Hathor for help, it had been on the ground that a big event would happen while in the Dragon realm. Hathor thought obviously that it was impossible. After all, it was the dragon realm! Who would have been bold and crazy enough to stir trouble there?


    ¡®Well, I should have learned by now that there is always some crazy bastard.¡¯


    Not only did something happen but it was something super big. A small-scale war happened and even Peak level powerhouses like Surtr and Anubis were part of it.


    She had been very surprised when she learned this. But since she was someone who respected the bet she made, she decided to descend into the mortal realm as promised.


    ¡°Well, my dear Sol, you definitely have to exin in more depth what happened. You wouldn¡¯t believe how crazy mother was going. All the divine beasts n to make convene. I don¡¯t even remember thest time something like that happened.¡±


    ¡°Well, with how old you are, I guess it must be difficult going through your memory.¡±


    As a Phoenix, Hathor was also one of the first being created in this universe by the goddesses and also one of the oldest. Sol had long since decided that caring about the age of those he was talking with was a fruitless endeavor.


    Power and wisdom didn¡¯t necessarilye with age. Mortals were the greatest proof.


    ¡°I am sure old, huh?¡±


    Hathor shugged the wine from her gourd before wiping her lips with the back of her hand. Looking at her acting like this, one would never think she was an esteemed and old phoenix. But Sol didn¡¯t care.


    There was only one thing he cared about.


    ¡°So, you had a patient you wanted me to meet?¡±


    He grinned, ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Led the way, my dear, let''s see just how fucked up the situation is.¡±


    A few minutester, as Hathor inspected Lilith she sighed


    ¡°Well¡­Should I say that it¡¯s even more fucked up than I thought it would be?¡±


    Sol was sad to realize that he was not even surprised.


    (AN: Hathor''s discussion with Sol started in CH 190.


    I wish you all a Happy new year. Really thanks for all the support. I hope that by the end of 2023 I will be able to finish or at leaste close to the end of SHK. I also hope that all of you guys will follow me until the end. Have a good day everyone.)


    My goal is to reach the top 25 in trending (All time/monthly). I know we can do it. If you want to read my other works, join me on P@treon: /HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site)


    Changed the gift-to-chapter ratio for a new month and because of the changes on WN.


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Castle= 2 BC


    A golden Gachapon = 5 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    10K= 3 BC (Spread over four days)


    25K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    1500 GT= 1 BC

 Chapter 387 CH 353:STEPPINGIN UNKWNON TERRITORY

    When Hathor entered the room alongside Sol, both Persephone and Lilith¡¯s gazes immediately focused on her.


    They had already felt her presence a few moments before but seeing her in her presence waspletely different.


    Even though she seemed sloppy and slovenly in appearance, her depth was like a calm and still sea stretching as far as the horizon could see.


    The moment the three powerhouses gathered in the same room, the same thought went through their mind at the same time.


    ¡®Can I beat her?¡¯


    Hathor shivered a little when she felt Lilith''s gaze on her.


    ¡®Just what is that?¡¯


    As phoenixes, the thing they feared the less was death. They could simplye back to life stronger and still fight.


    It was nearly impossible topletely put an end to a phoenix even if the difference in power was wide.


    But facing Lilith, all Hathor could do was grimace. Her instincts were screaming at her that this thing could kill her permanently if she underestimated her.


    As for the green-haired woman, Hathor felt like their fight would be very tedious. If Hathor was like a deep sea, Persephone was like a tree whose roots could burrow even to the center of the earth if necessary.


    It was crazy but in terms of pure life, Persephone was clearly stronger than even the children of Yggdrasil. She even briefly wondered if the woman had dryad or elf blood in her.


    ¡°Haha~Humans are really scary.¡±


    Hathor gulped once again from her gourd as she whistled.


    It was no joke.


    ¡°Then again I can¡¯t really say that you are humans either.¡±


    One was a witch and the other was¡­What was she?


    Hathor fought her instinctive disgust as she observed Lilith. After all, from her perspective, Lilith¡¯s existence was even worse than a necromancer. After all, while Necromancer was against the natural cycle. They were still part of it, albeit loosely. Undead could not be created without a soul and strong resentment.


    But that thing¡­


    It was something unnatural. Something that should not exist. An artificial existence created by a madman.


    Her instances were telling her to stop. To not participate in helping that thing stay alive any longer. It would be an insult to everything that was pure and holy.


    ¡°Hello, I am Hathor. I will be your doctor.¡±


    To those instincts, Hathor only had three words.


    ¡®Go fuck yourself.¡¯


    That thing¡­That person was someone she had epted to save, so she would do it no matter what.


    She was too strong to let something like ¡®instincts¡¯ control her thought process about who and who she should like or hate.


    Either way, a patient was a patient. Her personal thoughts never mattered the moment she decided to save her.


    ¡°I am Lilith, the guardian, and Lustburg.¡±


    Lilith did not introduce herself as queen. She had never liked that title and in her mind, the moment Sol came back, her duty was finished.


    ¡°Persephone. A witch.¡±


    Persephone didn¡¯t bother saying that she was one of the four witches. She knew that her title would not matter to a divine beast.


    As a faction, the witches were not weaker than any average Divine beast faction. In fact, she could argue that if they werepared, they would be in the upper strata. But for divine beasts, witches were nothing more than the servant of Asmodeus.


    Both Lilith and Persephone''s greetings were simple but the atmosphere became considerably warmer.


    Persephone knew about the revulsion Divine Beasts would feel in Lilith¡¯s presence. This was why she had already warned Lilith. If a divine beast didn¡¯t outwardly scowl at her or outright attack her after the first meeting, then it was a person worth befriending.


    Sol had stayed silent as he felt the three woman gauge each other, now that it was done, it was time to go to more important matters.


    ¡°Can you inspect her body?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. But, she would have to let me circte my mana in her body.¡±


    It went without saying how dangerous letting someone else pour mana into your body could be. It was like giving that person hold over your life and death.


    But she had no choice. Hathor couldn¡¯t simplye and use nirvana and bam, everything would be good. It was a process far moreplicated and even then she would need some time toe up with a proper n.


    As naturally suspicious as she was, there was no way Lilith would ept such a thing. At least that was so in normal circumstances. <novelnext></novelnext>


    Now though, she was already at death''s door. This change of circumstances made her more daring.


    ¡°Well, you are a fast one.¡±


    Looking as Lilith stretched her hand without care. Hathor grinned and approached Lilith before holding her hand.


    ¡°I am sorry if my expression doesn¡¯t look right. Just an advice, but never step foot in the Astral realm.¡±


    Hathor didn¡¯t hide her psychological condition as she held Lilith''s hand and even joked about it.


    ¡°Then again, if they know you are rted to the Dragon Emperor, I am sure they won¡¯t dare to even think of attacking you.¡±


    ¡°Dragon Emperor?¡±


    Sol coughed a little to hide his embarrassment, ¡°I will exin everythingter.¡±


    Hathorughed mischievously while she slowly began to infuse mana in Lilith¡¯s body.


    Lilith had never felt sofortable. Feeling a foreign mana in her body was a little weird at first but as it flew and circted her body, she almost released a moan of relief.


    She might have not shown it, but her body was in no way a stable state. The exterior was fine, but the interior was aplete wreck.


    Theughter on Hathor''s face slowly vanished as it was released with a frown and evenplete astonishment.


    A few minutester, as Hathor inspected Lilith, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh¡­


    ¡°Well¡­ Should I say that it¡¯s even more fucked up than I thought it would be?¡±


    Sol was sad to realize that he was not even surprised after hearing that statement from her.


    ¡°How bad is it?¡±


    ¡°How bad? Hah¡­¡± Hathor released a harshugh, ¡°Her being alive currently is a miracle. How the hell are you not dead?¡±


    Hathor was indeed inplete disbelief. No matter which angle she looked at it, Lilith should be dead.


    There were so many parts of her body that was not even functioning properly that it wasn¡¯t funny. Her body wasn¡¯t just a wreck, it was like a thousand or hundreds thousand piece puzzle with many broken and lost pieces.


    She then gazed at Persephone, ¡°I can feel the power of time on her body. I guess there is a second doctor? The three of us need to discuss this. This is really way more difficult than I thought.¡±


    ¡°What is the problem exactly.¡±


    Hathor wasn¡¯t bothered by Sol¡¯s question, she needed to get her thought out herself in order to better organize the situation in her mind.


    ¡°Her body isn¡¯t just dying. It¡¯s devouring itself. But I guess you should already know that. So you have two options, ¡°


    She stopped addressing Sol and went back to Lilith, after all, the choice would be hers, ¡°Right now, I can simply use nirvana on you. Your body wille back to your most optimal state. Basically your peak. But you would be doomed of being unable to fight for long. As the more you fight, the faster you wille back to your current situation.¡±


    She sighed, ¡°Honestly I would advise you to take this option. You are a King rank. Despite your situation, if you don¡¯t use your power, you should be able to live for a few more decades or even a century. I believe it isn¡¯t bad for a mortal.


    Who knows, you might even be able to be a demigod andpletely change your situation.¡±


    Hathor truly believed that this was the safest option and the one that should be taken. The talk about bing a demigod was of course just lip service.


    The transcendence itself needed power. Even if by some mighty luck she obtained the asion, she would kill herself by trying to be a demigod.


    Still, nothing was impossible. Furthermore, she had Sol. Perhaps in the future, Sol could find a better way.


    Lilith though waspletely unfazed, ¡°Since you gave me a safe option, I believe there is a more risky one.¡±


    Hathor sighed, ¡°Sometimes I wonder why I even bother giving two options when it¡¯s clear they will always choose the risky path.¡±


    She began to drink heavily. The alcohol did nothing to her mind, but the cebo effect helped her calm down.


    ¡°Second option is to y the goddess like whoever created you. We use Nirvana, not to resurrect you, but to slowly rebuild and optimize your body.¡±


    The distaste as she said this was clear.


    "This is a very risky option. For one, we would need a blueprint of how your body should look like. We would need a child or a sibling in the same situation as you but not¡­You know? Dying? Without someone like that, it would honestly take weeks toe up with a n. But it isn¡¯t much of a problem as I can simply go to the Astral realm and prepare.


    "Secondly, I would need to understand and study your biology more deeply as the slightest mistake would mean death. Most likely perpetual.


    "There are also many smallplications that might appear as we do. But the most problematic thing is. When we are done you would basically be a new creature. A new race. Not even speaking about what that might do to your mind, there is one little problem we can''t really ignore."


    She pointed towards the sky, "What would the big bosses above think about that? I don''t know for you, but I don''t wish to be smithed down by an angry goddess."

 Chapter 388 CH 354:FUCKING SUB QUEST

    The expression of all those present in the room became grave as soon as they heard Hathor¡¯s foreboding words.


    Neptune had been punished when he created Lilith and furthered his research into the evolution of species. But his punishment was minimal at best. It was thanks to him using the wish he was granted by Luxuria after sitting on the throne of Lustburg and bing the king of the human race.


    Still, this didn¡¯t mean that they could simply do as they pleased.


    Sol also had the capacity of making the same kind of wish to the goddess of lust. Since they weren¡¯t really creating a new race but simply helping Lilith modify her existence, surely it would be possible to avoid punishment, right? That was the optimistic scenario he was gunning for¡­


    ¡°I have a question. Always been curious about it. The chimera queen created an entire fucki¨C * Sigh*, pardon me. As I was saying, she created a whole new race I believe, why wasn¡¯t she punished?¡±


    Sol asked a question that had been bothering him for a long long time and now that he had a divine beast as old as Hathor to respond to his queries, he wanted to get an answer from her. He was really on the verge of losing his temper as it felt like every time things were going easy for him, something was going to make the situation harder.


    But he refused to throw his frustration at a person who had shown goodwill bying to help him in this precarious situation.


    ¡°Who said that she wasn¡¯t punished? The chimeras are abominations to the natural order. This is also one of the reasons why there has never been a Holy Daughter or Crown Prince or Princess in Glutonny Foss since its inception. Those abominations cannot be blessed by the goddesses.¡±


    Hathor shrugged her shoulders as she spoke the next part of her speech, ¡°As for her exact punishment, I don¡¯t know for sure. She has the blessing of two goddesses, I think she didn¡¯t suffer much of anything, to be honest.¡±


    Sol sighed, ¡°Very well. This isn¡¯t the problem now anyway.¡±


    He thought for a bit as he tried to weigh the pros and cons of this tiresome situation, ¡°Lilith, are you sure you want to go through the risky method? I believe that it would only take me a few years to be a King and then a Demigod.¡±


    Since Sol was a dimensional mage, the transition from King to the realm of a Demigod would be far easier for him. What would be an impossibility for others would only be a question of time for him due to his innate trait and heaven-defying talent.


    If Lilith were to settle for the safe method, once he became a demigod and had greater control over his powers, he could help her in any way that was necessary. But that was for the future, not in the present. All she needed was to stay put for a few years and not use her powers. Just live her life like a normal human.


    Was that really too much to ask? Perhaps¡­ Especially since the person in question was none other than Lilith Luxuria¡­


    ¡°My opinion on this matter will not change. A sword that cannot cut is nothing but a useless tool that is better discarded. I would rather die than be a cripple unable to use my own powers. You know that already, Sol, don¡¯t drag this matter anymore¡­¡±


    As sad as it was, it was inevitable that she didn¡¯t share his sentiments or his way of thinking. Lilith¡¯s opinion was clear. She would rather be a shooting star shing in the sky and zing for a brief instant, even if that single instant was the time it could remain in existence, than force herself to be weak and utterly helpless.


    All her life, she had trained, trained, and trained to reach the level she was at now. Her life¡¯s very purpose had been to attain this power she now wielded. She was strong, unimaginably so. Even in the face of a divine beast, Lilith could confidently say that she was as strong as it was possible for a King to be. She had reached the very limits of the realm¡ª the very zenith of a mortal¡­


    The only reason she didn¡¯t try to reach the demigod level was simply that she did not have enough energy to do so.


    ¡°Do you not care about what would happen to Lilin? What about me? or Camelia? How do you think we will feel if you pass away like this?¡±


    He was almost pleading now.


    ¡°Sol, do not force me on a path I refuse, nay, loathe to follow. I may be acting selfishly, but this is my life and I have the right to make my own choices.¡±


    Sol sighed, wondering if he should simply use his remaining divinity and manipte Fate to get the desired result he so desperately wished for. But he eventually calmed down. Even without using divinity, it wasn¡¯t impossible to tilt the events to his advantage.


    He was no doctor and he couldn¡¯t y around with her life. Even if he had the powers necessary to do so.


    Biting his lips, he thought for a bit before speaking with tiredness permeating his tone, ¡°Let¡¯s recapitte our options. First, you need an example of what she should have been. Her perfect version, so to speak, and someone rted to her if possible, right? That is fairly easy to do¡­ She has a daughter, her name¡¯s Lilin, and she should be enough to fulfill all your criteria.¡±


    Hathor merely shrugged, ¡°Can¡¯t say anything before seeing her but¡­ Theoretically speaking, it should work, yeah. We shall see when we cross that bridge.¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    He nodded and turned toward Persephone, ¡°I believe witches have the greatest knowledge in all the realms. There should be some witches who specialized in biology, right? I would need someone who has extensive knowledge about subuses, humans, and the hybrids born between the two if possible.¡±


    Persephone mused after hearing him speak, ¡°Indeed, there is someone. Her name is La Befana [1]. An old disciple of mine. I specialize in pure life energy but she went deeper into the domain. And if I recall correctly, she did study into Subuses in order to find a way to get rid of our curse or at least the most tiresome of them all.¡±


    The results went without saying.


    The basis of her disciple¡¯s research was pretty clear for anyone to see. After all, the draining curse Witches were afflicted with was extremely simr to the life drain subus and vampires were innately able to make use of.


    The papers she had produced were of the highest quality and she became one of the rare witches to use blood magic as well as water and ice magic too. She had a firm belief that water was the source of all life.


    It was an interesting theory that Persephone would have encouraged to be further researched. If not for what had happened to the Darwin siblings.


    The goddesses clearly did not appreciate any theories that were rted to evolution.


    ¡°But there is a problem.¡±


    ¡®Of course, there is a fucking problem. How could there be not? Every single time, dammit!¡¯


    Sol began to understand what that short plumber with a mustache in a certain cult ssic game must have felt whenever he beat a boss and the bastards told him the iconic line¡ª ¡®The princess is in another castle.¡¯ ¡­


    He felt like he was ying an old-school RPG that would give hundreds of side quests just toplete one main quest.


    ¡°So, what might be the problem this time?¡±


    He asked once again, as calmly as he was able to. He had faced literal goddesses and demigods, surely it shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?


    ¡°The council of witches still hasn¡¯t decided whether or not we should open the gates of Salem once more.¡±


    ¡®Ah, so this time the enemy is democracy, huh? Beautiful! Absofuckinglutely beautiful!¡¯


    What a world to live in this was!


    He sighed. ¡°So we have three problems. One, hope that Lilin will be enough for the biological blueprint. Two, get the witches out of Salem. Three, get the goddesses to not punish us if whatever we do ends up pissing them off.¡±


    Hathor chortled, clearly finding the situation interesting. ¡°I must say¡­I didn¡¯t know what kind of shit I was putting myself into when I decided to ept your request.¡±


    She had lived thousands of years with nothing particrly interesting happening outside of her sister, Nent, going through a bted rebellion Phase.


    But now, only a few days after leaving the Astral realm, she was already facing goddess level problems.


    Sol smiled bitterly at her words, he remembered about Bastet and how she had been adamant about not following him. Now it was clear that she had quite the foresight, after all¡­


    He was just a ma for all sorts of trouble¡­


    *Sigh*


    (AN: Vol 11 will be huge. Perhaps myrgest volume. For now, it will have Lilin/Lilith/Crowning/Politics/Witches. Perhaps I will separate it in two volume to straighten my idea better. We shall see.)

 Chapter 389 CH355:GENIUS IDEA?

    [Medea''s World]


    While Sol wasmenting about the inevitability of fate, Medea was walking around and fidgeting under the amused gaze of, Ambrosia and Freya.


    Once she savored her tea and inwardly wondered if they should try a new brand, she asked the question that had been burning on her lips,


    ¡°So dear daughter of mine, what are you doing here instead of being with him?"


    "I panicked, Okay?"


    Freya chortled a little but waved her hand under the resentful gaze of her sister,


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, don¡¯t mind me. I do not exist.¡±


    The three witches were as colorful as always. ck, white, pink, different colors and personalities shing.


    ¡°What else?¡±


    Ambrosia knew that this couldn¡¯t be all.


    Medea hesitated a little, ¡°I¡­I think I am a little ashamed as well. I was so sure that when he came I would wee him with good news. Now though, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Is the council still stubborn?¡±


    Freya asked. The four witches generally didn¡¯t interfere in each other sphere of influence. There were no particr rules about it. It was just a matter of respect and not wishing to be swamped with even more work.


    The council was the most tiresome of the four since it was the only one where that didn¡¯t have absolute power and left a semnce of democracy. Since none of them wanted that job, they had to y rock-paper-scissors.


    Medea won all three times by using her power but was then disqualified for cheating. Freya chortled once again when she remembered the face Medea made back then.


    ¡°Freya!¡±


    ¡°I said I am sorry. Pfft!¡±


    She stood up and began walking away, knowing that she would not be able to stay serious longer than this.


    Once Freya left, Medea sighed, before sitting down and banging her head against the table,


    ¡°I know I am being foolish. But ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you already did a good job convincing them to have an airing.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°But Sol will be scrutinized.¡±


    Indeed, #1 asked that Sol should apologize publicly for what Lustburg had done as well as many little amendments and support that would heavily favor the witches.


    Medea gritted her teeth. Asking Sol to apologize wasn¡¯t a problem per se. But she thought it was useless. Many of the current witches weren¡¯t even alive back then and neither was Sol.


    But so be it. She knew that Sol wouldn¡¯t mind doing this. But the more they asked the more Medea began to bristle.


    In a way, what they were trying to do was no different than trying to recreate the era of the puppet king. Only this time, rather than the nobles controlling the King, it would be the witches.


    They took a few steps back when they learned that Sol was now called the ¡°Dragon Emperor¡± but it didn¡¯t change much.


    The witches were no inferiors to any divine beasts and Ambrosia was one of the most powerful demigods. Even though she wasn¡¯t a false god yet, she was no less dangerous. After all, she had thebined knowledge of thousands of witches, be they dead or alive.


    She was not called the All-knowing for nothing.


    Furthermore, the witches also had the support of Asmodeus. One of the first divine beasts.


    No matter from what perspective you looked at it, the witches feared no one in the Astral realm. Not even Tiamat.


    After all, Tiamat would not attack them for no reason and even if she did, they would not be helpless.


    This was their pride.


    But that pride was destroyed in the Mortal realm because there, someone reigned and they could do absolutely nothing about that person.


    The ruler of Lustburg. The blessed of Luxuria. The being with the ultimate backing.


    It didn¡¯t matter how strong they were or how strong Asmodeus or Ambrosia were, they were absolutely helpless when facing the King or Queen.


    ¡°Do you me them?¡±


    Medea shook her head, ¡°Once bitten twice shy. They were betrayed by Lustburg because of my stupidity. I understand why they want more initiative this time. But I cannot ept this.¡±


    ¡°And they do not care.¡±


    This was the problem that Medea was facing. If Sol refused their demands, they simply had to ignore Lustburg like they already did for thousand years. Nothing would change for them.


    ¡°Ugh¡­Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°I will not order them. The choice is theirs. Try convincing them and seed or fail.¡±


    Ambrosia was entirely neutral on this matter. She refused to take a side again. After all, she simply did not know Sol enough.


    Ideally, she would like to observe him for one or two hundred years, but she wondered if he would even survive that long.


    Outside of a few exceptions, Blesseds weren¡¯t really known for their longevity.


    ¡°Still, if you are so worried about this. You should talk to him about it rather than worrying about it on your own.¡±


    It was when they reached that part that the two of them stopped. <novelnext></novelnext>


    Even though they had been speaking, they were also observing the situation in Lilith¡¯s bedroom. Embarrassed she might be, but Medea had the duty to care for Lilith, there was no way she would not observe her continuously until she was healed or died.


    They heard the discussion about how they would need the help of a witch as well as perhaps the entire library causing Medea to groan.


    ¡°Why¡­?¡±


    Ambrosia also frowned, but for different reasons. She was very old and knew very well how Fate worked.


    As long as a Blessed was in his Heyday, the world itself would bend backward to help them realize their dreams and aspiration.


    Thousand years ago, when Jupiter wished to be King, by some ¡®chance¡¯ he found Medea. The one woman who had enough influence and power to help him be King but at the same time didn¡¯t have enough experience to feel his duplicity.


    If Jupiter had not discarded stupidly discarded Medea, his end would have been very different.


    In the far past, when Echidna wished to create the perfect life, by some ¡®chance¡¯ she became friends with both Her and Anubis, the only mortals in the entire world who specialized in exactly what Echidnacked toplete her goal.


    Now, like back then, All the pieces right now were fitting for Sol to reach out to the witches.


    But this time, not only Medea, but all the four witches were one way or another rted to him.


    If before she had wanted to stay absolutely neutral and observe, now she was wondering if she should change her stance.


    But then, what would be the right choice?


    ¡®I hate dealing with Blessed.¡¯


    Ambrosia swore under her breath, deciding that she might write aw about fleeing the very moment they meet a Blessed in order to not create more problems.


    ¡°Mother, what should we do?¡±


    Medea asked. It wasn¡¯t impossible for witches to roam the mortal world if they wished, they could simply ask for La Befana toe out.


    It might involve somepensation, but this was not a problem.


    Ambrosia gave a bitter chuckle and looked up at the sky, ¡°La Befana is the current #1 of the council.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Even Medea could not stop herself from cursing and Ambrosia did not stop her.


    After all, they were indeed in one fucked up situation.


    Freya, who hade back after calming down was startled when she heard her sister curse like this.


    It was rare to see her use such a crudenguage. Much less their mothers not reprimanding her.


    Curious about what happened, she asked and Medea did not argue as she exined. After all, Freya was as much concerned about this situation as all of them.


    When Medea finished her exnation, Freya tilted her head,


    ¡°Where is the problem exactly?¡±


    Medea tilted her head, ¡°La Befana is one of the staunchest voices for istionism or having Lusturb under our control. The chances that she epts to help Sol are pretty low and even if she did ept, it would be with a price.¡±


    ¡°And this is why I said that there is no problem.¡±


    Medea was bing irritated but she did not lose her calm. Freya was generally the most rational out of the four of them. There had to be a reason for her to utter such words.


    Once she was asked to exin, Freya shrugged,


    ¡°You two thoughts so much but you forget one simple solution. We opened the gate once because Medea got bewitched by Jupiter, right? So all we have to do is to have Sol bewitch La Befana.¡±


    Ambrosia face palmed. She didn¡¯t know what was the worse.


    The fact that her daughter had such a stupid idea¡ªor the fact that this stupid idea had a very high chance of seeding.


    ¡ª--


    AN: (Welp. What do you think of Freya¡¯s Idea?)


    My goal is to reach the top 25 in trending (All time/monthly). I know we can do it. If you want to read my other works, join me on P@treon: /HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site)


    Changed the gift-to-chapter ratio for a new month and because of the changes on WN.


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A Castle= 2 BC


    A golden Gachapon= 5 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    10K= 3 BC (Spread over four days)


    25K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    1500 GT= 1 BC

 Chapter 390 CH 356:FEAST (1)

    Silence continued for a short while as Freya showed a proud look at the solution that she had given. After all, with Sol''s track record, she was sure that seduction was basically one of his chore skills by now.


    ¡°Ouch! Mom!?¡±


    Said silence was broken by a loud smack to the back of her head by none other than Ambrosia.


    She seemed to be too tired to even wish to argue further and added another smack for the road, ¡°I always said there was no stupid idea, but yours take the cake.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that terrible of an idea?¡±


    ¡°Technically not.¡± Ambrosia felt a growing headache, ¡°In fact, I believe your idea would have a great chance of working if implemented. But you should stop trying to see everything by using absolute logic.¡±


    Freya was truly confused. It wasn¡¯t as if she couldn¡¯t feel emotions. She couldugh, joke around and have fun like anyone. But when a choice was given, she believed that it was necessary to use the most efficient path.


    Here, the most efficient thing would be for their mother to stop ying neutrality and give a clear order. But since that wasn¡¯t possible. The second best option was for Sol to use his charm.


    She tried to exin as such but was stopped by Medea, ¡°Stop, I also believe it would work. But then Sol would be no different than Jupiter.¡±


    Freya argued that this was not the most pressing problem. After all, there was a life on the line. How people perceived Sol had no bearing on the problem at hand.


    There was no dispute between the two. Each of them were simply giving their opinions.


    Looking at them like this, Ambrosia sighed. All her daughters had a few screws loose. It was something necessary in a way to pursue knowledge to such a high level. But the way it affected them was different.


    If Medea was someone who followed her feeling and lived through her passion, then Freya was someone who believed that pure logic and reasoning was paramount. Even the act of giving birth and bing a mother was more of an experiment she wanted to try than something she really wished for.


    Meanwhile, Persephone was someone who loved being a bystander and observing everything from the back while Kali was a girl who loved having eyes on her and would never reject a fight.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here. This discussion is pointless as we do not have Sol¡¯s opinion. Let¡¯s see first what he chooses to do. Alright?¡±


    Ambrosia mused said so as she wondered what Sol''s answer would be. The time they had spent knowing each other was simply too short. So she needed to better understand his characters before putting Salem in danger once again.


    ¡°By the way, what do we do about that vampire?¡±


    Ambrosia shook her head, ¡°She most likely entered forced hibernation. All we can do now is either let her here for them to deal with or use her as ab rat. I am sure many wish to work on a true vampire as they also absorb life force. Albeit through blood.¡±


    ¡ª


    Back to Sol, after he made peace with the situation at hand, he asked someone to call Isis and the others.


    Isis was of course also asked to inspect Lilith. Not because he did not believe Hathor but because it was necessary to double-check. Thankfully¨Cor sadly? The results were much the same. Except with a slight twist as Isis proposed another idea that wouldn¡¯t require them to beg Salem or face the goddesses.


    From her words, what she would do would be the equivalent of a soul surgery. It was possible to basically separate Lilith''s soul from her body and put it in a new body after erasing the soul inside that body.


    As the power of Zone and Avatar were more soul rted than physical one, it would only take a few weeks for Lilith to get back to her previous level.


    Sadly or rather obviously, there were a few problems and limits to this already risky operation. Firstly being the great risk of ipatibility between the bodies.


    Because of this, it would be impossible for the one receiving that surgery to keep his full strength. A part of their soul power would constantly be used to keep the equilibrium.


    Secondly, they would obviously need bodies. Ideally, fresh ones that had just died with their bodies mostly intact.


    It was a pretty gruesome way of doing things and one with obvious disadvantages, but Sol still keep this idea on the side.


    Capital punishment was still a thing in Lustburg and Sol wouldn''t mind using the body of a criminal who was about to be executed as a recement for Lilith.


    There was also the possibility of changing into a natural undead like a lich or a banshee.


    Sol chuckled, not even entertaining this idea. Lilith would simply never ept living such a wretched existence.


    In the first ce, natural undead could only be born when someone with a strong soul and an incredible stubbornness and desire for life died.


    The power of their grudge, their hatred, or the desire toplete onest task. All those were the kind of feeling necessary for a natural undead to be born.


    But Lilith didn''t mind dying in the first ce. She just wanted her death to be worth something.


    Sol sometimes wondered if what he was doing was even worth it. All Lilith wished for was death. So who was he to stop her? What right did he really have?


    Lilith wasn''t a kid. She could make her own decisions.


    Living when all you wanted to die could be a form of torture.


    These kinds of thoughts would whisper in his mind.


    Why did he have to stress so much for someone who wanted to die? Why did he have to fight so hard for someone who already decided her destiny?


    Intrusive thoughts that asked him to give up. Just forget her and focus on those who actually wanted to live and let those who wanted to die do as they wish.


    It was definitely a sweet temptation. But one Sol never entertained for long.


    He knew he had no right to force her to do anything. He knew that he was simply pushing his own selfish goal and was perhaps keeping her from her happiness.


    He was acting like a knew it when he knew nothing. <novelnext></novelnext>


    Some people might say that suicide was the easy way out. But those people could not understand that all humans had very strong survival instincts and fear of pain.


    For someone to actually have those instincts and fear and decide to put an end to their lives reflected the depth of the despair they were in.


    Those people had nothing left to live for. Living itself was suffering and all they wished for was the sweet release of death.


    So was he right?


    He didn''t know.


    All he knew was that he did not want Lilith to die.


    Not for her own good. Not even for Lilin or anyone else''s own good.


    But for his own.


    He wanted her to live so that she could stay by him.


    It was an ugly, selfish desire that disregarded everything Lilith wished for in order to satisfy his own desire.


    Would Lilith really be thankful after all this?


    Would she smile at him and say thanks for saving her?


    Would she magically get back the desire to live?


    Perhaps yes, perhaps not. Though most likely not.


    Either way, he wasn''t able to see the future like Skuld. At least not yet.


    The future was always in constant flux and it was the action they took now that mattered.


    Rather than regretting not doing everything he could and seeing her die because of hisck of action, he wished to do everything in his power to keep her alive.


    If despite all this she chooses death then¡­At least he could keep a clear consciousness and admit to himself that he did everything he could.


    At least this was how Sol tried to rationalize his feeling.


    As for how true that was, perhaps Sol could not give the answer.


    After all, the heart had its reason that reason itself ignored.


    ¡ª


    "Okay, I cross-checked. This ce is really a treasure trove. I didn''t expect you to have so many rare nts."


    Hathor had to take some time as shepared the different nts but it was enough for her to give some interesting prescriptions to keep Lilith a little healthier.


    The result would of course be tested before being given to Lilith but it wasn¡¯t a problem for now.


    Watching Persephone and Hathor discuss this topic was pretty interesting.


    He had honestly thought that Hathor was considered the best healer simply because of her natural power. But it was clear that she didn''t just solely rest on her talents.


    ¡°Okay. Good job everyone. I am sure you are all tired.¡±


    Indeed they were and Sol wanted to rest a little. But he was interrupted by Milia,


    ¡°Your highness, we organized a small gathering for youring back. I hope you will attend. Most invitees should be present by now.¡±


    She had chosen the perfect moment to intervene and send her message. Sol, of course, could simply refuse. But why would he?


    When Sol entered the main dining room and saw all the women reunited, he gulped a little and now found one reason why a massive dinner should be a nono in the future.


    This might be a very explosive dinner. Too many people with headstrong personalities and a tendency toward violence were gathered in one ce.


    But his worry did notst long as a bubbly voice he had nearly forgotten sounded a sa green light detached itself from Isis.


    ¡°Yahoo! I am back! Ready to throw hands with goddesses at any moment! Hehehe~!¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes widened before a genuine smile formed on his face. He was happy because a good friend he was worried about had finally woken up.


    He was also happy because a mini-cheat code had justnded on his hand.


    He couldn¡¯t help but think. What would happen if he used his power in conjunction with hers?


    (AN: Suicide is a heavy topic. Should you let those who want to die, die? This is something that is discussed everywhere. Generally, some countries are for. This is generally for terminally ill patients (like Lilith) whose death are imminent and rather than continue suffering, they just want to end it all. Some others are against it since it¡¯s still taking a life and is morally or religiously wrong in their opinion. Sometimes people are more callous and think people who suicide are ¡®dumb¡¯ or ¡®weak¡¯. After all, some people kill themselves for ¡®just¡¯ their grades.


    I believe this way of thinking is pretty stupid as you can never know. In my country (Burkina, Africa) for example, the BAC (high school degree) is like a death sentence. You wouldn¡¯t believe the pressure parent give on their children. Some literally go into depression when they fail and some others try to kill themselves. This is even worse in Asian countries.


    Honestly, the only thing I can¡¯t ept about suicide is the pain they leave for their loved ones. But then again, people in despair rarely have the time to care about anyone else.)

 Chapter 391 CH 357:FEAST (2)

    The party was more enjoyable than one might think at first nce. After all, Sol knew very well that not all of them liked each other. Furthermore, with Isis added, there was bound to be some problem.


    At least this was what he thought.


    ¡°Hehehe. You should have seen him. He *whoosh* *Whoosh* *Bam* and he was like *Ahem* Do not worry. I have never felt better. Kyaah~ It was so dreamy!!¡±


    A bubbly¡­Too bubbly voice filled the banquet as all the women listened with smiles on their lips but rapt attention.


    Sheherazade was awake. Her awakening was as sudden as her slumber. There were no special effects or special phenomena. But what he did know was that she was now a Duke.


    A tiny Duke.


    As he anticipated, the feast had been a little calm at first. But the moment Sheherazade appeared, everything changed.


    The little fairy was joy itself. Furthermore, they knew that she posed no threats to them so they were all the more willing to listen to her.


    ¡°So you are telling us, that on their first meeting, she acted like she was someone else without knowing that Sol already noticed her true identity.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe~! You should have seen her face! She went like *I am not Sheherazade* and Sol was like *I know* Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    ¡°Sheherazade!¡±


    ¡°What! I am not lying!¡±


    Sol chuckled while the others were barely restraining theirughter.


    ¡°You were indeed pretty cute back then.¡±


    ¡°Et tu, Sol!?¡±


    Theical expression of betrayal on her face was thest straw for some. At the very least, Theresa did not hide her mirth as sheughed openly.


    ¡°Your adventure in the Astral realm seems to have been very interesting.¡±


    ¡°They were.¡±


    He looked down at his cup which was filled with red wine.


    Currently, Camelia was sitting on his left, while Lilith was on his right. Milia and Setsuna were standing behind him, having absolutely refused to sit down. Next, after Camelia was Chloe and on Lilith was Lilin.


    All the witches except Ambrosia were present and ra was also participating.


    It was a gathering that warmed his heart. Not everyone here was necessarily his lover. But they were one way or another very close to him and seeing all of them together made this a very precious moment that he would not forget.


    After Sheherazade calmed down, Sol began to give his side of the story. He could have talked about his few dangerous moments. But he was tired of dealing with serious bullshit every time.


    For once, he simply wanted to have fun.


    So he spoke about the more jovial aspect of his journey.


    The wondrous sight he witnessed. A world with more than one sun and moon, a world where Inds were floating in the sky. Endless desert or sea, attraction park.


    The wonderful people he meet and had the joy to befriend or be even closer to. The gentle Gabriel, the prideful Tiamat, the calm Kiyohime, the sad Nent, the unlucky Fafnir and so many more.


    Sol talked and talked as everyone listened in rapture, trying to imagine the scene he was describing. After all, even witches could not randomly visit a divine beast''s territory.


    It was even more so for Gabriel¡¯s world since the phoenix was very istionist.


    None of them were stupid. They knew that Sol must have gone through his fair share of hardship.


    They could feel how he had changed. The confidence he exuded. The way he spoke, even the way he moved.


    With Sol''s talent, bing a Duke was nothing impressive. Even a King was just a matter of time and once this happened, he would be a demigod.


    Unlike anyone else, his path to sess was already assured from the very moment he was born.


    But the aura of the strong could not be acquired simply because one had a high level. It was an aura that was slowly cultivated through bloody fights.


    Furthermore, Sol had amassed enough killing intent that he could have condensed it in a zone if he wished. This was something they could not miss.


    Still, they did not interrupt him. Matters of death and blood was all toomon for them and this was why, like him, they were cherishing this rare moment of simple joy.


    They did not think about Lilith''s health problem. Did not talk about the impending war with Wratharis or the Wings of Freedom. <novelnext></novelnext>


    Observing them all this, Hathor would have usually thought that those people were acting like ostriches, hiding their head in the sand and thinking that it was enough to chase away all problems.


    But clearly, this was not the case. She did not feel any hidden sense of despondency.


    Even when she exined to Sol how hard saving his aunt would be, all he had shown was mere annoyance. Clearly more pissed about the additional steps necessary than scared about a potential failure.


    ''This ce is interesting.''


    One day here had been more fun and interesting than thest thousand years back in the Astral realm.


    Hathor was an adventurer at heart. She loved traveling but she had already traveled through most of the Astral realm and she wasn''t arrogant enough to enter the Abyss.


    Right now, her tired heart was stirring. She could almost smell it. By staying here¡­No. By staying close to Sol, she was sure to live through a few great adventures.


    She smirked as she tasted the drink on the table. They were nowhere the level of what she usually created but they were still pretty good.


    The mana in the Mortal realm was thin and murky but it was enough for her since she did not n to fight.


    ''Let''s have some fun before leaving.''


    Divine Beasts as old has her generally ended up killing themselves because of the weight of the years or simply choose to fall asleep for long period of times. Even if they managed to keep their sanity, boredom was like a poison that would slowly corrupt them.


    There was no way she would let go of such an asion to satisfy her craving. Perhaps she would even witness the birth of another mortal demigod.


    It would without a doubt be a worthy event.


    ¡ª-


    The discussion and the funsted for hours and hours on.


    They did not do much all things considered. They simply talked, joked, had fun and rxed. Musicians would y to animate the room and the food was delicious and he w


    It was not some grand party with nobles. Though he would certainly have to made one in theing days. It was simply a time with his family.


    Sol could feel himself rx considerably now that he was back home. He just had a party with his second half of his family not long ago and now was doing the same with the first half.


    Time like this was cherished. Sadly, nothing couldst forever and the same went for this party.


    The first one to get up and leave was Lilith. She was pretty tired and needed to rest a little. It was humiliating for her in a way but she knew she had no choice. Inwardly, she saw this as a wall she had to ovee.


    She had meditated quite a bit over the meaning of life and death now that she was at death''s door and found herself bing calmer as time went on.


    She was followed by Lilin who wanted to take care of her and then Theresa who simply wanted to go home since she had work to do. She wanted to talk to Sol alone about the industrial discovery he might have made and what his future goal would be.


    She already started a discussion in private with the Dwarf¡¯s King. Even though Greed Dike had to impose sanctions on Lustburg because of the damage the three witches, Medea; Freya; Kali, caused when they fought near the border.


    Theresa had great influence and was perhaps the richest woman alive in the mortal realm. Her influence was no joke and she would not hesitate to use it to have more control over her country.


    She just wanted to know what Sol would choose to do.


    Once three lefts, the others slowly did as well and Milia began carrying the dirty dish away.


    The reunion had been simple and joyful and even if it was finished, it would not change anything in their situation.


    Sol meanwhile began to seriously consider his next set of actions. After all, he had many diplomatic visits he had to make to assure that everything was alright.


    Envia of the demon and Souther Pride of the elves, as well as Salem of the witches.


    He needed to take care of Lilith¡¯s health, find a book of research and references to reconstruct her body, convince the witches to help him, and convince the goddess to not intervene.


    He had to fight a war against a bloodthirsty maniac and might be a bloodthirst maniac himself. Perhaps he already was?


    Sol swore that one day he would take a month-long vacation and simply pray that the world wouldn¡¯t vanish without his presence.


    ¡®When everyone left, as if by some kind of tacit understanding, the only present Medea.¡¯


    Even Isis had left alongside Setsuna.


    ¡°Sol, we need to talk.¡±


    Sol kissed her, interrupting her in the way. They could talkter.

 Chapter 392 CH 358:THE CURSE? (1)**

    For a witch who controlled Time, Medea had never felt time flow from her mind like this. One moment Sol was giving her a fiery kiss that melted away all her thoughts and the next moment she found herself lying down on his bed as he worked on taking off his clothes.


    She felt feverish and delighted as Sol held her in his arms. As if everything was alright in the world and that nothing could ever goes wrong as long as he was here.


    All her fears and worries seemed to melt away and all that mattered was swimming in the sea of pleasure.


    When his lips pressed down onto hers, she closed her eyes and epted the kiss.


    Her face was tinted in a pink hue as she reciprocated his kisses with as much as passion if not more. She had missed him so much.


    His tongue smoothly ravaged the inside of her mouth. He slowly made his way around her teeth and the sides of her cheeks.


    Medea felt a jolting pleasure when his tongue met hers. Their tongues wrestled while their saliva mixed.


    He was focused on exploring the inside of her mouth through kissing. His tongue twisted and sucked on, then let go of her.


    ¡°Ah~ !..¡±


    A low moan escaped from deep within her throat. The soft kiss gradually heated up and article after article of her clothes were discarded on the ground.


    When he parted from a particrly long kiss, Medea lightly gasped for breath. With only this much, it felt like they had done more than enough already.


    ¡°I really missed you.¡±


    Hearing this made her heart beat so wildly in happiness as she shared the same feelings.


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    Her voice was barely audible, as she was embarrassed to be so dependent on someone so much younger than her. But anyone looking at them right now would never guess so.


    For Sol, nothing looked more adorable than her. She was like a little squirrel and he loved how her heartbeat elerated as he held and caressed her.


    After an intense kiss, Medea was barely able to huff a thin breath in. Sol¡¯s swollen lips climbed down her chin, then along with Medea¡¯s ear, trailing down her neckline and settling down on her corbone.


    His hot, heavy tongue ravenously gobbled up her soft flesh and sucked and rolled it out of his mouth. Medea¡¯s toes curled as the pleasure spread through her body.


    Her body¡¯s aroma was like he remembered. His taunt nerves seemed to rx and everything seemed to fall into ce for him. He had never doubted his love for Medea. She was his first love after all.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    A jolting pleasure from her breasts forced Medea to let out a short moan. He took a mouthful and sucked on it, eliciting even more moan from her. Like a fine, he gently and slowly savored her.


    He lightly bit her nipple and tickled it with his tongue. Medea got breathless as he licked around the are before sucking on it once more.


    ¡°Ah~¡­¡±


    His lips proceeded down to her lower abdomen and then to her inner thighs. A sweet scent filled the air and Sol gulped as he felt his desire to eat her out overflow. His lips brushed against the deep portions of her inner thighs and began sucking.


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    As soon as Sol¡¯s red hot tongue reached her erged clit, Medea¡¯s spine curved back, round. Her whole body instantly trembled. At the same time, a lot of slippery fluid poured over Sol¡¯s face.


    The sensation of him licking and sucking her most intimate ce was terrifyingly overwhelming, a feeling like no other.


    As the stimtion continued, her lower region became slippery with moist juices, and the sound of wet noises grew increasingly louder. Her whole body was burning with heat and she felt her back shiver reflexively. A few more of his fingers pressed and rubbed against her.


    It was a double attack and for someone as inexperienced as Medea, it was almost too much.


    At that moment, a tingle surged up, flooding into her body and causing her muscles to spasm and her neck to jerk up as euphoria circted through her entire body for a few seconds.


    The short moment of bliss passed and her senses dulled, while her body had no strength left in it. She enjoyed the feeling of his fingers smoothlybing through her hair.


    Raising his upper body, Sol looked down with a smirk as he watched Medea''s disheveled appearance while she lost herself in pleasure. He used his mana to wipe away all traces of her delicious juice and muttered in her ears.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you rest tonight.¡±


    Murmuring those words next to her ears, Sol''s hot breath made her body, soaked with sweat, shiver in anticipation. <novelnext></novelnext>


    Afterpletely disrobing her, he admired once again her beautiful body and pride filled his heart as he once again realized how beautiful this woman was. Her beauty did not pale inparison to Nefertiti and he wondered how it was even possible for a human to be so perfect.


    At the same time, having this perfect woman moan and cry under him satisfied his dragon heart like no other.


    He raised her leg with both of his hands and entered into her soaked insides. He went a bit slowly at first, his sensitive part brushing slightly against her moist flesh as if to feel it out.


    Medea was filled with thrill when he began to push his full length inside her. She could feel the rock-hard erection spreading her vagina wide. She could feel her sexual lips being spread wide as its full length was pushed inside. The sensation of him filling her up gave her a sense of satisfaction and fullness. They were not simply fusing their body but also bing one in mind.


    Feeling his thirst for her made her giddy with joy and the pleasure she felt was increased manyfold. The once-foreign sensation of his penis prating her felt soforting now.


    Her entire body was more sensitive so his hands simply sweeping across her skin caused her to ache in excitement. He shifted a little more weight down and thrust gently.


    His penis and the movement of his member deep inside of her seemed tireless but also full of tenderness.


    She could feel it all so vividly and distinctly. Every stimtion to her body, every bit of pleasure experienced by her pussy, and everything felt by every cell of her body flowed into her mind.


    The were not having sex, nor were they fucking. They were simply and purely making love. His movements, slow and gentle made her body move like a ship swaying on the sea.


    There was no special technique, no special nor fierce movement, and no wish to supply reach the height of climaxes.


    It was simply gentle and tender and the more it was so, the more Medea realized how much she loved this.


    Rather than simply seeking a release, what she had always wished for was a connection between two souls. Of course, the pleasure she also received was a bonus.


    Sometime he would kiss her, sometime he would mutter sweet words in her ears, all this while carefully moving and avoiding applying too much of his weight on her.


    Slowly, the pleasure began to build up. She could not tell if his cock had gotten bigger or if her pussy was squeezing it tighter, but her mind was filled with the pleasure of it having its way with her body.


    Like this, their release was as quiet as he released his semen in her body while she reached climax.


    His dick throbbed within her vagina, shooting semen everywhere and filling every part of her body. He continued to move within her vagina as if to squeeze it all out and with each movement, the semen made sticky sounds and spilled out of her.


    It was a silent climax that filled her soul with joy.


    Even after finishing, he did not pull out of her but simply continued to kiss her and gaze at her not with lust but with love-filled eyes.


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    Those words slipped out of her mouth but she did not feel embarrassed to express her feelings in words. After all, Sol was always the first one to do so.


    Words could never be enough to exin what she felt for him. But it was the best she could do.


    Sol showed a brilliant smile as he whispered in her ears, ¡°I love you even more.¡±


    Her heart was filled with warmth and joy. But it was then that she realized something. Her eyes widened as she carefully felt her body but there was no mistaking this.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    ¡°So you finally noticed.¡±


    He smiled and gave her another kiss.


    Medea was speechless.


    All the life energy she had just absorbed from him vanished as it went back to his body.


    She did not know how he had done this. But this did not matters.


    Tears of joy began to gather at the corner of her eyes.


    ¡°How?¡±


    (AN: One smut chapter. I think at least for vol 11 I won¡¯t write smut longer than three chapters. Ideally two. 3-4 will be for the first time and 1-2 for those who already had their first time.)

 Chapter 393 CH 359:THE CURSE(2)

    Medea was so entranced by what just happened she lost all her words and could only ask in a dumbfounded way


    "How¡­?"


    Sol smiled, "Do you really want me to exin such a serious problem while we are still connected like this."


    His blunt words caused Medea to blush heavily and Solughed seeing her cute reaction. This enticed him to tease her a little, which he did, before letting her go.


    "Let''s talk with your mother. This is a very important discussion that will definitely interest her and your sisters too.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to have this conversation twice, which would help him determine Ambrosia¡¯s position on the matter regarding Salem.


    "Mhm¡­"


    She could only nod shyly as she already felt his hot white liquid slowly leak out of her quivering snatch¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After trying to frolic around a bit in the shower, but being unsessful for the most part, Sol gave up on the idea as he understood that she was too worried about what was exactly happening to entertain him anymore.


    Once they were ready they took the corridor until they found the door to her former prison and current home.


    There¡­ In the usual small garden, was Ambrosia with her three daughters and surprisingly Isis was present as well.


    Of course, once he remembered that Ambrosia was friends with Anubis her appearance became less surprising.


    "Good evening Ambrosia. I hope you have been keeping well."


    Ambrosia responded to his greeting with a smile, ¡°Wee back Sol. I didn¡¯t join your small gathering because I guessed I might have made most of them ufortable,¡±


    Sol chuckled, ¡°I would have been happy to have you.¡±


    Of course, he understood what she meant. If Ambrosia was present, the atmosphere might have be more restricted. After all, she was a Demigod powerhouse. The only ones she couldn¡¯t kill or harm in the room would have been Sol and Camelia. Everyone else was fair game.


    Few people would be happy sitting in the same room as a stranger that could decide their life and death in an instant.


    Sol and Ambrosia continued exchanging pleasantries when Freya chimed in with a curious expression as she took out a notebook.


    "You already finished? This was faster than I calcted. Are you perhaps tired? I think Persephone has some concoction that could help in prolonging your sessions.¡±


    Sol was absolutely baffled for a short instant before he understood what she meant. The funniest thing here was that analyzing her expression, she was clearly not even trying to tease him but was sincerely concerned about his sexual stamina.


    ¡°Freya!¡±


    Everyone, except for Sol, blushed due to her brazen remark. Even Persephone coughed a little with embarrassment while Sol beganughing aloud like no tomorrow.


    He didn¡¯t think he could have missed that quirky pink witch that had once nonchntly asked to have children with her. But her antics were really golden at times like these.


    He grinned, ¡°Trust me, I have no problem on that side of things.¡±


    Isis nodded repeatedly as she remembered her first night and the wild second time when everyone had been involved. Sol had taken on three Phoenixes, a Dragon, and a Titan all alone. She might not have much knowledge in this department, but she doubted it was something most people could do.


    Sol was not embarrassed in the slightest. He was basically broadcasting his sex session whenever he did it with someone. Before it was Medea, then the witches, then Gabriel, then Tiamat. There was also the fact that Luxuria should be watching him 24/7 or something along those lines.


    Embarrassment due to nudity or anything rted to sex had long since vanished from his mind.


    ¡°Oh? How much would you say your performance has increased then?¡±


    Freya was really curious. Not only because she was into writing erotic books, but of course, because sex and reproduction was a matter that interested her a great deal.


    She moved her head in reflex and avoided being smacked by Ambrosia as she put back her notebook, ¡°Alright. Time and space. Time and space, I understand. I will ask him about this at a more appropriate time in private.¡±


    She raised her hands in surrender. Normally a simple smack shouldn¡¯t even tickle her but Ambrosia could simply add the intent of pain or punishment in a simple p that would make her really feel it in her bones.


    She had her buttocks smacked many times when they were still apprentices. Thankfully not as much as Kali did.


    ¡°I feel like you just had a very rude thought about me right now?¡±


    ¡°Heh, you must be imagining things.¡±


    Kali was still wearing her maid uniform as she looked at Freya suspiciously. The two of them were the most mischievous out of the four. But Freya had a way of almost always getting away from punishment while she was more of a bullhead.


    The fact that she was currently serving as a maid for Sol as a punishment was already proof of her personality.


    Shaking her head she looked at Sol. She wanted to talk about her <<Railgun Development Project>> a little more with himter on. After all, Setsuna was Sol¡¯s servant and knight.


    Ambrosia massaged her temples, ¡°Enough chitchat everyone, Medea is fidgeting so much it looks like she will explode. Just what kind of news do you want to share? Is it about Salem?¡±


    Sol looked up before closing his eyes and seemingly taking an important decision that may change the course of history for the witches.


    ¡°I have a question. If I said, I found a way to break the curse. What will you do?¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    Immediately, the air stagnated and an oppressive atmosphere surged forth, covering the earth and the sky.


    If it had been Sol before his travel in the Astral Realm, he might have been kneeling down right now because of the incredible pressure.


    But now, while his heart thumped, it was not out of fear but simply pure excitement and desire to fight. His eyes gleamed with a cold light as his own aura surged forth.


    So small. So ridiculously small in front of the torrent of power that was Ambrosia. Like a small boat advancing on a stormy sea ready to capsize at any moment.


    But even then, he did not waver.


    Was he strong enough to face a demigod without that divinity from an unknown source?


    No. Not at all. Even winning against a King would be hard. A peak King like Lilith in her prime would destroy his dimension like a knife cutting through butter. So it went without saying that he was less than an ant in front of Ambrosia.


    But¡­ Did it matter?


    Only the strong could truly be kind and only the weak could truly be courageous.


    Slowly the raging sea of power vanished, as Ambrosia released a sigh,


    ¡°Forgive me for this unsightly disy.¡±


    She closed her eyes and was quite ashamed of herself. After all the years she had lived, she thought she had seen everything and that nothing could truly surprise her.


    Clearly, she was wrong.


    She turned towards Isis and apologized. Thankfully, the one to receive the full brunt of her aura had been Sol. So Isis was only slightly shocked by the sudden change.


    ¡°I am sorry, child.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Nono! It¡¯s alright, really. I am fine.¡±


    ¡®Such a good child. Anubis really got a good girl.¡¯


    Ambrosia really felt like burying herself. Losing her control like this in front of so many children was something she had never wanted.


    She took a deep breath and forced her trembling hands to calm down.


    ¡°Sol, those words, can you take responsibility for them?¡±


    ¡°Ambrosia. I never utter words thoughtlessly when ites to such important matters. You should know about that already.¡±


    The others witches were speechless. Not truly able to understand what was happening. Rather, his words had been so shocking that their mind went nk for an instant.


    ¡°Is it really possible?¡±


    Freya mumbled as she took out her notebook again. Her eyes slightly quivering. She had long summarized that Sol would be the key to undoing the curse.


    But in her expectations, this would happen for the next generations if Sol managed to have children with witches.


    Then those children should be able to have the best of both worlds. It was pure spection of course but it had been logical.


    But what? Breaking the curse? Something that not even Ambrosia nor the four of them had been able to do despite thousands of years of research?


    The more she thought about this, the more she shivered in fright and excitement.


    If Sol was telling the truth. If he really found a way.


    Should they be happy? Happy at the fact that they could finally realize their dreams?


    Or should they be sad? Sad that the solution to their problem thatsted thousand years was found by a boy that was barely an adult.


    The calmest one was undoubtedly Kali. After all, she did not really care about the curse. She was not interested in having any kind of rtionship, much less having children or anything of the like.


    This was why she was able to ask,


    ¡°What is the catch?¡±


    Sol shrugged, ¡°Equivalent exchange. The curse is the price to pay for your powers. So¡­¡±


    Ambrosia finished, ¡°Losing the curse would mean losing our power.¡±


    ¡°Bingo.¡±


    Sol was calm. There was always a price or at the very least a hindrance. Sol had yet to reach the level where he could disregard the rule of equivalent exchange.


    This moment was merely the first step toward a much bigger goal.


    If he could reliably cut the connection between the witches and Asmodeus then¡­ Once he became stronger¡­ He would have much more confidence in cutting a contract of a much higher degree.

 Chapter 394 CH 360:TIRED OF BULLSHIT

    Kali intervention had managed to help Ambrosia get back her calm. She was without a doubt the witch that was the most by the curse.


    At least the other could still have physical rtionships with long-living race even if a few times.


    In her case though it was literally impossible.


    Despite this, Ambrosia was not really interested in breaking the curse for herself.


    In her time of need, Asmodeus gave her a contract and he had been candid. Hiding nothing about the price she would have to pay.


    She had no intention of betraying him.


    The same should go for the other witches but¡­Should they get at least the option of getting out,?


    Freya wasn¡¯t the only one feeling dejected. Kali looked down at her maid clothes as she pondered with a slight loss expression.


    She had nearly betrayed her sisters and took the dangerous path of joining the Wing of Freedom all of this so that she could find a way to break the curse.


    But this¡­What the hell was this?


    ¡®Haha. I guess there is a really a difference even between reincarnated.¡¯


    Even after reincarnating, Kali had never seen herself as the protagonist of the world. Even though she had been quite talented as a witch, she feared what would happen if she was noticed.


    Despite her power, she was not particrly arrogant for she understood how small she was in this world.


    She knew very well that the true protagonist were those who could do the impossible. People like Sol.


    But still, it was quite shocking to see this difference.


    ¡°Hum¡­What is exactly the curse in question?¡±


    Ambrosia was brought out of her reverie by Isis¡¯s voice. Had it been anyone else, she would have ignored them. But since she was facing her old friend daughter she did not be irritated.


    ¡°Curse of Love, Curse of Luck, Curse of Birth. This is how we call them but they basically all function the same way.¡±


    She then proceeded to exin the situation as best as she could. Doing so gave her the time necessary to organize her idea.


    ¡°Sol here, thanks to being a Chaos dragon possess a high resistance against all type of magic. Curse included. So he was able to enter into a rtionship with my daughters.¡±


    Isis opened her mouth wides, ¡°All of them?¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t add me in the mix. I am not interested in him.¡±


    Kali was pretty blunt. Sol may be handsome and possess many qualities but what did it matter to her?


    ¡°As for me, I got rejected. Though I am not giving up.¡±


    Freya had been rejected when she wished to make babies with Sol. She had been rejected then but she was tenacious.


    ¡°Please. Could we just focus on important matters?


    Sol chuckled as Medea whined. ¡°Currently, I have two ways. One permanent and one less but I am sure you will love it.¡±


    He took a moved his hand as a ring appeared, ¡°When I was in the dragon territory, I managed to learn a new skill, to imbue some power of my dimension in essory.¡±


    This was the skill Tiamat stole and taught him, ¡°With just that one ring, If I add some of my power with the specificmand, I can make it so the energy stolen will be immediately sent back to the one being stolen from.¡±


    They all looked at this with delight evident on their faces. It was like a hypnotizing device.


    ¡°This will allow witches to have as many rtionships as they wish without fearing killing their lovers. For now, it¡¯s impossible to change the situation with the inability to have children. But as I create more I will be better.


    ¡°Does it works?¡±


    ¡°Ask Medea.¡±


    Sol grinned, not willing to exin more.


    ¡°What about the more extreme decision?¡±


    ¡°This is simple. Just that you will have to forsake your power and have a chance of dying if all the years suddenly crash down on you. For this, I would need a living witch willing to cooperate or some Death row.


    ¡°...And I believe you won¡¯t tell me to aplish the second option?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t.¡±


    This involved too much for him to simply give everything he knew. Even more so since he only knew the first four witches.


    ¡°Persephone already filled me in about the current situation with Salem and I talked a little with Medea on the way. Let me be clear. I couldn¡¯t care less about the witches as a whole.¡±


    Even though he was facing a demigod he showed no fear, ¡°My sense of responsibility isn¡¯t high enough that I would fight to apologize for the action of an ancestor that was alive one thousand years ago. The only reason I proposed this is that I love Medea and wish to give her peace of mind.


    ¡°For this, I am willing to apologize publicly and even erase the fake bad deed of the witches. But that is as far as I am willing to go. In the past I would have given the way out free of charge but not anymore. They need to pay for their hubris.¡±


    Sol did not care if he came off as arrogant or ridiculous. But he had aspirations and for those aspirations to realize, he had to make his words a reality.


    ¡°I am willing to participate in that hearing.¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    His eyes were calm, like a deep sea.


    Until now, he had always been pretty passive about the event happening to him. But now he was a little tired of all of this.


    The witches thought they did not anything from him.


    Then he would show them just how wrong they were.


    He wanted to see what they would do when their future happiness would entirely be dependent on his willingness to help them.


    The atmosphere became tense but in the end, Ambrosia sighed, ¡°This situation came out because the council let their greed grow out of control.¡±


    Since she had decided to be neutral in the first ce, then she would do it all the way.


    ¡°Do as you wish, I will not intervene.¡±


    Sol smiled but then shook his head, ¡°Let me finish.¡±


    How could he stop there? At the end of the day, no matter how strong the witches were, they were nothing more than fish and shrimp.


    Only the four directions were White Shark but he already had one on his side. The only one left was the Great whale.


    He did not need a neutral ally.


    ¡°Ambrosia. As the strongest witch, you possess the knowledge and power of all witches, right?¡±


    Sol was not a hardcore yer.


    Why should he go through a lengthy and hard sub-quest when he could directly skip everything by using a glitch or a cheat code?


    ¡°I need your help.¡±


    He firmly believed in working smarter, not harder.


    ¡°With your power and skill, all Hathor wouldck is the knowledge of the subus and human body. Once again something that shouldn¡¯t be a problem for you.¡±


    The library in Salem was an important ce as it contained the thesis and research made by all the witches. But this was only the physical manifestation of such knowledge.


    The all-knowing witch.


    Why should he finish the quest using a level 40 NPC when he could obtain the power of a level 90 Boss?


    ¡°--and why should I help you?¡±


    He shrugged and showed the ring in his hand, ¡°Your choice. You can refuse, in which case I will make an unfair deal with the witches and use their desperation to my advantage or you can ept and make everyone happy.¡±


    Scale slowly grew on his body as he used the war mode to mute his feelings.


    He did not like what he was doing.


    He did not want to threaten Ambrosia.


    But he had already wasted too much time doing things step by step.


    He was done ying nice.


    He had just realized that despite being able to help, Ambrosia did nothing until now.


    Persephone may be struggling to keep Lilith alive but as a demigod, it should have been much easier for Ambrosia.


    Medea could only rewind the time of Lilith¡¯s body up to 24 hours but once again, Ambrosia could have done better.


    Even now, as they talked about La Befana.


    Furthermore, in the alternate reality where Skuld once lived, Lilith still died.


    This shouldn¡¯t have happened as he had already put Hathor as insurance before going to the dragon realm.


    Logically speaking even without him present, Hathor should have met and observed Lilith and should havee to the same conclusion and Ambrosia would have choice to help or not.


    This was nothing but spection. But chances were high that he was right.


    Of course, Ambrosia was in no way obligated to do anything.


    She was not Lilith¡¯s friend and neither and he was not particrly close to her either.


    It was her freedom to help out of her own volution and it was his freedom to ckmail her into helping him.


    Freedom was truly a beautiful thing.


    ¡°One day. You have one day to make your decision.¡±


    He left on those words. Tomorrow he would visit Camelia in order to have a talk with the goddesses.


    (AN: When a nice guy is tired of being nice. Sol is pretty tired and the situation with Lilith isn¡¯t helping his mood. Then he has to deal with witches'' bullshit. War bullshit. World domination bullshit and many many more. A wonder my boy didn¡¯t snap sooner.)

 Chapter 395 CH 361:MY KINGDOM(1)

    After Sol finished what he had to say, he slowly turned around and began walking away from them, leaving Medea''s world.


    Medea wanted to follow him but he stopped her from doing so. Right now, he wanted her to stay with her family and y the devil''s advocate in a sense. This would tilt things in his favor even if by a slight margin.


    For a powerhouse like Ambrosia, simply threatening them was the height of stupidity. It was necessary to know how to advance and exactly when to retreat.


    Isis hesitated for a sliver of a moment before giving a bow of respect toward the sitting Ambrosia and immediately ran after Sol.


    Now alone, Ambrosia nced at Medea and spoke calmly. If the previous events had done anything to hamper her mood, she showed none of it. ¡°It seems like your lover finally snapped, dear daughter of mine.¡±


    ¡°I apologize in his stead. Sol is under tremendous pressure and this situation isn''t really helping him..¡±


    Medea bowed deeply, apologizing to Ambrosia. She had been truly surprised by Sol¡¯s sudden outburst. But she did not fault him for that. She knew that the weight on his shoulder was enough to almost crush him and it was normal for him to snap sooner orter.


    If the situation had been a bit different, she was sure that he would have not threatened Ambrosia and would have indeed given them the way to change the curse. The very fact that he already prepared this showed how much he cared for her and the witches.


    Sadly, the witches disappointed him by trying to take advantage of him in a situation of need, and the situation with Lilith didn¡¯t help at all. Medea decided to firmly stand in Sol¡¯s camp and try to appease her mother so that she would not act in anger.


    Ambrosia waved her hand dismissively, indicating to not think much of it. ¡°I would rather have a straightforward boy like him than a treacherous man like Jupiter who hides des behind his charming smile.¡±


    ¡°What will you do now, mother?¡±


    Ambrosia closed her eyes and contemted deeply. Her insistence on neutrality put her in this situation.


    She could teach Sol a lesson here for transgressing a demigod like her. Kill Lilith and erase half of Lustburg before leaving this ce. After all, the only ones she couldn¡¯t touch were the Blessed.


    But doing so would be immensely petty of her and she was not the kind of person to do such a senseless massacre just because someone tried to threaten and ckmail her.


    ¡®Did he take my personality into ount before deciding to ckmail me like that?¡¯


    Ambrosia didn¡¯t know whether she should be impressed by his courage or be pissed because it seemed like he was taking her as a pushover.


    It was quite a subtle feeling if she had to be honest.


    ¡°Medea, exin what happened to you.¡±


    Right now, she was not interested in embarrassing her daughter. If the things Sol said were true then¡­


    Did she even have a choice in the first ce?


    She began to reflect on all the years she had spent pursuing this neutrality.


    Ambrosia did not want to be like the divine beasts who used their children as weapons of war nor like the goddesses who oppressed their creation.


    This was why she had always been neutral, observing her children from above but never meddling in their choices. Whether they made good choices or bad choices, she was adamant about leaving them to fend for themselves.


    One thousand years ago, when Medea foolishly fell in love with Jupiter, she did not intervene and when she was imprisoned, she did not help her out.


    Recently, when Kali joined the Wings of Freedom, she did not act, and even when she felt Nihil¡¯s presence, she only observed from the sidelines.


    The same went for the witch council and their decisions controlled by greed.


    In all those instances, Ambrosia had always chosen neutrality¡­ Passivity.


    Was it truly such a bad thing to do?


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After Sol left Medea¡¯s world, with Isis walking behind him, he stopped for a short instant.


    ¡°Do you think I was too harsh?¡±


    He still had a cold sweet after facing Ambrosia and truly needed a way to calm his heart down.


    This had been pretty exhrating yet exhausting. After all, he still had many clutches to rely on. His status as a Blessed, Medea¡¯s love, his rtionship with Anubis and Tiamat.


    One day, he would not have to rely on all of those. This was a promise he made inwardly.


    Isis snickered, ¡°Isn¡¯t it a little toote to ask this?¡±


    She thenughed, ¡°Though, I had to admit you looked quite cool and dashing.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°So, what will you do now?¡±


    ¡°Go sleep. Rest my mind a little or something.¡±


    ¡°Do you even need to sleep?¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­Not really¡­¡±


    With his current body and the strength of his soul, he could go on for days without needing to sleep. It was more of an habit at this point.


    ¡°Then¡­Why not take me with you and visit your city? This is my first human city. At least living human city.¡±


    Sol pondered before nodding, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Perhaps walking outside will help me freshen my idea.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Me too! Me too!¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    Sheherazade flew out of Isis¡¯s body andnded on Sol''s head. The excitement was clear in her eyes and this gave Sol more desire to go out.


    After all, how could he disappoint one of his saviors?


    ¡°Let¡¯s sneak out.¡±


    Sol gave a grin. For one night, he wanted to act like the young boy he should be and y some prank.


    Responsibility could be left forter.


    ¡ª-


    Sol wanted to use his dimension to move, but he couldn¡¯t really put Isis and Sheherazade in his dimension.


    So they diminished their presence and began to walk out.


    Sol felt like a child as they hide in corners and avoided the maid or the guards. The funniest thing was that he had felt some members of the crown shadow hidden in¡­well hidden in the shadow.


    Even though Sol could move stealthily, neither he nor Isis had really received such a training. As for Sheherazade, she was basically a flying signal. There was no way they hadn¡¯t noticed them.


    But they acted as if it wasn¡¯t the case. Willingly ying around with his little game.


    It was pretty fun.


    Sol had never been mischievous even as a child. After all, he did have the memory of his past life. But he faintly began to regret this.


    Rather than acting mature for no reason, he should have truly enjoyed his life as a kid. It was a shame but those years would nevere back.


    A child would always want to grow up fast and be more adult. As the world of grown up would seem dazzling and mysterious in their eyes.


    But it was only after growing up that they would realize the bitter reality and would wish to go back to their more innocent years.


    When everything was simpler.


    When they had no responsibility and could truly enjoy life.


    It was with those thoughts that Sol finally left the confine of his castle and walked out alongside a phoenix and a fairy.


    ¡ª-


    ¡°#78 here for report. The crown prince walked out. Should we follow him?¡±


    In Milia¡¯s office room, she listened as a woman entirely d in ck exined the situation.


    As Sol had summarized, there was no way they hadn¡¯t noticed his movement. It would have been one thing if he had used his dimension to escape but as it was, they had been ignoring him as he moved not so stealthy.


    Looking at the report, Milia smiled before nodding, ¡°Do not follow him up too close. Simply make sure to erase any possible situation that would affect his amusement.¡±


    Currently, Lustburg was in a festive atmosphere but such a rowdy moment would give ce to all kinds of problems.


    She didn''t know what had happened for him to think he needed to "sneak out" but it wasn''t her ce to think about such a thing. If his Highness wished to have fun, she would make damn sure not even a cockroach would pass through the and ruin his day.


    ¡ª-


    Meanwhile, in the church of Castitas, looking at a mirror, a smile hung up on her Aurora''s face before slowly slipping up.


    "Hum¡­ This won''t do."


    Looking at her face, she slowly rose her fingers and pulled her lips in a smile once again.


    It was a more innocent smile. Filled with kindness and faith.


    "Much better."


    She stood up and looked at the sky, observing things that only her could seemingly see.


    "Should I go out?"


    She hesitated for a few moments before shaking her head. Now wasn''t the time.


    She just had to wait.


    It didn''t matter how long it took. All that mattered was reaching the goal.


    Time was meaningless after all.


    She went back to her mirror and once again trained her smile.


    Smiling was the best way to make friends after all. At least this was what she remembered.


    (AN: Some people say Sol should move and visit other ces fast. Just a reminder but Sol doesn¡¯t even know his own country. It¡¯s time to change this.


    Ambrosia is acting like a god. Watching from Above as mortal make their choices. Whether good or bad. Do you think she is wrong? Should she have been more assertive?)


    (AN 2: if you are reading this on a pirate site there is nothing I can do. But you could easily support me here on WN with a few coins, reviews,ments etc or by subscribing on ******* if you don''t like WN.


    Thanks to all those who support me one way or another.)

 Chapter 396 CH362:MY STORY (2)

    When Sol finally walked out of the tower of Babel, he could faintly feel like a huge and oppressing weight had been lifted from his shoulder.


    Right here, with no one in sight but Isis and Sheherazade, he did not have to keep his pretense of strength or maturity.


    Out of all his women, Isis was perhaps the only one to whom he could show his more childish side.


    ¡°So, where should we go?¡±


    The tower of Babel was at the very center of Lustburg''s Capital. But there was not much in sight yet.


    ¡°The ck Knight covers the tower''s entire perimeters. They are our elite trope.¡±


    He pointed toward the distances, where shadows could be seen walking as they took guard.


    ¡°Elite¡­?¡±


    Isis¡¯s eyebrow rose slightly as she gazed at those soldiers.


    She could indeed see the discipline and the fervent expression on their faces. But, elite? Really?


    She could feel t


    Sol understood her disbelief as heughed, ¡°Don¡¯t use the standard of the Astral realm to judge. In the mortal realm being a Duke automatically put you in the top 100 or 200 in the world.¡±


    Isis was quite surprised. A single divine beast territory would have more than a hundred Duke in their armies and a few more that were not directly affiliated with them.


    In the first ce, on the battlefield, Dukes were just captains of small dispatch groups or glorified cannon fodder.


    A duke could never change the direction of a battlefield¡­Well. A ¡®normal¡¯ Duke could never do so.


    Isis knew enough that people like her or Sol or even those at the level of Nidhogg and Kaiser were more of the exception than the rule.


    ¡°So, you still didn¡¯t answer. Where should we go?¡±


    Sol coughed, he couldn¡¯t exactly say that he didn¡¯t know where to go, right? He had only visited the city two times;


    It was then, that a maid approached one of the guards. Even though the distance was quite far, it was possible for them to hear what they were saying,


    ¡°How are you guys, I am bringing you some food.¡±


    ¡°Ohh. Thanks miss!¡±


    ¡°Haha, do not worry. Today is pretty calm. The ones busy are those out currently to keep everything in check for the festival.¡±


    ¡°Heh, indeed. This a festival made to wee theing of the prince in good health.¡±


    ¡°Thanks the goddesses.¡±


    ¡°The south District should be particrly active, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It has always been the one that weed tourists the most and it¡¯s the wealthiest. I heard Duchess Mris even used her own coffer to help in the organization.¡±


    ¡°She is truly a woman favored by the goddesses.¡±


    The men lowered their heads slightly as they gave their prayer of gratitude to the goddesses and the generous Mris and the maid left quietly.


    Once this episode went past, Sheherazade and Isis both looked at Sol with sparkling eyes.


    To which he could onlyugh awkwardly, ¡°No need to look at me like you want to devour me. We can go take a look.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Sol chuckled as he watched the two girls jump with joy before giving a meaningful look in the direction of the maid that left.


    He remembered her as one of the maids who had shared his bed in the past. All the maids who did so were generally Milia''s closest confidantes. Girls who passed all her tests and she deemed worth trusting.


    Why would such a maide out at this time?


    ¡®Haha, it seems like I need to give some reward to Miliater.¡¯


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go to the south. I wonder what Mris prepared.¡±


    ¡ª-


    The moment they left the zone protected by the ck knight, Sol found himself facing the sculpture of his father holding a sword while riding a dragon, in the central za.


    He remembered taking a look at this when he went out during his date with Lilith. Though the date had been a failure when all things considered.


    At the very least, Sol didn¡¯t consider a date that ended up in a graveyard to be a good date.


    ¡°Ohhh! Are they your parents?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. My father is considered to be a hero in this kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Heh, father was right then, most heroes end up dead.¡±


    She said so then her expression changed when she realized what she said, ¡°I-I am sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to insult your parents.¡±


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t worry. I am not the most respectful son either.¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    Sol advanced toward the monument and looked up. It was really a work of art. He wondered if Mris was the one who did it. This wouldn¡¯t surprise him after all, she had a talent so high in this domain that the goddesses themselves rewarded her and that woman was batshit crazy about his father.


    ¡°You know, I never liked my father and never found what was so admirable about him.¡±


    As a reincarnator, Sol had no particr feelings for his parents in this world. This might have changed if they had been alive and raised him. Sadly, this wasn¡¯t the case.


    Because of this, all his life he had to live as the Son of the Hero King. Not Sol, the crown Prince.


    His worth and his own talents were always overshadowed by his father as everyone alwayspared him to a dead man and expected him to surpass his father.


    It wasn¡¯t easy. The pressure that was on his back when he was young was already insane. Living up to the expectations people had of him seemed like such an impossibility.


    So Sol resented Mars. He resented the fact that a stupid naive fool like his father could garner so much love and respect. He resented that he was forced to live to the same standard for no reason.


    ¡°I wondered what people would do if I didn¡¯t reach a level simr to him. Would they give up on me? What was my worth? Hah¡­¡±


    Isis and even Sheherazade calmly listened, ¡°What about now?¡±


    His hazy and lost expression vanished as pride and confidence filled his eyes.


    ¡°In the past, while I could say that I was not my father and could refuse beingpared, it was mostly out of a feeling of inferiority as I thought there was now I could surpass that monster. But now?


    ¡°Hahah, now I can say with absolute confidence and without a shred of doubt. I am me. I am not father and I am not just the Son of the Hero king.¡±


    A boyish smile formed on his face as he pulled Isis by the hand and began to walk away,


    ¡°When thest page of my story is written, I will have created my own legacy. One that will surpass everything before me.¡±


    Isis was dazzled by this smile. It was a smile she rarely saw on the face of the ever-polite Sol.


    One pulled with pure joy and anticipation for the future.


    His future was his own and he would be the author of his story.


    He would never let anyone else dictate who or what he should.


    At the end of the day, he could not change his ancestry. He would always be the son of the hero king.


    But his legacy will overshadow his past.


    Of that he was sure.


    ¡°Heh, then what will you be called in the future?¡±


    Sol stopped. He still didn¡¯t know what title he should choose for himself.


    ¡°Oh! Oh! I know! I know; What about the Supreme King?¡±


    Isis chortled at the funny title Sheherazade gave.


    ¡°Not good? Then Omega King?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Super King?¡±


    ¡°Never.¡±


    ¡°Harem king?¡±


    ¡°Over my grave.¡±


    ¡°Pfft! Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Phoenix¡¯s robber?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I might like this one.¡±


    ¡°Hey!?¡±


    Like this, the three of them walked away from the monument. Isisughed at the stupid nickname, Sheherazade gave and Sol swears to never let Sheherazade have influence high enough to affect his future title.


    The future held many secrets and no one knew really how things would end. But at the very least, right here, right now, they were as happy as they could be.


    (AN 1: I have super big news. A few months ago I talked about Amazon and it¡¯s finally happening. If nothing goes wrong at least. Normally in around 3 days max, Son of the Hero King should be avable on amazon as an e-book for 5.99$. Around 400 pages. The book is a fusion of Vol 1 to Vol 3 of the Web novel. I didn¡¯t change much yet. But if Book 1 Part 1 sells well, the second one will go from Vol 4-Vol 5 (Duke visit arc and WoF attack arc) and will be edited and partially rewritten to change some little parts that were boring and other parts. Basically enhancing.


    Anyways, whether you are reading this on WN, Pa treon, or a Pirate site, I would be really happy if you could support my book when it¡¯s out. 5.99$ is honestly a pretty fair price I believe. Not even the price of a good burger. The better SHK does on amazon the more I can invest in editors and illustrators in the future and I might even get an audiobook andic adaptation.


    Even if you don¡¯t n to buy it. Please leave some reviews on Amazon once it¡¯s out. As you know the first volume was pretty heavy on smut and this could push away some readers. Having good reviews would help tremendously.


    This is a very long AN but I don¡¯t have any other way to warn you guys. I will officially announce this on discord when the Book is really out. But I wanted to give an early warning.)


    (AN 2: Second new I decided to make the illustration category on my Pa treon free and essible for public. Those who want to see some of the characters just have to search the <<Illustration>> tags. All pictures should be essible to the Public now. If some aren¡¯t then you can ping me on Discord. Some of the old pictures weremissioned but the newest ones were made using AI. Since I don¡¯t spend much other than the monthly subscription for them I decided to make them free and essible for everyone. Once again they are free and visible for everyone. /HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site) Once again free. You can also join my discord: https://discord.gg/DquQFmaRne )

 Chapter 397 CH 363:SHADOW DATE

    As the three of them walked and joked, Sol began to remember the distribution of the different districts.


    In the past, The imperial city of Lustburg was divided into five great districts.


    The central one belonged to the church and the tower of babel.


    The North district was under the supervision of the Hignd family.


    The South was under the Mris.


    The West was under the Travers.


    And finally, the East under the Gorfard.


    Four Duke families, one Church, and one Royal family. Those were the powers that stood at the apex of the Lustburg kingdom.


    Despite having their own territory, each heir of the Duke family had the obligation to live in the imperial city until they took their obligatory position as the head of their household and officially reced their predecessor.


    The problem was that after the Gorfard became traitors and were stripped of their titles and position, a vacuum was created.


    The royal family took partial control of that zone and shared the rest with the three remaining Duke families.


    After the whole fiasco with Gorfard and the past with his grandfather, Sol did not want to give too much power to the nobles again.


    The Hignd, Mris, and Travers may be loyal now. But he did not know what would happen in the future.


    ¡°Speaking of, they said that this Duchess was blessed by the goddesses. What does it mean?¡±


    Isis asked, curious to know more about the Kingdom that Sol ruled. After all, she was now part of it.


    ¡°Duchess Mris is¡­.Hum. Well, let¡¯s say she is an incredible woman whose talent was recognized by the goddesses. So they gave her a gift.¡±


    ¡°Seriously!? Whoa! She is like, super awesome, then!! Can we meet her!!?¡±


    Sheherazade was beyond excited. It wasn¡¯t like it was the first time the goddesses gave a gift on a whim. But one would need something really impressive to make them act.


    ¡°What are her talents?¡±


    ¡°Art.¡±


    Sol chuckled as he remembered the rather disturbing paintings of her father in that woman''s house.


    Arachne Mris''s obsession with his father was on par with Lilith and perhaps even superior. She had never really liked Sol and she never hesitated in making this clear.


    Their rtionship had grown closer after the fight against the traitor but that was all. The two of them would never go beyond a simple rtionship of acquaintance and superior/Subordinate.


    ¡°Ohhh! Art, huh? I don¡¯t know much about art. I am curious.¡±


    ¡°Well, the monument we saw earlier was made by her.¡±


    Sheherazade and Isis opened their eyes wide. The amount of detail on those monuments was simply insane. Even if one knew nothing about art, one could still understand that this wasn¡¯t something that could be done without great love and passion.


    Sol though simply shrugged. He had always wondered why his mother was depicted in her dragon form rather than her human form and deduced that this was simply a small way for Arachne to take a small revenge.


    ¡®Haha, a woman in love can really be petty.¡¯


    ¡°Well, we are finally here.¡±


    ¡ª-


    The south zone was under the control of the Mris family and her family was pretty wealthy all things considered.


    Furthermore, since her true territory was on the border, the Mris family enjoyed a very great reputation as they helped protect the country from invaders and weed tourists of all kinds.


    The moment the three of them entered that zone, it was like they were entering a different world.


    Everywhere, light could be seen floating as they illuminated the streets.


    People were ying and moving around and joy could be seen on everyone''s face.


    The eyes of the two girls began to sparkle as they observed this scene they had never witnessed.


    Festivals were not exactly easy to organize in the underworld and Sheherazade had been pretty ostracized by the member of her race and was unable to participate in most of them.


    As for the festival in the Phoenix realm, they were few and far between and Isis did not participate in them. She did not want to go to a ce where people obviously did not like them.


    ¡°What should we do? What should we do!?¡±


    Sheherazade began to fly and buzz everywhere as she looked all around. There were so many things she wanted to try. So much so that she felt like she was bingpletely dizzy.


    It was funny but Sol just realized that he had forgotten one very important fact.


    They lived in a very capitalistic world and there was one thing that the three of themcked¡ªMoney.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    Sol sweated heavily. As a prince living in the Tower, he never had to buy anything. Everything was directly delivered to him. In the Astral realm, gold was worth shit and only Faith coins had any value. But this was not the case in the Mortal realm.


    ¡°Hum¡­? Is there a problem?¡±


    Isis was quite perceptive and immediately noticed his awkward expression. Sol briefly debated between lying and keeping his pride or telling the truth. <novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡°I forgot to bring money with us.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±


    He covered his face. Indeed. His pride had been crushed.


    Both Sheherazade and Isis were merciless in theirughter. They did not even try to leave him some dignity.


    ¡°You always call me an airhead but it seems like our dear old prince isn¡¯t without ws after all?¡±


    ¡°Laughed enough?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Never. This will go in the annals of history.¡±


    ¡°Heh, like how you trying to y a prank on me ended up with us facing Kidnappers?¡±


    ¡°*Cough* *Cough*¡±


    Isis coughed awkwardly to hide her embarrassment at the sneak attack Solunched. She should have known that he was not an easy target to tease.


    ¡°So, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°I can go back and take some money home.¡±


    ¡°No no no no! We don¡¯t even need to buy anything. We sneaked out, right? It would be a shame to simply go back. Let¡¯s have some fun!¡±


    Sol looked at Sheherazade and grinned before taking out a wig to hide his hair. He also keeps his horns above his head. Demi-humans were not rare in Lustburg so it would be a disguise enough.


    As for their clothes, while Isis was covered in a thin robe and jewels, Sol could see many nobles moving around in even more outrageous clothes so there was no problem.


    The three began to move around.


    The current festival reminded him of a mix of the kind of festival that was most current in countries like brazil and japan in his old world.


    Everywhere he looked, people were singing, dancing, or selling something. In the corner of some street, he could see couples kissing or doing even more daring things but people would simply ignore them.


    This was the country of lust after all.


    Soon, Sol realized that he had been worried for nothing as money did not even be a problem.


    Along the way, even without paying anything, they would receive free gifts. The vendors would say that it was for a beautiful couple, causing Isis to blush greatly whenever they wouldpliment how good they looked together or how beautiful she was.


    The hands of Sol were already full and Sheherazade was cheering as she munched on street food. Sol had verified that there was nothing dangerous in it so it was safe.


    He had been curious if the others were getting the same treatment but no matter how much he stretched his senses, this was obviously not the case.


    ¡°Why think too much? let¡¯s just enjoy.¡±


    Hearing Isis. Sol nodded. He wouldn¡¯t have many opportunities to have fun after this. So he should just enjoy this day.


    ¡ª-


    What Sol would have discovered if he used his dimension to scout was that, a little farther in the South district. In a closed bar, a veritable operation was taking ce.


    A holographic map of the capital with three red dots moving around was floating in the air as people busied around.


    Standing in her maid clothes with her hands behind her back, Milia observed the map as the red dots moved in real-time and keep giving her orders.


    ¡°Zone B6 and B7 clear.¡±


    ¡°Zone C5 and C19 clear.¡±


    ¡°Here Bishop. The vendors in the 2nd alley have all been reced by our agents.¡±


    ¡°Good job everyone.¡± Milia praised them as they received positive feedback. ¡°Continue clearing out anything that might disturb his highness. Drunk should be pushed aways and ruffians need to be put down and sent to jail.¡±


    She looked around, ¡°Everyone, this is a very important mission. I will have your head if you fail.¡±


    Everyone shuddered as they simply did not know just how serious Milia currently was.


    So the crown shadow decided to move as if their lives really depended on it.


    ¡ª--


    (AN: Yep. This ain''t a dream. SHK finally got on Amazon. Man, I really waited long for this. This is my first time on Amazon and SHK has some, let''s say controversial content. So I would really be happy if you guys could help by giving reviews, writingments, and of course, if possible buying it. The book is only 5.99$. So please go on. The better this book does, the more money I will invest in Book 1 part 2.


    https://.amazon.fr/dp/B0BS3NTVP7/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1673515509&refinements=p_27%3AHikaru+Genji&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=Hikaru+Genji


    The book should be only avable on Kindle USA for now. You could maybe get it by simply shifting your address for a bit as there is only the Ebook version anyway. Just find a random address in the USA.


    One of my patrons bought the book using an Amazon gift card so it¡¯s another way I guess.


    Of course, this is just temporary. I n to make it so it bes avable in others countries.


    Since I am happy. Tomorrow I will post 2 chapters.)

 Chapter 398 CH 364:HAPPINESS

    As the festival went on, Sol slowly began to pay more and more attention to Sheherazade, and the more he did so, the more curious he became about her as a person.


    ¡°Sol! Sol! Look at this!¡±


    Sol smiled as he watched Isis receive an ice cream for the drolling Sheherazade. It was a funny scene as it was clearly too oversized for the small fairy. But watching her slowly devour it while using magic to keep it from spilling over was so cute it was heartwarming.


    ¡°You know, I have always been curious. Why are you always so happy and bubbly?¡±


    When Sol first became close to Sheherazade, he only considered her as a naive airhead. It was only after learning of her past that he understood that this was far from the truth.


    Unlike him or Isis, Sheherazade was not born in great conditions. She was not noble nor had a powerful parent. She was a simplemoner in her own race facing her own hardship of daily life.


    For her, her talent and power were no blessing but a curse. She lost the little she already had. Became a target, had to live in hiding, and had anxiety fearing the day she would be caught only to nearly die after being caught in a spacetime vortex and falling into a desert.


    Only luck helped her meet Isis.


    Why could someone like her still live such a happy life and still be so kind? Why did she not think of revenge? Why was she not consumed by fear or hatred?


    Sol did not know why he asked her this. But the more he thought about Lilith¡¯s life, the more he wanted to know the perspective of people who did not fall in the face of despair.


    ¡°Hum..?¡±


    The two girls were clearly startled by the sudden question.


    Sheherazade tilted her in confusion before musing.


    ¡°You know¡­I am not really super smart or strong. Haha~¡±


    She gave an embarrassed smile before continuing, ¡°--But you see. I don¡¯t really have a choice, right? It isn¡¯t like crying or being angry will change my situation. I don¡¯t like sad things. So I do not want to be sad myself.¡±


    Sol was speechless by such simple reasoning, ¡°Then are you forcing yourself to show happiness?¡±


    ¡°Heh? Not really? I mean, I can eat well, live well, I have Isis and now I am even visiting the mortal realm. Hahaha~! My life is so blissful. So why should I only see the negatives? Life is much more fun when youugh.¡±


    Seeing Sol looking at her with a weird expression, Sheherazade became flustered,


    ¡°Sorry. Like I said, I am not really smart. I don¡¯t know how else to exin myself.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Sol shook his head, ¡°You do not have to apologize.¡±


    He looked up at the sky. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether your way of thinking is right or wrong. But surely, the world would be a far happier ce if people thought like you.¡±


    Sol could not ept Sheherazade way of thinking.


    For him, only seeing the positive and being content with what one had means that you epted stagnation. That you refused to advance and evolve.


    People became stronger by facing and oveing hardship. Humans evolved because they were not satisfied.


    Rather than Lust, greed was the greatest motivating factor for being blessed with intelligence.


    But¡­.Did this mean that he was right and that she was wrong?


    No. Some people found happiness in reaching greater heights. Some others like her were happy with the little things in life.


    There was no such thing as right or wrong in your way of pursuing happiness.


    ¡°Thanks for answering me.¡±


    Sol felt his respect for the little fairy soar.


    When faced with hardship. Some people could only give up and kneel and curse at the world.


    There was nothing wrong with that. The way one deals with sadness was personal and no one had the right to judge them.


    But there were some people.


    People would call them, fools, simple-minded, naive, and stupid. Without understanding the depth of their inner strength.


    Even when facing the most devastating moment, they could smile and stand up and find joy in simple things.


    Those people no matter how much they were struck by fate could still move on and advance, without looking back.


    Thinking about it, one could say that Sheherazade mental strength was even superior to that of Lilith.


    One chooses to give up on life after losing the one she cared the most for. Living only in the past and ignoring the present or the future.


    Another choose tough at the face of Fate even after losing everything she had and decided to focus on the present and the future.


    ¡°Hahaha, you are really incredible.¡±


    ¡°I am? Hehehe~! Of course, I am! Bow in front of my awesome self!¡±


    ¡°Of course, your fabulousness.¡±


    Sheherazadeughed and flew beforending on Sol¡¯s head between his horns, ¡°Let¡¯s go! My proud stead. Let¡¯s stop thinking about the difficult thing and let¡¯s have fun!¡±


    Isis opened her eyes wide when she saw this. Even though Sol was not raised by dragons, she knew very well how angry they could be if someone they did not respect tried to mount them. <novelnext></novelnext>


    But when she saw Sol show no negative reaction and onlyugh out loud, she felt a weight was taken off her shoulders and she alsoughed alongside them.


    One of the reasons Isis had managed to keep her smile even when living in a ce where everyone disliked her was that she had someone like Sheherazade by her side.


    The fairy would always bring joy and happiness to her and soothe her worries. She was d to see that she had the same effect on Sol.


    She took Sol by the arm and the three continued to visit the stands.


    ¡ª----


    (AN: /watch?v=L8iq_oyBmAg&ab_channel=AnimeeeTubeee)


    After Sol decided to stop thinking hard about everything, he slowly began to enter the pace of Sheherazade and Isis.


    Suddenly he found that the world was not soplicated after all.


    They would visit stands where they could get prizes. After the prize reached a certain amount, the stand owner would even give keep for them and even ship themter to the Tower.


    The fact that none of them showed surprise at this was quite telling but Sol simply ignored them.


    He felt like he was bing younger. Like a kid running around and simply having fun, not knowing how vast the world truly was.


    The light in the sky, the people dancing or moving in intricate disguises, everything was simply joyful and beautiful.


    In this ce, there was no distinctions between nobles andmoners. People were simply having fun.


    This might be seen as escapism. Ignoring reality for a fleeting moment of happiness.


    But Sol did not bother thinking too deeply.


    He was having fun.


    This was different from the joy born from fighting and crushing a skilled opponent.


    It was also different from the happiness of spending time with his lovers.


    It was a purer and simpler form of joy. One that had long been repressed in his heart because of all the responsibilities weighing on him. But now he could freely express them.


    Sol had always wanted a friend. Someone he could talk to as an equal and share joy and sorrow with.


    He thought he had a friend in Chloe, the Holy daughter from the Angel side. But the time they had spent together was simply too small.


    He then thought that he could be friends with Ares. But after what happened with Gerald and their subordinate/Superior rtionship, it was simply impossible.


    But now, he realized that had two true friends.


    Isis and Sheherazade.


    All things considered, they had only spent a few months together.


    But what they faced in those few months was more than more people would see in their entire lives.


    Sol had always been leery of giving his trust to someone after what happened with Gerald.


    But with them, he had no such fear.


    Was he being naive again?


    Perhaps.


    Should he always keep his eyes open just in case?


    Most likely.


    But would he do so?


    Not at all.


    Trust was earned. Not given. The two of them had fought alongside him. Put their lives in danger for him and decided to follow him no matter where he went.


    If he did not believe in them, in whom could he believe again?


    On this night. Solughed like a kid.


    Tomorrow he would face many things that simply surpassed him.


    It would be hard. He might be disappointed.


    His efforts might not get rewarded in the end.


    But this was alright.


    He just needed to continue walking his way until the end.


    (AN: What is happiness? Does strength bring happiness? In our world, strength would be money. Some say money doesn¡¯t bring happiness. The fact is, I believe you don¡¯t need money to be happy. In the same way, you don¡¯t need strength to be happy. But having strength help avoid being ughtered just because one strong dude had a bad day. If Sheherazade was strong like Tiamat, who the heck would try to target her?)

 Chapter 399 CH365:FIREWORKS

    Back in the base, Milia observed as the date went as well as possible. She had noticed them stop a short instant but it did not matter. From what her spy had said it seemed they had just been discussing something serious.


    Milia knew Sol enough to understand that he must have asked something to Isis to satiate his curiosity.


    She would have to remind himter that while curiosity was good, it was sometimes a mood breaker. Even more so when people were trying to have fun.


    "Everything is going well."


    Even though she had acted on her own ord on the fly, Milia had to admit that she felt pretty proud about what she had just aplished.


    In the grand scheme of things, it wasn''t much. But this did not change what she felt.


    Hah. I have missed this feeling so much.¡¯


    It has only been two weeks, but not catering to Sol¡¯s daily life had been like torture. Her greatest pleasure in life was serving him and seeing him happy made her all the happier.


    Now she could once again work on her purpose.


    ¡°Okay, guys it¡¯s time to wrap up everything with a bang. Prepare the final!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    She smiled and looked at the screen. It was nearly midnight.


    She would make sure that this day would be etched in her lord''s memory forever.


    ¡®I hope you will appreciate my efforts, your highness.¡¯


    Unlike the other girls, Milia did not feel envious. She was a shadow. Forever walking hidden behind her Lord and protecting from all that was bad.


    Even though he was stronger than her now and did not need her protection any longer, it did not matter.


    A king did not deal with filth. It would be her job to take care of all menial tasks that could stop him from focusing on his objectives.


    ¡°Did you finish profiling the two newpanions of his Highness?¡±


    In the room full of people whose faces and bodies were entirely covered in ck, there stood two women in maid attire and a man wearing a stylish tuxedo and a monocle over his right eye.


    They were Ketia and Edgar, two of Fingers, the leaders of the Crown Shadow.


    After being called out by Milia, Edgar adjusted his monocle before exining the situation.


    ¡°Do you think this is a kind of identifying magic? It takes time and Data.¡±


    Edgar sighed and continued, ¡°For now we believe that the two news are sincere. You should know how stringent the first contract is.¡±


    Milia nodded, ¡°We will slowly gather more information about her. The maid that will take care of her daily life will all be part of the Crown Shadow and only those of them who had receivedplete spy training.¡±


    Milia believed that Isis was trustworthy. There was no other way. After all, she had signed a contract with Sol and it was his first contract. This made it so Isis was a very valuable ally.


    But Sheherazade was different. She had gotten a vague outline of her power when Sol introduced her during the banquet. But if that fairy had even half the potential of what she deduced from Sol¡¯s word, this fairy was a walking cmity and should be disposed of as soon as possible.


    Sadly, she knew that Sol would never do this and unlike Camelia, Milia did not wish to hide things from him and treat him like he was a kid. He was her lord and she had to give him due respect.


    Since she was his shadow, she would always do the dark job he did not need to. <novelnext></novelnext>


    She would be the one to be suspicious of everything in his stead and would carve a bloody path before covering it with a carpet so that he could walk unhindered in without being stopped by anything.


    If the two ended up being ¡°good¡± people then all the better. She would be the first one to celebrate the good news with them. After all, her main goal was his happiness. Not trying to prove a point to show that the two women were indeed suspicious.


    ¡°They seem to have slowed down and the normal vendors are slowly packing up. Should we proceed and start the n?¡±


    ¡°Hum. Very well. So let¡¯s finish this impromptu Date operation in high spirits.¡±


    ¡ª---


    On Sol and the two-in-one girl''s side, even though they were still having fun, they could feel that the festival was slowly dying down.


    From what Sol understood, this would be a 7 days festival to honor the 14 goddesses and thank them for keeping the prince safe.


    This was total bullshit as the goddesses had no hand in himing back alive but as they were more a theocracy, he couldn''t exactly say that he did not like the goddesses.


    ¡°What should we do now? Go back?''


    Sheherazade was a little disappointed to end things so soon but she was also happy to have participated in this event.


    ¡°Everyone! It''s nearly time for the Grand finale! Are you ready!?"


    It was then that they heard the announcement, causing them to tilt their head in puzzlement.


    Everyone was the same as they wondered what was about to happen. But the one doing the announcement simply chuckled.


    "Do not forget the dear citizens of Lustburg. Everything that is happening now was sponsored by the Royal family and the four nobles. Now let''s go! Ten! Nine!..."


    As more and more people began to follow, they slowly went down.


    "Zero!"


    His voice was immediately followed by a red light shooting in the sky before exploding into thousands of light.


    It was followed by a second, a third, and many more.


    "Whoa!"


    Sheherazade looked up with amazement while still standing on Sol''s head, while Sol held Isis''s hand tightly.


    Standing under the illuminated sky that was shining with thousands of colors.


    Sol whispered gently, "Thanks for being here with me."


    They did not know who was the first one to do it. But as their lips slowly ovepped, they realized that this did not matter.


    This was the sweetest kiss Isis had ever received and she knew that even if ten thousand years were to pass, she would never forget this kiss.


    (AN: Hope you liked the sweet escapades. Time to go back to more dreary stuff.)


    (AN 2: Thanks to those who already bought a book on Amazon. If possible, please leave some good ratings and reviews on Amazon, this would be really helpful. Also, write to me if you find anything wrong with the book. I am always active in discord.)

 Chapter 400 CH 366:EVERYTHING FALL IN PLACE

    The light of the fireworks slowly faded away, signaling the end of the festival for the day.


    Watching the light die out from the screen, Milia felt her heart fulfilled.


    ¡°Good job everyone.¡±


    She pped and everyone nodded.


    It was then that Ketia who had been silent until now changed her expression as she received a message,


    ¡°We have a situation. The Dark Phantom is moving and approaching his Highness.¡±


    Milia frowned. Dark Phantom was part of the demon race. A B+ race with the ability to move through the shadow dimension. Thanks to this they were all very powerful assassin.


    The only known Dark Phantom in Lustburg was the demon contracted to Duchess Mris.


    It would have been nearly impossible for her agents to catch him if he tried to sneak up so this means he was openly showing himself.


    ¡°Leave him alone.¡±


    Milia sighed, ¡®I am sorry your highness. All I could give you was one night of dream.¡¯


    Sol was not a kid anymore. He was the to-be King of all humanity. A night where he could act like a child was rare and she was happy that she had at least been able to give him a good time.


    ¡°Why do you think he is approaching him?¡±


    ¡°Most likely it¡¯s about their guests.¡±


    If the Travers family was rted to Greed Dike, then the Mris were closer to Envilya.


    An important guest had recently contacted the crown shadow through the Mris family. Still, Milias had been unable to do much as she did not have any authority pertaining to the diplomatic envoy.


    ¡°Ketia this is your job. Immediately rejoin his highness¡­¡± Milia began to give orders to keep everything organized.


    The crown¡¯s shadow wasposed of three divisions: the hand, the eyes, and the feet [1].


    The Feet was the division charged with foreign rtions. Diplomacy was their bread and butter. It was also the Organisation under the order of Ketia.


    The eyes were the spy division ced all over the kingdom and a few foreign kingdoms. Finally the hand¨Cwas the assassin division. The one tasked to protect the crown in the dark and to do the dirty jobs when necessary.


    ¡°Edgar, take care of the rest of the festival. Began circling Mris mansion and see if anything weird happens.¡±


    Milia did not believe that Mris would do anything funny now. But better be safe than sorry.


    ¡°Well, I am going.¡±


    Ketia took a few steps back before sinking in the shadow and moving away in a sh.


    Ever since they had been crushed by the Undead Puppet Berthold which was controlled by Drei, Edgar; Ketia and Arias had been working hard in order to develop new skills.


    She was d to see their current progress.


    ¡ª-


    Sol, who had been basking in happiness and savoring the gentle kiss he was sharing with Isis sighed inwardly when he felt a flurry of movement in the surroundings.


    He had been suppressing his senses until now, but it seemed that the beautiful night had ended. Like cindere escaping from the ball as her transformation slowly undid, Sol had to cast away his childish self once again and wear the oh-so-fitting mask of prince and future King that he had been wearing all his life.


    Slowly separating his lips from Isis, his smile changed in a calm and mature one as he patted her head and looked in the distance.


    ¡°Come out now.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry for disturbing you, your Highness.¡±


    A ck-haired man wearing a butler attire slowly walked out of the shadow and bowed with an expression full of respect. <novelnext></novelnext>


    What else could he do? When he had been tasked by the Duchess toe to invite the Prince, he had thought that this would be an easy mission. After all, the prince in his memory was still nothing more than a young pup. A small wolf that had yet to grow his teeth.


    But now¡­He felt all his instincts screaming at him that if he was to show the slightest disrespect, his head would be sent flying. Even now, standing up upright was a difficulty as the aura seemed to weigh on his shoulder and gave him the urge to simply kneel.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    Sol gave an impassive look at the butler but lowered his pressure when Sheherazade tugged at his horn. Her voice was filled with worry.


    Since he did not wish to startle his little fairy friend, Sol put on a gentle smile and faced the butler. It was as if his oppressive aura had been nothing but a lie.


    Still, this didn¡¯t mean that he had calmed down.


    ¡°I remember you. Since when can a vassal call their superior as they wish? Did Mris be a queen while I was away?¡±


    ¡°I would not dare.¡±


    The butler sweated profusely and shook his head. ¡°The Duchess cannot move as she is entertaining an important guest.¡±


    Sol mused a little while before looking behind him, ¡°Ketia,e out.¡±


    ¡°I am here your highness.¡±


    ¡°It has been a while, I hope you have been well.¡±


    ¡°Everything is perfect.¡±


    The difference in treatment was clear for all to see, but the butler did not¨Ccould notin. So he only watched on.


    It was hard to say when, but the entire zone had already been cleared of all pedestrians, only leaving a few moving members of the crown shadow slowly circling the perimeter.


    ¡°Very well. Since you are here, I suppose that Milia sent you. Pray, tell me who is the guest I am supposed to meet?¡±


    This was a test in a way from Sol. The crown shadow was supposed to have evolved and doubled on the surveince.


    If anyone could enter the Capital without them being aware then they were useless.


    Ketia was not stupid and she could clearly feel the edge in his voice. She understood that the only reason he was not more direct with his words was that she was Lilin''s personal maid.


    ¡°We already uncovered the identity of the Guest of Mris. She is a diplomatic guest that had been waiting for your arrival.¡±


    ¡°Name?¡±


    This time he was very curious about who it might be to cause such a fuss.


    ¡°Anastasia Invidia [2]. The second Princess of Envilya.¡±


    Sol closed his eyes and chuckled, causing bewilderment to appear on everyone''s face except Isis and Sheherazade who were astonished.


    In the end, all Sol could murmur was.


    ¡°Fate is truly mysterious.¡±


    It seemed that he suddenly would not need the help of the witches as much as previously.


    He wondered what kind of expression Ambrosia would show if she learned of this.


    ¡ª-


    [1]: Sigh. I really wonder what the hell I was thinking when I named those divisions. I like the Eyes. But the [Hand] and [Feet] seem weird lol. Perhaps I will change it to three divisions. [Shield]; [Spear]; [Sword]. Lol, can I get sued if I do this?


    [2]: If anyone thinks I pulled this out of nowhere. Go read Vol 8 special Chapter: Subi of Envilya to refresh your memory.


    My goal is to reach the top 25 in trending (All time/monthly). I know we can do it. If you want to read my other works, join me on P@treon: /HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site)

 Chapter 401 CH 367:OBSERVATION

    When Sol heard that Anastasia Invidia was currently present in Lustburg, he could not help but chuckle bitterly as it felt like all the pieces of a missing puzzle were perfectly aligning themselves for him one after another.


    This was definitely not a feeling he really appreciated in the least. But in this case, he had to know why she was here in the first ce.


    Anastasia was a powerful knight who shone brightly on the battlefield many times over and slowly built up her reputation as one of the most powerful beings in the Mortal Realm.


    The only reason she was not the current Crown Princess of Envilya was that she was not a Blessed. Even so, her influence and power were unmatched by any other entity in the kingdom of demons except for the church of Humanitas.


    She was also the daughter of Pandora Invidia, the current queen of Envilya, and a previous member of Mars¡¯ team.


    Those two were the very reason why the church of Humanitas could not take total control of the Kingdom despite their power being superior than the current royalty, at least that was what he had read on paper.


    Not only was it forbidden, but the popce supported the royal family quite a bit.


    Why did such a bigshote to Lustburg as a diplomat but refused to show herself openly? It was a red g no matter how he thought about it.


    His mind began to move as he made some possible conjectures but no matter how he looked at it, Envilya needed their help.


    Now, Sol could use his position as king to make clear who had the upper hand in this inner conflict of the kingdom of demons in order to make them fold more easily. He would have done so if it was a normal diplomat.


    But as she was a princess and one with important political power on her sleeves, he decided to y the gentleman for now.


    Sol smiled as Sheherazade flew from his head andnded on his shoulder, ¡°Ohh! Are you going to meet that talented woman you spoke about? Can we follow you?¡±


    Sol gently shook his head to deny her. There were some things he needed to do on his own, ¡°Not this time. We might have some unpleasant discussion.¡±


    He had to be firm here. After all, he didn¡¯t want to spoil her too much. But, seeing the disappointed expression on her face, he decided to relent a little to the cute and adorable fairy, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will organize a meeting for youter on when this situation is sorted out.¡±


    ¡°Yessss!!¡±


    Isis chuckled after hearing this discussion of theirs. Seeing this scene, it was hard to remember who was the oldest of the two.


    ¡°We won¡¯t disturb you. Either way, I do want to rest a little before that wolf decides to challenge me.¡±


    Sol felt a little conflicted when he heard this piece of information but ultimately said nothing. Setsuna was strong. She was an A+ rank after all. In terms of pure talent, she was not that much inferior to a divine beast. But Isis was simply at a different level.


    If she went all out, even Sol was not sure he could beat her head on. Even if Setsuna had grown quite a bit, she was not a Duke yet and that alone was a great handicap in itself.


    Of course, he had no intention of stopping that fight from happening. He believed in Setsuna and the strength of her mind. He knew that she would not crumble because of a simple defeat. She was his knight after all.


    ¡°Ketia, fetch a carriage for mypanions. Also, I want you to assign a few maids to her for some shopping tomorrow. In fact, bring Lilin with you.¡±


    He ignored the butler and focused on Ketia as he gave his orders. Ketia did not even think about bringing up that Milia had asked her to follow him.


    She nodded almost instinctively and this was despite the fact that Sol was not even trying to intimidate her.


    ¡°Hey! My clothes are alright, okay?¡±


    ¡°So you are telling me that you are going to wear the same clothes, every single day?¡±


    Divine beasts could create their own clothes using mana. This was very useful as when they shapeshifted, normal clothes would bepletely destroyed. But still, even if she decided to use mana for the purpose of her clothing, it would be interesting to have her move around the kingdom and interact with the popce on her own.


    Isis had never really managed to walk around in popted settlements without having to hide her face and aura when she was in the Astral Realm.


    But here, in his kingdom, he would make damn sure that she became as happy as possible.


    Shopping as she wished without having to hide, was the first step toward this.


    Ideally, Sol would have wished for Setsuna to follow as well, but since her sense of duty was too strong, she would act as their knight and guard without having any fun herself. Thus it would¡¯ve just been a waste of time to throw her into the mix.


    ¡°Your highness, then, if you would follow me?¡±


    ¡°I know the way.¡±


    Sol simply vanished there and then, leaving apletely bewildered butler and a bitterly smiling Isis behind.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Sol had not been the only one to observe the fireworks.


    Sitting in the true office of Arachne Mris was a young woman wearing a ck bodysuit and a few pieces of armor covering the bare minimum. She had long purple hair adorned with a golden rose and her purple eyes shone with splendor even after she watched the firework slowly die off. It was a long time before her eyes returned to their previous cold brilliance.


    ¡°I must say, my country should seriously take some notes and try new things like this.¡±


    Arachne did not speak, she was not particrly interested in the festival. The only reason she had put money into this was because the news of war was putting pressure on the citizens and making them uneasy. She nned to fund a few more festivals like this in all the major cities of Lustburg to further rx the dreary atmosphere settling throughout the kingdom.


    ¡°Why are you keeping this form?¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    The purple-haired girlughed at her words, ¡°She is pretty, isn¡¯t she? I really did a good job with her. Beautiful, smart, kind, strong. I like immersing myself in her personality. She has such a beautiful way of seeing the world. Sigh. If only¡­¡±


    ¡®Anastasia¡¯ spoke until this point before shaking her head.


    ¡°Youment the fact that she is not a Blessed, I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°Even though it might be cruel, that is so. Thankfully, the second daughter, Minerva has a great talent when ites to <<Acting>> so I am not really disappointed.¡±


    The two women continued to chat as if there was nothing wrong with what they were speaking. They were mostly silent, but sometimes they would just reminisce about the past.


    ¡°I wonder if he wille.¡±


    ¡°Are you that impatient to see him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Mars¡¯ son, you know? I always wanted to meet him. But after the stunt those bastards from the church pulled, I didn¡¯t have the courage to do so.¡±


    ¡°You are pretty pathetic, you know that right?¡±


    ¡°What can I say? Thest war against Lustburg ended with our strongest Queen getting killed. Since then the royal family never recovered.¡±


    Arachne nodded to her words. This was the result of the fight between Mars¡¯ grandfather and the queen of Envilya as he lead the army against the kingdom of demons.


    As a result, both the royal family of Lustburg and Envilya got incredibly weakened.


    For Lustburg, the nobles managed to take control of the royal family. For Envilya, it was the church that did so.


    ¡°Mars is really incredible. I wish I was able to revert the situation as he did. Haha, sometimes I wonder if I am truly Blessed like him or if the Blessed of Lustburg are just built different.¡±


    ¡°I sadly do not know enough about Blessed to answer this question of yours.¡±


    ¡®Anastasia¡¯ or rather, Pandora disguised as Anastasia simply shrugged. Even the Blessed themselves do not know much about how it works out for them anyways. No need to be sorry about that.


    Pandora had never really been curious about the origin of her blessing either. Demons, like angels, were discarded divine beasts who had their thrones usurped by a new generation of divine beasts.


    She knew her ce very well and did not seek more than she needed to. She had managed to be a powerful King rank subus and she believed that her powers were not far from rivaling the previous Nightmare queen¡¯s.


    ¡°By the way, I have never asked you this, but how is his personality? What do you think of him?"


    Arachne tilted her head.


    Her view of Sol had been changed repeatedly in a very short time frame.


    In the past, because of her resentment, she simply hated him and viewed him as a sheltered prince who would never be equal to the splendor of his father.


    When they met during the traditional Duke visit, she realized her bias and began to view him as a child with a potential no lower than that of Mars¡¯. But ultimately, that was it.


    After the attack on Lustburg and Lilith slowly stepping away from power, she deduced that he would be a reliable King. Though one that would need much support from his surroundings to stabilize his position.


    But now¡­ After returning from the church and witnessing his return from the Astral Realm, she realized that he had gone beyond everything she had ever expected him to aplish.


    So. What did she think of him now?


    "He is a monster that keeps growing without showing any signs of reaching his limit."


    Talented people would always exist out there.


    Geniuses were really not that rare in the realms.


    But in every generation, there would always exist those few oddities that broke all semnce ofmon sense and created their own rules.


    In her opinion, Sol was such a monster of this generation.


    The new wave would always push the old one aside.


    Arachne closed her eyes. No matter how much she did not want to admit it¡­


    She knew that one day, Mars would not be remembered as the Hero King anymore, but simply as the father of Sol.


    What the two friends did not notice though ¡ª was that they had never been alone from the start.


    Unknown to them, all along, a third individual had been sitting right next to them and listening to their discussion.


    Quietly, calmly, pondering how to best make use of the information he had obtained with a cold and calcting gaze.


    The fun had just begun¡­

 Chapter 402 CH368:GRINDING NEVER CEASE

    Sitting on a chair not far from them, Sol crossed his legs and leaned back as he quietly observed them while wondering how he should use the new information he was receiving.


    He was slowly starting to understand why all those who had their own realm suffered from voyeurism. There was just something empowering about being able to observe and listen to all the secrets of someone without that person being able to do anything.


    ¡®When I be a demigod I should try covering Lustburg entirely.¡¯


    It would be impossible to do so in theory. Even though Tiamat had covered the entire Dragon Territory with her own Dimension, this was because the territory belonged to her in the first ce.


    The mortal dimension belonged to no one and even a demigod like Nihil could only cover the caver for a short time.


    But after his face-off with Lucifer¡­Sol had discovered that his power was quite useful and unique.


    If all the conditions were present, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for him to repeat the feat of Anubis¡ªStealing a part of an entire realm or perhaps, even more.


    Of course, all of this was for the future.


    Right now he had to deal with more mundane problems. Such as saving the life of his aunt who wanted to die, getting an alliance with a group of witches who hated his Kingdom, and ascertaining how useful the woman named Pandora was.


    <<Divine Weapon: Eye of Akasha>>


    When he finally opened the Eye of Akasha, from his perspective, everything stopped in its tracks.


    The world itself becamepletely still as if time itself became a meaningless notion. All that remained was a world filled with threads connected to each and every thing in existence. It felt as if a great puppeteer was moving strings to control reality.


    The world¡­was weaved by threads of different colors. This was at least how he perceived and identified the strings of fate that he was granted the opportunity of witnessing thanks to the amalgam of all his powers.


    ¡®How blurry.¡¯


    Sol once again regretted his own weakness. Back then when he had the power of a demigod, everything felt so vivid. He had felt all-powerful. One whim of hise could change the destiny of an entire world if he so wished.


    But now¡­ he felt like those strings were more like shackles restraining him.


    ¡®Forget it.¡¯


    He started by observing Mris. The strings linked the two of them were fused with a pink thread sorge and sturdy that it seemed to equal Skuld or Nefertiti. The thread representing subordination was rather small.


    Sol immediately understood that in Arachne''s mind, even the rtionship between a ruler and subordinate was worthless. Only her love for Mars made her interested in Sol. Creating a feeling of contradiction. Seeing him as a nephew but also a reminder that she would never see her love.


    Arachne did not like him. In fact, from what he was seeing, he wondered how it was even possible for her to like anyone at all. Her love for his father was basically blinding him.


    Shaking his head, he decided to focus on the important target.


    Pandora.


    Like Arachne, Pandora had a pink thread linking her to Mars. Though this was much much smaller whenpared to Arachne. Her love for Mars seemed to be more in the realm of admiration and crush.


    He also observed the thread linking her to Invidia, the goddess of envy. He briefly wondered if he could cut it. But unlike thest time when he had absolute certainty that he could do so, now he was drowned in doubt.


    ¡®So, only by bing a demigod can I cut those threads.¡¯


    It was a good thing to learn. He wasn¡¯t worried about bing a demigod. For him, it was a certainty as long as he didn¡¯t get killed on the road.


    ¡®Now what should I do?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want to start affecting the Fate of those two women as now. He wasn¡¯t so far gone that he would start manipting people who had done nothing wrong to him and could be potential allies.


    Pandora was a King, so the influence he could have would be limited and even without that, she was a staunch ally of her father in the past and from what she said, the royal family was in an even worse situation than they initially thought.


    Currently, though, he needed two things from her.


    The first one was of course to have an open or secret alliance with Envilya. One that would make sure they would have help when facing Wratharis.


    Currently, Nefertiti should have alreadynded in Southern Pride. He didn¡¯t know how much she could help. But he would have to visit the elves anyways.


    On the map, Wratharis was enclosed on nearly all sides by the three countries. The only escape being the sea.


    Wratharis might have Sun Wukong. But if Lilith was healed, he was sure that she would be no weaker and Southern Pride also had Siegfried. The man was strong enough to kill a rampaging crazy dragon at the King rank, one thousand years ago.


    ¡®Does Envilya have a powerhouse outside of Pandora and their Supreme daughter?¡¯


    He had never heard of one. But this was an avenue worth exploring.


    The second thing he needed from Pandora was¡­ allowing Hathor to explore her body.


    Lilith was created by Neptune who used the gene of the Nightmare Queen. Pandora was the closest thing to the base form that was used and having her data should be more useful than the ones obtained from normal subi. <novelnext></novelnext>


    But would Pandora ept? After all, in the eyes of many, the existence of Lilith was an abomination and even if Pandora had once been friend with Lilith during their adventures, they had not seen each other in nearly twenty years.


    Nothing was eternal in this world. Parents could backstab their children and the same went for friends.


    Furthermore, if Pandora learned that Neptune had used such a forbidden art to create Lilith, this would be a powerful tool in her hand to threaten them. If the world were to learn about this, it would allow Wratharis to have a righteous cause. Perhaps using them of walking in the footstep of Echidna or insulting the goddesses.


    If the entire Lustburg royal family was deemed as a heretic, they would lose much of their influence over the popce and the political world atrge.


    ¡®As I thought, should I use try to manipte her?¡¯


    Sol¡¯s mind warred between the two.


    Trusting Pandora meant giving her a loaded gun and hoping she would not shoot him.


    Manipting her now mean that he was taking one step closer to losing all restraint and justifying all means.


    So Sol decided to take the middle path.


    Give her his trust once and if he failed. He would simply erase her memory. Even if he had to use a part of the remaining divine power for this.


    In short, he was giving her an empty gun, while making her think it was loaded. If she tried to shoot, then all she would hear would be an empty click.


    ¡®How time has changed.¡¯


    Sol already missed the festival and the time spent with Isis and Sheherazade. He did not really like how he was bing colder and warier. But if there was something he had learned from his father''s history and even his own.


    It was that the word <<Betrayal>> was not created for enemies.


    Only those close to you could betray you.


    Trust was not a right. It was a very rare and preciousmodity.


    ¡®Well then, this is enough. Time to act.¡¯


    He was about to close his Eye when something caught his attention.


    Hum?


    Looking down on himself, he could see a great number of pink-colored threads covering him, connected to his soul likest time. The number was ever-expanding, showing that he was quite the scumbag all things considered.


    But this was not what really caught his attention. Last time, he could also see one bright golden thread, clearly representing Luxuria, and two dimmer ones, representing Castitas and Superbia, standing out among them.


    It was normal. As a human, he was under both Luxuria and castitas and his ancestry from his mother''s side linked him with Superbia.


    He could also perceive different feelings from those threads.


    Greed, from Luxuria. Worry, from Castitas. Indifference from Superbia.


    This was how it should have been even now. But this time, what he was seeing was different.


    ¡®One, two, three¡­four?¡¯


    A fourth golden thread had appeared and the feelinging from this one was very different.


    All he could feel was¡­Hostility.


    Sol¡¯s eyes twitched in frustration at this sudden discovery. He wondered just what the hell had happened and which of the goddesses did he suddenly offend for such a feeling of hostility to be born.


    ¡®Perhaps I should have stayed in the Dragon realm.¡¯


    One day.


    No


    It hasn¡¯t even been one day since he came back.


    But already there was so much bullshit happening.


    ¡®I want to sleep.¡¯


    Life could really be a pain sometime.


    (AN: Haha, honestly I am starting to feel bad for my boy. For the Hostility. I wonder who can guess which goddess ites from. I have already left some foreshadowing about this. Let¡¯s see who will find the answer. If someone does, write me on Discord and there will be a bonus chapter tomorrow.)

 Chapter 403 CH 369: ACTORS

    Sol stood up as he entered deep in thought. What was happening was outside of his expectations.


    He was being targeted by a goddess.


    He could not determine who it was yet. In fact, the hostility was rather faint as it was. It seemed more like dislike fused with wariness rather than an outright desire to kill. Furthermore, it was only one goddess. This means that none of his dangerous ideas had been leaked yet.


    Ever since he woke up and realized the potential of the new skill he had unlocked, he had realized that once he became a demigod, and reached the level of false god, he could pose a serious threat to the goddesses.


    Not only could he possibly steal a part or the entirety of the mortal realm, but he could also possibly give irreparable damage to the goddesses. Like how Nihil had been unable to heal.


    The divine power seemed to have property even more devastating than the Immortal ying art of Lilith. He didn¡¯t simply attack the soul. But erased it. Bringing it to a permanent end.


    Perhaps he could even kill a goddess with that power? He didn¡¯t know but it was worth experimenting.


    All those ideas were extremely dangerous andpletely heretical. People had been hanged by the church for much less.


    This was why he was sure that this wasn¡¯t the worst-case scenario yet. If the goddesses had discovered his n, it wouldn¡¯t be a faint hostility from one goddess but an outright desire to kill from all of them.


    But then, this still mean that they were bing suspicious and wary of him.


    ¡®I need to be more careful.¡¯


    As he was now, he could not afford to be enemy with the literal rulers of the universe. He was still too weak.


    ¡®Sigh¡­Okay. Let¡¯s y the little good boy for now.¡¯


    He took a deep breath and calmed down.


    He would have been quite panicky by now if it was in the past. After all, he was being targeted by a goddess right now.


    But right now, all he felt was mild annoyance.


    Did he be too arrogant for his own good?


    He didn¡¯t think so. While his pride had definitely grown quite a bit, he also knew his ce in the world and never underestimated anyone.


    If so, then why was he so calm? Why did no fear appear in his heart?


    He didn¡¯t know.


    ¡®Well, let¡¯s deal with the matter at hand¡¯


    Either way, he was going to talk to the goddesses soon. He would be able to understand the situation more by then.


    Thinking like this, Sol finally took one step outside of his dimension and sat boldly between Mris and Pandora.


    ¡°Hello,dies. I believe you invited me.¡±


    ¡ª--


    Pandora had been speaking about the past with Mris as she waited for the arrival of Sol.


    But at the same time, she had felt quite restless. She didn¡¯t know why, but she had a faint feeling that something was wrong.


    But how could anything be? She was in a room with only one person and she felt the presence of no one else. If so what was causing this weird difort in her heart?


    This did not matter in the slightest.


    After all, she was a King ranked Blessed. She had long since learned that her instincts should never be underestimated no matter how illogical they seemed.


    If they were telling them that something was wrong then it was.


    Subtly sheced keywords to Mris. The two of them had beenpanions and fought in wars together and went through many adventures. They had long since developed some codes and even if it had been nearly twenty years now. She believed her friend wasn¡¯t rusty.


    Thankfully she was not wrong. Mris noticed her sign and also slowly changed her position from a more rxed one to a battle one.


    It was at that moment,


    ¡°Hello,dies. I believe you invited me.¡±


    The two of them did not even wonder who was the originator of this voice or how someone could sneak past all their senses and appear so close to them.


    They immediately reacted.


    A sword shone with scarlet light in Pandora¡¯s hand.


    [Life drain]


    It was an exclusive skill of powerful subi like her and she had long since learned how to infuse it in her weapon.


    At the same time, hundreds of nearly invisible threads covered the entire room before surrounding the enemy.


    [Golden threads: Golden Cocoon]


    Those threads had been bestowed by the goddesses to Arachne. While it was a divine weapon per se. The threads were nearly indestructible and if filled her mana could be even deadlier than the best sword.


    The two moved in total synchronization as the thread ensnared the body of the intruder, robbing him of all movement, while the sword stopped at the throat.


    Anyone else would have been frightened at the swiftness and the perfect synchronization of those movements. <novelnext></novelnext>


    But Sol''s smile never wavered.


    ¡°I must say. This is quite an interesting reception. Though I am not particrly into bondage. At least not when I am on the receiving end.¡±


    Pandora¡¯s eyes widened when she noticed those golden hair and blue eyes. There was only one person who could have those features in Lustburg.¡ê


    Mris was no less astonished. But she gathered her wits quickly;


    ¡°Your highness, you should understand that you are trespassing.¡±


    ¡°Trespassing?¡±


    Sol tilted his head in confusion, ¡°Surely you jest dear duchess. Do not be mistaken. Everything in Lusturg belongs to the royal family and no one else outside perhaps the goddesses. We are merely lending this ce to you. After all, Duke families or whatnot wille and go but the royal family is eternal.¡±


    Mris scowled a little causing Sol tough mischievously, ¡°You should not show such an expression. I am merely joking. I came because I was invited to meet a guest. I suppose thedy with a rather sharp sword near my throat is the guest in question?¡±


    Pandora and Mris shared a look. It seemed that Sol did not know Pandora''s true identity yet. After all, even when she had attacked she had not used her King power.


    ¡°Your highness is quite rxed.¡±


    Still, she was quite bewildered. After all. Despite beingpletely helpless and with a sword close to his throat, he showed absolutely no fear.


    His heartbeat did not even seems to particrly elerate.


    ¡°For one Duchess Mris can not harm me. Even if indirectly and secondly¡­¡±


    Sol pushed his throat against the sword but all that happened was the sword passing through his body.


    This was followed by him leaving the constraint of the threads as if they did not even exist in the first ce.


    ¡°You two cannot harm me. So why should I fear for my life?¡±


    Sol smiled as he stood up with no problem after having phased using his dimension. In that state, only people like Lilith who could destroy space could hurt him.


    Of course, he would not underestimate Pandora.


    <<Acting>>


    A cheat-like power that belonged to the subus of the royal family.


    Sol did not know all the limitations but what if Pandora <<acted>> as Lilith for example?


    It would then be quite a problem for him.


    Thankfully, his intention had never been to fight a King rank being in the first ce.


    He wanted them to believe that he did not know Pandora''s true identity. This was a small card that could be useful for him atter date.


    The atmosphere was quite tense but the more Sol acted like this, the more Pandora was sure that Sol did indeed not know her true identity.


    She took a deep breath and went more into Anastasia''s personality while pushing back her own.


    ¡°Your highness, your small joke could have caused quite a diplomatic issue.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­Is that so?¡±


    He simply smiled and bent down before taking ¡®Anastasia¡¯s¡¯ hand in his and giving a kiss on its back.


    All of this with a charming smile on his lips, ¡°Well then, how may I apologize, princess Anastasia?¡±


    ? Anastasia seemed quite surprised, ¡°There is no need to. I am merely here as a messenger. Nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so a messenger from a foreign country came to one of our dukes rather than the royal family itself?¡±


    ¡°Duchess Mris is not just a duchess in our eye but a dear friend and once apanion of our queen. This was merely a visit of courtesy. Or are the rule in Lustburg so strict that visits between friends are prohibited?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. How could this be? Queen Pandora is someone I respect very much. I have heard of the tales of the adventure all of them had with my father. Truly contemporary heroes.¡±


    He let go of his hand and went to another ce to sit, ¡°I also heard of how beautiful the queen was and now that I see her daughter, I must say, if she is only a fraction as beautiful as you then the rumors were not enough.¡±


    She chuckled, ¡°Your attempts at ttery are quite humorous. Trying to charm a subus?¡±


    ¡°Well, what can I say? Ick experience in dealing with women of your standing. Forgive me if my words may have sounded frivolous to a knight such as you.¡±


    Inwardly, Pandoraughed. She had been quite surprised by his personality at first but now that she saw this, she could not help but bask in the nostalgia.


    While he seemed more experienced with women than his father, it was clear that his experience was not that high.


    She was not surprised. After all, despite being the royal family under Luxuria, nearly all the previous Kings or queens had always been monogamous or only formed a very small harem.


    This boy here had only recently awakened. Dealing with him should be quite interesting.


    Like this, two actors began to stage a y.


    (AN: Lacking information can be quite fatal sometimes. The discussion with Pandora won¡¯tst. After this, it will be Going to the church and meeting Camelia, Aurora, and the goddesses. Lol I wonder what the general opinion on Aurora is currently.)

 Chapter 404 CH 370: LACK OF INFORMATION CAN BE DANGEROUS

    Arachne Mris was slowly cast aside as Sol and Pandora continued to discuss.


    As a bystander, she could see that Pandora was leading the discussion quite skillfully as she sometimes praised Sol and sometimes raised important questions about governance and the like.


    But she could not say why, no matter how she observed this she had a sense of incongruity.


    She had met and discussed with Sol in the past. Be it when she was antagonistic toward him or when they started working together.


    One thing she had noticed earlier on was that he was no doubt his mother¡¯s son.


    It might not have shown yet at that time, but she could definitely feel the hidden pride in his bones and while hecked some confidence in himself, it had never been to the level of acting like a shy man.


    ¨C


    In the first ce, he said he didn''t have much experience.


    She doubted this a little. Thanks to the work of that annoying maid, no nobles could get a glimpse of the inner workings of the Tower of Babel.


    But still, she could see the signs. Sol was in no way inexperienced. She even remembered him being a little frisky with his knight in her house when he visited her before the attack on Lustburg.


    The final nail in the coffin was the image he projected when he came back from the Astral realm.


    All in all, she was sure of one thing. Sol was acting.


    ''Did he discover Pandora''s true identity?''


    This would be quite disadvantageous for Pandora. If the knowledge that the queen was not present spread, not only would her daughters be in danger, but this could create diplomatic conflict against countries.


    King level weren''t allowed to move as they wished. They were literal weapons of mass destruction. For one to enter another country while hiding their identity was no different from an act of aggression.


    Just by discovering her identity, Sol would have the advantage in any future discussions and deals they might make.


    Of course, it was just a suspicion that was worth sharing with her friends.


    The only problem was¡ªShould she?


    Arachne was torn between warning her friend or keeping silent.


    At the end of the day, she was a Duke working under Sol. Even though she did not particrly like him, she recognized him as her future ruler and sovereign.


    Whether the deal the two make in the future is a deal between two rulers that would affect the future of their kingdoms and all the poption.


    If Sol had managed to get a certain advantage in the negotiations before they even began


    She was a Duchess before being a friend after all and she could not jeopardize the well-being of the people who believed in her just because of her own selfishness.


    ''Sigh..He is indeed very different.''


    She felt even more conflicted. Mars rarely resorted to trickery when negotiating.


    In the first ce, he did not need to do so. His overwhelming power and Charisma made sure to bring in most people he talked with.


    Furthermore, thanks to his rtionship with Pandora and the then-holy daughter of Slothein as well as Theresa, few people actually dared to cause problems for him.


    Could she say that he was wrong in acting thus?


    From a personal point of view, she thought so. But from a political point of view, she could affirm that his approach was the right one.


    Move with wariness. Never fully trust anyone. Do not show all your cards, mix lie with truth and try to find amon ground.


    He first showed his power, making clear that he was no pushover and was not the weaker party and he then started acting as a kind gentleman whose sword would never be used to hurt anyone.


    ¡®I¡­I am tired.¡¯


    Arachne was tired of trying topare Sol with Mars. She had already realized it long ago but now she had the confirmation that it was futile and a waste of time. Sol was not Mars.


    The father-son pair had their strengths and weakness and trying topare one with another was just aplete waste of her time and simply made her heart weary.


    Rather than focusing on the past, she should think of the future. She had already trained an heiress. A niece of hers. When that Heiress was ready and after the war ended, She would pass her title and go back to her territory to retire early and rest.


    She did not need much more.


    She sighed when she felt her partner and butlering close and signaled him to not worry through their link.


    Meanwhile, after Sol and Pandora became closer, he finally started to talk about the main topics that had intrigued him.


    ¡°So, could I ask why you walked all the way to Lustburg?¡±


    Movement between kingdoms was quite harsh. They still had yet to develop reliable fast cars or the like. As such, one had to be ready for a long time on the road, taking days toplete what could be done in hours in his old world.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple truly. For one, we would like to take custody or eliminate the stain of our kingdom that is in your hand.¡±


    Sol frowned, before remembering someone, ¡°Zehn?¡±


    When Sol had been attacked by those members of the Wing back here, he had faced a clone of Drei and another member of the Wings. A vampire. <novelnext></novelnext>


    Back then she had seemed to be pretty powerful Though now, he was sure that he could crush her with one hand behind his back.


    Ever since Zehn had been captured, she had stayed asleep and they had been unable to wake up her even to this day.


    ¡°Zehn?¡± Pandora seemed confused before the light of understanding dawned on her eyes, ¡°So this is her code name? Well, since she discarded her true name this is indeed easier.¡±


    She smuggled for a while before nodding, ¡°Zehn, as you call her, was a member of Envilya. More precisely, she was the heiress of one of the four generals, Drac.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­I see. So what is that you want?¡±


    Pandora stopped. Wondering if she should really continue. What she was doing was pretty foolish. Giving information before even starting the negotiation was a big no-no.


    The more desperation she showed for something, the higher would be the price she had to pay.


    The vampires were up to something shady. When she acted as Anastasia and visited the Elf country, she was able to destroy one of their conspiracies alongside Lilin who was visiting the elves at that time.


    Logically speaking, what were the chances for two royalties of two different countries to find each other in a third kingdom and work together to deal with a problem?


    Furthermore, as it was, the one she had worked with was the daughter of her friend and the niece of her old me. Now a littleter, one vampire who might have the information she needed attacked Lustburg and got captured.


    Pandora chuckled, wondering if Fate was helping her by aligning everything.


    ¡°We wish to capture her and hold a judgment in our country."


    Pandora spoke nonchntly, "Of course, we will also be willing to paypensation to Lustburg since even though she was banished, she still caused problems for this kingdom.¡±


    ¡®Haha, look at this.¡¯


    One did not need to be smart to know that she was spewing total bullshit.


    He didn''t know exactly why they needed that vampire. But he could make an educated guess based on the information he already had.


    "Speaking of vampires, if I remember well, it seems like they caused some trouble in Southern pride not long ago. You were the one who helped my cousin deal with that problem. I forgot to thank you."


    Pandora showed no reaction of surprise and smiled, "I have made a good friend and it was my duty to put down those deserters."


    "Heh¡­So many vampire deserters causing troubles for other countries."


    "Well, there are always bad apples in every country. Like how Lustburg went through a rebellion not long ago. It must have been quite hard."


    "Hahaha."


    "Hahaha."


    ''Perhaps I should leave?''


    Arachne felt the tension slowly rising and wondered whether her presence was necessary.


    In the end, though, the situation was broken up by Sol,


    "Well, whether we will give you that Vampire needs to be discussed with my advisors. In the meantime, I would like to invite you to live in the Tower of Babel."


    Sol smiled. The tower was his absolute territory. There were simply too many powerhouses in that ce.


    The moment Pandora stepped there, he would have all the time to deal with her.


    Furthermore, this would make it easier for Hathor to observe her.


    Finally, Sol did not Zehn as he had already obtained all information from Leo, someone much higher ranked than her.


    So if he could sell her and get even more advantage then all the better.


    "Very well, I believe we have discussed enough for now. Dawn is approaching and I have an appointment I cannot miss. A maid will be sent to take you to the tower."


    He gave a gentlemanly bow and vanished on the spot. Leaving the two women alone again.


    Pandora sighed. She was not dumb and had managed to understand that Sol was not all he appeared to be.


    No matter how much he tried to act like his father, his inner pride would show from time to time.


    As an old-time actress, Pandora knew very well that she ought to not underestimate the young man because of hisck of experience.


    Blessed were not people who cared about logic andmon sense. She would need to observe him more to be sure.


    She also understood that his parting words were more akin to order and he wished to put her in a ce he could more easily control.


    But she was not worried. She was still a King rank after all and from what she remembered, the only one who could harm her in that tower was Lilith.


    She had nothing to fear.


    (AN: My birthday is on the 11th of February. Just saying. Also damn. It¡¯s sad when I realize that while I am mildly popr on WN, I am nearly at the top on pirates site. Come on guys. If even half of the pirate readers bought the lowest level of privilege on WN or supported me on P@treon, I would jump through the ranks, or rather than leaving reviews on those sites,e give me reviews andments here on WN. Once again thanks to those willing to pay for this story and support my work. I understand it isn¡¯t easy for everyone with the current situation of the world. You can also give a try at my new story Midnight Prince on WN. That story is at 40 chapters currently so it should be enough for you guys to make an opinion. At the very least, giving power stones to my new story would also help me tremendously. Even more so since MP and SHK are linked.)

 Chapter 405 CH 371: THE STEPS HE WALKED

    As Sol walked into the monochrome world of his dimension, he smiled as he thought about what kind of expression Pandora would show once she entered the Tower of Babel.


    ¡°Busy~Busy~Busy.¡±


    Sol hummed slowly as he arranged his future schedule.


    Dealing with the goddess, Healing Lilith, dealing with the witches, signing a contract with Setsuna, preparing the coronation ceremony, preparing supplies for war, and discussing with Pandora about an alliance. Discussing with Kiku and Shouten about an alliance with the Church of Wratharis. Visiting Southern pride to discuss with the King and Queen.


    Then there would be the actual war. Sol did not like how the war was nothing more than a game for some people. But he knew that it was something he could not escape from.


    Thankfully, he was not a King rank. So he could participate in the war from the start without breaking any convention. Even so, the war would have casualties. It was an inevitable reality.


    People of his kingdom will take up arms, and shed blood and many would die in order to protect their countries from harm.


    What did a soldier feel as he left his home and his family behind, knowing that this might be very well thest time they would see their loved one?


    What did a husband or a wife feel when they received a message telling them that their significant other fell in the battle?


    What about the children or the Parents?


    ? Would they be happy to learn that the loved one died with honor?


    Perhaps Some would indeed think like this. But for most people, for the widow, or the children, rather than money or honors, what they wished was to see once again the one who lost their lives.


    War was the game of those at the top while those at the bottom were the ones getting dirty and mentally crippled


    ¡®I need to take this more seriously than ever¡¯


    Sol could not end the war singly handly but he could try and minimize the loss of human life. If it was necessary, he would even fight against the King of Wratharis. Though he did not know yet if he could win.


    ¡®So busy.¡¯


    So many things to think about. So much intrigue. He had to y political games with so many people and send so many others to their death.


    All of this, because he was the prince.


    All of this, because he was Blessed.


    But¡­Even though he was tired. Even though he wanted to give up. Sol continued to hum as he walked toward the Tower.


    He was born as the prince and with a Blessing. No matter how much he hated the goddesses, the truth of the matter was that he had obtained a great life thanks to them.


    He was born rich, handsome, and talented. He had met many incredible women who shared their love with him. Those women were ready to walk even the harshest path in order to stay with him.


    What could he ask more? All those benefits were thanks to his current identity.


    Responsibility was equal to the power bestowed. A true King was not a tyrant who ruled without care for the citizens.


    But this wasn¡¯t all. When he was walking down the road with Isis earlier today. He realized something.


    No matter how much he refused to recognize or be responsible for them, the poption of Lustburg recognized him as their prince and ruler.


    It was time for him to grow up and take seriously the responsibility that would soon fall on his shoulder.


    If he was not ready to be king, it was better to simply leave now. This would be more useful than simply hesitating and ending up doing a poor job. After all, there were few things worse in this world than a half-hearted leader.


    Was he ready to be a King? To truly make decisions that would affect hundreds of millions of people on a daily basis?


    What about conquering the whole world? Let¡¯s say he seeded. Wouldn¡¯t it means that the responsibility of taking care of billions of people would fall on his shoulder?


    Sol shivered just at the thought. But there was nothing he could do by escaping from his thoughts.


    ¡®Haha, I have really changed.¡¯


    Sol stopped when he realized where he was. It was the ce where Lilith had taken him during their first date. One that had been quite disastrous. At least he considered any date that ended up in a cemetery to be disastrous.


    Outside of normal or private cemeteries, Lustburg had three great Cemeteries. One for the Kings and Queens. One for the Holy and Supreme daughters and finally this one. The one housing all the war heroes.


    Standing in front of the Monolith in the center, Sol looked at the list of names and stopped at the two highest ones.


    <<Mars Luxuria>>


    <<ze Dragona Luxuria>> <novelnext></novelnext>


    He remembered his discussion with Lilith that had taken ce here.


    [Sol Dragona Luxuria. Are you ready?]


    He felt like he could literally hear her next to him.


    [Are you ready to fight for your kingdom? Are you ready to brave the tumultuous time ahead of us? Are you ready to direct your soldiers to face the enemies who are threatening our safety?]


    What had been his answer back then?


    ¡®I acted like a smartass.¡¯


    Solughed. Back then he did not know how to answer her. So he deflected the question. Acting like some kind of grand philosopher. When he fact he was just a kid that was burdened by the high expectations that rested on his shoulder and was confused about the role he had to y in the future.


    He talked about how he would only be a selfish king. How he only wished to protect his loved ones and nothing else. But her answer had been something he had not expected.


    [You say that you want to protect us? That you only want happiness for your loved ones? Alright. But, be it me, Edea or Camelia, we all stand near the pinnacle of this world. Anything that can threaten us would be a mortal danger to you. So you need to be strong. Stronger than anyone else. Stronger than us, stronger than your father. Then, even if you are the most selfish king ever, people will still praise you as the best king ever.]


    ¡®Hahaha. How simple and direct but so realistic.¡¯


    But this had indeed been the case. Protect them? Protect them from what?


    His words must have sounded so childish and ridiculous to Lilith back then as he spoke without even truly understanding the gravity of his words.


    Now though, he was different. He had faced even the strongest demigods and soon would bargain with the goddesses themselves.


    [Sol, my dear child. Your life will be full of struggle and you will live through many things. Some will be good and others will be sad. But, no matter what, never give up, never look back, and always stand up, and one day, you will find the answer that fits you the most.]


    Indeed. It was back then that he began to realize that Lilith was not feeling well mentally and that she was exhibiting suicidal tendencies.


    Like she had anticipated, his journey had been full of peripeties. He was not the blissfully ignorant young prince he had once been. His journey was still far from finished. He still had so much to learn. So many sights to witness.


    To the question. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    Sol could say now with certainty.


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    Not because he was invested in the spirit of kingship. Not because he wished to protect his kingdom.


    But simply because he truly understood now what it means to be a King.


    Sol left his dimension and sat on the ground with his back against the monolith.


    From here, he observed as the sun roses over the distant mountains, lighting up the entire world with its golden rays of light and chasing the darkness of the night away.


    He was surprised at how bright this morning was. The air feels warm and inviting; as if every breath could lift him up into the heavens.


    He couldn''t help but smile at the sight before him. The birds were chirping their songs in the trees around him. A few squirrels were already gathering thest nuts for winter.


    Everything looked so fresh and new today. It was the start of a new day. A new beginning for all.


    ¡®Let¡¯s take things slowly.¡¯


    He did not have all the answers. He did not know if he was walking on the right road either.


    But it was alright. Even if he stumbled a bit. Even if he fell on his knees and bleed. He knew that all he had to do was never give up and stand up and continue to walk his way.


    It was time for him to face the goddesses. In fact, it was almost ironical.


    The first time he faced all the goddesses, it was to beg for Camelia''s life. This time it was for Lilith.


    He had a feeling that things would not go easily for him. He could still feel the faint hostility coiling around him.


    But it was alright.


    He was not the young inexperienced boy who could do nothing else but kneel and beg the goddesses to save his loved one.


    Things would be different this time.


    (AN: Haha, Vol 11 has many parallels with the earlier volume of this story. Those parallels allow us to observe the growth of our main characters. Be it good or bad. Sol had grown quite a bit.)

 Chapter 406 CH 372: WHO ARE YOU?

    While Sol was reminiscing back to the steps that he took until now and thus reaffirming his will to stride forward without stopping in his path, Camelia was facing a very important question of her own.


    To bleed or not to bleed?


    She was currently deep in the entrails of the church, standing in front of the magic circle she used to activate the Saint Fall ceremony for beloved.


    Thinking about it now, it had only been less than two months from her perspective. So many things had happened in such a short amount of time that it was mindboggling. It reminded her of the time of war, back during the time of Mars¡¯ reign, when every moment was precious as it could be their veryst.


    The day before, she had received a piece of disturbing news from the shadows under Milia¡¯s order. Sol needed to face the goddesses once more in order to obtain absolute permission for healing Lilith.


    If she had the choice to speak out her thoughts on the matter then she would have told Sol to act first and apologizeter. But as the one doing the healing just so happened to be a divine beast, Camelia understood that they could not move carelessly and do as they pleased.


    So now came the existential question. Whether to bleed or not.


    The blood she had used for her ritual was not just blood of purity but one that was fused with divine power purified to the maximum limit possible.


    Camelia had already paid a heavy price by using the <<Saint Fall>> ceremony to help Sol. Of course, the price had been worth it in the end. As Sol was able to obtain so many advantages that would surely smoothen his path ahead.


    But the catch here was that¡­she had also used her divine blood to activate the <<Holy Territory>> not long after during the widescale attack caused by WoF. A territory strong enough to even resist Lilith¡¯s shing power at full capacity. In order to create such a territory, the price she had to pay was quite heavy and as a result, she had been quite weakened for a while already.


    Now, if she were to shed blood once more then¡­.


    ¡®Am I already being targeted?¡¯


    She sighed. Her luck had certainly dwindled quite a bit due to her using her powers extensively and now with Aurora appearing, Camelia did not know how much longer she had to live and tread on the mortal realm.


    ¡°Why I am even worrying so much?¡±


    She sighed ruefully. She had one easy solution to this. After all, spells like <<Saint Fall>> and <<Holy Territory>> were never meant to be used by only one person.


    They needed the support of both a Supreme Daughter and a Holy Daughter as well as many believers to fully enact the spell in a safe procedure that would allow the spells to achieve their maximum capacity.


    If back then, during the attack on Lustburg, she had all those ingredients in hand, then not even Nihil could have broken that barrier so easily.


    So right now, the solution was pretty simple. Go fetch Aurora and ask her for help in enacting the ritual.


    If so then why was she hesitating so much?


    The answer was also in and simple as the solution itself. She simply did not wish to increase the influence Aurora held in the church before she had be absolutely certain about her moral standards and where her loyalty and aspirationsy.


    Camelia was not easily jealous. She wished for Sol to amass as much power as possible even if it meant that she would not be there by his side to witness the scene, She just wanted her beloved to be safe and happy. That¡¯s all.


    Camelia did not particrly care about the power of the church either. She had slowly and masterfully indoctrinated most of the current nuns and all of them held a certain feeling of loyalty and love for Sol. Enough that they would never think of going against him unless they were thoroughly rewired by external means.


    At the very least, there would be no problem for the next two or three generations of the church. That was her belief.


    If only Aurora had been a good and simple girl, Camelia would have been happy as it would mean an additional ally for Sol in his endeavors ahead. But now she was beginning to wonder just what was the girl¡¯s goals.


    Aurora was not a normal girl. That much was certain at this point.


    From what she knew. The girl called Aurora had to have fallen asleep years ago when she was merely a child.


    Even though the years went past and her body continued to grow, her mind should have stayed stuck in her childlike mentally.


    This was the norm for patients in aa. The girl should have possessed a child¡¯s mind in an adult¡¯s body. Someone with basically no experience and without a clue of the real world and how it worked.


    But that was not the case for that child¡ª the girl named Aurora. Soon after she woke up, she was already working ceaselessly on rising through the ranks and trying to control the church on her palms. Moving with no hesitation nor confusion and even leading a mass.


    She also seemed to exhibit a suspicious level of attachment and attraction toward Sol even though they had never met before in their life. She was fully certain about that fact, having done enough investigations beforehand.


    ¡®Is she able to see Souls like me?¡¯


    Camelia pondered on that thought for a while. She had already observed that the girl could use something akin to the same mind maniption skill as her. From what she had observed, the effect seemed quite weak overall. At least from what she showed till now that seemed to be the case. After all, Camelia had been able to make an entire vige love her and used her will to force tens of bandits to die with a smile on their faces even at the time when she had no idea about her powers. [1] <novelnext></novelnext>


    Either way, it wasn¡¯t impossible for Aurora to have the same set of powers as her. But even so, she doubted that it would change anything in the long run.


    The reason she was more focused on Souls than anything else was due to the fact she had been blind from her birth until the day of her awakening as the then Holy Daughter of the church. Because of this, even though she had obtained sight and could see the real world in all its shapes and colors, she still found the world of the heart all the more beautiful.


    Without her background story, it would be hard to develop the same kind of feelings for an individual.


    ¡®Does she want power that much?¡¯


    Camelia began to walk towards the door. So many questions. So many uncertainties. All of this could only be resolved by taking the first step in the right direction.


    ¡°Call Aurora.¡±


    She immediately sent her orders and began to wait.


    She was so used to living in a world of intrigue and conspiracy that she had forgotten one simple fact.


    If she was curious¡­ Then she just had to ask.


    Nothing more, nothing less¡­


    It did not take long for Aurora toe down and join her. Even though they had a slightly antagonistic rtionship, the vertical rtion of power between them was absolute and Aurora could not really defy the order of the Supreme Daughter.


    Not that she had any intentions to do so in the first ce.


    ¡°Good morning, I hope the goddesses will grace us with a beautiful day.¡±


    Aurora bowed gently and observed her surroundings with the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°He is not here yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Aurora let out a short exmation of disappointment before nodding, ¡°May I know why I was called suddenly. I was preparing for the mass.¡±


    The reasons she hade so fast was because she had expected Sol to be present. But since he wasn¡¯t, she was rapidly losing interest in staying here longer than necessary.


    This ce waspletely under Camelia¡¯s control. No different than a demigod in its territory in a certain way. Though, even without that, Camelia could smash herpletely with no problem.


    No one would like being alone in front of a beast that could tear you apart in an instant.


    ¡°Today you will help in beginning a ritual¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for Sol.¡±


    Aurora closed her mouth and pondered a little before taking a step back, ¡°What do I need to do?¡±


    Camelia narrowed her eyes. As she thought, this girl was hiding something.


    ¡°Before we begin, I have a simple question and I hope that you will give me an answer.¡±


    Aurora tilted her head, wondering what Camelia would ask. But the questions, in the end, surprised her.


    ¡°Are you really Aurora?¡±


    [1]: Take a look at Camelia Interlude.


    (AN: Introduction of a new small arc. Welp be ready.)

 Chapter 407 CH 373: GOING TO THE CHURCH

    ¡°Are you really Aurora?¡±


    Camelia¡¯s voice as she spoke was calm and devoid of any emotion in appearance. But Aurora suddenly felt like hundreds of spears were pointing at her.


    It seemed like if she gave the wrong answer, Camelia was ready to skewer to death no matter what the consequences would be for her.


    The pressure was impossible to exin and anyone with a guilty mind would have at least faltered.


    But¡­The smile on Aurora¡¯s face never crumbled.


    ¡°Am I really Aurora? I fear that I am unable to understand your question. I am myself and this has never changed.¡±


    ¡®She is telling the truth.¡¯


    Camellia frowned but she knew that everything depended on the words.


    ¡°Let me repeat again. Are you really Aurora? Yes or No.¡±


    ¡°I am Aurora. However, I must say that the way I am being weed in this sacred ce chills my heart. Did I displease you?¡±


    Camelia ignored Aurora''s question and walked before standing in front of her, ¡°Then. Let me rephrase. Were you always Aurora?¡±


    For the first time, the smile on Aurora¡¯s face crumbled a little, ¡°I did note down here to get interrogated like a criminal. Excuse me, but I have other tasks to attend to.¡±


    Her smile came back as she looked into Camelia¡¯s eyes, ¡°So either kill me now and fall with me or give me a break.¡±


    The killing intent increased as Camelia seemed really ready to strike. There was no limitation for Blessed under the same goddess to fight and kill each other. This was how the current Wolf King usurped power from his brother. [1]


    But even then it wasn¡¯t like it would go without consequences. Camelia was not a forgiving person.


    She did not care either that this was Gerald¡¯s granddaughter.


    If the bitch proved to be a menace then she was ready to put her down without hesitation.


    ¡°Onest question. Will you ever hurt Sol?¡±


    ¡°Why should I answer any more of your question?¡±


    Her words came out calmly. An instant response and not even a shadow of a smile on her face. Her gaze changed as she looked at Camelia like she was looking at a small kid throwing a tantrum and for an instant, a very short instant, her blue eyes shone with a golden luster. But she simply bowed her head fast enough before Camelia could notice this and choose to hide all her changes of expression.


    cing her hands on her face, she made sure she was smiling once again before raising her head up.


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s time for me to go.¡±


    She was about to turn around but stopped after giving a nce at the circle drawn on the ground, ¡°Also, that circle is inefficient. Those three lines increase the consumption of divine blood necessary.¡±


    She gave a bow and walked away¡ªleaving behind a bewildered Camelia.


    She might not have seen her eyes, but she did not need to. After all, the soul of that woman had red with a golden light and for a short instant¡­.It looked like a small rising Sun.


    ¡ª-


    Walking alone in the corridor of the church, Aurora''s steps were light as she radiated a light of insouciance.


    ¡®I wonder. What will happen now.¡¯


    Thankfully¡­Camelia should not be able to understand what was going on so her memory would not be read.


    ¡®I am still so weak currently.¡¯


    She hummed. She wanted to move fast. She had so much work to do before the others started waking up.


    She was lucky to have a greater advance and she would capitalize on that.


    ¡°Holy daughter. His highness, Sol Luxuria will soon visit the church.¡±


    She was stopped on her walk as a few nuns came to report to her. The young ones in the church were slowly gathering around her and it was making many tasks far easier for her.


    ¡°Today is a bad day.¡±


    She wished to meet him and talk to him. But it seemed like it would be better to avoid him for the time being.


    Too many eyes would be on him.


    She had been lucky enough until now. There was no need to tempt Fate now. It was already wild enough as it was.


    ¡°Hum~Hum~Hum~!¡±


    ¡ª---


    After leaving the cemetery, Sol began to move fast. He had already wasted enough time by being sentimental.


    He did not enter the tower. As he did not wish to face Ambrosia nor any of the witches now. It was necessary for them to think about the way they would act in the future.


    Now he did not need the witches as much but if possible, he wished to make Ambrosia leave her hypocritical neutrality. <novelnext></novelnext>


    Having an ally like her would be truly helpful and while he didn¡¯t need her to fight for him, he wanted to at least have her at his back.


    After all, you could never know what you will be facing in the future and he did not wish to have a bad rtionship with his mother-inw.


    He used his link to send a message to Isis, asking her to warn Milia about the visit of the ¡®princess¡¯. He really wished he could see what she would look like when she finally stepped in the tower.


    Truly, he had never been more grateful for the secrecy Milia had always insisted on. He could also understand now why some people liked acting weak before using their true power and surprising the crow.


    It sure felt good to do this.


    Once he was sure that this was taken care of, he focused on his iing face-to-face against the goddess.


    From what he remembered, his grandfather, Neptune, had slowly started to lose his blessings.


    He wondered if it had happened because of all the experiments he made or if it was because of his iing birth.


    Even so, he did not wish to take any risk. He still needed his title as Blessed for now either way.


    Once everything was ready, he started walking toward the Church but was soon stopped by a carriage from which a few maids came down before asking him to enter.


    The interior of the carriage was quite luxurious andfy and Sol did not even feel the movement or the shaking.


    ¡°Your highness, should we go back for your to change?¡±


    He was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday and from the way, the maids were looking at him with uneasiness, he decided to appease them by changing the clothes he was wearing using mana.


    He did not really like doing this because there was a high chance he could go naked by losing control. But it would not matter where he was going.


    ¡°You three¡­how have you been?¡±


    He smiled as he recognized the maids, they were part of the groups with which he had his very first orgy.


    From the symbol on their maid attires, he could see they had jumped in grades and were now a senior maids. This was quite an achievement.


    ¡°Your highness remember our poor selves?¡±


    He smiled as he leaned on his seat, ¡°I never forget my partners. No matter how shallow our rtionship was and I had a good memory of our time together.¡± [2]


    He sure had. One cat girl, a dark elf, and three humans. Currently, the three maids present were two out of the three humans and the cat girl.


    Back then, he had just lost his virginity to Milia and was going wild because of all the sudden privilege bestowed on him.


    Who wouldn¡¯t? An entire castle full of nubile young women entirely dedicated to him and selected with precision by the woman who had the greatest dedication for him. [3]


    ¡°So, what do you think of life in the castle? Is it boring?¡±


    The cat girl almost nodded before shaking her head, ¡°It¡¯s boring sometimes but the handmaid always makes sure we can get some entertainment and we can sometimes visit our family. Though sometimes some maids choose to note back after doing so.¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyebrow rose at this. He was not an ountant but he knew that the sry of those maids was pretty high and they received many advantages.


    There were only two possible reasons for early retirement.


    Either they found someone they liked and decided to leave or¡­They talked too much and Milia gave them an eternal vacation.


    Sol found nothing wrong with Milia''s approach. The security of the tower depended on how tight-lipped the maid could be. So any form of betrayal should be met by death.


    ¡®Well, way to bring my mood down.¡¯


    He showed no changes on his face as he continued to speak with the maids. They were pretty innocent and he had taken their bodies. So the least he could do was entertain them a little.


    If he wasn¡¯t so busy now, he would certainly have some fun with them.


    Sol nearlyughed at his ridiculous thoughts.


    Here he was, about to face the true master of this universe but all he could really think of was sex.


    ¡®But seriously. I need to find a way to rxter on.¡¯


    One small orgy after facing them wouldn¡¯t be a problem, right? A man needed some encouragement.


    It was only after the carriage stopped in front of the church and he saw Chloe waiting for him that he shook off his lewd thoughts. He would have all the time in the world to have sex as he wished.


    Now was the timee to get serious.


    [1]: You should reread Setsuna Interlude and Lilith¡¯s Interlude. As they will be very necessary for the iing arc. Also, it seems like many don¡¯t like Aurora haha. Well, I can understand why. Her true importance won¡¯t be revealed now. Creating too many threads at the same time would just confuse me.


    [2]: Vol 1 CH 6: Heated Bath


    [3] CH 46: Daily life of a maid.


    (AN: By the way guys, I spoke about this on pa treon but would you guys be interested if I start something like a streaming channel? Honestly always wished to develop a tightmunity. It could be interesting to discuss and answering to possible questions you may have in a Live. Though gotta be honest. My spoken English is pretty trash. I learned English by ying Visual Novels. Imagine learning anguage just to y Eroge and read manga trantions. My mainnguage is French but French ScanTrad was trash in the past (when Naruto was still ongoing). Though way better nowadays.)

 Chapter 408 CH 374: ENTERING THE LAIR

    Stepping out of the carriage, Sol approached Chloe with wide open arms and a charming smile on his face, ¡°Chloe! How have you been?¡±


    Chloe smiled brightly as she reciprocated Sol¡¯s hug with one of her own before taking a step back and looking at him up and down. Sol was still in his hybrid form and Chloe had to admit that she found it quite charming.


    But more than anything else, the aura of power he was emanating astonished her. As a friend, she was happy to see the changes in Sol as the stronger he became the more at ease he would be.


    ¡°I am good.¡± She was a woman of few words and her life had been pretty simple in the church.


    ¡°Sorry, we didn¡¯t really have much time to talk during my weing party.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It was quite an enjoyable gathering and seeing youe back in good health is enough as it is.¡±


    At the end of the day, their rtionship was just that of friendship. Quite a shallow friendship too as they had not spent much time together. But still, they were friends. She, of course, understood that he needed to pass some time with his loved ones and prioritize them over his friends.


    Sol smiled and followed behind Chloe as she brought him to the Church of Castitas.


    Like any other Blessed, the most prominent features of this girl were her long golden hair and her charming blue eyes.


    No matter how Sol thought about it, the tastes of those high and mighty Goddesses were pretty hard to understand. Even though there was some deep exnation for this, hair golden like the incandescent sun and eyes blue like the vast and deep sky. He sometimes wondered if they had just chosen this because of the prominent fairy tales of earth.


    After all, in those tales, the prince and princesses were always golden-haired with fairplexion and deep blue eyes.


    Chloe was not currently adorned in her usual set of armor. What she was wearing instead was a simple one-piece white robe that reached just below her ankles.


    ¡°Why the change of attire?¡±


    ¡°As you know, I came here as a sort of an exchange student. So, of course, I need to learn the ins and outs of the church. I was about to hold a mass alongside Aurora today and it demanded a wardrobe change.¡±


    Aurora Hignd. Gerald¡¯s granddaughter.


    Sol frowned slightly at hearing her name. He had not particrly liked her vibe when she introduced herself yesterday after he came back from the Astral Realm.


    Though he didn¡¯t know if it was because of her origin or because she had interrupted his moment of fun with his close ones.


    Sol did not want to judge people with a biased mindset. But it was hard to look favorably at the reason he lost the closest person he ever had to a father figure in this world.


    ¡®Speaking of a father figure¡­ Gerald should have joined the frontlines by now.¡¯


    Wratharis had sent some probing personnel to the border of Lustburg but did not go too far with their provocations¡­yet. Most likely they were just observing the situation and sending in spies to learn about the overall atmosphere of the human kingdom. Since Lustburg had a high percentage of foreign races, it was very easy for spies to mix in without being noticed by the guards or anyone for that matter.


    He wondered if the old man was still alive. After all, he had been exiled because of his crimes and lost all his noble titles.


    ¡®Then again, if he had died, Milia would have informed me by now.¡¯


    He massaged his forehead before focusing on Chloe¡­


    ¡°So. How have your days been in Lustburg?¡±


    She shrugged, ¡°I am getting used to it, you know¡­ When I first came to your kingdom I was surprised by how backward the countries outside were. But thankfully my mother had already warned me about it.¡±


    Solughed out loud. Calling Lustburg a backwater country was quite a stretch. Thanks to the different kings who came before him, even though the kingdom still had a medieval lifestyle, there were many kinds of infrastructure that did not suit the style and catered more to the modern side of things.


    The roads were clean and well-paved. The kingdom did not stink to the high heavens, which was a blessing in itself. People took baths regrly and agriculture was well ahead of its time.


    Furthermore, thanks to Magitech, they had something akin to electricity and even TV. Medicine was well-developed as well.


    ¡°Well, I guess whenpared to the literal city of science and innovation, my country does seem like your average backwater nation.¡±


    Chloe chuckled slightly, ¡°It¡¯s pretty normal you know. We, the angels, arezy yet extremely stubborn when ites to certain matters. So we need to bezy in an efficient way.¡±


    Science was developed byzy people. People who had the imagination necessary to dream of a better world. This was a funny way of saying it but the truth was that most scientific discoveries were made in order to make life easier and inevitably it profited thezy people the most.


    Running is hard? Create a carriage. Raising horses are a pain? What about a bicycle? You don¡¯t want to use your legs to ride it and want something morefortable instead? Then how about a car?


    It was an extremely simple and crude way of putting but it was still the unavoidable truth.


    ¡°Trueziness isn¡¯tying down and doing nothing. But ensuring the fact that¡­even when youy down and do nothing, something else is doing the job for you.¡±


    She gave a proud smile before shaking her head. ¡°Still, I like the atmosphere of Lustburg more than Slothein. At least here even the weak are taken care of by the kingdom.¡±


    She gave a wistful smile as she spoke thest bits of her speech. Slothein was an extreme meritocracy where all citizens were ssified depending on their results in sciences orbat. It was not a city worth living for the weak and untalented. In a world where talent meant everything, not everyone could fit in.


    ¡°No kingdom is without its ws. At least yours suffer from no war.¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    The only one who even dared to defy the angels was Echidna and even then she made sure to not cross their bottom line. No one wanted the angels to go crazy and start dropping weapons of mass destruction on their kingdom.


    Since angels did not bother anyone, other kingdoms made sure to not disturb them. They were also the ones to make sure that all the Waws were properly enforced. In a way, one could call Slothein the ultimate police organization of this world.


    ¡°Indeed. I guess the pasture always seems greener from the other side.¡±


    Chloe conceded with a nod and continued to chat calmly with Sol.


    ¡°Speaking of the Holy Daughter¡­ What do you think of Aurora?¡±


    ¡°Aurora is¡­ I guess she makes me uneasy? Sometimes I feel like she is just pretending to be someone else, someone she is not. But every time she holds a mass, she seems so sincere.¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk ill of people behind their backs. But just be careful around her. I think she is hiding a huge secret.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t they all do in the end?¡¯


    Sol smiled. At this point, he would be more surprised if he met people who didn¡¯t have some kind of deep secret identity or things of the like.


    ¡°Well, I guess I will decide once I meet her.¡±


    Sol did not want to judge Aurora before having a personal discussion with her. After all, the two of them would be the leaders of Lustburg in the future. So they needed to at least get along well and not be at each other¡¯s throats. Thest thing he wanted was to be mortal enemies with the future leader of the church. Unless absolutely necessary, he intended to be on good terms with her.


    ¡°Well. We are here.¡±


    Sol looked at the huge gate that showed the goddesses facing each other.


    The first time he went through this gate, his life hadpletely changed in its entirety. Now once again he was about to go through this gate and he hoped that the change that would happen would be in his favor once more.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [South District, Mris¡¯ Mansion]


    While Sol was about to meet his destiny. Someone else was making preparations of their own.


    ¡°Are you sure that you want to enter the tower?¡±


    Pandora, sitting on a stool as she prepared herself, looked at Arachne from the reflection of the mirror.


    ¡°Of course. That little boy invited me, didn¡¯t he? It would be rude to not go, right?¡±


    ¡°It could be a trap.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I am sure it is. But he is underestimating me. He thinks that I am only a Duke, after all. Furthermore, Lilith hates things like that. If she wanted to catch me, she would directlye at me. As for Camelia, that snake is in her church currently. I have nothing to fear.¡±


    Arachne¡¯s expression did not change even after Pandora had ignored her goodwill. She had already given her enough warnings. No matter what happened next wasn¡¯t her problem.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s your choice.¡±


    She didn¡¯t n to intervene more. There were lines that should not be crossed after as a vassal. After all, the information about the tower was top secret. She did not have all the details, but she knew that Persephone and the other four directions should be present in the tower.


    ¡®Well, I guess this would be a good lesson for her.¡¯


    Arachne was not worried about Pandora. She knew that they had no reason to hurt her as Pandora could be a staunch ally in the long run. Still, she was sure that it was a prank from Sol when she invited her to his stronghold.


    Hopefully, this would give her a lesson in humility and information gathering.


    ¡®The young boy became quite the cunning man.¡¯


    She was now more and more sure that Sol had pierced through Pandora''s identity. But once again she simply stayed silent and observed from the sides.


    Once Pandora was ready, she changed into Anastasia¡¯s form and patted Arachne on the shoulder.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. You will at least apany me to the carriage, right?¡±


    Arachne nodded her head while she silently prayed in her heart, ¡®May the goddesses be with you..¡¯


    This was the only prayer Arachne Mris made for her long-time friend as she watched Pandora step into the carriage that was brought by Ketia¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: I am keeping Slothein away currently for obvious reasons. I think next month I will try writing 2x1K chapters per day rather than huge 1.5-1.7K chapters. This is basically the same but will help in advancing the plot faster. Furthermore, small chapters cost fewer coins. So it will make things easier for both privilege and paying readers. What do you guys think? Of course, even if I say this I don¡¯t know if I can really implement it or not. As I also write MP every day.)

 Chapter 409 CH 375: SHE WOULD NEVER FORGET THIS DAY

    The carriage was advancing slowly through the street as the second day of the festival continued in full swing. Looking at the people singing and dancing, with joy evident on their faces, Pandora couldn¡¯t help but feel a little envious¡ªwhich was pretty normal with the Sin she bore.


    Envilya was a country no less developed than Lustburg and in a way far more so. After all, demons were also divine beasts in the past. Though now they in grand part stuck in the mortal realm.


    Even so, despite their technology, the life of the citizens was not particrly great.


    This mainly came from the fact that Envilya was full of undead and undead mages who didn¡¯t mind massacring a vige or two to get the material they needed.


    As if it wasn¡¯t enough, the rift between the royal family and the church caused many repercussions which made protecting the citizens moreplicated. After all, the church of Kindness and faith could onlye from destitution and poverty.


    Only those who could give everything they had could be epted in the Heaven Kingdom of Goddess Humanitas or so they said.


    Pandora found this sick. But there was nothing she could really do. The Supreme Daughter of Humanitas was from the Nightmare Queen generation and that bitch had the power to evolve and regain her divine status at any moment.


    The only reason she did not do so was because she decided her mission was to stay in the mortal realm and guide the poor people who were drowning in ignorance.


    ¡®Sigh. I hope Sol won¡¯t disappoint me.¡¯


    The alliance with Lustburg was very important. She had worked hard years ago to make it happen only for everything to crash down because of some assassins mixed with the delegation and nearly killed Sol when he was a kid[1].


    Even though they were able to retaliate thanks to this and worked alongside the Crown Shadow of Lustburg to kill off a few heir with great potential from the supporter of the church, all talk about a true alliance had been pushed off.


    This was why this time she came in person. She was ready to use all her charm and wit as well as pull her old rtionship in order to seed.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, how is the Queen doing? My mother asked me to inquire?¡± She was still ying a role actually so she was careful with her words.


    Ketia, who had been staying silent all this while, simply bowed her head, ¡°Her Majesty is doing well.¡±


    ¡®Hum¡­A well-trained maid. Adept in fighting. An assassin?¡¯


    She mused as she observed the maid wearing clothes so revealing she wondered how she could work with them.


    ¡°I guess this is Sol¡¯s taste?¡±


    Ketia stayed polite and shook her head, ¡°His Highness did not grace me with his seed. Nor did he ever impose any dress code. I simply like such clothes.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    ¡®I guess I shouldn¡¯t waste time with this one.¡¯


    Pandora had the power to dream walk. If she so wished, be it by using her charm or hypnotizing the woman and entering her dreams, she could obtain any answer she wanted.


    Sadly, she knew that pros like this one generally had a way to tell if they have beenpromised by a subus.


    She didn¡¯t want to set off any rms and risk destroying her second chances.


    ¡°We have reached our destination.¡±


    Once the carriage stopped, Pandora walked and gazed at the huge tower.


    ¡®As impressive as I remember.¡¯


    It was hard to think that such a gigantic monument had been created to simply to imprison one wich.


    ¡®Speaking of, Her name was Edea, was it? I wonder if she is still imprisoned or finally left.¡¯


    She knew that Mars had received some teaching from the witch locked in the tower. But despite his innate charm, he had never been able to make her walk out.


    It was quite a shame. Persephone alone had been a huge help during their adventure. If Edea had joined, then many things would have perhaps been different.


    ¡°Princess. Why are you stopping?¡±


    Ketia¡¯s voice woke up Pandora from her reverie.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know why, but I really don¡¯t want to enter.¡¯


    She suddenly felt like thating to this ce hadn¡¯t been such a good idea after. No matter what she tried to do, her body seemed unwilling to listen to her and advance.


    ¡®But do I even have a choice?¡¯


    She gritted her teeth and for the first time in her life, refused to listen to her instinct as she entered the courtyard of the tower.


    ¡ª--


    ¡°Wee, Princess Anastasia.¡±


    The first one to greet her was a woman with voluptuous features no less impressive than that of a Subus. Her charms were undeniable but seeing that it was just a cow beast woman, Pandora was about to dismiss her when she felt a chill go her spin.


    ¡®Dangerous.¡¯


    She looked deeply at the maid and slowly became bewildered,


    ¡°Hello¡­?¡±


    ¡®What the hell? A Duke?¡¯


    Like demons, Beast men wereposed of more than a hundred sub-races. Still, she knew enough about them to know that cow beasts were only the lowest of the low. Did they even have ess to elemental magic?


    How the hell did one be a Duke?


    In the first ce. Why in goddess name was a Duke ss working as a maid?


    ¡°Princess?¡±


    Shaking off her surprise and showing none of it on her face, Pandora returned the greeting.


    ¡®Well, mutants and exceptions always exist.¡¯


    ¡°I am sorry. I was just a little surprised. My mother always told me how impressive the Tower of Babel was and I realize her words didn¡¯t do justice.¡±


    ¡®Yes. Let¡¯s stay calm. It¡¯s just a Duke after all.¡¯


    ¡°My name is Milia. I am the head maid as well as his highness''s personal maid. I will take care of you during your stay here. if you would?¡±


    Pandora nodded and began following behind Milia. It was then that the sound of sword shing caught her attention.


    ¡°Can I take a look?¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    Milia hesitated before nodding. ¡°As long as we don¡¯t disturb them.¡±


    Pandora was quite happy as it would help her gauge a little the way knights trained nowpared to the past.


    But when she reached the training ground.


    All she could see was two young girls moving faster than the sound as they repeatedly shed their swords.


    Pandora¡¯s eyes twitched a little when she realized that one of them was a Duke and even more so when she realized who it was.


    ¡®Lilin?¡¯


    She had fought with Lilin during the vampire invasion in Southern pride. So she was less surprised. At the end of the day, Lilin was of royal blood and Lilith¡¯s daughter.


    But the one keeping up with her was¡­.¡¯A storm wolf?¡¯


    All storm wolves were part of the royal family of Wratharis.


    ¡°Who is that wolf?¡±


    ¡°She is Setsuna. His highness¡¯s knight.¡±


    ¡°*Cough* *Cough* What?¡±


    A member of a royal family was working as his knight?


    Pandora felt her heartbeat elerate as her instincts once again began screaming at her and this time she decided that perhaps she should listen to them.


    But it was then¡­.


    ¡°Oh! Milia! What brought you here? We were just about to wrap up.¡±


    Pandora realized that she had been unconsciously ignoring the presence of a third person.


    It was another maid.


    ¡°Who is¡­.¡±


    Her voice slowly drifted out and she had to summon a will of steel to not take a step back in fright.


    The one who had spoken was a young girl with red hair and red eyes wearing a cute maid attire. She was a young beauty with a pubescent body.


    But if that was all, Pandora would have never been surprised. After all, there was nothing new about a young maid being cute.


    But¡­.But¡­


    ¡°This¡­.¡±


    ¡®Oh, my goddess.¡¯


    For an instant, Pandora began to wonder if she was currently trapped in the dream realm of another subus.


    This was the only way to exin what she was currently seeing.


    After all. What else could exin the fact that a King rank being was working as a maid?


    ¡®This¡­This doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯


    ¡°Princess?¡±


    ¡°Hahah¡­Sorry, sorry. I am just feeling a little dizzy. Could we just please go to my quarters?¡±


    Milia seemed puzzled but nodded nheless. ¡°Kali. I am taking care of a guest. Don¡¯t push Setsuna too much.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I know how to take care of my railgun.¡±


    ¡®Kali¡­.? No. This isn¡¯t possible. I am sure I just heard wrong.¡¯


    Pandora began to walk even faster. Nearly walking past Milia.


    She needed to take some distance and breath in a ce isted. She was beginning to feel a little suffocated.


    But it was then¡­


    ¡°Hey! You why don¡¯t we go to the festival again!? Sol said we should do some shopping.¡±


    ¡°I am not interested. Let¡¯s wait until hees back.¡±


    Pandora stopped short when she gazed at the two women walking out of the tower.


    This time, the fact that they were two Dukes did not even register in her mind. Nor was the fact that one of them was a fairy even matter.


    ¡®How is this possible!?¡¯


    She felt like all hermon sense was being challenged.


    Demon, as they were now, was nothing but a devolved form of the pure demons of the past. Those who were able to stand as Divine beasts.


    Even so, sometime, some demons could get back their original bloodline and be True Demons.


    The difference between a true Demon and a mortal one was like the difference between amoner and an Emperor.


    They were two beings of a different states. There was an absolute difference in pedigree.


    Pandora had to bite her tongue to fight the innate desire to kneel down in front of that woman as a sign of respect.


    ¡®Why? Why is a True Demon here!?¡¯


    Pandora would never forget this day.


    Even more so since this was just the start of her surprises.


    After all¡­She had not even stepped into the Tower yet.


    [1]: CH 21: Bath and Politics. Man. Reading my old chapters makes meugh sometimes. Mainly Vol 1. there are so many things I changed from the earlier plot. It¡¯s a wonder I managed to keep everything logical.

 Chapter 410 CH 376: WORLD VIEWS SHATTER

    The next few minutes were basically a form of torture for Pandora. After the girl with the blood of a True Demon flowing in her veins gave her a confused nce, she left with the fairy, clearly uninterested in her existence.


    After having been asked by Milia if everything was alright with her, Pandora managed to barely answer with a nod and forced herself to calm down her disoriented mind.


    She was a King-ranked being. The one and only Queen of Envilya. Even though she was currently being overwhelmed by all the information she was getting one after another after just entering the outskirts of the tower, there was no reason for her to be feeling so helpless.


    ¡®Calm down. Calm down. This is nothing.¡¯


    True Demons were part of the Invidia faction. So they could not enter into the territory of Luxuria without having the explicit permission of the Divine Beast of Lust, Asmodeus himself. The fact that a True Demon was present in this ce meant that she was most likely a contracted partner.


    She remembered that Sol had recently returned from the Astral Realm. It seemed like that girl had been the one he came back with after his journey in that realm.


    ¡®But I thought it was supposed to be a ck phoenix?¡¯


    Pandora''s thoughts stopped there as she reached an absurd conclusion. But she could not ept it. There was just no way that something like that could be possible.


    ¡®Sighhhhh. Take a deep breath. It doesn¡¯t concern you¡­¡¯


    Yes. None of this ultimately mattered. Clearly, she had underestimated Sol¡¯s influence.


    Back in his day, Mars had been able to gather a group of very powerful and influential women by his side with his charm and charisma alone. Even Camelia, who did not really like Mars very much, was still willing to follow his orders.


    But this¡­ This was on apletely different level altogether.


    Truly the Blesseds of Luxuria were of another level it seemed.


    ¡®Okay. I am calm now. Nothing else can surprise me.¡¯


    Observing the changing expressions of the subus queen, Milia had to force herself to hide the growing smile from peeking out of the corner of her lips.


    Sol had sent her a message so she knew very well that this woman was neither the knight nor the princess of Envilya but the Queen herself.


    Her mission had been clear from the start. Put her in a situation that wouldpletely crush the queen¡¯s mentality and make her understand the difference in power between the two parties. This was to establish the dominance of Lustburg in her mind.


    In this way, any discussion they would have in the future would undoubtedly go in Sol¡¯s favor and ultimately in the favor of Lustburg.


    As for the possible leaks? They were not worried about that for a single bit. For starters, Pandora was indeed an old ally of Mars so they were sure that she would keep her mouth shut and even if she didn¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem either way.


    They were already ready to disy Setsuna and Lilin as idols and war heroes to help increase the morale of the people of Lustburg.


    The same would be applicable to Sol and most likely Isis too.


    Some of the battle maids alongside the ck knights were already dispatched to the temporary frontlines to prepare the fortress and provide food as well as get a better idea of the overall situation.


    The war itself wouldn¡¯t happen soon. But preparations were still necessary.


    ¡®Speaking of that¡­ I hope that girl is alright.¡¯


    Nuwa had insisted on being a part of those being sent to the frontlines. She was yet to enter the realm of a Duke, but her power was already impressive as is. Milia had epted her request since she surmised that the small skirmishes already happening on the frontlines would be a very valuable experience for her.


    Though it was a shame that she had missed Sol¡¯s return to the Mortal Realm. After all, she had already been dispatched through the use of a teleporter long before his return.


    ¡°Well, mydy, should we continue the visit?¡±


    ¡°Haha. I think I will just go to my quarters if it isn¡¯t a problem.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Then let¡¯s continue.¡±


    Pandora followed with a light smile on her lips. She had already steeled her mind. No matter what happened next, she would not be surprised.


    ¡ªThat resolution was quite literally shattered to innumerable pieces the moment she stepped inside the Tower and felt the gaze of a demigod on her.


    Even though it was only for a mere instant and that demigod seemed to have lost all interest in her immediately, Pandora felt like years of her life were shaved away directly with just that one nce alone.


    The fact that she didn''t rush out running as if her life depended on it was already a testament to her strong will.


    But what followed was simply too much.


    She saw a drunkard whose power seemed to surpass her even with the slight power she was leaking from her body.


    She passed by a woman d entirely in pink sitting with a silver-haired woman d in ck.


    She also finally met her friend Lilith, apanied by Persephone. <novelnext></novelnext>


    Those fives were clearly discussing something important and while they didn''t seem all that friendly, the fact that they were working together was indubitable.


    Pandora nearly crumbled when she realized that the three other women outside of Persephone and Lilith were also King-ranked beings.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    In the Mortal Realm. Dukes were the highest powers one could normally reach even with great talent. Only a very rare minority could enter the fabled King rank. The fact that not even all the Blessed could enter the realm of a King was a testament to how hard it was to break through that limit.


    As such, it was rare for the number of King-ranked beings in any generation to go beyond ten or so. Perhaps 20 at best.


    But, right now?


    Forget the impossibility of a Demigod. The Tower of Babel alone was holding five King-ranked individuals. No, if they also counted the one outside that would be six. It was equivalent to half or a quarter of all the King-ranked beings in existence officially known in the present times.


    If there were no war regtions, this number alone was enough to crush most kingdoms within minutes.


    All that power was held in the hand of just one man?


    Pandora felt a chilling shiver crawl down her spine as goosebumps literally covered her skin from head to toe.


    Was Sol preparing to reenact the actions of the Conqueror King? Or perhaps something even bigger?


    Did Lustburg even need their help at all for the uing war?


    No matter how powerful Sun Wukong was, it was impossible for that monkey alone to face 6 kings of such caliber. Even more so if Lilith was part of that team too.


    So now was the question that she needed to ask herself.


    Which side did she want to be on when Sol inevitably started to use his powers for his future goals?


    ¡®It seems like I need to change my ns.¡¯


    She had made a very detailed speech for their future discussion. Analyzed the pros and cons of Lustburg and detailed what Envilya could bring to the table for them.


    Now it was clear that all her ns were worthless and as good as literal trash in front of the behemoth that was Sol.


    At the same time, Pandora realized why Sol had asked her toe to the tower. This was obviously a show of power from his side.


    A way to put her in her ce and make the negotiations more advantageous for him.


    But¡­ There was nothing she could do even if she was feeling unhappy about it.


    This was apletely open scheme that was basically screaming at her that her opinion on the matter was worthless to them.


    The difference in power was simply too great.


    If she could find a way to have Sol intervene in the affairs of Envilya in a legitimate and proper way then¡­.


    ¡®Anastasia doesn¡¯t have anyone she likes, right? What about Minerva?¡¯


    It seemed like it was time to think about the marriage of her two dear daughters.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: If someoneins ¡°This is a filler chapter!¡± I won¡¯t be able to refute them haha. Still, I hope it brought some fun to the readers. Seeing all the important people around Sol from another perspective is interesting, I think.


    It¡¯s hard to write meaningful content every day. At least for me, this helped me rx a little and think more deeply about what I would do during Sol''s meeting with the Goddesses. So time to go back to the more serious stuff. By the way, I asked this on Pa*treon already but I obviously need to ask this here as well.)


    [So I have been thinking. Why not write a mini-series of the special chapter that would follow Sol from the Alternative timeline?


    For example every end of a volume or a fixed number of chapters I could add chapters for the alternative timeline.


    This would be a miniseries within the series.


    I could also do a Past Kings series. Showing Mars, Neptune, and even Jupiter''s life or small chapters for the life of the previous Kings and Queens.


    All of this would help in developing the Lore of SHK.


    Give me your opinion and of course, if you have another proposal don¡¯t hesitate to write me in my Discord channel.


    Discord: https://discord.gg/DquQFmaRne]

 Chapter 411 CH 377: BARGAINING WITH THE GODDESSES (1)

    Sol did not know about the adventure Pandora was currently going through. Or is it better to call it misadventures? The answer to this question depended on perspectives.


    Though he could imagine her surprise once she realized how much power he held in his hand currently, Sol was busy thinking of more important things. Such as observing the gate in front of him.


    The scene carved on the ck and white gate was not foreign to him by now. In fact, it was something he had also observed back in the Dragon realm.


    On the gate, the scene carved was that of a woman with fourteen girls behind her, all of them wearing golden robes on the white side of the gate, and facing them was another woman wearing a bright red robe on the ck side of the gate. All of them had nk faces, giving the scene a strange, creepy atmosphere.


    The scene carved on the gate in the Dragon realm was nearly the same with a few differences. The main one beings that the Crimson woman was not alone but apanied by a few more goddesses he could not discern.


    From what Tiamat had said, the goddesses of sin and virtues had ced a kind of seal that made it impossible to observe the ones who were fighting alongside Chaos. Only those who had participated in the war could observe them and they were also unable to give their names.


    Sol knew at least Ymir but the others were a pure mystery.


    ¡®I wonder what happened to them? Are they also sealed?¡¯


    Goddesses could not die. As long as the concept that they represented continued to exist, then they would never die.


    As long as living beings existed. The goddesses of sins would be eternal. In the same way, as long as destruction existed, Ymir could never die.


    Then what about the others?


    ¡®I feel like this will be a pain.¡¯


    The reason he was worried was because of Lucifer''s prophecy that suddenly came to his mind.


    <<The End of the world ising. A new Era is approaching. Doomsday will soon be upon us and at the end of all of this, ¡®They¡¯ will finally arrive.>>


    Who was <<They>>? Did it represent the goddesses who fought alongside the Mother Goddess of Chaos? Or perhaps it represented some other unknown force? A third group that was not Chaos or Order?


    There were so many things to think about but Sol shelved those thoughts back in the depth of his mind.


    Now wasn¡¯t the time. What could he do even if the end of the world approached?


    The answer was simple. Nothing.


    ¡°I am entering.¡±


    He pushed the door open and walked in. Now he had to bring his A game. So he could not be distracted.


    ¡ª-


    When Sol entered the room, Camelia was busy looking at the circle with wonder and bewilderment. She obviously did not change the ritual circle just because of some suggestions.


    But she had been redrawing it again and again in her mind and the more she did the more she realized that she was indeed right.


    The current circle relied more on quantity than quality to operate. Hence the higher amount of divine blood necessary. The new circle meanwhile needed a higher understanding of the divine spell but in exchange, the cost went down by more than half or perhaps even two third.


    ¡®How did she¡­?¡¯


    To create something like this in the first ce, one should have a perfect understanding of divine power as it was a ritual created by the goddesses.


    How did a small girl that should have the mind and knowledge of a preteen manage to find the ws?


    ¡°You seem busy.¡±


    Camelia turned around with a surprised expression.


    ¡°Sol! I am sorry. I was too focused I guess.¡±


    ¡°So focused you did not even feel my presence?¡±


    He raised an eyebrow at this to which Camelia shook her head, ¡°I will talk about thister.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­You do know that if you hide anything from me again I will have to punish you, right?¡±


    He smiled as he approached her and whispered this in her heart. Immediately Camelia felt her heartbeat elerate greatly as she began to imagine what kind of punishment he would inflict on her.


    ¡°Hah~¡±


    She moaned a little when she felt Sol hug her waist but was soon brought to silence as his lips covered hers hungrily. Like a wolf devoured a defenseless sheep, all she could do was surrender in his embrace and let herself be devoured.


    When their lips finally separated, all Camelia could do was show a dazed expression, while Sol smirked as he licked his lips,


    ¡°I missed you.¡±


    Camelia looked absentmindedly at Sol. He was taller and stronger than she remembered and she could feel this even more so now that she was in his embrace. His body felt like the body of a warrior who went through many battles.


    He also showed his dragon features clearly and proudly. Not hidings his horns or his slit eyes. <novelnext></novelnext>


    But for Camelia, none of this mattered. She was simply happy to be close to him again.


    ¡°We will have time to catch upter. Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    Camelia smiled at his confident answer and was about to cut herself with a knife to start the ritual when a hand stopped her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t Saint Fall. I am just requesting a discussion with the goddesses. Normally only the goddesses concerned will intervene.¡±


    This would mean Luxuria and Castitas alongside Invidia and Humanitas.


    Indeed,pared to calling fourteen goddesses, this was a much lower burden. But Sol did not care.


    ¡°Only two weeks went by for you. Your wound from the holy territory backsh are still notpletely healed.¡±


    He did not let Camelia offer more protest as he approached the circle himself and used his divine eye.


    He first looked at Camelia. He could see the link between them. Outside of the obvious Pink one, there was a thread that tied her life to him. The curse that the goddess put on them after the events of Saint Fall.


    In the past, he had been determined to cut this thread permanently but he decided to study it more deeply and try to change the effect.


    Changing it from <<Camelia die if Sol dies>> to <<Camelia will not die as long as Sol lives>>.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was possible but if he seeded, it would be worth it. After all, even if Camelia did not die young, as a mortal the Fate of Death by old age was inevitable.


    The same went for his other mortal lovers. He needed to find a way to make them immortal.


    After making sure that Camelia was alright, Sol focused on the divine circle before stretching his left arm above it.


    The nail of his right hand became sharps-like des and he swiped down, opened a small wound on his wrist, and focused on squeezing the blood.


    Sol had bathed in the Dragon pool and absorbed a great deal of divinity in his own blood.


    ¡°Sol!?¡±


    The ritual needed both of their blood to function properly. Both Luxuria and Castitas divinity.


    ¡°Shhh. I am focusing.¡±


    His wound was already closing so he needed to focus on keeping it open. Soon, the red blood began to be fused with hue of gold as they scattered on the ground.


    ¡°Start the ceremony.¡±


    Camelia was quite anxious but she realized that now it was better to move fast rather than waste time. She did not know what Sol was doing exactly but she believed in him.


    She kneeled down and put her hands together in prayer.


    <<I am Camelia Castitas, Supreme Daughter of the goddess of Chastity>>


    <<I beseech the goddesses, with the divine blood of the Son of Luxuria to answer my call>>


    <<May the goddesses answer my prayer.>>


    At first, nothing seemed to happen and Camelia was ready to add her own blood toplete the ceremony.


    But it was then¡­ to her utter surprise and bewilderment, the hexagram immediately went from a deep scarlet to a deep golden, proof that the ritual had been sessful.


    A sh of golden light immediately enveloped them.


    The very world seemed to fall silent in the wake of the power. An aura of authority enveloped not only the ritual room but the totality of the capital. No matter where they were, people could see a pir of lighting from the church and reaching the sky.


    But perhaps the most bewildered were none other than the habitants of the capital. Seeing one divine ritual in one lifetime was already a feat and now here they were, looking at their third ones.


    But no matter how surprised or anxious they were, all of them bowed in submission in the face of power that they could never hope to understand while wondering what the hell was happening again.


    Meanwhile, Sol could not care about the rollercoaster of emotions the citizens were going through as he stood up once again in face of fourteen thrones.


    [We are listening.]


    He feel like he was back on that day. But the current him was totally different.


    ¡°I salute the goddesses. I am here to bargain.¡±

 Chapter 412 CH 378: BARGAINING WITH THE GODDESSES (2)

    Sol found himself standing in a vast open grasnd, thousands of stars were shining brightly above him in the infinite skies, and fresh air like no other was caressing his skin with its refreshing touch.


    Above him, fourteen thrones floated quietly in the sky in a semi-circle formation. In a way, it was like he was standing before a tribunal, ready to be judged by them for whatever sin he may have conducted.


    Sol was reminded of the first time he appeared in this ce but now the situation was different.


    Firstly, back then, he was bewildered and a little fearful of what could happen to him as he stood before the almighty rulers of this universe. But now, he could calmly observe them and even take in their divine pressure and withstand it.


    The second andrgest difference between the two times was that the majority of the thrones were currently empty and only five of them were now upied. One more goddess than Camelia had anticipated, but not outside the realm of possibility for Sol.


    Luxuria and Castitas for his human blood and Lilith¡¯s human side.


    Invidia and Humanitas representing the Demon side of Lilith.


    Finally Superbia for his dragon blood.


    Sol found the fact that a mere mortal like him could cause 5 goddesses to appear to be quite interesting in itself, but now wasn¡¯t the time to be lost in his daydreams.


    [We are listening.]


    The voice of the goddesses sounded as overbearing as ever. Their divine voice had the characteristics that could subdue all mortals no matter what their standing was.


    But to this voice of theirs, Sol simply smiled without showing any signs of being bothered.


    ¡°¡ªI am here to bargain.¡±


    The young boy who once stood lost in this ce and who could only kneel and beg for mercy was no more.


    When the goddesses heard his words, a deep sense of silence filled the scene. Clearly, they were all quite surprised at how brazen the young boy was.


    From their perspectives, the time that passed since theyst saw him was so small that it was basically non-existent.


    It was a span of time that was not evenrge enough for a child to grow into an adult. But here he was, acting as if he was simply negotiating with people of equal standings.


    [For what reason did you call us?]


    ¡°Lilith Luxuria was born from the experiments of Neptune Luxuria. Previous King and Blessed of Lustburg. But his experiment back then was iplete and the result made it so that the remaining lifespan of Lilith Luxuria is about to fizzle out, like a candle in the wind.¡±


    [The life and death of mortals are of no matter to us. How do you n to save her?]


    The one who spoke was Superbia. She was sitting with her arms resting on the armchair and her head resting on the palm of her hand.


    Even though Sol could not see her expression and was not stupid enough to directly look at her face, he could still hear the indifference in her voice.


    He understood it really. Thousands of mortals died every day and even at this very moment, someone, somewhere was dying for one reason or another.


    Why should the goddesses care about the life and death of a mere mortal?


    His words were direct. Trying to hide anything was useless¡­ For the goddesses should have already known about this situation long ago.


    ¡°I wish to ask permission to change the bloodline of Lilith Luxuria and save her from her inevitable demise.¡±


    Silence once more descended into the divine realm, but one much heavier than the one before. It was clear that the goddesses were contemting something.


    The first one to break the silence was surprisingly Castitas,


    [Do we even need to think? In the first ce, Neptune has already paid the price for his creation. Not only using his wish but also sacrificing his Blessing.]


    Sol¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    The wish.


    It was a single and unconditional wish that was given to all kings of Lustburg. As long it did not break the boundary of the rule established.


    Most kings simply used that wish to increase their power. Others would increase their lifespans. There were many uses for the wish.


    Neptune, the madman that he was, dedicated his entire life¡¯s purpose to his creations. He died as the weakest king in Lustburg¡¯s long lineage of mighty rulers. He was also the king with the least achievement, officially speaking, and the only king who had no real power over his own kingdom.


    Even so, he was a brilliant man whose madness transcended the mere desire for power and who even managed to create beings such as Milia, Lilin, and Lilith. His masterpieces.


    Meddling divine power artificially and mass-producing such beings. Even managing to give them the ability to procreate in Lilin¡¯s case.


    Truly he was a dangerous man.


    After Castitas spoke, the next one to give her opinion was actually Humanitas¡­


    [How many times will we give mortals the authority to meld with the divine? Either way, Neptune had paid the price for the creation of his monstrosities. The same went for Echidna. It would not be fair to simply give this permission to this mortal no matter how you support him.]


    Humanitas'' opinion was clear. She did not particrly care about Sol but she hated how mortals kept looking down on them by trying to reach into their domain when they should simply bow down and quietly provide faith to their greatness.


    At the very least, Sol had to pay the price if he wished to act against the rules. In her opinion, true kindness represented giving equally to all sides. Since his predecessor paid a price for his choices, the same should go for him too.


    Luxuria''s answer was unsurprisingly on Sol¡¯s side,


    [We established the rules to see how far mortals cane on their own. Saving the Singrity Lilith breaks no taboo.]


    Sol stood calmly. Two were on his side and one against. This was honestly better than anything he had hoped. After all, he had been ready for all the goddesses to be against his decision. He was ready to pay the price and ready to bargain as much as possible. But at this rate, it seemed like he would not even have the right to do so.


    [I don¡¯t really care. But since the boy fought valiantly during the war, I am for looking at the other side. Rewards should be given when necessary.]


    Superbia was quite fond of Sol all things considered. The dragons were her masterpiece and seeing Sol continuously grow in power and mentality was like a way to affirm that she had indeed created the best race in the universe.


    Each goddess had created their own race and divine beast so who was the best and strongest was always a question of contention between them. But ever since she created Tiamat, she had won by andslide.


    Looking at Sol with his draconic features made her very proud. The only thingcking would be for him to have a child with an elf. She was sure that the child resulting from their union would be a monstrously talented individual.


    ¡®Three to one.¡¯


    Sol¡¯s eyes twinkled. He had been so sure the situation would be full of tricky moments that the currentthat he felt like he was dreaming. Now that it was so, no matter what decision Invidia took, he would win.


    His chest began to beat with joy as he already saw himself going home and give the good new to his lovers.


    Pandora should already be quite down and it would be easy to make her ept his proposal.


    He could almost taste the victory at the tip of his tongue.


    Almost¡ª


    [As the goddess of Invidia and the ruler of Subus, I decide to use my right of Veto.]


    ¡ªLike ice in the desert under the terrible. The taste of victorypletely vanished in an instant.


    [The abomination Lilith reached her natural lifespan. Saving her is going against an alrady broken taboo.]


    But mercilessly, the voice of Invidia full of malice continued, uncaring of the roalcoaster of emotion Sol just went through.


    [Sol Luxuria. I reject your proposal. Going against my decision would make you a heretic]


    At the end, he could even feel her smiling as she looked down at him,


    Finally, even without using his Divine eye, Sol realized who was the source of the hostility.


    [But we all know what decision you will take, right?]


    He could see it. The anticipation in her voice.


    She knew that Sol would save his loved ones no matter what and this was exactly what she wished.


    ¡ª-


    My goal is to reach the top 25 in trending (All time/monthly). I know we can do it. If you want to read my other works, join me on P@treon: https://[email protected]</a>/HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site)


    Changed the gift-to-chapter ratio for a new month and because of the changes on WN.


    Bonus for Gifts:

 Chapter 413 CH 379:HARSH LESSON

    Following Invidia¡¯s deration, time itself seemed to have stopped in this spiritual domain.


    [Invidia!]


    A roar filled Invidia¡¯s mind but she had no care for it. Luxuria could do nothing to her since she was following the rule established by the sisterhood since time immemorial. Even though Luxuria was vastly stronger than her, it would change nothing in the end. She was in the right, after all.


    The rules were the rules and nothing Luxuria would say could change them without absolute unanimity from all of thembined. She knew what she was doing.


    She knew very well that after this stunt, Luxuria would be unbelievably angry at her and might not forgive her for a few hundred years. But it did not matter to her in the slightest.


    Time was a concept that waspletely meaningless for them in the first ce.


    Sooner orter, her sister would forget about this mortal and would find a new toy that she would be infatuated with. Hopefully a toy much less dangerous than the current one.


    Invidia simply continued to look down at Sol from her throne and observe his reaction. She had already anticipated how he would react and was ready to act ordingly. After all, she only had one goal¡­


    Sol Luxuria¡¯s death.


    The events of the small war that happened with the dragons proved one dangerous fact. He was too much of an uncontroble variable in this game of theirs, surpassing even the likes of Anubis in the amount of chaos he could bring to the realms.


    Back then, she was the one who brought and made Anubis reincarnate into a Demon. But even though she could see far into the future, she would have never imagined that this small inconsequential soul would grow to be a thorn in their side.


    Now, after stealing a part of the Afterlife Realm, that abominable man had the highest chance to steal the true power of Death and ascend to godhood.


    ¡®One such monster is already one too much.¡¯


    Sol was infinitely more dangerous than Anubis had ever shown to have been. She did not know what her sister was thinking by grooming such a dangerous variable but she would put an end to this foolishness of hers once and for all. She was adamant about extinguishing this bug from the realms of existence.


    Since she could not harm Sol directly without breaking the rules of their sisterhood, all she needed was to put a trap for him and this situation would be perfect for her.


    [Sol Dragona Luxuria. Do you ept my judgment?]


    ¡®Say it. Do it.¡¯


    She remembered how that mortal did not hesitate to throw his pride away and beg for the survival of his loved one.


    Would such a man really bow in front of her judgment?


    The answer was obviously¡ª


    ¡°I hear andply.¡±


    ¡ªWhat?


    [What?]


    Invidia had been so surprised that even her inner voice leaked out in the open.


    But she was not the only one to be surprised. All the goddesses here had witnessed Sol''s growth and more or less understood his personality.


    He was a crazy man who would put the well-being of those he cared about above even his own.


    Right now, he should be seething with fury or going crazy from rage as he should¡¯ve asked Invidia to revoke her decision.


    But he showed no such thing, showed no such concerns. His surprise had long since vanished and was reced by a certain indifference that seemed uncanny even to the goddesses. As if he had already anticipated such an event taking ce in this discussion.


    This wentpletely against everything Invidia had nned.


    ¡®This is why I hate Singrities!¡¯


    She frowned in disgust and was about to explore Sol¡¯s mind in order to understand what he was nning but she was surprised to find a barrier stopping her from doing so.


    [That is enough. Sister.]


    [Luxuria.]


    [I do not allow you to meddle with the thoughts of my Blessed.]


    Invidia gritted her teeth beforepletely rxing. A tone of indifference reflected in her voice as she replied to Luxuria.


    [Very Well.]


    She then focused on Sol,


    [Since you agree with my decision¡­ Then I believe there is nothing else for us to speak.]


    ¡°Indeed. I learned an important lesson. I will be sure to remember this.¡±


    The calmer he was the spookier Invidia felt about this situation. His gaze waspletely apathetic, devoid of any emotions and it was all the more dangerous for it.


    As Sol slowly vanished from this spiritual domain¡­ She realized then and there that there was no going back from the road she was now treading upon.


    The two of them were officially enemies.


    ¡®How ridiculous¡­¡¯


    At the end of the day, no matter how powerful a mortal became, they could never surpass a god.


    She had failed now because she did not anticipate his willingness to bear with his anger.


    ¡®I wonder if you will be able to keep such a straight face as you watch that woman slowly die out in front of your eyes.¡¯


    She was sure that Sol would not be able to hold on by then and once this happened¡ª she would finally have a righteous reason to strike him down.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    In the mortal world, as the golden light slowly died out, Camelia could see Sol standing still, with his fists clenched. <novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡°Sol?¡±


    Camelia called hesitantly. She had not been present to witness how the situation went but normally it should not have been a big problem for them. After all, they were not really trying to create a new race.


    Ideally, they wouldn¡¯t even ask for a price.


    But, feeling the gloomy aura around Sol, she was sure that something outside of their predictions had happened.


    ¡°Sol?¡±


    She called again and this time, Sol¡¯s hand twitched as he opened his eyes and gazed at her.


    ¡°I am alright.¡±


    She was surprised by his answer as the gloomy aura around himpletely vanished and was reced by his usual gentle smile.


    ¡®Did I overthink?¡¯


    Perhaps he was just upset about facing the goddesses again?


    ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Bad.¡±


    His answer was simple and concise but the smile never left his lips as he continued to exin,


    ¡°It seems like a certain goddess has something against me and decided to give me a headache.¡±


    ¡°Sol. Are you really, alright?¡±


    Camelia paled. She knew that her question was rather stupid.


    ¡°Haha. I have no reason to be angry, you know? I was sure that something like this would happen. For an instant, I hoped that I was wrong. But heh¡­ Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I am used to situations like this now.


    ¡°In fact, I would have felt weird if it had been resolved easily.¡±


    He smiled and rambled as if nothing was wrong. But this was why she understood.


    Sol was really really angry now.


    He simply did not wish to show his inner feeling to her at this moment.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    Camelia approached Sol and took him in his arms.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be strong in front of me, you know?¡±


    ¡°I am alright.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing wrong about crying when something wrong happens.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°Sol¡­ You have the right to be sad like anyone else. You don¡¯t have to always show your mature side to us. Nor act like an adult. Please, don¡¯t take all the weight, all the burden on your shoulders.¡±


    Sol stayed silent as he buried his face in Camelia¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I understand it¡¯s alright to cry. But you should understand it much more than me that¡­ Crying and whining change absolutely nothing.¡±


    Sol''s words were calm andposed.


    ¡°At this point. I can feel like Fate itself has already decided Lilith¡¯s death.¡±


    Ever since he came back to the mortal world, Sol felt like he was sinking into a deep sea and that no matter what he did, no matter how much he tried to swim back above to reach the shore, unbreakable chains kept pulling him down.


    Lilith¡¯s death was like an inevitability at this point.


    Right now, it seemed like only two options were presented to him.


    Save Lilith at all costs, even if it means bing a heretic.


    But by doing so, the only one affected would not be him. All his loved ones would pay the price alongside him.


    Or give up on Lilith. ept that her destiny was to die.


    Sol gave a bitter smile inwardly.


    He remembered being asked once what he would do between saving the world and saving his loved ones.


    His response back then had been pretty clear-cut. He was ready to give up on the world for those he loved.


    The actions of his alternative self were proof of his convictions.


    But right now, he was in front of a much more cruel question.


    (AN: There is a moral question people like to ask. Your mother, daughter, and wife are drowning or are in a house in a fire. You can only save one. Who do you choose?


    This is a trick question as there is no right answer. No matter what decision you take, your life will be filled with regret afterward.


    This is perhaps the greatest challenge Sol ever faced. What would you do if you were in his ce?


    Also, what do you think of Invidia? Objectively and subjectively. Is she wrong in wanting Sol¡¯s death?


    Finally, what are your opinions on this arc? SHK is generally much more lighthearted. So I am curious if the shift in the tone of this volume will put off some readers. Then again all arcs involving Lilith are always somewhat gloomy. Not gonna lie, I always be nervous during arcs like this. Vol 5 really traumatized me.)

 Chapter 414 CH 380: OPEN YOUR EYES!

    [Divine Realm]


    The divine realm was usually a very peaceful ce filled with endless fog. It gave off such an impression that nothing in existence could ever disturb the peace of that holy ce.


    But for once, the fog became dark and heavy, as if feeling the anger of the powerful residents living in that ne facing each other for the first time since the dawn of time itself.


    Sitting on the rectangr table filled with 15 Chairs, Luxuria looked at her side and growled menacingly, quite uncharacteristically as a goddess such as herself¡­


    ¡°I hope you can exin what happened back there.¡±


    She did not raise her voice but the threat mixed beneath it was noticeable to everyone that was present in this gathering.


    ¡°I did nothing wrong. I simply used my right as it was intended.¡±


    Luxuria forced herself to calm down as she knew that Invidia had indeed respected the rules of their sisterhood and that there was nothing she could really do about that. Invidia was in the right, she had done nothing wrong.


    ¡°Why do you hate Sol so much.¡±


    ¡°Firstly, you are wrong about something. I do not hate him.¡±


    Like how humans would not waste any of their precious time feeling hatred for animals or bugs, there was no way Invidia would waste time hating such a miserable and transient being as a puny mortal.


    ¡°So why?¡±


    ¡°Though I do not really hate him, only someone foolish would raise a venomous snake that might bite them at any moment.¡±


    Her words were clear cut and to the point, ¡°Sister. That mortal is too dangerous to let him continue growing. He needs to be put down¡ª Now!¡±


    Even the smallest bug could carry the deadliest poison that could be fatal to the beings at the top of the food chain. Even small rodents could cause the death of millions of people if left unchecked. History had already shown that nothing in existence can be underestimated or else you would have to face the consequences.


    ¡°Open your eyes, sisters. Your obsession with that mortal might doom us all.¡±


    Luxuria gritted her teeth as she stood up from her seat with a furious set of motions,


    ¡°I thought it was ourmon goal to create a god! Isn¡¯t it why we created Echidna? Isn¡¯t it why we even allowed the existence of the G.O.D project as well as created the witches? So why!?¡±


    In the end, it became hard for her to control her emotions, even as the almighty goddess that she was, and her power began to fill the surroundings, showing how agitated she was.


    But the one who answered was surprisingly Acedia, the goddess of sloth.


    ¡°Only mother wants this¡ª and I guess you, as well.¡±


    She spoke slowly as if she could fall asleep at any moment. But as her words spread out, Luxuria was startled to realize that outside of a few frowns, the others did not particrly seem likely to reject the words of Invidia.


    ¡°Do you see now?¡±


    Invidia spread her hands wide, ¡°We were the youngest and the weakest out of them all. Our powers mostly came from living being¡¯s emotions. Something useless when facing other gods¡ª But now?¡±


    ¡°Now, the universe is our yground. Father is dead and our mothers are asleep. We won against Ymir and all the others were killed during the Twilight of the Gods. We are now the strongest in existence. We are the rulers of this universe. Why do you even wish to add another one to share our power?¡±


    Industria¡ªThe goddess of Diligence, shook her head, ¡°Even though I agree with you. We still have our duty to listen to Mother.¡±


    ¡°I did listen. But look at all the results until now, shall we?¡±


    She rose a finger.


    ¡°Lucifer was the first one we gave a Soul from that ce. What was the result?¡±


    Luxuria gritted her teeth, ¡°Rebellion.¡±


    ¡°Not just rebellion. We even lost most of the control we have over divine beasts because of him. But let¡¯s continue shall we?¡±


    ¡°Castitas. You brought a soul into the Phoenix Realm in the past, right? I think his name was Sinbad. What was the result?¡±


    Castitas fidgeted a little, ¡°Rebellion.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Poor, poor Gabriel. I think she waspletely traumatized as a result.¡±


    She snickered and focused on Superbia once again, ¡°After Lucifer we had Apsu. Result?¡±


    Superbia gritted her teeth, ¡°He brought an army of dragons and other divine beasts against us.¡±


    Invidia smirked, ¡°Not long ago I brought Anubis. As a result, we lost a great part of the realm of Afterlife. Hah.¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    She shook her head, ¡°You should know. At the end of the day. Whether mortals join Chaos or Order, it doesn¡¯t particrly matter to us. Because at the end of the day, they stay mere mortals beneath us. But there is always a group of pesky pests that tries to leave the game board and face us and surpass our control.¡±


    ¡°Sinbad nearly obtained the concept of [Famine]. Pretty weak, if all things considered. But still dangerous. Lucifer wanted to be [Light]. Can you imagine how strong he would have be if he was able to wield a concept as dangerous as that? What about Apsu, huh? [War]? What do you think would have happened to us if he became a god embodying that concept?¡±


    Castitas shuddered slightly at that thought. Apsu had been quite barbaric, to say the least. If he became a god of war, he would have been nearly unbeatable.


    ¡°Then we have Anubis with his growing dominion over [Death]. Can you even imagine? Death was an absolute bastard because she could give longsting damage to the gods. She was nearly at the same level as Ymir. How could I have ever imagined that this random soul I choose would be born with a spark of divinity that embodied the concept of Death?¡±


    Invidia seethed in anger and frustration. She had never even entertained the thought of creating a god. This was why, even after reincarnating Anubis, she did not make him her Blessed. She hoped that he would simply die after a set amount of time. But the man was born with the literal Book of Death inside of him.


    The ce was silent. The goddesses had been quite dismissive of Invidia¡¯s worries at first. But the more she spoke, the more she took control of the situation.


    ¡°Finally we have the new toy of our sister. Sol.¡±


    She chortled out loud after having mentioned that name that was the reason for her growing annoyance, ¡°None of us really put effort into creating a new god. But look at the result. Now imagine what will happen with that mortal. Think about how much she invested in that mortal. Even though the chances are supremely small. Do we really want to deal with another rebellion?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ I don¡¯t think Sol would have attacked us first¡ª¡±


    Castitas timidly raised her hand. She did not really like the current atmosphere that much. She hated seeing her sisters like this.


    ¡°¡ªDon¡¯t be naive!¡±


    Invidia was angry beyond reason. No one could stop her today.


    ¡°Why do we always react rather than preempt? Why should we assume that our well-being will depend on whether he is feeling charitable if he bes a god? We should step on him now. Erase all traces of his existence and even extinguish his soul just to be sure.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t hurt mortals.¡±


    Temperatia ¨C the goddess of temperance, was one of the few to not be affected by the current atmosphere that Invidia had built up.


    Directly attacking mortals was strictly forbidden. This wasn¡¯t just a rule they hade up with. It was aw of Order set by their Mother Herself.


    Of course, the keyword was ¡®Directly¡¯. There were many ways to move around this fact and someone as cunning as Invidia knew how to use them.


    ¡°As long as he does not go against my decree, I will have no reason to harm him for now.¡±


    She decided to take a step back.


    She had already aplished her goal of raising the awareness of her sisters on the danger that was Sol.


    She knew that most of them would not act now. Their sense of time was simply too different from mortals. Taking hundred years to think about one problem was the norm for them.


    But what she did here now was enough.


    She just needed to wait now. Like a hunter after cing a trap or a fisher dangling a delicious bait for their prey.


    She was sure that the prey named Sol Dragona Luxuria would jump head first in that trap as he had no other choice and once this happened, she would have a righteous cause on her back to extinguish the existence of that pest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think Mother has a reason as to why she wanted the birth of a new god? What if you are making a mistake.¡±


    G ¨C the goddess of gluttony, spoke quietly. Out of everyone present, she was the most dangerous. Her concept by itself was too far-reaching. But Invidia was not deterred by her in the slightest.


    She knew that G and her twin Temperatia were the most invested in a creation of a god after Luxuria. The two had even united their power to create a unique entity like Echidna. But the result was a failure in the end.


    ¡°I will not act like I know what Mother¡¯s goal is. But ideally, we need someone we can control. Not a liability that will stab us in the back.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    G seemed to lose interest as she stood up and vanished followed by Temperatia.


    This seemed to signal the end of their reunion. No matter what they thought, as long as Invidia did not break the rules, they would stay neutral and just observe.


    This was a fight between Luxuria and Invidia and they were happy to stay as bystanders.


    Of course, the name Sol Dragona Luxuria was firmly etched in their minds now. This was the third time that a reunion ended up being about that mortal. They had no choice now but to pay attention to him.


    Whether this was a good or bad thing for them was something to think of in the future.


    (AN: Book 3 is named Divine Realm for a reason. Heh. Anyways, I really hesitated about this chapter. I believe I gave too many hints. Ngl, when I woke up, in my head I was like. Okay, gotta write about Sol''s POV. Then I nked out. Two hourster, I looked at what I wrote and I grabbed my head. Fuck. But no way I am going to erase 1700+ words. Either way, Vol. 11 is reaching its climax. Man the pressure is big. I took a look at thements and I am sweating hard. I feel like I will be hunted down with pitchforks and fire if I fuck up this volume.)


    (EN: I know where you live so don¡¯t be surprised if that joke at the end reallyes true.)

 Chapter 415 CH 381:AURORA

    After staying a few more seconds in Camelia¡¯s embrace, Sol gently tapped Camelia on the arm,


    ¡°I am good now.¡±


    Camelia hesitated a little but finally let go and asked, ¡°What exactly happened.¡±


    ¡°Not much, I guess.¡±


    He exined what happened when he meet the goddesses to Camelia without missing a detail.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make such a face. Honestly, I already anticipated that something like this would happen. So while I am kind of upset, I am not surprised.¡±


    By now Sol had learned that anything bad that could happen would most likely happen. One had to learn how to roll with the punches.


    But he was no punching bag that would let thing happens without retaliating,


    ¡°What will you do now?¡±


    He grunted. ¡°I have no idea.¡±


    He shook his head before approaching the magical circle and crouched down as he observed it.


    ¡°Rather, I have too many ideas. So I don¡¯t know which of them will realistically work.¡±


    Sol had thought of asking Sheherezade for help before the meeting but he had decided against it. She had nearly died when she helped him survive against Ymir and that was despite her having the help of Skuld and Verdandi.


    Now that she was alone, he didn¡¯t want to put her in such a dangerous situation. After all, her power was in no way omnipotent.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be reckless, Sol. Even though they can act childishly, there is no denying their power.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I know, do not worry. I do not know why I antagonized Invidia. But it¡¯s clear that she does not care about Lilith herself. What she wants is simply to force me to go against her in the open.¡±


    Sol was clear-headed enough to see the trap that the goddess ced for him. The sad thing though was that, even though it was such an obvious trap, there was not much she could do against it without bing enemies with the goddesses.


    He quite hated this situation. It would have been one thing if he didn¡¯t even have the option nor the power to act. But even though he had the power to do so, he could not go past the wall that was the goddesses without risking too much.


    ¡°Sol perhaps¡­ No, forget it.¡±


    He gave a bitter smile as he swept his hair, ¡°I can guess what you think. Do you think I should let go?¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°No. You do not have to apologize. Perhaps I am indeed wrong or perhaps I am wasting my time.¡±


    How many times did he have this discussion with himself?


    Why fight so much for someone who did not even want to live? Someone who had basically given up?


    ¡°But¡­Is there anyone who can truly watch their loved one die even though they could save them? If there is, I wish I could be as cold-blooded as them.¡±


    He chuckled. There was nothing honorable about suicide. There were so many people who wished to live but still died helplessly.


    ¡°Lilith has so many things. She has a beautiful daughter. Friends who care for her and people who respect her and what? She doesn¡¯t mind dying simply because my father died?¡±


    ¡°Not even Arachne fell so low.¡±


    ¡°For Lilith¡­Mars is more than a man to love. I do not even know if the feeling she has for him can be called love.¡±


    Camelia gave her own insight, ¡°Lilith was literally created to serve Mars and bear the perfect creation Neptune wished to bring forth. She sees herself as nothing more than a weapon to serve him and now that her master died, I guess she lost her purpose in life.¡±


    Sol nodded, ¡°Well all of this doesn¡¯t really matter now. I am just a little selfish brat acting like he knows it all. But I don¡¯t care. I want it all. I am greedy, lustful, and selfish. She may have given up on her life, but I did not. At the very least¡ª¡±


    He closed his eyes, ¡°---At the very least if she really wants to die. I refuse it to be a stupid reason like wishing to follow my father. I guess I am petty and jealous and jealous as well, huh?¡±


    Sol wanted to stay self-aware of who he was and why he acted. He never acted out of pure selfness but simply out of absolute selfishness. He wished to reach a happy end and for that, he needed to keep all his loved ones alive.


    ¡®Hah, I really feel like an ass.¡¯


    ¡°Well. I need to go to the castle. I want to discuss with Pandora and set the terms.¡±


    He needed to know just how far Invidia would intervene.


    The first to investigate was just why that goddess targeted him. He had no interaction with her and he only had ties to Luxuria, Castitas, and Superbia.[1]


    ¡°Tell me, how much exactly do you know about the goddesses?¡±


    ¡°Sadly not much. I only know a few rules. Everything is a game for them after all.¡±


    He grunted. He wondered if he could use his wish to go past the veto.


    Or perhaps he could simply keep Lilith in his dimension?


    So many ideas, and so many possibilities.


    He groaned and closed his eyes in order to activate his divine eye.


    As a duke, what he could do with this power was very limitedpared to the power he had when he was a using that divinity. But it did not matter. He was not trying to change fate or anything as grand as this.


    The fact of the matter was that he could still save Lilith. It was just a decision between choosing to antagonize the goddesses or not. The Fate of Lilith was not sealed. There were still opportunities.


    So as long as there existed a probability to find a solution that would satisfy everyone, he would find it.


    ¡®Come on.¡¯


    Faint threads began to appear all around him. <novelnext></novelnext>


    <<Zone: Deus Ex Machina>>


    The power to make the impossible possible. The power to change reality in the way that suited him. The absolute authority to change Fate as he wished.


    ¡®I just need a little hint.¡¯


    ¡°Camelia, I will move now. I wille back tonight.¡±


    He did not wait for Camelia to answer and moved in his dimension in order to have even more power and greater rity. Only when those three skills were used together could he reach his maximum potential. It was still too soon to use the remaining divinity inside him.


    In the monochrome world of his dimension, Sol felt like he was nearly all-powerful. He longed for the day he would be able to manipte this dimension as he wished like Tiamat.


    ¡®I need more power.¡¯


    His core opened at the maximum capacity and absorbed as much mana as possible. His mind was moving in overdrive, filtering all the information he was receiving from the threads of destiny.


    But no matter what he did, no matter which threads he choose, he always felt like something was missing.


    ¡®Perhaps I should ask Sheherazade to boost me up a little.¡¯


    She could in no way move a goddess but her power had a great synergy with his. This would perhaps be the best solution.


    It was when he was about to finally give up that a thread caught his attention.


    It was a thread so small, it was basically invisible. So weak he felt like he could sever it now even though he was only using the power of a Duke.


    But more than anything¡ªIt was a thread tinged in gold.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Only goddesses were represented in gold. But no matter how he looked at it, this thread did not seem to belong to a goddess.


    ¡®What is going on?¡¯


    He was intrigued and at the same time, something was telling him that this was a lifeline he could not let go of.


    As such, he began to follow this thread. He had nothing to lose and he wanted to see where this would lead him rather than giving up now. He felt like this would lead him to an unexpected discovery.


    Still in his dimension, he walked. Going out of the basement where Camelia was, walking past a group of nuns who were giggling andughing happily as they gossiped about the happening of the church and their every day lives, ignoring the believers who were kneeling down in worship as they prayed goddesses who in reality had no cares nor love for them, he only stopped when he entered a chapel that stood far apart, isted from everything else.


    There, one young girl around Sol''s age was kneeling in prayer with her back to him.


    At her back was arge multicolored window. The light of the sun seeping through it shone on her, giving her the appearance of a true saint.


    Though he was observing her from his dimension, Sol had to admit that it was a breathtaking view.


    ¡®Why is this thread connected to her?¡¯


    He may have only seen her once, but it was easy to recognize her. She was none other than Aurora, the granddaughter of Gerald and the new Holy daughter.


    ¡°I have been waiting for this moment for so long.¡±


    Sol was quite surprised to hear her suddenly murmuring those words. After all, from her perspective, she should be currently alone.


    This was why he was all the more surprised when she stood up and directly looked in his direction.


    ¡°Should we talk in private? Ares told me a little about the power of that ce. Do not worry. I will not be affected.¡±


    The smile on her face was so beautiful that it seemed eerie but the twinkle of joy in her eyes was evident.


    Sol was forced to admit it.


    That girl was able to see him or at least feel his presence, even though he was currently standing in another dimension.


    He had indeed used this ce to interrogate Ares once during the attack on Lustburg. This ce had an absolute effect of inverting the feeling of all those below the King rank once they entered.


    The girl was not even a Duke. How could she be so sure?


    He hesitated a little bit but, feeling the confidence in her voice, he decided to gamble. At worse he would just subdue her.


    ¡°Oh my. What a dreary ce.¡±


    He was quite incredulous to realize that she showed no obvious change once she was pulled in his dimension.


    By now, he would be absolutely crazy if he still believed she was just a normal girl.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    As if feeling the edge in his voice, Aurora tilted her head in confusion.


    ¡°Why does everyone always ask this?¡±


    A bright smile formed on her face, ¡°I am Aurora. But¡ª¡±


    The smile slowly left her face as her eyes began to show a golden luster, ¡°I guess you can also call me Dawn.¡± [1]


    [1]: Aurora is the name of the Goddess of Dawn in roman Myth. In Greek myth, she is the Daughter of Hyperion the Sun Titan, and the Sister of Sol the god of the sun.


    I wonder how many made the connection.


    Aurora is also the name of the sleeping beauty who was woken up by the kiss of a prince. In the family-friendly version at least. The Original version is pretty sick. In true version, Aurora was raped in her sleep by a King and got pregnant, and give birth to twin. Then she woke up and dude manage to make her fall for him. He has a wife who is basically evil. Evil queen gets burned to death after failing to kill the children. Then rapey Dude marries Aurora and they live happily after.


    Ngl. That shit is basically one of the first CEO-type novels. It¡¯s funny when you realize this was written in 1330 and nearly 700 yearster the same kind of story is still being written.)


    I hope you guys liked this chapter

 Chapter 416 CH 382:LIFEIS TIRING

    After making her deration, Aurora looked at Sol with a meaningful nce and carefully scrutinized his expression.


    But whatever she had hoped to see did not appear for the slightest instant. Sol only showed a thoughtful expression at the mention of her name.


    ¡®Was I wrong? Or does he not remember? Perhaps he is simply acting right now?¡¯


    She immediately discarded thest notion. She was the weaker party here. If he had really gotten his memories back, he had absolutely no reason to fear her.


    ¡®This¡­ Hmmm¡­ It¡¯s quiteplicated.¡¯


    In the first ce, she had no intention to meet him right now. She had felt the flow of destiny and deduced that it was not the time yet for them to talk it out.


    So she had been taken off guard when he suddenly appeared in this ce and found her so urately even though she had masked her presence with the authority of [Night].


    Even those stupid sisters of hers could not feel her presence when she was using her authority to mask herself.


    ¡®I am sure it¡¯s him. So what is going on.¡¯


    ¡°Are you by chance a reincarnator? Or a foreign soul that stole the body of this girl?¡±


    ¡®Reincarnator?¡¯


    She was briefly confused by his unexpected choice of words but soon understood what he meant by them. She swiftly proceeded to exin herself.


    ¡°You do not have to show such wariness towards me. I did not steal this body. This body was mine from the start.¡±


    The reason she had fallen asleep was simply that this body could not support her divine soul at that time. She should only have been able to wake up after a few years time from now on afterpletely assimting her memory but who would have thought that something like this would happen?


    ¡°I guess some external variables had a hand in advancing my awakening.¡±


    She gave a smile and hoped that it was reassuring enough.


    ¡®What should I do now?¡¯


    This waspletely outside of her ns. If he did not remember anything, he was just a simple mortal right now.


    Her heart began to beat widely. Should she strike him down and steal the power of Origin? Her powers embodying the concept of Dawn made her the closest to Origin after Chaos and Order.


    She could even perhaps obtain [The End]. Since she had stolen the divinity of [The Night].


    Furthermore, he had killed her in the past. It wouldn''t be wrong to do the same to him, right?


    ''Ugh. Let''s control myself right now.''


    She sighed and banished those intrusive thoughts. She did not wish to make him her enemy and she would benefit much more from being an ally of his anyway.


    This might in fact be an opportunity for her. If she managed to make him grateful to her now, she would have someone reliable on her back down the road.


    "It seems like you might be in need of my assistance."


    She realized that she had been the one doing the talking all this while Sol simply continued to observe her with a cold and impassive expression on his face.


    She only blinked once and suddenly she felt a hand had been ced on her head. She was startled to realize that Sol was already pressing down on her.


    She could feel the power contained in his arm. He only needed to press a little and her head would burst like a balloon.


    "Haha. What might be the matter here?"


    "I am not in the best mood currently and I really hate mysterious secrets and roundabout talks, you know? You seem to have been some kind of big shot or a powerhouse in the past but you see the thing is, right now you are just a weakling."


    Aurora''s eyes twitched but she did not move or rebut his statement.


    She had indeed forgotten a fundamental problem. She was the Goddess of Dawn no more.


    Currently, she was just a helpless Holy Daughter of Castitas.


    Stealing his divinity? She should be happy if she didn''t get sted to death right now.


    ''Hah¡­ So many bad memories are resurfacing all of a sudden.''


    She had been a very powerful goddess when she was in her prime back then. But she was helplessly killed with no way of resisting by the very hands that were currently restricting her like this.


    She had thought that this was the end for her but she had received a second chance at life.


    There was no way she would squander it. Even more so since she did not know if she coulde back to life once again by some chance. <novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡°Well¡ª There is no need to lose your temper.¡±


    She slowly took a step back to show that she was not being hostile to him or anything of the sort.


    ¡°I can¡¯t really tell you more. Revealing my name to you is notplicated but the bigger the secret is the harder is it to dissimte.¡±


    Sol narrowed his eyes, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Again the same question all over again.¡±


    She seemed tired but she answered nheless, ¡°I am many things. I am a ghost of the past. I am someone whose sole wish is to survive the iing disaster. I am a coward who wishes to live and also someone who once stood at the very peak before being betrayed. But for you? I can be your greatest trump card.¡±


    Sol gave her a deep look before the coldness vanished from his eyes and a smile graced his lips,


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Goosebumps crawled on Aurora''s skin. She thought that she had gotten the hang of making human expressions but she had to admit that the switch of expressions that Sol showed her was rather startling.


    She had definitely felt his killing intent a few moments ago. There was no doubt in her mind that even now, he was observing her and deciding whether she was worth keeping alive or not.


    ¡°What can you help me with, I wonder¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡ª Let¡¯s just say I am very good at keeping secrets.¡±


    It was in a moment like this that she was happy to have stolen the power of [Night].


    She began to exin her n and powers and the more she did so, the more Sol''s killing intent changed into curiosity.


    ¡°I see¡­ Indeed. If your power is as impressive as this then it would definitely be helpful. But¡ª the problem here is¡­ I do not trust you.¡±


    She was not surprised. if her n failed or if she betrayed him midway, Sol would face very grave repercussions for his actions.


    There was no way he would readily believe her in such a tense situation. Even more so since she was indeed highly suspicious at the end of the day.


    ¡°I guess you will have to take a leap of faith in this case then.¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°Sorry. But I stopped giving my confidence and trust to others unconditionally long ago. So why don¡¯t we make a deal instead¡­¡±


    She was confused by what he meant but, the moment he ced a finger on her forehead, she immediately tried to bolt backward. Her instincts were screaming at her that whatever was about to happen was something she would definitely not like in the slightest.


    Sadly for her, she realized that she waspletely unable to move from her spot.


    ¡°I won¡¯t apologize. It would only be hypocritical. But I will definitely pay you back and will try to make it fair for you if this deal were to be fruitful.¡±


    Her eyes widened as she felt words being written on her subconscious. Like a binding oath, she could feel that her very soul was being restricted and her destiny was being twisted in a direction she had no control of.


    ¡®How is this even possible!!?¡¯


    This was something that should only be possible for the gods. But right now she did not even feel divine energy emanating from him much less the power to forcefully use destiny as he saw fit. Was it rted to [The End]? or something more?


    She did not know the answer to that query of hers.


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Once Sol retreated his finger and she was once again free to move, she inspected her body but found that nothing changed outwardly.


    But she knew that this was only in appearance.


    He gave a sad smile to her before responding in a leveled tone, ¡°I tied your life with mine through our Karmic thread. It doesn¡¯t matter how far I am or what the possible reason is. The moment I die, you will follow me to the grave. Furthermore, the moment you betray me, in any form or way, you will also die.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. I have no intention of forcing you to do anything you do not want to. As long as you do not betray me¡­ Nothing will happen to you.¡±


    This was definitely not the way she had envisioned their first meeting would go.


    (AN: This might the worst chapter I wrote this month. I don¡¯t know. I just felt weird writing this. Sigh, perhaps I am just feeling tired. Readers will judge if the chapter was good or bad. The arc ising to an end but I have many small regrets regarding it. I recognize I made things tooplicated. Brought forward many plot points that should have been introduced slowlyter in the story. More than anything, I definitely think that I didn¡¯t give enough screen time to Lilith. Still, I will do her right¡ª I hope.


    The next volume will be a happy moment with no stress for Sol (and hopefully me as well). I was surprised to see that many people really liked the Beach arc, festival arc, and Pandora¡¯s freaking arc. I thought readers would say it was a filler so I tried to keep them short. I realized that my dude Sol needs some moments to just enjoy life with his lovers and have some fun.


    I think in February I might slow down a little. Perhaps 5 chapters a week. Writing a chapter every day without making a pause isn¡¯t easy and honestly taxing on the mind. Some days I just didn¡¯t want to write and just wanted to have fun but couldn¡¯t do so. Well, it¡¯s my job so I can¡¯t really whine about this. But I don¡¯t want writing to be a chore for me.)

 Chapter 417 CH 383:LETS TALK

    After a fruitful discussion with Aurora, Sol left the cathedral; now armed with a weapon that would be really helpful for him in his future ns and machinations.


    ¡®The power of secrecy and conspiracy, huh¡­¡¯


    This was a concept he had never even heard about. Even now he was trying to analyze that power as it wrapped around him, but it was clear that he did not have the necessary level to even start exploring the concept¡¯s secrets.


    This was why he was utterly confused.


    How could someone so weak have a concept so mysterious and incredible?


    He initially thought that she was a Reincarnator like him. But this would not exin her powers. He could only summarize that she was someone like Bastet. She should have been a false god or something of the like in her previous life and was now living a new life from zero after discarding her previous self.


    This was the only way to exin her divinity in his opinion and the knowledge she wielded.


    ¡®Well, I am d I found her now instead ofter.¡¯


    Outside of the simple fact that she would be very useful for his iing n¡­ That girl was simply too dangerous to be left alone. He was d that he had been able to subdue her now while she was still weak and helpless.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go and take care of matters, then¡­¡¯


    This had been a long quest for him, too long in fact, and finally, he could see the light at the end of the tunnel in the distance. Just a little more, and he will finally be able to reach his goals.


    It had been tiring, frustrating, and full of anguish but he would soon be done with it and would be able to focus on other important things.


    ¡®Should I travel a little? Go on an adventure or something? Maybe visit the demon kingdom or the elves for starters?¡¯


    He could even perhaps infiltrate Wratharis along the way. Of course, before all that he had to form a contract with Setsuna.


    For now, he had so many possibilities and so many choices. Once he officially became the King of Lustburg he would be pretty restrained and unable to do anything else.


    ¡®Ugh¡­ Just thinking about what would happen once I sit on the throne is fucking hurting my brain already.¡¯


    He mused, wondering if he could ask Isis if she had any undead henchmen who used to be administrative workers before they died and were turned. Having tireless and absolutely loyal undead working on the paperwork seemed to be a good idea.


    He fought to keep his facial expression from not showing a silly grin. He realized then just how much this situation had been weighing on his psyche and since he would soon be free from it all, he had never felt so much better and refreshed.


    Even though he had stumbled on his path with what happened with the goddesses, he had all the cards in his hands now to aplish his goals.


    But he would not forget what was necessary. There were still works that needed to be taken care of.


    ¡®I wonder how Pandora is doing right now.¡¯


    He was not so petty that he would be enemies with Pandora just because of her rtionship with Invidia.


    In the first ce, the goddesses only saw the Blessed and most mortals as mere chess pieces that could be sacrificed at any given moment.


    Pandora was just an innocent bystander in all this.


    Even so, he would not hesitate in using her to further his goal. If before conquering the Mortal Realm had just been a chore, a task given to him by Luxuria to honor his contract¡ª Now it was personal and he would not stop at simply conquering it on the surface.


    He had been hesitant about implementing his ns until now but he would have no qualms about this now.


    He would steal the entirety of the Mortal Realm.


    He wondered what kind of expression Invidia would have then.


    After all, it was one thing to steal a toy, but it was a totally different thing to steal the entire yground.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After Sol entered the Tower of Babel, he immediately felt Ambrosia¡¯s eyes gazing down at him.


    He looked up, remembering that he had a deal with the witches to work through.


    ¡°The terms will have to change, dear mother-inw. I hope we can discuss about thatter.¡±


    Right now, he did not wish to deal with Ambrosia nor try to convince her to do anything. Pandora''s presence alone had made the help of the witches of Salempletely useless in the current scenario.


    He also didn¡¯t care if Ambrosia finally made the resolution to stop being so passive about everything. It was time for her to stop ying God, but he didn¡¯t want to infringe on that topic right now.


    Still, he did not wish to show impoliteness to her. At the end of the day, she was a powerful demigod, and more than anything, she was Medea¡¯s mother and his future mother-inw. One must never be disrespectful to their mothers, be it in name, rtion, or blood. Unless it was absolutely necessary that is.


    Her presence and affixed gaze lingered for a little while before vanishing after leaving a fewst words in their wake.


    <<I am willing to help>>


    He was a little surprised by her words. But he showed none of it on his face, forcefully suppressing the joy that he was feeling from her words.


    It was another great news for him. One that made his grand n has an even higher chance of seeding.


    ¡°Your Highness. You seem to be in a good mood. Was the meeting with the goddesses a sess?¡±


    ¡°No. It was aplete and utter failure.¡±


    Milia, who had approached as soon as she received information about Sol¡¯s arrival was quite surprised by his reply. After all, the difference between his minute facial expression and his words was too big of a contrast for her to take it as anything other than weird.


    She hesitated whether she should be continuing her next line of words or not. In the end, she just blurted out what was in her mind in a voice of unbridled concern¡­


    ¡°Are¡­ Are you alright, Your Highness?¡±


    She wondered if he had gone a little crazy because of all the anger he must be feeling right now or if he was simply trying to act strong to not let her worry. <novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡°I have never been better.¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡±


    Milia was startled and her eyes opened wide into saucers when she felt Sol¡¯s rough and strong hands wrap around her waist before he gave her a deep kiss.


    This was the first time he had shown such a disy of emotions and the maids that were mingling around all blushed or moved their eyes away at such a raunchy scene, not knowing where to look.


    After all, while Sol had been very sexually active in the tower, he was always careful about where he was and how he conducted himself with his lovers.


    Soon, Milia had no time to think about his sudden passionate behavior as she let herself go and answered the kiss back with unequaled fervor.


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    She ignored the voices of surprises the maids were directing at her brazen and unexpected behavior. She was simply too deeply entranced by her lover¡¯s touch to care about anything else. A pair of hot lips mashed against hers and the feeling of his tongue prying her teeth apart before tangling with hers in a game of lustful pleasure. She was losing her mind already from the feelings this kiss was invoking in her.


    ¡®Hah¡­¡¯


    She felt reluctant when they had to part from each other but the words he muttered in her ears calmed down the rising heat that was growing inside of her heart and the steamy honeypot.


    ¡°I will take care of youter. Shall we do it in your room, then?¡±


    All colors drained from her face at his suggestion.


    ¡°Hum¡­ *Ahem* *Ahem* My room is¡­¡±


    She was speechless. She did not want to lie to him but¡­


    ¡®Ugh¡­Do I have no choice but to sacrifice my collection once again?¡¯


    This was perhaps the second greatest dilemma our dear maid has ever faced in her life since she began serving Sol as a maid.


    Sol patted her head before looking around, ¡°Where is my guest?¡±


    Milia came to herself after hearing his inquiry. She was still shaken about the world-ending choice that had once again been given to her but she would not let this stop her from working.


    ¡°She is currently resting in the quarters I prepared for her. Would you like to meet her?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We will use the main office as the meeting ce. I think I should be swamped with paperwork soon.¡±


    ¡°ra has taken care of most of the administrative disorganization caused by the death of those rebels. I believe now things are working even more efficiently than before.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Good. I really need to give her a rewardter on.¡±


    He smiled and walked away. ra was basically a divine gift with her talents in administration. He had to make sure she would feel taken care of.


    Once he reached the office, he took a moment to appreciate how calm it currently was.


    The bookshelves on the wall were all fully furnished, and therge table was indeed full of paperwork but everything in it was very well organized, and there was even a certain scent of flowers floating in the air.


    Approaching the chair, Sol sat down and released a sigh of relief.


    He was tired. So tired. But he still had work to do. No matter how much he trusted ra, it was impossible to give her the royal seal. He had to read the most important issues and approve of them himself. One after another.


    ¡®I need to have a talk with Tyrter.¡¯


    He thought as he looked at the paper about the war supplies. He was no guru. He knew how to fight but war was best left to those who actually had the skills and the experience for it.


    It was when he was looking at the logistics rted to expanding the wall of Lustburg that someone knocked on the door.


    ¡°Your Highness. I brought Lady Anastasia with me.¡±


    ¡°She can enter.¡±


    The door opened as Milia let the subus enter the room before closing the door behind her as she left from the room.


    Leaning back on his chair, Sol smiled at the downtrodden-looking woman. Even though she was showing a smile, he could feel that her experience after entering the Tower had been quite perplexing and agonizing for her.


    ¡°Take a seat, please. I hope your quarters are to your liking. We were quite in a hurry, you see¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha. Do not worry. They are perfect.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I heard you met some of the residents of the tower, I hope none of them offended you.¡±


    Anastasia''s lips twitched. She thought that in this situation she was the one who had to be careful about not offending them.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­.¡±


    Smile grinned at her awkwardugh. But soon, the smile left his face as he became utterly serious. He had teased her long enough. Now was the time to start the negotiations.


    ¡°Dear Queen Pandora of the Kingdom of Envilya, why don¡¯t we do away with all pretense and start discussing seriously about the future of our kingdoms.¡±


    Even though he was done ying the game, he had to admit that her expression of surprise when he uttered her true name brought him a certain sadistic joy.


    One had to have fun whenever one could. Such were the subtle joys of life.


    (AN: #StopbullyingPandora. Haha. Well, we always need a punching bag. Now things are going to move fast. This arc took longer than I initially nned for it to be. Way longer. It wasn¡¯t easy. There were highs and lows and some simply mids along the way. But thanks to your support I reached #28 on all-time trending. This is the closest I have ever been to entering the Top 25 ranking. Kinda makes me regret I didn¡¯t try to write two chapters a day ngl. But if I did try to do something like that I might have died because of stress. Now I will use my money to go buy an ergonomic chair and a mechanical keyboard. It¡¯s time to upgrade my gears before my back starts protesting from all the aches I¡¯ve been causing it.)

 Chapter 418 CH 384:I WANT You

    When Sol uttered her true name, Pandora was quite shocked by this revtion.


    But in hindsight, she realized that she should not be so much surprised. She already had an inkling about it from the start and it was her mistake for ignoring her instincts and doubts.


    She shook her head with a sigh, "You really got me. You knew all along, didn¡¯t you?"


    Her demeanor seemed to have changed from the usual self that she showed to him till now.


    She did not care if Sol was sounding her out or if she had fallen into his trap.


    Subus considered tricks and deception as a form of art and Sol had more than earned her respect with his act. Enough for her to candidly reveal her true self to him.


    She had made the mistake of thinking the son would be like the father. Gullible and awkward around women.


    She should have listened to Arachne''s warnings. But what happened, happened. There was no point inmenting what had already transpired.


    "Will you not take off your disguise?"


    "I am sorry but no. I am already in quite apromising situation. There is no reason to give you more ammunition to fire against me."


    The situation was looking pretty bad for her.


    Not only was she a King-ranked warrior, but she was also the Queen of Envilya. The literal queen of an entire kingdom hade to another kingdom in disguise. This was no joking matter.


    By trespassing in Lustburg as she did, she was viting so many internationalws that just thinking about them was causing her a headache and if she was discovered, Lustburg could make Envilya pay quite a heavy price for her transgressions.


    Since the royal family didn''t really have a good ce in Envilya now in the first ce, this would be thest straw that would break the camel''s back. They would be annihted by the church side with no way to retaliate.


    "Truly incredible. I guess we can call this a Check?"


    She was not totally checkmated. She could still flee if she so wished. It didn''t matter that there were other Kings in this ce.


    Even though she could not beat them she sure as hell could leave as long as that demigod didn''t interfere.


    Furthermore, no matter what she said or did right now, Sol had no substantial proof


    except for his own words¡­


    Even if he had a recorder going on right now, she could simply argue that she was truly Anastasia and that she was only using <<Acting>> to humor the future king of Lustburg. A little far-fetched but it would work out some way.


    But the moment she revealed her true appearance, it would be game over for her in all senses of the word.


    After all, no one could copy the appearance of a Blessed.


    "So this is your Majesty''s true personality, I presume?"


    Looking at Pandora as her eyes flickered with seemingly hundreds of thoughts, he had a hard time believing that she was the same panicked woman from the reports.


    But this also made sense. No matter what, Pandora was a King-ranked being who already went through a war against Greed Dyke and was constantly fighting off the attempts of the church to eradicate them and seize control of Envilya.


    "I recognize it. I underestimated you. Because I only saw you as Mars'' son, I walked into such a ssic trap."


    "Trap is such an ugly word to use. But I guess it''s urate in this case."


    He gave a meaningful smile to her and leaned further in as he spoke¡­


    "Your Majesty or should I simply call you Pandora."


    "Do as you wish."


    "Very well then. Pandora, I would like to make something clear. The oue of this meeting will have a far-reaching oue on the rtionship between our two kingdoms."


    Pandora closed her eyes and mused, "The situation is what you already presume it to be. I need the help of Lustburg."


    "See? This is what I do not understand. At the end of the day, the church and the royal family are under the twin goddesses of your kingdom, right?"


    The difference between internal and external intervention was truly great. Even if the church gained full control, there were limits that they could not cross without receiving divine punishment and intervention from the goddesses.


    This was why, even when the nobles basically took control of Lustburg, they still could do nothing to Neptune and could do nothing as Mars grew in power and took back the power that they had snatched from their side.


    But once a foreign country was involved, things would be totally different.


    In the far past, humans werepletely enved by the Elves. It was only after Jupiter was born and obtained the help of the witches that Humans were able to leave the control of the Elves and form their own kingdom.


    In the same way, for a great part of history, Beastkin and Dwarves were also under the control of Demons.


    "Don''t tell me, you thought that you just had toe to meet us and we would give you our help unconditionally, right?"


    He grinned and said this mostly as a joke but seeing her stiffened reaction, he could not help but take a pause.


    "You really thought about that?"


    This was so far out of the left field that Sol stammered a little in absolute disbelief.


    "You are telling me that you thought¡­ We would give you possible military and diplomatic help with no particr rewards in sight or demands? What made you think¡­ Wait. Forget it. I can guess what made you think that way."


    Sol groaned and covered his face with his hand. It was easy to connect the dots and determine that Pandora had thought of simply using the friendship card and getting a free pass.


    Pandora coughed a little but still tried to defend herself, "I participated in the war alongside Mars unconditionally. Sorry if I expected to receive some help in return."


    Sol squinted his eyes after hearing those words, "There is nothing wrong with that indeed. I would be willing to help you personally. Simply as a token of friendship. But you see, that is only on a personal level.


    ¡°As the king of Lustburg, I cannot, will not, in good conscience, help you with the resources of my country and ask for nothing in return."


    Sol spoke words he did not think of without batting an eyelid. Whether he would disregard the interest of the kingdom depended on how close he was to a person.


    He had been willing to not give the death penalty to Gerald even though he should have. No matter what was the reason for his betrayal or how he redeemed himselfter on didn¡¯t matter. The fact of the matter was that¡­ Betrayal against his mothend meant a straight death penalty¡­


    But Pandora was not his friend nor his lover. Their only rtionship as of now was that of business partners and he would treat her as such.


    "What do you want exactly?"


    Sol scoffed in response. "What I want isn''t important, is it? What matters is what you are willing to give me. How much do you think the control over your kingdom is worth?"


    Silence fell as the two continued to observe each other. Pandora considered many things.


    Sol was a wild card. <novelnext></novelnext>


    She had no information about him until now outside of what was known by the popce and she had deduced that he was just a spoiled kid that had been smothered by Lilith all his life.


    Furthermore, after Mars and ze''s death as well as the recent rebellion, she was sure that Lustburg¡¯s power would have dropped sharply and that they would be in great need of allies for the iing war.


    But while she had no idea about the lower level, the high level of power gathered in this tower alone was insane.


    Since the four witches were reunited it also means Sol might soon get the help of the witches of Salem into the fray. Which would definitely boost the development of Lustburg to an insane level.


    The witches were perhaps the closest topeting with the angels when it came to innovation. Though they followed starkly different roads.


    The productivity of the country as a whole would increase exponentially in a few years.


    She could already imagine how prosperous Lustburg would be in the future.


    She could also imagine how dangerous of a kingdom it would be.  "Tell me, do you wish to conquer the world?"


    Sol smiled softly, "I do not wish to conquer this world, dear Pandora¡ª I will do it. That is inevitable"


    His words were spoken with absolute confidence. She could see the light in his eyes shining with absolute surety of his victory.


    He had absolutely no doubts about his eventual sess.


    Pandora closed her eyes.


    In such a situation, the choices at her disposition were rather small.


    Neutrality was impossible.


    Either oppose him or join him.


    Unconsciously, the topic of the discussion had changed from Lustburg helping Envilya''s royal family to her needing to decide whether she would follow him or not.


    She wondered what his chances of sess were.


    The Angels would never ept a unified ruler. The Chimera were mortal enemies of Lustburg. The Elves were too proud and the Dwarves too greedy.


    No matter how she looked at it, his chances of sess were very small and would be even smaller if she refused to help.


    So, what made him so sure? What gave him the confidence?


    "Do you n to rely on the witches to conquer the world?"


    She had to ask. She wondered how he would answer.


    "The witches? Well, I guess having their help would be helpful. But no."


    "Then where does this confidencee from?"


    "Myself."


    A simple and blunt answer.


    Seeing that Sol refused to borate further, Pandora sighed.


    This was without a doubt the most important decision of her entire life.


    The smart thing to do here would be to take a step back and think more deeply about all the ramifications this would entail.


    But there was no way Sol would let her get back her bearings. He had worked hard in order to continuously hit her confidence and reduce it to powder for this exact moment.


    If he missed this opportunity, future negotiations might be a little harder or downright impossible.


    "I need an answer now. Will you join me? Or be against me?"


    "What will Envilya gain by allying with you?"


    "You should understand clearly what being one of the earliest allies means during a Conquest."


    Territory, wealth, power. There was no need to say this and they already knew that by asking Pandora was slowly capitting.


    "I need insurance. After all, you could still double-cross us in the future."


    "Hmmm¡­ what kind of insurance exactly?"


    She smiled, seemingly getting back a little of her confidence.


    "The greatest alliances are always forged in the same way. Political marriage might be unsavory but they are useful nheless."


    "Oh my!?"


    "I believe I don''t need to say more. A wedding with one of my daughters would give more weight to this alliance."


    Pandora decided to bet on Sol. She did not know if it was the right decision but even if his n of world conquest failed, at least she would be able to get his help for her most urgent problem.


    After all, if Sol became part of her family, he would have more justification to intervene in the internal affairs of Envilya.


    Smiling, Sol stood up and walked towards her.


    For some reason, Pandora felt her heartbeat elerate greatly. Even though she was a King and he was only a Duke. She felt as if he was a predator stalking prey.


    She suddenly felt like the room was a little too cramped as Sol stopped walking after he circled behind her chair and bent down behind her.


    cing his lips close to her ears, she felt shivers go through her spine as he muttered with a hot breath,


    "Rather than the princesses I know nothing about, I am far more interested in you, dear Pandora."


    Pandora realized once again that she had underestimated how dangerous this young boy truly was.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: Not really in good mood today since WN went ahead and decided to fuck up non-exclusive books like mine. Now it seems like we can¡¯t participate in the win-win. There was no announcement. No warnings. Just like that snap. I guess I just have to roll with the punches. Their website, their rules.


    This might have affected my writing today as I made Sol a little more aggressive than usual. But I believe this chapter came out pretty well. What do you think? Though this is perhaps the first time Sol makes a move not purely out of lust. Interested in some subus domination?)

 Chapter 419 CH 385:BIG

    Hearing his words, Pandora shivered slightly with an odd blend of anxiety and excitement.


    It was the first time a man had dared to talk to her so frivolously as Sol was currently doing. Even Mars had been very respectful to her despite her continued nonstop advances toward him.


    After all, while she was a subus, she was first and foremost a Blessed as well as a powerful warrior of the King rank. Her power over dreams was enough to make people kill themselves by making them dream as if they were drowning or some other self-harming dream if she so wished, so men generally steered clear of her path.


    Affecting reality through illusions. This was why the Subi at the highest level, the Nightmares, were feared and this was why the Nightmare Queen of the olden times was such a dangerous individual.


    Pandora chuckled nervously, trying to throw Sol off¡­


    "Surely you jest. I did not think that you would be interested in an olddy like me."


    "Heh¡­" Sol chortled after hearing her words. The mirth evident in his eyes made Pandora feel further uneasiness.


    "I don''t know how old you are, but trust me." He grinned toothily as he spoke out his next set of words, "You aren''t old enough for me to worry about."


    He had made love with beings like Nent and Kiyohime who were literally tens of thousands of years old.


    Pandora was at the very least in her thirties and at most in her hundreds.


    Compared to truly old maids like those in the divine realm, this was nothing in his opinion.


    Seeing that this counter was rejected so seamlessly by the boy, Pandora was left speechless once again. Sol had once again refreshed her cognition of what it really meant to be utterly shameless.


    But, thinking about it, rather than giving him one of her daughters without even asking for their opinions, she could just sacrifice herself for their own good. His offer was quite lucrative in its own twisted way.


    "I¡­ Do you just want my body?"


    Sol tilted his head in confusion before speaking out, "Well, making love with the subus queen would truly be interesting but I was thinking of something along the lines of a sham marriage with you. This would have given me legitimacy without hurting your daughters. Or something along those lines¡­"


    "Oh¡­ooooh."


    Pandora slowly realized what he was thinking when he said those words and when she understood that she had misunderstood what he meant earlier, her face became entirely red, simr to the color of a ripe tomato.


    The shame was simply too much for her poor heart and she wished she could find a hole she could bury herself in right this instant.


    "Then¡­"


    "Well, this was initially my n. But now that I know you don''t mind making love to me then I have no reason to go for something less binding now."


    Sol grinned. It had been a long time since he saw someone that was so fun and easy to tease. She was such a pushover that Sol was having a lot of fun just messing with her.


    Camelia was one thing, but she did not show this innocent and naive side to him. As for Nefertiti, no matter what he did, she would simply ept it with a smile on her face. Even if someday he were to drive a heart at her stake, her response would probably be the same. So he felt sorry if he teased her too much.


    Pandora though was just the perfect person. He wondered if this was really her true personality or if she had lost herself in the <<Acting>> trait of the subi.


    After all, as the queen of the subi, he doubted she was such an innocent person. He decided to y along with her for a while.


    Hooking up with Pandora had too many useful points for him to pass up. ¡°So, what shall we do? Should we seal our alliance, right now?¡±


    Pandora gulped but outwardly, she showed no nervousness on her face. Subi were the best at giving pleasure to their partners and targets. Surely, she had nothing to fear, right? She was absolutely certain that she couldpletely handle one young boy.


    No matter how experienced he was, his experience would not be toorge.


    A seductive smile formed on her face as she stood up and looked at Sol. In her current form, she stood almost as tall as Sol. She had a toned body and she was wearing a simple short skirt that emphasized her hips and a tight shirt that outlined her perky breasts.


    ¡®Oh?¡¯ <novelnext></novelnext>


    Sol¡¯s eyebrows shot up at Pandora¡¯s sudden disy of boldness. He had no desire to force anyone for sexual favors. He was already ready to back off if she had shown any desire for him to stop or any reluctance on her face. But it seemed that he was just thinking too much about this matter.


    He was not against a casual fling with a beautiful woman. His rtionship with Persephone was not far from this, after all.


    ¡°So, will you keep this appearance even now?¡±


    Pandora hesitated after hearing his words. Coming this far, there was indeed no need to keep this appearance of her daughter. It would also be insulting for Anastasia if she were to keep this form while doing something so shameless with the prince of Lustburg.


    Light bloomed and Pandora¡¯s body became a few centimeters shorter as she transformed into her original self. Once the light vanished, the true Pandora was now clearly revealed in front of his eyes.


    She had themon features of blue eyes and golden hair of all Blessed had but this was as far as the simrities between them went. She had a morous body, one that was in no way inferior to the likes of Lilith and Milia. A toned and hourss figure to just die for.


    A small heart-shaped tail swungzily behind her, beneath her skirt while horns grew on her head. In a way, she matched well with Sol¡¯s current appearance. Something that did not escape his notice.


    Sol brought his hand to her hair and slowly caressed her protruding horns and head, ¡°I like this current appearance much more.¡±


    ¡°Heh, is that so?¡±


    Pandora chuckled. She was feeling quite defenseless at this moment. As if ayer of armor had been stripped off of her after the deactivation of her disguise. But she showed none of it as she ced her hands on his chest and asked with upturned eyes.


    ¡°So, what will you do now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty evident at this point, right?¡±


    He brought his hand out to wrap them around her hips with a tight grip and lifted her up before kissing her full lips hungrily.


    Pandora opened her eyes wide at how direct he was but remembering the teaching she received, she did her best to not fall behind him in both technique and passion. Even though she was using her true appearance, she simply had to <<Act>> like one of her teachers. Overriding personalities and reactions was child¡¯s y to subi at her level.


    The two of them went at it full throttle, nibbling each other lips and smothering each other¡¯s tongues.


    Pandora¡¯s tail swished behind her with more speed the more excited she became and unconsciously began to release her pheromones in the room.


    A sweet scent bloomed in the air and Sol began to want her even more.


    ¡°Haha, you are quite the naughty boy, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Pandora chuckled once their lips separated and wrapped his waist with her legs before trying to nibble on his corbone. Sol smiled as he stopped her action and ced her back on the chair. He had enough sex with Skuld and Kiyohime and some of their ticks were unconsciously engraved in his mind already.


    Like how they would only leave their corbones open to a trusted mate. For Sol, Pandora was just a sexual partner, a casual fling, and someone with whom he was forging an alliance. But she was also Invidia¡¯s Blessed. He had no reason to trust her fully just yet.


    Once Pandora was back on the chair, as Sol stood in front of her, she found herself at eye level with his swelling crotch.


    ¡°Oh my, should I work on that I wonder?¡±


    Her full lips stretched into a coquettish smile as she began to pull down Sol¡¯s pants. She was still fully immersed in the acting of the personality of her teacher as it was the only way for her to be so calm.


    But when Sol¡¯s pant was fully lowered down¨C


    *Smack*


    She looked incredulously at the thing that was supposed to enter her after it lightly pped her face and gulped down in a mixture of fear that she was feeling herself and excitement that wasing in her mind because of the person she was emting.


    ¡®Is it toote to back off?¡¯


    She might have bitten more than she could chew by ying with the prince.

 Chapter 420 CH 386:DETERMINATION

    Looking at Pandora''s surprised expression as she gazed up and down at his long shaft, Sol couldn¡¯t help but chuckle out loud, ¡°It seems like I am bigger than you expected?¡±


    Pandora seemed toe to herself at his words and caught his dick with her hand, a firm expression on her face and a haughtyugh on her lips as she carefully chose her next set of words,


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed big, much bigger than what I expected it to be. But you should know that bigger isn¡¯t always better, right? It would be a shame if you weren¡¯t able to use it correctly now, won¡¯t it?¡±


    Sol simply shrugged in reply to her teasing, ¡°Whether I can use it well or not, you will find out pretty soon. Now though¡­ I need you to prepare me.¡±


    Pandora bristled a little at his brazen words but the feeling of the heat in her hand made her calm down a great deal.


    She realized once again that her temper had put her in quite a dangerous situation right now. But, it was already toote for her to back off from this situation.


    Her pride would never ept this.


    ¡®Teacher told me that men became easier to manipte once they have cummed at least once.¡¯


    Pandora''s n was pretty simple, all things considered. She would make sure to wring Solpletely out of all he¡¯s worth and then infiltrate his mind through her dream-walking skills.


    The subi did not have the mind maniption skills of the vampires, but they could still ce induction on their targets.


    All she wanted was to make sure that Sol would not betray her and her kingdom. There was simply too much riding on this deal for her. Even if it meant that she would be offending him by manipting him.


    ¡®Ugh. Let¡¯s do it.¡¯


    She steeled herself, refusing to show the slightest bit of difort on her face, and began to slowly jerk Sol off while she tried to recall the lessons in seduction she had received as a kid from her teacher.


    In the past, she had thought she would have to use them on Mars when the time eventually came. She would have never thought that she would end up using it on his son.


    This brought a weird feeling of immorality in her heart but she cast it aside and focused on the task at hand.


    Morality was the least important thing for a subus. At least this was what she was taught from a young age.


    ¡®So what should I do now?¡¯


    She could feel the hot and thick rod pulsating vigorously in her hand. The heat made her feel a little warm andfortable. But at the same time, feeling the softness of the shaft, she was able to understand that Sol¡¯s dick wasn¡¯t fully hard yet.


    ¡°Why are you still not hard yet?¡±


    Even though she wasn¡¯t particrly happy about the situation, she was pretty upset to realize that she could not fully excite a young boy even though she was in such a situation.


    Weren¡¯t young men supposed to be extremely easy to excite? Moreover wouldn¡¯t the excitement double if they were to be put through a steamy situation such as this one with a sexy and gorgeous woman like her?


    Sol smiled derisively at her words, ¡°Trust me. If you think you can make me cum with just this then we will be here all day.¡±


    Sol had long since passed the stage where only seeing a naked girl would be enough to excite him, no matter how gorgeous, sexy, morous, or heaven-defying their beauty and figure were. He had gone through too much to still have such a mindset. <novelnext></novelnext>


    Furthermore, he had to admit that he was not really happy with the current situation. He had not intended to go that far at first. After all, coercing a woman for sex was something he had no love for.


    Though he was indeed interested in forming an alliance with Envilya, this shouldn¡¯t be done in such a way.


    ¡°*Sigh* Forget it.¡±


    He was about to take away his penis went he felt Pandora¡¯s hand tighten around the shaft. A bit too tight for hisfort.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyebrow rose sharply at her sudden actions and the edge he detected in her voice, ¡°I think we went a little too fast. It would be better to take a step back.¡±


    Pandora grinned, ¡°You scared?¡±


    ¡°Such childish provocation will not work on me, you know?¡±


    ¡°Heh, let me guess¡­¡± She smiled as she traced the underside of his shaft, ¡°...You somehow found your conscience or something like that and want to act as though nothing happened, right?¡±


    She chuckled dangerously as she spoke her next set of words, ¡°We have alreadye too far to stop now. It would be an insult to my pride as a subus.¡±


    Pandora may have no experience with the sexual side of things, as odd as that may be for a subus, but she held the belief that there was no one she could not ensnare if she truly put her mind to it.


    Even in Mars''s case, the only reason she didn¡¯t push for his affection was because of ze¡¯s presence. That woman was a true bulldozer.


    But now, this young boy who wasn¡¯t even half her age wanted to walk away after humiliating her like that?


    There was no way she would ept something like that. She swore in her heart that she would make Sol kneel in pleasure even if she had to use all the skills she was taught and then some.


    ¡®I feel like there has been quite the misunderstanding between us;¡¯


    Sol mused briefly before raising his hands in surrender. ¡°Well, shall we continue then?¡±


    Since Pandora waspletely willing, he had no more hesitation. This would be the first time he would have sex with someone who had feelings for his father in the past and that woman was the queen of subus to boot.


    Even though he didn¡¯t want to admit it, the truth was that he had quite the expectations about what was about to happen.


    He was sure that it will be quite a thrilling experience.


    (AN: Sorry guys been a few days since I didn¡¯t write. I needed to get my bearings back with this chapter. The next two or three chapters will pass fast. I want to end Pandora''s smut arc swiftly and deal with Lilith and end this volume finally. Even I am bing tired of this haha. Also ngl, this is the first time that Sol kinda NTRed his father. I say kinda since Mars didn¡¯t love Pandora and it was only one-sided from Pandora. I have to admit that I am a little ufortable with how it happened. Which might be another reason I struggled to write thest two chapters.


    This will be the first andst sex with any kind of coercion from Sol¡¯s side. I realized I am not suited to write things like this haha. I like more vani and entirely consensual or sex friends kinda rtionship like with Persephone. Though, if you like Netori, try my other novel. Midnight Prince. The alternative title is Netori Prince. So yeah, haha. Everything will be entirely consensual of course.)

 Chapter 421 CH 387: PANDORA (1)*

    The moment Sol decided to be more active in this situation, he put his arms around Pandora and lifted her up before putting on her the table so that she could be at eye level with him.


    Pandora was quite startled but she obediently left herself moved as she wondered what this prince would do now.


    This was why she was toote to respond when she felt his lips covering hers.


    ¡°It¡¯s only proper to start with a true kiss.¡±


    ¡®Wait¡­? I am being kissed again?¡¯


    It was like the information had taken a few more second than normal before reaching her brain.


    ¡°Wait¡­!¡±


    She tried to move in surprise but Sol caught her small arms and quelled her resistance by sending his tongue past her teeth.


    Pandora was so surprised that she bit down in surprise. But this did not stop Sol from continuing to kiss her.


    ¡®Blood.¡¯


    Pandora''s first kiss tasted like blood. But her mind could not focus on this.


    ¡®Ah~!¡¯


    She shivered as she felt her body heating up considerably. Subi were higher ranked than Vampires. Any body fluid could be used to absorb the life force they needed. But blood and semen were without a doubt the greatest source.


    She had sucked the blood of her enemies sometimes since it was the best way for her to be stronger without requiring more sexual means but she had never in her life tasted something so heavenly.


    Only a few drops of blood were gulped down before the wound closed but it felt like she had absorbed more energy than she would have after sucking the blood of more than ten Duke ranks.


    ¡®He is supposed to be a hybrid, right?¡¯


    This went far beyond her understanding. The more she interacted with Sol the more she realized how wide the world truly was. Whenever she thought she understood something, there would be a new surprise toe.


    ¡°You are quite feisty.¡±


    Sol finally pulled away and muttered as he lifted her chin. There was no way he would flinch after such a small wound but he could see how she reacted after tasting his blood.


    ¡°I wonder, do you want more?¡±


    Pandora fought between nodding hurriedly or protecting her pride but in the end her pride won.


    She knew that life energy could be quite addictive for a subus when the quality was high enough. If she let herself go, she might fall in his total control.


    In a way, she was happy that she was the one to deal with Sol now. Her daughters might have lost their minds in her ce.


    Solughed. He didn¡¯t know what was going through Pandora¡¯s mind but he was willing to take his time.


    He slid her shoulder straps aside and pulled down her dress, exposing her underwear was exposed to the outside world.


    Her massive breasts were a sight a behold and all she was wearing was a pair of pantie covering her secret ce. Her bra could barely called one and seemed to only be used to push up her breast more.


    Sol could feel her scent trying to corrode his mind. He was sure that most people in his ce would have already gone crazy with lust. But he was able to maintain calm.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was because of his resistance to magic or because he was the Blessed of Luxuria, the goddess of lust herself but it didn¡¯t matter.


    While embracing her very feminine body from behind, Sol first stripped off her bra.


    Her clothing had hidden some of her curves but now he could simply marvel at the work of art sitting in front of him.


    The breasts that spilled out were unnaturally plump for her otherwise slender body. He idly wondered just how much her shoulders should hurt on daily basis. <novelnext></novelnext>


    But remembered this was not earth.


    Pandora frantically tried to cover her chest with her hands but he used that opening to reach down and pull down her panties. Her smooth and equally plump butt was revealed to him and he wished he could give them a smack now.


    ¡®Calm down. Everythinges at a time.¡¯


    There was no need to rush.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    After being stripped bare in no time at all, she had no idea what to do and simply remained silent.


    The ease and skill Sol had used to disrobe her would have surely made her teacher marvel in surprise at how skilled he was. There was no denying that he had enough experience to make some Subus recognize his supremacy.


    She began to wonder if she will really be able to take him down. This seemed more and more uncertain.


    Sol did not let Pandora''s confusion stop him. He wrapped his arms around her while leaning over her from behind and grabbed the pair of well-grown white peaches at her chest. They seemed to spill from her hand but he found his target fast and began to pinch her small and cute nipple.


    He also rained kisses on her from her alluring nape to her shoulder des while he teased and massaged her breasts. Pandora realized that she was being overwhelmed and needed to take some distance for her counterattack.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    But Sol did not wait. He was not just after her beautiful breasts. He squeezed her right one while moving his other hand to her crotch.


    He covered her entire garden with his palm and softly caressed it to enjoy how it felt.


    The hand on her crotch seemed to activate some kind of switch within her. Her resistance faded quickly and she copsed weakly against him.


    Her body refused to obey her but in her mind, she keep telling herself that she would fight backter.


    She realized that for all her teacher had educated her in giving pleasure to her partner, she was never taught how to receive pleasure.


    Like she was she was beingpletely being manhandled by a young man who was not even half her age and she could not fight in herself to fight. The blood from earlier had already made her too weak.


    Her nipples had grown hard at some point, so he pinched the one between his thumb and forefinger, squeezed it, and rolled it around. On her lower body, three of his finger covered herbia and gently caressed her puffed outer lips that were already glistening with her love juice.


    ¡°So, what does it feel like? Whileing to Lustburg, did you ever imagine you would be in such a situation?¡±


    He teased her with his words, causing Pandora to blush even more. She had imagined many things whening here but this was certainly not it.


    The more Sol moved his finger, the more feverish she became. Her vision became blurry and breathing became difficult for her. She felt like she was bing a bitch in heat as she stuck her tongue out to gulp more air.


    ¡°P-please stop this.¡±


    Confused by the unknown sensation, she tried to escape again, but he only continued teasing her breasts and slowly moving those three fingers to gently rub herbia.


    ¡°Heh, I will. So now, cum for me please.¡±


    He bit her earlobe and pinched her nipple and clitoris simultaneously.


    ¡°Nn~! Ahh~!!¡±


    Pandora gasped her screamed her orgasm out. She forced herself to bite her lip as her entire body trembled and sweat soaked the curve of her spine. But there was nothing she could do to stop that pleasure that was clouding her mind.


    ¡°Well. I guess I won the first round, dear subus queen.¡±


    Pandora shuddered slightly as she began to wonder who was supposed to be the sex demon exactly in this room.

 Chapter 422 CH 388:PANDORA (2)*

    Pandora understood that this sexual bout between them would only end in her loss if she didn''t do something fast. There was nearly no way for her to face him as she was now. Nearly being the keyword here.


    ¡®I just need to make him cum once.¡¯


    If she seeded she was sure that she could take back the entire control of the situation from his grasp. Once his brain was flooded with lust, pulling him into the dream world would be far too easy for her.


    Once there, she would be no different than a goddess. The rules of that world bent to her whims and she would be able to make Sol live through the greatest dreams ever.


    She was sure that even someone like him would be lost once he entered that ce. The Truth of a Zone was not enough to protect the psyche from such a mental attack from a Nightmare subus. Only a King¡¯s Avatar could allow one to negate and escape the dream world.


    Of course, she could simply activate her zone now and pull him in forcibly. But that would be the stupidest mistake that she could ever make in her life. After all, she was not trying to be his enemy and there were too many scary people in this tower for her to even entertain those thoughts.


    ¡°Well, shall we continue?¡±


    ¡°W-Wait!¡±


    Pandora moved faster as she shook herself out of the feelings of ecstasy brought to her by the previous orgasm.


    ¡°Since you took care of me, I will do it as well.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm?¡±


    Sol did not know what Pandora was thinking right now. Though, even if he knew, he would simplyugh at her face.


    As he was now, he could nearly look at the face of a goddess without going insane. Even without that, his resistance to magic had grown even further than before his trip to the Astral Realm and while he wasn¡¯tpletely immune yet, mental attacks would have a hard time taking him down.


    ¡°Well, if you wish to do so¡­¡±


    He simply shrugged. He didn¡¯t let his lovers suck his dick during their first time as most of them were virgins and he wanted their first experience to be as vani as possible.


    But it would be pretty ironic if the Subus Queen out of all people ended up being a virgin.


    In Sol¡¯s mind, all her actions and awkwardness were just a way of acting to lower his guard.


    Well, this was generally what happened when people thought too much.


    Like this, the Subus Queen once again found herself kneeling in front of Sol¡¯s rod, ready to service him as she summoned all the knowledge she had learned in her youth.


    Sol brought his hand to his penis and moved it right in front of her face.


    ¡®It looks quite menacing.¡¯


    She gulped before opening her mouth and slowly engulfing it whole. Her teeth touched it a bit and Sol¡¯s hips jerked back slightly in surprise.


    ¡°Hey, be careful.¡±


    Sol could certainly regenerate any part of his body. But he did not wish to know the feeling of missing his beloved little brother.


    Pandora was feeling quite awkward and embarrassed by her mistake but she showed none of it and shed a coy smile to him, giving the illusion that she had done this intentionally to tease him for a bit.


    ¡®Okay, Pandora you can do it.¡¯


    She chanted in her mind and the movement of her tongue stimted the head. Her surprise made her breathe more rapidly through her nose and mouth and that tickled his throbbing member.


    The most surprising part was how it felt inside her mouth.


    A real penis was indeed different from the cold toy she had sometimes been trained with. It felt so hot and stimting.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Sol shivered at the sensation spreading through his penis in her mouth. She was indeed a subus. He could already feel his body growing hotter and he was feeling more excited than ever.


    He felt the urge to shove his dick all the way down her throat, but he was not so barbaric as to do so without knowing her preferences better.


    Instead, he slowly pulled his hips back to enjoy the entrance of her mouth a little more.


    The ridge of the head touched her lips and then half the head slipped out between them. That was when he pushed it halfway back in again.


    He continued moving in and out of that shallow area to enjoy the feel of her lips on his bulbous head.


    His partial erection achieved full erection in no time at all.


    ¡®This is¡­¡¯


    Sol was astonished. He nearly felt like he was having sex already. The moist sensation of her mouth and tongue wrapped around him felt heavenly and she would sometimes suck harder than normal, making him feel like he was in a vacuum.


    Sol wasn¡¯t the only one being affected. Pandora could also feel her consciousness growing fainter.


    All of her focus was concentrated on the cock moving in and out of her mouth. <novelnext></novelnext>


    She kept her teeth apart to avoid hurting the fragile member and pressed her lips together. She knew she had to be looking extremely silly right now, but she felt no desire to stop. Slowly her movements became more natural as she recalled what she was taught.


    She slowly took his member out of her mouth and then licked it up before running her tongue along the head.


    Her saliva made all sorts of naughty, sloppy sounds as her tongue stroked, poked, pushed, and licked the head.


    After poking at the tip, she pressed her full tongue against the base. After supporting the base with her hand, she shifted her tongue to the shaft and coated the entire length with her drool.


    Her current skills were high enough that even a professional prostitute would blush in shame and ask Pandora to teach her.


    It took all of Sol¡¯s willpower to avoid giving in immediately as he watched her doing the act. He had been intent on controlling the pace but it seemed like he had underestimated the skills of a royal subus.


    Then she once again started globing the shaft up and Sol watched with wonder and amazement as his penis slowly vanished inside her mouth until his full length was deep in her throat.


    Pandora looked up at him with obvious pride in her achievement.


    But the triumphant look was somewhat undermined by how lewd she looked with her mouth opened wide to ept the thick cock.


    Pandora squeezed her lips tight and pulled her head back up along the length of his penis. Then she swallowed it all again. From there, she repeated the process.


    The rhythmic motion of her head picked up speed. She could tell his trembling penis had grown to the bursting point inside her mouth.


    For Sol, holding it in any longer was simply not possible. He felt the pleasure in his lower body taking control of his mind.


    ¡°I am going to cum.¡±


    Still, he had enough control to give her a warning. But this only excited Pandora more as she knew that she would soon be able to take total control of this situation once she made him cum.


    She could feel his nds swelling up in her mouth. She knew then that she had reached her goal.


    A thick liquid erupted into her mouth.


    After that initial st, more and more cloudy liquid entered her mouth each time the penis throbbed.


    ¡®I won! Now I can¡­¡¯


    The moment she began gulping the semen that spread in her mouth,


    ¡®Ah~....¡¯


    Pandora realized she had made a mistake.


    Subus could take energy from any body fluid, unlike vampires. This was a fact.


    But it didn¡¯t change that they were sex demons and the greatest efficacy came from absorbing the seed of their targets.


    A few droplets of blood had been enough for Pandora to feel a small orgasm.


    What would she feel as she drank this copious amount of semen?


    ¡°Ah~!¡±


    Her eyes rolled in their sockets and shone with a golden luster while her pupils took the shape of hearts. Her face melted in ecstasy as she felt like she was being given the most delicious dish in the entire world or like she was a junky receiving the highest quality of drugs ever created.


    She literally felt like she was about to ascend to the afterlife as the amount of pleasure she was currently receiving was simply out of this world.


    At this very moment, Pandora realized that there was no going back for her. Even though she had never even entertained the idea of having a mate, she knew that now even if she did, she would never be satisfied with anything else than this.


    Like someone who had not eaten food in years, she licked up the semen dripping from his penis and even used a finger to scoop up what was dripping from the corner of her mouth to bring it right back into her mouth.


    The ground became soaked as she reached the best orgasm in her life and she was on the verge of fainting. But¡ª


    ¡®Wake up~ This isn¡¯t the end.¡¯


    Pandora shuddered powerlessly as she felt her legs being spread apart.


    ¡®Please. Don¡¯t do this. Don¡¯t break me further.¡¯


    This was what she thought as she btedly realized that she was in fact the one spreading her own legs for Sol to fuck her while begging him to copte.


    Like a bitch in heat giving herself to her partner with no hesitation.


    In this ce, there was no Queen, much less a King ranked warrior. There was only a woman who wanted nothing more than to be fucked and pleasured until she passed out.


    (AN: I believe I wrote a masterpiece.)


    (EN: Didn¡¯t feel much but aight, I guess.)

 Chapter 423 CH 389:PANDORA (3)**

    Sol opened his eyes wide into saucers as he watched Pandora disy herself in such a fashion.


    Looking at her eyes, he was quick to realize the reason behind her sudden change in behavior.


    ¡®So I am really the best food for those who absorb life force, huh?¡¯


    He had realized this long ago but it was amusing to see how much he affected them sometimes. Even a mighty king could be reduced to such a putty mess due to his life energy.


    ¡®I wonder if I can use it inbat too¡­¡¯


    He thought idly while approaching Pandora and grabbing her by the roots of her hair.


    ¡°Well, there is no way I can refuse such a tantalizing sight now, right?¡±


    Sol grinned. He had to admit that he was slowly bing more and more excited than he usually would. It seemed that even he could notpletely stop the seduction of a Subus. Most likely because the aphrodisiac effect was not really considered harmful to his body.


    Either way, he decided that he would devour the delicious food in front of him with no hesitation.


    Making the literal Queen of Invidia his woman would mean that he was one step closer to aplishing his goals and making love to a sensual woman was a pleasure in its own right.


    ¡°You are producing so much love juice. I believe I can enter right away.¡±


    He grabbed his thick shaft and slowly brought it close to her snatch. Aiming it at her juicy hole, he moved it up and down along thebia in order to coat it with her sticky and slimy juices.


    Pandora simply moaned, not caring about how she actually looked in front of him anymore. All she wanted was to have his thick, hard, and long rod inside her snatch as fast as possible. Just imagining how it would feel was making her crazy.


    ¡°Do it.¡±


    Sol nodded and once the head was nestled inside, he grabbed her by her hips and then¡ª pushed his full length in one go. The inside of her honeypot felt like hot magma. The countless folds wrapped around his manhood as if to suck it inside and never let it go.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The pleasure marring Pandora¡¯s face vanished for an instant as the pain of losing her virginity exploded inside her brain. She seemed to have cummed just from having his penis prate her. Her mature body seemed to be convulsing, as it was confused between the choices of feeling pain or feeling pleasure.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Sol showed surprise as he saw her face contorted in pain then slowly looked down. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw a trail of blood slowly dribbling from the ce they were connected.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    She was a virgin? The subus queen was a virgin? Oh, the irony!!!


    Sol realized then and there that all her awkward moments had not been an act but truly the result of herck of experience.


    His face crumpled a little after realizing this fact.


    ¡®I have been too harsh.¡¯


    The reason he hadn¡¯t hesitated with her was that he thought that as a subus, her experience with men should have been plenty. As such there were many steps he could take without worrying about hurting her.


    The first time with a woman was something she would never forget and it was important for him to make it memorable in an enjoyable way.


    He could act more sadistic on their second or third time together as the girl would then have more experience and would already be ustomed to his member. Making it so that she had fewer chances of being hurt.


    ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯


    He wondered what he should do now. But in the end, he decided to stay silent and refuse to offer her any hypocritical kindness. From her earlier actions, she clearly did not wish for him to know she was a virgin.


    ¡®Well, I guess I will have to change the mood a little.¡¯


    He stopped advancing his hip movements and brought his face close to her nipples before starting to suck on them.


    It was different from the way he did it earlier. It was more tender. Slowly trying to give her more pleasure and make her forget the pain.


    Pandora noticed the change in his demeanor and she felt ashamed about being found out. She was happy that Sol did not do something like apologize to her. She felt like it would have been an insult to her determination and would have made all of her work up to this point feel worthless. <novelnext></novelnext>


    Kindness sometimes hurt more than anything ever could.


    It was funny that her impression of Sol became better because of such a weird detail. But she was not in apletely stable state of mind anyway.


    ¡°You can move. I am alright now.¡±


    She turned her head to the side as she said those words since she was basically acknowledging her defeat but she could not fight her urge anymore. Pandora wrapped her arms around his back and her legs wrapped around his waist before she started to thrust her own hips up at him.


    On the receiving end of that intense movement, Sol felt like he had fallen into a trap of pleasure. He started moving his own hips as well and the two started the oldest dance in the world.


    Pandora was spilling sticky drool out of her pussy as she used her hips with incredible force to get the boy to use his own hips. It was like the earlier pain was just a lie.


    She felt like she was finallyplete. As if, her whole life, she had been waiting for this.


    She realized that she had been denying her instincts for far too long, refusing to move on from an old crush that had never returned her affection in the first ce.


    It was ironic that the one who made her realize this was the son of her crush. But she was currently too high into the realms of pleasure to care about this detail. She would leave those troublesome problems and thoughts to her future self. She just wanted to enjoy the moment.


    Seeing her lose herself in lust, Sol obeyed his lust just as much as the woman did hers as he pounded his penis inside her with intense pressure. Sometimes, it felt good to not think about anything. He lost himself in thrusting his hips inside her hot and stuffy snatch.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Pandora opened her mouth wide and arched her back with a sudden jerk. Drool dripped down from her cherry-red lips and soaked her slender chin.


    But Sol could not stop his hips.


    He felt like his penis would continue like this forever when he thrust in her sweet hole. The room was already filled with the smell of sweat and love juice and this did nothing more than make the two of them more excited.


    Her red and engorged snatch spread wide as the boy¡¯s hard cock mercilessly pumped in and out. Knowing the woman was enjoying it could only speed up a man¡¯s hips to pack more inches inside her.


    He dug into her inner flesh all he wanted.


    Sol felt like he would never stop at this rate.


    Driven by lust, he lost himself in massaging her breasts and thrusting his hips. When he thrust in, love juices flowed out. When he pulled back, he stirred those juices up and soaked even his balls.


    Pandora looked incredibly cute as she writhed in his arms.


    ¡°Pandora, I¡¯m about to cum!¡±


    ¡°Ahh!! Cum¡­cum inside me. Cum inside me. I¡¯m also¡­about to¡­¡±


    Pandora spoke gibberish. Not caring about any possible consequences. She needed this. She wanted this. She wanted to reach the greatest heights of pleasure possible for a subus.


    Once he had permission, Sol intensified his thrusting even more. His penis felt like it was made of steel as it danced freely around inside her, stirring up her honeypot.


    He used his youthful energy to thrust again and again until the subus surrendered before him by reaching climax before himself.


    ¡°Ah~!!¡±


    She let out a wild voice as her entire body convulsed.


    The crazed undting motion of her body repeated again and again and her vagina tightened seductively around him.


    This was thest straw for Sol. He grabbed her hips and pushed his penis all the way in then groaned and sprayed his cum into her vagina while continuing his piston-like movements.


    ¡°Ah, ahhh¡­¡±


    Pandora wordlessly trembled as her vagina continued contracting again and again until she had sucked out everyst drop and her eyes once again began to roll back as the pleasure that hit her was too high for her brain toprehend.


    In the end, she simply passed out in hisforting arms.


    (AN: This is the second chapter today. For those who don¡¯t know. I announced on my server that I will release 2 chapters every day until the 11th. Since it¡¯s my birthday then. Of course, don¡¯t hesitate to encourage me on the road haha. I am also currently setting up a twitch channel lol. Might use it for streaming and discussing with readers. Though I am currently searching how to make an avatar as I am too shy to do a face reveal.)

 Chapter 424 CH 390:JuST LISTEN

    The first thing she noticed when she woke up was the soft feeling of the mattress beneath her back as well as the ceiling above that she could not recognize.


    ¡®Where am I?¡¯


    She felt so drowsy at this moment that she did not even follow her warrior instincts and focused on trying to understand what was happening with her body.


    ¡®I was¡­¡¯


    Her memory was pretty blurry and hazy, making it hard for her to immediately recall the happenings of the past. But as she focused on what she needed to know, the images began to rey in her mind. A young body, melding with hers. Her debauched and sultry voice, begging him to give his all to her.


    Then she finally remembered everything that transpired before.


    ¡®Oh my gosh!¡¯


    She felt like she wanted to crawl and bury herself six feet under. She had never thought that she would one day show such a shameful sight to someone. Much less to such a young boy that wasn¡¯t even half her age.


    ¡®What the hell did I do?¡¯


    She always had the bad habit of moving before thinking things through. That was exactly what happened when she decided toe to Lustburg all those years ago and began following Mars on his journey. She had absolutely no reason to have done what she did after all.


    This was also why she had once againe to Lustburg and sought the help of her oldpanions.


    But to think that she would fall for the provocation of a little brat and give her precious virginity like this with no hesitation whatsoever. She wasn¡¯t able to understand just what had gone wrong with her mind.


    ¡®Ugh. Pandora, you are so stupid.¡¯


    She felt like bashing her head once again. This was so idiotic of her to do. She had let her tunnel-vision induced mind and emotions take control of her when what she should have done was to take a few steps back to observe and judge the situation appropriately.


    ¡®Though¡­ It felt really really good.¡¯


    Pandora let out a sultry breath as the pleasure that she had felt with her first partner came to her mind again. Just the aftertaste of their union was heavenly in itself. She couldn¡¯t understand how such a feeling could exist in this world.


    She then blushed when she realized that she was acting like a debauched harlot in heat.


    Now that she had gotten calmer after that sensual high, she was starting to observe her surroundings more calmly while keeping her thoughts active.


    Her virginity was lost, this was a fact. Speaking of her virginity¡­


    ¡®He came inside me, right?¡¯


    She wondered if she might fall pregnant at this rate.


    Her face paled for an instant before she shook her head. ¡®No, I am sure I must have devoured all the energy of the semen unconsciously.¡¯


    The reason witches could not be pregnant was because they absorbed the life force of the egg inside them before it even had a chance to form. This non-conscious skill for the witches was something that all Subi could perfectly control.


    Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to have sex without falling pregnant. Subi could selectively choose whether to kill the egg before it even formed by entirely devouring the energy or letting it form and conceive children through their union with their chosen mates.


    Once she realized that she was safe on that front, Pandora let out a sigh of relief. She could not even begin to imagine what she would have felt if she had gotten impregnated by the son of her first love.


    ¡®This feels so weird.¡¯


    She had never imagined that she would be in such a weird situation bying to Lustburg.


    The prince had surpassed everything she had expected of him and went beyond what she thought was possible of him. He was aplete enigma.


    In fact, He was so unlike his father thatparing them was not even funny. But it was the reality and she had nothing that she could do about it.


    Now, she needed to decide how she would act around Sol¡­


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    Pandora looked beside her and saw a young Golden haired and Blue eyed man standing with an awkward expression on his face and holding a te with what looked to be hot chocte on top.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    She recognized this face. After all, he was the reason for her earlier anguish.


    But¡­ There was one problem.


    ¡°Just how long have you been present here.¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    Please. Please. Don¡¯t tell me¡­


    ¡°Well¡­ Since you woke up, I guess?¡±


    Pandora groaned and closed her eyes. ¡°Just kill me, please. End my suffering.¡±


    This went beyond shame itself. She felt like she was being bullied by the world at this point. She felt as though she was going to spill tears of blood at this rate.


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Sol exhaled a shortugh and ced the tray filled with the hot chocte before sitting on a chair near the bed.


    Silence enveloped the two in its smothering embrace with no signs of any sound being made anytime soon. But in the end, the first one to break the suffocating silence was none other than Pandora.


    ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    ¡°Just a few hours. It¡¯s currently evening.¡±


    Pandora sighed out loud and spoke in a steely tone.


    ¡°Just because I gave you my body does not mean that I belong to you, I hope you understand that.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Sol''s eyebrows rose abruptly at the suddenness of the words spoken by Pandora and the voice with which she had uttered them to him.


    But Pandora had to be clear about this fact. She had read that once a girl gave her first time to a man, they generally became entitled and felt like the girl belonged to them.


    It didn¡¯t matter how clumsy, how thoughtless, and how tunnel-visioned she could be sometimes¡ª Pandora was one of the top most powerful beings in the world.


    She would never let herself be bound by anyone in her entire life of her own volition.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, I have never thought that any of¡­ Hmm¡­ Well, indeed, I can be a little possessive sometimes. Haha¡­¡±


    Sol chuckled to hide his awkwardness as he nearly lied to her. He could be ¡®quite¡¯ possessive, which he recognized. But¡­


    ¡°Do not worry. I will never force someone to be with me when she has no feelings for me.¡±


    He had no feelings for Pandora as well. It was just pure lust. Even his rtionship with Persephone was deeper than the one he shared with her.


    ¡°Of course¡­ Whether you can find someone else is another matter altogether.¡±


    Sol grinned, causing Pandora to flush with embarrassment as she was unable to refute him. In the first ce, she had never managed to find a mate ever since Mars'' death. There was simply no one she was interested in. This was why, in the end, she had simply divided her energy to give birth to her current children.


    At the very least, she became less lonely and had people she could care for. But even without all that, now that she had tasted Sol¡¯s energy, she wondered if she could ever live without this taste again.


    Just imagining it felt like torture in her opinion.


    ¡®I truly made a grave mistake.¡¯


    Now she was no different from a drug addict that was under the control of their dealer. She would ruin herself to get even more of this delicious drug.


    ¡°Tell me what you really want from me.¡±


    There was no way Sol had done all this just for the alliance. She felt like there was a deeper reason. One that went beyond mere lust. She wanted to know what it was now.


    Sol looked at Pandora. Her cuteness had made him forget that she was not someone he could underestimate.


    If the two of them fought to the death, he would only be able to flee by employing his dimension as he had no way of winning against her. He had only been able to toy around with her because of his inherent advantages and there was nothing to be proud of with just this much.


    Now was the time for the true test. He could not say everything now. But it wasn¡¯t a problem. Since Aurora had shielded his thoughts, he could at least be a little more honest, ¡°I need you to simply follow a few orders for a few days without asking what is happening.¡±


    Sol did not want Pandora to know that the previous king before Mars had used the remainder of their beloved Queen to create Lilith. This would create useless tension and might jeopardize his n.


    ¡®Now all the pieces are in ce.¡¯


    Soon, he would be able to put this whole charade behind him.


    (AN: If my n works, this volume will finish by CH 400. So, around 10 more chapters.)

 Chapter 425 CH391:PLEASE.

    [Tower of Babel ¨C Hanging Gardens]


    The hanging gardens of Babylon were a work of art that could go into the annals of history without a shred of doubt. It wouldn¡¯t be aplete lie to call them the most beautiful sight of the Mortal Realm. Such were the heights of beauty and aesthetics this piece of art had reached.


    The moon was currently hidden behind the clouds of winter as the snow fell incessantly and covered the ground.


    Usually, the Tower had a shield deployed that left no weather change to go through as it could affect the garden. But, as of now, Lilith considered that she could afford to open it.


    After all, with the current protection that gathered in the Tower, this shield would make little to no difference.


    Sitting near a frozenke and feeling the ashen snow falling on her face, Lilith closed her eyes and remembered her past. An agonizing yet beautiful reminiscence.


    For her, the snow had a very symbolic and important meaning. After all, it was the first thing she had witnessed of the world outside of the walls of the chamber she had been created in. [1]


    It was in this ce that everything changed for her in its entirety.


    Back then, she remembered that she had asked her creator a harrowing question. A question of her existence¡­


    "What am I?"


    His answer had been simple and ryed with no hesitation and no remorse.


    "You are the tool that will allow me to reach my goals."


    A tool. As simple and sad as that. Nothing more, Nothing less.


    Back then she did not have the emotional capacity necessary to feel things like sadness or disappointment.


    This was why she had felt nothing even after being told such a cruel reality. ¡®Her¡¯ reality.


    She had nothing to care for and no one who cared for her in the world.


    But what might have truly sealed her fate was what followed after.


    Back then she remembered having seen Mars training his swordy under the falling snow.


    She had asked who he was and the answer, like a curse, had followed her to this day.


    "He is my son. Your role will be to serve the Royal family until the day you die. So I guess he is your master?"


    Lilithughed after hearing her creator¡¯s words. It was a depreciatingugh full of mockery towards herself.


    As she grew in maturity and emotions¡­


    She began to realize that her life was not normal and so she rebelled against her creator¡­


    But in the end¡­


    ''Nothing really changed.''


    She fulfilled her role as a tool and bore a daughter, rendering Neptune¡¯s operation aplete sess. Neptune was able to attain his goal, even though he wasn¡¯t there to witness it himself.


    She trained all her life with all the intention of bing the sharpest sword for Mars. The sword that could cut everything that could stand in his path and pave the way ahead for him. And in the end, she truly became what she envisioned. Only to lose the reason she became what she was, Losing Mars.


    She then lived in harrowing loneliness as she raised Sol so that he could stand up for himself. Now that he was an adult, her time in this Realm wasing to an end and even the goddesses wished for her absolute demise.


    Neptune''s words had been the truth, after all.


    She was born as a tool and would die as one as well.


    Nothing more¡­ Nothing less¡­


    "Ah¡­"


    A breath escaped her lips as she appreciated the coldness of the winter snow seeping into her bones after she put down all of her defenses.


    When she did not use her Mana or Intent, she was just a weak and fragile woman with a frail body that was on the verge of death.


    ''How. Utterly. Pitiful¡­''


    She shook her head and walked in the snow-covered path until she reached a long branch that had fallen from a tree.


    The maids had started to avoid staying here as it was simply too cold for theirfort but she did not care.


    Taking one step, with the sword in hand.


    She began to remember her earliest memories.


    Why did she be so entranced with Mars?


    She could not truly remember.


    Was it because of his kindness?


    Was it because he did not treat her like a tool?


    She truly could not remember the reason behind her obsession.


    All she remembered was the sword in his hand moving as he danced under the snow.


    And so, she danced as well. Danced in the tune and rhythm of the intangible sword.


    Like an immortal fairy, she moved her sword in such a way that anyone watching this scene could only be mesmerized by its aesthetics.


    This was the case for Sol as well, as he floated even higher in the sky and looked down at her visage.


    The movement of her intangible sword, the flow of her body, the rhythm of her breathing.


    Sol closed his eyes as he felt like he was watching something that surpassed even his wildest imagination. Even reying it in his head seemed like sphemy as his memory could never perfectly capture this moment in its true essence.


    Her beauty transcended reasoning itself. It now treaded in the realm of a concept. Something that could never be replicated.


    "She is truly incredible."


    Ambrosia spoke as she appeared next to Sol, breaking him out of his reverie.


    "I know."


    "No. You do not understand, Sol. This woman is simply something that goes beyond even my own knowledge. Something that I had once deemed to be impossible. She is someone who pioneered her own path." <novelnext></novelnext>


    She looked down at Lilith and sighed ruefully¡­


    "Do you know? Be it I, Anubis, or even Echidna. Even though we managed to be the first mortal demigods, we all knew that it was thanks to outside help and circumstances that yed their parts."


    Anubis was a reincarnated being born with a fragment of Death inside his soul.


    Ambrosia was linked to Asmodeus and could use the power umted by all the witches in existence.


    Echidna was specifically created by the goddesses with two blessings.


    "We were all born special¡ª loved by the world and bydy luck herself."


    This did not stop at them. All the singrities who made their marks in history and became renowned throughout the eras had something special to them. Someone who gave them a path.


    This went for Siegfried, Sun Wukong, and even Mars as well.


    This was how the world went on.


    "You are not different from us."


    Sol nodded in acknowledgment. It wasn''t like he didn''t work hard himself and he had his fair share of hardships.


    But it was true that his current skill set would have never been developed without the help of many people and the touch of the goddess of Lust¡ª Luxuria.


    His dragon blood and his dimension were innate talents and he would have never obtained his zone without all the help he got during the war in the Dragon realm. The help he received from his grandmother that adored him to no end as well as his lover Skuld, who transcended time itself to help him out.


    "But that woman? She is truly something else."


    Born with a defective body that was weaker than average.


    No blessings. No outside help. A body that slowly brought her toward her untimely death.


    The only thing she had was arge quantity of Mana. Something that was not all that rare in the world. Something that could be called worse than average in the realm of geniuses.


    "...And despite all her defects, all her constraints, she created an art that can transcend the impossible. Kill the unkible. Cutting even space and time and perhaps even concepts¡­ All this, without ever awakening the meager amount of subus blood that was inside her."


    In all her life, with all her knowledge, the All-knowing witch had never witnessed such a monster. Even reasoning was beyond her, more so than what Sol could ever achieve.


    What if Lilith managed to obtain a perfect body brimming with talent? What if she managed to be a demigod?


    She shuddered just at the mere thought of that possibility.


    Even now, watching Lilith¡¯s disy, Ambrosia could feel her neck go cold from the sense of foreboding she felt from her Immortal ying Art.


    "I want you to understand something, Sol."


    Ambrosia took her eyes away from Lilith and gazed deeply at Sol¡¯s indifferent eyes with her own¡­


    "I have always believed in growing without holding up the hands of my children."


    She did not interfere with whatever decision they ended up making and even in the council, she never gave her opinion.


    "I created the witches out of my own selfishness. My thirst for power and my fear of loneliness."


    She considered the witches as her own daughters simply because she did not want to be alone.


    Loneliness was scary. Researching things alone was not fun.


    Even being friends with Anubis and Echidna had never managed to erase the deep loneliness that constantly stabbed at her heart.


    She became jealous when the two started having a rtionship with each other. Because it was something she could never even wish to have.


    So she created the witches. Sharing a curse that would make even more lonely people tread her path so that she would feel even a little less lonely in the world.


    "I talk to you now, not as a demigod or a witch. But simply as a stupid mother who had never done anything for her daughters."


    She did something that surprised even Sol.


    She bowed deeply with all the seriousness in the world and put down all pretenses and her shoddy pride.


    "I will help you. I will make sure to study Pandora as fast as possible and give you the results. I will use all my powers to help you realize your wishes."


    Her voice was hoarse and filled with emotions.


    "So, please¡­ Help my daughters relieve their curse."


    Sol stayed silent as he observed Ambrosia.


    Not long ago. He had been the one helplessly begging the goddesses to save Camelia''s life.


    What did he feel then?


    The helplessness, the humiliation. This deep and wrenching feeling of powerlessness as you could do nothing but beg and hope.


    What did the goddesses answer back then as theyughed at his plight?


    I refuse.


    As such¡­


    "I ept and please, raise your head.¡±


    He turned his back to Ambrosia and began walking away into the air.


    He had never wished to back Ambrosia against the wall.


    He felt no pleasure in seeing her bow down and beg him so.


    ''I am sorry.''


    He did not say those words out loud.


    Because he knew very well that if he had to do it again¡­ He would do so without any hesitation.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [1]: You can read interludes 9 and 10 for this. In fact, I really urge you to read at least Interlude 9 and ideally add 10.

 Chapter 426 CH392:TALKING WITH A FRIEND

    It had been two days since that snow filled day¡­


    After Ambrosia decided to help them out, the gears started to shift faster than they had ever done before. Sol was finally nearing the end of his goal.


    The first thing that happened was the witches kidnapping Pandora and storing her inside Medea¡¯s world. Ambrosia, alongside Medea, used their full powers over the aspect of time to elerate the time spent inside the monochrome witch¡¯s world.


    They deduced that they would need a few months to understand everything they needed about the subi¡¯s physique.


    As such, Lilin also followed suit as she was the perfect result of Neptune''s crazy experiments.


    They needed to map the biological structure of their bodies and find the difference to perfectly analyze all the traits and functionings of Lilith¡¯s body.


    The ones who took charge of this were Hathor, Persephone, and Isis. The three had the greatest understanding of biology and the aspects of life and death.


    There as well Ambrosia helped by sharing her knowledge about the discovery already made on the Subi.


    This was an extensive project but they had no other choice other than to push through.


    Even Kali offered her help as her understanding of the aspect of destruction could give insight into how to use Nirvana to bring everything together after deconstructing Lilith¡¯s body and then building it up from scratch.


    Freya was not spared either from this scenario. The current time eleration that the mother-daughter duo had enacted was putting incredibly high pressure on the pocket space she had created for Medea so she was forced to constantly use her powers so that the space wouldn¡¯t just copse on top of them.


    Lilith was of course unable to enter that domain as with the sudden time increase, she would simply die faster with her body decaying into nothingness.


    So she was forced to stay out and observe as they all worked hard to keep her alive.


    The more she watched, the moreplicated she felt inside.


    ''Why¡­? Just why are they doing all this for me?''


    She realized that she could not understand their motives or the thought process behind their current demeanor.


    When Sol had told her that he would heal and save her no matter what, all she had seen was the struggle of a young boy who refused to ept reality.


    She had long since given up on all hopes about her health and life. After all, if even that madman of a man, Neptune, could not heal her, what could Sol do?


    ''Did I still look at him like a helpless child?''


    Lilith was feeling utterly lost and as such, she did the only thing she could do in this situation.


    She went to see her one and only friend. As well as her longtime rival.


    But as soon as she took one step, she could see Milia appear not far from her.


    "How can I help you, Your Majesty?"


    "Huh?"


    "His Highness is currently busy practicing in his dimension. He ordered me to take care of you in the meantime."


    Lilith nodded in acknowledgment. She knew that Milia had never seen her as the true monarch. But at least she had never shown her disrespect in any shape or form. That was enough for her.


    "Warn the Gatekeeper. I want to go to the church."


    "The church?"


    Milia''s voice showed the surprise she felt. After all, Lilith had never directly visited the church during all those years she had observed her as the leader of the Crown¡¯s Shadow.


    But still, as an experienced maid, she managed to get a hold of her expression as fast as it came.


    "Very well, Your Majesty. The Gatekeeper will be ready."


    Milia bowed and Lilith gave her a look of surprise.


    "You are not going to keep tabs on me?"


    Milia was not surprised that Lilith knew she was being followed. In fact, the opposite would have worried her instead.


    But she was not flustered. They had never intended to hide it in the first ce.


    "His Highness told me that you can do whatever you wish to do. He will not intervene further and stop you from making your choice." <novelnext></novelnext>


    "Oh?"


    Lilith was surprised. Not only because of those words, as Sol had been adamant in keeping her under observation, but also because she felt hurt hearing them.


    It felt like he had decided to finally give up on her.


    This startled her deeply. She felt like a defective weapon that was about to be thrown away.


    She furrowed her brows and shook her head to bury those thoughts.


    "I see. Tell him to not worry. I will never take my own life. I won¡¯t go back on my promise."


    If she died, it would be either because of her body or while fighting a battle that was worthy of her demise. Never for anything else.


    She thought as such as she walked away.


    Now alone in the hallway, Milia muttered under her breath¡­


    "I hope you won''t disappoint him, Your Majesty."


    She truly did not care whether Lilith died or not.


    But she hoped that she would live. After all, this would make Sol happy. And she could do anything for his happiness.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When Lilith used the teleportation portal and entered the church, all the nuns stopped in their tracks and opened their eyes wide in bewilderment.


    ''What is the Queen doing here?''


    This question shed through each and every one of their minds.


    After all, it wasmon knowledge that the Queen had never visited the cathedral for years already and that she would not do so until something big happened.


    "Your Majesty!"


    They all bowed in respect. The goddess they worshipped may be above, but the queen was right at their doorsteps.


    They had no reason to show her disrespect.


    "You can rise."


    Lilith waved her hand and looked at the highest-ranked nun present.


    "Go call Ca¡­ *Ahem* Tell the Supreme Daughter that I wish to meet her."


    Lilith slowed down and used a more respectful title for her friend.


    No matter how much she bickered regrly with Camelia, there was a clear distinction between private and public conduct.


    This was why, when the two of them found themselves alone in a guest room, her aloof expression fell as she took a seat opposite her friend and chortled in amusement.


    "So, what have you been up to nowadays? Outside of copting with my nephew of course."


    "Heh¡­"


    Camelia sneered. She knew that this was going to be an interesting day.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: Welp. This is my birthday today. Hehe. 26 years old now. Time sure flies. I remember I started writing around 2019 under a different alias. Then in August 2020, I started writing my first fanfic as Hikaru Genji. Called Crazy Girls. Then I started with SHK in September 2020. Now here I am. Basically 2 years and a half now still writing and even hoping to live off my work and dream.


    It isn''t easy. Writing every day is tiring and sometimes I just wish I could sleep and do nothing. It became even more tiring since I am writing two stories now. But it''s work and work needs to be done.


    Really, thanks to all of you who supported me in one way or another. It''s thanks to you that I can live my dream. A short chapter today because I n to eat out and take some fresh air on my special day, so yeah. I wish you guys all a good day also I am waiting for my gifts XD. I wonder what I will receive.)


    (EN: Happy Birthday, my friend. I hope you find it in yourself to not work me to the bones. And many many happy returns of the day. Now stop being a NEET and go out and touch some grass¡­)

 Chapter 427 CH393:STUDY

    [Medea¡¯s World]


    Pandora was confused by most of the things going on around her these days. Since time passed rather differently in this weird space, she had already been spending a few days here already and she had to admit that it was a bit, no, a lot different from her expectations.


    Much of the time spent in this time-dted world, all she had to do was to sit and do nothing at all. Generally, she would just talk with Lilin while drinking tea, or she would spend some time with Persephone and have small talk or reminisce about their adventure with Mars.


    They would also sometimes ask her to show her true form or ask her to fight against Lilin as the two used their powers to duke it out with each other.


    This was when Pandora started to realize that there was something a bit different about Lilin, a special trait that shouldn''t ur in her.


    The power to bring the abstract and the imaginary into reality.


    This was the same power that the previous Nightmare Queen wielded and though the girl had a lesser mastery of this power and focused on dealing damage rather than using it as a way to manipte reality at will, it was still not less absurd to watch a human like her to wield this power.


    Pandora wasn¡¯t arrogant enough to believe that in the whole universe, only Subi were the chosen beings with the ability to use this power. But it was quite the coincidence nheless.


    There was also the fact that Lilin and even Lilith had the same appearance as a high-ranked Subi would when keeping their human forms.


    This made Pandora begin to wonder if Lilith and Lilin had subus blood running through their veins or not. This wouldn¡¯t be particrly surprising, in fact.


    Subi loved men of power and seducing the then-king of Lustburg and bearing his child would be seen as an honor for them. So, it was really not a big deal.


    ¡®But I never felt Lilith¡¯s power being close to a subus'' though.¡¯


    Lilith could also cut space on a conceptual level and even affect the soul if she so wished. But this was made possible thanks to her incredibly pure intent to cut absolutely everything in her path. This was a power that had absolutely nothing to do with simple bloodline but was rted to pure talent and will. An all-epassing will to sever anything and everything.


    ¡®Perhaps it was due to a removed ancestry? Or maybe even atavism?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t rare for the blood of an old ancestry to resurface in the current descendants.


    ¡®So do they want me to train the girl then?¡¯


    Pandora chuckled when she reached this conclusion and decided to be more serious about this whole scenario. She had trained her daughters quite well, if she says so herself, and had always been proud of their achievements.


    Partial energy being like them generally ended up having children through asexual means and Pandora had not hesitated to do the same in her case due to Mars¡¯ demise.


    But unlike how divine beasts would feel detached from children born in this way, she loved her daughters with all her heart and soul, truly considering them as her own flesh and blood instead of an extension of her energy.


    ¡®I should bring a gift to Minerva when I go back home.¡¯


    The poor girl had been ¡®acting¡¯ as her all this while, as she jumped from one ce to another, and this was only possible because the two of them were both Blessed. But this couldn¡¯tst for long.


    Sooner orter, they would realize that she was not the one to sit on the throne and while they could not harm Minerva, Anastasia was not protected by the divinews so this made her an easy target. <novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡°Do you still want to use that sword?¡±


    Pandora asked as she watched Lilin prepare for another duel.


    The two of them were standing in a clearing inside this elerated world and surrounding them on all sides were the witches, the True Demon girl, and a King-ranked Phoenix.


    This lineup gave Pandora goosebumps whenever she witnessed this scene and she would generally do her best to just ignore their existence altogether.


    Just imagining how much damage they could inflict if all bans and rules were to be lifted was bad for her heart.


    ¡°Please.¡±


    Lilin nodded and gripped her long sword.


    ¡®Another difference from her mother.¡¯


    Lilith used arge heavy sword that could freely change its weight. A creation of Theresa¡¯s. Perhaps the small girl was the best cksmith she had ever met in all her life and she doubted that she would be able to meet anyone better than her.


    The sword in Lilin¡¯s hand though was incredibly long and thin, aplete contrast to the one that Lilith used. One would wonder how a sword of this shape held itself together and didn¡¯t just simply break.


    It seemed that Theresa had created a sword for both Lilin and the wolf girl called Setsuna but the two of them had yet to use them.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Pandora had not even finished talking and she could see that Lilin was already pouncing upon her.


    By taking one step, Lilin had been able to traverse a great distance effortlessly. It was as though the concept of distance didn¡¯t even exist between them.


    ¡®This technique is really deadly.¡¯


    She avoided the sword even though it could not really hurt her, at least on a physical level. This was just an instinct that she had. One that told her that she absolutely did not want to know what it felt like to be wounded by this ominous-looking sword.


    ¡®If it¡¯s as nasty as Lilth¡¯s sword, then no thanks. I don¡¯t want to face something that dangerous.¡¯


    The fight, or rather the training continued as both Hathor and Isis observed the movement of the two fighters.


    Persephone, who was sitting not far from them, kept cross-referencing the information she was currently receiving with the book their mother gave them. The result of their past studies about the Subi.


    There was a few difference between the two, but not so much that it could be considered to be headache-inducing.

 Chapter 428 THIS A BUG.LT SHOULDNT APPEAR BUTIFIT DOES TO You DONT BUY IT.

    THIS A BUG. IT SHOULDN''T APPEAR BUT IF IT DOES TO YOU DON''T BUY IT.


    THIS A BUG. IT SHOULDN''T APPEAR BUT IF IT DOES TO YOU DON''T BUY IT.


    Chapter repeated. Don''t buy it.


    [Medea¡¯s World]


    ¡°How is the research going?¡±


    The drunk Phoenix sauntered toward Persephone and asked with a smile.


    Persephone looked away from the fight and nodded toward Hathor. The two had be quite close over the time spent together in each other¡¯spany since they were both healers and support and held simr powers.


    Moreover, they also had many sisters they needed to take care of and a demigod mother that could be quite absent when they needed her presence. There were just many simrities between them that allowed them to connect with each other.


    Besides, they also had a certain biased view toward life as one simply went through the motion without caring much about it and the other saw life as a series of bookspiled one after another.


    ¡°I believe we have enough data already. I already mapped the whole body of the two and I am sure that I can recreate them up to 50-60% already. What about you?¡±


    Hathor whistled at that news. The body was extremelyplex and having such a deep understanding of a body that wasn¡¯t even your own was quite impressive.


    ¡°Done as well on my side. The physiology of the Subi is quite simr to the True Demons and I healed quite a few during thest war so that was a bonus.¡±


    As she spoke about the war, Hathor showed an expression of distaste for an imperceptible moment before hiding it as soon as it appeared.


    Persephone, as wise as she was, didn¡¯t ask more rted to that matter. She didn''t want to stir a ho''s nest by chance.


    ¡°Anyway, little Isis also finished her part. Later, we will train to maintain a certain synchronization when using this power. Kali will be with us and help us in case things go bad while Ambrosia and Medea will slow time to give us more leeway.


    ¡°Finally, even Sherezade will give us a hand and use her power for this. There is only a little problem left on our hands.¡±


    ¡®Where to do this procedure?¡¯


    This was quite a problematic question for them.


    This space was not a true dimension. So there was a limit to how much it could block from the goddesses¡¯ gaze.


    ¡°We will do it in the Inverse World.¡±


    Isis chimed from the side, ¡°You guys have yet to see it, but it¡¯s pretty cool.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve seen it?¡±


    ¡°Well, not from up close. I am a Duke rank after all. I don¡¯t want to have my feelings twisted and yed with inside that realm. But it¡¯s pretty powerful.¡±


    Pandora was given no information about what they wanted to do. After all, while a King rank could block their thoughts from being spied upon, things were not very clear when it came to the rtionship between a Blessed and their goddess.


    Isis, meanwhile, had her soul protected from all outside observations since her birth. Trying to pass the block would immediately alert Anubis.


    In the same vein, while Lilin had an inkling about what was happening, she was given no concrete information.


    Whatever the results of their operation were, in the end, no one outside of them would know the truth.


    ¡°I wonder if we will seed.¡±


    ¡°We will. No, we must. At all costs.¡±


    A smile full of determination bloomed on her face as she watched the fight that took ce between Pandora and Lilin.


    This long n was slowly inching toward its end.


    They did not know what was at the end of the tunnel. But it did not really matter to them.


    As long as they were together then she was sure that everything would be alright.


    ¡®Though, I wonder what Lilith will doter on.¡¯


    Isis had no particr attachment toward Lilith. However, she remembered Skuld telling her that even if she had to seal her soul to keep her alive, she must do it. This meant that there was no way Lilith could be allowed to die.


    It seemed that, even beyond Sol¡¯s happiness, the Titan had determined that keeping Lilith alive was extremely important as she had the potential to reach a level few could ever hope to even achieve in their wildest dreams.


    Skuld was a Titan as well as the being with the strongest power and understanding when it came to observing the aspects of the ever changing future.


    Furthermore, her loyalty and devotion to Sol were beyond a shadow of a doubt.


    ¡®Well, I hope it won¡¯te to that.¡¯


    An undead could never grow and absorb knowledge in the same way the living could. No matter what kind of potential Lilith may have, the moment she became an undead, it would be greatly diminished.


    In the end, though, everything would still depend on Lilith herself. There was only so much they could do from their side.


    ¡°I wonder what she''s doing right now.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps she is brooding by herself in her room?¡±


    ¡°Or perhaps she is just employing her sword arts on the rooftop?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [Castitas¡¯ Church]


    No matter how much Isis and Persephone thought, they would have never guessed that the woman they were so worried and concerned about was currently downing a pint of beer big enough to make even the staunchest alcoholic cringe in fear and hesitation while feeling admiration and awe for doing such an act.


    Camelia looked up with bewilderment as the throat of her friend kept moving on and on without end as she finished the whole thing in the span of a few seconds.


    ¡°Are you the new incarnation of gluttony or something?¡±


    Not only was she drinking enough to make a whole sailor crew have justifiable doubts about their virility, but she was also wolfing down the food that was being presented to her like there was no tomorrow.


    ¡°Heh. Do not worry. Everything I eat is immediately devoured by my body down to the very molecules.¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    Camelia¡¯s smiling face twitched as she looked at Lilith¡¯s t and fit stomach with envy and jealousy.


    ¡°Sinful women like you can never understand the pain normal women like us go through.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Says the normal woman who should be near her forty but looks like she is in her twenties¡ª the prime of a woman''s lufe.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. I am eternally 17 years old.¡±


    ¡°Heh, and I am eternally 18. Did you forget already?¡±


    The two looked at each other and smiled with light hearted mischief in their eyes.


    This reminded them of the good old times when everything was simpler and they could bicker with little to no worries in their mind.


    ¡°So, tell me. Why did youe, outside of, of course, just wanting to finish all the reserves of food we umted.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­?¡±


    Lilith closed her eyes as she thought about why she came to this ce¡ª to her long-time friend after such a long time. A smile formed on her devilishly beautiful face as she came to a decision,


    ¡°I just thought that it would be nice to spend some time with my friend after a long time.¡±


    Her lips had stretched to form a forlorn smile full of mncholy. It had been so long since she could spend some time with Camelia like this. The circumstances just saddened her.


    There was always a reason. Always somethinging up that stopped her from going to speak calmly with Camelia.


    But if she had to be honest about it, she simply did not wish to show her current pathetic sight to the one she had always considered her rival and also her best friend.


    Perhaps Camelia¡¯s opinion was something that mattered to her even more than Mars. After all, in the past, she knew that Mars was too kind to ever hate her.


    But the same wasn¡¯t true for Camelia¡ª a very highly pragmatic woman who could be quite the snake when necessary.


    ¡°I feel like you are thinking something rude about me.¡±


    ¡°I would never.¡±


    Camelia scoffed and leaned back in her chair with a tea in her hand but before she could even take a sip she saw Lilith pushing a second drink of pint toward her.


    ¡°Drink this. Let us go back to the first day you went drunk.¡±


    Camelia blushed and coughed as she remembered those embarrassing memories. ¡°We do not talk about that.¡±


    Her expression was stern but she did not refuse the pint from her friend.


    Lilithughed out loud at her contradictory behavior. It was rare to see that woman be flustered with the mention of booze.


    ¡°Well, it was indeed something to see. I wonder what Sol would say if he knew that?¡±


    Camelia blushed further at her remark, ¡°Well, I think he would justugh it off. But I don¡¯t want to destroy my image with you mentioning that dark page of my life.¡±


    Camelia had already spent too much building the image of a mature and calm woman for Sol. She didn¡¯t want him to see her sloppy side.


    This might be a little vain of her. But she wished Sol would always look up to and respect her. See her as a great woman when, in reality, she was still full of insecurities and imperfections. Too many of them, in fact.


    ¡°You are like him, you know? I guess you two are really fitting as a couple. Though the new girl he brought seems more fitting in that aspect than you are.¡±


    Camelia could only smile bitterly at Lilith''s blunt remarks. She knew that Sol also acted more mature than he was in reality.


    The two of them wanted to always show their best side to the ones they loved and cherished so they did not allow anyone to see their weaknesses.


    This seemed to have changed however with the arrival of that Phoenix. She had received the report about their outings during the festival and she had to admit that she was positively surprised by what was written there.


    ¡°I always wondered¡­ What do you like about Sol?¡±


    Cameliaughed slightly at that remark of her friend, ¡°Then tell me my friend, what did you like about Mars?¡±


    Seeing Lilith bing speechless at that curveball she threw at her, she continued,


    ¡°Love, you see, always needs a starting point. It could be anything. Physical appearance, personality, the circumstances, and even more.


    ¡°But once you go past that starting point¡­ Things be fuzzy. I fell in love at first sight with his soul. But I would have neversted so long with just that. I love everything about him, even the things he does not wish to show.¡±


    Lilith smiled, hearing those words, ¡°The same way ze loved Mars even though the two couldn¡¯t be any more different.¡±


    Camelia snickered inside. In her opinion, Mars and ze were so suitable for each other that it was astounding. A match made in heaven.


    ze was a very dominant woman while Mars was more on the passive side when it came to love and rtionship as a whole.


    Even though Mars and ze had signed a Pride-type contract, with ze submitting to Mars, the reality waspletely opposite.


    This reminded her of a picture Arachne once drew.


    That of a ve kneeling in front of her master. But in a twist of fate, the ve was holding the chain of a cor in her hand¡­ A cor that was tied around the neck of her master.


    Theresa loved the picture so much that she bought it at a sky-high price.


    ¡°Well. Those were the good times I guess?¡±


    The two smiled quietly as afortable silence fell between them.


    Camelia stopped asking why Lilith came and Lilith never bought any particrly important topic.


    They just quietly chatted away like the old friends that they were¡­


    (AN: So. Every day I receive the same question. Where are the illustrations? I already answered in a long announcement on my server. But here is the link to have peace: /HikaruGenji?filters[tag]=Illustrations (Just rece the @ with a)


    Also, I already said it¡¯s free. Last time someoneined to me on DM about putting my illustrations behind a paywall and saying it was Bullshit or whatever when I have said again and again that they are FREE and avable for everyone. Just for that, I tested it with my phone. Then tested with another ount, then asked four members of my servers who are in different countries to test, the result is the same and they could all see the pictures perfectly well.


    I am the first to say I am greedy for money. I never lied about it and I never hide that writing is a pleasure but also works for me. I fucking pay my rent and live on what I gain as I writer. If I wanted to put illustrations behind a paywall, I would. Easy and nothing anyone can do against it. So when I say they are FREE and avable to the PUBLIC then I meant it and I have no reasons to lie to more than 20K readers of mine. Sorry for the rant, just frustrated. Also because of that, I closed my DMs. If you want to write to me, then do so on the server. Sorry guys. But imagine receiving a stupid message like this at nearly 3 am while you are banging your head about future chapters and some dudees calling your decision Bullshit.)

 Chapter 429 CH394:BANTER

    [Medea¡¯s World]


    ¡°How is the research going?¡±


    The drunk Phoenix sauntered toward Persephone and asked with a smile.


    Persephone looked away from the fight and nodded toward Hathor. The two had be quite close over the time spent together in each other¡¯spany since they were both healers and support and held simr powers.


    Moreover, they also had many sisters they needed to take care of and a demigod mother that could be quite absent when they needed her presence. There were just many simrities between them that allowed them to connect with each other.


    Besides, they also had a certain biased view toward life as one simply went through the motion without caring much about it and the other saw life as a series of bookspiled one after another.


    ¡°I believe we have enough data already. I already mapped the whole body of the two and I am sure that I can recreate them up to 50-60% already. What about you?¡±


    Hathor whistled at that news. The body was extremelyplex and having such a deep understanding of a body that wasn¡¯t even your own was quite impressive.


    ¡°Done as well on my side. The physiology of the Subi is quite simr to the True Demons and I healed quite a few during thest war so that was a bonus.¡±


    As she spoke about the war, Hathor showed an expression of distaste for an imperceptible moment before hiding it as soon as it appeared.


    Persephone, as wise as she was, didn¡¯t ask more rted to that matter. She didn''t want to stir a ho''s nest by chance.


    ¡°Anyway, little Isis also finished her part. Later, we will train to maintain a certain synchronization when using this power. Kali will be with us and help us in case things go bad while Ambrosia and Medea will slow time to give us more leeway.


    ¡°Finally, even Sherezade will give us a hand and use her power for this. There is only a little problem left on our hands.¡±


    ¡®Where to do this procedure?¡¯


    This was quite a problematic question for them.


    This space was not a true dimension. So there was a limit to how much it could block from the goddesses¡¯ gaze.


    ¡°We will do it in the Inverse World.¡±


    Isis chimed from the side, ¡°You guys have yet to see it, but it¡¯s pretty cool.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve seen it?¡±


    ¡°Well, not from up close. I am a Duke rank after all. I don¡¯t want to have my feelings twisted and yed with inside that realm. But it¡¯s pretty powerful.¡±


    Pandora was given no information about what they wanted to do. After all, while a King rank could block their thoughts from being spied upon, things were not very clear when it came to the rtionship between a Blessed and their goddess.


    Isis, meanwhile, had her soul protected from all outside observations since her birth. Trying to pass the block would immediately alert Anubis.


    In the same vein, while Lilin had an inkling about what was happening, she was given no concrete information.


    Whatever the results of their operation were, in the end, no one outside of them would know the truth.


    ¡°I wonder if we will seed.¡±


    ¡°We will. No, we must. At all costs.¡±


    A smile full of determination bloomed on her face as she watched the fight that took ce between Pandora and Lilin.


    This long n was slowly inching toward its end.


    They did not know what was at the end of the tunnel. But it did not really matter to them.


    As long as they were together then she was sure that everything would be alright.


    ¡®Though, I wonder what Lilith will doter on.¡¯


    Isis had no particr attachment toward Lilith. However, she remembered Skuld telling her that even if she had to seal her soul to keep her alive, she must do it. This meant that there was no way Lilith could be allowed to die.


    It seemed that, even beyond Sol¡¯s happiness, the Titan had determined that keeping Lilith alive was extremely important as she had the potential to reach a level few could ever hope to even achieve in their wildest dreams.


    Skuld was a Titan as well as the being with the strongest power and understanding when it came to observing the aspects of the ever changing future.


    Furthermore, her loyalty and devotion to Sol were beyond a shadow of a doubt.


    ¡®Well, I hope it won¡¯te to that.¡¯


    An undead could never grow and absorb knowledge in the same way the living could. No matter what kind of potential Lilith may have, the moment she became an undead, it would be greatly diminished.


    In the end, though, everything would still depend on Lilith herself. There was only so much they could do from their side.


    ¡°I wonder what she''s doing right now.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps she is brooding by herself in her room?¡±


    ¡°Or perhaps she is just employing her sword arts on the rooftop?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [Castitas¡¯ Church]


    No matter how much Isis and Persephone thought, they would have never guessed that the woman they were so worried and concerned about was currently downing a pint of beer big enough to make even the staunchest alcoholic cringe in fear and hesitation while feeling admiration and awe for doing such an act.


    Camelia looked up with bewilderment as the throat of her friend kept moving on and on without end as she finished the whole thing in the span of a few seconds.


    ¡°Are you the new incarnation of gluttony or something?¡±


    Not only was she drinking enough to make a whole sailor crew have justifiable doubts about their virility, but she was also wolfing down the food that was being presented to her like there was no tomorrow.


    ¡°Heh. Do not worry. Everything I eat is immediately devoured by my body down to the very molecules.¡±


    Camelia¡¯s smiling face twitched as she looked at Lilith¡¯s t and fit stomach with envy and jealousy.


    ¡°Sinful women like you can never understand the pain normal women like us go through.¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡°Heh. Says the normal woman who should be near her forty but looks like she is in her twenties¡ª the prime of a woman''s lufe.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. I am eternally 17 years old.¡±


    ¡°Heh, and I am eternally 18. Did you forget already?¡±


    The two looked at each other and smiled with light hearted mischief in their eyes.


    This reminded them of the good old times when everything was simpler and they could bicker with little to no worries in their mind.


    ¡°So, tell me. Why did youe, outside of, of course, just wanting to finish all the reserves of food we umted.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­?¡±


    Lilith closed her eyes as she thought about why she came to this ce¡ª to her long-time friend after such a long time. A smile formed on her devilishly beautiful face as she came to a decision,


    ¡°I just thought that it would be nice to spend some time with my friend after a long time.¡±


    Her lips had stretched to form a forlorn smile full of mncholy. It had been so long since she could spend some time with Camelia like this. The circumstances just saddened her.


    There was always a reason. Always somethinging up that stopped her from going to speak calmly with Camelia.


    But if she had to be honest about it, she simply did not wish to show her current pathetic sight to the one she had always considered her rival and also her best friend.


    Perhaps Camelia¡¯s opinion was something that mattered to her even more than Mars. After all, in the past, she knew that Mars was too kind to ever hate her.


    But the same wasn¡¯t true for Camelia¡ª a very highly pragmatic woman who could be quite the snake when necessary.


    ¡°I feel like you are thinking something rude about me.¡±


    ¡°I would never.¡±


    Camelia scoffed and leaned back in her chair with a tea in her hand but before she could even take a sip she saw Lilith pushing a second drink of pint toward her.


    ¡°Drink this. Let us go back to the first day you went drunk.¡±


    Camelia blushed and coughed as she remembered those embarrassing memories. ¡°We do not talk about that.¡±


    Her expression was stern but she did not refuse the pint from her friend.


    Lilithughed out loud at her contradictory behavior. It was rare to see that woman be flustered with the mention of booze.


    ¡°Well, it was indeed something to see. I wonder what Sol would say if he knew that?¡±


    Camelia blushed further at her remark, ¡°Well, I think he would justugh it off. But I don¡¯t want to destroy my image with you mentioning that dark page of my life.¡±


    Camelia had already spent too much building the image of a mature and calm woman for Sol. She didn¡¯t want him to see her sloppy side.


    This might be a little vain of her. But she wished Sol would always look up to and respect her. See her as a great woman when, in reality, she was still full of insecurities and imperfections. Too many of them, in fact.


    ¡°You are like him, you know? I guess you two are really fitting as a couple. Though the new girl he brought seems more fitting in that aspect than you are.¡±


    Camelia could only smile bitterly at Lilith''s blunt remarks. She knew that Sol also acted more mature than he was in reality.


    The two of them wanted to always show their best side to the ones they loved and cherished so they did not allow anyone to see their weaknesses.


    This seemed to have changed however with the arrival of that Phoenix. She had received the report about their outings during the festival and she had to admit that she was positively surprised by what was written there.


    ¡°I always wondered¡­ What do you like about Sol?¡±


    Cameliaughed slightly at that remark of her friend, ¡°Then tell me my friend, what did you like about Mars?¡±


    Seeing Lilith bing speechless at that curveball she threw at her, she continued,


    ¡°Love, you see, always needs a starting point. It could be anything. Physical appearance, personality, the circumstances, and even more.


    ¡°But once you go past that starting point¡­ Things be fuzzy. I fell in love at first sight with his soul. But I would have neversted so long with just that. I love everything about him, even the things he does not wish to show.¡±


    Lilith smiled, hearing those words, ¡°The same way ze loved Mars even though the two couldn¡¯t be any more different.¡±


    Camelia snickered inside. In her opinion, Mars and ze were so suitable for each other that it was astounding. A match made in heaven.


    ze was a very dominant woman while Mars was more on the passive side when it came to love and rtionship as a whole.


    Even though Mars and ze had signed a Pride-type contract, with ze submitting to Mars, the reality waspletely opposite.


    This reminded her of a picture Arachne once drew.


    That of a ve kneeling in front of her master. But in a twist of fate, the ve was holding the chain of a cor in her hand¡­ A cor that was tied around the neck of her master.


    Theresa loved the picture so much that she bought it at a sky-high price.


    ¡°Well. Those were the good times I guess?¡±


    The two smiled quietly as afortable silence fell between them.


    Camelia stopped asking why Lilith came and Lilith never bought any particrly important topic.


    They just quietly chatted away like the old friends that they were¡­


    (AN: So. Every day I receive the same question. Where are the illustrations? I already answered in a long announcement on my server. But here is the link to have peace: /HikaruGenji?filters[tag]=Illustrations (Just rece the @ with a)


    Also, I already said it¡¯s free. Last time someoneined to me on DM about putting my illustrations behind a paywall and saying it was Bullshit or whatever when I have said again and again that they are FREE and avable for everyone. Just for that, I tested it with my phone. Then tested with another ount, then asked four members of my servers who are in different countries to test, the result is the same and they could all see the pictures perfectly well.


    I am the first to say I am greedy for money. I never lied about it and I never hide that writing is a pleasure but also works for me. I fucking pay my rent and live on what I gain as I writer. If I wanted to put illustrations behind a paywall, I would. Easy and nothing anyone can do against it. So when I say they are FREE and avable to the PUBLIC then I meant it and I have no reasons to lie to more than 20K readers of mine. Sorry for the rant, just frustrated. Also because of that, I closed my DMs. If you want to write to me, then do so on the server. Sorry guys. But imagine receiving a stupid message like this at nearly 3 am while you are banging your head about future chapters and some dudees calling your decision Bullshit.)

 Chapter 430 CH395:END OF THE SIDEQUESTS

    While everyone was working on the matter regarding Lilith and Lilith herself was spending her time away drinking like no tomorrow with her old friend Camelia, Sol had his hands full working with ra about the matters regarding Lustburg.


    "Your Highness needs to have a meeting with the Hignd family. Athena Hignd has been chosen as the representative for the meeting from the Hignd¡¯s side."


    "Hmm? Athena? What about the old man? Anything happened to him recently?"


    "Sir Tyr is still very much healthy, Your Highness. I surmise that he wishes to introduce Athena to more important matters of the family through this and most likely wishes to make her spend more time with you."


    "I see¡­"


    Sol nodded in understanding and acknowledgment to ra¡¯s words. Athena had already been acting as a representative of their family every now and then before he left for the Astral Realm, so it was not anything new.


    But now, it seemed that she would be taking full control of the Hignd family¡¯s affairs.


    ''Then again, Tyr is only a human, after all.''


    He had to admit that after being around the divine beasts, he had forgotten that the lifespan of a human, no matter how powerful he may be or whatever realm they might have attained, was quite low,paratively speaking.


    ? Tyr was only a Duke-ranked human so living more than a hundred years would beplicated without some external supplement in use.


    ''I guess the same goes for Setsuna and Milia too. And¡­ To a certain degree, Camelia as well.''


    Even a King-ranked human had an average lifespan of 300 years or so. It was impossible to reach 500 without treading on the Demigod realm but that was a whole other matter altogether. Meanwhile, for the divine beasts, even events from 700 years ago still felt like fresh news. A past that wasn¡¯t really a past but more akin to the events of a month ago at most.


    He was still young, so he couldn''t really understand the weight of his longevity but he hoped from the bottom of his heart that he would have those he loved always close to him and share their life together till the end.


    ''Well, I still have time.''


    "I think your highness should take Athena Hignd or at least a rtive of hers as a concubine. This would strengthen the power of the royal family greatly."


    Sol chuckled and shook his head, "I have honestly no romantic interest in Athena for now. As for the power of the royal family? As long as I am alive, no such thing will be necessary."


    When he visited the Four Dukes family, he had a discussion with Tyr about Athena bing his knight and possibly his fiancee or concubine.


    Certainly, back then having the Hignd on his back seemed very enticing. But now not much so. Anything that could actually threaten him currently would reduce Athena to nothingness in an instant.


    If the witches, Camelia, and Lilith were not considered in the picture, Sol could say without a hint of arrogance that he was the strongest being in the entirety of Lustburg.


    When you took into consideration that all those stronger than him were all his staunchest allies, then his control over Lustburg would never be in jeopardy no matter what.


    ra had to fight her inner urge to scream like a fan girl after hearing him speak so resolutely and with such unrestrained confidence. She adjusted her sses and coughed lightly to gather her bearings before she made a fool of herself before her Lord¡­


    "Your Highness is certainly strong. But power alone cannot assure the good functioning of a Kingdom asrge as Lustburg."


    Sol grimaced slightly after hearing her words. Lustburg was a very big country [1]. All in all, it covered no less than 3 million square kilometers.


    Ifpared to his old world this was roughly equal to India in the area alone.


    Furthermore, this was the result of having lost some territory to other countries during past wars. Prominently, during Neptune¡¯s reign.


    This world had a weird mix of technology and magic while retaining the lifestyle of medieval times. So, at the very least, the life of the citizens was pretty much assured at this point.


    But since the territory was so big, problems always followed them around.


    "When I came to Lustburg with Princess Lilin, we were attacked on the road by bandits not far from the capital."


    Sol sighed as he listened to ra¡¯s report, "Furthermore since Queen Lilith focused mainly on the interior politics of Lustburg, the nobles on the frontier are more or less acting like kings in their territories and have increased the taxes greatly. Making life moderately harder for the citizens. It¡¯s almost a tyranny at this point."


    "Of course, after the recent purge, they calmed down. But human beings really have a short memory, don¡¯t they? Some nobles are trying to skimp on the war resources they need to provide."


    Sol wished he could instantly be a demigod and cover the entirety of the Lustburg at least as his territory.


    Then this whole thing would change into a big simtion game as he would have absolute control over every part of the kingdom. This way nothing would be able to go past his supervision and he could instantly strike down any mishappenings in the kingdom before it could get out of hand like this.


    ''This is why I don''t want to conquer the world.''


    Dealing with one kingdom was hell already. Dealing with the world would be something he couldn''t even start to imagine.


    He shook his head to suppress those tiring thoughts, "I guess Milia is doing something about this?"


    ra gave an icy smile as she ced a list on his table, "There are many decisions we couldn''t take as it would be abusing our authority. But now that you are present, I believe that it¡¯s time to sort this situation."


    Sol calmly read the list that could have been called a death note in a way.


    After all, all those on this list were judged to be worthy of being executed.


    Sol pondered a little before asking her an important question, "Any recement ready?"


    "Yes. But it would take time for them to limate and that is why¡­ Milia made a simple proposal¡­ Using the war as a means to achieve our goals."


    "...."


    Sol closed his eyes and replied with an indifferent tone, "You mean killing them covertly on the battlefield."


    "Indeed. Lustburg already had too much turmoil in a short time span. So a mass assassination operation would only incite more chaos in the country and the people¡¯s mind. But by using the war as a means we can keep our hands clean."


    He could only form a bitter smile with his lips after hearing ra¡¯s words, "I wish I was the kind of person who could show outrage at such a proposal." <novelnext></novelnext>


    He stood up and waved his hand, "I will review the information about them and give my decision once I am done with the reviewing. Please bring me theirplete background and the crime they are used of."


    Sol did not doubt ra and doubted Milia even less.


    If Milia judged that they needed to die then he was sure they needed to.


    But¡­ He refused to take this decision lightly.


    He needed to know. Needed to understand all the reasons before steering those people to their untimely deaths.


    From now on, all his decisions would affect millions of people. He couldn''t just say <<I didn''t know>> or <<This wasn''t my choice>> just wash his hands off of the matter.


    ''I also need morepetent and loyal retainers to use as administrators.''


    ra was a gem but she only had one body and mind. Even the Crown¡¯s Shadow had basically been permanently changed into an open administrative institution because of how much work they were doing due to theck of trustworthy andpetent personnel.


    ''After I finish dealing with Lilith ''s problem, I will ask Isis to help me with her undead.''


    Just imagining a group of 100% loyal and tireless undead working on paperwork for him brought a small smile to his face and swept away the feeling of gloom that was burdening his mind.


    He also needed to have a talk with the witches.


    ''I wonder if I can learn a way to create many clones.''


    He felt like this wouldn''t be impossible. After all, his power was still entirely linked with the concept of mirrors.


    He should be able to create at least one copy of himself. The only problem was that he was quite scared to do it.


    If the clone was his mirror then its personality might also be the opposite of his own.


    ''All that for the future.''


    "Hmmm?"


    Sol tilted his head in wonder as he heard someone running in the hallway outside¡­


    "Who might it be?"


    ra had already left to go find the documents he had asked for but he doubted she would run like this.


    His question was answered promptly when he felt the aura of Isis as she burst through the door with no consideration.


    "Sol! Sol! We¡­ We seeded! We finallypleted the perfect map and made a usible n that¡¯s sure to work!"


    Sol¡¯s fist clenched unconsciously at the news.


    Finally¡­ The time hade.


    He approached Isis and took her in his arms before giving her a deep searing kiss in the throes of excitement he felt from this news.


    "Thank you."


    She blushed slightly due to the curveball he threw at her but nestled herself in his arms the next moment, feeling quite happy with her actions.


    "You should also thank Sheherazadeter."


    "Heh, I guess my debt to the little fairy is growing every day."


    He shook his head as his expression became firm and resolute, "I will go and find Lilith. It¡¯s time to end this¡­"


    It was time toplete the main quest after clearing out all those damned cumbersome side quests.


    Finally¡­ It was time to end it all¡­


    [1] :


    The countries are in order by howrge they are in kilometers.


    Gluttony Foss with 18 million square.


    Envilya with 10 million square.


    Lustburg with 3 million square.


    Southern pride with 2 million square.


    Wratharis with 750000 square.


    Greed dike with 700000 square.


    And Slotsthein with 250000 square.


    (AN: Question. Are you guys interested in kingdom building/Politics etc? This is a real question as once Sol officially bes a King it will determine how much attention I ce on those plots. I am the first to say that I am not the smartest dude around so don''t expect some mind-blowing plot filled with twists and superplicated ns. But some kingdom-building could help expand the world. Even more so since my dude wants to conquer the world.)

 Chapter 431 CH396:BLESSING OFLIGHT AND SHADOW

    After receiving the good news. Sol immediately rushed in the church¡¯s direction, not even willing to wait for another second to put his ns into motion.


    He was quite happy that Lilith was already there as it would make her meeting with Aurora much easier.


    He didn¡¯t feel any gazes on them, but he was still sure that Invidia would observe Lilith regrly for some time.


    When Sol finally appeared inside the church, it was rather deserted with only a few nuns passing by here and there.


    At this time, the majority of the nuns were either taking care of the believers who came for prayers or were giving donations in the name of the Goddess.


    The way the church worked was very interesting and it was even more so since the nuns actually had holy power they could use.


    Thanks to the existence of the goddesses, all the countries in the world were in essence, Theocracies.


    The goddesses were the absolute source of faith, fear, and respect and imagining facing them was sphemy in itself.


    ''Though I am about to go against them myself.''


    Once the operation started, the slightest mistake meant that Sol might officially be the enemy of the Goddesses. All of the goddesses.


    ''Well, I will cross that bridge when I get there.''


    Now wasn''t the time for any hesitation.


    He walked out of his dimension and the nuns were quite startled at the sight of a man suddenly appearing out of nowhere.


    ? One of them was already about to scream at the top of her lungs but she caught herself when she recognized the man to be none other than the Prince of Lustburg.


    The way her eyes opened wide while she covered her mouth was quite a funny sight.


    "I am sorry for startling you."


    Sol noticed at first nce that they were only novices. After all, higher-ranked nuns wouldn''t have stopped like this even if they recognized him.


    "I need your help. Do you know where the Supreme Daughter''s right now?"


    They nodded so fast that he feared their necks might snap at any moment and one of them pointed in the direction of Camelia¡¯s current location.


    "The third room on the left."


    The one who answered had a soft voice as though she revealing that information took everything she had in her.


    "Thank you."


    Sol smiled as he watched them blush and walked away.


    ''I am acting like an old man.''


    Strictly speaking, those girls should be in the same age range as him. Perhaps a little older than him even.


    But in his eyes, they simply all looked like cute little children.


    He chuckled. He was feeling quite rxed right now.


    Completing all these side quests that had been slowing him down was such a relief that he couldn''t even express how he was feeling right now. No words could describe the serenity his mind was feeling.


    He could feel his mind being finally freed from its constraints and the weight on his shoulders seemed to fall off.


    Of course, he knew this was just an illusion. He would soon face an even greater peril.


    But he believed that he could face them all head-on.


    ''Is it here?''


    Sol stopped, briefly wondering if he should first enter using his dimension or not. But soon, he dismissed that idea.


    He didn''t wish to think too much or prepare ns anymore. Only do what he had to do.


    He knocked on the door and no one answered him at first.


    It was only on the third one that a groan sounded from the other side.


    "*Ugh* Enter."


    Sol tilted his head and opened the door only to witness the astonishing sight of Camelia hugging Lilith while they wereying on the sofa.


    Well, hugging was not the best word to describe their current entanglement. As it looked more like some grappling move of submission. He wondered how Lilith was even able to breathe.


    The room was trashed beyond belief and everywhere he could see huge bottles of alcohol sloppily lying on the ground.


    The one who had answered him was Lilith but it seemed that she had only been able to barely keep a little of her mind awake. Just enough to utter those words with tremendous difficulty.


    She also seemed to have some difficulty breathing because of Camelia''s choke hold.


    ''So Camelia is a hugger? Or does she have some hidden talents for wrestling?''


    This was all the bted reaction he could give to this absolutely ludicrous scene.


    Unlike what Camelia wished, Sol knew very well about her slovenly side.


    In fact, he hoped that he could see even more of it. Even if it was quite hypocritical for someone like him who tried to never show his true side to others.


    ''There are many things I need to correct.''


    Be it his rtionship with Camelia or the rest of his lovers.


    He realized that he did not give them the time they deserved sinceing back because of how busy he had been with Lilith''s case.


    Of course, it had only been a few days. But even so, it was unjust to them in his heart.


    "Well, now what to do?"


    Sol groaned out loud. It wouldn''t be good if some new maid saw this scene. They might immediately have their faith shattered into a million pieces after seeing the contents of this room.


    But there was another thing going on here. Something even more impressive. More impressive than anything he had ever witnessed in the entirety of his life.


    Lilith¡­was begging for help.


    This was such a surprising situation that hegged a little before fighting the urge tough.


    He knew of course that Lilith could easily break free of this hold if she used her powers. But she obviously didn''t want to hurt Camelia.


    Meanwhile, without her powers, Lilith was even weaker than most humans her age.


    Solughed quietly before proceeding to help out his dear aunt.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª <novelnext></novelnext>


    A few awkward momentster, and some sweaty moments as well as even Sol was surprised by Camelia''s grip, she was now sleeping on her bed while Lilith was free of her torment.


    "I definitely will never let her drink again."


    Lilithined under her struggling breaths. Thest time this had happened the one being hugged had been ze.


    Seeing the prideful dragon show a helpless face as Camelia hugged her tightly had been a great moment of serendipity for her.


    Watching the awkward face Camelia made the next morning had an even greater thrill.


    "Shall we go?"


    Lilith looked at Sol while she purged the alcohol from her system and nodded.


    Sol gave onest kiss to Camelia before moving aside fast before the Supreme Daughter caught him in her sleep. Then he left alongside Lilith.


    Now alone in the hallway he couldn''t help but notice, "Still, I am surprised that she didn''t wake up."


    The instincts of a warrior were no joke. Much less a King-ranked warrior. Camelia should have been already partially awake from the moment he knocked on the door.


    "She can only be like this because she let go of all her doubt and really trusts us."


    Camelia''s instinct did not ring for the simple reason that Camelia never considered the two of them like strangers.


    Sol nodded before slowly steering their direction toward an unconventional destination.


    "Hmm¡­? The teleport room isn''t in that direction though."


    "I know. I just want to visit the Chappelle."


    Lilith was quite confused as she followed Sol. But the moment they reached the ce, she frowned.


    "There is someone there."


    "Oh? Seriously?"


    He acted surprised as he spoke out the line but Lilith immediately noticed that he was acting.


    ''Weird.''


    When they finally entered the isted Chappelle, Lilith saw a girl she recognized quite easily.


    ''The new Holy Daughter¡­?''


    When she noticed them, Aurora showed a pious expression on her face as she bowed toward them with dignity oozing out of her every minute action.


    "I wee the two Majesties. How may I help you?"


    Sol smiled slightly as he answered back, "We were just passing by."


    He then had a thoughtful expression on his face as he joined some more words to his previous statement¡­


    "Well, since we are here already. Why don''t we take a blessing from the goddess?"


    ''A blessing? Is he talking about Castitas?''


    She was once again surprised. Sol had never been the type to actively pray and from what she knew, the goddesses didn''t exactly wee her existence¡ª being the abomination that she was.


    Furthermore, if he really wanted a blessing, why not ask for a prayer from Camelia? The effects would be much more effective.


    She felt that the situation was getting more and more suspicious.


    But rather than interrupting them, she simply listened and acted along.


    She knew that the one person the least likely to ever wish ill of her was none other than Sol himself.


    "Then, if you are satisfied with my meager skills."


    Aurora kept an enchanting smile on her face before sping her hand together with her head low.


    "May the Light of the goddess always be on you and chase away the shadows guing you."


    Sol clenched his fist as he observed the phenomena with his Divine Eyes.


    At the same time, he sent a warning to Aurora.


    [I will not me you if you fail.]


    The girl was not even a Duke. Though he suspected she was once a very powerful being, she was extremely weak at the moment.


    As such, failure was a possibility.


    But¡­


    [If you leave some trick in this so-called blessing¡­]


    A gentle smile formed on his face¡­


    [Even if you flee to the edge of the universe.]


    ¡ªA smile that sent chills down Aurora¡¯s spine.


    [I will find you and I will make you beg for death.]


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    .


    .


    .


    (AN: So vol 11 ising to an end. I noticed a trend. I think vol 11 is overall pretty good but the moments with Lilith are rarely appreciated.


    The arrogant author in me thinks. Nah they can''t ept my genius and they just don''t like Lilith because she doesn''t love Sol.


    But the realistic side of me knows that the greatest problem is that I tried to bite more than I could chew.


    Lilith is a veryplex character facingplex issues and I tried to bring thatplexity to life but I failed.


    Even then, I believe I can make the end of Vol 11 very memorable. Lilith is one of my favorite characters and I fucked her up because of myck of skills. But it isn''t toote. I hope you will enjoy the climax of this volume.


    I will take a pause on Sunday. Next week will be the end of vol 11. Gotta start with a rested mind.)

 Chapter 432 CH397:THREE SWORDS

    After Sol and Lilith left the church and appeared back in the Tower of Babel, Lilith directed aplicated nce toward her nephew Sol. The boy was getting more and more mysterious the more she watched him.


    The moment that shady girl had given her the so-called blessing of the goddess, Lilith had immediately felt the foreign power enter her body. She had received a blessing from Camelia in the past. So she recognized that the power that she was emanating inside her now was clearly different from the one she received from Camelia.


    The power felt stronger and purer than the one she had received before. And it goes without saying but something like that should be impossible. After all, the goddesses were the highest beings in this world below the Mother goddesses.


    Lilith was well on her way to tearing apart that Blessing at that moment but she was stopped promptly by Sol.


    ¡®Something is happening.¡¯


    Something huge was about to transpire¡­


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we have a fight?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm?¡±


    Lilith almost doubted her ears for a second. The difference in power between Sol and Lilith at her peak was extremely high. But she could not use her mana right now without shortening her remaining lifespan.


    If she fought Sol without using her mana, no matter how skilled she was, the only result would be absolute defeat. Like how her realm was far higher than his, in terms of physical strength, she doubted there was anyone in the whole Mortal world who could match Sol outside of Sun Wukong and Siegfried. Even then, she believed that Sol woulde out triumphant,


    ¡°Why suddenly?¡±


    ¡°No holding back. Let¡¯s fight and give it our all. This would be a rematch of ourst fight.¡±


    Lilith frowned as she felt like Sol wasn¡¯t actually having a dialog with her. But rather was simply giving her some pre-established lines.


    Was it also a part of his n?


    She sighed and nodded. In the end, it didn¡¯t particrly matter to her. Nothing really mattered to her in the first ce.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s fight.¡±


    She knew that Sol had grown incredibly powerfulpared to his past self. But she wondered just by how much. She was actually a bit excited to witness her nephew¡¯s growth for herself.


    Sol nodded tersely before walking ahead with Lilith behind him. Leading her on to the ce their ensuing battle would take ce.


    When they finally reached the top of the Tower of Babel, Lilith opened her eyes wide as she saw all those who were present at the scene.


    Pandora, Kali, Medea, Freya, and finally¡­ Ambrosia.


    The Ouroboros. The five strongest witches and part of the most powerful beings in the Mortal World, maybe all worlds, were all standing in the hanging garden while looking at her.


    As if that wasn¡¯t enough, Isis and Hathor were also present in the scene.


    Thest one present was none other than her own daughter Lilin, holding her sword in her hands and fully equipped for battle.


    Lilith looked at this ludicrous gathering with utter bewilderment, realizing once again just how much influence Sol had in his hand.


    Milia appeared from another side of the floor and walked in silence while holding arge greatsword that was taller than a grown man.


    It was Lilith¡¯s signature sword.


    Once she reached Lilith, Milia bowed with the sword in hand in her direction while Sol walked and stopped once he was at Lilin¡¯s side.


    ¡°¡®What is going on?¡±


    ¡°I said let¡¯s go all out, didn¡¯t I? Two Dukes against one King. Shall we give it a go?¡±


    Light flickered in her hollow eyes as she gazed at everyone present before nodding and gripping the sword with her hands.


    Whoosh.


    The moment Lilith took hold of the sword, an incredible resonance of metallic sharp intent permeated the surroundings. cing a heavy intent of sharpness and lethality above everyone.


    Milia stood up from her spot and bowed before leaving the premise.


    This moment had nothing to do with her and she knew it all too well. Her only role had been to deliver the sword.


    ¡®I hope I will see you tomorrow, Your Highness. I hope you survive¡­ For your sake and Sol''s¡­¡¯


    It would be a shame to lose such a warrior and queen. And even further shame to see the impact her loss would have on her beloved.


    Even though Milia left the scene, no one, not even Sol, directed a nce toward her from start to finish.


    Looking at Lilith holding her sword, even a battle-crazed lunatic like Sol had to admit that he was feeling sweaty and dry in the mouth. He was once again reminded that, no matter how monstrously stronger he became¡­ His aunt was still in a realm of her own. Dying or not¡­


    This was different from his fight against Surtr and Nihil. Facing those two False Gods could never evene close to the feeling that was chilling his bones right now.


    Even though Lilith had not even taken a step from her spot and was just loosely holding onto her humongous sword, he felt like a razor-sharp de was ced close to his neck, ready to behead him at any given moment. The resonance of her intent to cut anything and everything had reached such a level that it had manifested without any conscious intention on her part.


    A maniacal grin formed on his face as his desire to fight began to soar. His repressed urges as a prime battle junky started revealing themselves at this point. His horns shone with an ominous light and draconic scales covered his entire body as Sol unleashed his ultimate form from the get-go.


    The air that was already filled with the razor-sharp sword intent became heavier suddenly with the overbearing aura of a war dragon ovepping over it. As if a weight ready to crush everything was ced in the zone, Sol''s aura began to pressure everything that existed within this ne.


    Lilith smiled when she felt the weight and pressure of his aura and looked at her daughter.


    ¡°I am thankful for the asion to fight. I always wanted to check your progress.¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    Lilin held her sword tigtly. Unlike Lilith¡¯s heavy sword, hers was a long sword but it was so long and thin that even the world long paled in front of it. It was a sword bestowed to her by the elves after she helped them during the incident with the vampire. [1]


    An aura filled with the smell of blood stretched out of her body and mixed with the two previous intents, causing the atmosphere to warp. Lilin''s intent moved in a way that even space was affected.


    Looking at this one would think that the three were about to fight to the death.


    Kali whistled aloud at the scene, ¡°Truly a family full of monsters.¡±


    It was hard to believe the current sight in front of her. Even though among the three, Lilin¡¯s power was slightlycking, there was no doubt that she also reached a level of talent beyond measure.


    ¡°Freya, Ambrosia, please.¡±


    There was no way they could fight in this ce without absolutely destroying everything and potentially putting everyone in the vicinity in danger. As such, they required an isted ce to fully duke it out.


    Ambrosia waved her hand, causing space to wrap around all of them and expand. They went from being on the rooftop to standing in arge clearing with a beautiful moon hung up on the clear night sky.


    This was Medea''s world.


    Freya directed a nce toward Medea to which she could only give a helpless shrug. No matter how sturdy this ce was, there was no way it would stay standing after what was about to happen. But Medea did not mind it for a bit.


    This ce had been a refuge for her and a ce for her to escape to for a long time already. But it was finally time for her to step outside of this gilded prison and walk once more under the light of the sun. <novelnext></novelnext>


    But now the most important thing was to witness this fight.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    For the three individuals, facing each other, the location they were on mattered no more.


    All they could see was each other.


    Lilith slowly began to rx her stance. But the more she did so, the more she seemed dangerous.


    Lilin held her sword as she crouched in an Iai sword stance and even Sol was holding a sword loosely in his hand.


    This was one of the weapons he received from the dragon territory so they were also created by elves. It was a straight sword with a style simr to western de in his previous world.


    That sword was not particrly sharp. It only had two specialties.


    The first one was extreme durability.


    As for the second one? It was the ability to absorb mana in a great capacity.


    <<Sword Zone: Limitless Swords>>


    Everything started in a sh.


    Lilith held her sword with one hand and ced two fingers in front of her as hundreds of light swords appeared all around her.


    When she pointed at both Sol and Lilin, those des immediately rushed at them with an unimaginable speed.


    ¡°This won¡¯t work, mother¡±


    Lilith muttered. All her life, she had dreamed of fighting her mother at her full power.


    For that, she honed her sword. Sadly, Lilin knew¡ª Her mother was a genius beyond belief when it came to swords. This alone would never be enough for Lilin to match her.


    This was why she learned more about her power. The fact that this power was the result of her grandfather''s experiment disgusted her. But she was not so naive that she would reject this power.


    Bringing the fantasy into reality.


    In the past, she wished to be one with the world. But she had learned a new truth, refined her power, and finally ¡ª surpassed her old self.


    ¡®Watch this, mother. Since your swords are Limitless, then¡­¡¯


    Lilin¡¯s eyes shone with a purple luster while horns grew on either side of her head. Currently, there was no doubt left that she was in no way human.


    ¡°Wee to my world.¡±


    <<Zone: Boundless sword.>>


    For Lilin, right here, right now, Distance became absolutely meaningless.


    The world all around her changed. From her perspective, be Lilith standing far away or all those swords approaching from different directions, she felt like they were all at her fingertips.


    In order to reach them, in order to break them, all she needed ¡ª


    << Re-Immortal ying Technique: Zero Distance>>


    ¡ª Was to take one step.


    Unlikest time when she needed to take three steps, this time, one step was all it took to go beyond space and find herself in front of Lilith.


    At the same time, rays of light filled the world, as if everything had been cut a hundred times andpletely erased all traces of the swords Lilith had thrown.


    *ng*


    The clear sword of metal shing sounded as Lilith blocked the sh. Her eyes were filled with surprise and at the same time, pride.


    ¡°Beautiful.¡±


    She was entranced by the technique Lilin had just used.


    ¡°But still too shallow. You wasted too much power cutting all my other swords.¡±


    She moved her sword and deflected Lilin''s before striking on her own.


    Lilith''s sword was extremely heavy and the pressure building up looked like it would crush Lilin before even cutting her.


    Lilith of course wasn''t trying to kill her daughter. She just wondered how she would respond to this attack.


    It should be fast enough that Lilin would need to use all her strength to block it.


    This was why she was surprised to see a grin on Lilin''s face.


    ''Why¡­''


    Her question was quickly answered. When she suddenly felt a gush of mana filling the world, she understood¨C


    ¡°I only had to hold you down.¡±


    Above them, a golden de that was more than five meters long shone as mana roared.


    Coming down with so much power was none other than Sol.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget me!¡±


    Sol was not a swordman. He knew how to use the sword but he had no particr technique.


    Even then, in front of pure unadulterated power¡ªAll techniques were meaningless


    <<Mana Burst!!!>>


    BOOOMM!!!


    (AN: /watch?v=vrgUd1ZUZSY ¡ª> For those who don¡¯t know. Here is what Mana Burst looks like. If you can''t copy paste then just search Artoria Mana burst or Mana burst Fate)


    [1]: As a reminder, Lilith¡¯s sword is basically based on Zabuza and Cloud''s (Final Fantasy 7) sword. Meanwhile, Lilin¡¯s sword is based on Masamune (Sephiroth¡¯s sword from Final Fantasy 7. As for Sol¡¯s sword, it¡¯s more based on Excalibur or Mordred¡¯s sword from Fate)


    (AN: Around one year ago, Lilin first used her in CH 117. Now she is doing it again in CH 397. Such a beautiful coincid¨C *Ahem*¡ª I mean, I obviously nned everything from the start. Bow in front of my genius, peasants.


    I was pretty hyped writing this. The fight won¡¯t be long don¡¯t worry. I hope you liked the way it started. Lilin and Lilth are worthy of being Vergil¡¯s daughters.)

 Chapter 433 CH 398:END OF THE ACT *5 In 1*

    (AN: https://youtu.be/0oB2bH0PZjg ¡ª> Fate/stay night Heaven''s Feel III spring song OST - They Rule the battle field -Suite-. I think it)


    ¡ª------------------------


    ---------------


    ¡º Mana Burst ¡»


    BOOOMM!!!~


    With that chant, the golden de of mana descended from above. Everything that shining de of mana collided with turned into nothingness as the pure st of mana decimated everything and anything in its path.


    The kaleidoscopic de shot through the air and collided with Lilith¡¯s own. A pure shockwave of unadulterated and concentrated power hit everything in its radius as a pir of ominous light shot out from the collision point. A deafening roar shook the very foundation of the dimension they upied.


    Sol was right¡­ Before overwhelming power, everything was meaningless. The current change in thendscape was proof of that statement.


    But, there was one thing that was to be noted in that statement. In the first ce, Sol was not the one with overwhelming power in this fight.


    Shooosh~


    An all-epassing line of sword light. For an instant, it felt like the entire world had been cleanly severed into two equal parts.


    All it took was just a single sh. Following the vertical sh of light, the attack created by the Mana Burst Solunched at Lilith waspletely divided and disintegrated with so much ease that it was utterly ridiculous.


    When the dust slowly scattered, all the people upying the space could only nce at the great divide that hadpletely split the ground and the edges of the realm into two, distorting the fabric of space that this ce was standing upon.


    ¡®Incredible.¡¯


    Sol looked down at his body and his eyes narrowed when he saw the fine line going from his torso to his stomach. Even though he wasn¡¯t in his War Mode, his scales were still more durable than even the most solid armor in the Mortal World. Even after having equipped such hard armor, a delicate wound colored his midriff with trickles of blood oozing out of the crevice that was created by the wound.


    What if this fight had been a fight to the death?


    ¡®I would have lost then and there.¡¯


    The worst thing was that such a wound should have usually healed immediately. Even before even a drop of blood could ooze out of such a wound. But, in this case, the healing became incredibly slow. To the point that one could not even tell if he had a healing factor or not.


    The Immortal ying Sword Art. A sword technique specially created by Lilith to deal with creatures who had a strong healing power and who never knew the meaning of death.


    Sol nodded his head in acknowledgment of Lilith¡¯s prowess. Indeed, his beloved aunt was truly a monster of the highest order.


    Lilin, who had used her powers to move away from the trajectory of the explosion sighed with despondency. Even though she had acted in perfect sync with Sol, they had still been unable to even put a scratch on her mother.


    No¡­ Worse than that even¡­ She had yet to move a single step from her spot.


    ¡°I would be quite disappointed if this is all you can show.¡±


    Lilith spoke gently while hiding the trembling of her hand and the few cracks that were already spreading along it.


    ¡°Very well, far from us to disappoint you. Lilin, let¡¯s continue.¡±


    Whoosh~


    The two appeared next to Lilith in an instant as though they had teleported from their previous spot. Sol by using the properties of his dimension and Lilin by moving through space with the use of her Boundless zone.


    The two attacked at the same time, but two floating swords manifested in the air and blocked those attacks for Lilith without her even having to will it.


    What followed after was a true battle between monsters, that went beyond the limits of anything that the Mortal Realm could hold¡­


    Lilith knew that she did not have enough mana in her tost an entire fight. She knew that after this, her time remaining in this world would be close to nothing and it would be impossible for her to face the Wolf King or even being able to witness the fight with her own eyes.


    But she was not worried anymore. Be it Sol or Lilin, they were showing her that the Kingdom was in good hands. She would be able to die in peace even if she were to meet her demise at the end of this fight.


    ¡°Then, let me give you a good lesson then.¡±


    ¡®Perhaps final lesson, if you will.¡¯


    Firstly¡ª


    ¡°Was it called Mana Burst?¡±


    Lilith grinned with a maniacal glint in her eyes. People seemed to believe that she had no big moves or finishing moves set aside outside of her innate powers as a King-rank. But they could not be more wrong about that piece of information.


    She stepped on one of her swords, which materialized beneath her feet, and slowly levitated in the air until she was standing high above in the night sky.


    ¡°Sol¡­ what do you think of this?¡±


    Sol, at first, was confused by his aunt¡¯s sudden deration. Even though she had said those lines he wasn¡¯t able to spot anything to block. That was until he picked up the crazy turmoil of mana in the air and looked up.


    ¡°!!!¡±


    The sky itself seemed to have torn apart as a gigantic de of unfathomable size slowly materialized from the void above and swiftly descended down the night sky.


    Lilith¡¯s hand formed a sign, and the materialized de was concentrated with all her intent and mana. The descending de, with the heaviness to crush the world into pieces and the sharpness to rip the fabric of space asunder was directed toward Sol and Lilin¡¯s destination. This was it. She was showing them just what a prime King like Lilith was capable of even in her extremely weakened state.


    ¡°What the¡­.¡±


    Sol looked up, wondering just what the hell he was looking at right now. The feeling of being dwarfed by that monstrosity made him feel like the sword was bigger than even the biggest mountain on his previous. The sword intent mixed into the sword was so sharp that it simply crushed and annihted everything that stood in its path without discrimination.


    ¡°I need to stop this.¡±


    Sol''s main role in this fight was to be both a tank and support for Lilin. And he was not about to shirk away from that role just because of one deadly attack.


    Wings sprouted from his back as he shot into the sky with the speed that easily surpassed that of sound. The closer he came to the descending heavenly de, the morecerations and cuts formed on his body, even with his scales on, but Sol simply muscled through the residual intent of the de with no care for his body.


    Not yet. It wasn¡¯t the time yet for this fight of theirs to end. He needed to move in the most natural way possible to make everything wless. To make their n a sess.


    Finally when Sol reached the descending de with the heaviness and sharpness to even ostensibly split the world in half¡­


    ¡º Ignition: Overdrive ¡»


    Sol immediately went all out and delivered a punch with all the power he could gather in a short instant.


    Crack~


    The sound of something breaking resonated in the air as the gigantic sword was surprisingly more fragile than he had intuited it to be.


    ¡°See, Sol, my dear, you are certainly powerful. But see, overwhelming power simply bred habits that can be easily exploited.¡±


    The sword shattered in an instant¡ª creating thousands of shards that were all under Lilith''s control as they pounced on Sol like starved beasts ready to tear their prey asunder at any moment.


    Sol covered his body with his overwhelming quantity of mana, hardening his body to withstand the infinite barrage of razor-sharp intent, as the explosion of the gigantic de propelled him back to the ground and the subsequent barrage of broken des whittled away at his protection and made a bloodied mess out of his body.


    Lilith, still standing on her sword and levitating in the air, looked at the bloodied and battered Sol lying on the ground while keeping a part of her attention on her daughter.


    Lilin could not fly. This was a fatal w of her Zone as it only covered her surroundings and not the realm above and below her.


    ¡®What will you do now?¡¯


    The answer was more surprising than she thought it to be.


    Even standing beneath her, far from the distant sky she now stood on, Lilin simply swung her sword.


    ng~


    Lilith instinctively moved and blocked the blow and the metallic sound of the sword shing made her eyes widen in disbelief.


    She had felt no mana or intenting at her at that moment. If she had not acted by following her years of experience, then this sword might have been the decisive move that would¡¯ve beheaded her at this moment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to move.¡±


    Lilin smiled at this sight. Her zone was pretty simple. She could erase all distance between her and her target.


    This did not simply apply to her body. But to all her attacks.


    She didn¡¯t have to extend her mana like Lilith when she attacked.


    No matter how far the enemy was, as long as she could see them, any of her attacks would immediately reach her target if she so wished. That was the power she had earned through her will to surpass her mother.


    In an instant, the mother and daughter pair exchanged hundreds of intangible blows that ripped and smashed the kaleidoscopic fabric of space in their wake.


    Both parrying and retaliating even while standing miles apart from each other.


    The means were different but the results were so simr that they gave a strange beauty to the fight between the pair.


    But as time passed, it became clear that Lilith was gaining the advantage in their bout.


    For every strike Lilith sent her way, Lilin needed 3 or four to block them.


    Furthermore, Lilith would always attack using tricky angles that deviated the sight and senses with her infinite number of swords.


    "This is your problem, my dear daughter. You are just too straightforward."


    Lilin had no time to respond to her mother¡¯s quip as her left side was shed by an attack she was not able to block.


    Blood oozed out of the freshly drawn wound while Lilin groaned to suppress the pain that was emanating out of her mother¡¯s Immortal ying Art.


    Looking at her bloody daughter with no signs of the wound closing anytime soon, Lilith could only sigh bitterly, "You have certainly grown more powerful since thest time we fought, my child. But your mindset has yet to change and adapt to your powers."


    This was the simple truth. Lilith did not wish to give more information or hints to her daughter as she thought it was enough. She had already given enough hints to her daughter for her to realize the weakness in her current state and powers. She hoped that her daughter would realize this simple truth of her weaknesses sooner than she did.


    ¡ªIn a fight, there was no such thing as being cheap.


    Everything was allowed, there was such thing as a chivalrous spirit, and no method that allowed victory was to be discarded.


    "Your strikes are monotonous and predictable.


    "You pursued speed and space but forgot that the basis of your power should be the sword¡ª causing ack of variation in your techniques."


    Lilith smiled as she saw the frustration that emanated on Lilin''s face.


    Frustration was good. This frustration meant that she would work even harder from now on and perfect her sword even more than what she wielded currently.


    How could a sword be boundless if it was limited by just your sight?


    To truly be unbound meant¡­ Being free of any and all limitations¡­


    One day¡­ Her daughter would without a doubt stand at the summit of the world as a swordsman and¡ª she would not be there to witness that glorious moment.


    Lilith''s heart missed a beat as sadness colored her eyes at that harrowing thought. She once again realized that her time wasing ever closer to its end.


    For the first time, in a long long while, she began to seriously wonder¡­ Was it really alright for her to die?


    Would she truly be satisfied to vanish right now even though there was so much she had yet to witness? So much she had yet to live?


    Lilith shook her head to break out of those thoughts, she had more pressing matters on her hands¡­


    Boom!


    She looked to her side, only to see a literally zing Sol grinning at her while his sword strike was blocked by the tens of swords she had manifested in ce to block his strike.


    His entire body was covered in blood and small wounds marred his visage from head to toe. Her sword intent should be burrowing in his blood and making him feel an inconceivable amount of pain as it even slowed down his healing factor to a crawl.


    When facing Lilith, any and all beings always felt the same thing when they realized that the body they were so proud of offered no defense against her merciless attacks.


    It was fear. Pure and unbridled fear. The most primitive and pure emotion in existence that every being felt at least once in their life.


    But all she could see in Sol¡¯s eyes right now was absolute enjoyment and satisfaction of their current sh. Like a beast that was finally released from its restraints and could afford to go all out.


    ¡°Sword.¡±


    With that one word, thousands upon thousands of swords manifested into reality, in all shapes and sizes, and surrounded the duo. What followed after was a realm-shaking sh in the air as Lilith moved with thousands upon thousands of her manifested swords following hermand and attacking Sol continuously from all directions while he chased after her.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Sol''s cackling loudughter filled Medea¡¯s world as the ze covering him simply grew brighter with each breath he took. Like an incandescent inextinguishable star ready to burn everything into ashes. Sol simply smashed everything that was on his way using his strength and decimated the rest using his mes until finally¡­


    ng~


    ¡­Finally, his sword reached hers.


    ¡°I got you.¡±


    Lilith stayed silent as she looked in the eye of the boy¡ª nay, the now grown-up man in front of her.


    She still remembered how not long ago, Sol was not even able to bring a percentile of her true power out while they trained. She remembered those days when she had to be careful with each swing and sh just not to cut her nephew apart with her power. Those days were no more.


    From her perspective, not much time had passed by since then, but the current Sol was simply so different that they could not bepared.


    Sol could already be said to be an absolute powerhouse of the highest order. His current power could even pose some threat to the King-rank beings and she knew that he was going all out at this instant against her.


    Crack~ Crack~


    Fine cracks formed around Lilith¡¯s arms, shoulders, and face. She knew that her limit was fast approaching but she gave no heed to the destruction she was causing her body to go through.


    ¡°You have grown.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that I won¡¯t be able to see more of it¡­ Won¡¯t be able to see you reach the pinnacle of power¡­¡±


    ¡°It is. Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    His smile didn¡¯t change not even for a second throughout this heavy talk. He had no mind to even trying to change Lilith''s ideals and desires anymore.


    ¡°I am tired of trying to force you to change your opinion. I guess in the end, I have been going at it the wrong way. Hey, Lilith.¡±


    Sol stopped speaking politely to her as he addressed her directly by her name, ¡°What do you want? What do you truly want for yourself!? Tell me¡­¡±


    Sol spoke no further as he increased the pressure on his sword. His muscle tightened and his arm swelled as a blistering amount of mana was concentrated in his body.


    The deadlock between them was broken as Lilith went sent flying like a shooting star toward the ground with the usage of Sol¡¯s mana-enhanced body.


    The earth rumbled and the space cracked as she collided against the ruined grounds of Medea¡¯s world¡­


    Sol was about to rush at her to continue his onught but was stopped as more than hundreds of thousands of des manifested all around him, forming a perfect sphere imprisoning him on all sides.


    ¡º Immortal ying Sword Art: Heaven¡¯s Net ¡»


    Sol felt a shiver run down his spine, and his face scrunched up as he saw all those swords shine at the same time.


    ¡°Explosion.¡±


    A dome of light in the shape of the Immortal Sword formed in the sky. It was a power not inferior to Sol¡¯s earlier Mana Burst. Worse, she had embedded her Sword Intent into each and every one of her des that resulted in razor-sharp intent bombarding him from all sides in all forms. It would be a blessing if Sol was able to stand after being hit with such an attack.


    Lilith had no time to observe the result of that deadly attack as she responded instinctively. She moved to avoid an attack from Lilin at point-nk range.


    ¡°You cannot use your full power anymore.¡±


    She looked down at Lilin. Most of Lilin''s techniques needed an Iai stance or a two-handed grip with the currentprehension she wielded of her art. She surmised that her daughter could not even bring 50% of her maximum strength.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter!¡±


    Lilin screamed with all her might as she shed again and again with wanton abandon.


    Mother and daughter fought again for what may be their final bout. Tears of agony and pain slid down Lilin''s face. Not from the pain of her wounds but the simple truth of what this battle entailed.


    ¡°You say you want to teach us? You say you want to give us a good lesson, huh!? Please stop spouting your bullshit!¡±


    The aura of despair and mncholy filled each of her attacks as the sharpness of her sword dulled over time. They became even simpler, even more direct than they were previously. Too easy for Lilith to avoid or counter.


    But more than her sword, what pierced Lilith the most was the word of her daughter. Her own flesh and blood.


    Lilin¡¯s eyes reddened further. The sound of the sword shing grew harsh and bitter, Lilith wasn¡¯t even trying to avoid Lilin¡¯s sword at this point. She just didn¡¯t need to¡­


    ¡°You are selfish and delusional. You think only of yourself while bathing in the memory of a long-forgotten ghost and suddenly you want to act like some kind of good mother while giving her final words!?¡±


    Lilinughed maniacally as Lilith kicked her in the stomach. Blood dribbled from her lips but her smile remained unchanged. A light of mncholy and unbridled madness shed in her eyes as her eyes grew so red that it felt like she was about to spill tears of blood at any moment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me! Don¡¯t you dare act like a fucking good mother! Not now! Not here! Not after everything you¡¯ve done!! Not with you thinking of dying because of a ghost from the past!¡±


    Lilith bit her lips so hard that they bled incessantly, she had nothing to say back to the words of her daughter. She had always moved with the best intention in mind for her daughter. But there was no denying that she had not been the best mother for Lilin.


    Two swords formed in front of her to block a sh of mana as Sol also appeared not far from her spot.


    ¡°You really messed me up well.¡±


    Sol smiled as he walked up slowly and stood next to Lilin.


    Calling him bloody now would be the understatement of the century. There was nearly not one part of his body that was not covered in wounds and blood continuously oozed as his regeneration fought against Lilith¡¯s intent of her Immortal ying Art.


    ¡°I resent the discrimination.¡±


    While Lilin was slightly wounded, he looked like a fountain of blood.


    He said as he gently wiped out the tear from Lilin¡¯s face, though his expression grew a bit awkward when the stream of tears he wanted to remove was reced with his blood instead.


    Lilith sighed as she watched this lighthearted scene, ¡°Your body is stronger. So I can be rougher on you.¡±


    Lilin bit her lips. She understood the argument behind her mother¡¯s actions. But in essence, Lilith was simply saying that Lilin herself was unable to bring out her true powers.


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t be so frustrated.¡±


    Solughed to shake away the awkward mood, ¡°After all. She has yet to even use her True Name.¡±


    Lilin lowered her head after she heard him speak.


    She had no way to refute that. Nothing to retaliate with. No power to challenge those words. As those words were the absolute truth,


    She was the only one who had been going all out from the start. Lilith did not bring out her true powers as a King, the usage of her true name, and Sol did not even bring out his Zone into the fray and only used his draconic powers.


    Her frustration grewrger with each passing second. With each passing thought. With each passing realization of her weakness. She was angry. Angry at her own self. She thought she had grown. Thought that she could finally stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him. <novelnext></novelnext>


    But all of this had only been her misunderstanding all along.


    She was still weak. So incredibly weak and brittle,


    ¡°Lilin¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take a step further.¡±


    Lilin spoke in a low and hollow voice when Lilith tried tofort her. She refused to receive any form of pity from her mother. Lilith was her idol, the one she wanted to reach more than anyone else in the world. The one she desperately sought to surpass.


    She looked up at her mother one more time and said in a resolute voice, ¡°I give up.¡±


    She had already shown her what she wanted to. She had reached her limits and now she wished to witness the limits of both Sol and Lilith. Witness what she had to reach and eventually ovee.


    Her role in this y was at its end.


    She turned around and walked away. But she had onest thing she wanted to say to her dear mother¡­


    ¡°Mom¡­you know¡­ You may have not realized it. But I know¡­ Out of all of us, you are the most frustrated one.¡±


    She gave a meek and despondentugh, ¡°You say you are sad you won¡¯t be able to see us reach the peak of our powers? You delude yourself into thinking that you are happy because you know that I will reach the peak of the sword? Haha, don¡¯t make meugh.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you jealous? After all¡­ You will never be able to reach that peak yourself.¡±


    She walked away after saying those words. Without even looking back or waiting for Lilith to respond.


    Now, a still silent Lilith was left to look down into her Immortal ying Sword with myriads ofplicated emotions flooding her eyes. Her mind was soplicated right now that she herself didn¡¯t know how to word what she was feeling.


    The words of her daughter had made her remember the memory of her past once again.


    ¡°Well. Shall we continue then?¡±


    Crack~


    A fissure appeared on Lilith''s face, marring her once beautiful visage, it showed that she was slowly reaching her limit but Sol paid no attention to it.


    ¡°Will you continue to use a sword?¡±


    Sol shrugged at her question. ¡°I don¡¯t really need a sword, right? But see, I guess watching the two of you fight gave me some enlightenment about the way to use a certain power of mine.¡±


    Sol grinned, ¡°Since your sword is Limitless while Lilin¡¯s is Boundless. Then I guess I need to do something myself, right?¡±


    Lilith felt goosebumps run down her skin at the end of his words and instinctively took a step back but¡ª


    Swoosh~


    She looked in disbelief as strands of her hair were cut before she was even able to tell what happened.


    ¡®Wha¨C¡¯


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡º Eye of Akasha: Void ¡»


    From Sol¡¯s perspective, the world as he knew it was no more. Just likest time, this ursed world was now covered in innumerable threads, linking everything in existence to the power of Fate.


    ¡°I am simply reaching the most optimal path by reading thousands of possibilities simultaneously.¡±


    Sol wiped the blooding down his nose as the smile on his lips stretched further and further.


    His brain was literally going on overdrive after using this move. This was not a power he should be using as a mere Duke-rank. But did it really matter right now?


    ¡°I guess in a way. My strikes are nearly unstoppable now, I guess.¡±


    Lilith had no time to think as she tried to move from her spot. Her instincts were screaming warning bells in her brain of the iing danger. But it was all futile.


    Rather than moving away, from the point of view of those watching the fight, it was like she had thrown herself in the trajectory of his sword instead.


    One strike, two strikes. Again and again. She was not able to escape Sol¡¯s grasp.


    The more this went on the more precise Sol became with his sword strikes.


    When she attacked, he would take a simple step back and that was all it would take to nullify her attack¡ª the most optimal way to avoid her attacks was executed with each of his movements. Furthermore, when he attacked, she could barely block it and could only helplessly watch as the attacknded on her body.


    In the end, she was finally unable to stop his sword from shing her body.


    Drip~


    Blood slowly trailed down from a wound on her forehead. It was a small wound. But it was the first true wound she had received in this fight between them. Perhaps this was the only wound she had ever received from a Duke after advancing into the King realm.


    ¡®I was wounded?¡¯


    Lilith could not believe it. During all this fight she held the upper hand with no problem whatsoever. She wished to share her experience with Sol and Lilith using this fight and in no way was she thinking of taking this fight seriously.


    But suddenly¡­ She was wounded?


    If this had been the result of Sol going all out with a powerful attack, she would not have been this shocked. Her power was at an all-time low right now. Her body was breaking down with each passing second and she was weakened in both body and soul.


    Meanwhile, Sol had an infinite reserve of mana and a nigh-indestructible body. There would have been thousands of reasons to not be surprised by her wounds.


    But this was not the case. Sol did not use his strength, nor his mana, nor his dimension.


    She was wounded¡­ By a sword. She was beaten in the realm of pure skill.


    ¡°Lilith, you know¡­ I can say with absolute certainty¡­ You can never beat me while only limiting yourself to your zone. So you see?¡±


    His eyes grew cold and sharp as he spoke to her in a cold emotionless tone, ¡°Stop looking down at me, will you?¡±


    Lilith looked at Sol. And Sol gazed at her enchanting eyes¡­


    ¡°Haha¡­ I like the look in your eyes. I guess even you can have your pride wounded, huh?¡±


    ¡°Have you reached the supreme state?¡±


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what the supreme state you are talking about is¡­ This technique doesn¡¯t even need the use of a sword¡­ I am just using it to piss you off in all honesty. After all, wouldn¡¯t it be funny if the best sword user in the universe lost a sword fight against someone who isn¡¯t even a swordsman?¡±


    With those taunting words, the fight between the two of them resumed once more.


    Unlike earlier, there were no big explosions. No powerful sword intent that could reach the heavens and tear down the earth. It was just a sh between two swords.


    ng~


    Swords shed.


    Blood flowed.


    ¡ªAnd Lilith was gradually getting cornered.


    Sol moved leisurely as he moved his head to dodge another one of her sword strikes with utmost ease.


    ¡°You have reached your limits.¡±


    His words were cold, harsh, and blunt. Uncaring of what the one they were directed towards may feel¡­


    ¡°All your movements are now apparent in my eyes.¡±


    His lips trudged to form an arrogant smile as his sword pierced her shoulder.


    ¡°You thought you could beat me as a Duke?¡±


    Heughed at her words as he blocked her sword without even breaking a sweat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh.¡±


    Heughed when he saw the frustration that gradually marred the entirety of her face,


    ¡°Admit it, Lilith.¡±


    He looked down on her with a condescending smile on his lips.


    ¡°You know it too, right? That you can never go further than this. That the path of the sword you so cherish can never truly y an immortal.¡±


    Lilith¡¯s eyes grew cold at those words.


    ¡°Sol.¡±


    "Are you feeling angry?"


    He grinned maliciously¡­


    "Do you refuse to ept the simple truth?"


    He taunted her to no end¡­


    "Then show it to me. The strongest attack you are so proud of."


    "Do not force me, Sol¡­"


    Lilith growled out each and every syble. She could not use her true name. Could not rely on her avatar to attack her nephew.


    In all her life, she had never been able to control a sword strike while using her full power. Using her ursed avatar.


    "My sword can cut down anything."


    Space and time. There was nothing her sword could not cut and she knew it more than anyone else.


    This was why, during the fight in Lustburg, she had been unable to bring out her powers before Camelia activated the Holy Territory to protect thend.


    Had she gone all out without any precautions, the entirety of the capital would have been erased from reality.


    "You say that you can cut everything."


    This time there was no mocking expression left on his face.


    Only a pitiful smile, the kind you would give to a kid who could not understand the reality they lived upon.


    "But you cannot even sever the strings of Fate that bind you to your misery."


    His sword stopped short of plunging into her stomach.


    "Use it, Lilith. Show me your power, the entirety of your powers, and let me show you how I break it into pieces."


    Lilith''s face became expressionless at that instant.


    She knew Sol was taunting her. But¡­


    No one. Absolutely no one could mock her sword.


    ¡º Avatar ¡ª Tyrfing ¡»


    Crack~


    Her body broke further, almost shattering into pieces then and there. Unable to support the devastating power flowing through her after the activation of her True Name.


    Tyrfing¡­


    Sol¡¯s lips finally rxed to form a peaceful smile.


    A cursed sword¡­ That could cut absolutely anything on its path. In the myths, every time this sword was used, someone had to die and the user would be followed by misery.


    Facing this power, Sol knew immediately¡­


    He could not avoid this sword by any normal means in his arsenal¡­


    No matter how he looked at the strings of Fate. No matter which path he took, this sword would absolutely reach him beyond a shadow of a doubt if he stood in her path.


    But he did not care¡­


    This had been his goal all along.


    He had been ying the director, the actor, and the producer of a long y and the first act was finallying to an end with the climax that Lilith enacted.


    ''Did you watch this, all of you goddesses?¡¯


    Sol immediately entered his dimension. A ce that should be untouchable by anyone else. But he knew¡ª


    ¡º Immortal ying Sword Art: Zero ¡»


    A sword that could cut anything.


    A sword that could destroy anything in its path.


    A sword that would even destroy its user to y the one that it was used against.


    To such a sword, even the limits of dimensions were as flimsy as paper. Easily cut and destroyed.


    Crack~


    Standing in the monochrome Inverse World, Sol smiled as he observed the long ominous gash of kaleidoscopic light forming and breaking apart the gap between dimensions¡­


    The void between the gap of dimensions was torn open into a horizontal gash as the sword strike of kaleidoscopic light swiftly approached his destination with the full intention of erasing him from reality.


    The horizontal sword approached to tear him apart, but before it could touch him¡­


    Shriek~


    Another dimensional wall was erected between them as Sol literally erected another whole dimension between them using the power of mirrors of his Inverse World. The sword violently cut through the might of a whole dimension. It shrieked and screeched and finally¡­ It dissipated into nothingness and he was left intact¡­


    Sol heaved a strained sigh, his body was covered in blood and sweat and his mind was a little faint. Had he received this sword head-on, he would have died.


    No ifs. No buts.


    It was a sword of absolute destruction and demise. That would have erased every trace of him if he hadn¡¯t used the might of his dimension to hold it back. He looked up into the dimensional gap in the shape of a half-shattered mirror¡­


    Watching Lilith stepping in his dimension out of her own free will, Sol smiled as he closed the dimensional gap behind her.


    Her body had reached beyond the limits of her breaking point.


    Her mana veins had gonepletely dry and she could not even summon the slightest intent or will from inside her.


    Sol flew and carefully hugged her in a princess carry to stop her from falling.


    Her body was so fragile and brittle that he feared that she might break and shatter if he put too much strength in his arms.


    "I told you¡­ I can cut everything."


    Sol smiled at the feeble wordsing from her Lilith,


    "I have never doubted it."


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡±


    Lilith smiled feebly like a child happy to have been praised for her efforts.


    She looked up and gazed at his face with a loose smile¡­


    ¡°I¡­am¡­d¡­that you are alright¡­¡±


    Lilith had gone beyond her limits with that attack. Beyond the powers of her ursed sword. She had used all her might and finally was able to control her powers to a certain extent and stop attack. Her depleted mana and body had also helped.


    Sol knew that he could have not avoided that attack if she had been at her peak and if she had truly intended to kill him. Though he had been ready to use Nirvana on himself.


    After all, for a short fleeting instant¡ªLilith power had reached that of a demigod.


    Looking at the feebly smiling Lilith, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh¡­


    ''I am sorry for all the harsh things I said.''


    But this was the most optimal path he could follow.


    Everything had gone seamlessly and ording to his predictions.


    From now on, there would be no unwanted observers. The Goddesses could not gaze into his dimension.


    Now that the first arc finally ended. It was time to continue on Arc two.


    It was time for the second biggest con in the history of this world after Anubis stole a part of the afterlife to take ce.


    No matter what happened, no matter how it ended ¡ª There would be no proof of his crime of denying the order of the goddess.


    ¡ª¡ª


    (EN:


    Though the skies are dark with roiling storms,


    I shall set the heavens aze with my iron drawn,


    For I''ve vowed on my life to bring you home.


    You can still end this story the way you want.


    I would like to tribute the editing of this chapter to one of my favorite characters in the game industry¡ª Himeko Murata. Lilith, for me, emanates the same energy as her, perhaps the reason I like her so much among all the characters of SHK. May Himeko¡¯s immortal soul rest in peace, wherever she is. Aameen.)


    (AN: Welp. Chapter is super big. This is the single longest chapter in all my 3 years as an author. 6000+ fucking words without the EN and AN. Until now, my longest chapter was 2.6K. My average is 1.2K-1.5K. I have been writing this from 2 am to 4 am. Woke up at 9 and still wrote from 10 am to 1 pm. This is the equivalent of 4-5 chapters all in one. I wanted to divide this into two or three chapters, But my Editor literally threatened me. So yeah, Iplied.


    Worst is. The Bastard wants all the remaining chapters of VOL 11 to be as big as this one or more and I am like. Damn bro wants my death. I am sure after this even if I post 3K words, some readers will say something like ¡®Chapters are getting shorter¡¯ XD)

 Chapter 434 CH 399: PLAN

    The world inside Sol¡¯s dimension, the Inverse World, was a ce that was the perfect copy of the real world, yet it wascking in vitality as there was no life on this side. This was something Sol had never truly managed to understand. But now was¡¯t the time to think about that


    ¡°This ce makes me feel strange.¡±


    Hathor muttered as she observed this ce while the others that entered did the same.


    The most ufortable one among them was, of course, Isis. After all, thanks to her name she was able to fight back the weird intent that was constantly trying to invade her mind, she was not a proper King and that¡¯s why there was only so much she could do. Sooner orter, if she were to continue lingering in this ce, she will have to give in.


    But she knew for a fact that she didn¡¯t have to stay here for long so she was willing to bear with it. Her ce in this n would be short.


    Ambrosia stayed silent, her gaze fixated on the slumbering Lilith cooped up in Sol¡¯s arms.


    ¡®What is that monster?¡¯


    She had to give her all to keep her expression neutral and indifferent. Thest strike that Lilithunched hadpletely torn apart the dimensional walls as if they never existed in the first ce.


    That attack had the might of a demigod even though it did not have the energy necessary to back it up. Ambrosia had a headache just thinking about this illogical reality.


    No matter how skilled you were, to reach a certain level of power, a certain amount of energy was still necessary.


    It was like a clear and absolute form. One the witches had been working on for almost a millennia now in order to perfect.


    But Lilith, with her dying body and nearly dry mana reserves,unched a strike that went beyond what should be theoretically possible and entered the realms that few beings could ever hope to reach.


    ¡®This could be the next step for humanity as a whole.¡¯


    Humans, by definition, were the weakest race. Even strong humans needed the power of a contract to reach their maximum power levels and fully unearth their potential and all those who did were either Blessed or had a rtion to the gods.


    This was an absolute and unshakeable reality. A clear fact. Even Sol or Lilin did not escape from the confines of this rule. As most of their powers came from their hybrid origin. The same went for the witches or the priests.


    But Lilith?


    ¡®Hahaha. From what I was told, the previous king named Neptune said that Lilith was a failure?¡¯


    Ambrosia leaked a low hollowugh, wondering what that man would think if he could see his creation right now.


    ¡®I truly need to save her.¡¯


    Ambrosia decided resolutely. Not only to help Sol, nor to simply pay back her debt, but because she was seeing a new possibility¡ª a clear path for all humans to tread.


    Even though she doubted that many humans could actually thread the same path as Lilith, if they could obtain even a tenth of her power, things would change drastically.


    ¡°Sol, are you alright?¡±


    Medea approached Sol and asked in a quiet tone. They didn¡¯t have much time to speak with each other ever since what happenedst time in her world. But none of them were worried about the sh as they knew it would change nothing in their rtionship.


    ¡°Hah, don¡¯t worry. I should have put an end to this sooner but I was interested in seeing how I would fare against Lilith¡¯s sword intent. The ultimate sword, I wanted to face it.¡±


    He grinned and looked down at his body, ¡°The result is much better than I thought. Given that she did not try to cut my soul, that is.¡±


    Medea was speechless at how Sol could stillugh even though he looked like a tomato that became too ripe with all the blood covering him from head to toe.


    Persephone silently approached him from the side and Sol gave Lilith to her to take care of. It was important to stabilize Lilith''s current state without filling her body with energy. Bringing her to the brink had both been a tired and bloody work. One he did not wish to participate willingly in the near future.


    Sol sighed as he brought out the Holy mes to elerate his healing factor while chasing away the intent that was gnawing away at his wounds.


    It would take a little bit of time for him to fully recover but he simply needed to be in a good state to enact their following ns.


    ¡°Do you think we can really fool the goddesses?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. Not at all. They aren¡¯t stupid. They will definitely ¡®know¡¯ that we did something. What matters though is to make sure that Invidia cannot ¡®prove¡¯ that we did something against their orders. This will be an open crime per se. After all¡­


    ¡°A crime is only a crime when you are actually caught.¡± [1]


    Sol smiled at the dumbfounded expression the witches were giving him. He knew that he had to exin himself a bit for them to fully understand his approach. After all, any hesitation might prove fatal.


    ¡°Honestly, this isn¡¯t some master n that will blow your minds away. I like to believe that I am smart. But I am not so great that I can somehow fool a group of beings who have lived since the dawn of time.¡±


    Sol knew his limitations very well. This was why the presence of Aurora had been a game-changer for him.


    ¡°For starters, there is one thing I noticed after my interactions. The goddesses are not truly monolithic.¡±


    This was normal. As long as it wasn¡¯t some sort of a hive mind, there would always be different opinions in a group of individuals.


    ¡°Currently, Luxuria and Castitas are on my side.¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    This was an absolute certainty. From the way none of the goddesses even mentioned his goal of conquering the mortal world, he was sure that whatever Luxuria was doing, she was moving behind her sisters¡¯ backs and she had ced all her bets on him.


    As for Castitas, he was friendly enough with her, not enough to warrant full support, but still what he had noticed was that in thisrge group of 14 goddesses, each twin goddesses were obviously closer to each other than they were with their other siblings.


    ¡°Superbia will not attack me.¡±


    This also meant that Humilitas, Superbia¡¯s twin, would not oppose him as well.


    ¡°I do not know about the others goddesses as I have never met them, but I think the goddesses of the Chimera race won¡¯t be particrly bothered by what I am about to do.¡±


    This would mean that he had between four to six goddesses on his side and hopefully, a few more would take a neutral stance. Sol hadn¡¯t only been silent during his attempt to bargain. The moment he realized things were going in the wrong direction, he simply decided to shut up and observe.


    Only by obtaining more information would he have been able to deal with the problem more effectively. In the end, he noticed something clear in the way the goddesses acted.


    ¡°They underestimate mortals so most of them won¡¯t move as long as we do not go too far.¡±


    This was a simple reality. Of course, it did not stop here,


    The whole reason why Invidia tried to incite him into acting out. The reasons she clearly wished for him to not ept her judgment.


    ¡°Invidia will not or can not attack me without enough justification on her side.¡±


    He smiled, ¡°So we will give no obvious proof for her totch on. As long as I give a reasonable script, then most of them will be happy to turn a blind eye toward our transgression.¡±


    Ambrosia closed her eyes. There was a young boy who awakened only a few months ago, when all things considered, and he was already plotting so much against the goddess.


    This was a great n. But¡­


    ¡°You rely too much on hypothesis. Nothing in your n is absolutely concrete outside perhaps Luxuria''s desire to protect you.¡±


    Indeed, this was the greatest hole in Sol''s n. But she could see his smile stretch further when she pointed this out.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    He obviously knew this more than anyone else. There were so many variables in his ns that he would not be able to finish listing them all. However¡­


    ¡°I have two things that will make sure this n will not fail.¡±


    ¡°Which are?¡±


    ¡°Firstly, on my side, I have you, Anubis, and Tiamat. Even Lilith herself would join the fray once she is healed. Camelia and perhaps even Gabriel can also be listed. In the end, antagonizing me without proof will only make the situation moreplicated for the goddesses.¡±


    He had too many powerful people on his back. The goddesses wouldn¡¯t wish to see him join the Chaos faction with them in tow and while he didn¡¯t n to ever do that, as he did not adhere to the faction¡¯s ideology, he didn¡¯t need to tell them about that.


    But his second and greatest assurance was of course¡­


    ¡°As long as the probability of sess exists. I can change this probability into certainty.¡±


    The divine energy he had saved in his body for this moment began to boil and churn as if it were to be woken up from a deep slumber.


    ¡°Well then, shall we start?¡±


    Thest time he fought Nihil, he had used his power to establish the Rule of Three, biding Nihil so that she would never be able to face him before he was ready.


    This time he would use Fate to write a new story.


    The story of a woman who after facing hardship after hardship all throughout her life, realized her true self and finally managed to break through to a new level.


    The most standard trope in a power fantasy.


    Divine power swelled and churned inside his body as it radiated in an overbearing golden aura of absolution. And with that shy show of power, his realm spiked to that of a bonafide demigod.


    He ignored the astounded gazes thrown at him from every single person while adjusting his power and the feeling of his sealed strength.


    ¡º Zone: Deus Ex Machina ¡»[2]


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [1]: As a maybe futurewyer if I stop writing, I disapprove strongly of those words *Ahem* I am an upstanding citizen who respects allws and regtions and will certainly never try to skirt around thew.


    [2]: For those who read Lotm, Sol is basically following the Authro Pathway. Man, when Sol officially bes a demigod I don¡¯t think I will have much to write about. SHK will most likely end by the start of 2024 or mid-2024 or the start of 2025 (If I slow down a little on the release rate. But my goal is early 2024). Let¡¯s make this a memorable year guys.


    (AN: Argh. I am tired. Not gonna lie. I wrote 6K for SHKst time, then 2K for MP, and 2K again for MP yesterday, This chapter here is 2K and need at least 1.5K for MP as well again. I am in hell. I want to break myputer and breath fresh air. Even though I do not wish to in reality, CH 400 will have to be big. I don¡¯t want to go past CH 401 for this arc. I want to finish this arc by the end of this week so that I can rest on Monday and Tuesday. Before the start of a new month and a new Volume. I was thinking of writing a third novel for a newpetition on WN but I decided to give up. Writing two is already killing me. XD)

 Chapter 435 CH 400: VAJRAYOGINI

    ¡º Zone: Deus Ex Machina ¡»


    This was the unique power Sol had achieved from his desire to not be bound by Fate back in the Astral Realm.


    A zone that was closer to a divine ability than anything else, any power that didn¡¯t include the goddesses. The power to write stories as he wished to a certain degree.


    When using this power as a Duke, Sol was faced with different and very frustrating limitations due to therge amount of energy necessary to enact the power.


    But now, by using the divinity dwelling in his body and bringing back his body to the power level of a Demigod, Sol had to admit that he felt almost invincible.


    He felt that, even if he was to fight Tiamat or Anubis while winning was impossible and absolutely out of the equation, defeat could also be avoided.


    This was simply the result of forcibly improving his power without having a proper base to build it upon. Neither a True name nor an Avatar. He didn¡¯t even have a Territory.


    Once he properly reached the level of demigod? Sol shuddered in anticipation of that time toe.


    "Sol¡­"


    Isis''s voice brought Sol back to earth. Thanks to the link between them, she could currently share a part of his feelings.


    "I am sorry. Getting used to this feeling is a daunting task."


    The euphoria coursing through his vein currently was mind-numbing. Power was indeed the greatest and most powerful drug a man could ever desire for.


    But Sol knew that he could not let himself be swept away by the flow and corruption of power. He had to control it, master it, and steers it in the direction that was most appropriate for him.


    Standing in the world filled with the threads of Fate, he felt like only one thought from him was enough to change thew and even the very foundation of this world.


    He took a deep breath, then exhaled out loud.


    ''Focus.''


    The threads all around him became clearer in his eyes.


    He had many small goals when conducting this act.


    He gazed at the golden thread rted to Invidia connecting Lilith. It was a faint thread and cutting it would be easier than ever.


    "Let''s start."


    The four witches looked at each other and prepared themselves.


    They had been extremely surprised by the sudden rise in power Sol was now showing. They had heard about his feats during the war. But seeing this phenomenon with their own eyes was quite a bit different.


    Thankfully, they knew that they could keep their questions forter and so became serious about the important task ahead.


    The four witches advanced together until they were standing around Lilith in four different directions.


    A star with six branches, taking a hexagonal shape, appeared on the ground with Lilithying down perfectly in the center.


    When they reached this part, Isis and Hathor also walked forward and took positions on the two remaining branches of the hexagon that were unupied till now.


    The hexagram, as the witches liked to call this formation, started to shine as the six powerhouses began to fill the circle with their mana.


    "We are a tad bit short."


    "Sorry. My realm isn''t enough to keep a perfect synchronization with everyone."


    "Don''t worry. We already anticipated something like this."


    Kali spoke lightly. Even though Isis was a divine beast, the quality, purity, and quantity of mana she could bring in as a mere Duke was rtively low whenpared to a King.


    A portal opened as one of Isis'' undead at the King level appeared and poured mana through her body.


    In a fight, this would have been an outrageous and stupid waste of energy.


    But there were no constraints in ce here.


    The mana of different colors continued to meld and fuse and when the equilibrium was finally reached, the multicolored hexagram changed into a deep ck and eerie color.


    "The alchemy circle is ready."


    Ambrosia muttered. In terms of alchemy, she was inferior to no one as she had been one of the main participants in the G.O.D project alongside Anubis and Echidna.


    The work Neptune had done during his insane project was truly the work of a genius. But theck of experience could be seen clearly.


    The alchemy circle they were currently using could be seen as a six-pointed star or as two inverted triangles.


    The mystical union of the two triangles represented the concepts of creation and rebirth.


    "First we need to stabilize the two bloodlines in her body."


    One of the reasons for Lilith''s plight was that her human and subus blood were not in harmony and, in fact, constantly fought against each other for dominance over her body. Thus, it created negative results where her body became too weak and her subus blood tried to devour her own body as a result.


    "Kali. You go first."


    Kali closed her eyes. When she had been asked to participate in this madness, she had thought that Sol had finally gone crazy.


    She took a deep breath and looked at Sol, asking him silently if he was really serious about this. Asking him for onest assurance so that she could escape from this madness.


    To this, Sol simply nodded his head. His expression was grave but his decision was made.


    Seeing this, Kali could only grit her teeth. Either way, it was already toote to stop after invoking that circle. Her previous thoughts had just been a way to escape her current reality. Nothing more.


    ¡º Avatar : Shiva ¡»


    Even though Kali summoned the power of her True Name, there was no great explosion of power nor any noticeable change that urred in her.


    After all, she had brought out her Avatar, not for a fight but in order to help her operate even more carefully.


    "I am ready. What about you two?"


    She gave a look toward Hathor and Persephone.


    Once she received the confirmation from them she slowly brought her hand forward and a ball of light flickered in her hand before floating toward Lilith''s body.


    Kali was the Witch of Destruction. A power she honed after years and years of research and training.


    There were few things she could not destroy and this did not only rte to big things that were found in nature.


    The ball stopped above Lilith''s chest and slowly, very slowly, entered her body.


    Kali extended her senses. She could not allow herself to make even the slightest semnce of any mistake.


    The energy spread slowly through the interior of Lilith''s body.


    Had she been awake or had her body been filled with any mana, this action would have been impossible to enact. After all, Lilith was no weaker than her in terms of both power and her status as a Kinge-rank being.


    But this impossible situation became possible after Sol made sure to reduce Lilith''s mana to near zero.


    Once Kali was sure that Lilith¡¯s whole body was filled with all of her energy, she did something that could be considered one of the most heinous things to do to an individual and a warrior no less.


    Using the power of destruction¡­ She neatly and perfectly ¡ª Erased all of Lilith''s mana veins.


    Lilith''s body trembled as blood began to leak out from her lips. Even though Kali had been extremely meticulous in her task, the trauma and bacsh one would receive due to losing all of their mana veins were simply too much for the body to bear.


    Hathor and Persephone acted immediately and began to use their power to heal Lilith as fast as possible.


    It took a few minutes, but when they were done, she was perfectly healed and healthy.


    There was only one problem. If nothing changed, Lilith would only be a normal person from now on.


    Furthermore¡­


    "Medea."


    "I am on it."


    ¡º Avatar : Chronos ¡»


    Without the constant protection of her mana veins, the ordinary body of Lilith was now even more fragile under the devouring of her bloodline.


    If she was left like this, Persephone and Hathor would have to continuously heal her for her to even sustain her life. But Medea managed to change this by freezing the body in time directly after Persephone and Hathor had healed her body to its most optimal state.


    "Isis, how is it going?"


    "She is alright. I managed to stop her soul from leaving her body."


    A sigh of relief leaked out of their mouths after hearing that statement. One of the most important mana veins in a human¡¯s body was close to the heart.


    For an instant, Lilith effectively died after having that vein destroyed due to Kali¡¯s powers. Had there been no one to prevent it, it would have been possible for her soul to fly out of her body and simply enter the afterlife.


    Thankfully, Isis used the power of her True Name ¡ª ¡º Ereshkigal ¡» ¡ª without hesitation to help them out.


    She wasn''t a true King yet, but it was more than enough for now.


    The operation had only started for a few minutes but they were all already sweating from the nerves of the dire situation. <novelnext></novelnext>


    The only one who was feeling a little rxed was Freya. But she knew that her main role in this operation was simply to provide the necessary energy required for this operation.


    High above them, Sol was floating cross-legged with his eyes closed as he continued to observe the threads of Fate.


    Whenever a small mistake could happen, he would simply prevent that Fate from unfolding by deviating to a more optimal path leading to their sess.


    He was consuming far less energy than he did during his fight against the two demigods, but he knew that this one wasn''t much different in terms of consumption.


    Ambrosia, who was floating next to Sol, looked down with curiosity.


    ¨C For a new beginning, there is a need for there to be an end ¨C


    This was what Sol mentioned to them when they asked him why he was so adamant about breaking her veins.


    They understood then that Sol didn''t just wish to heal Lilith.


    He intended topletely revamp all the functions of her body and create her anew.


    If he seeded ¡ª Her thought stopped when she felt an aura of dread that made her soul shiver in fright and immediately distanced herself from Sol.


    "You¡­"


    From who knows where a pair of ck scissors appeared in his hand.


    At first, it looked like an ordinary pair of scissors with an odd color scheme.


    But she could feel that this was a dangerous weapon, one having enough power to even make her feel dread and despair that she had stopped feeling after having stepped on the path of a demigod.


    ''What is he doing?''


    Her eyes widened further as Sol moved his other hand and seemingly caught something out of thin air.


    She could not feel it. She could not see it. She could not even sense it.


    But¡ª *Snap*


    Without a shadow of a doubt, even though she did not know what it exactly was, she knew that something was cut. And it was something that had the power to affect reality itself.


    ''What the hell?''


    She watched as Sol groaned and a trace of blood poured from his eyes, nose, and lips.


    She approached him hurriedly but he stopped her froming closer.


    "Do not worry. I just underestimated the repercussions slightly. It won¡¯t happen again."


    His voice was light and his eyes were bright like the sun.


    She could feel his aura slowly change as he seemed to havee to a realization.


    "Kali. Start phase two. Now¡­"


    Kali nodded and this time she was even more nervous than before.


    If what she did previously was still in the realm of possibility, what she was about to do now was logically and scientifically so stupid that she nearly pped Sol when he proposed this.


    What she had to do now.


    ¡ª was to burn away Lilith''s subus bloodline.


    ''This isn''t a Xianxia for fucks sake!''


    Kali cursed inwardly. Her brain kept telling her that things like adding or erasing a bloodline were purely impossible. It was no different thanpletely copsing the entire gic code of a person and killing them entirely.


    But she also knew that this was not a world of logic in the first ce. As such, she stopped thinking altogether and merely focused on her task.


    She spread her senses to the extremities of her control and this time Freya intervened as well and helped her using her True Name.


    ¡º Avatar : Ouranos ¡»


    But even then this wouldn''t be enough for them to do such a daunting task. They would need someone experienced in this field.


    "Mother. I can''t do it alone."


    "Do not worry. Simply follow my lead."


    Both Sol and Ambrosia floated back down close to the magical hexagram.


    Ambrosia had also been shocked when Sol proposed this part to them. But unlike Kali, she knew that it was surely possible. As Chimera worked on a principle close to this.


    Lilith as a homunculus was not much different in that regard.


    Sol stayed silent as he brought his wrist above Lilith''s mouth.


    He wasn''t crazy. All he needed was for Lilith to be fully human. By cutting the link with Invidia, with those ck scissors of Causality, he made sure that the following operation would be even easier for them.


    One of Lilith''s greatest limitations was her weak body. She did not need her subus power and had never needed it, to begin with.


    As long as she obtained a body and mana vast and strong enough to sustain her powers, then it would be more than enough and who else in this realm had a stronger body than him?


    "Now."


    Everyone immediately worked in concert with each other. Kali with Freya and Ambrosia helped destroy Lilith''s ursed bloodline.


    Lilith seemed to crumble in herself. Her body distorted as her gic chainpletely copsed.


    But she did not die yet.


    Medea, Persephone, Hathor, and Isis made sure of that by continuously restoring her body and holding in her soul.


    Kali heaved and puffed out strained breaths. This was far moreplicated than simply destroying the mana veins in her body.


    This part of the operationsted for more than a few hours as she had to continuously keep a constant flow of energy.


    She still had enough energy, but from a mental viewpoint, she was nearing a breaking point.


    Thankfully, atst¡­


    "It is done."


    She heaved a sigh of relief but could not look at Lilith.


    Her body was deformed beyond belief. She looked more like a clump of flesh than anything else.


    But ¡ª She was still alive. Her soul was still present in her body, if that could even be called a body at this point that is.


    This was all Sol needed as he slit her wrist and began pouring golden divine blood on her deformed body.


    Not the divine blood of Luxuria nor even that of Superbia.


    ¡ªBut the one generated by the new divine power inside his body.


    Sol closed his eyes.


    Currently, Lilith was a ¡®Human¡¯. The purest of all humans to be exact.


    While he was a divine beast at the demigod level.


    When the witches were studying Lilith and Pandora''s blood, he had been busy studying what made the witches what they were.


    And just like how Asmodeus created her own variation of humanity.


    Sol too would create his own¡ª starting with his dear aunt, Lilith.


    He ced his hands together and started to manipte the threads of Fate between them.


    It was time to induce the ultimate enlightenment for Lilith.


    <<A story of enlightenment: Vajrayogini>> [1]


    Like a maestro conducting the greatest musical, Fate moved under his will and slowly created a new connection between the two of them.


    "Hathor, Isis, the three of us will start Nirvana now."


    The elevation of the Blood, Body, and Mind.


    He had started the prologue of a new story. But the next pages of this epic would depend on Lilith and only herself.


    Was she up to the task?


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [1]: Vajrayogini is a Female Buddha. It''s also the name of an old cult dating to around the 12th century. Vajrayogini''s essence is a transcendent passion that is free of selfishness and illusion. She is a meditation deity and her practice includes methods for preventing ordinary death, intermediate state (bardo), and rebirth (samsara) by transforming them into paths to enlightenment, and for transforming all mundane daily experiences into higher spiritual paths. Everyone can see how fitting this is for Lilith.


    (AN: My Editor doesn¡¯t feel well and has an exam tomorrow. So chapter might be a littlete. Anyway. Vol 11 is finally at its end. CH 401 to end this and a Special chapter to show goddess side.)

 Chapter 436 CH 401: L AMNOT A SWORD

    When Lilith opened her eyes, she found herself in a world filled with thousand upon thousand of swords and buried in snow.


    Even though there was no moon nor sun in the cloud-covered sky, a dim light was still present, illuminating this whole ce.


    In the far, one could see a hill with even more swords and on that hill¡ªWas a de piercing the top. A de sorge it looked like a mountain.


    At one nce, it was a world filled with an infinite number of des. But from another viewpoint, it was a world filled with an infinite number of graves


    ¡°This ce¡­¡±


    Emotion shed in Lilith¡¯s eyes as she recognized this ce and the giant de.


    This was her mindscape and her Door of Truth.


    The state of the mindscape reflected the mentality and personality of the user.


    For Lilith, it was impossible to dissociate swords from Snow and Death.


    ¡°I am finally dead?¡±


    What happened after death? Lilith didn¡¯t really know. From what the scriptures said, once someone died, they would go through the Afterlife and forget their past life before being reincarnated. What life they would have next would depend on the Karma of their previous life.


    ¡°Death is pretty boring.¡±


    Shey down on the snow-covered ground and looked at the dark and cloudy sky. All this time, she had wished to die, wished to leave the world as her end was a determined and inescapable reality.


    ¡°I wonder if Lilin is crying.¡±


    She doubted it. This girl should hate her, right? After all, she had truly been a bad mother all her life.


    ¡°I wonder if Sol is cursing at me.¡±


    She had sworn to take care of Sol but in the end, she had also been quite neglectful. The ones who truly took care of and raised him were Camelia, Medea, and Milia.


    She smiled as she thought of Camelia and how the woman should still be sleeping after beingpletely drunk.


    Her smile slowly vanished when she realized that she could have spent way more time with her friend if she had stopped isting herself.


    What if she had opened her heart to Camelia about her trouble sooner? What if she had truly tried to survive?


    She thought about her other friends. Pandora and her bad habits of overthinking. Persephone and her way of seeing life and death, Theresa and her absurd luck, Arachne and her talent with art, and even the innocent and naive Iris who was now the Supreme Daughter of Industria.


    It was hard to say that all of them were her close friend in the same way Camelia was. But they were certainly the people closest to her.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    Lilith let out a hollowugh as she covered her face with her forearm. Even so, it was impossible to hide the tears that started streaming down her face.


    She would never be able to drink or fight with Camelia. She would never see Lilin or Sol grow up.


    Even when they fought and faced difficulties, she would not be present to help them carry the weight on their shoulder.


    ¡ªFinally¡­She would never truly be able to reach the peak of the sword. She would never be able to draw the most beautiful and perfect movement and truly live up to the name of her sword.


    ¡°How Pathetic.¡±


    She did not understand why suddenly all those emotions she had been repressing came at her like this. She thought that she had gotten rid of all her regrets. But clearly, she had been wrong.


    They say that it was only after losing something that you realized how important it was.


    She had bathed in self-loathing and hatred for so long that she forgot that, while it was important to not forget the past, it was as important if not more to never stop looking at the future.


    How long did she stay like this? She did not know.


    In the end, she simply wiped the tear away and stood up. She wondered how long she would stay in this ce before moving to the afterlife.


    She wondered if this was a punishment for her indolence or if she would be forced to stay in this ce eternally.


    ¡°Should I take a look?¡±


    She had never truly been interested in her mindscape after bing a Duke. If this ce was supposed to be her Eternal hell, then she should at least take a look.


    She walked up in the field of snow and sword silently and finally approached her gate of truth which was in the form of a sword.


    On the gigantic de, she could see words engraved on it. Even without reading them, she knew very well what those words were.


    When one became a Duke, it was necessary to find the Truth in one heart, and only after bing a King would that Truth be unchangeable as it would serve as the foundation of the True Name.


    ¡°I am a sword.¡±


    This was the Truth she had chosen to follow all those years ago and this was the truth that should have been engraved on her Gate.


    But¡­


    *Crack*


    A small crack appeared on the Gigantic de at the ce where her Truth was written.


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    Lilith could not believe her eyes.


    ¡°What is happening.¡±


    She took a step back as more and more cracks appeared on the sword.


    But it wasn¡¯t this. The ground, the sky, and everything as far as the horizon could see. Cracks appeared everywhere, spreading longer and farther until there was no ce that was spared from them.


    In the end, the inevitable happened.


    Like a castle made out of the sand, or like a stack of domino, the cracks reached the limit and finally the world ¡ª broke.


    Lilith was speechless as she observed her inner world gettingpletely destroyed for no apparent reason.


    She could say nothing, do nothing, the world slowly vanished and in the end, when everything else broke, all that was left was one sword, arge sword no different from the one she usually use but whenpared to the previous gate, it was so small it was negligible.


    She gazed silently at this sword floating in a world of infinite pure white. There was no sky and even though she was not falling, she could feel no ground.


    Above, below and all around her, she was alone in a silent world with nothing in it but a sword and herself.


    She could not feel her power anymore. She could not resonate with her truth nor could she summon her name.


    There was only one time when she had felt so powerless.


    It was before she ever held a sword in her hand. Back when she was just a pretty experiment and when it was revealed that she had no Capacity and as such would never be able to form a contract.


    Weak, powerless, helpless, andpletely alone.


    Lilith looked up.


    What should she do?


    She contemted simply giving up andying down. But something¡ªSomething was telling her that she could not. That this was a second chance. A chance to redeem herself. A chance to reach a new horizon.


    <<Tyrfing>> was a failed sword. Even though she had reached a height that allowed her to cut space apart, it was too hard to control.


    Lilith slowly walked until she reached the lone sword standing proudly. She put her hand around the handle and pulled the sword out.


    It was only now, that she was holding this sword that she felt her fear and confusion settle down.


    Now that she had no mana she could feel and had neither a Truth nor a name, all she could do was the most basic sword movements with no intent behind them.


    There were eight simple attacking angles in sword fighting. Down to the left, ntways down to the right, crossways up from the left, diagonally up from the right, and left and right strikes in parallel.


    If one had to simplify it even more, moving a sword boiled down to four simple steps. Cutting, Thrusting and Measuring the distance and Tempo.


    ¡®How long had it been?¡¯


    Either since Mars''s death, she had never truly tried to reach a higher level nor did she try to improve. She was unable to do so as it was necessary for her to carefully manage the energy she consumed less she hastened her death.


    Even though she had trained Lilin, it was only during theirst fight that she had truly gone all out with no regard for her health.


    But now¡­Since she was already dead¨CThen she could do what she had missed all along.


    Lilith moved her sword. It felt slow and clunky. But she did not stop.


    This was her mind space so she did not feel fatigued. Tirelessly, she simply swung her sword.


    She repeated the most basic movement, ten, hundred, or even a thousand times without ever stopping. Always improvising, always making her sword reach a higher degree of precision.


    As she did this, she began to think about herself and her reason to wield the sword.


    Why did she wish to y immortals?


    Perhaps because she wished to bring down those proud beings who could boast an eternal life while looking down on an abomination like her who only had a limited amount of time.


    Immortal beings could afford to train slowly for hundreds of years with no fear as time was meaningless for them.


    Meanwhile, mortals had to toil every day like it was theirst. Working from morning to night, making sure to make everyst moment count.


    For immortals, Time was amonmodity. For Mortal, Time was a luxury.


    ¡®Hah¡­¡¯


    Even though there should have been no air, the sword finally made a satisfying sound as it cut through the wind.


    The feeling of joy that swept through her heart as she made one true and good strike was like nothing before. This reminded her of what she felt when she first learned how to use sword. <novelnext></novelnext>


    For her, it was not a duty. Nor an obligation and even less something she had no choice but to do.


    Moving her sword, learning to use it in the best way possible. All of this was her joy and brought contentment to her heart.


    The reason she first took the sword. The reason she learned everything she did now.


    When she was still learning about the world, the sight of that young boy moving under the snow with his sword in hand.


    This was where everything began for her. This was the first time she had thought of something as truly beautiful.


    ¡®Why did I forget this?¡¯


    It was not because she wanted to be a sword. A sword could only be used but could never be the user.


    A sword alone could only be a sharp weapon. But without an equally masterful handler, it could never go beyond.


    In order to truly feel this reality. Being a sword was the wrong way.


    What she had to do. What she should have done all this time ¡ª- Was to be one with the sword.


    Rather than bing the greatest sword, she would reach the peak by bing the greatest swordswoman. One could use all swords and cut everything in her path even if she was holding nothing but a leaf between her finger.


    The sword in her hand changed. Large sword, long sword, short sword, rapier, curved sword, or even double-edged sword.


    From nowhere, mana slowly swirled in her body but she did not pay attention to it.


    <<Sword Intent: Thousand sword Mastery>>


    But it wasn¡¯t enough. She could not reach the peak with just this.


    She needed more. Her movement became faster but sharper and much more precise. No matter what sword appeared in her hand, she could master it instantly.


    She wanted to master all swords.


    <<Sword Intent: One with the Sword>>


    Suddenly, she felt aplete serenity. Like a calmke. Her mind was at peace, void of all distracting thoughts.


    She was not just swinging her sword anymore. Anyone who watched her would be mesmerized as she moved like she was dancing. Her figures, traced a graceful arc in the fully white void.


    She was not a sword. Swords were just an extension of her body.


    She was no one ve. She simply choose to wield her sword for those she cared for.


    What she wished for, what she truly wanted more than anything in this world. More than following Mars, more than protecting Sol or anything else.


    It was a thoroughly selfish and self-centered goal. But¡­It was Her goal. Her wish. Not one imposed on her by a madman. Not a wish born from the shadow of a ghost nor a feeling of obligation.


    What she wished for was ¡ª To sever everything and surpass all limits.


    <<Zone: Beyond The Boundaries.>>


    It was a simple horizontal sh. But it was the most beautiful one she had ever done.


    The infinite white void broke. A new world appeared.


    Unlike the previous snow-covered ground filled with swords, it was a world of mountains eachrger than the other.


    In the sky, hundred of thousand of stars stretched into infinity. But if one took a closer look, they would realize that those stars were in fact swords. Beautifully carved swords in all shapes, lengths, and forms, as numerous as the sea of stars.


    Looking at this new beautiful world that was so unlike her previous one, Lilith smiled as her eyes twinkled with the light of enlightenment.


    ¡°One sword to cut space, one sword to cut time, and one sword to cut even the Heaven Apart.¡±


    She muttered slowly as a new technique was created in her mind. It was the second chapter of her Immortal ying Sword.


    A sword that was meant to cut gods themselves.


    A God ying Sword. A sword that went beyond Time and Space.


    A sword that could do the impossible. Break the unbreakable and kill what could not be killed.


    It was¡ª<<The Sword of the End.>>


    Lilith gasped as mana filled her body even more. In the past, she was born with an above-average quantity of Mana. But it was nothing particrly impressive whenpared to the monsters surrounding her.


    But now¡­She felt like her mana was simply limitless.


    Her power grew, her strength increased and her mind expanded.


    Shadow lurked behind her, chains tightened around her, trying to keep her to stay back. Screaming at her. Asking her if she was ready to truly give up all the convictions of her past life. To give up on the only one who had ever cared for him in the past. To forget the past she had cherished so much for all those years.


    But she ignored them.


    The past was history. Something that could never be changed.


    The future was full of mystery. She did not know if she would ever regret her decision now.


    But all of this did not matter. The present was what was shaped by her own hands.


    ¡°Bygone!¡±


    The shadow receded, the chains broke and she walked free.


    The world itself screamed as the name <<Tyrfing>> waspletely erased and a new Name took its ce.


    <<Avatar: Musashi>> [1]


    Names had power. Lilith did not know the myth or legend and power bestowed to her name. But she knew that she finally went from simply being a cursed sword that could not be used, to bing the most skillful swordswoman to have ever existed.


    ¡°I¡­am a king once again?¡±


    Lilithughed in disbelief. She thought she had died. She thought she was being punished.


    But this waspletely different.


    In terms of pure raw power, it was hard to say if she was truly stronger than her previous self with her previous Name.


    But even though this was the case, Lilith felt that the current her could destroy her past self with nearly no difficulty.


    ¡®No. I am not just a King.¡¯


    She could feel it faintly. Her power went beyond what a King should have. But she was unable to ess that power as shecked one important step, creating her own territory.


    Once that step waspleted¡ªShe would be a Demigod.


    Lilith looked up at the highest mountain, where there was a door shining with a bright and warm light.


    She began to walk towards it. Her instincts were telling her that it was time to leave. That she had yet to have digested fully the energy that was bathing her soul and that she could only take thatst step in the Real world.


    One more step.


    Until she finally reached the door.


    She took onest look over her shoulder.


    A world filled with a mysterious and solemn air. Mountains so high, they reached the sky and were surrounded by clouds. A pure air filled with mana, an unnumerable amount of swords in the sky.


    This was her mindscape.


    This was the realization of her new truth and understanding of the world.


    It took ¡®dying¡¯ for her to understand this truth.


    She knew very well that she was given a second chance.


    One more chance than many in this world would ever have the luck to obtain.


    She would not waste this chance.


    ¡ª-


    When Lilith opened her eyes. She found herself in the monochrome-colored dimension belonging to Sol.


    She could see all those who had worked hard to bring her back to life. She had never felt so alive than at this moment.


    She had already felt it in her soul, but her current body was beyond her previous self. In the past, without mana, she had been physically weaker than most adult of her age.


    But now, she felt like she could break everything with just her fist. This new life was a priceless gift.


    But, what could she say? How could she express just how thankful she was at this moment?


    ¡°Wee back.¡±


    Lilith looked absentmindedly at Sol before finally giving a soft smile.


    ¡°I am back.¡±


    ¡ªAnd this time, it was to stay.


    [1]: Miyamoto Musashi is considered by many as the greatest swordsman in the world or at least the greatest in Japan. Musashi learned the sword at 13 and the first thing he did was beating a samurai. Later fought 60 duels and never lost a single one, even taking on legendary swordsmen like Sasaki Kojiro. Musashi arrivedte and only fought with a wooden sword he had carved out of an oar on the boat he used to get there. He killed Kojiro with the wooden sword and then quickly fled from his vengeful allies. The dude even used dual sword. The creator of the Nito Ryu style. Basically, my dude is a ck swordsman by excellence. He literally recognized as: ¡°Unrivalled Under Heaven¡±


    If you are more interested here an interesting link for his /miyamoto-musashi/


    (AN: This wasn¡¯t easy. Took a very long time. But fuck I did it. For those wondering. Lilith is basically a demigod now. But she needs a Territory toplete the process of transformation. The creation of a territory takes a very long time. But you guys should have already guessed where she will create her territory. My editor is currently busy so I had to post it now before the next month. But I will obviously update once it¡¯s edited. Good thing is. Once a chapter is posted. Even if you editter and add 10K words the price won¡¯t change.)

 Chapter 437 SPECIAL CHAPTER 17:YoU LOSTTHIS TIME

    [Divine Realm]


    A little earlier¡­


    The divine realm was a ce where time and space were extremely blurry and distorted. Even more so than it was in the Astral Realm.


    Another difference in this realm was that the divine realm was divided into different Divine Kingdoms rather than just simple Territories.


    Those were the ces where the goddesses dwelled. Among the endlessly stretching ocean of stars.


    If one could have a bird¡¯s eye view of the entirety of this ce, then one would realize that there were far more than just fourteen Divine Kingdoms in this ce.


    But outside of the fourteen rted to the sin and virtues goddess, one rted to Ymir, and two more Divine Kingdoms, the rest of the kingdoms were now in a state of ruin beyond even the faintest hopes of restoration.


    Above all the Divine Kingdoms were three gigantic pces that seemed to stretch beyond the horizon of providence.


    Two of the pces were showing a faint dim light while the third andrgest one was also in a state of ruin like the other kingdoms.


    It was in that ruined pce that the goddesses reunited when they had to discuss important matters.


    This was the Divine Realm. A ce where a magnificent pantheon once existed with all its insurmountable glory. A pantheon that was now nothing more than a shadow of its past self.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [Invidia''s Divine Realm]


    When the goddesses were not convening in the main pce, they would stay in their respective Kingdoms and observe the world or just experience the innumerable strings of the future.


    Gods were absolute energy beings and the form they took was nothing but a matter of convenience for them.


    The rules between the goddesses were rather simple.


    They could not intrude into each other¡¯s dominions. Be it in the Astral Realm or in the Mortal Realm. Observation was still possible but no direct attack was allowed otherwise repercussions were required to be endured.


    In the end, goddesses rarely observed the territory of the others as they had no interest in doing so.


    This wasn''t the case for Invidia, however.


    Ever since the altercation with her sisters about the treatment of Sol, she had been observing Lustburg non-stop like a stalker.


    Not only that she had even tried to observe the future of the individuals involved, but she could feel too many interferences hampering her observation.


    Not only was Sol''s future absolutely blurry and hard to read, but it was clear that Luxuria was also interfering.


    She also tried to observe Lilith''s future, but not only Lilith was basically a Singrity, but she could feel something like a fog blocking her sight whenever she tried to peer in and see beyond.


    Invidia chalked it up to her rtionship with Sol and did not think much more of it.


    When she initially felt the fluctuations of power, Invidia''s eyebrows rose in surprise and bewilderment.


    She knew very well about Lilith¡¯s current circumstances. It wouldn''t be a mistake to say that each swing of her sword now was paid with her life as coteral.


    Her already dwindling lifespan was melting like snow under the radiant and merciless sun.


    When she heard the name of Lilith''s sword art, Invidia scoffed at the hubris of mortals who wished to do the impossible and reach beyond what they should be allowed to.


    But she did not take her eyes away from her. Not even for a single second. Not even when she felt absolute disdain at her mere tricks in the name of arts.


    Even though they were nothing but small ants fighting helplessly against the impossible, Invidia had to admit that there was something beautiful about chasing a seemingly impossible dream.


    The reason gods observed mortals was that there was something beautiful at the core of such an inferior species.


    Even more so when it was an ephemeral abomination like Lilith. Born from the struggle of another mortal who wanted to y god.


    Their struggle was amusing. Their passion was attractive and the despair they felt at the end of their fleeting life when they realized that everything they did was futile gave her a rush like no other.


    As such, she watched on.


    She was absolutely certain that¡ª Sol would never let Lilith die. No matter what and how he behaved.


    It was an impossibility.


    She had even taken into ount the possibility of Sol hiding in his dimension to cure Lilith and as such, she had recently strengthened the link between them in order to be able to monitor her situation even if she could not observe her directly.


    In a way, the current Lilith was as close as possible to Invidia without the possibility of her being her Blessed.


    When Lilith broke the wall of dimension with her Sword, Invidia was indeed surprised. This was something that no one could do with just pure power.


    One needed a deep understanding of the Laws of Time and Space to replicate this feat. Something Lilith didn¡¯t have. Neither of Space nor of Time. What she did have, however, was an intent to cut. To sever. To annihte everything in her path.


    But this was as far as her surprise went.


    Lilith was dying. Thest sword had hollowed her out of all her mana. Her body was devouring her own life.


    Furthermore¡ª Sol had closed his dimension.


    ''This is the moment!''


    Invidia, in her human form, stood up and looked down below. She was feeling emotions like never before.


    This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for all along.


    Sol would never let Lilith die. He would go against her order and save her. Then she would have the perfect justification to order a Holy Crusade against the sinner.


    Finally, she would show her sister that her new toy was nothing more than a rebellious ungrateful bastard like all the others before him.


    Her sisters would understand that she was neither crazy nor jealous nor a whistle-blower.


    If she had a heart, her heartbeat would have elerated enough for her to risk getting a stroke. If she could sweat, her palm would be sweaty because of how much stress she was feeling.


    This was why¡­.


    When she felt the link between her and Lilith severed¡­.


    Invidia screamed with rage.


    "This is impossible!!"


    Her rage born from the mixture of disbelief, disappointment, and pain created a storm of annihtion as she shrieked out loud.


    The only possible reason for the link to vanish was Lilith¡¯s death. There was no other way around it.


    Because of how much she strengthened the link between them, she felt a deep pain in her soul due to the severance of their connection. But this pain was nothing in front of the absolute rage that was boiling inside of her.


    But¡­


    "This must be a y."


    Invidia forced herself to not lose her wits. <novelnext></novelnext>


    She could not ept this reality.


    She tried to read the future, but in all the few futures she could see, Lilith was indeed "dead".


    But even then, she continued to believe that this was a y. An illusion. Created by the mortal she hated without equal.


    The futures she could see were too severely limited to believe in them.


    "I have to go down. Right now."


    Invidia took a step.


    Immediately, all semnce of her being a human vanished as her body grew to disproportionate dimensions.


    Tall and vast enough to overlook the stars and hold them in her hands if she had the desire to do so.


    She decided to break the dimensional walls andnd in the space of that ursed y. That damnable illusion.


    Goddesses could not see what was happening in dimensions belonging to dimensional mages.


    But it wasn''t like they couldn''t forcedly enter if they wished to.


    Tiamat was a false god. So it was one thing. But Sol was nothing more than a Duke.


    No matter what trick he had, even if he used the divine powers of Luxuria to temporarily be a demigod, this would change nothing.


    She did not have the coordinates of Sol''s dimension but she would be able to find it if she focused on the task.


    "Have you gone absolutely mad!?"


    Her advance was stopped as an even more gigantic being appeared in front of her.


    Luxuria. The eldest and strongest of them all.


    "Sister! Why must you stop me!?"


    Invidia screamed but Luxuria paid her no heed.


    "When you used the rules we established against me, I stayed silent. Now you too must bow to the rules. If you move even an inch from this spot, I will attack you."


    Invidia was not reconciled. She could not ept this.


    It was one thing for Luxuria to scold her when she tried to break her toy.


    But to even threaten her?


    "Sister. You are letting a toy create a chasm between us?"


    The fourteen of them had stayed together all the way since time immemorial.


    Even when the Twilight of the Gods happened, they survived the madness-induced ughter of their father by staying and protecting each other.


    When Chaos and Order started to fight, they still protected each other.


    Luxuria was now acting as if all those events were not even as important as a simple toy.


    Seeing Luxuria staying silent, Invidia slowly lost hope.


    She was losing the affection of her sister to a mortal, a mere mortal? A simple toy? A poor lost soul that was summoned to this world on a whim?


    "Sister."


    "Go back. Lilith died and was resurrected as an undead by Anubis'' daughter. If you wish to dere a holy war against him for that then be my guest."


    Invidia mped her mouth shut.


    She could see the others slowly gathering as they observed the situation.


    In the end, the first one to step in was none other than Industria. The twin sister of Acedia and one of the angels'' goddesses.


    "The two of you know the rules. No infighting between us."


    Out of all the rules they had created, this was perhaps the core one. The one that should absolutely never be disobeyed.


    The only reason they survived all those ordeals was because of their unity.


    Invidia bowed her head, "I wish to call for a new god summit to brand Sol Dragona Luxuria as a Heretic and dere a holy war against him."


    She did not believe for one instant what Luxuria uttered just now. Undead were nothing but a shadow of their past self. Cursed and unnatural monsters unable to change or grow.


    Even though they could look no different from their living self, there was something fundamentallycking about them.


    The other goddesses stirred at her deration but Luxuria showed no expression.


    In an instant, all of them projected their divine consciousness into the past in order to understand what happened for Invidia to ask for such a gathering.


    Sadly for her¡­


    Industria closed her eyes and shook her head,


    "Luxuria''s Blessed broke no rules as he let Lilith die. He may have used a loophole but it''s not enough to use him. Innocent until proven guilty. The motion of branding him a heretic is rejected."


    Luxuria smirked and turned around.


    "Give up, sister. Stop obsessing over my Blessed."


    The other goddesses looked at each other and slowly left.


    The only one standing close to Invidia was her twin sister, Humanitas.


    "Do you also believe I am crazy?"


    Humanitas sighed.


    "None of us are stupid, you know?"


    Humanitas shook her head, "I do not know what he did exactly. But in the end, the rules are the rules. You lost this round."


    Invidia closed her eyes.


    This was indeed her loss.


    ¡ªAt least for now.


    End of Vol 11.


    (AN: So here is the end of a long volume. Wasn¡¯t easy. But was worth it. Vol 12 will be shorter and sweeter. More dev for Lilin and Setsuna, new dev for Lilith, and an overall simple good time as Sol moves around the Kingdom and sees different sights. Vol 12 will be a transition chapter for Vol 13 which will be focused on the War. This volume will be the one where Sun Wukong officially shows up and fight. For Vol 12 I am still hesitating between Sol''s coronation or Sol''s visiting the elf kingdom. But either way, the heroine of Vol 12 are Lilin and Setsuna.)

 Chapter 438 VOL 12/CH 402:MY DEARCITIZENS

    [Lustburg]


    Lustburg, is one of the seven kingdoms standing tall in the mortal realm. The kingdom represented all humanity and a few more mixed races.


    It had now been two weeks since the Prince came back from his travel in the astral realm and the different territories surrounding the capital could feel the slow change that were happening.


    The first startling news had been when all the bandits'' groups who had started to settle and extort the traveling merchants near the capital were exterminated.


    On that day, it was said that blood covered the ground as the Prince alone ravaged more than ten campgrounds.


    Not only did he massacre a great number of bandits, but those who did survive were forcibly conscripted to serve as cannon fodder during the war.


    It was for the reason that not all bandits were necessarily evil. Most of them were just young or old starving farmers who had no choice but to turn to banditry in order to have something to eat.


    While they were still guilty, their circumstance allowed them to not be directly executed.


    The prince made an open announcement that if they survived the war, those bandits would be released and given proper citizenship as well as a chance to redeem themselves.


    As if not satisfied, the Prince followed by giving an extremelyrge reward in Lust coins, promising anyone adventurer who would bring the proof of bandits'' presence in a ce or exterminate them would be rewarded handsomely.


    It was said that many noblesined. As this would greatly affect the coffer of the kingdom. But all of this was useless as the Prince simply ignored them.


    Overnight, the security greatly improved as Bandits who had been rampant went into hiding.


    It was hard to assure this in the fringe of the Kingdom, but at least the center was slowly going back on the good track.


    Aside from showing his might through his power, The Prince also announced the First Royal Examination which would take ce in a month.


    Education was not something particrly umon for peasants. All the previous Kings or queens had preached the importance of schooling children and King Mars had made sure to create an Academy in the capital where both nobles andmoners could enter.


    Even King Neptune, despite being a simple puppet king funded many school courses, that were mostly rted to science as a whole.


    But the Royal Examination was different. No matter what was your position, your blood, or your origin. Whether you were a schr or a fighter. Anyone could participate as there were different characteristics judged.


    If this was all, people would be surprised but not particrly thrilled. But the rewards were simply too attractive.


    After all, those who seeded would be given permission to join the government.


    ? All the citizens knew that after the recent rebellion, the administration had been quite affected.


    They understood that the Prince wished to unearth talents and they knew that this was something they could not miss.


    The number of young people with dreams in their eyes who started to walk toward the capital was unprecedented.


    There was no one in this world who wished to live in mediocrity all their life. So all those who had even a shred of confidence in their talents were ready.


    The first phase of the examination would happen in the three main Duchy. For the territory that were previously under the Gorfard Duchy, they were to find the examen center in the Marquis territory.


    Once the first phase was finished, the winner would walk through a portal and reach the capital where they would have the chance to see the Prince and even receive the reward directly from the Prince and the Supreme Daughter if they finished with a high enough rank.


    Thest news that shocked people was the start of recruitment for the soldier.


    This news gave the confirmation that all citizens had feared¡ªWar wasing, and there was absolutely nothing they could do.


    At least that was what they thought until they were told that there would be no mandatory conscription.


    This left many people speechless. After all, even the previous king did not get rid of mandatory conscription in times of war. Back then, Lustburg had been fighting against Greed Dyke so there was absolutely no leisure for them.


    This time, rather than forced participation in the war, all those who decided to join the army would receive an annuity high enough to be free from the pain of hunger for a long time.


    The constion reward given to the family of the bereaved was also tripled and it was officially announced that people with enough achievement could, not only be knights as it wasmon but also receive a true hereditary noble title as Baron with and.


    This was perhaps the greatest new all citizens had heard in decades and it was even more so when they learned what followed.


    .


    .


    .


    On that day, all the citizens of Lustburg looked at the sky as the picture of a young golden-haired man sitting on a golden throne was projected in the sky.


    Thest time they had seen this young man was during the prince ceremony as he fought in the diator arena.


    The prince back then had been dashing and powerful but anyone could see that he still had much to learn.


    The one they were looking at right now waspletely different.


    Wearing a simple white military suit embroiled with gold medals. Showing an easygoing but heavy smile.


    Even though they were separated by a screen, none of them dared to focus on his face as many of them lowered their head and another vast majority outright kneeled on the ground.


    ¡°My Dear citizen.¡±


    His voice was calm,


    ¡°I am the Bearer of bad news, but it is my duty to share this to everyst one of you.¡±


    Their heart started to thump as they anticipated what would be announced,


    ¡°War ising.¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    The reactions were varied. Old people closed their eyes as they remembered the time they wished to forget.


    Mothers hugged their children while thinkings of the deceased that would nevere back, children looked around, confused by the solemnity in the air, while some young people showed excitement at the news. Already imagining themselves riding on the battlefield and fighting for honor.


    ¡°The ruthless Tyrants of Wratharis; the ungrateful man who seized the throne by ying his own blood-rted brother, decided to break the peace earned by my beloved and respected father.¡±


    Few people noticed how the prince covered his face while seeing this but their hearts went to him. Thinking that he was overwhelmed by rage and sadness.


    Silence reigned for a while before the Prince took away his hand, ¡°My dear Citizens, I apologize.¡±


    All other Lustburg, citizen opened their eyes wide. They could see the reddening of his eyes. The emotions in his voice but more than anything ¡ª The Prince apologized.


    ¡°My ipetence led to the Tyrantnding his hungry gaze on us. It¡¯s because he believes us weak that he so brazenly decided to attack. But¡ª He made a mistake.¡±


    Everyone looked up, their eyes hanging on every word that came from his lips, wondering what he would say.


    ¡°Weak I may be. Inexperienced surely. But¡­WE are not weak! Lustburg is not helpless! My citizens are stronger than anyone else!¡±


    The sadness was reced by a zing inferno as the Prince stood up and mored.


    The blood of the crowd began to boil at his words.


    ¡°I, Sol Dragona Luxuria. Crown Prince and Future King of thisnd hereby dere.¡±


    The tension was at its maximum.


    ¡°Be not afraid ¡ª For victory will be ours!¡±


    It was like a wave.


    Many people were septical. Many more knew that this was nothing more than a speech said to appease them.


    But¡­ Even so¡­They could not stop the feeling blooming in their heart.


    All of them mored, excited, and shouted alongside the prince.


    Even so, deep down, many of them felt fear.


    Those with experience knew very well that nobles always put their well-being first and when a war started, the ones who suffered were the poor citizens. Not the noble.


    As if he could hear them, the prince smiled,


    ¡°I address this message to all nobles of my beautiful Kingdom.¡±


    The nobles who had been scoffing as they looked at the stupid peasants who were shooting and crying were startled.


    ¡°This war will be fought by us all.¡±


    His voice was low now, filled with threats,


    ¡°Once again, I, hereby dere ¡ª All nobles who increase the taxes during those tirings time will be demoted by one rank.¡±


    The nobles opened their eyes wide. But it wasn¡¯t the end.


    ¡°All nobles refuse to participate in the war or conscript anyone against their wills. Will be demoted by two ranks.¡±


    Finally,


    ¡°All nobles who refuse the punishment as dictated will automatically lose their noble rank and bemoners. That is all.¡±


    The screen went dark and the projection stopped.


    The nobles were speechless. They could not understand what the prince was doing.


    Lustburg was arge country. Toorge for one king to rule effectively all parts of it. Even more in times of war.


    Was the prince not worried about them rebelling and joining Wratharis? After all, even though humans could not hurt the King directly, there was no obligation that forced them to be loyal.


    Commoners cheered. Understanding that Sol would be a king who cared for the people.


    But Old nobles snorted. Those who had been acting like kings in their territories seethed.


    The Kingdom fell into a strange state of calm. But great undercurrents were moving everywhere.


    Meanwhile, Back in the Royal Capital, the one who had made such a provoking speech was looking down between his a beautiful cow-horned maid unbuttoned his pant.


    Sol closed his eyes as he felt his lower part being engulfed in Milia''s moist lips and released a sigh,


    Even though it was only through a screen and he had not been able to see the reaction, his heart had been beating like never before as he spouted bullshit after bullshit with no hesitation.


    He would have never thought that speaking like this to millions of citizens could give such a rush. A mixture of feeling between stress, anticipation and feeling of power.


    Sol finally understood one of the reasons why Politicians in his world liked power so much.


    (AN: Welp. Sol will be Sol. Heh. Vol 12 might long or short. But I n to try a mildly long arc. A time for Sol to truly rx you see? Not just sex scenes but more moments like festivals. Vol 11 was frustrating for many so time for rxation. I also use this volume to slowly introduce more of the world. It will be either Salem or Elve Kingdom. The heroines of this vol are Setsuna and Lilin. Also, this wasn''t the way I nned to start the vol but lol. I was writing while listening to Attack on Titans OST. so yeah. Got influenced. Haha. XD)


    VOL 12 starts.


    Vol 12: Two Swords/Two Princesses.

 Chapter 439 CH 403:JUST A PLAY

    Closing his eyes, Sol leaked a groan when he felt Milia¡¯s tongue gently wrap around his hardened shaft.


    As always, she was neither clumsy nor forceful with her action. She gave him an all-epassing feeling of being taken care of and spoiled.


    When he was with her, he didn¡¯t have to take the lead or act strong. He simply had to let her do as she wished. Which was to bring him as much pleasure as possible.


    In the end, he grabbed her by the horns as he released his seed inside her mouth. A small smile formed at the corner of her mouth and her throat moved as she gulped down the load without even a frown. Even more so she sucked even more, as if she wished to bring out all the sperm in had.


    When Sol finally finished his long ejaction, Milia opened her mouth wide, showing that there was nothing on her tongue. She had swallowed everything.


    Sol caressed her head with a sigh, ¡°I am always helpless in front of you.¡±


    A mischievous smile formed on her face as she stood up and gave an elegant bow. Watching her like this, one would never guess that the prime and proper maid standing here was in fact a woman who could make the most vulgar actions as long as it was for her beloved.


    ¡°I am always happy to serve.¡±


    Sol grinned, ¡°Thanks I really needed it.¡±


    He then closed his eyes for a while, ¡°Well, enough ying around. I am sorry that we can¡¯t go all the way now. But it would be quite disrespectful to go to the meeting while reeking of sex.¡±


    ¡°Then, I hope I will have my rewards tonight.¡±


    She gave a coy smile, arranged her hair, and bowed before walking toward the door of the throne room.


    Giving onest nce and seeing him nod, she opened the door wide and stood aside. On the other side, stood three people, Athena Hignd, Arachne Mris, and Hermes Travers. Two Dukes and the representative of the most loyal ducal family.


    ¡°You can enter.¡±


    The three advanced and once they reached the middle of the room, went on a knee. Since they were dukes¨COr represented one, the three of them did not have to kneel to a crown prince.


    ¡°We greet Your Highness.¡±


    But all the people here knew very well that Sol was already the King in all but name. The entire Tower of Babel was already under is control and Lilith had never contested his hegemony.


    They had also worked with him enough to know him and respect his power.


    ¡°You can rise.¡±


    Sol satnguidly on his throne. For him, it was simply because he was lethargic after releasing his load. But all the Dukes could feel was simply a clear show of power. But none of them summoned the slightest ill will.


    Athena had already considered Sol as her king. Mris simply did not care much and as for Hermes, Sol had reached a level so beyond him that even standing here made his instincts scream in terror.


    Once the three rose, they all hesitated a little before finally Athena spoke. She was the youngest and the one with the lowest rank here so it was her job to do so.


    ¡°Your Highness¡­¡±


    She hesitated a little but Sol grinned and cut her misery, ¡°Are you here about my announcement?¡±


    Athena sighed, ¡°Indeed. For thest two weeks, we have talked about war and adequate preparation. But nowhere did we talk about the second part of your announcement.¡±


    She was ready to receive remonstrance. After all, a king did not need to inform them before doing anything.


    ¡°Indeed you are right and I apologize for that.¡±


    ¡°Your highness!?¡±


    Athena took a few steps, ¡°We don¡¯t dare, we did note to ask for apologies.¡±


    ¡®Haha, how fun.¡¯


    Sol really found it funny how people reacted differently when he made unexpected moves such as apologizing. <novelnext></novelnext>


    This was normal. The weight of one word depended on your position. The apology of a King and that of a peasant were iparable.


    But this was a serious moment, ¡°Okay, enough teasing. To be honest I am not really happy with the current state of Lustburg.¡±


    He waved his hand and Milia approached with a stack of paper, giving it to the three,


    ¡°This is a summary of the information my secretary managed to assemble. As you can see¡­Well Lustburg is bleeding money.¡±


    ¡°Your highness¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop. Duke Travers, I am not using you of embezzling. But it¡¯s a fact that even though we managed to wipe out the few majors traitors, the kingdom is still full of parasites that need to be exterminated.¡±


    He sighed and leaned back on his throne, ¡°I am not so naive as to search for apletely clean kingdom. This would be impossible without mind manipting all the Kingdom. But I am not interested in doing this.¡±


    The three shivered a little. Even Arachne who had been mostly indifferent didn¡¯t miss the meaning behind his words.


    It wasn¡¯t about him being unable to manipte everyone. Simply being unwilling.


    Sol ignored them and continued, ¡°Take a look at page four for example. My father had established many rules about the caretaking of ves. Even personal ves are eventually the property of the state and as much must be treated like servants rather than being with no rights. Furthermore, children of ves are given free citizen status. But, it¡¯s clear many people are not respecting these rules.¡±


    ¡°I have been asking myself, why are those people not doing as demanded? Some do not even try to hide the atrocity theymit. Why does this happen? Then I came to answer.¡±


    Sol gave a chilly smile, ¡°They why doesn¡¯t matter. Those who do not listen can be punished. But for those who toe past the bottom line¨C¡±


    He passed his thumb over his neck, ¡°Death penalty.¡±


    A chilling air seemed to sweep past them.


    ¡°Your highness¡­.Do you wish to be like the Blood Queen?¡±


    The Blood Queen, Venus. She was, of course, one of Sol''s ancestors and during her era Lustburg had observed the highest number of execution.


    It was the era where the nobles were the most repressed. But it was also the era where Lustburg faced the most disturbance. After all, the King could not govern the Kingdom alone. Nor could she fight on all fronts.


    ¡°The Blood Queen¡­ hum.¡±


    Sol remembered his discussion with Lilith during their first date which ended with a visit to the cemetery. The Blood Queen was also the one who had introduced the development of Sweets and Ice cream of all kinds.


    It was funny how such a woman could be considered a blood thirsty monster. But this mostly steemed from her control over blood after she signed a contract with a powerful vampire.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My goal is not to massacre indiscriminately. All I need is a just cause.¡±


    Hermes, bit his tongue, ¡°So your annoucement.¡±


    ¡°Public sentiment is easily swayed. Now I am the just and naive King who side with themon people and the nobles are the evils bastards who don''t even fight and steal their taxes.¡±


    He shrugged, ¡°From now on, I just have to manipte public sentiment until everyone is on my side.¡±


    A smile formed on his face, ¡°All humans have a mentality of Us vs Everyone else. Once this mentality is created. Then everything will be easier.¡±


    Athena gave a bitter smile. She remembered the somewhat clumsy but kind young and prideful young man she meet not long ago during the Duke''s visit.


    The same young man was now coldly talking about executing arge number of people if they did not follow his will while using the sentiment of respect the popce had for him with no hesitation.


    It was hard to put his past image and the current one together. The difference was simply too great.


    As a King, this was surely an admirable growth. But Athena couldn¡¯t help but feel a little lost.


    (AN: I won¡¯t delve toooo much in politics as I said this volume is supposed to be light-hearted and smut and joy. But gotta deal with a few background problems after all. I am also adjusting myself to reach the right level of enough politics for it to be interesting but not so much it bes boring.

 Chapter 440 CH 404: MAKE THE FIRST MOVE

    After he finished informing the Dukes about his ns, Sol found himself once again alone with Milia.


    ¡°Do you think I am wrong?¡±


    ¡°Whether you are right or wrong does not matter now. A king''s words cannot be taken back. Otherwise, he would lose all respect. Our job is to make sure your vision sees the light and to take care of anything that will stand in between.¡±


    Milia looked up at Sol sitting on his throne with a fervent gaze. Her loyalty for the young prince knew no bounds and she would sooner kill everyone than let someone stop him from aplishing his dream.


    Of course, she knew that she couldn¡¯t just be a Yes woman.


    ¡°The situation of Lustburg is very unstable currently and executing even more nobles will make the situation even moreplicated.¡±


    ¡°I know. But this is the result of stagnation. There has been no major change in the Nobility since my great-grandfather. This led many nobles to see themselves as superior beings. This cannot continue.¡±


    Sol ultimate main goal currently was the conquest of the world. But this didn¡¯t just stop at the military.


    A true conquest involved control over all states and for that,petent subordinates were necessary.


    ¡°With the Royal examination, I will be able to pump some new blood; By the time they are ready, they will be working on a much bigger scale. As for the current war, it¡¯s perfect to take some of Wrathari''s territory under our control. Once we beat Wratharis, others will be a little warier but it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    His n was pretty simple. Conquer wratharis and make it a vassal state. Use thend to reward the new nobles. Take thends from old nobles as rewards for a select few he wants to have in his faction andpletely reshuffles the order in Lustburg.


    This was going to be long works so he needed verypetent subordinates.


    ¡°How''s the situation with Isis?¡±


    ¡°We are testing the new implementation. But many workers admit being ufortable working with the undead.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t need to tell them they are undead. Say they are holy warriors or something of the like. Either way, her undead are d in armor and holy energy so no one can guess without being told. Is there any other problem?¡±


    ¡°The undead shine greatly when used for simplebor. But their self-awareness seems rtively small. I doubt we can use them for the administration. The King-ranked undead is stronger and more self-aware. Able to think and act by themselves but from what she said, since they are not natural undead, she needs to constantly use her energy to keep them activated.¡±


    ¡°I see. I guess this is too bad. We will have to wait until she bes a Kind rank to see the result.¡±


    Milia gave a rueful smile. Clearly, in Sol¡¯s eyes, the king rank was just a mere formality for Isis. Then again she couldn¡¯t say much against this. Simply being able to use the King rank undead made a difference in power so clear it was startling.


    Isis was in apletely different level and the same went for Sol.


    Milia sighed. In her case, she did not feel much inferiority. She knew very well that Sol still needed her. But, the image of a blue-haired wolf shed in her mind


    ¡®I wonder if she is alright.¡¯


    ¡ª--


    Setsuna was not alright.


    The speech Sol had just given had been transmitted in all Lustburg and of course, the Capital was no exception.


    War against Wratharis was bing a reality.


    Her people would bleed and die, her kingdom would suffer. All that, because of a usurper. A tyrant without honor. A man who should have never obtained the mantle of King.


    No matter how she looked at it. Wratharis had absolutely no reason to fight Lustburg right now.


    It was nothing more than a desire for conquest or petty vanity.


    ¡°Damn this¡­¡±


    Thunder roared alongside Setsuna as she swung her sword, creating a clear path.


    But the weight on her heart could not vanish with just this.


    She hated her own powerlessness more than anyone.


    ¡®In the end, what do I truly want?¡¯


    She was lost and confused. Her sword moved but her mind was not with it.


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    Setsuna stopped moving her sword. Her head was covered in perspiration and her chest heaved up with difficulty.


    She had been swinging her swords for hours now and it was showing.


    ¡°I am not much of a swordsman but I know those attacks werecking.¡±


    Kali, unfortunately back to her maid attire rose an eyebrow as she spoke to Setsuna.


    ¡°I guess you are distracted now.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. It¡¯s understandable. Either way, we reached a teau and the only way for you to break through it is to either awaken your blood and reach Rank S or be a Duke.¡±


    Setsuna bit her lips. Neither of them was easy.


    ¡°Normally going back to your original race. Cmity wolf should only be possible after you be a demigod.¡±


    Once someone bes a demigod, they would be able to be a partial energy being and have to rearrange their body structures. <novelnext></novelnext>


    This was the ¡®easiest¡¯ and most straightforward way. But it was different for mutants like Setsuna.


    ¡°You are a rare Storm wolf. The highest possible variant of Blue wolf. So the blood of Fenrir should be pretty strong in you. All you need is something to induce it.¡±


    That something was a great understanding of the bloodline power. By bing more adept in handling power, one could reach greater heights.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mistaken Setsuna. You may be using a sword. But you are not a pure swordswoman like Lilith. Lilin understood that and found her way. Nor it¡¯s your turn.¡±


    Simply using the sword did not make you a true swordsman. Of course, Kali knew that using Lilith as aparison was absurd. If the only way to be seen as a swordsman was to follow Lilith¡¯s path, then no one else could obtain the title.


    A swordsman was someone who followed the path of the sword and made everything else secondary.


    ¡°For you. The sword is secondary and elements are necessary.¡±


    Of course, being variants like Setsuna did not assure evolution. Pandora for example was also a variant of Subi as she was of royal blood. But she was far from bing a True Demon.


    ¡°Well. Now I believe there is a third way.¡±


    Setsuna rose her head in a hurry. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Kali shrugged, ¡°You should ask your prince. I believe it¡¯s time for you two to sign a contract. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    Kali had seen what Sold did when they were saving Lilith. Even now, she could not believe what she had witnessed.


    The advent of a new race or the variant of Humanity. Like Witches. A superior race that had ess to power humans did not normally have.


    If witches were humans who could use magic as easily as some divine beasts, then Lilith''s new races were humans whose physical bodies were not inferior to divine beasts.


    It had been jaw-dropping. Sol had said that he could not do something like this again since he didn¡¯t have divinity. But this also meant that once he officially became a demigod, he might be even more terrifying.


    ¡°So, what do you think? Gonna sign your contract?¡±


    Setsuna clenched her fists, ¡°I¡­This has always been my dream.¡±


    She had dedicated her sword and her life to Sol long ago. So signing a contract with him would be a dreame true.


    But,


    ¡°Does he even still want me?¡±


    Isis was so much more superior. Her chance of bing a Rank S in quality were low. But Isis was beyond that. Wouldn¡¯t taking a more divine beast as a contract be more useful than her weak self?


    ¡°I mean¡­If you are curious why don¡¯t you just go ask him?¡±


    ¡°It¡­It isn¡¯t easy.¡±


    If there was something that Kali hated more than anything, it was extended drama born from a misunderstanding;


    ¡°It is. You are just too scared to do it.¡±


    Kali shrugged, ¡°We will stop here.¡±


    Kali waved her hand as she walked away, ¡°My advice is. Take Sol for some time outside. Have fun or something and ask him. You two need to spend more time together anyway. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    Now alone in the garden when she trained. Setsuna gazed at the sky thoughtfully.


    Whether she was too weak or not, worrying endlessly alone would not change her situation and in fact, might make it worse.


    She clenched her fists a few moments before nodding,


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it today.¡±


    Setsuna gathered her courage and moved toward the interior of the tower. This time she nned to make clear her current situation with Sol.


    But first¡­She had to take a bath.


    (AN: I am re-opening the option for Bonus chapters. I think I managed to get the hang of the rhythm for two books.


    Since SHK doesn''t have ess to win-win anymore. I can only focus on gifts goals and Golden Ticket.


    My goal is to reach the top 25 in trending (All time/monthly). I know we can do it. If you want to read my other works, join me on P@treon: /HikaruGenji (Rece the @ with a for those who don¡¯t know about the site)


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A car= 1 bonus chapter


    A Dragon= 3 Bonus Chapter


    A Castle= 5 Bonus chapters


    A golden Gachapon= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 BC


    1000 GT= 2 BC

 Chapter 441 CH 405: TYRANT

    [Wratharis ¡ª Royal Pce]


    Sol¡¯s speech was not only contained in the confines of the Lustburg kingdom. All kingdoms had spies mixed in with the popce of the other kingdoms and this was all the more so for Wratharis who was currently in midst of war preparation against the kingdom of Lustburg.


    Bang~!


    ¡°He dares!?¡±


    A roar filled the pce room as thunder crackled in the sky as a man shouted at the top of his lungs.


    Unlike Sol¡¯s situation where he showed respect to his dukes and nobles of his kingdom and received respect in return, the current situation inside the pce room could only be considered to be aplete suppression as fear shed in the eyes of the trembling retainers who had given the message to the king of Wratharis.


    They always said that one should not shoot at messengers. But they knew very well that the man sitting on the throne with a wrathful expression was not one to listen to such courtesy.


    Tiangou Lupus Ira.


    The current reigning king of Wratharis. A rare variant of the Blue Wolf race, a Lightning wolf, who had reached the King rank as well.


    As one of the most powerful beings in the Mortal Realm, one would expect a certain grace in his demeanor. But all one could see was the endless greed of a man who hungered for more and more power. Power that he didn¡¯t have the right nor the ability to handle.


    He was a man who did not hesitate to kill his brother in order to steal the throne even though he could have just waited for it to be passed on to him naturally.


    For many people, that man was not a king. He was nothing but a malevolent and ungrateful tyrant.


    He did not lead through kindness, sternness, or even with authority. He only reigned through absolute power and fear of the destruction he would wreak on his opposition.


    In any other ce, this would have brought about a mutiny or a coup. A full-blown rebellion against his rule as the poption decided to revolt against injustice.


    Sadly, as a Blessed king, no Beastkin could ever hope to hurt him or take the throne from him. Doing so would mean fighting against the goddesses themselves. And this would only lead to the decimation andplete erasure of the individual.


    Looking down at the trembling man kneeling beneath his throne, Lupus felt his anger rise more and more with each passing second.


    For him, anger was power. He embraced it. This was the way to constantly increase his power. It was his truth and way of life.


    But he still knew that hot anger was not the only way to lead life.


    His wrath simmered down as the lightning in the room receded into his body, ¡°Finish your report.¡±


    The messenger nearly let out a sob of relief as he bowed so low he nted his forehead firmly on the ground.


    There was not much to say and once he finish retelling the events that transpired all over the kingdom of Lustburg, he was dismissed. Fortunately, he was able to keep his life and his limbs intact. But he wasn¡¯t fully sure of his survival. He wouldn¡¯t be sure until he left the sights of the ursed king.


    It was only after standing outside and feeling the rays of the sun against his face that he realized that he was alive and that he had survived the ordeal.


    Tears strimmed down his face as he wondered if he should go back home and work on the farm with his parents.


    At least this would be a better life than this.


    Serving a king was like riding a tiger. A man never knew when they would be swallowed by their own steed.


    Though¡­¡¯The future king of Lustburg seems to be different.¡¯


    He was envious. No matter if it was a facade or not, at least that noble king was willing to put up a kind facade for the public and his retainers. It was still infinitely better than the king he served.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Miserable wretch!¡±


    After the messenger left the room, Lupus gripped his throne tightly with his hands. Despite his personality, Lupus was not foreign to politics. He simply did not see the interest in engaging in such useless and insufferable bber as he judged it was utterly unworthy and beneath a king such as him to even dabble in.


    This was why he could guess¡­ That the baby prince was using him as a way to clean up his own kingdom of all of its malice and rotten parts.


    His decision to wage war against that insufferable prince¡¯s kingdom was being seen lightly by that arrogant manchild. <novelnext></novelnext>


    Furthermore the words in the messages that were addressed¡­


    Tyrant. Usurper. Unworthy of the throne. All those were adjectives and curse words that were used to describe him behind his back but he cared not as he knew those were nothing but the ys of a rat scurrying along the ground, destined to never stand up against the true beings of power.


    But that wretched, vile, and dastardly prince¡­. ¡°He really dared insult me.¡±


    Lupus was angry. Very very angry. He did not see himself as a usurper. He was a Blessed. He was a chosen one by the Heavens themselves and without a doubt, he would be unrivaled under the heavens using his power and authority.


    ¡°Sol Dragona Luxuria¡­ I shall remember you and your insolence.¡±


    He would see how that prince would react when he lost everything and his kingdom was burned to the ground while heughed at his misery.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [Patientia Church ¡ª Kingdom of Wratharis]


    The Church of Patientia was more akin to a calm temple with hundreds of fox statues and red gates all other the ce.


    Even though winter was upon them, the sakura trees were still blooming in their pink hue and the petal flowers were floating leisurely in the sky.


    Sitting on the ground with a bottle of alcohol next to her, Kiku Inari Patientia, the Supreme Daughter of Patientia, also known as the Miko, bonafide shrine maiden of this ce, was gazing at the distant sky.


    Next to her, was a short girl with two horns above her head wearing clothes that were more than just a little indecent.


    ¡°Shuten¡­ How do you think this will end?¡±


    Shuten Douji, leaned back slightly as she focused on Kiku¡¯s side profile and spoke, ¡°We are currently sitting on gunpowder and the Prince has just lit the fuse.¡±


    Kiku sighed, ¡°I wonder what gives him such confidence.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either, to be honest. Information from the main tower of Lustburg is nearly impossible to acquire. But see¡­ That prince is no fool. I am sure of that fact.¡±


    Shuten had seen a record of the speech. This prince was unlike Lupus. This was not the behavior of a man drunk with power and overestimating his worth.


    Those were the eyes of a man who knew what he was doing and who had the means to back up all of his ims.


    ¡°The first phase of our n is more of a sess than I had expected it to be. I believe even the second phase will seed. But¡ª Weck two very essential elements to fully utilize our n.¡±


    Shuten Douji was a demon and Kiku was a Blessed. As such, the two could openly plot against Lupus for his demise. But there was one rule they could never fight against.


    ¡°Firstly ¡ªWe need a Blessed to take back the throne.¡±


    The importance and influence of Blessed in this continent were without measure. One Blessed was more persuasive than a thousand of just cause.


    As long as they did not have someone to rece them ¡ª Then chaos would inevitably ensue and burn thends.


    ¡°Secondly ¡ª We need someone on their side to handle that brat, Wukong.¡±


    Shuten Douji frowned at those words. She could not imagine anyone being able to fight that battle-thirsty monster and even tie.


    It was even more so with his most recent evolution. [1]


    But a deal was a deal. Sun Wukong only wished for even more evolution and enlightenment and he would not stop until he was able to reach his goals.


    ¡®I hope the so-called Sword Saint will be worthy of her reputation.¡¯


    She did not wish to deal with a tantrum Wukong was capable of bringing otherwise.


    [1]: Reread CH 217: Special Chapter: Sun Wukong


    (AN: Some sneak peek into the mindset of the opposition. This should havee out just as CH 403. After speech but heh. My Shouten Douji character design is based on Shouten from Fate Grand Order. For Kiku, the design is Miko from No Game No Life.)

 Chapter 442 CH 406: NEW LILITH

    [Lustburg ¡ª Inverse World]


    Back in Lustburg sitting inside the dimension of his Inverse World, in the copy version of the hanging garden, Lilith was in a rather bewildering but wee situation.


    The path of power from the start of Mana Maniption to Reinforcement, dding, Intent, Zone, and Finally the True Name.


    From nothing to the realm of the King, it was a simple yet tedious path that many could not reach or even aim for but it was a path that held no danger for anyone who had both the will and talent to challenge. One may never reach the next level but reaching this realm would automatically promote one to bing a powerhouse.


    The path to the realm of the Demigod, however, was quite different from everything beneath as it was deadly if even the slightest mistake was made along the way. There was no chance for any failure as failure would only mean death and demise.


    For some, it was a transition into their most natural state. Others called it an ascension to their true self.


    In the end, though, no matter what it was called, there was no denying the fact that it was the most important and the most deadly phase anyone in the King realm had to go through if they wished to advance to the next realm and glimpse into the territory of the gods¡ª bing a Demigod.


    Many stopped on their path after learning of the consequences of failure. Even the Four Witches did not dare to go through it as they were now.


    This was why Lilith was all the more bewildered by her situation and the current circumstance of her ascension.


    ¡°Well¡­ It seems like I ascended while I was asleep?¡±


    During her experience as her body was being re-constructed by the joint efforts of everyone, she had destroyed her True Name, her truest self, and erased her Truth to find a new way for herself.


    Then by reaching the King realm once again, fusing the new name she had sought out for herself had been so easy that it literally happened while she was asleep and recuperating.


    It was like her body had forcibly adjusted itself to her power and mental state. Bringing a result that would make any King realm powerhouse red-eyed with envy and jealousy.


    When she learned of this fact, Medea cursed endlessly. Persephone looked up at the sky as she wondered about the truth of life even after being the witch that governed over life herself. Freya only gave a feeble chuckle and Kali simply stomped away muttering something iprehensible about ¡°Bullshit Xianxia protagonist.¡± or something as she left the premise for who knows where.


    Lilith could not really me them for their reaction. But there was not much she could do about this situation other than to nkly watch everything unfold in front of her eyes. For the remaining two weeks, Lilith simply adapted to the myriad of changes her body had gone through due to Sol¡¯s crazy n.


    By going through the ascension, she had now be a partial energy being. Akin to all other Divine Beasts. She was now able to absorb mana through the core that was generated in her body and could theoretically enjoy an endless amount of mana as long as there was mana that she could ess in her surroundings.


    This alone was enough for her to be ecstatic with joy and happiness. She always had a huge amount of mana but now it was on a totally different level.


    But this wasn¡¯t all. Her body itself was different than her past brittle self.


    In the past, she was a failed mixture between a Subi and a Human. Born from the blood of Neptune and the Nightmare Queen who was also the previous queen of Envilya.


    Unlike her daughter though, she had never been able to ess the power of [Dreams] that came naturally with her powers as the most powerful Subi. Though this had never been a problem for her. She had created her own path to mitigate all her ws.


    A path that she could not master in the past due to her mentality and outlook.


    This time, however, it was different. She was different. She had ovee everything that was holding her back till now.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ I wonder what I should do now.¡±


    There was a problem that had been bothering her for thest two weeks and she was quite lost about what to do about it.


    Sitting not far from her was Ambrosia. She had her head resting on the palm of her hands as she observed Lilith''s body continuously with her divine gaze. Trying to analyze and understand her and just what in hell she was currently.


    What Sol had done to her was something that Ambrosia could never enact even to this day. It was a fact that artificially getting power imposed on a body had a certain limit on the one who was bestowed that power.


    Divine Beasts could never be gods. In the same way, it was near impossible for a witch to be a Demigod due to the nature of their existence.


    Since Sol had ¡®created¡¯ Lilith then her power and potential should also be limited. But the gate of the Demigod realm was basically non-existent for her. Then came the question. What even was her limit? Or, did the concept of limit never exist for her¡­


    ¡°You are certainly the most talented human I have ever witnessed with my eyes. Though¡ª calling you a human right now seems a bit wrong.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡±


    Lilith grinned as she snapped her finger, ¡°See, I have been thinking about this for so long but I still can¡¯t find an answer. What should I call my race?¡±


    Ambrosia could only message her head at seeing the ecstatic face of Lilith spouting out some nonsensical words. It was quite hard to match this current picture with the Lilith of the past who was always brooding and silent in her thoughts. Her dignified image was shattered in her mind with no hope of forming back.


    ¡°You have been thinking about this¡­ For two whole weeks?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I am honestly surprised that it has already been so long.¡±


    Ambrosia nodded. Understanding that Lilith''s perception of time had changed from that of a mortal to that of a long-lived race. This was a necessary procedure as it was impossible for the human mind to support the weight of the years that the divine beings would go through in their life. <novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡°So, did you find a good name for your race?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I was thinking Godyer. But¡­¡±


    ¡°You are¡­quite courageous, to say the least.¡±


    ¡°I mean. Isn¡¯t everyone all about creating some new god or something? So why not a Godyer? Naming the new race after my own sword art would be great.¡±


    Ambrosia¡¯s smile twitched as she heard her words, ¡°Well, we barely avoided being branded as heretics but if it doesn¡¯t bother you, you are free to proim yourself as a Godyer or anything you like.¡±


    Lilithughed out loud before leaning down on the monochrome grass that was gently swaying beneath her feet.


    ¡°Well, I guess I can¡¯t really choose that name as I am now. Hah, oh well. I will find a good name for it sooner orter. Not like it really matters right now since I am the only one of this race currently.¡±


    ¡°Your behavior has changed greatly. This is quite a concerning matter.¡±


    Lilith smiled at Ambrosia¡¯s words.


    Looking up at the grey sky, she stretched her hand as mana began to fill her body.


    It was a euphoric feeling. She felt like mana was just an extension of her body as she was now. As if she was being loved by mana itself. Just a call from her was enough to fill her body with more mana than she ever wielded in all her life.


    Her strength also went beyond what could be humanly possible. She went from being weaker than a normal human to having enough strength to bend pure metal and create a crater in the ground with her fists without even focusing on the output of her strength. This was with her bare body without any enhancements whatsoever.


    This hadpletely messed up her sense of swordsmanship as she needed to re-adjust herself to her absurd power.


    ¡°Do you know. Now for me, even this grey sky seems colorful and bright.¡±


    She felt like she had lived thest few decades in a haze and that haze was finally lifted from her eyes making everything clear and bright. She had sworn that she would not squander this second chance that was bestowed on her.


    Life was fleeting and while she might have be immortal, she would never forget about the transience of life.


    ¡°For now. I want to have a bit of fun. Not just surviving but truly living this life.¡±


    She wanted to enjoy everything life had to offer.


    She wanted to walk outside and talk with people. y games with her daughter andugh no matter what was the result.


    ¡°Once I create my territory, I will leave the capital for a while.¡±


    She wished to explore the world. It was impossible to visit the other kingdoms currently and since Lustburg was at war she couldn¡¯t go far. But she wished to see more of the ce she had ruled over the years but had never trulye to love. For life was just a fleeting dream to her. Transient and ever closer to its end.


    Now it was time for her to love it. Climb mountains, swim in the sea, run in the forest.


    There were so many things she had to try and now¡­ Time was the least of her worries.


    She had all the time in the world to do everything she wished to do.


    Ambrosia titled her head, ¡°Will you visit the Astral Realm?¡±


    She could not ept this. Currently, Lilith was considered to be ¡®an undead¡¯ by the goddesses. She was not a natural undead so further growth was impossible. Much less bing a Demigod.


    If Lilith tried to establish a territory, then they would be gged as liars and heretics then everything they did to hide the truth would have been for naught.


    Lilith shook her head and looked around.


    ¡°Why go to the Astral Realm? I have all the ce I could ever need just here.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know if it would work and she would wait for Sol toe so that she could discuss with him about his ns.


    But¡ª She wished to create her territory inside the Inverse World.


    This promised to be quite an interesting experience.


    (AN: Appearance-wise, Lilith didn¡¯t change. Though she looks a little younger now and would look more like Lilin¡¯s sister than her mother. But that¡¯s pretty much it.)

 Chapter 443 CH 407: ITS GOOD TO BE ALIVE

    When Ambrosia heard her absurd n, she scrunched her brows and was about to rebuke Lilith for her stupidity. A territory could only be created in a ce like the Astral Realm or the Mortal Realm and the Afterlife. It was a necessity as only ces like these could bear the weight of an entirely new world superimposing on an existing one.


    The dimensional walls of dimensions of the dimensional mages were just too weak to bear such pressure and the result would be mutual destruction of both worlds or dimensions if they were to try to enact such stupidity.


    This was why even Tiamat could not create her territory in her dimension. In the same way, the three of them had to resort to other means to ascend to the Demigod realm.


    In the past, Ambrosia chose to create her territory in the Astral Realm. Echidna choose the Mortal Realm and Anubis went and stole a part of the Afterlife to create his territory there.


    In the end, the three of them could not escape this rule and Sol¡¯s dimension was not¡ª


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    She stopped herself mid-sentence and observed the world once again.


    So many events happened recently but it seemed like she had forgotten to inspect this ce more rigorously. Now was a good time as any so she hurriedly put her focus to observe this monochrome world.


    ¡®This is¡­ Huh¡­?¡¯


    The dimensional wall was far sturdier than she thought them to be. She frowned instantly. Lilith had been able to cut down the walls and enter this ce. Even though she was strong, it wouldn¡¯t be possible if the walls were as strong as that of an entire existential realm no matter how strong Lilith may be.


    Even so, she felt that they were sturdier than your average dimension.


    There was another thing bothering her about this ce.


    The space and the surroundings in a dimension were always fixed. No matter where they were, it would always be the same.


    But the surrounding of this dimension changed and reflected the appearance of the real world.


    ¡®This is¡­¡¯


    She bit her lips in frustration as more than hundreds of theories painfully created and glorified by witches seemed to vanish in the wind with the advent of this world and the anomalies called Sol and Lilith.


    ¡®This ce is really not for me.¡±


    First, it was Lilith¡ª breaking down all her knowledge about energy conversion and now it was Sol showing her a glimpse of something beyond thews of space and time that was established since time immemorial. Since the beginning of all that constituted their reality.


    She sighed in defeat and utter tiredness, ¡°Whether or not this will be possible, you should prepare yourself all the same. It will take a veryrge amount of time. What kind of territory will you create? How big will it be outwardly and inwardly? But more importantly¡­ How will you obtain Faith coins necessary to run the territory? You¡¯ll need to contemte and make ns for everything.¡±


    If her territory was inside Sol¡¯s dimension, it would mean that effectively no one below the Duke rank coulde to live inside her territory.


    King-ranked people didn¡¯t exactly walk on the street.


    Without people to popte the world no faith could be garnered and without Faith coins, it was impossible to expand and develop one¡¯s territory.


    Faith was a very important factor in this world. Almost, painfully so, too important.


    Lilith shrugged her shoulders in response, ¡°I only want a ce to rest my sword and go through the next level. Honestly, the territory is only secondary to me.¡±


    ¡°You are a strange being.¡±


    ¡°I am, right? Heh.¡±


    Lilith grinned and stood up from the bed of grass. She was in a very good mood today and now that she managed to control her new strength, she had no reason to stay here any longer. She was going to meet her beautiful but cold daughter to whom she owed so much and try to set things right for the first time in her life.


    If Lilin was interested, she would even teach her the¡º Sword of the End ¡»and everything about her new¡º Godying Sword Art ¡»that she acquired in her mindscape.


    She didn¡¯t know how much this would be useful for Lilin as her daughter was already taking her own path that was different from hers. But the first chapter of her new art allowed her to cut space. This should be quite useful for Lilin as her concept primarily focused on the utilization of space.


    ¡°See youter.¡±


    She moved the ring on her finger and walked out through the portal that showed up in front of her. Leaving a despondent Ambrosia who was still inspecting the dimensional structure of this ce.


    Now that Lilith was healed, this meant that she had respected her part of the deal with Sol. Now, it was time for Sol to do the same.


    ¡®Do not disappoint us, Sol Dragona Luxuria. There won¡¯t be any more chances.¡¯


    She sighed inwardly. The witches had already suffered too much through their long and isting lives and they were in very much requirement of thepany of different people. <novelnext></novelnext>


    She had decided to stop being just a figurehead and stop letting her feelings of guilt dictate her actions anymore. She was willing to make things straight for her children and atone for her unjust actions.


    [Little girl.]


    The voice of a ma sounded in her head. In this entire universe, there was only one man who dared to call herewith this name.


    ¡°We need to talk¡ª Asmodeus.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When Lilith walked out of the dimension, she took a deep breath before giggling under her breath.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    The feeling of mana in the Mortal Realm was quite dry and poor. She had never left the Mortal Realm but the difference in quality and concentration of mana between this ce and Sol¡¯s dimension was already startling even though his world was supposed to be the mirror of this world.


    If before she felt like a fish in water, now she had the impression that she was a whale trying to squeeze her ce inside ake.


    This made her understand why the overall level of mortals was so much lowerpared to what Sol told her about the armies in the Astral Realm.


    Thankfully for Lilith, she had lived all her life in this ce. So it wasn¡¯t hard for her to adapt to this sensation.


    ¡°Well then, where is Lilin?¡±


    She had a daughter to find and amends to make. After this, she would meet Camelia and spend some time with her friend again. She needed to give her thanks for everything Camelia did to help her when things were hard and suffocating for her.


    Finally, she would have to discuss with Sol his ns for the future. She wished to know what he would do exactly and what he needed from her. She also needed to make an informed decision about her territory. But if it was possible, she wished to do so in his dimension.


    Her instincts were telling her that the effects would be beneficial for both of them.


    Then once she resolved everything¡­ She would go out on her journey.


    Lilith closed her eyes and took another deep breath. This time, she only focused on filling her lungs with the aroma of the flowers in the Garden.


    It was indeed good to be alive.


    ? ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: Opinion on the new Lilith? There is more to see as we observe how she changed and how her change will affect her surrounding. Lilith/Lilin/Setsuna. Three of the original girl I put aside for too long. Time for them to shine brightly. As for Amborisa¡¯s discussion with Asmodeus¡­ Welp.)


    Guys don¡¯t forget. Your support is what helps me thrive and live as an author. My ranking in WN is falling quite a bit and I am kinda worried. Since my revenue as an author are what help me live.


    Bonus for Gifts:


    A car= 1 bonus chapter


    A Dragon= 3 Bonus Chapter


    A Castle= 5 Bonus chapters


    A golden Gachapon= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die)


    Bonus for Golden Tickets


    500 GT= 1 BC


    1000 GT= 2 BC


    Bonus for Priv unlock


    5K= 3 BC (Spread over four days)


    15K= 8 BC (Spread over a week, otherwise I would die

 Chapter 444 CH 408: FATHER?

    Sol could be seen walking in the hallway with his retinueposed of Milia, ra, and a few maids who specialized in internal governance.


    ¡°Where is Isis?¡±


    ¡°Thedy is visiting the museum with miss Sheherazade. She should be out for the rest of the day.¡±


    Sol nodded in understanding as he took the piece of paper another maid gave him and started reading through it at a fast pace.


    ¡°What am I looking at exactly?¡±


    ¡°A proposal from Count Ross about the construction of a new hospital.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    He signed the paper and gave it to ra who was already holding a huge stack of paper in her hands. ¡°Put this proposal in the list of projects I might be interested in working on in the future.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ra nodded in response and gave a signal for another maid toe forth, ¡°Your Highness, some of the nobles asked for the date of the new maids'' selection.¡±


    When a few of the old maids or the maids who found someone they loved decided to retire, it was time to hire fresh blood and incorporate them into the working force of the Tower.


    Of course, with how stringent Milia was, she made sure to leave no leaks. Those who left received many prohibitions both written and magical in nature with certain death as an oue in case of betrayal.


    In the case of new maids, their status didn¡¯t matter much since Milia would screen out all the problematic ones and only leave the most promising, trustworthy, and excellent candidates.


    ¡°¡ªAnd why am I looking at this exactly?¡±


    Sol frowned his brows as he spoke. This was part of Milia''s job. It had nothing to do with him.


    Milia coughed slightly to hide her embarrassment and the shame she felt in handing over this task to her Lord. Indeed, normally she would have simply dealt with it herself but this time it was quiteplicated for a mere maid, officially speaking, to handle. After all, whenever nobility was thrown into the mix, the need for absolute authority was a must.


    ¡°This time the daughters of a few Counts and even some Marquis are part of the candidates.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Would those pampered girls be able to handle the job?¡±


    ¡°Some of our current maids are actually from noble families. But the few in the new batch aren''t here for a job, per se. They are more in line to be an open invitation for an alliance by the nobles. After all, your highness still has no official fiancee.¡±


    Milia¡¯s words made Sol chuckle bitterly under his breath when he realized that he had indeed had no one to officially take the mantle of his Princess consort or Queen consort to be exact.


    Truth be told, he was quite happy with this situation. He had the women he loved and cherished for himself and they returned the sentiment wholeheartedly. There was nothing more that he could ask of from them.


    While a ceremony might be interesting, he was hesitant about naming only one of them as his wife. Official or not.


    Doing a marriage for one of them would create a sentiment of insecurity and unfairness for the others. Of course, another reason was the bloodbath that might follow should this happen.


    Sol was not blind to the insanity of some of his lovers and knew very well that sometimes, all people needed was a little nudge to truly have the strings of rationality snap within them.


    ¡°Refuse them.¡±


    His answer was clear and concise.


    Sol liked putting his hand on his maids and having a good time with them every now and then. But all of this was based on the condition that they knew it was just a casual fling that might or might note again.


    The daughters of those nobles woulde with the goal of bing his fiancee or concubines. Rather than making them waste their time and affect their future marriage prospects, it was better to stop this fiasco at its roots.


    Inwardly, Sol also had to admit that he was simply not particrly interested in normal humans anymore as future mates or even future fling prospects.


    At least, to this date, the only pure human he was interested in was none other than Camelia.


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Milia shrugged her shoulders, having expected this answer from the start. But it was still a necessary process and she was not willing to make Sol¡¯s decisions by herself. That would just be too arrogant of her. <novelnext></novelnext>


    Like this, they continued walking while working on the papers. It was a weird sight for some but Sol loved this since it was very efficient. Or at least it seemed efficient to him and that thought in itself was enough for him.


    Right now, he wished to observe the training of the ck Knights. Royal Knights in the center of the Capital generally didn''t participate in war.


    But he wouldn''t let it fly this time. The aerial advantage of Wyvern riders and the speed advantage of the Nightmare Horse riders were too important to miss out on in this war. It could also be a surprise element for them that would give them an edge on the battlefield.


    Even more so in winter where mobility will be a decisive factor overall.


    His march stopped short when he spotted Lilith far in the distance. She was wearing a light blue dress that gave her an aura of aristocracy.


    It was quite unlike her usual revealing robe or battle gear. Right now, Lilith looked more like a curious princess who waspletely lost and clueless in unknown territory.


    The maids¡¯ expression grew concerned at this sight. For a moment, they thought they were facing Lilin but it was onlyter that they realized it was, in fact, the Queen herself.


    They didn''t know why she suddenly became younger but this didn''t stop them from bowing.


    "Your Majesty!"


    "Oh."


    Lilith nodded with a smile before facing Sol.


    ¡°Hi. How are you doing?¡±


    Sol greeted her in a soft tone. He had not seen her up close for some time now. At least not since the time he saved her within his dimension.


    He had been very busy and had to discuss with Luxuria and Aurora. In fact, soon he had another meeting with Luxuria in order to Iron out all the details of the deals.


    Lilith smiled, "I have never felt better. I was searching for Lilin but I do not see her."


    Sol looked at ra who nodded in understanding and responded to her query, "Princess Lilin has been out for a few days to participate in the extermination of a few bandits. She should be back in a day or two."


    "I see. Heh. Too bad. I guess I will have to wait for her then."


    Sol tilted his head at Lilith''s current demeanor.


    She was¡­quite a bit different from her usual self.


    A little too much even.


    He waved his hand at Milia, "Please proceed to the inspection without me. Call Athena and Ares. They will support you."


    "Understood."


    They all bowed and left the premise, leaving the two behind.


    Now alone, Sol and Lilith faced each other.


    There was a light smile on Lilith''s face as she looked at Sol.


    "There are many things I want to say. About how thankful I am. About what I want to do in the future. But before all that, I have been thinking about something quite funny."


    His eyebrows rose in interest, "You intrigued me. What is it about?"


    Lilith chuckled as a mischievous light twinkled in her eyes.


    "See. I was thinking¡­ Should I call you papa now?¡±


    If Sol had a drink he would have spat it out in her face then and there.

 Chapter 445 CH 409: THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING

    Sol coughed in a blend of embarrassment and exasperation at her teasing words,


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He couldn''t help but ask. Her words had been more than just a bit jarring to his ears.


    ¡°I mean, just think about it. Neptune created me through his blood and the blood and gics of the Nightmare Queen. You did something simr by using my human blood and your blood. In a way, I am your daughter now, right? or is it something along the lines of a sister? A bit confused myself, to be honest.¡±


    Sol groaned in his mind as he realized that his current and future family trees were and would be nearly as messy as a Greek god''s tree.


    Thinking about it clearly now, Sol was appalled toe to the conclusion that Lilith was now his aunt, daughter, and sister altogether in a twisted way. Meanwhile, Lilin was both his aunt and cousin and now his granddaughter?. On another note, Isis and Nefertiti were his women. which meant that Nent was both his aunt-inw and also a lover. Their children would call her grandaunt or great grandaunt but she was also his partner which meant that his children with Isis and Nefertiti should call her stepmom.


    If he had children with Nent, her children will be Nefertiti and Isis¡¯s stepchildren but at the same time will be their uncles and cousins respectively.


    If he added Kiyohime and perhaps Tiamat in the future¡­


    ¡®This¡­ Huh¡­¡¯


    Looking at Sol''s expression as if his brain had just short-circuited, Lilith exploded out inughter before waving her hand.


    "Sorry, sorry. The atmosphere was so tense, I thought that I would make a joke to liven things up. Didn¡¯t think it would sound so true.¡±


    ''Lilith and joking?''


    Sol was bemused at this weirdbination he had never thought would be possible.


    "Well, looking at your face, I guess it isn''t really like me, huh? Ambrosia has been saying the same thing too, that I am not acting like myself."


    She shook her head and then looked at her hands, "What do you guys think acting like myself is exactly? I want to know as I do not know myself, to be honest¡­"


    She mused in her mind, summoning her oldest memories, "The first few years after I was created I was practically a nk te. Then when I gathered more experience, I became a little brash and clingy. I was quite childish if I say so myself. Hehe. I remember attacking Camelia for quite the weird reasoning and I am still a bit ashamed of my behavior toward her."


    She chuckled and clenched her fists, "After your father, Mars, died and I realized I didn''t have much time left for myself, I fell into depression for years and time passed away before I even knew it. I wasn''t living per se. Thinking about it, I was just a husk keeping myself alive to aplish my goals."


    Light twinkled in her eyes as she tapped Sol''s chest with her fist.


    "You changed that part of me Sol. You gave me a second chance at life and made me realize how much I have been missing because of how focused I was on my objectives."


    She moved away from him and opened her arms wide, "I realized that life is too short to stay brooding and unchanging. Now I want to realize things I was never able to. I want to spend time with my daughter and apologize for all the wrongs I did to her, knowingly and unknowingly. I wish to take care of you as well for I was not a good caretaker nor an adequate guardian. I want to mend my wrongdoings."


    A soft smile graced her lips, "But, most of all, I want to be happy. I am tired of crying. Tired of moping and brooding while life shes away in front of me ¡ª Is it really that weird of me to be different then?"


    Was it wrong for her to seek happiness?


    "So I just want to make one thing clear. I did not change. I am simply looking at the world from a simpler perspective and all of this¡ª


    She approached Sol and hugged him tightly in her arms, "¡ªIs thanks to you."


    Her arms wrapped around him as her head nuzzled on his chest, "Thank you for giving me a second chance. Thank you for not giving up on me even when I gave up on myself. Thank you¡­for everything."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After a rather emotional moment, Lilith wiped the small tears that had gathered at the corner of her eyes, "Whoops, sorry. I didn''t want to make things heavy."


    She turned and twirled on her toes, "What do you think of my current attire?"


    "It''s¡­ I guess it''s quite cute?"


    Even though she looked younger and no longer had the subus blood in her, Lilith was still an incredibly beautiful woman with a body that could lead even the staunchest man to follow the path of a depraved sinner.


    But currently, as she twirled and smiled so candidly, it was hard to see her as a femme fatale. She gave the impression of a young naive princess who knew nothing of the world. <novelnext></novelnext>


    "Cute heh, well I like it."


    She smiled a little. The Aura of giddiness around her began to vanish as seriousness showed on her face for the first time Sol had witnessed her new self¡­


    "Tell me, Sol. It has been some time now but at the same time it hasn''t really been that long since that moment. I asked you¡­ Are you ready?"


    Sol gave a confident smile in response, "I don''t know if I will be a good king, but I am more than ready."


    He would be the Emperor of the Mortal world, after all. How could he not be ready to reign over a Kingdom nay, a whole Realm?


    "I see¡­"


    A forlorn smile mixed with pride and relief spread on her lips.


    The young boy had indeed grown into a full and reliable man.


    But she had done little to shape him into the man he was today.


    It was a regret she would carry on her back for all her life.


    But it was alright.


    The past was history. There was nothing she could do to change it.


    All she could do¡ª was focus on the present and make sure that she herself would be able to be a better person and a reliable ally for him.


    "It might be a little toote for me to y the parent figure. But I want you to know that my sword will always be at your disposal."


    This time it was not out of duty. Nor because of a feeling of obsession.


    But simply for her own desire to take care of him and Lilin.


    She was about to continue speaking a little when she registered a presence close to them.


    ''Hmm..?''


    She tilted her head for a moment before a knowing smile spread on her lips.


    "It seems like you have something important to deal with."


    Sol had also noticed the presence of his little blue wolf.


    Lilith waved her hands and started to walk away but she stopped for an instant.


    "Ah¡­ Before I forget. When you have some free time, let''s go on a date again. This time I promise I won''t bring you to a cemetery!"


    She smiled and vanished into a corner of the hallway, leaving a bemused Sol standing still on his feet.


    He felt like he had just faced some kind of tornado.


    The new Lilith seemed like aplete mystery to him. Hopefully, he would be able to get a better gauge of her in the future. Goddesses knew that he had been helpless till now. He hoped that at least his powers over faith would allow him to get aplete understanding of this mad woman.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: Man, only now do I realize how messed up the genealogical tree of our MC is lol.


    Also lol for those who say Lilith''s change is abrupt. Please reread Camelia''s Interlude. It''s the fourth Interlude in the story. You will remember how Lilith acted when she was younger. Lilith''s personality shifted many times throughout her life as all of us do. Experience shapes who we are. I don''t know if people will like her current change. But I wish to see a happy Lilith. She is just enjoying life.


    Now it''s time to deal with Setsuna. Poor girl needs her time. Soon, there will be a Special chapter about Southern Pride and another about Salem. Gotta see our Cute Nefertiti and the actions witches will take.)

 Chapter 446 CH 410: SWAYING EMOTIONS

    Setsuna was feeling nervous.


    Extremely so. Even as she took her bath and washed away the sweat, grime, and horrid smell she umted from the training, she could not help but be nervous whenever she thought of her uing confrontation with Sol.


    For Setsuna, it went without saying that Sol was, without a shred of doubt in the world, someone extremely special. As a child ¨C after losing everything she had and everyone she could call her own, including all those she loved and cherished from the bottom of her heart ¨C it was only the extreme instinctual desire, of the beast within her, for survival and her absolute irrevocable hatred for her uncle that helped her holding her sanity and her life as she trudged helplessly in her path of exile.


    Walking miles after miles after miles upon miles, escaping from the pursuit of the mad hounds of her hated enemy, and facing the ugliness of the world for the first time in her life at such a tender age. All those horrifying things would have broken her if she was not born with an iron will and the beastly instincts of an apex predator.


    Even so¡­ There was nothing unbreakable in this world and the psyche of a young kid like her wasn¡¯t an exception from that unfortunate rule.


    What saved her from the depth of the abyss that she was slowly but surely crawling toward was none other than the little boy named Sol.


    Even though she went from a loved and respected princess to a ve in name only in record time, she neverpletelyined about her fate nor did she fall into the darkness that the path of revenge insinuated one toward because she had someone she knew she could rely and depend on.


    Sol Dragona Luxuria.


    A young boy who shone as bright and majestically as the sun itself.


    Their first meeting wasn¡¯t particrly the best encounter one could have hoped for. But it was also thanks to their meeting, and the circumstances that followed, they were able to create the sturdy walls that bound their rtionship with each other.


    In order to be stronger, she trained like a deranged lunatic, an addict whose only passion was training, training, and more training. She even joined the coliseum willingly and rose to the highest rank.


    But even then, it wasn¡¯t enough for her. Be it to be Sol¡¯s knight or to take vengeance for the murder of her parents, her strength was not nearly enough for her to even think about those avenues.


    All of this stemmed from a great feeling of confusion about what her truth should be.


    Indeed. What really was her Truth?


    Should she base it on the power of elements that she instinctively had dominion over and be done with it as Kali had said so?


    Without a doubt, Kali was the absolute proof that such a path was indeed viable and also far-reaching. By using the simplest forms of elemental power, she rose to be a powerful being that even the goddesses couldn¡¯t take lightly.


    But there was also no denying that Kali''s ultimate goal had been that of Destruction ¨C an all-epassing power to decimate and annihte everything from reality and bring forth nihility ¨C and the four elements were just the foundation of her powers to reach that end goal.


    Then¡­ Should she follow the path of the sword?


    She had been trained in sword arts all throughout her life and she was skilled enough to train even the ck Knights. The fact that Lilith let her be Sol¡¯s teacher in swordsmanship was an attestation of her skill and talent on the path of the Ultimate Sword. But even so, it was hard for her to say that the sword was really her true calling in life. The truest base of her Ultimate Truth.


    It was then and there that Setsuna was able toe face to face with her sad reality as she finally realized her true problem.


    She was just half-baked in everything she did.


    A princess who was not really a princess.


    A ve who was not really a ve.


    A swordswoman who did not truly love the calling of the sword.


    An elemental power user who looked down on those elements themselves.


    And finally¡­


    A beastman who looked down on her very own innate being.


    Setsuna in a way was merely a jack of all trades but a master of none. She was born supremely talented but that talent itself caused her to be lost on her path to power. She was great at everything but not absolute in any one thing. Her talent had be her only hindrance. What an ironic fate¡­


    But until now¡­ There was still one constant in her life. The very thing that allowed her to continue to trudge on to this day.


    ¡ªBing Sol¡¯s first partner. The first one to sign a contract with him and be the main pir of his powers and support.


    Sadly, even in this firm and abdicated belief of hers, she had be half-baked with the advent of Isis.


    She could only be his second partner and even that was not a certainty at this point due to her reality.


    Aftering back from the Astral Realms¡­ Sol had reached a realm of power that made her question her usefulness at his side.


    It wasn¡¯t just a question of self-debasement orck of confidence in herself. But this was born from a look at the reality of this world.


    Unlike Mars, his father. Sol did not choose to have just one contract. Then, with his pedigree, surely in the Astral Realm, Sol could have signed a contract with other even more talented Divine Beasts than the measly Storm Wolf like her.


    She had heard Isis talk about how popr he was in that ce and how he had officially earned the title of the Dragon Prince and was unofficially considered The Dragon Emperor ¡ª The seconding of Tiamat and maybe even more.


    If he signed a contract with two or more dragons, his security and the power that it would provide for Lustburg would be considerably strengthened.


    But he did not do that¡­and the reason for that was painfully obvious ¡ª Her. <novelnext></novelnext>


    Far from helping and making him stronger, her existence was holding him down and weakening him with each passing moment.


    There was nothing more hurtful for her as a woman in love and a knight full of loyalty and subservience to her master than the reality of that truth.


    The inevitable absolute fact that¡­ In the end¡­ She was just dead weight hanging on the thighs of her most beloved.


    And thus was the crux of her agony.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When Setsuna approached Sol¡¯s location, she could see the back of a woman leaving the hallway leading to him.


    ¡®Lilith?¡¯


    Setsuna frowned, bemused. She had registered the scent of all the important people in the Tower but the current scent Lilith emanated was totally different than what she once did. It was like she was apletely different person altogether.


    ¡®Is it the result of whatever Sol did to her?¡¯


    She shook her head, now wasn¡¯t the time to ponder on that matter¡­


    ¡°Hi¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Hi?¡±


    Sol tilted his head in wonder at the sight of this rather awkward greetinging from the wolf girl. It seemed like today was a day of personality shift. After all, the Setsuna he remembered was a serious, honorable and proud knight who was always stoic and level headed.


    ¡°Are you alright, Setsuna?¡±


    Sol approached Setsuna and ced a hand on her forehead as if he was trying to check on her temperature. Unlike Lilith, Setsuna didn¡¯t have the excuse of going through a second life. So he wondered what upied her mind.


    Though¡­With his experience with Nefertiti, he had a small inkling about what it could be.


    Setsuna swatted his hand in jest and smiled a little morefortably at his terrible act, ¡°I am sorry. It''s just that it has been a while since we spoke alone like this. Though it seems like I interrupted your discussion.¡±


    Now it was time for Sol to feel guilty inside.


    He realized that he had not been very attentive toward this loyal wolf of his. He approached Setsuna and hugged her tightly in his arms.


    ¡°You know you cane to me at any time. No matter what I am doing, I will drop everything to spend time with you.¡±


    It was important to not forget about those that he cherished. Power and influence were just a means to an end. Not the end in itself.


    He wanted to be someone who could shield his family from all harm and he also wished to spend as much time as possible with them.


    A light blush covered Setsuna¡¯s face while she lowered her head and ced it on his shoulder. She knew that she was being silly right now. It was downright funny how simple words from Sol could make her lose all her bearings andposure while bringing her so much happiness.


    She knew very well that she had it down bad for him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to bother you,¡± she uttered in a small, meek, and slightly powerless voice.


    He frowned and made some space between them for him to look at her¡ª really look at her for the first time in a while, ¡°There is no way in hell you can ever be a bother to me.¡±


    He gave her a serious look before bending down and cing his lips atop hers.


    She closed her eyes and opened her lips to ept his. The two hugged each other in a more tight and passionate embrace and she felt an all-epassing love melting most of her stress like snow under the radiant sun.


    ¡®You are really unfair, my love¡­¡¯


    Setsunained silently at the unfair kiss that made her weak in the knees. Her heart was beating so fast she felt like it would explode at any moment. She was embarrassed since she knew that¡­with his keen senses, Sol should be able to hear her excited heartbeat.


    What made her calm down though was that she could also hear his strong beating heart elerate upon this act.


    There were many things she wanted to say.


    But for now¡­ She would just enjoy the kiss. The first true kiss she had with her beloved in a while¡­


    Oh¡­ How she missed this feeling¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: Not gonna lie, Sol causes depression in his wake everywhere he goes. Haha. But don¡¯t worry guys. This is gonna be a chill volume. We all want simple and cute moments for Sol to chill and rx with every now and then¡­)


    (EN: Good, cause I am tired of depressing shit. It doesn¡¯t help that my creativity shoots through the roof when there¡¯s a tragedy. Which means more work for me, and I hate it.)

 Chapter 447 CH 411: KNIGHTS (1)

    After a rather passionate and longing kiss, Setsuna felt that many of the insecurities that had built up inside her heart melted like snow under the radiant sun.


    In his embrace, she felt like she had nothing to worry about and that everything would always be alright and well. That he would always take care of her no matter what and ¡ª She loved this feeling. She also hated this feeling with a passion.


    Weakness hidden under the guise of happiness was just a disgusting thing.


    For all his heaven-defying powers, Sol was not a god.


    Nay, even the Goddesses were not omnipotent or omniscient. They could lose. They could taste defeat like anyone else or be misled by others on the same level. The incident with Lilith had been an indicator of that fact.


    epting to bask in the happiness Sol gave her meant that she would never be strong enough to proudly stand at his side.


    Not as just a simple lover. But as a true mate who could support him and be there for him in his toughest times.


    Setsuna exhaled a strained breath. She could feel her ideas bing clearer with each thought and the path she had to tread upon was no longer covered in the perpetual fog that was guing her mind since long.


    However ¡ª She stillcked something crucial.


    "By the way. If you aren''t busy, ready to follow me to inspect the knights? You train quite regrly with them, right?"


    Setsuna snapped back to the situation at hand at his words.


    "Indeed. I have trained some of the knights myself while they trained me in strategy and leadership."


    Even though Setsuna was not yet a Duke, her power was by no means inadequate and no humans could match her skills and inhuman levels of strength.


    Even in Sol''s case, shortly after his awakening, he had been unable to win against Setsuna in the contest of power and momentum even after inheriting the full properties of the dragons.


    "Then let''s go. The ck Knights will be essential for us in this war. I also n to summon the Pdinster on. We will need many healers."


    Humans did not have the elerated healing capabilities of the werebeasts. If this changed into a war of attrition, then they would be in danger. No, it was certain that they would lose without getting their top-level powerhouses involved.


    Setsuna nodded her head in understanding¡­ ¡°Let me take my sword and change into my armor."


    She gave a beaming smile, "It has been quite a while since I walked with you as your Knight."


    This made her brighten somewhat. After all, there were not many things she wanted more.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The Knights'' Barracks where they received training was now filled with rows of knights of all sizes and shapes. Both official ones and squires.


    They had been called on this day for a royal inspection and as a result, they were feeling quite uneasy about what the day held for them.


    It wasn''t as if they had never interacted with Sol before. In fact, they had sometimes seen him training with Setsuna or Gerald.


    But ¡ª Ever since what happened with Gerald, they had been wondering what would happen to the Order of the Knights.


    After all, their leader had turned out to be a traitor. Though he redeemed himself somehow, there was no changing the fact that he betrayed the crown.


    Ever since that harrowing incident, they had been wondering what would happen to them. Whether or not the Order would be disbanded or reorganized from the ground up.


    Their worries had somewhat calmed down by the slightest bit in the following days but came back with a vengeance after watching the Deration of the Prince.


    And how he was nowing to inspect the whole lot of them.


    They wondered what decision he would make in the end.


    A few feared participating in the iing war, while others were thirsty for this chance to prove themselves and redeem their value in front of the Prince and the Kingdom.


    Furthermore, the incentive Sol hadid down before them was simply too attractive for those who weremoners in the Order. Even for those who were of Noble blood, the incentives didn¡¯t leave them indifferent. Primarily because they were the 3rd or 4th children in their families, and so they had no rights of inheritance.


    ¡°The Head-maid is here.¡±


    Someone muttered and silence immediately fell among the rows of armored popce. The knights were not stupid. The authority Milia wielded was too high to be that of a simple maid.


    The fact that she was a beast woman did not matter much to them and all that stemmed from a simple reason.


    She also had control over the funds of the ck Knights.


    Knights were perhaps one of the most expensive investments of a Kingdom. Good weapons, good armor, good steads as equipment. Years upon years of training. Investment in elixirs and food of great quality. There was practically no end to the list of expenses.


    And all of that was without counting the sry and all the little bonuses when Knights reached certain targets in their training.


    All of this cost a shit ton of money and the one holding that money had all the power. <novelnext></novelnext>


    When Milia, apanied by ra, came on the podium and looked at the perfectly arranged Knights, she nodded in satisfaction with a somewhat indifferent gaze.


    The ck Knights were more of a cavalry regimen. This was why Discipline was even more paramount for them.


    After all, one mistake could take down the entire regiment if they were not careful.


    ¡°Where is the captain?¡±


    A tall man with a muscr frame fitting that of a giant approached Milia and gave a light greeting by cing a fist over his heart.


    ¡°I am William, Madam!¡±


    He was one of the retainers under the order of the Hignd family. But his loyalty to the crown and the royal family was unmatched among this gathering of elites.


    He had joined the Order ever since the day it was created by Lilith and had slowly climbed the rank over the years after some achievements in small skirmishes while following Athena and Tyr.


    Milia knew that he was a steadfast man who knew how to do the job given without speaking too much.


    ¡°At ease.¡±


    The knight rxed but still stood straight as he ced his hands behind his back.


    ¡°I am ready to listen to your orders, Madam.¡±


    ¡°The prince will soone. He is currently dealing with some personal matters. The second division captain is apanying the Princess, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes! The Princess imed that she was able to decimate the bandits alone and while that might be true, we judged it would be a perfect opportunity for some of the squires to get their hands bloodied.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter how trained a knight was¡­ If they were unable to fight when it was required of them and died because they froze up in fear and intimidation, then it would be over for them.


    William had wished many times to erase the Bandit nests that were continuously growing in the surroundings of the capital. But he did not have the permission of the royal family until a few days ago.


    ra stood aside as she took a notebook and observed the knights in silence while scribbling down something every now and then.


    She had thoroughly memorized the names, ages, powers, skill levels, and even familial circumstances of all the ck Knights. As an elf, she naturally had a very high memory capacity so this was nothing much in her opinion.


    She was simply doing her job.


    The atmosphere became quite heavy with the silent sounds of scribbling, as they did not really know what ra was writing.


    While ra was new, they knew that she was in a way the representative of the Prince now and should have quite the power to influence his decisions.


    William was inwardly quite displeased at this sight. He had a great aversion for elves. After all, they had enved humans for quite a long time and whenever Lustburg fought against the Southern Pride, they never missed a chance to remind humans about this.


    For an elf and worse, an elf who was not a citizen of Lustburg to be the Spokesperson of the future King of Humanity left a bad taste in his mouth.


    ¡®Sigh. I hope Lady Athena will be able to get the favor of the Prince.¡¯


    Only a human should have so much power in the Kingdom of Humanity. Even if not a human, a citizen born and raised in Lustburg like Milia was also eptable for that task.


    ra had quite the opposite thought than our Knight Captain. As she looked at the rooster of the knights, she once again realized that the vast majority were pure humans.


    In her opinion, this was a great oversight by the kings. The difference between races was more or less equalized at the Duke level as power then depended on the Zone or the Name of the individuals and so on.


    But below the rank of Dukes, humans were at a great disadvantage.


    In her opinion, the only reason Lustburg was never totally erased was that they were lucky enough to have powerful leaders whenever the time came.


    She thought about the data she umted as she adjusted her sses.


    ¡®Should we fuse the ck Knights and the Pdins?¡¯


    It was impossible to train an entirely new order of knights at this time and the impossibility only rose when it came to instilling loyalty in the new recruits. It would just be aplicated mess.


    Even so, it was a project worth considering.


    Sol had shared some of his ns with her and she knew very well that this war was just the beginning of a worldwide conquest.


    Just thinking about how her master might be the Emperor of the Mortal Realm made her jubile inwardly like a fan girl meeting her idol.


    She would give her all to realize Sol''s dream and ambitions even if for that she had to rework the entire foundation of Lustburg from the ground up.


    (AN: I just realized that ra is the most forgotten girl in SHK. I believe the number of times she appeared or was mentioned doesn¡¯t go past ten. XD. but now she is slowly bing important.She is no yandere broken girl. But she is very loyal and faithful. I am still undecided about adding her to the harem. Even now, I am struggling to give all the girls some screen time. Therger the harem bes the harder it will be. I talked about this in the server but I n to severely limit any new entries for quite a while. Officially he already has 12 or so girls in his harem and if I add the prospective iing girls¡­ Welp. yeah really need to control myself.)

 Chapter 448 CH 412: KNIGHT (2)

    Unlike heavy armor that needed the help of a squire to be perfectly equipped, Setsuna''s current armor was of the light type that only covered her vital parts like her heart, kidneys, and other internal organs.


    As she was a Storm Wolf, her regenerative abilities were simply unmatched by any human''s standards.


    This was one of the many many reasons why humans were so much inferior to many species of this world.


    In all of history, what saved the humans race from bing ves once again at the hands of elves or even any other races were always a few monstrously strong and talented beings who seemed to be born in every generation just to be their savior.


    Looking at his Knight, Sol directed a gentle smile as he reminisced about the past that was not really all too distant.


    "Shall we go then?"


    The two walked together in silence. But when Sol and Setsuna finally reached thest entrance that led to the open space where the knights were reunited, Setsuna couldn¡¯t help but speak out her thoughts, "Do you remember ourst fight in the Colosseum?"


    It had only happened around two weeks ago in the Mortal Realm¡¯s timeline but from Sol''s perspective, who had spent his time in the sped-up world of the Astral Realm, it was already nearly one since that fateful day.


    Even so, there was no way Sol could ever forget about that fight.


    It was a fight that had ended up in a draw. Though, for Sol, it was nothing but his utter defeat. He had hoped that he would have been able to perform better on that day. s, things hardly ever went the way you would want them to go.


    "Of course, I remember. Your punch back then really hurt, you know?"


    Receiving a punch filled with lightning at the speed of sound was by no means a joke of any kind. It was a punch filled with enough momentum to kill most of the fighters at the level they trod on.


    "Then¡­ In one week from now on, I wish to fight you there once again. Just the two of us. No spectators. No distractions."


    Sol was more than a bit stunned at her sudden desire to duke it out with him, but he soon understood what she really meant by those words of hers.


    He opened his mouth, trying to remind her that the past was just that¡­ The past.


    The current him was so much stronger than his past self that it was funny to evenpare them in the same breadth.


    Even then, she wanted to fight with him?


    "I thought you wanted to fight Isis?"


    "I did. Still do. But not now. I started to realize that I can only move forward after making sure of one thing. And it is of paramount importance for my future growth. So, Sol, will you fight me?"


    Sol merely sighed and nodded in agreement, "Anytime. Anywhere."


    "Heh¡­ Even when you are busy with the maids or your other lovers?"


    "*Ahem* Well, anywhere but not any time, I guess."


    Setsuna snorted out loud and the two couldn¡¯t help butugh heartily.


    Sol felt at ease. He had feared that a heavy discussion was waiting for him but while the topic was surely important, the discussion, after the initial awkwardness, managed to continue without any sort of problem.


    "Well, time to go."


    The smiles on their face vanished and a gentle calm mixed with the usual dignity of a ruler draped over his face while Setsuna wentpletely emotionless, wearing an apathetic expression.


    The clothes did not make the man. But wearing good clothes could change the entire impression one could have on the people concerned.


    This was why first impressions were so important for anyone. It created a sort of expectation and overview of a person that was hard to pull down without something drastic happening.


    And from now on, as they were about to stand in front of the knights, they would do so not as friends nor as acquaintances, but as a Knight and a King of the Mortal Realm.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    There was a perpetual and intangible tension that was steadily growing between William and ra from the moment they met each other.


    After all, he couldn¡¯t help but doubt. Beyond being an elf, their natural and long-standing enemies, and past oppressors, ra was not born and raised in the Kingdom of Lustburg. Would such a person sincerely wish for the best interest of the kingdom?


    Was she using her beauty to trick and manipte the Prince? After all, the Prince was still a young boy and elves were known for being quite shameless and having no restraints when it came to sexual matters.


    The story of a hero losing his life because he fell into the trap of a beauty was nothing new to them, it was the usual honey trap cliche that had been happening since time immemorial, and ra was certainly a very beautiful woman worth falling for.


    He had seen the prince train with the now traitor, Gerald Hignd, and while they never had any deep interactions, he had noticed that the Prince still had a certain candid air around him. The proof of hisck of experience.


    He had heard about how the Prince had changed greatly aftering back and William certainly believed that the Prince became far stronger than ever before. But the strength of the body did not trante to the strength of the mentality.


    Even though he might lose his position or even his life, William was ready to try to wake up the Prince if he was really being manipted by the vile clutches of that woman.


    At least¡­ This was what he thought initially.


    The moment Sol appeared on the knight¡¯s training grounds¡­ All those thoughts vanished from his mind as if they had never existed, to begin with.


    Sol¡¯s appearance and aura made cold sweat trickle down the back of William.


    He had been through many fights and he could deeply feel it.


    The candid and experienced prince of the past was no more. What approached him was something that transcended his understanding itself.


    There was no heavy pressure apanying his presence. No powerful aura emanated from his body. But simply being in the same ce as the changed Prince made him feel breathless. As though even the mere act of breathing without his explicit orders would be the greatest sphemy he could evermit. <novelnext></novelnext>


    He wasn¡¯t the only one. The more Sol approached them, the more jittery the knights became. They felt as if they were standing in front of arge monster that was threatening to swallow them whole at even the slightest grievance.


    A sea of blood covered their eyes and the pained roar of monsters being killed filled their ears with the nearing of the Prince.


    Cough~


    One of the knights could hold on no longer. His eyes rolled into the back of his skull and he fainted after a coughing fit.


    This seemed to set a domino effect as more and more knights fainted and finally¡­When Sol stood on the podium¡­ Only a third of the Knights were still standing, albeit with great difficulty.


    There was a difficult and disappointed expression on his face as he looked down on everyone in silence.


    William felt quite dazed at this sight but he gritted his teeth and ced a knee on the ground in respect.


    ¡°Wee, Your Highness.¡±


    He sent a re at the remaining knights who were still awakened but didn¡¯t kneel in front of the presence of Sol, and they soon followed the gesture.


    ¡°We greet you, Your Majesty!¡±


    A small smile tugged on his lips as hemanded in a dignified voice, ¡°Rise.¡±


    Like a lie, the feeling of being in the presence of arge feral beast out for their blood vanished instantly.


    Sol shook his head with a disappointed frown, ¡°The results are more disappointing than I thought. But still, the ck Knights¡¯ Order isn¡¯tpletely helpless, it seems.¡±


    He gave a meaningful look at William who looked quite ashamed by their state, ¡°I beg your forgiveness, Your Highness. I was not able to instill them with proper training and mentality.¡±


    Sol did notment. He had simply spread a little bit of the killing intent he had gathered after fighting and killing so many Chaos spawns in the levels of Tartarus.


    He had expected nearly all of them to fall so the current result was more of a surprise than anything. But he didn¡¯t let that show on his face.


    ¡°Let it not be said that I am a ruler who does not recognize merits. All those who managed to keep standing will have their sry doubled and taxes lowered indefinitely. The amount of merit necessary to receive a noble title during the war will also be lowered by half.¡±


    He then looked at those who were down and out for the count and spoke out, ¡°I am also willing to give the others a second chance. Train them to the best of your capabilities and in two weeks, I will test them again.¡±


    This would create a sense ofpetition between the knights who fell down and those that were able to stay up even after being subjected to his test.


    There was one truth in this world for soldiers. Honor and prestige all sounded good. Loyalty to the country was also great. But there was nothing like clear and tangible rewards to motivate these kinds of people to fight to the death if necessary.


    This was true in his old world and it was true in this one as well.


    ¡°As for you, William¡­ Well, you may ask for any reward you want as long it isn¡¯t too excessive of course.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    William gave a look at ra then looked again at the dignified Prince. He couldn¡¯t help but leak out a sigh, in the end.


    He could literally see the stars in the eyes of the elf as she looked at the prince. Whenbined with the overwhelming power and authority he had just shown.


    He realized that his worries had been for naught.


    The Prince was just so charming that he managed to make an elf born in the forest be willing to submit to him.


    ¡®Perhaps with him¡­ It might be possible to bring back Lustburg to the summit it reached during the Era of Jupiter.¡¯


    ¡°My de belongs to you, Your Highness. My sole wish is to follow you on the battlefield and witness your might with my own eyes and sing des of your immortal feats once we achieve victory.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡®Did I stun this guy too much? This is quite embarrassing.¡¯


    Sol nearly lost hisposure in front of this rather passionate oath. Thankfully he was able to keep his expression in check.


    ¡°Very well. I will also speak with Duke Tyr about increasing your peerage and making it hereditary if you bring satisfying results.¡±


    ¡®I kinda understand now why some kings gave so many gifts to those who knew how to praise them.¡¯


    ¡°You honor me, Your Highness.¡±


    Sol waved his hands and looked at the horizon. He would train his army in earnest. If they could resist his pressure with no problem, then only King rank beings may be able to deter them in the future.


    This was just the first step in creating an army that would conquer the world for him.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: I added the illustrations of ra /HikaruGenji?filters[tag]=Illustrations


    As always I rece *a* with *@* because WN for some reason like to censor the link when written fully. If you can''t copy-paste the link just visit my pa treon and search the Illustrations tag. Once again pictures are free and avable to the public.


    Another piece of news is¡­ I n to create PDFs of the volumes forward. They are basically manuscripts for the Amazon version. Those manuscripts will be avable on P@treon with illustrations inside. Imagine a light novel. I will also add a glossary page in them for characters and so on. It''s a long project but once this is done, it can be rather interesting. I will see.)

 Chapter 449 CH 413: THE PRINCESS IS IN ANOTHER CASTLE

    The feeling of the wind brushing past her skin was heavenly. The monumental beauty of the hills and the green pasture, paired with the evesting forest as far as the eyes could see was mesmerizing.


    Floating more than three hundred meters above the ground while sitting on top of her huge sword, Lilith quietly observed Lustburg from the skies above¡ª the so-called bird¡¯s eye view. Her eyes were filled with quiet contemtion about the sceneries of the world.


    The world was truly a beautiful ce.


    In the past, she had never agreed to this opinion that herpanions often used to utter. After all, her life had not been an easy one from the get-go. Born as an experiment with an expiration date stamped on her like a mass-manufactured item¡ª for her, the world was only a grey scene and it became even greyer when she lost one of the very few sources of light that kept it some shades brighter.


    Now though, she could better understand this world and its machinations.


    When seen up close, life was truly miserable and filled with endless misery and suffering. But standing up from so far away, life was indeed beautiful.


    In the end, everything was just a matter of one¡¯s perspective¡ª how one viewed and perceived the flow of events thatprised one¡¯s life.


    Lilith mused with serenity as she ignored the flow of the ice-cold air and the sparse oxygen avable around her. Her body had already adapted to this harsh weather and she did not even need mana to sustain herself. In her current situation, even floating in the vacuum of space would not bother her a single bit.


    ¡®I need a new sword.¡¯


    Certainly, as a master swordswoman and with her new True Name, everything she held could be a great weapon. But having a great weapon from the start would make everything better and easier for her. Her current sword, the one that had apanied her from the start of her adventure, was not able to support the might of her powers anymore.


    It was a shame. But it was reality.


    ¡®I wonder if Theresa can create a new sword of an even higher power.¡¯


    Theresa had created a God-level embryo weapon but even then it was only because of a moment of enlightenment and the extremely rare materials that were the Horns and Core of a King-ranked Dragon like ze.


    It would be more or less impossible to find materials at that level again even if she scoured the entirety of the Mortal Realm.


    ¡®Well. Enough with all the hesitations.¡¯


    There was a reason she was currently floating in the air like this. She had been hesitating about something she wanted to do for some time now.


    ¡®Should I go meet her?¡¯


    Lilith wished to see her daughter again and speak and reconcile with her. But deep down, she feared what kind of response she would receive from her. She would feel quite sad if Lilin decided to just ignore her existence altogether. The opposite of love was indifference, after all.


    ¡®Sigh¡­ I promised to enjoy this life that I¡¯ve gained.¡¯


    Life was too short and anything could happen when we expected it the least. Reality was a mass of disappointment. Hesitation was only a waste of time that was way too precious to be spent.


    ¡°My. I was thinking who dared to trespass the aerial zone of Lustburg but it was you.¡±


    Lilith smiled as the sword slowly turned so that she could face the intruder.


    ¡°Camelia. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Me? Perfectly well. I mean¡­ It isn¡¯t like no one gave me aplete recap of what happened exactly and that I was kept in the dark about you surviving.¡±


    ¡°I guess tasting your own medicine isn¡¯t that great now, is it?¡±


    ¡°Ouch. That one hurt.¡±


    Cam grimaced after those words. She knew that she was the one who usually cooked up schemes behind the backs of everyone.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry. Sol didn¡¯t hide this out of pettiness. At least¡­ I think he didn¡¯t. Also, I didn¡¯t really survive. I am currently an undead. Heh.¡±


    ¡°...An¡­ Undead?¡±


    Camelia could only give a perplexed look to that statement. But then she looked up at the sky and her eyes widened in realization.


    ¡°I see. An undead indeed. I guess this is why you look so much younger.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Now I am not the oldest-looking one in the group, old hag.¡± <novelnext></novelnext>


    Camelia coughed a little. She had indeed teased Lilith many times about how she would never grow old as long as she had Castitas'' blessing. But now, out of the group of four, she was indeed the oldest looking.


    ¡°This¡­ Hmm¡­ You¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have changed, haven¡¯t I? I know. You wouldn¡¯t believe how many times I heard this already.¡±


    ¡°Well. I was going to say you remind me of how you were in the past.¡±


    Unlike the others, Lilith and Camelia could be said to be childhood friends. In fact, they were each other¡¯s first true friends.


    So Camelia was not as surprised by Lilith''s current personality as the others. ¡°I guess Sol really did a good job. That boy seems to have a knack for troublesome women like you and me.¡±


    ¡°Troublesome women¡­ I guess I was indeed quite the troublesome woman, huh¡­ Everyone took so much risk because of me.¡±


    This was another reason why Lilith decided to be more upbeat. Sol, Lilin, Camelia, the five witches, and the Phoenixes. Even that little fairy and indirectly Pandora.


    All of those people took too many risks for her well-being. Even though the vast majority did it for Sol rather than her, it did not lower the risks they took for her sake.


    Her life was not just her own anymore. It would be an insult to all those who toiled in order to save her if she continued to wallow in her own sadness while never taking a step forward to get out of that cycle.


    ¡°Hey¡­ Camelia. Will you be busy for the next few days?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ I think I am free for at least two days.¡±


    It was a sudden and unexpected question but Camelia shook her head. Even though she did not like Aurora, there was no denying that her tasks became lighter since she had someone to take charge of them.


    ¡°Hehe. Then¡­ Let¡¯s have a small adventure. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°Wh¡ª Wait!¡±


    Camelia did not have time to answer before Lilith captured her with her powers and began to fly away from this ce. Before leaving, Lilith created two small daggers with her powers. On them was a message that was hastily scribbled, then she threw those daggers at the position of Sol''s bedroom and his office.


    The message was simple.


    [I have captured the Saintess Camelia. Come find me if you wish to free her.


    PS: If you are too busy you can just wait. We wille back.]


    It was truly a sudden and random stray thought she just had. There were no deep ns or considerations behind them.


    But what the hell? She thought it would be fun.


    ¡®Now then. An adventure of Sol and Lilin fighting the evil swordswoman Lilith to free the saintess. I wonder how he will react to that.¡¯


    She gave a lowugh as she fled in the direction of Lilin, with a very confused Camelia in her arms.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A few hourster, when Sol finished dealing with the knights and went to his room to change into morefortable clothing, he was quite bewildered as he read the message from Lilith.


    ¡°What the f¡­¡±


    ¡®Am I bing some plumber in red and blue chasing after a princess now?¡¯


    This was bing quite uncanny.


    (AN: Don¡¯t forget guys. You can support me either on Pa treon or WN pretty easily with as little as 2$ or 3$ on Patreon. I see some people actually pay on the Pirate site to ess chapters and this honestly quite demoralizing sometime since it means some would rather pay a Pirate than the actual author. I know I can¡¯t stop pirates and obviously, people have different financial circumstances. Still, even using fast pass or leaving a review here could help show me a little more in the algorithm. Something I need very much now since WN decided to stop Win-win for Non-exclu authors since February.


    Next month, I will increase the Patreon Tier by 5 chapters for all tiers. This increase might not be concurrent with WN priv. Since in WN''s case I actually need the permission of my handler before increasing the chapters in any tiers. I hope they will ept since if they do all Priv Tier will also have an increase of 5 chapters)

 Chapter 450 SPECIAL CHAPTER: CUTE CULT

    [Southern Pride ¡ª Eternal Forest]


    This was the country of the proudest mortal race in the entirety of the Mortal Realm. The country of the elves, drenched in the sin of pride and hedonism. They had once been as close to being the rulers of the Mortals realm as possible. Fighting against angels and demons while keeping Humans and dwarves under their servitude. Since Angels and Demons were of Divine origin, it wouldn¡¯t be a mistake to say that they were the strongest mortal race in the Mortal Realm.


    The structure of the houses in the kingdom of Southern Pride was one that fused with nature. Elves did not cut their forest to create houses but simply used their magics to create special trees that were empty on the inside.


    The closer you came to one of the five main settlements of the elves, the taller the trees would be. It was big to the point that 10 to 20 meters tall trees were amon sight in the inner region of the settlement.


    In the center of the seemingly never-ending forest of green, where the high elves lived, stood the tallest tree in all of existence.


    One so tall it literally pierced the clouds above and no one could see the ends of it with just standing on the ground alone.


    The elves called it the World Tree¡ª a tree born from one of the seeds of Yggdrasil, the Divine Beast of Humilitas.


    The world tree also housed the sanctuary where the High Priestess and the Queen made their decisions.


    Sate Superbia like any other elf was a beautiful and graceful woman. She had a slim body with small curves, but she did notck a single bit in the feminine charms department. Though, because of her emotionless face and the long golden hair that reached fell gently on the ground, some would inevitablypare her to a beautiful doll more than a living being.


    Jasmine, on the other hand, could not be more opposite. She was a short-haired brown-skinned elf with a body many men would judge was worthy to wage war for. Her satin-like robe was stretched so much by her bountiful curves that it looked like it would burst at any given moment and show the barely hidden spring sight to all concerned.


    Usually, at this moment, it should have been a calm space filled with melody as the Queen, Sate Superbia, quietly drank her tea or discussed stately and/or personal matters with her friend, Jasmine Humilitas who was also the Supreme Daughter of the church of Humilitas.


    But on this day, the two were facing each other in silence while listening to a report from a dark elf.


    Once the elf finished her report, she bowed her head deeply before leaving the two rulers with aplicated expression that marred their enchanting faces.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Jasmine tried to keep her expression in check but the mirth in her eyes could barely be hidden. This caused Sate to sigh out loud.


    ¡°You find this quite funny, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Do you want me to be honest?¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Pfft! I honestly find it absolutely hrious.¡±


    Having received permission from the Queen, Jasmine could no longer hide herughter and Sate knew that there was not much she could do about it.


    Southern Pride was currently facing a crisis like no other. It wasn¡¯t something like a war or the infiltration of the vampires, but something much much more insidious. To the point that she waspletely helpless to do anything about it.


    ¡°A new cult¡­ I would have never thought that someone would be this daring to do something this brazen.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Attention. It is not the cult. It¡¯s an assembly formed by like-minded people who respect and admire the tales of the Dragon Emperor¡­. Pfft! Hahaha~!¡±


    She could not keep a straight face even as she spoke out that line, causing Sate to feel like facepalming herself due to the antics of the Supreme Daughter of her country and long time friend.


    All countries in the mortal world had freedom of religion. An elf wasn¡¯t forced to pray to Superbia or her sister. Nor were humans forced to pray to Luxuria and so on.


    This was aw that had been established since the start of the Kingdom era. But in the end, it was because any other religion that they were able to divert to would be the religion of the Mother Goddess of Order.


    This was the limit of the freedom of religion.


    Even for the elves who respected and worshipped dragons, there were some limits they did not dare to cross.


    But what was happening currently was quite headache-inducing, to say the least.


    Everything started nearly three weeks ago when they received news that two pure Dragons woulde down from the Astral Realm.


    For elves, it was akin to earth-shaking news. But when they finally came down, there was one more guest with them that made everyone¡¯s eyes go round into saucers.


    A phoenix.


    In hindsight, Sate should have been more careful about their guest. But ¡ª Before being a queen, she was also an elf. One with dragon blood in hers. While her respect and admiration for the dragons were lesser than the majority. It still existed to some degree. <novelnext></novelnext>


    This was why she had overlooked the weird action of the woman named Nefertiti. After all, she was an honored guest of the dragon race.


    She shouldn¡¯t have. Oh, she definitely definitely shouldn¡¯t have done that.


    The Elves had a very tribalistic lifestyle and the four greatest tribes used the Four Dragon Kings as their Totem.


    In just a week, news about the war against Chaos seemed to have spread throughout the forest like the most wildest of wildfires.


    In two weeks, a group of more than hundreds of elves already formed as they showed respect to the supposed Dragon Emperor. For the elf''s small poption, a hundred gathered individuals were quite arge number. Enough for a minor tribe to form.


    ¡ªAnd this was where the problem truly began for them.


    Currently, the group was pushing the idea that it would be disrespectful for the Dragon Emperor to not have a Tribe under his name.


    If the Dragon Emperor was someone from the Astral Realm, Sate would not have minded. It wasn¡¯t like some minor tribe didn¡¯t use the others princes as Totem or even others dragons. But the problem was the identity of the so-called Dragon Emperor.


    Sol Dragona Luxuria ¡ª The current Crown Prince and future King of Lustburg.


    The reason why the different totems were epted was simply that dragons did not care for the affairs of the Mortal Realms. They were above that.


    Unlike them ¡ªSol was quite invested in the Mortal Realm. He was the future king of a literal Kingdom for crying out loud. Of course, he would be invested in the matters of the Mortals. Creating a tribe under his name only meant giving him great power over Southern Pride.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Sate groaned under her breath. As a ruler, what she should do now was to ruthlessly stamp down this growing cult. But she could not do that.


    Not only would the elves riot if she tried to do so, but there was also the fact that they had visions about an iing doomsday, and Sol Dragona Luxuria just happened to be the key to this iing event.


    They wished to be in his good graces no matter what would happen to them.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Ismelya¡¯s daughter also cut all contact with us. I guess she becamepletely enamored with him.¡±


    ra should have also yed the role of an informant for them. But herst report was only about her joining the Prince and thanking southern pride for everything they had done for her.


    Clearly, the girl had no intention to y double agent from the start.


    ¡°Well. I am not surprised. He seems quite imposing and enchanting.¡±


    They had seen records of Sol in both his Hybrid form and War form. Those records were made in pictures and all sorts of products were being sold by the dastardly Phoenix freely to all of the elves.


    Dragons generally hated having their pictures recorded or even interacting with elves. So those pictures were selling like hot cakes and there were even ck auctions happening taking ce for them and the price of the pictures was literally reaching gold coins.


    ¡°Indeed. But this is ridiculous! Who the hell paid 30 gold for a mere picture!?¡±


    Jasmine coughed embarrassedly, causing Sate¡¯s eyes to squint in suspicion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°What I do with my money is my own problem.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°What? He is handsome, charismatic, and sexy. I have money. So I bought it. Simple.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to say¡­¡±


    Jasmine chuckled. ¡°Well. I will be honest. I had a discussion with the goddess not long ago and this boy caused many storms recently. She didn¡¯t tell me anything deep. But she gave me a warning.¡±


    For once in this discussion between the rulers of Southern Pride, her expression was draped in the veil of seriousness as she spoke out ominous words, ¡°Either ignore him or be his ally. No one in the Mortal Realm can bear the weight of bing his enemy.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: You should reread thest Special Chapter about Elves. Heh, I didn¡¯t directly show Nefertiti. But just wanted to let you guys know about the storm she was stirring in Southern Pride. Man Vol 13 with the war against Wratharis will be fun. Also, I posted Illustrations of Lilin.)

 Chapter 451 CH 414: DEADLY TEAM

    What do you do when your aunt kidnaps your lover and leaves a message taunting you to follow her on a wild goose chase?


    If Sol was back on earth and still had ess to the inte, he would have loved to put this on a thread and read the eventual answers that could get him out of this troublesome and headache-inducing situation.


    Sadly, there was no such thing as the inte in this ce so he had to make do with it the old-fashioned way.


    Directly discuss with people face to face ande up with a possible solution.


    "So¡­ What do I do?"


    Milia gave a humorlessugh at the question that was thrown at her. This was quite a weird situation and Milia had honestly never expected that she would have to deal with such a problem in her lifetime. After all, she had never imagined Lilith to act so mischievously or even childishly in the first ce.


    "This¡­" She was utterly,pletely, and in every sense of the word lost for words.


    In the end, she simply chuckled lightly and smiled. There was not much else to do other than toply with her machinations. "Do you know where they are currently?¡±


    After all, if someone like Lilith wanted to hide, she doubted they would be able to easily find her.


    Sol took out one of the daggers and twirled it in his hands. "This thing is basically keeping a constant track of her whereabouts. I just have to follow it to reach her."


    Sol was quite flummoxed by the intricacy of these weapons. After all, they were entirely made out of energy. Even then, Lilith was able to keep them constantly active despite the distance between the object and her.


    This reminded him about how sword intent could still keep affecting a person even years after the skill was cast in some Xianxia novels that he had read. He idly began to wonder if it was possible to use this phenomenon to teach her sword style to more people.


    But he shelved that idea aside almost immediately. Lilith¡¯s techniques were too dangerous to spread to people indiscriminately. It wentpletely against the current system since one only needed talent in a sword and enough mana and a strong body to be able to learn her techniques. It didn¡¯t discriminate in the capabilities of one¡¯s capacity.


    ¡°So, what now?¡±


    Milia mused for a while before giving a look toward ra. She was the secretary of the king, after all.


    ¡°Your Highness. I believe you should follow the Queen. This could serve as a way for you to get some much-needed rxation. Now that we have prepared everything, your presence isn''t much required to advance with our ns."


    A king, as any leader of a force, did not have to do the whole job alone. His only job was to supervise and give the necessary orders when it was time for him to do so.


    Sol had been quite high-strung during thest two weeks. But after dealing with the ck Knights, there was not much he could do outside of signing paperwork. Work that could be left out to be done by others.


    ¡°Having you two as my support is really something I appreciate wholeheartedly.¡±


    Milia gave him a light bow with her face bing slightly flushed due to Sol¡¯splement. Meanwhile, ra¡¯s ears became a shade of deep red and fluttered slightly after hearing hispliment. It was a new effect that he had never seen before.


    It seemed that those ears acted like the tails of dogs when true elves were feeling happy.


    ¡®They are really cute.¡¯


    He chuckled and stood up from his seat. ¡°Well, this is a golden asion in a way. I never visited outside of the capital like ever. I guess it¡¯s as good a time as any.¡±


    It was funny in a way. He had explored two dimensions, his mind space, and two territories, and even got a glimpse of the Divine Realm of the goddesses, and fought in the void of space, however, he had never gone outside of the capital of his very own Kingdom.


    ¡®Who should I take with me? What cover should I use to roam around?¡¯ <novelnext></novelnext>


    He thought for a while. The inner child in him lost all restraints as he decided that, indeed, he should have some rxing fun for a while.


    He remembered how Lilin told him that she worked as an adventurer for some time after leaving the Capital and experiencing the outside world for herself. It seemed that Lilith and his parents alongside the whole hero team also did the same thing when they had gone outside of the confines of the capital.


    ¡®Perhaps, I can give it a try as well?¡¯


    Back then when he had no intentions of taking the responsibility of a King seriously, he dreamed of bing an adventurer and simply visiting the world and its wonders, witnessing all of it for himself and experiencing them with his body. Fighting against monsters, getting rewarded, climbing in ranks, and facing new and interesting trials withrades he would make along the way.


    Of course, he knew that this was just him romanticizing and exaggerating everything by a lot. There was nothing beautiful about being an adventurer and risking your life every day for meager and marginal rewards.


    But¡­ with his current level, adventuring was nothing more than a walk in the park. Even if he, for some reason, met a King-ranked individual, he had the confidence to hold on for a while or simply flee without any problems.


    Not everyone was Lilith after all. The chance of meeting someone like her were so astronomically sma¡­


    Sol stopped himself and shook his head, ¡®Begone motherfucking death gs!¡¯


    He was now starting to worry about his movements. ¡®Should I prepare to fight a god or something like that?¡¯


    This seemed the only way this trip would go without a hitch.


    Laughing at his own silliness, his thought moved toward a more positive direction.


    ¡®This would be a great asion to spend some quality time with Setsuna and the others.¡¯


    He had noticed her hesitation and fear during their discussion a few moments ago, and it was the perfect asion for them to spend time together.


    Having some fun with Sestuna as an adventurer, ying Lilith¡¯s silly game, and taking Camelia back out of her wicked grasp, while visiting Lilin and perhaps taking her along with him as well.


    Furthermore, Setsuna wasn¡¯t the only one he had been neglectingtely because of ack of time.


    ¡°Very well, I have decided. Milia, Setsuna, and Medea will follow me.¡±


    An assassin, a swordsman, and a mage who could y the role of a healer, and with him as the invincible tank.


    Could there be any better adventurer party than this?


    If he added Persephone they would even have a true Healer. This would be the perfect adventurer party.


    Now if there was a problem then it was ¡ª How to convince the shut-in Medea to walk outside under the sun and go on an adventure with him.


    Meanwhile, hearing Sol¡¯s brilliant idea, ra could only show a baffled look on her pretty face. What the hell kind of monster were they going to hunt with an adventurer team like that?


    [1]: Simple chapter today. I am going to Moro on the 22nd. Moving like a headless chicken to prepare for everything.


    (AN: So, there will be an adventurer arc with all girls from Book 1. This is honestly something I always wanted to do back in Book 1 lol. When I started SHK, outside of the pure smut Theme I had in mind. I remember mentioning an academy. Sol was supposed to either be an adventurer and visit different kingdoms or move into the academy. If I went Adventurer''s way, he would visit all queens (because there would have been no kings. Wolf King and Dwarf King were created wayter) and he would have added them to his harem. This is also why I mentioned how Lilin was an adventurer. Lol, for the Academy, he would have the Four Heir of the four duke houses and each of them would have an S-rank partner. Phoenix/Tiger/Dragon/Tortoise. Yeah I know, cliche as fuck. But it seemed fun.


    In that n, Sol would have had a closer rtionship with Athena and Ares. In the end, I deleted those ns for no particr reason. I guess it was because there were too many Academy novels at the time so I feared SHK wouldn¡¯t get popr. I wonder how it would have turned out if I went ahead with the n.)

 Chapter 452 CH 415: PRAISE ME

    The song of birds and theughter of the nuns filled the hallways of the church as it always did.


    Walking through this beautiful sight, Sol simply smiled and continued walking without anyone noticing his presence. Everything was as it usually was.


    His direction was clear and his steps were steady and well-paced. He only stopped when he reached an office which he walked through with no problem.


    Sitting on a desk, with a mountain of paperwork so high one would believe it was impressive they still stood tall.


    On the other side of the paperwork was a young girl still in her teens, with golden hair shining like a sun, and blue eyes that seemed to contain the sky.


    At least that was how she usually looked.


    Right now though¡­ Aurora Hignd, now Aurora Castitas, looked like a shrew that was on the verge of exploding.


    Her hair was in disarray, proof that she had not been able to groom them for long. There wererge dark bags under her eyes, denoting how long nights she spent without sleeping, and even though she looked like she was on the verge of fainting, she was still continuing to look at the paper and sign.


    ¡°I am busy. What do you want?¡±


    Aurora raised her head and red at Sol when he appeared sitting on the guest chair. Her eyes were bloodshot red and dry.


    ¡°You look like some evil witch in the story told to children.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Aurora groaned and looked down. She covered her face and screamed,


    ¡°Why in the mother goddess¡¯ name do I have to do all this, Hah!?¡±


    It was quite the outburst but Sol simply smirked while giving her a nce filled with sympathy.


    Since the royal family took care of the governance of thend, one would think that they were more busy than the church. But it wasn¡¯t so.


    The King had an overview of the Kingdom but it was the nobles who took care of all the work in their territory. So the work the King ended up with was only a fraction of what was necessary.


    Anotherrge part would then be taken care of by the minister. Only leaving the strict minimum for the King to take a look at. Even then it would be an amount of workrge enough to devote many white nights.


    But the church was even worse.


    Millions of prayers. Hundred thousand of donations. The necessity to amodate the believers. The regr mass, the hundreds of useless ceremonies that allsted for hours upon hours, the organization of the Pdin and so much more.


    This was even more so in times of wars like this where even the non-believers suddenly started to pray to the goddesses and visited the church.


    ¡°I thought you wanted more power in the church? Shouldn¡¯t you be happy?¡±


    ¡°I wanted more power, not more work!¡±


    Aurora stood up and vented her feelings as she shouted.


    Thest few days had been hell on earth for her.


    More than ? of the work charge of the Supreme daughter was assigned to her. At first, she was happy. She could see her influence growing rapidly. But now she realized that one should be indeed careful of what they wished for.


    She thought the supreme daughter only had to sleep, pray sometime and look pretty. Now she realized how wrong she was.


    The worse was, this amount of work had been carefully calcted, after years of experimentation, to be handled with rtively no problem.


    But there was one h. A little problem they could have not ounted for. Those calctions have been made with the hypothesis that the one working would be a King rank or a Duke rank at least. Thereby enjoying the increased power of their brain''s ability to process information and the higher level of energy to sustain their body.


    But Aurora, despite all her power, was still in a weak human body that had yet to even reach the Duke level.


    Aurora cursed in his low voice again and again. This wasn¡¯t how she envisioned her reincarnation. She hadn¡¯t suffered so much for eons only to end up as some desk worker.


    Looking at her like this, Sol felt almost bad about what he was about to say.


    ¡ªAlmost.


    ¡°Well¡­*Ahem* It seems like Camelia won¡¯t be avable for the next few days. At least up to a week, I believe. So you will have to take care of all her work.¡±


    Aurora looked at him with a nk look.


    Sol felt like he could even see what was going on in her brain. She had a look that was screaming, <<What hell is this bastard saying to me now?>>


    When the information finally sank in her mind, Aurora shook her head and looked feebly at the work that already seemed without end.


    ¡°No¡­No. That woman despite her personality is a true workaholic. She wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    At first, there was denial. She simply refused to ept the situation she was, clinging to Camelia¡¯s work ethic.


    ¡°Damn this shit! I cannot take it anymore. I quit! Go find a new holy daughter!¡±


    Second was anger. She realized once again how much she would have toplete in the iing days.


    ¡°Look. The kingdom is in an important phase, right? We are facing war, right? Why don¡¯t you try to understand my position a little?¡±


    This was followed by bargaining. Since screaming was useless, at least they could have a deal, right?


    ¡°Hah¡­Why? Just why? My life is hell. Everything is meaningless. Perhaps I should just die? I haven''t even seen the sun in days. I am literally in a prison.¡±


    Depression settled in for more than ten minutes as Auroramented the fact that freedom was a lie, equality was an illusion and the world was filled with malice toward hard workers like her.


    ¡°I¡­I will do it.¡±


    In the end¡ª Aurora flopped down on her chair and looked at the ceiling nkly, totally drained when she realized that none of what she was saying was moving Sol. Her fate was sealed the moment he walked in this room and there was nothing she could do.


    Her words of eptance and utter defeat sounded so pitiful. Sol decided to put an end to her suffering. After all, there was a limit to how much you could overwork someone before they simply decided to snap. <novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡°I will ask my partner to send a few undead to you. They can¡¯t do too much but menial tasks should be easy.¡±


    The crown was also overworked so he couldn¡¯t do much more than this.


    ¡°You¡­You will?¡±


    ¡®Ugh.¡¯


    She looked at him like a lost puppy wet from rain that finally found shelter, food and a caring owner.


    ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t expect too much but I will do my best.¡±


    Aurora sighed in relief.


    But the more it was so, the more Sol became curious.


    ¡°You¡­You are not exactly Aurora, right? You have nothing to do with Lustburg. Why work so hard.¡±


    Responsibility could only be felt if you cared.


    When he first entered this world, Sol had felt no deep attachment to Lustburg. This was why he only did the bare minimum as a prince and didn¡¯t care for much more.


    It was only now that he took things seriously that his workload increased.


    But even then, if he decided to stop working. There was no one who could stop him.


    As a holy daughter Aurora had absolute authority. Not even Camelia could actually force her to work and no one could dismiss a Blessed.


    ¡°I¡­I want to enjoy my life this time.¡±


    Aurora unconsciously caressed her neck as shadow of memory shed in her mind.


    ¡°This work is a pain. It¡¯s exhausting and I hate the responsibility. Still. This is my new life¡­I don¡¯t want to die with regret in this new life.¡±


    Her eyes were hazy and the earlier atmosphere of the clumsy girl subsided slightly.


    ¡°Who were you really in yourst life?¡±


    ¡°Who I was, huh?


    ¡°I was Dawn. Nothing more. Nothing less.¡±


    ¡®And you are the one who put an end to my life.¡¯


    Aurora looked at her ¡®father¡¯ with aplicated expression.


    In herst life, she had also been the eldest and the one who was the most overworked taking care of an entire nascent universe while her siblings did nothing but have fun.


    A forlorn smile shed on her face as she looked up. She wondered what the Divine realm looked like nowadays. She was pretty sure her Divine Kingdom should be aplete wreck currently.


    ¡°Dawn¡­ I did not say thisst time. But I think it¡¯s a beautiful name.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. My father is the one who named me.¡±


    ¡°Your father¡­What kind of man was he if I may ask?¡±


    She chuckled at the ironic situation she was in currently. But looking at the genuine curiosity in his eyes, she thought deeply.


    What kind of man Adam was?


    ¡°In my eyes, he was like a god. An omnipotent being who held no w and was able to do everything he wished. One who spread joy and happiness to all of us and gave us love with no hesitation.¡±


    Her voice was soft, ¡°I should have understood that there was no thing as someone without ws. I should have remembered that Light could not exist without darkness. If I did¡­¡±


    If she had noticed sooner the distress her father was in¡­Perhaps this whole tragedy would have been avoided.


    She shook her head. ¡°Well, the past is what it is.¡±


    Aurora looked down at the paperwork and started to scribble again in silence and Sol took it as his cue to leave. It seemed like he had asked quite an insensitive question.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    ¡°Hum?¡±


    ¡°Pleasee here.¡±


    Just as he waved to leave. Aurora called out to him. He was quite curious about what she wanted. But when he finally approached her, the only thing she did was take his hand and ce it on her head.


    She slowly closed her eyes and spoke in a low voice. ¡°Now¡­Please¡­Tell me I am doing good work. Tell me that you are proud of me.¡±


    Sol was quite perplexed by this sudden situation. But, hearing the desperate plea in her voice.


    He did as he was told. Slowly, gently¡­He spoke words of encouragement.


    ¡°I wanted to tell you this two weeks ago. Thank you for your hard work. Thanks to you, I was able to protect people dear to me. Thank you for everything you have done. Your work was more than good. It was great. I am proud of you and I am d to have someone like you as apanion.¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Aurora closed her eyes tighter at those words.


    She refused to cry in front of him.


    This was thest modicum of pride she would keep.

 Chapter 453 CH 416: WHAT IS SHE DOING?

    After a hard-to-describe moment he shared with a strangely behaving Aurora, she immediately booted him out of the office, saying that she was busy with work.


    Sol had never been one to ignore the weird actions of women around him. He prided himself in thinking that, while he wasn¡¯t the smartest man, he was able to understand the feelings that were directed at him by the opposite gender.


    Was Aurora in love with him?


    Sol rejected this notion altogether. He knew about love. Knew about sexual attraction, desire, and all that entailed as well. There were no signs of love for him in Aurora¡¯s eyes when she was looking at him.


    Only a certain form of weird longing. This was a feeling not directed at himself but at something or someone that he reminded her of.


    ¡®Should I use¡­.¡¯


    Sol stopped this train of thought before it could root in his mind. He felt disgusted in himself that the first thought he had after attaining this knowledge was how to make use of the situation to his advantage.


    For now, Aurora, while extremely suspicious, has proven herself to be a goodpanion.


    It was just that a part of him refused to let his guard down around her. Something was telling him that his rtionship with Aurora was extremely unstable at the moment and any mistake he made could end up with her bing an enemy.


    ¡®Sigh¡­ Forget it. Today and for the next week, I am just going to have fun and not think about anything troublesome. Nothing more, nothing less.¡¯


    He would finally be able to realize one of his dreams that he had ever since his time in the original world he came from. Bing an adventurer might be a really childish dream at this time, but it was still a dream of his and he wished to realize it with his lovers.


    ¡®Well. I should talk to the witches first;¡¯


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [Tower of Babel ¡ª Medical Ward]


    After the fight between Sol and Lilith, Medea¡¯s world had been reduced to nearly nothing. Recreating that ce would take too much time and energy, so the witches had started to stay inside the tower or in Sol¡¯s dimension. Freya being the main offender in the case of Sol¡¯s dimension.


    Persephone, meanwhile, had be more active as a sort of doctor in the tower. She seemed to be taking care of the women of the tower. He had yet to read what she did exactly, but he wasn¡¯t too keen to ask her about her work either.


    Weirdly, Freya seemed to sometimes appear there as well. Though she would simply take notes while talking to the maids. It was there that he was reminded that Freya was actually an author of erotic stories. One of which fuelled Camelia¡¯s soft BDSM fantasies.


    When he came this time to the ward though, the one he wanted to meet was neither Persephone nor Freya. But rather someone who had been as helpful as Aurora while taking even more risk for him during his mad task of saving Lilith¡¯s life.


    ¡°Hathor. How have you been?¡±


    The Water Phoenix, Hathor. Considered to be the greatest healer in the Astral Realm.


    What was supposed to only be insurance turned out to be one of the centerpieces of his n to save Lilith¡­


    Hathor was reading a chart when he came inside the ward. It was weird to see the usually drunk and slovenly woman wearing ab coat while looking so serious.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Unlike Aurora, it was practically impossible for Hathor to feel his presence before he actually appeared before her.


    But still, she showed no surprise at his sudden manifestation inside the medical ward. With her experience and what she had witnessedtely, she believed that there were very few things that could actually surprise her nowadays.


    ¡°What brought you here? No Kingly duties today?¡±


    Hathor smiled and licked her lips when she sniffed a particr fragrance she liked emanating from Sol. She looked down at the bottle Sol was holding and her smile changed into a grin,


    ¡°At least you have some manners. What is this?¡±


    Sol shrugged, ¡°I am not exactly an expert in wine or alcohol but some of my ancestors were. I just went through the wine cer and took whatever seemed the oldest.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    Hathor was not even listening to him anymore as she gazed at the bottle like a snake hypnotized.


    ¡°Take it. Anyways it¡¯s a meager gift for what you did. I just wanted to say thanks.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Hathor snapped out of her stupor and snatched the bottle from his hand. She walked up to one of the drawers and took out two exquisite crystalline sses from inside.


    ¡°Persephone gave these two to me. It belonged to one of the human kings before the creation of Lustburg.¡±


    Sol was intrigued by this information. He remembered that all Four witches were actually older than the creation of Lustburg. It was one fact that was easy to forget with how young they looked.


    ¡®Now that I think about it, I only know about Medea¡¯s past.¡¯


    Despite having mingled with Persephone, it was hard to say that they were lovers. They were definitely close to each other but that was pretty much it. Freya still seemed interested in getting pregnant from his seed and had never hesitated in voicing this but it was clear that she did not feel much love for him.


    As for Kali ¡ª Sol chuckled as he was reminded about her. Kali had been pretty clear in the fact that she would never enter a harem. In the first ce, she didn¡¯t even seem remotely interested in love. It was unlike most witches who endlessly sought thepanionship and love of others.


    Hathor caressed the bottle and seemed to hold some kind of ritual with the way she opened it and filled the two sses.


    Sol epted the wine-filled ss and the two smiled at each other,


    ¡°To a sessful cooperation. To a new friendship.¡±


    ¡°To a new friendship!¡±


    Hathorughed before slowly savoring the wine. She let out a low moan when the liquid filled her mouth. Her eyes lit up and she looked once again at the bottle.


    ¡°Impressive. This wine was made with an interesting technique. I feel like it¡¯s one not of this world.¡±


    Sol''s expression betrayed no surprise. ¡°It seems to be from the era of the Peaceful King, Pluto.¡±


    Pluto was the son of Jupiter, making him the second King of Lustburg. The era of Pluto could be said to be one of the dark ages of Lustburg.


    After all, Jupiter had set off to conquer the world and nearly seeded, only to fail and die at thest step. <novelnext></novelnext>


    With the witches withdrawing from the front line andcking a King, the young prince who was only ten years old at that time had to stand up and protect Lustburg as much as possible.


    After all ¡ª Jupiter hadn¡¯t been kind during the war. The country was basically the number one enemy during that period and without Pluto, the current Lustburg might have been more than 79% smaller.


    ¡°Well, thanks for the wine. But seriously though. Why did youe?¡±


    ¡°I just came to say thanks.¡±


    Hathor tilted her head and chuckled derisively, ¡°I thought it was something big. But is that really all?¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t need thanks. I already obtained the greatest gift I could ask for. The memory I made here will be enough tost for a few thousand years.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ You are really going to leave.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Unlike Isis, who is contracted to you, for a King-rank divine beast like me, staying in the mortal world is not really a good thing.¡±


    The restrictions this world imposed on Hathor made her feel like she was constantly being shackled. It wasn¡¯t a good feeling in any way.


    The mortal world itself did not wee her presence in this ce. She was no different than someone entering another territory illegally without permission.


    There was a reason most divine beasts never came down here or if they ever did, it was only for a short trip.


    ¡°Also you know very well about the time flow issue, right? Even if the difference between the Astral Realm and Mortal Realm slows down, It¡¯s hard to say how many months or years went by there, in the meantime.¡±


    She had been here for nearly three weeks now. This was close to a year in the Astral realm if nothing changed.


    She had her duty to uphold in her territory, after all.


    Finally,


    ¡°There will be a meeting between all the Divine Beasts soon.¡±


    The word ¡®soon¡¯ had a different meaning when it came to a bunch of immortal beings who lived for thousands of years. But it was really approaching. When this happened, it was necessary for all the generals under the divine beasts to be present.


    This was a show of force to establish a clear hierarchy and no matter how silly it looked, Hathor didn¡¯t wish to embarrass her mother at such an important moment.


    ¡°A summit, huh? Heh¡­¡±


    Sol focused on the swirling crimson liquid before chugging it down in one go.


    The Wings of Freedom had created quite a problem here as well. Not only did they obtain the Divine Weapon of Lustburg, but it seemed like they also obtained the Divine Weapon of Greed Dike, the Kingdom of Dwarves.


    There were also signs of them perhaps infiltrating and causing chaos in the Elf kingdom back then while under the guise of Vampires.


    The vampire girl who was part of the WoF had still not woken up and it was clear now that something was amiss with her.


    Pandora had spent her time analyzing and swimming in the dream of that vampire to get more information about it.


    Sol was not really worried about the Wings of Freedom themselves. Currently, they only had three or four Kings, and one demigod in their ranks.


    It was impressive, but it was no army. The problem came from the Titans and the Chaos Spawns.


    Not all divine beasts had the power of Tiamat and her dragons. Surtr alone was enough to make two or three Divine Beasts suffer greatly without much effort.


    "Haha. I guess whenpared to what happens high up, the iing war really seems like child¡¯s y, huh¡­"


    Hathor shook her head, "War is war. No matter what the scale is. There is no such thing as mere child¡¯s y."


    Sol gave a bitter smile. Indeed. If it was a child''s y, he could have simply challenged Lupus to a fight and sent Lilith to decimate his existence.


    But it wasn''t. War wasn''t child''s y. But it was still no less than a game where the Kings acted as yers and Soldiers as chess pieces.


    "Well. I won''t let them sour my mood."


    He downed the wine and smiled, "Wait one week. Lilith is currently acting mischievously. Once we bring her back, we will hold a great farewell party for you and send you off with all the glory that the Mortal Realm can harbor."


    "I am kinda not exactly interested¡­"


    "I will also open the wine cer and grant you unlimited ess for the day."


    "What a measly week. Farewell parties are indeed a must."


    The twoughed out loud and continued to drink the wine for a long time as they chatted about this and that.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After drinking all afternoon with Hathor and talking with her about her experience and the worlds she explored, Sol found himself walking back to his office room.


    It seemed like he had be quite the workaholic. He just wanted to take a look at some papers and then go talk to the witches about his ns for the week.


    As always, Sol simply used his dimension to walk. He was doing so in order to increase his synchronization and understanding of this mysterious power.


    This was why he was surprised to hear a muffled moan when he actually approached his office.


    "Your highness~"


    He recognized the voice and as such, had no hesitation when he passed through the door and finally saw the show Milia was putting on for him without her knowledge.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: Man. Thest Milia smut was like a year ago in real life time. I think I pretty much made the turn with those who helped. Thest ones on the list are Luxuria and perhaps Asmodeus. But those won¡¯t appear before the end of the volume. So the n is smut, fun, rtionship development, smut, fun. Then something serious. Taking my flight tomorrow. Flight at 8 am. I regret choosing that time. Pretty stupid.)

 Chapter 454 CH 417: MILIA (6)

    After Sol left to deal with some minuscule problems and ra went ahead to prepare a travel schedule for Sol and co, Milia had to admit that she felt a little excited about the iing trip she was going to have with her dear lord.


    Her life experience had not been the greatest thing one could hope to have. Living as an orphan in the capital, being used as an experiment subject for almost half of her life, working as an assassin for the Kingdom then as the master spy and head maid of the royalty of the kingdom of Lustburg.


    Because of all the things that she had to go through in her tumultuous life, her experience outside of the wall of the capitals only amounted to the operations where she had to kill someone or flee from being killed by someone. It was truly a sorry fate.


    She never had the chance to truly walk outside the walls of the Capital and have some fun. She knew that she wasn¡¯t the only one in this situation so this made the trip all the more enjoyable in her opinion. She couldn¡¯t wait to have the grand experience she was dreaming of in her mind.


    Walking inside the office, Milia felt her heart beating heavily as her excitement continued to increase with each second.


    She knew that the party would be too powerful to actually face any threat but still, it would be a nice change of pace for her.


    She would have never thought that such things could bring her so much happiness and all of this was thanks to one man, Sol, her dearest lord. Just thinking about him was enough for her burning excitement to shoot through the roof and hazy and scandalous thoughts to run along her depraved mind.


    She hesitated slightly, wondering whether what she had in mind would really be a good idea or not, but then walked toward the door and made sure it was locked firmly then turned around and looked at the scene of the quiet office.


    She took a few hesitant steps, before reaching the office chair and took ce where Sol usually sat to dish out his royal duties.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Milia breathed in and her expression loosened slightly for the first time in a while. There were many scents that were filling the room, but in this ce, his scent was simply overpowering.


    She could see the documents that were yet to be processed and his favorite fountain pen that was engraved with the insignia of the royal family and the church as well as Sol¡¯s name being written on it.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The more she embraced this scent, the hazier her expression became. In the end, she took the fountain pen and brought it towards her.


    ¡®Perhaps I should leave this ce?¡¯


    Her rationale was trying to bring her to her senses but she was far too gone in the throes of lust and depravity to care about mere rationality. Lustful thoughts had already stirred deep in the recesses of her mind at this point for her to care about anything.


    It had been so long since Solst held her in his passionate and loving embrace filled with the warmth that was thest thing saving her sanity. She knew he was busy and for that very reason¡­ all she could do was relieve herself in the confines of her room while gazing at her ever-growing collection.


    ¡®Just a little bit should be okay¡­¡¯


    The voices of a lustful devil seemed to murmur in her ears and in the end, the voices of the endearing devil won over her reasonings and rationales.


    She slowly rolled up her long maid skirt, exposing her white garter belt and panties, which had be damp at this point. Holding up the pen she slowly brought it over her ck panties and started to rub it lightly with gentle strokes.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Your Highness.¡±


    Hot sighs leaked out from her as her face became progressively more flushed with each stroke applied over her flowing garden. This was just a pen but since it had his name engraved on it, it gave her a certain immoral feeling about the things she was doing with his belongings.


    Just imagining him using that penter on without knowing what she did made her shiver and groan with lustful pants. At the same time, it satisfied the deep and twisted desire for monopoly that was hidden in her heart. <novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡°Nh~!¡±


    How many minutes went by? Perhaps an instant? Or perhaps over a dozen? But she did not care about the time. She simply was not able to. Her feverish face had now bepletely dyed in the shades of red. Her eyes had be hazy and her mind was already approaching cloud nine.


    A sweet smell had started to spread in the office room and an ever-growing stain was showing on her already damp panties while a clear liquid started to flow and leak out from the sides.


    Soon, the sensations were not enough for her. She wanted more, way more. She pushed the panties to the side, and gently shoved the pen inside all while imagining it was Sol¡¯s experienced digits finally entering her.


    She felt so ashamed of her actions, but her lust and desire were simply too overpowering for her to give mind to her shame. She imagined that it was Sol using his finger to bring relief to her and she leaked out a sob of pleasure as she reached a new crescendo. Her inner flesh tightened around the pen and she began to elerate her movements.


    Her thin love liquid flowed incessantly from her ce and stained the chair below her;


    ¡°Nh~! Please, more!¡±


    Shame was dead as fast as it was born and all that mattered now for her was reaching the peak. An exhrating feeling of pleasure began to gather towards her lower abdomen.


    Her whole body began to tremble and the rhythm of her breathing increased dramatically.


    She was just a little short. Just a little more and she would reach what she sought¡­


    ¡°Your Highness~!¡±


    ¡°You called?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A silence, utterly absolute in its overwhelming presence, befell the room that one might think Medea hadunched a time impeding spell on the room. Milia slowly, very slowly opened her eyes. All this while she was praying, hoping that this was just the result of her imagination. That her senses had been wrong and she was just hallucinating his voice due to the longing in her heart.


    But¡­


    Looking at Sol sitting on the opposite chair with his head resting on the palm of his hand and a teasing smile on his face¡ª shame went through her whole being as it kicked out the feeling of lustpletely. No matter how fast she was, she knew she was doomed.


    She could even imagine her current appearance.


    ¡°Oh? Why stop? Continue, I was honestly enjoying the show.¡±


    Milia wished she could rewind time. Sadly she had no such powers. Maybe she could coerce Medea into doing it in her stead?


    (AN: So from Tomorrow (25th to 27th) there will be two chapters every day as the reward for the dragon I received. It should have happened a few days ago but I had to adjust the schedule. I am currently in Morroco Casanca by the way. I just realized Milia had like 5 or so smut chapters all in all without counting special chapters or cha where she fingers herself without Sol. Damn. I honestly thought it was much more. Time to make up for this


    Also, good Ramadan to everyone involved. My editor is Muslim so it¡¯s funny hearing him cry and curse about how I am forcing him to edit smut chapters. Haha.)

 Chapter 455 CH 418: MILIA (7)*

    The stalemate between the twosted for a few seconds before Milia stood up, arranged back her skirt, and bowed,


    ¡°Wee back, your highness. Now that you are here, I believe I can go back and finish my work.¡±


    Sol gave her an amused nce as she began to walk away but just as she reached the door,


    *Tack*


    The two of them looked down, only to see the glistening pen that she had been using,ying on the ground while leaving a stain.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This ¡ª is my pen, right?¡±


    ¡°...Indeed, it is.¡±


    ¡°And you were masturbating with it, right?¡±


    ¡°....Indeed I was.¡±


    Her face was red and she gritted her teeth, but her lord had asked a question and it was her duty to answer,


    ¡°How interesting.¡±


    Sol stood up and walked up to her nonchntly until he reached the pen, then he crouched down,


    ¡°Your highness!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    He said so in a low voice but it was enough to immediately stop her. Her expression became even more mortified when she saw him pick up the pen lightly,


    ¡°Well, well, well. Would you look at this?¡±


    He brought the pen close to her and Milia could only look aside shyly.


    This situation was more than fun for Sol. It was highly entertaining.


    Every time he had sex with Milia, she would always smoother and mother him. It didn¡¯t matter that he was physically stronger than her. She had always been the one at the win.


    Of course, Sol didn¡¯t care. The most important thing was having fun. But ¡ª watching Milia with her head bowed down like this and acting like a shy girl, it was impossible for him to not make use of the situation.


    He threw the pen away and wiped his hand before cupping her face in it, ¡°Look at me.¡±


    Milia hesitated a little but did as she was told, her eyes moved around, showing how reluctant she was to face him.


    Sol found her so cute at this instant. He wanted to kiss her and tell her that everything was alright. But he also wanted to tease her and bring her to tears.


    It was necessary to find the middle ground.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind what you did.¡±


    Milia¡¯s eyes opened wide,


    ¡°But you still need to be punished.¡±


    Milia shuddered as he gently whispered this to her ears.


    He took a step back and sat on the office table, looking at her with a teasing light in his eyes.


    ¡°Raise your skirt.¡±


    Once again a so calm but oh-somanding voice. Milia huped a little in embarrassment at Sol''smand.


    A mixture of shame and excitement and anticipation filled her bountiful chest, causing it to rise up and down.


    But in the end, she did as she was told and grabbed her skirt, before slowly pulling it up to her waist. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was done slowly but this made the sight all the more tantalizing. First, her beautiful legs were shown, followed by her thigh encased in a garter belt, and finally, her white panties soaked in lustful love juice were revealed to his eyes.


    She opened her trembling moist eyes and looked at him with a pitiful expression that made a fiery fire in him burn hotter.


    He approached her and began to walk all around her, inspecting her carefully, until he waspletely behind her.


    This sight of her butt was no less tantalizing and in fact, was even more exciting for him. He wished for nothing more than simply to bend her down and shove his stick in her. But everything had a ce and time.


    He hugged her from behind and inhaled deeply. He didn¡¯t care that he looked like a pervert right now. He was simplypletely intoxicated.


    His hands were ced around her navel, right where her womb should have been and he started to apply some pressure. He also brought his face to her corbone and began to bite ¨Cleaving marks of his teeth on her porcin white skin.


    ¡°Hah¡­¡±


    Milia moaned a little as the heat started to spread through her body.


    Afterward, when Sol grabbed her panties and pulled them down, Milia did nothing as anticipation became like a lump blocking her throat.


    Her naughty scents began to fill the room and a thread of transparent love juice dangled from the panties.


    In an instant, Milia¡¯s became red to the ear. She felt even more shame when Sol used his fingers to spread her closed mound left and right, showing the pink flesh of her hidden garden.


    Milia covered her face and let out a low moan as she felt him stir up slightly inside her. She could already imagine her liquid covering his hand and him being so close to her ce.


    ¡°Your Highness¡­S-stop¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you really want me to?¡±


    Sol whispered close to her ears, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it what you were imagining while you were pleasuring yourself on my chair?¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­.This was¡­¡±


    Sol smirked as he felt her vaginal folds clench around his fingers at his words. Clearly, his words had made her imagination more active.


    He ignored her and began to elerate the movement of his fingers. Like a motor that was warming up, her inside became hotter, and a wet stain formed on the floor because of all her liquid.


    ¡°Nh~!¡±


    Each time his finger scratched her inside, Milia would tremble and spread her legs more vulgarly. She knew she looked nothing like the usual dignified maid she portrayed herself as but she had no desire to care for her unsightly appearance at this moment.


    At the threshold of her climax, Milia swung her waist as if she had lost all reason but no matter what she did, the final release did note to her.


    At least this was the case until,


    ¡°Cum for me.¡±


    His words were like permission granted by heaven.


    ¡°Ahhh~!¡±


    Milia moaned loudly as she looked up at the ceiling. Her body trembled like it was being electrocuted and her juice flew like there was no tomorrow.


    ¡°Nooo~¡±


    She was squirting, she was covering the entire room with her smell and her juice. She wanted to stop but the pleasure was like a never-ending wave that was constantly hitting her mind.


    When the climax finally stopped, Milia would have plopped to the ground had Sol not caught her. Her legs were so weak that she was like a newborn calf that could not stand strong.


    ¡°This was beautiful.¡±


    Sol¡¯s voice was coarse and filled with desire. His cock was stretching painfully in his pants and he knew that soon, he would satiate his lust.


    (AN: So, yeah, I didn¡¯t win thepetition for my second story. Didn¡¯t even win a pity prize. I won¡¯t lie, this is extremely demoralizing. I am wondering what the heck might even be the problem. One of the dudes who won silver didn¡¯t write a chapter in 20 days. This also happens in Bronze and neer awards. MP is higher ranked than all but 3 or so prize winners, be it in Trending, Power stones, or Golden Ticket and Priv Unlock.


    This kind of thing is honestly like a straight punch in the guts. I don¡¯t think my third story will be on WN. Most likely I will just post RR/Pa Treon and my website before going to Kindle Unlimited. This will also be helpful because then Pirate sites won¡¯t be able to take my advanced chapter and I can strike them with a DMCA if they try stealing from Pa Treon.


    Whatever imma go sulk somewhere. The good news is, my friend did some good Milia Illustrations: /posts/milia-shk-80535502)

 Chapter 456 CH 419: MILIA (8)**

    Milia waspletely disheveled at the moment and her breathing was out of control. The fact that she was a Duke-ranked assassin who could fight for days on end and not even break a sweat seemed irrelevant to her current fatigue.


    Her mind was hazy as she continued to bathe in the afterglow of what could perhaps be the most powerful orgasm she probably ever had. And that¡¯s just from his hands alone. She didn¡¯t know all the details about Sol¡¯s adventure in the Astral world, but without a doubt, his martial skills weren¡¯t the only thing that had improved greatly.


    But, as her awareness started toe back to the surface, Milia slowly realized her own state and was mortified by it all the more. She looked like aplete and utter harlot¡­ Like an animal in heat, wishing for nothing more than to be bred by her mate.


    She wondered what her expression was like at the moment, but she knew for sure that it would only make her more ashamed of herself if she were to try to learn more about it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy. You see, I believe there are few things in all of existence that are more beautiful than a woman in the throes of pleasures.¡±


    Sol was surrounded by very powerful and independent women who had taken care of him one way or another throughout his life after being reincarnated in this world.


    For other people, those women were beyond their reach even in their wildest imaginations. They were a goal that could never be attained or even a source of respect and admiration for everyone involved.


    Those same women would give up all resistance when they were toe in his hands and show expressions that would break the heart of those who admired them with all their hearts and beings.


    The sadistic draconic being in him loved this kind of situation the most. Rather than just love, that beast revealed in such emotions. Meanwhile, the human in him simply loved bringing his lovers to climax and the utmost peaks of pleasure. Looking at them lose all restraints and have a great time with him.


    Milia¡¯s dazed expression slowly vanished. She was slowly starting to get her bearings back and knew that acting shy now wouldn¡¯t change her current predicament.


    As such she decided on a simple fact¡­


    ¡®Let¡¯s be bold.¡¯


    She consciously ignored the stain on the carpet. She would make sure to clean everything up afterward anyways. There were too many beast women in the tower and while they all knew she was Sol¡¯s woman, she didn¡¯t really wish to let them smell her in this ce.


    ¡°Your highness, you became really naughty, you know¡­¡±


    She grabbed him by the cor and pulled him to a chair on the side before pushing him against it.


    Sol simply grinned at her sudden change in behavior. He was anticipating this shift for a while¡­ ¡°Indeed. You are the one who taught me to be like that, after all.¡±


    He did have experience in his previous world. But all those experiences he could ever have paled in front of what Milia made him feel during their first time together.


    It had been quite a life-changing experience for him, to say the least.


    Milia smiled softly as she opened the front of Sol¡¯s pants and fished out his already-hardened penis. It felt hot and heavy in her hands. The shape of the blood vessels pulsating along the length made her heart pound heavily. She began to gently handle the organ and fondled it like it was the greatest treasure in the world.


    ¡°My, my~ Every time I look at it, I wonder how this thing can go inside me.¡±


    It looked like a massive spear that wished to tear her apart from the inside. Her cheeks became flushed again as she leaked out a hot sigh at the thought of feeling this inside of her.


    She was quite startled when she felt a hand go around her body and couldn¡¯t help but look up at Sol, ¡°Stop. I am pretty sure none of us needs any more forey at this point.¡±


    Sol was one who would usually take all the time in the world necessary to bring pleasure to his partner. But Milia¡¯s had gone above and beyond a few moments ago. The only thing that could rival that powerful climax in his mind was the moment when Nefertiti shared the pleasure between all of them.


    Without giving Milia the chance to argue, he lifted her up by the armpit and ced her on hisp face to him.


    Herrge maid skirt spread open and covered their intimate parts, giving the deceptive impression that nothing untoward was happening below.


    But beneath herrge skirt, this reality couldn¡¯t be any more different.


    ¡°You like this, right?¡±


    Milia grinned as she watched Sol¡¯s entranced expression when he felt his hardened shaft press against her garden while his vision was being obstructed by her skirt.


    ¡°Ahem~ You nder me. I do not understand your insinuations.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    Milia snickered out loud at the shamelessness of her lover and lord. She had observed some of Sol¡¯s small fetishes and knew that this situation where one could see nothing about what was happening below greatly aroused him to an abnormal degree.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyebrows rose at seeing such an expression on the royal head maid¡¯s gorgeous face.


    He was being teased now, was he? A grin formed on his face at that thought¡­


    ¡®Now, now, we couldn¡¯t have that, can we?¡¯


    ¡°You do know¡­ That I know about what is in your room, right?¡±


    ¡°Wha ~ Ah~!¡± <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Milia was not able to finish her sentence as Sol ced his hand around her hips and made her plunge down on his massive girth.


    She gasped for breath. Her private ce was so wet from her earlier orgasm that he prated her with no problem whatsoever, even though the considerable girth and length that he packed beneath. But even after that, it wasn¡¯t that there were no effects whatsoever. His massive member was packed enough to make her falter for a moment.


    ¡°Wai~ Ah~ Your Highness~!¡±


    She could feel her moist and slithery insides clench his unruly shaft wildly as it filled her stomach while leaving no gaps unattended. As she trembled and tried to get used to the sensation she had missed for so long, Milia tried to get her words out but with no sess in sight.


    All she could do was let herself be swept away by the waves of pleasure as she hugged Sol with a troubled groan. With her so close, the sound of her lustful groans filled his ears like heavenly music, making Sol grind even faster along her depths.


    He grabbed the front part of her robe with his teeth and tore the clothes apart like a beast going at the flesh of its prey. Her breasts, now free from their cumbersome restraints, were as impressive as always. The way they bounced proudly seemed to go against all thews of gravity that Sol had been taught in his past life. No matter how much time had passed, and no matter how many mysteries and sights he witnessed through his journeys, this one, in particr, never ceased to amaze even once.


    Moreover, her pale skin covering those gigantic globes and the pink cherry buttons at the top of her breasts made for a beautiful visual contrast with the massive mountains that she packed.


    When Milia tried to put a word in again, Sol brought his teeth down with aser focus and bit down gently on her nipples, but with enough force to make her moan rather than scream in displeasure. He then proceeded with ying around with her other breast, massaging it with all his skills.


    The numbing sensationing from her breasts made Milia distracted enough that she was unable to express herself correctly.


    Taking off his mouth, he brought it to her corbones and nibbled for a bit before muttering,


    ¡°Milia, oh dear Milia~ I am constantly moving through the whole tower using my dimension. You seriously thought I wouldn¡¯t notice them?¡±


    Milia¡¯s collection had been quite¡­. Interesting. To put it mildly. That was all he was willing to say about them. Sol didn¡¯t know what was more disturbing about this scenario.


    The fact that Milia basically had a whole room dedicated to worshiping him with pictures, sculptures, diary entries about his days, objects he owned in the past and so much more¡­


    ¡­Or the fact that all he felt after having witnessed such an eerie and goosebump-inducing sight was that Milia was pretty cute in her own right.


    Sol chuckled as he kissed her fully on the lips. ¡°I don¡¯t mind them, you know?¡±


    He was surrounded by crazy women. This was a reality that he could either embrace or reject.


    He chose to embrace it lovingly with no hesitation whatsoever.


    ¡°Ah~!¡±


    Milia was left speechless but soon, hearts seemed to shine in her eyes as her libido shot through the roof at that statement.


    Sol may have seen her collection, but he did not push her away. That alone was like the greatest gift in the world for her.


    Like a string that hadpletely snapped for good, her reasoning broke thoroughly. All she wished now was to share this overwhelming and overflowing love in her chest with her most cherished and dearest person in the entirety of existence. She was once again affirmed of the fact that Sol was¡­ everything to her.


    She wanted to leave no doubt in the fact that all that was hers belonged to him and him alone. From her flesh to her very soul.


    The two began to move once again in unison. There was no end to the filthy sound that resonated with the pping of their flesh.


    Sol kissed her corbones, her chest, and every part of her body, making sure to leave traces of their lovemaking on her whole being.


    Milia trembled with her legs outstretched as Sol pushed his phallus inside her deeply. She could feel his nd swell more inside her very depths, signaling his impending release to the world and her loving partner.


    But what made her the happiest was seeing the same man who was now the King of Humanity in all but name lose himself like a beast as he made love to her. Her and her alone. At least, at this moment and time.


    The signs of ejaction began more and more apparent with each passing moment and finally, as the two shared onest deep kiss full of their lover, passion, and unending longing for each other, they trembled as Sol released his thick, white. and cloudy liquid in the deepest parts of her womb.


    ¡°I love you, Your Highness¡­¡±


    Milia widened her eyes and her heart became flustered when she realized the words that had just leaked out of her lips without her knowledge. She had been so entranced that she left quite the embarrassing words that did not take her position as a maid into ount.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Sol merely grinned. It was quite funny to receive a love confession just as they finished climaxing. His face, was marred with sweat, and his breathing was heavy. He ced his forehead against hers and closed his eyes as he breathed out a raspy tone.


    ¡°I love you too. More than you can possibly imagine.¡±


    Her eyes misted slightly, tears of joy threatening to leak out of her enchanting eyes, and not being able to bear this sudden surge of emotions, she buried her face in his shoulder.


    Like this, the two hugged tightly in the office room.


    They were silent. But it was not an awkward silence. It was simply one filled with love and happiness for this moment they shared. In the here and now¡­ They were truly happy to be in each other¡¯s embrace and hearts¡­


    (AN: Hope you liked It hehe. The next chapter will be a sneak in the Astral realm. Gotta see what some of our girls are doing. Then start of adventure. The strongest adventure team ever created in the Mortal realm.)

 Chapter 457 SPECIAL CHAPTER: PHOENIX (2)

    [Astral Realm ¡ª Phoenix Territory]


    It had been around six months since Sol left the Dragon territory and Nent returned to her home¡ª the Phoenix territory.


    The axis of time was moving closer and closer to the prime time as it brought the Astral Realm to a time level equal to that of the Mortal Realm.


    The phoenix territory, with its multiple suns and heat and therge sea of sand, had the same exotic and dangerous beauty as it always had.


    Each of the four King-ranked phoenixes had their own cities over the sandy territory in which they reigned and Nephthys stood at the peak as the Queen of the whole territory with the blessing of Gabriel who had delegated all her power and authority to her.


    Usually, Gabriel would be seen seated, asleep in her throne room. The weight of time could not easily be shrugged off by a Divine Beast and for someone like her who had seen basically everything there was to see in the universe, sleeping was the easiest way to waste time and deal with cumbersome memories and visions of the past. A past¡­ not worth remembering.


    Today, however, she could be seen walking in a settlement near Nent¡¯s city, the piece of the sandy territory she controlled and ruled over. Her chocte-colored skin gave a somewhat tantalizing contrast with her white robes which revealed quite a bit of her graceful body.


    Her golden eyes shone quietly behind the veil that covered her face as she observed the city Nent had developed throughout the eons, not through her divine sight, but with her own two eyes.


    ¡°Mother.¡±


    Gabriel ignored her daughter¡¯snding behind her and continued to observe the city with her nk eyes, the heat of the sand crunching beneath her bare feet did not seem to bother her and she took a deep breath as she came to a conclusion that she had reached millennia ago, but was not willing to reveal to her dear daughter¡­


    ¡°I hated your city.¡±


    Gabriel was straightforward with her remarks this time around. She had always hidden her true opinion about Nent¡¯s activities for as long as she remembered. But, for one reason or another, she decided toe clean about them right now.


    ¡°I hated how cold and focused it is. I hated how they showed no emotions and were only focused on making more coins, forgetting the simple value of life.¡±


    Out of all the cities in the phoenix realm, Nent¡¯s was the most structured, with a clear hierarchy and capitalism in ce that bounded all the denizens who took root in this ce. All those concepts were like sphemies to her creed that Gabriel could note to appreciate. But she had never intervened in the works of her daughter.


    ¡°What you did with your family was wrong, dear child. The way you treated your children was wrong as well. It was vile and disgusting to its very core. Even more so because you were hiding your own selfishness under the veil of evolution and progress


    ¡°Even so¡­ Even though I didn''t like any of your decisions, did you know why I have never stopped you?¡±


    Gabriel finally turned around and looked at her daughter in the eyes.


    Since she had created her four daughters through the separation of her divine energy, the simrities between the two of them were great. But Nent was taller and had a more warrior-like figure than Gabriel¡¯s smoother and softer features. They were identical, yet had their own contrasts.


    ¡°It was because I felt guilty. It was because¡­ I felt unworthy¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me finish first¡­ Please, dear child.¡±


    Gabriel shed a sad smile to her dear daughter. Sadness was an evesting concept that bound their twisted family, ¡°It¡¯s a parent''s duty to bring their children to the right path. I failed to understand how much those humans meant to you. I thought that they were just passersby in your long existence that would soon be forgotten with time. That you were just throwing a temper tantrum at me, ate rebellious phase of sorts if you will. By the time I understood how hurt you actually were ¡ª It was already toote for me to do anything anymore.¡±


    Gabriel grimaced slightly as she recalled those times and the deeds that she herself engineered that led to her daughter¡¯s state of apathy, solitude, and madness. Like all divine beasts, she was quite distant from her children. Even then, Gabriel never wished to outright ignore them altogether like Tiamat. She wished them all the greatest happiness possible in the world as she loved them as her greatest creations.


    Gabriel sighed as she gazed once again at the city. It had only been six months, but the changes were so startling that it was simply ridiculous.


    It was hard to describe in words, but one could say that the city felt more ¡®alive¡¯ than it once was. The sense of barren dread and coldness that permeated the whole city like a mechanism running on oil was no more and was soon reced by a hint of refreshing euphoria of life. The atmosphere was lighter and the people seemed to be happier than they once were.


    ¡°I realized that you changed the moment you came back. What I couldn¡¯t imagine was how much you changed. How much ¡®he¡¯ changed you¡­¡±


    From the moment sheid her eyes on ¡®him¡¯ to now, around a year went by. For those who lived for tens of thousands of years, one measly year was not even equal to a minute of their lives.


    ¡°This is why I am so angry at myself right now.¡±


    She could only let herself leak a bleakugh, ¡°700 years. I watched the bright and gentle woman slowly self-destruct herself and push away all those that loved her for SEVEN HUNDRED years and now you are telling me that this problem I was so helpless about got resolved by some young man who didn¡¯t even live for 0.0000001% of the time I spent in this world? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s utterly ridiculous, dear child?¡±


    She was truly happy. Happy that Sol helped bring the Old Nent back even if it was only partially.


    But¡­ It felt utterly and heart-wrenchingly sad. It was as if all her internal struggles were just meaningless.


    ¡°Well. I guess I shouldn¡¯tin. I am the one who couldn¡¯t do the job well. So, tell me, how does it feel to have a lover?¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡±


    ¡°Oh, posh. Don¡¯t look at me like that now. You weren¡¯t that shy when you seduced the young boy when he came to this ce. Or when you were doing those immoral acts throughout the territory like there was no tomorrow.¡±


    The earlier dreary atmosphere seemed to change with a snap. Looking at the flushed Nent, a calm joy lit up in Gabriel¡¯s heart.


    Nent coughed slightly in a desperate attempt to hide her embarrassment and spoke in a low voice, ¡°Well, I admit that having him on my side felt nice. Though if you are so interested, why not find a mate yourself?¡±


    Gabriel shrugged her shoulders, ¡°I never had the asion to do that. I am not like that fox who didn¡¯t hesitate to descend on the mortal world and mate with a mortal.¡±


    Even now just thinking about it baffled Gabriel. It was normally impossible for a mortal to evene close to a demigod. Much less mate with one.


    The good thing was that since that fox was under the Virtue of Patience, her concept was not really aggressive. All she had to do was to focus on controlling her strength.


    ¡°In my case, I don¡¯t think anyone outside of a demigod or a powerful King can approach me with lustful thoughts.¡±


    She was the divine beast of chastity. This was not really a friendly concept when it came to finding a mate.


    ¡°Heh¡­ I believe that soon there will be a perfect candidate.¡±


    ¡°What do you¡­ Ah!¡±


    This time it was Gabriel''s turn to blush and cough. ¡°Are you insane!? Do you wish to have our entire family under him?¡±


    ¡°I doubt Neith is interested in that. I don¡¯t know about Hathor and Nephthys obviously has Anubis. So you don¡¯t have to worry about that. You should simply focus on what you want to do.¡±


    Nentughed quietly. She may have lost a little of the darkness in her heart, but this did not mean her goal had simply vanished.


    If Sol had a child with each of the four of them, she would be able to witness firsthand how the blood and the power level of the parents could affect the talent of the future children.


    ¡®Though, I must admit that this is quite shameless¡­ Hmmm. Should I perhaps add one of my daughters?¡¯


    Nefertiti was her granddaughter so this meant theycked one generation for the perfect link.


    Of course, she would first ask Sol¡¯s opinion on the matter. But¡­ ¡®That boy is also quite the hidden pervert.¡¯


    Would Sol resist the chance to make love to four generations of the same family? [1]


    If Gabriel could read the thoughts of her daughter who was already ready to sell her whole to Sol, she would have pped her silly. Sadly for her, she did not have such powers. Truly sad, indeed.


    ¡°Speaking of, you made a deal with Tiamat, right?¡±


    Gabriel did not wait for Nent to finish her sentence as she immediately vanished from her spot and left a quizzical daughter behind.


    [1]: That moment when you began to ask yourself where the hell you made a mistake as an author. Just realized how absurd Sol¡¯s rtionships in the Astral realm are. I need to be pure once again. He took ¡®imma fuck your mom¡¯ to a whole new level.

 Chapter 458 SPECIAL CHAPTER: DRAGON (2)

    [Astral Realm ¡ª Dragon Territory]


    While Nent and Gabriel were having a heartwarming moment between mother and daughter while Gabriel was also trying to flee from her debt, the atmosphere in the Dragon territory was rather subtle inparison.


    If the Phoenix¡¯s territory was a ce that was extremely harsh and ill-suited for habitation, the territory of Tiamat was one of the most visited thanks to its mild weather and the beautiful sights of the floating inds above the seemingly endless blue sea.


    [8th Heaven]


    The territory was divided into nine heavens and out of them all, only the direct children of Tiamat and the people of their choosing could reside in the 8th heaven.


    As the queen of the territory and the one who made the young dragons not able to wreak havoc at every moment of their existence, the amount of work that fell to her was truly extraordinary.


    But despite the efficiency she usually had, the paperwork continued to stack as time passed and she seemed unable to reassume her duties.


    "Mother. It seems like the Park of Lord Hydra faced another destruction thanks to two dragons fighting."


    Aqua entered the room and groaned as she observed the amount of paperwork that seemed to have reached the ceiling at this point.


    She felt like she was watching the phenomenon of the expansion of the known universe right in front of her very eyes at this moment.


    "You seriously don''t intend to work anymore?"


    "Sorry. I was just a bit distracted."


    Kiyohime spoke quietly before sighing for¡­ Aqua had lost count of how many times she did that at that point. The only thing she was able to do at this point was just frowning at that answer.


    "You have been distracted for a few months now."


    It all started the moment Sol left to go back to the Mortal Realm.


    Slowly, the efficiency of Kiyohime had been dropping until it reached the current level where it couldn''t get any lower.


    She understood that her mom was missing her lover. As weird as it was that someone so much younger was destined to be her ''father''.


    But she had never imagined Kiyohime would be missing someone so much.


    Aqua hesitated for a slight instant before shrugging like she couldn¡¯t help it.


    She could take care of the official stuff herselfter on anyways.


    She took a seat near her mother and asked her with a concerned tone, "So, you really miss him, huh¡­"


    Kiyohime was startled by her sudden words, "Is it really that evident?"


    It was Aqua¡¯s turn to give her mother an utterly dumbfounded look, "I mean¡­"


    She waved her hand to show the current state of the room. "I don''t really need to be a genius to know about this, you know?"


    "Hah¡­"


    Kiyohime could only give an awkwardugh in response to her question, "Well¡­ I wouldn''t exactly say I miss him¡­ But I do admit that it feels strange not feeling his presence in my vicinity."


    Sol''s time in the Dragon Territory may have been short, but in a way, she was the one who had spent the most time with him in this realm. Perhaps, she had spent the most time with him in his entire journey to this ce. Taking care of him, training him, guiding him, and finally making love with him.


    Even now, thinking about the events they had faced and experienced together she was unable to wrap her head around it. She would have never imagined that she would fall in love with a hybrid dragon who wasn''t even in the realm of a duke when they had their first time.


    Well at least that was justifiable, but it paled inparison to the fact that the boy was her direct nephew. Just what was wrong with her for her to go along with establishing such a rtionship? She was unable to understand that fact.


    "I believe, mother¡­ That the emotions you are describing can be summarized in three words. Ahem~ You. Miss. Him."


    Aqua decided to make things straight and simple for her suprisingly ignorant mother.


    "Ugh¡­"


    Kiyohime could not argue with her daughter on that note.


    "Now that we have determined that you indeed miss your lover¡­ Let''s see what we can do, alright?"


    Aqua grinned. Kiyohime had always been this fair and nearly perfect ruler who took care of the well-being of the entire realm with utmost impartiality.


    Even Aqua, as her direct daughter, was not given many special privileges from the get go. She had to earn them with her own blood and sweat.


    Auqa found nothing wrong with that though. But she had always been worried about her mother. Kiyohime always looked like she had the weight of the entire world on her shoulders and it was disheartening watching her like this. Anyone would be mortified to see such a woman, much less her.


    Now though, Kiyohime felt truly alive and happy.


    She had to thank her cousin for that.


    "Well, why don''t we first try working on your fashion sense?"


    This was going to be fun.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [Tartarus ¡ª 8th Circle of Hell]


    Below all those inds, in the subterranean grounds of the hells of Tartarus, Tiamat could be seen peacefully watching the gigantic sun floating in the sky.


    The sight of a sun shining underground would have surprised anyone. But for her, this was just amon sight.


    Next to her were three women.


    The three looked like paintings depicting the same person at different moments in time.


    From the youngest who looked like a young teen, to the somewhat adult woman and finally the mature big sister.


    They were the Norns sisters. The weavers of Fate.


    Urd ("That which transpired") was the oldest and calmest of the three sisters.


    Verdandi ("That which is transpiring") was the most worrywart among the three sisters.


    Skuld (¡°That which would transpire¡±) was the most carefree and chaotic among the sisters.


    The three sisters were standing together and the seal that usually stopped them from using their full powers without permission was not present on their wrists.


    There was no need to. After all, Tiamat had absolute belief in subduing them no matter what they threw at her.


    Their exotic pink skins and ck sclera were fascinating to watch but Tiamat had no interest in observing them.


    "How long do you intend to stay hidden, Lucifer."


    Her voice was calm as always. This time, her hair was as ck as the night sky and she was d in a simple bodysuit that showed off her proud figure.


    A sigh filled the sky as the sun seemed to change into a gigantic eye that looked down on them.


    "Why can''t you let an old man rest in peace until death?"


    "If death wanted you, you would have long since left. You should curse your powerful past self that made it so even after death, a sliver of your soul could still thrive."


    This time a chuckle followed and the transparent soul of Lucifer, the Light Bringer, appeared before them.


    Verdandi gulped and Urd adjusted her position in a more respectful stance. Even though it was just a shade. Even though this soul barely had the power of a Duke and could be crushed by all of them ¡ª The man in front of them was still Lucifer.


    Even Tiamat showed some modicum of respect for him. A notion that even the goddesses were unable to extract from her. He was such a being.


    The only one who waspletely unbothered was Skuld.


    Compared to the things she witnessed in that other timeline, Lucifer was just a pitiful child.


    This was why they were here. In a ce the goddesses could not reach.


    "I am surprised. Why are you bringing those people here?"


    Lucifer did not hide his distaste for the Titans.


    While he did not follow the doctrine of the goddesses, he did lose many people dear to him because of the machinations of the three sisters.


    "Skuld."


    Skuld nodded at Tiamat''s word and advanced forward.


    "Hi! I am Skuld and I am here to talk to you about the end of the world and all timelines."


    Skuld grinned. She had been unable to follow Lilith''s futuretely. This meant that Sol seeded and Lilith had survived her ordeal.


    With this, the worst case scenario where Sol fell into the path of darkness had been averted sessfully.


    Furthermore, Nefertiti was doing a much better job than she thought and was increasing Sol''s influence in a specific way by following her instructions.


    But ¡ª It wasn''t enough. Not nearly enough for the adversities ahead.


    They needed to move and prepare themselves and all of this would begin in one ce.


    "When will the summit of the Divine Beasts begin?"


    In that ce, they would shine the light of her one and only master.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (AN: Now time for some fun adventure.)

 Chapter 459 CH 420: BECAUSE I SAID SO

    [Tower of Babel]


    After Sol had an enjoyable time with Milia as they once again reaffirmed the feelings they had for each other, Milia basically kicked him out of the office with a gushing red face as she argued that she needed to clean the traces of their shameful act up before ra or anyone else found out about their situation.


    Solughed quietly at her cute antics but decided to not trample on her pride and thus did as he was asked.


    He took a short bath in order to clean himself off from all the scents that Miliathered him with along with the carnal fluids and sweat he had piled up during their debauched act. With that done, he walked toward the ce where Medea now resided.


    It was quite a remote corner of the pce. Sol wished Medea would have shared the same room as his, but she immediately balked at that suggestion and decided to put herself in a situation where no one except for a few maids and her close ones could pass.


    No matter what, it was clear through this act that¡­ Even though Medea had trudged out of her prison, she wished to make her contact with people as small as possible.


    This was why¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    When those words came out of her mouth after he made his proposal about an adventure together with him and some of his girls to her, he was not surprised by the words of refusal that followed suit from her lips.


    ¡°I see¡­ Anyway. Milia has already started preparing some things we might need on our journey through thends. We will move out tomorrow morning at thetest so prepare yourself.¡±


    ¡°Wait. I said I don¡¯t want to go.¡±


    ¡°I know. But I don¡¯t remember ever saying that you had a choice on this matter.¡±


    He grinned as Medea gave him a sullen look, ¡°I am serious Sol.¡±


    The grin slowly fell off his face as he spoke out in a blunt tone, ¡°So you really don¡¯t want toe out of this enclosed space and have some fun with all of us?¡±


    Medea hesitated slightly at that remark, ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­¡±


    ¡°Or is it perhaps pertaining to some reason that involves you refusing to leave the capital even though your prison was destroyed?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Do the words of Jupiter hold more importance for you than mine?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Medea shouted with vehemence and stood up hurriedly to state her front, ¡°This wasn¡¯t what I meant at all. I just¡­ I am sorry.¡±


    She shuffled slightly before finallying and sitting next to Sol on her bed. Looking at her like this, Sol hugged her shoulders quietly with his arms¡­


    ¡°Medea. I am not someone who can read minds, you know? I am unable to know what your think or anticipate your thoughts.¡±


    Well, technically speaking, he could anticipate her thoughts. But this was another matter altogether and he wasn¡¯t willing to do something like that.


    ¡°So, will you tell me?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± She closed her eyes before speaking her thoughts, ¡°Sol, you know that because of me, the witches mostly hide in Salem, right?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t as if the witches were explicitly forbidden from walking in Lustburg. But the sentiment of the popce was so against them that most witches found no interest in visiting thends of the humans.


    Furthermore, with how powerful witches could be and the fact that they were still technically human, they were not exactly weed in other countries.


    ¡°I was just thinking¡­ Is it really alright for me to walk outside and have fun while they are all basically imprisoned?¡±


    Witches could easily visit the Astral Realm if they so wished. But that was true only for the powerful witches who could do so safely and secondly, no matter how vast the Astral Realm was, it didn¡¯t change the fact that witches were pariahs in their own countries because of her choices.


    She was the greatest sinner of the witches.


    Could someone like her really have fun and walk outside with her lover? Just like that? She didn¡¯t believe that she had that right¡­


    ¡°You can.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said you can. You are allowed to have fun and to do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°Because I said you could.¡±


    Sol grinned. His voice sounded utterly arrogant even for him but he knew that what Medea needed at this moment was absolute confidence to push her forward.


    ¡°Because of you, the witches were forced to stay in Salem or the Astral Realm. Okay. There is nothing I can do about that. But¡­ Now, you have me.¡±


    He pointed at himself with his hands as he spoke in a confident tone, ¡°Thanks to you, I decided to bring forth a way for the witches to solve the curse. Even if temporarily. You may have once been the greatest sinner, but now you are their greatest savior.¡±


    Medea chuckled at his words, ¡°I don¡¯t think it works like that. But¡­ You are indeed right.¡±


    Medea leaned against the boy. The powerful echoes of his heart beating against his chest brought her greatfort and security.


    ¡°I need to take more steps forward.¡±


    Not long ago, she had walked into the capital with Sol on their first date. It had been short but it was very enjoyable and one of her most beautiful memories.


    She wanted to create more and more memories with her beloved, wanted to share more important moments with him that would never be forgotten no matter how long she lived.


    For all of this, for their shared happiness¡­ This would be a new and very important step.


    ¡°When wee back from the adventure and deal with the witches ¡ª I will officially name you as a court mage.¡±


    Medea looked up abruptly at that statement, ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t believe his words. The reputation of the witches was just too bad for that to happen and in the history of Lustburg, her own reputation couldn¡¯t be any lower.


    Sol had only recently started getting more power and was able to stabilize his position as the sole owner of the crown. Naming her a court mage would be like intentionally setting a bomb off.


    ¡°I am crazy for you.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Don¡¯t give me those corny lines and be serious for a moment, please. This isn¡¯t a joke.¡±


    ¡°I know and I have never been more serious about it.¡±


    He bent down and kissed her forehead.


    ¡°You are many things for me, Medea. Too many things. I will not let your name be tarnished any further.¡±


    His blue eyes locked with her red and gold heterochromatic ones as he wished to convey his strong will and determination to her¡­


    ¡°I want the world to know without a shadow of doubt¡­ that Medea Asmdoeus ¡ª The witch of time ¡ª is mine and mine alone.¡±


    His words were extremely possessive and Medea felt like she was being sucked into a deep sea with no end.


    She could barely hide her shivers and it was with even more fervor that the two of them kissed again.


    When they finally separated, Medea chuckled, ¡°My student became really cheeky.¡±


    ¡°Only by bing cheeky could I break the wall you put between us.¡±


    He caressed her face with his hand, ¡°I still didn¡¯t forget you used time rewind on me many times by the way.¡±


    Medea started to whistle and suddenly found that the stains on the ceiling were really quite interesting. A new revtion for her no doubt.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After dealing with Medea, the discussion with Persephone was much easier. She did not hesitate to ept his proposal as she mused that it would remind her of the old times.


    He tried to call for Sheherazade and Isis. But Isis refused the offer. She knew that she was yet to bepletely integrated into the group of harem mates and while this would be a good asion to be closer to the other women, she felt like she would be an intruder in this adventure.


    ¡°I had you for so long in the Astral Realm. I am sure I can have fun a little without you.¡±


    Hearing her, Sol again realized how lucky he was to have such women around him. He sometimes wondered if he had saved an entire continent or something of the like in his past life.


    Of course, in order to share his appreciation for Isis, the two of them went ahead and spent thest night together in the castle before the departure. [1]


    [1]: I am hesitating between writing this scene or not. But I think it isn¡¯t exactly necessary now. Perhapster I will write it in a special chapter. It¡¯s funny how smut isn¡¯t the most important thing in what should have been a smut story.

 Chapter 460 CH 421: FULL BLACK

    The next day, Sol woke up to a sensation that he registered from his most precious ce.


    Opening his eyes in wonder, he raised himself¡­ only to see Isis manhandling his penis while looking at the throbbing organ with eyes filled with curiosity and wonder.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Mind filling me up on the reason why I am waking up to your hand around my schlong?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Sorry, I was just a bit curious.¡±


    Sol chuckled, he knew that Isis had a genuine sense of curiosity toward sex in general.


    ¡°It¡¯s just so mysterious you know. Life, I mean.¡±


    Isis ced a hand around her stomach, ¡°I know you used that weird spell Nent taught you. But I just can¡¯t help but wonder how magical all of this is. No special powers, nows, no bloodlines. Any living beings, even the humblest ones can give birth to a new life, one way or another. Truly, what a wonderful and mysterious thing.¡±


    Isis mused as she approached Sol and lifted her waist before slowly sinking the piece of meat b into her sticky depths. The head of his shaft slipped her entrance open inch after inch until she finally fully took him in.


    ¡°Just one man and a woman. Mingling together can bring something even the most powerful demigods cannot do. Giving life.¡±


    For Isis whose power revolved around death, this act would always be foreign and mysterious in her eyes.


    Not even her father could create a perfect life and even the full mightbined of her father, Ambrosia, and Echidna, could only bring something close to that with years upon years of effort and experiments.


    But two simple mortals could do in five minutes what those three and many more could never hope to aplish in all of their lifetimes.


    She slowly started to elerate her movements as she thought about this fact, causing Sol to groan as he felt her folds tighten strongly along his girth. He had just woken up and he didn¡¯t want to stop himself from ejacting inside of her.


    ¡°Do you¡­ Do you want a child?¡±


    Isis stopped for an instant before shaking her head and resuming her movements. She leaned down and gave a kiss on Sol¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I am mature enough to raise a kid currently and¡­¡±


    She went back up and ced her hands on his chest, the up-and-down movement of her waist elerated and Sol felt like she was milking him for all he was worth.


    ¡°And?¡±


    His voice came more like a growl than a questioning voice. He could feel that he was very close to reaching his climax¡­


    ¡°...And I want my child to have a home where no one can hurt them.¡±


    With onest shake, she mmed down on his pelvis and made sure to tighten as much as possible around his vibrating schlong. The two of them opened their mouths wide and groaned as Sol released his semen into her while Isis experienced many small orgasms at the same time.


    When the wave of pleasure finally passed, the two breathed roughly and Isis chuckled,


    ¡°So. Future daddy, let¡¯s work hard and build our home, okay?¡±


    Looking at her girlish grin, Sol wondered for an instant if Isis had some subus blood in her or not.


    Then again, since Anubis was a True Demon, that wasn¡¯tpletely impossible. He chuckled and caressed her ck hair with his rough hands, a sentiment that Isis quite enjoyed¡­


    ¡°This is without a doubt the most interesting way of saying goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Well, I need to ensure you remember me while having fun outside. Though, I do seriously wonder if you will be able to walk with all those thirsty women around you.¡±


    The two of them chuckled without a care in the world. This would certainly be one hell of an adventure. No doubt about that.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A few hourster, after making sure that everything was going well with ra and delegating some of his authority to her, as well as changing his outfit to a more fitting one for his adventures ahead, Sol began to walk in the direction of his office.


    The moment he opened the door, he could see the women who would follow him lined up in front of his desk and chatting about this and that.


    The mage, Medea. She was wearing a ck skirt and white colored shirt and this time, she did not have her witch hat above her head. This made her look even younger than she already looked with that teen appearance of hers but Sol found her current appearance to be cute.


    The healer, Persephone. Persephone''s attire was not much different from her usual garbs. But, rather than a robe, she was wearing ck pants and an exotic green colored shirt. Out of all the witches, except for Ambrosia of course, Persephone was the one with the most mature body and her tight pants made her ass look really enticing, detailing her bubble butt and mature curves to a significant degree.


    The swordsman, Setsuna. She was simply wearing ck leather hot pants as well as a loose tank top that exposed her well-toned midriff. Her characteristic blue hair was tied in a ponytail, giving her a more valiant feeling than usual. Something that went a bit odd with her current setup but she was able to wield it with uncanny grace. At her hips, she had a crimson-ck-hued double-edged straight sword.


    The thief, Milia was¡­ Well, it was hard to say that she was subtle. She was wearing ck clothes from head to toe that made her look like a cosying ninja more than anything else. The problem was that¡­ Her body proportion was quite a bit out of the norm and her massive chest could not be hidden by any clothes in existence so they stood out noticeably. In fact, the ck clothes only made them even more prominent than her usual maid clothes.


    Now finally, there was Sol, The Knight and Tank of the team¡­ He was d entirely in a ferocious looking ck armor that was built like an iron fortress [1]. He was also holding a ck helmet in his right hand. On his left hand was a towering shield that was almost as tall as him, giving the impression that he was a crusader ready to crush all enemies standing in his way with his shield of justice and valor.


    Sol had been the one to send the design of this armor to the personnel involved and he was quite happy with the result that came out.


    The armor was rather heavy and weighed nearly one ton. But this weight was just enough for him to not feel like he was wearing nothing.


    ¡°Oh my~ You look quite dashing in that armor of yours.¡±


    ¡°I decided to go all out. After all, I can¡¯t really expose myself if I want to have fun, and wearing a wig is a pain.¡±


    Persephone chuckled slightly at the answer before shaking her head. She wanted to tell that this armor was clearly a little too well made. Any adventurer would immediately know that he was some rich kid. But then again this whole thing was nothing more than a way to pass time for them so they didn¡¯t need to worry about the minor details.


    ¡°Anyways, everyone looks great and it seems like we all chose the dark theme.¡±


    ¡°We are looking like some legion of doom.¡±


    Medea grimaced as she looked at their attire to which Persephone simply chuckled,


    ¡°We look like a bunch of escorts apanying a young master as he ys the role of the adventurer.¡±


    Medea stopped and looked around and was forced to admit that this was indeed the case. The four of them all looked like dainty women who wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt a chicken.


    ¡°Hehe, well it isn¡¯t false.¡±


    Sol simplyughed out loud. This made him feel like he was going to a cosy convention rather than a life journey of adventuring. Surely, the others wouldn¡¯t really like this. But so what?


    ¡°Well. Now that we are all gathered, I think we need to make some ground rules.¡±


    He ced his hand together, ¡°I believe everyone here can single-handedly take care of any mission we would undertake while searching for Lilith. So, rule one¡­ We are all adventurers. Which means none of the uses should be stronger than a Duke. In fact, it¡¯s forbidden to use intent when we do any quest.¡±


    Setsuna winced slightly at that rule. She was the only one who wasn¡¯t a duke at the party. Sol noticed her reaction andughed out loud, ¡°Setsuna please, I don¡¯t think any Duke in the Kingdom except Milia and Lilin, can even hope to face you.¡±


    Milia raised a hand, ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°I am not the prince now.¡±


    Milia froze. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She was quite lost about what to say or rather what to call him other than his title.


    ¡°Call me Sol.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Milia fidgeted. It was one thing to call him by his name when they were alone and making love but here? In front of everyone?


    ¡°Call me Sol.¡±


    He grinned and looked as she fidgeted before sighing in defeat. ¡°S-Sol¡­ Kuh. Your Highness, I believe the restriction of our realm is useless for you. After all, you cannot lower the strength of your body.¡±


    Milia spoke so fast one would think that she was rapping. Solughed out loud at her cute reactions but the problem she pointed out was indeed real.


    ¡°Well, we will deal with this as we go.¡±


    He shrugged, ¡°Anyway. Rule one¡­ Avoid one-shotting everything. Rule two¡­ No honorifics.¡±


    He said so as he looked pointedly at Milia and Setsuna.


    ¡°There, I will just be Sol. Okay?¡±


    They looked aside but nodded nheless.


    ¡°Any other rules?¡±


    ¡°No. We are going to have fun. So now this brings to the heart of the matter.¡±


    He coughed a little, ¡°Persephone, will you y the role of the navigator?¡±


    It was shameful to say but¡­ out of all those presents, the only one who had truly roamed outside of the capital was Persephone.


    Persephone giggled. She knew that something like this would happen and was prepared for it.


    ¡°Very well. I guess we need to do one thing before anything else ¡ª Taking the adventurer test to obtain a license.¡±


    A soft smile formed on her face. She wondered how those four people withmon sense outside of the norms would fare during the test.


    She spread the map and pointed at a ce in the territory of the Hignds.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the adventurer guild.¡±


    This promised to be an interesting journey.


    [1]: Imagine the armor of Guts from Berserk. Honestly, I wanted to make him weak in Artoria''s Lancer Armor. But that one might be reserved for the war.


    (AN: Vol 12 won¡¯t be too long. I think 30-40 more or so chapters will be more than enough. Obviously, when I say this it means it won¡¯t just be an adventure. The adventure itself is more of a way for me to show you guys the outside of the Capital and of course, have fun with the original group of girls.)

 Chapter 461 CH 422: ADVENTURE GUILD

    [Adventurer Guild]


    The adventurer guild was a mysterious ce. It had many branches all over the mortal realm where the adventurers coulde and take a rest or take up missions and receive the corresponding rewards for said missions and they were extremely fair and rigorous.


    Being an adventurer was no different from obtaining a free pass to different countries as the adventurer guild ran all throughout the mortal realm and was more or less an independent organization of sorts.


    Obviously, one of the main centers of the guild was ced in the Capital of Lustbutg but for various reasons, it was one of the ces that the adventurers very rarely visited.


    The first reason was that the quality of the missions avable in the Capital¡¯s branch was either extremely low ss or extremely high ss. The missions stood on the extreme ends of the difficulty spectrum and there were no in-betweens avable. The definitive reason for this phenomenon was the presence of the vast quantity of soldiers avable in the capital as they could take care of the majority of problems that gued the city and its surroundings.


    The second reason was that adventurers were a rough bunch but in a ce like the Capital of the kingdom, there were many people far rougher than them who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to throw them in prison if they caused any sort of ruckus. And adventurers, as they were by nature, were not able to go without causing chaos in their wake which made the capital extremely unsuitable for their kind.


    For all the reasons above, they generally tried to avoid this ce as long as they didn¡¯t have an escort mission or anything of the sort that forced them to be present in this region.


    Currently, though, there was a great influx of adventurers from all sides of Lustburg that were flooding the branch building.


    War was a great cmity for normal citizens. But for adventurers, this was a period that could greatly increase their revenues and des. There was no way in hell any sane adventurer was about to miss a situation like this one.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The interior of the adventurer guild was fused with arge tavern and the crowd was as rowdy as always.


    Gulp~


    ¡°Kuh. Gotta say, nothing better than a beer after a hard day of work, innit?¡±


    Sitting close to the main reception area, a dwarf with a thick beer guffawed in pure pleasure after downing arge mug of beer down his throat.


    His stocky face was rosy from the alcohol and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand in a vulgar disy of manners.


    Happiness could be seen stered on his face as if drinking was the most beautiful thing in the world for the short-sized creature.


    Sitting next to him with a bored expression was a tanned woman of average height. Her brown and alluring skin made a certain contrast with her long white bunny ears that made her an exotic sight to the beholder.


    She was carefully wiping her set of daggers and grimaced as she heard the exmationing from the alcohol-craving dwarf.


    ¡°Stop talking so loud, will you? We know that you love beer more than you love your own life. No need to shout it every time.¡±


    ¡°Youngss, you do not understand. I love beer and beer loves me, it¡¯s necessary for me to show my love every time. Otherwise, our sacred love will fade with time. This is why all your rtionship¡ª¡±


    ¡°I dare you to finish that sentence.¡±


    The dwarf raised his hands in surrender when he felt the cold de neatly ced against his beard.


    ¡°Everything but the beard. I won¡¯t be able to woo any woman without a thick and bushy beard like mine.¡±


    ¡°Scoff~ I thought beer was your only love in life?¡±


    ¡°I am an ever unfaithful one.¡±


    The two men who were sitting at the same table as the bickering duo chuckled as they watched the usual scene unfold between the dwarf and the exotic bunny woman.


    Even so, it was something they appreciated as they did not have many friends.


    ¡°Stopughing you two, this is serious.¡±


    She growled slightly before chugging her own beer down in a few mouthfuls. ¡°I need a man. But all the ones I find always flee. Am I a monster or something?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± <novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    The two brothers could only give an awkwardugh in response. It was hard for them to exin that most men didn¡¯t want a woman who loved her knives more than she loved them and could be invisible at a moment¡¯s notice.


    The feeling of never knowing when you would be stabbed wasn¡¯t really a nice thing now, was it?


    Like this, the four continued to y around until the dwarf finally sighed¡­


    ¡°Well, enough joking around.¡±


    The merry atmosphere subsided slightly with that sigh, ¡°Guys, what do we do now?¡±


    He spoke quietly and looked at the two men, ¡°You two managed to climb the ranks in the adventurer guild after leaving the Coliseum. But now a new opportunity ising our way. What will you do?¡±


    The two looked at each other briefly. They had once been ves fighting in the coliseum and it was only thanks to reaching a high rank in the arena that they were able to buy their freedom.


    Currently, they were living a very respectable life. But with the iing war and the promise the prince made¡­


    ¡°...Can the prince''s words be trusted?¡±


    The promise he made was too tantalizing to just ignore but there was always a small doubt in the back of their minds.


    ¡°Well¡­ After facing the prince, I believe that he isn¡¯t the kind to lie. Rather he would be too arrogant to lie.¡±


    ¡°Facing?¡±


    The dwarf chuckled at the words of the woman, ¡°You mean after he trashed us like we were ragdolls?¡±


    She could only cough awkwardly.


    The four of them had fought the prince for hising-of-age ceremony in the coliseum.


    But the fightsted only a few moments. Nothing they could do even disturbed him, and hepletely destroyed them in a few moves.


    His following fight with the diator queen showed that they never had any chance of even beating him.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Well¡ª¡±


    The door of the guild suddenly opened.


    One person entirely d in obsidian ck armor from head to toe followed by four women all wearing ck featureless masks entered through the door.


    The atmosphere they spread was eerie. As if a reaper followed by a few ghosts were walking their way in.


    They didn¡¯t know why¡­ But each time they took a step, the atmosphere slowly began to change, bing heavier and heavier as people stopped chatting and some even started reaching for their weapons.


    Even though they didn¡¯t know who those people were, they could all feel it instinctively.


    Those people were dangerous.


    But out of them all, the ones who showed the greatest surprise were none other than the four adventurers who were previously chatting by themselves.


    Even though they could not see his face, they recognized his aura in an instant. After all, they had been in the first row to receive it. Furthermore, they could recognize the blue hair and the wolf ears above the head of the woman who had a sword on her hips.


    The four of them had the same expression as they wondered the same thing.


    What the hell were the prince and his bodyguard doing in this ce?


    (AN: Those dudes appeared in ch 52. Well, they were also gone in a sh.)

 Chapter 462 CH 423: I WANTED TO HAVE FUN BUT MY PARTY IS TOO OVERPOWERED (1)

    Sol had been quite a bit excited when he had entered the guild at first. But then, feeling the reaction of the surrounding adventurers to their presence, he began to wonder if he should have simply directly left for his destination.


    The truth was that he had been too desensitized to the aura of the people around him. Taking it as entirely usual for it to be like that.


    But now that they were outside the Tower and all grouped, he could once again discern that for the vast majority of people, what he considered to be normal was no different than a world-ending cmity strolling about in front of them.


    ¡®Sooo¡­ I guess no one¡¯s going to say that I am a rookie or whistle while looking at the ass of my girls and make some crassments that will force me to fight them I presume?¡¯


    He looked all around. The headgear he was donning right now had been enchanted so that he was able to see everything clearly, not hindering his vision in any way, even when he kept the helmet on and his face practically covered by the metal.


    He sighed in sadness when he realized that no one would challenge them ore to harass his girls. The start of his adventure didn¡¯t go remotely as he had pictured it to go.


    ¡®Should I go to a restaurant next?¡¯


    It was well known that the inns, restaurants, and the adventure guild were the ces to go if you wish to find some young masters to roll around for amusement.


    Laughing under his breath at a joke that only he, Kali, and Anubis could rte to, Sol reached the reception desk with his full team behind him.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°H-hi!¡±


    The receptionist was a young blonde-haired woman with subtle features that went well with her job. She was wearing a white officedy skirt and a light blue shirt that showed some of her cleavages to the onlookers.


    Usually, she would act like a ditz or a seductress toward the adventurers, but now all she could do was show a terrified expression toward their party.


    ¡°H-how may I help you?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ We are here to register as adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡±


    It was evident that she had been more than a bit surprised at that statement. After all, with the aura they were emanating, this group should have already reached quite a high realm of power. Then she realized at once that they were perhaps a group of recluses or strong people out here on a whim to perhaps act as adventurers as a pastime.


    This realization did not make her rx but made her even more fearful of them.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time some noble or hidden disciple of some master surfaced out of nowhere and decided to be an adventurer.


    But in one way or another, no matter what the reason was, they were all a pain to deal with and extremely dangerous individuals as they generallyckedmon sense.


    The one in front of them was without a doubt a noble. The armor the person in question was wearing seemed to cost enough to nourish a dozen families for years toe and still have leftovers for them to shelter the next generations of their families.


    The equipment of everyone else in the group was also all brand new or looked extremely ancient, which usually tranted to extremely expensive in themon tongue¡­


    ¡°Wait for¡­ for a m-moment please!¡±


    She bowed deeply and immediately pushed a button under her desk. This was a special feature installed to call for the guild master in case what they called ¡°Special Individuals¡± appeared on their doorstep and the current group of people can be considered special even among the special cases.


    Now, her job was simply to bring them to an isted waiting room as she hoped and prayed that they didn¡¯t make a ruckus or demolished the guild in their anger or annoyance.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Thoma, the current vice guild leader of the capital¡¯s branch had been sipping on his morning coffee and focusing on therge wads of paperwork that came his way when the rm suddenly rang on his desk.


    He sighed exasperatedly after hearing that noise, ¡°Another one?¡±


    He stood up with annoyance and reluctance. Recently this bell had been ringing almost every single day.


    Being an adventurer was an extremely dangerous job. So whenever a noble came, he had to make sure to dissuade them with everything he got.


    After all, if they died on the job, the family would use the guild to take responsibility for the matter. This had happened enough times by now that they had taken precautions against it.


    ¡°Well. Let¡¯s chase them away fast.¡±


    At least, this was what he thought before reaching the waiting room.


    Gulp~


    Standing in front of the door, Thoma began to hesitate.


    ¡®What is this feeling of pressure?¡¯


    He was a very experienced adventurer in the past and though he had retired, he had once reached the threshold of the legendary Duke realm.


    For him to tremble so much¡­ It could only mean one thing. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Things had taken a turn for the worse¡­


    ¡°You can enter.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He answered immediately and opened the door, only to remember that he was supposed to be the host in this situation.


    Such consideration vanished entirely from his mind when he set foot in the room.


    Five masked faces turned in his direction simultaneously and while he could not see their eyes, he felt like a mouse suddenly being stared at by five lions.


    ¡°Ahem~ Ahem~ Good morning.¡±


    He squeezed those words out with extreme difficulty and took a seat with nervousness and tension running through his body.


    ¡°Well, A good morning to you too. So, I was told we need to wait for the verification process. Are we supposed to pass a test?¡±


    ¡°A test?¡±


    Thoma¡¯s stiff mouth leaked a strained chuckle as he took a napkin to wipe the sweat from his face.


    ¡°A test, huh¡­¡±


    Bing an adventurer needed some basic mastery of weapons and mana maniption. The test only went to this extent for normal people. Those who wished to skip the grade and not start at the very bottom as F-rank adventurers could take a supplementary test to upgrade their ranks. It was pretty basic, all things considered.


    ¡°You¡­ You are all in the same party, right?¡±


    ¡°That is so.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I see. So you want a test, huh¡­¡±


    Thoma shook slightly as he took out a few documents.


    ¡°Please, fill your names in those forms.¡±


    They looked at each other and simply gave each other code names rted to the color of their hair. Gold, Brown, Blue, Silver, and Green.


    Sol wondered for an instant if he was creating a power ranger team rather than an adventurer one and for an instant, a very short instant, he was tempted to write super power ranger as the name of the team.


    In the end, he fought against his desire to mess around and gave a simple name.


    [Twilight]


    It was quite an edgy name. But for some reason, this name made him feel good. So he decided to go for it.


    Taking back the form, Thoma nodded, not surprised by the code name. This was not an umon practice and since they were all wearing masks, it was clear that they were hiding their identities.


    ¡°Now what do we do?¡±


    Sol was eager. Perhaps a test in some dungeon that was only ranked C rank but would turn out to be S rank or something like that? Or perhaps the guild leader himself woulde and underestimate them and they would show off by whooping his ass?


    He was brimming with excitement at the thought of what would happen.


    This was was why, a few minutester [Twilight] stood outside of the adventure guild with a badge in hand, with a strange expression apanying all of their faces.


    He looked at the document he was holding with pure iprehension.


    ¡º Party Name: Twilight


    Individual ranks of each individual: S


    Rank of the whole Party: S


    Comments: No test is necessary¡»


    He could hear the sound of his dreams shattering to pieces in real-time as well as the cold and biting wind of reality sweeping away the shattered debris.


    Behind him, Persephone could be heard exploding in pureughter, forgoing all manners of grace.


    Truly this was the start of a great adventure.


    (AN: Well, I am giving a hand atedy. I don¡¯t know if I can make youugh. But at least I hope this made you smile or chuckle a little. My man Soles to a level 10 area with a level 90 party and is expecting a normal adventure. He is getting what he deserves.)

 Chapter 463 CH 424: I WANTED TO HAVE FUN BUT MY PARTY IS TOO OVERPOWERED (2)

    [Lustburg ¡ª Outside of the Capital Wall]


    If the capital of Lustburg was a mix of technological and medieval elements, outside of the city walls, nature started to take its rightful ce once more as all-epassing waves of different shades of green apanied thend.


    The only proof of civilization on this endless in of green was the perfect and smooth road that stretched throughout the kingdom. A necessity all Kings of Lutsburg had made sure to always keep well maintained. After allmerce between cities could not be done on a bad road.


    ¡°Pfft! Hahah! I wish you could have seen your face back there. Oh, my goddess, this was hrious.¡±


    Currently, a caravan was advancing on the said road at a swift pace. It was not a particrly fancy piece of vehicle and was more akin to a chariot than anything else for that matter. But it was still afortable transport that was enough for them to travel to their destination.


    Milia, who was driving with Setsuna sitting next to her smiled slightly at the wordsing out of the inside of the vehicle, and even the ever-stoic Setsuna couldn¡¯t help but chuckle slightly after hearing that.


    ¡°Come on girls, stopughing at my expense, will you?¡±


    Sol grinned feebly. His face was not covered by the helmet right now so they were able to see a shade of crimson stain his cheeks. A mark signifying the embarrassment he was feeling right now.


    It was quite fun and refreshing to see Sol react like this so even Medea, who would usually defend him in situations like these did not intervene and just watched on from the sidelines.


    Persephone, though, was merciless in her speech and kept poking fun at him at every possible moment.


    ¡°I mean. What did you even expect? All the maids in the castle were specially trained by that assassin of yours and are used to your aura. But that''s pretty much it. It doesn¡¯t matter how much you try to restrain your natural state. A wolf can never truly disguise itself as a sheep.¡±


    ¡°I am lost about whether you are praising me or insulting me with that remark of yours.¡±


    Sol shook his head dumbfoundedly before giving a lightugh¡­


    ¡°Well, I have to admit it though. I guess my preparations were not thorough enough it seems.¡±


    As a result, what could have been a great moment of fun for him ended up as a great moment of fun for Persephone instead. How the turntables¡­


    Persephone wiped away a tear that had formed at the corner of her eyes because of how much sheughed till now. She was having the time of her life right now.


    ¡°Well, this was interesting. But you aren¡¯t the only one at fault.¡±


    She snickered slightly, ¡°Medea''s natural aura can make mortals flee in terror as Time is one of the scariest concepts for any living being. The assassin of ours is filled with so much darkness that even I would flinch if I meet her without knowing who she was and your bodyguard was acting like you would be ambushed at any moment with the aura of vignce and brutality that was practically emanating from her whole body.¡±


    She pointed out each of the mistakes that lead to the current embarrassing situation that Sol was facing.


    ¡°I guess you four were too sheltered and forgot aboutmon sense as well.¡±


    When your day-to-day life was about being surrounded by King and Demigod level entities, it was hard to think like normalmoners.


    ¡°Well. If you are so experienced then, what should we do now? Please enlighten us, oh sister of mine.¡±


    Persephone chuckled at Medea''s question and took out a few poster papers from her pouch.


    ¡°As I am merciful and honestly anticipated something like this happening, I took a few quests for us to try out. Those quests are all on the way to our destination and this one especially is something that will surely interest you.¡±


    ¡º Bounty: Rank A


    Description: Chase after the bandits. Cooperate with the army and Her Highness, Princess Lilin, to get rid of all those criminals


    Reward: The reward will be based on the contribution to the cause ¡»


    ¡°Ah. We indeed sent such a quest as a reward to help spare some of our armed forces. I hadpletely forgotten about it. Milia, how many adventurers were gathered? Mayhaps we need to¡ª¡±


    ¡°I thought this was supposed to be a simple and fun adventure with no job?¡±


    Sol immediately shut his mouth at Medea¡¯s muttering but acknowledged them. He knew himself and knew how immersed he could be if he let himself go as he did just now.


    ¡°A prince joining his army as an adventurer. I believe this will be quite the magnificent story.¡±


    She smiled softly before taking out another quest from her pouch.


    ¡°But first, we have to do this one to have a feel of adventuring.¡±


    ¡º Bounty: Rank C


    Description: A goblin nest had settled not far from the capital. This situation cannot be allowed to continue. Destroy it


    Reward: 10 Silver Lust coins ¡»


    ¡°Is 10 Silver a lot?¡±


    ¡°For an ordinary family, it¡¯s enough to live a few weeks to a month as long as they don¡¯t overspend their budget.¡±


    Sol looked up contemtively but this time it was Milia who answered as she steered the horse.


    It was indeed not a paltry sum of money.


    ¡°Very well. Shall we set off to the goblins then?¡±


    Goblins were a staple of the fantasy genre. It was impossible to have an adventurer guild without a mission involving goblins or slimes. Generally, they were used as the weakest monsters to allow the main protagonist to grow and adapt to the new world.


    Though in some darker stories, goblins were still depicted as extremely dangerous and intellectual creatures that caused terror no matter where they went. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Well¡­ Shall we go?¡±


    He wondered if he should have brought Kali with him. He could already imagine her using a spell and screaming Explosion to wipe those goblins and their hideout from the face of the Mortal Realm!!!


    ¡®Truly. I wonder if I should try to see if there are more reincarnators or if I should be closer to Kali.¡¯


    It was always sad to have a joke in your head you know others would never understand.


    ¡®My genius is beyond their understanding. Such a lonely world I am living.¡¯


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A few minutester, Sol watched with a nk face as the entire nest was reduced to particles of dust by Medea¡¯s magic.


    He quite literally facepalmed at that scene and spoke out in a tired voice, ¡°I thought I said no Duke-level powers were allowed?¡±


    Medea tilted her head at the usation that was ced on her and defended herself, ¡°This is just a basic spell though.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Another cold wind passed through as Sol looked at the sky with a smile filled with defeat.


    ¡®So, this is what it feels like to be over-leveled as heck, huh¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Should I have held back even more?¡±


    Medea had quite an awkward expression on her face right now as she delivered those words. She had truly done her best to put as less of her powers as possible for her. But goblins had zero resistance toward magic and were one of the weakest creatures. Meanwhile, Medea was without a doubt one of the most powerful King level mortals in the Mortal Realm and even the whole universe.


    Even a Duke-level warrior wouldn¡¯t dare to face a spell she would throw while ¡°holding back¡±.


    ¡°Sigh. Forget it. What is the next quest?¡±


    Since everything had been reduced to dust, they had no way to prove that they did the job. But Sol didn¡¯t care about the money.


    He was rich. Money was the least of his problems.


    ¡°The next one is in a vige. It seems like the mayor is exploiting the people there. So they sent a help request to the guild.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    He frowned a little. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t this be sent to the government officials?¡±


    Milia grimaced at those words, ¡°The mayor is appointed by the government.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Sol looked up. ¡°So, it¡¯s corruption?¡±


    He closed his eyes as anticipation rose again.


    Not only could he have fun, but he could also kill a few corrupt agents on the way.


    What could be better than that?


    ¡°Milia, note that we need to work on a new election system for our representatives.¡±


    Aplete purge was bing more and more enticing to him with each passing day.


    He knew that it was impossible to have a perfect system and that corruption would always exist.


    This was a simple reality and something he could ept. But there were a few limits one should never cross.


    Reading the description of the quest, Solughed darkly as he realized this man had undoubtedly broken all limits.


    So his punishment would be severe.


    ¡°Well girls, let¡¯s move on.¡±


    There was nothing else to do here.


    ¡®Sigh. I wonder what Lilith is doing currently.¡¯


    This little outing was indirectly thanks to her. He hoped she was having fun at least in this ridiculous event that she had created for them.


    (AN: Don¡¯t worry. There will be nothing dark. As I promised, Vol 12 will be a rxing volume for all readers and me as well. Also, don¡¯t forget toe to support my new story on WN if you can. The story was called Midnight Prince but now it¡¯s God of Crime. The story is a little slower than SHK in rtionship aspects but otherwise, the pace is a little faster. Currently, I have 100+ Chapters so I believe you should give it a try until Vol 5 which is avable to non-priv readers.)


    Like SHK, vol 5 in GoC has an important moment. Unlike SHK though, Vol 5 in GoC was foreshadowed much better and the MC has a more active role.)

 Chapter 464 CH 425: NEVER GIVE UP

    Lilith was not having fun. In fact, one could even argue that she was feeling the exact opposite of fun right now.


    After all, there was nothing else like being smacked in the face by the consequence of your actions to sober up rapidly.


    It all started the day after Lilith kidnapped Camelia and fled farther outward.


    Lustburg was without a doubt a very powerful Kingdom. In all of history, whatever adversity the Kingdom faced, no matter how far it fell, it would always stand up back again and rise to the top.


    All of this had been thanks to the different rulers of each generation¡ª The Blessed beings of the royal family. They were the Kings and Queens of every generation.


    Lilith was perhaps the first Queen in the history of Lustburg to not be Blessed and thus her reign was not wee. She did not have any legitimacy to the throne, as only Blessed were allowed to govern the Kingdom, and because of this, she had to fight all the way to be respected as a Queen.


    She had to put down many riots, face many schemes, and rise above everything to take the crown of the Kingdom. That was how half of her life had gone on.


    For all the above reasons¡ª Lilith hated Lustburg with a passion. [1]


    Deep resentment from losing her loved ones during the war and bitterness about how much she had to fight even though she did not even want to be the Queen and take responsibility of this wretched kingdom.


    All of this mixed with her thoughts of self-harm, inability to sleep even a wink, and her desire to die and so many more things¡­ Yeah, life had not been good to her.


    For her, ruling the Kingdom had always been a sort of burden. A burden she would dly leave to Sol once he became old enough or any time he wished to get back the power that was rightfully his.


    But despite all this bitterness, there had been one thing Lilith prided herself in¡­ The thought that, at the very least, she was doing a very good job at being the Queen of the kingdom.


    .


    .


    .


    ¡°I was toox, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Please, your majesty forgi¡ª¡±


    The man who was begging on the ground had his head flying before he could even finish his sentence.


    Lilith ignored the look of terror the inhabitants of the ce were throwing at her and swung her sword with no hesitation whatsoever. No blood had evennded on it with how fast she moved the de. But she simply hated how she had to cut something so filthy and stain her weapon with it.


    Standing next to her, Camelia could only sh a bitter smile on her face as she approached the inhabitants of the small city.


    ¡°Do not worry. Justice had been given and the oppressor was disposed of. May I know who is the second representative of the town?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    Getting much calmer now thanks to her holy aura and gentle appearance, a young man approached from the frightened crowd and Camelia nodded before cing a hand on his forehead.


    ¡°With this, you will have my mark for a few days. Visit any church and exin the situation. Everything will be taken care of by them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you!¡±


    Camelia gave an even bitter smile when she watched all of them kneel to her in gratitude even though Lilith was the one who did the job in the first ce.


    She wished to speak and exin the situation to them but a look from her old friend stopped her from doing so. In the end, she simply sighed and ced her hands together in a prayer sign¡­


    ¡°May the guidance of the goddess be with you.¡±


    Meaningless words those were¡­ as the goddesses would never bother themselves with the plights of simple mortals that had no impact in their meaningless games.


    .


    .


    .


    A few hourster, even though darkness had already fallen, songs of joy and happiness were sung, and burning torches illuminated the city.


    A small impromptu festival was taking ce and the citizens were happy to have finally been freed from the clutches of their hateful lord.


    Sitting far away from the fun and the songs, Lilith brought a mug of beer to her lips and chugged it all down in one go. Compared to the alcohol she could drink in the castle, it wouldn¡¯t be a mistake to say that it tasted like horse shit but she chugged it down regardless. She needed some alcohol in her system.


    She seemed to have forgotten the fact that¡­ with her current body, she couldn''t be intoxicated anymore. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°A few golds for your thoughts.¡±


    Camelia reached Lilith while holding a te full of meat and other such food in her hands. She had received so many small gifts from the people that she had to simply flee from the crowd.


    Lilith just shrugged in answer, ¡°I am just thinking about how foolish I was to think I was doing a good job as Queen.¡±


    Camelia stayed silent before lightly biting on the meat, ¡°You are¡ª were doing a good job. Thanks to you, Lustburg''s national power never fell. The army became more powerful than ever and no one dared to rise a wave in the capital.¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­ In consequence, nearly all parts outside of the capital and the territory of the Dukes were suffering.¡±


    Lilith had not tried to make Lustburg better. All she wished was to keep the legacy that was given to her intact and then pass it on to Sol in the same way when it was time.


    In a way, she was no different from those corrupt nobles. After all, she only cared about her own needs and forgot her duty to the people.


    ¡°Lilith. You know my past, right?¡±


    Lilith looked up in wonder at her friend but nodded regardless. Camelia was originally a vige girl. [2]


    A blind girl raised and loved in a small vige before it was attacked and massacred by a bunch of bandits.


    ¡°This was during the era of your father. The nobles were rampant back then and the position of all the viges was even worse than it is now.¡±


    ¡°So. I guess I should be happy I wasn¡¯t the worst ruler.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ You weren¡¯t exactly the best, so you need to take what you can and be satisfied with it.¡±


    Lilithughed lightly at the humor and stole a fried chicken leg from Camelia. The meat was definitely much tastier than whatever that beer was made of.


    ¡°Hey! Go get your own!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, pretty sure they would flee or kneel in fright if I approached them.¡±


    The twoughed and began to look at the stars in silence.


    ¡°So. Will you tell me? Why you kidnapped me?¡±


    ¡°Because it seemed fun?¡±


    ¡°Lilith¡­¡±


    ¡°....Well¡­ I am scared.¡±


    Camelia opened her eyes wide and grabbed Lilith by the hair, ¡°Who are you and what have you done to my friend? Out with it, you imposter!¡±


    ¡°Stop it.¡± Lilith swatted Camelia''s hand aside and looked far into the distance, ¡°I am ashamed to admit it. But I am scared to meet Lilin alone.¡±


    Her voice was soft and filled with quivers, a testament to the nervousness she was feeling right now¡­


    ¡°There are so many things I want to do now and many more I want to obtain. But I do not know if I am worthy of them. Self-doubt and hesitation fill my mind. Even though I have gotten a second chance at life I wonder if I am deserving of it. I am scared to be told that I woke up toote.¡±


    She chuckled ruefully¡­


    ¡°So I decided tough. Rather than crying and whining as I did for decades, I decided to have fun and face any adversity with a smile on my face. Hoping that somehow it would make things better¡­ It didn¡¯t.¡±


    Lilith looked at her hands, ¡°Hey, do you think I am being too greedy right now?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, you are.¡±


    Camelia¡¯s answer to this question was immediate and blunt. She was not going to pull her punches, it seems.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    [1]: Go reread CH 49. It was Lilith¡¯s speech and thoughts in the coliseum. I honestly don¡¯t know how many of you guys go reread a chapter when I put this reminder.


    [2]: Read Camilia''s first interlude.


    (AN: So I know I promised happiness; I wasn¡¯t lying. We need some bitterness to enjoy the sweetness. Like with Nent or any other character, Lilith''s growth will continue to show beyond her arc. Once again, Lilith didn¡¯t forget her path. It¡¯s because she didn¡¯t forget that she is trying to change. She is doing it awkwardly and clumsily in her own way.)

 Chapter 465 CH 426: EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS LIKE YOU WILL FAIL

    Camelia¡¯s answer was immediate and blunt. She was not pulling her punches at all.


    Her answer prompted a bitter smile to form on Lilith¡¯s youthful face, making her question her life decisions. Still, Camelia wasn¡¯t finished with her speech yet.


    ¡°But¡­ Like our dear Sol likes to say¡­ So what?¡±


    She gave a look full of intensity at her dear friend. ¡°So what if you are greedy? So what if you are biting more than you can chew?


    ¡°If you try, your chance of sess may be low but at least there is still a chance left. But if you do nothing¡ª then your chance of sess will be absolutely zero.


    ¡°Those who give up without even trying because of thinking up of the consequences even before doing anything, are simply people who fled from their dreams and aspirations. A dream is a dream because it¡¯s hard to achieve. Hope can only exist when you are surrounded by despair. So, my dear friend, fight. Fight with all you¡¯ve got. Even if you look ugly, even if the future seems bleak and it ultimately leads to nothing¡­ Keep on fighting¡­¡±


    Camelia went on and on, ¡°Even if you need to beg and cry. Even if you need to roll in the mud and lose all dignity. Never let something like pride or fear keep you from reaching what is truly important to you. Never put something meaningless like petty emotions dissuade you from doing anything.¡±


    She clenched her fingers, ¡°Did you know? For me, Sol did not hesitate to grovel on the ground in front of the goddesses. To make sure I would survive, he cast his pride aside and begged the goddesses like a pitiful beggar. Perhaps it was from then on, our rtionship truly established into something substantial but at the same time a seed of distrust was ced because of my excessive greed and myck of honesty.¡±


    She chuckled bleakly at being reminded of those dark times, ¡°I wanted to be perfect. I wanted to move the chess pieces as if I was a yer. Sol may have forgiven me. But I can¡¯t forgive myself for the way I have hidden the truth from him, even though I had no choice but to do so.¡±


    It had been a bet between her and the goddesses and she had been unable to give any information to Sol beforehand because of the constraints that had been tightly wrapped around her. Still, she knew that this was no excuse for what she did.


    Be it with the goddesses or with Gerald, Camelia lied to Sol for ''his own good '' and that led to eventual cracks forming in their rtionship. She may have an excuse for the first situation but the second one was something she could say nothing about.


    The fact that Sol didn''t simply lose all trust in her was already a godsend.


    ¡°I did all that, not only to secure Sol¡¯s path but also to make sure we could find a cure for you.¡±


    Camelia grinned ear to ear, ¡°You obtained a second chance. This is something most people never have in their life. Please, don¡¯t squander it like this as you wallow in your self-depreciation.¡±


    The two of them stayed silent for a while as Lilith digested the words of her best friend.


    ¡°So, in short¡­ Sol doesn¡¯t want to fuck you any¡ª¡±


    Lilith was not able to finish her sentence as Camelia threw herself at her and the two started to fight like their lives depended on it. Well, that was true for Camelia, Lilith was just trying to not hurt her friend¡­


    .


    .


    .


    After a short yet intense catfight which obviously ended up in Lilith¡¯s victory, the two were once again back to sitting, acting as if nothing happened between the pair of lifelong friends.


    Camelia sighed as she arranged her messy hair, ¡°Well¡­ Even though it pains me to admit it. Ever since he came back, Sol had been quite¡­ Let¡¯s say, slightly distant with me, and guess who was the reason for that?¡±


    Lilith shrugged in response, acting like it was none of her business, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t pin this on me. It has been two weeks since he healed me, you know? And before that, he didn¡¯t really hesitate to have fun with Medea. I guess you just weren¡¯t his top priority anymore.¡±


    Camelia grabbed her chest and crumpled her face in pain, ¡°I must say, dear friend of mine¡­ It seems like your words became as sharp as your sword.¡±


    ¡°I can cut everything. Even emotions.¡±


    The two shared a quietugh as the banter between them continued. They may never mention it but they really missed the old times.


    ¡°So¡­ I guess the two of us have amends to make.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Be it, Lilith or Camelia, they had never acted with intended malice. Only with a desire to nurture and protect. But, they had been warped in their own sense of self-righteousness that they became blinded to reality. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But as they say ¡ª The road to hell was paved with good intentions.


    Because of this and the short-sightedness that followed their desire to protect their loved ones, they ended up causing unintended harm to the one they loved and cared for.


    Lilith chuckled. Truthfully, she was not worried for Camelia. She had seen the way Sol looked at her while tucking her in the bed when she waspletely drunkst time.


    He may have some small resentment on his mind but this would never be enough to change his feelings for Camelia.


    In her case though¡­ She didn¡¯t think her daughter would be happy to see her at all.


    ¡®Sigh¡­ I wish I could be drunk again.¡¯


    She thought for a while before shaking her head. Drunkness was just another means of escaping from the truth.


    She had already made up her mind when she awakened her new True Name. She was done fleeing. Period. She was done acting like she had the entire weight of the world on her shoulders.


    She would not let her negative feelings of depression cloud her mind any more than they already did till now.


    She will fight. Fight against the world and fight against herself if necessary and at the end of the day, perhaps¡­ She may realize her dream of having a happy family meal with Sol and Lilin sitting on either side of her.


    Just imagining that picture brought a smile to her face and rekindled the me of passion that had long since died in her heart.


    ¡°Speaking of¡­ You are really shameless you know. Seducing a young man who barely entered adulthood.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s hard to say who seduced who.¡±


    Camelia blushed slightly when she remembered her first night with Sol. She had been ready to take the lead back then, thinking that he would not have the experience to lead but she indeed up being dominated quite fast.


    Her butt tingled ever so slightly just at the thought of the night.


    ¡°Also, this is riching from someone who told him he should Fu¡­ Ahem~y down with as many women as possible.¡±


    ¡°You wanted to say, Fuck, right?¡±


    ¡°I did not.¡±


    ¡°Heh, no need to be shy. Using crude words is fun sometimes, you know?¡±


    ¡°You are acting like a kid.¡±


    ¡°I look younger than you now. Sorry, Grandma.¡±


    Lilith moved out of the way and avoided a punching from Camelia at full force.


    ¡°I am going to kill you!¡±


    ¡°First try to catch me, you old hag. Must be hard with your old bones, eh? Hahaha.¡±


    On that night, an atypical scene of the Supreme Daughter running after the Queen of Lustburg could be sighted by the onlookers.


    The few vigers who witnessed this scene looked down at the beer in their hands with suspicion and swore off alcohol for the rest of their life. It was a good night for many, indeed.


    (AN: Hi guys! Now with this, I increased the tier for SHK. Also on my Pat reon, all Tier had an increase. Bronze and Special SHK were increased by 1 chapter and Silver to Overlord each were increased by Five chapters. So if you don¡¯t want to read on WN, don¡¯t hesitate to subscribe on Pa treon. Next month there will be another update. So that highest Tier bes 30 chapters. I believe this is the ideal number as any more than this would be detrimental for Priv readers on WN.


    Finally, don¡¯t hesitate to support my second story. The name was changed from Midnight Prince to God of Crime. I know I know. It¡¯s cringe or whatever. But heh, I like it and this is the kind of keyword popr on WN. So yeah.)

 Chapter 466 CH 427: LETS BECOME FRIENDS

    After Sol and hispanion left the now vanished or rather erased Goblin¡¯s nest, Sol wasying down and admiring the flowing scenery. His head was resting on Milia''s smooth thighs and she was currently cleaning his ears, causing him to twitch sometimes from the pleasure and relief he felt in this soothing gesture.


    The way she handled his ear was like a pro and the calming aura she emitted reminded him of the days when Milia took care of him as a kid.


    This time, the one driving the chariot was Medea instead. Persephone was teasing her sister as she instructed her how to move forward and how to control the horses with just her aura alone.


    Meanwhile, Setsuna was gently wiping her sword with a cleaning cloth while sitting on the back with them. As a knight, it was her responsibility to maintain her weapon of choice and she took it rather seriously, ever-stoic as she was.


    All around them were beautifulrge trees, the odor of nature, and the sounds of small animals that registered in their ears and calmed them down.


    Sol sighed in contentment at this.


    He may not have obtained the super exciting adventure he had been dreaming of, but the current situation was not bad at all.


    He could say that it was even better than the stressful and rigorous scenarios that he had been imagining in his mind.


    This was a rare moment of absolute peace for him. No hurry because of the danger of death iing, no having to plot to face the rebellion in his kingdom or fight against a world-ending threat, and even less running against the clock to save someone dear to him.


    As for the war against Wratharis, the only thing Sol cared about was how to diminish the human losses that they would sustain.


    While nothing was impossible in this world, the chances of Lustburg losing were so low that if they did lose Sol would have nothing to say about it. As he was a Duke rank and ¡®only the crown prince¡¯, he had absolutely no restrictions when it came to participating on the battlefield.


    He doubted anyone but a King could defeat Lilin and Milia and while Isis couldn¡¯t use her powers as a necromancer, she was still a Duke-ranked Phoenix in her own right.


    To this, he could add Sheherazade and even Nefertiti into the mix. Two people who could affect the entire battlefield with their broken abilities.


    Finally, while Setsuna was not a Duke yet, she was stronger than many Dukes and could hold her own without losing to the rest so there was nothing wrong with their side.


    And what if Wratharis upped their hands and brought the King ranked instead?


    Well¡ª technically speaking, Lilith was also still a King rank being still, so they could just unleash her into the battlefield and let her ughter everyone in her path with her sword. That would make everything much easier for them.


    ¡®I hope I didn¡¯t trigger a g here.¡¯


    Solughed quietly at himself. Even if he did trigger a g, even if something big happened, they still had Ambrosia on their backs.


    The gs could go fuck themselves for all he cared. [1]


    Slowly, Sol''s breathing became even and he drifted off to sleep. It was something that would be hard to do normally after his training in Tartarus where he had to be constantly on the lookout for any and all sorts of danger.


    But right now, right here, he was just surrounded by his loved ones. People he knew he could trust with his life. And that was enough for him to let himself drift off to the peaceful realm of sleep.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When Sol¡¯s breathingpletely settled down, Medea waved her hand and covered him with a temporal shield to block off all sounds that could disturb him from his nap while Persephone filled the zone with the power of life to help him have a good sleep that would fully energize his tired mind.


    Milia smiled quietly as she passed her hand through Sol¡¯s hair. She had seen the young man on herp slowly grow and be a reliable and strong pir for his Kingdom. But in moments like this, as he simply fell asleep, she could once again see the shadow of the boy she once pampered and raised with her own hands.


    The four women were silent. Each of them focused on their thoughts. Without Sol working as a lubricant, it was quite hard for them to have any meaningful discussion of their own.


    Persephone and Medea represented one side, while Setsuna and Milia represented a second and third sides.


    It was quite awkward, to say the least, and the first one to speak about this was Milia. the assassin herself.


    ¡°So, my dear friends. I believe we should use this asion to be closer to each other. What do you think?¡±


    It was one thing to remember but, just because they all loved Sol did not means they liked each other. In fact, during the whole travel until now, they had barely spoken to each other other than when needed.


    Even so, they were willing to make the effort necessary to keep the peace and harmony in the harem. Thankfully, while they did not like each other very much, they did not hate each other either. So it was easy to keep things cordial between the girls. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Do you want to propose another one of your contracts?¡±


    Milia gave a calm smile at Medea¡¯s words. ¡°In the past, I trusted none of you. After all, I am quite weak when ites down to it. I had to take measures to make sure to protect myself and avoid unnecessary bloodshed in the future.¡±


    Before Sol went to the Astral Realm, they had all signed what amounted to a non-aggression pact between them. In Milia¡¯s opinion, there was nothing wrong with what she did and she did not regret her actions a single bit.


    ¡°But now, I believe some amount of trust has formed between us.¡±


    Persephone smiled quietly. It was oh so interesting to her. How the one with the lowest origin and influence was the one giving the orders. But even then, Persephone listened to them. Her rtionship with Sol was extremely ambiguous, to say the least. But this didn¡¯t mean that she wanted out of it. She was fond of the boy in her own way.


    In the few months she had known Sol, he had provided more excitement in her life than anyone before. All the stories she witnessed with him as a protagonist were colorful and epic like no other.


    ¡°So, what do you propose?¡±


    ¡°Simple. Let¡¯s be friends, everyone. I believe this would be a good first step for our future together.¡±


    She spoke candidly. Milia understood that a rtionship based on a contract was too frail. What she needed were solid bonds. A more friendly rtionship. One based on love and trust.


    ¡°Soon we will have our first night in the woods. I believe all of you know His Highness¡¯ strong libido, right?¡±


    Setsuna looked up quietly when she felt Milia¡¯s gaze on her. ¡°Why don¡¯t we do it like this? Let¡¯s leave the first night to both the oldest and the youngest.¡±


    She said so as she looked alternatively between Setsuna and Persephone.


    Milia¡¯s rtionship with Camelia became slightly closer after the experience they shared with Sol.


    Few things could help create bonds faster than barring your body and soul while making love to the man you gave your everything to.


    Setsuna blushed and Persephoneughed out loud.


    ¡°You¡­ I already like you very much.¡±


    Persephone¡¯sughter soon stopped as she felt the ring that was attached to a ne around her neck.


    This was the essory created by Sol. The one that would allow her to have a close rtionship without actually worrying about sucking her partner dry.


    It seemed like it was time to give it a try.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Setsuna, however, became a little fidgety with that remark. After all, she could not have full intercourse with Sol yet.


    She wanted to speak but Milia gave her a meaningful nce toward her, ¡°I know about the preparations you made after what happened when you visited the Mris house with Sol.¡± [2]


    Setsuna groaned and covered her face in shame and humiliation¡­


    ¡°I will kill those maids with my own hands.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Don¡¯t me them. Anyway, it¡¯s time to see if the preparations were good, right?¡±


    Setsuna wished she could simply hide in a crack beneath the earth. But at the same time¡­ She could only nod helplessly.


    After all ¡ª She was indeed interested.


    [1]: That moment when you realize you leveled yourself and your party so much that 70% of the known world became an easy mode.


    [2]: SHK CH 90

 Chapter 467 CH 428: DREAM AND *Ahem* DREAM

    While Medea and the others were having a interesting discussion, Sol was having an even more interesting dream.


    He was standing in a white void with a clear blue sky above him and the infinite white below, giving the impression that he was falling without end.


    His senses were disoriented and pictures after pictures shed in front of him one after another.


    When Sol finally came to his sense, the world hadpletely changed. The white void and the blue sky were reced by the infinite dark void of space with the stars visible in the distances.


    All around ¡®Him¡¯, where debris of what must have been an entire. That ce was now reduced to nothing but rubles.


    ¡®He¡¯ walked or it would be more apt to say that ¡®He¡¯ floated in the space and observed the end of a. One where billions of lives had inhabited.


    ¡°Did the finally die?¡±


    ¡®He¡¯ stayed silent and ignored the voice of the woman that had appeared next to him.


    ¡°I noticed that you are getting increasingly mncholic.¡±


    ¡°The world is dying.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯ finally spoke. ¡®His¡¯ voice was young yet old. Delicate, yet rough. It was as if thousands were speaking or only one. A mix of contradicions that the woman had long since been used to.


    She shrugged, ¡°This is normal. A can only live for as long as its sun is burning.¡±


    She pointed at the dying sun. ¡°Only 6 or 8 billions years. This is the reality of those ephemeral lives. This is not the first time you witnessed the death of a star or a system. Why the mncholie? This is just the cycle.¡± [1]


    Her voice was clear, as if the death and end of all those sentient being was the mostmon and worthless things.


    In a way it was. In the vast and infinite universe, the death of a star, the destruction of a, the birth of a new star and a new were the mostmons things ever.


    She had already be bored of such sight after the tenth time.


    ¡®He¡¯ looked at her with pity, ¡°Indeed¡­It¡¯s just the cycle.¡±


    Life and death. Creation and Destruction.


    Everything in existence had a counterpart, something they could not exist without. Time and space, Sins and Virtues, Good and Evil.


    So many concepts, so many realities. So manyws that defined the universe they lived in.


    This was why he was mncholic.


    ¡°Eve¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡®He¡¯ looked at her, quietly, lovingly. But in the end ¡®He¡¯ did not speak. This was ¡®His¡¯ burden. The reality only ¡®He¡¯ was privy to and seemed to understand.


    ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I believe Dawn isining about the amount of work her siblings are leaving to her.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯ gave a forlorn smile, wondering how long this happiness wouldst.


    They seemed to not realize it yet.


    In this universe¡­Nothing was Eternal. Nothing was Infinite. For Eternity did not exist.


    The greatest and most immuatblew of this world was clear. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡ªFor Every Beginning¡­There must be a¡­


    ¡ª-


    *Gasp*


    Sol eyes snapped open as his heart pounded. His vision was blurry, as he tried to forcibly remember the dream he just had. But only small tibits and snippets were kept and even them as well eventually faded.


    ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    ¡®He¡¯. No. He looked at Milia. The worried expression was clear on her face and the same went for all the others.


    The seemingly infinite void seemed to be distant as he became grounded in reality again.


    Patting Miliap, he stood up and jumped off the chariots beforending heavily on the ground.


    His sense of reality became more evident then as thest drags of dream vanished from his mind.


    ¡°Sol are you alright!?¡±


    Medea appeared next to him and looked at him worriedly, to which he simply shook his head.


    ¡°I am¡­I think yeah I am alright. I just had a bad dream.¡±


    He pinched Medea cheeks and sighed.


    ¡°The sun is going down, let¡¯s take a rest.¡±


    For them, the presence or absence of sunlight made absolutely no difference. Even so, he wanted to take a small break. After all, if they really wanted to catch up to Lilith¡¯s fast, he could have simply flown at full speed to reach there.


    Persephone and Setsuna shared a look, with Setsuna looking aside, blushing and Persephone smirking.


    Sol meanwhile was preupied by the dream. At his level, his memory was nearly perfect and his control over his thoughts as well. Having a nightmare wasn¡¯t impossible. But for the memory of said nightmare to vanish so fast from his mind was abnormal.


    ¡®Just what the hell?¡¯


    He forced himself to hide a scowl that had formed on his face. This was definitely something that was going toe bitting him in the asster on. He could alredy smell the iing bullshit like it was breathing down his neck.


    ¡®I guess I can only wait this time.¡¯


    He forced himself to calm down. He knew that this hadn¡¯t just been a dream. As such, the best he could do was to prepare himself as much as possible.


    ¡®The King rank or at least, obtaining a name.¡¯


    Obtaining a name was the first step toward the evolution as a King. For now, he only had been a Duke for two or so months. Logically speaking, obtaining a name before at least a year or far more would be impossible.


    But¡ª Since when had he moved based on logic? Doing what others deemed as impossible and breaking all records were one of the few pleasures in life he enjoyed.


    Of course, a few momentster, when Night fell and Sol looked as Persephone and Setsuna entered his tent while wearing green and blue negligees respectively, he gulped as he realized that there was another one of the few pleasures in life he was about to satisfy.


    The night promised to be interesting.


    [1]: You know you entered Xianxia territory when you read ¡°Only so or so Million or Billions years.¡±


    (AN: Edit as of 28/05/23. So, I received some funny messages in direct messages nheless. Some asking why I didn''t upload in months or something like this. I wanna say, even though my release rate definitely slowed down, I never made more than a few days without a chapter. So if you waited months without a chapter then you are reading on a pirate site. Pretty simple. Here my Patreon where you can read:  and there is obviously Webnovel. If you aren''t reading on one of those you are pirating. I can understand that not everyone has the means to pay for and support a book. But please don''t DM me about my Release rate if you aren''t even supporting me.


    This remind me of one dude who DM me about Illustrations on Patreon being Bullshit and got angry when I put him in his ce. His flex was saying that he wasn''t even paying for my book in the first ce and he was d he was pirating. Sigh. Whatever rant over.)

 Chapter 468 CH 429: BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT YOU WISH

    As the night deepened, Sol looked with anticipation at the two partners. His rtionship with both of them was actually in a strange situation.


    One side there was Setsuna. His knight and one who had waited to sign a contract with him for much of her life.


    Setsuna had been with him for nearly as long as he could remember. She was one of his childhood friends and one he shared many moments. Sadly, because of the events that followed not long ago, he had been forced to leave the Mortal realm for a time.


    The adventure he lived through, the people he meet, and those he fought. All those moments made it so he became very different from who he once was.


    Now it was time for him to rekindle his rtionship with her.


    Persephone on the other hand was different. Out of all his lovers, she was the most distant. In the first ce, were they even lovers? It was hard to say.


    Persephone was extremely independent and she made clear that she didn¡¯t particrly want to settle. She was like a cloud, drifting and observing the world below in silence.


    Unlike many of his lovers, Persephone was not particrly broken or she had already ovee any trauma she might have.


    This made it so that she was far less dependent on him than the others were.


    ¡°So, what should we do?¡±


    Persephone stood up. ¡°I took some clothes from my collection. What do you think?¡±


    She smiled quietly. Her green negligee waspletely see-through, showing her mature body. She was wearing only a pair of green panties, and the outline of her proud breasts could be seen through the thin material.


    Sol was transfixed. No matter how many beautiful women he had seen, he would never get used to it and in fact, did not wish to ever be used to it.


    Seeing his reaction, Persephone nodded and brought Setsuna next to her, ¡°Dear Knight, you should be a little bolder.¡±


    Setsuna looked aside as she fidgeted, making her all the cuter. Like Persephone, her attire waspletely see-through but she did not hold the same confidence as the Witch of Life.


    Her wolf ears dropped a little and the tail behind her was also hanging somewhat low.


    As always she was suffering from a small sense of defeatism. Setsuna was a beautiful woman, but not the most beautiful out of Sol¡¯s harem. She was neither the smallest nor the biggest either.


    She felt like whatever she did, she always ended up cing herself in situations where she would bepared and she would lose.


    ¡°Setsuna?¡±


    She shook her head and raised herself up before jumping in his arms.


    ¡°Whooah!¡±


    Sol caught her hurriedly as the two of them fell on the makeshift bed. Her eyes had started to shine with a light-filled with lust and a desire to fight.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you sleep today.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    He rose an eyebrow at the sudden challenge and behind them, Persephone smiled as she put the ring to her finger.


    ¡°Fufufu~ I always had to hold myself back in the past. So I guess I won¡¯t let you sleep either.¡±


    Though Sol only lost a small fraction of his life in the past, there was no way Persephone and Medea couldpletely enjoy and let go of all worry, knowing that they were stealing his life force.


    But now¡­Now she would show Sol what it means to be the witch of life.


    It was time for a world-shaking battle.


    ¡ª--


    While Sol was busy fighting for his life against one very thirsty woman and a second one who wanted to try new things, a meeting that had long been awaited was finally about to take ce.


    Lilin had been slowly losing herself in work for thest weeks after leaving the Tower. She had not waited for the news about her mother to be confirmed. She knew very well that Sol would do everything in his power to keep her well and alive one way or another.


    She didn¡¯t need to know how.


    Her sword moved and blocked the iing attack of one of her knights with ease.


    ¡°Too obvious.¡±


    She moved her sword skillfully and disarmed him before kicking him in the stomach.


    Despite the armor the man was wearing, he keeled over and breathed harshly before standing up with difficulty and giving a salute.


    ¡°Next one will be thest for today!¡±


    All the knights flinched as they scrambled to be the next, sadly only one could win.


    ¡°Your Highness. I am Edwin.¡± <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She nodded, ¡°I know you. You were very helpful during thest attack good job.¡±


    Shezily moved her sword and rxed. She had no need to use her Iai stance in such training. Her basics were already more than enough to deal with them all.


    ¡°Prepare your sword.¡±


    Edwin¡¯s eyes shone in excitement at the praise he had just received and took his stance with his two hands around the hilt of the sword. He knew that he would lose. But he wanted to make the best showing possible.


    The other knights watched him in envy. But they could only me their luck for being too slow.


    This was a phenomenon that had slowly started since the start of the subjugation. At first, they were quite reluctant at the thought of being led by a young girl with no obvious experience. They had summarized that Lilin was simply using her position as a princess to get some achievement.


    This was a prettymon practice among high nobles. So there was nothing they could do.


    All hesitation or bad feelings vanished when the Knights realized that Lilin was a Duke ranked.


    It was hard to decipher how excited they were then.


    All the ck Knights knew the history of the order. They knew that in the past, Lilith, who was also a Duke ranked then, marched the battlefield with very fewpanions and those were the first few to be the first ck Knights.


    Fighting alongside her, the daughter of Queen Lilith, was like a reenactment of a legend.


    The respect they had for her slowly started to grow even more as they admired her way of fighting. Power beyondpare, Skills they could not even hope to reach, a charm no one could resist, and an absolute position of power.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to bepletely mesmerized and respect her from the bottom of their hearts.


    Her movements on the battlefield as she yed the bandits one after another, leaving a trail of blood on her path all made them feel a mixture between fear, respect, and adoration.


    Slowly, talk between them was made as some even wished for the creation of a new knight order. Already, a few knights painted some parts of their armor in red. Since all of their armor would always be red because of the blood of their enemies.


    Another thing that cemented her position was the fact that Lilin would help them correct their form as they swung their swords. This slowly continued until the current scene became something usual.


    Edwin was a rtively skilled swordsman. Despite being the son of a hunter, he had managed to enter the Academy and graduated with a good rank before being scooted by the ck Knights.


    But even then, he had no way to win against Lilin. Her movements were like flowing water, fluid, fast, and nearly perfect.


    He was forced to stop when he felt the cold tip of the de on his throat.


    ¡°Good. You are better than you were yesterday. But you focus too much on trying to overpower me. I may look like someone who never lifted anything heavier than a napkin, but I can break you in two if I wish.¡±


    Lilin gave a few more words as she pointed out his mistakes.


    ¡°I am grateful for this honor, your highness.¡±


    She nodded and gave a look all around, ¡°Okay guys! We are slowly reaching the end of our mission. This is it for today''s training. Everyone prepares the ce.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Your Highness!¡±


    The Knights all gave a salute and began moving in perfect synchronization. Everyone had a task and they knew what they had to aplish.


    Looking at them like this, Lilin gave a small smile. The time she had spent with them was rtively short. But it felt nice being appreciated and respected.


    She moved her sword lightly. Her mind focused, not on the y fight she had with them but on the fight she had with her mother. As well as what happened when Sol fought against Lilith


    This was the only way for her to remind herself of one thing. One absolute reality.


    She wasn¡¯t strong.


    Being able to bring down the knights here or the bandits she ughtered meant absolutely nothing.


    They were all simply too weak.


    ¡®I need someone to fight.¡¯


    She sighed and focused on swinging her sword. Only then would she feel better. It wasn¡¯t as if she could somehow find someone at the Duke level in such a ce.


    It was better to focus on what she could.


    ----


    (AN: Sorry, guys. This is thest chapter of the month. But I promise everything will be back to normal on june. Once again sorry for everything. I hope to see all of you guys back soon.)


    (AN: Setsuna is hard. Like Damn. Whatever skills I think of giving her, I realize it¡¯s hard for her to stand outpared to other Harem. Until now I can say all of Sol¡¯s girls have something they are absolutely the best at. A talent no one can surpass. But it¡¯s kinda hard for Setsuna. Well, the road is rough but the result will be sweet.


    Also, if it wasn¡¯t already obvious¡­Yeah, I decided to skip the smut. I do not feel horny currently. My horny power is dwindling.)

 Chapter 469 CH 430: THE WAYS TO HEAVEN ARE MULTIPLE

    [Lustburg]


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s here?¡±


    ¡°Argh! Stop asking already. I said I don¡¯t know. I am just following the fucking map.¡±


    In a forest that was a few hundred kilometers away from the capital, two people were observing the surroundings while the shorter of the two was holding a map in their hands.


    The shorter among the duo had two guns attached to his hips, ced inside their respective holsters, and a scowl was etched on his face as he gazed at the map with such intensity that it looked like he wished to tear literal holes through the poor map.


    ¡°The treasure should be somewhere in our surroundings. Back then, the dwarves were fleeing from the control of the elves and used one of the ces here as their stronghold. From the information that is contained in this map, it¡¯s made clear that they left many of their treasures inside the stronghold. On the list of lost treasures, I found one that could slightly heal one¡¯s soul. This might help us in solving the affliction of the boss.¡±


    Dwarves were great cksmiths. Some even boasted of being blessed by the goddesses of Creation herself as they had such a great form of talent that they could even bring forth extraordinary results while dealing with the most ordinary materials.


    He knew that the saying was utter bullshit. But this didn¡¯t change the fact that the midget race had extraordinary talent and what they needed now was a soul-healing medicine for their leader. The shape of the medicine didn¡¯t matter to them.


    The treasure in question was a pill that had been stolen from the elf queen of those times as they fled from their grasp.


    ¡°The greed of dwarves is really legendary. Even when fleeing for their lives they still stole something from the enemies.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Greed is necessary for evolution and sess.¡±


    He said so as he looked at hispanion. It was a blue-haired wolf woman with a sword hanging on her hips. She had apanied him as a bodyguard as he couldn¡¯t really use his full power as he was now.


    ¡°I guess this is why you only revealed you had this map after you were sure we would keep your share and help you heal, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°What can I say? I would rather protect myself than anyone else. As long as the boss is asleep we aren¡¯t all that scary, you know. I don¡¯t want to die after being disposed of.¡±


    They gazed at each other as a short sh of energy ensued between them before everything calmed down as though nothing happened in the first ce.


    ¡°Acht, listen very well¡­ The Wings of Freedom won¡¯t give up on you. But as you have already stated we are in dire need of that remedy. If we can elerate her awakening even by a year or two, it will be more than enough for us to elerate our ns. We need her in order to realize our ideals.¡±


    ¡°Ideal huh¡­¡±


    Acht nodded before smirking at Neun, ¡°I wonder what you feel, you know¡­ Your country is about to wage war soon. If the power of that prince is real¡­ I am pretty sure Wratharis will lose before they are even able to know what hit them.¡±


    His grin stretched further as he spoke in a jeering tone, ¡°You sacrificed so much. But in the end¡­¡±


    ¡°Watch what you are about to say, Acht.¡±


    The edge of the de was ced against his throat and a voice colder than the edge of the de registered in the man¡¯s ears. ¡°I find it quite baffling of you to provoke the one who is supposed to protect you¡­¡±


    ¡°I like living in the thrill of the moment.¡±


    ¡°Suits you, I guess. But let me say it clearly¡­ My ambition does not stop at disposing of the Traitor King. I want to get rid of this unfair system where people are chosen because of the whim of 14 crazy women that are simply uncaring of the mortals that they themselves created.¡±


    Her eyes were zing like a slumbering inferno, waiting to erupt at any moment, and Acht lifted his hands in surrender immediately when he noticed that.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry¡­ Anyways enough with the jokes. We should find it fast while we are still in the dark. A vast majority of my informationwork was exterminated and we don¡¯t have Drei anymore for trying out a mission to gather intel behind enemy lines. But I know that the princess of Lustburg is not far from this ce as she¡¯s on a mission of her own.¡±


    His arm twitched as he ced a hand on his chest. Even now, a deep throbbing pain was constantly bothering him. It had be an afterthought by now. But whenever he used his Zone, the pain came back at full strength.


    He would never forget how he nearly died that day because of his carelessness.


    ¡®This treasure trove also has many powerful weapons the dwarves were forced to create by the elves in the past. Obviously, they also stole back those weapons when they fled their confinements. If I can get any of those weapons or even a blueprint then¡­¡¯


    Those weapons might be old now but some of them were near the level of Divine Weapons. As long as he could get even one, it would be more than enough for him to be even stronger, and if he could heal himself on top of that¡­


    ¡®Reaching a level near that of a King wouldn¡¯t be impossible.¡¯


    Then he would have far more speaking right in the organization. After all, they already lost two Kings and their Demigods were in aa.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not bother with the royal family of Lustburg. We already obtained the divine weapon we needed from them.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    Acht didn¡¯t bother to uncover the hypocrisy in the word of hispanion. Even though they all joined the Wings of Freedom for seemingly the same goal, they all had different small objectives for themselves.


    ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s go. Anyway, the chances of us meeting anyone from the royal family in this ce is close to non-existent.¡±


    The two moved and advanced deeper into the forest, well intent on finding the treasure and leaving the ce as fast as possible. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The next day, after Sol had a very enjoyable night with both Setsuna and Persephone, he looked up at the rising sun with a thoughtful expression on his face.


    His mind was serene as if he was devoid of all worldly desires, a saintly aura could even be seen behind him as he stood with his hands behind his back.


    The night before had ended in his victory after a long and arduous fight.


    Persephone had used the power of life to constantly enhance her stamina and Setsuna had surprised Sol by telling him how she had prepared herself for some deep exploration in her ass in lieu of her secret garden.


    Facing those two had forced Sol to use all the skills he had learned over the years.


    He had to summon the deepest parts of his strength and it was only after remembering all the steamy nights he went through that he was able to defeat those two formidable enemies.


    Now, he was effectively a sage in all but title. One above all worldly desires.


    ¡°Oh. Your Highness. You rose up early.¡±


    It was such a Sol that Milia witnessed as she prepared the food for breakfast.


    Hearing her voice, Sol did not turn around and spoke solemnly. His voice was grave, showing how important the current situation was.


    ¡°Milia¡­ I believe I have been enlightened on the way of this world. Indeed. Women have many treasures. But it¡¯s necessary to exercise control and not indulge in the desire of the flesh. Only then can one reach true peace. Amitabah¡­¡±


    Milia tilted her head in confusion at the sudden words. But once she understood what was happening she covered her mouth with the back of her hand and let out a quietugh before answering in tandem.


    ¡°My¡­ Is that so? I guess I need to put back the clothes I had prepared for Lady Medea then.¡±


    Time seemingly stilled. Even Medea''s time stop would have not given such an impression to Sol.


    ¡°....borate.¡±


    ¡°Since Miss Persephone had such a hobby, I have taken it upon myself to prepare a few costumes. One of which was maid costumes. That would fit Lady Medea, Setsuna, and Persephone. There were also a few bunny girl costumes in the lot too.¡±


    Sol gulped quietly as if he was suddenly a thirsty man walking in the desert without any signs of water.


    His sage mode was being overwhelmed by the powerful pictures that were filling his mind.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Lady Medea already epted putting them on tonight. But since Your Highness believes in abstinence, I will just have to burn them.¡±


    Sol turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs like a bereaved victim¡­


    "Unhand those innocent costumes you criminal!"


    He stopped as he saw Milia looking at him with a smile at the corner of her mouth and Medea covering her face in utter embarrassment.


    Sol coughed slightly before silently looking at the sky and mourned by himself¡­


    ¡°The ways of heaven are broad and multiple. It seems like the path of non-indulgence is not the road I must take. Ahem~ Now then, about those costumes¡­"


    Like this, a new day full of adventure began for Sol and his group.


    (AN: For those who forgot, Acht is the dwarf that fought Lilin and Nuwa. Neun is the wolf that raised Setsuna when she was young and stole the Divine Weapon of Lustburg after beating her. She was also Setsuna¡¯s teacher.)


    (AN: I have sad news(for me mostly). WN did a new update that basically took away all the links made in non-exclusive stories. This isn¡¯t just something like censoring but outright erasing them all. You can go to my main page on WN with Son of the Hero King and take a look. So yeah, it''s a littleplicated. Anyways I am trying to test something to see how the new regtion can be avoided. Let¡¯s see if this works.


    Link 1: ¡ª>


    Link 2: ¡ª-> /HikaruGenji


    Link 3: ¡ª---> patreon./Hikaru Genji


    Link 4: ¡ª--> https:// . patreon./HikaruGenji


    link 5: ¡ª---> https:// . patreon dot/HikaruGenji


    Let''s see which of the 5 links get erased.

 Chapter 470 CH 431: VINDICTIVE WITCH

    After a few moments of jesting and ying around by themselves, Sol and his merry party decided to take the road once again.


    This time Setsuna was sitting next to him as she was unable to walk correctly at the moment. It seemed that she had gone past her limits by trying to match him all night long and her ass was now protesting against her every movement.


    Sol found it really funny but stopped himself fromughing right at her face. At the end of the day, he was also partially responsible for her current condition soughing would only cause detriments that he was not willing to face right now.


    Persephone was also standing next to him while holding a book in her hand, she was writing something in said book and Sol soon realized that it was some sort of exnation about what happened the night before.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    He asked her, curiosity shimmering in his blue eyes¡­


    ¡°Freya asked me to write anything I am able to learn once I tried the ring for myself. You know how she is with tech, right? This is to satiate her curiosity. I must say though, the results were more than just amazing.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I guess you guys still doubted me a little, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Persephone was direct and blunt in her words. ¡°The curse we are suffering from had been bothering us for thousands of years. All the strongest and most knowledgeable witches gave the possible eradication of the curse a try but there was nothing we could do against it. So we simply gave up.¡±


    She closed her book. ¡°You just wrote a new page in the history of the witches and all that while only being a Duke-ranked being. So you should understand our disbelief in the matter, right?¡±


    Sheughed quietly under her breath, ¡°Though, I guess you had never been someone who could be observed with meremon sense.¡±


    ¡°I am quite awesome, right?¡±


    ¡°Someone is having quite the big head now, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha. Do not worry. Arrogance has been beaten out of me by reality too many times. I am just bringing pure facts into the table.¡±


    He was rich, strong, and handsome. If he wasn¡¯t awesome then who was? This had nothing to do with him being arrogant.


    ¡°I decided to be more open about my feelingstely. It makes things easier for everyone, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°I guess it does, huh.¡±


    Persephone smiled quietly.


    ¡°You know, I have been meaning to ask. What did you do before bing a witch?¡±


    Sol asked with a soft tone. He was rather curious about Persephone¡¯s history. He knew basically everything there was to know about all his other women, but she was still a mystery to him to this day.


    ¡°Oh? Are you trying to know more about me? Does that mean you consider me as yours now?¡±


    Her smile took an edge to it as she looked at him to which Sol answered as inly as possible¡­


    ¡°I do.¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders before speaking, ¡°Of course, this is my own interpretation of things between us. So you are free to deny it if you want.¡±


    Sol wasn¡¯t naive enough to believe that just because he shared a bed with a woman it would mean that she would fall for him.


    But if there was one thing he knew, it was that he was quite possessive. Perhaps even more than he believed in the past and this feeling of possessiveness was growing by the day.


    ¡°I like your frankness.¡±


    She nodded and looked up, ¡°Well, unlike Medea and many others witches, I do not have a sad or heavy past I think. Fufufu~¡±


    Most of the witches chose to be a witch because they had no other options left for them in life. They all lived a life where they could only change or die.


    Kali, Medea, and Freya were all orphans who had been taken by Ambrosia one after another.


    But Persephone was a bit different than everyone else¡­


    ¡°I was a princess, hehe.¡±


    Medea aside, they all opened their eyes wide when they heard this shocking revtion¡­


    ¡°Back then, as you know, was the warring era. The Seven Kingdoms didn¡¯t exist as it did now. There were two great empires with the Elves and the Demons being inmand of each. All the others races were strugglings under the control of those three races and we humans were at the bottom of the bottom as ves under the control of the Elves.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t as if the elves chained down all humanity forbor. Like now, human society was allowed to thrive in a certain way. But rather than one big kingdom, they were divided into many small ones.


    ¡°If I remember right, back then, the Demon King was trying to conquer the world. It was a rather fun era, all things considered. Angels still stayed above like the lofty beings they like to present themselves as while the Elves fought against the Demons for hegemony.¡±


    The reason beast men were also called war beasts was because of this very era as they were the principal force of the armies. Unlike demons and elves, they had a short reproduction cycle and elerated growth in the earlier years.


    Dwarves were used to make the weapons and humans were¡­


    ¡°Well. We honestly didn¡¯t have much use. I guess this is why they didn¡¯t consider us in the grand scheme of things.¡±


    Humans could only awaken at the age of 15 and then only 10% of the poption could sign a contract with other races. Out of that 10% only another 10% could actually sign a rather high-ranked contract.


    The problem was... <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Humans who could actually sign contracts were greatly appreciated. Elves used us as a way to make their children grow faster. Because of this, rather than forcing us on the field, humans were groomed. In a way, you could say that we were cattle to them.¡±


    Sheughed under her breath as she thought of that distant past. There was no exaggeration to her words. Elves in particr would create special human farms to make sure they would produce the best possible offspring.


    This was what it meant to be royalty back then. Nothing more than glorified cattle for the Elves and Demons to use.


    ¡°I was born with a rather high capacity if I have to be honest. Enough to contract an A+ rank beast. So they were especially careful with me and wished to use me and wanted to find the best breeding partner for me to bring birth to another talent.¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes twitched as he heard those troublesome lines.


    ¡°Ohoh. Don¡¯t look at it like this. I wasn¡¯t sad or badly treated. Do you think a sheep who never knows freedom would dream of the wide sky?¡±


    Unlike what many would think, royalties were not unhappy with their destiny. You could only dream of what you knew about, after all.


    You needed to know freedom in order to fight for it.


    ¡°But I was bored.¡±


    She chuckled. She was bored indeed. That was all. Nothing more, nothing less.


    ¡°Mother heard about me and was quite curious. I guess she wanted to test making someone with talent a witch. To see if anything would be different.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ You epted to sell your soul¡­ Because you were bored?¡±


    ¡°Fufufu~ When you say it like this it sounds quite stupid, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    She chuckled but there was no doubt nor regret in her life.


    ¡°I hated it you know. I hated my life. A life where everything was already nned from the day I was born to the day of my death. I knew exactly what I would do the next day, what I would eat, who I would meet, and where I would go. The man who would be my husband, the day where I would give birth myself, and how many children I would have.¡±


    Mirth left her eyes as she continued in a cold lifeless tone, ¡°A life where nothing exciting happens. A story that was so boring that even those who love calm stories would be bored by it. I hated it. Despised it. And loathed it with every fiber of my being. So¡­ When Mother Ambrosia came up with a proposal, a way for me to finally write a new exciting story¡­ I jumped in with no hesitation whatsoever.¡±


    Sol digested this information with a cramped smile, before nodding to himself, ¡°I thought you became crazy after bing a witch. I see now that you were crazy from the start.¡±


    ¡°Crazy is such a heavy word. Let¡¯s just say that I was seeking a new path.¡±


    ¡°So you never resented anyone?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I did. This is why when our little dear here became entangled with your ancestor. The first thing I did was fight against the Queen of Southern Pride. Heh, it seems like our visit was too much for her. Right, Medea?¡± [1]


    Why did she learn the power of life? Of course, it was partially because of Ambrosia. But she could have chosen space, time, or death. The reason she choose Life, in particr, was quite simple.


    She wished topletely trample on the elves by using the power they were the proudest of and that by the ¡®Cattle¡¯, they used to raise.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    Medea chuckled awkwardly, refusing to remember that fight.


    In the past, she had considered Persephone a gentle and demure woman who could not even hurt a bug.


    After all, why else would she learn the power of Life that focused on Healing?


    She should have realized then that one shouldn¡¯t judge a book by its cover. No matter how beautiful it may be, what was underneath can only be considered the stuff of horrors.


    Persephone had been utterly andpletely ruthless. The only thing she did was keep others elves away as Persephone trampled andpletely trashed their queen.


    From what she knew, that fight hadpletely destroyed the Concept of Pride the queen had been building on to be a Demigod.


    Sol looked at the smile on Persephone¡¯s face and decided then and there to be very careful not to piss her off.


    ¡°So, I hope my story was entertaining?¡±


    ¡°It was. I ¡ª¡±


    Kyaaa~!


    The shrill scream of a woman filled the forest and startled the birds as they flew away in a hurry.


    Sol''s eyes shone with stars as he stood up in an instant, ¡°We can discuss thister. No one does a thing. Medea, I am talking to you. No spell, no swords, or shadow. Nothing! I will take care of it this time.¡±


    Sol could smell it. The smell of a true adventure finally waved at him.


    For the first time in his life, he would be able to y the role of a knight saving the beauty in distress.


    ------


    (AN: Sorry, guys. This is thest chapter of the month. But I promise everything will be back to normal on June. Once again sorry for everything. I hope to see all of you guys back soon.)


    [1]: For those who forgot, reread the first Elves¡¯ special chapter.


    (AN: In short, Persephone is my Unohana. Only those who read or watched Bleach Thousand Year Blood War will understand. Jokes aside, I hope you liked Persephone¡¯s backstory.)

 Chapter 471 CH 432: CLUE

    Sol moved fast covering hundreds of meters in an instant despite wearing a supposedly heavy armor.


    While he might be interested in ying around, he would never do so at the expense of someone else''s life who wasn''t an enemy.


    It didn''t take long for him to reach the ce where the scream came from.


    Once there he could finally hear the source of the previous scream.


    It was a woman, a beast woman to be exact, wearing a brown robe and a pair of sses. She had two rather cute roon ears and equally brown hair.


    Currently, she was sitting on her ass and making herself as small as possible while four adventurers were facing what looked like a group of orcs.


    The fight seemed to be going against them as the orcs were to his surprise, wearing something akin to armor and had weapons that, at first nce seemed quite well crafted.


    ''Hum¡­Did I see those guys somewhere?''


    He tilted his head in confusion at the sensation of deja vu but decided that now it was time to focus on the rescue.


    ¡ª-


    The four adventurers were facing the current horde of enemies with difficulty.


    "Fuck. It will be a simple mission you said. We can just rx a little, you said. So why the fuck are facing a group of armored orcs!?"


    "Youngss, if you have the time to scream then you have time to kill. Stabs those bastards."


    The dwarf shouted as he smashed one of the orcs with his hammer. But he could only frown at the sensation. It felt like all the strength he had gathered was being countered by their shields and armor.


    The small amount of damage they received was immediately healed thanks to their natural regeneration.


    ¡®Just from where the fuck do those bastardse from?¡¯


    Orcs in general were a pain to deal with exactly because of their superior healing ability and their higher strength. They were one of the few monster races that were deemed to kill on sight because of how destructive they could be.


    But this went beyond everything he knew. Those armors even had a few runes etched on them.


    The mission should have been a simple one. Escort, a merchant was bringing supplies to knights that were eliminating the bandits and thening back. Nothing more, nothing less.


    Sadly, hazardous situations like this were things that happened sometime.


    ¡°Guys, prepare for the retreat.¡±


    He judged that the situation could not be helped anymore. They had no way of winning this without making a sacrifice and he would be damned if he let hispanion die like this.


    The bunny girl gritted her teeth but immediately nodded. She knew that she couldn¡¯t be stubborn in such a situation.


    Now it was important for them to walk away.


    But¡­.Just as they were about to retreat.


    Whoosh!


    The atmosphere changed.


    Be it the four adventurers, the screaming woman, or even all the orcs who were moring in victory, everyone fell silent.


    BOOM!


    The wind stirred as the sound of something breaking the sound wall finally reached them and they watched in surprise and disbelief as someone wearing an ominous ck armor appeared like a ghost in front of them.


    Silence fell.


    Even though he waspletely alone. Even though he did not even show his mana.


    All the people present immediately knew. That this thing was not something they could face.


    The orcs, that were well in the dozens, took a step back in unison, realizing that they were facing an apex predator they should have no chance of winning against.


    But, they remembered that their home had already been destroyed not long ago. They had no other ce to go. This realization gave them the courage theycked.


    Surely, the armor they wore should be able to help them.


    It was with such a thought that one of them rushed at the ck-armored man, their rawr echoing both as a way to instill fear in their enemy and courage in themselves.


    Sadly for them¡­No amount of courage could change the reality that they were about to face.


    Bang!


    The bunny woman grabbed her ears and crouched down at the sharpness of the sound. It was like a cannonball had actually gone off and when she looked at the result, she could see that a huge hole had been formed in the upper body of the orc. The armor protecting it could do nothing to stop the punch.


    Blood and gore sshed all around as the orc slowly looked down at its hollowed body before crumbling down.


    Orcs had high regeneration capacity. This didn¡¯t mean they were immortal.


    ¡°Tch! I didn¡¯t want to kill it.¡±


    She swore she must have misheard the words that came from the armor but she was not given the time to process what was happening. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    What followed was not a fight.


    It was not even a struggle.


    It was nothing more than a pure and absolute massacre in its purest form.


    Wherever he punched, something exploded. Sometimes it was their heads or their torsos. Once he even evaporated the entire upper body of the Orc.


    Fleeing was impossible. Be it the orcs or even the adventurer, they were all frozen in fear as an aura of absolute domination spread from the ck Knight.


    Finally, thest orc''s head crushed between the fingers of the figure and its body fell heavily to the ground.


    The massacre was finished, and one ck knight with shining red eyes covered in blood from head to toe slowly advanced toward them.


    The adventurer clenched their weapon. But they trembled so much they were barely able to even form words. They knew very well that if they were to fight, they would be obliterated even faster than the orcs.


    They stood still as the man went past them and stopped in front of the roon girl, who was their employer.


    ¡°Worry no more. For I have taken care of all that may hurt you.¡±


    He brought his hand toward her, seemingly in a gesture of goodwill. But all that happened was that the girl let out a horrible shriek before her eyes rolled back and she fainted.


    A faint odor spread as a yellow puddle formed beneath her robe.


    A cold wind swept past them as a silence of a very different nature befell in the room.


    Looking down at the fainted girl who had pissed herself in fright at his sight, Sol gave a small depreciated chuckle.


    He realized what he must have looked like to her now. He had be so used to people not even flinching while looking at thousands of corpses and enough blood to fill a river that he had forgotten that for normal people ¡ª This was in no way normal.


    ¡®Let¡¯s forget it.¡¯


    Sol closed his eyes and nodded to himself. He had been hoping to live through a simple and normal adventure. But he realized that such a thing was too removed from his existence.


    ¡°Well. At least it was fun while itsted.¡±


    He put his hand on his helmet and took it off before finally facing the four adventurers who were already kneeling on the ground.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You know me?¡±


    He tilted his head and looked at them once again. The feeling of deja vu is ever stronger. Then looking more attentively at the bunny girl, something clicked in his mind.


    ¡°Ah. I remember now. You were the guys I fought in the arena.¡±


    The dwarf and the other three did not even get mad at the fact that Sol had clearly forgotten their existence.


    If they had any doubts in the past, the previous fight had clearly shown them that they were simply unable to even understand how powerful the prince currently was.


    ¡°What are the four of you doing here? Are you adventurers?¡±


    ¡°We were tasked with escorting thedy to the campground of the ck knights. She is a merchant affiliated with the Traver Family.¡±


    ¡°I see. Very well. Apologize to herter on. I must go.¡±


    Sol turned around. Since he had lost all interest in ying, he had no more interest in them.


    ¡°Your Highness please in an instant. May I have a little bit of your time?¡±


    ¡°Hum?¡±


    Sol turned around and gave a curious look at the dwarf that had gathered the courage to stop him.


    ¡°No need to tremble. I am not a tyrant that will punish my subject just for speaking up. Now talk. What may be the matter.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness. Forgive my impudence but¡­I believe those orcs had a problem.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°As you may have noticed, their armors were different from normal ones. They were more finely crafted and have the ability to absorb a vast majority of the power from physical attack.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I felt nothing of the sort.¡±


    Sol looked at the corpses curiously as he said so which caused the dwarf to cough a little in embarrassment.


    ¡°Forgive me. I believe your might simply highly exceeded the maximum threshold. Which is why it did not impede you. But such armors are rare even for high-ranked knights nowadays.¡±


    Sol''s gaze became sharp. He knew very well that such armor was meaningless against people of his power level. But for weaker people, in a war, for example, this kind of armor could change the flow of the battle.


    ¡°Now that I am able to think and rest. I can say with assurance that those runes are old dwarf runes from before the creation of Greed Dike. Such runes should have vanished.¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes twinkled. It seemed like this adventure fiasco would not end in disappointment after all.


    (AN: Yesterday my second story was rmended in Library for 24h. It seems like ever changing the name or something else was very useful. Either way don''t hesitate to give a looks to it. You can also support my story on Pa treon or Amazon. I started editing Book 2 for amazon which will go from vol 4 to Vol 6 of SHK web novel version. I might introduce some change in this part. Mainly about Gerald and foreshadowing a little better the arrival of the WoF, as well as making Sol a little more important during the fight. I will see. What I am sure of at least is that I will add the illustration in the final version. Normally it should be ready by November. Your support will be very important in making this project alive.)

 Chapter 472 CH 433: STORY OF ALEXANDER

    When Sol heard about those ores wearing long-lost armor created by dwarves, he immediately realized the kind of opportunity he had chanced upon.


    Dwarves were crazy and dastardly midgets who saw money as their only source of life. To them, life and money were deeply intertwined and it was almost indistinguishable. In the past, they had been the most oppressed race in a sense because of their talents and inability to protect themselves but now it was the exact opposite.


    The dwarves were masters of crafting and inventions. Even angels respected them as their technological superiority was mostly based on the unlimited time they had for themselves rather than the unimaginable amount of unadulterated talent that the dwarves possessed.


    For this very reason, they had a near absolute monopoly on the markets and knew how to leverage it to y to their advantage. ying the death merchant every time there was a war. ''Theresa started working on some behind the scenes deals with the dwarves but it will take some time to get through.''


    Just imagining his entire army d in dwarven armor and runes made Sol almost salivate and his eyes zed with even more greed than an old dwarf who was watching a mine of gold in front of him.


    "You. What is your name?"


    The dwarf straightened at the sudden call from Sol. He immediately realized that this was an opportunity that he could not afford to lose.


    "I am Luteam Grimbreaker, Your Highness."


    "Very well. Why don''t you tell me more about this legend of yours? I am quite a bit intrigued, you see..."


    Luteam nodded and spoke carefully, "As Your Highness may already know, we dwarves were enved by many races for our talents in handling metals before the Kingdom era. We still do, but that is a story for another time. This trend was the most prevalent in the era before the seven kingdoms were truly established. One of the Dwarven kings, a Blessed named Alexander The Great, also known as the Stormbreaker led us during our Exodus."


    He momentarily stopped as four ominous women appeared one after another behind Sol before he was even able to sense them. Goosebumps arose throughout his body when he sensed the eerie aura emanating from the women, causing him to sweat profusely.


    "Don''t worry about them. They''re with me."


    Sol gave a nod to hispanions. They were surprised to see that he was not hiding his face anymore but simply listened without making a noise.


    "One of the dwarf encampments was somewhere inside the current territory of Lustburg. As we fled from the Elves, King Alexander and the dwarves created a powerful stronghold that served as a bastion. The fightsted for days on end but the elves were not able to beat us. Ultimately, the Queen fought against our King as he assured our retreat."


    His eyes became slightly bloodshot at the mention of the events after.


    "The king was no match for the powerful Queen. But out of respect, for his outstanding courage, she allowed our escape from thesends."


    Luteam coughed slightly to calm down his strained nerves and continued, "The exact description of the fortress is blurry in my memories, and it is a fact that it was destroyed during the fight between the two rulers. Many of our most powerful runes and blueprints were lost during this era."


    Sol closed his eyes after hearing it all; deep in thought as he reviewed the information given to him by the dwarf named Luteam. He was not even surprised that the Dwarven King then had the name of some historical figure from his world. He was used to such a thing by now.


    What interested him was the armor and the runes that Luteam mentioned of being lost in the annals of time in this very region, "Milia. Why are there no reports about such ores?"


    Milia immediately put a knee on the ground and reported to him in a solemn tone, "I beg your forgiveness for this oversight, Your Highness. No such ore incident had ever appeared before. All the Ores subjugated to this date were mostly weaponless or used crude makeshift weapons."


    ''Hum....''


    "You always overreact. I did not ask you to kneel in front of me."


    He sighed and focused on the matter at hand. Even without opening his Eye of Akasha, he could draw a clear picture.


    Some ores had found the so-called fortress and lived there. Someone or something had disturbed them, causing them to leave that ce.


    His eyes opened and the world changed around him as multiple threads connected him to the entire world and the illusory threads of fate that bound reality became visible to his eyes. He ignored the threat of Invidia, the goddess was inconsequential to his current situation. He started to search for a path, an answer to the current situation.


    He was startled to realize that both Setsuna and... Lilin? Seemed to be tied down to this circumstance.


    ''What is going on?''


    He focused on the feelings, the small instincts, and the answer the world was giving him through his powers. This was an asion for growth. For both of his young lovers.


    For the most idealized path, the most idealized oue, the two of them needed to be included in this adventure.


    His eyes shone. He could see a fight ahead. Something somewhat troublesome but at the same time of no threat to him.


    "Your Highness?"


    "I have decided our course of action. Enough with the ying around. It''s time to explore a dungeon."


    He smiled and gazed at Luteam, "Luteam. I will give you a mission now."


    "I am at yourmand, Your Highness."


    "Take your group and go back to Lustburg."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He condensed a ball of energy and gave it to him, "Show it to the Travers and ask for a meeting with someone named Theresa. They will understand once they see this ball of energy. I want you to show those armors to her and to prepare a n. She will understand what to do next. Will you be able to do it?"


    Luteam hesitated slightly as he looked at the fainted merchant girl, "Your Highness..."


    Sol smiled at this. He liked seeing professionalism. How many people would hesitate in front of such a chance?


    "You can leave one of yourrades to continue guiding her and go by yourself. We will also ensure her safety."


    "Thank you."


    He immediately bowed and stood to speak to hispanion.


    "Everyone, this is the chance of a lifetime. We need to seize it. Candy, you stay here. The two of youe with me."


    "Hey!"


    "Candy, stop. We don''t have time. The client is a woman and you are the only one who can take care of her without causing her any embarrassment."


    There was also the fact that the full party of the prince wasposed of women. Luteam did not say this but he was obviously no fool. No matter how kind and approachable the prince seemed, he didn''t think one should try their chances and cause problems here. Hot-headed as men were, he was not willing to leave anything to chance.


    Candy, the bunny girl, grumbled but nodded in defeat. There was nothing she could say against such an argument. She was also as keen as Luteam and noticed theposition of the prince''s party.


    In adventure terms, such a party was not rare, because of the gender disparity in the poption of Lustburg. But they were absolutely the worst party to work with. As they were full of infighting between the different female members.


    She had even heard of a case where one of the women in such a group poisoned the full team while preparing the meal and kidnapped the man of the group. Those two had long since vanished, never to be seen again.


    She shivered at the thought and decided not to eat anything that was given to her.


    Once Luteam made sure that everything was okay, he went back to Sol to inform him of his decision.


    "Very well. Also..."


    He ced a finger on the head of the dwarf, "With this, no beasts will approach you. Now go."


    The three men left, leaving Sol alone with his group, a fainted woman and a bunny girl looking at them as if they were monsters.


    "There is a stream not far from here. You should take care of her."


    Sol ordered impassively. He didn''t know what that woman was thinking, but she was making a film in her head if she thought he was particrly interested in her.


    There was no way he would ask Milia to clean some unknown woman who had nothing to do with them.


    The only one she could clean was him.


    Furthermore, he had no interest in the bunny girl herself. Most of his maids were of all different races and he obviously had seen a few bunny girls and they were obviously much more beautiful than her.


    ''Later I should go home and have fun with them.''


    Since the life of an adventurer was now officially proven to be obviously not for him, it was better to live the life of a debauched prince.


    This was also pretty chill. No blood, no gore, and only endless sex, love, and money.


    He moved his hands and put the cargo in his dimension. This would make sure they would not spoil.


    "Okay, guys. After thedy wakes up, we will go to Lilin. She will most likely arrive around the same time as we do and we will move towards the final location."


    As always, ns did not match up against reality. But it was fun while itsted.


    Now he had to take his responsibility seriously and make sure they obtained those sweet, oh-so-sweet weapons that would drastically diminish the losses that his army may receive. "Persephone, did you know that Alexander?"


    "Only by name."


    "It''s good enough. Tell me everything you know about him while we prepare."


    He needed to end this fast.

 Chapter 473 CH 434: MOTHER AND DAUGHTER TALK

    The story of Stormbreaker, Alexander, was surprisingly rathermon for his era. He was born as a ve to unknown parents and lived his life as a ve. But in his heart burned the fire of freedom.


    Unlike many Blessed who obtained the status from birth orte in their adulthood, Alexander became Blessed farter in his age. Making him wiser and stronger than most other Blessed.


    "Do you think those blueprints are worth something?"


    This wasn''t some sort of dystopian worlding out of a great destruction that ruined their civilization which made it so people in the past were better in both lifestyle and technological advancement. The simple reason for that was because many of the people from the so-called ''past'' were still alive to this day.


    It was logically impossible that after more than one thousand years of progress, the Dwarves of back then were somehow more advanced than those of today.


    "In terms of talent, I believe he wasn''t inferior to Theresa. Of course, I am talking about them as cksmiths."


    Sol stopped his train of thought and listened to Persephone with interest.


    "He was an epoch changing genius tinkerer and inventor. It''s hard to say if the thing he made back then were of superior quality or not. But losing the blueprints he created with his own hands made the dwarves lose an entire branch of their history and technology. Furthermore, it was said that he had created weapons that were infinitely close to the Divine grand."


    This time, Sol''s interest waspletely taken by those words. His Divine Weapon may not be of the attack type, but it allowed him topletely observe the threads of Fate as if he were the god of this universe.


    He couldn''t even imagine what the other divine weapons would be like but even something close to it would be insane.


    ''If Theresa can get her hands on them then...''


    He chuckled, the simple thought of having a bunch of semi-divine weapons for himself was insane, to say the least.


    ''With this, conquering the world and even fighting the angels wouldn''t be much of a problem... I think.''


    Sol sighed, he had an insight into most countries except the angels. They were the mostplex among all the kingdoms in the Mortal Realm.


    While demons seemed to have devolved and diversified after losing their divine status, it seemed like things were different for angels.


    Even their personal power aside, the arsenal they had at their disposal and their air superiority made it so that entering a war with them would cause innumerable losses to the invading side.


    "Persephone, Medea... I have a sudden question. If Salem went against Slothein, who would win?"


    Persephone shared a nce with Medea before shaking her head, "You can consider the core strength of angels as not inferior to the true divine beasts and that without adding their weapons of mass destruction."


    Medea nodded her head in acknowledgment, "The good thing is, angels are basically the guardians of this world. They will not use any weapons that will endanger the integrity and stability of this realm. So honestly, it can go either way."


    "I see."


    He nodded. He had been ying around till now but things were not as easy as he had thought them to be. ''I need to be a King fast. But the problem is... What should be my name.''


    Sol was facing a problem only a reincarnator like him could face. Unlike the people of this world who simply followed their ways and were bestowed a name that matched them by the world in recognition of their achievements, Sol was actually very well versed in terms of mythology.


    This means that... He had the road wide to train in the best way to obtain the name he wished.


    ''The best name for me would perhaps be Hyperion or any name rted to a sun god??''


    He scratched his head in frustration. Sol had long since realized that he was surrounded by people rted to the myth of the sun gods. Hell, even his name was already that of such a god.


    He could feel it at his fingertips. Like how he could have chosen to create his Domain by following the ughter Intent after his training in Tartarus, Sol was sure that he could obtain his True Name if he so wished at any moment, thereby starting the transition to the King rank like Isis and Nefertiti.


    But...<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''I don''t like it.''


    The name was supposed to be an upgrade of the Zone, thepletion of a path walked for a very long time, the embodiment of all the skills learned.


    This was so for Lilith or all the witches as well as the Dragon Kings he had met in the Dragon territory of the Astral Realm. It was a truth for everyone who walked on the path toward godhood.


    In Sol''s case, Hyperion suited his divine weapon more than it suited him. [l] Hyperion could sec the world. But he could not manipte it.


    Sol felt like if he took this path, all this would ultimately result in just stunting the growth of his own Dimension and Zone.


    ''I should talk to Kali about thister.''


    Standing aside, Milia and the other three stayed silent as they observed Sol enter into deep thought. They knew very well that this was a habit of his when he was dwelling on important matters and they did not wish to affect his train of thoughts no matter what.


    They stayed still, basking in the silence for a while, each thinking about their own set of circumstances. Their silent streak was finally broken when the bunny girl came back with the roon girl in tow. Her face was red and she had changed her clothes to something more suitable to be presented before the Prince of their kingdom.


    "I beg your forgiveness."


    "It matters not."


    Sol knew that if he had been a normal person, he would have also fainted at the disy he had put up before the poor girl. This simply proved further how different his life was currently from the normalcy of the world.


    "Since you are ready, we will directly go to the encampment. Lilith should have reached there by then too."


    Persephone nodded her head and approached the horses, patting them on the head. As she was able to control life and nature, it was notplicated for her to simply empower animals for a short while without endangering their life.


    "Let''s go full throttle toward the destination."


    The chariot moved like a race car. Something iprehensible but still possible for the Prince''s group.


    While Sol was approaching the encampment, the atmosphere at that ce was rather strained.


    The knights all gave a salute of respect upon the arrival of Camelia and Lilith in the encampment. Their backs were ramrod straight and sweat gathered at the corner of their temples from the nerves they were feeling right now. They even gave it their all to not even breathe too loudly. Lest it may disrupt two of the highest-ranking woman in the hierarchy of their Kingdom.


    It didn''t matter to them how much younger Lilith had be right now. There was simply no way to not recognize this sharp sword energy that the greatest sword wielder in existence naturally emanated just from her existence.


    Even though Lilin and Lilith were standing side by side, facing each other, the mother and daughter pair were so alike in appearance that the tension was at an all-time high.


    They felt like they would be immediately cut down if they made even the slightest mistake right now. So, all they could do was pray that they made no such mistake.


    "What bring you here, your majesty?"


    Watching Lilin put one knee down in front of Lilith, all the knights wished they could be anywhere but here.


    They could certainly feel the start of a storm brewing past the horizon. A storm that may devastate the whole encampment at its roots.


    May the goddesses save them all from this cacophony of doom.


    [AN: Hyperion is the god of light or the Sun titan. His name means "Watcher from Above" or "He who is Above," and thanks to his authority, one can say that he is basically able to see everything happening in existence. In some stories, Hyperion had spent so much time watching the movements of people and aspects of the universe that he began to recognize their patterns. So yeah, Sol''s Divine Weapon is kinda based on him.]


    (AN: I am sorry for thete chapter. Kinda reached a small flunk and took my mind off SHK by focusing on MP a little. Some people asked me if I wanted to drop SHK and the answer is hard no. I have been writing this for three years now. Even leaving aside how my reputation would take a hit if I gave up on my first contracted novel, there is no way in hell I am not finishing SHK. I am sorry if I worried you guys. I will make sure to keep a minimum of 5 chapters a week and fight to maintain 7 a week from now on.)

 Chapter 474 CH 435: EVERYONE IS REUNITED

    "What brings you here, Your Majesty?"


    Looking at Lilin going down on one of her knees and giving her a proper salute as she looked at her with a steady and unmoving gaze, Lilith felt like she was hit by a sucker punch deep into her guts. Her reaction was overwhelming and shattered any hopes she had whileing here.


    To be honest, she didn''t know exactly what she had expected when she took this road and decided to have a new discussion with her daughter. She didn''t know what she should have expected when she tried to mend their rtionship like this.


    She had been so much afraid. Afraid of being rejected, insulted, or even mocked by her own flesh and blood. One of the few people left in this world who was more precious to her than anything else. That was the main reason why she kidnapped Camelia.


    A cowardly way to protect her heart from the sense of loss and pain that she knew she would feel while facing her daughter.


    ''Maybe I shouldn''t havee here, after all.''


    She thought as such and nearly took a step back but she could feel Camelia''s fiery aura re up behind her and heard her soft whisper enter her ear.


    [You made mee all the way here against my will. I swear in the name of all the goddesses that I will strike you down if you falter at this moment.]


    There were no sweet words of encouragement but surprisingly, those words were enough for her to calm herself down and get her bearings straight.


    They were in an official setting and in front of the soldiers of the Kingdom.


    Wasn''t it normal for Lilin to show proper respect and keep decorum in such a setting?


    Thinking in such a coping way to calm her aching heart, she calmly nodded at the greetings and looked at all the Knights gathered in this ce.


    "It hade to my attention that the subjugation of the bandits as well as the training of the ck Knight are going rather splendidly. So, I just came here to observe the uracy of those words. It seems that they were indeed urate."


    All the knights puffed out their chests and straightened their backs in pride in lieu of the words Lilith conveyed to them.


    They had slowly started to be more loyal to Lilin, but this didn''t mean that their respect for the royal family simply vanished all of a sudden.


    As a true legend, Lilith was a source of inspiration for all of them and they were happy to be praised by their idol.


    Lilith nodded her head as she looked at the scene. Even though she had not really paid attention to the current political situation of the Kingdom, she knew that war was approaching Lustburg at a ruthless pace and she liked what she was seeing currently.


    Those knights already had a bloody aura worthy of true soldiers surrounding their very beings. They justcked the experience of arge-scale war.


    Experience that they would soon sadly obtain.


    She cleared her throat and looked at the knights that seemed to have stars in their eyes as they gazed at her visage, waiting for her next words with rapt attention.


    "Very well, you all are hereby dismissed. I need to talk alone with-"


    "Your Majesty, if I may, we were just about to capture one of thest bases of the bandits. I believe any discussion can be done after I bring victory for our cause."


    Another heavy silence fell and the knights were lost about what they should do in this situation.


    Lilith was the suprememander of the army. But Lilin was the directmander of their infantry.


    It was for those reasons that it was said that a boat could not have two captains.


    Thankfully, the standoff between them did notst for long.


    Just as it seemed like the tension would explode, both Lilith and Lilin looked in the same direction.


    At first, the soldiers were confused at the sudden shift of their attention, but soon they were also able to hear the galloping sounds of the horses pulling a caravan in the distance.


    "Who is trespassing!? Introduce yourself!"


    One of the knights taking the role of the guard bellowed at the iing caravan, causing it to stop briefly in its tracks.


    One man d in ck armor jumped out of the caravan and came their way with steady steps.


    Anyone else would have been intimated by the presence that the man wielded with his existence alone, but, while the aura Sol passively emanated was dangerous, they had been training for years and had been baptized in blood recently.


    As long as Sol didn''t explicitly try to crush them with his aura. Everything was good.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Taking off his helmet, Sol grinned at the man who stopped him,


    "I am Sol Dragona Luxuria."


    "Forgive me for my conduct."


    The man paled and he immediately went down to his knees in salutation of his lord to which Sol simply waved his hand.


    "You did your job. Why should I be angry?"


    A guard had to act like a guard. It was Sol''s fault for having his helmet on and being unrecognizable.


    He patted him on the back. "Now at ease."


    "Yes, Your Highness!"


    The knights couldn''t believe what they were seeing.


    The entire royal family gathered in one ce.


    This was one of the greatest Taboo in terms of organization for any powerful family.


    After all, if something happened here, there was a high chance that the entire royal family could be lost.


    The only reason they weren''t outright freaking out was that they knew very well that none of the three were people who would care about petty dangers.


    If someone could seriously threaten the three at the same time, it seemed more like the soldiers were the ones that would need protection for a while in this whole mess.


    "Why do you think the three of them are here?"


    One squire asked in quiet whispers, only to be smacked across the back of his head.


    "If you have time to specte then move."


    The knights moved and left the premise as they prepared themselves for the sortie that was toe.


    In the end, now alone, the three groups gazed at each other.


    "Well, I am happy to see you guys are well."


    Sol smiled. He knew that this was going to be a pain. But he needed to act his part.


    "Well, shall we have a little heart-to-heart?"


    He looked at Medea who established arge barrier around them.


    Sol had already given the roon girl and the bunny girl as well as the supplies to the knights.


    He didn''t really care about what would happen. If they were really in need of rations he could simply fly at full speed and recuperate what was needed.


    So now, he had to see if his help was needed for healing the wounded hearts of the two poor young women.


    I wonder if I should take sses in psychology?''


    The topics might be less developed than on Earth, but they could still help him in such cases.


    Adjusting himself, he looked at the mother and daughter pair that were nearly identical in appearance but so different in personality.


    He knew the grievance between them and they had never been truly able to work on it, till now.


    But now it was the asion to start healing the festering wounds of long past and bring an end to the misery that scarred them throughout their lives.


    (ANiTwitch: https://1n.twitch.tv/hikaru_genji9/home would be happy if you guys could follow my twitch channel. My goal is to reach at least 50 followers to be eligible for an affiliate. I would be really happy if you could do this for me.)

 Chapter 475 CH 436: DEATH AND DESTRUCTION

    While Sol and the others were facing a rather ufortable situation, Isis and Sheherazade were having the time of their lives as they walked through the popted streets of the capital of Lustburg.


    "Ohhh. This is so tasty! Are those cakes really made by mortals?"


    Sheherazade seemed to be inplete awe of everything as she looked ready to jump into the cake she was eating and just bathe in it if it was necessary for her to savor more of the cake''s vor.


    Next to her, Isis chuckled as she also savored the vani cake she had received from the shop clerk.


    It wasn''t as if she had never eaten sweets in the Underworld or the Phoenix Realm before. But she had to admit that food was better when it was made by people who actually needed to eat to survive rather than the ones who just baked it to have a taste and then discard the thought of eating that item for a few centuries.


    The cake seemed to just melt in her mouth, giving her a feeling of supreme bliss and joy down to each and every cell of her body.


    "You two look like little kids."


    Even though Isis'' position had yet to be officially announced, all the people in the tower already knew that she was Sol''s contract partner and in a way was his second inmand.


    The only one who would dare to speak to her in such a way was someone who actually had no care for her social position and power.


    "Oh... Kali?"


    Kali the Witch of Destruction, one of the most feared witches in existence and technically the most destructive witch just after Ambrosia, the central direction herself, was walking toward them while holding some kind of list and wearing maid clothes.


    No matter how many times she saw her being like this, Isis could only chuckle in disbelief at the absurdity of the situation. After all, the witches had quite the presence even in the Astral Realm and since Kali was the one who generally hunted down stray witches or the enemies of Salem, many people knew about her and respected her strength.


    That feared existence was acting like a maid for her lover and she did not seem to particrly mind it a single bit.


    "What brought you here?"


    Kali waved the list at her hands, "I was sent to buy some supplies for the food and make a surprise inspection as well."


    All and every supply sent to the castle had to be thoroughly examined in order to make sure that they were fresh, worthy of being eaten by the royal family, and more importantly, free of any and all poison that may be infused into the food to harm the royalty.


    "Well, this is honestly a waste of time. I think only that pesky Dragon King can create a poison that would bring those three monsters down and even that seems doubtful at most."


    Isis could only give a strainedugh at the words Kali muttered. What could she do, she had no words to refute that im of hers. Lilith''s current constitution was so foreign that she doubted any known poison even in the Astral Realm could actually hurt her. Sol could literally invert any such effects that may be inflicted on him so there was no way any kind of debuffs may work on her.


    The only one actually in danger of being poisoned was Lilin. But even that would not be the case once she became a king rank.


    The discussion between the two died off a little. Not really knowing what to say anymore.


    They were not really friends. They were barely even acquaintances.


    Kali had no particr interest in most of Sol''s harem members outside of her own sisters and Isis was not the type to be very proactive when dealing with people.


    More than this, there was another small difference between the two of them. Isis knew that Kali was supposed to gone down the path of bing the Witch of Death but she had failed to reach that goal.


    As the very embodiment of what she failed to attain, Isis feared that her presence would make the crimson witch feel bad and worsen the situation between them so she couldn''t help but remain silent right now.


    Looking at the ck-haired girl fidgeting in her seat and not knowing what to do, Kali chuckled under her breath and looked at her with amusement in her eyes.


    She was not a mind reader but she had enough understanding of people to know why this ck phoenix of death and decay was feeling so ufortable in front of her.


    "Hey. What do you say, I''mma ditch the task for today and we go and have fun?"


    "Ah?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Don''t look so surprised."


    Kali shrugged her shoulders and slightly ruffled her hair, "Look. I made some mistakes not long ago. I was so blinded by my goals that I truly fucked up and put Sol in danger."


    She became a little ufortable even as she uttered those words, as she disliked putting herself in a position of inferiority. But this time it was something that had been entirely her fault and no matter what excuse she used, the reality was what it was. Joining the Wing of Freedom and participating in the maniption of Gerald had not been the proudest moment of her life.


    If Medea and Freya had not intervened, she would have brought even more chaos to the city and while she had been careful to avoid lulling anyone, participating in a terrorist attack made all death her fault as well even if she did not bring the killing blow.


    "Sol had honestly every right to hate the hell out of me. But he gave me a second chance, a small way to redeem myself and I am very grateful to him for that."


    More than anything... Sol had realized the dearest wish of all the witches in existence.


    "He is both a friend and a benefactor for me as well as the entire witch faction. Is it really that weird for me to wish to help his wife integrate a little more with the human kingdom?"


    "Kali..."


    "Also don''t look at me like you owe something. Being unable to be the Witch of Death was quite a blow to me but now I don''t mind it the least bit."


    She grinned as a small light bloomed between her finger. "I may not have be a necromancer but a DPS type mage is just as good, don''t you think so?"


    "DPS? What is that?"


    "...Sigh. Forget it."


    Isis nodded, not trying to dig deeper into her words. She knew that Kali, like her father and Sol were people who were reincarnated individualsing from a different world from who knows where. In the same way as all the reincarnators, her scarlet fiery soul was truly beautiful to observe.


    But she also knew that most of these reincarnators were individuals who did not like talking about their past life. She didn''t really understand why they had to act and hide this kind of secret from the others but she chose to respect their sense of privacy.


    She could understand that it wasn''t something easy to ept for the ones who didn''t have an intricate understanding of life and death like her.


    ''Speaking of that... If I have a child with Sol...''


    She blushed slightly at the thought of siring children with the love of her life but then suddenly paled at the thought of raising someone who already had all their memories from another life.


    ''Would that child even consider me as his or her mother?''


    Now that she thought about it, neither Sol nor her father seemed particrly attached to their respective parents.


    The thought of her own children not even caring about her was quite disheartening.


    "Then Kali... May I ask you a question?"


    "Hmm. Go on."


    "What are reincarnators in your opinion?"


    Isis had to admit that the face Kali made at her sudden question was truly entertaining.


    (AN: A small chapter to take my head out of the family drama and refocus. Also introducing a new rtionship between Kali and Isis. May they be good friends.


    If you can, don''t hesitate to join me on my Twitch channel: I only need 15 more followers. But would be happy to have as many as possible: )

 Chapter 476 CH 437: NEVER LIE AGAIN

    While Isis and Kali were well on their way to deepening their friendship and building a much deeper rtionship between them, Sol and Camelia slowly walked in the vicinity of the woods, sometimes waving at the knights who stood guard as they inspected the surroundings.


    They knew that there were really few chances of anyone attacking them, and with the queen present, any assants would only be seeking death. But it was their duty, and they needed to do a good job. More than anything, they couldn''t just ck off in front of the entire royal family now, could they?


    The silence was starting to weigh on her. So she decided to start with some small talk.


    "Are you sure it''s alright to leave them alone like that?"


    "What do you think? It isn''t like they will start trying to kill each other, right?"


    Sol shrugged at Camelia''s obvious worry and took a deep breath of the fresh air surrounding them, enjoying the slightly chilly feeling lingering in the air. It was the undeniable proof that winter was already looming above their heads.


    Soon it would be time for Christmas, and at the same time, they would go out on an all-out war with Wratharis- the Kingdom of the Beastmen. The timing was truly awkward and harrowing, bringing forth blood and death to the world, but there was no way around that oue.


    Camelia fidgeted on her feet, constantly looking toward Sol while she feigned looking at the surrounding scenery. Now that she was standing next to him like this, she realized once again that he had be far taller than her over the course of his adventures.


    He had be more muscr than she had once remembered him to be, and he definitely looked more mature and confident than before. The definite aura of power and authority that constantly emanated from his existence alone allowed her once again to realize that the small Sol she used to take care of was now no more.


    "This isn''t like you. Usually, don''t you always try to take care of the problem before it can fester?"


    Sol smiled under his breath at Camelia''s words. "This isn''t a problem that I can just intervene in. All I can do is give my utmost support to the two and make sure that everything is alright. I can only hope that they sort it out between them."


    Sol knew that he couldn''t have the answer to everything, and a mother and daughter rtionship as awkward as the one Lilith and Lilin had was something he definitely had no say in. In this situation, all he could do was keep his mouth tightly sealed and act as support for them rather than meddle unnecessarily and cause even more problems to arise between them. He was sure that anything he would do in this situation would just further widen the rift that had formed between the mother and daughter pair.


    "Lilin has many deeply rooted issues about her identity, and learning that she was some kind of experiment forced on her mother didn''t really make things any better for her. So, it is quite understandable why she is behaving as she is. It is childish but, in the end, justified..."


    "As for Lilith, she is, even now, dealing with the weight of 18 years of neglect and let''s say technically bad parenting on her side, and she doesn''t know how to amend for her sins."


    Lilith had indeed done her duty as a mother. She had given her daughter the weapons she needed to be strong and survive through this cruel and unfair world. She had given Lilin food, shelter, and never physically abused her in any sense, outside of training, of course. Any and all abuse she may have put her through was actually for her growth.


    All her life, Lilin had never been wanting, never had to suffer hunger, and was respected by everyone for her position as the Queen''s only daughter. Her position gave her influence, money, and all the means necessary for her to lead a sessful life. This was already more than what many parents could ever hope to provide to their children in their entire lifetimes.


    But parenting was never about just responding to the basic physical needs of your children, and Lilith failed on that regard royally. Was Lilith a bad parent? Was Lilin a spoiled child who should learn to be happy for the small blessings she received in having a parent that didn''t mistreat her? Questions without any definite answers. They were never meant to be Yes or No answers in the first ce. The world didn''t work that way.


    The situation they were facing was severelyplicated, never one that was fully white or fully ck. The world was dyed in shades of gray, and this issue between the mother and daughter pair was one such gray hue amongst countless others.


    "Rather than speaking about them, I think it''s time that we talk about ourselves. What do you say?"


    Camelia took a deep breath and closed her eyes when she felt Sol''s hand tuck one strand of her hair behind her ear, after which he gently cupped her face with said hand.


    "How is your health, my dear Camelia?"


    Before Sol left for the Astral Realm, Camelia''s health had been negatively affected because of all the rituals she had done and the fact that Nihil had broken down her shield.


    Camelia hesitated before shrugging and responding to his question, "I am getting better. The biggest problem was the bacsh that I received from Nihil''s attack, but my body is healing and returning to its optimal condition."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Good."


    He smiled and kissed her forehead, causing Camelia''s cheeks to be dyed in a slight shade of rosy pink.


    "What gives?"


    Sol''s brows rose at that question, "Do I need a reason to give you a kiss?"


    She shook her head hurriedly, like a child caught doing something bad and denying the me, "Of course not. I just thought you were still mad at me."


    "I was. Even though it was for my own good, you lied to me many times, and this seriously affected my confidence in you and your words."


    The words "It was for you" sound beautiful and all, but what this ultimately boils down to is "I know better than you do, so shut up and listen to what I say." This is nothing more than putting yourself in a position of superiority and deeming the one you were trying to protect as too immature and weak that they needed your absolute protection.


    "The reason I never really totally got angry was because I understood that I indeed didn''t have the experience nor power necessary for you to not think about that option. I am simply not worthy to be angry with you for what you did."


    Before awakening, Sol had honestly taken his life to be an easygoing ride. It wasn''t as if he didn''t train or study. But he never truly grasped what his situation in the world was. Never once did he really pay attention to all the potential dangers surrounding him.


    He was like an eagle raised in a golden cage by very caring owners, who wished all the best in the world for him. But the ce of an eagle was in the sky as a predator, not a pet.


    "Camelia, I love you, and I know you would give your soul for me. This is why I am willing to give you as many chances as you need."


    He smiled, but the smile didn''t really reach his eyes fully, "But while my love for you is eternal, my trust is unfortunately limited. As such... Never lie to me, ever again."


    There was an edge to his smile, and Camelia could understand the reason behind it. No matter how much Sol loved her, if there was no more trust, she would feel like she was being killed by their rtionship-quite literally too, in fact. This was a reality she refused to live in.


    "So, no more secrets?"


    Her voice held a certain meaning, and Sol understood that she was talking about his soul and the reason why all the souls of the previous kings were so different.


    Sol closed his eyes. Truth be told, there was no reason to hide his identity at this point. Ambrosia knew. Kali knew. Even Isis knew. The same went for Tiamat and all the Divine Beasts. This also included Nent and Nefertiti, as well as Kiyohime. In short, only the mortal women in his harem were unaware of his true identity.


    This was pretty unjust and a circumstance he needed to work on in order to truly be in a rtionship where there were no more lies between all of them. No more veil that shrouded all of them, only endless love and devotion that connected them to him, and in turn to each other as well.


    In the end, he just nodded his head in acknowledgement of what he truly wanted to do now.


    "When we go back home, I will call everyone and tell them my tale."


    It would be time for him to give his deepest and, at the same time, most worthless secret away to everyone he held dear to his heart.


    (AN: Sol''s identity at this point is the kind of open secret 80% of the cast know but act like they don''t because they don''t want to make things awkward. But Sol isn''t the focus currently. Let''s end this volume in a st.)

 Chapter 477 CH 438: TALK (1)

    Alone inside the tent, the situation between the mother and daughter pair - Lilith and Lilin - was quite tense, to say the least. If not for Lilith''s younger appearance, this situation wasn''t really out of the norm for the mother-and-daughter duo. Their rtionship was the very definition of being on edge.


    At the moment, Lilith was not the supreme warrior she usually presented herself to be to the outside world. She was not acting like the bubbly new persona she had adopted for herself either. Right now, all she was, was a worried mother who did not know what to speak to her one and only child.


    Thest conversation the two of them had in the past had not ended on a good note and she recognized how selfish she had been toward her. Now that she thought about it, was there ever a time that the conversation between them had ended on a good note? She could not find any, which showed her failure as a parent. Deeply focused on the ghost of the past as she had been, she had not even taken a moment out of her time to properly think how her actions would make her daughter feel. And she was extremely regretful for that behavior of hers.


    "Lilin...


    ?Lilin sighed after hearing her mother speak her name in such a weak voice. She was most definitely feeling as ufortable as her mother did right now. Her goal had never been to make her mother lower herself so much in front of her. She took no pleasure in this situation and only had a greater feeling of alienation mixed with self-reproach for her current actions. Things could not go on like this.


    If one were to ask her to be reasonable when answering if she had an unhappy childhood, the answer she could give was neither yes nor no. There were simply too many contradictory elements mixed into her upbringing that she could not give a simple and straightforward answer to that question. She had everything one could ever hope to have but without Sol in her life, her mentality would have been much darker and more destructive and toxic due to theck of affection and recognition she had been subjected to by her mother.


    "How are you feeling, Mom?"


    Lilith was very much surprised at the sudden show of care she perceived in her tone as she uttered the word ''Mom.'' She could not help but leap at the bone that had been thrown toward her like a starving dog, hungering for food for days.


    "I am alright. More than alright even..."


    As a demigod, her lifespan was now almost infinite. At the very least, there was yet to be a demigod who died from age in her knowledge. This was very different from her declining lifespan.


    "I need to adjust a little and soon I will have to sleep for some time to create my territory. But this is now just a question of time before Iplete my ascension. What about you?"


    "I am doing alright, I guess..."


    Lilin stopped speaking after that, at least for some time she did not speak any other word. But then she realized that her words could not really lead to a discussion between them, something that she had nned to aplish here, so she sighed and tried to speak further...


    "We basically finished dealing with all the bandits in the area. The ones who hadmitted unforgivable crimes were immediately executed on the spot. The vast majority were just farmers who resorted to thievery in order to feed themselves at least the bare minimum to survive. When it came to them, we just locked them up in the prison of a county not far from here. What we do with them will ultimately depend on Sol."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Lilin was clear about her position in Lustburg. She was just a princess. And just being a princess granted no tangible authority to her. To be granted authority, she needed to prove herself, and this incident was her asion to finally show her prowess and receive an official position in the army and the government. Because of that, she had been very careful about her actions and made sure that while everything wasn''t perfect, it was still up to a certain standard that could be deemed perfect nheless. The fact that she was starting to build her own faction was just the icing on the cake.


    "I know thatpared to you I stillck talent but..."


    She simply sighed and shook her head to banish that negative trail of thoughts from her mind, "It doesn''t matter. Not anymore..."


    If Sol had to live all his life with the stigma of being called ''The son of the Hero King,'' then she had to live her life with the stigma of being ''The daughter of the Sword Saint.'' Both of them had simr fates and the burden of endless expectations lodged on their shoulders since their birth. But unlike Sol, who was able to cast off the shadow of his father, or should she say their father(?), she was unable to walk away from the shadow of her mother. And that haunted her endlessly, even to this day.


    Lilith awakened at 15, walked on the battlefield by the age of 16, became renowned at 17, and became a King ranked being when she was around 19 or 20 years old. This was a road of power that few people could ever hope to walk. Even the almighty Hero King only became a King ranked at the end of his 18th year in this world, just as he was about to turn 19. Compared to that... She was only a Duke at 18 years of age. Sol was already close in power level to a King-ranked being and he was 3 years younger than her. It seemed that in this family, she was the one who had been bestowed with the worst talent in these few generations.


    Lilin knew that she was perhaps exaggerating. Objectively speaking, her talents and power were higher than 99% of all humans. She was in the top 1% of all of humanity and even in the Mortal Realm as a whole, her position was at the top of the food chain. But this was never enough for her. Why would someone who saw the stars care about the pebbles on the ground? Being in the top 1% was not enough. She washed to be in the top 0.1%. The realm of true monsters that would shake the world with their mere name alone.


    "Lilin. You should not be in so much of a hurry. I believe you have great potential in you and when you master your subi powers, you will be even more dangerous. I believe in your talent, my child."


    Lilin could do nothing but give a bitter smile at that remark, "I think I would have been far happier if you told me this kind of thing 3 or so years ago."


    Lilith''s smile slowly slipped off and the pair of mother and daughter gazed at each other silently. There was much in the gaze of her daughter, so much that Lilith could say nothing to her. If at least there had also been anger, Lilith could have tried to argue and plead her case. At least say something other than being silent. But she found nothing, no emotions in her gaze for her, and this... made things all the more difficult for her.


    The easiest thing now should be to just give up. As she always did. She had no need to fight so much, after all. She could just close her eyes and walk her own way and lead her own life. But Lilith refused to take the easy path. She had already chosen the easy way for the past 18 years. Now it was time to walk the hard road of redemption.


    (AN: Do you think I am making this a bit too heavy? I don''t know. I want them to be easily happy again, but I don''t think this is the kind of thing you justugh about and shake hands and everything is alright. You don''t heal nearly 20 years of trauma with just one conversation and some sweet words. It''s a slow process. I really hope I am not making this too boring.)


    (EN: Well, it is indeed boring. There''s nothing to say about that, but there''s always meaning in everything. Making it gradual and boring would make all of it meaningful and real. Just fixing everything on a chapter would just be making it far too unrealistic. You can''t fix a wounded heart so easily. It takes time for one to ept, forgive, and forget and then learn to care and love.)

 Chapter 478 CH 439: TALK (2)

    After taking a deep breath, Lilith exhaled the air out of her lungs. Her eyes gained a new resolve as she finally came to a decision.


    "I am sorry."


    "Mom...!"


    Lilith ignored the expression of surprise etched on her daughter''s face, "I have already apologized many times during ourst discussion on the tower after I told you the truth of your origin."


    Lilith closed her eyes and leaked a rueful sigh, "All I ever wanted was your good. All I ever wished was for you to grow strong and survive in this world alone, without needing anyone''s help. I wanted to prepare you for the time I would not be there to protect you anymore.


    "When I realized that I didn''t have much time left to live, I was happy to know that you hated and despised me. I thought that my death would be less heavy for you if you were to hate and despise me like that. Rather than pain, you would only feel relief by my disappearance from this world. I couldn''t hope for a better oue for my child."


    She leaked another sigh, "I am sorry. I was stupid. I was blinded by my nihilistic emotions and only thought about things from my perspective. I said that I was making things easier for you, but in reality, I was the one taking the easy path out because I did not think I could be a good and loving mother to you, my child."


    "Mom..."


    "I am sorry. When Neptune gave me the opportunity to have a child, I jumped at it with little to no hesitation whatsoever. You were... are my responsibility. You never asked to be born in this cruel world, and since I wished for you toe into this world, it was my duty to raise and bring you up with as much love as possible."


    Tears fell from her eyes again, but Lilith wiped those tears away roughly, without letting them fall from her face, "Thest time I made the discussion between us all about me, even though it should have been about you. I am happy and proud of the woman you have be, even though I was not the best in guiding you.


    "You are not a monster. You were not unwanted, and you are definitely anything but untalented."


    Her hair fluttered slightly as she spoke those words to her, and her voice was a little bit hoarse. If possible, she wanted to even kneel and beg her for forgiveness. But she knew that such a disy would only be an insidious way of pressuring her daughter to ept her whims.


    "I am sorry for all the pain I caused. I regret it so much, and I wish I could change everything. But... I cannot, and hundreds of thousands of apologies would not change the pain I have inflicted on you, my child."


    This was the simple reality of their current situation. Talking was cheap. A perpetrator could easily apologize, but whether the apology would be epted or not depended on the victim.


    "The mistakes Imitted are things that will haunt the two of us for a long time. I do not ask you to forgive me now. I would even ept it if you never forgave me. This is your right, after all. But please... I beg you... Just give me a second chance."


    This time she could only lower her head to the ground, not being able to face her daughter anymore. Her frazzled hair covered her face entirely, and her fists were tightly clenched as they nestled on herp.


    "I... If you really decide that you are much better without me, I swear to never bother you ever again."


    She would only stay away and take care of her from far away. Protecting her was the only thing she could not let go of.


    "If you decide to forgive me, to give me a second chance, I swear to give my all in not making you regret that decision. I would do anything for you to forgive me."


    "Anything?"


    Lilith looked at her daughter at those words, but Lilin simply looked away, not daring to look at her mother''s messy visage, "When you say anything. Would you give up on your life?"


    "I cannot. This life does not belong to me alone anymore."


    Lilith gave a sad smile, "Be it you, Sol, Isis, and all the witches. This life was brought about by taking too many gambles. I can never give up on it, ever again. Doing so would be an insult to each and every one of you."


    Even though her eyes were still red, and she even sniffled slightly every now and then, the strength and conviction in her eyes as she delivered those words were unmistakable.


    Lilith did not fear death. Never did and never will. She once sought death and even epted it with open arms.


    But now... She could not die. If she thought before that her life was worthless, the life she had now was the result of the effort of too many people.


    Lilin nodded her head and spoke, "Of course, asking you to die would be too much for me. If it''s so... Then what about your sword? Would you give up on your sword?"


    This time silence fell in the room.


    Lilith looked once again at her daughter, and all she could see was dead seriousness.


    She opened her mouth before biting down her words. She felt like thorns were tearing apart her throat, making her unable to speak.


    The sword... In a way, this could be said to be even more important for Lilith than her own life. The path of the sword was one of the first things that truly belonged to her in this world. Her love for the sword was simply indescribable. It transcended mere emotions and had be a part of her existence already.


    Could she give up on it? Could she really swear to never hold onto it?


    Lilith closed her eyes painfully, but in the end, simply released a sigh, "I will."


    She loved the sword. This was her path, the one thing that had illuminated her life for a long time.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But... Lilith remembered the moment when the true light of her life entered her life. She remembered the feeling of joy and fullness she felt as she gave birth to the beautiful girl in front of her.


    Lilin may not technically be her daughter. She was more a clone of her than anything else. But how did it even matter to her?


    She had her in her stomach and gave birth to her after many struggles. She brought her up and watched her grow all the way to her current state.


    She was far from a perfect mother. She made many mistakes. Some were worse than others. While some were so horrible that she was not even able to reminisce about them without feeling suffocated in her heart.


    Lilith was her daughter. This was a simple and absolute fact she would never budge on.


    She loved the sword... But she loved her daughter even more. She was the reason for her existence, in a way...


    A gentle smile graced her lips, and the tension in her shoulders seemed to have vanishedpletely once she came to that realization.


    "I will."


    The same exact two words had been delivered as a few moments ago, but the feeling behind those words waspletely different than before.


    There was no reluctance in her eyes. No longing, and Lilin could see this clearer than anyone else.


    Lilin just bowed her head, never having felt so ashamed when she realized the significance of what she had asked from her mother. And the shame she felt only intensified when she realized that Lilith was ready to give up one of the most precious things in her life... only for her...


    "I need to get some air."


    She stood up, ready to flee again as overwhelmed as she was by the emotion,


    But she soon stopped after taking a few steps.


    Her back was now facing Lilith, who remained still and unmoving in her seat.


    Lilin thought about the future. If she fled at this very moment, things would be no different from how they unfolded during theirst discussion at the tower.


    Whether she epted to have a better rtionship with Lilith or not. She had to make things clear as procrastination would only bring more sadness to both of their lives. She had to make a decision right now...


    "I really don''t know what I think about you, Mom..."


    This was why she decided to speak. She was feeling confused about what to feel for her mother...


    For Lilin, her mother was both an object of immense respect and worship and also an object of unequivocal fear and hatred.


    "I am sorry for asking you to give up on your sword like that. I shouldn''t have done that..."


    She had gone too far and actedpletely entitled by asking her mother to do such a thing. She did not wish to make Lilith feel even more miserable than what she was feeling right now. She took no pleasure in seeing her mother suffer, no matter how much hate she felt for her.


    "Do you..." She hesitated slightly before muttering in a soft tone, "Do you really think the two of us can have a normal rtionship?"


    Was it even possible for the two of them to go back to being normal mother and daughter? After more than 18 years of negligence and misunderstandings?


    Lilith felt her heart skip a beat at her question. She knew that this was a chance for her. Maybe, the final chance for her to resolve their rtionship. She hurriedly stood up and talked to Lilin''s back.


    "I don''t know. I really don''t know. Perhaps even if I try being a caring mother, I will fail miserably. But... I will still do my best. I will put in every bit of effort I can muster to make things work between us..."


    "I see..."


    Lilin nodded and started leaving the tent, causing Lilith to look down dejectedly.


    "Tomorrow... Could you please teach me your new sword style then?"


    Lilith looked up; her eyes widening in surprise and almost shouted her next words, but she was able to keep it in somehow, "Yes!"


    Lilin had already left, but Lilith knew that her words had been heard.


    Her heart swelled with happiness as she sat back, almost not being able to believe that this was the undeniable reality.


    In the end, all she could do was bow down and tear up slightly as both relief and happiness filled her heart.

 Chapter 479 CH 440: FRIENDS

    Setsuna/Lilin


    After leaving her tent, Lilin felt like her head was boiling. Ideas and thoughts conflicted in her mind as she walked ahead, filling as she could barely see her surroundings.


    She could hear people saluting her but she had no time to salute back and could only grind her teeth.


    Lilin was angry.


    Angry at the childish and hurtful words she had said to her mother. For all Lilith had not been the perfect mother. She had never intentionally abused her emotionally or physically.


    She was also angry at the fact that she had not been able to tell what she really wanted to say.


    Rather than threatening and provoking her mothers, she would have hoped to have a warm wee.


    But...All her life, she had never been taught how to show affection effectively to Lilith. The small moments others took for granted were things she had no knowledge of.


    ''Argil. What the hell.''


    She felt like crouching down and crying. But at the very least she had been able to take one small step toward mending their rtionship.


    She stopped when she reached ake.


    "Who?"


    She immediately put a hand at her hip, only to realize her sword was not there. She had been in so much hurry to leave that she had forgotten it.


    "You got sloppy."


    Lilin ''s hair frizzled as an electric charge went through her spine.


    She yelped and moved away only to see a thinly smiling Setsuna with sparks of electricity between her fingers.


    "Firstly. This hurt and secondly. I have no reason to not be sloppy. If anyone can infiltrate this ce with all those kings rank present then having a sword wouldn''t be different."


    "Oh? You seem quite prickly, princess?"


    Setsuna chuckled as she patted Lilin on the back and walked up to a rock and took ce on it.


    Lilin looked at the back of her friend and rival and jumped as well.


    The two sat quietly, gazing at the pristine blueke. Each of them was thinking deeply about their situation. But they took sce in being next to each other.


    "So, even if you were deep in thought, you should have felt my presence. What made you so upset?"


    The first one to break the silence was Setsuna. Lilin closed her mouth for a moment. She took a small rock and threw it on theke, watching it skip a few times before finally plunging.


    "I had a discussion with my mother."


    "Ah..."


    "Indeed. Ah."


    Lilin shrugged and started exining what had happened and how she acted. When she ended, she sighed and stretched a little before lying down. Looking at the blue sky devoid of clouds and the few birds flying around brought a certain peace in her disturbed heart.


    Sitting next to her, Setsuna mused a little before also taking a rock and throwing it. Making sure that it had more skip than the one Lilin threw.


    "I envy you."


    "What..."


    Setsuna did not look at Lilin and simply gazed at theke with empty eyes, "Your family is graced with loyal people. Your mother gave you the best teaching, you are the only princess of Lustburg and Sol is your family."


    "More than anything...They are very much alive."


    Her voice became low as she took another rock, "I remember my father. He was a kind but strong man. The perfect Alpha for the pack. He passed many importantws that helped in making my country a better one. My mother was a kind woman. She was quite withdrawn but she was respected by many. I loved them and saw them as the sky. They were everything to me-"


    " -Then they were murdered by my uncle."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Her grip tightened and she reduced the rock in her hand into powder.


    "My parents were killed by my uncles before I was even ten. My retainers died one after another as they fought to give me a chance to escape. In one night, I went from being the princess of the nation to being nothing but a famished kid fearing for her life."


    "You know the rest of life after I came to Lustburg."


    Setsuna dusted her hand and sighed, "Look, I am not telling this to say your pain is worthless or that you are spoiled. What I want you to understand is that in this world, nothing is eternal. The thing you take for granted can vanish in an instant when you least expect it."


    A gentle smile formed on her face and she turned to look at Lilin,


    "Let me tell you this as someone who lost everything - Cherish all you have. Because you never know when you will lose it. Be happy that you have a mother you can fight with because many don''t. Finally...if you really wish to forgive her, then don''t hesitate. Because if you do...You might regret it forever."


    A sad smile formed on her lips. How many times had she woken up, wishing that it was all nothing but a nightmare?


    How many times she thought...I wish I could have said I loved them more often. I wish I had been a better daughter.


    Her parents sometimes scolded her in the past. But it was only after growing up that she realized how blissful it was to have someone who cared enough about you to take the time to scold you.


    "Then again, your rtionship with the Queen is filled with many secrets and pain and lie. It''s normal to find it hard to connect with her. Normal to want tosh out. Why do you need to act mature? Your parents and lover are the only ones you can afford to act immaturely with."


    She stood up and patted her butt, "Lilin, don''t hesitate. Don''t make it so you will end up thinking I wish I could have done this. Do it. You are lucky enough that Lilith is willing to recognize her error and try to mend your rtionship. But this works both way."


    Lilin looked silently at Setsuna and asked quietly,


    "Do you miss them?"


    "Every day of my life."


    Lilin nodded and stood up and stretched her hand to Setsuna, "Then you need to be stronger. Won''t it feel great if you can give a punch to that Uncle of yours?"


    "Oh trust me, I am thinking of giving him way worse than just a punch."


    The two friends gazed silently at each other. There was no need for more words between them.


    Lilin''s anger faded and she could feel her mind be clearer. Indeed, rather than dwelling on the mistakes of the past, it was better to focus on the future.


    She did not know whether or not she would either be able to mend the fence with Lilithpletely.


    But just training with a sword wasn''t enough. She wanted that, at the very end of this, whether this ended in failure or sess, she could say proudly that she had done her best.


    "Also, you know you sounded like Sol, earlier?"


    Setsuna chortled, "I guess his preachy way rubbed off me a little."


    The two smiled at each other and started walking back.


    Lilin wasn''t the only one who had managed to make her mind clearer, after this small discussion.


    Setsuna had been walking a fog between decision and indecision. But now, she finally remembered one of the goals that had led her through her life and the reason she had wanted to be stronger.


    The sword?


    Focusing on elements?


    She had no attachment to either of those. She had never pursued power for the sake of power. Nor for the beauty of it. She was not one to focus on aesthetics. She wanted power for the sake of two simple goals.


    Protecting Sol.


    Avenging her parents.


    Setsuna could not feel it, but in the depth of her Mindscape, a gate started to form. What it would look like at the end was left to be seen.


    (AN: So, I am falling deeper into Social Media loi. Even created a Tiktok. I made a small video with a few illustrations of SIIK.. The goal is to eventually use this for my future stories and promote like Midnight Prince SHK and new stories. Honestly, I suck. Yesterday was my first time trying. Didn''t even have a Tiktok until then. For those who don''t like Tiktok, I posted the same video on Youtube. .


    I don''t know how useful all this will be. But as long as it brings one more reader it''s a win. So it''s good.)

 Chapter 480 CH 441: CHASING TREASURE

    Later into the afternoon of that day, in the main tent, that was initially designed to amodate Lilin as she was themander of this battalion of ck Knights, the full group reunited for the first time.


    Sol was surprised to see that the atmosphere, unlike the one in the morning, was far more light-hearted and easygoing than before. It seemed that, like how he was able to deal with some of the shadows and stains that had marred the rtionship between him and Camelia, the mother-and-daughter pair had also been able to manage to begin the process of mending their broken and tattered rtionship.


    He realized that he had really taken the right choice in not intervening in this case. For all he liked to portray himself as strong and dependable, Sol knew that he was no sage nor a miracle worker who was able to instantly do anything he wished. He knew for a fact that he did not have the answers to all the questions that the others may have and he was even more certain that he did not have the best solution to mend some cases. Cases like the one that gued Lilin and Lilith.


    Rather than rashly butting in between them, it was better for him to watch from afar and make sure to take care of the broken pieces with all he could if things were to go south.


    "Lilin, we didn''t really have much time to speak til now. How is the subjugation process going?"


    "Very well, I would say. I think after this, there will be no advent of any bandits or bandit groups in the immediate surroundings for a long time."


    "That''s perfect. With this done, one of our goals of bringing better security to the capital and the revitalization of themerce industry will finally be aplished. Things are bound to get extremelyplicated during the war so it''s better for us to take care of this problem right now."


    "Yes. Though we were only able to manage in mending the areas around the capital and a few viges in the surroundings but nothing more than that. I am sure that the borders are infested with these hooligans and criminals."


    He shrugged his shoulders in response to thest part of her statement, "The royal family doesn''t have to take care of everything. Since those nobles have power over those zones, they will just have to clean those ces up by themselves... Milia?"


    "Yes, Your Highness?"


    "Note this statement and prepare an edict. I want a few of your shadows to follow the messengers we will select. Camelia, ideally speaking, I also want to take a few of your nuns and pdins for this mission. They will have to move through all of Lustburg so it won''t be an easy task and so I need dedicated personnel."


    Thankfully, they had a few teleportation gate masters who were able to transport them to key locations but those people were always priority targets in times of war.


    Sol did not wish to lose such rare talents so they had no choice but to slow down their activities during this period of time.


    Thankfully, the war should notst too long but it was always better to be ready for any variables. Milia nodded silently to his words. The Crown''s Shadow had grown quite a bit thanks to the influx of new recruits and better training resources that Sol had delegated to them.


    Some of the new recruits were sadly still a bit too inexperienced so this was the perfect situation to train them and build up some crucial experience for themselves.


    "Of course, you can deploy the pdins as much as you wish. I will give you full authority in that case and even order the White Knight to listen to you." Camelia spoke without hesitation at Sol''s demand. She was all too eager to please him in as many ways as possible; especially so due to the friction that had been going on in their rtionship in these times. Even though they had mended the holes in their rtionship, she still wanted to do more for him so that he will be pleased with her.


    She was always eager for his affection.


    The White Knight was the most powerful knight inside the church and a crucial force of the Holy faction. He was a pdin who was very talented for a human and even had a rare ice elemental spirit as his contract. Though, it seemed like that spirit was quite a bit prickly and even had the form of a penguin for some odd reason.


    Either way, having them under hismand would still be incredible for his current ns. Despite all his power, Sol was still unable to cover the entirety of all the battlefronts at the same time. He wasn''t able to move his most powerful pieces- the King rank beings and above either but that wasn''t really much of a problem in this case.


    "Setsuna... Lilin... Will the two of you follow me to the front?"


    He looked at his twopanions and after sharing a subtle conversation with each other through their eyes, both of them nodded their heads and readily agreed to follow him. However, there was still something that he needed to make clear to them and this was a good time as any.


    "Setsuna, I wish for you and Lilin to take care of a battlefront each. However, I have to regretfully inform you that you both are still too weak for that task. With your current strengths, you won''t be able to smoothly fulfill my wishes..."


    Setsuna was a Storm Wolf and a very powerful fighter to boot. Even a human at the Duke level would have a very hard time dealing with her and would even get defeated by her if they were to be careless.


    However, the problem here was that they were not really fighting humans here. They were now fighting against beasts, demihumans like her. If Setsuna went on and tried to control the battlefield with her current level of strength, then the only oue that would be waiting for her was a surefire road to death. There was no other way around it as she was one of the prime targets in this war. She was the only wolf alive that had the right to fight against the king''s legitimacy to the throne.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "We decided to have a fight in a few days, right? I will bepletely honest with you here... If after this fight you are unable to be a Duke, I will directly sign the contract with you. The boost that you would receive from signing the contract with me should be enough to directly elevate you to the Duke level."


    His voice was calm and serene, without a hint of fluctuation, as he ryed the reality of her current situation to the Storm Wolf. "The only reason I am stopping myself from signing the contract now is because I know it might break your pride if you reach the Duke level thanks to me."


    All the women around him, from the weakest to the strongest, had a certain mixture of dependency on him when it came to their emotional well-being.


    But when it came to their respective powers and might, they were extremely independent. They were all proud of the power they had and wished in no way for him to coddle them or protect them like damsels in distress or some sheltered princesses. This was another part about them that he found extremely charming.


    From the Duke level to the higher levels, the mindset yed a role far more important than even bloodlines and other broken supplements that each individual had with them.


    Sol knew very well that if Setsuna became a Duke thanks to him when Lilin had managed to do so on her own, it would forever break the self-esteem of his beautiful wolf knight of his and she might be forever unable to advance further in her journey of power.


    This ultimatum was, in the end, just a way to spur her on but from the fire in her eyes, he knew that he didn''t need to worry much about her. She was already finding her own way to reaching her goals. All she needed was a small nudge in the right direction. Something that would help her in breaking the shackles tying her down and he knew exactly where he could find that nudge.


    "I will summarize the current situation and new goals for us. Lilith,ter, we will have a conversation about why kidnapping the Supreme daughter is not a good idea, but for now, I want you to take back control of the army for thest onught against the bandits. Milia, I want you to go back home with Camelia and prepare for the war. Also, visit Theresa and make sure those adventurers gave her the message. If they did, reward them appropriately. We might even hire that dwarf as a cksmith if he has the talent for it."


    He slowly tapped his finger on the table, "Medea and Persephone, please go talk to Ambrosia. Persephone has tested the ring already, and we have proven its authenticity. It''s time for me to talk to that witch council of yours and forge a new rtionship between Salem and Lustburg."


    Persephone smiled. The verification had been a very enjoyable process for her. "Mother has been even more impatient than you. What do you think? You will be the first man to ever step inside Salem. How are you feeling about that?"


    She chuckled, "Imagine an entire country full of only women who are extremely thankful to you for giving them the ability to be with the people they love. I wonder how they will reward you for that?"


    If Sol''s brain was aputer, it would have shown a short circuit and an Error.ex message right about now after hearing her words.


    Just imagining an entire country full of very beautiful and very, very thirsty women jumping at him made him gulp. This might perhaps be the highest orgy ever recorded in the history of orgies.


    ''Begone evil thoughts.''


    He shook his head and red at the slyly smiling woman with clear irritation in his eyes.


    "Stop teasing Sol. This might very well happen at this rate."


    Medea had nothing against sharing him, but still, sharing her lover with the entirety of the witches was a little too much even for her.


    She sighed and nodded her head, "We will prepare. Honestly, the council will be even more excited than you think they will."


    "Wonderful." Once he was done giving them the instructions, Sol finally focused on Lilith and Setsuna.


    "As for you two..."


    He paused and gave them a smile, "Are you interested in treasure hunting?"


    He didn''t know what would happen, but something was telling him that at the end of this adventure, both Setsuna and Lilin wille out aspletely different beings. It was a gut feeling.


    He couldn''t help but wait to see their transformations.

 Chapter 481 CH 442: I WANT TO PUNCH HIM

    The night was covering the world, a feeble light from stars illuminated the horizon even as the false light of the moon helped give a more open view. For most creatures, this moment of the night was a territory too strange for them. It was a domain only a few entered and thrived in. Darkness was the source of many fears after all.


    In the forest where the wilderness took back its right, and was moving around as some predator chased after their prey, a crunch resonated, the step of someone stepping on a broken branch. Thanks to the previously silent atmosphere, this simple sound was almost deafening. All the predators turned in unison, and then, as if they had all decided at the same time, began to scamper and flee from the zone, eager to vanish as fast as possible.


    "Sol, you should learn how to move in the darkness."


    "I do know how it. But moving into the forest is different. I feel like there is some branch wherever I walk."


    "He is right, Setsuna. Do you really expect him to be able to master such a skill suddenly?"


    "Once again I can, I just don''t really see the necessity. I can smash anyone without having to hide and those who can smash me would still be able to find me easily."


    "Basic knowledge should be mandatory. You never know when it can be useful."


    "Hum true."


    Sol, Setsuna, and Lilin were walking together calmly in the forest. The night was the time when the beasts became the most active as they searched for food and could unleash their full power. But Those same beasts could only stay in silence and hide as deeply as possible in front of the overwhelming power those three were showing off. There was no pride left and no desire to even try topete for they knew they would be crushed.


    "So, now Sol, what is the goal exactly?"


    Currently, Sol was wearing simple leather pants and a shirt. It was simple to move in and at least resistant enough to not tear to shred at the slightest movement. He had given up on the armor. It wasn''t particrly hard for him to use but he realized that he worked around with speed and while he didn''t mind a slow and careful fight, this wouldn''t do in the long run.


    It was even more since that armor was actually weaker than his own body once he transformed. This made us once again understand why Dragons were not particrly interested in armor as it gave no protection to them. The same went for armor and weapons in general.


    Only a renowned cksmith could even try to create something like this, and even with the right material, the chances of failure were extremely high.


    In his opinion, the only mortal with skill enough to be distinguished was none other than the dwarf, Theresa. Though for clothes he could also try to have contact with Mris. She had been talented enough to receive a weapon from the goddesses themselves.


    ''Hehe, once the blueprint is ready perhaps I Will find a better weapon?''


    He was quite happy with his current divine weapon, but sometimes having something simpler and straightforward was also good. He didn''t care what weapon it was.


    "Well, Like I said we are chasing after a treasure. Though we might face some small difficulties."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What do you mean by small difficulties?"


    "I honestly don''t know. I just know that the two of you need to be there and that this would help you grow. I imagine there will perhaps be some legendary weapon, or perhaps something different. I don''t have a perfect reading on this matter."


    Setsuna shared a nce with Lilin, "And the reason you should go alone is..."


    "We can''t always have the adult with us, right? Don''t you think it would be interesting? An adventure of our own. Just the three of us. Though it will be quite short."


    Lilin gave a smile and nodded, "I always wanted to adventure with you. I regret not taking you with me when I left."


    "Heh. If the prince suddenly vanished people would riot. But yeah, it would have been interesting."


    Setsuna meanwhile clenched her fist, "Is this why you gave me an ultimatum?"


    She could guess that Sol had a reason to impose such a clear time limit. She did not fear this as she was sure that she would find her way. Her hesitation and self-doubt mostly died and now she believed that she could walk forward without looking behind.


    "Fate is telling me that this is the best opportunity you will get. I will be candid. While I do not think that whatever is about to happen will be threatening physically, I do not know what will happen mentally. So you still have a choice. You can choose to go down or stay."


    Setsuna did not cower under his gaze, "You seem to have forgotten but not long ago I was more or less your teacher."


    Sol smiled, "Indeed you were and I learned much under you. This is why I believe in you. There is no way that someone who was my teacher will be unable to break through her limit without outside help. So stay strong and fight. The two of us are waiting for you on the other end."


    He held his fist and only after Setsuna fist-bumped in return did he start to walk away. Lilin, who had stayed silent through all of this, finally asked the question she had always been dying to ask since leaving the camp.


    "So...Where do we go exactly?"


    Sol gave a confident smile and ced his hands on his hips before letting out a loudugh. Theughsted for quite some time before he finally stopped and grinned.


    "I do not know. He spoke with absolute assurance and confidence. Almost as if he was even proud.


    Looking at him speechlessly, Setsuna, for the first time in her life, started to wonder if she should just hit him a little bit. Just a little.

 Chapter 482 CH 443: OMNI

    Sitting quietly on the ground with his legs closed, Sol closed his eyes as he began to visualize the threads of fate once again.When one thought about it, it was rather ironic that for all his discussion about facing and rejecting Fate, following Fate became one of his greatest powers.But Sol was not dejected by this irony. He knew very well that once he reached the demigod level properly, he would not just be following Fate. He wouldpletely control it and have it bend to his whim.For the meantime, he was observing all the threads that would guide him toward victory. The threads were not physical in the truest way but much like a GPS, in a way, the threads could guide him toward the right road.Much like a yes and no question or a guide buzzing whenever you took the wrong direction.


    Thump - Thump - Thump


    Slowly, ever slowly, his heartbeat started to slow down. The sounds of the world started to slowly quieten, and in the end, only absolute silence greeted him.He was deeper into a domain where nothing but him and Fate existed. Millions of threads were tied down to him in the most intrinsic way.Humans affected the world simply by existing, and the higher a human stood in society, the more influence he had and the more change he could bring.Sol was not only one of the most powerful beings in the mortal realm currently, but he was also the King of one of thergest nations, with millions of inhabitants under his control.In the same way, any of his choices and actions could affect the entire world and even the astral realm.


    The threads that he could perceive were startlingly numerous, but he ignored them all, focusing on the more immediate problem-such as finding the way to this so-called treasure.


    Step


    He started walking, in this world filled with darkness and shining threads of all colors, he took a few careful steps, guiding him toward the path he wished to thread on and the goal he wished to grasp.


    Focus.


    The millions of threads started to vanish. One after another, filtering out the most useless ones.


    Focus.


    Slowly, all the thin threads were weeded out, and only a few were left, and he instinctively knew that those were the ones he was searching for.


    "I got you."


    Bringing his hand forward, he grabbed the thread, only to finally notice a few more threads entangled with it.


    "Hmm..."


    He could see Setsuna and Lilin''s threads. But there were two more crimson threads entangled with the treasure he was seeking and also entangled with both Setsuna and Lilin.


    "Oh?"


    In this ce, Sol felt nearly omnipotent.


    "Should I kill them?"


    He thought, and in the void, a pair of scissors appeared. He knew that it would be slightlyplicated, but if he so wished, he could bring death directly to those two.


    From the aura those threads were showing, they were nothing more than Duke-level enemies. Something that he could entirely andpletely crush.


    The distance was meaningless as they were in the same ne. Even if he couldn''t kill them, he could surely give them a serious blow and incapacitate thempletely.


    "Ugh..."


    He stopped himself. Even though he had the vision of being all-powerful, he was, in fact, not.


    Giving a strike-through Karma and fate to kill enemies that were technically at the same level of existence as him would most likely incapacitate him. It was useless to take such a risk for two beings he could crush the moment he faced them directly.


    "Setsuna and Lilin will have to face a trial."


    Sol thought indifferently. He could feel his emotions slowly draining. The longer he stayed in this ce, the more the feeling of being a different entity-a superior entity-floated in his mind.


    He felt detached, as if he was looking at something that did not matter to him and was in no way rted to him.


    "This is dangerous."


    He had not felt it when he was using the divinity. It seemed like this ce was not somewhere he should stay long at his current level if he did not want to be assimted.


    It was a cold ce with no feeling. A ce that judged and establishedw with no care for right and wrong but only efficiency. Like a cold Bnce that thrived to keep the equilibrium of the world.


    "I wonder... Did someone create this system?"


    What was Fate exactly in the first ce? Who decided to create this system? What brought the creation of the universe?


    Sol tilted his head and looked up. So many secrets. So many things to search and understand.


    "I wille back."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Sol knew that he had reached his limit and was about to bepletely eroded. As such, he took a step back and exhaled heavily.


    It was time to go back to the real world.


    "Sol?"


    "Hmm..."


    "Where should we go?"


    Sol smiled as he continued to walk with his twopanions. He already knew the answer, but he was in no hurry.


    Either way, any treasure that was present would not leave. If it was the wing of freedom, then he just had to take his time and let them do all the work beforeing at them.


    "I wonder what members it is."


    He honestly didn''t care, even if it was a king level. He was sure that he could trade blows with one before being forced to flee. The sooner they worked on this and took out those pests, the better it would be.


    Sol could feel that they were like a cancer, and if those bastards went crazy and started attacking the mortal world like crazy dogs, then the amount of damage they would make before being down for the count was not something he wished to see.


    Thinking like this, he chuckled and continued to tease his twopanions. Soon, it would be time to fight.


    A few hundred kilometers away from Sol and the two others, deep in the entrails of the earth, a blue wolf tore apart three golems with her ws and fangs.


    Not far from her, the young-looking dwarf kept firing bullets at anything that went past her. In the end, after a long fight, they finished destroying everything.


    "This is taking longer than we anticipated."


    "Fuck, I know it, okay? How would I have known that traps that were created almost a thousand years ago would still work? I am not a seer, okay?"


    Acth seethed quietly. This fight hadn''t made his wounds any lighter, and this was starting to piss him off.


    They had entered this dungeon thinking that it would be easy, and at first, it was. They only had to drive out a colony of stupid ores and continue going down.


    But each floor had an absurd increase in difficulty, and now they were facing golems that had the power and speed of an average Duke.


    The only reason they even managed to win unscathed was that Neun was quite powerful herself and had be even stronger recently. But at this rate, it would be hard.


    He could already imagine that they might face top-level dukes deeper in. This made him understand now how his ancestor managed to face the elves back then. This was indeed a top-level defense.


    "Hahaha. With all of this, surely the treasure will be equally good, right?"


    He was excited like never before about the possible reward that woulde.


    "Still, I didn''t know you guys could change into full wolves."


    He looked at his bestialpanion with wonder. For all they were called beasts, war beasts, or beast-men, they only had some animal traits even when they entered their berserk mode.


    It was the first time for him to see a true full transformation. In this form, Neun looked like a giant wolf and was quite threatening.


    "We normally can''t. I just managed to reach deeper than many."


    This was the power she had witnessed when her king fought the usurper, and now she once again felt like she was closer to this ideal.


    Soon, just a little more, and she might be able to be a King.


    Then...


    Divine punishment or not, she would enact her vengeance.


    No matter the cost. Even if it was her own soul.

 Chapter 483 CH 444: SURPRISE

    In the end, the other traps were no match for them. After all, those golems may have physical strength and speed matching a Duke. But without an actual Zone, they were nothing more than slightly stronger units.


    Reinforcement/dding/Intent/Zone.


    The golemcked absolutely all the essential steps that could make one grow stronger even while fighting. Only by relying on their sturdy material could they match a Duke.


    ''This is absolutely fucking nut.''


    Acht marveled every time he saw one of those Golem. Those could only be considered as masterpieces.


    How did they find such material and work with it? What about the artificial intelligence that was implemented?


    "Hahaha. I have been underestimating the old dwarves too much. It seems like they followed a branch of machinery that focused more on those golems."


    The only race he had seen focus on artificial intelligence until now were angels. How could he ever think that his ancestors were so ingenious even one thousand years ago?


    Finally, they reached thest room. Both Neun and Acht were unscathed but they were still a little tired.


    After all, they have been fighting non-stop for a while. It was worth noting that while a few golems had statsparable to Duke, the majority were far inferior.


    Even then, by making use of the sturdiness of their bodies they could tank many hits.


    "What is this material?"


    "Orichalcum."


    This was a metal that was extremely conductive of magic. It was extremely rare even in the Astral realm and it could be used to exponentially increase a strike from the one holding it. It could also passively absorb mana from the surrounding and convert it into energy.


    "Hahahah. Holy Shit. We struck rich!"


    Acht looked at the metal that served as the ''heart'' of those golems andpared it to the one from his memory. This metal was extremely rare even in the Astral realm. It wasn''t something anyone could acquire.


    ''So this is the secret of this facility. If all the golem have a heart made from this then magic reserve would never be a problem.''


    This ''heart'' was in function no different from the core of a divine beast. Albeit at an incredibly lower level.


    The one who created this clearly took inspiration from them and created something simr. If this concept was applied to the whole fortress, this would mean that they had essentially created an eternal and perpetual functioning dungeon.


    As long as Mana existed, the golem would self-repair and take care of the dungeon and the dungeon would extract the energy necessary.


    He also understood now why there were so many colonies of ore and other magical beasts. As they all released mana unconsciously this mana would also be absorbed and used to sustain the dungeon.


    This would pause no arm to the inhabitant and would assure a perfect continuity.


    ''This is revolutionary. With something like this as the base, it wouldn''t be impossible to even reach the angels in technology if it had been continued.''


    As a scientist and researcher, he felt pain in his gut just thinking about how this lost technology had been gathering dust here for thousands of years.


    It was his duty to restore this legacy.


    Of course, if he got something on the way then it was a bonus.


    "Well, let''s face thest room and see what it has to offer."


    All of this was good. But it could only benefit a civilization. What he needed was something that could increase his own power.


    cing his hand on the door handle, he slowly pushed the door open.


    But it was then....<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Ugh!"


    Both Neun and Acht groaned when they felt something akin to a scythe coiling right around their neck.


    Even though they could not


    see the source of this power, they could feel it perfectly well.


    Someone was warning them to not move. Someone was telling them that they would die if they took one more step forward.


    ''What is this pressure!?''


    Acht could not believe this. He was a powerful Duke and while he might be quite cowardly at him, he had faced the full brunt of the aura of many other Dukes and even King.


    But this had never caused him such dread. It was as if there was absolutely no way for him to win or even escape.


    Neun was not feeling any better. But she was truly a warrior. Her hand slowly reached for her de. But she stopped when she felt the pressure on her suddenly double.


    "Show yourself!"


    *Step*


    The sound of footsteps reached them. Slow, measured, and steady. Those were the steps of someone confident in his or her own strength. Who did not even try to hide?


    "My, oh my. I have been wondering who we would find in this ce. But I would have never thought that this would be you two."


    Acht turned around and looked at the source of the pressure that had been pushing them down.


    Golden hair, blue eyes, and a still somewhat young appearance. On his clothes was the crest of a snake eating its own tail and a phoenix.


    There was no doubt about this. There was only one person who matched all this. In fact, they remembered his face clearly even if they didn''t want to.


    The Prince and future king of Luxuria.


    The Sole ruler of Humanity.


    Sol Dragona Luxuria.


    ''We are fucked.''


    Acht could only feel despair and feel his heart sink at this situation. There was no solution.


    He knew very well that the reason their boss was down from the count was because of the boy in front of them.


    Even if he had ''cheated'' and used some external source of power, this did not diminish his aplishment.


    "Fancy meeting you here. Why don''t we have a friendly chat?"


    Acht gulped. He had the deep impression that this chat would in no way be very friendly.


    But what else could he say?


    "We are more than happy to listen."


    Not like they had a choice.

 Chapter 484 CH 445: SHORT FIGHT

    Sol chuckled at the look of pure and unadulterated fear the dwarf was giving off in each and every one of his actions. It was hrious to imagine that these two beings were the ones who actively participated in the chaos that had wrought unimaginable destruction and unrest in the capital of his very own kingdom not long ago and that he had a hard time fighting even against one of their weakest members back then.


    Now, deleting these people would only amount to an afterthought for him. But this wasn''t why he was here right now. He could now understand why Fate showed him that this would be an important milestone for both Setsuna and Lilin.


    Acht was the one who fought against Lilin and Nuwa back then. Despite their best efforts, the fight merely ended up in something that could neither be called a loss nor a victory- a draw of sorts, in the end. But, all things considered, they would have died if Camelia hadn''t activated the barrier back then so it could only be counted as a loss on their part.


    Meanwhile, the blue wolf that was looking at him with wariness but still a desire to fight seemed to be Setsuna''s instructor and guardian in the past. During that night, Setsuna had been absolutely bested on all levels by her teacher.


    He wondered what would be the result now.


    "Before we start, why don''t we finish some things first."


    Sol pointed at the door and, walking past them, he entered thest andrgest room of the dwarvenbyrinth. It was a wonder how something like this could exist so far underground. The room felt more like a giant stadium with even the ceiling being several meters above their head.


    But in the end, all eyes could only lock at the end of the room, which was the most eye-catching spot in the room as well.


    A colossus, a giant golem that seemed to be more than 6 meters tall in height was standing there... immobile. It had apletely humanoid shape though from the proportions they were able to see it seemed more akin to a dwarven robot than your typical human. It made sense since the inventor of this robot was a dwarf, after all. Every creator would always try to make their best creation in their own image.


    [Beep! Detecting challengers]


    A red light shed from the depths of the immobile machine and the dwarven golem churned to life with radio noises and a warning delivered in the most mechanical of tones. Rumble-!


    The ground started to shake as the golem stood up from its previous position and Sol was forced to look up even more to be able to take in the full majesty of this gargantuan creation of steel and magic.


    [Beep! Combat mode activated!]


    "Hahaha."


    Ignoring the two members of the Wings of Freedom, Sol strode forward with arge smile on his face.


    Robots and cars were a man''s romance and this was really something Sol never thought he would see in this medieval world; far away from the civilization of the modern world.


    ''The Dwarf King of that period should be a Reincarnator or at the very least, rted to one.''


    [Beep! Challenger, do you want the treasure of our King? He hides it somewhere here. I congratte you foring this far.]


    ''One Pie...? Yep definitely a Reincarnator.''


    There was no other way to exin all of this and the cringy dialogue that was added at the end. But all of that did not matter to him right now. He could just slowly learn everything about this new senior of hister on.


    What mattered now though was rather simple and straightforward,


    "Let''s warm up a little, shall we?"


    Sol took off his shirt, exposing his chiseled muscture, and rushed in toward the giant golem. He did not fill his body with Mana. But simply went at it with no protection at all... bareback was how you do it when you were a real man.


    It was a fight of epic proportion for the onlookers, but for him, it was nothing more than a way to waste his time pummelling mediocre opponents in the Mortal Realm. He would simply use this opportunity to channel his raw and animalistic passion and use the robot as a recipient for all of that energy and frustration he had stored during the days of his governance.


    BOOM-!


    Acht''s eye twitched slightly when he felt the giant shockwave born from the prince receiving the full brunt of a hit of that Golem with its giant hammer.


    The Golem was showing a power far superior to all the previous creations they had facedbined. This was without a doubt an aura that was close to what a top-level Duke should be capable of. As if that wasn''t enough, it seemed that, unlike the earlier ones, this one waspletely able to manipte and use Mana at will to the dding part at the very least. Even though itcked a domain, this simple fact made the golem innumerable times stronger than any other creation of this realm.


    Acht knew one thing though... If he had faced this golem, even with his full power, the only result would have been an embarrassing defeat or even possible death.


    But...


    "What the fuck?"


    "Hahahah!! Hit me more! You are barely tickling me!"


    "What the hell I am looking at?"


    "More! More! Don''t disappoint me!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Acht could scarcely believe the fight that was preceding in front of him. In fact, could this even be called a fight?


    The hammer''s swings were mighty, and the power packed in the hulking frame of the robot was immense and unfathomable.


    Crack-


    The hammer began to crack. "Fuck."


    Acht cursed again in a low voice. At the sight of the hammer slowly breaking down each time it hit the prince''s body.


    Even though the hammer was probably made from Adamantium and Orichalcum as well as other precious and sturdy metals, it seemed like it was unable to go through the perverse defense of this prince.


    The boy was not even using mana, this was the result of the pure reaction force the hammer had to support each time it hit against the sturdy body of the boy.


    ''Just how strong is his body?''


    If he had any idea about fleeing while the prince was busy, now all those ideas had vanished from his mind altogether.


    ''Still, why is it another battle freak?''


    The way the prince wasughing and even holding back in order to better enjoy the fight made him think of Zwei- that crazy Oni.


    He didn''t know where she was currently but he was sure that only chaos followed this woman wherever she went.


    A few minutester, as well as many, many explosions in between, Acht and Neun approached the wreckage of what had once been a mighty golem.


    Sitting on the pile of scrapes was none other than the prince who was showing a disappointed look on his immacte face.


    "I should have been more careful with my punches."


    Sol ignored them as he looked at the robot before finally sighing, This had been quite an enjoyable fight. Without a doubt, he would ask Theresa to help him restore it. Perhaps even add things like transformation mode or super beam. He didn''t know if it was possible but it was worth trying.


    "Well. Now that I had my moment of fun, I believe it''s time to have a discussion with you two."


    He finally looked down at the two of them. From their perspective, all they could see was a cold and menacing gaze that seemed to have absolutely no regard for even their existence.


    "I will be honest. I simply wanna kill you now and be done with it or torture you guys to wash the affront you caused to my Kingdom. But as a magnanimous King, I will give you two a choice."


    He lifted a finger and arge insidious smile filled his face,


    "One. Each of you will fight someone that I will designate to you. If you win, then I will just imprison you. There will be no torture involved. I promise this on my name and title as the future king of Lustburg."


    He then lifted another finger,


    "Or two... Die right here and now. Either way, I have a necromancer in my group. So we can ask any questions we have directly to your soul."


    Acht clicked his tongue. He did not bother asking stupid questions like, why should we trust you? The situation was clear for all to see and in reality, there was no other way.


    "I ept."


    Sol shrugged and looked at the blue wolf, "What about you?"


    Neun, unlike Acht, was not intimidated. She did not fear death. Never did, never will.


    "Who will I fight and why? I would rather die than be a source of your entertainment."


    "You will fight Setsuna and serve as her stepping stone."


    The blue wolf closed her eyes before going to the ground on one knee and bowing to Setsuna while speaking in a clear and concise tone. "I ept." Her life belonged to her king and her princess. Her goal may have changed, but this reality would never change.


    (AN: Man, rereading this chap, I realize my mind must have been wandering somewhere pretty unholy. Haha. Anyways arc approaching itsst leg. Hadn''t been easy honestly, but let''s see it to the end. Hopefully, it will make everything better.)

 Chapter 485 CH 446: REVENGE MATCH (L)

    The order Sol gave to them was clear and concise. They had to fight the opponents designated to them to survive and avoid the worst possible oue- annihtion.


    What Acht could not understand though was... why?


    Why not simply crush them here and now when he had the chance? Why not simply use his overwhelming power to make them do even the most heinous things imaginable and bring them endless suffering for what they did to him and his Kingdom?


    Weren''t they his enemies? Acht was sure that if he caught someone he considered an enemy like this, he would make sure to make him or her suffer the worst possible consequence as he looked on with glee at their sufferings.


    But gazing into Sol''s eyes, he was startled to realize that he could see no happiness in having caught them in this ce and at such an opportune moment. He saw no joy in the prospect of torturing them and honestly, there was barely even the hint of any emotions that could be seen in those cold, indifferent, and unfeeling eyes of his.


    "Why don''t you hate us?"


    The question spilled out of his mouth without him meaning to and he couldn''t help but instantly regret that action...


    Why did he have to open hisrge mouth and say stupid things like that? Wouldn''t it be simpler for them to take care of this situation as was ordered by the prince and just walk away when they fulfilled his conditions? Why the fuck did he do that?


    "Why?"


    Acht shuddered when he felt Sol''s gaze settle on his body. There was still no hostility in his gaze. Only honest confusion before those blue eyes were filled with a look of faint mockery.


    "Not only did you do nothing to me... But why would I hate inconsequential people such as you? Feeling hatred toward people beneath me is just a waste of time. Don''t you think so, puny dwarf?"


    Acht gasped slightly before gritting his teeth in anger and frustration. He wanted to mock the prince for his arrogance but realized that they were indeedpletely helpless in front of him right now...


    "Do not take this personally. I just need the two of you to be good stepping stones for my two beautifulpanions. You should know them already by the way. Setsuna and Lilin." Acht''s wounds throbbed at the mention of that ursed name. He still vividly remembered the fight he had with that crazy young woman.


    The fight had been in his favor from start to finish. But in the middle, because he underestimated just how much damage that snake girl could take and how fierce the secret skills of the girl called Lilin was, he nearly got offed in just one strike from her sword.


    Even then, this attack was still haunting his body and soul and giving him sustained damage throughout.


    "During the fight, every hit is permitted. You can even go for the kill if you like. In fact, I will be sorely disappointed if you two hold back for one reason or another."


    He turned his gaze over to Neun and spoke, "Thest time you saw Setsuna, the two of you had a very interesting discussion, right? I am sure she will have an answer for you now."


    A chuckle escaped his lips as he gazed at them with mirth and amusement evident in his eyes, "Now go up, meet them outside, and fight. If you survive this fight, my promise will still stand."


    He waved his hands as if he was chasing away buzzing flies. Acht bristled slightly at this treatment but there was nothing he could do against that as he was simply too weak to even hold a candle in front of the prince.


    Neun showed no particr reaction to his demeaning actions. In the first ce, she did not care about humiliation whatsoever. She wouldn''t have bothered living such a shameful life in the enemy camp if she had any regard for humiliation. At this moment, she was simply thinking about what she would do once she stood in front of the princess once again.


    Theirst meeting had not ended on a good note and she was still determined to follow her in her own way.


    In the end, she could only walk out alongside Acht, leaving Sol alone in the main room.


    Sol stood up and looked at the horizon, his eyes shimmered as the strings of fate once again appeared in front of him. He could see them moving, intertwining, and resulting in different oues that spiraled into endless possibilities.


    ''This feeling is quite euphoric, huh...''


    He could now understand why Skuld liked to be so mysterious about everything. There was a certain feeling about being able to ''see'' and manipte the future that could never be exined in mere words.


    Be it during his fight against Nihil and Surtr or the way he orchestrated the final events that led to Lilith''s evolution, Sol felt like the entire universe was in some ways moving and responding to his every whim.


    He was like a movie director, deciding the script in advance and choosing the actors to y the roles as he watched from the sides.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Or like an author, writing a story and moving every event as he wished and controlling everything as his heart desired.


    The more he did so, the more he felt like he could hear the echoes of his name slowly rising up and settling in the distance.


    He looked up... A new y was about to end and he had the most intimate intuition that by making onest y, he would finally be able to find what his True Name was. And doing so... would allow him to really step foot in the realm of the King.


    ''I think the War will be the best stage for me to finally be a King.''


    This would be thergest stage created by his own means and bringing few of the strongest beings in this mortal world.


    Perhaps the ultimate y before the full conquest of this realm. This was indeed the perfect stage for him to breakthrough.


    Heughed and jumped off the humongous pile of scrap that was the robot from before.


    It was time to find this so-called treasure.


    If it was some BS feeling of friendship he swore he would raze this ce to the ground.


    Meanwhile, when Acht and Neun finally walked out of the dungeon and stepped into the forest once again, they were greeted by two women waiting for them.


    One was a young blue-haired young girl with wolf hair and a tail. The other was a purple-haired young girl with a pair of horns sticking out of her head that gave her an eerie charm. Setsuna and Lilin.


    The two had stoic expressions stered on their faces, even as they looked at their foes. They perfectly remember the feeling of humiliation and depression that haunted them after they woke up at the hospital; defeated by the pair of enemies that they now had to face once more.


    Be it Setsuna or Lilin, they had both sworn that they would one day avenge this humiliating defeat.


    It seemed like this day had finallye for them.


    "Princess."


    cing her hand on her sword, Setsuna stood up from her sitting position on her knees and started to walk away.


    "Let''s find some space to duke it out."


    She was focused, her eyes betrayed no emotion other than a desire for growth and victory.


    Neun bowed lightly to Setsuna''s fading back and started to follow her in silence, leaving Acht and Lilin alone.


    Silence settled between the two remaining individuals as even the sound of their steps could not be heard resounding in the distance.


    Acht wondered what would be his chances of survival if he simply surrendered now. But he could feel that this would not end well for him.


    ''Very well. Do you think I only like being yed around?''


    He took out pills and started chewing on them. It was something Drei had made long before leaving. It could temporarily alleviate the pain and let him use his full power.


    "Shall we dance?"


    Light flickered and two guns appeared in his hand.


    To those words, Lilin scoffed, "The only man I will ever dance with is Sol."

 Chapter 486 CH 447: REVENGE MATCH (2)

    "Now now, youngdy. I see that you have grown quite a bit in the time that we haven''t seen each other. But by how much though? This time you won''t have a meat shield to protect you, right? I wonder just how long you will be able tost without that partner of yours."


    The wind stirred as the two Dukes stood face to face with each other, eyes emitting murderous desire for each other''s lives. Acht hid the uneasiness in his heart by acting in the best way he knew.


    Acting cocky as fuck.


    Even though he was mocking her openly, his eyes were analyzing every movement of his opponent. He remarked quite distinctively how she had essentially erased the distance between the two of them and nearly taken him out in one sh thest time they had collided.


    Tension ran through the depth of his eyes as he carefully analyzed his opponent. His weapons had gone through aplete overhaul as Nihil had shared some of the technology she remembered from her time as an angel with him. The results were more than satisfactory and the power behind each shot had been amplified by a great magnitude. They were far more potent than ever.


    Lilin, meanwhile, was more than a little nonchnt. She remembered her defeat even though she had been fighting with Nuwa as a support. She had been bested by her opponent in the end and nearly died if not for the intervention of her mother.


    Many times after the defeat she had gritted her teeth even as she swung her sword, ready to avenge this humiliation. Many times the dreams of the defeat and it haunted her soul and made her feel a ruthless sense of anger surge within herself.


    But now that she stood in front of Acht once again, she realized one thing.


    "I will win."


    Of that, she had no doubt. This was an absolute reality. She didn''t just have the confidence that she would win. She was absolutely andpletely certain that this battle would only end in her victory over her foe.


    Her hand around her sheath tightened and she slowly flicked the handle with her thumb.


    Waiting in silence, unmoving, she gazed at her opponent. Like a silent wall ready to stand forever without moving, her aura and her stance were unwavering and unparalleled.


    Mana started gushing from them, causing the ground to start shaking slightly and the wind around them to move faster and more violently than ever before.


    In the end, the first one to crack under the pressure and make the first move was none other than Acht himself.


    Bang'' Bang''


    Two bullets were shot at lightning-fast speed but Lilin reacted even before the sound of the shots reached her ears as though she had already predicted their trajectory even before they left the barrel.


    The moment Acht pressed the trigger, she was already two steps closer to him and avoided the bullets with just a simple movement of her head.


    Her purple eyes shone and shed eerily for a brief moment as she watched Acht also move two steps backward along with her; clearly intent on keeping a certain distance between the two of them.


    ''Does he remember the distance I had traveled during the previous confrontation?''


    If that was to be the case then it was quite impressive. Even she did not remember exactly how much and how far she could travel back then.


    "Hehe littledy, isn''t this nostalgic? Back then as well, you showed your reach too easily, denoting yourck of experience from the start."


    Acht chuckled, even though the girl had clearly grown, it had not even been two full months since they attacked Lustburg.


    It was one thing for the prince to grow so much since he went to the Astral Realm. But this was clearly impossible for anyone else to reproduce such a feat even more if they remained in the Mortal Realm and didn''t have abundant time to grow.


    The fight between them started in earnest as Acht ced different runes and talismans on his equipment that allowed him to move slightly faster and deeper into the depths of the forest. This was the best ce for a sniper like him and he nned to make full use of that advantage with no hesitation whatsoever.


    Even as he moved he would make sure to shoot regrly at Lilin to keep her in check but he knew that such a thing would not seed, in the end.


    As he thought, ng'' ng'' ng'', the sound of bullets facing the metal edge of her swords filled his ears again and again.


    It looked as if, no matter how much he shot at her, she would parry and even slice through all of his attacks. Furthermore, she was also refusing to move from the ce she had been standing since the start.


    Running like never before, Acht finally managed to hide far into the forest, behind the thick ravine of trees and bushes.


    Slowly steadying his heartbeat, he made sure to not breathe or make any sound, lest he would be found out by his opponent.


    ''She is definitely stronger and calmer than in the past. This is an admirable growth, but that wouldn''t be enough to defeat me.''


    He briefly debated trying to flee now. But even at this moment, he could feel the aura of the prince somewhere out there. It seemed like he was still present and observing them.


    ''Ugh...''


    Putting his back against the tree, Acht caressed the ring on his finger and nine rifles with intricate designs appeared floating in the air.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Those were the same rifles he had used back then but far more destructive. One st should be enough to wipe out a part of this forest. The only drawback was that the durability waspromised.


    But honestly, this was the least of his worries right now.


    Crouching on the ground, with one rifle in hand quietly aiming at his target, a grin formed on his face.


    [Zone: Mind''s Eyes[


    At that instant, his eyes emitted a golden glow as the world around him began to change.


    Zones could appear in all kinds of shapes and effects.


    Some zones only affected the users, while others affected the surrounding, or simply created another effect altogether.


    The zone that belonged to Acht was born from his understanding of what was supposed to be a sniper and his own nature.


    Rather, it allowed him to amass an incrediblyrge amount of information and create a map of his surroundings in his own mind. The increase in perception allowed him to process that information at a speed hundreds of times faster than normal.


    Thanks to this, as long as his target was in his zone, he did not have to ''see'' them and could shoot them from anywhere without even showing himself.


    His mistake back then had been underestimating the girl and showing himself when he should have simply ended her in one go.


    [Target Locked]


    Immediately, everything became as clear to him as if he had been blind all along.


    He popped a pill in his mouth to calm down the aching pain that was slowly growing and once again aimed at his unsuspecting prey.


    ''This time 1 will end you in one shot. See you never bitch.''


    Acht pressed the trigger and the moment he did so, through the visor, he saw Lilin looking directly at him, with a smile on her face.


    At the same time, the bullet, which was more akin to aser beam, traveled at a speed nearly that of a falling lightning bolt before reaching his target.


    BOOM!!


    Acht closed his eyes as everything was engulfed in the debris of arge explosion.


    The sky became darker as the fire started to spread everywhere.


    Acht could feel his heart beating powerfully inside of his chest.


    This shot had been even more powerful than he had anticipated.


    But this didn''t matter. As long as he could incapacitate her, he could perhaps use her as a hostage to flee.


    He started moving while staying slightly hidden behind the wildlife in order to notpromise his position.


    ''Did I get her?"


    Feeling no answer, he couldn''t help but start doubting himself.


    But... when the wind moved away the cloud that was covering her, he could see Lilin standing still in the same ce as the one at the start.


    Everything was reduced to cinders.


    Everything except a certain perimeter around her.


    "I guess it''s time for me to fight back?"


    The grin she formed on her face made him think of Sol and he started to question if all the royal family members of Luxuria had a screw loose in their head.

 Chapter 487 CH 448: REVENGE MATCH (3)

    Looking at how Lilin was absolutely unscathed despite his destructive attack, Acht couldn''t help but feel a shiver of terror and despair run down his spine, making him tremble to his very core.


    Hastily standing up from his position, he immediately moved away and each time, he would move himself into a new ce and attack her with a new barrage of his weapons of mass destruction.


    His bullets were powerful and extremely deadly, the entire patch of the forest ground that the battle was ensuing on was being reduced to nothing but ashes in a ferocious sea of mes as the bullets detonated in Lilin''s direction. Each attack was more unpredictable than the other and Acht didn''t forget to superimpose the power of the bullets to create more and more havoc and annihtion in the general direction of his opponent.


    His territorial zone whirred at its full capabilities and even went beyond, giving him the precise position that was most suitable for him to shoot at, the best angles to deal the greatest damage, and the right amount of energy that he needed to deliver to reach the utmost efficiency of all of his ammunition and capabilities.


    This made each attack a perfect shot that would have brought down most dukes and even a team of ordinary dukes with the amount of ammunition he had spent till now.


    Sadly for him... Lilin, despite being newly promoted to the Duke rank was in no way an average existence at this rank. He didn''t know how but whenever he attacked her, she would simply be leftpletely unscathed. Not even a speck of dust could touch her body. It was astonishing and terrifying.


    "Just how is this possible?"


    Crouching against a tree far away from Lilin, with his chest heaving up and down clearly a little too fast to be normal, he muttered to himself. He couldn''t believe and couldn''tprehend what the hell was happening right now.


    His body was covered in sweat and his mana reserves were consumed by more than 40% with his previous continuous barrage of attacks. That was the breadth of the power and energy he had been using for those deadly attacks.


    But even all of that, his best and most ruthless methods, seemedpletely and utterly useless against Lilin.


    ''This is... Had it even been a trimester?''


    He realized that he had underestimated the girl''s potential by a long margin. Her growth and the evolution of her powers were too fast, too abnormal to even be considered in the realm of possibilities. This definitely did not match the records they had learned about her in the past. It waspletely unprecedented and made utterly no sense whatsoever.


    ''Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!''


    It was upsetting and truly enraging to see someone he could bully at will, and who needed apanion to barely confront him, now surpass him so easily in such a short amount of time.


    He hated this feeling of powerlessness that he was forced to feel. Especially so as the one giving him this feeling was none other than Lilin.


    ''Don''t fuck with me, you bitch!''


    The pain in his soul resurged once again along with those thoughts, warning him of his possible oue in case of prolonged confrontation with the dangerous girl. However, at the same time, that pain which made even his soul shiver in fright made way for a murderous rage to grow inside of him... He was unable to control the anger in his heart any longer and it heavily impacted his emotions and psyche.


    Indeed, Acht was really, really angry right now. The fact that a person that was inferior to him could be superior was nauseating and absolutely despicable to him.


    He wished for nothing more than to wipe out the smug grin on her face but there were few things he could really do at this juncture.


    "Din''t you say that it was your turn to attack now? Why are you not attacking, you whore?"


    He screamed and cursed loud enough that Lilin could hear him loud and clear, reminding her of her old words and seemingly trying to taunt her. In reality, however, he was just trying to find a way to pass more time and decide on a n of action he could pursue to get out of this situation.


    Even though it hurt to admit, he waspletely outmatched and the difference in power between them was vast and simply undeniable.


    As such, rather thanining, Acht tried to find an opening and bring her down in the fastest and most efficient way possible. But no matter how he thought about it, there was nothing he coulde up with at this juncture.


    Even though she was standing still and unmoving from her stance, he felt like he was facing some kind of rock. No matter from where he shot her, she was able to block his attack one way or another and he couldn''t even detect how she was able to do it.


    "Haha. Do you remember? The events of that night?"


    A quietugh escaped her lips even as she looked up, her hands resting on her sword, in anguid and rxed position.


    It didn''t look like she was fighting a Duke. More like she was simply ying around with some puny mortal.


    "I have never felt so humiliated as I have on that night, you know?"


    Lilin was still calm and her voice even and soothing, "Everything was new. Everything was a discovery. I was absolutely destroyed even though we were two fighting against one. There was no hope, only the avenue for despair."


    Lilin could still remember how Acht soloed both her and Nuwa. It had been a brutal fight and this had resulted in many losses on their sides.


    But nothing couldpare to the psychological trauma that situation had brought to her...


    "Thanks to a friend, I managed to climb back up from the depression of that horrifying loss and find the desire once again to fight."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Bitch, stop speaking already.''


    He took aim once again, this time with a normal bullet rather than his most powerful explosive one...


    Thanks to this decision, he was actually able to get a close nce at everything that was happening when the bullet reached her vicinity.


    She wasn''t just fast. He was sure that her movements were nearly instantaneous and he could not even understand what happened or how the speed she reached was possible to be enacted before everything finished and the bullet was shed into nothingness.


    "In the past, you felt like someone incredibly strong. Someone who I would have a hard time surpassing in all my life. But now I realize- aren''t you a little too weak? I guess I was just as weak back then and even more ignorant."


    ''You!''


    Acht nearly cursed out loud subconsciously at those provoking words. He could feel the verbal attacknd directly on his guts and he certainly did not like it a single bit.


    "Feeling angry?"


    Acht instinctively tried to move but a high pressure and all-epassing killing intent made sure to keep him grounded and immobile; not letting him take even a single step from his position.


    "You know, it''s very important to listen quietly and not fight when someone is speaking. Where are your manners?"


    "How..."


    He could not understand. Once again he waspletely lost about just what the hell was going on here.


    "Distance is meaningless for me. I have transcended them."


    She sighed and pushed her sword open with her hands and ced it close to Acht''s neck,


    "I am honestly disappointed. There are so many things I wanted to try out in this battle. At the same time, I am extremely happy. But now, I realize... You are indeed so very weak... So now, why don''t you just die quietly... please...?"


    Her gaze was apathetic even as she spoke word by word. She felt no joy nor anger at finally taking the enemy''s head. She clearly remembered the tears of frustration she shed on the day she woke up on the hospital bed after the miserable defeat she had faced at the same guy''s hands. They were like the distant past now...


    "Wait! I have intel that could be useful. I will..."


    "Not interested."


    ''Ah...''


    It felt like flowing water. Acht did not even realize that the veryst moment of his life hade before him even as he felt his vision start to darken.


    He finally realized that he was dying in real time.


    He was unreconciled, there were so many things he wished to do in his life. So many goals he had in mind. So many things that he wished to aplish.


    Sadly for him... This was the end for him.


    His head fell on the ground loudly and blood flew all around and sttered on the surrounding. The turbulent streams of blood would have covered Lilin''s face but before they could even reach her... they vanished into nothingness as soon as they entered her sword domain.


    Now, as she looked at the corpse of the person she considered her lifelong enemy and the first true source of defeat she had ever faced, Lilin felt like a weight had finally been taken off her chest.


    Her mind felt clearer and her whole body felt lighter. Now that she had in her past, she could look forward to a bright future ahead.


    Walking up to the severed head, Lilin took it by the hair before starting to walk away from the in with slow and carefree steps.


    She only needed the head for Isis to perform soul reading or whatever that skill was called. The skill would allow the caster to receive a certain quantity of information from the dead. Having a necromancer on their side was always good for these asions.


    She had left behind her a ce filled with fire, dust, and ashes of the world surrounding her, but when she looked in the direction of Setsuna''s fight, all she could see was endless ice and falling snow.


    "I wonder what decision you will make.."


    It was still left to be seen.

 Chapter 488 CH 449: POWER OF NATURE (L)

    A few moments ago, after Setsuna and Neun moved away from the other two, the two wolf girls started running in the forest with a grace and speed that could hardly be replicated by average existences on their level.


    "I see that the princess has not forgotten the lessons I taught you about stealth..."


    Setsuna ignored the wordsing out of Neun''s mouth and focused entirely on simply moving faster and with more dexterity, avoiding everything that could slow her down or make any sounds of her steps.


    It was a silent run but the two of them knew very well that this might be thest time they run together. Like this, they traveled a few hundred meters away before finally stopping at a seemingly endless barren in. They gazed at each other, their eyes full of meaningful emotion as they locked onto each other and didn''t leave each other''s gazes.


    In the end, the first one to speak was none other than Neun herself. There were simply so many things that she wanted to convey to Setsuna. So many things she wanted to ask about her, and those thoughts and emotions made everything all the more painful for both her and Setsuna.


    "How has life been for you, princess?"


    "I am not a princess anymore, you know... You don''t need to call me that..."


    "No matter what your current position is... You will always be the one and only princess in my eyes."


    She ced her hand on her hips and reached for her sword... As her stance changed, so did her eyes... going cold as though the chill of an endlessly cold in rested on her eyes...


    "This is why I beg you... Please, princess... Move away from here, I do not wish to hurt you more than I need to. It only prolongs my pain and suffering..."


    Setsuna bit her lips tightly at her words... An endless volley of lightning started to sh and zap around her frame as she took her sword out of the sheath in one clean motion... It was an indication that she would not be hearing any more of Neun''s bbers... It was an indication for the start of their battle...


    Slight traces of disappointment lingered in Neun''s despondent-looking eyes, but she concealed them as soon as they came and looked at Setsuna with an apathetic expression on her face.


    The two women stood equal distance apart, weapons drawn, and their bodies fully covered in mana. One was showing a deep, raging silvery white hue of mana mixed with blue electricity, while the other held on to an apathetic expression as a bluish watery hue of aura covered her body alongside calm traces of windy notes of mana.


    Setsuna was a Storm Wolf, whose ability allowed her to have innate control over wind, lightning, and water. Meanwhile, Neun was only a Blue Wolf. She normally should have only been able to use water. But her mastery and talent helped her bring forth and awaken a second element, allowing her to control it in full.


    Silence fell in the surroundings once again. For Setsuna, only the sound of her heartbeat filled her own ears, and everything else fell into a lull.


    She could feel it. Neun had be even stronger than she had been thest time they faced each other. The only way for her to have a chance to win against her would be to find her domain. But she was already finding her way in.


    ''sh.''


    She had gotten rid of all showy movements and excess notes of cirction; only pure speed remained as lightning brought her forward like a rocket toward her opponent.


    It only took her one step to reach close to Neun, but for this reason, all her senses became even more alert than before. She knew very well that she had entered her domain and on the reach of Neun''s powers, and as she thought...


    Calm Sea j


    It felt like she was now standing inside ake. Everything became meaningless, and everything felt like it should stop in front of the calming undtions of the endless sea...


    Even though Setsuna had been moving fast, she immediately moved sideways and managed to avoid a downward sh that could have cleaved her head in two had she been hit by it.


    The motion was not the end of her ordeal. Like a dance, Neun''s sword would move in endless and chaotic motions, and Setsuna would avoid it, all this while turning around her and trying to pierce through her domain.


    ''I got her.''


    She finally managed to reach the ce that she believed to be Neun''s blind spot and moved hurriedly for the kill, ready to tear her previous instructor apart with her sword.


    ng''


    For the first time since the start of this fight, the swords of the two wolf girls finally shed.


    Agile Like the Surging Wind j


    Moving and turning at an impossible angle, Neun managed to block the carefully timed strike that Setsuna had ced on her weak spot. At the same time, a hammer made of water manifested in the air before ruthlessly mming down at her with inhuman speeds.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Boom - !


    Setsuna managed to avoid the attack by taking a step back, but that was not nearly enough for her to miss the full brunt. The water, after striking the ground, changed form to look like two wolves and rushed at her with the speed of a vigorous cheetah.


    "Begone!"


    Setsuna howled, and thunder roared all around her, moving out of her body and relentlessly evaporating the two poor constructs into nothingness.


    "Princess. Your mastery of lightning has certainly increased by a lot, the same with the way you use the sword. It''s a beautiful growth. But if that''s all you have learned in the time since west saw each other on that night, I would be sorely disappointed, you know..."


    Awooo~!


    The wind started to stir, giving the impression that thousands of wolves were howling together and creating a hurricane of ever-surging pressure.


    "Princess... Do you know why I love nature so much?"


    Setsuna did not answer her, even as she watched the aura around Neun constantly swell to greater and greater heights.


    Wind and water moved ording to her whims, and the sky became dark and cloudy as even a sudden surge of rain seemed to be about to fall on their battlefield. One person alone was changing thews of nature to fit her whims. The thought was both astonishing and terrifying...


    "You see. Unlike the so-called Goddesses... Nature is unkind but also fair in its own particr way. It treats each and everyone equally."


    She spoke gently, as if she was talking about her beloved of a thousand years.


    "Nature is also unpredictable. It can be calm in one moment..."


    She smiled at Setsuna before continuing her words...


    "...Or it can show its wrath at the very next."


    [Zone: Nature''s Wrath]


    The world changed, torrential rain started to pour from the sky in endless batches, as if wishing to bring the deluge, and the wind started to pick up even faster until it grew to the level of a veritable tornado.


    "Princess, as descendants of the great Fenrir, we are all Harbingers of Cmity... Each of us in our own particr way, you see..."


    Even as she manipted the very force of nature to act on her whims, Neun was calm and indifferent and spoke in a tone without any hint of emotions. It was as if this raging sea and the tornado churning all around them were not the results of all the anger that was pent up inside the depths of her heart.


    "Rage is our fuel. But rage does not control us."


    Setsuna was astonished at the sight that had been presented to her by her once-beloved instructor. This was not the power a simple Duke should have in her hands. This was a power that was infinitely closer to the realm of a King-ranked being.


    "For years, I moved relentlessly, epted hundreds of humiliations and experimentations. All of this to obtain the power to bring death to the usurper and give back the throne to its rightful owner."


    The apathetic expression lingering on her face never left as the violent and dormant wrath inside her heart kept swelling further and further and forced the world to change ordingly...


    "With what kind of determination are you facing my wrath, Princess?"


    This was a challenge for Setsuna.


    "Please, dear princess... Do not die..."


    Finally, under her control, nature expressed the wrath that was endlessly surging inside of her soul...

 Chapter 489 CH 450: POWER OF NATURE (2)

    Ever since she had lost everything she held dear on that fateful night, Neun, who had discarded her original name already, had been silently questioning herself... wondering in her mind just how she could take her revenge against the transgressors who made her life so hellish...


    The reality of the matter was that even though she was a very talented swordswoman, all her life she had only worked as the maid and guard of Setsuna, the then royal princess of the Kingdom of Wratharis. Even though she had received training as a Kunoichi, it was hard to say that she was particrly superior to anyone else of her peers.


    Neun did not think that she was particrly special and the reality was indeed the undeniable fact that she was an average existence among the beastmen. Blue wolves may be rare among all the demihuman beasts but they still existed in a ratherrge number. Having control over elements was great and all but it was not great enough to make her unbeatable and invincible in the world.


    So... How could she ever be able to take her revenge? How could she really be stronger fast enough to face and take down the usurper that made her lose everything and stripped her of the purpose of her existence?


    Grit and rage alone were not enough for her to achieve her desires. It would never be enough for her.


    People did not be stronger simply because they faced despair. People did not be stronger just because they wished... There was nothing they could do in front of the potential of their existence... All of that was enough to bring endless despair to her life...


    And in the midst of that despair... Neun met Drei. That was the day that her life truly changed as she made a contract she was sure she would never regret.


    ''Princess, just what will you show me now?''


    Blood trickled past Neun''s lips but she wiped it off without any change in expression on her beautiful yet stoic and apathetic face. She was inwardly sad that she had to face the princess, she served with all her being once upon a time, in such shoddy circumstances but if this encounter was enough to bolster her growth and make her even more powerful then it was all the better. She would dly be her stepping stone to reach greater heights.


    That was why, even though Setsuna was yet to be a Duke, Neun did not hold anything back, bringing the power of Cmity she had painstakingly managed to gleam through her bloodline resonance.


    ''Feel it please, princess. Feel my Truth and understand my ways. This will be the stepping stone you will need to aplish what I have not been able to.''


    All her life, she had been raised with only one goal. Protecting and serving the royal family.


    The deal here was to care for all the members of the royal family. Even the usurper included. The identity of the King or Queen did not matter in that regard. A new Alpha taking the throne was the norm and they only needed to serve said Alpha without thinking much of their previous masters.


    But her rtionship with Setsuna and her father went far beyond the established norm. For her, he was like the father she never had and Setsuna was the capricious and slightly spoiled little sister she loved more than anyone and anything else in this rotten world.


    Alongside her blood sister and her team of servants, they all made sure to protect Setsuna during that night even though it cost the life of everyone but her alone.


    Now... Her time was very limited and even as she sharpened her de to cut the throat of that usurper, she knew that her chances of sess were very slim and may as well be close to none.


    She had honestly given up all hope of killing that wretched being and seeing his fall. But now... Now she was starting to see the light of hope once more.


    ''That man...''


    In the past, she did her research about the prince of Lustburg. After all, she knew her princess was now a ve of the prince. But the results had been meager.


    After the attack on Lustburg, she had been left disappointed by the prince.


    But now she knew she had judged things way too fast.


    That boy was a literal monster of creation.


    Even though she was so close to the King level. Even though she could take the most primal form of their bloodline... All her instincts were screaming at her a single and inevitable truth.


    She could not win against him.


    Fighting would be a death sentence for her.


    Like a nebulous ck hole... She could not grasp nor could she understand the true breadth of his powers.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Once she understood this, once she realized that fact, once she realized just what that implicated... Neun did not feel any fear anymore. She did not feel rage at the unfairness of the world nor did she despair at the futility of her sacrifice.


    All she felt was immense glee at the ray of hope that person brought to her.


    The princess would sign a contract with that man and Lustburg was at war against Wratharis.


    She realized there and then that her goal, her deepest desire was almost about to be realized. This was why she epted her iing death with immense happiness.


    Even if he was to behead her, she would die knowing that the Usurper would soon follow her to the underworld.


    The only regret she may had have was not being able to see the princess onest time.


    ''Haha... Now I have a new regret.''


    Her time was limited in this world, and as she felt the wrath burning inside her slowly but surely dissipate... so did her life... ever so surely. That was the use of her contract...


    And for that very reason, now she only had one wish.


    ''Please, princess. Let me witness your transformation.''


    "Please, princess. Do not die."


    Whoosh - !


    Nature fell under her control and the very fabric of the world started to change as the rain and the wind mixed to bring birth to a veritable tornado sweeping everything on its way.


    At the same time, Neun''s body started to change. Her hair grew longer and longer until reaching her feet and her bones cracked, a beastly light covering her body, and the beautiful amazone-like woman was reced by a Giant Blue Wolf.


    In this form, manipting cmity became even easier for her.


    The tornado elerated and the wind became so powerful that it seemed like it would erase the entire zone along with it.


    Setsuna filled her body with as much Minna as possible but she was inevitably sucked in by the power of the ever-growing tempest.


    As befitting of a power buffed by the zone, this was not a normal cataclysmic wrath of nature but one that was filled with the concept of destruction thanks to the power she had obtained from Ymir.


    Breathing became hard for her with each growing second and Setsuna could even feel her skin slowly decaying as the protection of the mana over her body was being destroyed in real time.


    She knew that if she did not fight back she would die.


    And only by stopping the tornado could she survive.


    Her survival instinct triggered and her mind worked on overdrive.


    It was time for her to find her Truth and awaken her Zone.


    It was a do-or-die situation and her only chance to prove herself to her beloved...


    She had to cease it at all costs...

 Chapter 490 CH 451: THE MEANING OF SETSUNA

    Even as the almighty tornado continued to suck her inside it, dizzying her with the speed at which she was being moved around by the swiftly circting wind tunnels...


    She felt sick to her core, a constant stream of damage being applied to her body and slowly breaking it down to pieces. She was sure that there were many more insidious concepts mixed in this deadly attack but she was not in the mind to find out what they were.


    ''Ah... Once again I am so hopeless in front of an enemy.''


    She was sure that Sol was watching this fight from somewhere, keenly observing her actions. She was also sure that if she really fell in danger he woulde and save her. She would never die no matter which turn this fight would take.


    So, should she be happy to know that her life would never be in jeopardy?


    ''Fuck this shit!''


    The mana around her body started going wild like a hungry beast as she fought to get back control of her body and limit the damage she was receiving from this wrathful force of nature.


    She was not a damsel in distress who needed her prince toe and save her at the most opportune moment and make her swoon with his beautiful timing and charming way of rescue. She was a warrior and she was not willing to lose this fight.


    ''Sol trusts me...''


    She would be given the important responsibility to be his glorious knight and representative in the future. She would fight at the forefront of the war and take care of an entire battlefield with a battalion under her control and authority.


    All of that now hinged on how she would be dealing with the current situation and how much she evolved from this fight.


    Failure was never an option for her. She refused to believe in that notion. She needed to, no, she had to win at all costs...


    ''But... How can I win?''


    If she focused all her energy on her control over the lightning element, then she believed that she could elerate herself enough to definitely escape this tornado storm she had been sucked into. But this would change nothing for her. It wasn''t as if Neun was only capable of sending one tornado storm her way.


    There was only one way for her to even the ying field between them... and that was to reach the Duke realm, right here and now.


    Curling up her body like a ball, Sestuna brought out her own water and wind elements from inside her and covered her body entirely in those elements, creating what seemed like a protective cocoon.


    This was the best way to protect herself as she thought up a solution and a method to attain victory over her opponent.


    Mana condensed all around her and she slowly went back to her own consciousness to deeply ponder her options.


    All she could see inside was a deep void above what looked like a lone gate standing in this endless void of her mindscape.


    Sestuna knew that the formation of this gate was already an indication that she was going in the right direction. She could even see that the gate had slightly opened and was waiting for her to fullyprehend her Truth to fully open the gates.


    But this slight opening was not enough for her to truly do anything in this fight. She did not just need a step in the right direction. She needed to reach her destination to annihte her opponent and achieve a perfect victory.


    What was her ''Truth?''


    What were her strengths and weaknesses?


    Sestuna thought back to the training she had done with Kali in Medea''s world.


    She was someone who had reached the power of destruction through her own understanding of the basic four elements. No matter how she thought about it, she was, without a doubt, someone worth all the respect in this world for that achievement alone. Just controlling the basic elements to sublimate the power of destruction was unprecedented.


    Then... what about her?


    Setsuna had already admitted it inside of her mind. That she was actually nothing special. She had nothing that could make herparable to the true geniuses of the realms.


    Her talents were amazing when thinking of them from a general perspective. But when faced with the true supernatural geniuses and monsters at the top of the pack, she was just someone slightly special that was barely able to distinguish herself from the mediocre popce.


    This reality was something that had hurt her ego many times over but she had managed to ept that simple reality over time. But now, it was time for her to truly ept and surpass that reality to establish herself at the peak.


    If so, then what did she want in reality?


    Fight for Sol? Protect him? Avenge her father?


    Setsuna sighed as she began to walk alone inside the darkness of this evesting void in order to reach her Gate of Truth. She did not know when, but another woman had appeared next to her in this endlessly lonely and deste ne.


    Her features were impossible to distinguish but her exterior did not seem that much different from her own self.


    As she walked further and further, images started to appear along the way one after the other. She easily recognized the first one. It was a picture of her as a child.


    "This was a good time, wasn''t it? Back then life was easy for you and everything you wished for was handed to you on a silver tter."


    Setsuna smiled as she watched her younger, more spoiled, self. It was a time when she was still the Princess Sestuna and not Sestuna the ve or Sestuna the Knight.


    She passed this image of her over, causing it to dissipate on the horizon and more images to form.


    The next image that greeted her was one she was just more than a bit familiar with. This was a picture that always greeted her in her nightmares and filled her with endless hatred and wrath.


    "Sadly for you, Fate had something else in store. The indecision of your father, the ambition of your uncle, and finally the scheme and ns of the goddesses. It''s hard to say that it''s the fault of only one person... but the end results are there for all to see. On that night... You lost everything that you held dear."


    Her father, in his giant wolf form, had fought alongside her mother against the usurper. Even though it deeply hurt her heart to admit it, the man was without a doubt extremely strong and worthy of his powers. He alone had managed to take on a King and someone who was not far behind the realm of a king without much of an issue and evennded a decisive and easy victory.


    No matter how despicable he was, his power was the real deal and this was why she felt all the more frustrated inside of her mind.


    Many more images started to follow soon after with no end in sight. One more blurry than the other, the images all kept showing the sight of a young girl running away from everything she had ever known. Venturing into the unknown. Fightings against her pursuers and the bandits along the way.


    She could see herself crawling on the ground while clutching her stomach as hunger wrecked her body and mind.


    She could also see her past selfying with her tongue out and her eyes hollow as she fought the effects of a poison she might have ingested while eating wild herbs.


    This was... perhaps... the darkest period of her life. She nearly wentpletely feral during that time.


    Death, hunger, powerlessness, depression, pain, and so much more.


    So many negative emotions and sensations swirling in her mind, attacking her body, and corroding her will into nothingness.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The number of times she had thought of putting an end to her misery and simply dying was so numerous that they could not be counted with one''s hands alone. But in the end, she held on and pushed through.


    No matter how painful it was she held on.


    Her life was not her own. Her life belonged to ail those who sacrificed themselves to keep her alive.


    She had to fight. She had to survive.


    Those were the only feelings in her mind until she finally reached Lustburg.


    It was there that she found... her destiny... her beloved... her will to move forwards...


    She stopped as an image of a young blonde-haired boy walking into the church and excitedly asking her permission to touch her ears and tails appeared in front of her.


    "Sol..."


    "He was your salvation. The sun that illuminated your heart that had been filled with nothing but darkness and hatred. Had he not existed, you would have most likely be insane and done deeds that you could never even hope to imagine."


    Setsuna caressed the head of the smaller Sol, causing the image to scatter in the air.


    After this, more joyful images followed.


    Her moments with Sol were always filled with happiness and she never forgot her objectives and goals. Then Lilin was also added into the mix, her first true friend and another source of joy in her life.


    If Sol was the sun giving him the warmth she so desperately needed to live on and sustain her will, then Lilin was like the moon, guiding her even in the darkest hours of her life and paving her path forward with her gentle light.


    Those two had forever changed her life. They opened her dead heart and made her feel the joy of living once again.


    Her desire for vengeance never left her, but it did not be an all-epassing desire that was destined to burn her whole.


    She stopped seeking vengeance for vengeance''s sake. She now sought that in order to reach a new and more beautiful life by severing her past and epting her future with them. They finally arrived in front of her Gate of Truth.


    Both Sestuna and the featureless figure stayed silent as they watched the humongous gate that was slightly opened.


    "You now know what you want, right?"


    Sestuna smiled. Her gate was filled with images. Images from the present, images from the past, and even images she could not really make sense of yet.


    All those images seemed to fuse in a grand whole and create one great picture.


    A Wolf howling at the Sun and the Moon at the same time.


    "Instructor Kali once told me that in a long-forgottennguage, my name had a certain meaning."


    When he was younger Sol loved sharing this kind of knowledge with her. Kali was much the same and she would always talk about how her linguistic skills were useless in this ne. Even though she was not able to understand what she meant by that.


    "In that foreignnguage, Sestuna means (An Instantl I [A moment] or even a 1A split second]..."


    The figure looked in her direction and Setsuna gently caressed the gate that was starting to open under her touch.


    "My name is Sestuna. Perhaps this is Fate, destiny, or whatever you wish to name it. But I represent an instant. The very moment between life and death. The very moment between victory and defeat. The very moment... to change my destiny..."


    Sheughed, remembering the new catchphrase that Lilin had obtained after she opened her Zone...


    ''Distance is meaningless for her huh... Then...''


    "Time will be meaningless for me. Let me take an instant in time... and stretch it into infinity... and beyond."


    A smile formed on the figure before it slowly dissipated into particles of light and entered the slowly opening gate.


    Setsuna did not know what the figure was. Perhaps another self of hers? The personification of her fears and insecurities? Or perhaps something more?


    It did not really matter.


    "Thank you..."


    Thanks to the figure... she had now found her path. The path to her ''Truth.''


    Back in the real world, Neun watched with progressively more disappointment as she received no feedback from inside the tornado. ''Did the princess give up?''


    She could not help but wonder in her mind.


    It was then-


    Awooo!!!


    A howl that seemed like it could tear open the entire sky could be heard coining from within the tornado that had trapped Setsuna. The Rain and Wind were stopped as Ice and Snow started to take their ce, freezing everything on its route.


    And in that very ''instant''...


    - ''Time'' itself stopped moving...


    [Zone: Eternal Memories]


    [A Step into the Present : - : Fimbulvetr [1]


    (AN: Sestuna is Time and Lilin is Space. Haha, I think I did a pretty good job. The Setsuna zone is pretty broken. It can do so much. You will have to wait for the next chapter to see.)


    (1]: Fimbulvetr is the eternal winter that precedes Ragnar??k. The picture of the wolf with the sun was a reference to Fenrir, The Sun Devouring Wolf. Sestuna''s goal isn''t to devour the sun. Heh, at least not in that way...

 Chapter 491 CH 452: LONG LIVE THE QUEEN

    [Zone: Eternal Memories]


    [A Step into the Present : - : Fimbulvetr [1]


    The world was silent.


    FuhhhSteam bellowed as it escaped Setsuna''s body, from all parts of her body, as if it was ready to burn the world down but the space around her in more than a few hundreds meters waspletely frozen solid, be it in time or space.


    "So this is the zone."


    Even as the storm wolf walked the earth with a gait worthy of a supreme being, steam continued to escape and her body continued to burn hotly, contrasting deeply with the surrounding temperature.


    She was absorbing the natural heat of the world in her own body, allowing her to create a world where everything was being frozen to nearly absolute Zero.


    This was [Fimbulvetr.] a power that fused the concept of Frost and Time and a sub-skill of her [Eternal Memories] zone.


    ''The world seems so different now.''


    Not only did she finally step in the Rank of Duke and unlocked a powerful Zone, but she felt like she had also evolved greatly as a species.


    Setsuna''s appearance had greatly changed, her hair became longer, reaching until her legs, her arms and legs were covered in night blue fur and her nails were now full ws.


    The energy ''Horns'', above her head became thicker and she felt like she could control a farrger amount of energy than ever before.


    The feeling of euphoria would havested far longer if not for the progressively growing heat in her body. All her clothes were alreadypletely torn apart, but this was the least of her worry.


    As she watched the surroundings, she could only exim about everything was encased in ice, even the tornado that had attacked her waspletely frozen.


    Taking a few steps forward, she finally reached Neun.


    Aplicated expression formed on Setsuna''s face for an instant. But she knew that she could not keep this moment forever.


    As ironic as it was.


    ''Release.''


    BOOM!An explosion followed as the frost shed with direct opposite heat, creating burning steam like never before.


    From Neun''s perspective, everything seemed to have happened in an instant. One moment she was simply observing the situation of Setsuna and the next she was sted away by a powerful explosion.


    a?|Cough*


    This was so sudden that she was barely able to protect her body with mana and had to receive the attack at point ck.


    Her skin burn slightly and the shock of the explosion impacted her internal organ causing her to cough blood beforending roughly on the ground.


    Using her years of experience, she tumbled and rolled on the ground to disperse as much energy from the fall as possible before finally standing up.


    ''What happened?''


    Standing up, her gaze moved as she tried to make sense of the sudden strike but all the bewilderment vanished when her eyesnded on Setsuna.


    "Princess..."


    A hearty smile appeared on Neun''s face.


    ''How beautiful. How Vaint.''


    There was nothing but admiration and joy in her eyes. She was so happy to see that Setsuna had surpassed her limit that she could barely keep a stoic expression.


    ''Ah...''


    She blocked her mouth and coughed even more blood. But she knew that this was not because of the previous hit.


    ''Seems like I do not have much longer.''


    She smiled, "Princess, I congratte you on your awakening. But this is still not enough. You still need to be much stronger if you wish to take revenge."


    Setsuna stayed silent before snapping her finger.


    Instantly, all the wounds that previously covered her body began to close as if they had never existed in the first ce. It was like her body had returned to a previous more pristine state.


    "I am still learning the ropes. So let''s see."


    Setsuna took one more step and lightning covered her body before she rushed at full speed.


    After all, bing a duke did not mean her previous skills vanished.


    If this was all, Neun would have simply been amazed at the increase in physical ability. But...


    The moment she took out her sword and was about to counter, her eyes widened as two Setsuna appeared beforeing at her from a different side.


    ''Illusion? Kuh!''


    The weight she felt as she blocked the strike from one of them told her all she needed to know.


    Those were not illusions.


    ''How...?''


    A Step into time : -: Temporal Clones [1]


    The fight became one-sided pretty fast. Neun had already lost her giant wolf form and keeping up with one Setsuna was more than difficult.


    Dealing with three was impossible.


    "I know you are curious. But they are indeed not illusions. Rather, they are clones from the past. Manifestations of my memories and time."


    ''This...''


    "Incredible. Haha. Truly, I lost."


    A de rested on her neck but Neun looked up with relief.


    "You seem happy."


    "How could I be unhappy at the sight of such a beautiful growth? With such a Zone as the base, the princess will grow to be the strongest King our race has ever witnessed. I can only feel the utmost joy at this news."


    Setsuna tightened her grip on the de she was holding.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She could not feel like her anger had nowhere to go. If at least Neun was acting in a way to harm her she could feel better.


    "Why...?"


    Her words came more like a plea than a question.


    "You already know my answer."


    She smiled brightly.


    *Crack*


    Fissure appeared on her skin as if she was about to break.


    "Ayame!"


    Setsuna threw her de aside and cradled Neun, or rather, Ayame in her arms, "What is happening!?"


    She didn''t understand. Even though the fight had been harsh, she had never dealt any life-threatening blow to her.


    "I am sorry, Princess. It seems like my time hase."


    "What do you mean!?"


    Looking at the crying Setsuna, Ayame gave a feeble smile and tried to bring her hand to caress Setsuna''s face.


    Sadly, she could do nothing as her hand broke into pieces and started to scatter like the wind.


    "This body is finallying to its limit. After all, I failed the contract."


    "Contract? Wait, forget it! How can we stop this?"


    "This is useless. After all, this body of mine is nothing but a shell."


    On that day, ten years ago. She had not really survived. She was already on the verge of death when they found her.


    She signed a contract and only the feeling of wrath and the desire of vengeance in her heart could sustain her false life and give her even more power.


    In a way, she was just an undead.


    "Princess... Please listen to me."


    Setsuna sniffed. She wanted to shake her head but she knew that those may very well be thest words she would hear.


    "Thank you for being alive. Thank you for growing up to be such an upright and beautiful woman. Fighting against you has been a delight."


    She muttered, her voice bing weaker and weaker.


    "Also, please be careful of Ein. He is very dangerous."


    ''Ah...''


    She could feel her body breaking even further and her lips sealing themselves shut. As per the contract, trying to tell anything about the truth would result in an even swifter death.


    She looked to the side as someone approached them... The prince of Lustburg.


    "Sol..."


    Sol silently looked at her before shaking his head. "There is nothing I can do for her at the moment."


    If he still had some divinity left he could have tried something. But as she was, it was impossible for him to do anything. The threads of fate entangling her were all at the minimum at the demigod level.


    "King of Humanity. Please hear my will."


    Sol silently looked at her and took a knee on the ground. Ayame showed surprise on her face, but then a happy smile graced her face.


    This was perhaps the highest form of respect she had ever received in all her life.


    "I am speaking of thest true family of the princess. Please... Take care of her."


    "I will."


    "Then... May your life be filled with happiness until the end of time."


    She did not need to ask for more. All she wanted was to pray for the happiness of her princess.


    She believed in no goddess. But she wished that at least this plea of hers was listened to by anyone who could make her wishe true.


    The tears of Setsuna on her face made her heart heavy. But she knew that it was time to say goodbye.


    She had not done much good in her life. She also did many wicked things. But she only had one regret.


    That Setsuna would never...


    ''Ah...''


    Her eyes widened.


    Right in front of her eyes, Setsuna was covered in a mboyant golden light.


    Her blue hair and fur changed color under this light until they werepletely golden.


    "Hahaha..."


    A weakugh escaped her lips.


    Fate was truly an incredible thing.


    "The usurper will die. Long live the new Queen."


    Neun''s body waspletely scattered in the air, reduced to nothing but dust.


    But she died happily. Knowing that the throne would go back to its most rightful owner.


    (AN: Welp. The end of this volume is in sight. I promised only happiness. But it seems like I couldn''t keep that promise. Both Setsuna and Lilin faced ghosts of the past and grew thanks to them. So now only a few more chapters before this volume ends. Setsuna''s zone is very powerful. If you guys are curious. Basically, it is a mix between Esdeath from Akame Ga Kill, Kurumi from Date a Live, and Sho from Fire Force.)


    This is Sol, ze, and Kiyohime. For those on WN who can''t see the picture, you can see them on Patreon.

 Chapter 492 CH 453: REACTION

    [Nihil''s Dimension]


    It was a world filled with a scarlet lighting from the scarlet moon hanging high in the sky. As always, there was not the slightest trace of life in this world except for the few people who inhabited it. In the center of this dimension, a scarlet translucent cocoon could be seen floating quietly. In it, it was possible to see the silhouette of a naked figure with angel wings and a missing arm.


    "How is she?"


    A tall woman with a rather strong-looking body and two horns on her head walked boldly up to the cocoon. Zwei, once known as Ibuki-Doji, was observing the situation of her leader with a smallughter in her mouth.


    "To think that even you would be done like this. I might have missed a truly good fight."


    "If you went, we would have lost another member, so I guess it''s good."


    Zwei''s smile stopped spreading, and she turned in the direction of the other person in the surrounding area. It was a young man with ck hair and a rather handsome face, wearing what looked to be a ck trench coat, a top hat, and a crystal monocle over his right eye. This was definitely a rather oundish attire in this ce, but Zwei was already used to it.


    "Eins..."


    He was the second inmand of this group. A man that was rather elusive and generally did not show himself if it was not necessary. As crazy as she was, Zwei had, of course, asked him for a fight once, in order to discover just how powerful he was. The result had been rather disastrous.


    "What are you doing here? You usually only appear when you want to give instructions."


    Eins adjusted his monocle slightly, and a clock reflected in the ss shed slightly before he sighed.


    "Neun is dead. Same for Acht."


    "Oh..."


    Zwei answered with a short surprise, but beyond that, she was not particrly moved.


    "So let''s see. We lost the undead, the lion, the dwarf, the wolf, and the Vampire."


    She whistled yfully, "Five out of Eleven members are either dead or imprisoned. I must say, this is pretty funny."


    "You do not seem shocked."


    "Shocked? Why should I be? I already made it clear that I did not believe in all the crap Nihil was spouting. I simply joined because it seemed fun and I could fight strong people. Though now, it seems like the fun is about to end."


    "Oh, you are pretty wrong about this."


    Eins smiled quietly before shaking his head and approaching the cocoon housing the sleeping form of Nihil. He had tried to heal her, but it had been impossible. The only way to do so was to expel the foreign power that was gnawing at her body.


    "Haha. I never thought I would see that power again. This makes things tricky."


    He touched the cocoon, an expression of nostalgia appearing on his face before he shook his head.


    "We already have the Divine weapons of the Humans, Dwarves, angels, and Chimera."


    "So what? I doubt we can get all of them, and even if we do free Ymir once we gather, it isn''t like victory will be assured."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Eins stayed silent for a while before walking away.


    "I made the others start to move. To gather the ones we arecking. You can do as you like, but simply remember this... The fun you are seeking has not even started. Soon, we will open the gate to a new era."


    He moved his cloak and immediately vanished from the premises.


    "Why do those bastards always have to talk with a half-riddle?"


    Zwei scratched her head, deep in thought. She was already at the peak of what was possible as a King and only needed a push to go through the limit.


    ''There is a war happening soon, right?''


    Thest time she had the best fun was during the war between Lustburg and Gluttony foss. It seemed like Lustburg was about to help her once again fight the boredom.


    [Wratharis, Imperial Capital]


    While Zwei was thinking about what to do, back in Wratharis, two people were having very varied reactions after they felt a certain energy.


    "This is impossible!"


    Standing up, with his eyes seemingly ring lightning, Lupus roared as fury nearly overwhelmed him. It had been only for an instant. But he had felt it. It was as clear as if someone had ced a searing hot de on his skin.


    "Why!!?"


    He screamed his rage at the sky, his temper and aura causing the very weather to change as ck clouds gathered and thunder grounded. But no matter how much he screamed, nothing changed, and he received no answer.


    Meanwhile, on the side of the temple, Kiku''s eyes widened for an instant before a chuckle escaped her. Soon, she found herself rolling on the ground andughing out loud like aplete madman, to theplete bewilderment of Shuten-Doji. She was about to ask what was happening when she felt the reverberation of Lupus''s power and rage.


    "What in the name of the goddess is happening?"


    The fact that Kuki''s fullugh coincided with Lupus''s rage made her think of something, but she dared not have much hope for this. It couldn''t be so easy, after all, right?


    The answer by Kuki made Shuten smile brightly as she realized that, yes, it could be that easy.


    "A new Blessed under Ira was chosen."


    This was perhaps the best news she had heard in a very long time.


    "Do we know who it is?"


    "No. But... It is pretty easy to guess who."


    She looked in the direction of Lustburg, remembering the small move she had made back then to assure the survival of the princess. Who would have thought that this small act of kindness would be repaid in such an unexpected way? Fate was truly wonderful sometimes.


    (AN: I just wanted to say thanks for the recent gifts and Castle. SHK release rate has been pretty lowtely, so I understand that many readers left. As such, once again thanks for all the support..)

 Chapter 493 CH 454: I WANT TO BECOME A GOD

    A few hourster after the fight between Setsuna and Ayame, the sun had already vanished in the horizon to give ce to the beautiful moon and its silver light.


    The crackling sound of fire filled the air as Sol and Lilin watched over it. On the side, Setsuna was breathing quietly, asleep.


    Sitting quietly with her back against a tree, Lilin looked at Sol with questions in her eyes. After killing the dwarf and avenging her past loss, she had made sure to cut the head of the corpse just in case they needed it. She then decided to go observe Setsuna fight as the feeling of powering from there had been rather strong.


    When she finally reached the ce, it was just in time to see that blue Wolf scatter under the wind and Setsuna transform into a golden Wolf. ''Is it a Blessing?'' Lilin was not really surprised. There were only two Blue Wolves left to take care of the royal family. It was rare for goddesses to switch royal families as long as one member was even alive.


    "You don''t really seem happy," Sol said, breaking the silence. He had been keeping quiet until now, and Lilin was bothered by it. She wondered if she had done something wrong or what was putting him in such a bad mood.


    "Well, bing Blessed isn''t bad," Sol began. He knew this more than anyone. Bing a Blessed was nothing short of a cheat key for life. All the power and influence of a kingdom aside, one would be loved by Fate for a long time. "Also, this will make our war effort and propaganda much easier."


    Even if they spread the news that there was a new Blessed, the wolf King would not be able to stop this information. After all, it would be no different from insulting a goddess herself. With Setsuna as a Blessed, they had all the legitimate reasons possible in the book to take control over society. In fact, if Setsuna was a King, the war would have immediately ended as Setsuna would just have to challenge Lupus to a session duel.


    One could say that while everything wasn''t perfect, everything had taken a turn for the better. Sol could even already imagine the best y ever. The story of a Princess who, after leaving her kingdom while being chased like a dog by her greedy uncle, came back with even more strength and finally took back the throne that was rightfully hers. A story filled with tears, joy, happiness, and some little naughtiness.


    What Sol didn''t like was the fact that someone had meddled in his screeny, and that someone was a goddess. ''Ira... What does she want?'' Sol pondered. He did not think he had any beef with the goddess of Wrath, but neither did he have any connection. ''Should I take it as a sign of friendship? Or an attempt to manipte me?''


    Now that Setsuna was a Blessed, Fate would favor her for a long time. But this also meant that once she had a child, her death might happen at any moment in the most convoluted way possible.


    ''Initially, I wanted to help Setsuna be a full divine beast, but now I am having second thoughts,'' Sol thought. Things became tricky. He needed to have a way to have a discussion with Ira and make clear what she was thinking. Thankfully, he knew very well when he would be able to do so. ''When I sign a contract with Setsuna.''


    "Sol?" Lilin interrupted his thoughts, concerned by his distant expression.


    "Sorry, I was thinking out loud," Sol apologized.


    "You think too much sometimes," Lilin stated.


    Sol smiled and approached Lilin, stretching her cheeks to give her a funny expression. "You are right. I think too much sometimes."


    But what else could he do? There was so much to think about every day. It didn''t help that Ayame, before dying, had left some bullshit foreshadowing that would certainlye back to bite them in the asster.


    ''So is Eins the super big mastermind behind everything?'' Sol wondered. What race was he even? Sol felt a growing headache, but this time Lilin was the one to take his face in her hands before finally headbutting him.


    "Ouch!" Sol eximed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Unfortunately, when Lilin opened her eyes after the headbutt, she winced due to the pain. "What is your forehead made of?"


    "Pure awesomeness mixed with math badassery. But more seriously, what was that?" Sol asked, rubbing his forehead.


    Lilin coughed embarrassedly. "I read it in some hot-blooded story. Sometimes a headbutt is used to make another character snap back to their senses."


    She had forgotten how strong Sol''s body was. "Sol... You know, I think I need to make you understand something."


    "...So we are going to ignore how red your forehead is now? In fact, aren''t you about to bleed?" Sol pointed out, noticing Lilin''s blushing forehead.


    Lilin blushed but ignored the shameful reality. "Ahem Like I was saying, you have a serious problem, you know?"


    Sol stopped teasing her and listened attentively. "And what might that be?"


    "You want to shoulder everything alone," Lilin began. "Then again, I think this is a problem all of us have. But it became worse for you since you came back from the Astral realm."


    Lilin sighed, realizing that she wasn''t the best at giving speeches or voicing her thoughts. ''I guess I should talk to the others about this.''


    "Ever since you came back, and even before, you have been acting like the weight of the world is resting on your shoulders. As if you have to take care of all our pain and act as the shield that will protect us from anything and everything."


    "I love it. I love you, and I love how earnest you are. Having you in my life is without a doubt one of the best things that ever happened, but Sol... Stop trying to shoulder everything alone. You are not a god. You are not omnipotent, and you cannot be perfect. So why not rely on us more?"


    Sol smiled warmly at her words. "I am sorry for worrying you all so much. I really believe in all of you, ha."


    Lilin looked at Sol, worried. She had never been the best at giving speeches or voicing her thoughts. ''I guess I should talk to the others about this.''


    Meanwhile, the thoughts swimming in Sol''s mind became much simpler. Since he was not a god, there were many things limiting him. But what if he became one? What if he became fully omnipotent and omnipresent? Wouldn''t all the worries he had vanish like smoke or melt like ice under the sun? All his worries would be meaningless once he reached that far.


    His eyes started to shine with determination. A desire to be even stronger and climb to an even greater height. To break the unbreakable limit and do the impossible. ''I think... I can really do it.''


    He would be a god. He would reach the level of the 14 goddesses. Nay, he would surpass them. Surpass even Ymir. And perhaps... Just perhaps... Surpass even the Chaos and Order. Something in his heart told him that he could do so and much more.


    (AN: Edit 31/05/23 Sorry, guys. This is thest chapter of the month. But I promise everything will be back to normal in June. Once again, sorry for everything. I hope to see all of you guys back soon and thanks for the support)

 Chapter 494 CH 455: SWEARING UNDER THE MOONLIGHT

    When Setsuna woke up, she was greeted with the scene of Sol with Lilin sitting between his legs, her back against him, and Sol braiding her hair carefully.


    "Are you awake? How do you feel?" Sol looked at her with a gentle smile and beckoned her toward him. Standing up, Setsuna realized that all her clothes had been reduced to rags during her fight and that she was currently in her birthday suit. Sol had woven something with mana to cover her while she was asleep, but it seemed like he had not judged it useful to make clothes for her.


    Setsuna snorted, not feeling particrly bothered. She had run naked and bloody in the forest, and currently, she was in front of Lilin and Sol-there was nothing to feel ashamed of. "I am alright, I guess?"


    She sighed and approached Sol, her tail swingingzily behind her. "I just feel like my body isn''t my own currently."


    "It''s alright. Your evolution to Duke rank caused transformations within your soul and also affected your bloodline. In a way, I believe you evolved greatly and are on the verge of bing an S-rank." Sol exined.


    S-rank, or in other words, a divine beast. Setsuna still couldn''t believe that this was happening. She had been so distraught at the thought of being unable to reach this rank, but now, not only did she obtain one of the most powerful zones possible, she also managed to evolve. "Kali will be happy."


    "Yeah. She really did a good job on this case. Perhaps I should give her some vacation," Sol pondered.


    The two continued to speak while Lilin looked at them with a deadpan expression. In the end, she simply shook her head and looked at Setsuna.


    "When Sol asked how you feel... he wasn''t just talking about your new power."


    "I am alright."


    "If you are going to spout a lie, at least you should make the effort of making it more believable, you know?" Lilin replied.


    "...Then, what do you want me to say? That I feel awful? That I am confused about how I am suddenly blessed? That I dreamed of Ayame and even now can see images of her body breaking down? That I feel angry and helpless?" Setsuna''s voice grew a little hoarse toward the end, and her eyes reddened a little. Both Lilin and Sol came to her side and took her in their arms, causing Setsuna to be sandwiched in their hugs.


    "Yes. I want you to tell us everything you feel. There shouldn''t be any secrets between us. Secrets fester and cause pain. Having someone to share your burden with is a good thing." Lilin''s words held a hidden meaning, directed not only at Setsuna but also at Sol.


    Sol understood the message behind Lilin''s words. It seemed like his recent actions had made them worried. This was not his intention, but now wasn''t the time to discuss it.


    "Sol... Could you apany me in burying her?" Setsuna asked, her voice filled with a mix of sadness and determination.


    Sol nodded. "I knew you would want to do it."


    He walked to the tree and retrieved the sword that Ayame had used. At the same time, he moved his hand, and what looked like a closed vase appeared.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Her ashes are in it," he said, handing the vase to Setsuna, who bowed gracefully. Her eyes were reddening a little.


    A cloak of mana appeared and covered her body as she began to walk toward the clearing where she fought Ayame. The devastation of the battle was still evident, but they paid no attention to it.


    Reaching the ce where Ayame''s remains scattered in the wind, Lilin took Ayame''s sword and ced it softly on the ground before kneeling in dogeza with her forehead touching the ground.


    "Ayame, the two of us may have walked different roads, but we had the same objectives," Lilin spoke softly.


    Setsuna closed her eyes, not knowing where Ayame''s soul was. Most likely, it was at the end of the Goddess of Destruction or perhaps reduced to nothingness like her body. It was hard to say, but it was alright.


    "Thank you for everything you did for me," Setsuna whispered, her voice filled with gratitude. Ayame had been a woman who fought to her death with the sole goal of keeping Setsuna alive. She had once been her teacher, her friend, and her sister all at the same time. Even in her final moments, she sold her soul not out of greed for life, but out of a desire to avenge her father.


    Rising to her feet, Setsuna took the sword back and slowly unsheathed it. The de reflected the light of the moon.


    "I make you three promises," Setsuna dered.


    A beautiful sound flowed as she swung the sword, and her own blood began to flow.


    "One, I will without a doubt use this sword to draw the blood of the usurper," Setsuna proimed, her determination evident.


    Her blood flowed, red with a hint of gold.


    "Two, I will bury your ashes in the royal cemetery of our country," Setsuna continued, her voice unwavering.


    Her blood continued to flow.


    "Andstly, I will soon sit on the throne that is rightfully mine. This, I solemnly swear," Setsuna vowed under the moonlight.


    And so, a wolf swore to honor Ayame''s memory.

 Chapter 495 CH 456: NEW ORDER

    After a heartfelt prayer and the blood vow she made in the name of Atame, Setsuna stood up and walked with the sword of her loved one in her hand.


    "Do you n to use the two swords at the same time?"


    Setsuna looked at her own sword with wonder before holding it in her right hand while holding Ayame''s sword in her left. After swinging once then twice, and then she frowned slightly as she felt her skills in dual wielding to be inadequate.


    "I w''ould need a few days to get used to it but moving my two arms at the same time isn''t that hard. Even more so now since I have ascended to the Duke rank."


    Sol grinned as he heard those words. That was indeed the case here. The Nito-ryu or simply dual sword style was a rather unorthodox style in his past world.


    It wasn''t impossible to enact it per so. But using two weapons of the same length needed a great degree of coordination and extensive training for it to show its full might. But in the end, the results the sword style brought forth were not something particrly impressive. At least, not by the standards of his old world.


    This was why the best way of dual wielding involved a sword and a shield or a long sword and a short sword.


    ...Well, this was how it was in his old world.


    Thanks to the absurd mental capacity the higher realm of being bestowed to an individual of this world, dual wielding was far easier and came more naturally to them. Furthermore, there was no problem in terms of strength either.


    ''I wonder if I should give her a third sword to form the Santoryu sword art. Or perhaps one giant sword for her wolf form.''


    Sol could feel the chunni in him screaming but he pushed it down forter. Now wasn''t the time to delve into these ridiculous desires.


    "So. Tell me, what does it feel to have be a Blessed now?"


    "I... I really don''t know."


    Setsuna looked down at her body and her golden fur that shone under the gentle light of the moon. She felt like it was not her own body anymore. The changes the transformation had brought forth were so drastic that it was hard to get used to it in a short amount of time.


    "But, ever since I woke up, I felt like all my past worries were justughable and that nothing is impossible for me anymore."


    It was like she was floating in the high skies above and was finally seeing the world for what it truly was. It was a weird feeling that she could hardly exin in words.


    "Interesting. We will have to ask Camelia about thatter on. She also became a Blessed wayter in her life, so she should be able to give you a better insight into the changes you are currently feeling and how to properly sync with your new abilities."


    Sol mused while looking at Setsuna with his ''Eyes of Akasha.'' He had never noticed this with Camelia or Aurora since they were already Blessed by the time he obtained these eyes of his, but whenparing the threads of Fate surrounding Setsuna before and after her transformation, it was easy to see that the threads had increased by an explosive degree.


    The fact that her connection to Ira grew stronger aside, he felt like there were thousands of possibilities opening themselves to Setsuna now. Almost as if her potential was simply limitless.


    ''Interesting.''


    Sol knew that he had the bad habit of getting hyper-focused on certain things, causing him problems in the long run. There were so many things he wanted to give a try and test or get answers about.


    This was giving him a headache already.


    "Well, we first need to go back to the camp then go back home."


    "What about the dungeon?"


    "I ced a barrier, no one will be able to find it, and if anyone does, I will be alerted immediately."


    Only a Demigod on the level of Ambrosia would be able to put down that barrier without him noticing, and even then it wasn''t a certainty.


    The dungeon crawling had clearly been very rewarding for them, and once Theresa analyzed all the materials inside and took them in, along with the blueprints, then their harvest here would be fullyplete.


    Sol did not want to pay any more attention to this ce for now.


    "Let''s go."


    This time, the three of them moved at full speed rather than the leisurely pace they had used on the way here.


    Back at the camp, Lilith wasing back from thest execution that had been scheduled to be enacted today. She didn''t even have to participate. She was happy to see that the knights of her kingdom had be skilled enough to handle everything on their own.


    The bandits were a little tricky but nothing major, and this ended with no wounds on their sides, much less casualties.


    The knights had been a little surprised to learn that they would be observed by the queen and might have been fighting with a little more fervor than usual. If Lilin was the new rising star that they had recently be fans of, then Lilith was the Legend they admired and respected with all of their beings.


    When the prince finally came back with the princess and someone entirely covered by a ck cloak, they couldn''t help but gulp in nervousness.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Standing on the podium were the Queen Regent, the future King, and the Princess of the Empire. This was an honor of the likes they never thought would be possible.


    The prince was the one at the forefront as he started his speech,


    "Not long ago, I was worried..."


    Sol''s voice was low but everyone could hear it clearly. They couldn''t help but marvel at this perfect use of his mana.


    "The war is approaching and I couldn''t help but wonder, the Beastkins are a race of proud and powerful warriors. Could we truly win against them?"


    The few Beastkin in the knight order couldn''t help but straighten their backs at the mention of those words. They were born and raised in Lustburg, but this did not change their origin. This was why they were sometimes angry about the heavy and insulting words some people would use against them.


    Sadly, they could say nothing back. They were happy to see that the prince did not think as such of them.


    In fact, there was one thing Sol did not know. The beastkins born and raised in Lustburg knew that Setsuna, someone like them, was the bodyguard of the future King.


    This, in a way, gave them hope and confidence about their future. Setsuna was like the target of admiration for all of them, showing that discrimination did notpletely block their road to sess.


    This also made Sol very popr. After all, he was only partially human. Since a great part of the Lustburg''s poption was hybrid humans, because of all the interracial breeding, they had an easier time cheering for a hybrid like them.


    "But now, I am worried no more."


    Sol smiled, and a golden aura started to emanate from his body and covered the surroundings. It looked like the sun was literally rising on the horizon from the aura he was giving off.


    "You, my knights, showed me that Lustburg is in no way helpless against the powerful Beastkins."


    He clenched his fists, "The Beastkins are strong. But we are even stronger, and this is all thanks to your dedication.


    "Princess Lilin..."


    "Yes!"


    Lilin answered and approached Sol before putting one knee down in front of him with her fist over her chest.


    "Are you listening?"


    "I am."


    "Beautiful."


    A gentle smile appeared on his face, "Captain Lilin Luxuria."


    "Yes."


    "Will you do honor to our kingdom?"


    "I will."


    "Will you hoist our g high in the sky as you tear down the enemy rank and destroy everything in your path?"


    "I will."


    "Will you bring us victory?"


    "I will."


    "Then... With the world and the goddesses as my witnesses... Henceforth, I announce the creation of a new Knight Order... The Scarlet Knights, and I name you the captain of that new order. Do you ept this responsibility?"


    "I would be honored to do so."


    This scene, which was somethingpletely out of a fairy tale, was something the ck Knights.... or rather, the Scarlet Knights, would never forget in their lives.


    (AN: Well, the moment is approaching, and this time, there will be no skip.)

 Chapter 496 CH 457: TIME FOR CONTRACT?

    The rest of the procession went by pretty normally.


    Sol made a few of the scarlet knights stay close to the ce where the dungeon was located and ordered them to set up a perimeter surrounding the area. Even though he had already ced a solid defense against most, if not all, types of dangers... there was always that small percentage of luck ying a role and fucking up everything for him.


    On the way back to the capital of Lustburg, inside the royal carriage, Lilin couldn''t help but hum or simply giggle to herself. Having her own official knight order made her feel giddy with immense happiness.


    This made her feel like she was walking in the same steps as her mother and while this would have bothered her slightly in the not so distant past, now she could not help but feel a sense of pride swelling up within her at that thought.


    Of course, having her own knight order also meant that Sol believed in her and would let her take care of a battlefront in the war against the Wratharis kingdom.


    "Don''t be so happy about this. In terms of experience, you only fought some measly bandits together. I will either have Tyr or Athena apany you and be your superior and guide while you get familiar with the know-how on how to lead a battalion of your own."


    War wasn''t a game and for all his ambitions, Sol was indeed not a god. He could not cover the entire battlefield and could not protect Lilin 100% of the time.


    Lilin pouted slightly at his words but in the end, nothing could take away the happiness she was feeling right now. This caused Sol to leak out a tired sigh.


    Of course, while he was acting strictly, in reality, there was no way in hell he would let the safety of his women be left to fate if he could do anything against that.


    He nned to have Isis ce her King-ranked undeads in the shadow of both Setsuna and Lilin.


    Because of all the conventions, using undead was clearly forbidden in a war and would cause worldwide outrage. He would not use them to win the war of course...


    But if his loved ones were to be in any form of danger, then the war convention could burn in the ninth level of Tartarus for all he cared.


    He was only willing to ept those rules as long as they posed no danger to him and his loved ones. It was as in and simple as that.


    While Sol was dampening Lilin''s mood with cold and hard facts, Lilith was simply looking at Setsuna in silence.


    Now that there was no onlooker to see through her changes, Setsuna had taken off her cloak and Lilith was able to see the great changes that had happened to the vulpine girl.


    Crossing her legs and leaning back slightly on her seat, she asked her the question that had been nagging at her mind and most likely everyone in this ce.


    "Now that you are a Blessed... How will your rtionship with Sol... change?"


    Setsuna was currently both the ve and Knight of Sol and fully belonged to him. But now that she had be a Blessed and would eventually be the Queen of Wratharis, this obviously could not continue.


    "Nothing much has changed. She is still mine. Only thebel will change."


    Sol answered quietly while gazing into Setsuna''s eyes, "Of course, if you do not wish to follow our previous status quo, then it''s also fine by me. It''s up to you."


    For Sol, Setsuna had never been a ve and he never treated her as one either. Even her functioning as a Knight did not see much use since he rarely got out of the castle in the past.


    For him, Setsuna was, and would always be, a friend and a lover. The fact that she had be a Blessed changed nothing about that fact, of course, as long as her feelings for him didn''t change, that is...


    "You already know my answer. Furthermore, I can now fight for the position of the official wife."


    Setsuna grinned while looking at Lilin who red back at her with fury in her eyes.


    In the past, Setsuna always felt ashamed, even if a little, because of her position as a ve and a princess without a Kingdom. She never tried to fight for the main seat because she knew how impressive all the women surrounding Sol were.


    But now... Now that she had be a Blessed and would surely step on the throne of her Kingdom, she had all the rights and reasons to fight for the main seat.


    "If Sol is married to the Queen of Wratharis, this should make the conquest easier, right?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This was indeed so, and this was also one of the reasons why Sol had used less than savory means to make Pandora his ally.


    Now, he already had Envilya and Wratharis in his pocket. Southern Pride would depend on what Nefertiti could cook up in the meantime, but he had unconditional belief in her.


    ''I guess this leaves Gluttony, Greed, and Slothein.''


    He felt like he was progressively crossing things from a grocery list, and this was rather funny in its own twisted way.


    As for the talk about marriage, Sol would obviously not have only one of his women have the official position of wife and leave the others as his concubines.


    He was the first to admit that he did not love all his women equally. But though he did not love them all in the same way or at the same level, he would absolutely never treat one worse than the other.


    They were all more than worthy of bing his queen, and he was happy to have them on his side.


    ''Well, I won''t say this now though.''


    Heughed inwardly. He wanted a better asion to announce this decision of his. His crowning would be the perfect moment for that.


    Meanwhile, Lilith simply smiled quietly while observing Lilin and Setsuna bicker about the position of the main wife. She couldn''t help but feel a little emotional at this scene.


    She remembered how, not so long ago, she had called Sol, who at that time had not even gone through his awakening, to talk about his iing marriage.


    It had only been a few months until that time, but so much had changed between then and now.


    She was just an insomniac with suicidal tendencies and a dying body. Sol was a young prince with no power and a mind full of naivety. Her rtionship with Camelia and Lilin was as bad as it could be, and there was a rebellion brewing in the background.


    Fast forward to now and everything was so different that it felt like a whole new timeline. They were all stronger, be it mentally or physically. They all went through a rough path, but a clear sky was opening up for them to receive them.


    ''I wonder what you two would feel if you could see this.''


    For the first time in her life, Lilith was able to think of Mars and ze without feeling bitterness or pain in her heart and mind.


    This was another small step forward for her.


    "So now, will you two form a contract?"


    Setsuna and Lilin fell silent while the vulpine girl''s gazended on Sol.


    This was perhaps the one thing she had been waiting for all along.


    "We will. Though it depends on Setsuna now."


    Setsuna smiled a little before taking Lilin''s hand with a mischievous smile on her face. "Well... I have one little request."


    ---


    The Authors Patreon, if you wish to support him > /HikaruGenji

 Chapter 497 CH 458: CHILDHOOD FRIENDS UNITED

    For the return of the soldiers to the capital grounds, Sol had made sure to organize an entire Parade in their name. It was a very ''impromptu'' parade, made by a few ''civilians'' or citizens who, happy about the work the knight had done in making the kingdom safer for them, decided to align themselves on either side of the main street and wee the knights with apuse, gratitude, and a shower of flowers.


    While Sol did not like using derogatory terms, there was a simple cause for the masses. When many people did something together, there were high chances that many more would soon follow and do the same thing even without knowing why they were doing so.


    In a way, it was no different than acting like a sheep but this mentality was very useful for rulers like him.


    By making sure to have many agents of his secret order disguised as actual citizens, Sol was able to make this event even more grandiose and beautiful than what the impromptu preparations could ever hope to achieve.


    Citizens who knew nothing about this n of his would see the sudden gathering of the people and be happy, knowing that the knights did their job and kept them safe. Some of them would also grow envious and wish to join the military and thus secure a new batch of recruits for the militia.


    At the same time, the military would feel a greater sense of pride and feeling of recognition from the country and its people. Thus this would result in them having even more desire toy down their lives for the protection of the Kingdom and mankind.


    The final advantage was of course promoting Lilith in a more open manner to the popce of the Kingdom which would advertise his presence in one go.


    People would know he was indeed here just that he did not show up. This would prove that he was not someone using his power to steal the achievements of his subordinates, leaving an even better and deep impression on everyone involved.


    It would be very useful for him in the long term.


    Lilith only gave a smile full of mirth at everything that was happening here. She was happy to see that Sol was stepping more and more into his role as king of this country. And manipting the entire popce to advance his poprity and credibility among the masses was indeed a good first step in the right direction.


    If it was her in his shoes, then she would have just ordered the knights to not change their armor so that they would look worn out and wounded or bleeding from their wounds in some cases. It was far easier to attract attention and goodwill when you were on the side of the weak. The underdog always garnered the most attention and adoration of the masses after all.


    Furthermore, no matter how many tales you made, without the correct look... life would not go easy on you and it would be harder to sell things out to the crowd when everything looked picture perfect. The small bits of imperfection were generally what changed a great work into aplete masterpiece.


    While the Parade was short, it was undoubtedly a great sess in Sol''s eyes and he was sure that if it were to be a Kingdom building game he would be seeing the love and respect of his citizens climb through the roof in real time.


    "How insidious."


    "I call this technique and strategy marketing."


    "Heh..."


    Like this, under the cheers full of joy and appreciation of the popce, they have finally reached the Tower of Babel- their home.


    The Citizens were happy...


    The Knights were happy...


    Sol was happy...


    Everything was good in the best two worlds and everything was swimming well.


    While Setsuna was showing signs of slight unhappiness in her brows, she was able to cast that feeling aside pretty fast. She still had deep feelings for Ayame but she knew that her once close confidant and caretaker had died happy and with only a single regret in her life. A regret that she was about to turn over so that her soul would find peace, wherever it may be.


    For the entire day after her return to the Tower, Setsuna stayed inside her room, letting no one in as she proceeded to mourn for the dead on her lonesome and settle the grief in her heart.


    At this moment, she simply wished to think for herself for some time with no one to interrupt her. She also needed to get used to the new feeling of her body and adjust herself to her newfound powers to fully utilize them in the future.


    Initially, the first thing she wished to do was to call Kali and tell her the good news about her awakening and her ascension, but it seemed like the Witch of Destruction had vanished alongside all the other witches somewhere goddesses only knew.


    However, after thinking for a bit, the only conclusion that she coulde to was that they were now in Salem- the City of Witches. Probably, they were discussing the future of the witches there and were busy sorting through their ideas about it.


    Sitting in a seiza position, with her knee gathered under her butt while her two swordsy on either side of her body, a faint flicker of mana covered her whole being as she closed her eyes and deeply meditated with utmost concentration.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    There were many things she needed to think about, but an important point was what kind of contract she would end up binding herself with Sol.


    In a way, what Ayame did was close to a Wrath-type contract. Setsuna knew that her wrath and anger would one day end once her family was avenged, but what would happen after that?


    As such, she realized that there was only one possible contract that she could do with the love of her life.


    A contract she knew that she would never regret no matter how much time went by or whatever happened in the future.


    How long did she stay in that state? Thinking so endlessly? She did not exactly know. But when she opened her eyes, the moon was shining high in the skies above.


    It was time for them to sign the contract.


    But before that, she had to find someone to help her in the act.


    Sol was sitting alone in his bedroom when they knocked on the door.


    He had obviously heard their footsteps long before they even reached the door of his bedroom, so he showed no surprise outwardly at the mesmerizing sight of the two beautiful young women standing in front of him.


    Still, his facade did not mislead them. After all, their senses were powerful enough to clearly hear the loud and powerful beating of his heart, signifying the excitement he was feeling right now.


    They entered the room simultaneously before turning to look at him in perfect synch. Setsuna couldn''t help but question him with a mischievous smile on her face,


    "So, what do you think of my little surprise?"


    Sol had to fight himself to not gulp down as a response. He certainly had a great variety of experiences throughout his sex life. But there was no way he would not get excited by what he was seeing and by the thought of what was about to happen very soon.


    "I think I am perhaps one the luckiest bastards in this fucked up world."


    After all, now inside his bedroom, stood two young and gorgeous women d in only see-through negligees that stopped just a little above their round and sumptuous butts. Underneath that thin clothing, all they had on them was a pair of panties each. One blue like the summer sky and the second purple like the ethereal eyes of its wielder.


    They were his two childhood friends. Lilin and Setsuna.


    Setsuna grinned at those words and did a small twirl of showmanship to show off herself in front of her lover. Her tail that was moving up and down and her twitching ears added to her exotic charm and conveyed the emotions of anticipation and excitement that were coursing throughout his body.


    At the same time, Lilin was not in her human form either. Her eyes were of a deeper shade of purple than usual with a ck slit in between, and she had a thin long tail with a heart-shaped protrusion forming at the end that hade out of her tailbone, as well as two curved horns which were jutting out of her silky purple hair.


    Her form seemed to have taken a small boost as it looked like the negligee could barely cover her entire body.


    "I initially wanted a new dress. But I wouldn''t have guessed my fur would change color."


    "As for me, I didn''t think about how my proportions would change when transforming."


    Sol grinned, feeling his heart burn with a fire hotter than the mes of a phoenix. His form slowly changed and his body grew a few centimeters as he went from his human form to his hybrid one.


    A dragon, a subus, and a wolf entered inside of a room.


    This seemed like the start of an interesting joke.


    Obviously... It would be one with very lewd and hedonistic undertones.


    [AN: So here we are. Setsuna and Lilin will have their first time together. This is pretty rare for me as until now this only happened with Nent/Nefertiti. But in a way, this won''t be the first threesome between Lilin/Sol/Setsuna. The first one happened way back around ch 84 and was named Lilin (1)

 Chapter 498 CH 459: CONTRACTS AFTER SO LONG

    Looking at the two extremely beautiful young women ready to give their all to him, Sol couldn''t help but feel a sudden surge of emotions stir inside of him."I am really blessed to have girls like you around me."


    This was something he could never deny in his entire life. It was one of the undeniable truths and constants of his life. No matter how much he looked down on the goddesses or did not like some of their opinions and how they did things, the reality that he would never be able to obtain what he had going on for him without them was also the absolute truth.


    Lilin and Setsuna felt like their hearts would melt at any moment at the sweet words that leaked out of Sol''s lips; his tone filled with love and the irrefutable affection that he felt for them.


    "So, Setsuna, what do you n exactly?"


    Setsuna breathed in slightly at those words, before confidently speaking out the next moment, "About the contract... I have been thinking deeply about it for some time already... Sol, tell me, how exactly are the Capacity Points necessary for a contract calcted?"


    Sol tilted his head in confusion. She should be already aware of that fact so it didn''t make sense for her to ask him this question. However, he decided to humor her anyways, "It depends on the rank of the one I want to contract with."


    "Yes, that... It depends on the rank right... So tell me... let''s say we encounter a scenario where you sign a contract with me right now... If I evolve and be a Cmity Wolf in the future, will the CP required to maintain the contract with me increase or stay the same? What do you think will happen in that scenario?"


    "This..."


    That... was indeed a rather interesting question. Sol was now able to understand why Setsuna had asked that rhetorical question. He mused briefly before shaking his head, "No, it will not increase. Once the contract is fixed, the price required to fulfill it will not change."


    Setsuna''s eyes twinkled in happiness to finally get an answer to this question. This fact gave her an even more overwhelming desire to evolve into an S-ranked beast. But the question didn''t just end there...


    She had something else in mind.


    "So what I was thinking was... About Lilin. What do you think she is currently and is she suitable for making a contract with you?"


    ''Ah...''


    Sol now understood Setsuna''s intentions and he couldn''t help but be intrigued at the possibility. Initially, Lilin was human in nearly all ways that could be counted for her to qualify as a human. But now the distinction and surety of her human nature had be quite blurry.


    Unlike Lilith who was a ''failure,'' as stated by Neptune, Lilin had perfectly incorporated the gics of her two bloodlines. In a way, she was closer to being a subus hybrid than anything else.


    "....It should be possible. But... Even if it seeds, doing so will put me in a rtionship with Invidia. That''s a bit problematic..."


    This was perhaps Sol''s greatest grip on this whole situation. Invidia did not like him and giving her any leeway to pry into his life or the lives of his loved ones would surely make for quite the troublesome situation...


    But at the same time... If doing this allowed him to have direct contact with Invidia then it might be worth it in its own ways.


    Worst case scenario, he simply had to sever the contract with Lilin in the process and flee.


    "Very well. Let''s all give it a try. Did you guys decide which contract you two want?"


    Setsuna walked gracefully until she reached Sol''s right side and Lilin did the same which led to Sol now having two gorgeous women on his left and right. They took him by the arms and walked until they reached the bed and pushed him onto the mattress at the same time.


    Lilin''s gaze was filled with a sense of undeniable hunger, but Setsuna was quite literally positively starving and drooling, not being able to wait to take him inside her...


    How long had she waited for this moment?


    It was hard for her even start describing the emotions she was feeling at this moment. But one thing that both she and Lilin were sure of at this moment was...


    "We are not leaving this room until one of us is at death''s door."


    As for the contract, it would obviously be a Lust-type. That was irrefutable at this point.


    Smiling as he looked up at the two enchanting women he loved and cherished with all his heart, he exerted some strength and brought them down in his arms.Hugging the two very sensual and lithe bodies of Setsuna and Lilin, he could feel a steady stream of blood rapidly rushing toward his little brother but he still had enough reasoning inside of him to hold on to his urges.


    Just a little more... and he would be able to make love with his beloveds...


    "Setsuna, you already know about the ritual process, right?"


    "Obviously."


    Sol nodded and turned to Lilin and started to exin the ritual to her. Thanks to her superior memory, it didn''t take long for her to grasp the entire ritual and the vows that had to be shared during it.


    Prompting them up with his hands, the three of them sat in a triangle formation on the bed and Sol closed his eyes.


    "I call the attention of the world and that of the goddesses."


    This was the first and perhaps the most important part of this contract. The contract could not happen without the permission of the goddesses.


    Generally, it was more of a simple protocol that was fully automatized. The goddesses would rarely care about the contract signing between mere mortals.But in his case... things were different. It always was whenever ever he was involved.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The moment those words resounded, onerge magical circle with intrinsic patterns made up ofplex geometrical shapes appeared below them and filled the room with a soft ethereal light apanied by a certain feeling of heaviness that was hard to exin in words.


    The words inscribed on the circle were in a character that could not be read normally. But Sol was able to recognize the meaning of the word almost instantly.


    Ira.


    The name of the goddess of wrath. This meant that... for now, she was the only one to have answered his calling.


    Sol sighed and focused his energy before repeating,


    "I call the attention of the world and that of the goddesses."


    Silence greeted him once again for a short while before a flicker of light shed and a new circle appeared on top of the preexisting one. Invidia.


    ''So she decided to answer, huh...''


    Sol wondered what kind of discussion they would haveter. But now, he was mostly interested in something more important than that. His contract with his beloveds.


    "I, Sol Dragona Luxuria, affirm my love to you, as I invite you to share my life."


    Emotions swelled up inside Setsuna''s heart at those words and Lilin had tears brimming at the corner of her eyes; an immense sense of relief washed over her. She had been feeling a little desperate and distraught when the circle did not appear for some time... But now, everything was alright.


    "I, Setsuna Ira, reciprocate your love and ept your invitation."


    "I, Lilin Luxuria, reciprocate your love and ept your invitation."


    The light of the circle that was initially simply white shed for a while in multicolored lights before changing into a beautiful pink hue, prompting Sol to release a sigh of relief. This had been the important part of this ritual.


    The changing of the colors was the acknowledgment of the feelings they had for each other.


    Motes of light began to fly around, making them feel as if they were in a fairnd while words slowly formed in their minds,


    [Do you swear loyalty, love, and devotion to each other?]


    """We do."""


    [Then, make your vows.]


    Sol gazed at the two girls who had been with him throughout the years, his voice became hoarse and agitated as he spoke out the words that were contained in the depths of his heart.


    "Setsuna, Lilin, life had not been kind to the two of you. You shared different forms of trauma and wounds on your heart that may never fully heal for the rest of your lives."


    He closed his eyes, thinking of the two small girls, hiding the pain in the very depths of his being behind a veil of smile and happiness in order to not worry him.


    "My wish is to be the shield that will protect you from ever encountering any scenario that would hurt you once again. My vow is to give my everything in order to make the two of you truly happy. We will face trials. Unequivocally harsh and some of them may even be impossible to pass.... But as long as we are united in one heart, nothing will be impossible for us. That I guarantee you with all my heart..."


    He held their hands tightly as he gave his vows and after squeezing his hand slightly to affirm their belief in him, Setsuna was the first one to speak.


    "Sol Dragona Luxuria, my sword is your sword and my heart is your heart. Everything I have and everything I am belongs solely to you. My loyalty as well as my love for you are Eternal and Unchanging. Now and forever... Let me be the spear that will pierce all your enemies."


    Sol smile... A Vaint vow, befitting Setsuna''s personality.


    "Sol Dragon Luxuria, possessor of my heart and soul. Your existence is like the Sun, illuminating the cloudy skies ravaging my heart and my love for you is Infinite and Unending. Like the very space that holds all of existence... Let me be the sword that will bring down all the obstacles that stand in your way."His smile was filled with warmth as he heard Lilin''s vow. Ever caring and sentimental. Again, it was just like how she was...


    The light between them became far stronger. The words they uttered appeared in the air before swiftly reaching them and entering their bodies and reaching their hearts. Slowly... but surely... they transformed into powerful bindings that will never vanish as long as the contract between them existed.


    Like with Isis, Sol could feel as if a part of him was being filled. The CP necessary for the contract was being deducted and in return, the empty space inside him was being filled by the essence and the presence of his beloveds.


    The light of the circles slowly dimmed down after that as the first part of the ceremony finally ended.


    Now... It was time for the truly fun part.


    -----


    (AN: Hope you liked it. It took a total of 498 chapters for Sol to finally have his contract with Setsuna. We came a long way since CH 5, which was Setsuna''s first smut. For those who are interested in Isis'' contract, you just have to reread thest few chapters of Vol 8: 279 CH 252: Lust Contract.)

 Chapter 499 CH 460: LILIN (2) SETSUNA (3) *

    (Warning: This chapter and the next few ones will have some small moments of Yuri between Setsuna and Lilin. I believe that any reader of mine who has read through the almost 500 chapters of my story isn''t insecure like many readers that usually proliferate the WNmunity, but still, just to be clear and avoid the eventual weird reviews like *It''s NTR!* and *MC is getting Clicked!* along with all that jazz... No. Setsuna and Lilin aren''t lesbians and will never have any sexual rtionship without Sol being present. They are just having some fun on the spur of the moment. That''s all. Now, with all of those convoluted thoughts out of the way... Enjoy!)


    Once the first part of the ritual had finally finished and made way for the second and final part, the three childhood friends looked at each other with smoldering gazes filled with so much heat and intensity packed within each and every one of their gazes that... it felt like it was enough to burn the entire room that they inhabited down to ashes.


    The first one to jump at Sol - not being able to restrain her instincts, love, passion, and,st but definitely not least... lust - was none other than the star of this show- Setsuna herself. She had waited so long for this exact moment that it was hard to quantify in words any longer. And, though she had some interesting sexual adventures with Sol in the forest, just this would never in a million years be enough to cover the true meaning of what mating should entail for the beastmen.


    Pushing Sol onto the bed with a primal growl filled with irrefutable lust, while leaning diagonally across him, Setsuna nibbled his lips roughly with her own before transitioning the light nibbling into a full kiss full of passion, acting like someone who had walked across the desert with no source of water for days and had finally found that source... inside Sol''s mouth...


    She was certainly enthusiastic for what was essentially her first time and Sol reciprocated her feelings and passion in kind. The two lovers kissed each other deeply and were full of wanton abandon, caressing and holding each other with great force, enough to pulverize the surroundings. But in their passion, they had forgotten that there was a third person that would be joining them in their exchange of carnal passion today.


    "Don''t forget me."


    Like a child begging for attention, Lilin pouted her lips and went to the other side of Sol before slowly taking away all the clothes that were covering his upper torso in a swift and precise manner.


    On done with that easy task, her eyes shone with a slight purple light as she gazed deeply at the passionately kissing duo. As Lilin progressively became closer to what a true subus should be, Pandora warned her about her first time with Sol, telling her to be extremely careful during that time. She had warned her that if she was not able to protect her own mind, she might bepletely addicted to Sol which would only hamper her rtionship with him and take it into an unhealthy route.


    Jokes on her really, as Lilin was actually into this kind of kink and wished for nothing more than to be even more enamored with him with all her being.


    Caressing his supple but chiseled and muscr body, Lilin''s eyes became slightly hazy as she inhaled his manly scent within her. She felt like he was releasing some kind of pheromone that was slowly turning her into aplete love crazed lunatic and the simple odor of his sweat was enough to make her wish to lick all over his body top up that delicious substance.


    Deciding to listen to her instincts, she opened her mouth before gently biting down on Sol''s chest. Sucking in until she left a small red mark on his skin.


    ''Ah...''


    She knew very well that this was only possible because Sol had rxed his defenses for them. But seeing this small mark on his body made her even more intoxicated like she was leaving proof that he belonged to her and no one else.


    Losing nearly all reason after that single action, she started kissing, licking, caressing, and leaving marks all over his skin.


    "Lilin."


    Looking up at Sol as he called her, she gave a sloppy smile and approached him before kissing him as Setsuna made way for her.


    ''Ah!!!''


    Immediately, she understood what Pandora had meant when she warned her about being addicted. She had slightly felt it with his sweat alone, but now that she was actually kissing him, the level of life energy she was absorbing was a little too much for someone with nearly zero experience like her to handle.


    Even Sol couldn''t help but be surprised as after just one kiss with him, Lilin''s eyes were already starting to roll and her body slightly convulsed into what seemed like a light orgasm.


    Her sweet breath leaked out and an even sweeter scent filled the air in the room that was already filled with decadence.


    "Sol."


    Lilin kissed him again and again without showing any signs of stopping, ignoring how her body would twitch every time she did the act and how her panties would be dirtier and dirtier because of all the love juices that were spilling from her body.


    "It seems like our dear princess is getting thirsty."


    Lilin shuddered when she felt a pnd square on her heart-shaped ass. She was so excited that nearly every part of her body was akin to an erogenous zone.


    Turning around she red at the grinning Setsuna before tackling her, causing the wolf girl to yelp in a cutesy voice.


    "Stop interrupting us."


    "Oh? Excuse me? Should I remind you that I am the one who asked for your presence?"


    Setsuna smiled before turning the situation around and making Lilin now go below her as she hovered on top.


    After all, in terms of pure physical abilities, there was no way Lilin could ever hope topare to a beastman like her. Even more so in her current situation.


    "Still, look at how excited you have be?"


    Setsuna pinched Lilin''s twin cherry buds with her fingers. While she was in no way small, she had no way topare to the body proportions of a being that was literally created for sex, decadence, and hedonism.


    "Nh-!"


    Lilin writhed slightly under her touch, losing most of her strength with that one action of hers alone. Her reaction caused Setsuna to open her eyes wide in surprise before chuckling quietly under her breath.


    "This reminds me of what happenedst time."


    This wasn''t the first experience the three of them had together. Though it only happened once, back then Setsuna had also been working her way with Lilin''s supple, soft, and voluminous breasts.


    Turning around, she looked at Sol and raised an eyebrow in question, which Sol merely answered with a thumb up.


    There were few things more sexy in this world than watching two girls going at it. The fact that those two girls belonged to him and him alone made this whole situation even hotter for him.


    Setsunaughed out loud at his brazen gesture; her mate was truly a man with unending libido. Just what did she do to deserve someone like him? She always wondered in her mind. Bending down, she whispered something in Lilin''s ear that caused her to give a bashful smile filled with excitement.


    "Oh?"


    Sol lifted an eyebrow at the sudden shift in atmosphere as the two girls stopped mock fighting and turned to him or, more precisely, to his pants.


    The look in Setsuna''s eyes was all he needed to know what was about to happen and he couldn''t help but smilesciviously.


    It seemed like the wolf was about to swallow the sun in quite an interesting way.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

 Chapter 500 CH 461: LILIN (3) SETSUNA (4)*

    Like a predator stalking its prey, Setsuna approached Sol''s pants before carefully lowering them down, freeing his, now painfully stiff, shaft from the confines of the tight pants that had been imprisoning it till now.


    Lilin¡¯s eyes became unfocused for a small instant as the scent of Sol¡¯s throbbing phallus filled the room and every contour of her mind. She felt like she would cum at the slightest stimtion right now. Things were not looking good for her but she paid no heed to that and tunnel-visioned all of her focus on her beloved¡¯s wonderful erection.


    ¡®So the time has finallye, huh¡­¡¯


    Lilin gulped down hard. Her throat suddenly felt really dry and heavy. She had the feeling that she was looking at a girthy snake that was progressively standing straighter and stiffer with the passage of time. And she absolutely loved the view.


    Thest time she had seen it, not much had happened between them outside of some forey. However, she knew for a fact that this time she would definitely have the chance to go through a whole new experience with her beloved and best friend.


    Setsuna had also be a bit nervous once the fatal meat stick was brought out into the open. But, remembering the way Persephone yed with Sol and brought him pleasure, she steeled her mind and decided to go at it in her own way.


    ¡°Lilin, follow my lead.¡±


    If it had been any other time, Lilin would have rebuked Sestuna''s words right about now. But in this moment she decided that the smartest thing to do was to defer to the one with the most experience between the girls.


    The two of them took off their negligees, leaving them with nothing but their bare and supple breasts and a pair of panties to look at, giving a far more erotic sight that caused Sol¡¯s penis to harden and straighten further.


    Before long, Setsuna¡¯s hand had naturally found its ce on top of his penis and she grabbed it the next moment.


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    The soft sensation of her dainty hands on his shaft made him leak out a groan of pleasure.


    ¡°You just need to rub it slightly like this.¡±


    Lilin nodded at Setsuna¡¯s instructions. Her expression was serious and focused as if Setsuna was delivering the gospel to her at this instant. Sol had to fight the urge tough out loud at the scene of a virgin educating another virgin about how to give a handjob.


    This was indeed a rather surrealistic sight. One that would leave anyone in boisterousughter if they didn¡¯t have the mental fortitude of Sol¡¯s level.


    Her soft fingers wrapped around the rock-hard shaft and slowly moved back and forth along its length. For all her bluster, Setsuna could in no way say that she was pretty good at what she was doing. But Sol did not care about her experience in the arts of carnal ecstasy. The feeling of pleasure he felt at the sight of his lover doing her best for him was more than enough in his honest opinion.


    Her technique wasn¡¯t the best, it was nowhere near even average, but he could sense her desire to help out the man who had saved her to reach the heights of pleasure, so it felt good to him no matter what she did to his penis.


    She kept her hand moving nonstop.


    Every time her fingers touched one of the bulging veins, it would throb instantly. When she would asionally touch the bottom of the head, the entire penis would twitch.


    But the way it moved in her hand didn¡¯t stop her from continuing to rub it ever so gently between her soft and dexterous palms.


    ¡°Am I doing good?¡±


    Sol¡¯s groaned as Setsuna asked with upturned eyes.


    ¡®Cute.¡¯


    How could the usually stoic and warrior like Setsuna be this cute at this moment? Women were truly wonderful mysteries of the highest order. One that few could boast to be able to actually understand in the entirety of creation.


    ¡°I am feeling great.¡±


    He smiled and patted Setsuna on the head, caressing her long silky hair and slightly tickling her twitching ears.


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    Lilin pouted a little on the side, causing Setsuna tough out loud, ¡°Why are you looking like this from so far away? Come join me.¡±


    ¡°So I should do that too?¡± <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Lilin sounded a little afraid but mostly confused as she watched the throbbing penis of her lover twitch in the hand of her best friend.


    Setsuna smiled gently as she nced at her with pity in her eyes. While she would like to make fun of her friend, remembering how Persephone guided her through thest night, she decided that, perhaps, it would be better to simply enjoy the current moment with her.


    She might not be a great teacher but she could still do her best to show her the ropes.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you start by rubbing the swollen part at the tip?¡±


    ¡®Is it some kind of cycle?¡¯


    Old harem members trained new ones. He remembered a scene simr to this happening in the Astral Realm when was about to have an orgie with Kiyohime, Nent, and the others.


    ¡°L-Like this?¡±


    Lilin poked her finger against the head.


    Tingling pleasure immediately coursed through his body. ¡°I think a little more boldness would be better.¡±


    While they may have been awkward at first, slowly, Lilin started to adapt and with the help of Setsuna, it didn¡¯t take long for the pleasure he was receiving to start increasing and precum to leak out of his penis.


    Lilin looked at the white sticky goo with trepidation. She had the impression that if she were to lick this liquid, she would be able to reach a new level of pleasure that would never vanish from her mind.


    ¡°It seems like we are doing pretty good?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ True.¡±


    While Lilin was battling her inner instinct, Setsuna faced no such limitation and happily opened her mouth wide, ready to startpping at him.


    ¡°No teeth.¡±


    Even though this was a stupid sentence, Sol knew he had to do that to warn her. After awakening her new powers, her teeth were as sturdy as diamonds.


    Sol had a great resistance, to many things at that, but he did not wish to test how sturdy his little friend was in such a situation.


    All she did, for now, wasp at it and use her hand to stimte him. In the end, since Sol had no intention to force himself to hold back, he leaned back a little and began to shoot the ropes of thick white cream for his lovers to devour.


    Setsuna was the first to react and she covered the whole bulbous head by engulfing it in her mouth. Soon her cheeks puffed up slightly. But she was able to keep all the liquid to herself.


    Opening her mouth wide, she showed the white liquid pooling inside her mouth. She knew that Sol had a kink for restraining other people or making them do shameful little acts.


    ¡°You stole everything.¡±


    Setsuna closed her mouth and looked at Lilin before a grin formed on her face.


    ¡°Do you want it? Alright, I will give some to you¡­¡±


    Before Lilin could say or react, she felt a pair of moist lipsy upon her own.


    At first, she was startled and confused, wondering why Setsuna was kissing her. But soon, as her mouth was forced to open by Setsuna''s small tongue, a small part of the earlier liquid finally entered her mouth.


    At that very moment¡­ Lilin was sure that she lost consciousness and was able to witness the sight of the vast sky filled with stars.


    Sol¡¯s liquid, even if diluted, had quite a shocking power on her due to her nature.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

 Chapter 501 CH 462: SETSUNA (5)**

    Sol nearly lost it when he saw Lilin and Setsuna kissing each other, their bodies pressed together, causing their bountiful breasts to change shapes slightly.


    At first, Lilin was only at the receiving end. Be it because of how surprised she was or the difference in strength, she only let Setsuna handle her.


    But soon, it looked like something was switched in her and she became crazy. Her body convulsed like she was having an epileptic episode and her eyes rolled so far back that they could only see the white of the eyes.


    A clear liquid flowed down from her thighs and covered the sheets. Lilin had once again reached the peak of pleasure.


    But this was clearly not enough for her. As ifing with revenge, she hugged Setsuna and started kissing her back. The two feminine bodies moved and entwined in beautiful ways.


    ¡®Holy¡­¡¯


    This was hot. Hotter than he could have ever imagined. This went beyond what he could even understand.


    He admired and watched as a scene that was worthy of a film-rated adult was happening in front of him. A scene that he could have only viewed in his fantasies was now taking ce in front of him.


    After kissing Setsuna to the point it looked like she was sucking her entire soul out, Lilin, her eyes still zed threw a limp Setsuna away like she was a broken doll.


    Setsuna had made a certain miscalction. While Sol¡¯s semen certainly affected Lilin. As a subus, all the fluids of Lilin were no different than the strongest aphrodisiac in the entire mortal world.


    Kissing her was like drinking such potion in the rawest way possible and unlike Sol, she did not have an all-epassing resistance to magical effects.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    Like a zombie going after the nearest prey Setsuna approached Sol while walking on all four.


    ¡°I want more.¡±


    Sol breathed in very deeply before exhaling.


    This was an attack a little too powerful. His heart nearly exploded. But he knew he could not lose his reason now.


    This was Lilin and Setsuna¡¯s first time and his rule for those would always be the same when it was about people he truly cared about.


    ¡®Let¡¯s not be hasty.¡¯


    The good thing was¡­Looking at both the current state of Setsuna and Lilin, it was clear that neither of them was in need of more forey.


    He was about to answer but Lilin yelped as her ankle was gripped by Setsuna and she was pulled back.


    Throwing Lilin¡¯s away like she was throwing trash, Setsuna chuckled and approached him. Her eyes were dted and her breath was hurried, the aphrodisiac was working wonders on her but she still had a great part of her reason.


    ¡°I am going first.¡±


    She was already ying second fiddle to Isis. No way she would ept bing the third contract rather than the second.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    Once she finally reached Sol, Setsuna ced a hand on his chest before pushing back, sitting on his stomach, her tail continuing to wag happily.


    ¡°The moment is finally here.¡±


    She had waited for ten years for this very moment. The moment when the two of them would officially be mates.


    Taking his hand in her, she gripped it strongly and while her words were sparse, her will was clear.


    Gripping back, Sol smiled at Setsuna, ¡°I am sorry for making you wait so long.¡±


    ¡°No. She shook her head. The wait was worth it.¡±


    The greater the trial, the sweeter the reward. It was because of all she had to go through to reach the current moment that she felt even happier. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ¡°So, how do you want to go at it?¡±


    ¡°I want you to take me from behind.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    She blushed at the meaningful smile Sol gave her but she could not stop her impulse.


    Moving away from Sol, she kneeled on the bed and showed her supple and well-rounded butt.


    Then, giving a look, she brought her hands and opened her opening herself, giving Sol a full view of Setsuna¡¯s glistening feminine fold.


    ¡°Please. Don¡¯t hold back. Take me and make me yours.¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Sol¡¯s reason had fought courageously all this while. It hadn¡¯t been easy. It was attacked on all sides by all kinds of extremely erotic sights.


    But this¡­This was too much.


    Sadly for it¡­There were some fights that simply could not be won no matter how hard you tried.


    And so Sol snapped.


    Taking Setsuna by the hips, he moved; he slowly brought himself close until he could feel the heat of her enticing hole that was twitching like it was anticipating his arrival.


    He ced a little more strength then finally pushed himself all the way in.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Blood bloomed and the chastity that she had protected for years was finally taken away from her by the man she loved more than anyone else in the world.


    Sol meanwhile couldn¡¯t help but growl. Setsuna was tight. Perhaps the tightest among all the women he ever had a rtionship with.


    Her hole was bringing a pleasure out of this world and he felt like it was trying to milk him from all he was worth.


    ¡°I am going to move.¡±


    Setsuna could not answer but Sol did not wait for one in the first ce. His hips started a rhythmic move as he came and went from inside her.


    Her hole slowly adapted to his lengths but the pressure was still enough for him to feel like he was about to cum already even though he had done so not long ago.


    But he couldn¡¯t just stop here.


    Taking Setsuna by the tail, he pulled lightly, and immediately, he felt her mp up and be tighter.


    Her sweet voice leaked out more and more even though it was muffled by the sheet. She grabbed them, feeling like she was a boat facing the mighty wave of a furious sea but the pleasure that was coursing through her body was unmistakable.


    This was raw animalistic sex. There was no technique or anything of the like. Just Sol swinging his hips with no care and this was why¡­


    ¡®This is the best!¡¯


    She loved it. She loved how the usually calm Sol was acting like a starving beast seeking her body, each movement of his member in her brought her delight beyond description.


    She could feel it. She was approaching the peak.


    ¡°I aming.¡±


    Sol groaned in her ears as he pushed himself all the way into the deepest part of herself. Setsuna''s ws tore open the sheet as her own climax followed shortly thereafter.

 Chapter 502 CH 463: LILIN (4)**

    After Sol pulled himself out of Setsuna, he could see the light of the contract around her dim a little but not totally.


    It seemed like the contract was nearing its end but he did not decide to conclude it now. To do so, he needed to finish something else first.


    Setsuna meanwhile, sagged in with her legs still wide open and her whole body still twitching as she went through the powerful orgasm that wrecked her. From her hole, a copious amount of white liquid was slowlying out, giving her an even lewder appearance.


    Smiling at his handiwork, Sol caressed the forehead of the heavily breathing Setsuna before turning toward the third person in the room.


    ¡°Lilin¡­¡±


    Lilin, who had been observing everything from afar gulped on as Sol called her name with his hot and heavy voiceced with desire. The way he was looking at her with his hard-on still raging made her feel hot.


    The animalistic disy of pleasure she had been made to observe was seared forever in her mind and would never leave it.


    ¡°Lilin¡­¡±


    ¡®Ah.¡¯


    When Sol called her a second time, by the time she realized what happened, she was already crouching close to him, cradled between his arms. On the side, she could see Setsuna looking at them through heavy eyelids. She was clearlypletely exhausted.


    ¡°So¡­How do you want us to do it?¡±


    While it was important for a man to take the lead sometimes during sex. In the end, it was an act of love or lust between two people who were learning the body of their partners.


    This was even more since this was their first time. He wanted them to have full control of how everything went to a point.


    Blushing, Lilin thought about the position Setsuna asked for. While this was exciting in its own way. For the first time, she wanted something different. She had read some books about subi as a curiosity since she discovered she was one and many of those books had been erotic in nature giving the inexperienced girl quite the shock.


    Between all of those books, there was one recurring theme that actually intrigued her, and this was how the subi would dominate herpanion while giving him supreme pleasure.


    ¡®Can I do that?¡¯


    She doubted she could put down Sol in this domain. After all, even the queen subus had been defeated helplessly. But still, she wanted to give it a try.


    ¡°I want to be on the top.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Sol rose an eyebrow as Setsuna pushed him onto the bed before adjusting herself above him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t?¡±


    She tilted her head in such a cutesy way that Sol could only give a wry chuckle. He obviously didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Lilin smiled as her tail moved behind her and gripped Sol¡¯s dick to keep it straight. She had seen in some books that they would even use their tails as a way to give pleasure, but she judged that this was still a realm too far from her current level.


    Now that she was looking down at Sol like this, certain feelings began to farm in the depth of her stomach.


    She was finally about to do it. She was finally going to make love to him. How much had she longed for this day?


    Be it her, Sol, and Setsuna. The three of them hade a long way from the snot-nosed brat they once were. They could now call themselves powerhouse in the mortal realm with no shame and now her love would be fulfilled.


    What better than this could happen?


    ¡°I am going.¡±


    She took his hands in hers and used them as a support while she started to lower her hips until her snatch met the tip of his penis.


    Lilin took a deep breath. Not only because of what might be a painful pration but also because she dreaded how this would affect her mind.


    ¡®First goal, don¡¯t pass out.¡¯


    She brought her hips down in one go and swallowed the hard manhood to the base. Her eyes widened as a shiver went down her spine.


    As it did, her body arched backward and the gentle features of the young and pure girl melted with carnal pleasure. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Sol was not much better. Like with Setsuna, the many folds of flesh surrounded his penis and he was on the verge of cumming just from prating her. Lilin brought him a different feeling, between tightness and softness, as if her fold were taking the perfect shape to suit him and bring him the greatest pleasure.


    Just by putting it inside her, the vaginal walls gently wrapped around his rod and wriggled as if to squeeze out all his milk. Her vagina had plenty of nectar, so it provided a sticky pleasure different again from a blowjob or titjob.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Sol¡­this is so wonderful¡­¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing for me too.¡±


    While sharing in the pleasure, the two of them were connected but did not move. No, they could not move. It was Lilin''s first time and Sol was intoxicated by the sensation he was currently feeling., so they both thought they would cum if they started moving right away.


    ¡®So this is what it feels like to have him inside me.¡¯


    Lilin breathed in and out, trying to regte her beating heart. She could feel her mind bing cloudy. The pain did not even register in her mind and all she felt was a pleasure.


    ¡®I want more.¡¯


    Lilin ced her hands on Sol¡¯s chest to support herself and then began moving her plump butt up and down. Her vaginal flesh drooled in its hunger for carnal pleasure, it rubbed against his penis, and the pleasure grew even further.


    Lilin pped her hips against his crotch in her desire to fully taste his rod. The room echoed with that pping sound and the indecent wet sound of nectary flesh rubbing together. Herrge breasts heavily bounced before his eyes, her long and glossy hair shook behind her, and a sweet voice escaped her lips.


    Despite her inexperience, her movements were getting gradually better, as if she was moving instinctively.


    Every time she did so, she would call out his name in a low voice while closing her eyes, focusing on the immense pleasure that was filling her brain.


    She moaned loudly and her breasts shook. Her cheeks flushed, and her beautiful face was dyed by obscene pleasure. Her entire body gave off oppressively-strong sex appeal.


    Sol watched those beautiful breasts move like he was being hypnotized and finally could not help himself but reach for them and grab them.


    ¡°Nn~!¡±


    Lilin bent down at the sudden sensation, giving Sol even better ess to her beautiful twin.


    Her moans grew even louder when he started to bite and nimble on them while hugging her. This made the movements of her upper body more restricted but this did not stop her hips from moving and in fact, made her feel even better.


    The feelings of her body close to him like this while he was inside her gave Lilin the impression that they were fusing and bing truly one.


    ¡°Sol~!¡±


    In the end, she was not the only one moving. No matter how he liked giving the initiative, it was impossible for Sol to truly stay passive all the way. His body betrayed him and his hips began to move on their own. When he thrust up from below, Lilin¡¯s body gave arge jump


    With both their hips moving, their union rubbed together all the more intensely. Her vagina was already a flood of love juices, so his crotch was quickly soaked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hold back any longer either¡­¡±


    He had thrust his hips like crazy without thinking about the pace, so their pleasure had risen to the highest stage in no time. Even so, Sol continued fiercely thrusting his hips while holding her hips in his hands.


    Finally, after onest movement as Sol grabbed her hips and mmed down so that he was entirely inside her, Sol groaned and released his pent-up lust inside.


    For Lilin, this was no different than being hit by the highest pleasure-inducing drug. She released a high-pitched moan and squirted while reaching climax. Her mind was nearly sent back to the void of her conscience but she managed to hold on with difficulty.


    Coming behind her, Setsuna hugged Lilin from the back while looking at Sol. She had managed to move after a while and knew that they were reaching the conclusion.


    ¡°From this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health for as long as we shall live. We shall always be together.¡±


    [epted.]


    The three of them muttered together and so the contract waspleted.


    ¡ªAnd like thest time with Isis¡­Sol cked out.


    While his consciousness was drifting out, he wondered who he would meet first between the two goddesses.


    (AN: Hum. I wanted to add a fourth chapter but I decided that three were enough. I might perhaps write some special chapters for the night of Persephone/Setsuna or might write some with Camelia. Been a while for Camelia. Anyway, I hope you liked the volume. There are only two chapters left but the volume can be considered done in a way.


    It wasn¡¯t easy and it took longer than I nned but I am happy with the conclusion and growth of both Setsuna and Lilin. Once again I would like to apologize for the very slow release during the past months.)

 Chapter 503 CH 464: TALKING WITH THE GODDESSES (1)

    When Sol opened his eyes the next time, he found himself not in a lush and green clearing as he expected to be in, but rather in what looked like a gigantic theater.


    Sitting in one of the highest ces of the enormous theater, he had a full view of the whole scenery below though there was nothing much to see outside of a y that had been going on for some time from what he could gather. It was a y that depicted the scene of a puppet-like wolf moving and fighting another wolf.


    Sol could feel his emotion shift unnaturally as he watched on. He felt himself bing unnaturally irritated for an instant as he watched on the fight between the two wolves. But thankfully, he was able to change those emotions as soon as they hade.


    ¡°You have really changed since thest time I¡¯ve seen you.¡±


    A rather rough but feminine voice resounded next to him as he watched and he was finally able to realize that he was not alone inside of this theater as he had once thought.


    ¡°Where am I?¡±


    ¡°Wee to the ce I reside over. I call it the Theater of Domination. Though my sisters like to simply call it the Theater of Observation.¡±


    Her voice was calm and indifferent, and Sol was finally able to take a good look at the woman in question. Like Luxuria and Castitas, she had a veil covering her face, but Sol had no doubt that she was a very beautiful woman that could change the perception of beauty with only a single appearance of her features.


    ¡°I guess I am in the presence of Ira.¡±


    ¡°How interesting of you to speak like that¡­ You do not even bother using honorifics, I see¡­ How rude¡­¡±


    ¡°Does it bother you?¡±


    ¡°Truthfully? No, not particrly. I think only Invidia and Temperatia might be offended by that demeanor of yours. Though for different reasons altogether.¡±


    Sol was quite bemused by her way of speaking, ¡°You are¡­ quite calm.¡±


    This was not exactly what Sol had been envisioning when he heard the name ¡®Goddess of Wrath¡¯ throughout the years. She was nothing like what her title had painted her to be.


    ¡°Heh¡­ This is amon misconception mortals have of us, I guess. I am the Goddess of Wrath. Not the personification of Wrath itself. Anger does not control me, I am the one who controls it in all shapes and forms. In the same way, do you think Luxuria acts like a harlot? Or does Castitas act like a demure woman? None of the goddesses really act like what their title of divinity paints them to be¡­¡±


    Iraughed as she leaned down, ¡°But being the Goddess of Wrath is helpful at times. Even my sisters sometimes see me as nothing but a bull-headed idiot rushing forward without thinking of the consequences.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    His voice was indifferent and calm as he interacted with the Origin of Wrath itself. He truly didn¡¯t care much about what she was thinking or why she was doing what she was doing currently.


    His eyes fell back to the center of the theater where the y was going on without a care for its viewers, ¡°So is this your hobby? Observing mortals like they are part of an interesting y?¡±


    ¡°What else should I do? Feel pity? Love? Compassion? Why should I do that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your responsibility?¡±


    ¡°No. My responsibility is to protect the world and the universe as a whole. Every being was given free will. What you do with your free will is your problem and yours alone and in the same way, we have the free will to look at you guys while you self-destruct due to the application of your free will.¡±


    Her apathy for mortals was clear. And he could not really me her for that.


    ¡°I see that you do not understand me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ¡°You mean¡­ you cannot do so yet. When you be a demigod and create your own territory, when your lifespan will be calcted in Eons and you will have tried everything in the world there is to try and everything there ever is to live¡­ You will understand then and only then¡­ For immortals¡­ Boredom is the greatest poison in existence.¡±


    She chuckled and looked down at the y once more as he conveyed her thoughts to the greatest singrity in existence, ¡°Well. Our time here is limited and I did not call you to have some philosophical discussion about immortality.¡±


    ¡°Very well. So what is your goal?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to observe you.¡±


    She grinned under the confines of her veil, ¡°You are the mortal who made the most waves in this universe ever since what happened with Anubis.¡±


    She continued on, ¡°I honestly do not like you. You are a source of unknown and your potential is even higher than what Anubis initially showed us to have wielded. Your power and skills make utterly no sense even to us who have practically seen everything in existence and should in no way be in the hand of a mortal like you and sometimes I have the impression that you are hidden by a fog. A fog that even us, goddesses, are not able to see through¡­¡±


    Sheughed demurely, ¡°There is also the stunt you pulledtely. I must say¡­ It was really smart of you. But more than anything, it should have been impossible to pull off. We all know that she is not an undead, but we have no proof of your sphemy. How can a mortal hide from our gaze in such an intrinsic way?


    ¡°So I became curious. I wondered why Luxuria and Castitas were so hell-bent on protecting you, I was also starting to wonder just how much potential you truly had. I stopped looking at you like I was looking at an ant and started looking at you like an equal and that¡¯s when I realized¡­


    ¡°Sol Dragona Luxuria¡­ You¡­ You are dangerous. Very much so.


    ¡°You are an uncertainty, an element of chaos, andst but not least, you represent a great danger for us.


    ¡°This is why I do not like you and I am sure many of my sisters actually do not like you either or are simply observing the situation till they can reach a definitive consensus.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ What I am supposed to do with this information.¡±


    ¡°Do as you wish with it. I am honestly slightly on Invidia''s side because I believe that despite the slightly selfish reasons pushing her goals, she is right about you. But at the same time, I am a coward, you see. I do not want to put all my eggs in one basket.¡±


    This was something new and freshing from a goddess like her. He had never seen a goddess humble herself like this. Even Luxuria, despite her goodwill for him, always acted as a superior being.


    ¡°You seem surprised. But is it really that shocking that I do not want to face something that will change my everyday life?¡±


    Ira closed her otherworldly eyes, lost in thought. Her mind went back to a distance far away from what was the previous universe before it was nearly annihted and reduced to nothingness.


    Her sisters and a few more goddesses were the only surviving members of that hellish time. Everyone else fell under ¡®HIS¡¯ merciless hand.


    Ira was scared. Scared of Death, scared of Pain. All she wished for was nothing more than to observe the world in all of its colorful wonders, far from all the useless scuffles of her position.


    ¡°I think the fact you will be a False God is already assured. At the very least, as long as you do not die along the way, that is. But I doubt this will happen. So sooner orter you will reach my level. After all, the 14 of us are not really fighters.


    She raised another finger, ¡°I also think you and Aubis are the mortals with the highest chances of bing a god or you might fail. I cannot see your future.


    ¡°As such, I will simply stay neutral until I am unable.¡±


    She waved her hand and the world around Sol started to darken, ¡°Good luck in your future endeavors¡­¡±


    Those were thest word he heard from the Goddess of Wrath.

 Chapter 504 CH 465: TALKING WITH THE GODDESSES (2)

    Chapter 504 CH 465: TALKING WITH THE GODDESSES (2)


    The second time Sol opened his eyes, he was struck by a weird feeling of weightlessness before he realized that he was not in Ira¡¯s divine kingdom anymore.


    This ce was different from the open-air grasnd of Luxuria and Castitas. At the same time, it was also different from the Theater that was in Ira Kingdom.


    Invidia¡¯s Kingdom was very respectful of the word. After all, he found himself in a throne room. A grandiose one filled with many decorations.


    Down below the stair of a huge throne with a woman sitting on it.


    The throne room had a certain artistic sense, as on the wall, he could see the drawing of many goddesses, as they were always depicted. without their face. Only pure darkness where their expression should be.


    The mural was beautiful but weirdly iplete. At the bottom, was the picture of the 14 goddesses, a little above was void, as if something had been broken then further above could be seen the picture of what he summarized was Ymir. There were a few more goddesses drawn next to her, but also many ced void of any pictures.


    Finally, at the very top was the picture of what he thought were the picture of the Mother of Chaos and the Mother of Order, divided by a huge fracture and stretching their hands toward something.


    Sol squinted slightly, feeling like a huge headache was striking him.


    ¡°For how long will you continue to ignore me in my Kingdom?¡±


    Sol blinked and after shaking his head, he realized that the mural had changed, depicting only the 14 goddesses alongside the Mother of Order fighting the Mother of Chaos, with Ymir and three more goddesses.


    ¡®What the¡­.¡¯


    ¡°Sol Dragona Luxuria.¡±


    Sighing, Sol finally focused once again on the goddess sitting on her throne and looking down at him.


    A smile formed on his face, ¡°Dear goddesses, I beg your forgiveness. I was just observing this room and was struck by how grandiose it is.¡±


    Invidia sneered, ¡°You have a slick tongue. But at the very least, you have great taste.¡±


    She scoffed, crossing her legs and leaning back on her chair, a voice filled with pride and haughtiness.


    ¡°So, have youe to surrender and admit your guilt?¡±


    ¡®What in the flying fuck is this crazy woman speaking about?¡¯


    Sol was quite bewildered, ¡°Surrender?¡±


    ¡°Obviously. For what reasons other than surrender would you sign a contract with one of my own? You should know that it means I now have a hand on you.¡±


    ¡®Because I can cut the contract whenever I want.¡¯


    Sol really wanted to shout this, but now was not the time to antagonize all the goddesses. They still did not know what he could really do so he had to make sure by the time they realized, it would be toote.


    ¡°I do not want to surrender or admit any guilt as I am innocent. I simply signed a contract with one of my beloveds even if she is linked to another goddess because I have nothing to hide.¡±


    Sol spoke calmly. Even though he did not want to antagonize the goddesses, the days when he begged them with all he had were far away from him.


    He was still not at the level where he could face them but he did not need to grovel anymore.


    ¡°This is why I dislike mortals. Irreverent, prideful, and ready to defy the divine out of some misjudged desire to rise above their ces. Cowards who hide their ws and fangs when weak but do not hesitate to jump out when they think they have the advantages.¡±


    Sol knew she was mocking him for the way he was acting nowpared to then and for sure he had nothing to say about this,


    ¡°Dear goddesses, I believe you are mistaken about something.¡±


    There was one things Sol wanted to say,


    ¡°I have never shown disrespect to the goddesses in the past. Is not wishing to grovel a mark of disrespect?¡±


    He asked quietly and looked up at her face with no hesitation. He could feel his mind being struck by a mighty blow and his emotions trying to spiral out of control but he held on.


    ¡°All my life, I have always been thankful for the goddesses. Luxuria in particr as she is the one who brought me into this world and in my current position. The beautiful life I am living now is without a doubt the result of her machinations and I will always be eternally grateful.¡±


    He took a step forward, the pressure on his mind bing even more threatening


    ¡°You¡­Are you out of your mind?¡±


    Invidia was shocked speechless at this bold move. Even though her face was covered by a veil, her very essence was that of the sin of Envy. Looking at her directly like this would make even a saint fall in damnation.


    And Indeed, Sol''s mind was slowly being corroded, his thoughts were gettingplicated.


    But at the same time¡ª Perhaps in the whole world, Sol was the one mortal who had the least fear in facing Invidia.


    As for why? The reason was quite clear.


    Even when the feeling of envy was awakened in him, he found that ¡ª- He had no one to envy.


    He was born with a diamond spoon and covered in gold. He was supremely talented and hecked in terms of appearances. All his lovers were crazy about him and his current power level made it so that only a handful of people could actually pose a threat to him.


    Even then, it was only a question of time before he would surpass them.


    If there was one person he might be slightly envious of in the past, it would have been his father.


    But even that was a thing of the past. He ignored the whisper in his mind that was trying to make his doubts as they were worthless.


    ¡®How¡­¡¯


    How was this even possible?

 Chapter 505 CH 466: TALKING WITH THE GODDESSES (2)

    Chapter 505 CH 466: TALKING WITH THE GODDESSES (2)


    Watching the struggling but still standing Sol, Invidia was shocked.


    Envy was one of the most primordial emotions in humans. It was this feeling that allowed many to strive forward in order to reach a higher level.


    Even someone at her level still felt envy.


    How could someone¡ª How could a mere mortal have a heart filled with nearly no envy?


    Sol ignored all this, knowing that he could notst long,


    ¡°But¡ª Even though I am grateful, this does not make me a ve. Nor a servitor. I have my own free will and I can act in my own way.¡±


    ¡°Free will?¡±


    Invidia scoffed, getting back some of herposure, ¡°You should know by now that there is no such thing as free will. Only predetermined oue. What you call Freedom is nothing but a facy and an illusion.¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s so. It¡¯s my freedom to act and fall under this facy and it¡¯s my freedom to try and fight against it or subdue it. But in the end, our discussion is not a matter of Fate.¡±


    He growled, ¡°I have never shown anything but respect to the goddesses, and at my weakest, I had no hesitation to grovel and beg for the safety of my loved one. But even after growing stronger I have never hated nor wished to dethrone the goddesses.¡±


    He wanted his own freedom and he wanted to stand equal to them. But only to grasp his own life in his hands rather than have his destiny be manipted by them.


    ¡°In the end, the first one to start the hostility was none other than you and I still do not understand why so much hostility.¡±


    ¡°You represent a danger for us.¡±


    ¡°I have no intention of fighting with the goddesses.¡±


    ¡°You said so yourself ¡ª Who would leave their life to the whim of something they cannot control? As a King, would you let someone you cannot control live in your Kingdom?¡±


    Sol shrugged, ¡°I always lived with people I could not control in my kingdom.¡±


    This was the story of his life. Even now, Ambrosia and Lilith as well as the other witches could potentially kill him.


    ¡°Those are your family and lover. But what about a stranger? What if a man who was stronger than everyone else came and stayed in your ce? Would you be able to sleep with your two eyes closed, knowing that your lover could be defiled at any moment by him and that in the end there was absolutely nothing you could do?¡±


    Invidia gave quite the brutal example but thanks to this, Sol was able to better understand her point of view. He also understood that whatever he said would not change Invidia¡¯s mind.


    She was not acting fully out of emotions, neither did she hate him and act out of malice.


    She was acting in a rational way to a rational threat and there was nothing he could say about this.


    But there was one mistake she made.


    If she wished to antagonize him, she should have been half-assed about it. She should have killed him in one definitive blow without caring for all the protests of her sisters.


    But she did not.


    She was hesitating. She wished to still appear like the saint in this affair. Ruthless enough to decide to eliminate the future threats but not ruthless enough to discard all emotions or potential bacsh she could encounter by following her road.


    In the end ¡ª She was just half-assed.


    ¡®How pitiful.¡¯


    If he had any respect left for the goddess, it immediately lowered by a greater amount.


    He asked himself, what if the one he was facing now had been someone like Anubis or Tiamat?


    The answer was more than evident. They would have exterminated him in no time without even trying to garner approval.


    Those two were true powerhouse with Kingly dispositions, willing to do the dirty job with no hesitation.


    One killed her children in cold blood at the slightest sign of trauison.


    The others became demon kings feared in the entire universe.


    The two were gods in all but name and position.


    He sighed again, his eyes became cold as he lowered his head and took a few steps back, immediately feeling the pressure on his mind vanish.


    Discussing further was useless.


    He had no reason to remind her of her wishy-washy attitude as it was helpful to him.


    Whatever she wished to do in the future was her own choice.


    But he would remember it and once she stepped past the line, he would strike back with everything he had.


    ¡°I have nothing more to say.¡±


    Invidia looked down at Sol. Her wariness increased tremendously. She had the feeling that she needed to strike him here and now. Even though this would not kill him, this would severely affect his soul and lower the chances of bing a demigod to a great degree.


    This was her ce, not even her sisters could stop her in time.


    If there was one thing that was stopping her ¡ª It was the rule.


    A code of conduct that had stayed invible for thousands upon thousands of years.


    Could she truly risk being the first one to break those rules?


    Just for slowing down Sol¡¯s progress?


    Behind her veil, Invidia bit down her own lips as indecision filled her mind.


    It was then that she felt it.


    Two pairs of eyes gazing at her from beyond.


    Luxuria and Castitas.


    Soon other eyes opened and she knew that they were all observing her, waiting to see what actions she would take.


    ¡°This discussion is over. You simply need to know one thing, mortal


    ¡ª I will watch you.¡±


    Sol simply smiled at her, ¡°This will be my utmost honor to have the goddesses observe me.¡±


    In the end, exasperated by everything, Invidia simply waved her hand, banishing the smiling Sol from her domain.


    There was a long silence in the sanctuary before she growled.


    ¡°What? If you want to say something, do it. Otherwise, scream and leave me alone.¡±


    No one answered and one by one, they left.


    Leaving her alone in her grandiose throne room.


    (Welp. This is the end of Vol 12. Wasn¡¯t easy but it¡¯s done. I wonder if I should add some special chapters. I will see.)

 Chapter 506 SPECIAL CHAPTER: A CULT? NAH ITS JUST A READING CLUB

    Chapter 506 SPECIAL CHAPTER: A CULT? NAH IT''S JUST A READING CLUB


    "...And so the Emperor toyed with the traitorous angel and the despicable Titan as he deemed fit, driving their hearts into the endless seas of despair."


    Sitting on a chair made out of leaves and the barks of a tree, a woman d in nothing but nearly transparent forest green-themed robes muttered out softly as she turned the pages of a book she was holding in her hands.


    Not far from her, a group of more than twenty men and women with the characteristic trait of elongated ears sat quietly and listened to the woven tale of the enchanting woman before them.


    Shadows and lights moved above the head of the woman holding the book, showing a y of a man facing a multi-winged woman and a giant monster of catastrophic proportions.


    "...In the end, unable to face the might of the Emperor further, they were forced to flee and the war ended in the victory of the Dragons."


    The pictures moved, and the arm of the angel was cut before she vanished alongside the humongous monster.


    "...The End."


    Silence pervaded the atmosphere for a split instant before a thunderous round of apuse and cheers filled the silent space¡­


    "Kyaa~!"


    The eyes of the women twinkled in admiration and adoration and the men clenched their fists om agitation and awe as they tried to imagine themselves in the midst of the battlefield that the Dragon Emperor dominated on in the territory of the mythical Dragons.


    The excitement in the air was at an all-time high as people began to converse and discuss the story they had just heard from the woman.


    Looking at the elves enamored by her story, Nefertiti¡¯s otherworldly face bloomed into a gentle smile.


    How could she be unhappy in this situation? After all, there were so many like-minded people who were admiring the prowess of her beloved Lord.


    "The Tales of the Dragon Emperor Book 2, Collector¡¯s Edition will soon be avable on the market. But the regr version of the book is already avable for sale. Obviously, assembly members will also be given a small Dragon Emperor plushie as a membership reward."


    Business and religion Ahem~ Business and club development could never bepletely unrted.


    The fact became even more predominant as all the elves were fanatics of the Dragon race. That¡¯s why it was necessary to make her beloved Lord pervade all aspects of their lives.


    Nefertiti was clear about her objectives. While the power of [Servitude] could help her greatly, not only would it be too showy, but also ¨C and more than anything ¨C she did not want fake believers whose faith was only wrought through manipting their minds through her powers.


    This was why she wanted them to enliven Sol¡¯s tales.


    His stories had been divided into two books and were sold everywhere in the territory of the Elves. Even now, she had other elves who were telling the stories of Sol to their brethren furthering the influence Sol had on thesends.


    Obviously, this could never be enough.


    Elves were renowned for their love of arts and she used this to her advantage.


    His stories were made into songs and poems.


    His images were drawn and sculpted in both stones, metal, ice, and any surface strong enough to withstand his glorious visage.


    Small toys were made for the children to love and adore.


    Products such as plushies, pillows, sheets, and other home decorations were all made in his images.


    She even made some small prayer beads that were supposed to increase the chance of pregnancy as Sol was a powerful Chaos Dragon.


    All they needed to do was ask for his blessings.


    The most wonderful thing about all she was doing was that¡­ since all the products were endorsed by Nidhogg, who had followed her down to the Mortal Realm, no elves doubted her credibility, and what she made was selling almost instantaneously.


    Soon, worshiping Sol and his tales would not just be a club activity or a way for people to be awed¡­


    It would be a way of life.


    When waking up, the first thing they would see would be Sol.


    While working, they would still see Sol.


    And¡­ even when going to bed, thest thing they would see would be Sol.


    ''How truly marvelous. A country entirely covered in the color of my beloved Lord.''


    All she needed now was to push a bit further from behind the scenes to have the leaders of the country cave in and ept the creation of a Tribe under Sol''s name.


    She knew that it would not take long at this point. The tales of Sol, the almighty Dragon Emperor, had already be too widespread.


    All they needed was a breaking point.


    "Miss Nefertiti. May I ask a question?"


    "Of course. I am ready to listen."


    Silence fell as a woman asked, "The Dragon Emperor is the prince of Lustburg, right?"


    "Indeed."


    "If it''s so. Then why did he never visit the Forest?"


    ''Bingo.''


    Nefertiti had a crestfallen expression as she exined, "Lord Husband would certainly love toe and share his blessings. But sadly, it seems like only a small minority are interested in him. My Lord would not bend his pride to visit people who do not want him to be present before them."


    Murmurs filled the air as the elves progressively heated up at the fact their beloved object of worship was in fact not weed in their own homes.


    While the Elves were renowned for their love of arts, they were even more renowned for their extremely warlike nature.


    For them, ultimately, any matter could be resolved with violence.


    If that did not work, it simply meant that enough violence was not exercised and were in need of more violence¡­


    The one who had asked this was none other than one of the members of her "Club" that had been enlightened to the truth about her beloved Lord.


    She had nted many people like this in different ces to incite controversy and anger about theck of respect the Dragon Emperor was suffering in thends of Elves.


    Nefertiti knew that her actions might cause a small riot and unrest in the Elven society. She might even get killed by the Queen for her transgressions.


    But that never mattered to her. Not even in the slightest. She was ready from the get-go to sacrifice one of her lives and undergo nirvana as long as it would ensure the proliferation of the name of her Lord.


    Another elf raised her hand timidly into the air and Nefertiti looked at her keenly as she was not one of the elves she positioned.


    "What question do you have?"


    "I¡­ I was wondering if the Emperor would be willing to mingle with lowly elves like us."


    Nefertiti tilted her head before understanding what she really meant by those words. The few times the dragons had descended into thesends, they were only interested in the High Elves or the special chosen of the Elven species.


    Smiling, Nefertiti took out a second book, [The Sulfurous Adventure of the Prince of Lust] from her space.


    This was another book that had been written in order to light up the fantasies of young women. She was not particrly proud of it, but it was also a best-selling book.


    "Trust me. My Lord cares not for your race or social position. As long as you strike his fancy, he will shower you with his love."


    Her eyes glittered with joy as she exined the prowess of her Lord.


    Though¡­ Those prowesses were of a different kind¡­ more primal in nature¡­


    How many people could actually boast of having bedded three Phoenixes, A Dragon, and a Titan at the same time?


    ¡ª And so another day went by and the Club (Cult) of the Dragon Emperor continued to grow at an exponential pace.


    (EN: There¡¯s a famous saying by Geoffrey Chaucer, ¡°All good things muste to an end.¡± And I am here with a painful heart that it is time for me to leave this book. It had been a great ride with everyone and I enjoyed editing SHK throughout the course of the past two years. But this is the end of the journey for me. And I just wanted to say GOODBYE to everyone. Thanks for reading this great book with my subpar edits and I hope everyone will enjoy the next chapters as much, if not more, than what they did during the time that I have edited.


    Ah Hafez.)


    (AN: I cannot say much. Over the course of this story, I had four different people who helped me edit one after another and sadly I had to leave them one after another as different things happened. Paradox is mytest editor to date and have worked on SHK since near the end of Vol 8. He had also helped edit Vol 1 of SHK to be used on Amazon and will continue to work with me on God of Crime and my future third story. But for now, we will have to say goodbye to him on SHK. Really thanks for a great job. This chapter also marks the end of Vol 12.)

 Chapter 507 VOL 13/CH 467: DECLARATION

    Chapter 507 VOL 13/CH 467: DECLARATION


    [Frontier Lustburg/Wratharis]


    If watched from a bird''s viewpoint, the frontiers between the different countries were rather easy to discern.


    Near the center was Lustburg. It was a neighboring country and shared frontiers with Southern Pride in the northwest, Envilya in the southwest, and Wratharis in the west.


    At the same time, it shared a frontier with Greed Dike in the east and with Gluttony Fost slightly in the northeast.


    The reason why Lustburg shared its border with so many countries was because of its earlier expansion under the reign of Jupiter. Back then, Lustburg had been on the verge of conquering the whole world.


    Sadly, they had lost many parts of this territory over the years after the alliance with the witches was terminated and Jupiter died.


    As for Slothein, the angels shared no border with any kingdom as they had taken full control of the sky, and no one had ever dared to truly dere war on them outside of Echidna.


    Obviously, while Lustburg and Wratharis shared a border, since each kingdom was continent-sized, the border was very hard to control, and there existed many key points that needed protection.


    One such key point was the White Tiger Fortress. It was the one that gave direct road ess to the center of Wratharis.


    It was also a very important trading route and, while not the only one, ounted for 20% of the entire tradingmerce alone.


    One could imagine that losing that fortress would be a real blow to ready.


    ¡ª--


    Wratharis, and this was why, on this day, a small team was getting ready.


    ¡ª--


    Walking with his feet deep in the snow, a young man cursed as he kicked arge rock, breaking it at the same time.


    ¡°sted weather! Why now of all times?¡±


    His face flushed with anger as he looked up at the sky, wondering if the goddesses were against them.


    One week. It had been one entire week since they had decided to take down the Twilight Fortress, but to no avail.


    The beastmen had simply too many advantages, and when adding the protection of a fortress, things became even moreplicated.


    This was even more so since the war was not officially announced yet. They could not mobilize arge group of soldiers, and the only way to go was to infiltrate with a group of elite warriors.


    ¡°At least, that was the n until the fucking snow started toe.¡±


    The young man mumbled with a vexed expression.


    Humans were inherently weak.


    This was a sad fact and a reality that could not be ovee.


    For the people of Wratharis, who were born on the sea and braved all kinds of environmental hazards, a little snow was basically nothing much.


    But for a human, things werepletely different. They were already happy to have enough visibility.


    Fighting became considerably harder. They could not see anything under the blizzard, and walking consumed more energy. Even breathing was difficult.


    In short¡ªIt sucked. It really sucked. And there was nothing they could do to change the situation.


    As the young man walked whileining under his breath, he stopped as he observed a young woman walking past him as if she were gliding on the snow.


    She had dark skin with strange markings all over her body, giving her a rather exotic appearance.


    Her golden eyes were piercing, and her long silver hair matched perfectly with the snow-filled world in the background.


    But the most eye-catching feature she had was, without a doubt, her beautiful maid attire. Seeing a maid in a ce that would soon turn into a battlefield was always a sight to behold.


    One would wonder whether she was lost or simply stupid.


    ¡ªAt least until they fought her.


    Admiring the delicate beauty of the young


    woman for a while, the young man finally sighed and asked, ¡°Where are you going today, Nuwa?¡±


    Nuwa, who had been walking while holding a tray, stopped before turning towards the young man.


    Her golden eyes curved in a mysterious smile as she tilted her head.


    "Nothing. Just talking to the wind as always. Do you know where Gerard is?"


    "Outside of the encampment. A few of those bastards tried to raid us at night. Thankfully, we have Sir Ger¨C *Ahem* I mean, we have Gerald."


    The young man cleared his throat while looking around, making sure no one heard him.


    Gerald had a great reputation in the army in the past. But now that he was a war criminal and had been stripped of all his positions, many people didn''t know how to interact.


    The only one who went to him without hesitation was Nuwa.


    "Thanks."


    Nuwa waved her hand and smiled brightly for an instant before her expression switched to full indifference, and she walked away. An action that did not surprise the young man.


    It was disturbing at first, but soon everyone was just of the opinion that she suffered from possession or personality disorder.


    Just as he was about to leave, a screen flickered high in the sky, causing all the soldiers at the border, humans and beastmen, to look up.


    [Hello, my dear citizens.]


    A majestic voice drifted in the air, causing Nuwa''s eyes to darken a little while everyone looked up with a certain hint of respect.


    After all, the promise the prince made thest time really made them feel like it was worth sacrificing their lives.


    [This time, I do note to share additional rules but rather to bring only one fact to you all.]


    As the prince spoke, he took a step aside, and a woman wearing armor with golden fur and a tail appeared.


    The moment she opened her eyes, everyone let out a loud gasp.


    "A Blessed¡­"


    [As you can see, Setsuna Ira, my childhood friend and fianc¨¦e, has now obtained the position of Blessed. She is also the legitimate princess of Wratharis and the sole survivor of the massacre orchestrated by the Usurper.]


    His voice boomed, and all those who listened to him had their minds shaken.


    This was even more true in the Capital of Wratharis.


    After all, for some reason, a screen had appeared there as well.


    Taking a step forward, Setsuna looked ahead with piercing eyes.


    [My dear citizens¡­I will take back the throne that belongs to me. I do not ask you to fight for me... All I ask is that you do not fight for the usurper. Do not let the blood of our brethren flow because of an unworthy man.]


    Her eyes zed with fury and conviction.


    [As for you, usurper king, heed my words.


    As the killer of my father, the two of us cannot share the same sky. In this war, you will fall, and my des will plunge into your heart.]


    After those words, the projection finally vanished.


    Watching everything from the start, a light flickered in Nuwa''s eyes as she muttered.


    "Finally, the war is about to start."


    This was going to be fun, she thought as she walked away.


    (AN: Hello, everyone. I was taking a small pause since I finished Vol 12. Now it''s time to write again.)

 Chapter 508 CH 468: MISPLACED AWE

    Chapter 508 CH 468: MISPLACED AWE


    Lustburg, as always, was a prosperous ce where citizens could walk at their own pace without feeling oppressed. The healthcare, security, and numerous small things that contributed to the quality of life for the people living in the capital were so good that evenmoners could live somewhat leisurely lives, as long as they weren''t too foolish and made the necessary effort.


    However, it came as no shock that the more someone had, the more they wanted. It was human nature to never be satisfied. This was why everyone strived to climb higher. Therefore, when Sol announced the recruitment for people to participate in the war, instead of facing an unwilling mob, the administration center of Lustburg was inundated with a veritable tsunami of people wishing to be recruited.


    Despite any initial doubts, the doubts had mostly vanished, reced by pure admiration and determination. Their Prince and Future King had blessed someone who was once a ve, or rather, his fianc¨¦e. The shock of this was undeniable.


    It must be said that in the thousand-year history of Lustburg, such an event had never urred. In fact, throughout the entire history of the Kingdom, although the Blessed had sometimes mixed their bloodlines with foreign races, there had never been a case of two Blessed individuals marrying. This was simply unprecedented, and the ones who brought about this miracle were their rulers.


    As if that were not enough, all the citizens of Lustburg recognized Setsuna. After all, they had witnessed her fight against Sol in the Coliseum a few months ago. At that time, she had been the diator King. She had not been a Blessed then, but now, just as the war was about to begin, she had be one? Even those with the least faith in their bloodlines would acknowledge that this was a divine message, a trial for both the current King and the new Princess of Wratharis, and the winner would either keep or take the throne.


    On the day Sol made his announcement, more than 10,000 people registered their names. Many were mercenaries or adventurers who had caught the scent of victory and decided to join the side they believed would most likely win, expecting greater benefits. There were even more vigers with little to no training who dreamed of achieving great feats in battle and bing rich and renowned throughout thend. A few dreamy teenagers filled with patriotism wished for nothing more than to fight and die for their Kingdom. And, of course, there were some ill-intentioned individuals, whether spies from another kingdom or spies from Wratharis.


    Given that the best men represented the secondrgest demographic in Lustburg, and Lustburg had a very mixed-race army, it was quite difficult to distinguish between those who were genuinely allies or those who hade for their own interests and those who wished to do harm. At least, this would have been the case.


    "Were all the recording devices nted?"


    "Yes, Your Majesty. They were installed inside the Mana calcting device used by the adventurer guild. For all those passing the test, they are only measuring their mana."


    "Good. I believe I don''t need to tell you not to startle them. Simply observe and separate the spies."


    Surrounded by his war council, Sol was giving one order after another. The alliance with the witches was already bearing fruit even before he had visited them. The device they were discussing was created by a witch and had the power to measure goodwill or theck thereof. It was a rather useful device and the first gift Ambrosia had sent him, mentioning how the witch council wished to somehow improve their rtionship before the actual meeting.


    It was amusing. The mighty women who had initially demanded unreasonable gains were now wagging their tails like starved dogs waiting for a bone. But Sol did not belittle or insult them because


    he knew just how much his creation meant to them.


    While the war council was in progress, the Dukes and Duchesses couldn''t help but cast sidelong nces at the women around Sol. They could sense the fluctuations of energy from the Princess and knew that she was now on par with a Duke, but none of them were truly surprised by this. Reaching the Duke level was a lifetime achievement for others, but for members of the royal family, it was merely a formality. The fact that she was stronger than them didn''te as a surprise either.


    What truly surprised them were the two blonde-haired, blue-eyed women sitting next to Sol. The first one was a young wolf woman whom they had known for quite some time and whose identity they were aware of. In fact, the entire secret n involving the Church of Wratharis had been based on the assumption that Setsuna would be a Blessed. However, seeing it with their own eyes brought a different kind of shock.


    Apart from this, while Setsuna''s transformation was shocking but expected, the presence of the second blonde-haired woman was mind-blowing for most of them.


    "Um... Your Majesty. Is she...?"


    In the end, Tyr couldn''t help but ask quietly.


    "Hmm? Ah, indeed, I forgot to introduce you all."


    Pointing his finger at the cheek of the voluptuous woman next to him, Sol introduced her calmly as if it were the most normal thing in the world.


    "Meet Pandora Invidia, Queen of Subi and the Demon Kingdom."


    "Ah..."


    Tyr, upon receiving this answer, looked at the short distance between Sol and Pandora, as well as the way she clearly yielded to him. One didn''t need to be a genius to understand that their rtionship was anything but ordinary.


    Perhaps the most shocked of all was Arachne. From her perspective, her friend had been teasing and attempting to manipte the prince just a few weeks ago, and now she seemedpletely tamed.


    ''What in the nine hells happened?''


    And so, the meeting continued with the Dukes looking at Sol in awe. However, he could only smile wryly, suspecting that this awe had nothing to do with his kingly aura.

 Chapter 509 CH 469: KING REACT

    509 CH 469: KING REACT


    While Luxuria was filled with fervent ardor, the situation was moreplicated in Wratharis.


    In the first ce, the citizens had not been interested in the war. There was already small friction with Envilya and Southern pride so they saw no interest in dering outright war against Luxuria.


    What had lured them in the past was the false information about Camelia¡¯s loss of power and what kept them was the pride of the Wolf King.


    From another standpoint, the approval rating of the Wolf King was simply not that high. This did not matter in a pure monarchy like in Lustburg or the other kingdoms, but for Wratharis that was a mix between a Republic and a Monarchy, this made it so many of the easy decisions he could have taken were met with a strong bacsh.


    One of the things that helped the Citizens keep faith was that war beasts were all extremely patriotic.


    Even if they did not like the current ruler, they were ready to fight and sacrifice themselves for the country. Even killing themselves if it was necessary would be nothing but an honor.


    So even though they did not want war ... .There was no way they would let foreigners upy their territory.


    This was the belief that keep them.


    But now¡­.


    Things got messy.


    ¡°Hey¡­Did you see?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ It was¡­¡±


    ¡°But what if she is a fake?¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? Is there anyone who dares to disguise as Blessed?¡±


    The fact that a projection from Lustburg managed to appear in the capital Wratharis was a surprise enough.


    But what they witnessed after was earthshaking.


    The princess was alive.


    The princess was a Blessed.


    There was no fear of it being a scam. It was impossible for anyone to even dare act as a Blessed.


    It was sphemy to such a high level that all those that dared to try were struck down by thunder and reduced to ashes in an instant or were cursed and lived in such a condition that they killed themselves to escape their suffering.


    In this world, it did not matter whether one was a believer or not.


    Faith was personal and not enforced.


    But no mortal could overstep and disrespect the goddesses.


    This was why they knew ¡ª This was real.


    This was why they knew ¡ª That a new wind was starting to blow.


    The eyes of many people started to flicker.


    Those who had been dissatisfied by the reign of the wolf King.


    Those who had been loyal to the previous king.


    ¡ªOr simply those who saw an opportunity to climb to a different tree and possibly reach a higher level in their life.


    As war beasts, direct rebellion against a blessed was impossible and the King was not some helpless cub that could be manipted.


    But a new queen might be different.


    It was then, a new screen flickered in the sky.


    Everyone looked up, wondering if it was another message from Lustburg but this time it was none-other than their own King.


    [Citizens of the Republic. The time of war is upon us.]


    Unlike the crazy and unbridled appearance he would show sometimes, Lupus was nothing but dignified as he spoke this time.


    [Not only has the Kingdom of Luxuria been our enemy since time immemorial, but they now have a design for our beloved country.]


    Righteous anger swirled in his eyes as he spoke loudly,


    [My fight for the throne was one sanctioned by divine authority and recognized by the goddess. Calling me a usurper is insulting the goddesses]


    He continued,


    [But this time it''s not about me. My dear niece had been captured and treated as a ve by the royal family of Lustburg for years!! How dare they!? I have been asking to recuperate her for months now but they never gave me a positive answer.]


    A sad smile formed on his face,


    [This is why I decided to fight. This is why I decided to go to war. Because the royal family can never be sullied. We were once ves! We fought for our freedom and finally obtained it after hundreds of years of sacrifice!]


    His words echoed in the hearts of many. After all, even though no war beast from that period were still alive, it was well-known fact that, like humans and the dwarves, they used to be nothing but ves and were used as Cannon fodder.


    [The worst. Now that my dear niece awakened as a Blessed. The Prince of Lustburg dares to call her his fiancee!!? How many more humiliations do we have to suffer from!?]


    Lupus did not say more but those words were enough to make the thinking of many people go wild.


    Lustburg was keeping the princess imprisoned.


    If it was the truth, currently they were simply using her as a puppet and if Lustburg won, Setsuna would be a puppet King under Lustburg''s order.


    [If you do not wish to be ves once again.


    If you do not wish to let the royal family be humiliated.


    Fight! It''s time for us to fight! And this is why, on this day, I hereby dere war on Lustburg!]


    The blood of many boiled.


    They were called war beasts.


    They may hesitate when the reason to fight was unknown.


    But, once they designed a clear enemy, not even death would stop them from fighting.


    Of course, people were not stupid.


    They could smell that something was fishy.


    But in the end, the vast majority left their emotions to take control of them.


    ¡ª---


    After the urgent broadcast ended, Lupus closed his eyes as he fought to get his wrath under control.


    From the moment he had sensed the awakening of Setsuna, he had been ready.


    He knew that this identity would create a schism between the force of Wratharis as many people were still loyal to his brother.


    But at the same time, he had been ready to use it to his advantage.


    After all ¡ª Setsuna had indeed been a ve for years in Lustburg. From his spies, he knew that she was treated very well in fact.


    But did it matters? A ve was a ve and this was a very touchy subject for war beasts.


    He had also indeed called Lustburg to give him back Setsuna and they had refused.


    Obviously, it was for his selfish reasons. But once again no one needed to know that.


    With this board, it did not matter if Lustburg used the chess pieces that were Setsuna.


    All it would do would be to help him make even the neutral warriors and those against him join the fray in the hope of "saving" Setsuna from the clutches of the evil Lustburg.


    But now. Something was fishy.


    Why use such a great piece now?


    Why throw away the chance of causing Chaos while in the war by making an announcement so soon?


    Lupus frowned¡­


    There could only be three reasons to discard a powerful piece.


    One was obviously to put a trap.


    The second was that the opponent was simply too stupid.


    As for thest ¡ª it was simply because what he considered a powerful piece was not considered as such by his opponent.


    Lupus'' breath grew harsh.


    He could feel the power of destiny swirling and he knew that a great pivot was iing in his destiny.


    "Firstly, call Shuten Doji and Sun Wukong. We need to discuss the activation of the war troops and the division of the army for the different fronts."


    He muttered to himself but a shadow moved away in the instant he finished his order.


    "As for the rest of you¡­Investigate! Investigate who sneaked up a broadcast device from Lustburg in our capital!"


    Even as he spoke, he looked in the direction of the Great Shrine.


    Anger swirled in his eyes and lightning covered his body.


    It seemed like it was time for him to make clear whether this priestess would stay neutral or be an enemy.


    Though¡­He was sure that the answer was already clear from the get-to-go.


    "I need more firepower."


    The iing crisis was great and while he was sure that Sun Wukong and himself would be enough for the high-end power, he decided that he needed one more assurance.


    ''I guess I need to use it.''


    He stood up and walked towards the Treasury of the royal family.


    He wished he never had to use it.


    But he knew that he needed it to get an absolute edge.


    It was time ¡ª to use Wratharis'' divine weapon.


    (AN: Okay guys I will be honest. While I do n to make the war as good as possible with nning on both sides, please don''t expect something like Kingdom level strategy or Code Geass.


    For one, this ain''t a war novel and two I am not smart enough to write such war with so many strategies.


    Anyway, let''s see how it goes.)

 Chapter 510 CH 470: I WILL GO

    Back to Lustburg, the council was still on as Sol discussed with the Dukes.


    Later on, they would have to create arger council to bring in more of the nobles as they had the right and duty to bring representatives.


    Sol did not n to let anyone sit out during this war. This would be the first step of his conquest and he needed his soldiers to be more experienced and form a cohesive group;


    ¡°Your majesty. While I do not want to question you, I cannot help but wonder. Was it truly wise to give up one of our hidden cards now?¡±


    ¡°Hidden card?¡±


    Sol tilted his head in confusion at Tyr''s question before finally understanding he was talking about Setsuna¡¯s identity.


    He shook his head, ¡°I also thought it might be more useful to reveal it during the war itself. But the Supreme Daughter made me understand that from the moment Setsuna awakened, Lupus would already be aware.¡±


    He shrugged. At the end of the day. No one stupid could be a king. It didn¡¯t matter how ruthless and arrogant Lupus was. Sol would rather bet that he was too smart and prepared in consequence rather than that he was not smart enough and look down on him.


    Underestimating your enemy was the best way to get destroyed.


    ¡°Rather than giving him the time to prepare. Better share this news now. At least he would only be able to cover the hole we created.¡±


    Sol stopped speaking and looked at the map,


    ¡°I do not just want to beat Wratharis and take somends. I want much more and this is why I am slowly moving my pieces.¡±


    In his eyes, the world was starting to look like a giant chessboard and he was slowly bing one of the big yers.


    ¡°Rather than keeping Setsuna¡¯s identity secret. What we really need to keep secret is the fact that Envilya is our new partner.¡±


    ¡ª-And if Nefertiti did well, Southern Pride would be another ally, even if temporary. He would have to work on a way to subdue the Queen and the Supreme Daughter if it was necessary.


    His mind moved to Southern Pride as he traced Nefertiti¡¯s thread and he frowned a little. He had the impression that things in the elf''s kingdoms would be ratherplicated.


    Sol tapped his finger quietly and the room fell silent. It was quite a wonder to see how everyone observed him awaiting his words. A far cry from what the earlier reunion had been in the past.


    Sol thought of the different things that could actually stop him from conquering Southern Pride and while there was quite a few, the one he could names at the top of his head were,


    The divine weapons of elves.


    The Queen finally evolves to be a Demigod.


    Exterior intervention from someone like one of the Wings.


    ¡®Well¡­In the end, the only true unknown is that divine weapon.¡¯


    His own divine weapon, while not an attack type, allowed him to do something as crazy as observing the Thread of Fate and even seeing the action of the goddesses.


    He did not know how special his divine weapon was. But since the other divine weapons were created by the goddesses themselves, at the very least they could be very dangerous.


    ¡°Milia. I want you to use a part of the administration to search the library and take note of any information rted to divine weapons.¡±


    It was worth nothing that the King of Wratharis would obviously have one as well. So it wouldn¡¯t hurt to prepare a little more.


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡°Also, I need information about any foreign diplomat we have in Southern Pride. Even if they get discovered, it is not a problem. They will not get killed.¡±


    He closed his eyes and thought about everything he needed and wanted to do.


    This war was going to be a huge test. It was the perfect way for his army to grow.


    He wished he could simply go alone to fight and defeat everyone but conquest sadly did not work like this.


    As important a leader was, a country would rarely fall just because one ruler was put down and the citizens would be even less willing to bow.


    This sadly means that the loss of lives was impossible to avoid. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ¡°Take another look at our system for veterans and the reward given to families of soldiers. I know the nobles will take some small cut and it¡¯s fine. But they need to understand¡­No one should step beyond the limit.¡±


    There was nothing more awful than seeing the family of someone who fought to protect their kingdom not even be able to feed themselves because the funds they should have rightfully received were withheld because of corruption.


    Sol did not think that he could in any way stop corruption. This was something that would always exist as long as humanity existed and was notpletely brainwashed.


    But there were limits¡­


    He turned toward Hermes, ¡°Duke Traver, Duchess Mris. Do you have any good news for me?¡±


    Hermes Traver chuckled, ¡°Lady Theresa said that she is nearly ready. Tomorrow we should be able to see a prototype of the new golem as well as the new armor.¡±


    Arachne nodded. She was still very shocked about the fact that Sol had a rtionship with another of her friends but in the end, this did not truly matter to her. They were all consenting adults and they had the right to do whatever they wanted to do as long as they didn¡¯t hurt anyone.


    ¡°Those golems were ugly but the art put in them was beautiful. I managed to glean some precious information and it will be possible for me to mass produce some of them using my power.¡±


    Arachne was born with a very special talent for art and she was so good that she was even rewarded a weapon by the goddess. Thanks to her skill, she was able to literally share her vision and sense with any and all artworks that belonged to her.


    As many of the artwork in the capital actually were from her, it was no mistake to say that she had an eye everywhere.


    ¡°Good. I thought that your skill with the golden would work very well. I am happy I was right.¡±


    ¡®Now what else do we need to speak about.¡¯


    [Your Highness, the supplies.]


    ¡°Ah¡­Thanks.¡±


    He did not need to hide that Milia had spoken to him and never did he want to. He knew that he did not know everything so having an adviser close to him was normal.


    ¡°If I remember well, we should have started attacking the twilight fortress. How is the result so far?¡±


    If they managed to get that ce, it would make the supply line much more secure for the foreseeable future. It was a strategic location that was too important to let go.


    Tyr grimaced a little, ¡°I am sorry. It seems like my ipetent brother had not done the job he was given.¡±


    Tyr was obviously talking about Gerald. This caused the mood of the room to be a little colder. But Sol did not show an upset expression.


    ¡°No need to walk on eggshells because of such a topic. I am not so fragile. I will throw my anger at you because of it.¡±


    He sighed and stood up. ¡°Since the convict Gerald is taking care of that front. We need someone else.¡±


    He pointed to a ce a little farther away, ¡°The Bridge of Friendship.¡±


    It was created by one of the kings of Lustburg who was one of the greatest leechers before Sol. A man who was very much Kemonomimi as they called them.


    This bridge was another trade route. But it was also a symbol. ¡°We should avoid causing any destruction to this bridge and in fact, we need to protect it.¡±


    Sol could guess many things. This bridge was proof that Lustburg and Wratharis had once been friends.


    It was the kind of thing no one cared about when it was present.


    But the moment it is destroyed¡­Things would get ugly.


    Sol did not want any great unresolved hatred to foster between the two countries. This would make things more difficult in the future.


    But Lupus had no suchpulsion. The more the beast men hated humanity the better it would be for him;


    Lilin raised her hand, ¡°I will go.¡±


    Her eyes shone with excitement. This would be the first sortie of her knight order.


    She couldn¡¯t wait.

 Chapter 511 CH 471: POWERS

    Using the world as a chessboard and the people as chess pieces.


    This was the level Sol had always wished to reach¡ªthe moment when he left the board as a piece and became a yer.


    Though he was still far from his ultimate goal of being a yer at the same level as the goddesses themselves, he had grown significantly from the naive, weak young man he once was and was now, at least, a major yer in the mortal realm.


    "Well, only a big fish in a small pond."


    He still had a long way to go.


    After Lilith''s deployment was decided, Setsuna looked at him with sparkling eyes filled with hope, but Sol had to reject her silent demand.


    Setsuna was one of the crucial pieces in this impending war. She would be the difference between bing the rightful ruler of Wratharis or simply a conqueror facing constant attempts at uprising.


    Of course, Sol had many small ns on the side.


    Such as using Nefertiti''s power or simply using his own dimension to manipte their feelings if necessary, but he did not wish to stoop to that level.


    Despite all their ws, not even the goddesses used their power over mortals'' minds to control them.


    He didn''t know if it was out of morality or due to one of the numerous rules.


    After all, he was pretty sure Invidia wouldn''t hesitate if she could.


    Scoffing inwardly, Sol focused on the problem at hand.


    "Lilin will need a general to assist her."


    "I think I can do it alone."


    Sol ignored his lover''s murmur. In terms ofbat, he was certain that Lilin could decimate almost any Duke who wasn''t a Divine Beast, and even then, he doubted many of them could defeat her.


    But war wasn''t a game, nor was it a ce where a Duke alone could change the oue.


    ¡ªWell, Dukes didn''t have a dimension, at least.


    "Ares and a few more of my trusted soldiers will dly assist the princess."


    "What about Athena?"


    "She will be at your disposal."


    He nodded. Athena wasn''t yet at the Duke level, but unlike Setsuna and Lilin, she had the advantage of having three powerful spirits, each with skills tailored for war.


    Everything was slowly falling into ce, and he loved it.


    At the end of the day, the only true causes of worry for the impending war were Sun Wukong, the divine weapon, and any unknown variables.


    "Very well, gentlemen. I believe we are done for today. Tomorrow, we will meet on the outskirts of the city for the magical armor test and the golems. I also want aplete list of the nobles worthy of sitting at the war councils'' table. Finally, we will start the n to deal with the reluctant nobles as well as those who have exceeded the limit of their granted power. Dismissed."


    "Yes, Your Majesty!"


    The Dukes stood and saluted Sol with respect before leaving one after another.


    They had long since stopped considering Sol a simple prince. In their eyes, he was already the King in all but name.


    "Pandora, you can follow her if you want."


    Pandora smiled awkwardly and nodded before following Arachne. She still felt a little awkward when with Sol, but talking with a friend who wasn''t already enamored with him like Camelia and Persephone could help her.


    After the Dukes and Pandora left, the only ones present were Sol, Lilin, Setsuna, and Milia.


    "So, how did it feel tomunicate with the world?" <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Sol turned his chair and smirked as he looked at Setsuna.


    "I have to admit, it was quite exciting. I was nervous at first, but once I started speaking


    , everything came out naturally."


    Sol nodded. "With this, we have painted a big target on your back. Wherever you appear, arge number of Dukes, or even the King himself, might show up. Perhaps even more Kings?"


    Sol tapped his finger, taking all possibilities into ount. The world was never as it seemed, and it was difficult to say how many hidden powerhouses any country had.


    That''s why...


    "Isis will apany you on the battlefield."


    He waved his hand, and a girl appeared in the air, holding a chocte cake in her hand and wearing an expression of surprise beforending gracefully.


    Looking at Sol with a scowl, she muttered, "I really hate this new technique of yours, you know?"


    Everyone gave a bitter smile, to which Sol simply shrugged. "me Lilin. It''s thanks to her that I acquired it."


    Indeed. Since neither Lilin nor Setsuna were Sol''s first contracts, he was unable to choose which innate skills of theirs he would obtain.


    So he was quite surprised when he finally realized the nature of the power he had acquired.


    Space discement. Or teleportation.


    It was still challenging for him to exin the power he had obtained. As he realized Lilin''s power was more in the realm of reality maniption than actual space maniption.


    But for now, he was content with what he understood.


    Thanks to this power, he could ce seals on people or objects and do four things:


    Teleport them to him.


    Teleport himself to them.


    Or exchange ces with them.


    And the fourth, he could do all three to any location or person that was marked.


    In a way, this was not very different from what he could already do when using his dimension encroachment.


    But this was the first time he could use such power outside of his dimension.


    An ice chair materialized, and Isis looked at it with another scowl before kicking it.


    "Ouch."


    "I already told you, the ice I can create is quite hard."


    "Quite hard, my butt. This shouldn''t be so hard to break with my strength.¡±


    After all, no matter how weak she was physically. It was only rtively speaking whenpared to other divine beasts.


    Isis had small tears in her eyes as Milia gave a small smile ofpassion and brought her a chair to sit on.


    This was one of the powers he obtained from Setsuna.


    Truly. The power of contract was a cheat.


    Of course, only as long as you had enough capacity to enjoy the benefits.

 Chapter 512 CH 472: TIME TO RELAX

    Sol was fortunate enough to receive almost all of Setsuna''s elements. Not only the Ice element, but also her mastery over Water and Wind. While it was disappointing that he hadn''t acquired her power over Lightning, he was already content with what he had obtained.


    Initially, these elements seemed rtively straightforward, especially since her Ice element was unfortunately not apanied by her power over time. However, if he were to be honest, this might be the power he loved the most.


    Aside from the fact that he onlycked the Earth element to be the Avatar now.


    Thanks to the molding and creation abilities of water and ice, he could proudly walk without needing another weapon. Bybining his ice with his intent, he could create any weapon he desired and handle any situation.


    He could already envision himself hurling hundreds of thousands of spears while berating people as mongrels.


    Furthermore, he was tremendously excited about eventually bing the Avatar once the four elements were reunited.


    Kali had demonstrated that when united, it was possible toprehend the power of destruction through the four elements.


    He didn''t know if he could achieve the same feat as she did. After all, she was the only witch who had managed to do so in thousands of years. Clearly, this was not an aplishment easily replicated.


    But there was nothing preventing him from trying, right? His inability to deliver a clear and fatal blow like Lilith and the others was quite bothersome.


    Being a super-immortal cockroach was advantageous, but being able to destroy the enemy was also beneficial. It didn''t help that all individuals at the demigod level were also quite resilient, with various means of preserving their lives.


    Moreover, for some reason, he had the feeling that he would have a very high affinity with the power of Destruction.


    All he needed to embark on this path was the Earth element.


    Fortunately, that was Milia''s inherent element, apart from the power of gluttony she acquired from her experiment.


    "Should I consider forming a contract with her?"


    ording to his calctions, once he did so with Milia, he would have just enough for one more S+ rank contract, and if possible, he wished to reserve this slot for Nuwa.


    Obtaining her innate skill would enhance his cockroach abilities, but there was nothing wrong with being more difficult to kill.


    After Isis finally calmed down, she surveyed her surroundings. She recognized the war council room, a ce she had avoided with all her heart due to its boredom.


    War in the astral realm was much more straightforward¡ªarmy against army. The weakest would lose. Simple and clear.


    "So, why was I summoned? I was savoring a new vor."


    "I''m d you''re enjoying Lustburg. I apologize for interrupting, but I would like you to participate in the war alongside Setsuna."


    "Oh? I don''t think she needs protection."


    "Normally, she wouldn''t. But who knows if some king suddenly ambushed her?"


    Isis pondered. She did pay attention when Sol made his speech with Setsuna a few moments ago. She had indeed painted arge target on her back.


    However, there was one small concern. "You know I can only bring a King power level by using my undead, right? Isn''t that something forbidden?"


    She had yet to be a King herself, despite having her true name. She was searching for a new path distinct from [Death], and she already had an idea of the way.


    But until then, her strongest power came from her undead.


    Sol smiled. "I am willing to abide by the rules only as long as they benefit me."


    He would never jeopardize Setsuna''s safety because of some foolish rules, and if it were enough to bring the angels to his doorstep, so be


    it. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    He had always wondered just how strong those angels were and if they were willing to take responsibility for Nihil.


    Since they enjoyed ying the role of the police so much, this was the least they could do, right?


    Isis exchanged a smile with Sol. She would have been disappointed if he had said something different.


    Rules only restricted the weak and those who chose to be bound by them. But one should never be a ve to the rules if they possessed the power to overturn the situation.


    She was d to see her partner hadn''t changed simply because of the responsibilities he now carried.


    She nced at Setsuna, the girl who had previously challenged her. Ultimately, they never had the opportunity to fight, and she was relieved. It wouldn''t reflect well on her if her first action was to engage inbat.


    Now, however, she was immensely intrigued by the two girls, whether it was Setsuna or even Lilin.


    Regarding Setsuna, although Sol was requesting someone to protect her, she wasn''t surprised. It was war. She wouldn''t allow her pride to blind her to the truth.


    Though... she doubted even a king could truly kill her if she utilized her new power.


    Standing up, she took both of their hands and smiled. "Why don''t we have a girls'' night out?"


    Sheughed at their bewildered expressions and turned to Sol. "Send us to Sheherazade."


    Sheherazade had also readily epted his space mark, allowing him to teleport to anyone or anything else that was marked, or switch them up.


    "Goodbye. Have a good time."


    ¡ªAnd with a wave of his hand, the three girls vanished.


    Now alone, Sol nced at Milia.


    "What else is on the schedule?"


    It was going to be a busy day.


    But just as he was about to rise, Milia ced a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back before settling on hisp.


    "ra is taking care of everyhing else. I believe Your Majesty should take a little break for now to rx your mind."


    "Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "And how do you suggest I rx?"


    The mischievous smile on Milia''s face provided the answer he needed, indicating that he was in for a delightful time.


    For a moment, his sense of lust and duty shed, causing him to waver between which was more important.


    This struggle seemed tost an eternity, although it was only 0.00001 seconds.


    But in the end¡ª Lust won.


    "Just this once."


    "Of course. We will only do it once."


    ¡ªThat was a lie.

 Chapter 513 CH 473: LETS HAVE A GOOD TIME TOGETHER

    Chapter 513 CH 473: LET''S HAVE A GOOD TIME TOGETHER


    On the other side of Lustburg, in a clothes store, a manager with Roon ears and tail was fidgeting as she looked at the red-haired maid and the floating midget drinking tea.


    ¡°Hum¡­Is it alright to be this calm? The client¡­.vanished¡­¡±


    She had to give her all to not squeak in terror even as she said this. After all, the fact that the divine beast of the Prince entered her store already made her feel like she was about to faint.


    But now said client vanished?


    ¡®Will I lose my head?¡¯


    She remembered the prince in his ck armor as he destroyed and trampled on all those monsters.


    Those images had been keeping her awake for nights since that day and she did not wish to cause problem.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She was just reverse summoned, she wille back soon.¡±


    Kali gave a gentle smile at the manager before focusing on herself.


    Currently, all her sisters were in Salem to deal with the intricacies of the contract that will bind Salem and Lustburg once again in the future.


    As one of the four directions she should have participated but, she simply used the excuse of her punishment to avoid it ande back as soon as possible.


    Those old witches from the councils were fighting a losing battle, trying to get even some little benefice in order to keep face.


    But they all knew that this was useless.


    Sol simply had too many cards and in the grand scheme of things, he simply did not really need the witches.


    Unlike Jupiter who would have never seeded in half of the conquest he did without the witches, Sol had more than enough allies and power to do far more.


    The bnce in power was so much tilted in his favor that the only reason the witches aren¡¯t simply signing a ve contract was because of Medea and Persephone.


    ¡®Heh. One thousand years ago, Lustburg thrived thanks to Medea''s rtionship with Jupiter. One thousand yearster, it¡¯s the witches'' turn to thrive thanks to Medea''s rtionship with Sol.¡¯


    Fate was indeed a funny thing.


    Shivering at the view of the maid that wasughing and chuckling to herself, the roon girl took a few steps back. Wondering if some mad woman had entered her store.


    Thankfully, her pain did notst as three more people appeared in the air beforending.


    She immediately recognized her previous client and was about to smile in relief but the view of the two new arrivals made her short-circuit.


    ¡°Princess¡­ And¡­Sir? Your Highness!? Your Majesty? I am sorry! Please don¡¯t execute me?¡±


    She was on the verge of a mental breakdown.


    After all, not only did the princess of Lustburg appear, but the new Blessed of Wratharis also appeared.


    Though she was beast woman, she had not grown up in Wratharis and like many of her kind, she was born and raised in Lustburg.


    Even so, the racial power of the royal family was unconceble.


    Now was the problem.


    How should she call her?


    Officially, she was Sol¡¯s knight.


    By the goddesses decree, she was the crown princess of Wratharis.


    But from the point of view of the war, Lustburg would obviously consider her as the true Queen of Wratharis.


    Her heart beat like never before. Wondering if she managed to insult the ruler of her race on their first meeting.


    ¡®Ah¡­.Maybe I should just die.¡¯


    ¡ª-And so she fainted.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Kalin looked at the fainted roon before nearly exploding inughter, ¡°It seems like you three were too much for that girl poor heart.¡±


    Setsuna gave an awkward smile.


    Beastkins represented the secondrgest poption in the melting pot that was Lustburg. Hybrids were numerous and for many of them, Lustburg was their true kingdom and country of origin.


    Even so, she knew very well, that while not as exaggerated, situations like this would be numerous as long as she stepped out outside of the walls of Babel¡¯s tower.


    ¡°You should get used to it.¡±


    Lilin crouched down and poked at the cheek of the fainted girl while she spoke to Setsuna.


    ¡°This will be amon urrence in the future. Why do you think Sol doesn¡¯t get out without a wig and something to hide his identity?¡±


    ¡°Hehe. This is fun. Does it means more people will faint if we brough her out in the street?¡±


    Sheherazade flew and stopped just above the head of the fainted roon. Sheughed lightly, finding this situation more than interesting.


    The only one who seemed quite distraught was Isis who let out a helpless sigh.


    ¡°Sorry. I wanted to spend some time with you guys. I should have thought about this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. So. Should we do something about her?¡±


    ¡°Nah don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Kali moved her hand and the girl floated beforending on arge sofa not far away.


    ¡°Let her rest for now. Not like we have anything to ask her to do currently.¡±


    She nodded and made a few more move with her hand a few tea set floated up to them.


    ¡°You are quite at ease here.¡±


    Lilinmented as she took a seat.


    ¡°I was taught to always take things as theye and tea time should not be interrupted.¡±


    Tea was initially the favorite drink of Ambrosia only. But like how children would follow the image of their parents, the four witches had been copying some of her habits all their lives and some of them stuck.


    ¡°So. Now that the three princesses are here. I wonder. Are you going to form some kind of alliance?¡±


    Kali grinned as she watched Isis cough. It was quite funny to see the shenanigan of this harem of Sol.


    Many of them actually did not like each other and as such factions within had started to form.


    This was something Sol could do absolutely nothing about. Outside ofpletely mind-manipting all his women.


    For Isis, in such an atmosphere, it was clear that she was a little isted and so searching for allies.


    ¡°Well¡­You aren¡¯t exactly wrong.¡±


    Isis was candid.


    If she had to be honest. She did have her own faction. In a way, it could be called the Divine Beast faction +1 titan.


    But unlike what she previously thought. The women here were in no way weak. She should have already understood that Sol would not surround himself with low-ss women but even the weakest of his harem had something like the power of Glutony in her.


    This was pretty absurd. As such, she could not exactly wait for Nent and the other arrival.


    The only saving grace was that, while the harem members did not necessarily like each other, there was no hatred nor desire to harm either between them.


    It was a pretty tame rtionship all things considered.


    But¡­


    ¡°So I thought it would be interesting to have a night out between girls without having Sol involved you know.¡±


    ¡°I want a friend.¡±


    Beyond simple harem politics. She was happy to see so many people at her level. Outside of Sheherazade, the only one she could call a friend was Sol. You could perhaps add Nefertiti. But the rtionship between them was pretty weak.


    ¡°So I thought it would be interesting to have a night out between girls without having Sol involved you know.¡±


    Her voice became weaker as she spoke until she fellpletely silent.


    Sharing a look, both Setsuna and Lilin nodded,


    ¡°We will be busy soon. So this might be ourst chance to have fun. Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Isis looked up in surprise and soon a shy smile covered her father.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know if they would bee friends after this. But she hoped they would have a good time.


    ¡ª-------


    AN: Patreonlink ---> /HikaruGenji


    Join my Pa treon You can get up to 25 advanced chapters, 19 of SHK and 19 of Gojo, and 19 of Lustful Paradise.


    Bronze: 5 chapters of SHK


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    Overlord: 24 of SHK,


    Supreme: Same benefits as overlord+ right to ask for the creation of an OC(Name/


    Gender /Race/Power) that will be added to

 Chapter 514 CH 474: MEMORIES?

    Chapter 514 CH 474: MEMORIES?


    The war was approaching but, looking at the street, one would not think that this was so.


    Currently, Isis was walking around with her tentative friends. Kali had snatched a screaming Sheherazade and chased them away, saying that she would take care of the roon girl while they had fun.


    They were now walking with wigs and changes of clothes to hide their identity. Setsuna had brown hair and had taken a full human form with her tail not showing up anymore.


    She was also wearing adventurous clothes. The same went for Lilin. As for Isis, she did not change much of her clothes. Few people actually knew who she was after all.


    ¡°So first thing first we need to do more shopping!¡±


    Isis whooped in excitement as she skipped all around. She was channeling her inner Sheherazade because she knew that both Setsuna and Lilin were more of the silent type.


    ¡°So. What kind of robe do you guys want?¡±


    Lilin tilted her head and looked at herself, ¡°As long it doesn¡¯t restrict my movement.¡±


    Setsuna''s answer was pretty simr. ¡°Something simple that allows me to fight.¡±


    Isis was speechless. ¡°You two¡­Is fighting only what you think about everyday?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The two were as speechless as Isis. ¡°Well¡­I also think about Sol?¡±


    ¡°Yes. My duty is to protect him.¡±


    ¡°Bzz! Wrong answer.¡±


    Isis ced her arms in an X. ¡°Why the hell would you make your life turn around one way that obsession could be healthy.


    15:24


    guy?¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    She then ced her hands on her hips and shook her head at the clearly frustrated expression on their face.


    ¡°I also love Sol, you know? I may only have known him for a short amount of time whenpared to you two. But this doesn¡¯t make my love any less. But¡­¡±


    She waved a finger, ¡°Sol is Sol and he lives his life. You are also your own person. Shouldn¡¯t you find something for yourself? At least a hobby?¡±


    Isis knew that she was pushing a little too much but she believed that there was no way that obsession could be healthy.


    Perhaps this was because she was not broken or lived through any traumatic experience in her life.


    She did not feel that she was dependent on Sol for her continued existence.


    ¡®Well. This is my way of living.¡¯


    She knew very well that just because she didn¡¯t care about this nor did she need to make her whole life about Sol didn¡¯t mean that they were wrong in doing so.


    ¡°Okay let¡¯s see this from another perspective. Don¡¯t you think Sol will be happy to see you two in beautiful clothes? You do know he likes costumes, right?¡±


    She rose an eyebrow when she saw Setsuna blushing and immediately light twinkled in her eyes.


    ¡°Ohoh. Seems like we have an interesting story here.¡±


    Like a shark smelling blood, she began to look around for the perfect ce.


    She took both of them by the arms and pulled them toward a cafe that caught her attention, ¡°Let¡¯s have a girl talk about love first before shopping.¡±


    The cafe was striking. The entrance, marked by an arched wooden door, creaked gently as patrons pushed it open, revealing a cozy interior bathed in warm, flickering candlelight. The air was thick with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the ¡°Ohhh. We really need more ces like this in the underworld.¡±


    tantalizing scent of freshly baked pastries.


    Inside, the caf¨¦ boasted low-ceilinged rooms, creating an intimate ambiance. Rough-hewn beams crisscrossed overhead, supporting a thatched roof adorned with colorful tapestries depicting epic battles and fantasticalndscapes. The walls were adorned with hand-painted murals, portraying ethereal creatures and legendary heroes.


    At the heart of the caf¨¦, a crackling firece radiated aforting warmth. Customers gathered around sturdy wooden tables, their surfaces polished and etched with intricate patterns. The chairs were mismatched, each one uniquely crafted, and often adorned with plush cushions embroidered with floral motifs.


    ¡°Ohhh. We really need more ces like this in the underworld.¡±


    She shook her head and took ce with the two bewildered swordswomen.


    There were many things that Isis wished to do. She even had a to-do list about the activities she wished for if she ever had a friend.


    One of such was the thing known as ¡°Girl talk.¡±


    Sadly, Sheherazade was not interested in love and neither was Kali. But this time, she could speak about this with her fellow harem members.


    ¡°Well now¡­Tell me everything.¡±


    One order for a soft drinkter, Isis looked at Setsuna with anticipation. Lilin was also observed on the side as she coughed. Her expression was indifferent but in reality, she was also very interested in this topic.


    She was the one with the lowest amount of experience after all.


    She was the one with the lowest amount of experience after all.


    It was only at this moment that Setsuna understood what peer pressure truly meant. Thankfully Isis ced a barrier around them to stop anyone from hearing what she was about to say.


    ¡°Well¡­Sol is actually quite the pervert actually.¡±


    ¡®Sorry Sol¡­¡¯


    She prayed inwardly as she immediately sold her king.


    What followed was a tale of perversion of the highest degree as Setsuna began to retell the events of the night when both she and Persephone enjoyed some alone time with Sol while they were in the midst of their adventure.


    "Oh my¡­So you took it¡­There?"


    Isis spoke as if she could not believe it and Setsuna covered her face while feeling absolute shame.


    But a certain excitement filled her as well as she could see the gaze of respect both Isis and Lilin were throwing at her.


    Thinking about it. She was the most experienced of the three, right?


    At the very least she was the one who had tried the most daring things with him.


    "Did it hurt?"


    "Ahem¡­Well. A little bit."


    She blushed as memories of that night came back to her.


    Truly this had been a crazy moment now that she thought about it.


    (AN: Depending on my H level. The next chapter will either be memories of that night or not.


    We will see. Hehe)

 Chapter 515 CH 475: PERSEPHONE AND SETSUNA (1)*

    [AN: Technically this is a memory so it should be from Setsuna Point of view. But it¡¯s kinda hard. I will mainly focus on her Pov. But I might simply go on Omniscient 3rd Pov or Sol PoV. In short, you should see it more as a special chapter than a Memory.]


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [A few days ago]


    As the night deepened, Sol looked with anticipation at the two partners. His rtionship with both of them was actually in a strange situation right now.


    On one side there was Setsuna. His knight and the one who had waited to sign a contract with him for much of her life.


    Setsuna had been with him for nearly as long as he could remember. She was one of his childhood friends and the one who he shared many moments with. Sadly, because of the events that followed not long ago, he had been forced to leave the Mortal Realm for some time.


    The adventure he lived through, the people he met, and those he fought¡­ All those encounters and the hardships he lived through made it so that he became very different from who he once was.


    Now it was time for him to rekindle his rtionship with her.


    ¡°So, what should we do?¡±


    Persephone stood up in response and replied to him with a smile, ¡°I took some clothes from my collection. What do you think?¡±


    Her smile was quiet and intriguing. Her green negligee waspletely see-through, showing her mature body. She was wearing only a pair of green panties, and the outline of her proud breasts could be seen through the thin material.


    Sol was transfixed at that beautiful sight of hers. No matter how many beautiful women he had seen in his life, he would never get used to it and in fact, did not wish to ever be used to it.


    Seeing his reaction, Persephone nodded and brought Setsuna next to her, ¡°Dear Knight, you should be a little bolder.¡±


    Setsuna looked aside as she fidgeted, making her far cuter than the shy Knight could ever hope to portray herself as. Like Persephone, her attire waspletely see-through but she did not hold the same confidence as the Witch of Life.


    Her wolf ears dropped a little and the tail behind her was also hanging somewhat low.


    As always she was suffering from a small sense of defeatism. Setsuna was a beautiful woman, but not the most beautiful out of Sol¡¯s harem. She was neither the smallest nor the biggest either.


    She felt like whatever she did, she always ended up cing herself in situations where she would bepared to the others and she would ultimately lose.


    This was a painful realization. But she knew that she could not continue like this. Sooner orter, Sol would be tired of her.


    ¡®Let¡¯s do it.¡¯


    ¡°Setsuna?¡±


    She shook her head and raised herself up before jumping into his arms.


    ¡°Whooah!¡±


    Sol caught her hurriedly as the two of them fell on the makeshift bed. Her eyes had started to shine with a light-filled with lust and a desire to fight for his affection.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you sleep today.¡±


    She made a bold deration. Knowing fully well enough that she might not be able to follow through.


    But sometimes, one had to go crazy.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    From the way, Sol¡¯s eyebrows rose into prominent arcs at the sudden challenge. She was sure that she might regret this but then again. One had to go in a zing glory.


    ¡°Fufufu~ I always had to hold myself back in the past. So I guess I won¡¯t let you sleep either.¡±


    Persephpne¡¯s eyes shone with a beautiful green light and after she proceeded to disrobe Solpletely in a sh she couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as she looked at his member standing straight like a pir.


    ¡°It seems like the little guys down here are happy to see us.¡±


    She leaned forward and rubbed her cheek against his chest as if to rub off his sweat, and licked at his skin.


    This was her first time with Sol since he came back from the Astral realm and she wished to savor every moment.


    She gently ran her tongue tip along his chest then she sucked with her lips and held his nipple gently between her teeth.


    When she squeezed a bit with her teeth, the pressure on his nipple grew and she left teeth marks on it.


    ¡°Fufufu~! I love how considerate you are. Even making sure to rx your body as much as possible.¡±


    Despite looking human, Sol¡¯s body was anything but. Biting him would have more than likely resulted in her teeth breaking normally.


    Setsuna, kneeling on the side, observed the way Persephone moved and acted. The way she teased him and made sure to bring him pleasure.


    It was like a gate to a new world was opening wide in front of her and giving her knowledge of a new world. The like she could have never imagined.


    After she ended with his chest, Persephone sat on Sol. She lifted the miniskirt of her negligee and pressed her exposed white thighs against him while pressing her crotch against his penis. The only thing separating the two sexual organs was the very thin panties she was wearing.


    The erection that proved his arousal was squashed against his stomach and a stain formed in her underwear as she rubbed it slowly.


    ¡°You look so cute right now. It¡¯s hard to believe how much of a beast you can be.¡±


    She sounded half impressed and half exasperated and she narrowed her eyes while changing the angle of her hips to crush his erection even more forcefully against her. Causing the head of his penis to rub against her small jewel and making her pant in pleasure.


    Hot breath leaked out of her mouth and she wished for nothing more than to simply push her panties aside and impale herself but now wasn¡¯t the time.


    Her gazended on the third person in this room who seemed more lost than anything.


    ¡°Dear. You seempletely lost about what to do.¡±


    Setsuna snapped out of her trances when Persephone suddenly spoke to her.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah. This won¡¯t do. We are supposed to make this a night to remember, right?¡±


    She stopped teasing Sol and stood up in deep thought. If she was alone she wouldn¡¯t have minded and gone with the flow but since she was not, she wanted everything to be as fun as possible.


    This was why,


    ¡°I know. Shall we start with some new costumes?¡±


    Her eyes shone with anticipation, ¡°Kali gave me many interesting ideas in the past and this one is one of the best.¡±


    She snapped her finger and light covered both her and Setsuna.


    When the light finally vanished, Sol took a deep breath when he saw both Persephone and Setsuna d in one piece swimsuits.


    If it was just this, it would have been alright. But Persephone was not the kind of woman to do things half-heartedly.


    The swimsuits they were wearing were not only one size too small but¡­They also had holes around their breast and at their crotch, giving a direct view of their hairless and dripping vagina.


    Sol had the impression that he was about to have a heart attack. He had seen women naked and some in swimsuits.


    But this newbo was simply too powerful.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Setsuna felt like steam was about toe out as she had never imagined she would wear such a shameless costume.


    Compared to this, even the earlier negligee was more prude.


    ¡°Hehe. I know you would love this.¡±


    Setsuna¡¯s cheeks grew deep red at Sol¡¯s gaze and Persephone¡¯sughter. She buried her ashamed face in her hands, but the red-flushed white skin of her lower body was still exposed and dripping.


    The clear proof of her arousal and desire to mate with Sol.


    ¡°Well. I believe our dear is more than ready enough. But we sadly cannot use that hole, right?¡±


    Setsuna nodded, she couldn¡¯t let her great contract fail because of momentary pleasure. This was why she had prepared herself to use a different ce.


    She may have failed once but she was sure this time.


    (AN: Well. The next two or three chapters will be smut. Heh. There might be only two or three smut arcs in this entire volume. Pretty hard to mix Smut and War after all. Or I might focus on a few smut arcs in the beginning and stop once the war really starts. It will depend on how much you guys want.)

 Chapter 516 CH 476: PERSEPHONE (3)*

    Setsuna was filling her mind flutter.


    She sucked at Sol''s earlobe and bit it before audibly kissing his neck, sending a tremor through it. Then she slid her lips up, licked up along his Adam¡¯s apple, moved past his chin, and finally gently but passionately kissed his lips.


    While she was doing so, Persephone was working on Sol''s lower part, she pressed her lips against it, opened them, let them crawl along the head, and swallowed the penis. Her luscious lips were sucking at his member, causing him to groan a little as both his upper and lower body were attacked at the same time.


    ¡°Hehe. Before you focus on Setsuna, I will take my fun first.¡±


    Setsuna whined a little, but she did not fight back.


    Once Setsuna moved away and stopped blocking Sol¡¯s line of sight, Persephone leaned back on her butt, raised her knees, and spread her legs.


    Even that small movement caused a lot of jiggling in the braless breasts tightly contained in the swimsuit. Her revealed crotch was openly drolling, leaving a trail of love juice, and a tantalizing scent was filling the small room.


    It was lewd.


    There were no better words to exin this sight.


    A sexy adult woman with a curvy body was wearing a swimsuit that exposed her breasts and vagina while spreading her legs wide like a bitch in heat.


    ¡°I want you to mess me uppletely.¡±


    The rtionship between her and Sol had always been clear. It was one where they sought pleasure from each other in the most depraved way possible.


    But even so, this was very unlike her. Persephone had never demeaned herself like so in any of their previous moment of pleasure.


    ¡°Well. Asked like, this I cannot refuse toply.¡±


    Sol grinned, as he approached her while she reached out with her arms and the two hugged like two lovers who had not seen each other in years.


    Sol grabbed her soft body, kissed her, and fondled her breasts.


    As soon as he kissed her, she parted her lips and stuck out her tongue. It forced open his lips and entered his mouth where it licked all around, sucked at his tongue, and actively exchanged saliva with him.


    While the ticklish pleasure spread from his chest to the rest of his body, she wrapped her spread legs around his hips and rubbed the open crotch of her swimsuit against his raging hard almost felt like licking at it.


    His penis nearly prated her but Sol obviously had other ns.


    When he quickly pulled back his jerking hips, she released him from her arms and legs. Once he had moved back, shey on the soft mat, spread her plump thighs wide, spread her pussy lips within the lingerie¡¯s hole, and exposed the red sexual flesh within to his eyes.


    It was soaked with the sticky fluid he could see flowing out and the red flesh was shaking wetly. A portion of that flesh was moving like it was breathing.


    If he ever wondered if Persephone could be any lewder a few moments ago, he now had his answer.


    ¡°Seems like I am not the only one feeling excited.¡±


    ¡°I have been waiting for this moment for a long time, you know.¡±


    With that, she somewhat lifted her crotch toward him and a lewd smell wafted up at him. But this was not an unpleasant thing. These were powerful pheromones that turned him on and made him want to fuck her all the more.


    Persephone may not be a subus, but with her power of life, she could bring effects that were extremely simr to them or even superior in a way.


    After all, sex was one of the greatest things that could bring life.


    Sol went down on her.


    He shoved his face in like he was trying to stick his lips into her slit, gathered the dripping love juices on his tongue, and produced an obscenely wet sound.


    ¡°Ah~! You¡­¡±


    Persephone let out a delighted sound when she felt his tongue lick her secret ce.


    She raised her voice and spoke sweetly while pushing her hips out to get him to lick her some more. His nose rubbed against her sensitive flesh and his heavy breathing blew on it while he shoved his tongue into the lewd hole, stirred it up like his tongue was a spoon, and sucked up the thick female juices.


    Thanks to his ratherrge experience when it came to this, it didn¡¯t take long for Sol to already bring her close to climaxing.


    She trapped his head between her thighs and held the back of his head with her hands. A normal man would have trouble breathing in such a situation, but Sol had no such problem and he started focusing on the pink jewel hidden behind its hood.


    The more he licked, the more juice came out. As if Persephone was a fountain forever gushing water. Her words became a mess as the pleasure was overwhelming her. She spoke words with no meaning, as she sobbed and begged him for more.


    His penis was already painfully erect from her vor and scent, but her words caused it to throb even harder. The only thing on his mind was the desire to have sex with this seductive woman. He wanted to release his pent-up libido and fill that attractive hole with his seed.


    For a moment, the desire to undo the protection spell to avoid pregnancy shed but he fought against it.


    Now wasn¡¯t the time. He shouldn¡¯t consider this possibility before at least making sure he could control the entirety of the Mortal realm.


    ¡°I am ready now.¡±


    Persephone had to summon all her mental strength to utter those words. She wished to finally have his length in her and feel full again.


    She was close to orgasming even now but doing so with his tongue would not satisfy her at all.


    This was why,


    ¡°Pleasee in me.¡±


    Raising up, Sol used mana to wash the love juice on his face and slowly ovepped his body with her.


    His penis aligned perfectly with her entrance before slowly being pushed into her.


    It was time for him to devour her.

 Chapter 517 CH 477: PERSEPHONE (4)**

    ?


    She ced her hands at the center of her spread legs. Those fingers could bring death and destruction to an entire army, but right now they lewdly spread her pussy so Sol could prate her.


    ¡°I ampletely dripping now.¡±


    The understatement of the century. One could say that she was about to start a flood.


    Her words were covered in honey and it was an invitation that couldn¡¯t be any clearer and more attractive.


    He gulped, feeling like he was back to his first night with Milia, and immediately leaped into her chest.


    Those soft flesh cushions held his face on either side and seemed to massage him.


    That sensation, the scent of nature she emanated numbed his mind while the sweet scenting from between her breasts intensely stimted his crotch.


    His penis throbbed while spewing precum.


    The rock-hard dick pped against her stomach and rubbed against her thighs before perfectly aligning with her entrance.


    Sol moved his hips forward, prated the flesh there, and entered the older woman¡¯s sexual hole full of nectar ready to wee him.


    ¡°I can feel you all the way up.¡±


    Persephone groaned as she felt herself being stuffed. She whispered sexily in his ear and kissed his earlobe.


    No, she did more than kiss it. Her hot lips softly bit his ear and her tongue moved like it had a mind of its own to lick at it.


    Sol felt like he was once again in heaven.


    All Persephone did was tighten a little and he felt like his cock was sucked from all directions, swallowed him even deeper inside, and repeatedly filled him with sharp pleasure in order to draw out his semen.


    He did not even have to move for it to suck at his penis, so his hips were naturally pulled in and the thick cum boiling within quickly moved up his urethra.


    Out of all his lovers, Persephone was the only one outside of the extreme Nefertiti as well as Milia who could make him feel like he should simply let himself be pampered while receiving pleasure.


    They had a way to bring him pleasure that made him realize that he didn¡¯t need to work hard and should let them do as they wished.


    ¡°I want more of you.¡±


    Using her long legs to push him forward, his dick was fully swallowed by Persephone¡¯s vagina.


    At the same time, his penis grew evenrger and filled with pleasure, so he lost the ability to resist and sumbed to the woman before him while enveloped by overwhelming and mind-numbing pleasure.


    Why fight back when you could simply enjoy?


    His cock grewrger inside of her before spewing all its white liquid again and again.


    ¡°Nn~!¡±


    Persephone trembled and her toes curled as she received the powerful heat of his cum inside her while the incredible life energy of Sol spread through all her body as if to overwhelm her.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    She was lost for words, unable to formte any thoughts nor keep herposure as she was being creampied.


    Soon though, she felt like the life energy vanished from within her as if it was being sucked back to Sol.


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    She gasped, her heart beating powerfully in her chest.


    She knew Sol had found a solution. Intellectually, she understood what he did and how he did it.


    But it was only now, after experiencing this for herself that she realized just how powerful it was.


    *Drip*


    A smile formed on her face while tears dripped from her eyes.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. I am just overwhelmed by joy.¡±


    She could not exin her feeling and perhaps only other witches could truly understand her.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    As the witch of life, one could say that she had been at the forefront of finding a way to counter the curse.


    For more than a thousand years she had been constantly researching and hoping to find a way. Only to helplessly give up in the end.


    Every time she saw the disappointed expression of her sisters and fellow witches, she would feel like she had failed them and that she had failed in her duty.


    But now¡­


    ¡°Thanks for everything.¡±


    She swore inwardly.


    From this day on. As long she would follow him to the end of the earth and her loyalty for him would never cease.


    Though no words were spoken, the firm will in her eyes was enough for Sol. The two exchanged a long kiss. One that was not just filled with Lust as it was always the case between them. But something more.


    Something that was not quite love but was nearly as deep.


    She pushed his head into her voluptuous chest. The smell of her sweat and nectar quickly grabbed ahold of his heart and mind once again.


    ¡°Leave everything to me.¡±


    When he managed to lift his head while her arms held it down, she rained soft kisses down on his eyelids, nose, and cheeks.


    Then she grabbed his hips and butt between her legs to hold him in ce and prevent his cock from escaping her.


    She moved her hips back and forth a little and moved her muscles to wriggle her internal flesh in just the right way to stimte his penis. He was drawn further in, countless bumps rubbed and stroked at him from the base to the tip, his mind went nk, and his hips trembled.


    Sol hadpletely surrendered control as he bathed in this intimate heat.


    She pushed his butt in with her legs, her sexual flesh wrapped around his dick, and her hands lifted his face so she could steal his lips.


    She audibly moved her tongue around to coat his lips with sweet saliva and pour it into his mouth and then she shoved her tongue inside his mouth.


    She sucked at his tongue, squeezed it between her warm lips, and wetly stroked it. She let go of his face, but he still could not move or rather did not want to move.


    As her upper and lower lips alternately stroked his tongue and penis, he mmed his hips toward her crotch.


    Each time the penis head kissed the deepest part of her nectar-filled fleshpot, her internal flesh would tighten, unbelievable pleasure would fill him, and sparks would sh in his mind.


    Persephone was seeking pleasure no more. Though she felt more than enough. She wanted to please him and make him reach nirvana. She wished for him to forget all his worry and simply rest and let her do the work.


    Their movements were like a synchronized dance as she continued to pamper him in the most intimate way by using all her body to pander to him.


    Even though he had already cummed once not long ago, his instinct was screaming at him to go again.


    It wouldn¡¯t be hard for him to actually control his ejaction. But he felt like it was something unnecessary in the current situation.


    He could only wildly move his hips like an animal and he could not even moan properly. As she lovingly kissed him, ruled his lips with hers, and made him hers in body and soul, he thrust his hips in search of no more than pleasure.


    Her soothing, adoring, and gentle words filled his mind. He responded to her words by holding her in his arms, rubbing and stroking her soft body, and enjoying every part of her female body.


    He licked at her sweaty skin to taste the salty vor while sniffing at the strong feminine scent of her body. Thebination was enough to fill his brain with pleasure.


    She used small movements of her hips to focus the vaginal stimtion on his penis head while still licking along the shaft.


    This was not as intense as the handjob or titjob. In fact, the stimtion to the shaft was quite gentle but this was this gentleness that made him feel like he was on cloud nine.


    And on top of it all, the soft and melted skin of the older woman holding him brought an indescribable sense of peace. The stimtion sent a tremor along his spine.


    ¡°You are about to cum, right? Don¡¯t hold back. Let it all go.¡±


    She abruptly tightened around him and this was all Sol needed to reach another peak.


    "Ugh¡­"


    Rope of cums filled her while her hole continued to massage his penis. It felt more like the semen was being milked out of him.


    Yet this was not a forceful thing. It was a sweet and gentle thing that melted his mind and body in the same way. He felt the pleasure of ejacting because he wanted to offer his all to her and share pleasure together.


    For the first time in a long while, Sol felt tired. A feeling of rxation like never before washed over him.


    "This isn''t the end you know¡­"


    The whisper of Persephone in his ear sounded like those of a devil promising endless pleasure.


    It seemed like he would truly be wrung dry tonight.


    (AN: I think it has been a while since I wrote a chapter where Sol is at the mercy of the woman. Gotta show the Milf power. Though only Nefertiti and Milia can do that. At least for now.


    Anyway, I think two more for Setsuna will be enough then back to the main plot. The war volume will honestly be perhaps my biggest volume to date as there will be many arcs in it. I have many plot points I need to bring to an end. Mainly, the Witches and the Elves. Heh. It will be fun.)

 Chapter 518 CH 478: SETSUNA (1.5)*

    ?


    As Sol released his seed inside Persephone, Setsuna watched entranced in this scene of pure lust and delight.


    Unconsciously, her finger trailed down her slit and stirred up her honey juice.


    She felt obscene and perverted. This was definitely not something a proud knight like her should be doing.


    But¡­


    She could not stop herself from doing so.


    The sight before her was simply too erotic and her instincts were ring up, pushing her to seek pleasure as well and mate with a strong male.


    When Sol finally ended his ejaction, she heard clearly how the night had yet to end and she felt her desire explode.


    Soon, it will be her turn.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Oh my. You filled me to the brim.¡±


    Caressing Sol¡¯s head gently, she chuckled as she felt his seed slowly dripping out of her even though they were still connected.


    Truly, she had been filled with so much cum. She felt like she would have definitely gotten pregnant if she was a normal woman and if Sol didn¡¯t use a magic as contraception.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    She released a sigh when Sol pulled himself out and the obscene love juice and sperm flew out from her hole.


    A thick odor of sex filled the tent, intoxicating her further and her legs trembled a little as she forced herself to stand.


    Her face flushed, and she sent a look at Setsuna. The poor girl waspletely inexperienced and while Persephone had wished to help her at the start, she had been so focused on Sol a few moments ago that nothing else could enter her mind.


    ¡°Dear, seems like we have some work to do.¡±


    She didn¡¯t care how obscene she must be looking now. Standing up, with a swimsuit that had holes around her breasts and vagina, while semen continued to slowly drip from her and trail on her thighs.


    She was sure that even a prostitute would not look like this.


    But in the intimacy of the tent, the only ones who could gaze at her shameful appearance were a wolf in a nearly equally shameful appearance and Sol, her lover and the savior of her race.


    Approaching Sol, she kneeled between his legs and took hold of his shaft before slowly swallowing it.


    ¡°Wait¡­It¡¯s quite dirty.¡±


    She heeded none of his words and started to move her head up and down while swirling her tongue and cleaning all his cum.


    When she finally stopped, his cock waspletely clean but alsopletely erect and ready for another round.


    ¡°Hehe. How magnificent.¡±


    She admired the powerful tool that had made her reach climax many times and decided that it was time to work.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t youe closer?¡±


    Setsuna, entranced and eager for sex immediately followed the order. Kneeling alongside Persephone, she gazed at his cock, his scent filling her nose and making her feel dizzy.


    Sol nearlyughed at seeing her act so clumsily but he knew it would wound her pride.


    Taking her by the hand, he brought her up and while he stayed lying down, he made sure that she was straddling his chest.


    ¡°Sol?¡±


    ¡°Come a little closer.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    By the time Setsuna realized what was happening, she was straddling Sol¡¯s head, and his mouth and nose were directly below her vagina.


    His simple breath was enough to send a tingle down her spine and her desire continued to climb.


    ¡°How could I¡­¡±


    She was a knight. It was her duty to serve Sol. In what world did the one who served end up being served himself?


    She felt like she was putting Sol beneath her and this sphemous thought brought her a certain sense of excitement.


    ¡°Just enjoy.¡±


    Sol muttered as he observed her hole from very up close. After all, thanks to the hole he had a direct view of her most precious garden.


    She was hairless, and her slit was tightly shut while glistening with her nectar.


    ¡°Open it for me.¡±


    Setsuna nearly cried in shame. But, remembering what Persephone did, she moved her left hand to her lower stomach and ced the index and middle fingers against herbia before spreading it as ordered.


    The pink flesh spread open and a translucent liquid flowed out. The nectar fell onto his face in sticky strings, but he kept his eyes open to view the inside of herbia.


    When she spread her knees and lowered her hips, he excitedly stuck out his tongue. Her taste was definitely different from that of a mature woman like Persephone but it excited him in the same way.


    Even more so since Persephone was silently sucking at his dick as she cared for nothing else.


    Setsuna was wet like never before.


    It helped his tongue move more smoothly as well, so he stirred up her vulva and did not stop devouring her flesh even as her body began to tremble.


    At first, she had been hesitant because of the position, but soon,


    She massaged her own breasts while enjoying it. She moved her hips back and forth to help rub her clit andbia against his nose, lips, and protruding tongue.


    The more he stirred up her sexual flesh, the more the beautiful knight¡¯s body trembled, the more she moaned, and the more love juices poured from her.


    ¡°Ah, ahn, ahhn, ahn~!¡±


    He was so happy that the cool young woman was moaning so sweetly he began to lick at her vaginal entrance, poke at her urethra, and suck at her clitoris.


    Herrge clit made for an easy target, so he both flicked it with his tongue and poked at it with his nose.


    When he stuck his tongue in her vagina and rapidly rotated it while rubbing her clit with his nose, Setsuna moaned extra loud while massaging her own breasts. Love juices erupted from her and her body trembled so much she lost her bnce and fell forward.


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Pushed her a little to move away, while Persephone stopped licking her, Sol observed his handcraft with pleasure.


    The very action of making a woman lose her mind because of pleasure had always been exciting for him.


    As for Persephone, looking at the kneeling Setsuna, she made a wicked smile as she created snapped her finger.


    The bottom part of the swimsuit was torn apart before being reced by a new pair of panties.


    If it was all, this would have simply been a slightly erotic sight but those panties were special.


    They had one hole. But this hole did not align with Setsuna¡¯s vagina. But rather, her most shameful entrance.


    ¡°What do you think? I made these panties specially for her, to avoid any possible incident.¡±


    She chuckled when she was how hungry the eyes of Sol seemed.


    Here Setsuna was, kneeling with her ass high in the air, her tail moving and a hole directly leading to her twitching asshole.


    ¡°Did you know, to prepare for this night little Setsuna here tried many things.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    Setsuna blushed heavily when Persephone started to talk. But a small p on her ass made her whimper.


    ¡°Since she cannot give you yet her virginity, she decided to try something different. You two had failed the first time you did anal, right? So she decided to train herself so that she could ept you.¡±


    Not only did she use a few toys and lotions to stretch her hole but the Persephone helped a little by throwing spells to make sure her hole waspletely clean.


    ¡°I wonder. How do you n to answer the devotion of this girl.¡±


    Sol grinned wordlessly at the erotic disy of his loyal knight.


    The answer was pretty evident.

 Chapter 519 CH 479: SETSUNA (1.6)**

    ?


    Sol pressed his finger against the twitching indentation within that valley. Setsuna¡¯s flesh quickly gave way and seemed to swallow up his finger.


    ¡°How does it feel?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a finger¡­in my ass. But it feels so weird¡­like I can¡¯t breathe.¡±


    She was being truthful and she knew that the only reason this could even happen was because of her prior preparation.


    Truly, she had been preparing herself for this moment and her hole was ready to wee him.


    To use this hole to please him showed just how much Setsuna loved him and wished to bring him pleasure with her body even at the cost of her shame.


    The proof was how his finger could slowly prate this ce without any problem even though he used no lotion.


    He pushed his finger further inside. He felt her squeezing so tight he thought she would crush his finger. This force was trying to expel his finger, so it was very unlike the squeezing of a vagina.


    But he fought back, moving his finger around inside her.


    He loosened up her asshole in a second preparation as he did not wish to hurt her just to enjoy sex.


    Finally, after stirring her inside, he pulled his finger out. The hole opened and closed a few times like it was breathing. At the very least, he was sure now that she was ready.


    He grabbed her hips and lifted them. That put her in a provocative pose with just her hips sticking up from the floor. With her anus opening and closing in that pose, Setsuna had never been more erotic.


    Sol slowly spread her two cheeks while bringing his raging hard-on close to her entrance.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    Setsuna whimpered a little and nodded, ¡°Come please.¡±


    This would be her first time having sex in the truest sense of the world and her heart was filled with anticipation.


    As soon as Setsuna gave her words, he pushed the head against the anus with a small amount of force, ready to stop at any moment. But, Setsuna¡¯s hole opened wide and took the penis inside. The inside was surprisingly wet. So wet in fact that he slid right on inside while it tightened on him, and the multiple sections seemed to devour the rod as it was sucked further and further inside.


    This felt entirely different from a vagina. The pressure felt like it was going to crush his dick.


    But not in an unpleasant way. It provided a different sort of pleasure from being inside a vagina.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Both of them groaned as they sealed their union in the most umon way.


    Setsuna found it ridiculous how she just lost her anal virginity before her vaginal one but she could not give much thought to this as her mind was upied with the feeling of fullness she had never felt before.


    The stimtion made Sol thrust up his hips, digging his penis deeper into Setsunaa¡¯s hole. The head spread wide to scrape at the inner flesh and fill the depths of her body.


    As for Setsuna, She was sticking her butt out behind her and twisting her hips so his rod would reach even deeper inside her.


    It felt weird. Having something going on in this ce. His cock applied much more pressure to her stomach than the small toys she had used.


    The thick meat stick filled up her ass and pushed deep inside, reshaping her insides to match its form.


    The tip also pushed at the inner wall to stimte her vagina on the other side. Her own flesh pushed on her g-spot, hitting her with a form of pleasure she had never felt before.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to move now.¡±


    ¡°Wai¡ª¡±


    Setsuna tried to stop him. She could feel that she was about to go crazy. But Sol did not listen to her.


    He continued thrusting in and out so her anus would get to know what a penis felt like.


    The pressure gradually lessened, making it easier to move, but enough pressure remained to be pleasant.


    At the same time, he gradually increased the speed of his thrusting.


    Before long, his hips were pping against her beautifully shaped ass, making it jiggle.


    Slowly, the weirdness gave ce to pleasure as she was loving more and more what was happening.


    She screamed in pleasure after an especially powerful thrust.


    When his hips pped against her ass, her lower body shook, and that shaking sent a throbbing through her clit. She was being attacked on the inside and outside.


    There were many words Sol wished to say and would have if it was Camelia as he knew she love this. But as it was Setsuna''s first foray into the world of anal sex, he decided to be kind to her.


    ¡°It seems like you are really liking it.¡±


    Setsuna gave a low cry, unable to refute the truth as shameful as it was. She would have never thought that she would find pleasure while using such a dirty hole.


    Now that he had pointed it out, she could tell her anus was squeezing in response to the stimtion.


    Her insides seemed to squeeze at his penis and take its shape.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fight it. Just leave everything to me.¡±


    Setsuna felt the tension leaving her body. Only then did she realize how tense she had been since the start Why stress when she could leave everything to him?


    All she had to was follow and listen.


    After taking out his penis fully, he chuckled when Setsuna gave a disappointed cry before mming his whole length back in one stroke.


    Setsuna cried out her voice melting. She could feel his penis reach even further inside of her.


    At the same time, she could feel him bring his hand forward and start teasing her vagina through the special panties Persephone gave her.


    ¡°Sol~!¡±


    The thick shaft spread the skin around the entrance. The head rubbed all over the inner walls. The tip thrust deep, deep inside her.


    Every time it went inside and outside of her body, she felt like her entire body was being turned inside out from that point.


    Pleasure filled Setsuna''s mind as she approached her orgasm.


    She stuck her butt up, shook her lower body, squirted from her crotch once more, and spread her legs wide while on her knees. The convulsing of her legs would not stop and her arms pulled on the sheets as they folded up below her from the sensation of climax.


    Watching her experience this much pleasure made Sol ignore everything else and focus only on her.


    His rod expanded, his lower stomach grew hot, and he reached out toward Setsuna¡¯s butt as she writhed in orgasm.


    As he madly thrust his hips, Sol could feel himself approaching his own orgasm but he did nothing to stop it.


    Finally, as nature imposed, the dam burst and his penis erupted spewing everything.


    His penis throbbed like a pump and filled the depths of her ass with so much cum it was hard to believe this was his fourth time tonight.


    Each time a rope of semen burst from the tip, her anal flesh tightened rhythmically to stroke his penis from the base and suck out everyst drop of semen.


    With the hot liquid fully coating her hole, Setsuna clenched the sheets and let her body convulse as Sol''s body pushed down on her.


    Each time his rod throbbed, her butt pushed back up against him. That movement and the movement of the inner flesh squeezed out his semen while her back twisted and bent.


    ''Wow¡­ She¡¯s going to take it all¡­''


    Sol groaned as he felt his mind go white for a moment with how powerful his orgasm was.


    He was leaning over her, pumping her full of his seed, but for some reason, he felt like she was devouring him.


    Despite all this, the libido of a dragon was immense and his rod remained hard as her anal flesh stroked it,


    But while the body was willing, the mind was weak.


    He may have cum only four times. But it was four intense times while doing so with two gorgeous women.


    Surely, he could rest a little now, right?


    Sadly for him,


    "My¡­This was such a beautiful spectacle but¡­"


    His back rested on two soft breasts as Persephone hugged him from behind while biting his earlobe.


    "...We still aren''t finished, you know?"


    Even beneath him, he could feel Setsuna tighten her asshole around his shaft as if signaling to him that she wanted more.


    "Well¡­"


    It truly seemed like he was about to reach Nirvana.


    (AN: Smut finished. Hope you liked it.)

 Chapter 520 CH 480: WEIRD FRIENDSHIP

    ?


    "Oh my gosh!"


    "Goodness¡­"


    When Setsuna finished her story, two exmations followed it.


    Setsuna had her ears twitching and her face flushed as she stopped talking and focused on the hot chocte on her table.


    Meanwhile, both Lilin and Isis were looking at her with disbelief and respect in their eyes.


    Though the way Isis winced as she looked at her butt made her blush even further.


    "Did it¡­you know, did it hurt?"


    Even though they had already ced a barrier to stop their voices from spreading, Isis couldn''t help but speak in a hushed voice as she asked this.


    She remembered her first time and while it wasn''t as painful as having her bones broken while training, it was a special kind of pain that Still made her wince a little to this day.


    As a necromancer, Isis had enough knowledge in biology to know that Sol was quite gifted in that department as far as human anatomy went and simply imagining it going in her butt made her feel like saying "Nope" in repeat.


    "Well¡­The very first time we tried it, it was too painful to continue. Rather, I felt like my ass was about to be torn apart."


    Setsuna admitted. They had tried anal during the visit to Mris back then and the results had been disastrous.


    "So I decided to kinda train¡­"


    Her voice became lower when she said this, causing Lilin to chuckle, " ¡ªAnd I am supposed to be the subus."


    Setsuna groaned at the attack but there was not much she could say.


    She had been filled with anxiety and felt like she was losing too much as other women could satisfy Sol sexually.


    This was why she did research, bought toys, and even asked Persephone and Camelia for help.


    It had been extremely humiliating for her.


    But¡­


    "It was worth it."


    She finished by coughing a little. As ashamed as she was, she had been quite happy with the results.


    She knew that she was the only one outside of Camelia to have such sex with him so it was something she cherished ¨C as perverted as it was.


    "So¡­Did you like it?"


    Isis asked curiously. She was still new about all those sexual matters and there were many things she wished to try with Sol.


    Though doing it using her butt seemed a little¡­


    "It was¡­Well¡­ I don''t know how to exin it. It did feel weird. But also kind of good? I mean, now that I went the whole way with Sol I certainly like the normal way more but it''s something I wouldn''t mind doing from time to time."


    Setsuna finished while using the menu to wave some air at herself.


    She didn''t know why, but she felt strangely sweaty.


    ''Why the hell I am here and speaking about my sexual adventure?''


    Shemented quietly but at the same time, she could not hide the "girlish" feeling that filled her heart.


    Girls talk like this was¡­New.


    Even though she did receive bits of advice from Persephone and Camelia, they never had what could be called "Girl talk"


    There was too much tension between the different women who loved Sol.


    They did not hate each other.


    They did not even truly dislike each other.


    But as each of them were powerhouse, or highly ranked person in their own way, expecting them to cozy up to each other while drinking tea was ¡­ quiteplicated.


    Thest time they tried things ended up with them having to sign some sort of contract.


    Perhaps all of this was because of how all of them were innately broken one way or another.


    But¡­


    "You are truly different."


    Setsuna muttered unknowingly.


    "Hum?"


    Setsuna hesitated a little if she should continue but in the end, she shrugged, "I just meant to say that you are different from us."


    "Heh."


    Isis smiled sheepishly, "I am sure that I must seem a little immaturepared to you all. But I am learning slowly."


    Setsuna looked at the shyugh that Isis was showing.


    Without her knowledge, a small smile formed on her own face. It was the kind of smile one puts out when they watch something cute that should be protected.


    Isis was in no way immature.


    She simply had a way to see the world that was less bleak than them.


    Setsuna envied this.


    The ability to see a ss half full rather than half empty.


    This also brought a new kind of energy and dynamic to this harem.


    ''The next reunion is going to be interesting.''


    "Well. Since I have told you guys everything about what happened to me. Why don''t you share your experience with Sol?"


    It was Isis''s turn to blush and cough a little.


    "Haha. Look at the time. It''s gettingte."


    She tried to stand up but a hand firmly gripped her stopping her from moving.


    "Lilin?"


    "Sit back. It isn''t like we have a curfew."


    Lilin was smiling but there was a certain pressure behind her smile which caused Isis to smile helplessly and sit back down.


    She was the one who started the topic. So she couldn''t exactly flee now.


    "Well, I will share mine if you share your first. After all, the big sisters in the harem must go first, right?"


    Lilin gave an awkward smile, "Technically, you are the older sister. I only had my first time a few days ago."


    "Oh¡­"


    It seemed like there was no way for her to escape.


    Calming down, she decided to be honest, "I only did it two times with him. Though the second time was wild."


    ¡ªAnd so the three girls spent the entire night sharing stories about the past.


    At first, it was just about their sexual act, and Setsuna and Lilin were more than a little impressed by the super orgy Isis had.


    But in the end, the three of them had little experience with Sol.


    So it didn''t take long for the stories to take a new tangent.


    Isis found herself telling about the adventure of Sol in the Astral realm from her own perspective.


    Be it the fight against the Dukes in the Phoenix realm, his fight for the title of prince against the other Dragons, or finally the War.


    Every time she spoke, both Setsuna and Lilin would clench their fists and listen with trepidation.


    Even though they were not there to see it, they could imagine it and this greatly stimted them.


    At the same time, they could now understand why Sol was so rxed about the whole war.


    It wasn''t just because they had a clear advantage over Wratharis.


    The simple truth was that, whenpared to a war where Dukes were nothing but canon fodder and not even Demigod could escape death, the current war must have seemed like a joke.


    In the whole mortal world, being a Duke was already enough to enter the top 100 strongest beings.


    Even if all the Dukes alive and hidden were added there was a very small chance of surpassing the 200 all together. Perhaps 300 if one was very very generous.


    ''We still have much to do.''


    Setsuna had been happy about bing a Duke.


    She was "strong" now.


    At least this was what she thought.


    Now she realized that being a Duke still wasn''t enough.


    Not even close.


    A fire was lit inside both Lilin and Setsuna''s hearts


    A desire to reach greater heights.


    Not just for Sol¡­But also for themselves.


    At the end of day ¡ª Both Setsuna and Lilin were happy to say that they had a new friend.

 Chapter 521 CH 481: YOU ARE A PAIN

    Chapter 521 CH 481: YOU ARE A PAIN


    [Salem]


    In aboratory in the depth of Salem, a group of witches was observing a ring behind sses covering it in dozen of spells.


    [Analyze]


    [Observation]


    [True Secret]


    [Revtion]


    [Truth Seeking]


    More and more spells were ced, around the ring and they were analyzing theposition down to the smallest particles, all of this to make sure that they understood what they were dealing with.


    Sitting not far from them was Ambrosia, sipping quietly on her tea as usual.


    It was truly an entertaining sight for her so she was more than willing to watch.


    ¡°Mother. Should we stop them?¡±


    Persephone asked with a bitter smile but Ambrosia simply shook her head.


    ¡°Let them. They are all old stubborn women. They will not ept the truth they have not obtained by themselves.¡±


    Be it Persephone, Ambrosia, or even Medea who was sitting close, the witches were unable to perceive them thanks to a space-type spell Ambrosia used.


    She had created this spell after seeing what Sol could do with his dimension and while it still came short to a dimension, it was very useful when it came to peeping and observing people without being noticed.


    ¡°So, what do they exactly hope to do?¡±


    Medea massaged her forehead, feeling tired as she watched the action of her fellow witches.


    It was quite embarrassing in a way, but she could understand the need to explore everything before trusting something that was too beautiful to be true.


    Back to the witches, when the number of spells analyzing the ring stopped one after another until there were none, the witches of the councils observed the result with disbelief.


    No matter what spell they used, the answer was always the same.


    There was nothing special about the ring itself.


    Sure it was made of a rather rare and expensive metal but it was nothing that the wealth of the witches couldn¡¯t afford. The ring had no special function nor conductivity.


    In fact, clearly, the material mattered little for the power engraved. Even a rock could have been used as a receptacle.


    ¡®This is extraordinary.¡¯


    The current president of the council couldn¡¯t help but marvel as she observed what could only be described as perfection and sophistication.


    The intricacy of the spell was woven in a way that defied perception and gave the power to reverse causality itself.


    She felt like she was being entranced and was looking at a masterpiece.


    To think it¡¯s one of those barbarian who managed to create such a thing.


    Many witches had a way of looking down on people who simply followed the path of innate power.


    Be it because of superiority or hidden feeling of inferiority, they slightly despised those who used feeling to reach a higher power level rather than using reason and intellect.


    They believed that while the road was harder, the results were without a doubt higher and a witch at the same level would never lose to anyone.


    The proof was how the witches nearly dominated the world once and how Persephone beat down a Blessed, the Queen of Elves, to the point where she lost her pride and lost her path.


    For them, Sol was no different.


    A barbarian could be stronger than a martial artist. But they did not have the same understanding of how to fight.


    ¡°Do you think we can replicate this?¡±


    One of the members of her faction. The witches who had been against an alliance and wished to ask for as much as possible asked her with a grim tone.


    But there was nothing the president could say.


    She could not see them but she had no illusion that their current actions were not being observed in real-time.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for us to even think of replicating it. I believe even Mother would not be able to do so.¡±


    She sighed as she admitted the bitter truth. They have been checkmated by a gift they could only dream of for thousands of years.


    The dream of nearly every witch dead or alive.


    She grimaced. Even for her, who was not particrly into such a thing, the appeal of finally being able to have a rtionship with someone without fearing of killing him was extremely attractive.


    She could imagine that the young witches would be screaming in joy and jubtion.


    The council worked for the benefits of the witches and not for their simple belief. They had no way of stopping the future alliance.


    The President gave a small tired smile,


    ¡°Let¡¯s prepare the letter of surrender.¡±


    Medea had made sure to tell that that the prince of Lustburg was extremely disappointed by their earlier demand.


    She knew that this meant he had the full support of the Princess and since Ambrosia said nothing, this means even she approved of him.


    At this time, fighting the inevitable would only result in creating an enemy.


    ¡°Mother. I do not know if you can hear me. But we ept to open the gate of Salem. If the prince wishes for it, we wille forward and beg for his forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°No need to. Sol already told me he wished to observe Salem. So he wille.¡±


    ¡°...Very well.¡±


    He would be the first man to ever step foot in the sacred world of Salem. Thest bastion of refuge for the witches.


    This was a moment worth nothing in the annals of history.


    .


    .


    .


    While the witches were going on about what they needed to do to wee Sol, the one they were thinking about was currently fighting for his dear life.


    Moving left and right, he avoided two deadly swings of a sword before retaliating with hundreds of Ice shaped swords that were floating all around him.


    The path of the swords were erratic and impossible to guess as they would move through space and teleport to a different point.


    That wasn''t all. When it looked like he was about to get cornered, he would simply move away by teleporting himself to another ce and continue to attack.


    ¡°I must say. Even though I am not going all out, the feeling of fighting you is really disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for thepliment. Hehe.¡±


    Solughed as he tanked one hit and the shallow wound immediately closed.


    Facing him was none other than Lilith.


    The two of them were currently training and Lilith had limited her power to that of a powerful Duke but she realized just how much of a pain it was to fight Sol.


    He was already a pain in the past but now that he obtained the power of space marking, he was simply a pure menace.


    Fighting against him was like using a sword to strike at the ocean. No matter how many times to hit, nothing much changed.


    Strong physical defense.


    Near immunity to magic.


    Super regeneration.


    Incredible movement skill.


    He could also actually hide in his dimension if things were necessary.


    and he could resurrect even if he died.


    He was fast, resilient, and near immortal.


    The perfect cockroach in a way.


    No¡­A super cockroach would be a better description in reality.


    ¡°Hey. I feel like you are thinking something rude.¡±


    Lilith chuckled, ¡°You are thinking too much. Though, I do admit I am baffled by how hard it is to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Let¡¯s continue?¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡ªAnd so the training between the two continued.

 Chapter 522 CH 482: GATE OF BAB...*Cough*... *AHEM*...SORRY WRONG STORY

    Chapter 522 CH 482: GATE OF BAB...*Cough*... *AHEM*...SORRY WRONG STORY


    After a short pause, the fight between the two went into a crescendo.


    Using her Zone as the base while floating in the sky, Lilith deployed hundreds of swords in the sky and started controlling all of them.


    Each of those swords, while not being physically real, were filled with the powerful sword intent of Lilith, making them sharper than even powerful weapon.


    Meanwhile, standing on the ground, Sol showed no fear in the face of the overwhelming number of swords.


    He waved his hands and his mana bellowed furiously as steam floated all around him before slowly morphing in weapons.


    Soon, hundreds of weapons were also deployed while floating all around him menacingly.


    But he obviously did not have the same ease as Lilith. After all, each of those swords was not just born from intent like with Lilith. They needed to be crafted using Ice, water, and wind magic to make them sharper and more solid while also filling them with the intent to cut and kill.


    Sol thankfullycked no killing intent and he didn¡¯t hesitate in using the full power of his intent as he knew that he would not be able to wound her with half-assed attack.


    ¡°You still need to work on the creation speed of your weapon.¡±


    Lilith gave her advice offhandedly. Sol was not the inexperienced boy of them. He knew enough about fighting to know what he needed to do.


    ¡°Indeed. I still have a hard time visualizing the constructs. After all, I am more used to wild release of power rather than fine-tuning like this.¡±


    When he obtained the ice power, he initially thought that construction-type magic would be rather easy for him. All he needed to do was give as much power as possible.


    Sadly, he had been wrong.


    Creating one sword needed far more work than he thought. What was interesting was that the more urate the weapon created, the more powerful it became. It was as if, he was manipting reality itself to make his ice weapon into a real weapon.


    Without a doubt, this was Lilin¡¯s power intervening. The power to make dreams into reality. The closer the dream was to reality, the better.


    So he couldn¡¯t just half-ass it.


    Water, ice itself, and wind. Everything was used to create the best weapon possible. He was even taking lessons with Theresa in order to better understand the structure of weapons


    He was impatient about getting earth. Once this was possible he might be able to mass produce and create his own permanent weapons and share them with soldiers.


    ¡®Well. This is a whole different matter.¡¯


    ¡°Enough daydream?¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°I know you have the bad habit of being lost in thought. But keep your head straight during training.¡±


    Sol grinned sheepishly and moved his hand, making all the weapons bow as if they were apologizing to her.


    ¡°Well¡­At least your control is slowly increasing.¡±


    Lilith had not been mad in the first ce so it wasn¡¯t hard for her to smile at those small jokes.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s test how hard your weapons are.¡±


    Sol¡¯s lips twitched.


    There were so many things wrong in this sentence or he was simply a big pervert who saw the hidden meaning in any sentences.


    ¡°My weapon is always hard and ready.¡±


    Lilith tilted her head in confusion at this reply.


    She had the weird impression that they were not talking about the same things at all.


    Ignoring this feeling, she pointed at Sol with her finger.


    ¡°When I first obtained my zone, I struggled with controlling a certain number of swords. But with time I developed small tricks. The first one is obviously hand movement.¡±


    Her fingers moved and the weapons answered, ¡°Rather than focusing on mentalmand alone. Mixing hand movements will give you a better focus.¡±


    Simply throwing all the weapons in one go was obviously good. But itcked smoothness and changes. As such those formations were She continued, ¡°The second way are formations. You need to separate the weapons intorge groups and each group will have different objectives.¡±


    Simply throwing all the weapons in one go was obviously good. But itcked smoothness and changes. As such those formations were necessary.


    ¡°Finally. Against powerful enemies. Rather than having hundreds of useless weapons. Having one big and sturdy weapon is more than enough to pierce your enemy.¡±


    ¡®She must be doing this intentionally or I need to take my mind out of the gutter.¡¯


    Sol choked a little before doing as she was doing and moving the weapons in different groups.


    The mental capacities of a Duke came very handy in situations like this because otherwise, it would have been impossible to do this.7


    He could already feel his mind straining even now. But he knew this was necessary to better understand his power rather than wait until thest moment during a fight and believe in somest-minute enlightenment.


    ¡®Then again. This helped many times.¡¯


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­Sorry, sorry.¡±


    He scratched his head. It was in moments like this he wished he had the ability to multi-task or have multiple minds.


    It would certainly be useful.


    ¡°Shall we continue?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I will focus this time.¡±


    Like this the training and fight between them continued.


    Hundreds of swords collided while following different formations.


    Rather than a simple sh of swords, one had the impression of observing a chess game or a war between two generals who were giving orders to their soldiers.


    In the end, though, Sol, who was still not used to this way of fighting, obviously lost.


    But he came out of this training stronger.


    ¡ªAnd this was all that mattered.


    (AN: Guys for those who don¡¯t know, I posted a new picture of Sol and Mars on P@treon. As always, those pictures are free to view and you do not need to sub to Patreon to view them. You just need to search Patreon (dot)/Hikarugenji (dot).


    Then search the tags and select the illustration tag. You will have ess to all illustrations. Some illustrations need to be updated but I think they are good.


    Obviously, while you do not have to sub to patreon, I wouldn¡¯t mind if you did. Hehe. Also, I changed the cover picture.)

 Chapter 523 CH 483: POETIC

    Chapter 523 CH 483: POETIC


    When the training between the two powerhouses ended, Sol wiped his face with a towel while Lilith floated quietly in the sky, her sword beneath her feet.


    ¡°You are very strong now, Sol. I believe even as a Duke. Not many people can put you in danger.¡±


    Sol shrugged, ¡°I know. But this is mainly because of how hard I am to kill. I rather not simply be a punching ball.¡±


    Lilith chuckled, ¡°Indeed. While your energy isrge and you have many powerful attacks. Youck something. One attack that can end a fight in one hit if the enemy is not careful.¡±


    A ball of energy appeared in her hand. Then she slowly condensed it until it was as sharp as a needle.


    Even though the same amount of energy was used, the pressure the needle gave was higher.


    ¡°When the power is focused on one point. Even water can be the most lethal weapon.¡±


    ¡°Yep. I am wondering if I should learn sword intent.¡±


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t all. Sol was sure he could focus water and create a very sharp de. But he knew that past a certain level, physical damage alone was never enough.


    ¡°You see. I don¡¯t remember the feeling but¡­When I fought Nihil. I gave her a wound she couldn¡¯t heal from.¡±


    He mused quietly. This power was something he wanted very much.


    Demigods could heal from basically everything. Even from death if it was in the right circumstances, as proven by Sekhmet.


    But¡­The power he wielded then was different.


    It was only temporary. But for a moment, he had the feeling that nothing could stand in his way.


    ¡°I have to speak with Kaliter.¡±


    He wondered if it was the power of destruction. After all, Ymir had been in his sea of consciousness. Perhaps he had used her power unknowingly.


    ¡®I wonder why I didn¡¯t think of that until now.¡¯


    He shook his head and watched as Lilith slowly came down.


    ¡°I do not know what kind of power you are talking about but I believe this is a good idea. If you can obtain the power of destruction or simr, few will dare stand in your way.¡±


    Lilith was all for Sol growing stronger. She knew very well that for them, the current war was just a step.


    Soon they would have to fight for far more and then the angels would stand in their ways.


    ''I wonder how she is doing.''


    Speaking of Angels, Lilith couldn''t help but think of her old friend.


    The mother of Chloe and someone who was once part of their group.


    She was now the supreme daughter of Slothein.


    "Do you think you should talk more to that girl, Chloe? What about using your charms and putting her on our side like you did with Pandora? This would make things far easier for the future."


    Sol gave a bitter smile, wondering just how Lilin was seeing him.


    "I am not a Gigolo, you know?"


    "...You aren''t?"


    Lilith looked at him with a shocked expression as if Sol had revealed that their was t rather than round.


    Only to startughing a few momentster.


    "Sorry. You indeed are not. But let''s be honest. At the rate things are going, there is a higher chance of us conquering the world through your charm than through war."


    "Well. What can I say? Better to make love than to make war."


    He clenched his fist a little. The angels were not his priorities right now but sooner orter he would have to deal with them.


    Those guys were veiled in so many mysteries that it was making him imagine many bad scenarios.


    But at the very least, there was no denying that they were extremely dangerous even for him.


    ¡ªAt least for the current him.


    "I need to be a King."


    "If anyone else spoke about bing a King a few weeks after bing a Duke, I wouldugh at their face. But for you¡­It might be possible."


    Lilith had seen the kind of miracles Sol could aplish.


    Compared to what he did with her body ¡ª Bing a King didn''t seem so hard.


    "But before that, you should make sure to strengthen your base. A solid foundation will allow the creation of a tall and sturdy tower."


    "Tell me the truth¡­You are doing this intentionally, right?"


    There was no way she wasn''t putting all those innuendo in her words intentionally.


    All the answer he received was a grin,


    "Guess."


    Sol was speechless.


    Truly the new Lilith was someone very interesting to talk to.


    "Anyway, we rested enough. A second session?"


    "I would love to but sadly, duty call."


    "Oh? Anything interesting?"


    "Yeah. Theresa said she had a surprise for me."


    Lilith raised an eyebrow.


    Thest time Theresa said she had a surprise in store, she created the embryo of a divine weapon.


    "Can I follow?"


    He shrugged at her question.


    "You are the queen. You can do what you want."


    "Well¡­ I won''t be the queen for long. Your coronation is approaching after all."


    A smile filled with pride and confidence shed on Sol''s face.


    "I will be King after I conquer Wratharis."


    It would be a glorious day when he would stand on the throne.


    For now though,


    "Currently, I am just a prince and a Duke."


    Sol chuckled. Bing a King officially would restrict him too much during the war.


    But nothing stopped a prince from going on the front line from the start and wreaking havoc.


    Another thing was¡­Wouldn''t it be more interesting to sit on the throne and be a King of Lustburg while also being a King-ranked fighter?


    Sol likes the poetic situation.


    "Well. All this is for the future. Let''s go."


    Sol was impatient to see the results of Theresa''s research.


    He was already sure he could win against Wratharis as things stood.


    But¡­


    Hope for the best¡ª Prepare for the worst.


    He would rather be over-prepared than not enough if things went south.


    ''Ugh¡­I feel like I raised a g.''


    Hopefully, it was just his imagination.


    But just in case it seemed like he would have to double the preparation.

 Chapter 524 CH 484: INNOVATION/REVOLUTION

    Chapter 524 CH 484: INNOVATION/REVOLUTION


    When Sol and Lilith walked on the street of Lustburg, this time no one was able to see them.


    The advantage of his dimension was more than apparent when hispanion was above the Duke''s level and as such was not in danger of having their feelingspletely inverted by his dimension.


    Thankfully. he was sure that he would soon be able to control that function or he could simply use it during the war.


    ¡®Honestly. If it wasn¡¯t because I don¡¯t want to reveal my card now. I could simply assassinate him.¡¯


    He could infiltrate Wratharis alone with Lilith and put him down. But this was dangerous as Sol did not know how strong the King of Wratharis was exactly and what kind of power the divine weapon of a country gave.


    ¡®Well, either way, I need to spill blood to spill less blood in the future.¡¯


    Conquest usually and inevitably came with constant rebellion for a few generations. In the case of Wratharis, he thankfully had Setsuna so it would cut most of the job he had to do.


    ¡°Thinking hard about something?¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­¡±


    Sol looked at the streets through the lens of his dimension and observed how people walked with happy smiles and no fear.


    ¡°I am just thinking about how great it would be if we could just end this in a one vs one fight?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­It would indeed be interesting if it was so.¡±


    Solughed, ¡°Once I be emperor, I might create that rule. All the Kingdom under me will resolve their altercations through the fight of the high-ranked or the use of Champion.¡±


    He knew that things were not so simple. If war was not fought by the citizen, they would have no sense of belonging to their countries.


    Furthermore, since war could decide the fate of an entire country, it was necessary to have the citizens fight for it.


    But to all this, Sol simply said bullshit.


    War was not surprising in his world since humans were all equal under the power of a gun. One-man shows were not possible.


    But here, things were different. Armies were nearly obsolete at the moment someone of high rank appeared.


    Even with the Dragons, one of the most powerful armies in the universe, without the Zone of the Four Dragon Kings, the might of .


    ¡°Oh! You are finally here! Do you know how long I have been the army fell considerably.


    ¡°It could be interesting. Do you n to usher world peace?¡±


    ¡°I do not think I can create a world without strife and fight and death. But I can certainly create a world with no war.¡±


    All he had to do for that was to cover the mortal realm with his dimension.


    .


    .


    .


    ¡°Oh! You are finally here! Do you know how long I have been waiting for?¡±


    When they finally walked outside of the wall, the two of them elerated and it only took them a few moments to reach the ce where the Secret dungeon was.


    Outside of it was Theresa who was waving her hand excitedly. Her face was covered in sweat and she was wearing nearly transparent clothes that showed so much of her skin she might as well be naked.


    While this might look pretty shameless, this was the state that allowed Theresa to be as close to the fire as possible for her to feel the change in temperature down to the smallest decimal.


    This might not be important for most but for a masterpiece artisan like her, even the smallest details were important as they were the difference between somethingmon and a masterpiece.


    But none of this mattered to Theresa at this moment. She was simply too excited


    "Follow me!"


    She did not even let Sol and Lilith the time to greet her as she was already pulling them forward towards the depth of the dungeon.


    "With how happy you are, I guess you have very good news for me."


    "Hehe, you dumped a shit load of work on me and all I had was an old assistant that came out of nowhere. Do you know how hard it was ?"


    "Sorry. While we do have good crafters, most of them are in rtionships with other countries and we mainly import our weapons from Greed."


    "Humph! Anyway, thanks to my genius self and after tweaking a few of those golems I was able to create myb assistant so it isn''t a problem. Also, I gotta say, those old dwarves were great."


    They reached the end of a wall and a door opened for them leading to an elevator.


    Pushing one of the buttons, the elevator began to bring them down to their destination.


    "While working on the golems, I realized that reproducing them will be hard. Many of the materials used on them can only be found in Southern Pride and a few regions of Wratharis.


    As if it wasn''t enough, the cores were created using some bests that are now so rare they might as well not exist."


    "Mris said she would be able to mass produce soon?"


    "Obviously. Her power is very suited for this but in the end, it will just be an inferior version. Still good and powerful but honestly not what I want. Such goods are not worthy of my genius."


    She shrugged. She was generally very unassuming, but Theresa had a very high pride in her skill.


    She simply generally didn''t like to show off to people not worthy of her attention.


    "So I innovated." Her voice became high pitched and rose an octave, "Using the blueprint you got and using my genius, I managed to create a new version more streamlined of those golems and with a very important use."


    "Oh? You intrigue me."


    "As you should. So let''s start with a little quiz, do you know what is the most disadvantageous thing for humans?"


    "Their weak bodies."


    Lilith was the one who answered with no hesitation. Though her current body was different, it didn''t change the fact that she trudged on the battlefield for years with a below-average body.


    "Bingo! Humans are weak as hell. They can be strong. Broken even. But no pure humans can go against the inherent weakness of their bodies. This is why humans rely on armor and weapons more than others."


    This was the sad truth. Even now as winter was approaching, the human army will be severely hindered by the cold and snow.


    Much more than the war beasts.


    "So. I always wondered. What if humans had a way to protect themselves? But that''s just armor. This wouldn''t change anything fundamentally. But then, it came to me, like a light illuminating the darkness, a brilliant idea shed in my mind."


    Ding!


    The elevator finally stopped and the gate opened, revealing more than twenty Golems standing in rows.


    Those golem though, were different from the one he remembered.


    They were sleeker and sharper and their shape was more humanoid and they were all open.


    Almost as if¡­


    ''No way¡­''


    Sol thought with disbelief as he watched those armors. The picture of a certain Genius, billionaire, yboy, and phnthropist shed in his mind for an instant and superimposed on Theresa, giving him the impression that he was having an illusion.


    But Theresa''s following words made him understand that he was not dreaming.


    "Let me introduce you to the first generation of Magically Engineered Controlled Human Armors. Or


    M.E.C.H.A for short. Though you can also call them Power Armor."


    Once again, Theresa was about to create a revolution.

 Chapter 525 CH 485: EPOCH CHANGING

    Chapter 525 CH 485: EPOCH CHANGING


    Sol examined the small army of Mecha with the most significant focus in his entire life. Even now, he could not correctly grasp the sheer excitement swirling in his chest as he looked at this marvelous disy of technology.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Impressive, right?¡±


    For Theresa, there was no greater satisfaction than seeing the expression Sol was making. Lilith seemed still a little confused, but Theresa ignored her. Barbarians who only swung their swords left and right couldn¡¯t even start to imagine the immensity of what she created.


    In the end, a few seconds were spent in silence as Sol¡¯s breath grew heavier and heavier before he rushed to Theresa and took in his arm while twirling with her like she was a kid.


    ¡°You are a super genius!¡±


    He eximed and Theresaughed out loud, happy to see this.


    When Sol finally put her back on the ground she felt a little wobbly but managed to get her bnce easily.


    ¡°Hehe, praise me more. Though in a less twirling way. ¡°


    She fought the urge to throw up as it would destroy the moment.


    ¡°I am sorry. Please, exin more about those Mecha. How did you even have the idea of creating something like this?¡±


    ¡°M.E.C.H.A. Anyways. When I was working on those golems and saw the fake intelligence they were given which allowed them to move in an independent way, I started to wonder what would be the effect if those things were attached to humans and boosted with different little skills.¡±


    She waved her hand at them toe closer as she knocked on the golem,


    ¡°This is pure dwarves'' steel mixed with Mithril and other metal that have great conduction for Mana. It¡¯s a special new alloy I created and I have yet to name it but not only does it conduct mana extremely well, but it can also absorb kic energy up to a certain degree.¡±


    She stopped and looked at Sol, wondering if he was still following her. No matter how excited people were at her creation, they generally stopped listening when she exined the process.


    ¡°How did youe up with that new alloy?¡±


    Theresa¡¯s eyes twinkled, ¡°Thanks for asking. It took many tries to find the right quantity for each metal but I am standing on the shoulder of a giant in this case. After all, I am not the first dwarf to think about this.¡±


    She continued, ¡°Anyway as you know, during the war in the past when I followed your father and the group, I was always the weakest. So I had to think extra hard about new gadgets to keep myself relevant and not be a dead weight. Thankfully, I had some blueprint from our dear angel friend.¡±


    As a dwarf, she was extremely skilled in metallurgy and since one of her friends was the supreme daughter of Slothtein, she had been able to create armor that fused the technology of the dwarves and some of the angel''s technology. [1]


    ¡°Well, I am sure that the angels and other dwarves could technically be able to create something simr. But¡­ I am the first one to do so. You could also say I used that armor and the golem as the basis to create those new prototypes.¡±


    Theresa was very proud of herself and she had all the right to be.


    Those M.E.C.H.A were not just the result of some sudden stroke of genius. But the results of years of research andmitment alling together in one moment to create a sublimation.


    She was not just proud. She was feeling very emotional. She had done something never done before.


    If the divine weapon she had created for Sol was one of a kind of weapon that will leave its mark in history, the M.E.C.H.A were apletely new technology that will create a revolution in the entire world.


    Her name would forever be etched in the annals of history and for her, there were very few things that were a greater honor than this.


    ¡°Well, enough about this, I am sure you must be wondering how it works, right?¡±


    She pped her hand and the light moved up to another armor standing on the podium.


    ¡°Firstly, like I said the exterior is based on a new alloy that mixes mana conductivity and Kic energy absorption. In the future, I n to create different models based on different kinds of alloy.¡±


    She moved her fingers and a holographic picture appeared in the air,


    ¡°Outside of this, each part of the armor was etched with different kinds of runes. [Self-clean], [self-repair], [Anti-Gravity]; [Mana Boost], [Blood recognition], and [Mana attunement]. Heh, thatst rune is the one I am most proud of. The armor has a certain level of self-growth and the more attuned the wearer is, the more the armor will evolve and change to fit the wearer.¡±


    This feature would make it so that even rtively powerful fighters would not hesitate to wear this if necessary.


    ¡°For Self-repair, it¡¯s not as powerful as I wish but it can repair to a certain point. Sadly, each repair will slowly affect the integrity of the armor until it bes unusable and anti-gravity will help the wearer not feel the weight of the armor. Otherwise it would be hard to move them.¡±


    The more she spoke, the more happy she was, ¡°In one of the inner garments, I have many syringes. Each of them can be filed with a different healing potion, Mana potion, or other potion. A mentalmand would be enough to activate them and heal yourself at thest moment;¡±


    ¡°Finally, for the Fake Intelligence.¡±


    ¡°Call it Artificial Intelligence.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­I like it. Okay, the A.I am structured as an assistant. You can input different rules and systems into it. For example, it can store an entire map and keep it in memory for you or it can helpmunication across the battlefield that cannot be intercepted like Whispers. I n to create a terminal that can keep track of all information and act as a tower of control. The exact order can be sent to the A.I. For now, only a very basic one but as time pass, the AI will grow and develop¡­Huh?¡±


    Theresa stopped her exnation and looked at Sol who was suddenly looking all around him.


    ¡°Anything the matter?¡±


    ¡°No. I was just wondering if someone from the future was going to appear now.


    ¡°I¡­I see.¡±


    Theresa gave a strained smile which caused Sol to sigh. He should have perhaps brought Kali with him.


    She would have understood the joke.


    He chuckled and took a few steps until he reached Theresa then, he slowly took a knee until he was eye to eyes with her.


    ¡°Why are you kneeling? Isn¡¯t it something hateful for dragons?¡±


    Both Theresa and Lilith were surprised by his sudden action and Theresa bluffed to keep her heart calm but Sol continued unperturbed.


    ¡°I do not mind kneeling to those worthy of respect or when I am desperate.¡±


    Sol looked at the short dwarf, with his eyes filled with admiration. What she had created was nothing short of an epoch-changing technology and she made this for them.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Only two words.


    But those two words contained all his gracefulness and admiration.


    ¡°I will make sure your contribution to history never goes unnoticed.¡±


    This was a promise he would give his all to aplish.


    [1]: This armor was first introduced very briefly in Vol 5 Ch 116: Saber and Berserker vs Archer.

 Chapter 526 CH 486: LETS GO CRAZY

    Chapter 526 CH 486: LET''S GO CRAZY


    Theresa chuckled a little under the tense and solemn atmosphere,


    ¡°You are my godson, there is no need for such formalities between us.¡±


    Sol shook his head, ¡°We live in a world where murder and betrayal even between family members are asmon as clouds. You, more than anyone else, should understand this.¡±


    Sol knew, under the tender traits of a ditzy genius who only focused on forging, was hidden a ruthless businesswoman who would have no hesitation in sticking a knife in the guts of her own brother ¡ª Which she did.


    Theresa was not a kind woman and kindness was not her only personality trait.


    ¡°So¡­Do you doubt me?¡±


    Her words were calm but there were some hurts in her voice. She wondered if Sol was wary of her because of her past ruthlessness.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Sol chuckled as the third eye opened on his forehead, ¡°I literally coexist with the weapon you created. You are one of the people I believe the most in this world. But it¡¯s exactly because of this that I need to tell you how grateful I am.¡±


    Theresa did many things for Lustburg and for him. Both small and little.


    It was without a doubt thanks to her that she was able to affect fate so easily. If he did not have the Eye of Akasha he would not be able to see the thread of Fate, making everything far more difficult for him.


    It was thanks to those threads that he managed to fight and beat Nihil to the point of making heratose.


    It was thanks to those threads that he was able to anticipate Invidia¡¯s hostility, find out that Aurora was suspicious, change the body of Lilith and even find those ruins.


    Now, thanks to her, the causality in the uing war would lower tremendously.


    Saying that Theresa was one of the cornerstones of his strength and one of his greatest benefactors would not even be enough to exin just how much he owed her.


    Sol tightened his grip on Theresa¡¯s hand, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    One needed to show gratefulness when necessary and never take things for granted. Doing so was the best way to protect long terms rtionships and keep them blooming.


    ¡°Heh¡­You truly have a sweet tongue.¡±


    Theresa smiled.


    If she said that the favor she gave to Sol in the past was without any hidden goal, she would be lying.


    After all, she indeed didn¡¯t know him in the past. She became his godmother through some sort of auction as a joke with ze and the others.


    Her only true rtionship with him was that he was the son of her past crush and her friend.


    At first, her goal had only been to have fun, get some benefits from him and name him as her inheritor. Not only would this make all dwarves back off and fear her, even more than they already did, but it would also create a solid rtionship with him.


    But now¡­


    ¡°I am d I came to Lustburg.¡±


    Sol was proving to be her lucky star. Thanks to him she had created her greatest masterpiece and thanks to him, she just created an epoch-changing weapon of war.


    He treated her well and did not take her for granted.


    He could joke around with her but still respected her despite being vastly stronger.


    He knew she would work for him but he never looked down on her.


    One could say that everything she said was basic. This was how intelligent people should treat each other. With basic respect and appreciation.


    But how many people in this world did something that basic?


    She shook her head, ¡°Anyways, I am not one that is into moving moments like this. Let¡¯s just say that you owe me one.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I owe you far more than one. You can ask me anything and I will do it.¡±


    ¡°Anything? nk checks are dangerous, you know?¡±


    ¡°I trust you enough to know that you would not ask for something unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­Okay. Just don¡¯t regret those wordster on.¡±


    ¡°I never regret.¡±


    Sol immediately winced as he said this because he could see the mischievous light in Theresa¡¯s eyes shing.


    He had forgotten because of the moment but Theresa was the kind of daredevil who didn¡¯t hesitate to steal the belongings of a demigod-like echidna while being chased by monsters wishing to kill her.


    ¡°Well ¡ª-¡±


    ¡°Nop. I won¡¯t listen. You said anything and no regret. Or perhaps, are the words of the future king so cheap?¡±


    ¡®Kuh¡­¡¯


    Sol groaned as he stood up and coughed, ¡°My words are worth diamonds.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡°*Ahem* Well, why don¡¯t we talk about those armors?¡±


    ¡°Nice try. But I will y around with you.¡±


    Theresa moved the holographic disy and continued, ¡°This is just the first generation and obviously, I am unable to give clear numbers outside of theory. I need you to bring me soldiers who will wear those and participate in mockbat. The more data I have the better they will be suited for war.¡±


    ¡°How long do you need?¡±


    ¡°Honestly? I don¡¯t know. The main problem is that I work alone with perhaps the help of Mris. If I could have someone who was good at runes, my efficiency would skyrocket.¡±


    Sol nodded. There was only so much someone could do alone. Even more so when it came to things such as mass production.


    Theresa was not even a Duke. So herputing abilities and skill in multi-tasking were also very limited.


    Thankfully, there was one very easy solution for this matter.


    ¡°You say you need more rune craters? Would it be good if they have knowledge of science and also add many great ideas?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah.¡±


    ¡°What about magic?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, this would also be useful.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­Then, I have the perfect assistant for you in mind.¡±


    Sol wanted to kick himself in the foot for not thinking about this sooner.


    In this world, there was only one person he knew who had memories of another world like him and was such an otaku that she created her own power based on anime.


    ¡°What do you say about having the witch of destruction as an assistant?¡±


    The Chunni mind of Kali mixed with the genius of Theresa.


    Sol shuddered just at the thought of what those two could create if they were to work together.


    ¡®Hum¡­Perhaps I am making a mistake?¡¯


    The pictures shing in his mind were so frightening that he had goosebumps.


    ¡°I will also add Duchess Mris. She will be relieved of all other duties.¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes shed with determination.


    Since he was betting he had to go all out without any hesitation.


    Mris was a genius to such a level that even the goddesses gave her a gift.


    Three super geniuses who had fields thatplemented each other and all had a few screws loose.


    ¡®What a frightening team.¡¯


    ¡°Oh? Any limitations?¡±


    Theresa asked with an eyebrow raised.


    This was it. This was the moment for him to put an end to this madness and take a step back to think deeper.


    But¡­


    Fuck this shit.


    ¡°None. Go all out. The full strength of Lustburg will be behind you three. I don¡¯t care how much you spend or what resources you use. Go all out!¡±


    Sol was determined.


    He wished to witness with his own eyes.


    Just what kind of crazy shits those mad women would create.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ I will not disappoint you.¡±


    Though, this sounded a little too ominous.

 Chapter 527 CH 487: CRAZIES! ASSEMBLE!

    Chapter 527 CH 487: CRAZIES! ASSEMBLE!


    Kali was excited.


    Not long ago, she received a call from Sol to talk about her punishment and the possibility of ending it.


    Because of how stupid and hurried she had been, she joined the wings and helped them in their terrorist attack on Lustburg.


    Kali knew that she had fucked up back then and the fact that her family didn''t hate her for this was honestly more than she could have ever hoped.


    The same went for Sol.


    While he had every right to hold a grudge, he simply epted her as she was after giving her the punishment of bing a maid.


    Truly a small punishment for the crime shemitted.


    Thinking of this, she twirled a little and looked at her maid uniform with a forlorn smile.


    As weird as it was, she had strangely gotten used to her work and was in fact kind of liking it.


    Even now, she smiled as she waved her hands at a few servantsing and going.


    They were ''friends'' if she could call them that andpanions that helped her and taught her the ropes of the jobs.


    They may not be close but they shared discussion and she hade to like the atmosphere in the tower which was unlike thepetitive atmosphere in Salem.


    Then again, it wasn''t as if the tower was devoid ofpetition. All the maids dreamed of being embraced by Sol even once.


    They knew that they would not be able to give birth to the royal child but simply having Sol have their lover meant that their life would be assured and they would neverck anything.


    If Kali had still been as she was all those centuries ago when she first opened her eyes in this world, she would have found this way of thinking to be demeaning and stupid.


    She would have also seen Sol as some sort of tyrant or nothing but a perverted pig.


    Now though, she only saw him as a prince with a libido that was a little too high.


    ''I am going to miss this.''


    Sheughed a little as she remembered all the little tricks the women would use to be noticed by Sol.


    They would alsoin how Sol was bing too tametely and reduced his lustful actions.


    ''Hehe.''


    Herugh continued for a while before she stopped short and her gazended on a corner of the hallway.


    ''Who the ¡­?''


    She felt her hand itch at the sight of dust in the corner of the hallway. How could a maid leave such obvious trails?


    Where are the neers?


    ''Nope. Forget it.''


    At first, she walked past it.


    It wasn''t her problem anymore after all. She soon would be a maid no more.


    Why did she have to care about how clean the Tower was?


    ''Well¡­''


    In the end, though, she sighed as she walked back and started to search for cleaning tools.


    "It will only take a minute."


    She was sure that Sol wouldn''t mind waiting a few minutes more and technically she was still a maid, right?


    So there was nothing wrong nor special about her simply deciding to do her job.


    At least this was what she continuously told herself.


    .


    .


    .


    One hour and cleaning a few more cornerster,


    "Phew! Sparkling clean!"


    She grinned as she watched the now spotless ce. With not even a hint of dust remaining.


    The feeling of difort at the sight of the dust had been sweeping away alongside the dust and pride swelled in her chest for an instant before her mind snapped back to reality. Feeling a presence behind. She lowered her head with resignation.


    "How long have you been here?"


    She muttered, not looking behind her and hoping that she was somehow hallucinating.


    Sadly for her¡­


    "Since the moment you came back and said it would only take a minute."


    "That literally since the beginning!?"


    "Heh. I didn''t know you could y the straight man."


    Kali could only facepalm before crouching in embarrassment.


    How could she let the others know that the Witches of Destruction, the terror of kingdoms, the woman who transcended elemental magic, was happy to y the maid?


    ''Ruined.''


    She half sobbed while crouching down in a fetal position.


    "Haha. Don''t worry, I do not n to say anything to anyone about what I saw."


    "You ¡­ You promise?"


    Kali looked up in hope as if Sol was a savior giving her a second chance.


    "Don''t worry. I promise."


    "Great."


    A few minutester, after Kali finally calmed down, she cleared her throat, feeling embarrassed about the ugly and shameful way she acted earlier.


    "So, Sol, why did you call for me?"


    "If I say Mecha, what do you say?"


    Kali immediately stood up straight and even saluted.


    Solughed at the way she tried to change the topic of discussion but did not call her out.


    "If I say Mecha, what do you say?"


    Kali immediately stood up straight and even saluted.


    "Ready to march, my captain!''


    The way Kali''s eyes twinkled as she looked at him made him feel like she had found the greatest treasure in the world.


    ''Well. Now I am curious about what she is going to do when she sees them.''


    In a way, this was going to be very entertaining.


    He could already imagine the iing Manheim.


    But his day was not finished for he had another lunatic genius to visit and ask for her assistance.


    It was time to talk with the Duchess Arachne Mris once again.


    Thest time such a meeting happened was when he went for the Duke''s Visit.


    Though one could also count the fact that he visited her about the presence of Pandora in her house.


    As arrogant as it may sound, Mris was perhaps one of the few women in the world he met who didn''t have clear positive emotions towards him.


    If he had to be honest. He didn''t care one bit about this.


    But he needed to make sure that her emotions would not be a problem despite her clear and absolute loyalty to Lustburg.


    ''Let''s go.''


    Hopefully, this was going to end well.

 Chapter 528 CH 488: JOIN ME

    Chapter 528 CH 488: JOIN ME


    "While I understand that allnd in this continent belongs to Your Highness, I believe I have the right to my own intimacy."


    Arachne, who was working on a painting, spoke as she felt Sol enter or rather appear in her room.


    She didn''t know much about his power but she knew that at his level, he could have been here and observing her for hours.


    "Heh. Don''t you find this hrious when ites from you?"


    Arachne gave a nd smile as she stopped working on her painting and turned to face Sol.


    Even now, watching him, she continued to be surprised about how much one could change in just a few weeks or months depending on how long he spent in the Astral realm.


    She also remembered her conversation with Pandora and how she ended up being devoured helplessly by the prince.


    While sheined about some coercion, they both knew that no matter how powerful Sol was, it was impossible for him to truly coerce a King level.


    As for his usations,


    "My skill is one of the security systems of Lustburg and it proved to be more than useful during the civil war."


    Arachne was Duke ss warrior who could share her sight with her creations.


    Thanks to how renowned she was and her skills, basically all nobles in the Capital bought her pieces and this meant she could monitor absolutely any nobles she wished to.


    The only limit was her own mental capacity as projecting her mind simultaneously to many art pieces was impossible.


    "Indeed it''s thanks to you that we learned of Gerald Trahison."


    Arachne observed Sol''s expression with scrutiny before nodding to herself.


    "It seems like you managed to walk out of the shadows of betrayal?"


    "Did you expect me to crumble and cry at the mention of how Gerald betrayed me?"


    "You nearly did the first time. Though while you did not cry, you certainly crumbled a bit."


    "Heh. That I cannot deny."


    Learning that Gerald was a traitor had been painful and something Sol had tried to deny.


    It was only his feeling of caution that made him decide to continue doubting and while Gerald became a triple agent at the end, this did not change the reality of betrayal.


    Even so, "I grew up."


    Pain was part of the process. Be it physical or emotional.


    The pain he received from the betrayal did not erase the happiness he received from the years they spent together.


    He did not let one pitfall stop him from advancing and simply shrugged the pain away.


    Sol managed to separate those two and continue his life happily.


    He did not let one pitfall stop him from advancing and simply shrugged the pain away.


    "It''s indeed admirable."


    Arachne pped and while her tone was quite antagonistic, she was not lying about her feeling.


    Anyone who could stand up stronger after being backstabbed by someone they trusted was worthy of respect.


    It wasn''t all.


    Throughout the many small meetings they had, Arachne had been able to glean more about the man named Sol Luxuria, and where she had once only seen a spoiled prince who grew up in a golden cage, she was now able to see a respectable king who would lead his Kingdom to new heights.


    "Well, as interesting as it is to discuss with you, I would like to know why the prince decided to grace my modest house with your presence."


    Now that the time of niceties ended, Arachne wanted to know what brought Sol here.


    The two of them were in no way close enough for there to be such a visit.


    Politically, the fact that out of the three Dukes she was the most estranged from the king should have been very dangerous.


    But she didn''t care. Either way, she was just waiting for her niece to grow old enough and strong enough to take the title.


    It would be their problem then.


    At the very least, she knew that Sol would not harm her family and she simply had to do her duty.


    This situation allowed her to rest easily and simply focus on her passion.


    Art and creating new masterpieces.


    "I came up with a proposal which I believe will make you very happy."


    Arachne rose an eyebrow at this. The confidence in his voice was making her curious.


    Not that she had ever seen him talk without confidence ever since he came back from the Astral realm.


    "I am a very picky woman."


    "Trust me."


    "Is that so." She muttered and nodded, "Very well, what do you need my help with?"


    "I need your talent to bring help in creating a world-changing era."


    Since Theresa had brought something as nonsensical as Mecha into existence, Sol decided to start going all out.


    With the help of Kali and her knowledge, he wanted to bring forth all sorts of technology from his world.


    ''Didn''t they all say that angels are super advanced?''


    Sol didn''t know how powerful Angels were exactly but he did know that a big difference between two armies would lead to a massacre.


    ''It''s time to continue the tradition I guess.''


    Each of his ancestors brought big or small changes to this world through their knowledge from another world.


    Some changes may be small, but they were there and were one of the reasons why Lustburg looked to be such a mismatch between middle age and modern age as well as a mix between numerous traditions.


    But what about Sol?


    Until now he had simply been content to let things as is.


    There was no need to create a gun when people could move at the speed of lightning or Sonic speed at minimum, right?


    Wrong!


    He had thought about it wrong.


    No matter how powerful a Duke was, they could not survive a strike from a nuclear explosion.


    A bullet may not kill a Duke but it sure as hell could kill many humans.


    Then what if all the weapons from Earth were enhanced with runes, magic, and alchemy?


    How powerful would a nuclear bomb buff with Mana and so on explode?


    He didn''t know.


    The unknown was scary.


    But ¡ª it was also worth exploring.


    (AN: Just to be clear, the advancement in technology will not be the main point of this arc or volume. Though I might focus on it in future volumes and arcs if people are interested. Sol''s world is already extremely advanced technology-wise, it''s simply the most powerful being don''t need science.)

 Chapter 529 CH 489: YOU ARE MORE THAN JUST HIS SON

    Chapter 529 CH 489: YOU ARE MORE THAN JUST HIS SON


    Mris listened quietly as Sol exposed and exined his n while telling her what he needed her to do.


    ¡°You need me for my ability to mass produce.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Mris''s power relied on art. But that art could gain something akin to sentience itself and be used to create even more art.


    One could say that this was a very magical version of the A.I Theresa was developing.


    Of course, there were other reasons why he wanted her.


    "While I doubt anyone in my army will be stupid enough to be a traitor, you never know what can happen."


    As surprising as it may sound, in this world, there were rare cases of traitors during the war.


    Sol could understand why. After all, each race was so different, and almost all the countries, outside of Lustburg, were pretty xenophobic.


    There was simply no interest in switching sides. At least not when it came to war between countries.


    ''But everything is possible.''


    The war this time wasn''t just a simple skirmish. It was a war for conquest and the goal was to upy and control thends of the other.


    "It seems like, despite what you said, the Betrayal of Gerald left a mark."


    "Obviously. Once bitten, twice shy."


    "But then¡­Why don''t you doubt those close to you? Can you say without the slightest doubt that they won''t betray you as Gerald did?"


    Arachne closed her mouth shut after those words spilled from her mouth. No matter what kind of discussion they were having, she knew that she had stepped beyond her permission.


    She wouldn''t be able toin if Sol chose to take her words as a form of incitement.


    She sighed, knowing full well that she would face retaliation soon but surprisingly, all Sol did was show her a boyish smile.


    "I trust them with my life."


    There was one reality that one needed to keep in mind to form a solid rtionship.


    Never trust anyone easily. Test them, observe them, and make sure that you know everything you need to know to make sure they will not backstab you.


    But ¡ª Once you decide to give your trust, you need to do so fully.


    A rtionship that was filled with doubt was a rtionship that would never work in the long run.


    "I trust all of them and I know that they would be ready to die for me."


    Arachne wanted to scoff but the fact that she knew this was in no way an exaggeration made her a little speechless.


    "I guess you do have good women."


    "That I do."


    Sol smiled and nodded, "Well, I am still waiting for your answer. I think I said everything I needed to but you can think about itter."


    "What is the Deadline?"


    "Tonight. We are in a race against time and every minute is precious."


    "Then you do not need to wait. I will ept."


    Mris was intrigued. There was no way she would not jump on such a ship.


    "I already participated in the creation of the Golems so there is no reason to stop here."


    "Are you sure? I will need your full attention for this. Once this starts you will not have much contact with the outside world for a while, will your family be alright without you?"


    "Do not worry. My Contracted partner will take care of the family in my absence and my sessor should start getting her feet wet either way."


    Sol raised an eyebrow, "You must be quite confident in her."


    Even Athena could only participate in some of the reunions in the absence of Tyr. Most of the time, Tyr would be the one to observe.


    "Tyr is just a worrywart who cannot let his dear granddaughter fly on her own without babying her. I have no suchpulsion."


    Arachne did not particrly care about her sessor. She was just a rtive and the one who showed the most skill and talent as well as potential to be a Duke rank in her twenties or thirties.


    For humans, bing a Duke even in your eighties was already proof of high talent. Since more than 99% of people in the world would never evene close to this.


    Not everyone was a monster who saw Dukes as only a step towards more power.


    Sol could see the indifference in Arachne''s eyes and couldn''t help but ask even though he knew he was also overstepping his ground.


    "Do you n to never marry?"


    Arachne looked at him quietly before smiling.


    "I am happy as I am."


    Sol could see it in her eyes and her expression. She was truly happy as she was.


    "I already felt the greatest love possible. No man in the world managed to make me feel the same and there will never be."


    Her words were steadfast. Her mind was serene. She knew many people looked at her with pity but in reality, she felt like they were the pitiful ones.


    "You should be able to understand this more than anyone. Sometimes love is just a transient feeling. But the love I feel is eternal. Until I draw myst breath, he will always be my muse."


    She looked at the painting all around her with warmth in her eyes. But Sol could see it.


    A level of Madness that was no different from what women like Nefertiti, Skuld, or Milia felt for him.


    "Even though he never reciprocated? Even though he would wish for you to forget him and turn the page?"


    Mris shook her head, "Do you think that if you were to die your woman would settle down with someone else?"


    Rather than answering, Mris asked a simple question. But in a way, this was perhaps the greatest answer.


    Sol was speechless and could only give a bitter smile, "I do not know."


    He knew.


    He was pretty sure that if he were to die, most of his women would simply suicide to follow him in death or never forget him like what was happening with Arachne.


    It was scary to think about. After all, most of his women were beings who could live nearly eternally.


    Just imagining them never forgetting him for eons made him feel sick


    This was one of the reasons why Sol made so many nstely and wished for even more power.


    ¡ªHis life had ceased to be his own for a very long time.


    "I am sorry. I asked questions I have no right to ask."


    "Apologies epted. Let''s just say the two of us stepped too much forward. I also apologize for my constant remarks about Gerald."


    "I am good."


    Silence fell and the two couldn''t help but be a little awkward.


    They have never truly been friendly with each other and there were too many cracks for them to be close now.


    Even then, there was one thing Arachne wanted to say.


    "Do you remember? When we visited Camelia during that dinner what I said to you before I left."


    Sol had a very good memory so it was easy for him,


    "You said that if I did not want to be treated like a child, I should leave the skirt of my aunt and that I wasn''t even a hundredth of the man my father was."


    Arachne smiled, "For what it''s worth. I would like to apologize for those words."


    She touched her painting, "No one will either rece Mars as far as I am concerned. But I acted like an immature child and spit my resentment on you."


    She closed her eyes, "Your Highness. You will never be Mars and in the first ce, you never needed to be. I am sure that, after this war, the world will recognize one thing."


    Sheughed lightly,


    "You are not the Son of the Hero King. You are simply you. You are Sol Luxuria, the King of Luxuria and a powerhouse that will forever change this world."


    Her voice was calm even as she voiced this reality.


    Slowly, Mars would fade from the memories as the image of Sol will rece it in the minds of everyone.


    ''It''s pretty sad.''


    As such, she would continue to remember him.


    So that at least one person in this world continues to keep him in their heart.


    As for what would happen after she died¡­


    Well, it wouldn''t be her problem anymore, would it?


    (AN: The events that she is speaking about happened during ch 14: The saint isn''t that saintly. We havee a long way since then and we still have much to do.)

 Chapter 530 CH 490: FOCUS

    Chapter 530 CH 490: FOCUS


    What happens when three Geniuses in different fields sit at the same table?


    Pure Manheim.


    Sitting in his dimension, Sol observed the meeting between the three women and wished he had something like Popcorn and soda.


    .


    .


    .


    At first, when Sol brought Kali and Arachne to the dungeon, Theresa weed them with a beaming smile before asking them to take ce.


    But the moment Sol "left", things became far moreplicated.


    Theresa and Arachne were friends who had worked for years together and had the roles of support during their years as Heroes.


    But this did not mean that they were perfectly in synchro.


    It was exactly because they knew each other that they felt morepetitive.


    Finally, there was Kali who technically had been an enemy not long ago for them.


    Kali and Arachne had a weird rtionship as she was the one who tried to recruit Arachne to the wings of freedom.


    This made things very awkward for Kali.


    It didn''t help that Theresa had killed one of her siblings who was a cult follower of Ymir and helped fund some of the terrorist actions of the Wings.


    No matter how much of a temporary member she had been, it was hard for her to erase this stigma.


    Well¡­That''s what she felt at first.


    But the moment she saw them ¡ª


    "Mecha¡­"


    Her breath became rough, her eyes even redder than normal and she could feel saliva flowing from the corner of her mouth.


    "Hehehe¡­"


    Theresa and Arachne both took a few steps back at the sudden disy and creepyughing from Kali.


    "Witch of Destruction?"


    "Heh¡­Oh? Sorry, sorry. My bad."


    Kali immediately wiped the saliva and looked at Theresa with eyes shining like a starved wolf finally finding food.


    "My new best friend. I believe it''s time to work."


    Theresa had no time to ask since the two of them became friends and she was pulled forward by Kali.


    Looking at all of this, Sol chuckled and began walking away.


    He was sure that things would be alright.


    Though,


    "I should ask Freya to seal the whole zone just to be sure."


    This time it wouldn''t be to stop people from reaching this ce but rather to protect anyone unlucky enough toe close to this ce.


    ¡ª-


    Back in Lustburg, ra adjusted her sses as she sat in her office.


    She was quite tired and she hadn''t seen the sun in a few days, but it was all worth it.


    The war effort was progressing greatly and while the Dwarves increased the price of the goods imported, it was still in the reasonable zone.


    For the Death merchants, war was the best time to make some quick money.


    ''I need to organize the mercenaries.''


    The Mercenaries who volunteered had to be put aside from the soldiers.


    After all, unlike the trained soldiers, their loyalties only came from money.


    The moment the war showed to lean in favor of the wolf King, they would immediately jump out.


    ''Leeches who are only good to be used as Cannon fodder.''


    She snorted and nearly crumpled the documents but in the end, she took a deep breath and calmed down.


    Things were what they were so she didn''t need to focus on that too much.


    "What is bothering our dear ra?"


    ra stood up without showing surprise at the sudden appearance of Sol and gave a bow.


    "Your Majesty¡­."


    Sol smiled at her greetings before taking her ce naturally while she stood behind the chair.


    He didn''t bother telling her to stop addressing him so respectfully as he had tried many times and the answer had been the same.


    "So, what interesting things happened in my absence?"


    "Nothing much. We are simply preparing the supply lines. The merchants have already started increasing the price."


    "Hum¡­As long as it''s still manageable, there is no problem. But make them understand that we are not their golden goose. If they go too far, there will be retaliation."


    He tapped his finger on the table, "Also warn them against increasing the price for themoner."


    Sol understood that merchants would seek profits whatever the time was.


    Trying to stop them from doing was impossible and would simply create a Strong backsh.


    Of course, all of this wouldn''t be a problem if he simply raided them and he could. But Sol wanted to y the gentle game for now.


    He would only show his fangs if they went past the limit.


    "Very well. Now, why don''t we talk about the Elves?"


    ra gulped a little before cing one knee, "I am listening."


    "I want to know everything and I want you to tell me the truth, were you sent as a spy by the elves? How much information did you share?"


    Even though Sol was still smiling at her, ra could feel a chill go down her spine.


    But her expression did not break.


    For she had nothing to reproach herself,


    "I will write a summarized andplete version of all the information I have about Southern Pride."


    Her voice was calm, "I am not so much a spy, I was simply given the directive before leaving to observe you and give my opinion on your personality."


    Sol rose an eyebrow. He would have expected many things but ¡ª His personality?


    "That''s all?"


    "Yes. The Queen was never interested in Lustburg as a whole but simply in you. I was not told why."


    "I see."


    "As for how much information I shared? Outside of telling them that you were a wonderful lord I never shared any other form of information."


    Sol looked down at ra and observed her through the Eye of Akasha.


    He did not even start doubting her words. The numbers of thread that connected her to him were enough proof of how loyal she was to him.


    ra never had any ill intent towards him and her loyalty was the highest below that of his women.


    But this why ¡ª He had to do this.


    He had to show her that her Lord was not a fool who could not see through her duplicity.


    This was the only way to keep her feeling awe and respect towards him.


    After all, people had the bad habit of looking down on those they managed to fool once.


    Sol tapped his finger, "I believe you."


    "Your Majesty."


    "Do you know why I kept you at my side despite knowing that you might potentially be a spy?"


    ra shook her head.


    "It''s because I am sure that, no matter what you did, I would be able to handle it."


    He smiled at her, "Rise."


    ra nodded and stood up. Though her expression was normal, she could feel cold sweat on her back.


    She did not doubt that she might have been eliminated if Sol had suspected her loyalty even in the slightest.


    ''Ah¨C Your Majesty.''


    The way he had just treated her was so cool!!!


    ra bites her lips to keep her expression from growing ck.


    She felt like her heartbeat reached a point where it might explode in her chest with how fast it was beating.


    ''Perhaps I should have been a little more suspicious?''


    She wondered then if Sol would have roughed her up a little bit more or brought her in a dungeon for some special kind of interrogation like in the book she read.


    "Heheh¡­"


    Sol looked bewildered as he gazed at ra.


    Despite what she was thinking ¡ª She had sadly not managed to keep her expression in check.


    ''Perhaps I should change advisor?''


    He chuckled and ignored the pervert elf who was deep in her Delusions and focused on work.


    Soon, he will meet the witches. This mean it was also time to have contact with Nefertiti.


    ''Only a few weeks went past. Logically speaking, Nefertiti shouldn''t have been able to do much.''


    At least this was how it should be when taking into ount what was in the realm of possibility.


    But ¡ª This was Nefertiti they were talking about.


    ''I am sure I will be agreeably surprised.''


    He was starting to miss his loyal woman.


    "ra."


    "Ah! Yes!"


    "Firstly, wipe the saliva from the corner of your mouth."


    "My, I apologize!"


    "Don''t mind. Secondly, I want you to send an official letter to Southern Pride. Tell them I wish to visit them. Obvio


    usly this will be done in secret."


    ra''s eyes twinkled. She didn''t exactly know what kind of n Sol had for her country but she had full confidence in his sess.


    ra''s eyes twinkled. She didn''t exactly know what kind of n Sol had for her country but she had full confidence in his sess.


    This was going to be very interesting.

 Chapter 531 CH 491: I AM SIMPLY HAPPY

    Chapter 531 CH 491: I AM SIMPLY HAPPY


    Noon was approaching and while people were moving and going on with their day, someone was flying at high speed toward the peak of the sky until he reached a certain altitude and simply started to float.


    As he floated high in the sky, the ground below took on an entirely different dimension. Looking down upon the world from this elevated position, they feel an extraordinary sense of detachment, as if they have be a part of the heavens themselves.


    Thendscape stretched out like a magnificent tapestry, painted with rich hues and intricate details. It gave him a feeling of serenity and tranquility, as he observed the world from a position of solitude and quietude.


    From this vantage point, the ground appeared like a vast mosaic, with patches of forests, fields, and cities forming distinct patterns. Rivers and streams flowed like sinuous veins, connecting different regions and breathing life into the terrain. The curvature of the earth bes evident, reminding them of the''s spherical nature and its floating presence above its surface.


    He could trace the movements of animals and vehicles, appearing like tiny specks of life moving purposefully across the canvas of nature. People, reduced to mere dots, going about their daily lives, seemingly engrossed in their individual stories and pursuits.


    Clouds, like fluffy inds, driftzily beneath him, casting ever-shifting shadows on the ground. The intery of light and shade creates an ever-changing scenery, making thendscape appear almost magical and otherworldly.


    Feeling weightless and free, the person floating in the sky, Sol, couldn¡¯t help but be captivated by the grandeur of the scene. It was a moment of introspection and connection with the world on a level they''d never experienced before.


    ¡°From up here, everyone looks like an ant.¡±


    It was a rather domineering way of speaking but there was nothing much to say.


    This was the simple truth.


    When you were right in the midst of the situation, everything seemed incrediblyrge and challenging.


    But from this position, Sol realized that everything that was happening, even the war that was about to happen, was in reality nothing particrly special.


    Just one more war between many others.


    He wouldn¡¯t be first. Nor would he be thest.


    Sol¡¯s eyes glittered, his blue eyes shone with a calm blue light as if they were the sky itself and were containing the vast expanse.


    He took a deep breath, his lungs were filled with pure air, and he used his core to absorb the mana within him, causing the very world to shake in his presence.


    Huff~


    Finally, after holding his breath for a few minutes, he released it all and with it he could feel the stress that had been building up, slowly leaving him.


    His mind feels serene, rested.


    Everyday, Sol had to show the face of an impassive ruler who knew exactly what he was doing.


    This face of confidence was necessary for people to believe in him and follow him without the slightest hesitation.


    He could not show weakness.


    He could not show carelessness.


    He was bing a King. A king had to be strong. A king had the duty to show a perfect front even if he himself was imperfect.


    A King had to be wise.


    A king had to be strong.


    ¡°Haha. I would have never thought that I would feel such a sense of responsibility.¡±


    It was heavy.


    For all Sol saw himself as someone selfish. Now that all his actions could and would affect the livelihood of millions upon millions of people, he couldn¡¯t help but sometimes wonder if what he was doing was right.


    Was he going in the right direction?


    Was he doing well enough?


    Could he do better?


    He bit his lips.


    It was tiring.


    But he couldn¡¯t whine. After all, no one forced him to be a King. He was the one who decided this.


    This was why he came here¡­


    When the stress reached a level too high. When he started to feel overwhelmed, he would simplye into this ce and breathe.


    The perspective allowed him to reassess how meaninglessly small everything in the world was.


    ¡°I am doing great. I am doing well. I will be a great King and everything will be alright.¡±


    Sometimes people seemed to forget.


    He was just a 15-year-old kid.


    His life as a human in the other world was getting so blurry in his mind that he sometimes forgot he was someone reincarnated.


    Everything felt heavy; he sometimes wished he could just dump it all and go back to the day when his greatest problem was not getting beaten up by Setsuna during their training.


    Laughing, Sol moved quietly in the air for a few more moments before breathing deeply once again.


    The anxiety and hesitation he felt vanished from his face and a confident and somewhat cocky smile reced them.


    Once again, he showed the expression that absolutely everything was in his control and absolutely nothing could go wrong.


    ¡°So, what are you doing here?¡±


    Turning around, Sol smiled at the ck-haired woman who appeared in this ce through teleportation.


    ¡°Hello, Ambrosia. I was just observing how vast my Kingdom is. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s quite magnificent? Though I guess I got the witches to thank for that.¡±


    Ambrosia chuckled at how brazen Sol was and did like him as she looked down on the world.


    This was the ce her daughters fought for one thousand years ago.


    This was also the ce that chased them away when they needed them no more.


    ¡°If you could have seen this kingdom one thousand years ago, you would be in even more awe.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Sol chuckled as he opened his arms wide as if embracing the world itself.


    ¡°I guess, I have to surpass the scale of yesteryear and bring a new golden Era but this time, with all humans fighting together.¡±


    Ambrosia closed her mouth as she observed Sol,


    ¡°My daughters have been betrayed once already.¡±


    ¡°I am not Jupiter.¡±


    ¡°I know and this is why I am willing to give it a try. Otherwise, no matter how enticing your gift was, I would not give a nce.¡±


    Ambrosia was serious,


    ¡°I have not been the best mother for my children. Always taking a handoff approach and you are the one who allowed me to wake up from my own hubris.¡±


    ¡°I simply said I observed. You understood all this in your heart already. Simply needed a small push.¡±


    ¡° ¡ªSometimes that small push makes all the difference.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    Silence fell again and Ambrosia was the one to break it.


    ¡°The council epted to form a new alliance with Lustburg.¡±


    Even though Sol knew that this would be the case, he couldn¡¯t help but smile at this news.


    ¡°Now I feel like this is one of the best news I have had in days.¡±


    ¡°Your reaction is quite tame. I hope that you will be happier.¡±


    He shrugged, his eyes, giving a deep look as he gazed back on the world,


    ¡°Dear mother-inw. I think you are making a mistake or misunderstanding something.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I might repeat myself. But ¡ª I do not need the witches.¡±


    His voice was calm.


    ¡°I have the absolute and utmost confidence that I would be able to conquer the world with or without you.¡±


    This was why,


    ¡°I am truly happy that witches and humans can walk once again together. Nothing more.¡±


    The smile he gave was the most boyish one Ambrosia had ever seen.


    Inwardly, she could only shake her head.


    She could understand why her daughter fell one after another for this boy.


    This was truly cheating in a way.

 Chapter 532 CH 492: WELCOME TO SALEM (1)

    Chapter 532 CH 492: WELCOME TO SALEM (1)


    Both Ambrosia and Sol were floating in the air, hundreds of meters above the ground.


    From where they were, everything looked tiny, and as leaders of their respective organizations, they indeed had the right to look down on the world.


    But currently, Ambrosia had no interest in the world. All she wished was to know Sol better as a person and understand him.


    After all, he was leaving the future of her children as a whole to him.


    "So you do not simply see us as war potential but also happy to work with us?"


    "Yep. I mean. I am not a saint. So while I am happy that witches and humans can walk hand in hand once again, what truly makes me happy is that Medea will be freed from her guilt."


    It was Medea who, one thousand years ago, became enamored with Jupiter which caused the eventual schism between humanity.


    This was one of the reasons why Medea never left the tower even though nothing could stop her from doing so.


    How could she appreciate and choose freedom when she was the cause of theck of freedom of her fellow witches?


    More than anything ¡ª Medea was ashamed and guilt-ridden. The fact that her naivety brought so much pain to her race was not something she could ept.


    "I love Medea. Perhaps more than anyone else. Her happiness is my happiness and her sadness is mine as well."


    His cheeks were a little red. Even for someone as outspoken as Sol, this kind of deration was still slightly embarrassing.


    But this made clear that his feelings for Medea were genuine.


    " ¡ªAnd yet you do not only have her in your heart."


    "That is so."


    Harem.


    This was a ratherplicated thing to think about.


    Realistically speaking, what Sol was doing was extremely unfair to his lovers and he understood that.


    "Because I am greedy and selfish. I want all of them to be mine and I will never let go."


    Sol did not defend his hypocrisy.


    This was why, all the more,


    "I need to make all of them even more happy."


    "You do know that this is nothing but sophistry, right?"


    "It''s indeed sophistry. But does it matter when I will make it, a reality? A world where all those I love are happy. I will create such a world."


    Sol had great ambition. But his ambitions were not about power.


    He did not crave power for the sake of power.


    Power, like money, was nothing more than a means to an end. Not the end itself.


    In the same way, conquering the world and putting the entire mortal realm was a step towards the happiness and security he wished to obtain.


    Bing so strong that no one dares to mess with you. Having so much influence that you can make any wishe true.


    "Truly a selfish prince."


    Though she said this, there was no bad feeling in her words.


    Be it Jupiter then or Sol now, the two of them had the ambition of putting the world under their control.


    But the ultimate goal of those two couldn''t be any more different.


    ''I hope you will keep your candid heart until the end.''


    She knew very well how ambition could distort even the brightest heart. Her friend, Echidna was proof of this reality.


    The discussion became a little too heavy, so Ambrosia decided to ask something else.


    ¡°You know now that I think about this ¡ª Why do you love Medea?¡±


    ¡°This is a rather random question.¡±


    ¡°I guess it is. But I am just curious. We never had this kind of discussion.¡±


    ¡°Well, we never had much of a discussion.¡±


    He scratched his head. Thinking hard about it.


    Why did he love Medea?


    Ln the end, he was unable toe up with a clear answer,


    ¡°I don¡¯t know when or exactly why I fell in love with her.¡±


    He gave a gentle smile. ¡°I guess you could say it was an umtion of little things over the years then bam, one day I looked at her and I realized that, Ah¡­I love this woman.¡±


    Her smile made him happy and her tears gave him a heart-wrenching pain. Even his love could be said to be selfish in a way.


    That was all.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Ambrosia smiled as well. ¡°I am d that my daughter meets someone like you.¡±


    ¡° ¡ªAnd I am happy I had the luck to meet someone like Medea.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn to ask something.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Go on?¡±


    Ambrosia was quite curious about what kind of question Sol could have for her.


    ¡°Do you not mind flying around with a robe? Isn¡¯t it a little breezy?¡±


    In the end, Sol couldn''t help but cough a little. His questions were quite inappropriate now that he thought about it.


    Even more so when it was sent towards his mother-inw.


    Ambrosia¡¯s eyes opened wide as if her brain was trying to process the question Sol just gave her.


    Then,


    ¡°Pfft! Haha!¡±


    She exploded inughter, ¡°This is¡­Honestly, you are the third person who ever asked me this.¡±


    When she finally stoppedughing and wiped a tear away, she spoke with clear joy in her tone.


    ¡°And the first two were ?¡±


    ¡°Anubis and Kali.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­It¡¯s surprisingly not surprising.¡±


    Few people could be as brazen as Reincartanor. Even more so since this was a question any Otaku must have asked himself at least once in their life while watching sexy women fly and jump in nothing but a skirt or robe.


    ¡°Right. Hehe.¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°As for me flying in a skirt, or any witches for that matter we all use a special spell on our robe. So unless a witch wishes to sh you, then you will see nothing.¡±


    Ambrosia answered the true question Sol had been wanting to ask but didn''t dare to.


    ¡°Ohhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Any more questions?¡±


    ¡°For now? None.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I guess it¡¯s time for us to go.¡±


    Ambrosia was in a great mood.


    This short discussion did not have many serious parts. But this was exactly why she was sure that even if she wasn¡¯t making the best decision, Sol would always be someone they could count on.


    The sadness of the past, the betrayal, and the hiding would not happen again.


    Not this time.


    Thinking so, her smile stretched further as her hand seemingly entered a void in the space.


    Woooshh!


    Ripple appeared in the air all around them and Sol could feel a suffocating pressure, as if space was protesting and trying to go back to its original form.


    ¡°Open Sesame.¡±


    Boom!


    The ripple moved out and space ripped open before a door appeared in front of both of them.


    The door was majestic. A door on which the picture of a snake eating its tail could be seen.


    This reminded him of the door to Medea¡¯s world before the world was destroyed during his fight against Lilith.


    ¡°Was Kali the one who thought of this password?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Thought so.¡±


    Ambrosiaughed again as she pushed the gate wide, leading toplete darkness on the other side of the door.


    ¡°Sol Dragona Luxuria. I hereby invite you for an indefinite time in our sanctuary. I hope you will respect our rules and traditions. Are you willing to follow me?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    .


    .


    Taking Sol''s hand in hers, Ambrosia took confident steps and finally entered the Darkness.


    .


    .


    .


    For a moment, a feeling of vertigo took over him. He had the impression that he was falling from a very high ce and that all directions were wrong.


    Darkness prevailed and his senses were confused. This was perhaps the best moment for an ambush.


    But Sol did not go in a fighting position. If she wished to kill him, Ambrosia could do so without needing all those preparation.


    Finally, they arrived at their destinations and Sol could only open his mouth wide at the sight that spread over the horizon.


    To which Ambrosia chuckled as she opened her arms wide,


    ¡°Wee to Salem! The City and Refuge of Witches.¡±


    (AN: finally witches arc. Which means the preparations are slowlying to an end. After that, it''s Elves arc then finally war. I don''t know how big


    I will make the witch and elves arc. After all, they are very important steps for the World Conquest arc. I am still wondering if I should put all that in one volume or make another volume for this.)

 Chapter 533 CH 493: WELCOME TO SALEM (2)

    Chapter 533 CH 493: WELCOME TO SALEM (2)


    (AN: Just in case Wn erase it and they know the bot will, you should go on youtube and search [Madoka Magica - "Make a Wish" - Sis Pue Magica cover by Earth Kid ]¡ª->


    )


    This world was beautiful.


    It was a ce that was straight out of a grim fairy tale, giving him a mixed vibe between fantasy and steampunk with a style of the victorian era.


    The city was beautiful. The air was vibrant. But the building gave a feeling of disjointed rules and chaos.


    Here there were no thoughts given to how the city should expand in the future. The roads were not thoughts out in advance and the buildings had nearly no simrities between them.


    This brought a weird feeling that nothing was at his ce here but rather that each and every building was someone imposing their presence.


    Salem wasrge.


    Extremely so.


    After all, it was as big as the capital of Lustburg, a ce that was supposed to hold millions of people without the slightest problem.


    ¡°So, what does it feel like to be the first man to enter this ce?¡±


    Sol took a deep breath at the words of Ambrosia.


    While this ce was not the Astral realm, he could feel that the concentration in Mana was nearly equal.


    For him who had been feeling restricted by the scarce mana in the mortal world, he felt like a whale that had been limited to an aquarium suddenly being allowed to go back to the Ocean.


    It was freeing, liberating even.


    ¡°Both full and Empty.¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes went through all the infrastructure, with a critical eye to which Ambrosia nodded with a chuckle,


    ¡°The city is too big. There are many amodations that aremon in a normal city that would be useless here. At the same time, in terms of numbers, we are obviously only a few digits.¡±


    There was a certain sadness in her eyes, ¡°This city is both a dream and a nightmare for us. The ce that constantly shows us how small we are and how our numbers can barely grow. Because of this, they started topensate by creating progressively bigger and bigger infrastructure.¡±


    Watching this ce hurt her heart.


    The witches were the result of her own selfish desire to not be alone. In order to create her own family and also grow stronger and reach greater heights, she cursed thousands of young women through the years.


    Many died.


    Be it because they had reached the limit of their powers, because they fought outside or for any other reason, they continued to die.


    ¡°Your city is beautiful.¡±


    Ambrosia was surprised as she saw Sol grinning at her,


    ¡°You are showing a rather gloomy face, but I do not think the witches resent you. Even though you gave them a poisoned apple, it is one they bit knowing full well what they were signing for.¡±


    He waved his hands,


    ¡°Also, now that I worked on the problem of energy absorption. I will work on the one about procreation. Then, there will be no disadvantages in bing a witch, right?¡±


    He spread his arms wide,


    ¡°Think about it! Imagine this ce bustling with women of all ages,ing and going while studying magic then deciding whether or not they wish or are qualified to be witches in the first ce. In the future, bing one of you will not be a choice done out of despair but one made with pride and joy! Don¡¯t you think it will be a sight worth seeing?¡±


    Ambrosia was bemused for a while, before she ended up smiling alongside Sol, with none of the earlier gloom present.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t even signed the alliance yet and you are already making ns for my City.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I believe that knowledge should be shared. Even if not for magic, the witches are perhaps the greatest scientists in this world.¡±


    Sol had a big dream. He could already imagine a new generation of children from lustburg, be it boys or girls, entering Salem as students and growing, learning, and bing true scientists with the knowledge and discipline necessary.


    This would be glorious ¡ª or it might bring the end of the world.


    He would have to be careful about this.


    Sol flew with Ambrosia and then approached the center of the city.


    On the way, Ambrosia exined to him the organization of the witches and they made sure that everything worked out despite the clear individuality and independence of the witches.


    Salem had four great organizations.


    The Hunters, also known as the Executioners, whose job was to eliminate all witches that had gone astray from their destined path. They were under the direct control of Kali.


    The Judges, whose role was, as the name implied, to judge criminals or civil cases, and also decide if a witch hadmitted a sin great enough to be put on the hunting list. This department was controlled by none other than Persephone.


    The Finance Department hadplete power over the funds of the council and decided how to attribute them to witches who needed them for their projects. Those funds were given to promising but poor witches and would be taken away if the witches showed no results. This ce was controlled by Freya.


    Finally, the council of wise women also known as the Council of Walpurgisnacht, convened regrly to establish the different regtions and take care of the everyday life of the witches. Which was technically under the control of Medea.


    ¡°I see that you made sure to have full control of every important ce.¡±


    Ambrosia nodded, she was kind and loved all witches but she knew that the level of closeness with all of them could never be the same.


    ¡°In fact, the council was more of Persephone¡¯s idea. She said that if the witches did not have the feeling of being able to control their own destinies, this would only breed resentment.¡±


    This was how the Council of wise women was created.


    In order to assure fairness, all council members always had to hide their features when in official duties, and of course, they could not divulge their identity during their terms.


    The only ones that knew their identities were the five great witches.


    Any witch that specialized in prediction and analyzing type magic or had talent in administration could be chosen by Ambrosia to enter the council for a term of fifty years.


    Though there were no limits to the number of times a witch could be chosen to enter the council, a witch could never hold the position for more than two consecutive terms. After which she would have to wait for one hundred and fifty years before being eligible again for the role.


    ¡°While not all witches got to have a taste of holding the rein of power, more than enough did and this allow all the witches to ept our rules more readily.¡±


    There was also the fact that for all the power they possessed, Ambrosia and the four never really acted like they were above all the others ¡ª even though they were.


    ¡°In the past, Medea was extremely respected and had absolute power in the council. But nowadays¡­¡±


    She grimaced a little and Sol could only shake his head.


    After what happened with Jupiter and with Medea hiding in the tower for thousand years, there was no way she could wield the same level of influence as in the past.


    ¡°Anyways now we are here.¡±


    Theynded and Adam watched as a procession of women covered in ck came out of the tallest tower.


    In the center of the Salem,rger and higher than any other towers, stood proudly the cathedral of wisdom. In front of it was arge ¡°Why does everyone have a statute?¡±


    In the center of the Salem,rger and higher than any other towers, stood proudly the cathedral of wisdom. In front of it was arge za where all witches could gaze at the sculpture of a beautiful woman wearing a witch hat on her head that hid her features and arge snake coiling around her. In her right hand was arge book.


    This was obviously a depiction of Ambrosia and the living Ambrosia, standing next to him, coughed a little to hide her embarrassment.


    ¡°I am not the one whomissioned this.¡±


    This was all she could say to defend herself.


    Solughed before focusing back on the group of ten witches that now stood in front of him.


    He had the feeling that he was facing some dark Inquisition cult.


    But the fact that they were all midgets made this particrly funny.


    In the end, one of the witches approached and ced her hands together,


    ¡°Wee to our city. We are honored to receive the Dragon Emperor.¡±


    ¡®Dragon Emperor rather than Prince of Lustburg, huh.¡¯


    Sol grinned. This was going to be fun.

 Chapter 534 CH 494: COLD WELCOME

    ?534  CH 494: COLD WELCOME


    Out of the ten witches who came out to greet him, all d in their ck cloaks, one of them advanced further forward and came to give a slight bow of respect while she greeted him.


    ¡°Wee to our city. We are honored to receive the Dragon Emperor.¡±


    ¡®Dragon Emperor, huh?¡¯


    Sol grinned. Amused by the cute antics those old witches were using.


    In an official setting, the names and titles used were extremely important. They determined how you would be treated and who would receive you.


    The title also showed the rtionship of power between the two groups.


    The best example would be how a prince visiting the king of a foreign country and a king visiting the prince of a foreign country had very different meanings.


    Currently, Sol visited this ce, not as a hybrid or the grandson of Tiamat but as Sol Luxuria, the crown prince and future King of Lustburg.


    But the one they greeted, was "the dragon Emperor" which not only was an unofficial nickname that he did not have shouldersrge enough to bear but also was not an important title in this matter.


    ¡®Are they insinuating that Sol Luxuria is beneath them? Or that the only reason, they epted to discuss with me was because of my lineage?¡¯


    Either way, it was cute. As to why this was so?


    Why would the hostility of someone so much weaker than him bring anything butpassion and pity in his heart?


    ¡°I am Sol Dragona Luxuria. Son of Mars Luxuria and ze Dragona. Ie to this ce as the representative and highest leader of Lustburg. To whom I am speaking?¡±


    He looked at them squirm the way he ignored them had been not in the n. They must have thought that he would try to correct them more overtly.


    ¡°Our traditions want us to keep our identity secret as members of the councils. Nevertheless, you can call me Miss Number 1 or Zero One. The choice is yours.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Miss Number One. I havee for official negotiations and discussions with the councils of wise women. But I must ask


    Is that how Salem receives guests?¡±


    The air became frigid but Sol keep his smile on his face while slowly pressuring them, not just with mana, but with the weight of his existence itself.


    There were many things Sol could do now.


    He could continue to press them,pletely humiliate them, show them who was the boss, and so on.


    But ¡ª He was tired.


    Did he need to show off to people who did not want him?


    Why?


    "I am disappointed."


    The aura around him vanished as if he had suddenly lost interest in all of this.


    "Ie to this ce in good faith even though you guys are the ones that need me. It seems like this has caused you to have some kind of misunderstanding about the situation at hand. So let me tell you what I already said Numerous times to Ambrosia now."


    Sol swept his hair while looking coldly at the witch,


    "I do not need you. The witches are not essential in my ns. Whether you choose to fight for me or not will not change anything."


    He had been trying to meet the witches at the other side of the road every step of the way.


    All of this because he loved Medea and did not wish to make it hard for her races.


    So he was quite disappointed that even when he came to their territories when they were the ones that should havee begging him, they were still trying to do wordy instead of thanking him in tears and joy.


    This showed once again that the lower you showed yourself, the more people would try to step on you.


    Sol knew that he was making something huge out of most likely nothing.


    It was a simple name. Perhaps there was no negative feeling behind them using this name and perhaps he was just thinking too much.


    But Sol knew very well ¡ª The negotiations already began and he did not n to lose out.


    Since they wanted to y, he would y all the way.


    "I am done ying nice."


    He snorted and swirled before starting to walk away.


    ''3¡­2¡­1.''


    "Wait your Highness!"


    ''Bingo.''


    Keeping the grin out of his face, Sol stopped walking.


    In the corner of his vision, he could see Ambrosia observing everything that was happening. But it seemed like the witches could not see her.


    Ignoring the woman, Sol asked,


    "Anything more to say?"


    Number one bowed at an angle of nearly 90 Degrees.


    "I apologize for my rudeness. I should have been more careful."


    "Hum¡­"


    Sol looked down at the witch that was bowing. He could see witches everywhere slowlying out of their towers to take a look.


    After all, the news about a man entering Salem in, any way possible, was a rumor that could travel faster than light


    "I believe we should discuss further in more closed ces where no one can disturb us."


    The ugliness of the leaders should not be shown to the popce. He did not want to make the witches doubt their ruling system.


    Number One seemed relieved after his answer and so showed him the way.


    "It will be our honor. If you will, we would like you to observe and spend a day in our beautiful home before wee to the final discussion."


    "Is that so?"


    "Affirmative. We will bring you to The Witch of Time amodations. Though she had been absent for a long time, we have been making sure to keep it clean. Even more so now that she is back."


    Sol nodded and began to follow while waving at the witches that were observing them from afar.


    His smile was genuine as those women had nothing to do with the situation at hand.


    Though he had to admit, he felt like he was being watched by a bunch of middle school or high school students rather than a group of hundreds of Duke-ranked women who lived from decades at minimum to centuries.


    He understood why they were called the eternal lilies and that this ce was like a beautiful garden that was always in spring.


    Though the way they looked at him with a thirsty gaze destroyed that belief pretty fast.


    It seemed like news about what he could bring them had leaked a little and he could feel like the only reason they didn''t pounce on him was because they were exercising a feeling of great restraint.


    Heughed lightly, causing the leader of the council to look behind her,


    "Anything the matter, your Highness?"


    "No. Let''s proceed."


    His smile went away and they continued. At least, this was how it looked from the outside.


    Closely though, Sol sent a simple whisper to her,


    [I don''t know what you are trying to do by antagonizing me. I don''t want to know either and I don''t care. Just ¡ª Do not piss me off.]


    He had long since passed the level where he let other people use him as chess pieces in their ns without being able to do anything against it.


    Now, he had enough strength to simply destroy the board most of the time and he would not hesitate in doing so if he judged it necessary.


    [I do not understand what you mean.]


    [Do as you wish. Only know that you have been warned.]


    After those words, there was no more discussion until they finally reached Medea''s ce.

 Chapter 535 CH 495: I WILL BE KIND

    ?535  CH 495: I WILL BE KIND


    After showing Sol to Medea¡¯s house and leaving him there, The current President of the Wise council, number 1 or her true name, La Befana, walked quietly, still deep in thought. [1]


    ¡°What did you think?¡±


    A few of the cloaked witches were walking with her. On their way, the witches not part of the councils would part way while giving nods of appreciation. After all, the council was the one who keep order in Salem.


    ¡°He is steady.¡±


    ¡°He has a great aura around him.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t judge much, but he seems smart andposed despite his age. I was honestly expecting more arrogance from a dragon who is also a prince.¡±


    Befana nodded, a smile forming on her face, even though it was invisible through her cloak,


    ¡°I guess with my earlier stunt, I will be cemented as the bad guy. But it doesn¡¯t matter. I am d I tried this test and his answer was appropriate without being excessive. Observe him for a few more days before we make our decisions.¡±


    The time in Salem was currently slowly being synchronized with that of the mortal realm but they were still around three times faster.


    ¡°Is it truly necessary to vet him? We might anger him and make the deal stop. Furthermore, he has permission from Mother.¡±


    ¡°Mother doesn¡¯t care about politics nor does she meddle in our affairs. This was the case one thousand years ago and every year after. Why would it change now?¡±


    Befana scoffed, she had always been dissatisfied with the way Ambrosia took care of the witches, and as a student of Persephone, Befana was a second-generation witch and one of the witches who have participated in the council the most.


    She was not angry truly. Ambrosia was simply not this kind of caretaker. She was simply disappointed and this was why needed to make sure to not make the mistakes of the past.


    ¡°My dream was always to attain the level where we could get rid of the curse. So I, more than anyone else, am happy that we managed to get this answer. But¡­Nothing is ever free in this world.¡±


    ¡°The prince currently does not look like he will be a second Jupiter.¡±


    ¡°I doubt he will. Jupiter was a man who let power go to his head and acted stupidly. Sol Luxuria already has more power than we can imagine so I am nearly sure that he will not cause a problem.


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°Nearly sure is enough to let the destiny of our race in the hands of one man. No matter what their races, the more active Blessed are, the faster they die as they use all the Fate and Luck in store for them. The prince could die tomorrow for all we know. Then, what about his kids? Would they also have the ability to create those rings?¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°I know I am being headstrong, but leaving the capacity to thrive for our to simply one person is too dangerous. During the negotiation, we need to know how they are produced.¡±


    Befana was a witch of Life or rather a witch of nts like her teacher, Persephone. This was exactly why she knew more than anyone else about the curse weighing down on them.


    ¡°But we wouldn¡¯t have a solution in the first ce without him, right? Despite all our research we never managed to make a headway.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    Befana nodded and looked behind her, ¡°He is our benefactor and I wish I didn¡¯t have to y the bad one in this situation. But we must. I will ept any punishmentter on.¡±


    ¡ª--


    While Befana was talking and exining her n to herpanion, Sol was walking slowly and listening to her. Beside him was Ambrosia who could only give a bitter smile.


    ¡°It seems like years of neglect made it so they don¡¯t trust your words much anymore.¡±


    There was nothing Ambrosia could say to this. She simply lowered her hat, too ashamed to even look at the directions of her daughters.


    ¡°All I wanted was their own good.¡±


    ¡°I have no doubt about this. But they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.¡±


    The intention of Ambrosia didn¡¯t matter much as what mattered was how she acted and how those actions were interpreted by her children.


    Clearly ¡ª the way she acted made them lose hope quite a bit.


    ¡°Sigh~ So, what will you do?¡±


    ¡°Me? Honestly nothing. We will soon start fighting against Wratharis. Honestly, I believe that sooner orter the wolf will lose his restraints. All they are waiting for is the snow to fall heavily.¡±


    ¡°Do you need the witches?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    He shrugged, ¡°Wratharis is not worthy of the witches intervening directly. In fact, I believe keeping the witches away until we start fighting against the Angels is the wise thing to do. The Angels and the Chimera are honestly the only unknown factors in my future conquest.¡±


    Sol did not see the danger of Wrartharis. He was just slightly exaggerating his preparation to make sure no unknown factor would fuck this up.


    After all, this was what happened when they faced the Wings of Freedom for the first time. Many unexpected things ended up destroying a carefully crafted n.


    ¡°As for this woman? I kinda like her. After all, she is not wrong.¡±


    He could see that Befana was not acting out of spite or simple arrogance. She was truly worried for her country and worried about how the future negotiation might give him too much power over them.


    In the end, from a perspective of a country ¡ª- There was never anything good about being dependent on another power.


    ¡°So, I will be kind during the negotiation. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Ambrosia chuckled awkwardly.


    She had the feeling he would do the opposite of what he was saying.


    (AN: War is starting in 5-10 chapters maximum. The Elven arc will happen after and will be part of the world conquest volume..)


    [1]: The story of Befana is honestly beautiful and sometimes sad. Basically, La Befana is something of Santa us but for Italian. There are many versions and giving everything would be a chapter itself so kinda summarize,


    In one case, takes a slightly darker tone as La Befana was an ordinary woman with a child. However, her child died, and her resulting grief maddened her. Upon hearing news of Jesus being born, she set out to see him, delusional that he was her son. She eventually met Jesus and presented him with gifts to make him happy. The infant Jesus was delighted, and he gave La Befana a gift in return; she would be the mother of every child in Italy.


    In another one, she doesn¡¯t have a son but decides to find Jesus on her own by following a bright light, also known as the big star in the sky which she believes points the way. She brings along a bag filled with baked goods and gifts for Jesus, and a broom to help the new mother clean. Unfortunately despite her best efforts she never finds him. Befana is still searching after all these centuries for the newborn messiah. On the eve of the Epiphany, Befanaes to every house where there is a child and leaves a gift. Although she has been unsessful in her search, she still leaves gifts for children everywhere because the Christ Child can be found in all children

 Chapter 536 CH 496: LISTENING (1)

    ?536  CH 496: LISTENING (1)


    After discussing a little bit more with Ambrosia, Sol began to explore the city of witches at a leisurely pace.


    As he thought, the city took a great deal of inspiration from European-style city during the revolution.


    He had the impression that he was walking in old London, with the way the roads were designed.


    The road was not particrly bustling and it was understandable. With how big Salem was, there was no way to actually fill all ces, no matter howrge the tower were.


    ¡®Still, this ce is gorgeous.¡¯


    Thinking so, Sol walked out of this dimension to the open world.


    ¡°Oh my¡­ A man?¡±


    Stopping, he looked to the side, where a young girl opened the window of a shop. Looking at the design, it seemed like a coffee restaurant.


    ¡°Are you open?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Huh¡­¡±


    The young woman seemedpletely bewildered after seeing him and he could understand why.


    After all, while many witches went and explored the Astral realm, some others seemed to be content in staying indoors and simply working or taking care of the city.


    The young girl looked even younger than most witches he had observed. As such, she should be rtively weak. He could not even feel the aura of a Dukeing from her.


    ¡°My name is Sol Luxuria.¡±


    ¡°Luxuria?¡±


    Her bewildered expression froze before it slowly darkened.


    Bang!


    Sol looked impassive as the window was closed to his face with a bang. He could feel the witch crouching on the other side with a teary eyed expression, her whole body shivered.


    This only made him sigh as he continued to walk his way.


    Bing a witch meant receiving an eternal curse. People who choose this path generally did so because they had no other choices. Few were like Persephone who did it simply because they were bored.


    The problem, nowadays witches were pretty hated in the mortal world.


    Lustburg rejected witches because of the distorted history that made them view witches in a bad light.


    Citizens of other countries hated witches because they were the reasons the weak and struggling Lustburg became nearly an empire.


    All of this was because of one person.


    Jupiter Luxuria.


    All the Luxuria enjoyed the result of the sacrifice and pain of the witches.


    No King or Queen of Lustburg ever acknowledged those sacrifices and in fact repaid gratitude with hatred and death.


    ¡®Seems like many witches don¡¯t like me.¡¯


    He smiled and knocked on the door gently,


    ¡°May I enter?¡¯


    At first no sound reached him.


    But it didn¡¯t take long for the door to open and showed the young girl gazing at him with clear hostility in her eyes.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°What could I want outside of drinking and sharing time with like-minded people?¡±


    The young girl sniffed dismissively, ¡°We don¡¯t want your kind here.¡±


    She said so with pride before grimacing quietly. Her eyes darkened even further and she looked down, while cold sweat covered her face.


    It seemed like the sentence she just used was something that had been thrown at her many times.


    ¡°I¡­I apologize. My words were too much. But please leave.¡±


    She was about to close the door but Sol stopped it with his foot.


    ¡°I am awfully thirsty. I would also like to discuss it with you if it doesn¡¯t bother you?¡±


    He pushed the door easily and entered, despite knowing that it, without a doubt, bothered her quite a bit.


    The interior was not much different from a coffee restaurant.


    Already, there were a few witches mingling and speaking all around, but the moment Sol entered, silence immediately befell the room.


    Anyone else would have been petrified as more than twenty pairs of eyes all immediately fixed on him, all showing either curiosity, anxiety, or outright hatred and disgust.


    The range of emotion was wild and this was because he believed it was the best ce for him to better understand the situation.


    This was why,


    ¡°Hello,dies!¡±


    He gave his most charming and saluted all of them politely,


    ¡°I am Sol Dragona Luxuria. Happy to meet all of you.¡±


    Then, ignoring all the surprised, confusing, and even bbergasted expressions, to finally take a set.


    It felt weird.


    Being observed like a monkey in a circus.


    But Sol was used to a far greater breach of privacy.


    After all, not many men could boast of having given sex show to all matters of power from Duke rank to literal Goddesses.


    Privacy was something that did not even exist in Sol''s dictionary and so he simply sat, unbothered as if nothing could disturb him ¡ª not even the growing hostility he could see in some of their eyes.


    In the end, it was a timid young looking man who approached him quietly, ¡°Hum¡­Would you like to order?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Thanks. May I know what is served? This is my first time here, you see?¡±


    The woman, because no matter how young she looked, she was obviously far older than him, gave him a speechless look. Her eyes seemed to scream, ¡®Obviously, it¡¯s your first time here.¡¯


    But still, she seemed very polite, ¡°We mostly drink from a special region of the Astral realm. Ingredients and drinks from the mortals are quite hard to¡­¡±


    She spoke at first, most likely simply by habit, but slowed down a little by the time her second sentence came out as if remembering who she was talking to.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    To this, Sol simply shook her head, ¡°You do not have to mince your words. I guess Salem has been strapped for some resources. Would you like to tell me more?¡±


    The woman hesitated at first, but be it because of the gentle smile on his face, his appearance or simply because she was extroverted by nature, she did not hesitate to speak.


    Sol listened attentively, always making sure to keep a smile, always talking to her softly, and making sure she knew he was listening, giving her a look here and here while sometimes asking some insightful questions.


    It didn¡¯t take long for three, then five, and more than ten witches to surround him and while they were the ones talking, there was no doubt that it was Sol who was at the center of everything.


    ¡®Sigh~I must have been a Gigolo in another life.¡¯


    Solughed inwardly while still listening.

 Chapter 537 CH 497: SPEAKING (2)

    ?537  CH 497: SPEAKING (2)


    Sol chuckled at his joke while organizing the information he was obtaining from the innocent conversation with the enthusiastic woman.


    The life of the witches could not be said to be bad.


    Far from it in fact.


    While many witches loved adventuring, many others liked staying home. Either way, they managed to create an entire working society with a clear system and rules that were followed by the majority.


    But, if there was one thing they all had inmon, it was a certain feeling of bitterness toward Lustburg. For some this feeling was more like hatred.


    ¡°My vige had a small drought and there was no food. I was nearly burned as the vigers thought it was my fault.¡±


    This story wasmon. The person was different, the details were different as well. But at the heart of it, they nearly all had the same story.


    Being shunned, hated, feared, and rejected by all those they held dear.


    The sad thing was that, with the new power they obtained, seeking vengeance would be easy.


    But many witches opted against it.


    Some did not and burned down everything with no remorse.


    Some of those events happened hundreds of years ago, while some others only happened 50 or so years ago.


    But in the end, they were all the proof of a profound pain and tragedy.


    The fact that, even hundreds of yearster, some of them still seemed traumatized by the actions of people who would not even be alive nowadays spoke volumes of what happened to them.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Bang~!


    Someone hit the table with her fist and stood up, pure rage etched on her face.


    ¡°Bastard! I have been listening quietly but fuck. Are you here to mock us to our faces? Was banishing us not enough for your fucking royal family?¡±


    Sol looked at her.


    She was powerful and the aura of time around her indicated that she was quite a bit older than most of the witches present here.


    There was an insignia on her shoulder, that showed a getting pierced by a hugeser beam.


    Sol knew that this was the insignia given only to the people under Kali¡¯s jurisdiction. They sort of like the police in a way.


    From her aura and the way she carried herself, the woman was dangerous and there was no doubt that she was extremely dangerous.


    All the members of Kali¡¯s squad received high-quality training for years and when they finally graduated, they were more known as Battle Witches than anything else.


    Feeling the heat rise, both figuratively and literally.


    ¡®A fire witch.¡¯


    Kali took in most elemental witches as their elements were generally considered the easiest to use but also the ones with very high potential of branching depending on one imagination.


    ¡°I am sorry. Did I offend you?¡±


    ¡°Offend me?¡±


    The woman seemed surprised, ¡°Did you just ask if you offended me!?¡±


    Now, the fire was entirely leaking from her body, threatening to burn the ce down.


    ¡°Your entire fucking existence is offen ¡ª¡±


    ¡° ¡ªShhh!¡±


    She was forced to stop cursing as Sol appeared next to her, still wearing a gentle smile.


    The finger that shushed her was ced on her lips and the fire all around her immediately vanished as ice spread all around.


    ¡°A beautiful woman shouldn¡¯t have such a foul mouth.¡±


    He ced his hand and gently cupped her face, causing the woman to be red, though this time it was not out of furry.


    She immediately distanced herself.


    Her heart was beating strongly and her face was bing redder as time passed,


    ¡°Fu¡ª * Cough* What did you just do?¡±


    ¡°Since we are in a private establishment it would be a shame to cause damage, right?¡±


    She could say nothing to this.


    It was her work to keep the peace of the city, but she nearly caused trouble. If she had burnt down this ce, even by mistake, she would have been in big trouble.


    ¡°I apologize.¡±


    She looked at the owner of the shop, a woman was who nowpletely white out of fear.


    Sol meanwhile, cleared his throat loudly enough that everyone was able to hear him.


    ¡°I will introduce myself once again. I am Sol Dragona Luxuria, crown prince and future King of Lustburg and Ie with a desire for peace.¡±


    ¡°Peace my ass. You just want to use us for war.¡±


    One of the witchesined to which he shook his head,


    ¡°I understand why all of you have such an inted ego. But let it be clear. My goal to open Salem is not for war.¡±


    ¡®Not this war at least.¡¯


    ¡°All my life, I have always been saddened by the plight of the witches and the schism that existed between the two races who are closer to siblings than anything and are not so different.¡±


    ¡®Well, I only started caring around One month ago. It still counts, right?¡¯


    ¡°Witches are humans in my eyes and the eyes of the goddesses. As such I am not just the King of those outside but all those inside as well. I thus have to take care of your well-being in every way possible.¡±


    He made sure they both emphasized and made use of the word, King, to be as natural as possible.


    "I do not pretend that all the suffering you girls went through should be forgotten. Far from it. Lustburg owes too much to every one of you. It''s thanks to your sacrifice that we stand here now."


    Sol gently spread his aura, covering the whole scene.


    It was imposing, the sheer vastness of his power dwarfed anything they couldprehend.


    At the same time, it was soothing, as a luby was slowly being sung to their ears while they rested.


    It was like the aura of a strict father imposing respect that was due to him.


    "Many generations of rulers came and went, none acknowledging your importance and sacrifice because they wished to not tarnish the royal name nor sully the legacy left by Jupiter. But I am different."


    "Why? What makes you so different from any of them?"


    "Why?"


    He grinned slightly,


    "Because I will be the strongest King Lustburg ever had. I do not fear. I do not bend. I make the rules. That is all."

 Chapter 538 CH 498: ENOUGH MOVING

    ?538  CH 498 : ENOUGH MOVING


    "Because I will be the strongest King Lustburg ever had. I do not fear. I do not bend. I make the rules. That is all."


    Sol uttered those words with calm and quiet confidence. His grin, was ever-present and shining.


    He did not need to shout nor to show exuberance, he was what he promised and needed no exaggeration.


    The time when he needed to kneel and beg for the protection of his loved ones had long since passed.


    Though he would not hesitate to do so once again if it was necessary.


    The witches were quite surprised by the disy of pridefulness that left no words for more discussions. But then, remembering that the prince was partially a dragon, they all nodded.


    This was more than understandable then.


    ¡°I believe I have disturbed enough the youngdies present here. I would just like you to know that I do note as an enemy nor a conqueror. But as apanion and a friend, wishing for your well being.¡±


    It was not a lie. The happier the witches were, the happier Medea was and the happier Medea was, the happier he would be.


    Ergo, making the witches happy would make him happy.


    He smiled at them. The kind of smile he knew usually made women go weak and started to walk away,


    ¡°Pass my words, believe in me. My only goal is your happiness and I believe that all the witches should know that their destiny will be decided in the iing days.


    If the negotiation fell apart then¡­.There is nothing I can do.


    He waved his hand before entering his dimension and vanishing from their eyes.


    .


    .


    .


    When Sol entered his dimension, one of the witches who had been in the restaurant immediately left and started running.


    As she did so, her body became covered in a ck coat and the number 10 could be seen on her sleeve.


    Her face was quite flushed and her heart was beating fast in her heart.


    "Elder sister was right. He is quite splendid."


    As shown by her number, Ten was the most recent addition to the rotation of the council.


    In the next election, One would leave her seat, Two would be One, and Ten would be Nine, while a new witch would be selected as the Number Ten.


    Thanks to this rotation system, sooner orter, all witches who were selected for the council would be the chairman even if for a limited time.


    Ten, unlike the current number one who was more focused on the power of Life, was an Astrologist.


    For the witches who considered science as magic and witchcraft, something as abstract as Astrology was something they rarely studied.


    What was the use to try and see the future when hundreds of millions of possible futures could exist at the same time?


    Even the goddesses could not urately grasp the future. Much less a woman who was only a Duke.


    Even so, the fact that she managed to create her domain, and be a Duke through her research was proof of her talent.


    Taking a few more steps, she stopped and looked behind her.


    "How did Your Highness discover my identity?"


    Though she could feel nothing and see nothing, she knew that she would meet someone important here that could change her destiny.


    Trying to divine the future of the prince was impossible. But by observing her own future, she could somehow break some of the limitations.


    Then by deduction, she could reach a more or less reliable conclusion.


    ¡°I am impressed. Until now the only ones who could determine my positions are King rank specialized in space or Demigods.¡±


    As she thought, ripples spread in the surrounding space and a young man walked out of those ripples, as ifing out of water.


    Ten observed the Prince more closely and she had to admit that he was truly a handsome young man.


    ¡®Though, he is quite young.¡¯


    It seemed like Medea had some heavy taste. But then again, since the prince was a Dragon, age didn''t matter as much as she guessed.


    ¡°You are giving me too much credit. I am simply relying on some small tricks I learned over the years.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then I would be happy to discuss your experience more in-depth.¡±


    Tenughed, ¡°I am honored. But I believe the prince did not stop a member of the council for simple pleasantries.¡±


    ¡°You are right.¡±


    She fidgeted a little when she felt the prince approach her. His presence was growing and she felt herself bing even smaller now that she was alone with him.


    This was an impressive feat and she could feel that this was not even his intention. This was simply the presence he had developed naturally.


    ¡®Just what kind of experience did he have to go through?¡¯


    She was curious.


    ¡°Medea told me that some of the witches were on her side.¡±


    She rose an eyebrow behind her mask,


    ¡°Do you wish to bribe me or something?¡±


    She was indeed on the side of Medea when it came to opening the gate of Salem but she would have to rethink if the prince was trying to move under the board.


    ¡°No. I do not need to. The result is already a foregone conclusion. The only thing that will change is what kind of price the witches will pay and how far I am willing to humor this situation.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Ten could say nothing in return.


    This situation was indeed beyond anything the councils could say.


    This was something that concerned absolutely all the witches and the negotiations were indeed not so much about whether they would open or not. But what they would have to do to receive the help of the prince and if they were willing to do as ordered?


    ¡°Though, some witches seem to think this is an equal discussion. It¡¯s not. I have full control of the situation.¡±


    He smiled at her but his smile seemed colder,


    ¡°I do not want to waste more time in this stupid situation. So I want your help, I would be very happy to know about Salem from the position of a ruler.¡±


    He had yed enough and he had a war to fight after all.


    Ten hesitated. She truly didn¡¯t want to speak more and give important information by ident.


    But, she had already chosen her side long ago. It would be stupid of her to backtrack now.


    ¡°Sigh~I hope I am not making the wrong choice here.¡±


    ¡°Trust me. What you are doing now will change the witch world. I have no intention to use you guys as subordinates or as war potential. You will simply be once again the subjects of Lustburg and this time nothing will change this. As long as I am alive.¡±


    She nodded.


    Those wordsing from someone who had a nearly eternal lifespan were truly quite convincing.


    ¡°I will bring all the council members on our side.¡±


    She hoped everything would end well.


    (AN: I think this arc willst around 5-6 chapters more. Initially, I wanted to add some sexy scenes. Something like a super orgy or the like. But I feel like this isn¡¯t the moment. Better focus on the war fast and see the epic fights.)

 Chapter 539 CH 499: Do YoU EVEN NEED THEM?

    ?539  CH 499: DO YOU EVEN NEED THEM?


    After speaking with Ten for a little more and convincing her to bring up all the witches in the council that were on Medea''s side, Sol resumed walking alone and observing the city.


    For him, this city was more of a phantom one than anything else.


    ¡®Living in such a closed ce can only breed resentment.¡¯


    If the witches did not have the power to actually travel through the Astral realm, he was sure that they wouldn¡¯t just have some differences between them. There would be absolute and pure hatred that could not be measured in any normal way.


    ¡®This is sad.¡¯


    Being chased from your home and hated because of some false information and even more being cursed to never actually find someone you could love and make love to without hurting him or her.


    This was hell. A hell that many witches could not ept and as such turned toward revenge and rebellion.


    It wasn¡¯t as if Sol could not understand the reasons behind the actions of his ancestors. Jupiter aside, who was nothing but a stupid man filled with pride from what he could understand, his son ¨C Pluto the Peaceful King, had been forced to act and give his all to barely keep Lustburg from losing all the territories they obtained through the war.


    After all, after the withdrawal of the witches during the war and the death of Jupiter, with Pluto who was only a Kid then, Lustburg had been barely able to take care of itself.


    The few Kings or Queens that followed were more worried about getting back the power of Lustburg and by the time the generation reached his grandfather, the royal family was too weak to even take important decisions.


    It didn¡¯t help that Neptune, The Puppet King should have in fact been called the Mad King. Was more busy taking care of his dozens of human experiments to even care about the fate of his kingdom much less that of the witches.


    Finally came Mars who wished to bring a new peaceful rtionship between the two parties. He even became a student of Medea and became friends with Persephone.


    There was little doubt that Mars would have seeded in bringing peace. At least this would have been the case if the war against Gluttony Foss did not happen.


    In the end, Mars died and all possibility of peace seemingly died with him. At least this was until Sol appeared and made a rtionship with Medea.


    Thinking of all this, Sol grinned. History was truly important when it came to realize the error of our ways and how to not repeat them. Despite all this, history seemed to repeat constantly.


    ¡®Well, now is honestly the best time to bring back the witches.¡¯


    If there was one thing Sol learned from his previous world, it was the importance of controlling the media and handling information in the most suitable way. When something you did not want others to focus on happened, it was necessary to distract the poption with sensational information.


    Oh, the kings and queens lied? The witches aren¡¯t evil? We were simply manipted all along? Damn, I wanna be angry ¡ª But¡­The war is starting. Holy shit, who has the time to care about the witches? In fact, won¡¯t the witches make it easier for us to win the war? Yeah for the witches!


    Sol gave a lowugh, while not everyone would act like this, for the vast majority of people, they had no care for things that didn¡¯t touch them directly. They could watch a massacre on TV with no care but will obviously cry when someone close to them had a problem.


    This was human nature and as a King, he had to understand, control and use it for his own self.


    ¡®Hum¡­I think I did enough inspection.¡¯


    Medea and the other witches had already exined more or less the situation of Salem to him.


    But he needed to do things for himself and internalize them to reach a conclusion. Now he had reached one and he knew what he would do.


    He stretched a little and started to walk back to the quarter he had been assigned to ¨C Medea¡¯s house.


    .


    .


    .


    ¡°So¡­You got curious and started searching through my drawers?¡±


    Sitting on her bed, while holding her head, feeling like a headache was about to ovee her.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Kneeling in front of her was none other than Sol, a light-hearted smile on his face. The bedroom of Medea was surprisingly girly all things considered.


    While it followed a monochrome team of ck and white, there were a few cute teddy bears there and some other cute decorations, giving a warm impression of the room.


    So ¡ªWhy was the Future King of Lustburg kneeling in front of a witch in this room?


    Well to understand the situation it was necessary to know what Medea had witnessed aftering home while being tired because of a day of hard work.


    ¡°Okay. I understand searching my drawers. But why, for goodness sake, did you have to put my panties on your head and stretch my bras?¡±


    ¡°Well. The panties thing honestly was just a hallucination.¡±


    ¡°You still have them on your head.¡±


    ¡°*Ahem*¡±


    Sol took away the panties and threw them in his dimension.


    ¡°Like I said, it was an illusion;¡±


    ¡°Sigh~Okay. But what about my bra?¡±


    Sol grimaced a little as he looked at the ck bra in his hand.


    ¡°Do you want the truth or a lie?¡±


    ¡°The truth obviously.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­Remember you asked for it. *Ahem*¡±


    Sol cleared his throat, knowing that he should tell a lie in this instance but a man should be honest even when said honesty could be deadly and Sol saw himself as a truly manly man.


    He gave a nce at the bra and then at Medea¡¯s chest before looking away and clearing his throat once more.


    ¡°To be honest¡­I was just wondering why you even had a bra in the first ce and if this belonged to someone else.¡±


    Persephone, who had entered the room just at the right moment nearly exploded inughter before hurrying back out of the room. As for Medea, If words were weapons, then she would have her chest pierced right now.


    (AN: Some humor to say hello to Medea again. Didn¡¯t see girl in some time now.)


    ¡ª--

 Chapter 540 CH 500: A NEW MILESTONE

    ?540  CH 500: A NEW MILESTONE


    Seeing the crumbling expression of Medea, Sol cleared his throat once more.


    ¡°Just to be clear. I am not saying your breasts are small. I believe they have the perfect sizes. I was just wondering about the utility a bra might have for you and well you came at that time.¡±


    ¡°So you are telling me you were so engrossed in your internal debate about whether or not I was fit to wear a bra that you didn''t even notice me approaching until I was right to the door?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­When you say it like this I do like quite the pervert.¡±


    ¡°You bet.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t haha me. Sigh~ I swear sometimes I feel like I am dealing with a kid.¡±


    ¡°I am a kid you know? Well, technically I was not that long ago anyway. Wait¡­Does that make you a cradle robber?¡±


    Medea¡¯s smile twitched a little when she felt a second arrow log deep in her chest. The worst was that she could not deny his words. In terms of age, she was more than 100 times older than him.


    ¡°Fufufu~You should stop bullying our dear Medea.¡±


    Coming back after having a goodugh, Persephone took ce next to Mede and crossed her beautiful sexy legs while facing Sol.


    Since he was kneeling, he was at the perfect angle to gaze at the unknown darkness that hide between her legs.


    ¡°You like?¡±


    While Persephone did not act as vulgarly as spreading her legs, she did nothing to hide either, allowing Sol to have fil.


    He answered with a simple and clear thumbs up.


    ¡°I must say. You are daring as always. Didn¡¯t think you would gomando.¡±


    ¡°I am in my territory. A world with only women around. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s much of a problem.¡±


    Persephone answered when she saw the outraged expression on Medea''s face before focusing on Sol again.


    ¡°So. I believe we have joked enough. What do you think?¡±


    Sol gave a small smile and change his position, going from kneeling to simply sitting with his butt against the ground.


    ¡°Well, I thought we needed to have some rxed moments before talking about depressing things.¡±


    ¡°So¡­What is your impression of Salem?¡±


    ¡°Do you want sugar-coated words or honesty?¡±


    ¡°Simple honesty.¡±


    Medea asked him quietly.


    She knew very well that she was the reason why Sol wished to make the mood lighter. But she was not so weak that she could not take the truth.


    ¡°Well¡­It¡¯s without a doubt a beautiful city. Magnificent architecture and all that. But more than anything, it¡¯s a decaying city.¡±


    Salem was a city where things did not change.


    Even though it had everything needed to thrive, even though all the habitants were nevercking anything, it was still a decaying city.


    Persephone gave a sad smile,


    ¡°The case of suicide or witches who simply gave up studying and died continue to increase every year.¡±


    Witches had a functionally unlimited lifespan. Or at the very least, one that could stretch well into a few thousand years.


    But this super longevity was conditional. It was necessary to study, obtain more knowledge, and thus more life or simply go on a hunting spree and steal years of life from men by having a rtionship with them.


    But it seemed like the witches were simply not even interested in living anymore.


    ¡°Our numbers are dwindling and in recent years, Mother has recruited no new witches. I guess at this rate, witches will soon be extinct. They have nothing to live for. No goal, no dream, nothing.¡±


    Persephone did not think those who suicide were weak. They simply reached the limit they could bear and decided that death was the best solution to put an end to their suffering.


    ¡°I wish I could have found and helped sooner. I even created a Medical center and Kali created many amusement attractions. But it made the situation worse.¡±


    During the opening of the amusement park, the witches realized once again how small their numbers were. This brought even more depression in their minds.


    ¡°Then there are the angry ones.¡±


    Not all witches who were depressed gave up on life. A few did nothing but a group of radicals would go as far as attacking even humans in Duchy and counties.


    This was made out of hatred but it did nothing but create a vicious circle. Those attacks on cities would make humans even more wary of witches and they would treat bad any new witches in their ces or would help spread rumors which would make people hate witches even more and so the cycle went aback.


    ¡°So what are you going to do?


    ¡°Simple. I will make sure everyone gets a little of what they need and he takes the major part of what I need. Everyone will be happy.¡±


    Medea, listening to him bit her lips strongly, ¡°Are you sure you do not need us for the war?¡±


    ¡°I am. You guys should know, more than anyone else, that I don¡¯t need more fighters, and the witches would just confuse the front line. What you can do though is pretty simple. Taking care of the rear line. This is perhaps as important if not more. I will exin all this during the negotiations."


    "Very well¡­ Then should we advance the meeting now?"


    Medea''s expression, which had once been filled with self-doubt, was now calm.


    She had always felt guilty.


    Everything that''s happening right now was because of her and her stupidity and naivety.


    Because of her, many witches suffered and lost their lives while many humans went through the same.


    Though she was not the direct cause. There was nothing she could do about it.


    This was also why she had been acting so meek and did not impose much of her desire on the counciltely despite being the absolute president.


    She had given up on them for one thousand years, hiding in her Ivory tower and gilded cage, too afraid to face the reality of her actions.


    But now¡­Now it was time for her to act like her position asked her to.


    Not waiting for Sol to answer, Medea pped her hands together and instantly, the world seemed to slow down as gears and a clock appeared in the sky.


    Her eyes started shining and her pupils changed shape to a diamond form, as if representing one from a deck card.


    [I, Medea Asmodeus, hereby dere the opening of a Public Trial. All the Members of the council are summoned and anye or absent will be punished.]


    The presence of Medea made her feel like a giant. Despite her small frame, anyone facing her would be crushed by her simple overwhelming aura and few people could ever hope to stand in front of her.


    ''How dreadful¡ª I fell in love all over again.''


    It was in moments like this that Sol was reminded that, despite how cute she looked and how Adorable Medea was ¡ª She was still a powerful King.


    Furthermore, one who had studied thew of time.


    Her prowess and power could hardly be imagined.


    ''Well. In the end, no matter how strong she is, she is mine.''


    Sol liked having powerful women around him. Even if they were more powerful than him.


    If the moment wasn''t so important, he would have pushed down Medea right here and now.


    Sadly, work should always be put before pleasure. No matter what the situation was.


    Grinning, he stood up, while making sure to put back the bra of Medea in her drawer.


    "I guess it''s time to end this whole charade."


    The best way to end all of this with style.


    Only then would he be satisfied?


    (AN: Damn guys. CH 500. I know that if we add all the interludes and special chapters etc we reach the 500th chapter long ago. But this is different. This is truly CH 500. If three years ago, someone told me I would write 500+ chapters of a story, I wouldn''t believe them.


    This is even more so since I feel like SHK reached only around half of the plot.


    Anyway, truly thanks to everyone once again. I already said thank you many times, but it can never be enough. Thanks for following my story and thanks for supporting me.


    Let''s see the end together, guys, I wish you all a great day or night)

 Chapter 541 CH 501: NEGOTIATIONS (1)

    ?541  CH 501: NEGOTIATIONS (1)


    [I, Medea Asmodeus, hereby dere the opening of a Public Trial. All the Members of the council are summoned and anye or absent will be punished.]


    When the voice of Medea spread through Salem, all the witches looked up at the sky as the space seemed to be cut into thin lines and a tform slowly spread.


    Even without anyone saying anything they could recognize the magic of Freya in action. Furthermore, on the tform that was literally created in space, trees started to bloom and slowly morphed into chairs and tables,


    ''Persephone.''


    The breath of the witches slowly became hurried as they finally understood who had actually spoken the first time.


    Medea Asmodeus, the witch of Time as well as the leader of the council.


    Many of the younger witches only knew of her by name or through their study of history.


    Even after Medea came back, she had been rather meek and did not show any imposing stance.


    This though ¡ª This waspletely different.


    The members of the council, hidden between the normal witches or speaking with Ten or with One were all startled.


    The voice of Medea directly reached their minds and they had the impression that at the slightest refusal toply, they would be immediately frozen in time, unable to act until she judged otherwise.


    In the end, they all started to fly up to reach the tform that had been created.


    .


    .


    .


    The moment Onended she immediately walked up to Medea who was sitting at the head of the table.


    The table was rectangr rather than round as it usually was during the meeting of the Council¡ª This too was a silent message.


    Looking away from the table, One finally asked what was on her mind.


    "Elder sister, could you exin what is happening? I believe we decided to hold a closed hearing in a few days for the negotiations."


    Her voice was even, showing no particr feeling but there was a clear remonstrance in it.


    The other members of the council who alsonded were unable to keep such a straight face. Many of them were openly dissatisfied with the way Medea just threatened them.


    To this ¡ª Medea simply smiled,


    "It seems like all of you guys have forgotten who really holds power in the council."


    She sighed and ced her hand down. All the witches only blinked once but then they realized that they were all seated.


    ''Time stop.''


    It wasn''t hard to realize what just happened and this was all the more frightening.


    As if unconcerned by their reaction, Medea continued,


    "The first rule of the council is that I have the absolute power of Veto and that any of my decisions can overturn any decisions made by the councils."


    The witches were startled and looked at each other, remembering that this was indeed the case.


    Ever since Medea came back, rather than wielding her power, she had been trying to keep the peace and not disturb the system.


    She tried to convince them through words rather than force because of the guilt she felt and they had taken it for granted.


    A few of the witches muttered, wondering what they should do. Now that Medea decided to stop ying nice, there was very little they could actually do that wouldn''t be considered insubordination or rebellion.


    The feeling of beingpletely helpless was not new for them. But for many, it was a wake-up call.


    This reminded them of another simple reality that they had forgotten because they had ruled the ce for so long without any input from Ambrosia or Medea.


    Salem may look like a democracy.


    It may even act like a democracy based on meritocracy.


    But at its core ¡ª It was an absolute Monarchy.


    The power they had was simply bestowed to them temporarily on a whim to keep the illusion of equality.


    For all her gentleness and meek attitude ¡ªMedea was not their equal.


    They confused her kindness with weakness and underestimated her too much. Even forgetting that she was in fact the leader.


    The witches shared a look.


    They were all very intelligent and their minds moved fast. They knew that¡­


    No matter what was the result of these negotiations, the system will forever be different.


    Unlike the other witches, Befana, or Simple One stayed calm as she observed the arrangement of the table. She was one of the oldest witches alive and she was also a direct student of Persephone.


    She, more than anyone, knew how deadly and powerful the four Witches could be. She also knew how powerful and vicious Medea could be in the past.


    ¡®As I thought. Nature can hardly change.¡¯


    Medea was a beast. Someone who moved on their one whim with no cares. Her personality changed because of all those years of self-imprisonment but it was only a matter of time until The True witch of time came back.


    ¡®Still, this arrangement is interesting.¡¯


    She was seated at the left of Medea while Number 10 was at her right. From there they were clearly arranged in opposite ways. From 10 to 6 and From 1 to 5.


    Finally, the other end of the table waspletely free.


    During a negotiation, the form of the table where all members were seated was very important.


    A circr table implied equality between all members while a rectangr table implied a clear hierarchy. The most important ce was obviously the ends of the table.


    Each end represented a side and the two sides were equal or antagonistic. All those on the sides were just that ¡ª Side characters.


    It was a rather simplification of the matters. But Befana knew that she did not need to think more about it.


    Step~


    Here, high in space, it was incredible to even hear something akin to someone stepping on the ground.


    But ¡ª They were sure they all heard it.


    Whoosh~!


    Some of the witches groaned while many lowered their hats to hide their expression of surprise as an overwhelming aura filled the space.


    The chair was pulled and a young man took ce at the other end.


    He was a handsome young boy and had a genial smile on his face, giving the impression that he wouldn¡¯t even hurt a bug.


    But all of them could feel it. Even Befana, despite all herposure, could not stop the goosebumps on her skin from spreading.


    They had a simple feeling. It was as if all of them were nothing but herbivores standing in front of a true Predator.


    ¡°Hello,dies. I believe it¡¯s time for us to have a great discussion.¡±


    None of the witches could answer, but thankfully the aura swiftly vanished as soon as it came.


    ¡°I am sorry. It seems like I should have controlled myself more. I did not expect this simple release of power to make all of you so ufortable.¡±


    Though his words were sweet, it was easy to realize that he simply insulted them by saying that they were too weak.


    A few witches clenched their fists but they realized that there was nothing they could do. Once again any illusions they may have had about Sol being weaker than them because of his age werepletely dispelled.


    ¡°Now that the Prince of Lustburg is present, I hereby dere the start of the negotiations. May we all discuss for the betterment of Salem.¡±


    It was a bombastic start but the tone was clear. No punch would be pulled.

 Chapter 542 CH 502: APOLOGIES

    ?542  CH 502: APOLOGIES


    Hundreds of witches were flying in the sky or standing on their towers and observing the negotiations.


    Powerful witches all had their eyes riveted on him, ring at him, examining him, analyzing him and so much more.


    Any of his words could determine the future rtionship that witches will have with humans for years toe and one mistake from him could change witches into true and absolute enemies.


    It should have been nerve-wracking and in a way¡ª It was.


    But Sol had never felt so calm and at peace.


    Even as he sat right here and epted the pointed stare of the council members, his poise was at the maximum possible and he never wavered.


    ¡°Sol Dragona Luxuria. As the Crown Prince and sole ruler of Lustburg, for what reason do you seek the witches?¡±


    Medea showed no emotions as she started the discussion officially. Right now, she wasn¡¯t just Medea, Sol¡¯s lover. She was Medea, The witch of time. One of the Four Directions and the Leader of the Council. It was her duty to act as befitting of the situation even if she was on his side.


    A smile ever present on his lips he spoke,


    ¡°One thousand years ago, my ancestors, Jupiter Luxuria did the unthinkable by betraying the witches out of a misjudged feeling of pride and superiority. He thought the results of his conquest were solely due to his own strength or that the witches were not needed now that he was close to his goal¡ª¡±


    He began calmly, his voice moving and reaching every witch present, as if he was talking directly to their ears;


    ¡° ¡ªHistory shows that he was very wrong.¡±


    He smiled and this action prompted many of the witches to smile before they caught themselves.


    Sol knew that he was not some grand orator but thanks to his own aura, he was able to bring up the emotions in those who listened to him.


    ¡°Even so. Before anything. Before any negotiation or the like, I would like to say one thing ¡ª¡±


    Sol stood up from his seat and turned slowly as he looked at all the witches who were floating in the sky, looking at each of them deeply then he did something that made all the witches open their eyes wide.


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Sol bowed deeply as he apologized to all the witches, showing no hesitations in his eyes or actions as he did so.


    Sol had his pride and his own ego had slowly developed through all the tribtions he went through ever since he awakened.


    But even so, he was not so arrogant that he could not apologize to those who deserved it.


    Murmur filled the stands as all the witches, even Medea were more than surprised.


    They all knew who Sol was and what kind of identity he had. This made this bow all the more meaningful and sincere.


    Straightening up, Sol continued, not speaking to the council but the witches as a whole,


    ¡°I know and understand that simply apologizing will never be enough. The words ¡®I am sorry¡¯ cannot erase the thousand years of pain, hatred, betrayal, and so many more negative feelings. To think the opposite would be an insult to you. Even so, I believe that apologies were long overdue and they are the first steps for a new rtionship between humans.¡±


    His words were clear, he did not consider the witches as a separate race. For him, they were all humans no matter what and should be considered as such.


    ¡°This is why. I hereby swear. That no matter what the results of the negotiations are ¡ª I will still officially apologize to all of you through the entirety of Lustburg and in the eyes of the whole poption and even the entire world if necessary. The royal family will recognize its fault from one thousand years ago and will endeavor in making sure that no future witches have to go through what you had to.¡±


    His gaze was stern,


    ¡°You may not know me and you may even believe that I am lying. But I swear upon my name and my title as Blessed. From now on, one of my greatest goals will be to bring humans back together rather than separated as it is now. The witches shed blood and tears to help in the freedom and development of Lustburg like any humans of that time. You are citizens of my country, no matter what anyone says.¡±


    Silence greeted his speech. Many of them were unable to make head or tails of what he just said, confused and speechless they simply gazed at the prince standing on the podium and overshadowing everything with his light.


    In the deep of their hearts. Something stirred.


    A desire that had been hidden and suppressed for years as most of them had even given up on such a thing ever happening.


    Perhaps if it was him.


    Would it be possible to go back?


    To once again be seen as humans?


    To not be mocked, insulted, or harassed?


    To not be insulted, attacked, or hunted?


    The light started to burn in their hearts but at the same time, fear bloomed as well. Because they knew.


    One of the most beautiful things in this world was hope.


    But one of the most dangerous things in this world was also hope.


    What would it be in this case?


    They looked at each other, gulping, hesitating, reticent, and in the end, they simply decided to take a step back and observe.


    Once burned, twice shy. They had been hurt too much to simply sweep everything under the rug because of one beautiful speech ¡ª As convincing as the said speech was.


    Sol quietly observed all of this, his smile never leaving his face but in fact stretching further.


    He had never expected any great reactions from them. All he needed was to nt seeds in their hearts. Even if they did not show up, he knew that he already obtained the approval of many of them.


    This was enough.


    Satisfied with his speech, he finally turned back to face the witches of the council. His eyes twinkled as he observed the string of fate slowly aligning for him to reach the best oue.


    Though he could not see their face, he could feel their emotions and he knew, they knew as well, that if this negotiation was on a bnce, by showing such a clear goodwill from the start, he had managed to tilt things heavily in his favor.


    If his goal had been to simply use them for his advantage, he could say that this speech alone would have been enough to restrict how much they could rebut him. Thankfully for them, he truly had their best interests at heart.


    ¡°I apologize for the long speech. I am ready to start the negotiations.¡±


    This time he did not bow. He merely acknowledged his fault and sat back on his designed seat.


    ¡°I am ready to discuss the future contract that will unite us back into one body and nation.¡±


    Befanaughed inwardly, speechless at the way he was implying that they were the ones moving in bad faith to stop the union of the witches with Lustburg.


    He was more cunning than she thought.


    This promised to be interesting.

 Chapter 543 CH 503: WILL You....?

    ?543  CH 503: WILL YOU....?


    While the witches of the councils were a little rattled by the bold way in which Sol started this whole discussion, they were not little girls who would lose all their wits at the first signs of difficulty.


    Exactly because of what he said and promised, many of the council''s members who had been neutral in this situation woke up and decided to ask many questions.


    The topics of the negotiation had many small points that needed to be taken into ount but in general, it bore down to a few great points. Such as.


    The ce of the witches in Lustburg. What kind of position would they be able to lead.?What would be their obligations? In short, what will be their rights and duties if they decided to join lLustburg


    Secondly, there was the wealth of Salem and each witch in general. Would they have to pay taxes to the crown? If so, how would this be organized? How much would they have to pay and how regrly. In the first ce should they even pay taxes?


    The way Salem will be seen officially. Will Salem be considered a Vassal state, an allied state? or not even a state at all? Were the witches Citizens of Lustburg or Citizens of Salem or Citizens of Lustburg and Salem?


    Where would they live?


    Would they have to participate in the war? Share their technologies?


    How much power did Sol have over them as King of Lusburg and what would happen in the next hundred years when future Kings took the throne?


    But the greatest question of them all was one very simple and basic ¡ª Should the witches truly open the gate once to join Lustburg? Was it a wise decision or a foolish one?


    If they did open, what kind of rewards would they receive and if they refused, what would happen?


    All those questions had their importance and were seriously headache-inducing but as a prince, Sol had been trained for such an event ever since he was a young kid.


    He knew how to keep hisposure even as he received an onught of questions from the witches.


    Some more questions were very much more dangerous.


    What would happen to the families of those who persecuted the witches in the past? What about those who were still alive?


    Would Lustburg give mary rewards as a payment? Since Ambrosia was a demigod and the witches were the vast majority in the Duke''s realm. Shouldn¡¯t it be Salem who takes control of Lustburg?


    Finally, an even more insidious question prevailed. Such as asking if Sol was willing to die to atone for what his ancestor did or if they had the right to massacre all those who hurt them in the past or at the very least imprison them and treat them as ves.


    Sol quietly took note of the extremist but otherwise showed no sign of anger. He could understand that more than a desire to hurt, they were simply girls who had lost too much and wished for everyone to feel the same.


    Some were also testing him to see what he would do in the current situation and thought he hated tests. Being tested by someone so much weaker than him made him only find them cuter and more interesting to observe.


    ¡®Well, we will be here for a very long time it seems.¡¯


    There was no way that negotiations between the two would be settled in one day and Sol did not n for this to happen.


    What was going on now was simply to iron the big picture and make sure everyone was on the same page. He would let ra and some members of the Crown Shadow who specialized in diplomacy take over once he was done.


    What was even more interesting was how the witches made sure to not mention the fact he found a way to help the witches escape their curses.


    Clearly, they all understood that this was one of the main points of this whole discussion and was keeping it forter.


    Sol kept hisposure all along and continued to answer no matter what question was thrown at him.


    "Firstly, I do not believe in punishing innocent people who know nothing of the errors of their ancestors. But those who are still alive will be appropriately punished based on the severity of their crime."


    He knew it was impossible to satisfy the witches if he was not more sincere in this case.


    "As I promised Witches will be considered as citizens of Lustburg in the same title as any citizens. They will have the same duties as any citizens and the same rights."


    He continued, "The witches will not be forcibly conscripted for the war. I abolished such actions and promised normal citizens many advantages should they join the war. The same advantage will be proposed to the witches who decide to participate."


    He smiled, "Even as I speak, Kali Asmodeus is working alongside two of the greatest minds I have as subordinates and they are creating epoch-changing weaponry. I would be happy if more witches choose to join the project but I will not insist on not coercing anyone into doing it."


    He tapped his finger and a holographic picture of Lustburg appeared.


    "The Four Directions will be given the title of Dukes and will have their territory in Lustburg. Witches can choose to live in said territory or any territory for that matter. For now, I am sure those titles are not of much importance to you. Butter you will understand what it truly means."


    "So you want Salem to stop being an independent existence and join fall under the control of Lustburg?"


    Befana spoke and the other witches gazed at Sol.


    This was one of the most important points of this discussion.


    Opening the gate of Salem was one thing.


    Bing the subordinate of Lustburg was another thing.


    Even more so when in this case they would lose their entire autonomy.


    "Lustburg and Salem should have never been divided in the first ce. Only by being together can we be stronger and as such I have made my decision long ago about something I believe will make everyone happy."


    The witches looked confused as Sol stood up and started walking towards Medea on the other end of the table.


    They were starting to wonder if he wanted to make another great speech or anything of the like but in the end, they all gasped and opened their eyes wide in surprise when they saw him take a knee in front of Medea.


    His hand seemed to plunge deep into space before a small box appeared in the palm of his hand.


    By then, even Medea was unable to breathe as she started to realize what was happening.


    "Medea. We have known each other for nearly as long as I can remember now and we lived through many important moments together."


    "Sol¡­"


    Medea was trembling and tears were starting to gather at the corner of her eyes.


    "Medea Asmodeus. I love you and I wish to spend eternity with you. As such, I humbly ask you¡­Will you marry me?"


    It was as if a literal bomb had just exploded.


    (AN: I think one or two more chapters to settle this and it will be good. Arc is slowlying to an end. Still, hehe. Who saw thising?)

 Chapter 544 CH 504: ...MARRY ME?

    ?544  CH 504: ...MARRY ME?


    The deration Sol just made created even more reaction than his earlier words about the so-called union of witches and humans.


    If all of this could be called nothing but lips service, now this action truly showed his determination.


    But more than anything ¡ª


    "Elder sister is in a rtionship with the prince!?"


    All the witches were surprised. It went without saying that one of the reasons the reason the witches fell so low was that one thousand years ago Medea, who fell for the words of the vile King Jupiter, decided to meddle in the war that not only freed Lustburg from the control of the Elves but also conquer arge part of the world.


    Would it be another tragedy for their elder sister to be used by a maniptive man?


    If this demand in marriage had been made a few hours ago, they would have sneered and acquiesced without hesitation.


    But now ¡ª After seeing Sol for themselves, even the harshest and most radical witch could not in good faith say she was 100% sure that Sol was a fraud.


    In the end, all they could do was stare at the demand, a certain excitement bubbling inside them.


    If the Prince was sincere.


    If the two loved each other despite all the curses of Medea.


    Then¡­


    "So romantic¡­"


    One witch muttered absentmindedly and all the others could only nod, confusion, envy, joy, sadness, and even a little jealousy mixed in their gaze.


    Love was the greatest longing for all witches for it was something they had to give up from the very moment they changed.


    Even having physical rtionships with long-living species was only painful as they knew they were slowly killing their partners.


    No one loves witches. Because only someone suicidal or someone so in love he did not even care about his life would enter into a true rtionship with them.


    So they watched, hoping beyond what they expected ¡ª That Sol was not a fraud.


    .


    .


    .


    Medea was no less confused than any of the other witches.


    Looking at Sol kneeling on the ground with a ring in hand, a gentle smile on his face as he gazed at her, ready to wait for her answer, her eyes became misty as she reminisced about the far past.


    She had been betrayed once. Love made her blind to the reality of the situation and she discarded everything, for a Love that never came to fruition.


    It was her first love and for years, the wounds had been so great she had a hard time recovering.


    Jupiter loved her once too. She was sure of it. When they first met, he was nothing more than a young man filled with the desire to change the world and be the best.


    But as time went out, he became filled with hubris, hating that his aplishments werepletely rted to the witches and that all citizens considered Medea to be the true savior of Lustburg.


    Even now she could remember his words,


    [You are a thorn in my path. My wish is to conquer. That''s why I am the Conqueror King. You can discard everything for me, but I will never do the same. Your light is simply shining too brightly, and people are doubting my power. So, you need to vanish.]


    ''They couldn''t be any more different.''


    Medea''s eyes grew misty.


    One was a man who felt small when surrounded by giants. But the other was someone who felt evenrger when surrounded by people stronger than him.


    Where men would have felt weak and emascted because of all the women stronger than him in his surroundings, Sol simplyughed out, happy that those he loved were more than strong enough to protect themselves.


    Their light may have outshone him, but he never cared for it but rather feed on it and grew his light.


    A light so powerful that soon they would be nothing but firefliespared to a Sun.


    Medea took Sol''s hand in hers,


    "I can be a handful sometimes you know."


    "I like how cute you are when you try to be a handful."


    "I don''t have the body necessary to wear bras you know?"


    She raised an eyebrow and Solughed, "I love them in all shapes."


    The twoughed together.


    It was a stupid discussion, dumb words being exchanged in such a solemn moment.


    But this was exactly why ¡ª none of the witches could tear their gaze away from what was happening now.


    "I may not be the best bribe."


    Her smile subsided a little as her hand passed over her stomach but Sol''s smile simply became bigger.


    "You will never be less of a woman because of this. Even if I never find a solution, it changes absolutely nothing. Medea ¡ª I love you."


    Sol continued,


    "I do not care that you are a witch. The one I love is not Medea Asmodeus, The Witch of Time. But just you, Medea. The gentle teacher who lead me on my path, the beautiful but slightly scary woman I met when I was young, the clumsy woman who loves drinking tea.


    "You are not perfect. You have your ws like everyone else and I love you despite them or even in spite of them. I love everything about you, be it your slightly disappointing body ¡ª" Heughed, " ¡ªTo the way you show your insecurities."


    "I do not know what the future has in store for us. I do not know if we will always be happy or if I will never make you cry. But what I do know is that. No matter what, even if the world was to be destroyed, my love for you will never waver. So let me ask you one more time ¡ª Medea, will you make me the happiest man in this world by epting to marry me?"


    All the witches watched with bated breath, some of them had their hands sweating, while others refused to even blink.


    The thought that this was supposed to be a day of negotiations had long since vanished from their minds and they wanted nothing more than to see the results of this proposal.


    What would she say? What did they expect her to say?


    The tension was at all times high and the world was filled with silence as they did not even dare to make the slightest sounds and break the magic of this moment.


    Medea lowered her head, her face flushed, tears streaming from her face, and a smile on her face.


    Such a mix of emotions swirling in her chest was too much but deep down ¡ª She had never felt so happy in her life.


    What would her answer be? There was never a doubt about it for even a second.


    Stretching her left hand, she muttered,


    "epting will make me the happiest woman in the world."


    "Then, let''s be happy together."


    Sol released a sigh of relief he did not know he had been holding and then, taking her finger, he put the ring on her.


    p~ p ~ p


    It was hard to say where it began.


    At first, they were hesitant, small, and almost inaudible.


    But soon, like a veritable tsunami, pping of congrattions started toe from everywhere.


    Even the witches of the council pped alongside them.


    Medea''s tears streamed even more. Tears of happiness because of this time.


    She was with a man who truly loved her and her rtionship was blessed by all her fellow witches


    What more could she ask for?

 Chapter 545 CH 505: CONGRATULATIONS!!

    ?545  CH 505: CONGRATULATIONS!!


    Higher in the sky, watching this scene with tears also streaming down her face was Ambrosia.


    Around her, Kali, Persephone, and Freya could be seen, sharing the same emotions of happiness.


    "I am happy for her."


    Freya was the first to speak and the others nodded.


    The other witches may have doubted Sol and rightfully so, but they knew that there were few people more trustworthy than him.


    "I wondered why he forced me toe here even though it wouldn''t have been necessary but damn. Didn''t think he would set this entire stage just to propose to Medea."


    Kali swiped away her tears whileughing dumbfounded. But she liked it. Even though she was an Otaku, this didn''t change that she was a girl Deep down who also imagined what it would be like to be proposed to.


    She had to say, there were very few proposals that could be more magical.


    "Though what do you think? You are also in a rtionship with him, right?"


    Kali asked Persephone, worried that her sister would be disappointed but she saw none of it. In fact, all she could see was a mischievous smile on her face.


    "My rtionship with Sol is different from that of Medea with him. Also¨C Fufufu~ I wonder what kind of mayhem will happen once all the others learn about this."


    She chuckled but Kali winced before following in herugh,


    "Well, he is the one who wanted a harem. I guess he has to be ready for the consequences."


    Everyone was truly happy and it was easy to see.


    But for Ambrosia ¡ª This proposal had apletely different meaning.


    All her life, she had always been regretful. Because she knew that while bing a witch was salvation for many, it was also a great curse.


    One that would force them to live while being despised by many and rejected by even more.


    Love was sadly not an option for the witch¡­At least this was what she had believed until now.


    ''Thank you.''


    Watching Sol propose officially to Medea, made her beyond happy, it took away weight from her shoulder, allowing her to believe that all hope was not lost and that a better future was in store.


    But ¡ª There was another reason she was grateful.


    ''It seems like, even though I lost all hope, I won my bet. What do you say?''


    [...]


    ''Will you meet him?''


    [...I am a snake of my words. Also, I always wanted to have a discussion with him. He is her favorite after all.]


    Ambrosia closed her eyes, today was indeed a beautiful day and she wished that this was the sign for even more beautiful days toe.


    Fate was filled with mystery. She could have never imagined that what she witnessed today was the result of actions from one thousand years ago.


    ''May your life be filled with happiness.''


    This was the simple prayer of a mother worried for her daughter''s future.


    .


    .


    .


    After Sol made his deration of love and proposed to Medea officially in front of all the witches, many of them apuded with joy before btedly wondering if it was even possible to continue with the negotiations.


    In the first ce, was it even necessary to continue with them?


    If Sol was to marry Medea, this would automatically make Salem and Lustburgplete allies through marriage.


    The alliance was already a foregone conclusion, the only thing that was left to negotiate would be some slightly more intricate matters between different states.


    Just as the witches started to wonder if this was nothing but a ploy, Sol stood up while hugging a blushing Medea with one arm.


    "Today is a beautiful day. For years now I have been in love with this woman and while we already confirmed our rtionship long ago, I am happy that she epted my proposal."


    He spoke out loud, causing all the witches who had been letting their minds wander to focus once again on him.


    They could already guess that the rtionship between the two went far and with how close they were, it was clear that it wasn''t some chaste rtionship.


    "As Medea''s finance and future husband, it''s my duty and responsibility to pay for a dower. All this time, I have been wondering what I could use for this. After all, shecks for nothing. But now I know."


    He looked at everyone, "Some of you may already know that I have created something that would be beneficial for all the witches. Furthermore, this creation of mine should have been used as a bargaining chip during the negotiations."


    ''He won''t¡­''


    ''Really¡­?''


    ''How my goddess!''


    The witches who were all in the know opened their eyes wide, but in the end, Sol said the words they never thought he would.


    "For those who do not know. I have found a way to make sure Witches can touch and even do more than touch their loved ones without stealing their energy and slowly killing them."


    Argemotion filled the witches,


    "This method ¡ª Will be given for free to all the witches. My only wish is to bring happiness to my future wife."


    Befana had a bitter smile on her face, she didn''t know how honest the prince was. But they had clearly all been ying on the palm of his hand.


    Now, he was more of the prince charming in the mind of all the witches present, and should the rtionship with Lustbburg break down¡­The one considered responsible would be the council and no one else.


    ¡®Truly well yed.¡¯


    Befana humbly epted her defeat and pped alongside the other witches.


    Today was a happy day. She would not be the one to pour cold water on it.


    ¡ªAnd who knows? Mayhaps the prince was truly the route to a new salvation.


    (AN: The first part of Vol 13 is near the end. Love Before War. Isn''t it beautiful? I really hope you liked the first part. I wonder if I should make this an entirely separate volume. But heh. Anyway, A few more chapters to conclude. Then things will start in earnest.)

 Chapter 546 CH 506: DEFEATED FROM THE START

    ?546  CH 506: DEFEATED FROM THE START


    With how high emotions were currently, an impromptu party was decided to be made on the spot.


    It was a party to congratte the future wedding but at the same time, though unofficial, it was a party to celebrate the future union of Lustburg and Salem.


    After all, if Salem was considered a country, Medea would be considered as more or less the crown princess.


    Marrying her made the two countries allies on every front.


    Many witches were still worried, not knowing if this moment was a step towards a brighter future or a doomed one.


    But ¡ª they had hope. A seed of hope had indeed been nted in their heart and while they knew that what would happen next would not be easy, they still hoped that things would work out for everyone.


    Thousand years of hatred and discrimination would not vanish instantly but the witches could allow themselves to outlive a few more generations until the newest generation got rid of their prejudice.


    Everywhere Befana walked, she could see the witches drinking as much as possible to get drunk,ugh and scream, while many others gushed about how handsome and charming the prince was.


    ''How long was it?''


    Befana felt moved.


    For years now, Salem slowly fell into decadence, bing a ghost city with streets always empty and witches ever working alone in their towers or exploring the Astral realm.


    The witches were unhappy and alone. Creating a vicious circle where they only isted further.


    Many witches died in this way, simply because they had no more drive to strive for more knowledge. Why wish to live longer in a world that doesn''t want you?


    ''The witches who are currently exploring will be quite surprised when theye back.''


    Befana continued to advance, ignoring the way some witches muttered on her way about her.


    They knew that she was the one who antagonized Sol the most even before this whole negotiation began.


    "So, how does it feel to be seen as the bad guy?"


    "Teacher."


    Befana looked at her side, only to see Persephone holding a stick filled with grilled meat.


    She seemed to be having the time of her life.


    Seeing Persephone smile at her with a mischievous smile, Befana took the stick that stretched towards her and started to eat as well. She did feel a little hungry.


    The meat was indeed well-cooked and tasty. She wondered briefly what was the origin. But one of the rules in this ce was to not think too much about the origin of some food.


    As long as it tasted good and wasn''t human or looking like humans it was good enough.


    ''Perhaps we should change this rule.''


    She mused as she looked at the meat with suspicion before simply shrugging her shoulders and continuing to eat.


    "Honestly, I don''t mind being seen as the bad guy."


    She looked up at the fake starry sky, "If everyone is good in a group, that group will inevitably break or be used by people without scruples. A bnce is necessary and it''s my role as the current Number One of the council to y this role."


    She looked at Persephone and smiled, "This is why the four departments exist, right?"


    Her only goal was the well of the witches and if she had to be considered bad because of it. Then so be it.


    "Furthermore, didn''t you always say that a story cannot beplete without two sides antagonistic to each other? I guess I yed my role well enough, right?"


    Persephone nodded. This was one of the reasons she didn''t act to convince Befana even though one word from her would be enough for her student to back down.


    For Sol''s plot to be perfect, they needed someone to y the bad guy. Furthermore, if the witches had simply meekly epted to follow Lustburg, there would have been many problems lurking.


    At least like this, the illusion of struggle would make them feel better.


    "You worked hard."


    Persephone patted Befana on the head and looked in the distance.


    "Though, you do not have to worry. I do not know what the future has in store for us but no matter what the result is, it will be a glorious story."


    She had seen the path the young man was walking. It was a hard path but for him, the chance of sess was so high it was ridiculous.


    "I have witnessed and participated in many interesting stories since I met him."


    Befana looked at her teacher with suspicion, "I guess some of those stories are not meant for children?".


    The smallugh of Persephone was enough to answer. Which made Befana speechless.


    In the end, she could onlyugh alongside her teacher.


    Her actions had only pushed the inevitable slightly away.


    But still, she did not regret them.


    ¡ª-


    While Befana was being consoled by her teacher, Medea was walking hand in hand with Sol, while she continued to admire the ring adorning her finger.


    Even now, she felt like she was in a dream and that everything was just her illusion.


    Though she had meddled with her body with him and given her virginity to him, deep down, Medea always had a small fear that this rtionship would never go further.


    Even though she knew that marriage was nothing more than a simple confirmation of their rtionship. It still made her so happy she thought her heart would burst.


    Watching her, Sol smiled and was about to tease her a little but he stopped when he saw Ambrosia appear in front of them.


    "How are you mother-inw?"


    He smirked. Now this name was truly well-earned.


    Ambrosia''s answer to his joke, though, was something he would have never anticipated.


    "I am happy. But are you interested in meeting your grandfather-inw?"


    The smirk on her face was truly a sight to behold.


    (AN: So, I wanted to make a smut chap. But it would only take away the pace I think. Later I will either bring it through a special chapter or a ''memory'' kinda like I did with Persephone and Setsuna with Sol.


    Two or three more chapters and this arc finally ends.)

 Chapter 547 CH 507: TALES OF THE PAST

    ?547  CH 507: TALES OF THE PAST


    Ambrosia''s smile showed a certain anticipation as she gazed at Sol and then, slowly drifting back to her daughter, to which she apologized quietly,


    ¡°I know this is an important moment for you two. Sadly, I need you to lend me your fiance for a few hours.¡±


    Medea was sad and a little reluctant but she knew her mother well enough to know that whatever she needed Sol for was more important than her jubtion at being engaged.


    She took her arm away from Sol and nodded, ¡°I understand. I will go see the council and talk a little about what we should do.¡±


    They couldn¡¯t just open Salem wide in one go and let hundreds of witches fill Lustburg. No matter how Sol wished for the good of the races, hundreds of years of segregation, racism, and the like could not so easily vanish.


    Just as Medea was about to leave, she felt her hand being caught by Sol before she was forcibly pulled in his arms.


    ¡°Sol¡ª!?¡±


    She was not able to utter more words as her lips were immediately covered by Sol. Her eyes opened wide when she felt his hot lips over her own and she instinctively tried to resist.


    But after slowly pulling back, Sol grinned at her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be ashamed. You know she has seen way worse than this, right?¡±


    It was fine if he didn¡¯t mention it, but the moment he did, both Medea and Ambrosia blushed heavily and looked away,pletely speechless.


    There was no denying that Ambrosia had observed a scene far more intimate than just a simple kiss.


    Even so¡­Medea tried to bring an argument but there was not much she could say against this.


    ¡°Pff... Don¡¯t worry. I am just teasing you.¡±


    Sol chuckled before cupping her pouting face in his hand. ¡°I wille back soon. So prepare yourself.¡±


    The way he grinned and the suggestive light in his eyes left no illusion about what he was trying to say. Medea lowered her head and covered her face with her hat before nodding a little and immediately running away like a rabbit fleeing from a predator.


    Watching her like this, it was hard for Sol to think that she was nearly a thousand times his actual age.


    ¡®I guess Age is truly just a number.¡¯


    He smirked at his joke inwardly before turning to Ambrosia. Long ck hair, a white robe, and a mature body with forms that were to die for. No matter how one looked at it. She looked like a mature version of Medea while being herplete opposite at the same time.


    Be it in terms of color scheme, maturity, or physical appearance.


    Ambrosia was truly a beautiful woman.


    ¡®Well, Medea is more beautiful in my opinion.¡¯


    ¡°You have been staring at my face for some time now. Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°Hum. Nah. I was just thinking that my fiance was indeed the most beautiful witch.¡±


    Ambrosia could onlyugh at how brazen Sol could be and she gave him a signal to follow her. As for the earlier kiss between her daughter and him, all she could feel was happiness at the sight of her daughter¡¯s happiness.


    , ¡°You remind me of Anubis. He was the only one who could actually look me in the eyes without problem.¡±


    The two aligned together and started to walk deeper toward Salem. Sol did not ask why they couldn¡¯t simply use his dimension to rush wherever she wanted them to go. It wasn¡¯t like he had many asions to actually talk with her.


    ¡°My father-inw is a true man after all.¡±


    Sol had nothing but admiration for Anubis. Be it as a fellow reincarnator or simply as a man. He had to admit that he was without a doubt worthy of being a role model.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about him being a true man, but he was certainly a daredevil who feared nothing.¡±


    Ambrosia may have many mixed memories about her time when she was still a beginner witch. But one of the best moments of her life was her adventure with Anubis and Echidna.


    ¡°Did you know? Anubis was a ve when he came to this world.¡±


    ¡®Came to this world, huh.¡¯


    It seemed like she knew that he was a reincarnator. He shrugged, intrigued by the story, ¡°I thought he was the son of the Demon King.¡±


    Ambrosia gave him a look but continued her talk. She knew what Sol was, the same with Anubis. She simply didn¡¯t really care. After all, they were born and raised in this world.


    ¡°He was the Son of the Demon King. This was why he was the ve.¡±


    She chuckled, ¡°How many wives do you think the Demon King had?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­Many I guess?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good guess. More exactly he had Seven Official wives and 500 official concubines. I say official because obviously, he had far more women. In fact, back then, the King officially dered that all the women in the world belonged to him.¡±


    The era of the Demon King was truly a dark era for the world. A time beyond even the creation of the different Kingdom. Outside of Angels who were favored, the demons did not lose to them.


    ¡°Anyways. The Demon King, Khan was the one who was the closest to truly bing the conqueror of the World in our Era. His conquest caused the death of nearly 70 million people throughout the entire world. He was a ruler without pity but at the same time, he had a natural charisma that made people follow him.¡±


    ¡°You admired him.¡±


    ¡°I did. No matter how much of a monster he was. There is no denying that he was a genius and he was strong. He was simply a King. But back then, with no systematic knowledge, he was also a pioneer of the path in the mortal World.¡±


    Ambrosia shook her head, ¡°Anubis was one of the numerous bastard Children, and all the children of Khan born like this were enved and sent to the diator arena. There they would fight and train for ten years and only a few would actually survive. You could say that this man was truly horrible, right?¡±


    Sol nodded, not knowing where Ambrosia was trying to with this,


    ¡°But do you know what is funny? When Khan started. He did not even want to conquer the world. He was simply a prince of a tribe forced to fight and he was a righteous man.¡±


    Ambrosia stopped and looked at Sol. Their gazes crossed but Sol did not turn away from scrutiny,


    ¡°Absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is something Anubis once told me and I agree with him. Power brings changes in mentality and the stronger you grow, the more you change.¡±


    ¡°Are you worried I will be a new Khan?¡±


    ¡°I am. Once you conquer the world, everything will be yours. I have no doubt that you will grow to surpass me and perhaps even Anubis. So tell me. Can you say with 100% assurance that even if you obtain all this power you won¡¯t be a man who can have his children kill each other? After all, you are as Lustful and Promiscuous as Khan if not more.¡±


    Sol grinned, ¡°I have no answer for you. I cannot read the future. Neither can you. So why not simply see for yourself what will happen?¡±


    Ambrosia sighed, ¡°I have bet four times in my life. About whether absolute power is truly corrupted absolutely. I have lost one time and won the second time, finally the third time simply ended in what I believe is a draw. The fourth bet sadly went down before I could even see the result.


    ¡°I believe betting for the fifth time will be quite exciting.¡±


    Sheughed as she made her decision. Her life had been long and filled with many disappointments but also many beautiful results.


    One of her friends bes a monster obsessed with her goal, while her second friend bes the guardian of the world even though he is seen as an enemy by everyone.


    As for her? She simply became a neutral force, watching the world from afar, neither acting positively or negatively.


    The one she had the most expectations of ended up dying before showing his full potential.


    ¡°Sol, Asmodeus wishes to talk with you. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°I am in obviously.¡±


    Sol shrugged and followed her into the house they stopped at. He knew he passed some kind of test. But he truly didn¡¯t care.


    He had long since stopped caring about what people thought about him and how everyone seemed to want to test him as if they would die if they didn¡¯t.


    Now he had a big snake to meet.

 Chapter 548 CH 508: WHEN A DRAGON MEET A SNAKE

    ?548  CH 508: WHEN A DRAGON MEET A SNAKE


    Sol was not much surprised when Ambrosia made her proposal and in fact, epted it as soon as the words left her mouth.


    ¡°Though, while I am up for meeting him I don¡¯t think Asmodeus can descend right? While one of his childrenes?¡±


    Lustburg was under the control of Luxuria so as the divine beast of Luxuria, it was possible for all children of Asmodeus toe down in the mortal world.


    ¡°No. Asmodeus wants to talk to you directly. Furthermore, his child is honestly not the best diplomat. That old man would rather sleep and do nothing.¡±


    ¡°A child? So he doesn¡¯t have four Kings like the others?¡±


    ¡°What makes you think he doesn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­?¡±


    Sol frowned and Ambrosia¡¯s eyes curved, seeing Sol acting confused was slowly bing a rarer sight so she found this quite amusing,


    ¡°How are we called?¡±


    Sol was surprised at her question. The family name Ambrosia and the other witches used was generally Asmodeus. He was about to ask what the hell she meant when he remembered the insignia that was on the door leading to Medea¡¯s world in the past.


    The snake eating its tail, ¡°Ouroboros.¡±


    Ambrosiaughed, ¡°Indeed. We are not seen as Asmodeus children for nothing. One of the reasons why witches are so powerful is precisely this case. We are humans yet we could also be considered as a form of Divine beasts.¡±


    ¡°Asmodeus was extremely limited in his ability to create children through separation, unlike the other divine beasts. In the past people wondered if it was because he was weak but as the oldest divine beast in existence you can guess it isn¡¯t the case. He simply limited himself to create the witches in the future.¡±


    Why would he want to do this? This was a question Sol did not bother to ask. Asmodeus was under the order of Luxuria. One didn¡¯t need to be a genius to see that this was some sort of her n. Most likely to create a god or to make the human race stronger.


    ¡°You should be able to guess. But witches were initially created to be the new starting point of humanity. But this is exactly why ¡ª the project was destined to fail.¡±


    This world worked on a certain bnce that was hard to destroy. The stronger something was, the harder they could procreate. Even the lustful dragon who could procreate with all races, had a hard time having powerful children.


    Humans as a race had a very low starting point. They could only awaken at the age of 15 and even then it would normally take a few more years for them to be strong. But at the same time, thanks to their ability to make contracts and learn differentws, one could say that the human race as a whole had one of the craziest potentials.


    Now¡­What would happen if Humans could learn to handle mana like other races from the very beginning? With such a starting point, their potential would be even more game-breaking.


    Ambrosia shook her head, ¡°He will exin everything to you better.¡±


    The two of them entered her house and Sol had a vision of what looked more like a chapel than anything else.


    ¡°Now, we simply have to hold hands and you will enter my mindscape and enter into contact with Asmodeus.¡±


    Sol raised an eyebrow in quiet surprise, ¡°You sure?¡±


    The mindscape was the most naked truth about an individual. This was the world that represented everything, even the most hidden truth. This was even more so for a warrior who reached or surpassed the Duke rank.


    Observing her inner world was in a way even more intimate than actually seeing her naked.


    ¡°Do not worry. I do not n to let you visit far. You will simply reach the surface level of my consciousness and this will be enough to serve as a bridge to discuss with Asmodeus.¡±


    Ambrosia added, ¡°To be honest, you are the one who should be worried. After all your mind is simply that of a Duke. You might get crushed if you meet Asmodeus in that state.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­This is a valid worry. But it isn¡¯t a problem.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Are you confident in facing the spirit of a demigod?¡±


    ¡°No. But I am confident that Asmodeus isn¡¯t stupid enough to try to humiliate me now.¡±


    There was nothing much Ambrosia could say against that.


    .


    .


    A few momentster, after Sol sat while facing Ambrosia, he took her hand in her and waited for her to act.


    "For what will happen next you need to rx. You also need to avoid harboring any hostility against me, otherwise, my subconscious will automatically consider you an enemy and attack."


    Sol nodded, "I am ready."


    Ambrosia took a deep breath and activated a magical circle below them.


    If she had to be honest. She was quite worried. After all, this would be the first time she let anyone see what was in her mind outside of Asmodeus and most likely a few goddesses who might have spied on her.


    ''I should be careful in hiding everything.''


    There were many embarrassing things she didn''t want anyone to know about her and if possible she would never let anyone know about it.


    "Let''s start."


    A second magical circle appeared above them, then a third and a fourth on either side.


    This was both a conductor and a shield. The current state they were in was too precarious and any disturbance might cause damage to their mind.


    ''Now!''


    .


    .


    .


    Sol felt himself falling deeper and deeper into a quagmire. But he kept his mind calm and focused. He already experienced such situations with his mind and as such knew what he had to do.


    [Open your mind.]


    The voice of Ambrosia reached him and finally, Sol reached out.


    Whoosh!


    When he finally opened his eyes again, he found himself in what looked to be a vast cosmos that seemed to stretch to infinity.


    This reminded him in a way of The Sea of Stars of Tiamat but at the same time, the differences were more than evident. One of them was that there were no stars in the sky. Only darkness.


    Even so, light still existed.


    "So this is the inner mind."


    This ce represented how one saw the world or how one pictured himself. For Sol, his dreamscape was an infinite Blue sky and Sea with tumultuous deep water.


    Seeing this ce gave him a deeper insight into who Ambrosia was as an individual.


    A picture started to sh in his mind, a picture of a young girl seemingly around 10 years old crying with a runny nose while holding ¡ª


    [Don''t Look!]


    This picture did notst long though as the background waspletely shifted and by the time Sol understood what was happening, he left therge cosmos and found himself in a new world.


    Whoosh!


    A frigid wind stirred, blowing away at his clothes and air.


    Chuckling, Sol raised his legs to look at a man sitting on a throne of ice.


    Sol had expected many things when he imagined Asmodeus. A giant snake ready to devour the world or a cold sovereign in the like of Tiamat.


    Someone ruthless who did not hesitate to give curses.


    But what he was seeing was¡ª


    "Yo!"


    "A wannabe hippie?"


    ¡ªHe seriously did not see thising.

 Chapter 549 CH 509: REFRESHING MEETING

    ?549  CH 509: REFRESHING MEETING


    Sol realized that his thought had been spoken out loud a little btedly but far from being angry or offended, the man who had nothing kingly but was sitting on a throne of ice with his legs crossedughed out loud.


    ¡°I do look like one, huh.¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes narrowed, he was doubly impressed and surprised. Not only because of the apparent personality of this man but also ¡ª


    ¡°You are surprised I know what a hippie is, right? Heh.¡±


    Sol nodded while giving another look at the man. Blonde hair that seemed to have been dyed, a healthy somewhat tannedplexion, a pair of shorts and sandals on his feet while wearing a pink shirt with a floral pattern.


    No matter how Sol thought about it, rather than being one of the Oldest Demigods in existence, Asmodeus simply looked like some beach boy surfer who was lost on his way and sitting on a throne that did not suit him.


    The disparity between the current picture and the image in his head was so great that for an instant, Sol wondered if he was having illusions or if the man sitting there was someone else.


    But he was able to pull himself together fast. In this world, judging someone based on what they looked like was the easiest way to get blindsided.


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    Asmodeus seemed surprised and started to p.¡±I must say, in all the years I have been alive you are one of the first to cast aside your bias so fast. Congrattions.¡±


    Asmodeusughed as he stood up and the throne vanished, ¡°Honestly that thing is so ufortable. Even in a spirit form.¡±


    He waved his hand and two reclining beach chairs appeared, ¡°Would you like to take a seat?¡±


    Asmodeus did not wait for an answer as shey down on his chair and looked up, sighing as if he was finally able to rx.


    The flow of events was quite confusing. Like whish but if there was one thing Sol was good at, it was adaptation. Shrugging he took ce next to Asmodeus and looked at the horizon.


    ¡°You know, I always wanted my Territory to be more rxing and weing, you see. More sand, less ice, more sun, and less hail. Sadly, the period I was born in was filled with wars, and the way Gabriel made her territory forced me to create a bnce.¡±


    His expression was filled with longing as he said this, ¡°All this because I lost a bet. How well, in the end, I kinda grew attached to this ce so even after the war I didn¡¯t change it. Too many memories you see.¡±


    Asmodeus continued on his own flow and while it looked like they were having a discussion, he had the impression that they were on twopletely differentnes.


    ¡°I am quite in a hurry. Is this why you called me?¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­Youngsters these days don¡¯t know how to enjoy being quiet and slow. Then again, Quiet and slow is what you will have in spades in the future so I guess it¡¯s good to be active now.¡±


    He spoke to himself, before nodding, ¡°Well, honestly I am sure you are expecting me to be angry or something about you breaking the curse. But you see. I am not. In fact, I am more than happy that you managed to do something like this.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°This world works on thew of equivalent exchange, you know. Give some pay. Well, the exchange is not always equivalent but you get the gist. Everything has a price and because of my greed, the curse is the price the witches have to pay to obtain power.¡±


    His voice was calmer now, less chirpy and happy, ¡°I fucked up big time you see. I totally admit this. Didn¡¯t expect the world tosh out so strongly when I tried creating the witches. But what was done was done and they had to pay the price for the power they obtained.¡±


    This was the simple reality.


    ¡°But I always wondered, was there anything I could do? I searched and searched, even using the power of life from Gabriel. But nothing I tried worked. It was quite frustrating, you know. But now, the power of a Duke managed to do what a few Demigods and even a goddess could not.¡±


    Asmodeus grinned at Sol, ¡°You¡­Are you really humans?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    His eyes narrowed slightly arge pressure began to fill the atmosphere but it vanished as fast as it appeared before Sol was even able to answer,


    ¡°Well. Not like it matters honestly. Whatever you are, you are about to be married to someone who is like a daughter to me or should I say, granddaughter? So I don¡¯t really care.¡±


    He ced his hand behind his hand and sighed, ¡°The reason why I called you was twofold. One to give you my thanks and two to give you a warning.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°The war you are about to wag¡­Be careful of my daughter.¡±


    Sol frowned, ¡°Which daughter?¡±


    ¡°A poor girl that would have never seen the day if not for the daring action of that dwarf friend of yours.¡±


    Everything immediately became clear in Sol¡¯s mind, allowing him to pinpoint who he was talking about,


    ¡°Nuwa?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it interesting? Why did that girl go to the battlefield and why is she staying so low? Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡±


    Asmodeus stood up, ¡°Sol Dragona Luxuria, soon the meeting between the divine beasts will happen. It will be a very important meeting that may determine new rules in this world or might be the start of a new war, a true war, unlike the child y that is about to happen in the Mortal realm.¡±


    His voice was serious and for the first time, despite his appearance, Sol could feel the aura of a truly powerful being from him.


    ¡°Grow strong. Grow fast. As you are now, you will be simply unable to have any way to sway the directions of the events.¡±


    Sol stood up, ¡°Why are you helping me?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± He grinned, ¡°Because it¡¯s fun and I like betting on sure bets.¡±


    Asmodeusughed out loud as he tapped Sol on the back before leaving.


    Coming and going like aet.


    This was his first meeting with Asmodeus the Divine beast of Lust.

 Chapter 550 CH 510: REFUSE AND DIE

    ?550  CH 510: REFUSE AND DIE


    After Sol vanished from the connection, Asmodeus looked up to the wide sky of his own mind.


    This world was created based on his own territory, an infinitendscape of ice and snow.


    ¡°Things are gettingplicated.¡±


    Asmodeus had been born since the dawn of this new existence, he was the oldest living Demigod and he was very close to Luxuria. This was why he knew many secrets and understood many things.


    Something big was about to happen. It might be now, in a few years or even a few hundred years but soon, the order would be changed.


    ¡®More and more powerhouses are appearing.¡¯


    He scratched his head. When the impossible became the new normal, it means that things were changing. The concentration of Mana in the Mortal world had been growing ever so slowly.


    Showing that the universe was mending after the great cataclysm that happened even before he was born.


    The goddesses of Chaos and Order were still sleeping but they were showing signs of stirring.


    Some of the goddesses were afraid. Afraid of what this new iing era would mean for them, her mistress was joyful. Because this would open the path for a new god to be born.


    Asmodeus though wasn¡¯t worried. In the new era, three people stood the highest chance of bing gods.


    Tiamat, Sol and Anubis.


    None of them were his enemy and one was even his son-inw in a way. In fact, thanks to Sol, whoever between them became a god wouldn¡¯t matter since he would be linked to them indirectly through Sol.


    ¡°Hum~Hum~Hum~!¡±


    Humming Quietly Asmodeus vanished from the ce. Being able to rx in this time of turmoil was truly a great blessing.


    .


    .


    .


    When Sol left Asmodeus, he appeared once again in the huge cosmos of Ambrosia¡¯s mindscape.


    Watching this was an ever wonder and for an instant, he wondered if he could snoop a little bit deeper. The only thing that stopped him in the end was that this connection was actually two ways street.


    The deeper he searched in her, the more she would be able to see in him.


    ¡°You finished.¡±


    Ambrosia appeared in front of him, causing him to raise an eyebrow. He was quite surprised by her actual form.


    ¡°You look¡­Quite small.¡±


    The mindscape was the most inner part of an individual and this ce also represented how one saw himself inwardly.


    The fact that, rather than a mature woman, the current form of Ambrosia was a small child was very telling.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Ambrosia looked down at herself before giving a bitter smile. ¡°As for you, your image seems very grounded.¡±


    Ambrosia remarked. For most Hybrids, they generally saw themselves as one of the others or simply an inferior version. Beyond this, People generally had a great inner vision that differed from their appearance, be it positively or negatively.


    Sol¡¯s thought, looked exactly how his hybrid form looked outside. There was no embellishment outside of a crown on his head.


    ¡°I have epted what I am long ago.¡±


    He moved his hands a little, ¡°Thanks for bringing this meeting. I didn¡¯t get much but at least I have a better understanding of Asmodeus. He is very different from what Medea taught me.¡±


    ¡°This is not her fault. For many of the witches, the curses are more of Asmodeus''s doing and I understand them, I myself thought the same for a very long time. It doesn¡¯t help that Asmodeus actually doesn¡¯t try to exin himself.¡±


    ¡°Why? For Pride?¡±


    ¡°No. For love.¡±


    Ambrosia gave a soft smile, ¡°Because he loves his daughters. Because he doesn¡¯t want them to wallow about something they can do nothing against, he gave them a clear target to hate rather than something as abstract as the Bnce of the world.¡±


    She sighed, ¡°Every story needs a bad guy. He decided to take that role.¡±


    There was not much Sol could say to this. Only that his respect for Asmodeus increased more.


    ¡°I guess I am lucky to have many admirable fathers-inw.¡±


    He chuckled, ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s time for me to leave.¡±


    Ambrosia heard him and knew that he was not just talking about leaving her mindscape.


    ¡°Are you going to start the war now?¡±


    ¡°We have been preparing for long enough. I also need to see how strong my army actually is.¡±


    ¡°So this is the start of your world conquest?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I do not know how long this will take. Perhaps a few months? Or a few years? Either way, there is only one way all of this will end ¡ª My victory.¡±


    Ambrosia had nothing much more to say, in the end, she would simply follow him and witness what would happen with her own eyes.


    ¡ª-


    Everything that followed after this showed that Sol was not one to lose his time when he didn¡¯t need to.


    Immediately aftering out of Ambrosia¡¯s mindscape and having a beautiful night with Medea that he would remember fondly, Sol left Salem and reunited all the highest nobles at a table the next day.


    Not only the Dukes but even the nobles below.


    He announced unterally his decision to ept the witches and form new alliances. Many of the nobles shivered. They realized that with these steps, Sol wouldn¡¯t just be a king, he would be an absolute tyrant with all the power necessary and no way for them to reject his orders.


    A few of them tried, bringing up the fact that Allying with the witches now and revealing the darkness of the royal family would only bring trouble and distrust from the poption.


    Some even threatened that they would not participate in the war if such things happened. The witches were enemies and they could not be believed.


    To all this, Sol only had one answer. Heughed.


    ¡°I encourage you to rebel. I promised some noble title to the witches. I believe cleaning up some old noble house will be helpful.¡±


    They were dismayed at his words. But this wasn¡¯t the end.


    ¡°We are in a time of war.¡±


    His voice was calm and the nobles could only gulp at the terror they were feeling from a boy who was barely an adult.


    ¡°All nobles are considered as soldiers. Do you know what happens to deserters?¡±


    His smile was oh-so chilling and so beautiful.


    ¡°I am done ying nice.¡±


    Sol made it clear. His words werews.


    Refusal to obey simply meant death,

 Chapter 551 CH 511: L TRUST THEM

    ?551  CH 511: I TRUST THEM


    ¡°Your Majesty, you have been as magnificent as always.¡±


    As always, ra sucked up to him like he was theing of god on earth with her eyes shining like jewels.


    The meeting today had been very tense as it was the first time Sol had clearly and so openly acted against them.


    Until now, he had only given subtle threats and warnings of possible punishment. But now he had clearly taken out the big gun.


    Sol was not joking around. He was on the eve of creating a new world and for that, he needed to have people he could believe take the mantle.


    This was also why this war could not be fought with him alone. Until the day he became a demigod, Sol would have a very limited reach about what he could do alone.


    Even his desire to take over the mortal world was only a theory. He needed more information from Anubis in order to make a proper n.


    All in all, he neededpetent people who would take control of the different ces he conquered.


    ¡°Many of the nobles are useless. Furthermore, they are too weak. Having witches take more power will be useful.¡±


    Obviously, not all the witches were worthy of his trust either. But he was sure Ambrosia could select a group of very efficient witches who would get the job done and not disappoint him.


    ¡°How is the situation with the MECHA?¡±


    ¡°Thanks to the duchess, the efficiency of Miss Theresa increased tremendously. We currently have around 25plete armor, Miss Kali decided to name it MKA Ve 1.0 or simply MK 1.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess. Magical Knight Armor.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. She said and I quote, ¡®It sounds cool.¡¯¡±


    ¡®It does sound cool.¡¯


    Sol cleared his throat a little. He knew that some of his tastes could be a little childish but he didn¡¯t care. He has always been a child at heart.


    ¡°Very well. Did you choose the knight that will have the honor of being the first Magic Knight?¡±


    She nodded and gave him a list. ¡°In order to experiment on the efficacy we also selected a few Beastkins and dwarves from the army but the main ones are humans.¡±


    This was a slight form of discrimination in the way she phrased this but Sol simply shrugged,


    ¡°The armor has been mainly created for humans to surpass their frail body but I guess in the hands of over races, the result would be even better.¡±


    10 times 10 and 10 times 100 were obviously different situations. If this worked, the armor would be even stronger when used by entities like Werebeast.


    ¡°I guess other countries are going to be crazy about this technology.¡±


    This might be quite fun to see them search for how to obtain it.


    ¡°Make sure the dwarves don¡¯t manage to have any legal im. In this matter.¡±


    The dungeons belonged to the previous Dwarf King, but it was also in thend of Lustburg. This made for a very interesting situation.


    If this was in his previous world, such a situation would give birth to a very problematicwsuit that would most likelyst for years.


    Here? He simply needed to have the biggest fist. The only problem was that Lustbug was too dependent on Greed Dike when it came to weapons and other such craftsmanship.


    ¡®Something to think aboutter.¡¯


    ¡°By the way, I do not see Milia nor Setsuna and Lilin anywhere. What is happening?¡±


    He had been quite surprised about the absence of those three. After all, war was finally decided and the hostility would truly begin. He had to start the deployment and organize a meeting with Athena and Ares.


    ¡®I wanted to be friends with Ares.¡¯


    Sadly, things were a littleplicated now.


    Sol mused for a while before finding something strange. Usually, when he asked something, ra would always answer promptly. But he had yet to hear an answer to his earlier question.


    ¡°ra?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ *Ahem*¡±


    ra coughed a little before finally answering, ¡°Alldies should be currently in the church of Castitas.¡±


    ¡°Hum. Why is it so?¡±


    ra gave him a weird look as she held her documents against her chest,


    ¡°It seems like. Thedies wish to congratte Miss Medea for bing your fiance.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± It took a moment for it to click in his mind. But finally, ¡°Ohhhh¡­¡±


    He was speechless.


    He had been so busy while organizing the matter about the iing war directly after his return that he had forgotten a very very important matter.


    ¡®She will be alright, right?¡¯


    Sol was a little worried. He was self-aware enough to know that the women around were¡­Let¡¯s say a little dangerous and quirky.


    ¡®Should I go take a look?¡¯


    Obviously, there was no way anything would happen to Medea. She was a King rank and had her sisters with her. But was it exactly because of this? Sol realized that the fact he thought nothing would happen to her only because she was strong was a problem in itself.


    Though I have nothing to reproach myself.


    While Milia was the first woman he had a physical rtionship with, Medea was the first woman he openly dered his love to and she had always been his first love.


    This was something he had never hidden from any of them as he always thought honesty was one of the best ways to have a healthy harem and avoid problems.


    ¡®Very well.¡¯


    Sol nodded, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s continue. I wish to start the hostility in earnest tomorrow. The garrison in the frontier should be ready. Also, prepare the Nightmare horses and Wyvern.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ra seemed quite confused by the way he acted, ¡°Your Highness. Are you not worried?¡±


    Sol stopped for a moment. Thinking deeply about it, weighing everything before finally answering.


    ¡°For an instant I was. But now I am not.¡±


    She became curious. ra knew that this Tower was filled with crazy women who had a few screws loose. Why was he not worried?


    ¡°Why? Simply because I know they will never do anything intentionally to hurt me.¡±


    He trusted them. That was all.


    Still, he hoped nothing big would happen.

 Chapter 552 CH 512: CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT?(1)

    ?552  CH 512: CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT? (1)


    [Castitas Church]


    The church, unlike usual was not filled with the sound of prayer of the fervent believers but rather the sound of equipment being polished and the training.


    The war that was about to happen did not just concern the royal family. The duty of the church in times of war, whatever the country, was to prepare on-


    field healers.


    Many might find this scandalous, thinking that the nun knew nothing of fighting. But they wouldn¡¯t be more wrong.


    While not all nuns were trained for war obviously, they all received basic training to know how to operate.


    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡±


    Currently, Aura was standing in the podium of arge training space while overlooking the strained face of a pdin and nun standing in a team of two or four.


    One nun always had to be apanied by at least one Pdin when in war and ideally by a full team of four. This was the ideal formation to ensure the safety of the nuns while they healed the wounds in the field.


    ¡°Your holiness, I believe their training isplete. It will be hard to do more than this without experience.¡±


    Aura gazed quietly at the young man in shining armor talking to her. He was a rather handsome young man all things considered. Most likely in his twenties and the aura of a Duke was emanating from him quietly.


    ¡°White Knight.¡±


    Aurora greeted him quietly. In the church, the white Knight was the dedicated guardian of the Supreme and Holy daughter. The current white knight was also a very talented man. At least when it came to human standards. He had made a contract with a powerful ice spirit who controlled ice and had even managed to be a Duke.


    Aurora, though was wholly unimpressed. The simple fact that a Duke rank was chosen as his guardian was something she foundughable and ridiculous. But she was Dawn no more. She had yet to recuperate her power and as she was, even a weak Duke would prove to be a hard opponent.


    ¡®How far I have fallen.¡¯


    She sighed quietly before smiling again, ¡°Very well. The Crown has given his order. We need to start marching. Warn the nuns and Pdins in the other Denomination. They have been allowed to do as they pleased until now. But times have changed.¡±


    Her voice was calm as she gave her order, which allowed her to think about the prince,


    ¡®What the hell was I thinking?¡¯


    Just remembering how she asked him to pat her head andpliment her like she was a baby inck of attention made her wish she could crawl into a hole and hide for the rest of her life.


    ¡®Sigh¡­Then again, thinking about it, he is also a Duke, right?¡¯


    Aurora mused quietly as she started to walk away. She refused to believe even one instant that Sol was an ordinary Duke. Even for a hybrid, the power he disyed made absolutely no sense in the frame she understood.


    ¡®I guess his origin doesn¡¯t lie? Though I wonder if I am the only one who noticed.¡¯


    This was not an impossibility. She was sure that she wasn¡¯t the only one who had survived the ughter of her father.


    Gods were immortals. Even should they be killed, as long as their concepts existed, they would slowlye back to life. This was an eternal immutablew.


    At least this was what they all thought until that day ¡ª The power of the End. The power to truly extinguish the existence of a god.


    ¡ªThat power was iplete. She realized this instinctively even as her head was leaving her body under the de of her beloved father.


    What she found weird was why her stupid sisters were watching him grow without doing anything.


    It seemed like outside of Invidia, none of them were in a really bad rtionship with him and even Invidia attacked him for stupid cowardly reasons rather than anything else.


    ¡®Well¡­I guess being a little stupid and weak is what made them survive until everything was resolved.¡¯


    While all the gods and goddesses back then were pretty individualist, the fourteen were always huddled together.


    The weakest alone. But when acting together, they could suddenly reach even the might of Ymir. After all, though they were goddesses of primordial emotions like the Seven Sins and Virtues, it was important to remember that even gods felt emotions.


    ¡°Your holiness?¡±


    Aurora smiled as she looked at the one who addressed her, it was a young nun. From her attire, Aurora judged that she was just an apprentice.


    ¡°What is the matter?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I apologize for distur¡­bing you. But. I can..Cannot allow you to proceed further.¡±


    The way she spoke while stuttering and showing obvious fear and embarrassment was quite funny. Aurora had the impression she was watching a small squirrel.


    ¡®Mortal are always funny.¡¯


    ¡°My. I need to have a meeting with the Supreme Daughter about the war Preparation. Could you exin to me what is happening there?¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­¡±


    The girl trembled a little as if she was hesitating between different sets of orders. ¡°The Supreme daughter is¡­She is having a meeting¡­Wi-With many women.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Aurora tilted her head, feeling suddenly curious.


    She looked at the door of the conference room and wondered for an instant if she should use her power.


    Since she had stolen the power of [Night], she also had authority over [Secret]. This was one of the reasons why her stupid sisters had still not noticed her existence nor managed to obtain any proof of Sol¡¯s sphemous action when he healed Lilith.


    Right now, she could feel the power of the secret she used to cover Lillith on the other side.


    ¡®Should I take a look?¡¯


    Aurora wondered profoundly. It wouldn¡¯t be impossible for her to enter this ce without being noticed at all. Whether they were kings or demigods did not matter.


    The only one who could find her when she hid her presence was Sol.


    ¡®I am just going to take a peek.¡¯


    Whatever was happening there couldn''t be too bad, right?


    (AN: Guys, soon is our anniversary. On the 1st September SHK will be officially 3 years old. This will also sound like the 1 year anniversary since I signed a contract with WN. Thanks for all the support guys. I really hope to see you in September as well.)

 Chapter 553 CH 513: OBSESSION

    ?553  CH 513: OBSESSION


    The atmosphere within the conference room carried an undeniable tension, reminiscent of charged air before a storm. However, concurrently, this tension wasn''t as overwhelming as one might have initially envisioned.


    "Before we embark on our discussion, there are two preliminary matters I''d like to address," Milia''s voice resonated authoritatively as she gestured towards one of the participants who was seated with the others.


    "First and foremost, let us extend a hearty wee to a new participant amidst us: Isis Crow. She stands as Sol''s first contract, though this information is already well-known among us."


    "Hi!" The room brightened with Isis''s enthusiastic greeting. She rose from her seat, her radiant smile epassing everyone in the room. Yet, her unbridled joy and candid demeanor seemed to momentarily bewilder the other attendees, leaving them uncertain about how to respond.


    "As these meetings endeavor to foster harmony among us," Milia''s gaze traversed the room, capturing every individual''s attention, "I trust that Isis will be met with the warmth and inclusivity she rightfully deserves."


    Nods of agreement resonated among the attendees, signifying their collective understanding that Isis held a unique and indispensable role among them.


    "I apologize, but could you kindly jog my memory as to the reason for my presence here?" Chloe''s hand hesitantly ascended, only to retreat when her inquiry went unanswered by the others.


    A light chuckle escaped Milia''s lips. Given her lord''s grand ambition to conquer the world, engaging with the Angels was an inevitable and strategic move. In this context, relinquishing Chloe, who was presented like a precious gift, was simply out of the question. Chloe, being the Holy Daughter of Slothein, held a value that was immeasurable.


    Even though Chloe''s current sentiments towards Sol might not have shifted towards romantic inclinations, Milia was confident in her beloved''s prowess. When he set his sights on a goal, there was scarcely any possibility of escape, especially for a young woman like Chloe.


    "*Ahem*, now," Milia''s attention shifted from Chloe to Miss Medea, her tone and demeanor taking on a more formal stance. "Before we immerse ourselves in the core of our discussions, on behalf of each of us, I wish to extend my heartfelt congrattions to you, Miss Medea, on officially bing Sol''s first fianc¨¦e."


    Rising gracefully from her seat, Milia turned her gaze towards the round tables encircling the room, where a gathering of formidable women had assembled. Her apuse, though subdued, was apanied by others in the room, although a few expressions betrayed an underlying dissatisfaction. Nheless, no overt resentment marred anyone''s features. Isis, true to her nature, pped with boundless enthusiasm, her radiant grin harmonizing with the overall atmosphere.


    The subdued response to this revtion was rooted in the fact that most of the attendees had anticipated this development, more or less.


    Sol had never been secretive about his feelings for Medea, and all those gathered were well aware that she had been the recipient of his first confession.


    Rather than being caught off guard by the news, their sentiments were more akin to thinking, "Ah, I foresaw this oue¡ªwell, no surprises there."


    Thisposed response was also influenced by the fact that not all the women in attendance harbored the same aspirations for their rtionship with Sol. For Isis, her contract exceeded the bounds of any conventional connection. The bond she shared with Sol extended to the core of their very souls, a pact that transcended even the boundaries of death.


    Setsuna and Lilin had no reason to feel slighted either. Though their contracts were less potent than Isis''s, their feelings of security remained intact.


    Milia herself had never entertained the thought of marrying Sol. To her, he was her lord, and she was his dedicated servant. The notion of marriage held little relevance in her life.


    Persephone, too, could rte to Milia''s viewpoint. Despite her fondness for Sol, she recognized that their rtionship would remain constant, unaffected by external developments.


    Lilith maintained a detached perspective, observing the unfolding events from an outsider''s stance. Her primary focus was on defining the scope of the Territory she intended to establish. While her current connection with Sol bore shades of ambiguity, she deferred further contemtion for another time.


    As for Chloe, despite her immersion in these meetings that deviated from her usual routine, she regarded Sol as a peer, a friend, and a figure deserving of her admiration. Her perceptions were confined to these dimensions.


    Pandora, present with an air of reluctance, offered a faint, reserved smile. Ultimately, it was Camelia who harbored the most pronounced discontent.


    pping for Medea, Camelia''s smile bore a trace of bitterness. Despite sharing a heartfelt conversation with Sol, he had distanced himself since their return.


    As joy permeated the atmosphere, Camelia couldn''t help but feel a pang of envy, a petty sentiment she despised.


    ¡®How unseemly,'' she inwardly chided herself, releasing a subdued sigh before addressing the crux of the matter. "So, could you provide rity on the purpose behind summoning this assembly?"


    Eager to get to the heart of the matter, Camelia''s words resonated with the desire for swift resolution. The discourse thus far had only exacerbated her difort, intensifying the negative emotions she abhorred.


    The implications of these unsightly emotions weighed heavily on her heart.


    Observing Camelia''s demeanor, Milia affirmed her intention to alert her Highness about this situation.


    "Very well. Allow me to elucidate. I convened this assembly due to a noteworthy observation and in response to a request made by Lilin."


    Lilin took this opportunity to stand, signaling her readiness to speak. "I find myself at a loss to articte this precisely, but I sense a transformation in Sol. He..."


    Pausing momentarily, Lilin''s gaze shifted, seeking the right words to convey her sentiments. As she continued, her fellow attendees maintained a respectful silence, each empathizing with her struggles.


    "While his core essence remains unchanged, I detect an enhanced self-


    assuredness within him. Yet, it appears that this newfound confidence is apanied by a degree of doubt regarding our capabilities. In essence, it feels as if he views us as delicate infants in need of constant vignce and guidance."


    Lilin''s voice tapered off, and she cast her gaze downward, the weight of her thoughts evident in her demeanor. "In times past, Sol ced unwavering trust in our capabilities. He confronted danger head-on, believing in our capacity to ovee it. But now¡­"


    A sigh escaped her lips, bearing traces of resignation. "Presently, it appears as though he is shouldering the burden alone, navigating the path with an intensity that hints at an all-consuming obsession."


    As Lilin concluded, a hushed silence settled over the room, each attendee reflecting upon her words, their thoughts weaving a tapestry of contemtion and concern.


    (AN: This chapter and the next one were edited by Chat GPT, I asked it to give more ir to the words and discussion. I don¡¯t know, it feels like different people than my characters are actually speaking haha. But I must admit that the edit feels pretty good and definitely has some style that suits the oldish medieval. I don¡¯t know what you think. This is the third chapter GPT edited. GPT became even better recently and if it proves to be good enough I might subscribe to Version 4 for better assistance and editing.)

 Chapter 554 CH 514: SIMPLICITY

    ?554  CH 514: SIMPLICITY


    Milia''s countenance remained stern. She harbored a reluctance to speak unfavorably about Sol, and the act of talking behind his back was something she despised. Nevertheless, her deep feelings for him didn''t blind her to the existing issues concerning her cherished lord.


    The ongoing war served as a prime example of Sol''s all-consuming nature. Presently, Milia''s conviction was that Wratharis'' chances of victory had been virtually nonexistent for several months.


    With a concealed alliance alongside the Church of Wratharis, coupled with their possession of substantial power, the scales tipped in their favor. While humans were generally less potent, the utilization of Nightmare Horses and wyverns mitigated their vulnerability.


    However, Sol''s ambitions surpassed these advantages.


    He continued amassing forces as if striving to achieve an untouchable moment where the specter of defeat held no sway.


    This determination wasmendable, yet equally perilous. They were mortals, not deities. Control over all variables wasn''t within their grasp.


    "What solution do you propose?" Milia was asked.


    Her expression soured slightly, and she began, "In my personal opinion, the wisest course of action would be to converse with him openly about our concerns. But..."


    Her words were left hanging, met with simr grimaces from the others. "He would likely assert that all is well and we needn''t worry," they anticipated.


    "Should I suggest that we''re reaping what we''ve sown in terms of karma?" Camelia inquired, her wordsced with irony. Milia and the rest found themselves speechless, Camelia''s observation resonating ufortably.


    "He would im we''re mirroring the treatment he received," Lilith added. She knew firsthand how they''d treated Sol¡ªshielding him when he was feeble, keeping him in the shadows, driven by the desire to spare him the truth.


    Each of them harbored secrets from Sol, citing their actions as protective measures, yet manipting him while shrouded in good intentions.


    "Is it possible he''s merely treating us as we treated him?"


    "But we possess strength; some of us are even more formidable than he is. Shouldn''t he have faith in us?"


    "Hmm..."


    Isis hesitated before raising her hand, a small flinch apanying the collective gaze fixed upon her.


    "Ahem, pardon my interruption, but I believe Iprehend the quandary."


    "Oh?"


    Camelia was poised to retort, sensing an implication that Isis had unraveled Sol''s essence better than the rest, despite their limited interaction. She refrained from responding, however, and opted to listen.


    "Could you borate?" Camelia inquired.


    Isis cleared her throat, then proceeded, "Allow me to be candid. Undoubtedly, you all possess considerable strength. The witches among you rival any of the four divine beast generals. As for you two," she pointed to Pandora and Camelia, "while you might be marginally less potent, being Blessed grants you an inherent advantage."


    She gestured to the Dukes, her tone growing serious. "Speaking of Dukes, your might is astounding. However, in the Astral realm, Kings are potent but not rare. Dukes, generally speaking, are expendable unless possessing unique attributes, like Sol."


    A sigh escaped her lips, regretcing her words. "Sooner orter, Sol will confront Nihil due to the destiny he''s set in motion for her. At least, that''s what he''s imed. But when the timees, it won''t be you he confronts her with. Your value will diminish substantially once you enter the Astral realm."


    Hostility welled up, but Isis persisted, unafraid to convey the truth.


    "Your strength is modest, not meager. That said, you''re not overwhelmingly robust either. The battle against Wratharis merely serves as an introduction, and I suspect even the angels will eventually fall under Sol''s sway. But that isn''t enough."


    She recollected the final battle involving Sol, her father, and Tiamat, a confrontation so dazzling it underscored her own feebleness.


    Sol had been the central force in that encounter, but he''d relinquished that potency.


    "It appears Sol was greatly affected by that ordeal. He recognized the need to amplify his strength concurrently. He realized the vulnerability of the mortal realm."


    Isis was aware of beings like Ambrosia and Anubis, hailing from the mortal realm. Yet, her focus shifted.


    "Above all, I believe he yearns for the taste of power."


    "Power?"


    "Ah..."


    A few disyed curiosity, but Lilith swiftly grasped Isis'' point. She, too, had endured a simr situation.


    "I understand. We''ve been painfully blind."


    "Lilith, what do you mean?"


    Camelia posed the question, prompting Lilith to scratch her head. She simplified her response, "To put it inly, there''s a distinction between feeling weak and feeling weaker."


    She clenched her fist. "I was withering away, and the chasm between my capabilities then and when I was at my prime pained me. Still, I was a King, rtively speaking."


    Her gaze dropped, realization dawning. She hadn''t recognized Sol''s plight.


    "Sol tasted the supremacy of a Demigod¡ªno, something greater. ording to Isis, he wielded strength to toy with two formidable Demigods. He utilized that power to rewrite my destiny entirely, even¡­"


    She halted, guarding certain truths. The presence of the goddesses was uncertain.


    "However, he reverted to the stature of a Duke afterward."


    Understanding washed over the group. Climbing from poverty to affluence was one experience, but plummeting from grandeur to obscurity was another.


    The gap between a Demigod and a Duke was immeasurable.


    "So, what''s our course of action?"


    They exchanged nces, knowing this conversation was far from over. How they decided to act now would change many things in the future,


    ¡°I mean¡­Does it even need all this secrecy?¡±


    Isis seemed genuinely confused, ¡°Sol will be a Demigod fast enough. Perhaps he didn¡¯t notice why he was in a hurry yet. So we simply have to exin it to him and believe in him to work on his problems, right?¡±


    Isis stopped speaking when she realized that everyone was staring at her, she fidgeted a little, wondering if she made a mistake in her choice of words.


    In the end, only the bitterugh of Camelia leaked, ¡°I guess¡­We are all too used to taking a uselesslyplicated approach.¡±


    Sometimes, the simplest way was the best.


    They learned this once again today.

 Chapter 555 CH 515: EVE OF THE WAR

    ?555  CH 515: EVE OF THE WAR


    The discussion between the women continued without much problem from here on. They still talked about Sol, but the topic slowly shifted to what would happen in the war and what they had to do for it.


    ¡°The moment Sun Wukong appears I will attack.¡±


    Lilith spoke quietly, her eyes shining with great force and will to battle. This was something she had wished for very long. Her intuition was telling her that Sun Wukong would be one of the greatest enemies they would face in this battle.


    ¡°What about the Wolf King?¡±


    ¡°Sol told me the four of us would fight against him if necessary.¡±


    Setsuna spoke as she looked at Lilin and Isis.


    This was the greatest advantage of humans who had enough capacity. A one vs. one fight could easily be one vs. many.


    ¡°Four Duke against a King. Honestly, if this was anyone else, I would have been hesitant but with you guys, it shouldn¡¯t be impossible.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t only be four. I think Sol should also add Nuwa to the mix.¡±


    Lilin added. She still remembered her fight alongside Nuwa when they faced Acht. This had been a hard fight but one of the reasons Lilin didn¡¯t die back then was entirely because Nuwa acted as her shield.


    ¡°From what Mother told us, Nuwa is the child of Amsodeus and Echidna. Honestly speaking, I think in terms of Pedigree, only Isis and Sol match her, and even then...¡±


    This was true. Sol and Isis were the children of a Demigod and a King. Nuwa meanwhile was the child of two Demigods and not any demigods. Asmodeus, the oldest Divine beast, and Echidna who was one of the first three Mortals to reach the divine.


    ¡°I have the same opinion. I have trained that child before she left for the battlefield and I must say; she has a monstrous power. I don¡¯t know about her attack power, but in terms of defense, I doubt there is actually anyone who can match her. Even Sol if I do not take into ount his Dimension.¡±


    Milia spoke with full confidence and the other nodded.


    ¡°Very well. So The five of you against Lupus.¡±


    Camelia mused, ¡°I cannot move from my position as I must assure the defense but, I will send Aurora. I believe she will be of great assistance.¡±


    Milia smiled, ¡°As for the Supreme Daughter of Wratharis, she is already on our side. Obviously, we must avoid having her get the stigma of a traitor. But with Setsuna on our side, things are different.¡±


    What they wanted wasn¡¯t just to win. This was a conquest. The most difficult thing during a conquest wasn¡¯t winning, it was keeping the losing poption in check and making sure they didn¡¯t rebel.


    Wratharis may not be asrge as Lustburg but it was still extremely wide,


    ¡°The greatest problem for our soldiers will be maritime warfare.¡±


    Wratharis wasposed of arge mass ofnd and many small surrounding inds as well as the Sea on their backs. The sea was their home ground and as strong as the army was, it would be hard to win against them on the water.


    ¡°We have the superiority in the air with the wyverns. So it will do.¡±


    Everyone looked at each other, nodding quietly.


    This war was basically in their hand, the only thing they had to worry about was time,


    ¡°How long do you think the war willst?¡±


    ¡°Three months? Perhaps four. Everything will depend on how Sol decides to act as we advance.¡±


    One of the greatest problems when attacking a country was the fear of the Supreme Daughter activating the Holy territory or using a goddess descent.


    But once again ¡ª They didn¡¯t have to worry about this.


    ¡°Truly, working with an insider is truly a different feeling.¡±


    .


    .


    .


    As Aurora walked out, her eyes were shining as she gazed in the direction of the Tower. Her power over Night made her the best assassin in existence and she had been able to listen without a problem to the discussion and she was d she did.


    Remembering the discussion about what Sol did in the Astral made her sure, more than anything about her conviction.


    Before she had certain doubts. But now. Now she was one hundred percent sure. Her Father was not dead.


    Aurora clenched her fist, the color of her eyes switching briefly between Gold and Blue,


    ¡®It¡¯s different from me.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t know how. But while Sol obviously had the Soul of her father, he was different.


    This should have been impossible. The ego called Sol should have beenpletely buried by the Ego of her father. The weight of time between those two individuals was simply too different.


    This was the same for her.


    ¡®This means there was something missing.¡¯


    Aurora took a deep breath and exhaled, her expression going back to normal and her emotions settling.


    Sol was not Adam. Or at the very least ¡ª Not yet.


    She had two choices. Either kill him now or wait.


    In the end, she started to walk away. Before driving a de in his heart, she wanted to ask this at least once


    ¡ªJust why?


    ¡®I will wait until Father awakens.¡¯


    She knew deep down that this was most likely nothing but a lie she was telling herself. A desire to escape from reality and a fear of losing everything once again. She also knew that if her Father went on another murder spree, she would be the sole responsible.


    But, she buried those voices deep down. She had awakened and was given a second chance at life. She would do her very best to enjoy it as much as possible.


    Even if it means being a little selfish.


    .


    .


    .


    Floating alone, in the sky, Sol was gazing at the moon with an empty expression. Recently, his sleep has been disturbed by weird dreams that he had a hard time remembering.


    But Sol was not worried about those. Something was telling him that he just had to wait. The moment he became a King, everything would be revealed and he would have all the answers he wished.


    Breathing quietly, Sol stretched his hand as if he wished to grasp the moon itself in his hand.


    The time was approaching, the moment he had been preparing so much for, cing n after n.


    He would not let something like what happened during the attack on Lustburg repeat. There was no ce for any mistakes of any kind.


    He would win.


    Without a doubt.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to fight.¡±


    Many people were going to die for his ambition. But he would not stop walking because of this.


    He would support the weight of those sins with his head held high and his gait proud.


    After all ¡ª- He was a selfish Prince.


    (AN: Thest chapter of the VOL 13 Part 1. Part 2 starts on Monday. Tomorrow there will be a Special Chapter. Once again, I am getting very stressed. Vol 5 and Vol 9 were hard to write. Now here with vol 13. I hope all of you guys will be with me. I honestly just wanna take a week''s break to think and prepare for the Plot iing. But It will be hard to do so. Anyways Part 1 was good I think, showing many important moments. Hope you liked it.)

 Chapter 556 CH 516: THE OTHER SIDE

    ?556  CH 516: THE OTHER SIDE


    [Wratharis Republic; High Assembly]


    As its name stated, Wratharis, more than the Monolithic Kingdom, was an allianceposed of many races all under the name of Beastmen. Arge total of 193 races


    Out of all the ns of beastmen, four great ns stood above everything.


    The Oni, The Stone Monkey, the Kitsune, and the Blue Wolf. The leaders of those four races formed the security council of the high assembly, with the Wolf and Kitsune holding permanent seats, while the two other seats could be taken if the leader lost to another one.


    The ruling systems and the power and right of speaking, while hidden under the guise of a democracy, were more of a meritocracy where the best and strongest races stood at the top while the weakest ones at the bottom could only listen.


    Even so, there was no problem in this system and the Beastmen never tried to rebel against it. After all, this was their very nature.


    Might made Right.


    The simplest truth that one could not go against no matter how civilized they tried to appear. The brutal blood in their body would never ept being ruled by someone weaker than themselves.


    .


    .


    .


    In therge amphitheater that served as the ce of assembly, sitting at the summit where the leader of the four strongest ns in Wratharis.


    Shuten Doji, the current Leader of the Oni n. The Oni had once been nothing more than immigrants from Invidia around 50 or so years ago but thanks to the business acumen of Shuten Doji, and the prowess of her race, they managed to establish themselves and surpass everyone else.


    Shuten Doji was a short woman, not unlike a child, though her outrageous clothes would beg to show a different tale. After all, her long open kimono aside, all she was wearing was something akin to a swimsuit. Her pale skin was so white it seemed she was devoid of blood. Her short purple hair was adorned with silver and golden jewels and two long horns protruded out of her forehead.


    As always, Shuten had nothing but a slovenly appearance when out in public but only those who had once been burned by her understood how dangerous she was.


    Even so, without a shadow of a doubt, out of the four Leaders, she was the weakest. The other three were much more dangerous.


    Sitting next to her was a man of average height with a rather athletic build wearing a ck cloak. His ck spiked hair aside, what caught his attention was the golden headband around his head what looked like a white tiger skin around his waist, and finally, a long ck tail swishing behind him.


    He was Sun Wukong, undoubtedly recognized as the strongest existence of Wratharis. The Uncrowned King. A man who, if thew of Wratharis were taken into ount should have been the uncontested leader of the country.


    Sadly, for all his power and might, he could not surpass the Heavenlyw.


    Sitting on the other side was a beautiful woman with soft tails moving around and a deep smile. Kiku Inari Patienta. The leader of the opposition and the Supreme Daughter of Patienta. She was also the head of the Kitsune n.


    Finally ¡ª The protagonist in this whole scene. The one known as the Usurper or the Tyrants rather than a King. A cruel man who dethroned his brother to satisfy his thirst for power ¡ª- Tiangou Lupus Ira


    Many hated him, some respected him and the rest were neutral about him. But whatever their emotion was, the might of the King was there for all to see.


    Generally, Lupus had an overpowering aura, as if challenging anyone to even dare refuse his words, it was an arrogant show of force but it was also something the other leader did not care about most of the time.


    After all, the dogs who bark the loudest generally don¡¯t bite.


    This time though. An air of uneasiness filled everyone as they gazed at him.


    The current Lupus looked different. Emaciated, a gaunt expression, as if he had been emptied of all his blood.


    He looked weak. This was why¡ª


    ¡ª-He looked dangerous.


    Everyone immediately raised their wariness to the highest degree, recognizing that something was wrong.


    But Lupus ignored all of them, his eyes fixed in the air as he spoke with a slightly dreamy voice as if he was walking on clouds.


    ¡°The force on the shore in Lustburg side have started to build arge teleportation matrix.¡±


    This was one of the advantages of humanity''s ability to form a contract. Some humans, rather than chasing after fame and power would contract with a special type of beast known as Nightmare crow. [1]


    It was a C-rank beast with little battle power but it allowed the humans to teleport others through long distances.


    One of their favorite tactics of Lustburg was to create ry points with those teleportation circles and moverge amounts of supplies as well as reinforcement.


    Furthermore, since it was two ways, the wounded soldier could be immediately sent to heal in good facilities while more fresh soldiers would rece them.


    This was truly an insidious way of battling that was learned from the first era of Lustburg when the witch of Space was working with them.


    ¡°Thankfully the witch''s rtionship with Lustburg is still cold. But in a week or two, all the ry stations will bepleted, and destroying them by then will prove to be a challenge. Who dares stand up and fight for the Country?¡±


    Everyone looked at each other, hesitating but one man, or rather, One Tiger, stood up,


    ¡°I will be the one, my Lord. The Tiger n will show its might to the humans.¡±


    A sneer of disdain appeared on the faces of the different representatives. The tiger n was once one of the four Great ns. Sadly they lost that title and fell in decline after the Previous Tiger Lord was Killed by Sun Wukong.


    Even now, SunWukong wore the Skin of the then-lord. But the current lord, the son of the one who was killed, could only look away and act as if he did not see the tant insult.


    ¡°Hum¡­What does the Tiger wish in return?¡±


    ¡°Land my lord. We wish to obtain thend near the fortress.¡±


    Hiss!


    Everyone sucked in arge breath, while others cursed, wondering if he was crazy. That part of thend was a very strategic resource.


    Shuten Dojiughed quietly, throwing a look at the Lord, ¡°They said riding a tiger is a trip filled with danger and one might die at any moment. I guess this also applies to the Tiger itself.¡±


    The Tiger Lord ignored her, he knew better than to try and argue with this woman.


    ¡°My King. I await your words.¡±


    Lupus mused for a while, gazing at the Tiger up and down. His instincts were telling him one thing.


    This man would fail.


    This was why ¡ª


    ¡°Very well. The Tiger will be at the forefront and willunch the attack. You have three days. Failure will not be epted.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my lord.¡±


    Lupus smiled at the look of gratefulness on the face of the Young lord.


    No wonder the Tiger n was in decline with a leader like this.


    But it did not matter. Cannon Fodders were always weed.


    Lupus gently touched the de on his side.


    Victory would be his in the end. No matter what the Price.


    [1] They were introduced in CH 13

 Chapter 557 CH 517: FIRST ATTACK

    <h4>Chapter 557 CH 517: FIRST ATTACK</h4>


    557 CH 517: FIRST ATTACK


    At the end of the reunion, Sun Wukong was walking alone as people on either side gave him a wide berth.


    He was generally calm but they all knew a simple trigger could change him into a bloodthirsty maniac that would not stop until someone died.


    Already used to this istion, Sun Wukong did not care much about them. They were unworthy of his attention and interacting with them was a waste of time.


    At least this was so for nearly all of them.


    ¡°Wukong.¡±


    Sun Wukong stopped, turning toward the only one he cared about in this ce. Someone who was akin to his adopted mother,


    ¡°Shuten.¡±


    Wukong ignored the outrageous attire his adopted mother was wearing. He always found it odd that she walked around so brazenly when she had nothing to show off outside of a childish body. In his opinion, any man who actually found her attractive was someone they should be careful about.


    But he knew better than to say this to her face.


    ¡°You noticed, right?¡±


    The two started walking together and as always his mother was one to go straight to the point.


    ¡°If you are talking about the King¡¯s aura, Indeed. I have noticed the changes.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Weak.¡±


    Shuten gave a bitter smile but this all Sun Wukong had to say. He was not a Puritan nor a martial arts fanatic who believed one shouldn¡¯t use powerful weapons.


    Thanks to his own weapons, he knew how important having powerful weapons was. But at the end of the day, no matter how strong a weapon was, it was useless if it was not wielded correctly.


    ¡°He is not using a weapon. He is being used as a weapon.¡±


    Divine weapons were powerful and the power they bestowed had an equal price attached to it.


    Even so. The current state of the King was nothing but pitiful in his eyes. A man who sacrificed his own life for a fight, not because he wished to best his opponent but simply because of the Fear of failure.


    As an individual, Lupus certainly became stronger. But as a warrior, Sun Wukong had lost all the little remaining interest he may have had in the man.


    ¡°You are as strict as always.¡±


    ¡°A warrior who discards his pride for victory is not a bad warrior. But a warrior who discards his pride because of fear is nothing but a failure.¡±


    Fear was useful. Fear was a great teacher. A warrior should never lose the sense of fear deep in their hearts. But they should never let themselves be ruled by it.


    ¡°Well, I will take that into ount for our calctions. Do you still n to go all out?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. My loyalty is not to the crown and even much less to the King. Only to myself. For my own selfishness, I will be an obstacle standing in the way of the sess of my friend¡¯s son. Whether he knocks me out of the way or fails is of no matter to me.¡±


    Sun Wukong''s eyes shone quietly, ¡°This war will usher in a new age, I believe so. But more than anything, I will finally be able to test my mettle against the de of the Sword saint.¡±


    The light dimmed a few momentster, ¡°Though, it¡¯s a pity. If only this war happened a few months sooner, I would have been able to face her as an equal now though. I fear it will be impossible without me severely restricting myself.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Shuten stopped when she heard Sun Wukong¡¯s words. Her mind moved swiftly as she finally realized the meaning of his words.


    ¡°Seriously¡­?¡±


    Sun Wukong grinned, like a mischievous happy at being praised,


    ¡°I have broken the wall. I onlyck one more step.¡±


    ¡ª--


    [1st Frontier Lustburg/Wratharis: Twilight Fortress]


    Standing up near a stream, an old man with graying hair was observing quietly therge fortress that was standing and had been standing for years now to protect the frontier of Wratharis.


    All his life, one of his goals had been to take down that fortress. For this, many people shed blood and many failures befell them.


    But now¡­Things were about to change.


    He turned around and looked at the people who were overseeing the construction of the teleportation Matrix.


    This was a sight he had not had the pleasure to observe since thest war against Gluttony foss. After all, creating those matrices was no easy feat. The amount of expensive materials that had to be sacrificed was impressive enough to make one faint in fright.


    Even more so since the matrices for such a long distance had a limited number of uses.


    ¡®It seems like the crown is really going all out this time.¡¯


    A bitter smile formed on his face as the image of a young prince appeared in his mind, causing him to sigh.


    ¡°General Gerald. What do you think?¡±


    Gerald was brought out from his memory when a mature voice addressed him. The respect brimming in their voices was evident.


    ¡°Ah¡­Viktor was it? No, should I call Lieutenant Viktor.¡±


    The man named Viktor showed arge smile, ¡°I am happy the general remembers me.¡±


    ¡°How could I forget the young man of the time who rushed head first in the trench before anyone else only to flee back as fast when he realized he started marching before the signal was given.¡±


    The man coughed lightly, clearly embarrassed about his embarrassing disy,


    ¡°I was just a kid back then, General. Now I have matured.¡±


    ¡°So I see. Though you are mistaken about one thing. I am no more a General. In this ce, I am just a foot soldier like anyone else.¡±


    Viktor furiously shook his head, ¡°The order of the crown makes no sense. You and General Tyr will always be the only true Generals in my mind. Lustburg would not be what it is now without the support of the Hignd family.¡±


    ¡°Be careful with your words.¡±


    ¡°I will. But I believe only the nobles of the Capitals would bother using cheap tactics such as defamations. All the Knights and nobles present here will challenge me to a duel if they do not like what I say.¡±


    There was pride in his words and Gerald Understood it. The nobles at the frontiers were generally left to their own devices and had to face constant small wars and fights.


    For the frontier nobles, those at the center were simply pigs that could not fight and for the nobles at the center, those at the frontier were nothing but Barbarians who knew nothing about being a true noble.


    In the end, this was nothing more than one of the many ways the crown kept the nobles in check, by creating divisions and stopping them from allying and working together.


    A few nobles understood this and yed the game. The vast majority though¡­Were let¡¯s say a little too enthusiastic.


    Clearly, in Viktor¡¯s mind, Gerald was as white as snow and he was demoted to this ce because he lost a battle of influence against some nobles.


    Despite the technology, some information was easily distorted after a certain time.


    ¡°Very well, you asked me a question?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What do you think will happen?¡±


    Gerald looked in the direction of the matrices in constructions.


    ¡°I believe that tonight and for the remaining week, we will not be able to sleep.¡±


    Those words were as urate as a prophecy.


    On that night ¡ª Wratharisunched its first attack.


    The war had officially started.

 Chapter 558 CH 518: IN THE NIGHT

    Chapter 558 CH 518: IN THE NIGHT


    [Let your ns be dark and imprable at night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.]


    Art of War ¨C Sun Tzu.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    The night befell the encampment, bringing the darkness that was so dreaded by humans.


    In this ce far from the main cities, keeping every part illuminated would be a challenge hard to manage. Nevertheless, it was possible thanks to the advancement in alchemy and the like.


    ¡°Ugh. I wonder why the lieutenant told us to stay awake. Keeping this armor up is so fucking tiring.¡±


    One of the soldiersined and the other three who were keeping guard with him chuckled as if they understood what he meant. They were barely able to use mana so the armor they wore weighed heavily on them. Such was the plight of most normal soldiers.


    ¡°Even so guys, be serious and keep the Loukout. We never know.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    They all saluted and began the round. No matter how dissatisfied they were, they had to listen to order. Furthermore, even though they weren¡¯t too bright, they knew that the enemies would certainly not let them create those teleportation circles without intervening.


    Under the order of the Lieutenant, the guard was increased and all teams wereposed now of two people who had to stay awake at a certain distance from each other enough to see each other and react should danger happen.


    Furthermore, there was an actual third one who would be camouged and receive a signal every 3 mn. If the signal was not sent then they would immediately sound the alert.


    ¡°So much for a simple guard but I believe this is necessary.¡±


    A few grumbled but they had nothing to add to the discussion.


    Like this they started their guard in the wee of the night, sharing discussions to keep themselves awake.


    ¡°So. I told this wench to not worry about me as a grunt soldier like me had a lower chance of actually dying. All she had to do was keep herself warm and wait for me when I came back.¡±


    ¡°Kukuh. Are you sure she won¡¯t warm herself in the arms of some young boys while you fight here?¡±


    ¡°Heh. Then I will just have to remind her why she always opens her legs for me.¡±


    The man made a vigorous move with his hips, prompting his friend to explode inughter.


    ¡°Still, I don¡¯t know about his ruling but King Uranus truly had good ideas.¡±


    Uranus Luxuria, Grandfather of Mars Luxuria was known as the Tyrant king. But he was also known as a man who had an uncanny love for beastwomen who had cute animal ears.


    During his era, one of the rules he established was the prostitution corner. The tyrant king said that soldiers couldn''t fight at full strength with the stress and so those prostitutes were used as a stress relief.


    At first, everyone thought he was crazy. But soon the results spoke for themselves and since then, it has more or less be a tradition.


    ¡°Ugh. I just need a little more achievement and I can get a first ss.¡±


    ¡°All you think about is sex.¡±


    ¡°Because sex is one of the most beautiful things in this world.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh. I am feeling heavy now. Gotta piss.¡±


    ¡°Hum. Man you sure?¡±


    ¡°Haha obviously. Don¡¯t tell me you still fear the Dark?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s just¡­Just be careful.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    The lustful man joked a little before walking while whilsting. The entire area they were surveying was arge clearing with nothing but snow in view.


    It was impossible to be sneaked up unless it was from the sky or deep underground.


    ¡°Heh. I like easy missions like this.¡±


    All he had to do was survive. Survive a little more then get discharged and enjoy life thanks to all the numerous rewards Sol had prepared for war veterans.


    ¡°This will be fun.¡±


    Working around his extremelyplicated armor, he stopped when he realized he needed a squire to help him change into something more presentable.


    ¡°Still, pissing while wearing this is a pain.


    ¡°Need some help?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks¡­ Huh?¡±


    He stopped, realizing that he did not recognize the voice of his friend. He turned around, but all he was met with was ws tearing apart his neck.


    Gazing at the body now devoid of life, a man d in dark clothes grinned menacingly and gave his signal.


    The orders had been clear.


    This was not a fight.


    This was simply pure terror. Hit and run.


    ¡ª-


    A few minutester, rm filled the camp and the higher-ups were forced to realize one thing.


    More than half of all the soldiers who had been guarding the perimeters were dead. This was very jarring and puzzling as they realized that they had no way of determining how this death happened outside of knowing it was the work of the enemies.


    On the corpses, drawn in blood, were a few words etched in a sentence in blood.


    [This is just the beginning.]


    Fear filled the minds of many as they were all worried about what would happen next.


    Indeed. For the next four days, the construction of the matrice continued, unstopped, without even one attack against it.


    Four days during which only one attack happened, but the results had been as devastating.


    On the morning of the 5th day, as he gazed at the corpses of his subordinates, Viktor gritted his teeth.


    They had increased the guards by a very huge number and he even disguised as a soldier to hide and surprise the enemy but all the spots with even rtively powerful soldiers were avoided as if they knew everything beforehand.


    He breathed in deeply before leaving, barking orders at everyone while making sure the people taking care of the circles were still well protected.


    In the end, he finally reached a small ce where an old man was being given porridge by what looked like a maid.


    It was a rather young woman with dark skin and silver hair.


    Viktor ignored the maid. The encampment was filled with such civilians who helped with many little things and the maids from the Tower had been dispatched as helpers.


    The maids were special in this case as they were considered above mere civilians. But he had no interest in this.


    "General¡­ I¡­We need your wisdom."


    Gerald, who had been eating quietly with no desire to create problems, looked up.


    The news about what the enemies did had been kept hidden from most but with his years of experience, it was easy to see the uneasy atmosphere that was spreading and the dwindling numbers of soldiers.


    He had even overheard some soldiers joking about desertions but such jokes had been squashed fast.


    "Take a seat."


    Viktor''s eyes shone, feeling like his backbone had been found once again, and immediately took a seat to exin the problem.


    When he ended, he looked at Gerald awaiting his opinion and thankfully he was not disappointed.


    "Did you know that in nature, there are different kinds of Predators?"


    "Pardon?"


    "Some predators usually focus on chasing after the prey. They are considered as pursuit predators. Meanwhile, others hide and camouge before attacking. We call them ambush predators."


    "Ah¡­"


    "I would need to see the wounds to be sure but this tactic was used against us by the Tiger ns. They have an entire squadposed of ambush types and developed many skills to hide themselves in the night. I believe they call themselves ninjas in Wratharis."


    "What should we do?"


    Viktor knew how shameless it was but he had no choices. His shame was not worth the lives of his soldiers andrades.


    "Well¡­"


    Gerald mused before looking at the maid who seemed to ignore them with a distant look on her face.


    He knew who she was and he had seen a little of what she could do.


    If it was her¡­


    "When facing a predator, sometimes the only way to kill it is to bring an even greater predator."


    Viktor followed Gerald''s gaze and couldn''t help but frown.


    After all, he did not want to implicate someone who seemed to have never faced hardship in their life.


    If not for his absolute belief in G¨¦rald, he would have called him crazy and wondered what he meant.


    Gerald smiled quietly, not bothering to exin more.


    "I have given you the means of sess. Whether you use it or not is up to you."


    He stood up and left, leaving a very hesitating lieutenant.


    In the end, the belief in Gerald surpassed his doubts and so he asked.


    "Would you like to help us?"


    He would bet on everything with even a remote chance of sess.


    ¡ªAs unlikely as it seemed.

 Chapter 559 CH 519: HAMMERED TO DEATH (1)

    Chapter 559 CH 519: HAMMERED TO DEATH (1)


    The night was slowly falling and the guards, taking their ces were tense, knowing fully well that they might not live to tell the tale tomorrow.


    In such a situation, there was no banter,ughter, or mockery as usually done between them.


    The soldiers who had never truly had to face any hardship up to now despite the rigorous training finally started to realize that they were not in a pic. This was not about them having a good time or enjoying themselves but fighting for their continued survival.


    ¡®Ouf¡­¡¯


    Breathing deeply, one the guard looked all around, with sweat covering his forehead and his expression filled with fear at the slightest sound.


    ¡®What I am even doing here?¡¯


    He was no professional soldier. He was just a mercenary who had heard of the rewards promised to those who could fight and came to this ce.


    He admitted that he had been blinded by the allure of riches which made him forget what would most likely happen.


    Even so, wasn¡¯t it too harsh?


    ¡®Fuck!¡¯


    He cursed the prince inwardly. He should have known that all nobles only had sweet tongues and would never give rewards without hiding some kind of pitfall.


    ¡®Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck this shit!¡¯


    The more he waited alone in the darkness, the more unfair he found the situation he was currently in.


    What did it means that they never forced him toe?


    If bing soldier was voluntary why not not let those who did not wish to fight anymore go?


    In the end, all those selfish bastards only wanted to use them as cannon fodder.


    ¡°Fuck. Perhaps I should just desert?¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Gaw!¡±


    The man jumped out of his skin and turned around while swinging his spear at full strength.


    Even though he was acting so pathetically, he was still an experienced adventurer. In fact, he was sure that he would have reached the Silver rank by now if those bastards didn¡¯t refuse his advancement because of some bullshit reasons like him leaving hisrade alone during a dungeon exploration.


    He expected his spear to do some damage but


    ng~!


    His hands trembled and he nearly let go of his spear because of the reactive force while the sounds of metal shing reached him.


    ¡°Huh~¡±


    Dumbfounded, he finally opened his eyes and gazed in the direction of the one he attacked.


    ¡°What in the¡­¡±


    There in front of him was a young dark-skinned woman with beautiful silver hair wearing a maid''s attire. He easily recognized her, after all, there were only a few maids from the Tower of Babel who came and they were all extremely beautiful and fuelled the raunchy discussion of many soldiers while they were drunk.


    ¡°Nuwa?¡±


    This was indeed Nuwa. The young girl with a sometime absent minded expression and sometimes a lively voice.


    Right now though, he could only look incredulously as his spear, which was swung at full power, was stopped by the neck of the young girl.


    There was not even the slightest trace of a wound on her neck and he could not feel any manaing from her body.


    This would mean that she literally stopped the spear with the strength of her flesh.


    ¡®No¡­¡¯


    Could this even be considered blocked? From her nonchnt expression, this was clearly just something that waspletely something she did care about in the slightest.


    Gulp~!


    His throat moved as he suddenly felt parched,


    ¡°Your spear?¡±


    Her voice was calm, clearly distant, and he realized in a hurry that his spear was still ced against the neck of the girl.


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    He immediately took away the spear, but all she did was look at him as if curious about why he was so stressed.


    In the end, she simply ignored and started walking forward.


    ¡°Hey! Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Outside?¡±


    The way she looked at him as if he was asking a dumb question like this did hurt quite a bit. But she was beautiful so he could forgive her this one;


    Pumping his chest, he patted it lightly, ¡°There is danger outside. You should stay next to me, I will make sure to protect you.¡±


    If before Nuwa was lost and confused, now she was utterly perplexed.


    ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I may not look like it but I am quite powerful you know?¡±


    ¡°You are weak.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Simple direct voice, blunt and honest. Nuwa ignored the man who seemed to have been petrified by her words and started walking away once again.


    Lifting her skirt, she ced her hand around the stick that was tied down to her thighs and took it away.


    She stopped walking the moment she reached a certain distance and then ¡ª Without looking behind her to verify if the man did as she told, she went into action.


    Whoos!


    Her mana stirred greatly and the stick started to be longer and change form until it transformed into arge hammer.


    This was a weapon that Theresa had created especially for her. One based on her blood and the skin and scales she shed a few days before leaving the capital.


    This was no divine weapon. But Theresa still considered this weapon as one of the best ones she ever ever created. After all, this was a weapon that had created a link with Nuwa and could grow alongside her by devouring the blood of her enemy.


    What better weapon could be suited for the Princess of Gluttony?


    ¡°What!?¡±


    She ignored the startled screams of the pitiful man behind her and lightly swung her hammer with all her strength against the ground.


    [Weak smash]


    The hammer hit the ground and then ¡ª-


    BOOM!


    A crater formed, a giant pit that seemed to go for more than five meters in the ground.


    The earth rumbled and cracked under the might of her attack, destroying everything around her.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Someone groaned, a voice different from the weak one behind her. Blood sshed, and a few limbs were reduced to mush.


    Observing all this ¡ª Only disappointment covered Nuwa¡¯s face.


    ¡°Too weak.¡±


    They were too weak to nourish her weapon.


    Thankfully. There wasn¡¯t just one or three people like this.


    Slowly, she started to sink into the shadow until she vanished.


    This night was once again filled with screams. Only, this time not the screams of the soldiers of Lustburg.


    ¡°

 Chapter 560 CH 520: HAMMERED TO DEATH (2)

    Chapter 560 CH 520: HAMMERED TO DEATH (2)


    The moment the fight started, the rumbling of the earth was the signal all the soldiers under Viktor''smand had been waiting for.


    ¡°Fight!¡±


    It did not take long for more than 100 soldiers to walk out of the hideout they previously made while holding their weapons and bursting with Mana.


    Soon, they were able to find the assant who had been hiding in the darkness and engaged them, starting a bloody fight.


    The tigers were also fast to react. While they specialized in Ambush tactics and assassination, they were no slouch when it came to fighting head-on.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Viktor gritted his teeth as his sword plunged into the heart of a young tiger woman who seemed to be barely in her twenties.


    He hated war. He hated bloodshed. But he would not hesitate in such a moment. This was him or them.


    ¡°Protect the mage! Make sure to keep the circles undamaged!¡±


    He filled his lungs with Mana and kept giving orders while blocking the attack of another soldier.


    His bones seemed to break under the weight of the attack but he managed to hold on while one of his teammates attacked from behind.


    This was the reality of fighting war as a human. In a scenario of one vs. one, humans who had yet to be Duke or did not form a contract were extremely disadvantaged.


    Even young beasts like those could kill him if he was careless.


    ¡®Damnit.¡¯


    Everywhere he looked, he could see his soldiers slowly getting killed. After all many of them were straight out of the military academy. The most they ever did was subjugate mindless monsters in the frontiers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t falter!¡±


    He did not even grunt as a dagger was plunged into his thigh and simply sliced the throat of the one who wounded him.


    ¡®We are holding on.¡¯


    He sighed as a fireball whistled past him and exploded on the enemies. While many of his soldiers were just mana users, he had a few mage types under hismand and those guys were making all the difference.


    He ignored the beasts like animals and spirits who were bringing, fire and other such elements into the game and helping everyone survive. Gerald had already assured that he would protect the circles so Viktor was reassured.


    The only thing he needed to worry about now was the maid girl. But


    BOOM!!


    Everyone looked ahead and though they were unable to see through the darkness of the night, they could only gulp down in awe and continue fighting.


    Viktor was no less speechless than them.


    The Duke rank. A fabled level very few humans could boast to have reached, no more than a mere few hundred in the current generation. Any human who managed to be a Duke would immediately receive a peerage and be treated like jewels of the highest degree.


    This rule was the same in all the Kingdoms even if to a lesser degree. A Duke rank would always be a high-ranked being in the mortal world.


    But what the hell was he seeing?


    ¡°A Duke rank who serves as a Maid?¡±


    Viktor gave a dumbfoundedugh. His respect for the King he never met steadily growing.


    Truthfully, there was no dissatisfaction in following a man who could have one Duke follow him as nothing but a mere servant.


    ¡®We have two Dukes in this ce.¡¯


    Renewed vigor filled his heart. With such a power in ce, this was something akin to a main battlefield.


    Later on, he could even brag to all his friends about this.


    But for that ¡ª He had to survive.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, everyone! Those who die will be punished!!¡±


    ¡°WHOOAA!!!¡±


    .


    .


    .


    While Viktor was making sure to keep the tigers at bay, Nuwa was slowly being surrounded as she advanced in the small forest in the direction of the fortress enemy.


    {You should let me fight for you.}


    "No need. They are weak."


    She seemed topletely ignore the strength of the bloodthirst that was being infused in the air.


    Ten, twenty, thirty. The numbers slowly increased but there was no tension in her eyes, only boredom and a desire to eat.


    "I am hungry."


    ng~!


    She yawned as an arrow flew and hit her temple before falling, not even leaving a shallow wound on her beautiful face.


    Holding her hammer, she simply swung it in the direction where the arrow came from and the resulting shockwave caused the earth to tremble as everything in that direction was destroyed.


    "Monster!"


    She heard them scream but showed a puzzled look.


    "Am I a monster?"


    Those words held no meaning to her. Whether she was monstrous or not, she knew beings who would simplyugh at the intensity of such an attack and ward it off with a hand.


    {You really shouldn''t use the people of the Tower as a Standard for power.}


    "Ah¡­"


    She nodded. Though not because she understood but simply because she couldn''t be bothered to think much more about it.


    "Retreat!"


    The voice of a man reached them and the Tigers immediately started to swish and run away.


    Nuwa contemted simply running after them but in the end, she sighed, there was a much simpler way of doing things.


    "Grow."


    The hammer in her started to be bigger,rger, and much more terrifying as Mana began to leak from her body.


    Closing her eyes, she stretched her senses until they covered all those who were trying to flee as well as part of the Forest.


    She was also making sure that there was no soldier from Lustburg''s side


    Finally ¡ª sure that she would not cause any friendly casualties, she swung her hammer down on the ground.


    [Ssh]


    A simple name that simply hides the cruelty of the technique.


    Whoosh!


    The air distorted immediately under her might and all the surroundings around her seemed to sink, as if pressed down by a weight impossible to withstand.


    The running tigers were not spared.


    Bones broken, flesh destroyed, organs exploding.


    In nothing but an instant, all life in the surroundings was extinguished, leaving nothing but ssh of blood and


    gore on the earth.


    Looking up from the huge crater she now found herself in, Nuwa sighed, wondering if she should just sleep here.


    -------


    (Announcement as of 9/11/23:


    Guys, I started publishing my new story on Royal Road and as you know the website isn''t easy to get traction on. I would be really happy if you could give a try and share your opinion by following and favoring the story as well as letting a review or simply rating if possible.


    This new story of mine will most likely never be under contract as long as it does rtively well on its own as I n to join Amazon with it. So please. Juste give a read and leave a review. I think you might like it.


    Here the link:


    Name: Cosmic Fairytale: Sea of Stars (previous name was Space Odyssey; A journey through the stars.)


    You can type it in the search bar of royal road in case the link doesn''t appear or you can''t type.)

 Chapter 561 CH 521: WE NEED TO FIGHT

    Chapter 561 CH 521: WE NEED TO FIGHT


    [Fortress]


    Sitting in the fortress, the Tiger Lord listened quietly as he received the report and losses of the night prior.


    "So the entire squad was eliminated."


    He sighed quietly when the tanuki finished providing all the necessary information.


    "One minute of silence for all the departed."


    All soldiers present, be they Tigers or otherwise, gritted their teeth and lowered their heads.


    Praying for the souls of those they lost and wishing them a better future.


    One minuteter, the Lord stood up, his eyes red but his countenance calm.


    "We have been misled into thinking that there was no Duke rank present in the encampment."


    A Duke was not something to be squandered.


    Though one Duke could hardly decimate an entire army, they were tactical weapons that could change the course of a battlefield.


    Sending two such important resources to the frontiers was overkill, no matter how important this fortress may seem.


    "Is Lustburg preparing some grand ns?"


    He couldn''t help but worry and wonder. In his memory, Lustburg was nothing more than a decaying country that had mostly shut its borders after the death of the hero king.


    Prior to this, they had suffered many losses, and their power had dwindled quite a bit. This was one of the reasons they did not hesitate to choose to attack Lustburg the moment they thought Camelia lost her power. [1]


    ¡®Were we merely tricked once again? Does Lustburg hold so much power they can afford to send two Dukes to the frontier?¡¯


    This was absurd. Truly, this was undoubtedly absurd, and yet, he found himself unable to dismiss those worries that gnawed at his heart. His rationality was shing with his feeling, and while he would generally listen to his instinct, this was only so when he was hunting alone.


    ¡°Very well. I will send a message to the King. No matter if it¡¯s spection or the truth, it¡¯s not my ce to decide.¡±


    He was a vassal. His goal was merely to advise and to fight when the order was given. But more than anything, he was a Leader, the leader of his entire tribe, and as such, he had the absolute duty to be careful in his words and actions.


    The Tigers were in a dire situation. There was no need to increase the problem they were facing.


    ¡°My Lord, what do we do now?¡±


    His subordinates gazed at him, eyes full of trust despite the obvious defeat.


    They knew very well that their leader had been the one to suggest taking the front line, and they knew that doing so meant having the highest chances of dying, as was proven the night before.


    Even so, they did not fear.


    They were fighting, not just for mere riches, but for a glorious purpose: that of reinstating their ns to the rank they deserved.


    While they may die, as long as their death could bring victory, their children and the children of their children would enjoy the results of their sacrifices.


    "I will fight."


    "Leader!"


    They rose up, refusing vehemently to let this go.


    "You are the hope of our n! You cannot take the Frontline now!"


    Indeed. Ever since the decline of the Tiger ns, they only had three elders who had reached the Duke rank.


    Those elders were old and tired, reaching the end of their lifespans, and as such, simply stayed in hibernation to protect their Land and deter others from attacking them.


    The current leader, though, was also a Duke rank, and more than anything, he was young.


    He was the only one in the current generation to have reached the Duke rank, and there was no one else approaching.


    If he died ¡ª


    "Do you think me so weak that I would die this easily?"


    His voice was calm, but his aura and majesty swiftly spread, quelling any refusal.


    His mind was made. He would fight.


    "The main Forces of our country are advancing. But such a movement is slow. If we do not stop the construction of the Circle, by the time our army reaches this ce, there will be nothing left to protect."


    They were the vanguard. Sacrificial pawns they were, but the role they yed could never be downyed.


    "If full destruction is impossible, even partial one is eptable. As long as we can slow down the main army of Lustburg, then this mission will be considered a sess, and our n will rise once again."


    The difference between war beasts and Humans was something that could never be surpassed as long as they were not in the Duke rank or had a good contract.


    In normal cases, to match the army of Wratharis, Lustburg had to send two or three times the number.


    This was one of the reasons the development of Circle teleportation had been so important for the development of Lustburg.


    "Soon, the Wyverns Knight should set sail, but even then, they are elite and few in numbers. We also have our way of dealing with them. But once they reach here, destroying the circle will be extremely hard."


    The worst was that once the Circle waspleted, only the full blow of a Duke level could truly destroy it.


    This was now or never. Failure was not eptable.


    The Tiger Lord growled, his eyes zing with a powerful will.


    "Let''s get ready, everyone. I will fight that woman. Truly, it must be a fight of destiny. Hahaha!"


    Heughed out loud. He felt absolutely no confidence. In fact, he was even trembling. He was afraid and full of hesitation.


    But he was the leader. He could never show weakness in front of those who trusted him. Doing so would be an insult to those who fought and died for him.


    ¡®Let¡¯s do it.¡¯


    He would fight and he would win.


    [1]: Referring to the events of Saint Fall during Vol 2.


    (Announcement as of 9/11/23:


    Guys, I started publishing my new story on Royal Road and as you know the website isn''t easy to get traction on. I would be really happy if you could give a try and share your opinion by following and favoring the story as well as letting a review or simply rating if possible.


    This new story of mine will most likely never be under contract as long as it does rtively well on its own as I n to join Amazon with it. So please. Juste give a read and leave a review. I think you might like it.


    Here the link:


    Name: Cosmic Fairytale: Sea of Stars (previous name was Space Odyssey; A journey through the stars.)


    You can type it in the search bar of royal road in case the link doesn''t appear or you can''t type.)

 Chapter 562 CH 522: DIVERGING OPINIONS

    Chapter 562 CH 522: DIVERGING OPINIONS


    While the Tiger Lord was psyching himself up for the iing fight, Nuwa was quietly lying down against a tree and observing the fortress absentmindedly.


    Everywhere, soldiers would pass and speak in hushed tones while observing her. A mix of fear and awe was etched on their faces at the same time. The fact that Nuwa was not human bothered a few of them, but by now, soldiers were already long used to even non-humans in the army.


    In the first ce, even outside of the main races in the mortal world, with how humans formed contracts, they were used to different species in the army. What truly impressed them was the fact that such a youngdy was already clearly a Duke and a very powerful one at that.


    "Have you seen the hole she created?"


    "Damn, I feel like she could bury all of us here."


    The more they spoke to each other, the more excited they became.


    This was war.


    Which soldiers would hate having powerful officers in their group? They might fear her a little, but they respected her even more. Her presence was directly tied to their survival.


    "Guys, I heard all the maids are the Prince''s women until they decide to leave."


    "My goddess. How mighty is the prince? Do you think he only swings his hips every day like mad? At least if I was in his ce, that''s what I would do."


    One of them drooled, imagining himself being surrounded by women.


    "Haha. Don''t make meugh. You cannot evenst one minute with your tiny pecker."


    One of the soldiers, a woman, made a crude joke as she showed her pinky, and the rest exploded inughter, even the one being insulted.


    ''Why do they seem so happy?''


    {Because now they know they have a higher chance of survival.}


    ''I see. I don''t understand. Shouldn''t they fight for their own survival? Why need someone else?''


    after the back of those above is the right way, this should not stop you from observing and assessing those below and at the same level as you.}


    {Hah. You can only say this because you are strong. The weak have no choice but to hide behind the shadows of the strong. Trembling and wishing to be saved.}


    ''Strong?''


    She tilted her head, ''I am not strong.''


    {And I said, stopparing yourself to the monsters in that tower. While chasing after the back of those above is the right way, this should not stop you from observing and assessing those below and at the same level as you.}


    ''This isplicated.''


    {No. You are just dumb. Ugh. I wonder what might be the problem. You should have my intellect. How can your reasoning ability be so underdeveloped? Also, what the heck are those names? Smash? Ssh!? Why not use better ones?}


    The voice in her head seemed very frustrated, but Nuwa could only tilt her head in confusion.


    ''Does having a different name affect the power of the technique?''


    {Well¡­ No.}


    ''If it doesn''t, why use aplicated name? Smash is smash. Ssh is ssh.''


    {You¡­ ugh. Why do you suddenly appear smart in moments like this? Argh, damn it, do as you wish. But for goodness'' sake, at least the name of your zone.}


    ''Why?''


    {The zone represents you. At least until you be a Demigod. This is your trademark, the power people will remember. At least the name¡­}


    ''Uh. Okay.''


    {Sigh. I know when you say okay, it basically means you don''t care. Anyway, the war is about to go in Crescendo. This is the perfect asion for you to grow.}


    The voice seemed excited,


    {You are my best creation, the results of fusing my genes with those of Asmodeus as well as the blood of nearly all generations of Lustburg kings and queens. Your body is the best in existence. No one has a higher potential and higher growth curve than you. All you need to do is ¡ª}


    "Eat."


    {Yes. Take this ce as your buffet. Eat, eat, and eat more. Be the perfect vessel I envisioned. You are not just a chimera. You are the Chimera.}


    ''Then what?''


    {After the War ends, you be sufficiently powerful. Go to Gluttony Foss and devour even more. All chimeras created will be your nourishment then ¡ª you might be a demigod.}


    The more she spoke, the more fervent the voice became.


    {Eat, eat, eat, eat. Devour everything. From the simple mortal to even the lofty demigods and goddesses. Devour the Heaven itself if necessary. Only by then will your Destiny be fulfilled.}


    Nuwa sighed, closing her eyes as she ignored the crazy muttering of the womanly voice in her head.


    She was in no way dumb, and she understood well that the woman was fishy.


    She had imed that she was her mother or rather her creator. Her existence was just an ident, born because Theresa stole her egg all those years ago.


    She was nothing more than a vessel. Initially destined to house the soul of Echidna.


    All that news would have been enough to seriously affect the psyche of someone else. But for Nuwa, all of this was of no importance.


    ''I wanna eat. I wanna see Lilin. Perhaps Sol and Setsuna as well.''


    She gathered her knees and buried her face between them.


    She didn''t like fighting. She didn''t like killing either.


    It was a waste of time. It was tiring, and the blood was sticky. It hurts, and she didn''t like pain.


    Simply staying at home, acting like a maid, being scolded by Milia, having her head ruffled by Sol, and Lilin giving her some treats when she did well.


    {Are you a dog? Stop thinking like you are some domestic animal.}


    ''Why? I eat well, sleep well, and am treated well. Isn''t it the ideal life?''


    {Hah. Do you have no ambition? Do you not seek greater heights? Break down your limits and be stronger.}


    ''Hum¡­ Did doing all of this make you happy?''


    {I¡­}


    The voice was left speechless once again. Unable to bring forth any argument.


    What was happiness? In fact, when was thest time she truly was happy?


    {Happiness has nothing to do with our glorious purpose. This is the goal of our existence. The very reason we were created. Only by creating a God can we be full.}


    ''Seems like a shitty lonely life.''


    {....What do you know?}


    ''I know nothing. I am not particrly smart. I don''t like to think too much either. It gives me a headache. But all I know is that ¡ª I was definitely happier when I was surrounded by people who like me.''


    {...Happiness can easily be taken away if you are weak.}


    ¡®Happiness will not necessarilye even if you are strong.¡¯


    In the end, the two stopped talking, and Nuwa simply closed her eyes to rest. She wanted things to end. She wished to simply go and crush the people in the fortress, but Gerald advised her against doing so now.


    If they eliminated


    the Tiger too decisively, Wratharis would send a more powerful group in retaliation, and this time, things might be moreplicated.


    Something about stone monkeys being shitty to fight.


    Nuwa did not really care. In the end, all she had to do was swing her hammer.


    Now though¡­ She just wanted to eat something sweet.


    Her stomach growled as she remembered the sweet Theresa or Lilin usually gave her.


    ¡®I miss that.¡¯


    A simple life and simple wants. This was all she desired.


    (AN: Who do you think is right? Nuwa or Echidna? Though in the end, it isn¡¯t really a matter of right and wrong but more of perspective.)


    ---


    (Announcement as of 9/11/23:


    Guys, I started publishing my new story on Royal Road and as you know the website isn''t easy to get traction on. I would be really happy if you could give a try and share your opinion by following and favoring the story as well as letting a review or simply rating if possible.


    This new story of mine will most likely never be under contract as long as it does rtively well on its own as I n to join Amazon with it. So please. Juste give a read and leave a review. I think you might like it.


    Here the link:


    Name: Cosmic Fairytale: Sea of Stars (previous name was Space Odyssey; A journey through the stars.)


    You can type it in the search bar of royal road in case the link doesn''t appear or you can''t type.)

 Chapter 563 CH 523: NIGHT APPROACHING

    Chapter 563 CH 523: NIGHT APPROACHING


    When noon came, Nuwa woke up from her slumber to the sounds, or rather the scent, of someone cooking.


    Her stomach growled quietly as if rebelling and telling her to start finding something to fill it or face rebellion.


    ¡°Hungry.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! To think those are the first words thate to you as you wake up.¡±


    Opening her eyes, she quietly observed her surroundings before focusing on the one that mattered: the one who was cooking.


    She recognized him as the old man, Gerald. Though he should have been a traitor and was exiled, she had to say that he lived quite an interesting life.


    At the very least, she could not see despair and despondency in his eyes, even though he had lost nearly everything.


    ¡°Get up and eat while it¡¯s hot. I can¡¯t do much with the current rations. We will have to wait for something more when the circle is activated.¡±


    Once the circle was activated, the first things sent would be rations, resources, and soldiers. Later on, more and more things woulde through.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Taking the steaming bowl of soup filled with a little bit of meat, Nuwa sighed as she missed the treats she would get in the Tower. But the food made by Gerald wasn¡¯t too bad considering the current situation.


    ¡°So, how is it?¡±


    He asked after seeing her eat more than half her bowl.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t great, but it was definitely not bad at all.


    ¡°Heh. Back then, we lost our circle and were stranded in enemy territory. Not much food and definitely no spices and salt. Had to learn how to make food as good as possible for us to eat without feeling like vomiting.¡±


    Gerald was quite proud as he said this and started walking with Nuwa while he helped serve the soldiers.


    Obviously, using arge pot of food was not something he could do alone. Good food was perhaps one of the most important things in a war. After all, one could not fight on an empty stomach.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Everywhere they went, soldiers would thank them and take the food. Many were wounded, many were dead, and a few were still unconscious.


    In the end, it was impossible to keep all soldiers from going through the pain of losing dearrades.


    The smile on Gerald¡¯s face receded a little but never in front of the soldiers. He was not a general anymore, but it had already been cultivated in his blood. How to always keep a stoic and know-it-all demeanor and stand tall, no matter how dire the situation was.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    This time, it was Gerald''s turn to thank her.


    ¡°Thanks to your work, we were able to protect the Circle and deal a great blow to those Tigers. This wouldn¡¯t have been possible without your help.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡±


    He chuckled, knowing full well that she couldn¡¯t care less about such a situation. This was why,


    ¡°When you go back, you should tell this to Sol and everyone. I am sure they will reward you.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    This time, she was definitely more interested.


    The way she could not hide her expression and feelings was something Gerald found very endearing.


    Such innocent people were bing incredibly rare. After all, in a world ruled by madness and blood, naivety and innocence were nothing but a recipe for disaster.


    However, in Nuwa¡¯s case, her innocence was in a way scarier than anything else because of her strength.


    Smiling, he took Nuwa''s bowl and refilled it. The way her eyes widened and sparkled when she ate was truly a delight to see.


    ¡°Why are you so nice to me?¡±


    She asked as she looked at him with wonder, ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s simply because I want to.¡±


    There was not much else to say to this reality. ¡°Also, you remind me of my granddaughter. Though, this was before she fell sick.¡±


    ¡°Granddaughter? The reason you betrayed Sol?¡±


    Gerald grimaced. Indeed. Innocent people were truly dangerous in some way. This innocent question was like an arrow to his heart, but there was not much he could say.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    He did not try to bring more excuses. Though it was true that he did what he did to save someone dear, to him, he had undoubtedly broken his vows as a soldier under the crown and as a friend and family.


    His actions broke the heart of many people, and there was nothing he could do or say that would change this reality.


    The simple fact that he was allowed to atone for what he did was already more than he honestly deserved, in his opinion.


    ¡°You seem sad.¡±


    ¡°I am. But I am also happy. I guess I am feeling very mixed about the situation.¡±


    He shrugged and looked ahead,


    ¡°By the way, tonight, we will most likely face a Duke rank. I cannot leave the Circle as they would then be vulnerable. Will you be able to face them?¡±


    Nuwa blinked a little before nodding,


    ¡°I will win.¡±


    Nuwa had a very simple outlook on life. She was not stupid, but neither did she like thinking too much.


    Even so, she had already seen what represented the top of the top and even faced one of the greatest talents in the world, in her opinion.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lose.¡±


    The King rank was obviously something else, but now she could never imagine herself losing against anyone outside of those inhabiting the Tower.


    Those were the true monsters, in her opinion.


    {Stop underestimating yourself.}


    Nuwa ignored the voice as always and focused on eating. It seemed like tonight she would have to fight again. She wanted to be full when it happened and give her all if necessary.


    {This will be your first true fight against a Duke. Do not be careless.}


    ¡®Didn¡¯t you say I shouldn¡¯t underestimate myself?¡¯


    {Ugh!}


    Echidna was going crazy, but thankfully for her, Gerald, while not knowing about her existence, came to her rescue,


    ¡°You should not underestimate him.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will sumb in every battle.¡±


    Wise words flowed from his mouth as he looked ahead,


    ¡°The Tigers will be desperate and ready to do anything for victory. Even the strong can sumb to trickery. You need to keep a clear outlook of your skill without dismissing the skills of the one you are about to face. Not doing so is a ticket straight to death.¡±


    In his long life, Gerald had seen many people fail and die, not because they were weak, but because they underestimated the ones they were facing.


    This disdain would bring gaps in their guards the moment they were surprised, and such gaps would generally be fatal.


    He did not wish to see Nuwa die in such a stupid way and be nothing but a cautionary tale for the future.


    ¡°I see. I will be careful.¡±


    She simply had to kill her enemy faster than they could respond.


    This would eliminate any risk, right?


    (Announcement as of 9/11/23:


    Guys, I started publishing my new story on Royal Road and as you know the website isn''t easy to get traction on. I would be really happy if you could give a try and share your opinion by following and favoring the story as well as letting a review or simply rating if possible.


    This new story of mine will most likely never be under contract as long as it does rtively well on its own as I n to join Amazon with it. So please. Juste give a read and leave a review. I think you might like it.


    Here the link:


    Name: Cosmic Fairytale: Sea of Stars (previous name was Space Odyssey; A journey through the stars.)


    You can type it in the search bar of royal road in case the link doesn''t appear or you can''t type.)

 Chapter 564 CH 524: TIGER VS SNAKE (1)

    Chapter 564 CH 524: TIGER VS SNAKE (1)


    The Tiger Lord, Baihu, stood atop the fortress, gazing out at the vast expanse before him.


    The white disk of the moon hung high in the sky, its stars shining brightly as he held a bottle of alcohol in his hand.


    Bailu knew very well that the impending sh might be hisst.


    The power the Duke employed was otherworldly, and the reports suggested this wasn''t her usual domain.


    The second Duke was the legendary Gerald, an old man renowned in military annals for his mettle and battlefield prowess.


    Alongside Tyr, Gerald had been one of the cornerstones of the Lustburg Army, serving his country under three generations of kings.


    "Hahaha. Should I consider it an honor to face such adversity?"


    He grinned, taking a swig and downing all the alcohol in one gulp.


    Such quantities could never inebriate him, but the taste of the alcohol brought back memories.


    "Father. I may join you soon."


    Bai Hu sighed. At least the n still had its elders.


    They were old and fading, their time nearing its end, but his military achievements should be enough to procure some medicine to slightly extend their lifespans.


    At least long enough for his children to grow up or for another member of the Tiger n to be a Duke.


    ''How poignant,'' he thought.


    He couldn''t help butugh.


    When he was young and his father was still alive, all he wished for was his father to step down and allow him to be the leader.


    It was only after bing one that he realized just how burdensome this responsibility was.


    Bearing the weight of leadership was not for everyone, and understanding that all his actions affected his n kept him up many sleepless nights.


    "Leader¡­"


    "What is it?"


    Bai Hu stopped and looked at the one who interrupted his drinking session.


    She was one of his three concubines and the mother of one of his children, a young man who, whilecking talent as a warrior, was undoubtedly gifted in other ways.


    Ping Hu gazed at her man before holding his hand. He was a cold and aloof man who often wore a mask of arrogance, but she knew deep down he was just a weary man fighting tooth and nail to protect his n.


    She hushed her voice while creating a small mana barrier to talk to him.


    ¡°Dear¡­¡±


    Bai Hu frowned. He had a strict policy of not using endearing nicknames during official matters. Then he remembered that he might very well die in the next few hours, so his brows softened, and he nodded.


    ¡°For you to set up this barrier, something big must have happened. Exin.¡±


    While Bai Hu was not one to mistreat his wives, he still exuded clear authority.


    ¡°I¡­ Do we really have to fight?¡±


    Ping Hu cringed a little when she said this, but she continued, pouring out her concerns as if she feared being stopped.


    ¡°This war is not just a war against another country. It¡¯s a war for the throne. Do you think us fighting to the death will amount to anything?¡±


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became. ¡°Our family has been one of the most loyal to the crown, and even after your father''s death, we were still respected. It was only after the Tyrant took the throne that our situation started plummeting.¡±


    She cursed a little. ¡°The chances of us winning this fight are dismal, while the chances of death grow everrger. Beyond victory or defeat, do you think the Tyrant will keep us safe?¡±


    She looked up hopefully. ¡°What if we... What if we switched sides and joined forces with the princess?¡±


    ¡°So you want us to be traitors?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am not afraid of death. I have fought alongside you for as long as I can remember. I have shed my blood for my n and did so willingly. But I have no loyalty to the crown. Why must we die for this cause? We have already lost so much of our own. The n''s power has fallen by more than half already.¡±


    Her arguments were passionate, born not of cowardice but genuine concern.


    Weakness was a sin punishable by death or envement.


    The Tiger n had been a giant for years, and many would relish its fall.


    ¡°Go back.¡±


    ¡°Dear!¡±


    He sighed. He wished for nothing more than to roar at her and make her fall silent, but he knew he needed to make himself clear.


    ¡°Think, woman. Think. Did you perhaps imagine that I did not contemte betrayal?¡±


    He asked sadly, ¡°But we have already missed the timing. Choosing a side should have been done from the start. We missed the timing and killed a soldier of Lustburg. Even if we betray, do you think we will receive better treatment than we do now?¡±


    He looked up at the moon. ¡°I am willing to set aside my pride and beg if it can save the n. But then what? What about the elderly, the sick, the women, and the children who stayed? Do you think the Tyrant will spare them if we switch sides? Even if he does and somehow loses, do you think the new princess will trust traitors? And what if he wins?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°I am no seer. I cannot foresee or anticipate the future. I am no genius. I cannot calcte the flow of the war. But what I do know is this: As long as we stay true to our side, even if we die, the Tiger n will not be destroyed.¡±


    He looked up, his eyes aze. ¡°They may fall. They may suffer. But they will endure.¡±


    Ping Hu''s eyes filled with tears. ¡°But is such survival worth it?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is.¡±


    His voice remained calm. ¡°Death is the end of all hope. Only by staying alive can you change your circumstances.¡±


    He waved his hand to dismiss the barrier and finally looked at all hispanions. Hispany was not solelyposed of Tigers, but he regarded all of them as people worthy of respect.


    ¡°Everyone! I believe tonight is a momentous night. Many of us may not see the sun tomorrow, myself included. Therefore¡­ Give it your all from the outset. Do not hesitate.¡±


    The wolves howled, the tigers roared, and everyone else let out their war cries.


    Their eyes reddened as their horns manifested, boosting their power further. [2]


    They were about to enter a berserk state, and they had no reason to hold back.


    This night would be drenched in blood.


    [1]: Hu is the family name, which means Tiger. It''s quite an archaic name in China, with Ho being more mainstream. The name Ho for Tiger is also used in Korea, interestingly. Bai Hu means legendary white Tiger. It''s quite a grand name for a random character, but I didn''t want to exhaust myself trying to find a better name.


    [2]: For those who remember, the basics are Mana veins, Horns, and Core. Only the S (divine beasts) rank has cores. High-ranked magical beings have horns. Everyone else has mana veins. For the Berserk mode, you can refer to Vol 3, Sol vs. Setsuna. (Dragon vs. Wolf was the name.)

 Chapter 565 CH 525: TIGER VS SNAKE (2)

    Chapter 565 CH 525: TIGER VS SNAKE (2)


    Sitting on a dark rock while gazing at the moonlight, Gerald could sense the tension gradually thickening in the air.


    Ideally, he wished for the situation to remain unchanged for a longer period. While this might lead to more casualties, it would make Wratharis less prone to deploying their heavy artillery prematurely.


    Undoubtedly, it was Wratharis who was currently racing against the clock, not Lustburg.


    Regrettably, the other side understood this as well.


    The leaders in Wratharis were far from foolish, and they were bound to take action to shift the disadvantageous situation.


    And that''s when it happened.


    ROAR!


    Gerald wasn''t surprised when he heard the roar of an enraged beast.


    "Here theye."


    It was ironic how those who held the fortress were the onesunching such a relentless assault, but that was the bitter reality of war.


    ''She will have to fight again.''


    It saddened him to see a gentle soul like Nuwa forced into the bloodshed of battle, but such was the harsh reality of war.


    ''Be cautious, young one.''


    He sighed and looked up, his face bathed in crimson light.


    It appeared they wanted to begin with a bang.


    ROAR!


    The skirmish began with a massive crimson fireball hurtling toward the encampment at breakneck speed, ready to consume everything in its path.


    The human soldiers were taken aback; they couldn''t believe that the opposing side wouldunch such a fierce attack without hesitation.


    "Mages, prepare the barriers!"


    Viktor sprang into action. While some damage was inevitable, they could greatly mitigate it.


    What they didn''t know was that this was no ordinary fire. Several tanukis hadbined their mana to create this potent attack, each sacrificing a significant portion of their lifespan. It was a taxing technique, but it offered efficiency and power, akin to the full might of a typical Duke-ranked mage, and in some cases, even surpassing it.


    Watching the fireball descend, Bai Hu clenched his fist. Perhaps they could survive this night.


    At least, that was what he initially believed, but¡ª


    ¡ªthey had overlooked one crucial detail. There was no way they could have foreseen what happened next.


    Whoosh!


    [Smash]


    Out of nowhere, a figure could be seen soaring toward the iridescent fireball. Onlookers opened their eyes wide, wondering if this person was simply reckless, attempting to stop the fiery onught.


    Human soldiers shouted, while those from Wratharis smirked.


    But soon, silence enveloped the battlefield as everyone struggled toprehend the astonishing sight before them.


    "Ah..."


    Bai Hu let out a humorlessugh, his eyes twitching.


    "What a monstrous sight."


    This sentiment was shared by all on the battlefield, regardless of their affiliation. They witnessed the maid approaching the fireball, but instead of a cataclysmic sh, something entirely unexpected urred.


    Rather¡ª


    "Is she... devouring it?"


    His wife''s voice trembled as she asked, her eyes wide.


    "Yes... Yes, I believe she is."


    In front of them all, the gigantic crimson fireball vanished in an instant, leaving only residual heat as proof of its existence.


    "Do we... still need to fight?"


    and the tanukis should prepare. This time, I won''t allow anything to hinder them."


    Without waiting for his wife''s response, Bai Hu leaped into action. His form rapidly Bai Hu closed his eyes. "I''ll take care of her. Inform the others to initiate the assault, and the tanukis should prepare. This time, I won''t allow anything to hinder them."


    Without waiting for his wife''s response, Bai Hu leaped into action. His form rapidly transformed as he ascended into the air.


    He grewrger and more formidable, with fur enveloping his entire body, a striking mix of ck and white that bestowed upon him a majestic appearance. He stood tall as a humanoid tiger, ready to fight to the death.


    The moment he touched down, his focus zeroed in on his target¡ªthe one who could potentially end his life.


    ''She''s young.''


    Despite her youth, the young woman wore a nk expression, her cheeks slightly bloated, as though she had indulged in a hearty meal. It might have been endearing in different circumstances, but Bai Hu knew she was a paradoxical monster, much like Sun Wukong.


    Bai Hu didn''t bother with words or thoughts.


    His mana surged through his body, following a specific path, imbuing him with energy.


    [Zone: Late Heaven Trigram.]


    A yin-yang circle, ck and white, formed beneath his feet, epassing both him and the young woman. Words appeared at each extremity of the Trigram, opposing each other.


    Heaven and Earth, Wind and Thunder, Water and Fire, Mountain and Lake.


    "Youngdy, I am the Lord of the Tiger n. I don''t know if I can defeat you, but¡ª you''ll regret not attacking me sooner."


    [Heaven and Heart Formation.]


    In an instant, the world shifted.


    A brilliant light shed, nearly blinding Nuwa. When her vision cleared, she found herself atop a mountain peak engulfed in clouds.


    {Well, it seems you should have heeded the old man''s advice.}


    Nuwa had no words to rebut Echidna this time.


    She was loss about what to do when a voice reached her,


    [This is the Heaven and Earth formation. One of my proudest achievements. A power I developed especially to face monsters like that I would never be able to win against in a normal situation.]


    The moment he spoke; Nuwa frowned as she started to feel heavy.


    This situation seemed to be quiteplicated.


    [1]: Basically, in Chinese myth, After the advent of the theory of Five Elements, some Chinese myths arose about five differently colored tigers who bnced the energy of the universe: a ck tiger governing water and the winter, a verdant tiger governing the earth and the spring, a red tiger governing fire and the summer, a white tiger governing metal and autumn, and a yellow tiger ruling the others.


    The victims of tigers were sometimes thought to be ¡®Changs¡¯, undead ves bound to lure other victims who took their ce as ¡®Changs¡¯ in turn.


    (AN: I remember back then I cursed at Masashi during the War arc of Naruto. Same with Fairy Tail and Bleach. War arc outside of war manga like Kingdoms, are generally bad or mid. Now I understand why, welp. Not easy writing. Hope I won¡¯t get cursed.)

 Chapter 566 CH 526: GLUTTONY (1)

    Chapter 566 CH 526: GLUTTONY (1)


    As if not caring about Nuwa, the voice continued fast,


    [This Heaven and Earth Formation has many interesting functions. One of such being that the more I exin to you how it works, the weaker you be.]


    She grunted as she felt like shackles were being tied to her feet.


    [Currently, you are in the Mounatin Gate and you need to reach me in the Heaven Gate. Only by reaching and beating me will you be able to escape. To make this restriction stronger, I am also tied down to the Heaven gate and unable to leave until you reach me. Only by beating you can I actually leave.]


    ¡°You are wasting time.¡±


    [Indeed I am. I will most likely die. But in the end, I will have managed to waste enough time for the mission to seed. That is all that matters.]


    Nuwa gritted her teeth. Her usually expressionless face showed signs of anger. She could have never guessed that she would get trapped in such a way. This made her angry at herself and she hated this feeling.


    [By now, the restriction on you should be impossible to break. I have seen your strength. It seems like your Zone has something to do with Gravity. This is undoubtedly powerful. But I can say that without a doubt there is no way a Duke can escape this ce without following the rules.]


    A light chuckle followed and she was left alone.


    Nuwa recognized she had been careless.


    She could have dispelled the crimson fire with her hammer but she had been too greedy and hungry, deciding to devour the fire instead.


    The following digestion slowed down her response time and she had not been able to attack the man as fast as she wished. There was also the fact that eep down, there was a clear disdain she had toward her opponent. After all, she had been looking down on the Tigers. She did not think a Duke outside of the Tower could actually cause her problem.


    ¡®I was careless.¡¯


    The words Gerald told her filled her mind and she realized once again that old experienced people should always be listened to.


    {You know I am far older than him, right? You should listen more to me as well.}


    ¡®I don¡¯t like you.¡¯


    Her answer was simple and Echidna could onlyugh. She knew that Nuwa was very {So, how do you n to escape this ce? and just before you say something stupid like ¡ª}


    angry now.


    {So, how do you n to escape this ce? and just before you say something stupid like ¡ª}


    ¡®I will smash it.¡¯


    Echidna had no time to stop Nuwa as she took out her hammer but no sooner did it happen than she let it go.


    The weight was too much for her and she could feel her strength waning faster.


    [I forgot to say. Breaking the rule brings punishment. The more rules you break the more limitations are imposed on you. Hahah!]


    Nuwa could feel that not only her strength but also her mana was slowly being devoured.


    She realized that her own mana was even used to juice this formation. Making it even stronger.


    She to admit one thing.


    ¡®He is strong.¡¯


    {You should have listened to me until the end before acting. I would have never thought that I would see something like this again. Zone such as this are very rare but they are thorny to deal with. The user ces many restrictions on himself and the more he does so, the more powerful the domain actually bes.}


    She had a somewhat whimsical voice as she spoke of this. In the past, the mortals had nearly no knowledge about how to progress and be stronger.


    This might have been why, they were far more imaginative when it came to the kind of power they wanted.


    This kind of domain had been very popr when she was young. But the number of used swiftly dwindled as people started to realize that you didn¡¯t necessarily have to restrict yourself to have more power.


    To learn such a zone, the man must have been really desperate.


    {You have three ways to escape this ce. The first one is obviously to follow the order. This is very straightforward but I can assure you without a shadow of a doubt that you will fail. Each Gate will most likely add more restrictions to you. Making you weaker and weaker until you reach the Heaven Door and be nothing but a sitting target.}


    This was a very insidious trap.


    {The second way is to bet. Why do you think he warned you about the increased punishment when trying to destroy the ce?}


    ¡®Because it isn¡¯t impossible?¡¯


    {Yes. There is no such thing as indestructible in this world. Even a divine kingdom can be destroyed. Much less a zone. Even so, the power necessary to break this ce will be high and each time you fail, you will pay the price, making any subsequent attack harder. Had you waited and listened to me we could have gathered more force for one big blow. But it¡¯s toote.}


    Nuwa pouted.


    ¡®I get it. I made a mistake. No need to repeat it. So, what is the third way?¡¯


    {Give me your body and let me show you.}


    ¡®So this was your goal all along.¡¯


    {Yes. I wanna walk. You only let me use your body for a few minutes recently. I wanna fight once again. It has been so long. What do you say?}


    Nuwa frowned. She knew that Echidna was dangerous and she knew that she shouldn¡¯t entirely believe her.


    Even so, up to now, Echidna had never done anything detrimental to her. Perhaps¡­ She could give her a chance?


    She looked around. She was still standing on a mountain peak and she didn¡¯t know how long it would take her to reach her destination.


    In the first ce, was time even moving the same as in the real world?


    She didn¡¯t know. She had no way to know. This was why¡­


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Her eyes darkened before a new liveliness reced them.


    A grin formed on her face as she started tough,


    ¡°Hahaha! Let me show you. Just what you can really do with this body!¡±


    [Zone: ck Hole!]


    She would show the true power of Gluttony.

 Chapter 567 CH 427: GLUTTONY (2)

    Chapter 567  CH 427: GLUTTONY (2)


    ?567  CH 427: GLUTTONY (2)


    Sitting on a Lotus chair with the Yin yang Trigram spinning below him, Bai Hu sighed. His brow showed his weariness and his ck hair had hints of gray. Despite not moving an inch sinceing here, his breathing was clearly hurried. But there was no other way.


    He had obviously not beenpletely forting with the information he shared with Nuwa.


    His Zone worked in very mysterious ways but he was not all-powerful.


    ''I lost a few years of my lifespan.''


    This zone was very special. In fact, rather than one truth, it was something that could be learned by a group of people and used in a group of eight as long as they had the matching elements.


    This was a technique of old that had long been discarded since the power of the domain could only be fully shown when eight people with matching hearts fought together.


    It was said that at this level, even a King rank could be imprisoned and beaten to death.


    This was a very useful power that could help the weak face against the strong and Bai Hu knew that he could have gotten great merit if he shared this technique with Tiangu Ira.


    But Bai Hu knew that this would have been stupid. As great as the reward he would have received would be, he would have most likely died before enjoying them.


    ¡®Well ¡ª Not like my current situation is any better.¡¯


    Swallowing the blood that was threatening to spill, Bai Hu gazed at the young girl who had dropped her hammer after one swing.


    Truly he had been lucky. Had the girl gathered more power, she might have been able to actually destroy this ce instantly in one shot.


    Thankfully, this was not to be and he still had his chance.


    ¡®Now then. Young girl, what will you do?¡¯


    Hopefully, nothing. The girl, despite possessing great might, seemed tock dearly in experience. Her actions were extremely amateurish and this was covered by her talent.


    ¡®The Heavens are indeed never fair.¡¯


    Fate was a cruel mistress and realizing that the world did not follow fairness was one of the first lessons he received.


    If everything continued like this. She would either try to attack once again or go through the gate.


    Either way ¡ª She was doomed.


    Or at least this was how it should have been. But ¡ª


    ¡®Hum?¡¯


    A chill went down his spine and Bai Hu looked once again at the flickering image of the young immature girl.


    Something had changed. The expression on her face was different and the chilling aura she emitted was on a magnitude order different.


    If before Bai Hu felt like he was facing a young child with a giant magical weapon. Now though, he realized that he was witnessing a queen. A superior being. Someone who was used to rules and whose aura could never be underestimated.


    ¡®What is the ¡ª¡¯


    The contrast between the two was so intense that he nked out for a moment but what followed made his mouth agape with ipr¨¦hension.


    What does nothingness look like?


    This might be a question all beings once asked themselves as they gazed at the stars shining in the night sky.


    But at this very moment. Bai Hu thought that he might have found his answer.


    Whoosh!


    [ck Hole]


    The moment the girl used her zone, space distorted, and a crimson light bloomed. It was as if she was being surrounded by a halo of iridescent fire, causing everything to warp around it.


    This gorgeous disy was soon followed by a horrifying sight.


    ¡°Impossible -Cough~¡±


    Bai Hu coughed blood as he witnessed the Mountain gate starting to disintegrate, the rocks weren¡¯t just being attracted by the suction force of the ck hole. They were changing and transforming in pure energy before being absorbed.


    ¡°Stop it!¡±


    Bai Hu screamed but to no avail. This was the limitation he had put on himself. It was impossible for him to leave his ce as things were now.


    His eyes started to bleed as the Mountain gate waspletely destroyed or rather devoured as if bitten off by the jaw of a giant ravenous beast.


    The sion continued, unimpeded and all he could was sit and watch as his proudest creation was slowly being devoured. Helpless to change anything.


    .


    .


    .


    While Bai Hu was mourning and suffering physically as well as emotionally from the destruction of his Zone, Echidna was grinning with relish as the energy was being absorbed in her zone.


    Even so, she was still not fully satisfied. Clearly, she was too weak and unable to show the true might of her Zone.


    ¡®I have to thank Anubis for this.¡¯


    When she was younger, all she knew was devouring by tearing off the material and ingurgitating it.


    It was Anubis who talked to her about the star and taught her the existence of what was known as ck Hole. A phenomenon that signified the end of all.


    This was also why she had taught Nuwa how to manipte gravity. After all, this was the first step in mastering this technique.


    ¡®Ah¡­This body is really nearly perfect. But it still has room to grow.¡¯


    Echidna opened her arms wide as she continued to absorb the energy through the ck hole and pushed it toward the body, making it stronger, faster, and tougher.


    ¡°Do you see? This is the height you can reach if you listen to my teaching more closely. You will be able to make your Zone evolve and be something akin to mine.¡±


    Echidna received no answer but she had never expected one in the first ce. Nuwa¡¯s soul was too weak and frail to actuallymunicate the same way Echidna did.


    .c¦Ïm ¡®How fascinating. The birth of a new nk soul.¡¯


    This was a body that should have been hers and obviously, she had made sure no Soul would enter it. After all, she wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the goddesses used her eggs to nourish some reincarnation like Anubis.


    But Nuwa was somethingpletely different. Something she had never witnessed. Something that was worth observing.


    This was why ¡ª


    ¡°Do not worry. I will give you your body back soon.¡±


    She grinned as she gripped the hammer tightly in her hand. In the past, her weapon had been a il. But this would also do.


    ¡°Time to have fun.¡±


    War was the best ce of growth for someone with the power of Gluttony.

 Chapter 568 528: CHOICE (1)

    Chapter 568 528: CHOICE (1)


    Echidna had many small goals in the uing conflicts and while they were all rtively easy to aplish she had to make sure everything worked for the better.


    The path toward the mastery of her power was slow but incredible.


    Using the Earth element as the base, evolving it to gravity and finally transforming it in the absolute destruction that was a ck hole bypressing the weight to the utmost degree.


    While Nuwa had shown an unexpected talent and managed to directly reach the power of Gravity, there was one individual that intrigued her.


    ''That maid was interesting.''


    Echidna sighed as the next gate was getting destroyed and the pure energy filled her body.


    Milia. Nothing more than a cow woman. A weak beast woman with no special qualities or skills. No hidden bloodline.


    Even so, this woman was the one who ended up having the highestpatibility with her blood. To the point of creating a zone simr to the path she once used.


    The endless shadows.


    ''I would have loved to observe her more but I had to make a decision.''


    In the end, Milia was nothing more than a failed product.


    Nuwa meanwhile was the result of years of research.


    Using the blood of Asmodeus and her, mixing their divinity and bringing a body that has the potential to evolve limitlessly until up to the demigod level at least.


    There was so much potential. So much buried.


    ''If only that damned Dwarf did not intervene.:


    She would have been reborn in the perfect body. She would have grown far faster and by now she would have already regained her prowess as a demigod and much more.


    ''But it''s also good.''


    A scientist had to be prepared for the unexpected and use it as a way to further growth.


    Her goal had always been the same ¡ª- Witnessing the birth of the absolute being.


    The creation of a new god. Doing the impossible and breaking the unbreakable wall that was transcendence.


    Nothing in this world couldpare to the potential Nuwa had ¡ª At least this was what she believed until now.


    "I came to take a look because of what he said. But I must say ¡ª This is truly surprising."


    Echidna stopped, for the third time in her life she felt a chill go down her spine, her instincts screaming at her about an incredible danger that could threaten her life.


    Even so, she was Echidna, the mother of thousands of monsters.


    Her eyes flickered and she finally turned towards the unexpected voice.


    Behind her, there should have been nothing other than a void. The results of devouring the previous gate without hesitation and disturbing the equilibrium of this zone


    But in the same void ¡ªstood a man.


    Short golden hair, a handsome face, and a leisurely gate.


    But what captured her attention were the striking two blue orbs. Eyes blue like the sky or the surface of the sea, giving an illusion of wideness with no limit.


    For the first time in her life, Echidna felt loss.


    She knew who it was. Even without looking at his recognizable features, she could deduce who it was from the memories of Nuwa.


    But this was why Echidna was even more lost for words.


    Sol Dragona Luxuria.


    A young boy born from the union of Mars Luxuria and ze Dragons. Someone who barely came of ages and who, based on Nuwa''s memories, was not even a Duke yet.


    "Sol~!¡­"


    Many thoughts flew past her mind as her expression morphed into one of genuine joy.


    "Do not talk to me in such an endearing way. You are not Nuwa."


    The smile froze and her expression cooled down with it.


    "To think the Prince would grow so fast."


    "I have heard this same expression so many times, it''s boring."


    He took a step forward, until he was only a few centimeters away from her, forcing her to look up at him.


    This was pretty humiliating for Echidna who had been used to be treated as a queen


    "I know who you are. I understand the current situation and I honestly have many things to ask you."


    Echidna bites her teeth.


    "You are pretty calm despite knowing who you are facing."


    She forced herself to stand tall but all she received was a mocking smile from the one facing her.


    "I am not calm. As I said, I am surprised. To think the great and legendary Echidna would be reduced to nothing but a mere parasite who needs the body of a little girl to survive."


    Echidna gritted her teeth and was about tosh out when she saw his finger shining with a golden light as it slowly approached her.


    Instantly, her hackles were raised and she tried to move away, only to realize that she was no more in the Zone of the Bai Hu but in a different ce.


    ''This should be his dimension.''


    "As I thought, there are no changes. I guess even though you are just a parasite now you are still a demigod, huh."


    Echidna tried to elerate the power of her ck hole.


    She wasn''t just able to absorb the energy from objects and the like. It was also possible for her to destroy and absorb organic matter.


    The dimension itself was another thing she could target.


    ''Even though he has a dimension, the power a Duke can use with his dimension should be abyssal.''


    She was forced to stop her prejudice when she realized that no matter how fast the ckhole elerated, no energy was drawn.


    In fact, the young prince was simply observing her acting, with a benign smile, as if looking at a young child acting unreasonably.


    "I will be direct. You now have two choices."


    The golden light shed once again, giving her a feeling of danger.


    She had the illusion that a giant pair of scissors was hanging above her head, ready to bisect her at any moment.


    This was bing very problematic.

 Chapter 569 CH 529: CHOICES? (2)

    Chapter 569 CH 529: CHOICES? (2)


    Sol was amused. It was always him making choices in the past. Always being tested, evaluated, analyzed, and put in difficult situations for the amusement of people more powerful than him.


    Now though ¡ª He was the one setting the pace and establishing the rules. Even when facing someone as dangerous as Echidna. Though she was nothing but a shadow of her past self.


    ¡°Like I said you have two choices.¡±


    His voice intonated quietly.


    "First one is to die peacefully. This is my way of showing respect to someone once renowned. Obviously, there is no need to try and threaten me with Nuwa. Not only would it make me lose the little respect I have for you, but I can also assure you, I have a way to end you at any moment."


    Echidna''s narrowed slightly. She had to admit she did want to do what he said. After all, she was in Nuwa¡¯s body. Logically speaking, there was no way for Sol to actually hurt her directly without hurting Nuwa.


    But if there was one thing Echidna knew as a Blessed, it was that words such as ¡®Logic¡¯ and ¡®Possibility¡¯ lost all meanings when addressed to Blessed. They had the uncanny ability to always reject such things at the worst moments.


    ¡®He might also be bluffing.¡¯


    There was no way to know this and everything depended on her if she wished to try betting.


    "What about the second choice?"


    Her pride hurt slightly when she saw the smirk on his face at her answer. It was the kind of smile people made when everything was working as they intended. A very irksome smile.


    ¡®This reminds me of the goddesses.¡¯


    She sighed and could only grit her teeth as she listened to her condition.


    "Be Nuwa''s ve and servant. An inner voice guiding a young fighter while sharing knowledge. This is somehow very nostalgic. So I will give you this chance. Think carefully."


    He grinned as a throne made out of ice appeared behind him for him to sit on.


    "Life or servitude. This is not much of a choice is it."


    "This is still more choices than you ever made in your mad quest for power and evolution don¡¯t you think so? I could have simply forced you to ept any oue I wished for. But I gave you a choice. How magnanimous of me, don''t you think so?"


    Sol leaned back on the chair, his chin on his hand as he observed with an amused twinkle in the eyes.


    The oue of the choices seemingly did not matter to him. All he wished was to see what decisions Echidna would take. After all, whatever choices she made, his was already made.


    "You are very different from your father."


    The man she remembered was a very upright man who had lofty goals and clear ideals.


    "Once again, I have heard this sentence so much, it''s quite boring. Though now, I take being different from my father more as apliment than anything else."


    Chains of ice appeared out of nowhere and imprisoned her. Blocking her hands and feet and lifting her in the air.


    "Now amuse me and share your choice. I have a war to finish."


    Echidna looked at her stretched form and her underwear showing up with her legs spread apart and grinned,


    ¡°It seems like the prince is really a pervert.¡±


    Sol was unperturbed, ¡°A prince of Lustburg being lustful is hardly something strange and if I do anything to this body, it will be when Nuwa is inmand.¡±


    He sighed, ¡°You are stalling for time, trying to find a solution to something you have no hope of escaping from. I guess it¡¯s time for me to show you that I am not bluffing.¡±


    She was brought forward toward him until there was basically no distance between them. Then, nonchntly, he pressed a finger against her stomach.


    ¡°Wha¨C !!!!¡±


    She asked but soon, a scream nearly burst out of her.


    Her eyes bulged out and became bloodshot as she trashed but was unable to move.


    Echidna was used to pain. In her long existence, she had to face pain many times and used herself as an experiment subject many times as well.


    Pain was her friend and constantpanion.


    But what she was feeling now was something like nothing before.


    This wasn''t just a mere pain that could be felt at the physical level but something more Insidious and devastating, making her feel like her entire existence was being partially erased.


    It was only after Sol took away his finger that peace came back to her mind.


    She breathed in and out, her face covered in sweat as she looked at Sol with defiance.


    "Do you think Torture can make you kneel?"


    She hissed with vehemence but his answer was unperturbed.


    "No I do not."


    Echidna felt like she was missing a beat with how easily he epted.


    "I have met Ambrosia and Anubis. I believe that for people like you, even the worst torture would not make you kneel. But my goal isn''t so. I only wanted to make you understand the reality of your situation."


    His finger approached her again, causing her to flinch slightly but even as he touched her, no pain came to her.


    ¡°I can make you feel pain like nothing before without impacting Nuwa in the slightest. I can erase you with a snap of my finger, literally at any moment.¡±


    "You ¡­"


    Sol ignored as he stood up from his throne and the chain binding her vanished.


    "Well, I believe I have yed enough with you."


    She looked bewildered as his form started to fade.


    "I stopped time temporarily in my dimension to y around with you. Which is quite tiring I have to admit. Still too much for my current self."


    By then, there was nothing but a faint image remaining of him.


    "I will let you go back to your fight. Whatever you do, I will not intervene. But remember this Echidna. I cane anytime, anywhere. This is a warning. Take a step beyond the line and you will die immediately with no hope of even reincarnating."


    His blurry voice vanished in the wind as the dimensions.


    Now alone ¡ª Looking at the Zone of Bai Hu, Echidna was feeling like everything that happened prior was just a dream.


    But, bringing her hands towards her stomach, remembering the sh of pain that seemed like it would destroy her soul, Echidna sighed andughed helplessly.


    ''What a monster.''


    Truly, she felt like she had faced a monster of the age.


    She had never felt so helpless in her entire life.


    Sol Dragona Luxuria.


    At first, she thought that he was nothing but a child imprisoned in a Golden cage who still had much to learn.


    She didn''t know what kind of adventure he may have had in the Astral realm but clearly, the boy of yesteryear was no more.


    ''Seems like I will have to change my ns.''


    She closed her eyes as she felt around her stomach and her smile became even more bitter when she found what she was searching for in her soul.


    In the first ce did he even try to hide it?


    "A bomb."


    ¡ª More precisely the equivalent of a bomb.


    Truly, one thought from him would be all that was needed to end her.


    It seemed like this was checkmate for her.

 Chapter 570 CH 530: SIMILAR SCENE

    Chapter 570 CH 530: SIMILAR SCENE


    [Fortress, Lustburg]


    After dealing with Echidna, Sol was far from finished. Initially, his goal ining here had only been to see how the war was going on this front and make sure Nuwa didn¡¯t lose her body to that old hag.


    While Echidna had caused the death of his Parents, if he had to be honest, Sol did not feel much about this. While he recognized Mars and ze as the genitors, he wasn¡¯t particrly attached to them.


    ¡®Well. I might kill her if she proves herself to be useless.¡¯


    Echidna was far more valuable alive than dead. All this knowledge could not go to waste. As for what to do to her after this depends on what his harem member wished.


    ¡®Without Nuwa and Gepard we would have lost this front.¡¯


    The war was not going as well as Sol had expected. After all, without using the resources he developed, humans were too disadvantaged when fighting other races.


    Even more so in winter like this.


    ¡®A few sacrifices are necessary to make the whole stronger.¡¯


    Sol''s goal wasn¡¯t to beat Wratharis. If his only goal had been destruction, all these tactics would have been useless. All he needed was to send his heavy hitter and bring chaos everywhere.


    What he wanted ¡ªwas to conquer the entire world. For this goal of his, he didn¡¯t just need personal power. He needed a powerful administration that could oversee his dominion and he also needed a powerful army that could crush everything without needing him to send individuals.


    ¡®I nearly lost a great general.¡¯


    Sol¡¯s eyes twinkled as he brushed past all the defense of this zone and reached the Heaven Gate.


    The ce where Bai Hu was sitting helplessly.


    ¡°You are Bai Hu.¡±


    He gazed at the Tiger man with a slight indifference but with admiration concealed within.


    Sol was gifted.


    He was someone blessed with all the luck one could possibly have in a lifetime. While he certainly worked hard, Sol would never be hypocritical enough to say that he managed to reach his current power through arduous training.


    Everything was thanks to Fate and Luck. This was an undeniable fact.


    Born in the royal family as a Blessed, the son of a demigod and a King ranked Dragon. The grandson of a Divine beast and the one Luxuria was interested in.


    Because of all this luck, rather than bing arrogant, Sol started to respect people who put in the hard work despite being dealt shitty cards.


    ¡°I salute the King of Lustburg. I apologize for myck of decorum but I am unable to move from this ce.¡±


    ¡°I do not mind.¡±


    Bai Hu breathed deeply as he looked up at the young golden-haired man floating above him who was barely a fifth of his age.


    ¡®Humans are frightening.¡¯


    Genius they were called. For Bai Hu, the word Genius did not suit the entity that was facing him currently.


    ¡®Monster. A Sovereign of the age, ready to crush an era.¡¯


    Bai Hu was old enough to have witnessed the era of the three Kings of Lustburg. He still remembered how Mars Luxuria¡¯s presence alone was enough to suppress so many powerhouses.


    But what he was seeing now was different.


    Mars was sunshine. A man whose aura and grandeur made people follow him simply because they were charmed by his charisma. He was like the warm sun that bathed the heart with its light and allowed growth.


    His son thought ¡ª


    ¡®I feel like I am standing in front of an Inferno.¡¯


    An overpowering aura. A crushing presence. The feeling that you were standing against a beast that should not be provoked.


    A harsh sun in the desert that was ready to burn down everything.


    ¡® ¡ª And he is just a Duke? What will happen when he bes a King.¡¯


    Bai Huughed. His thoughts were bing clearer and this made him aware of a ridiculous truth.


    Heughed so hard tears even gathered in the corner of his eyes. First with the Snake girl and now this.


    ¡°Oh Mighty King, tell me ¡ª Is this whole war yours doing? Are we all moving in the palm of your hand?¡±


    ¡°Lupus is the one who dered war.¡±


    Bai Hu covered his face andughed more. ¡°Indeed. He did so after he thought the Saintess was weak and helpless. Pfft Hahaha! How amusing! How ridiculous! To think we are all moving like chess pieces under your control.¡±


    Bai Hu was smart. He had to be. Only by bing smarter could he make his race prosper when he was weak.


    This was why he had managed to connect the dot. They had been moving within the expectation of Lustburg this whole time.


    ¡°I am not the one who came up with this n.¡±


    Sol made his throne appear and took his seat, he looked at Bai Hu, more interested than ever. He had not expected the man to understand the flow with so few clues at his disposal.


    This made him once again remember that he should never assume that his enemies were stupid.


    ¡°So you admit.¡± Bai Hu nodded, ¡°Indeed. There is no reason for you to worry about me.¡±


    He looked up at Sol once again and finally ¡ª He stood up.


    The rules of his zones were clear. He did not have the right to move as long as he wished to maintain it.


    .c¦Ïm Already ¡ª the zone started to fracture and would disintegrate in a few seconds.


    After standing up, Bai Hu kneeled, and his two knees on the ground and his forehead pressed so hard against the ground it was bleeding.


    ¡°I, Bai Hu, Leader of the Tiger n, beg His Majesty to ept my worthless self under your umbre. I vow to serve you until myst breath.¡±


    Why would Sol stop and discuss it with him? Even without saying anything, Bai Hu understood what he had to do.


    He did not ask anything. He did not even bother bargaining. All he did was Kneel and vow.


    Sol smiled. The picture he was witnessing did not make him sneer. This picture was ovepping with a picture that was seared deep in his mind. That of him kneeling and begging the goddesses for Camelia¡¯s life. This was why he could understand all the more how helpless Bai Hu must feel. But this did not stop him.


    Clearly, both he and Bai Hu had very simr values.


    ¡°I like your way of doing things. As such I will give you what you want. The Tiger n will prosper under my rules.¡±


    Bai Hu did not answer. He simply buried his head deeper, hiding the tears that were flowing from his eyes.


    Here he was, bowing low in the most humiliating way possible to beg for a chance of survival for those he had to care about.


    But his tears were not born out of humiliation but out of relief. Unlike the flimsy words of the Tyrants, the quiet poise of this young man felt a hundred times more sturdy.


    Pride?


    Pride was nothing in front of the survival of his race.


    If necessary, he would kneel a thousand times. He would cut himself open, and would even boil himself alive if it could help protect what he had to protect.


    Noblesse Oblige.


    For all the power and rights he received as the leader, it was his duty to protect those who believed in him.


    ¡®Father, may your soul rest in peace.¡¯


    After simply sacrificing something as useless as his pride, he managed to ensure the survival of his race.


    This was a hundred times worth it.


    (AN: Sol really came a long way from the events of Vol 2.)

 Chapter 571 CH 531: DAWN COME

    Chapter 571 CH 531: DAWN COME


    When the zone of Bai Hupletely broke down, he could finally see the battlefield once again and what he saw was not that much different from what he had anticipated.


    The humans had won.


    "We had no chances from the beginning.¡¯


    Realizing this was really self-deprecating but at the same time, it filled Bai Hu with a sense of awe and respect toward someone other than his father for the first time.


    Looking up, he could see the Young King floating in the air, his majestic presence causing all to fall silent in this ce.


    They had no other choice than to do so. They could all feel it, after all, the beast men even more than the humans.


    They could not win.


    ¡°My dear citizens. My valorous Warrior. This night may have only been the opening of the war toe. But this night will forever be etched in history and your name with it, be it dead or alive. All the rewards promised will be sent to the bereaved family and I will even add an additional 5 gold for each family. Money will never be able to pay for the pain and suffering they are going through. But it will help them go through hard times.¡±


    The soldiers clenched their fists, looking at the bodies of some of their deadrades. Some of which were not even entirely intact.


    Why did they fight so much?


    Was it for nationalism? A desire to protect their homnd?


    Sure. Such feelings did exist. Even more so in soldiers who were of noble origin. But for the most part, for the soldiers who weremoners, children of farmers, the reason they fought was simple.


    Money.


    As crude as it was. Being a soldier was lucrative and it became even more so after the news policies the Prince created.


    Be it with their lives or death, being a soldier would put their family in a situation where they could live decently well.


    Now though, there was a different feeling brewing in their chests. Something hot and hard to exin.


    The fight had been ruthless, many of them were unable to evenst a few seconds against the were-beasts who had gone berserk.


    But everything changed in an instant.


    The very moment the mages managed to connect the magical circle, rather than an army as they had hoped for reinforcement.


    Only one person came though.


    One man.


    The soldiers had been surprised, the Mages were lost and everyone lost hope. After all, the portal consumed too much energy to be used continuously.


    What could one person actually do?


    Well ¡ª They had forgotten what kind of the world they actually lived in.


    Pure anihtion.


    The moment the King stepped into the fight, everything fell apart.


    Like a kid stepping on an ant-hill of ns simply for desire and joy, he shows when dreaming others down.


    Looking at all those resources and luxury items, everyone thought¡ª.


    ¡®Hah¡­ I am so damn happy he is on our side.¡¯


    This was how they witnessed his power and became even more of one thing


    ¡°The King is mighty!¡±


    Someone shouted and soon everyone followed. They now understood what the hot feeling that was spreading through their chests was.


    It was worship and respect. As well as fear and admiration.


    A myriad of mixed feelings towards one being that stood above them all.


    Outwardly, Sol did not change even while listening to the cheer. He simply waved his hand at them.


    But inwardly he was jumping with glee.


    Soon his name would fly around slowly but surely. It was necessary to build a good image while they were at the start of the fight.


    Their desperations and fears would be the seed of an even bigger worship for him.


    ¡°Do not weep, my soldiers. Those who left us will go to the world of the afterlife. They are heroes. Heroes who fought to protect their homnd from the hand of the Tyrants king. The Madman who started this whole thing fiasco.


    ¡°But worry not. For this man will one day fall under my de. Until then, I beg you to fight alongside me!¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡±


    Everyone cheered, Sol smiled and floated away.


    This ce would be an important strategic point.


    It was time to start working on what he would do with his prisoners.


    .


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    .


    .


    The next day, the news of the defeat of the Tiger squad and the fall of the Fortress filled all the different fronts.


    This had been the first true battle between Lustburg and Wratharis and while it was only a small-scale fight, the results were more than surprising.


    After all, the Tiger may have fallen but they were still a major n of Wratharis.


    For them to be defeated in only a few nights since they started was something no one could have ever expected.


    When they learned that the King of Lustburg had acted, many were dissatisfied as this was a breach in war rule.


    But it was only a few minutester that they realized two things.


    One. Sol was not yet officially the King. Only the Crown Prince.


    Two. Sol was not a king-ranked warrior. Only a Duke.


    No rules had been broken.


    Realizing that continuing this train of thought would be useless, the different generals started spreading and acting on different fronts.


    In just one week after the start of the war, Wratharis managed tond many Small victories, increasing the morale of the Beast men.


    This caused them to slowly advance deeper in Lustburg in many points while Lustburg retreated.


    They were sure of it now.


    Lustburg was nothing more than a beast without many fangs remaining.


    Victory would be theirs.


    At least this was what they thought until one person took a step on the battlefield.


    Her name was Aurora Castitas


    [AN:] As I write this chapter I can¡¯t help but wonder if I should have first shown more of the despair of the troops through the fight then showed some badass entrance of Sol before finally showing how hepletely dominates. Many of my idease suddenly and I feel like it would be far more badass. Because of my release speed, I feel like I am rushing the war and skipping important little details. I will be more careful next.)

 Chapter 572 CH 532: DAWN GIVE

    Chapter 572 CH 532: DAWN GIVE


    All divine powers are different yet at the same time not so.


    The 14 goddesses, in essence, had the same power. The representation of a Sin or a Virtue. A sentiment present in all humanity and all sentient beings.


    In fact, the goddesses were one.


    Even so, while the power base was the same, there were obviously a few differences and specialties between them.


    Patienta power when wielded by her Priests focused on one type of mental interference ¡ª Calm. The idea was to help soldier always keep their head clear when fighting.


    In a vacuum, this didn¡¯t seem much. But when paired with the Berserk mode of war beasts, then this became apletely different story. Allowing them to fight at a much higher level whilepletely keeping their sanity.


    Then ¡ª What about Castitas?


    Her auxiliary power was not particrly useful at first. After all, what could ¡°chastity¡± truly bring as power?


    Everything changed when One Supreme Daughter decided to focus on the concept of Purity as a whole rather than simply the direct trantion.


    Purity ¡ª Keeping the sanctity of the body, always bringing it back to a state prior to what it originally was.


    This was Castitas'' divine power bestowed on the priests. The power to heal. The Pdin would abuse this power the most as they would fight while self healing.


    Wratharis soldiers had always hated this power since when coupled with their transportation magic circle, it meant they could keep replenishing their force.


    But for the first time in their entire life, the soldiers of Wratharis realized something they would have never imagined.


    One truly powerful healer was nothing but a monster.


    ¡ª-


    [Desert of the forgotten;]


    One of the front Wratharis shared with Lustburg was rather close to that of the Elf Forest.


    This ce in particr was not truly a desert but more a deadnd created by the elves when they had to cede those ground in the past, destroying all life.


    Today again, it was witnessing a sh between two armies.


    Unlike the earlier small skirmish where only a few tens of elites fought each other, one could say the current war was in full swing as more than 10 thousand people fought on each side.


    Spells and Magic rained down like a downpour, limbs scattered, blood flowed and people were crushed beneath the steps of theirrades who could not stop and think about them.


    This battlefield had been under the control of the War beasts without much problem. Thebo of clear mind and Berserk allowed them to swiftly dominate the humans who were already on the weaker side.


    This was a bloody sight and many people perished.


    The human soldiers had lost all hope and the beasts were cheering.


    At least this was so until she came.


    Dawn Castitas.


    A young woman whose name was rtively unknown outside of the Capital. Someone who was too weak and was not even a Duke.


    When they learned that such a woman entered the battlefield ¡ª Everyone thought she was crazy.


    What could one person, who was not even a Duke, change?


    ¡ª-Well. She could change the entire battlefield.


    .


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    .


    ¡°Die! Please Die! Why won¡¯t you die!!!¡±


    One beast-man and his unity were fighting a rather small group of twenty humans, tearing them apart with ease. But the ones with desperate looks on their face were the beast men themselves.


    ¡°Hahaha! For the Saintess! For Lustburg!¡±


    The human soldiersughed like madmen, their eyes unfocused as they simply kept attacking. Some humans would even sink their teeth in the flesh of the beasts.


    They ignored wounds, they ignored the pain, they ignored fatigue, and hunger.


    They had no hesitations.


    They simply fought.


    The reason why was simple.


    Healing.


    No matter what wounds they receive, they keep healing, while the beast men keep weakening.


    ¡°Fucking Undead-Like bastard!¡±


    The ¡°Undead¡±.


    This was what the current army on this particr battlefield was called.


    They did not die.


    They could not die.


    An eternal army that would keep standing forever without hesitation.


    If those weren¡¯t undead, what would they be?


    The humans simplyughed again, ignoring all insults and simply focused on winning.


    They knew very well how they might look. But they did not care, in fact, they had no reason to even care.


    All their minds was focused on one thing.


    Winning.


    Killing.


    They remembered truly well Aurora¡¯s words,


    ¡°As long as the sun shines and as long as I stand, You will not fall.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to understand and they were awed by the might of the supreme daughter and of Lustburg.


    The more they thought about this, the more fervently they fought, ignoring everything with no hesitation.


    A few hourster, standing alone, thest beastmen let out a howl filled with grief and frustration as it sumbed to its wounds.


    Breathing in and out, one of the humans took an arm that was lying on the ground and ced it against the stump.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget guys. Limb regeneration takes more energy. If you can find your own limbs on the ground, better take them.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The soldiers saluted in unison and started looking for their lost limbs, joking and chuckling, like this was nothing out of the ordinary.


    Some would pull out fangs from their stomach while others made cleaner wounds to allow easier healing.


    Watching all this, the Captain couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    She was truly wondering if they were monsters now. But there was no way she would begrudge obtaining something albeit to immortality, even if it was temporary.


    Where Aurora passes. People be "Undead"


    Because they could not die. Because they keep standing. Because they forget they were even humans.


    In nothing but one week.


    A woman who was not even yet at the Duke rankpletely changed the battlefield.


    This fact allowed people to understand one thing.


    ¡ª Never underestimate a blessing.


    ¡®The Holy Daughter is mighty.¡¯


    The Captain had always been a devotee of Castitas, keeping the preaching in mind and preparing for her marriage.


    Today once again, her faith was renewed.


    (AN: I y the Pdin build in Balgur gate unlike my Magician build in Elden Ring. Not gonna lie, Pdin Build is truly interesting. Immortal damage dealer for the win.)

 Chapter 573 CH 533

    Chapter 573 CH 533


    Standing in a tent, Dawn was watching the nunse and go as they healed and provided help to the warrior whose blessings had vanished.


    Even though they were called ¡°undead¡±, they were nothing more than humans gifted with something akin to super regeneration thanks to her power.


    There was a limit to how many people at the same time could receive it and how strong the blessing was.


    Even so, this still allowed her to grant salvation to humans who would have been nothing but cannon fodder.


    ¡®My power is slowly recovering.¡¯


    Obviously, there was no way the feeble power of Castitas would allow for such a powerful miracle.


    Aurora or rather, Dawn, simply mixed the power of the Dawn and Sun with the power of healing from Castitas.


    As long as they fought under the sun, they would not feel hunger, or fatigue, they would not fall prey to fear nor hesitate inbat. Finally, their wounds will always heal.


    Thanks to all of this, the result was even more impressive than she thought and the human army managed to take back the upper hand.


    But this wouldn¡¯tst or rather ¡ª She didn¡¯t want to make itst.


    ¡®We need to retreat and bring them deeper in. While keeping casualties to a minimum. How overbearing.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t her n in the first ce. Her job was just to keep more people alive and slowly induce Wratharis.


    While she had no interest in the victory or defeat of Lustburg, she had always been serious about a job once it was given to her.


    ¡®Though it seems like Father has his own opinion.¡¯


    Clearly, Sol was preparing a very big move and wished to pull in as many soldiers as possible.


    For this, they needed to lose slowly but not too much.


    ¡®Well. I am just doing my job.¡¯


    Those moments reminded her of the time when she fought alongside her Father. She had always been the one to keep track of everything and her power were suited for this kind of support.


    ¡®Oh well¡­I simply wonder if any of them is going to appear and ¡ª Should I warn him?¡¯


    Aurora bites her lips. She was now at a crossroads and her decision would say whether she would be Sol¡¯s friend or enemy.


    This was a very important choice for her. But she couldn¡¯t help but think.


    ¡ª I still have some time.


    A little more, just a little more.


    ¡°Saintess?¡±


    ¡°Hum?¡±


    Dawn was pulled from her reverie as she faced the young man wearing aplete white armor.


    ¡°White Knight.¡±


    The young man took away the helmet and showed his rather handsome face but clear exhaustion could be seen in his eyes;


    ¡°The Pdin managed to push back the attack this time. But Wratharis is getting desperate. Soon, there will be a huge attack.¡±


    ¡°I know. My divine power is dwindling and our wounded are increasing, I believe it¡¯s time to start retreating.¡±


    ¡°Saintess.¡±


    She raised a hand to stop him and showed a gentle smile, her eyes filled with sadness as if this was a very hard decision for her.


    ¡°I received orders from his highness. He believes the lives of the soldiers and citizens of Lustburg should not be wasted. This font is not primordial for our defenses so we must retreat.¡±


    Of course, she was lying or rather, she wasn¡¯t really. She was simply omitting some information. The fact that Sol was using this entire war as more of a testing ground was something that couldn¡¯t be allowed to be public knowledge.


    Light bloomed from her and covered the pdin, melting away all fatigue from him as well as easing the pain of the wounded.


    ¡°Listen! I Aurora Castitas, swear! I will keep as many of you alive as possible such is my goal and duty.¡±


    The moment the light bloomed, her aura fluctuated and sharply increased, bing stronger and stronger.


    Finally, it stopped and with it, the light vanished.


    The white Knight looked at her with eyes filled with disbelief and a great amount of respect, before bowing slightly,


    ¡°Congrattions on advancing and bing a Duke.¡±


    Aurora smiled benevolently.


    Indeed. She had ¡°advanced¡± and the truth she seemingly used was something for the citizens.


    How respectful and lovable.


    After this her reputation was sure to increase even more and so would the crown.


    ''What a sneaky young man. he seems pretty good when ites to propaganda.''


    ¡ª


    Achoo!


    Back in Lustburg, Sol sneezed a little, something that should have been nearly impossible.


    But he simply dismissed it and went back to work.


    On his side was arge stack of documents that reached his head and gave him a headache simply by looking at them.


    The worst was that this was the streamlined version after they went through ra''s hands.


    The administration staff for war was going like a well-oiled machine but so many things were happening at the same time that he became too busy.


    Today though, one particr thing was giving him a headache.


    "Raise yourself, Duke Travers."


    Duke Travers continued to kneel and wailed,


    "Your Majesty! I have been serving as q Duke for Decades but even up to now, I have never seen the treasury dwindle so fast! We are going to be bankrupt! And everything is their fault!"


    He pointed at the other people in the room with an aggravated look as if they were stealing from him.


    "So¡­What do you have to say?"


    Adam sighed and looked at the the three women who were standing on the side, Khali and Arachne had at least the decency to look slightly sorry.


    As for Theresa, she grinned with her hands on her hips.


    "You told me to go all out."


    "I did."


    "You told me to not worry about money."


    "Indeed."


    "Then ¡ª Whyin now?"


    Solughed bitterly as he massaged his brow.


    He was the one who gave a nk check to Theresa and gave her the go. Furthermore, he even added two more crazy.


    "So. Since we are about to reach the bottom ¡ª I hope this wasn''t all in vain"


    "You won''t be disappointed. We are ready forunch any time."


    Theresa''s grin widened and her eyes twinkled dangerously.


    It was time for her name to be recorded in history once again.

 Chapter 574 CH 534: THE PATH?

    Chapter 574 CH 534: THE PATH?


    Sol was alone, reading a bunch of documents.


    After giving the green light to the three crazies as he now called them, he knew very well that this was nothing but a new piece on this giant board.


    This war was for all purposes nothing but a test and a way to sharpen the de of his army.


    ¡®Though. I don¡¯t want too many people to die.¡¯


    He had already made some deal with Kuki, the Supreme Daughter of Wratharis. Currently, most of the people on the fronts were people who were staunch support of the Tyrants.


    Their existence would only be a thorn even if they were alive so killing them didn¡¯t matter much in the end.


    As for Neutrals and a few ns who had the idea of supporting Setsuna. They were incredibly rare but well taken care of.


    There was only one small problem.


    [Possibility of Activating the Divine Weapon: High.]


    This was the conclusion of a spy report exining the recent changes in Lupus and the high possibility of him using a divine weapon during the war.


    Divine weapons weren¡¯t a joke. Sol knew this more than anyone else. His divine weapon gave him near omniscience when it came to analyzing the future.


    What about an offensive type divine weapon?


    Lupus alone was already a very powerful King, no matter how much Sol refused to admit it. Using the divine weapon would only make him stronger. Perhaps nearly or equal to a weak demigod.


    ¡®Should I besiege him with the girls as nned?¡¯


    He frowned.


    As if it wasn¡¯t enough, there was also news about Sun Wukong having possibly reached the level of demigod. Albeit one without a territory like Lilith.


    This would mean there was no difference in realm between the two.


    Who then could win?


    ¡®Lilith might need a more powerful weapon.¡¯


    He contemted giving his blood and scales and even bones if necessary to create weapons for his beloved.


    Though it would hurt, it wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t heal himself. Mutting his own body didn¡¯t seem to be such a big deal in his mind. As long it allowed him to reach his goal it was enough.


    ¡®If the witches don¡¯t act. Then only I and the girls can fight Lupus.¡¯


    He was worried. He worried that his hubris and pride as well as his desire to challenge may hurt his loved ones.


    It wasn¡¯t as if he couldn¡¯t ask Isis to release her King-level undead.


    Taping his hand against the table, he contemted and decided.


    Pride be damned.


    ¡®I will keep the four witches in my Dimension. As well as the three King level Undead.¡¯


    One should never underestimate his enemy.


    He would keep all the backup possible on hand.


    If managed to deal alone with his team and fight Lupus. Then so be it.


    If he couldn¡¯t? Then he would release everything without the slightest hesitation. Angels could suck his dick for all he cared.


    If they weren¡¯t happy about him using undead he would fight them.


    If he lost ¡ª He would flee ande back when he became stronger.


    The rules existed to protect the weak and restrict the strong.


    But once one became strong enough, it was possible to disregard the so-called Rule.


    ¡ªNo¡­It was possible to establish his own rules and make others respect them.


    Whoosh~!


    The moment Sol realized this, he felt like his mind was bing lighter, and freer. As if some restrictions were slowly being broken.


    Deus Ex Machina allowed him to control Fate itself and change the direction as he wished. Why would he be tied down by mortal rule when he could break rules that feathered even the gods?


    Light shone and unbeknownst to him ¡ª one of his blue eyes slowly started to be golden.


    .


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    Sitting in arge bedroom with her daughters, Ambrosia frowned and lowered the teacup that was in her hands.


    Her Golden eyes twinkled with curiosity as she looked in the direction of Sol¡¯s office.


    There was no doubt in her mind. What she felt was undoubtedly divinity.


    A very weak and very scattered Divinity but still one.


    She smacked her lips, speechless.


    ¡®He is trying to be a King, right?¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t the kind of thing that should happen simply when bing a King.


    Sol was a Dimension Mage. This means that the very moment he became a King, he already had more than 70% of the things necessary to be a Demigod.


    Whereas some would take decades to ascend, he would only need a year or two at most.


    ¡®Does it mean he will be a demigod soon?¡¯


    Ambrosia sighed and stopped observing Sol. She didn¡¯t know what Kind of Path Sol would take to be a King. What kind of concept he would understand?


    She simply hoped that this would not be one that caused too many problems.


    After all, even if it was nothing but a short instant ¡ª She had felt a short trepidation.


    ¡°Mother.¡±


    ¡°You felt it too?¡±


    Ambrosia smiled at Persephone who nodded,


    ¡°Yes. I guess Sol will be the Youngest Demigod soon.¡±


    Ambrosia smiled, ¡°Technically, all divine beasts became Demigod the moment they were born.¡±


    Persephoneughed and so did Medea.


    Freya meanwhile was lost in thought. The path she was following was that of Space and she could feel the path Sol had brought on even more.


    ¡°Does he want to control the world?¡±


    She shook her head. The ambition of her brother-inw wasn¡¯t small. It was hard to imagine that he had just be an adult recently.


    ¡°Well, this doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Taking out a catalog, Freya pointed at one particr picture,


    ¡°Sooo For your wedding. I was thinking¡­What about this Dress? or this one?¡±


    There were many priorities in this world.


    But at this very moment, few things were as important as this marriage.


    ¡°Think about it¡­¡±


    Medea blushed a little but soon squinted as she observed the catalog in front of her. After turning many pages, she looked at Freya speechlessly,


    ¡°All of them are pink.¡±


    ¡°Tsk~Tsk~Tsk. Dear sister. They may be all pink. But everything is in the nuance. Like this one here. This is not pink. This is Fushia. I think this color will be very good for the decorations. This one is neon pink. My favorite shade. But we can also with a softer Dark Pink or Bright Pink.¡±


    The more she spoke, the more excited she became, ¡°I can create a small realm, mingo color for the herbs, Pastel Pink for the Sky, Coral for the family, and some tree with cherry pinks leave.¡±


    Sheughed and talked as if she was in a trance, already imagining the best world possible.


    Medea¡¯s lips simply twitched.


    At this point, she was starting to wonder if it was her or if it was her or Freya who was about to get married in the end.


    ¡°Freya¡­¡±


    Freya stopped and coughed, ¡°Sorry. I got a little carried away. Of course, if you don¡¯t want Pink, I have prepared another color for you. But your main color is ck. This would be a little ominous.¡±


    Medea nodded and started discussing.


    Meanwhile, Ambrosia simply observed everything with a smile.


    This may be nothing but the calm before the storm. But even so, she was enjoying this small happiness

 Chapter 575 CH 535: ICE?

    Chapter 575 CH 535: ICE?


    As Sol finished digesting the new insights he obtained this time, someone knocked on the door of his office.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    The one who entered was Setsuna. Even now, Sol had a hard time adapting to Setsuna''s new style. Though the golden hair suited her quite beautifully.


    ¡°Sol, it¡¯s time for me to move.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­¡±


    Sol leaned back on his chair and observed Setsuna. His eyes shined as he analyzed her fate once again and wondered if there was any hidden danger.


    It was only after making sure once again that he nodded.


    ¡°Your battlefield can be said to be one of the most important ones. This gives direct ess to the best road to reach Lustburg. Currently, there are already two Dukes ranks stationed there. One of them is the Contract of the previous Lord of the Mris family. The other one is Tyr.¡±


    This was right. Each of the four Duke families had their territory on a different front, representing the true first line of defense.


    The position they had was the most strategic and dangerous one. This time, everyone was going all out and even old guys who were said to have died were waking up.


    This was where Humanity was showing some dangerous aspects.


    If it wasn¡¯t for how dumb some generations of King and Queen were, Sol could have a veritable army of Dukes and King rank contracted Partners at his disposal from his ancestors.


    ¡°Athena is also taking control. You will listen to her order and I will start doing the promotion.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Sol smiled, ¡°Wratharis respect strength more than anything else as such ¡ª Let¡¯s just show to the whole world how strong your power of Cmity and Ice is.¡±


    It was time to be a director and producer in the truest sense of the words.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Meanwhile, in Wrathari''s case, morale was at an all-time high.


    In therge conference room hosting representatives of all races, people were praising the King for his wisdom and insights. They keep mentioning how his ns were masterful and how Lustburg would fall soon and be forced to give up the war and keep mocking the Prince for moving so soon.


    This was how war always went between the Kingdoms. It was nearly impossible to conquer the entire Kingdom as long as the Capital was guarded by the Supreme Daughter and their Holy Territory.


    Either way, their goal had never been full conquest. Only stealing somend of Lustburg increasing their powers and obtaining more resources.


    Interest would forever be the greatest reason for war.


    Lupus was smug as he listened to the praise. He still remembers how everyone had been treating him as a crazy bastard at first. But now look? Weren¡¯t all the same praising him? This was the same way they could only call him a tyrant behind his back and never to his face.


    While truly smug and proud of himself, Lupus was also worried. The news of the Tigers defeat had not been unexpected and in fact, he had never even thought they could seed. The fact that they pulled the prince out so soon was more than enough for him.


    He now had a better understanding of the Blessed of Lustburg.


    The two were undoubtedly talented. But they were too young. The prince particrly wasn¡¯t powerful enough to truly take the throne yet.


    ¡®This is dangerous.¡¯


    Lupus frowned, the situation was too favorable for him. This was dangerous. Very Dangerous.


    Though he didn¡¯t have any seer power or the like, he knew enough about the Blessed to understand that the more the situation was like this, the higher the chances of some big reversal happening.


    Perhaps at thest moment he would lose control of the divine weapon. He also kept the possibility of the prince bing a King mid-battle for some reason or even a meteorite falling on the battlefield.


    All of this seemed so ridiculous. But Lupus knew¡­ When it came to Blessed. The more ridiculous you thought it was, the higher chance of this happening.


    After all, this is what it means to be Blessed by Fate.


    ¡®Sigh. I have to prepare.¡¯


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Finally, on the battlefield, the situation was getting worse for the army under the control of the saintess


    The army she created was truly like an endless horde of undead and the effect was devastating. But the Holy Daughter was not a goddess. Her energy was not unlimited.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the beast men to realize that the more people they attempted to kill, the faster the holy daughter lost energy.


    Truly she was a saint who was trying to save everyone. But the beast men only sneered. They loved such saint-like figures the best. They were always the ones trying to save everyone without knowing how hard this was.


    Some of the beast men who had been active a few decades ago couldn¡¯t butpare this Holy Daughter with the Holy Daughter of back then and they had to say that Camelia was far superior.


    She might not have as much divine power but her ruthlessness was legendary and she had never hesitated in using people as sacrificial pawns.


    Dismissing this thought. The vanguard became more unruly and the soldiers of Lustburg continued to retreat.


    The situation was still manageable and rtively speaking, only a few people died, but there was no one showing sincere happiness.


    In the territory of humanity, they had always been the ones bullying others. But now they were once again reminded how weak humanity was.


    Some soldiers gritted their teeth. Others showed strong hatred. Their eyes reddened and their breathing grew harsh.


    They were angry.


    But more than anyone else. They were angry at themselves.


    Because they were too weak.


    This feeling of self-hatred grew and the humans became more and more desperate. Fighting like mad and using the advantage of the healing from Aurora.


    Watching all this, Aurora had an indifferent smile on her face.


    If Self hatred, anger, pain, and grief were enough to suddenly be powerful then all the gods in that time would have evolved while being beheaded by Adam¡¯s de.


    Strong emotions could only give a small push and break a wall that was reached but never broken. But if you didn¡¯t even reach the wall then all those pushes would be useless.


    Scoffing a little, she sneered before putting on a saintly expression; a smile full of sadness, her eyes reddening and her aura shaking as if she was forcibly calming down her anger.


    Finally, she advanced into the tent where the high-ranked soldiers were giving orders and looked at the Pdin.


    ¡°We need to retreat.¡±


    One of the captains opened his mouth, wishing to say they could still fight. But in the end, he simply lowered his head.


    Listening to her, White Knight nodded and decided to stand up.


    ¡°What are your orders?¡±


    ¡°You will assure the retreat.¡±


    He was surprised at her order. After all, his job was to protect her. In the end, though, he nodded. He could talk to herter in private. For now, though, he couldn¡¯t question her order in public.


    ¡°I hear and obey.¡±


    Perhaps it was time to show them that Lustburg wasn¡¯t as weak as they were thinking.


    He would show them the majesty of ice.

 Chapter 536-537: World of Ice and Snow

    Chapter 536-537: World of Ice and Snow


    On the battlefield, war was raging and the soldiers were fighting while organizing the retreat.


    History has shown many times that a disorganized retreat was the worst move that any army could take.


    But in the best case, a retreat would always end with a great amount of loss as your enemy was unwilling to let you leave.


    "Isn''t it just about fleeing?"


    This was not simply about fleeing. This was a Tactical Withdrawal. A strategic retreat.


    "Heh. What a fancy name."


    The white knight ignored his friend andpanion as he observed the army operation.


    In this kind of situation, the guards assuring the retreat had to be powerful enough and skilled enough.


    But more than anything ¡ª They had to be ready for death.Like a gecko sacrificing its tail to survive, they were heroes who¨C


    "Sacrificial pawns, you mean."


    The white knight sighed. But this time did not bother correcting hispanion.


    After all¡­He was right.


    "So we are ''it'' this time huh."


    "Not necessarily so. I do not n to sacrifice myself. At least not in this situation."


    He spoke quietly while ignoring the look of pity, the words of encouragement, the sobs, the screams of agony and rages, and all the emotions that were filling the ce as they kept retreating.


    Aurora had proposed that the pdin stay with him and help him protect the back but he refused.


    "Were you trying to act cool?"


    "No. You know having allies would simply be a bother."


    "See. Trying to act cool. How many times did you try such a line in front of your mirror?"


    White blushed slightly and coughed.


    The truth was ¡ª Many times.


    The small penguin or rather the Emperor Penguin was waddling while wearing a chick suit on the upper part of his body and a monocleughed out loud.


    While White looked up.


    What was his name? This was something he had long since forgotten.


    From the very moment Camelia saved him from the burning vige, he had been dedicated to bing a knight worthy of her.


    His loyalty also might have transformed into a crush. Sadly ¨C


    "Your crush was crushed beautifully, should we say?"


    "Do you n to keep rubbing salt on my wounds?"


    "Not until you find a new woman."


    The penguin looked around,


    "Tsk~ Tsk~Tsk. Look at all those females in heat looking at you with tears in their eyes. As a male, the fact that you don''t even feel a stir in your loin at this sight makes you a failure."


    The knight was speechless, "Man should give all his love to one woman."


    "Tsk. Well. You aren''tpletely wrong. Though I prefer freedom. Hopefully, you will find that woman soon. I want to see what kind of woman can make you fall."


    "Speaking of. Do you have mates?"


    His friend andpanion was from the realm under the control of Asmodeus.


    Despite his appearance, he was a very rare ice spirit and this form was nothing more than something Asmodeus supposedly forced some spirit to do once upon a time.


    In the end, his friend started liking it and decided to keep the appearance.


    "Mates Huh. I did have a few. Though it doesn''t matter now."


    "How selfish."


    "Selfish I am."


    Whiteughed. Speaking of which, he found it quite funny.


    He, a knight under Castitas church, ended up with a beast from the divine beast of lust domain while the prince, Blessed of Luxuria, ended up with one from the territory of the Divine beast of Chastity.


    They joked until finally, a woman d in pure white clothes approached him.


    Aurora Castitas.


    For White, she was an enigma. Someone he could not understand.


    She had the appearance and charm of a benevolent woman but he could also feel a certain distance and coldness from her whenever she spoke to people.


    This was not something as simple as arrogance.


    But something deeper. Something higher.


    It was as if she was not looking at people as people. As if even when they talked to her, she was not listening.


    It was a weird feeling. But he didn''t care.


    He was a man who followed his duty. Protecting Camelia was impossible for him. So he would do his best to protect the Holy Daughter and make sure she returned alive and well.


    If he had to be cold-blooded. Even the lives of all the soldiers present ¡ª his included, were not enough to be worthy of her life.


    "Your holiness."


    He took a knee, his armor rattling and his sword piercing the ground, his respect was not for Aurora but for the divine authority she represented.


    White was not blind. Even though he was not part of the inner circle of the Blessed, he was unlike many believers and could see that the Goddesses may not be truly worthy of respect.


    But this did not matter.


    He was not a man with grandiose ambitions such as overthrowing the rules of the goddesses.


    Rules may be nothing but a game for the Goddesses.


    Those rules may limit and constrain the strong, making them feel hate for the goddesses.


    But those same rules were what protected the Weaks.


    Those rules were the reason the King of Wratharis couldn''t simply march and massacre all the army as he wished.


    In the same way, the Queen of Lustburg could not simply fly and massacre all soldiers.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    A world without rules was nothing but Chaos.


    A world filled with Chaos might be heaven for the strong. But it will always be hell for the weak.


    "Are you sure you want to fight?"


    Looking up at the Holy Daughter, White smiled,


    "I await your decree and your grace."


    "Very well."


    Aurora ced her hands on his head, warmth filled with him.


    "May the protection of the goddess be with you. Under the sun of the goddess, you will feel No pain. No Hunger and No Woes. May the light guide you."


    White Knight stayed in the same position for a long while even after Aurora Left.


    The camp was deserted and the wounded as well as healers had evacuated.


    On the horizon, he could see the rear guard fighting for the retreat, shedding blood until the veryst.


    Never stopping.


    Never wavering.


    Never retreating.


    Those people were sacrificial pawns.


    Those people would never be remembered by anyone but their family.


    They would be statistics, soon to be forgotten even by the citizens they protected.


    Thus was the ugliness of war.


    White started walking, but his gait slowed even as thest warrior died while being besieged by three wounded beasts.


    They had given their all, dwindling greatly the might of the army he had to face.


    "Tell me. Dear friend, Do you still think they are pawns?"


    "They are. I still believe they are. But even then ¡ª"


    "Even then?"


    " ¡ª- They are worthy of respect."


    "Indeed."


    He smiled, an army of more than four hundred beast men was rushing at him but all he did wasugh out loud.


    He was naught but a poor warrior. He did not have great ideals and had no dream of justice.


    But even so ¡ª


    "Be buried alongside the heroes of Lustburg."


    A chilly air flew from his body as he nted his sword once again on the ground.


    [Zone: Ice Age]


    On that day, a battlefield was changed into an ice Cemetery.


    ***


    A world of ice and snow.


    This was the sight that greeted Sol when he appeared above the battlefield where the army of Lustburg retreated and left the ce for the White Knight to show his might.


    As far as the eyes could see, ice covered the ground, freezing to death encased in it.


    In a way, one could say that it was a work of art. It was a beautiful gift to the dead, as thousands of bodies would forever be kept in the ice coffin.


    ¡°How interesting.¡±


    Sol muttered, admiring the effect of this field. This was a level of power he did not expect from anyone in the mortal world expect Blessed and a Few others.


    This was definitely notparable to a King. But this was without a doubt far above what any normal Duke could do.


    Sol smiled and looked up, his eyes bingplicated. Ever since his small realization, the world he could see started to change.


    This went beyond the simple thread of Fate. He could see more, he could even hear more. He had a feeling that Setsuna''s power as well as Lilin¡¯s mixed and enhanced his one power and divine weapon in a way he could still notpletely exin.


    A river. Arge stream or was it a tree?


    Sol chuckled and ignored the vision in the sky. Even if the world he could see changed, it would not change him.


    At least he hoped so.


    Taking one step, he seemed to glide through to space and finally teleported in front of the only part of the battlefield that wasn¡¯t covered in ice.


    There, he could see a young man d in shining armor with his sword nted in the ground. His breath was weak and his aura feeble. Clearly, this attack had not been easy.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°You have done a great service.¡±


    ¡°I have only done my duty.¡±


    Sol nodded, not caring about White''s words. As a king, merits was something he always had to keep his mind.


    Soldiers were not his family and friends. Expecting them to fight for his rise without rewarding them properly was bullshit.


    But there was a problem¡ª


    ¡°Do you know? Soldiers like you are actually the most troublesome.¡±


    Sol grinned amicably and White nodded, understanding what he meant. No matter how it looked, he was the White Knight. This was the highest rank a Pdin could attain in the Church.


    In terms of rank, he was not inferior to a Duke in terms of authority and may even surpass them. After all, all kingdoms were in fact Theological empires.


    This means that there was no higher position to reward him with.


    The church and the royal power did not mix.


    So White could not receivend. He could receive riches but he did not need it.


    ¡°Sigh. No matter. Even if you cannot receive a noble title, I can bestow one to your bloodline. Your children will be nobles from birth. Though I will have to decideter what kind of rank I will give. But I think it will be at least Earl.¡±


    White twitched and opened his eyes wide with disbelief.


    A hereditary earl rank.


    He thought Sol would give him some Baron fiefdom for his progeny at most and this was the norm.


    Earl were highs ranked nobles just below Duke and Marquis.


    This was far beyond his expectations.


    ¡°You too kind.¡±


    ¡°I am kind indeed. But powerful men need to be rewarded.¡±


    Saying so, his eyes started to shine as he looked at White. White shuddered as he felt the gaze on him.


    He felt like he was being peeled oneyer after another, taking away all secrets his body could hide and observing even his very soul.


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    Sol muttered again for the second time, ¡°You fused with your spirit?¡±


    He muttered. Looking at White, he could see so many tangled lines and thread. It looked like the Fate of two individuals had been fused forcibly together, mixing and resulting in the current situation.


    It was easy for him to interfere from there and understand what made White so Strong suddenly.


    He didn¡¯t just use his contracted partner as a battle aid. But fused and used his power. One might think that it was stupid to do so. After all, having an ally next to you should be better, and ¡ª They weren''tpletely wrong. But it was a matter of perspective


    If fighting alongside the partner gave a result of 1+2= 2. Then fusing would give a result of 1+1 = 4 or even 8 depending on the level of fusion.


    ¡°You are quite courageous. Do you believe in your partner this much?¡±


    Sol immediately noticed the w in whatever they were doing. The core of this technique was none other than the Penguin itself. Once he decided to go crazy, hurting White would take just a thought.


    ¡°Your Highness, do not spread disharmony in our midst. The two of us are great friends..¡±


    A gentleman like Pengui appeared out of White Knight''s body and continued to speak.


    ¡°This is no deep secret. His Zone and mine are simr and our power share the same origin. Since I am but a spirit I decided to use his body as well as my soul to fuse with his.


    The results are what you see.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    Sol mused. He could see how the white knight seemed disappointed and he understood. Even if it was him, he would be quite unhappy if all his secrets were divulged so easily.


    He chuckled, ¡°This technique is beautiful for those stuck at the basic level.¡±


    He felt like his luck was once again at work. There were many humans and even with how low the chance of awakening with enough CP was, there would still be many who wished to gamble and see and see.


    Sadly, the reality was cruel.


    Those born in high ns had powerful techniques passed down from generation to generation.


    The majority have nothing. Could only rely on gambling and many of them would only find despair in the end.


    ¡°Rise.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡±


    Standing up, White Knight furtively nced at Sol again before lowering his head.


    The king was not to be looked at. At least not at his level.


    Doing the opposite was worthy of death.


    Those were the rules established during the birth of the Bloody Queen. One of Lustburg ancient Kings and Queens.


    ¡°This technique is not really suitable for learning your highness. We managed to do so because of the simrities in our power or rather because I decided to follow his path. But for most people ¡ª¡±


    Sol raised a hand, ¡°I understand. In the end, everything that matters is strength. You see the negative. But for many, this is more than worth it.¡±.


    Only geniuses could talk about something as lofty as following their own path. Sol was sure that even if he said the technique had some deadly flow, 7 out of 10 would still learn it.


    Power was a capital and an insurance. Without it, all your words and righteousness were useless.


    ¡°Then Your Highness. Might I ask what will happen next?¡±


    ¡°Next, huh?¡±


    Sol looked up, his eyes deep, hiding an unfathomable light. Slowly, the moment was approaching.


    A malevolent grin formed on his face,


    ¡°Let Wratharis bask in the illusions of sess for one more week.¡±


    After this ¡ª They would only mourn.

 Chapter 538-439: In the shadow

    Chapter 538-439: In the shadow


    [Wrathairs]


    The future was far and anything could happen in one week. Whether Wratharis would mourn in the future or not was something for the future.


    In the present at least ¡ª Wratharis was Cheering or rather, Lupus, King of Wratharis, was cheering.


    Hisugh filled the sky, like the rumbling of thunder, reaching the ears of all citizens. The news of the victory in the ins had reached the capital and there was a weird tension hanging in the air.


    The citizens could understand why the King was happy.


    From a strategic standpoint, this was undoubtedly a victory. The in may not be a direct road toward Lustburg but it had opened more ways and allowed the Beast to protect their border better.


    Furthermore, in history, those ins once belonged to Wratharis before being absorbed by the humans. One could say they were getting back what was there.


    Despite this ¡ª Few people were actually happy.


    The victory had been disastrous.There was a saying about how killing 1000 enemy soldiers by sacrificing 800 of your own soldiers could never be seen as a true victory.


    But in Wratharis'' case, this was the worst. They didn¡¯t exchange 800 for 1000. Such a result, albeit bad, would have been rtively eptable.


    They sacrificed ¡®800 to kill only 400¡¯. Perhaps not even so. It wouldn¡¯t be a mistake to say that the vanguard was entirely wiped out all to recuperate some ancestralnd that didn¡¯t have much value in the grand scheme of things.


    This was a victory but this was also an empty victory and the citizens were starting to get angry.


    ¡°Hey. Did you know? They say the King is sacrificing people for an evil ritual.¡±


    ¡°Talk less. But indeed. Though In my case, I heard he is simply useless.


    Murmurs of citizens filled the streets while some people were simply walking in ck. Mourning for their losses.


    ¡°Did you know? They say the King does not care about all our sacrifices.¡±


    ¡°I heard that the soldiers who died in Lustburg were all given titles and their families would be taken care of until death.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    The voice wasplicated. Soldier''s life in Wratharis wasplicated.


    In the first ce, they didn¡¯t really have much unified control and the rewards for the soldier could not even bepared.


    Few things hurt more thanparison.


    Lustburg may have lost but ¡ª


    They had far fewer casualties.


    They gave better rewards.


    The king was magnanimous and didn¡¯t kill his subordinate because of anger.


    The more they listened to those strangely urate rumors, the more angry people became.


    Theugh of Lupus at this moment was like a cold shower on the vast majority of citizens


    They were angry.


    But they were helpless.


    ¡ªAnd it was then that they started to remember that Setsuna existed.


    Perhaps¡­It was time to change king.


    .


    .


    .


    Sitting on his throne, Lupus looked paler and more emaciated. But a calcting light filled his eyes even as he exploded inughter.


    ¡°It seems like a few rats are acting in the capital.¡±


    He knew. He knew that the citizens hated him and despised him.


    He knew. He knew very well that even though he became the King through rightful means of power. He would never be more than a tyrant in their eyes.


    He knew all that and yet ¡ª He did not care.


    Would someone mind the cry of ants on the road?


    Obey or Die.


    For every day he was alive, it would be one more day with him as the King and he would let them all understand that this would not change.


    He was the Tiangou. The Celestial Wolf.


    He was someone above and beyond the masses. They could never hope to even try to understand him.


    Something shed in his eyes as he looked at the entrance of his pce. It was an unknown person. An intruder.


    ¡°Who dare!?¡±


    Lightning shed from his hand, but the intruder simply shattered the lightning with a wave of their hands.


    ¡°I havee in peace. King, I wonder if you are ready to hear my proposal.¡±


    It was a man. One wearing a tuxedo with a gentle smile on his face and a small monocle on his eye.


    Standing here, his presence seemed rather weak, as if it was barely moving and breathing.


    ¡°Begone!¡±


    The man who appeared kept a smile as he nodded before stepping away. His voice though, still filling Tiangou¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Dear king. This is my second visit. I believe that on the 3rd, we will finally be able to talk.¡±


    Tiangou snorted and chased away the residual voice as he watched the man slowly be faint as if his existence was vanishing.


    Tiangou gritted his teeth,


    ¡°I remember now.¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Indeed. My power is yet to be perfect. But you will soon forget.¡±


    ¡°Beast!¡±


    He stood up, ready to rush and tear apart his opponent but by the time he did so, the monocle-wearing manpletely vanished. Leaving nothing but an empty hall.


    A fierce struggle waged in his Tiangou¡¯s mind, fighting, resisting, and finally ¡ª Surrendering.


    A few secondster ¡ª-


    He was the Tiangou. The Celestial Wolf.


    He was someone above and beyond the masses. They could never hope to even try to understand¡­


    Tiangou stopped, tilting his head. He had a weird feeling of deja vu. But in the end, he simply shook his head and started walking toward his room.


    There was a reason he didn¡¯t try to appease the resentment of the citizens at this moment beyond simply not caring.


    This resentment was useful to him at the current moment and he would use it without the slightest hesitation.


    None of Lustburg¡¯s ns mattered as long as he was strong enough.


    .


    .


    .


    Outside of Lustburg, a tall woman with tworge horns above her head gave a curious look at the sky above.


    ¡°Are you not worried about being noticed by the goddesses?¡±


    Standing next to her, a man wearing a monocle gave a smile full of indifference as he adjusted it before taking it off and cleaning it.


    ¡°I am a very fearful man. I need to always be sure and certain about everything before acting. I am scared of dying, you see.¡±


    As he said so his finger traced his neck slightly, as if scratching away some phantom pain.


    ¡°But even though I am a scaredy cat who fears his own shadow ¡ª I do not fear them.¡±


    Heughed and ced back his monocle, and looked at the sky.


    The sky in the left eye was normal. A blue sky with a few white clouds and the sun hanging high.


    But the sky in his right eye. The one covered by a monocle was different.


    He could see arge river, one branching out many times with so many small streams that it seemed like they were infinite.


    ¡°The heavens are covered in secret. I guess I have to thank her for helping me. Even if unintentionally.¡±


    He chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t you find this era interesting? Scheme within scheme happening everywhere. All for things they do not even understand.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care honestly. I just want to fight.


    ¡°Do not worry. Fight you will. Soon even¡± He turned around, losing interest in the river above, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I still have work to do.¡±


    He was just testing things out recently. Trying to decipher how much the secret covered the eyes of those dunces and he was shocked.


    Truly ¡ª They were hopeless.


    ¡°This is why you guys never won when we yed tags. Well ¡ª Expect thest party.¡±


    He muttered with mncholy before stepping into a scarlet portal with the woman.


    Vanishing as if they had never existed.


    ***


    Still at Wratharis, but on the side of the temple, Kuki watched somberly as people came and prayed for the souls of the dead soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the war and glory of Wratharis.


    Kiku was old. Not as old as some of the other supreme daughters but she had lived a very long life. Her heritage as a half-divine beast helped tremendously.


    She had seen many wars and observed many such processions. Listened to the heart-wrenching cries of the family and friends who were left behind again, again and again, giving promise that the dead would have a better life in the Kingdoms of the goddesses even though she knew that only a very small percentage would actually be chosen while the rest of the soul would simply enter back the cycle of reincarnation.


    Some of them may even be unlucky and fall into Anubis¡¯ territory.


    Despite all those years and all the experience she obtained, it never became easier.


    ¡°Am I too sentimatale?¡±


    She stopped looking down below and gazed at her old friend who was quietly drinking alcohol with a bowl nearly asrge as her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s only now you notice this?¡±


    Shuten Douji gave a sneer as she put the bowl back. She knew her friend was uneasy. This was understandable. Kiku had a fierce loyalty and love toward this country and its citizens.


    She was a woman who had always been firmly against war and the arguments she gave were not simply filled with idealism.


    Wratharis was a republicposed of one maind and many small inds all around surrounded by the sea. It could be said that the economy of this country, outside of some metallurgy was very efficient and rich in resources.


    Wratharis was nearly self-sufficient with more than enoughnds, low poptions, and booming technology.


    In the past, she had drafted a self-istion n with the previous King of Wratharis that would have allowed Wratharis to grow exponentially in a few years rather than constantly wasting resources while fighting against Invidia and Southern Pride.


    Now though. She could feel that the country was facing its greatest tide yet.


    ¡°I hope the next Queen will not be a warmonger.¡±


    Kikumented. She was already sure that Setsuna would take the throne. Not because of this war. But because this would be destiny.


    She could see the signs and those signs were telling her that Lupus¡¯ luck was slowly dying out and being absorbed by his sessor.


    In all the history of the seven Kingdoms, Whenever a new Blessed defied an old one for Power ¡ª 8 out of 10, the neer would win. The same thing happened to the previous King.


    He has more power. More support and he even fought alongside his wife. Yet he still lost. This was destiny. This was Fate.


    Would Lupus manage to be part of the 20% who did not lose? She did not know. But she seriously doubted it.


    ¡®Well, this is for the future.¡¯


    ¡°What do you think of the current situation.¡±


    ¡°A trap.¡±


    Shuten snorted disdainfully. She didn¡¯t even need to make her brain work. Looking at a floating holographic map, she pointed at the different battlefronts and chuckled,


    ¡°All our so-called wins were at the price of much death and we only managed to upy technically good but not really useful. Meanwhile, in the main battlefront, while Lustburg shows signs of weakness, the situation is more of a stalemate.¡±


    She spoke with admiration,


    ¡°The young girl in charge. Was her name Athena? Even though she is not a Duke yet, I won¡¯t be surprised if she bes one. She is a genius from the reports I have seen and she is one of the reasons this subtle bnce exists.¡±


    Kiku looked up. In her mind, she didn¡¯t really see how it was obvious that it was a trap. Lustburg had never really won against Wratharis without the help of the powerhouse.


    When it came to ground soldiers, defeat was always a given for humans and this trend would continue until higher-ranked Dukes would take the field.


    The current situation was not that different in her eyes. But she did not contradict Shouten.


    Her friend was professional when it came to intrigue and if she said that there was a trap then she would believe her one hundred percent.


    ¡°I guess I should be happy. I was starting to think that our secret alliance would be a joke if Lustburg ended up losing.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    Shuten did not bothermenting and simply looked at the map. In her eyes, the whole situation was indeed normal. As normal as any war.


    But this was because of this normality that she was all the more sure it was a trap. Everything was too uniform. Too clean.


    There was no unexpected chaos. The situation flowed as it should with absolutely no deviations. It was as if a maestro was conducting a symphony and directing everyone to move to his tune.


    ¡®How insidious.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t know who on Lustburg was making this n but that person was very insidious. Not necessarily smart but had a vision of the battlefield that was unmatched.


    ¡®A seer?¡¯


    This was dubious. Lustburg had never brought a seer up in history. But who knew? This wasn¡¯t impossible.


    ¡°Leader¡±


    Her musing was interrupted and her ears twitched, she was receiving and decyphering a coded message.


    She immediately recognized it as a message from her liaison with Lustburg. It seemed to be quite important as it was sent on the highest level with code only known by two people.


    In the end ¡ª The more she deciphered, the moreplicated her gaze became.


    [Make your subordinate Leave. Soon, blood will truly fall.]


    It was a simple yet domineering message. But She did not look down on it.


    If her previous deduction had been right and it had indeed been a trap that was being organized, it seemed that ¡ª


    ¡° ¡ª The hunter is ready to pull the trigger.¡±


    She sighed and stood up.


    ¡°Shuten?¡±


    ¡°The war is about to climb a crescendo.¡±


    Her voice was grim. Now serious things were starting.

 Chapter 540-541: Escalation

    Chapter 540-541: Esction


    The war was raging.


    People were dying.


    It had only been nearly three weeks since the war started but the casualties were sky-high and while Wratharis was the one mainly bearing the losses, Lustburg wasn¡¯t spared either.


    It had been nearly 16 years since thest truly great war. Children were now adults and adults were middle-aged or old.


    This was a world used to war and skirmishes.


    This was a world where people were used to losing those dears to them at any moment for any reason.


    Even so. This did not mean that they were desensitized to death and the feeling of loss.


    Looking at the report of all the people who died, Sol once again felt that being a king was something bothersome.


    It was painful to know that all those people died because of him.Children were orphaned, parents lost their children, and so on.


    Death and death. All around all those deaths were on him without a shadow of a doubt. Even though Lupus was the one who started the war, Sol was the one who decided to change this war into his own y, manipting everything for his own advantage even if it would cost the lives of many innocent people.


    It would be hypocritical of him to act as if his hands were clean and free from stains.


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡±


    ¡°No. I am not hypocritical enough to start bawling and shaking and I realize the weight of my folly or whatever.¡±


    He ced the document aside. He seemed like he was spending his life in the office nowadays but there was not much he could do about that.


    ¡°Prepare the documents for the noble title conferment of the White Knight¡¯s descendant. Same for the soldiers who made great merits.¡±


    Obviously, not everyone would receive a reward as big as the Knight. But they wouldn¡¯t be left with nothing either. After all ¡ª Soon there would be muchnd of lustburg that would be free.


    ¡°How is the advancement of the armies?¡±


    ra, who was standing next to Milia, passed him a new document. We managed to steer the army of Wratahris toward a few noble territories that refused toply and did not send all the soldiers required for diverse reasons.


    ¡°Hum¡­ So they are currently besieged, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Our soldiers are giving support. But soon, a few of the olds nobles will face an ident and die honorably on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°How magnificent. I guess they will be remembered as heroes.¡±


    He let out a harshugh. Some of those nobles were bastards acting like kings in their own territories. Those at least were slightly eptable but some others were literally traitors. They had allegiance with Wratharis and were promised some rewards.


    Now though¡­They would die soon and new blood would be injected into the system of his country.


    Using war to wipe out one own political opponent was a timeless strategy that worked 9/10. This was even more so since in this case, they had absolutely no chance of escaping.


    ¡°Milia, make sure the civilians are not affected too much.¡±


    It was one thing for soldiers to die. This was war after all. But he had to be careful about civilian losses. Once this happened, the hatred between the two kingdoms would climb in crescendo and this would be detrimental to his future ns of unification.


    He knew this was a cold way of looking at things. But if did not do so, he would never be able to rise.


    Looking at his tired face, ra and Milia hesitated about what to say. Sol was a Half Dragon. A powerful being with matchless stamina. Even fighting for a week would not be a problem for him.


    It was clear that the current situation was more mental anguish than anything else. There were many things Milia wanted to say tofort him.


    But they would all sound hollow.


    Sol was the King and in the future, he would be an Emperor.


    His decisions affect millions of people and might affect billionster on. This was the burden of the crown.


    Only Tyrants or Idiots admired the power that was given without dreading the weight and responsibilities that followed it.


    Sol though was not as afflicted as they were thinking.


    The main reason for his tiredness was the way the world was slowly changing in his eyes.


    He was not just looking at the world but something beyond. He was observing the rules of the world.


    As if he was trying to gaze at the codes behind the functioning of a software. The stronger he grew, the closer he became to a King, the more detailed those visions became.


    It seemed like he would soon find the secret of the world and if he had to be honest. This both scared and excited him.


    Fighting a headache, Sol tapped his fingers on the table,


    ¡°Setsuna and Lilin can now step on the field. It¡¯s time to start the main act. Once they y their roles, close thes. Kill the nobles and pacify the battlefield. Christmas is approaching and I wish to be at the gate of Wratharis¡¯ capital by the time new Year starts.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Once more than 60% of Wratharis¡¯ territory was taken, the King will be able to act. By then the true war will start. All the arrangements have already been made. But just in case, I will take the witches with me.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Finally¡­Prepare a reward for Aurora. She may be the Holy Daughter but she still has the right to be rewarded for her hard work like anyone else.¡±


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Aurora was still moving on the battlefield. While she was an unexpected asset, she was one of the reasons why the losses on Lustburg were so small. Not only was her blessing powerful but it seemed that she was able to share a small part of it with the other nuns.


    Sol was seriously starting to wonder if Aurora was truly a demigod in herst life or something more.


    Speaking of it. He had been the one to deduce and decide that she was one. He had never really received a straight answer from her.


    ¡°Well¡­I think it¡¯s good enough. Remind Setsuna that we do not want war. We want peace. Her goal isn¡¯t to fight. Even if indeed she has to show her might. Her goal is to show them all the difference between her and Lupus.¡±


    His finger traced the map until it stopped at a certain point, ¡°As for Lilin. The ce she is in charge of is filled with loyal fighters of Lupus who cannot be won over. As such they are useless to us. I want her to takeplete control of the battlefield and annihte any Dukes and higher-ups. Ground soldiers can be spared or killed at her discretion.¡±


    Sol was not too worried. As long as a King didn¡¯t somehowe out, there was no way in hell a Duke outside of him and those from the Astral realm could actually hope to even wound them.


    ***


    Out of all the battlefronts, the one that showed thergest amount of casualties was none other than the southern one.


    Blood and dismembered bodies littered the ground, wyvern did not dare to fly as they might get shot down at any moment and the horse stepped on the bodies of allies and enemies alike.


    In this ce, there was no healer on either side. No particr support nor was there any kind of strategy put in ce to bring victory or retreat in case of defeat.


    The Valley of Godfall. Also known as the Eternal Battlefield. A ce situated southwest of Lustburg, near the border that was shared between Lustburg, Wratharis, and Envilya


    A hell that could only be seen as hell on earth where life had no more value than a few gold coins.


    This was the most chaotic battlefield out of all. Ironically, this made this ce the most authentic battlefield out of all those currently in action.


    The reasons for this chaotic atmosphere were multiple.


    For one, this ce was not known as the Eternal Battlefield forughter. Most of the skirmishes that happened between the three Kingdoms over the years were fought in this ce constantly.


    Thanks to this, all the soldiers stationed in this ce were super veterans who had seen their fair share of blood.


    But this wasn¡¯t all. Most criminals who were judged worthy of death would be sent to the Eternal battlefield. This was a rule that had been established by Queen Lilith.


    All criminals who managed to kill a certain number of enemies could be acquitted and forgiven for their crimes.


    This was a suicide camp and chance of escaping this ce where very small as all the members of the suicide camp were considered ves of the states and had the crs that befitted their situation.


    In this ce, prisoners only had two oues.


    Survive and pay for your freedom by using the blood of the enemies.


    ¡ªOr die.


    [Ever Victorious Fortress.]


    The victorious Fortress was the ce that had been slowly built and developed over the years by the soldiers. Like weeds who refused to die, they had slowly created their own society in this ce that followed their own rules.


    The woman in charge of this ce had a simple name.


    Rose Oscar. Countess Rose Oscar. A woman of steel who should have been elevated to the level of Marchioness more than 16 years ago but who refused the promotion as this would have taken her away from the battlefield.


    ¡°How is the performance of the traitors?¡±


    The Marchioness was someone of little words and great dignity. But this situation was not something she could afford to ck on.


    ¡°Rtively good. A few Gorfad managed to survive but the vast majority died on their first day. As for the rest of the children, they are slowly adapting.¡±


    The Countess nodded. Not long ago, there was arge-scale attack in the capital which resulted in the addition of much-needed blood.


    After all, few soldiers wished to be transferred to this ce. They all knew how high the mortality rate was.


    Thankfully, all generations of King had been wise and the rewards given were more than proportional to the level of risk. Thanks to this, Daredevil mercenaries who didn¡¯t cherish their lives were amon sight.


    ¡°Do not forget. She wille soon. I want everything to be perfect. You hear me? Clean the blood, hide the prostitute and the alcohol as well as the casino. Hide everything. I want to make it clear that if there are anyints, I will not take full responsibility.¡±


    A few of the soldiers who were present, all people very close to her, chuckled and some of them even whistled at the mention of a brothel.


    ¡°Who ising?¡±


    ¡°The daughter of the Queen.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The man seemed unfazed at first. But soon his eyes cleared up and he realized that this was indeed a shit solution.


    ¡°Holy fuck! Seriously? The Daughter of the Legend?¡±


    For the citizens of Lustburg, Mars Luxuria was without a doubt the Hero and legend they worshiped. After all, he had done so much good for them;


    In the case of the veteran soldiers though, Lilith had an overwhelming superiority in terms of poprity and recognition as well as admiration.


    They all knew her story and they all knew how she, despite her origin, had to trudge from the lowest position in the army and slowly rise.


    ¡°Speaking of. Countess, you were a soldier under themand of the Queen back then, right? Will the ck Knighte? What about the queen herself?¡±


    ¡°You guys are thinking too much. If I had the skills and power I have now, I would have joined back then. But sadly, I did not and I am old now.¡±


    She touched her face, she was not that advanced in age but already, small wrinkles were forming and her hair were graying. She had long since passed her prime and while she was now a Duke Rank in terms of power, she knew very well that she was at the very bottom when it came to raw power.


    ¡°The countess will be eternally the charming beauty of the eternal battlefield.¡±


    She smiled and stood up. ¡°Anyway, I called all of you guys for one simple reason. Since Her Highness ising we need to protect her.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t as if members of the royal family never died on the battlefield. In fact, this was quitemon.


    But currently, there were only three members in the royal family and all the loyalists refused to let anything happen to those three members.


    ¡°From the reports I received, the princess should be close. So it¡¯s time for us to wee her. Make sure her stay in this ce goes well.¡±


    Some of the men frowned, ¡°Did shee to rack in achievements?¡±


    This was amon practice among nobles. Bring a kid, surround him with powerful soldiers, go to a few battlefields, get the kill and achievement, and finally leave the battlefield.


    Such a thing happened so regrly in this ce that it became one of the businesses supporting the economy. The Countess made use of the desire of a young noble who wished to brag about having ¡®fought¡¯ in the Eternal Battlefield.


    This alone supported nearly 20% of the full funds. Which was quite astronomical.


    ¡°No. I do not think so. No matter how the princess never really made a name for herself, there is no way the Queen would do such a thing.¡±


    Lilith might be younger than Rose, but for Rose, Lilith was akin to an Idol. A person she admired greatly.


    ¡°Then¡­Do you think she will be the seconding of the Sword Saint?¡±


    Roseughed and walked out, ¡°The existence of her majesty is a miracle. Something that breaks all limits and all known facts. It is not the kind of thing that can be reproduced.¡±


    She spoke with conviction and a clear-cut voice. But at the same time,


    ¡°But ¡ª If this girl really has the skill and potential to be a Second Sword Saint then ¡ª Lustburg will usher in a new age of Glory and it¡¯s our duty to make sure this potential does not die on the battlefield. Do you understand? Be it your or my life, even if all of us were to be sacrificed, it still wouldn¡¯t be as important as the life of one sword saint. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s meet the princess.¡±


    She grinned and walked out.


    This meeting would decide what she would do with her old bones.

 Chapter 542-543: Entering the fortress

    Chapter 542-543: Entering the fortress


    Sitting on her nightmare horse, wearing bright red armor without any helmet, Lilin looked up at the gigantic fortress standing up in front of her.


    This ce was legendary for many reasons. This was the ce where nobles could make their prof and act as warriors while fighting for the kingdom most of the time.


    Though there were some cases where the noble in question cheated, this did not change anything. Because even when they cheated, they had to ask their knights to fight for the achievements they would steal, making this a win-win for the fortress in every way possible.


    ¡°Princess, the gate is not opening.¡±


    ¡°One. Call me Captain here and Two, wait.¡±


    She was calm. The blood and the flesh on the walls had long since darkened, giving a terrible aura of might and danger to this ce.


    This was Godfall Valley. The legend said that long ago, long even before the start of the Kingdom era. Back when there was no limitation, many kings Rank, and Demigods died in this ce.


    Whether this was true or not, this ce was beneficial for enlightenment and all those who fought in this ce would see their power grow one way or another. Some said it was because of the blood of those who died. Others said it was because of the pressures.


    Either way ¡ª This ce was ideal for fostering powerful warriors and this was why she was here.This was a very important ce both for Lustburg as a whole and for her particrly.


    After all ¡ª This was the ce where the Nightmare Queen died.


    .


    .


    .


    A few minutester, when Lilin ended her contemtion, she finally spoke,


    ¡°I am Lilin Luxuria. Captain of the newly created Scarlet Knight division. Demanding permission to enter.¡±


    She could see the soldiers standing on the wall of the fortress but she showed no impatience in her voice or actions.


    She could wait. Even if they decided to keep her standing in this ce all night, she would not mind.


    Currently ¡ª She was not in this ce as a Princess. In the first ce, as a princess, she had very little actual authority.


    She wasing as a soldier and a partially independent mercenary group. She wished to train and grow her knight and leave her legend like her mother did in the past.


    Lilith Luxuria became King at 18 years old.


    Lilin was already 18 and she was only a Duke.


    ¡ªThis was not enough at all.


    She needed to grow. Faster, far faster, and for that ¡ª She would risk her life.


    ¡°Open the Gate!¡±


    A loud voice filled the air and soon, the earth rumbled slightly as the gate opened.


    Those gates were not all there was to see. They were gates entirely created and forged with Dwarven steel.


    This was a huge project which began with the Bloody Queen and took two generations toplete.


    Not only thoserge gates were resistant, but the entire wall was created by mixing rare materials of powerful monsters and adding magical seals and runes all over the walls to create a super barrier that stopped all entry from below and above.


    This ce in a way was even more sure than the capital itself if you did not take into ount the existence of the Supreme Daughter.


    When the gate opened wide to wee her, Lilin could feel a certain pressure on her shoulder. It was as if she was about to enter the mouth of arge beast.


    ¡®How magical.¡¯


    Her horse started to move and her knights followed her as they entered, all around she could feel the gaze of soldiers, mercenaries, and even some citizens.


    None of them were in the Duke rank. If there was a fight, she was sure that she could ughter all of them without the slightest problem in an instant.


    Even so, her rms were ringing and telling her that those people were dangerous. She had a feeling that if they fought, even if they won it would be at a steep cost.


    The knights behind her stiffened slightly. Some paled in fear and some were nearly paralyzed.


    Even though they were knights and received systematic training for years, the greatest experience they had as soldiers was killing the bandits during thest operation.


    Compared to the Veterans who had shed blood, tears, and sweat for years on this battlefield, they were nothing more than young chicks who knew nothing of the world.


    The blood lust they were emitting was enough for them to feel faint and weak. The only reason Lilin wasn¡¯t too concerned was because she had trained all her life while under the bloodlust and pressure of her mother.


    Compared to Lilith, those soldiers were nothing.


    She could see and feel the struggles of her knights. But she did not intervene nor ask to stop.


    This was not done out of malice.


    This ce was the eternal battlefield. A ce where life had no value and death could happen at any moment. If those knights could not even support the current bloodlust then ¡ª They would only be liabilities that would stiffen at the most important moment or flee in fright during abat.


    Soldiers did not fear smart enemies. What they feared was having stupid teammates fighting alongside them.


    Finally, after a long walk that should have taken only a few seconds, the scarlet knight gasped slightly when Lilin stopped in front of an old woman and the pressure weighting on them from all sides vanished.


    ¡°You have good seedlings.¡±


    Rose spoke quietly as she eyed the knights with critical eyes before gazing at Lilin with a warm smile.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Your Highness. I am moved by your presence. I feel like I am once again standing alongside Her Majesty and about to march for war.¡±


    ¡°You are too kind.¡±


    Lilin spoke quietly, hiding a bitter smile behind her words.


    Sol was not the only one who had to live in the shadow of his parents all his life.


    The same went for Lilin. She could see it.


    In their eyes, she was not Lilin Luxuria the Princess of Lustburg, or the Captain of a Knightpany.


    She was the Daughter of the Hero Queen. The sword Saint amazed the world with the sharpness of her sword.


    Lilin did think of it negatively nowadays since her rtionship with Lilith was on good rail. She was proud of the achievements of her mother and was proud to be the daughter of such a legendary woman.


    But ¡ª


    ¡°I hope that¡­ No. I do not hope. One day ¡ª You WILL be moved by me. Not because of my mother. Because of me alone.¡±


    She smiled. Borrowing the easy confidence she had seen Sol show so many times.


    Rose was surprised. But soon, the warm smile returned to her face.


    She was happy.


    She had wondered what she would do if the princess was a wastrel like those nobles who were ready to cheat for achievements.


    But ¡ª Listening to her words and looking at the knights behind her, Rose felt nothing but joy.


    There were few things more joyful than to realize that the rulers of the countries she served were all worthy of her loyalty.


    ¡°I pray for this day toe soon.¡±


    Once the salutations ended, Rose brought Lilin with her while her knights were sent to prepare their amodation.


    The Fortress was not just made with one big gate. But rather made out of threerge walls. With each wall allowing one to go in further.


    ¡°The third and second circle are the ces where Soldiers dwell. We made this system to make the conquest of the Fortress even harder.¡±


    She exined with pride.


    It wasn¡¯t for nothing that this ce was so expensive to create. Each of therge circr walls created was strong enough to make any attack stop.


    But the most important was,


    ¡°Back then. Her Majesty ze blessed this ce with the rune and blood of a Dragon. I do not remember his name. But from what she said, he was a golden dragon who represented the concept of absolute defense. A small part of his concept was ced on all the walls.¡±


    She had every reason to be proud. How many people could say their walls were made with dragon blood?


    The only structures in Lustburg that received such features were the walls of the Capital and the Tower of Babel which was created with the blood and concept of the Dragon King who had signed a contract with King Jupiter.


    ¡°Hum¡­Fafnir?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Indeed. This was his name. Forgive my failing memory. Do you know about him?¡±


    Lilin nodded then shook her head, ¡°This is the first time I heard this story and I never met him. But Sol¡­ I mean, his highness Sol told me about this particr Dragon King. His name is Fafnir, the Golden Dragon and one of the first dragons. Even in the Astral realm, his reputation is ster.¡±


    ¡°My. Such an interesting story. As I never had the necessary minimum quality, I was not able to enter the Astral realm back when I was 15. Though hearing of this story, I believe the Kingdom is blessed with a very talented Prince.¡±


    Rose smiled happily. As a knight, like many humans, she had never managed to have a particr high Capacity much less enter the Astral realm. Thankfully, she was able to obtain a Nightmare Horse of the highest quality.


    It wasn¡¯t much. But Rose had never been dissatisfied with her horse. For her, it wasn¡¯t just a horse. It was a friend. It was family and it was her most loyalpanion.


    ¡°Sol is very talented indeed. You should see his power now. In the past, I could easily beat him but the moment he awakened, everything changed so fast.¡±


    Rose nodded as Lilin started talking about how awesome and cool Sol was and the more she did so therger her smile became.


    She was not tired of listening and in fact, she loved it. On one hand, it gave her precious information about the elusive prince who had rarely if ever shown his face in the open in the past.


    But more importantly¡­It made her feel warm.


    ¡®So simr.¡¯


    She could vividly remember. More than 20 years ago.A purple-haired young girl with a sword and her group of knights talking to her excitedly about how awesome and talented her big brother was.


    The way they acted. The way they moved. The intonations in their voices, the light that seemed to shine in their eyes whenever they mentioned the man they were talking about.


    It was nothing but heartwarming and amusing.


    ¡°It seems like his Highness is an impressive person.¡±


    ¡°Right!? You should see him fight now. He is like a beast that never stops.¡±


    Rose¡¯s lips twitched. Calling the prince a beast in front of her was quite problematic. Thankfully, there was no one else close to an earshot.


    ¡°Still, Your Highness. You should not look down on yourself. Your mother may have not been as powerful as His Majesty the Hero King. But she was a beacon of hope for people like us. The proof that not having a high capacity did not mean the end of the world.¡±


    She spoke quietly, her body was frail but her spirit was high, ¡°Since you aim to surpass even the legend of her Majesty. I hope you will not debase yourself.¡±


    They finally entered the Inner circle on those words and Lilin was surprised.


    She thought she would see grim soldiers like in the previous circle. But here, all she could see were civilians.


    Some soldiers were walking and patrolling around and the city was not particrly prosperous. But everything that should be here was present.


    The routes were clean, the sewers were efficient and clean as well. Stores and inns of all kinds could be seen all around and she could even see women in skimpy outfits standing on balconies with sultry smiles on their faces as they waved at the men and women walking around, inviting them to enter a world of pleasure.


    ¡®This is¡­¡¯


    ¡°Quite shocking, right?¡±


    Roseughed and opened her arms wide, ¡°Wee to the city of adventurers. This ce is not just a hell hole you know?¡±


    The Fortress was one of the oldest and most developed ones in the entire kingdom. This ce had everything from soldiers to sinners to adventurers.


    In such ces, crafters such as alchemists and smiths as well as tailors became a necessity.


    Then Merchants, smelling the profits started toe.


    Prostitute dens, Gambling dens, Opium Dens, and grey ces of all kinds started to follow.


    Finally, families of soldiers and sinners who were not beheaded as well as others flocked as well.


    Slowly but surely. This dreary ce that was filled with nothing but death and blood became alive in the truest sense.


    ¡°We are soldiers. We are protectors and this ce is the firstmost ce we need to protect.¡±


    Her voice became steely.


    They could not leave. They could not lose. Because doing so would mean the death of all the people present.


    ¡°Princess. I am not blind. I can see the movement of the army and clearly, the royal ce is nning something big. But please. Do not y games with this ce. We cannot retreat. We will not retreat. Because for many people here, this ce is even more a home than Lustburg itself.¡±


    Many young children were born and raised here all their lives. Never leaving the walls. They knew nothing of the world beyond and considered this ce as their whole world.


    Many soldiers had their friends and family in this ce. They live in this ce and want to die in this ce.


    One could say that in a way ¡ª This ce was like a small partially independent country within Lustburg.


    After speaking those words, Rose looked at Lilin, a certain nervousness between her brows.


    She was not stupid and she knew her resistance might cause her death or her demotion. But she could not let the royal ce order her to retreat further. This simply could not be done.


    They had already lost much space in the eternal battlefield and though the demons had been weirdly inactivetely, one could never know what could happen in the future.


    ¡°Countess Rose.¡±


    Lilin ced a hand on Rose¡¯s shoulder before continuing to walk,


    ¡°Do not worry. Lustburg will retreat no longer. It¡¯s time for counterattacking. We start tomorrow.¡± Rose had never heard better words.

 Chapter 544-546: Re Immortal Sword

    Chapter 544-546: Re Immortal Sword


    For the next three days, Lilin stayed quietly in the fort. Her knights were lightly trained and received education from the veterans.


    Unlike other battlefields, one Duke could notpletely change the course of a battle here as there were many Dukes both hidden and active from each side on the battlefield.


    This made the overall situation very dangerous and far more bloody than anything else.


    Rose meanwhile was worried about something else,


    "So. Do you know why those demons are silent?"


    She was extremely uneasy.


    The eternal battlefield was a three-way battlefrontposed of Lustburg, Wratharis, and Envylia.


    One of the reasons this front kept a certain equilibrium was because of this three-way battle that stopped them from investing all their force on one front.


    But now ¡ª Envylia stayed silent. Their soldiers simply keep watch over their borders and do not participate.Ironically, this action, rather than encouraging Lustburg and Wratharis to fight it out, made them far more cautious and unwilling to fight at full strength.


    "General. We have been receiving messages from our spies but they are also in the dark. All they know is that the higher-up ordered a ceasefire on their side and they are even debating sending a peace envoy to express their desire to not actively participate in this war."


    "Huh¡­"


    Rose frowned and looked at Lilin quietly before nodding to her Butler.


    "Very well. You can go for now. Prepare for a fight. Is the information about the new vanguard of Wratharis, true?"


    The butler immediately became tense. The information he had received was that formidable and worrying.


    Who was the leader of Wratharis?


    Officially, it was the two blessed. The King and the Supreme Daughter.


    Officiously though, there was a hidden power behind Wratharis, the very reason why Sun Wukong was considered as the uncrowned King of Wratharis.


    They were the Seven Sages.[1]


    An ambitious group created by Sun Wukong when he was nothing but a Duke who ended up fighting and exploring the Astral realm in many ways, making them even stronger.


    Now, even though the six remaining sages were still at the Duke level, it was known that any of them could jump the gate at any moment and be a King level.


    "The Stones monkeys are taking the vanguard this time and while the Monkey King has yet to move, they will be led by the Flood Dragon Queen and the Camel King."


    Rose could feel a headacheing. The seven sages were known for their absolute arrogance in bestowing themselves titles that would have been enough to be used of disrespect towards the goddesses.


    The flood Dragon Queen, known as the <strong>Great Sage overturning the Sea.</strong>


    It is said that she was a hybrid dragon born in the Dragon realm whoter followed Sun Wukong after being subdued by him.


    As befitting her lineage, the woman was a very powerful entity who caused trouble everywhere he went.


    She hadn''t been very active since twenty years ago. So it was a surprise.


    The same went for the Camel King, a man who called himself the <strong>Great Sage who moves mountains.</strong>


    He was a hybrid born in the Phoenix realm and once again started following Sun Wukong after getting beaten up by him.


    It was funny to say, but this showed both the charisma of Sun Wukong and how battle-thirsty those individuals were


    The titles they chose were extremely arrogant but there was no denying that at least in the mortal realm, they had more than enough strength to back it up.


    Rose taped the table, her mind moving as she prepared countermeasures. If the two sages decided to attack at full force, the situation would go from bad to worse really fast.


    "Please leave us alone for now. Call the Captains and warn them to warm up the horse and clean their equipment. Tell the mages to activate the full defense system of the fortress."


    The butler twitches. The resources necessary to even activate the defense beyond 50% were astronomical.


    "General¡­"


    "Do not argue. This is my final order. I will ept any punishmentter on."


    "Understood."


    He nodded and left.


    Now alone, Rose asked inly,


    "Princess, I will be blunt. I have two questions. Firstly, do you know anything about the suspicious movement of Envilya and two, do you have any experience in fighting Dukes?"


    Lilin smiled.


    Did she have any experience fighting against a Duke?


    She wanted to ask in return. Do you have any experience facing a sword sh that can cut dimensions?


    Do you have any experience in facing a man who can tank such a sh and get up like nothing happened?


    What about facing someone who could freeze your time? Or fighting against a Duke who could judge your very soul?


    "I killed a Duke."


    ¡ª And it wasn''t just any Duke but a member of one of the most infamous criminal organizations.


    But for Lilin,pared to fighting against her mother, Setsuna, Sol and even training with Isis, killing a Duke was nothing worth bragging about.


    "I do not know how strong those so-called Sages are but even if I do not win, I am sure that I will not lose."


    This was not bravado. This was pride and assurance born from an absolute confidence in her skills and training.


    More than anything, after living all her life surrounded by monsters ¡ª There was not much mundane Dukes could make her feel.


    If anything, the only one that slightly interested her was the Flood Dragon Queen


    She was wondering ¡ª Were her scales tougher or brittle whenpared to Sol''s?


    She would have to find it with her Sword.


    Furthermore ¡ª Perhaps she should capture her for Sol?


    ¡ª-


    Meanwhile, in the fortress opposite the one belonging to Lustburg, a group of expressionless men and women were standing in order, while gazing at the two warriors in front of them.


    One was an old man with a long beard, and a hunched back. In his hand was a rugged wood cane and his legs were wobbling as if he was about to fall and die at any moment.


    It was a figure easy to underestimate but there was only respect when the soldiers looked at him.


    Next to the old man, as if contract him at every point was a young-looking adult woman with flowing aquamarine hair and a dragon tail.


    She had a long bow on her back and her gaze was steady and full of confidence.


    "When do we attack, old man?"


    Her voice was petnt but she was waiting for the opinion of the Camel King. After all, he was the oldest and wisest one of the group.


    The Eldest brother so to speak.


    "I have fully analyzed the situation. Tomorrow, we strike. But do not forget our goal."


    "I know, I know. We simply have to bring out the Sword saint and let her fight with Big Brother."


    The Camel King smiled and started walking away.


    Tomorrow will be an interesting day.


    ***


    After this a certain calm came but this was nothing but a calm before the storm.


    The knights were all tenses and everyone was preparing one way or another, wishing to do nothing more than bing stronger even if for a little bit.


    This time was sadly not enough for them.


    The war which had somehow entered a lull during thest few days on the Eternal Battlefield came back in earnest like a bolt of Thunder.


    ¡ª This was pretty literal.


    Thunder roared after lightning shed, directly impacting the formation barrier surrounding the Fortress.


    This was a greeting. At the same time a warning.


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    Floating in the air, an old man wearingrge clothes with a hunched back and cane spoke quietly,


    ¡°Greeting soldiers of Lustburg. I am the Camel King.¡±


    Everyone, those in the barrier and those outside tensed.


    ¡°Be it I or my siblings, we loath war and senseless bloodshed. Our goal is not to massacre weaklings who are only fighting in the hope of putting food on the table. We only have one target.¡±


    He smiled, ¡°Bring us the Queen of Lustburg. You have One day.¡±


    He did not speak more and vanished instantly, leaving a wind of unease in the fortress.


    Back down, Lilin frowned and looked at Rose, they were currently present in the conference room with all the higher up and the air was solemn.


    ¡°The barrier shook slightly.¡±


    This was the greatest problem. The Camel King was even more powerful than they imagined. This was a strike that no normal Duke should have been able to throw at them. But here they were.


    ¡°Should we¡­?¡±


    One person started quietly but Rose waved her hand,


    ¡°Don¡¯t even dream of it. For one, bringing out a King would be a breach in the current situation. Neither army reached close to threatening the borders of the capital of the other if our Queen moves now. We will only be in disadvantages.¡±


    There was something else Rose didn¡¯t say. She knew clearly that they only had two kings, both Lilith and Camelia. As for Dukes, they did not have many Dukes who could hope toe close to the 6 sages.


    The taunting of the Camel King was clearly because Sun Wukong wished to fight Lilith.


    ¡®We must never enter the level of King fight.¡¯


    They only had two kings and Wratharis had three. As well as Six more who could slightlye close. When it came to higher levels of power, they were too much behind.


    The strategy was simple, they had to win as much terrain as possible then sign a treaty and be done with it.


    This was how the war went out for years to avoid bringing out the King''s rank on the battlefield.


    Another reality was ¡ª How useless would they be if the enemies only had to threaten them once for them to go running and call their queen?


    This would destroy the morale of the army.


    ¡°I will fight the two sages.¡±


    She raised her hand, causing everyone to quiet down. Some in doubt, some in surprise, and few in disdain.


    ¡°Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that I do not have enough achievement to make you believe me. I initially hoped to slowly do so. But the situation changed and there is no more time. This is why I am talking as the Eldest Princess of Lustburg rather than the Captain of the Scarlet Knights. I will take the field and face the two Sages.¡±


    All those who were about to speak immediately shut up. They knew that this was something different.


    ¡°Two Dukes dared to challenge my mother, the Queen. It¡¯s necessary to show them that they are not worthy.¡±


    Everyone looked at Rose. She was the main leader here in their opinion,


    ¡°Princess. You should understand, right¡­ The enemy will not care about your blood. If you fail and get captured, we will all have to fight to our death to get you back or avenge you otherwise we will be known as traitors and executed.¡±


    ¡°I will win.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Then ¡ª Let¡¯s fight now.¡±


    She was not some old conservative soldier who could not take the lead when it was necessary.


    If those bastards wanted a fight then they would give one. Why wait until the end of the ultimatum?


    But Lilin shook her head and stood up,


    ¡°Just wait for me. It will not take long.¡±


    She nned to go all out from the start. There would be no need for her to hold back or even hesitate.


    The current situation where there was no soldier out was to her advantage.


    There was only one question honestly for her,


    Whether or not she should kill those so-called Sages.


    In the end, she decided that she would only spare them as long as they weren¡¯t too dangerous. They wanted Sun Wukong on their side after all.


    It wouldn¡¯t do to kill his friends.


    ¡°I hope Sol will praise me.¡±


    The soldiers present had no time to even protest before Lilin vanishedpletely in front of their eyes, causing all of them to feel a cold chill.


    They realized then and there that they had been underestimating the Princess a little too much.


    ¡ª-


    Standing in the fortress of Wratharis, the Flood Dragoon Queen looked at her friend and brother.


    Despite how frail he looked, he was the second fastest in their whole group if Sun Wukongw was not added to the count.


    ¡ª-Sun Wukong was never added to the count


    ¡°Do you think this will be enough?¡±


    Camel coughed, ¡°If this was, then I would be sorely disappointed. Humans can be pretty stubborn.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    ¡°Either way. Our goal is truly not bloodshed. This whole war is¡­¡±


    He shook his head. As one of the seven sages and for all intent and purpose, the subordinate of Sun Wukong as well as his strategist, Camel knew very well that this war was nothing but a farce.


    Perhaps the greatest y in the history of the mortal world.


    He was not averse to killing. But losing soldiers and killing people in such a war was nothing but distasteful for him. A waste of time and energy.


    ¡°Well. There is no one fun to fight in this ce anyway. Outside perhaps General Rose. I heard this woman is quite strong when using an army.¡±


    ¡°This is pretty normal when ites to Generals who rose to the rank of Duke. Their Zone will reflect their years as soldiers and be more useful when used onrge-scale battlefields than when strengthening themselves individually. The only true problem is that barrier.¡±


    He sighed, ¡°Even if we go all out. As long as they stay and turtles up, we will not be able to destroy it.¡±


    ¡°Heh. We don¡¯t need to destroy it. We just need to make them consume all the fuel used to keep it up.¡±


    ¡°Very well then ¡ª!!!¡±


    Camel and Flood immediately raised their head with horror in their eyes. Their instincts which had be slightly dormant because of all those years of peace and rest woke up like they had been beaten awake, alerting them of the iing danger.


    The world seemed still the same. Nothing seemed to have changed. At least this was the case in the eyes of everyone else outside of some Stone Monkeys who started to feel restless.


    To the two of them though. They had the impression that the very world itself was filled with nothing but one thing ¡ª Sword shes.


    ***


    The two of them reacted directly, a dome of wind and water appeared at the same time, covering all the soldiers who were inside the fortress to protect them from the iing attack but their perception had been distorted. They had never been the target.


    The only target was ¡ª- The barrier itself.


    One time. Two times. Three times. Sword light moved and shed as if it was never-ending.


    In one instant the horizon seemed to bepletely fragmented as more than ten shes of light attacked the barrier surrounding their fortress.


    Unlike Lustburg. Wratharis didn¡¯t have the chance to have the blood of a Dragon King as an ingredient for their defense. Even so, this was a barrier powerful enough to need many Dukes to attack at the same time before hoping to destroy it.


    ¡ª At least this was what they all believed until now.


    The two sages and all the soldiers witnessed as this barrier was helplessly destroyed like nothing in but an instant. It was as if a simple cover made of paper was helplessly torn apart, giving not even the slightest resistance.


    Looking up, they could see a purple-haired woman walking in the air toward them, the aura emanating from her was so overpowering that they could feel it from here even though she was still close to Lustburg¡¯s base.


    This also made them understand that she had destroyed their barrier despite the great distance that was separating them.


    ¡°Is this¡­Lustburg Queen?¡±


    Flood gulped a little as blue scales started to cover her fists,


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Camel¡¯s voice was hoarse.


    ¡°She looks too young and she is¡­.She is only a Duke.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    The two gazed at each other before starting to float as well. Camel was using his power over lightning while Flood had tworge wings appear on her back.


    They were surprised. Astonished even.


    But in the end ¡ª They were excited.


    Fighting and bullying the weak had never been something they were interested in. Their only desire was to chase after the back of Sun Wukong and for this ¡ª There was nothing better than fighting someone strong.


    The flood Dragon Queen, Jialong, immediately changed. The bright scales entirely covered her body, giving an appearance close to what the War form gave.


    This was nothing but a copy. She had the form but not the essence. Even so, this form of her was enough to inspire respect in the Dragon realm as she went from being nothing but an inferior species to being a strong contender for even the title of Princess back then.


    ¡°I am going first!¡±


    Water formed below her feet and propelled her at full speed toward Lilin.


    She did not bother asking who she was. What she was or why she looked so much like the Queen. Jialong had no care about such a thing.


    All she wanted to do was crush the strong opponent in front of her.


    Lilin, though, was utterly calm. She nned to end this fight as fast as possible. She did not know what their Zones were or what they could do.


    She had read the reports about the fight Nuwa went through and understood that underestimating a Duke with unknown skill was foolishness.


    This was why ¡ª


    ¡°You should havee at me together.¡±


    ¡ª She would go all out. Using the window where they still somehow underestimated her and nned to test the terrain.


    Her zone had long since been activated, and the scale it could cover had increased tremendously ever since she signed a contract with Sol and increased the power of her soul.


    ¡°This is a shame but ¡ª I have to win by all means. I will just incapacitate you.¡±


    The grip of her sword tightened. This was a new sword. One Theresa¡¯s created for her by using her blood and horns. Like she did for Nuwa. This weapon even had the scales of Sol.


    It felt weird using her beloved as gathering materials but she had to say ¡ª His blood and scales were truly good when it came to this.


    The world around her started to change. Her eyes took a slitted demonical form and her purple aura raised like a haze.


    Lilin¡¯s path of the sword was hard to exin whenpared to the straightforward Lilith.


    For years, she rejected the concept of her mother and created her very own. One based on blood lust.


    Following this, she awakened her dormant bloodline and started to focus more on the concept of Boundless, erasing all distance to nothing.


    But in the end ¡ª Those two were all one.


    Her existence as a bloody swordsman. As a human.


    Her existence as one who followed the boundless sword. As a demon.


    Finally, the fact she truly was neither of the two. A princess.


    True faces.


    They are all hers and she truly was neither.


    Her purple aura changed, gushing even more strongly, transforming into a deep crimson aura, like a river of scarlet blood, even her de turned red.


    The stench of sulfur and blood filled the air and the nostrils of all those who were watching the fight while fear filled their minds.


    The image of a horned demon with three faces and 9 arms all holding swords appeared behind Lilin, seemingly covering heaven and earth.


    The Camel king¡¯s reacted,


    ¡°Jialong!¡±


    So did the Flood Queen.


    But it was already toote.


    Be it the Camel King or the Flood Queen, they realized that moving was useless. They had no means to escape.


    This was her strongest move. One she realized after witnessing the attack on her mother.


    This was ¡ª


    [Re Immortal ying Art: Ashura!!]


    Lilin shed, her sword even cleaving the clouds in the Sky.


    Nine shes cleaved the ground, creating a crater so deep, one could barely see the end, irreversibly changing the entirendscape of the battlefield.


    On that day, a new legend was born as two old legends fell in defeat at the of a sword woman. This new legend was not of a Sword Saint, inspiring the world with her sword technique. But that, of a Brutal Sword Demon, destroying everything against her path.

 Chapter 547-548:

    Chapter 547-548:


    The fight in the eternal Battlefieldsted only an instant but it would forever live in the mind of those who witnessed this incredible feat.


    Even now, records of what happened were being sent everywhere. After all, the fight between two countries was always of interest for the rest of the world. Even more so when it came to the birth of a new legend.


    After putting down the two sages and making sure they were unable to fight, Lilin proceeded in systematically killing all those who were loyal to Lupus as listed by Camelia and the Crown''s shadow.


    Alongside her band of knight, they bathed in the blood of their enemies, uncaring about their pain and cries for surrender.


    Like a demon, Lilin made blood flow everywhere, giving the impression that rivers of blood were flowing.


    In nothing but a short day, the news was already all over the world and citizens of Lustburg were cheering once again.


    Thus was born the legendary Sword Demon.


    .


    ..


    Somewhere in Wratharis, a small gathering was happening, as four people stood all around each other, drinking and generally just talking quietly.


    It was hard to call this a party. But there was undoubtedly a courant of warmth and joy in the atmosphere.


    At least this was so until the fifth person entered with rather shocking news.


    ¡°Jialong and Camel lost.¡±


    Silence fell at the shocking statement. they were able to rx only when they realized that the word ¡®lost¡¯ was used rather than ¡®killed.¡¯


    There was nothing wrong with losing, every one of them in this room had lost an unknown number of times as they searched for greater height.


    ¡°Oh? The geezer lost? How many fought against them? Did a King move?¡±


    Even so, it was very surprising for the two of them to lose like this. Neither Camel nor Jianglong were the strongest in their groups even when taking Wukong outside of the rankingt as they always did.


    But at their current level, the level of power between each of them was not particrly obvious.


    In their opinion, if a King didn¡¯t take action, most likely a few hidden Dukes from Lustburg must haveunched a sneak attack. This was the only actual logical way in their mind.


    Sadly ¡ª This train of thought was dashed once again.


    ¡°There was only one person.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Seriously? They lost one after another against the same person?¡±


    ¡°...They lost at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    They all whistled in surprise, this was big news alright. Losing two vs one means that the one who fought them was a Duke who was very close to the level of King.


    Perhaps a Duke who already knew their true name and was simply waiting for ascension or a better name. Such a thing was not rare, in fact, the two strongest of their group, the Bull King and the Lion King were in the same situation. They could have jumped to the level of King long ago but they knew that if they did, this would be all. Their chance of bing a Demigod would be extremely low.


    This was not what they wanted and there was no way they would settle for something average.


    ¡°Is there still a Duke who is strong enough to win against us in the mortal realm outside of the witches?¡±


    ¡°Who is the one who beat them?¡±


    This was not arrogance on their part. They had truly wreaked havoc all over this world from high to low and even middle. They fought against both devils and angels, and even the elves were not ignored.


    Sometimes they won, sometimes they lost but in the end, they always won more than they lost until no one dared to even challenge them.


    They were the uncontested strongest in Wratharis and could have all had their ns if they wished.


    ¡°Hum¡­ The one who took them down. Well, it¡¯s slightly ironic when you think of this but it¡¯s Lilin Luxuria, daughter of Lilith Luxuria. They call her ¡ª The Sword Demon.¡±


    They understood why they mentioned the irony and they all looked at Sun Wukong who was quietly sipping his monkey wine.


    The reason both Camel and Jialong went to the war was to make Lilith move faster and appear on the battlefield. But it seemed like the job had been done in a way they did not expect.


    ¡°Should we move? Our reputation will be severely affected after this. Will it affect you negatively?¡±


    Sun Wukong who had been mostly silent up to now shook his head and smiled,


    ¡°We have never cared about reputation until now. Even if I do need Faith now there is no need to worry about the so-called reputation. This is nothing but an illusory cloud.¡±


    He stood up and continued,¡± As for Jialong and Camel, don¡¯t worry about them. They will not die. You should all know what is the reality of this war.¡±


    Lion and Bull grimaced, they of course knew that this whole war was a sham. Rather than a sham, it was mostly just a y with many actors and Wratharis King ying the role of the clown.


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    But it felt like shit. While many of them were not born on Wratharis and lived years before in the Astral realm, this did not diminish the love they started to have for this world in any way.


    They lived in this ce for years, made friends, some even made families, and all of them came to love this kingdom as their own.


    ¡°Big brother, I still do not understand why you are participating in this farce. You should be flying up by now and establishing your force in the Astral realm. This is all we are waiting for.¡±


    Demigods were the true powerhouse of the Astral realm and demigods like Wukong who ascended from the mortal realm were considered to be at apletely different level.


    In the future, when they mentioned Wukong, he would be put at the same level as the three monsters who rose to fame millennia ago.


    Compared to all that, fights in the mortal realm were nothing but child y.


    ***


    Sun Wukong did not mind the wordsing from the man he considered a brother. He knew very well that this was done because they cared.


    The legend and reputation one gathered were very important. This was a form of Karma, a weight that brought many benefits when one became a demigod and was to build his or her territory.


    ¡°I know what I am doing.¡±


    He waved his hand dismissively but his eyes were serious as he gazed at everyone in the room, ¡°Currently, the mortal realm is in the middle of a giant whirlpool. I can feel that at this rate, the world will change, and not necessarily for the better. Either way, a new era of strife is close upon us, and monsters who have stayed inactive up to now we''ll all wake up in unison to fight for godhood.


    ¡°So, we need to fight together, my dear brothers and sisters.¡±


    This era would be his most loved one. He was truly happy to be born in such a troubled time.


    The more he spoke, the more excited he seemed to be, even though his stoic face barely changed, the pressure he was bridging on continued to rise.


    ¡°Do you understand, my dear siblings? A great era is upon us. Many will rise, and many others will fall. So all of you need to grow. Grow up even faster. Because when I stand at the top and look behind, I do not wish to not even be able to see your silhouette.¡±


    The Bull Kingughed out loud as he punched Sun Wukong in the chest,


    ¡°Look at this bastard. Who says you will have to look behind to find us? Hahaha. When you reach the top, we will be right there beside you. I think I will be right in front.¡±


    They allughed, stopping worrying about their two siblings who had been captured. At worst, they will lose a few limbs.


    It did not matter, as long as they were alive, there would be a way to heal them. So all they had to do was focus on themselves.


    ¡°So. Do we still participate?¡±


    ¡°No. Kun Peng, you go to the main battlefield. You are the fastest out of us. I want you to face the princess and see what she is made of. The others stay in retreat.¡±


    One of the reasons Sun Wukong¡¯s group was so respected in Wratharis was their strength. But another reason was much more insidious.


    ¡°Do I engage in a fight with her?¡±


    Wukong was not worried. Kun Peng, the Great sage throwing Heaven in confusion was undoubtedly the fastest out of them all. Even Sun Wukong could barely beat him in terms of speed with his Somersault Cloud at the same level of power.


    ¡°Do as you like. Avoid any fight to the death if possible though.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I guess I will have some fun. Been a while since I fought a Blessed.¡±


    The Pen King grinned. He was the youngest of the group but he was also the most mischievous. Rather than fighting itself, there was nothing he liked more than teasing people with his superior speed.


    ¡°Do not underestimate her. She is a Blessed. You know very well how tricky they can be when they start going at it.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t worry. I will simply teach the princess a lesson. Just to avoid letting her new power go to her head. You know how stupid Blessed can be sometimes. Gotta teach them fast.¡±


    Kun Peng did not wait for any more words and immediately left the house, excited to go fight after a long while.


    As for any divine punishment? He was not worried in the slightest.


    No matter how much they identified themselves with Wratharis ¡ª- They were not part of this country. They were not Beastmen.


    Meaning¡­They were not restricted by the Blessings.


    Watching Kun Peng vanish in the distance, the Bull King asked quietly to Sun Wukong


    ¡°Will that stupid dog notin?¡±


    ¡°He is still my king, you know?¡±


    ¡°He is no king of mine.¡±


    Bull simply shrugged and asked again, ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Of course, he willin. That man can do nothing else but reject the fault of failure onto other people. Though in this case, I guess he would be right.¡±


    Sun Wukong had no particr feelings for the King. Be it this one or the previous one. In the end, this kind of thing did not matter to him and he would rather spend his time having fun by fighting and training than focus on a useless war of session.


    Even so, he had to admit that Lupus had a very special way of making him very angry sometimes and he had to fight the urge to simply crush that bastard and would have done so already if he wasn¡¯t worried about the blessing.


    Weirdly, he was considered part of Wratharis. So he was still affected.


    ¡°Well. I guess it¡¯s time to train.¡±


    The only woman left out of the seven sage pped her hand, making all the tea seats vanish. It was time for them to fight, this fight would be different from everything they had until now and so they would train.


    ¡ª-


    [Main Battlefront]


    In the main battlefront, there was no interference from other countries such as Souther Pride and Envilya.


    This ce was the direct ce where Lustburg and Wratharis shared a border. This was the Silk Road so to speak; a very strategic and important point that no side wanted to concede on.


    This was also the ce where there was the highest concentration of soldiers from the two countries.


    Unlike the Eternal Battlefield where even Ruffian ran rampant and mercenaries were epted, in this ce, only discipline was to be respected. The higher-ups were all soldiers rted to the Hignd in one way or another, bringing the necessary order.


    Athena and Ares, using their talents, were able to push back the enemy many times even though they had a clear advantage over them. They were already well respected in this ce, Athena more so than Ares. But this was inevitable.


    Even though she was not a Duke, Athena could already summon a power equivalent to that of a zone, covering a great part of the battlefield and saving many soldiers with her power.


    In hushed tone, some called her already a goddess of war, and the less daring called her princess one could say that this ce was where all the loyalists of the crown were.


    ¡®This is why this is all the more awkward.¡¯


    Lustburg was a Melting pot of a nation and even now, people of other races have reached higher positions.


    ¡ªBut¡­They never dealt with a bonafide Blessed.


    This was apletely different matter and the fact that she was somehow the Prince¡¯s fiancee made everything harder.


    In this ce ¡ªSetsuna was slowly isted.


    .


    .


    .


    Standing on a field, looking at the soldier going through a drill while d in armor showed how much freedom they had currently.


    Setsua admired this while holding a report about Lilin''s grand disy of power.


    She was quite jealous. After all, unlike her, Lilin was already making her proof to the world;


    ¡®It¡¯s time for me to act.¡¯


    She just needed a reason.

 Chapter 549: Waiting

    Chapter 549: Waiting


    Unlike Lilin, Setsuna was not apanied by her knight group. She came alone on her lonesome, giving the distinct impression that she was just present to y around.


    The soldiers could feel that she was a Duke so they did not underestimate her but even so, unless one was a Duke close to the power of a King, Dukes had no power to change the course of the entire battlefield alone with no support.


    Unless they were a Duke with a zone specialized in warfare.


    Sitting in her quarter, a special ce that had been prepared for her as she was a VIP, Setsuna drank some water while observing the only one who came with her.


    There was one thing that needed to be corrected. While she was noting with an army in the open, in her opinion. She was already doing so. She doubted many armies in the mortal world could stand properly in front of the woman in front of her.


    Isis.


    ¡°So. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Honestly? I don¡¯t have much to say.¡±


    Isis scratched her head as she looked around. ¡°In my ce, since we have so many dead, Father likes to organizerge-scale wars to train his army. Compared to the number of people fighting there¡­.¡±She didn¡¯t need to say more. After all, for people from the Astral world, the wars in the mortal realm were basically nothing more than some childish spats.


    ¡°Though if there is one difference. The energy of despair here is far greater.¡±


    Isis spoke quietly. She might look down at the scale of the war itself. For her, all life was precious even if not equal, and seeing so much death saddened her.


    ¡°I hope this war will end soon.¡±


    ¡°It will.¡±


    Setsuna nodded. It was hard to say whether she was talking to herself or Isis now.


    Setsuna, like many beast men who lived in Lustburg for that matter, was feeling veryplicated.


    Setsuna had been living in Lustburg for more than ten years now. She grew up, was raised and enjoyed many resources. In terms of simple time, she had spent more time living in Lustburg than in Wratharis.


    She considered herself a citizen of Lustburg and was loyal not only to the kingdom but to the royal family.


    At the same time¡­Wratharis was her homnd.


    Even though all those she loved died. There was no denying that this was her homnd and that many people died to help her survive the chase of the Tyrant when she was still small and helpless.


    The current war was painful for her. Very much so as she felt her sense of identity being torn apart.


    The way the soldiers looked at her did not help.


    Lustburg in general was a melting pot. While discrimination and racism may exist, they were very self-contained in some old noble house. The majority did not care.


    The fact that a Half dwarf like Hermes Travers was allowed to be one of the four Duke was proof enough.


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    But such rationality tended to vanish during times of grief.


    The soldiers looked at her and what they saw wasn¡¯t Setsuna, the fiancee of the prince and also a soldier of Lustburg.


    What they saw was Setsuna Ira. The princess of Wratharis is a Blessed and representative of the people who killed those they cared about.


    The way the beast men looked at her wasn¡¯t kind either. Be it beast men from Lustburg or those from Wratharis.


    A traitor to her homnd. Someone ready to sell her body for power or revenge. She could her the news and while she knew that this was mostly a propaganda spread by Wratharis to discredit her toward the popce, she knew that many people believed in it, and in a way ¡ª They weren¡¯t wrong.


    Sol was not some good saint fighting for the freedom of Wratharis and she knew that he intended to use her Blessings to have more legitimacy in ruling Wratharis and start ruling the world itself.


    Even so, a certain hypocrisy existed as they threw all their plight on her, making her the sole cause of all their pain. It was funny in a way. Funny and painful.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I am. Do not worry.¡±


    She gave a calm smile and looked up as she could feel someone approaching.


    ¡°Princess. Athena Hignd and Ares Hignd would like to enter.¡±


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    The moment she gave permission, two young people, one man and a woman with matching hair color entered the tent.


    They were both d in armor with a ssh of blood on it. The exhaustion of their face was clear for everyone to see but their expression was still steadfast.


    The moment they entered, a certain rxation came as they took a seat a little further.


    ¡°I apologize for the blood. I came directly from the battlefield and we did not have much time to wash.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We are both knights of his majesty, there is no need for formality between the two of us. As for you Ares you are more or less a friend of his majesty.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t need to add the More or less part, you know?¡±


    Ares smiled a little before nodding to Isis as a form of salute.


    Athena meanwhileughed, ¡°I might be the most useless knight in existence then since his majesty never called me for his service.¡±


    While Athena was Sol¡¯s knight in name, she had never even spent the night in Babel¡¯s tower, much less following Sol as he did his official duty.


    Calling her a Royal knight in this situation was prettyughable.


    ¡°Well, enough pleasantry. Setsuna, Miss Isis. While I would be delighted in joking around more with you, I came as the bearer of important news.¡±


    The air grew solemn as Athena continued,


    ¡°As you know. Tension has been growing as soldiersined about why they had to fight when a Blessed was present. After all, your presence alone could serve as a deterrent. No soldier of Wratharis can harm you.¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°Some Higher also proposed to use you as bait to force Wratharis to send one of their Kings first in action. Doing so would break the covenant and Lustburg would be able toin at the international meeting. Putting this war to an end and gaining muchpensation in return.¡±


    ¡°They are a bunch of wretches who know nothing of honor. But their voices are bing louder and harder to suppress.¡±


    Ares added. He had always been more on the intellectual side of things and he admitted that many of the ns proposed, while scummy, were in reality very efficient. This would bring much less waste in human resources while ensuring victories.


    All of this by sacrificing one woman. Many called for simply delivering Setsuna to Wratharis after making a deal with Lupus.


    ¡°We have spies in our midst who are contacting the higher-ups. But it isn¡¯t a problem. Those spies are going to die anyway.¡±


    Athena was calm. This was something they already anticipated and were prepared for.


    ¡°Anyway, now the perfect asion you have been waiting for is iing. My only question is ¡ª- Will you be able to rise up to the challenge?¡±


    ¡°What does it mean?¡±


    ¡°A sage ising. The Peng King, known as the fastest of their group.¡±


    Setsuna grinned. The gloom that had been settling in her heart slowly vanished.


    She had been waiting for an asion and it seemed like one had been served to her.

 Chapter 550-553: I am Setsuna

    Chapter 550-553: I am Setsuna


    The day had started normally or at least as normally as one could go on the battlefield.


    Unlike the other ces where Wratharis had the advantage or the Eternal battlefield where Lustburg got the advantage unexpectedly, this ce was mostly in a situation of pure equality.


    As they had pulled the vast majority of their soldiers there, creating a stalemate. This stalemate was further increased after Lilin beat two Sages alone and nearly instantly.


    This was such a big surprise that nearly all fights stopped at the same time as Wratharis retreated and observed the situation at hand while slowly licking their wounds.


    Now that Lustburg had taken the eternal battlefield, it was free to enter the nk of Wratharis and it was important to re-assign soldiers where they were most needed.


    The fact that Demons stayed strangely silent all this while was another reason for worry as the higher up did not know what the cunning demons were preparing.


    Wratharis was truly starting to struggle in the current situation. There were too many unknowns. Their wins might appear numerous on paper but Lustburg had won all the major battlefields.


    The situation was going from bad to worse and many could feel like there was anotheryer of scheme that was being carefully constructed to ensnare them in a web they had no way of escaping from.


    Few people who could reach the level of General or higher were stupid and they were able to see that Lustburg seemed to voluntarily lose on some battlefield.But even so, they could not stop.


    For one reason, this was nothing but a spection on their part. Rather than voluntarily lose, one could argue that they just sent their strongest fighters on the fronts they could not afford to lose.


    This might seem the same. But one was done with a n in mind while the second was done out of helplessness.


    Thispletely changed the intention.


    The second thing was that ¡ª They could not understand why.


    Why sacrifice so much? Why lose so much terrain? Did they have some kind of hidden powerhouses? But even if this was the case it wouldn¡¯t change anything as that powerhouse could not act before they devouredrge percentages of Lustburgnds.


    In the end, they decided that all they could do was fight. Continue to fight and simply crush all possible ns. Thus, was the way of the strong.


    Thankfully, for everyone, today was a beautiful day.


    ¡°Wee, Great Sage!¡±


    ¡°Wee, Great Sage!!¡±


    Caw!!!


    All the higher-ups in the current battlefront and those who were not on guard duty approached, looking at the sky as the majestic cry of a bird resonated in the air, immediately, all of them could see it.


    Was it a Bird?


    A fish?


    No. It was Kun Peng. The Great Sage threw heaven into confusion.


    Even to this day, no one in the mortal world knows exactly what was the origin of Kun Peng. Only one of his parents had to have been from the mortal world since he coulde down without punishment.


    From above, a massive shadow covered them as its majestic appearance was disyed to them all. It was a gargantuan animal, one that could easily be confused with a mythical beast.


    The body had an appearance that was eerily simr to that of whales while fourrge gigantic wings that seemed ready to cover the world itself moved behind him. Despite its massive appearance, its speed was unprecedented, looking as if it was warping space itself with each movement.


    All the soldiers breathed in deeply at this disy. For an instant, they even had the impression that they were facing a King-ranked being. The level of life between them and the Great Sage was just that massive.


    ¡°I am here.¡±


    Its voice boomed shortly before light covered its body and what reced it was a young-looking teenager. Even so, no one dared to underestimate him.


    Still floating above, its wings opened wide, Kun Peng looked all around before shaking his head.


    ¡°I am not here to participate in the war. I am simply here to fight.¡±


    The expression of joy on the general face soured rapidly. After all, in the current situation, if they used Kun Peng with his speed and power, it would be possible to assassinate many of the important people on Lustburg''s side.


    They did not need much. Only Athena. If at least Athena died, the battlefield wouldpletely shift in their favor. She may not be a Duke yet, but thanks to her high capacity, she managed to sign a contract with three high-ranked Spirits and all of them were already at the Duke level now.


    The powers they wielded were all wide-scale in nature and made their losses far higher than what should have been.


    ¡°Great sage¡­¡±


    ¡°I will not be stopped.¡±


    Kun Peng sneered and dismissed the general.


    None of the Seven Sages were interested in wars in the mortal realm. There was no glory in massacring people weaker than them and they were not citizens of Wratharis in the truest sense.


    If Sun Wukong was the King of Wratharis they might have a different stance. But as it was, there was no way they would drench their hand in blood while fighting under the banner of the tyrant.


    ¡°Instead¡­I will fight the Princess.¡±


    The generals who had been discouraged immediately became radiant. If Athena was a thorn in their side that made winning more difficult, then the existence of Setsuna was like a super bomb that could wipe them all out.


    If Setsuna started fighting against them, then their only destiny was death.


    Death if they did not fight back and death if they did fight back. Many soldiers lost their sleep over this, wondering every time if today would be the day Setsuna stepped on the battlefield.


    In a way, her simple existence was already akin to a form of psychological warfare and she presented an advantage simply too great to dismiss.


    None of them could fight her.


    But ¡ª Kun Peng could!


    ¡°We are truly thankful. May the Great Sage be ever victorious.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    Kun Peng chuckled and ignored them. His wings moved once, and suddenly he found himself propelled high in the sky.


    Only when he was at the highest peak did he scream his arrival,


    ¡°Princess of Wratharis!! I havee to fight! Will you be a coward and stay hidden? Or will you show your valor on the battlefield against I, Kun Peng, the Great Sage who Throws Heaven in Confusion!¡±


    His voice spread everywhere, immediately reaching Lustburg''s side.


    He could have sneak attacked, he could have hidden, there were so many strategies that he could have employed in this situation to gain absolute advantage.


    But he did not.


    Why?


    Because he had no need for such paltry tricks. Because he disdained such strategies.


    Endless arrogance, supreme confidence.


    There were many ways one could describe his actions. But Kun Peng did not care. He had long proven to the world that he had the right to be arrogant. He had proven his skills and his know-how.


    More than anything ¡ª His speed was unmatched at the same level.


    He was Kun Peng and today, he was going to humble a Blessed and let them understand that being favored by Fate did not mean anything.


    A true warrior should fight for their Fate.


    ***


    Setsuna had been sitting cross-legged and meditating. She had to be in her best state for what was about to happen. The fight against the sage would determine how she would be seen by the rest of the world.


    ¡°I need to give my best.¡±


    No, she needed to give far more than her simple best. She needed to be wless. She needed to show to the world that, even though she was only a Duke, she would never be inferior to her uncle once she ascended to the throne and became the queen.


    Even though soldiers could harm neither of them, having the entire poption behind her would increase her legitimacy greatly.


    It would also increase the chances of Sol upying Wratharis without too much opposition from the poption.


    ¡®I will think about all that when we reach the door of Wratharis.¡¯


    For now, she had to focus on her power.


    Her zone.


    If she had to be honest. Even for her, the power of her Zone was a little too fraudulent. It was a power that made her tremendously more powerful and dangerous than she should have any right to be.


    Even the witches, had pped when they realized the full potential of what she could do.


    ¡®I can do it. I just need to focus.


    ¡®


    It was when she was thinking this, releasing a deep sigh to rx her body and her artictions that she heard it.


    The shout filled with vigor and confidence of the Great Sage.


    ¡°Setsuna¡­¡±


    Isis, who had been silent as well, looked at her now friend, Setsuna.


    ¡°You know why Sol brought me with you, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Do not worry. I am prideful but not stupid.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Isis smiled as a small ball of energy left her body before entering Setsuna¡¯s shadow and settling there.


    Isis was not there to help Setsuna fight against a Duke.


    She was there as an insurance. Just in case Lupus decided that breaking the rules was worth it if it was to kill Setsuna.


    She had ced a king-level undead close to Setsuna so that it could react in time and protect them should any sneak attack happen.


    Lilin had been in the same situation. Though in her case, it was Lilith who had been ready to attack just in case someone interfered.


    Finally, even now, Sol was in his dimension with all four directions ready to appear anywhere should the King attack.


    Setsuna watched all this calmly,


    ¡°Do you know? If I have to be honest. I hope that Lupus attacks me.¡±


    Even if it was dangerous. Even if she had a chance of dying. She hoped Lupus would be honorless enough to attack her or decide that he had no reason to listen to the international warfare convention and try to kill her on the battlefield.


    After all, unlike what people thought, in terms of an absolute powerhouse, Lustburg was incredibly andpletely superior to Wratharis.


    If Lupus dared to attack her¡­Then this would mean all Kings could attack and once this happened.


    Wratharis would fall within the day.


    ¡°Heh. Don¡¯t you think it would be funny?¡±


    She snickered a little and started walking away, her sword in hand and her samurai armor on her back.


    Today she was not just Setsuna, the Knight of Sol.


    She was not just Setsuna, the princess of Wratharis.


    She was just Setsuna. Her existence represented an instant, a moment and this is what she would do.


    She would show her might. She would show her brilliance to the world itself and they would all have to kneel.


    She would make them all remember this instant forever.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    .


    .


    .


    When Setsuna walked out of her tent, all the soldiers of Lustburg who had been looking at Kun Peng from afar gazed at her.


    The look in their eyes wasplicated. There was no outright hate or disregard. Onlyplication.


    If Setsuna had just been a storm wolf.


    If Setsuna had just been Sol¡¯s Knight.


    And if Setsuna had just been a fallen princess.


    None of this would be soplicated.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the vition.


    But she was not just one of those three.


    She was something more.


    She was a Blessed.


    Where did her loyalty truly go? To whom? Were they fighting and dying for a political battle? Why did they have to shed their blood for a princess of another country?


    Such sentiments went around all of them, causing them to question the very reason they were fighting and this transformed into hostility for Setsuna.


    But not now.


    Now they were all looking at her, forming a road of honor as she walked in the middle of it.


    Her back was straight. Her gait was steady and her eyes held no fears, no hesitation in them.


    She was walking like a proud wolf, a proud knight, and a proud princess, causing all those with negative thoughts about her to simply look down in shame at the pettiness of their feelings.


    Truly this was a moment where she was shining brighter than anyone else. Soon, she reached the end of the hay of honor but this was not the end.


    Tack~!


    A calm sound resonated as a lotus flower made out of ice appeared floating below her feet. Soon, more and more of them appeared, each time Setsuna walked forward, bringing her higher and higher until she reached the same altitude as Kun Peng.


    ¡°Great Sage, you have called.¡±


    ¡°Ohoh. How surprising. I wonder what a wolf is doing in the air.¡±


    Setsuna smiled, ¡°Only one man in this world is allowed to look down at me and it¡¯s not you.¡±


    ¡°My¡­ Is it the prince? It seems like he is quite the man to tame a woman such as you. I will pay him a visit after this.¡±


    Setsuna was not enraged by the frivolous way Kun Peng spoke of Sol. After all,


    ¡°You will never have the asion to fight him.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± He smirked, his eyes slowly zing with the intent to fight.


    Setsuna smiled. She had the report of Lilin''s fight. Certainly, the Great Sages were brazen and arrogant. Years of being invincible at the same level with no one but Sun Wukong as their target had dulled their sense of danger.


    If Lilin had a proper fight with the two sages as they used their Zones, then certainly, it would have been very hard for her and she might even have lost. The name of the seven great sages wasn¡¯t for show.


    Sadly. They were too arrogant.


    This reminded her of something Sol once told her in jest.


    {When fighting, unless you arepletely confident, it¡¯s better to strike first with your strongest attack before your enemy starts powering up.}


    Setsunaughed. Herugh was so gentle and beautiful that it was entrancing. But what followed were bitter and cold words.


    ¡°Why, you ask? Because you will lose to me now.¡±


    ¡º Zone ¨C::¨C Eternal Memories ¡»


    ¡º A Step into the Present :¡ª: Fimbulvetr ¡»


    ***


    How did ite to this?


    Kun Peng asked himself quietly, his face filled with disbelief.


    After leaving his sisters and brothers, he had expected many things. The wars in his memories had been filled with excitement and blood-pumping fights with Dukes dying everywhere as they were nothing more than cannon fodders and even Kings being careful to not get swarmed by hundreds of dukes or besieged by other Kings.


    This was what war should be like and this was how he had spent his entire childhood.


    A bastard, born from parents of different races he did not know, he was born blessed with the ability of his two races. A perfect hybrid so to speak and while he did not know his parents, they had left him abilities that allowed him to roam the battlefield and survive every time.


    Kun Peng.


    A nameposed of the two forms he had. One that allowed him to fly in the sky and the other that allowed him to swim in the sea.


    A younger, much more inexperienced he once fought one particr battlefield. He did not remember who was fighting or even why. All he remembered was joining one side as a mercenary to simply survive and get money for food.


    It was there that he saw her.


    A woman with fiery hair and a proud gait, d in silvery light, and charged with electricity, she stood on the battlefield and swept everything in its way.


    It was just a projection. A video taken and saved from centuries ago. It was just nothing more than a session of pictures. But those pictures are what changed his destiny.


    Her name was Nent. She was a Phoenix and she was undoubtedly the fastest being below the level of Demigod.


    He realized then what kind of path he had to take if he wanted to survive longer.


    Speed.


    Absolute speed.


    Being fast means survival.


    Being fast means the ability to toy around with your opponents.


    Being fast means being strong.


    This became his truth and the path he chose to take and finally, he became a Duke.


    Realizing the first step toward his dream.


    Speed was King.


    Speed was absolute.


    Even after he met Sun Wukong and waspletely beaten up by him, this belief did not change and became even stronger. After all, Wukong only won by being even faster than him.


    This was how he became one of the Seven Sages and chose his title.


    Peng king, Great sage throwing Heaven in confusion.


    An arrogant title as he was neither a King nor able to throw all the heaven in confusion. But this title was not just arrogance. It represented his dream. His aspiration, the goal he strived to reach and surpasses.


    This was why, deep down, he had been looking down on the war that was happening here.


    His goal had never been topare to mere mortals who knew nothing of the upper worlds and still saw Duke as something to revere.


    No matter how bloody the war became, he saw all of this as nothing but a joke and he was sure that he could walk sideways if he so wished on any battlefield even if there was a King present.


    This belief though ¡ª Was currently being put to the test by someone he did not even expect.


    Looking down, his eyes stopped at the Golden-haired young girl who was facing him with a calmness clear in her eyes.


    Even though he was flying high above in the sky and she was nothing a wolf standing on the earth, he had the impression that the two of them were looking at the same horizon.


    No. They were not looking at the same horizon. Even though he was fighting her, even though she was looking at him, her gaze was elsewhere, as if he was simply not worth considering.


    At most, she would send him a look filled with pity.


    ¡°I must say. I might have lost against anyone else. But you are the best match-up I could have ever asked for.¡±


    Kun Peng gasped slowly, his breathing hurried.


    Speed was King.


    He believed this Truth and grew on him.


    But there was another truth that existed.


    Speed was King. But ¡ª Time was supreme.


    This sentence appeared in his mind as he looked around himself, a world filled with monochromatic light.


    A world where his most prized speed became meaningless as one instant was stretched beyond infinity.


    A still world where time and space lost all meaning.


    Indeed. This girl was without a shadow of a doubt his Nemesis. An enemy he could not ovee.


    ¡°Then. Shall we end this beautiful moment? As interesting as this is, I have a reputation to uphold. It wouldn¡¯t do if people thought I struggled to win against you when Lilin managed to destroy two of you in a second.¡±


    The girl spoke nonchntly, only now pulling her de from its sheath,


    ¡°Do not worry. I was already told that I should not kill you. We will soon be allies after all.¡±


    Kun Peng smiled bitterly. Unable to even express anger at theplete disregard he was being served with.


    After all, He had served her with the same disdain at the start and perhaps in reality, acted even worse than this. Even beyond that, he had been disdaining all the participants of this war.


    Now he was simply being pped by the cold and hard reality.


    Was it what they call Karma? It was clear that he was being for his arrogance andining about the injustice of the situation now would do nothing


    How did ite to this?


    Why was someone as esteemed as him in such a pitiful situation? Being mocked andughed at by a girl who was not even half his age?


    He thought quietly as he tried to remember how this all started.


    Then he realized.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    It was indeed then ¡ª From the very moment he stepped on the battlefield.


    ***


    Kun Peng waspletely paralyzed by Setsuna¡¯s domain. The only reason he could even think and speak was because of his own speed.


    He remembered clearly how high and mighty he had been when he came. But now¡­Was he truly about to lose? Like this? Without even being to show the slightest skill?


    He refused this. He rejected this reality. He would not go down without a fight.


    ¡®Kuh~!¡¯


    His aura rose as he tried to move forward, even if to take a little step in this world where time itself was frozen.


    His fingers started to wriggle a little and he was sure that if he was given more time, just a little more he might have broken free.


    Sadly for him, the one controlling time in this ce was Setsuna.


    <strong>¡º A Step into the Past :¡ª: Temporal Clones ¡»</strong>


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    A sigh of despair leaked from his mouth when he saw two clones appear next to Setsuna.


    Kun Peng was no stranger to such a sight. After all, Wukong was also an expert at using the clone technique. But this¡­This was something different.


    All of Wukong¡¯s clones were inherently weaker than him. Furthermore, they even weakened him slightly. The more clones he brought, the weaker they were and the weaker he himself became.


    But¡­


    ¡°How?¡±


    He asked in disbelief. Unable toprehend the sight that was in front of him.


    All of Setsuna¡¯s clones¡­Were as strong as her.


    More than that. Setsuna herself did not grow weaker in the slightest.


    How could such a thing even be possible?


    Was it what it means to be a Blessed?


    To be able to break all reasonable rules as they wished simply because they were favored by Destiny?


    Setsuna, watching the despair cloud Kun Peng''s face, did not bother answering. Once again had clearly told her that only stupid people went into exposition to exin how all their skills worked to their enemies. This was simply asking to be smacked by Fate itself.


    The three Setsuna surrounded Kun Peng, all of them raising their swords high in the sky.


    Whooomm!!


    A vibration-like sound started to spread, followed by the sound of Lightning shing.


    Setsuna''s body itself was surrounded by bellowing streams at high temperatures. She had spread the domain as far as she could to cover the entire battlefield and as a result, the time she could keep it open was terribly shortened.


    Even so. This was more than enough.


    ¡°Kun Peng. Let¡¯s fight once againter once this war ends. This time it will be a true fight. For now though¡­Please be captured quietly.¡±


    No sooner did she finish her phrase than she swung her sword and released her domain. The release itself of her domain was a powerful attack in a way as the contrasting temperature gave birth to an incredibly powerful attack.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡±


    As Setsuna released her domain, Kun Peng was allowed a very small fraction of time of freedom.


    His mind moved at lightning speed, giving him the impression that everything wasing far slower than it should be.


    He thought and thought again. But he realized that no matter how high his perception was¡­He was not fast enough.


    He could not escape.


    Bitter thoughts filled his mind as he realized that he only had one survival route.


    He immediately released his human form, light covering his body as he started transforming back into his True form. But even that was not fast enough and he knew that.


    Sadly this was the only thing he could do if he wished to not die as Setsuna said.


    Boom!!


    The world trembled as a loud explosion seemed to cover all directions. Had Setsuna not redirected her might toward the sky, more than half the soldiers on both sides would have been in or terribly wounded at least.


    But none of this happened. All they could do was look high at the beautiful sight of a rose of smoke blooming far from them.


    This was followed by the mournful smile of a half-transformed Kun Peng as his body was shredded and wounded so much blood seemed to rain down from the sky.


    Many generals and soldiers trembled in fear, be it humans or beastmen. Some even lost control over their bbers while others felt their legs go weak and fell on the ground unable to speak.


    They could not understand.


    They were unable to understand.


    From their perspective, everything happened in just a sh.


    ¡ª In just an Instant.


    They remembered Setsuna approaching Kun Peng while leaving ice lotus steps behind her as she walked in the sky.


    Then they saw the two of them discuss lightly.


    When it reached that part, all of them squared up. People were already prepared to create barriers to block the shockwaves from the battle that promised to be an epic fight between two powerful Dukes.


    Some others were preparing tounch a sneak attack against the other side by making use of the confusion that was sure to spread.


    But¡­


    One moment they were about to fight and the next moment something akin to an explosion of apocalyptic proportions rushed and Kun Peng lost.


    Kun Peng indeed lost.


    The moment this realization actually reached the brain of all those present, a flurry of movements immediately happened.


    ¡°Save the Great Sage!¡±


    ¡°Protect the Fiancee of the Crown Prince!¡±


    Two opposite orders were sent from either side and soldiers fought their horrors to act as they were ordered.


    ¡°Stop! Are you crazy!¡±


    The Dukes from either were ready to attack as well but Wratharis was forced to stop when a few of them actually remembered who they were facing.


    Even if they wished to act¡­It was impossible for them to attack Setsuna.


    The humans also stopped when they realized that it was actually the beastmen who had to somehow protect themselves from Setsuna rather than the opposite.


    This created another awkward situation as the two armies were facing each other while Setsuna stood above.


    Neither knew if they should attack or not and what would happen if they did.


    ¡°Everyone.¡±


    They all stopped.


    Floating there was Sestuna, holding in her hand the bloodied and nearly unconscious body of Kun Peng.


    ¡°My name is Setsuna.¡±


    An overwhelming aura started to spread from her body as her form started to change. She slowly became bigger. Her fur covered her full body and soon¡­What stood in front of them was a giant 10-meter-tall Golden Wolf.


    The voice of Setsuna changed, bing cold, almost guttural. Closer to a growl than anything else.


    ¡°Remember my name. Remember this day. Never forget this moment.¡±


    The soldiers of Wratharis trembled.


    This appearance.


    This power.


    This was something they could never forget.


    This was an appearance oh so simr to that of their King. Be it current or past.


    ¡°My name is Setsuna Ira. Rightful heiress of the throne and Future Queen of Wratharis.¡±


    The weather started to change, dark clouds gathered in the sky and soon, snow started to fall.


    ¡°My name is Setsuna Ira. Fiancee of Sol Luxuria and Future Queen of Luxuria.¡±


    Two messages seemed to be contradictory but at the same time full of truth. For those two identities indeed belonged to her.


    ¡°By the authority bestowed to me by the goddess and my future husband¡­ I hereby dere a ceasefire. No more fights will be allowed in this ce. Put down your weapons. Those who refuse¡­Will be considered as rebelling against me.¡±


    Silence filled the battlefield.


    Soldiers gazed at each other, lost about what to do.


    If Setsuna had dared to say such things in the past, they would have simply mocked her whileughing at her face.


    But after such a disy of power and authority¡­Their mind was so shaken that they were lost about what to do.


    Should they listen to her?


    They were still hesitant. Thankfully, this very moment was not just something that was thought of on the fly.


    ¡°Soldier of Lustburg. Obey our future Queen. Put down your weapon!¡±


    Athena''s youthful voice spread. Her authority while technically lower than that of Setsuna was the tipping point that allowed them to make their choices.


    ¡°Soldiers of Wratharis. Obey the Blessed chosen by the goddesses. Put down your weapon!¡±


    A Kitsune who was part of the high-ranked soldiers also shouted on Wratharis'' side, causing all the soldiers to look at each other before obeying the order.


    None of them wished to fight and die in the first ce and now they had an excuse since the order was given by their direct higher up.


    Looking down on all this¡­Setsuna smiled bitterly.


    Truly¡ª Her mate was bing more and more terrifying.


    On that day¡­Peace came unexpectedly on the main battlefield.


    No one knew how long it wouldst but¡­the name of someone began to spread through the world in the way she wished.


    Her name was Setsuna.


    The one who lived in the moment.


    She was not the eight-year-old girl who fled from her country covered in tears and blood.


    She was not the ve who acted as the knight of the prince of Lustburg.


    She was Setsuna Ira and she would be a Queen.

 Chapter 554-555: Preparation for last phase

    Chapter 554-555: Preparation forst phase


    As the news of the victory of Setsuna in the main battlefront started to spread, the world seemed to shake under the tremendous weight of the new.


    It had to be said. But this was different from what had happened in the Eternal Battlefield.


    Setsuna may not have beaten two sages. Nor did she actually manage topletely conquer the bastion of Wratharis.


    But what she did was in a way even more impressive.


    A ceasefire.


    After beating down the one known to be the fastest sage in a record time, she managed topletely impose her authority on both Wratharis and Lustburg.


    This ceasefire wasn¡¯t just something as simple as conquering a bastion.


    It was a message. A message that was so loud and clear it sounded like Thunder rumbling in a clear sky.


    She was Setsuna.She was not just some fleeing princess. But someone with the right to the throne.


    She was not just some political puppet. But someone who could inspire respect with her power, talents, and charisma.


    The effects of this victory were far-reaching as some individuals started to fan the me from behind and made the news spread even faster. So fast in fact that even fishing viges in Wratharis that were in theplete opposite direction of the battlefield managed to get ess to recording and very urate news.


    For the simple citizens, what Setsuna did or the ramifications behind her acts did not matter in the slightest.


    All they cared about was her power. After all, for many of them, the Seven Sages were bedtime heroes and legends. Something akin to gods already.


    Finally, the form she showed at the end. The Giant Wolf of legend. A form only a King-ranked member of the royal family should be able to use.


    Didn¡¯t this mean that Setsuna was stronger than the current King?


    Also, she was so beautiful and she seemed to be far less crazy than the current King.


    Such an impression started to bemon as whereas citizens did not care much about Setsuna in the past, news about her started to be more and moremon.


    To the point that everyone knew her story.


    Barbs signed her history. Soldiers chatted about it between them. Even small books were shared among the popce.


    Setsuna Ira. A princess born from their beloved and benevolent king who had brough an era of peace thanks to his strength and his skills in diplomacy.


    Sadly, she had to leave her country in tears and blood as she was chased down by none other than her own uncle!


    No name was given. But people knew who it was obviously.


    This kind of news were shared everywhere and obviously, soldiers and guards under the order of Lupus started cracking down those gatherings.


    Capturing those spokes. Imprisoning them and even executing some of them.


    The goal was to inspire fear. But all it did was to inspire rage.


    More fuel was added to the fire as news about the King stifled even the right of free speech by punishing it with jail and death.


    It was important to remember that Wratharis was not a Kingdom like the other. At the very least, at first nce it was a Republic. This gave citizens many rights that were not present in other kingdoms but in a situation like this, those rights became akin to a cord that was slowly tightening around Lupus''s neck.


    Soon. The names of Tyrant and Usurper became more and moremonce.


    Whereas only truly loyalists of the previous king called him like this, more and moremon people who refused to even have their most basic rights taken away from them startedining.


    Protests started to happen everywhere and while said protests were met with violence¡­.Another to remember was that ¡ª Everyone had mana in this world.


    Even more so people whose entire bodies were made for war and battle.


    Silent protests transformed soon into riots as public outrage began to rise and riots gave ce to looting and even more destruction.


    Even the guards who were supposed to follow the orders started slowly rejecting them. Even though they did not dare to openly defy Lupus by refusing, they would act weaker or close one eye when some prisoners managed to escape.


    Finally, open protests becamemon as people shouted for Lupus to take off the crown and ept Setsuna back as the official Crown Princess.


    All of those events took only one week.


    In just one week. The capital of Wratharis did not even see the fire of war but it seemed more akin to a powder keg ready to explode than anything else.


    ng~!!!


    ¡°Bastard!! Ipetent fool!! Rebellious Bastard! All the lot of you! They should all be hanged!¡±


    The rage of Lupus spread through the imperial castle, causing all the servants to cower in fear as they could be killed at the slightest mistake.


    This was always how Lupus behaved. Respect earned through Fear and power.


    This had worked well for him during thest 10 years. But what he forgot was that the only reason such tactics worked was that.


    One. He was the strongest.


    Two. No one could contest his right to the throne.


    Now though¡­


    The fear he always inspired the servant slowly transformed into rage as well.


    Because they knew.


    They knew now that they did not have to bear this fear. They knew now that there was someone.


    The old servants who once served the King back then but had been kept out of a sadistic sense of pleasure by Lupus talked about the good old days. Many of them even knew Setsuna and had taken care of her.


    This knowledge gave them hope. This helplessness gave them even more hope. Making a deep yearning for the princess toe back to bloom in their hearts.


    Meanwhile, deep in the sanctuary of Wratharis,


    Kiku looked at her best friend with a bitter smile.


    ¡°You¡­ You truly are very dangerous.¡±


    Shuten Doji smiled, ¡°I will take this as apliment.¡±


    There was nothing easier in this world than manipting public sentiment.


    ¡°But in this case, the one you should thank is Lupus himself. He gave me all the ammunition I needed.¡±


    Sheughed and looked in the distance, ¡°Now our job is done. We already softened the terrain for him.¡±


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    Shuten''s goal was not pure chaos.


    Only organized Chaos.


    The city might seem ready to implode. But everything was carefully working under her control, keeping things at a rtively boiling point.


    Setsuna was the new trend and when she appeared to take the throne, there would be basically noints in fact, there would only be cheer as they weed their queens.


    Shuten had the urge tough even more widely and be dead drunk. It was not time yet.


    They could not celebrate yet.


    Now that all the pieces were ced and the most important of the battlefields were in control.


    It was finally time for the counterattack to begin.


    Only then would everything they have done until now have a meaning.


    If Lustburg could not reach the gate of Wratharis. Then it would have been meaningless and people would have died for nothing.


    ¡®Now then little prince. How will you surprise me?¡¯


    Shouten was curious. She felt like Sol was a kindred spirit. Someone worth respecting, even though she had never met him.


    A few dayster, as Shuten received the new reports, she had to admit¡­She was truly beyond surprised.


    ***


    When the news of Setsuna¡¯s victory reached Sol, he had to admit that he was both proud and disappointed in a certain way.


    His pride came from the fact that Setsuna had indeed proved her might and talent, shocking the world. Furthermore, her actions, as well as those of Lilin for that matter, managed to give back much honor to Lustburg as a whole.


    Many people had been looking at his kingdom as some kind of dying powerhouse because they had not been able to produce truly splendid talents in a decade. This situation was now a thing of the past.


    The White Knight, The Holy Daughter, the Sword Demon, and Setsuna.


    They all managed to shine on the battlefield and keep the points they could not afford to lose from being breached.


    His disappointment came from the fact that neither Sun Wukong nor Lupus took the battlefield.


    If one of them did, then things would havepletely changed. The absolute advantage would have gone to Lustburg instantly as he would have been able to send all his true force to wipe out everything.


    He had initially sent a letter to Shuten, asking her if it was possible to have Sun Wukong attack.


    He even nned to add the prize of being able to fight Lilith, since the Monkey King seemed to be so obsessed with it.


    Sadly, it was refused. Sun Wukong refused to participate in any scheme and he clearly said that if he did act, he would go for the kill.


    As much as Sol believed in the four directions or Isis¡¯s king-rank undead, Sol could not bet on the safety of Setsuna or Lilith when facing a singrity like Sun Wukong.


    ¡®Well. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯


    The war had already shifted in his advantage even if it didn¡¯t seem so. The people currently dying in the battlefield were criminals, and soldiers under the control of nobles who held rebellious thoughts or seemed to act as if they were some uncrowned king in theirnd far from Lustburg.


    By the time the war ended, most of them would bepletely eradicated and reced by actual meritorious soldiers or witches.


    Speaking of witches,


    ¡°Ca. How is the situation?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, Lady Theresa is thankful for the help the witches proposed to give. She also said that by adding a few of your scales, the production increased greatly and they managed to gather 500 near Duke-ss armor and over 1000 lower-ranked armor. But they are slowly reaching a limit in production.¡±


    Sol whistled. The numbers were different from what was initially expected. But he believed in Theresa. Lately, he had basically be a free resource for material. But he did not mind. All weapons that were created with his blood and scales had his imprints. These weapons couldn''t be used against Lustburg or even without his permission.


    ¡°Obviously, all the witches who participated took a vow, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Sol believed in Ambrosia and the four Directions. This didn¡¯t mean he believed in the witches as a whole. It was always better to make sure they didn¡¯t put some weird backdoor program in those weapons.


    ¡°How do they hold up against an actual Duke?¡±


    ¡°As they are based on you, the armor has higher magic resistance and physical resistance. A few witches fought against them and as long as a Zone isn¡¯t activated, they have a hard time defeating them. One soldier was swiftly destroyed when Miss Milia. But the armor itself was not greatly affected.¡±


    ¡°So, basically they are equal to low-level Duke without zone?¡±


    ¡°More or less.¡±


    Sol had to fight the urge tough. This was not the Astral realm. Top-ranked Dukes didn¡¯t run around this part of the world and even mid-ranked ones were rare.


    ¡°Good. Very good.¡±


    He stopped as he noticed that ra seemed worried.


    ¡°Speak your mind.¡±


    ¡°You Majesty¡­¡± She hesitated before taking a deep breath, ¡°Your Majesty. I believe. It would be better for you to single-handedly conquer the army itself than to activate those machines. At least not now.¡±


    ¡°borate.¡±


    ra, seeing that Sol was not angry, nodded, ¡°Those machines are revolutionary. But at the same time, they are extremely frightening in my opinion.¡±


    In the Mortal realm, only a few hundred Duke ranks existed. All of them were the results of incredible talents, luck, and hard work. This was why the existence of the Duke was so lofty and respected.


    But¡­With the advent of those machines, everything would change irreversibly.


    ¡°Those machines mean that everyone can be a Duke. It lowers the quality of Duke, and their importance and it makes you far far more dangerous than to the entire world.¡±


    ra''s reasoning was simple, if Sol went alone and destroyed Wratharis, people may fear him, and rightfully so. But at the end of the day, he was only one person and one person could never conquer the world as long as they weren¡¯t gods themselves.


    They could destroy it. They may be able to kill everyone. But true conquest was impossible.


    Things were different if you had somehow an army able to annihte everything. This was why witches were so feared. This was also why necromancy was forbidden on the battlefield. But what about those special armors created by Theresa?


    Theresa simply shuddered. Would there even be any reason to learn to fight and grow? Why bother training decades or centuries to be a Duke when you could simply train to fight in a weapon?


    For now, only 1500 such weapons could be created but the technology was still new. What would happen in three or four generations? By then wouldn¡¯t the world be filled with them? Perhaps those armors could even reach the king''s rank.


    It was horrifying just thinking about it.


    ¡°Your Highness, no matter how strong you are. You still have the risk of dying as a Blessed. The moment any of your children receive a Blessing your own time will be limited or at least this is what they will believe. So they can wait. They can support. But I fear that if you use those weapons, the entire world will rally against you immediately and go into an all-out war.¡±


    She was pleading at this point, wishing Sol would listen to her, ¡°This is not yet the time. Why take the hard way when you only have to wait? Five years, Ten years, twenty, even a thousand years. You have all the time in the world.¡±


    By the end, she was raising her voice, ¡°If the woman called Nent is the problem, as a phoenix she can easilye down any time in Lustburg. The same goes for the one named Kiyohime. As for the Titan, she had lived endless times longer than anything we could imagine. Even a hundred years would barely count as a nap for her.¡±


    Finally, she asked the one question that had been bothering her.


    Why was Sol in so much hurry? A conquest should take time. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for the war tost years, even decades. Why was he speedrunning this?


    In the end, ra sighed and bowed her head, ¡°I apologize for my overreaction.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. I understand that you care.¡±


    He waved his hand.


    ¡°I understand what you mean and if everything was normal¡­I would have done so. But¡­I cannot wait. 100 years? A thousands? I do not know


    why, but I have the feeling that if in less than a decade, I am not a demigod at least, I will regret it.¡±


    ¡°A feeling¡­¡±


    Had it been anyone else, She would have simply dismissed it as a ridiculous argument. But, one could never dismiss the feeling of a Blessed.


    ¡°Even then. I do understand your concern.¡±


    What she was talking about was not wrong. This was akin to the creation of guns in his world. Things such as martial arts, swords, spears, and so on were slowly relegated to auxiliary, reaching the level where one man could cause half a country or at least many cities to vanish simply by pushing a button.


    This is what made technology fearsome. It wasn¡¯t something only a few chosen could have but something that could be used by everyone.


    Sol could even imagine how the crime rate and chaos might rise.


    But all of this would not happen.


    After all, he would change the entire mortal world in his territory. As long as it was he who had the power to push the button.


    What did it matter?


    ¡°Only 500 of the lower ss armor and 100 near Duke will beunched. Let them have a skewed perception of our force. I will personally take care of the other''s battlefield.¡±


    It was time for Lustburg to counterattack.


    ¡°Also, we seriously need a better name for the power rank of those armors. Tell Khali to not go too chunni on me. She will understand what I mean.¡±


    If he let Khali go all out she would bring names like Scarlet Red or perhaps Empty Void Level and he was still lowballing how crazy she could go.


    ra, seeing that at least her words did not fall in empty ears sighed and nodded before leaving. She had to warn Milia to start the dissemination of news such as Lustburg bing too poor andcking resources which was in reality, not far from the truth. She would also increase the rarity of the ingredients necessary.


    As long as the world did not know they could mass produce those armors in the future then things would still be within controble range.


    Truly, being a secretary was not easy.

 Chapter 556-558: Rangers

    Chapter 556-558: Rangers


    Everything started on a sunny day.


    In the territory of Lustburg, the beast men had been pushing forward unimpeded. While the news about the few defeats they received worried them, this also increased the morale of the soldiers who continued to win even as Lustburg retreated.


    Of course, they understand that they were lucky not to have had to face the truly dangerous one. But even so. Wouldn¡¯t one say that luck is also a skill? This was a truth in this world.


    After all denying Luck would mean denying the Blessed.


    ¡°Captain, how long before we break thest blockade?¡±


    ¡°They are barely hanging. In a few hours at most, we should be able to break open the castle.¡±


    They nodded. The gate of Lustburg were opening to them in a way. After beating the nobles in the frontiers and pushing forward a little more, they would be able to infiltrate and pige viges while gathering resources.


    The moment this transformed into a gueri, Lusburg would have a hard time spreading the resources necessary to catch all of them.


    ¡°In all history, this may be our greatest victory.¡±Lustburg and Wratharis had fought many times in the long history of war. Some wins and some losses existed on either side. But most of the time, the war would simply stop aftersting a few years and start negotiations for captured soldiers, ves and whatnot.


    Lustburg had generally more wins though. It wasn¡¯t for nothing that so many beast men and half-beast men were born and raised there.


    ¡°Captain!¡±


    The hearty and joyous discussion in the tent was stopped as someone barged in. The captain was about to remonstrate them but knowing this soldier in particr, he knew that he was not the kind to lose his cool most of the time.


    A uneasy feeling started to spread as he stood up and asked,


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Lustburg received reinforcement!¡±


    ¡°Is it all? Isn¡¯t it obvious? How many did they send? Hundred? Thousand?¡±


    It was impossible for the army of Lustburg to spare more than a thousand or a few thousand at most. They even had Two Dukes present just in case. So this was not going to be too problematic.


    At least¡­.This was what he believed until he received the exact number.


    ¡°Only 10.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Shit.¡±


    The captain finally grasped the gravity of the situation.


    ¡°Is it perhaps a group led by a King? Did Lustburg finally go crazy and decide to break the Convention?¡±


    In this world, there was a clear reality, when a small group of people were sent to face an army this group wasposed of the elite. The fewer they were the more powerful. To the point where numbers became meaningless.


    Nearly all the known Dukes of Lustburg were on the battlefront. The few who were not were either guardians or one of the actual four Duke of the Kingdom.


    The captain¡¯s mind started swimming. It didn¡¯t matter if Lustburg broke the convention and got condemned by the world. This wouldn¡¯t bring them back to life if they were annihted here.


    But at the same time, he could not send the retreat order. They would all be treated as deserters if they gave up on fighting without at least ascertaining the power of the enemy.


    In the end, he started walking. He was one of the two Duke in ce. He was not particrly strong all things considered.


    But he could not simply send his soldiers to their deaths.


    ¡°My friend, are you ready for what could be a suicide mission?¡±


    The other Duke, a middle-aged woman who was taller than most men and had cute bear ears above her head grunted and nodded with a sad smile.


    Dukes in the military enjoyed many advantages. Exempt from taxes, having their ownnds, receiving high pay, and being above mostws.


    Even Lupus in all his madness did not diminish the right and power of the Dukes. But with all those rights and advantages came an equally high level of responsibility and punishments in case of refusing to uphold one own responsibility were even harsher than on normal soldiers.


    This means in moments like this they would always advance first.


    After choosing a small team of about 30 or so soldiers who all had fear etched on their faces, they detached themselves from the main groups and started advancing until they finally saw the so-called Reinforcement.


    ¡°What is this¡­?¡±


    As a soldier, he had lived a long life and seen many kinds of weapons and armor but even then, this was the first time he observed something like this.


    A full body armor with no gap. A sleek design that seemed to stick to the body without disturbing it. The group of ten seemed to be divided evenly in five colors.


    Red/Blue/Yellow/Pink/Green.


    They were all wearing faceless helmet that reflected the light.


    Sweat started to tickle down the brow of the Captain of Wratharis. Not only did the armor look so foreign from the usual design that they created a dissonance in his perception. But at the same time, he was feeling a very faint oppressioning from them.


    This was something he had only felt once in his life when he stood in front of the Dragon Flood queen.


    Dragon Might.


    Even though this was infinitely weaker than what he felt back then, the pressure was still here.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Under the order of his Magnanimous Highness, Sol Luxuria. Future King of Lustburg. You are thereby given an ultimate.¡±


    A ghostly womanly voice spread through,


    ¡°You have 10 hours to leave. Should you notply. No more pity shall be spared.¡±


    ¡°You¡­Who are you?¡±


    He should have been angry. Receiving such an order from the enemy was humiliating. But all he could do was think about what kind of people those guys were.


    ¡°Are you even humans?¡±


    He wondered if he was being faced with some new races.


    Even though he could not see their face, he could not help but feel that one of them was smiling


    ¡°Remember our name. Remember this day. We are the new Ranger unit and we will sweep the battlefield. Send those words to your higherup less they say they were not forewarned.¡±


    On this day. A new unit appeared and as ridiculous as they may appear, they were undeniably strong.


    This fact was swiftly proven.


    ***


    As ridiculous as their names and costumes might sound, it did not take long for the rangers to start getting their name known throughout the world.


    Only 72 hours.


    In 72h all thends that had been upied were instantly recuperated with minimal loss on the side of the rangers.


    The rank of rangers was easy to determine as all the colored units seemed to be the most numerous ones while the ck and white units were the strongest and most efficient.


    In 72 hours alone, 3 Dukes of Wraharis who refused to submit were executed after being besieged with no way to escape. Meanwhile, when counting the three Great sages as well as the Tiger Lord who were captured, a total of Seven Dukes had been captured.


    Wratharis was down more than 10 dukes, which could be considered nothing short of a historical defeat.


    The number of Dukes existing in the mortal world was extremely limited, only a little above one hundred or two hundred were officially known. Obviously, the number of Dukes per Kingdom was equally small, and losing 10 Dukes meant that outside of the few ones who were forced to stay close to the capital for the defense or the few who were in retreat, Wratharis had no only a very small number of Dukes that could be used for a fight and this number could be counted on one hand.


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    The absence of Dukes soon felt itself as far from stopping at getting back theirnds, Lustburg started truly counter attacking in earnest, slowly taking thend that belonged to Wratharis.


    A new wind was turning. But the world only had one eye on those new units.


    Who were they?


    How was Lustburg able to create such units? and more than anything¡­Could they do the same?


    Such a question was repeated in all countries as the higher up started worrying.


    If before they had been watching with the idea that this was nothing more than a show they did not have to participate in, now the fact that Lustburg could actually use those on them was worrying.


    In thend of dwarves, the group of old men were furiously discussing, as some of them started to im that this design was very close to what their ancestor, the first dwarf king created.


    While many had forgotten this development line, they remembered that the forts were lost on Lustburg territory.


    ¡°So. You are proposing we Sue Lusburg for theft and appropriation at the international court?¡±


    The King asked quietly to which many members of the councils started nodding excitedly.


    ¡°There is no doubt! Those armors were based on the one created by our King. They belong to the Dwarves! This is an appropriation of our cultural wealth! Lustburg cannot be allowed to keep this technology for themselves.¡±


    The king sighed. This was so stupid but he did not want to argue too much with idiots,


    ¡°Those ruins were lost on Lustburg nearly thousand of years ago and we have never tried to retake them. Even then, they belong by thews to Lustburg, and all wealth found to belong to them by thew.¡±


    ¡°Your majesty! We do not necessarily have to focus only on thew. Lustburg had always been a very heroic country. I believe their prince as the Son of the Hero King would be more than happy to make the name of Luxuria shine as a zon of Morals and justice by sharing what they obtained with the world.¡±


    Another oneined, ¡°Monopoly is wrong! Such technology cannot belong to only one country. At least they have to sell some to other countries.¡±


    The King was speechless, ¡°We have a monopoly on dwarven steel.¡±


    But the man was not ashamed, ¡°We do not. We sell our weapons at high prices to other Kingdoms. It¡¯s not our fault, only our kingdom has the metal necessary and the knowledge of Runes needed to create them.¡±


    ¡°Then do you not fear they will break our monopoly on weapon trading.¡±


    ¡°Not if we decipher and understand the functioning first before retro engineering. Dwarves are the best when ites to forging. It¡¯s impossible for humans to surpass us in this domain. The proof is that they would not have created this without us.¡±


    ¡®My head hurt.¡¯


    Being surrounded by greedy bastards all along was tiring. But he could understand their worries. If Lustburg were not forced to share the technology they would slowly lose their own monopoly which would massively affect the economy as more than 60% of the active poptions were smiths, one way or another.


    In the current situation, they had too much to lose. But here came the problem,


    ¡°Let¡¯s say we do everything you say. In the end, what? The international court only punishes war crimes and the usage of Necromancy. Outside of this, they can only give condemnations.¡±


    ¡°If Lustburg refuses we can close all trades with them. Lustburg is surrounded by us, Wratharis, Envilya, and Southern Pride. Wratharis will obviously never trade with them in the current situation. As for the other two countries, they would be more than any to watch from afar andugh. We have them by the throat it would be a mistake to not use them to our advantage.¡±


    ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯


    The King sighed as he remembered the discussion he had with a projection of Theresa not long ago.


    Things were proceeding exactly as she had prophesied. It was sad to see how predictable dwarves were in her eyes. In this situation, all he had to do was to close his eyes and follow her orders.


    He knew very well that doing so may have not always profited him but it definitely never made him lose too much.


    ¡°Very well. We will call for the court after the war ends. I will send an application to Slothein.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know why Theresa wanted to have the angels involved in this matter but he would not think too much.


    His headaches were terrible enough on their own.


    ***


    [Lustburg]


    While many countries were filled with doubt and confusion about the mysterious rangers that appeared during this war, the citizens of Lustburg were cheering.


    Up to now, while many pieces of good news had been sent, there was no doubt in their minds that Lustburg was steadily retreating and losing ground.


    They had been worried, wondering if the prince was up to the task and if Lustburg had what it takes to be one of the hegemons once again.


    Now, though, those doubts were slowly being put to rest. While they still did not know how strong their prince was, at the very least, he shouldn''t be much weaker than Lilin Luxuria and Setsuna Ira, right?


    At the same time, while happiness was blooming, a small seed of doubt was being nted.


    Since the new Rangers are so powerful, why did they not act sooner? Why did they wait until some of Wratharis'' forces were much deeper in Lustburg?


    It did not need to be said, but many soldiers died during this war, and this number was still climbing.


    Many wanted to ask, "Why?"


    Slowly, more and more insidious news was disseminated.


    There was also the fact that despite being a Duke, the Prince had yet to truly fight on the battlefield.


    The fact that this war was, in fact, caused by the prince himself to bring Setsuna to the throne.


    He was sacrificing the soldiers of his country to please his future wife.


    All of this was done with the goal of vilifying Sol as much as possible and discrediting him in the eyes of the poption.


    ¡ª


    While this was going on, in the Depths of the Tower of Babel, Sol was discussing with Khali about a very important issue.


    ¡°Rangers? Seriously? You couldn¡¯t find a better name? Why even change the name to Mecha. Mecha Units or Mecha soldiers sound good and simple, I think.¡±


    Khali made herself quite small in the seat. She had chosen this name in a moment of pure madness, and she knew that it was pretty stupid.


    But she couldn''t give up now, could she?


    She hesitated a moment before speaking,


    ¡°Look. Those things are power armor, right?¡±


    Sol could already see that Khali was about to bring some mighty bullshit.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And Rangers are a specialmando unit, right?¡±


    Sol hesitated before sighing, defeated, ¡°Yes. So you took Power and Ranger together. This is what you are going to say?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡±


    Khali gave a sheepishugh at the re Sol was throwing at her. She knew this name was pretty tacky, but she could not let the asion slip from her hands.


    This kind of thing might never happen again, after all, and it was definitely very funny.


    ¡°Look, don¡¯t be mad. Whatever their name might be, the most important thing is¡­They work, right?¡±


    Sol shook his head and smoothed his creased brow. In the end, Khali was one of the three creators, so even if she wanted to give a weird name to the special power armor, then it didn¡¯t matter.


    In the end, only other reincarnated people like him would even understand the joke.


    ¡°Honestly, space marine would have been a better term, at least for the ck and White superior version.¡±


    While the lower versions were human-sized armor, the more powerful ones were closer to small Mecha or very bulky power armor.


    ¡°Meh¡­ Not as funny.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, do as you like. As you said, their names don¡¯t really matter as long as they are working. A little too well, I must say. I guess I did well in heeding ra¡¯s warning.¡±


    Sol gazed at the paperwork that was different from the usual ones he received. After all, this time those were documents and letters with the sigils of different Kingdoms.


    ¡°Threats, negotiation, small inquiries, proposals, etc. I have been receiving more than ten letters every day since the mecha ¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Rangers.¡±


    ¡°....Sigh~ Since the rangers made their grand entrance on the battlefield. I think the dwarves are already prepared to sue me for theft of important historical knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ How ridiculous. I thought the dwarves would be silent since our fight at their border between me, Freya, and Medea.¡±


    Sol gave a soft smile, remembering a time that seemed so far away when in reality it was still extremely close, all things considered.


    Back then, the fight between the three witches ended up wiping out a few mountains in the surroundings.


    Though said mountains were immediately recovered by Ambrosia. Back then the Dwarves were indeed angry, and this ended up with some minor sanctions when it came to Dwarven steel importation.


    Internationally speaking, Lustburg was really in a geographically bad position. They were surrounded bynd, so no products from the sea. They did not have the rare beasts present in the Demon kingdom that were necessary for the contract of talented humans.


    They did not have special mines like the dwarves nor special woods like the elves.


    Their technology was not as developed as Slothein, and their understanding of biology was not as developed as Chimera.


    Jack of all trades and master of none, this made them too dependent on foreign help.


    ¡®Well, this won''t be the case anymore.¡¯


    Thanks to the witches, he had direct ess to the Astral realm market.


    Feeling his head heating up because of everything he had to think about, Sol shook his head and continued the conversation thread.


    ¡°They were. But they are dwarves. In a way, the most attuned to their sins. Greed is their motto, and they would die for it if necessary.¡±


    ¡°How stupid.¡±


    ¡°This stupidity is helping me in this situation. Though of course, this is also thanks to Theresa fanning the me from behind.¡±


    Khali nodded. She hade to know Theresa closely, and she respected the diminutive woman.


    She might be the weakest, but Khali knew that not even witches specialized in metallurgy could beat her.


    This was proven recently during an internal contest, and Theresa literally steamrolled thepetition.


    ¡°By the way, I have been hearing pretty bad things about you. It seems like your reputation is in the gutter.¡±


    Even though she was asking, Khali treaded carefully. She did not want to upset him, after all.


    ¡°Oh, those¡­¡±


    Sol looked up and chuckled,


    ¡°I am the one spreading the bad rumors.¡±


    Khali looked at Sol, eyes filled with iprehension.


    ¡°Are you a closed masochist?¡±


    Sol had to fight the urge to smack down the impish Crimson Witch.

 Chapter 559-560: Laughing in defeat

    Chapter 559-560: Laughing in defeat


    A few minutester, a bewildered Sol was ying chess with Khali. The game was already underway and Khali seemed to be filled with glee as she set this up.


    In the first ce, where did she even get this? Was something Sol wondered as he watched the small crimson witch.


    In the end, as confused as he was, Sol had a guess. But why guess when you could simply ask the culprit?


    ¡°So. Care to exin why we had to stop the discussion for you to go take a chessboard ande back?¡±


    Khali''s eyes were twinkling as she moved her piece. Her joy was for something else very different, ¡°The mood! My dear friend. The mood! It¡¯s aw that an evil mastermind''s n must be exined while moving chess pieces. Nowe! I am ready.¡±


    She looked at Sol up and down, ¡°Sadly your clothes and the room are a little too bright but heh in a way this is even better. The prince filled with light is in fact an evil mastermind behind the scenes.¡±


    ¡°I say this is pretty cliche.¡±


    ¡°Well. Is there anything not cliche nowadays? So shut up and no whining. You are currently the evil prince about to reveal his mastermind n to the audience in the most dramatic way possible. So now, we y.¡±


    Sol had a headache just watching Khali move. He knew very well that once she became like this, there was no way to stop her.¡®Well¡­I guess one match won¡¯t be bad?¡¯


    He had been so busytely and the way things were going made him uneasy and fidgety. Every time his n moved ahead, he was waiting for the sword of Damocles to drop.


    Force brought counterforce and the more he tried to manipte fate, the bigger it would be.


    ¡°You do know that as a prince I have been trained all my life in this, right? Don¡¯t cryter on.¡±


    ¡°I have been living for nearly 100 times longer than you. Heh, trust me. I am no slouch. You will be the one who cries.¡±


    ¡°Bet?¡±


    ¡°Kay, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Hum. If I win, you will work as a Maid again for a week and call me master.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t know you had such fetishes¡­No scratches that. I should have guessed. With Milia and all the maids you nailed.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    ¡°Okay. When I win, you will be my maid for a week as well.¡±


    ¡°...Butler you mean.¡±


    ¡°No no. My Maid.¡±


    ¡°You evil monster.¡±


    Khali cackled, ¡°Game?¡±


    Sol shrugged as he took one of her pawns, ¡°I am in.¡±


    ¡°Gah~ Okay. This is just the start.¡± She focused, ¡°Now, would you mind sharing your evil genius master n?¡±


    ¡°When you say it like this, I feel like I am the bad guy.¡±


    ¡°I mean. Wratharis may have been the one to dere the hostility but Lustburg was the one who baited them on it. Starting with Camelia¡¯s Saint Fall. Everything started from there.¡±


    A kingdom without a supreme daughter could not erect the Holy Barrier that served as thest bastion. So for other countries, attacking Lustburg at that moment would have been the best if Camelia had indeed lost their power.


    Wratharis was merely the first one to rise to the bait.


    ¡°We are the victim you know. We threw the bait for the Wing of Freedom. Not our fault others fell for it. It¡¯s like attacking a woman who is wearing sexy clothes for her husband or boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Weird analogy. But whatever. Now, my evil n. Fast.¡±


    ¡°My n¨C¡±


    ¡°Evil n.¡±


    Sol simply took another of her pieces and continued, ¡° ¡ªIs honestly very simple.¡±


    ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°Though as the Blessed I am bestowed with Divine authority, having the cheer of the poption is important. People are what run a kingdom. But as you know, the rtionship between the citizen and Lustburg has been strained since Neptune¡¯s era. Things got better during Mars¡¯s era. But he died too soon and when Lilith took the throne. Well¡­It didn¡¯t go well.¡±


    Lilith had started with many handicaps and had never been as respected as a Queen as she was as a warrior. The poption had been easily manipted back then by the nobles and this created many small problems.


    In the end, Lilith managed to work it out in a way. But one had to remember that from Neptune¡¯s Era to Lilith¡¯s and now his, the time that passed was ridiculously small. People from the time of Neptune were still alive and many feelings were still raw.


    ¡°This is why Lilith made all this n with Camelia. Killing all nobles rebellious and I finished this n recently by killing off the nobles who refused to pay taxes or increased the taxes too much on the citizens. You could say that Lustburg is as clean as it could ever be.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t enough. We dealt with the top but the bottom is still crooked. The perception people have of me is not good. Being closed in a tower for years didn¡¯t help and now this war. People are not stupid. Well¡­They are. But they can be pretty smart when they smellplot.¡±


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    ¡°So you decided to smear your reputation?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much reputation to begin with. Giving them the cord they need to hang themselves is the best way. The Crown¡¯s shadows are moving the rumors, slowly but surely and soon¡­¡±


    ¡°A reversal.¡±


    ¡°Heheh. The more they doubt me now, the more they will be sorry for me afterward as they need to prove that they are not traitor who unjustly insulted the king. Well, in the end, this is just a small game. My reputation will take a dive when the true alliance with the witches is announced. So might as well dive now.¡±


    Khali whistled quietly and looked at Sol with new eyes, ¡°All you need now is a book and a pen or wing-shaped pupils and I would call you mastermind sama.¡±


    ¡°Do not forget the music background and the rain alongside the roar of Thunder.¡±


    ¡°Heh. How could you? Add some deep evilugh and the picture would be perfect.¡±


    The twoughed a little. In a world where few people could get their jokes, talking to each other always made them happy.


    This was a special moment for them where they could chat and rx.


    ***


    The game was continuing and Khali, while having taken a few pieces from Sol, was having a hard time.


    Even so, the prospect of losing did not dampen her current amusement. If Khali still had her morality from Earth, she would have seen Sol as an evil bastard in the truest sense and may have even insulted him.


    Sadly, Khali, despite her appearance, was no kind-hearted soul. She had been ready to join the Wing of Freedom and st lustburg just to find a way for the curse. This was one of the reasons she was friends with Sol.


    He was not a goody two shoes who used useless morality. He may not be a realistic monster but he could do anything for those he cared about. He would never betray them for his pride or some greater good bullshit.


    Only such a man was worthy of her sisters. Only such a man would do something as crazy as having a physical rtionship with beings who sucked out your life. No matter how nearly immortal you may be. You needed a very special mindset for this.


    ¡®Sometimes, I forget this guy has not even entered this world for two decades.¡¯


    She heard that Sol was just a university student on earth but she was starting to call this bullshit. He honestly felt even more like a resident of this world than her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t daydream and say you lost because you weren¡¯t paying attention.¡±


    Khali groaned as she came back to the harsh reality of the massacre that was urring on the chessboard. Sol was toying with her. Making her slowly shrink her defense and take down her piece one at a time.


    ¡®Truly a sadistic bastard.¡¯


    ¡°Still, I never deemed you to be such a strategist.¡±


    ¡°So you mean you only saw me as some mindless brute?¡±


    She looked at him with a funny look. As if asking. Really? Do you want me to answer that?


    ¡°Can you me me? Your solution when fighting is basically tanking and hitting back until you win.¡±


    ¡°Ouch, no need to answer, I could already see it on your face.¡±


    Sol sighed. It was difficult to change the form that won. However, ever since he got his Zone, he became less of a brawler.


    ¡°Honestly, I am not a strategist. Someone like Bai Hu, or ra and Athena are. They are very smart and in a straight army vs army against them, I would most likely lose 8 out of 10.¡±


    This was the simple truth. He had been trained as a general for the military but this was where it stopped. He was no genius.


    ¡°The difference between them and me is that they must deduce and adapt. Meanwhile, I simply have to read the thread. This is the difference between someone ying blind and someone having 60% or 80% of the answers¡±


    ¡°Not 100%¡±


    Sol gave a small smile as he moved the chess piece on the board, ¡°The day I can see 100% might be the day I await the most and the day I dread the most.¡±


    Even now, the world in his eyes was changing, shifting. Like a long river, like the trunk of arge tree. The strings that were attached to everything and the sounds of gears turning as if a machine was regting everything.


    Sol did not show it on his face but¡­It was maddening.


    What would it feel like to be truly omniscient? To know everything that could happen and would ever happen before they even happened.


    Sol could not imagine it but he thought¡­


    ¡°This might be a very boring life filled with madness. Check.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Khali groaned before chuckling, her King piece was currently made in check by the Queen piece of Sol, ¡°You timed this so perfectly. So now; what should the King do since it¡¯s in check?¡±


    ¡°Ideally surrender. Though the King is in check he can still escape, chances are narrow. Surrender might at least give a peaceful and respectable death. Thankfully, the King this time is pretty stupid.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Are you talking about me or a metaphor?¡±


    ¡°Guess.¡±


    Heughed and they continued to y, ¡°Honestly, the Queen could checkmate the King any time. Sadly this would mean more chess matches and more sacrifice I am not ready yet for. Furthermore¡­Some intruder might act.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­An acquaintance of mine?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. I cannot see that far. This is mildly surprising but not so much as a deduction is possible. Either way¡­¡±


    He took his king piece and started fiddling with it as he watched the board, his eyes glimmering slightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for the King on this side to move.¡±


    ¡°...So, it¡¯s finally time¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed. The war hassted long enough. The pawns, the two knights, and even the rooks and a Bishop all moved to reach this particr result.¡±


    Sol looked at the two rooks. They were very surprising. Both the White Knight and Nuwa had brought good things in this war. Aurora was also a very good surprise. Clearly, he would not have to threaten her more for the time being.


    ¡°What about thest bishop? Will it stay in defense? It seems like it¡¯s the only piece that was not used at all.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Sol looked at the remaining bishop with hesitation. His rtionship with her had been slowly going back to normal and stabilizing after their discussion when Lilith escaped.


    But because of the war, he had been living in his office. Thankfully, Milia would sometimes help him ¡°rx¡± in some interesting and let¡¯s say very imaginative way.


    ¡°I guess before moving the King needs to visit the Bishop.¡±


    ¡°Visiting, heheh¡­¡±


    Sol ignored the very obscene movement Khali was making with her fingers and finally moved hisst piece,


    ¡°Checkmate.¡±


    Khali looked down and exploded inughter, ¡°I am pretty sure that there are no rules in this game that say two knights, one rock and one King can surround another king like this.¡±


    Sol stood and patted Khali¡¯s head, ¡°Nowadays¡­I believe making the rules is much better than simply following them.¡±


    He started walking, ¡°Also, I already had you check mate you one move ago. So, I didn¡¯t cheat.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­¡±


    Khali could indeed see that.


    ¡°Your maid uniform is still ready. See youter.¡±


    Khali once againughed. This had truly been a spectacr defeat.


    She wondered if the King of Wratharis would be able tough like her.

 Chapter 561-562: Wailing in defeat

    Chapter 561-562: Wailing in defeat


    As many might have expected ¡ªLupus Ira was notughing.


    He had been receiving a series of bad news one after another and he could see the flow of the battlefield.


    The new machines introduced by Lustburg were literal machines of death and destruction and the only reason casualties were not higher was because those so-called Rangers would always give an ultimatum before attacking and would respect their words.


    At first, only a few people took the offer but as the war advanced, more and more soldiers were starting to follow the trend.


    The reports he received showed that the different cities that were attacked would simply surrender and Lustburg would also treat them well.


    Setsuna even appeared on many fronts to show herself and appease the people while the Holy Daughter of Luxuria would take care of any wounded no matter how deep their wounds were.


    The tigers n that had remained in Wratharis capital had mysteriously vanished and now the Tiger Lord was one of the staunchest and loudest supporters of his niece, giving even more weight to her words and title.


    They were giving up.


    Everyone was giving up.Sitting on his throne, Lupus quietly observed the opulence of this room. His face was calm, his eyes calcting.


    He had already been screaming and shouting too much thest few days and for the first time in his life, wrath did not cloud his mind.


    Nearly no servants were left in the Castle as many had fled as well and even his most loyal servants were looking at him withplicated expressions.


    Lupus did not stop them. Killing more servants now would only increase the riots.


    Lustburg hadn''t even reached the gate of Wratharis but already his kingdom seemed ready to implode. All it needed was just a little more push.


    But he could see that someone was manipting things from the inside.


    A traitor. Someone high-ranked. He even had an inkling of who it could be.


    Lupus sighed. The situation around him was clear.


    The soldiers were deserting.


    The servants were fleeing.


    The citizens were rioting.


    He¡­was losing or maybe he already lost.


    How many more ns did Lustburg have?


    Did they activate all the rangers they had at their disposal?


    How long could he still hold on?


    All those questions swam into the depths of Lupus¡¯s mind, but no answer came.


    Retracing everything from the beginning, he realized that all of this started on that night.


    The Saint Fall. The moment when his pride and arrogance rose to the maximum as he thought he had a chance to take down the legendary Lustburg.


    Back then, he still had a chance to stop. The worst had yet toe.


    His mistake was in insisting on continuing the war even after realizing that the Supreme Daughter of Luxuria had never lost her power and this was nothing more than a ploy.


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Lupusughed quietly, realizing once again that he had been yed from the start and he had nothing but himself to me for this situation.


    ¡°I will not give up,¡± Lupus spoke quietly as he stood up from his throne. Walking in the silent and uselesslyrge throne room For the first time, Lupus realized one fact.


    He was all alone.


    Because of his fear of giving birth to a new Blessed he never had children.


    Because of his murderous rage, he had no close friends or advisors.


    He killed the only family he had with his hand.


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡±


    Lupus stopped and looked behind him, only to see a man wearing a monocle.


    Instantly the world seemed to buzz for an instant as if reality was being affected and Lupus wobbled slightly while memories rushed into his mind.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    He looked at the intruder with surprise and anger while light started manifesting in his hand.


    ¡°I would not do that if I was you. Your divine weapon is certainly powerful but would it not be a shame to use it against me now? After all that sacrifice?¡±


    Lupus gritted his teeth, knowing fully well that the man was right.


    Divine weapons were not things that could be used so easily. Unless the person holding them was a demigod, the price he had to pay for each use was tremendous.


    ¡°Are you here to mock me again?¡±


    Eins smiled quietly as he adjusted his monocle. ¡°Perish the thought. Why would I mock you when Fate itself is already doing so? Kicking a man while he is down is in no way entertaining.¡±


    His words may have been polite but the twinkle in his eyes made his thoughts evident.


    Clearly, in the mind of this man, Lupus was nothing more than a Joke.


    The worst? He could not even truly deny this.


    ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°Oh? This is the first time you asked something rather than flying in rage. I guess facing defeat woke you up.¡±


    The man chuckled, ¡°So why you? Well¡­Should I say because you are the best for my ns?¡±


    The man seemed to vanish for an instant from Lupus''s sight before appearing behind him.


    This was not a feat of speed. This was not teleportation either. For all intent and purpose, it seemed like Lupus had lost sight of him while the man simply walked towards him.


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    ¡°I could kill you very easily and take your divine weapon now. But it would be counterproductive. The WoF startedcking in numbers and I am thinking of replenishing the force.¡±


    Lupus looked up but Eins simply wagged his finger, ¡°No need to worry. They cannot see me nor hear me for that matter. Truly amusing don''t you think? Those so-called goddesses.¡±


    What was happening was going against everything Lupus knew.


    Not even demigods could so easily hide from the sight of the goddesses unless they were in their territories.


    How could this man do it so effortlessly?


    ¡°I can hear the gears in your brain turning, moving, working as they try to uselessly understand who or what I am. But you know? I can easily answer you. After all, with just a snap of my hand, you will forget everything.¡±


    For the first time in his life, Lupus felt true fear and he asked, gulping, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I am a god.¡±


    He uttered those words with perfect nonchnce and ignoring Lupus'' shocked expression, taped his forehead with a finger, ¡°It''s time to make a choice little King.¡±


    ¡°Will you stay under the goddess who gave a blessing to your niece? Or will you follow me to fight your Fate? You have until the day Lustburg reaches the door to answer me.¡±


    On those words, the man vanished again, leaving Lupus alone.


    He was now at a crossroads and it was time for him to decide.


    ***


    Now alone once again, Lupus looked up and though his eyes could not see past the ceiling of his castle, he felt like he could gaze into the night sky.


    The words this man said kept resounding in his mind, forcing him to contemte what kind of choice he would make for his future.


    Join them or fight them?


    <em>Is it even possible to win?</em>


    Lupus thought back to what happened earlier.


    The man did not show his full strength. Only the equivalent of a King but this alone had been enough to make Lupus feel helpless.


    It was not even a question of power.


    Concept.


    The man had been able to toy as he wished with his mind, leaving himpletely helpless, and from what he was saying ¡ª There were more of them.


    ¡°The world is entering a new age of god?¡±


    There has always been discussion about the legitimacy of the goddesses. Though those all had been squashed in the simplest way possible.


    These suspicions came from the concepts the goddesses wielded and the fact that if Demigod existed, gods of different concepts should also exist.


    Finally, even though history had been wiped out many times, Lupus knew that the Goddess of Chaos was apanied by the Goddess of Destruction as well as four more goddesses.


    Where did those goddesses vanish? What happened to them? Were they killed by the 14? If so, their death would only be temporary and they might soone alive again, to bring a new age of war.


    Lupus knew all that. He simply never bothered thinking that it concerned him. He was sure that this would be a problem for the future generation far after his death.


    ¡°Call Sun Wukong.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Many of the servants left but a few were still present. Calling one the death-sworn warrior he had trained over the years, Lupus walked back to his throne and sat quietly.


    Pondering. Thinking. Analyzing.


    In the end, he came to a simple decision. He did not need days to make his choices as he knew that one needed to be decisive at times.


    Closing his eyes, Lupus sighed. He would have never thought that he would find himself in this situation.


    <em>I guess I have no one to me but myself.</em>


    Now all he had to do was wait. Wait for the final moment.


    _________


    Meanwhile on Sun Wukong''s side, for once in a very long while, the ever stoic Monkey King could be seenughing out loud as if he had heard the funniest news possible.


    ¡°So in the End, Camel, Flood, and Kun all got instantly destroyed by two young princesses?¡±


    The other three Sages were speechless. This was perhaps one of the greatest losses they had faced in a long while.


    ¡°This reminds me of our old days when we were still just starting.¡±


    Afterughing a while, Sun Wukong took a swing of Monkey¡¯s wine from his guard before continuing, ¡°You guys¡­No, all of us. We all started from the bottom. We earned our fame, fought on numerous battlefields, and faced numerous losses. But after a while, the stronger we became, the less defeat we faced, and the more victory we umted the more prideful we be.¡±


    ¡°The two princess only won because they used their Zones the very moment the fight began.¡± Thus spoke the macaque King. But even as he did so, he cringed slightly.


    ¡°From your expression, I guess you understand just how stupid the words you proffered sounded.¡±


    ¡°I apologize.¡±


    Sun Wukong shook his head, ¡°I read the reports. Even though the two princesses won, it¡¯s undoubtedly true that it was because they acted first. If our brothers and sisters had been able to use their full power, they might have gone either way. But¡­So What?¡±


    He looked at all of them. The lion king, the Macaque King, and finally the strongest one just below him ¡ª The Bull King.


    ¡°So what if their defeat had some circumstances? This is war. This is not a yground. Defeat means death. This is a truth all of us have forgotten. Never underestimate your enemies. Always go all out from the start. The difference between life and death is separated by nothing but an instant. A snap of fingers is enough time for one to lose their head.¡±


    His voice was calm even as he spoke as if this was nothing but an afterthought. ¡°Bull, Macaque, Lion. The three of you will go on the battlefield next.¡±


    They exchanged looks, ¡°Do you wish us to bring back honor to our names?¡±


    ¡°Honnor?¡± Sun Wukong who was about to walk away stopped and looked at the Lion King in disbelief, as if he had just said something that made no sense, ¡°Since when did we start caring about honor?¡±


    ¡°Wukong¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop. It seems like all those years of peace went to your heads.¡± He raised his hand, his golden eyes shining with intensity, ¡°The Seven of us, on that night, even before we became Dukes, all sworn to fight alongside each other, to protect each other, and to walk a great way together. We Became known as Great sages, not because of pure arrogance but to express our goal.¡±


    He growled, ¡°None of us reached that Goal. I am not equal to Heaven, you do not drive away the gods and this goes for all of us. But this Title is a wish, a direction! We do not fight for honor. We do not wish for Glory. All we want is to reach the Summit!¡±


    He stopped speaking and the light in his eyes dimmed, ¡°Or at least I thought this was ourmon goal¡­It seems like I was the only one.¡±


    He was about to continue but his ears twitched, ¡°Let¡¯s stop here. The King is calling me.¡± He started walking away, ¡°As for going on the battlefield, forget I said anything. Do as you wish¡±


    Now alone, the three Sages looked at each other, bitterness evident in their eyes. The bull King, a tanned man with tworge horns above his head also stood up, ¡°It seems like we have been blinded by our pride.¡±


    The Lion King shook his head, ¡°I am ashamed. I never thought I would one day receive such a wake-up call from Wukong of all people.¡±


    As for the Macaque King, he looked up, counting on his finger, ¡°I received information that the Prince of Lustburg appeared in the fortress of the Eternal Battlefield. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s see if the prince can make the fire in our hearts burn brightly once again.¡± said the Lion King.


    ¡°I believe that the Prince is undoubtedly a higher threat than the two princesses. Our chances of winning are not the brightest.¡±


    ¡°So what? Wukong was right. Since when did we start caring about honor? In the past, we would not hesitate to scavenge the battlefield or gang up on anyone who threatened us. If one of us cannot win, then what about? If two can lose, what about three?¡±


    The muscr frame of the Bull King twitched as if all his muscles were squirming, ¡°We should go with the mindset of hitting way above our weight. You don¡¯t want to let even the Reckless Monkey mock us, right?¡±


    The three sagesughed, the heaviness in the air dissipating quietly. They were not children and the words of Wukong did indeed make them understand the reality.


    They called themselves Great Sages.


    Not because they were Great Sages.


    But because they wanted to be one.


    ¡°My brothers. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Meanwhile, a little farther, Wukong let out a quiet smile full of relief.


    It seemed like the hearts of his brothers did not fully die.


    As for what happened next, he did not care. Losing or winning was not the most important. As long as their Dao Heart shone brightly, they could still walk forward.


    In fact ¡ª He hoped they would lose.


    Thinking so, he looked forward to his fight.


    Would he lose? Or would he win?


    All of this did not matter. What mattered was to have the most exhrating fight possible.


    This was his way. This was his path. The Path of endless Battle and enlightenment.

 Chapter 563: Its time to show my might

    Chapter 563: It''s time to show my might


    Back to Sol, while he had indeed gone to the eternal battlefield, people didn¡¯t realize that he could nearly instantly cover the distance between Lustburg and the battlefield without having to use the teleportation magic circle.


    Currently, he was back in his Lustburg after a short visit to secure the prisoner. After all, you never knew what could happen.


    Now he was back for a short while as he had many things he needed to discuss with Camelia and a few points he needed to analyze.


    The church was basically his yground by now and he knew that this ce waspletely under his control and no spies could be found here.


    This wasn¡¯t surprising truly. With two women who could literally bend the mind and transform most people into fervent supporters, any spies that managed to enter this ce should be considered as some sort of genius monster that defied all expectations.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    Sol stopped and looked behind him. After all, in this ce there were only three people who could call him by name.


    ¡°Chloe. How have you been?¡±


    Chloe, in a way his first friend. However, the rtionship between them couldn¡¯t be said to be particrly close. Sol had noticed a strain between them as time passed and he could understand why.Chloe had first ce to see many things and understood the background of Lustburg more than anyone on the exterior. She knew that Lustburg had the power and most importantly ¡ª The Will, to fight and conquer the world. Which would mean eventually, they would have to fight against Slothein one way or another.


    There were no two ways about this.


    ¡°I have been¡­It has beenplicated.¡±


    Chloe wanted to hide things with a smile but in the end, she simply shrugged and gave her honest impression.


    Chloe was lost. She did not know what she could do now or if she should try convincing Sol to stop his desire for war.


    In the end, she simply sighed, ¡°Will you continue this war?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What happens after you win? Will you stop?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Chloe stayed silent for a few short seconds, ¡°You know¡­The angels will not stay silent for long.¡±


    ¡°Is it a threat?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a warning from a friend. Watch out for the sky. I advise you to work with those witches and make sure the sky of Lustburg is protected at all times once this war ends. Otherwise¡­You will regret it.¡±


    She knew very well that telling Sol to not fight was useless. She also could not fight against this war by her lone self. This was why, she decided to take the second best decision she could take.


    Once she was done with her words, she turned on her heels and started walking away, ¡°Also, you do not need to have those nuns keep an eye on me. I will not flee from Lustburg nor do I n to reveal all the information I have on end.¡±


    Sol was not ashamed that she found the truth about this. After all, this had been his goal all along. He had been tant enough that if in fact, she had not noticed this he would have been disappointed in her instead.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why, huh¡­I honestly don¡¯t know. Perhaps because you are my first friend?¡± She grinned and walked away, vanishing behind a corner, leaving Sol with himself now.


    This story has been uwfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Soon, shadows started to move as a few nuns appeared one after another. They were not using Milia or the finger¡¯s shadow maniption. Just some special tricks.


    ¡°We apologize.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. You have done a good job. Chloe is simply too powerful for you currently.¡±


    He did not tell them that he expected them to fail. This would be a little too much even for him.


    ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    ¡°Report the situation to the fingers. They know my intention and will give orders ordingly.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    They answered in chorus and immediately left, allowing Sol to walk quietly while humming and singing.


    ****


    After finally walking long enough, Sol reached the bedroom of Camlia. She had been busy in her room and the underground of the Churchtely so finding was more and moreplicated.


    But he guessed this went for all of them. He was missing the carefree days but he knew this phase was necessary for them to reach the desired happy end.


    Entering the room, he could see Camelia lying down on the bed in a white negligee. Her face was the epitome of innocence while her morous body was extremely sinful. Her chest moved rhythmically up and down, slightly hypnotizing Sol for a while as he approached her bed and finally reached her.


    ¡°You know, It¡¯s impossible for a King to not be awake after all this.¡±


    Taking a seat, he ced his hand on her forehead before gently pinching her nose. This caused her expression to morph slightly into aical frown until she finally opened her charming blue eyes.


    ¡°You look funny.¡±


    Sol chuckled before pushing her slightly and lying down on the bed as well. He was not wearing any armor so there was no difort.


    Sighing, he hugged Camelia and closed his eyes, her body heat was transmitted to him, giving him a certain feeling of ease and calmness. As if he was a ship that had finallye home.


    Looking at the face of her beloved, Camelia gently moved one of his strands of hair. She could see the tiredness between his brow. His prowess and powers were such that she had forgotten that at the end of the day, Sol was still just a young man.


    Sadly, the world had no care for this and he was forced to grow up and mature faster to adapt to what the world was throwing at him.


    ¡°Tired?¡±


    ¡°Not much. I just need to close my eyes for a while.¡±


    Sol did not talk much as he kept his eyes closed. Even with this, he could still hear the gears turning, and the river flowing but he noticed that when he was close to people he cared about, this feeling became fainter and less overwhelming.


    ¡°Camelia. Do you remember our discussion a few weeks ago? In the forest while Lilith and Lilin were mending their rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I told you. When we go back home. I will call everyone and tell them my tale.¡±


    ¡°You did.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious?¡±


    This time it was Camelia who hugged Sol. As if she wished for them to meld together and be one. ¡°Of course I want to. I want to know everything about you. I wish to understand you better than anyone else. But¡­¡±


    She stopped, searching her words, ¡°I understand. Being honest is scary. Opening fully your heart means showing everything. Both the qualities and your ugliness that are buried deep within.¡±


    Camelia understood how scary this could be and this was why, ¡°You do not have to hurry. You do not have to feel like you need to reveal everything now. Even though you affirmed no secrets I think there is nothing wrong with keeping some things close to your heart.¡±


    Sol did not open his eyes. His women were so amodating. He knew they would do everything for him. All he had to do was ask.


    ¡°How about it? After this war ends, why don¡¯t we tell everything to each other? No secrets, no lies, no fear, no judgments. You, me, and all the others.¡± She asked quietly while caressing his hair to which Sol answered with a smallugh,


    ¡°You know. You are setting very dangerous gs right now.¡±


    He opened his eyes and finally gave her a small kiss on the forehead. He could see it in her eyes. The want, the desire to do far more.


    But Sol decided to stop himself. Not now. Not when so many people were dying because of his orders. Even his escapade with Milia had been severely diminished to almost zero.


    He could have all the fun he wanted ¡ª After the war.


    As for how many gs this sentence raised, Sol did not care. All he had to do was to break those gs one after another.


    ¡°I will fight tomorrow.¡±


    He gave her onest kiss and stood up. ¡°It¡¯s time to bring this war to a stop. Too many already died. I will also let the world understand that ¡ª No army can be a match for me.¡±


    It was time for his name to resound through the battlefield.

 Chapter 564-565: Facing the sages

    Chapter 564-565: Facing the sages


    It was still night, dawn was approaching and the moon was leaving ce to the sun; slowly but surely, allowing more and more light to bath the earth.


    Sol was observing everything, walking quietly and ignoring everything in his path.


    He was currently in thend of the Eternal Battlefield and though people could not see it, he could feel the power in thisnd.


    It was a ce where many people died¡ªa ce where war had been repeatedly fought for so long that it lost all meaning.


    A certain hush filled the battlefield. Lilin''s victory had been so swift, few had been able to react and with the appearance of the Rangers, the course of the war was all but decided. But even so, Wratharis was not considered helpless.


    For they still had three Kings and three powerful Dukes outside of those who were sent to the war so people were waiting. Waiting for what would most likely be thest act before the end of this war.


    When he finally reached the gate of the fortress, they immediately were opened and on the other side, arge corridor of honor could be seen with all the soldiers standing on either side, creating a wide road for him with a red carpet. At the end of this, he could see Lilin with one knee down, waiting respectfully for him.


    ¡°Wee your Highness!¡±


    Sol quietly smiled. Clearly, Lilin had warned them about his arrival. The soldiers were orderly, as expected of soldiers who fought constantly without much contact nor help from the Capital.The current hay of honor reminded him of what happened when he once visited the Duke Hignd. Back then, the soldier had been radiating their killing intent, wishing to test his might and his talents.


    Now though ¡ª No one dared something like this and yet, this was not enough. This was far from what Sol wanted to see. The Soldiers here still did not respect him, they still did not understand what kind of power he held.


    It seemed like he had to make them learn.


    The first step he took when he entered was all that was needed for the soldier to buckle and groan. They had the distinct feeling that a mountain had been suddenly ced on their shoulder but what they did not realize was that this was nothing more than the start. After all, Sol did not want to cripple them.


    Each step he took added more weight to them and soon, all the soldiers were kneeling and saluting his arrival while Sol continued to walk unhurriedly until he finally reached Lilin.


    Taking her by the hand and raising her up, he smiled, ¡°Why do you kneel while the soldiers stand?¡±


    The others finally understood what had happened but none of them were even able to say a word. The entire zone seemed to be under Sol¡¯s influence, pressuring them, crushing them, pushing them against the ground like worms being pressed by a boot.


    They could not talk. They could not breathe and moving was nothing but an impossibility.


    Indeed. They understood now.


    The young boy in front of them was not some useless prince. Neither was he, someone, people like that could even dare to try and understand.


    ¡°Your Highness. Forgive them, I am sure that they meant no ill.¡±


    Sol pinched Lilin''s nose before looking at the kneeling old woman while ignoring everyone else,


    ¡°General Rose was it?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    Rose was also kneeling but unlike the other, she was barely able to speak. Even so, she could say nothing much and those two words made her feel like she had been working out for hours.


    Rose, like many others, had been wondering what kind of man Sol was. She had been constantly hearing from Lilin how awesome Sol was and if she had to be honest, while she had some expectations, she also had many doubts.


    <em>How monstrous.</em>


    All those doubts were no more. She could feel it even more keenly than the others. This was no intent. Not even a technique properly speaking. He seemed to be like a primordial monster and their instincts were forcing them to kneel as only then could they avoid punishment.


    ¡°I have heard many things from the Queen about this army and on behalf of Lustburg, I would like to give my gratitude for all the blood the soldiers shed during this war and even before.¡±


    ¡°You are too kind.¡±


    ¡°Indeed I am. This is why I will give you a warning General. Never forget. No matter how you have been ruling this ce. No matter how long you have been living here, you are all from Lustburg and I ¡ªam your Prince. Do not overstep your ground.¡±


    He ced a hand on her shoulder and Rose had to fight the urge to simply lie on the ground and freeze because of fear.


    Rose had been fighting for years, decades even. She had seen everything there was to see and fought everything there was to fight. Or so she thought. At this very moment, she did not doubt that the slender arm of the young prince that was devoid of callus had enough strength to grind her to dust in an instant.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    Sol looked behind and could see that many of the soldiers were about to faint. He smiled, the fact that they were only about to faint showed their experience.


    ¡°I am d that I was not disappointed. All of you, rise.¡±


    Like a lie, the pressure vanished and many groaned as they realized for the first time how beautiful it was to be able to breathe freely. With Shaky legs, they all stood and saluted once again.


    ¡°WELCOME YOUR HIGHNESS!¡±


    ¡°At ease.¡±


    As sad as it was sometimes, it was necessary to give a beating to make people understand the difference in hierarchy. In this world, no amount of beautiful speech could surpass the effect of a strong fist.


    Of course, after beating them, he needed to appease them but now was not the time.


    Standing up, Rose sighed, her old bone had been quite rattled after this episode. Trying to act like they did with Lilin had been a monumental mistake and she was happy this was all they got as a warning.


    ¡°Would you like to rest, your highness?¡±


    ¡°No. I will have to fight soon.¡±


    ¡°Fight?¡±


    Who would he fight? The soldiers here were already captured and Wratharis had pulled back. As for Envilya, they were perfectly happy just observing and staying away for now.


    ¡°You will understand. For now, bring me to our VIP captive. The so-called sages. You put them under a dream, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lilin nodded excitedly. ¡°With this, they won¡¯t be able to create trouble. After all, we have no way of restraining them.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    The walk was mostly silent, Sol was deep in thought, Rose did not dare disturb the prince and Lilin was happy gazing silently at Sol. Her gaze was not burdensome for Sol as he was already used to such and it was in such a heavy atmosphere that they found them.


    ¡°I see that you are already awake.¡±


    Sitting in a cage cross legged, both the Camel King and the Dragon Flood Queen opened their eyes.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°It would have been quite humiliating if we were unable to wake up even with such a distance.¡±


    The camel king spoke slowly, his voice old.


    ¡°So why have you not escaped yet?¡±


    ¡°We wanted to but¡­¡±


    The camel King gave a bitter smile while the flood dragon Queen changed her position by putting one knee on the ground.


    ¡°I salute the Dragon Prince.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You know me?¡±


    ¡°Hearsay,ing from the forest of elves. I did not believe them at first but the moment I felt your aura, I realized that those words were no lies.¡±


    The Dragon flood queen was a beautiful woman in her way and had it been any other time, Sol would have been happy to chat more with her but now he had other things to worry about.


    ¡°I will be brief as I have no wish to waste both of our time. Will you follow me?¡±


    The two sages stayed silent and this time Jialong stood, ¡°Are you asking this as the Prince of Dragon or the Prince of Lustburg?¡±


    ¡°Neither and all of them at the same time. My identity are nothing but des. Will you follow me? Do not make me repeat myself a third time.¡±


    The two exchanged a look and Jialong gritted her teeth, ¡°Will we have to betray Wukong?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then, I submit.¡±


    Jialong had no hangup about this situation. The dragons were even clearer about hierarchy than most races and her pride would not have a dent by following the prince. The Camel king had more hesitation. But, knowing what he knew of the situation, he knew this was a trend that could and should not be fought;


    ¡°I will follow and listen to the prince.¡±


    ¡°Good. You wille to realize that this was the best decision in your whole existence. But for now¡­Let''s go and recuperate your other friends.¡±


    Sol looked at the horizon, his eyes shining. Though they were still far way, he could feel them approaching. Three very powerful presences, one of them in particr was at a levelpletely different from the two sages here. This was surprising but not outside of expectations. ¡°Lilin, you have everything set?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This fight will be ryed to the entire battlefields and even the capitals.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Then¡­Let¡¯s see what the so-called sages are made of.¡±


    ***


    Lately, the sentence, ¡°When Lustburg moves, the world moves as well¡± was bing something akin to amon sentence.


    After all, with everything the kingdom had been doingtely, it was hard to not notice all the things that were going on.


    From being expected to lose, to nearlypletely dominating the whole war, one could say that Lustburg was truly riding the tide.


    Even so, there were still many people who did think this would go far.


    They all knew that once Lustburg reached the capital, that would be it. After all, only a demigod could hope to break the barrier created by the supreme daughter.


    In the end, Wratharis would most likely make onest show of force then retreat and start negotiatingter.


    Beyond the results of the war, the things people were the most interested in were none other than the situation of Lilith Luxuria.


    There were many theories. Some alluded to Lilith being gravely wounded after facing the demigod who broke in Lustburg.


    With how the Prince rose to power around the same time, many considered that Lilith and the Prince had always been in a strained rtionship and that Lilith had been keeping the power for so long because she was controlling him.


    Now though, Lustburg was without a King ranked and the prince seemed to be only moderately talented.


    The tales about the ck phoenix showing its might made it clear that the Phoenix was not a King level either.


    Sol Luxuria was weak or at the very least, he was <em>weak right now!</em>


    This was amon opinion, the idea that was spreading, and a fact that Sol did nothing to and instead helped push forward.


    This was why, when arge screen suddenly covered the sky, the residents of Lustburg, Wratharis, and the few borders did not understand what was going on or what was about to happen.


    All they could see was a lone man floating high in a desert battlefield, wearing regal clothes and showing a calm smile.


    While many might not recognize him by name, his features made it easy to understand who it was as the camera seemed to focus on his eyes.


    The Blessed of Lustburg ¡ª Sol Dragona Luxuria.


    This was not the first time such a thing had happened. In fact, this had happened a few many times but each time the prince made a broadcast, the information shared was incredible or very shocking.


    This was why, everyone raised their head in the sky, from the most mundane to the high-ranked, they looked up and wondered, what kind of crazy stunt would the prince pull again.


    They were not ready for what followed.


    ***


    Back to Lustburg, the three sages were flying using clouds, a technique Sun Wukong had taught them, a very useful one that allowed them to reach incredible speed in the sky and fight as they wished.


    ¡°Bull, do you feel it?¡±


    The bull King frowned and his form slowly changed, his muscles twitched and his height grew, reaching an impressive nearly 3 meters tall, with long pointed horns on both sides of his head, and finally a long sturdy tail.


    The Macaque King and the Lion King immediately transformed as well. This was not their full form but this form was the most advantageous one when it came to fighting in their opinion.


    ¡°I will take the front, you guys stay a little further. If the prince immediately attacks, I will count on you guys to support me.¡±


    The Lion King mocked, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you will be so scared.¡± Though he said this, he was also showing a very serious expression.


    He could feel the pressure. They had underestimated the prince even more than they initially thought.


    This guy was ¡ª


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    Whoosh!


    The three sages, who were in a triangr formation, immediately reacted. Fists covered in Fire, wind, and Metal all created a roar as they tore the air to ruthlessly punch their target but sadly for them¡ª.


    ¡°Well¡­ This is not the kindest greeting I received, I must say.¡±


    The lion King, holding a magical sword he had created with his affinity, widened his eyes s he watched what was happening. All of them were standing still, unable to touch the one intruder in their midst.


    Their attacks weren¡¯t blocked, not truly so. But he felt like there was ayer between them and the young man in front of them. As if he was standing in apletely different space from him.


    Now that they were close, they were able to see the intruder more clearly and immediately recognized him. Though he was very different from the image of him they had.


    The prince they knew of had his appearance mostly human. But the one in front of them was taller and his horns and draconic eyes were clear for all to see. He was tall, his eyes were anything but human and a few scales could be seen on his white skin.


    Though he was shorter than the Bull King, he gave the distinct impression that he was towering over all other them.


    ¡°To be honest. I have so many different ways to make you guyspletely helpless in one go that this fight is entirely meaningless. Ideally, I would put you down instantly like my beloved did but this does not align with my goal.¡±


    They became angry at the way he was belittling them but showed once again surprise when the feeling of infinite distance between them seemed to vanish and their fists or weapons finally made contact with his skin.


    Boom!


    It had to be said that though they appeared to have stopped earlier, they had never ceased building momentum and tried to break through whatever means of protection the prince was using.


    The shockwave of the attacks finally making contact with his body was akin to a bomb detonating. The three sages were no pushovers and the power they held was enough to bring down mountains.


    Pure white light shed and the shockwave spread, forcing people who were watching in the vicinity to crouch down and cover their ears or protect themselves.


    For those watching the broadcast, the impression of awe and power was all too easy to feel as they could see the spreading damage even though the four were fighting in the air. They had no doubts that if they were in the ce of the prince they would have been destroyed.


    Then, what about the prince himself?


    A few showed surprise. Many started to show glee or mockery at the situation. In lustburg, the nobles who had been pressed down because of the reforms Sol was establishing were already about to jump for joy.


    But ¡ª


    Sigh~!


    A sigh full of tiredness and disappointment sounded, reaching the ears of all those watching.


    The light slowly dissipated, all this to show the three Sages standing further apart, all of them with the same incredulous face.


    ¡°All that¡­For a drop of blood. How pitiful.¡±


    Meanwhile, Sol, still nonchntly standing where he was, gently tapped the closing wound on his forehead and liquid the drop of blood that fell.


    ¡°Or should I say, as expected of the Bull King? You honor your name as a powerful Duke. Only a very select few can even dream of making me bleed.¡±


    He smiled, ¡°Be proud. You will be the one to have the honor of fighting me.¡±


    Neither the Macaque King nor the Lion King were able to answer before being swiftly swallowed in Sol''s dimension.


    ¡°Brothers!¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. They will be fine. No harm wille unto them. I cannot say the same about you though.¡±


    He stretched a little before taking off his upper shorts and throwing them away, revealing his muscr frame.


    ¡°Rx. This will be short.¡±


    This would not be a fight. This was going to be nothing more than a demonstration.

 Chapter 566-568: Crimson Dragon

    Chapter 566-568: Crimson Dragon


    Cold sweat covered the back of the bull King.


    They had not underestimated the prince this time. They came with the full intent of seriously fighting him, whether they would win or lose. They had many spections, wondering if the prince also had some sort of one-shot instant skill like the two princesses or if he was perhaps already a King rank and was just hiding his level


    So much spection. So many ns. All of this was for the simple goal of doing what they could to have a serious and worthwhile fight. But, even though they did their best to overestimate the prince, they still did not manage to capture the true extent of his power fully.


    ¡°I can feel your mind churning from here. You don¡¯t need to. I am different from Setsuna and Lilin. If you take away my power to manipte dimensions, I don¡¯t have any particrly special or fancy skill and I promise you I won¡¯t use my dimension during this fight.¡±


    The prince showed his impressive body even as he twirled his arms and resumed stretching.


    ¡°I am going to start. You better be ready or fail.¡±


    The Bull King had nearly no time to react as he felt a fist approaching his face and it was only thanks to his reflex that he could block the iing attack using his weapon.


    It was a giant fan, with the mark of a setting sun inscribed on it. The fan was closed so the Bull King did not hesitate to use the fist force to take some distance.


    Even though he had managed to block the attack, his arm holding his weapon was tingling and he understood right away that a contest of strength would be pretty detrimental to him.This reminded him of his first fight against Sun Wukong.


    ¡°This is an interesting weapon.¡±


    The Bull King gritted his teeth when he saw Sol floating leisurely in the sky without chasing. Clearly, he was content just observing him.


    ¡°You are underestimating us.¡±


    ¡°You are wrong.¡±


    Sol shook his head, his expression was apathetic, ¡°I have an approximative grasp of your skill and this is why I can say, unless Sun Wukong himself or any other King intervene, your chances of winning against me are positively zero.¡±


    There was no mockery in his eyes, no pride in his voice. His tone was no different from stating that the sun rose in the east and set in the west. That people were all destined to die and that nothing was unchanging.


    He was not insulting him, he was not ridiculing him. Most likely, in his eyes, all he was saying was the simple naked truth.


    The bull King gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, a growing inferno was zing in his heart. How long had it been since he had been underestimated?


    ¡°Are you angry? No need to answer. I can feel you are angry. I can even understand why. After all, you must have been told you were very close to bing a King. Perhaps you were even told that you are nearly as strong as a King. This is honestlymendable. I salute your years of training and respect your strength. But¡­¡±


    A sad smile formed on Sol¡¯s face as if he was pitying a poor kid who could not ept the simple reality.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how close to being a King you are. You are not a King level and therefore you are unable to win. My victory is assured.3


    The Bull King roared! His cry covered heaven and earth causing everything to tremble in his vicinity.


    Then, taking a better hold of his fan before fully opening it.


    ¡°You forced me.¡±


    >


    The wind seemed to undte around him before being fired like projectiles at Sol. The attacks were nearly invisible, and only by paying attention could even try to count them all.


    Had this attack been lower on the ground, then it could have been powerful enough to leave multiple deep scars on it and the wind was strong enough to level the building in its wake.


    This was why the Bull King rarely used this weapon. As the level of damage it could bring was astronomical and he did not like killing innocents.


    This time though, he could only watch as the wind was only powerful enough to leave small scratches on the body of his opponents.


    Blood was flowing and the wounds would close immediately. When the attack finished, the only things that had truly changed were ruined pants, blood traces on his body, and a slightly ruffled hairstyle.


    ¡°I am sorry, but¡­I am nearly immune to magic. Pure Elemental-type attacks are pretty useful against me.¡±


    <em>Ah¡­.</em>


    Sol shrugged as he arranged his hair, ¡°Milia will be mad. She has been taking longer and longer to work on them.¡±


    He shook his head and started floating slowly, menacingly, toward the Bull King,


    ¡°Use your Zone. Summon your name. Since you are close to a King, you should already have a partial name, right? Stop making us waste time. As it is your attacks are nothing but a distraction at best and an amusing trick at worst.¡±


    The Bull King screamed and his fan glowed with an ominous crimson light. The humiliation he was currently feeling was beyond anything he had ever experienced up to now.


    This was a feeling of deep helplessness that went even above what he felt when he first fought against Sun Wukong.


    But more than anything.


    The look in the eyes of this Prince.


    He could not stand this look.


    He could have epted it if the prince was arrogant, if he was a man who took pleasure in humiliating those weaker than him, or if he was just using him for amusement.


    But this¡­


    At the very moment, for the prince, he was nothing. Barely a pebble that could be kicked away and forgotten soon thereafter. Gazing at him as if he were just a pitiful kid trying to fight an adult.


    ¡°Do not mock me! I am the Bull King! I am the Great Sage who pacifies Heaven! I will not be looked down upon by a kid!¡±


    >


    The world seemed to change all around Sol and the temperature rose to a degree so high the air itself seemed ready tobust.


    Like the Zone of the Tiger Lord, this was a Zone that was akin to a domain but this one did not create closed boundaries. In a way, one could say that it was closer to a dimension¡¯s encroachment.


    Arge giant mountain many kilometers high appeared behind the Bull King, akin to an active volcano with mes.


    The sky became red and the atmosphere became scarce. Soon, the temperature reached and even went beyond a thousand degrees Celsius.


    Even the soldiers of Wratharis and Envilya who had been watching in the distances died nearly instantly under the power of the mes for the one from Lustburg they were lucky as they were protected by the barrier of the fortress but they could only look at their farnd with aghast expression, knowing fully that if the domain continued to grow, those would not be spared.


    Standing on his floating cloud, the Bull King was unfazed even as everything around him caught on fire. His body had changed, bing a fiery red while the end of his tail had fire around it. Fire also covered his horns, giving him the appearance of a deviling to hell.


    ¡°Remember, prince. You are the cause of all this destruction. I will make you pay for underestimating us.¡±


    Standing in the middle of the inferno, Solughed, his expression shifting from the earlier apathy as crystals of ice formed all around him.


    ¡°I have faced a supernova and toyed with Ifrit himself. Do notugh with your warm sona!¡±


    He grinned, his eyes shifting and his voice changing, bing deeper, more guttural, and more dangerous.


    ¡°Bull King. You wish to pacify Heaven. Truly admirable but I apologize. I am the one who will stand above the Heaven.¡±


    His skin ruptured and was reced by scales. His pants werepletely torn apart as the light started to cover him. His body grew and grew, ten meters, twenty meters, fifty meters.


    The light vanished as the sun was covered by a gigantic shadow that blocked the sky itself and finally,


    ROOAAR!!!


    Floating in the sky ¡ª Was a Gigantic Crimson Dragon.


    ***


    For the first time in nearly twenty years, the roar of a dragon once again filled heaven and earth, forcing all beings to acknowledge its might.


    For the people of Lustburg, many old soldiers or citizens had tears forming at the corner of their eyes as they watched the majestic entity that appeared.


    Ten meters tall, more than 50 meters long. Crimson scales on its back glimmering with golden scales under its belly, a beautiful mix of colors that did nothing more than increase the power it was emanating.


    Even though they were not present on the battlefield, many of them started kneeling with their hands gathered in prayers.


    After all, while this form might be foreign for the younger ones, they could never forget it. It may be slightly smaller, but this form was undoubtedly that of Her Majesty.


    ze Dragona. The Queen of Lustburg.


    While Mars enjoyed poprity out of this world in Lustburg, the one who garnered the most fear and respect was undoubtedly ze herself. Because her appearance was always the precursor of victory.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the vition.


    Her roars were always the signs that they did not have to worry and could leave everything to her.


    Whenever she appeared, with Mars on her back, the soldiers knew that this fight would only have one oue.


    After losing both of their symbols, Lustburg had been sluggish. The economy fell, their influence diminished, and the nobles were plotting. Citizens could only await, hoping that a just King woulde.


    Sol never showed such a sign.


    A young man who had been imprisoned all his life in a gilded cage while being pampered by the regent Queen.


    While he made an impressive showing in the diator match, this was it. He was not even a Duke. So what could they expect from him?


    Even Mars Luxuria, the Hero King, took 3 years of training before actually reaching the King Rank. What could they expect from Sol in just a few months? Not even a full year yet?


    Then war happened, they lost, they won, but none of this had anything to do with Sol. The citizens could not see all the negotiation he was doing. They could not see all the steps he was taking.


    All they could see was that when Lustburg was losing, the one who stepped up first was the Princess. Making honor to her Mother''s name, she defeated two sages with extraordinary means.


    Then the Knight came, The White Knight managed to stop the advance of Wratharis. The same with Nuwa and finally ¡ªSetsuna Ira. Not even a true resident of Lustburg. She was the one who truly managed to bring the war to a stalemate, and everything was reversed after the Rangers took the field.


    Victories after victories. Impressive showing after one. Legends were born from the battlefield, and all the citizens could see was that ¡ª The prince was not one of those legends.


    Even now he was hiding in his golden cage, doing nothing but gazing at the distance as citizens died.


    The negative rumors that followed, while of unknown origins, spread like wildfire as the negative sentiment against Sol was at an all-time high.


    The prince was a fraud.


    The prince was a coward.


    The prince was even more useless than the Puppet King.


    The prince was a shame to the bloodline of the Hero King.


    Such sentiments became so prevalent, that there was no doubt that if the Blessed systems did not exist, the poption would have risen in rebellion and asked for a new Prince to take his ce.


    All this negativity, all these suspicions, all those doubts.


    ¡ªAll of them vanished at this very instant alongside the roar of the Giant dragon.


    ***


    In the Battlefield, Sol had no care for the changes in feelings the poption of Lustburg was experiencing.


    For him, such concerns were nothing but a simple trifle, not worthy of attention inparison to the fight that was happening.


    The Bull King was trembling. Even though he was a very powerful fighter, one who had seen hundreds of battlefields, he had never faced a true dragon outside of ze in the past, and to this date, the only ones who truly fought against a Dragon were Jialong and Sun Wukong.


    ¡®How is this possible?¡¯


    His limbs felt frozen. His body waspletely stiff, so much so that even breathing was ridiculously hard for him.


    The feeling had when one was facing an apex predator. All his instincts were screaming at him, telling him that he was facing something that was beyond anything he could deal with.


    That they were not on the same level. Two dimensions that werepletely different.


    The Bull King understood intellectually what was happening. This was Dragon Might. The natural pressure all dragons emanated.


    But how could such pressuree from a Duke?


    How the hell was this even a Duke!?


    [Bull King. Once again, be proud. You are the first person to face this form. Your name will forever go down in history.]


    The voiceing from his maw had nothing human anymore, and the way the King was looking at him was infinitely cold. Whereas before he felt pity and indifference, now it was as if he was gazing at something unworthy to be in its presence.


    The Bull King should have been angry. But what stunned him the most was that, somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice seemed to whisper that this was reality. There was nothing wrong with this gaze that, in fact, even gazing at the majestic appearance of this dragon was something he should be proud of.


    [Worms should not share the same sky as me.]


    The dragon moved, and one palm filled with sharp ws was raised before pressing down toward him. This was enough for the Bull King to snap out of his daze and try to fight back, but he helplessly realized that his own body still refused to move, seemingly weighted down by an infinite mass. He had the feeling that the weight of the entire world was on his shoulders.


    Space was under the control of the Dragon Prince and so was Gravity.


    ¡°I will not yield!¡±


    The Bull King screamed, showing his defiance and refusal to bow in front of Heaven. But like the cries of all mortals who screamed at the injustice of the world ¡ª They were useless.


    Whoosh!


    The Bull King was swatted down like a fly and crashed against the ground at such a high speed that it seemed like a bomb had gone off. Large-scale destruction followed as everything in a hundred-meter radius was destroyed because of the shockwave that followed.


    But this did not stop there.


    The form one had would always affect his psyche, and Sol, in his full Dragon form, felt nothing but pure revulsion at the simple thought of wasting more time fighting against something that was nothing but a bug to him.


    Hisrge wings opened wide, showing a mixture of Gold and crimson scales intertwined in a beautiful schematic. Sol did not understand why his scales, which were usually Golden, had this crimson hue in his full dragon, nor did he care to know.


    All he knew was that the mountain in front of him was a bother, and as such, he would destroy it.


    Sol grinned, and his form seemed to be nothing more than the malevolent grin of an evil dragon. He remembered the first time he met Kiyohime, the first time he witnessed the true power of a true Dragon. He had been envious then. But now¡­ His eyes flickered. It was time to test something. Raising his long serpentine neck, Golden light gathered in his throat, going from his stomach until it reached its maw.


    Above him, pure mana appeared all around, seemingly gathering under his call. Water, Wind, and fire, three of the four fundamental elements in magic all came together and fused before being swallowed by him.


    For a few seconds, silence seemed to fall on the battlefield.


    All those who were observing these fights, both in the fortresses or through therge screens floating in the sky, opened their eyes wide as they witnessed what followed.


    They watched as the dragon opened its maw wide; they shivered as they observed the sharp row of teeth that seemed ready to tear everything apart.


    Finally, they felt pure fear as the dragon finally unleashed his attack. He opened wide,


    >


    Crimson light bloomed ¡ªAnd everything was erased in its wake.


    ***


    They said the most beautiful things in the world were often the deadliest. This was a reality many may not ept but few could refuse.


    At this moment though, there was no dissent nor discussion about this fact¡ªonly awe.


    All the people, no matter what their level watched in awe as the crimson blood light erased everything it came in contact with, and this in the most exact meaning.


    There was no explosion. No shockwave, no collision. It was as if someone used an eraser on a page and made everything vanish.


    It was smooth and silent and this was why ¡ª It was all the more frightening.


    Standing alone, atop the heaven canopy, Sol was the undisputed ruler of the sky, his might rolled, covering all ces and he was yet to be finished.


    Whoosh!


    [From now on¡­.There will be no Wratharis Fortress in this ce.]


    His wing opened wide and with this, thousands upon thousands of fireflies appeared all above him. Through the sky, one had the impression of witnessing the birth of thousands of stars. Very deadly stars.


    ROOOOAAR!!


    <strong>></strong>


    This was an attack he had once used back when he was attacking the Chaos Spawn in Tartarus and this attack was once again proving to be devastating. Only this time, it was filled with the light of destruction and the effects were there for all to see.


    <em>Whoosh!</em>


    Like shooting stars, all the crimson fireflies flew directly toward their target, leaving trails of mana behind them.


    It was beautiful. Oh so beautiful but it was also nothing short of pure destruction.


    The veryndscape changed under his might, hundreds of meters were reduced to rumbles or craters and from now on, the very maps of the world would have to be changed to reflect the reality.


    Mountains were ttened, hills were erased, hundred meters deep holes appeared and obviously ¡ª The fortress was destroyed. The shield that had been ced had no means nor hope of even standing up an instant against this attack.


    Afterunching two such powerful attacks, one would expect Sol to be tired. After all, no matter how one looked at it, this kind of attack should not be something that could be easilyunched by anyone, no matter how strong they were and they were not wrong.


    No matter how strong he was¡­Sol was just a Duke. His reservoir of energy was limited and he certainly could notunch a third attack.


    Well, that would have been the case if not for one very small problem.


    Sol was no normal Duke.


    Sol was a Dragon Duke with his core intact and what followed next showed why people avoided messing with rank S mythical beast.


    Once the destruction Sol wrought was finished, Sol let out a gigantic roar and following this, the mana in the air became almost liquid as it condensed to such a high degree while being aspirated in his core.


    Thend reacted to this as such a heavy absorption of mana could only create ack of equilibrium in the zone and if Sol continued like this, the entire ce might turn in a mana-dead zone where no more mana could circte and no more life could grow.


    Thankfully, Sol had no intention of going so far all he wanted to do was to send a message.


    [Listen World!]


    The world listened, the people stayed, eyes riveted watching the magnificent creature that seemed to surpass all mortals.


    [I am Sol Dragona Luxuria. The Crown Prince and future King of Lustburg and the prince of the Dragon realm.]


    Light filled his body and the giant dragon slowly shrunk until all that was left was a young man. Mana moved under his will and regal clothes were draped on his body while a throne of Ice appeared behind him for him to sit on.


    His expression was apathetic as he looked at the camera but all those who watched had the distinct impression that he was looking down on them and the worst was¡­Many had a feeling that this was as things should be as if it was normal for him to stand atop all of them and for them to kneel down and worship him.


    ¡°On this day, Six of the Seven Sages were defeated, Wratharis fortresses were all destroyed or captured and Lustburg is upying more than 50% of Wratharisnd with no way for them to fight back.¡±


    His voice was calm and steady and while itcked the guttural inhuman inflection of a few moments ago, the words he uttered were no less heavy.


    ¡°Wratharis has lost the battle and Lustburg stands victorious.¡±


    He smiled, a smile full of chills, ¡°But this is not the end. This cannot be the end. This is why I will give an ultimatum.¡±


    Mana moved under his will as a gigantic<strong> VII</strong> appeared in the sky.


    ¡°Seven days. For the next seven days, no more fights will happen. I will give Seven days for Wratharis to surrender officially. If it does, we will give back 80% of thend we conquered and all the prisoners will be given back at a Quarter of the price.¡±


    Gasps could be heard in different parts of the world but they were immediately shushed, as all of them listened to the words of the prince they knew that this was not the end,


    ¡°But¡­¡± Indeed, the prince did not disappoint them, ¡° In those seven days, Tyrant Lupus has to officially put down his crown and leave the ce of Sovereign to the next ruler ¨CSetsuna Ira. He has to recognize his crime of fratricide to the whole world and ept to be imprisoned for years toe.¡±


    By now, all those who were used to intrigues understood what Sol was trying to do.


    ¡°If on the 8th day, Wratharis has yet to surrender and the tyrant has yet to give up on then¡­We will continue the war and I will stand at the forefront of this battle. I will erase everything that stands in my way for I believe I have shown more than enoughpassion. No more.¡±


    A cold light shone in his eyes, ¡°Remember my words. Grave them in your very beings, spread my tales, share my words. Fire will rain, blood will flow and parents will cry at the sight of the coffin devoid of corpses of their children sent to a senseless war where victory was not even a possibility!¡±


    ¡°I will show no mercy! I will not hesitate! I will be Death¡­The destroyer of worlds.¡±


    A cold shiver went down their back and they could all easily imagine the picture that Sol was drawing.


    ¡°Give me your answer Tyrant. Your Crown or the well-being of your citizens. Make your choice and live the rest of your life with the weight of your decision.¡±


    After those words, the princepletely vanished from the ce as if he had never been there in the first ce.


    But one look at the horizon showed them that this was not a dream. This was not their imagination. This was the cruel reality and this was also the birth of a new legend.


    A legend that wouldpletely change the way people saw war.

 Chapter 569-571: Ceasfire

    Chapter 569-571: Ceasfire


    Once the feed and the screen in the sky vanished, silence seemed to fall everywhere. The video had long since been ryed in real time to most royal powers as there was no way they could ignore such an event.


    The feelings after viewing this video were mixed but for many, all they could feel was one thing¡­Dread.


    For the people who had lived long enough and for the many witches who were watching the video from Salem or other ces in Lustburg, all they could do was open their mouths wide and wonder if they were having hallucinations.


    After all, they could recognize and understand what the technique Sol used represented.


    This was the power of Destruction or at the very least, something very close and simr to it, and in this world, at least up to now, there has been only two people who could use this magic.


    Ymir, the <strong>Goddess of Destruction</strong>, and Kali, the <strong>Witch of Destruction</strong>.


    Now though, it seemed like they would have to add a third one to this list, Sol the <strong>Destroyer of Worlds,</strong> or at least that was how he called himself. But no one couldugh at such a high-sounding name because they knew that while this may be a joke now, this could be realityter on. This fact alone was enough for many to shiver as they realized just how dangerous Lustburg was now.


    The rangers had been enough to bring wariness in them but at the end of the day, those rangers were just barely equal to Dukes. There was noparison to a King. But Sol Luxuria was different. Sol was a Blessed. Which means he <em>could and would </em>most likely be a King and might even be a Demigod.


    The words impossibility held no meaning in front of the absurdness of what being a Blessed and a Dragon represented.This also reminded them of something else.


    ¡°By the way¡­He is just a Duke¡­Right?¡±


    Suddenly, many people started worrying, they were mainly the leaders of the different countries.


    Sol Dragona Luxuria was<em> just</em> a Duke.


    What may have sounded like nothing but a statement full of mockery at first, directed to the ruler of a Kingdom being nothing but a Duke was now one that was filled with dread.


    Sol Luxuria was just a Duke. Worse, he was not even officially the ruler of his Kingdom. He was <em>just</em> the Crown Prince of Luxuria.


    This would mean that absolutely none of the Limitation Treaty applied to him and he was free to roam on any battlefield in the future. He could attack with full impunity any Kingdom and as long as he did not go too far in his conquest and stopped at a certain limit, the Kingdoms would have to bow to him as they had no way of acting without moving their Kings.


    It wasn¡¯t just him.


    Setsuna, Lilin, White Knight, Nuwa. While not all of them were seen fighting, they were undoubtedly all high or top tier Ranked Duke as of now.


    ¡ªThey were all <em>only</em> Dukes.


    The dignitaries realized for the first time that Lustburg was in a very very weird position, it was as if they had all the steps necessary to be the bullies of the world.


    This reminded them of another entity, a country that once lorded over the world like a sword of Damocles, ready to fall at any moment.


    Gluttony Foss, the country under the order of the Mother of Thousand Monsters, Echidna.


    The irony did not fail tond as the one who ended that tyranny with the sacrifice of their King and Queen was none other than Lustburg itself and now, the child of those two was the one who was about to cause problems to the entire world.


    The leaders all started moving, all understanding that if they did not do something fast¡­Lustburg would be a true hegemony like it was one thousand years ago.


    ***


    [Southern Pride.]


    While most countries were worried about Sol War''s potential and starting to act, the elves were having a different problem. Well, it was hard to call it a problem in the truest sense of the word. But the Queen of the elves, the ever-proud Sate Superbia, was having a headache of the highest magnitude.


    ¡°My Queen! 70% of the young elves fainted!¡±


    ¡°My Queen! The Dragon Emperor Cult¡­I mean, the Dragon Emperor club is protesting and asking why the Dragon Emperor was still not officially recognized as a tribe leader.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty! The main za ispletely upied, the infirmaries are full and tension is high!¡±


    ¡°We are facing the greatest wet crisis ever! I nearly slipped on someone''s juice whileing here!¡±


    Many elves blushed at thest statements as while only the rtively young elves hadpletely fainted, it wasn¡¯t as if the older one were spared some effect.¡±


    ¡°Jasmine! Stop acting like this in this situation.¡±


    Sate covered her face while her friend, the Supreme Daughter, cackled with delight.


    ¡°What? I am only reporting the truth. To be honest, I waste because I had to change my robe. It was not in any appropriate state.¡±


    Her words were not explicit but everyone understood what she meant. After all, Jasmine was not truly as old as Sate.


    Sate could only groan but there was nothing more she could say or do to indirectly berate everyone.


    After all, even in her case, despite having dragon blood and having lived for so long, she had felt her face flush a little and her heartbeat elerate when the video was shared with her.


    She could only imagine what the others must have felt.


    But the current situation was no joking matter. This video was no different from a weapon of mass destruction for the elves and their culture.


    Even now, she was receiving reports about more than half of their guards at the border being all down after fainting or simply unable to fight.


    It wasn¡¯t as if they had never seen a dragon.


    But such might and such disy of power had been unheard of since time nearly one thousand years ago when they fought against the Dragon of the Conquerer King.


    If back then, Siegfried had not in it, they might have lost even more badly, and this act of killing a dragon King caused Siegfried to be quite criticized in themunity even though he should have been revered as a hero.


    Sitting beside Sate, Jasmine gave a weak smile, ¡°I think we need to talk to that woman.¡±


    ¡°The Phoenix?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Until now, it was still possible to argue and take our time. With the slow nature of the elves, we could have even pushed a decision for the future in ten years or so. But now¡­I won¡¯t lie, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they rioted and fought you to the death. This is how insane everyone is acting.¡± She added with a really worried expression.


    For once she was not joking. The club or cult or whatever this phoenix was creating were already hardcore fanatics of the Dragon prince and now their faith would be enough to generate Faith coins if they were in a Territory.


    This was how insane everyone was and as for the elves who had been staying neutral, well¡­She was 90% sure that the moist feeling in their crotch would make them sing a different song soon.


    Sate felt like she was like a small child trying to stop the wind of destiny. ¡°Do they not understand that it isn¡¯t that I am against the dragon faith but that Sol is not just a Dragon? He is the Prince of¡­ No, I should simply call him the King of Lustburg now. Do they want to allow humanity to control us?¡± She had the impression of being the only one who could see in a world of blinds.


    ¡°I am sure they understand. They might be young but they are not stupid. The problem is¡­¡± She did not finish her words but Sate lowered her face and sighed,


    ¡°They don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. In fact¡­I believe many of them would wish to be ruled by a True Dragon. You have seen his form, right?¡± Jasmine was very careful with her words to not hurt her friend.


    ¡°I am sure it¡¯s only faith and hormone talking now. But even after they calm down¡­ Many will be adamant about it.¡±


    Sate sighed and waved her hand, ¡°Leave me alone. All of you. I need time to think.¡±


    Jasmine opened her mouth for an instant but in the end, she simply shook her head and walked away.


    There was one solution for this to end to their advantage and avoid having Sol be the direct ruler.


    But this solution was something that would be akin to selling herself to the ruler of Lustburg.


    Jasmine did not know if the remaining pride of Sate could ept such a solution. As such, she simply closed her mouth and started walking away. Her expression was serene.


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    After all, worste to worst, she simply had to sacrifice herself.


    Unconsciously, Jasmine licked her lips. This wouldn¡¯t even be much of a sacrifice all things considered.


    ***


    ***


    The Elves were not the only ones who were reacting with shock. Back on the side of the Dwarves, silence weighted heavily, all of the old men of the councils werepletely silent.


    Sitting on his throne, the King watched all of this with a snickering face, ¡°So, about our action about Lustburg. Does anyone want to be the messenger that will reim our so-called <em>lost heritage</em> from them?¡±


    The inflection in his voice as he spoke was a clear mockery of their words and actions but no one spoke up. They understood very well that the King was waiting for someone to slip up and fail.


    After all, no matter how this council existed, the one with the absolute authority was still the King. If he decided to truly flex all his power, there was little they could do.


    The King seeing this, shook his head. His eyes dimmed slightly. If he had to be honest, he would have wished for them to fight back a little. Not for any ns but simply for pride.


    Since when the proud and courageous dwarves had fallen so much? They went from being a race full of solidarity between them, even while enved by the Elves to bing one of the most scheming races in the world.


    If in the past dwarves were synonymous with courage, brashness, and smithing, now they were simply known as backstabbing, greedy bastards.


    A race so used to backstabbing even Devils seemed more trustworthy than them. At least the Devils would follow the contract to the letter and all of this was because of greedy bastards like the ones sitting here.


    He also knew that there were many traitors in this ce. Not only those who were greedy for money. Those were still usable. But those who were greedy for life. Those were the most dangerous.


    Some of them, like Theresa¡¯s deceased brother, were in cahoots with the Wings of Freedom. While others were basically nothing but ve working for the angels and receiving payments.


    The reason he had not acted on this all this time and closed one eye was simple. As bastardly as those guys were, this was still an option for survival for the Dwarves race.


    When giants fought, little people like them had to find a way to survive and even if his way failed, if the way of those traitors could assure the survival of the Dwarves then this was something he was willing to ignore.


    This was for the same reason he was okay with letting Theresa dip her feet and spread her influence in Lustburg.


    One way or another, the dwarves would survive, even if they had to fall under a new master they would survive. Ensuring this survival in those troubled times was his duty as a king.


    ¡®In the end, I am also greedy, like all of them.¡¯


    He was trying to bet on everything at the same time but thankfully, the chances of losing everything were low. Whoever ended up winning, would be too happy to have dwarves under theirmands to kill them.


    He sighed and waved his hands to force those council members to shut up.


    ¡°Contact the angels. Either way, they are the ones acting as the police. It¡¯s important to discuss the current situation. Sol Luxuria should ascend to the throne of Lustburg as fast as possible. Once this happens, even if he is not at the true King level, he will still be officially restricted by the Conventions.¡±


    The King remembered the image he had seen and he had to say, he was d to have given a green card to Theresa. She always had a better nose than him when it came to catching people with potential.


    Between all the bets he was making, he sincerely hoped that Theresa would be the winning horse.


    ¡®I wonder if I have a rtive that would fit the taste of the boy.¡¯


    He frowned a little. Very hesitant. From what he knew of Lustburg''s history, despite being called the Kingdom of Lust, they seemed to be closer to Castitas than anything else. Few Kings or Queens in the history of Lustburg could be called promiscuous to any degree.


    The true exception to this rule seemed to be Uranus, the Tyrant king. He was a man with very unusual taste as, despite being human, he had a deep fascination with the Beast''s kins.


    As for Sol. Well, it seemed like the love of beast kin ran in his blood from what he could see with Princess Setsuna. As for how promiscuous he was, it would be logical to assume that as a part Dragon, he would be extremely lustful. But the news they received from their spies were too contradictory to glean anything of use.


    He didn¡¯t know who was the one in charge of the anti-spy policy of Lustburg but that person was damn good.


    ¡°Well. Let¡¯s continue gentlemen. It¡¯s time to decide our stances with Wratharis. The war does seem to lean in favor heavily toward Lustburg. I do not think they will be able to pay our rates for the weapons and armor in the current situation once Lustburg takes their spoils of victory. Should we stop our services?¡±


    They hesitated a little before one raised his hand, ¡°I believe there is still one part left. While Wratharis undoubtedly lost the overall war. It¡¯s hard to say theypletely lost as a full reversal in the current situation is still possible.¡±


    Everyone looked at each other, one name appearing in their mind.


    If it was that person then, indeed. Everything could change at a moment''s notice.


    After all, he was the First of the Seven Great Sages.


    The Handsome Monkey King ¡ª Sun Wukong.


    ***


    [Wratharis]


    While most of the world was going in Frenzy over the exploit of the Prince of Lustburg and the ultimatum.


    Wratharis was bathed in silence. The citizens, be it those at the border or those in the Capital had been watching the fight, and like everyone, they were astonished at the power of the prince.


    But the situation they were facing was much more real. After all, what they kept in mind was the warning the prince gave about stopping holding back.


    In all War. Because of how overwhelmingly powerful individuals could be, it was necessary to impose limits.


    This was why King could only step on the battlefield when the capital was in danger or when a veryrge part of the country was conquered.


    They were supposed to be thest bastion and even when they intervened, while not an official rule, they would do their best to fight as far as possible from the enemy line and minimize damage.


    If a King rank went crazy and started massacring people then this would be the start of an era of Chaos. No one would fight a war if they knew a King coulde and choose to wipe them out.


    As for Dukes. While Dukes could be powerful they were ultimately limited in what they could and could not do.


    Sol was in no way a normal Duke and his threats were in no way amusing jokes. The fact that he was partially dragon made those threats all the more frightening.


    After all, Dragons were not exactly known for being kind, gentle, and cute.


    All of Wratharis was silent. All of them were gazing at the imperial castle.


    The riots had ceased and the chaos quieted down.


    They were all waiting. All wondering what choice the so-called King would make.


    History was moving inexorably and the decision he took now would be one that would be remembered for generations toe.


    ***


    Standing on the balcony of the imperial castle, Lupus was gazing at the beautiful capital of Wratharis.


    He could feel it. A kind of pressure of the like he had not felt even when he fought his brother and his mate.


    It was ironic in a way. His goal had been to initiate arge-scale conquest simr to the one made by Jupiter Luxuria one thousand years prior and seed where the man failed.


    His dream had always been to be the center of the world. His ego could not ept any other reality.


    He wished to live in a world where all eyes were riveted on him and awaited his verdict.


    He was now living in such a world.


    Just not in the way he initially expected to.


    ¡°You canugh, you know.¡±


    Sitting in the corner of the balcony with his staff against his shoulder and his head down as if he was resting was none other than Sun Wukong.


    Lupus had called for Wukong and ordered him to stay in the castle and serve as a guard.


    Lupus did not know how powerful Wukong was currently. But he had a faint inkling that this was the best solution to keep that man who messed up with his memory away for now.


    Hearing him, Wukong raised his head with, light of curiosity dancing in his eyes,


    ¡°Why should I?¡±


    ¡°Don''t you think it''s pretty amusing? The Fall of a tyrant that is.¡±


    Currently, the castle was 90% void of all upants. They had all fled one after another and Lupus had been disinterested in keeping them any longer.


    He looked around, ¡°The Citizens hate me. The servants reject me. The world mocks me.¡±


    Wukong seemed baffled, ¡°The Citizens never liked you. They simply didn''t really have a choice. The servants all feared you. You keep killing some of them for random mistakes. The world has no care for you. Only a few individuals outside of Wratharis will observe your situation. The Farmers are too busy thinking of the next Harvest. The smiths hit metals, the ves serve and the nobles will work or dance.¡±


    Wukong looked up, ¡°The sun will still rise in the sky. The wind will still blow and the earth will still exist. You are not the center of the world, Lupus.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lupus closed his eyes. If this was him a few months ago, he would have exploded in rage at being slighted thus.


    Now though, he realized that he could not even muster the interest in bing angry.


    The words of Sun Wukong were as blunt and straightforward as always. They were really hurtful. But it also served as a wake-up call in a way.


    In the grand scheme of things, he was nothing.


    Sadly it was a wake-up call that came toote.


    ¡°I have never understood the thirst for power some of you seem to have. But in your search for power, you all seem to forget. No matter how much you conquer. If you aren''t a demigod, you will simply die as a mortal.¡±


    Wukong shook his head and Lupusmented.


    Bing a demigod was certainly a goal they were all striving for and as they were Blessed, it should have been far easier for all Blessed of the different countries to be Demigods.


    If so, why then was it soplicated for them?


    Lupus always thought that it was because ascending was simply that hard. But now he realized that he had been wrong.


    The one who called himself a god had told him the bitter truth.


    Gods were created by focusing on one concept. By bing one with a concept that formed thew of reality one would be truly eternal as long as the universe existed.


    Because of this, no two gods could thread on the same path and the more powerful individuals were on a path the harder it was for others to climb.


    In a way, thew of the world were akin to a road that progressively became narrower thus limiting the number of carriages that could take it at the same time.


    It was nearly impossible for Divine Beasts to even reach the level of False gods. For the simple reason that they were fully imbued with the power of the concept of the goddesses.


    ¡ªThese same rules applied to the Blessed.


    Because of the existence of those demigods and all those Kings¡­All Blessed had nearly no possibility of bing demigods themselves.


    By threading on a road already existing they could advance faster than anyone else but the limits imposed on them were also clearer than anyone else.


    ¡°How ridiculous.¡±


    He chortled as he remembered this truth. So shocked that his shock had turned into derision.


    The only way for him to be a demigod would be to break all his foundations and thread a new path starting with the Duke level.


    The King looked up, his eyes had never been so clear and the world had never seemed so bright.


    ¡°I have a new ambition, Wukong. For that, I need to survive. Will you help me?¡±


    Wukong quietly observed the king, ¡°For the first time, I find you to be somewhat interesting.¡±


    Lupusughed out loud and burned the image of Wratharis onest time in his eyes before turning around.


    Whether this was thest time he watched the capital would be determined soon.

 Interlude

    Interlude


    The dragon realm was not calm at the moment, ever since thetest events where traitors had been revealed once again, something dark had been building and tension was at an all-time high.


    Dragons were by nature extremely individualistic and the fact that traitors might still beying low pushed this desire for istion even more. As if it wasn¡¯t enough, any dragons who showed even the slightest suspicious action had risk of getting lynched by the crowd before any question was asked.


    Kiyohime had been pulling her hair because of the stress even as she struggled to bring stability to the realm.


    It was not easy. Even more so since dragons knew that she was the executioner who put down all the traitors. At the same time, it was exactly because of this that she was more respected. Many dragons pitied her in fact, for they knew that Kiyohime loved the dragon race from the depth of her heart.


    They could not even imagine how much grief she must have felt as many of the dragons had been directly or indirectly raised by her.


    Kiyohime knew that her prestige was helpful but soon Tiamat would leave for the divine beast conference and she knew that once this happened things might really get troublesome.


    She had been visiting Tiamat repeatedly thest few weeks as Tiamat delegated more and more of her authority to Kiyohime.


    Once Tiamat left, the Territory would not benefit from the additional protection of the Sea of Stars dimension that belonged to Tiamat. This was another ring point they needed to take care of and another problem she had been losing her hair over.


    Today though, as she walked alone in the hallway, her expression was less frantic. After all, she wasn¡¯t here for a report but simply to show a message.¡°Oh my, Kiyo! How are you!?¡±


    Kiyohime stopped in her tracks and looked at the short pinked woman sauntering toward her with arge grin.


    ¡°Skuld.¡±


    Kiyohime''s rtionship with Skuld was¡­Complicated. As a dragon and a warrior of Order, she despised Skuld and in fact, would be happy to sink her w in Skuld¡¯s heart and crush her heart. She also knew that Skuld, despite her apparent smile and joy, held no love nor interest for her and anyone else.


    Expect one person ¡ª Sol.


    Kiyohime''s rtionship with Sol was even moreplicated.


    ¡°What the matter?¡±


    ¡°My, oh cold! After what we did togetherst time, I thought we became closer.¡±


    Kiyohime felt heat cover her face. Right. This was the reason why she could notpletely rebuke Skuld. That wild night she spent alongside the other women with Sol was still etched in her memory.


    Letting out a sigh, she resumed her stride, ¡°If you have nothing of importance to say then leave. I have a message to give.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know. I can even guess what the content of that message is. Why else do you think I came?¡± Skuld chuckled before walking alongside Kiyohime. The two of them were rtively close in height so they made quite the picture together.


    What was worth mentioning though was that even as she seemed close, Skuld made sure to keep a certain distance from Kiyohime. It was a distance so small it seemed useless but for people at their level, this was just the perfect distance to react instantly in case of a sudden attack.


    Kiyohime gave a side nce at the impish titan and scoffed, ¡°Your sister should be soon received by Tiamat, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Since she is a Demigod, Tiamat put my sister away but soon they will have an audience. It will be interesting.¡±


    ¡°Interesting you say?¡±


    ¡°Chaos will happen soon. It barely did in the other timeline but this time things will be different. Whether this will be for good or bad I cannot say. What I can say though is that the peace you are enjoying at the moment is in a very precarious ce.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Kiyohime was nomittal. She knew that something big would happen but she had no care for this as long as it did not affect the Dragon realm.


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    In the end, the two finally reached Tiamat¡¯s room and immediately entered. Tiamat this time had long brown hair while the clothes she was wearing had less of the imperial grace she was used to and were closer to training gears ¡°Empress.¡±


    Kiyohime gave a respectful bow but Tiamat simply waved it away and proceeded to speak inly, ¡°I have been feeling quite restless this morning. I felt as if something happened. Sol¡¯s star stone brightly and I wondered what that brat was doing.¡±


    Tiamat was not a goddess and as such was unable to gaze upon the mortal realm but as a dragon, Sol¡¯s star was firmly nted in Tiamat¡¯s dimension, and even with someone with a Fate as elusive as his, she was still able to roughly feel his situation.


    ¡°Well. I believe that the answer is here. This was sent to me by Kaiser and Nidhogg.¡±


    Kiyohime took out a small round crystal ball. It was a recording device that was pretty unpopr and barely used in the Astral realm despite how useful it could be.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Tiamat received an eyebrow at this. She remembered that the two young dragons had descended and were staying in the mortal realm with the elves. ¡°Go on, activate it.¡±


    Kiyohime nodded while Skuld, who had stayed silent, watched with interest. The crystal ball flickered with light before it started floating and soon images were projected from it.


    At first, Tiamat seemed mildly curious. The Seven Great Sages were also quite the sensation in the Astral Realm. After all, they were led by Sun Wukong and they were truly battle-hungry warriors.


    It did not take long for her eyes to open wide and for her to lean forward in her seat as image after image shed.


    The disy of Pride, Strength, and absolute and total domination made her feel like she was watching her younger self in action. Furthermore, she could see how much refined his control over his dimension had gotten.


    But it was only when Sol fully transformed into a Golden and Crimson Dragon that Tiamat¡¯s attention was captured. The dragon form was technically inferior to the War Form but this was mostly because the Warm form offered greater agility and less target for the enemy.


    The Dragon form was in no way weak and gave many advantages in pure power and mana reserve.


    ¡°Marvelous.¡±


    Tiamat fought the desire to cheer when Sol activated his Dragon breath. This was a power no dragon had ever shown. A dragon breath that was extremely close to the power of Destruction by its nature. Something only Ymir and the Witch of Destruction had shown mastery of.


    In the end, as Sol gave his speech, and proimed unterally a ceasefire and threatened another Blessed who was a King ranked while being a Duke rank himself.


    Tiamat covered her face with her hand but was unable to hide therge grin covering her face.


    In the end, though, she simply exploded herughter. At first, it was a simpleugh but soon it started filling the nine heavens themselves, causing tremors to fill every part of the territory.


    This was how a prince should be!


    The Sol she had known had been rtively humble in his actions and words. Those traits were admirable in a warrior. But she did not wish to see them in someone else''s family.


    Pride. Absolute andplete pride as well as confidence in one''s own power. Theplete and unbreakable belief in the power you possessed.


    ¡°This was beautiful.¡±


    In the end, herugh ceased but her mood was still at an all-time high.


    ¡°Kiyohime. I want you to make a copy of this recording and spread it through the entire Dragon Territory. If possible, also make them flow in the other territories.¡±


    Kiyohime, who had been spellbound by Sol¡¯s disy of power and his full dragon appearance, tore her gaze with difficulty from the video that was reying. His glistening scales had been quite mouth-watering after all.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Though her thoughts were still a little jumbled she immediately understood what Tiamat was trying to do.


    ¡°You want to build his legend?¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Tiamat snickered, ¡°Soon he will have to create his name. Might as well help him.¡±


    The victory against the Titan was great but anyone with discerning eyes would know Sol didn¡¯t use his own power to bring victory.


    Now though, there would be no doubt about his might and power. This was perfect to build a legend and increase the chances of receiving a good name.


    But this wasn¡¯t all. Tiamat knew very well that Sol did not need her help for powerful name. The second reason she was doing this was simple,


    ¡°I want all the divine beasts to remember.¡± She grinned, her eyes filled with amusement.


    ¡°I bullied all of them. My daughter bullied all their children and my grandchild will bully all their grandchildren.¡±


    The dragons were the strongest. This was nothing but the simple truth. Tiamatughed again while Kiyohime gave a bitter smile at the childishness of her creator.


    Soon though, the two dragons found something curious. Why was that impish woman not reacting?


    When the two of them finally paid attention to Skuld, Tiamat shook her head while Kiyohime only sighed.


    ¡°She fainted,¡± Kiyohime said as she watched Skuld lying down on the ground with a happy face as if she had reached Nirvana.


    It seemed like this video had been too much for Skuld¡¯s poor heart.

 Chapter 572-573: She will win

    Chapter 572-573: She will win


    As the world moved, people reacted and ns were made, the protagonist and main topic of all those discussions were sitting on his throne while quietly ignoring the six prisoners sitting on their butts in front of him.


    He was more interested in listening to Setsuna and Athena¡¯s reports while pushing the touchy Lilin who seemed to have had her switch flipped on.


    They were currently all very close to the fortress, the only ce that had not been destroyed by the fight that opposed Sol and the Bull King. The entire zone was transformed into a makeshift small house entirely made out of ice.


    It had already been a few hours since then and Kun Peng had been transported using one of the teleportation matrices to this position. Since Sol had established an absolute cease-fire, Setsuna had finally been able to move away from her position and came with Athena and Kun Peng.


    The atmosphere was tense but at the same time not so much. Even though the great sages were some of the strongest dukes to exist, none of them were bound at the moment.


    The Bull King, whose body was covered in bandages, could only let out a bitter smile. He understood well the message that was being sent here. After all, the Prince was making it clear to them that whether they were free or not, they posed no danger to him and after the fight he had against the prince he knew that this was the absolute truth.


    After all¡­The prince did not even use his Zone when facing him.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one who had been burnt badly. Looking at the haunted expression of Macaque and Lion, it seemed like wherever the prince sent them had badly traumatized them or they were just still in shock after being carelessly thrown away as if they were not even worth a second look.


    ¡°Are you really just a Duke?¡±Bull King asked as he observed the ce they were in. This was a type of construction magic of the highest degree. For a moment he even wondered if the prince was a witch because of the way he mumbled some weird spell while creating this house. Something about ¡®Not letting it go¡¯ or how he wasn¡¯t some ¡®edgy snow princess.¡¯ Those words did not make much sense but he knew talented people were always entric.


    No sooner had the Bull King finished speaking that two swords stopped at his throat. One was filled with incredible sharpness as if it could render space apart and the other was filled with infinite cold as if time itself could be stopped.


    He smiled bitterly at the threatening look in the eyes of the two young women who had seemed so harmless a few moments ago.


    Their eyes were filled with clear murderous intent.


    ¡°Do not address His Highness in such a crude way.¡±


    ¡°Are you questioning his honor?¡±


    He was startled at first before understanding the way his words could be taken. After all, it was as if he was implying that Sol was a King rank and had disguised as a Duke to fight them.


    Setsuna Ira and Lilin Luxuria. Two very talented and very powerful women. Now that he could feel the intent in their swords, he could understand why his fellow brothers and sisters had lost to those two.


    The fact that they were so fiercely loyal to the Prince of Lustburg was a wonder. After all, his rtionship with them seemed more than a little unusual.


    ¡°Setsuna, Lilin, lower your sword. They are not enemies. So I do not mind.¡±


    The two girls seemed a little reluctant but in the end, they did as was told. Of course, they did not forget to give him ast look.


    ¡°As for your question, Bull King. Indeed, I am still a Duke. I have even yet to find my name as embarrassing as it is. So do not worry. There was no treachery involved in the fight.¡±


    Bull King shook his head. ¡°I didn''t mean to doubt nor tarnish your honor. I apologize if my words came out this way.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°You¡­You seem very different.¡±


    ¡°Different?¡± Sol tilted his head, ¡°Ah. You mean less arrogant?¡±


    Sol smirked while the Bull King coughed awkwardly, ¡°Well.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to hesitate. I know I can be quite intense when I am facing people I consider enemies. I see no reason to show respect to someone who is on the opposite side.¡± He simply shrugged, ¡°But now this is different. Since you guys are not enemies anymore.¡±


    ¡°You seem awfully sure.¡±


    ¡°I am. This entire war is in the bag. We will win, no question asked.¡±


    The Bull King could feel a quiet confidence emanating from the prince. This was not arrogance. His voice was clear as if he was speaking about the weather or the sun rising.


    ¡°What if¡­¡±


    ¡°What if Sun Wukong goes into action?¡±


    Sol interrupted the Bull King, to which he nodded,


    ¡°You cannot understand just how strong Wukong is. Whatever you can imagine, he will always be two steps higher. He was born for fighting and is perfect in almost every way when ites tobat.¡±


    There was some form of reverence in his words and he knew it. But he was not ashamed. They may joke and y around with Wukong but they have always felt nothing but respect for this powerful Monkey. Over the years, he had shown them that he was the closest thing to undefeatable and the proof was that even the Dragon King, Fafnir, known for his supreme defense, was unable to beat Wukong in a one-on-one fight.


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    Sol simply smirked, ¡°I do not doubt that Sun Wukong is a very dangerous powerhouse. Perhaps one of the highest-ranked ones in the Mortal World and even in the Astral World, few can be his equal. But Wratharis isn¡¯t the only one with a heavy hitter.¡±


    Heughed, ¡°If you are asking whether Wukong can actually defeat our Queen, my answer will be simple.¡±


    He leaned forward with a boyish grin as he uttered those words, ¡°Nah~ She will win.¡±


    ***


    If Sol had to be honest. He was not as sure of Lilith¡¯s victory as he was making it seem.


    From the information he received Sun Wukong was like Lilith. At a level that of Demigod but since they had yet to create their Territories, they were not true demigod yet.


    Furthermore, both of them were Singrities, making it very hard for Sol to observe anything rted to them.


    A fight between those two powerhouses had so many possibilities that it was mind-boggling.


    So no. He was not sure that Lilith could actually win. At the same time, he did not think she would lose. It was a perfect 50/50 in a way and the final oue between them would be akin to a throw of dice by destiny


    Sol hated watching people throw dice. Unless he was the one controlling everything.


    If he wanted to, he had many different ways to make sure Lilith would win or rather make sure Wukong would lose.


    But he would not use them.


    Victory and defeat between them would not change the oue once Setsuna became officially the Queen of Wratharis.


    There was no need to tarnish Lilith¡¯s first true battle since gaining a new life and witnessing the fight would be very useful for him.


    ¡°Sol¡­What should we do with them?¡±


    Sol came back to himself when he heard them calling him and simply shrugged, ¡°I honestly don''t want to go through the whole charade again. Flood will take care of them. Treat them as guests. Submit or whatever. You will be given a choice.¡±


    Sol was indeed tempted to have all the sages under hismand. He doubted there were many Duke rank who could even hope to face them at their full power.


    This was how strong they were but at the same¡­He didn''t really need them.


    He already had an entire army of Duke witches at his disposal and while he wouldn''t use them now he would without a doubt use them during the conquest.


    ¡°I will be honest because I don''t want you guys to have false ideas or expectations. You are not necessary.¡± His voice was blunt.


    ¡°Your presence will make things go smoother but your absence will never affect me negatively. The only reason you are still alive now is that I do not wish to make Sun Wukong a life-and-death enemy. If after this war you guys decide you don''t want to be part of my ns then I will be happy to let you guys.¡±


    His voice and actions may appear arrogant to many but for him, this was nothing but the simple truth.


    ¡°What will happen now is simple. You guys will be transferred to the Capital and you will have ess to your mansions or whatever strikes your fancy. Then you will be good boys and will not cause me trouble. Simple, right?¡±


    ¡°You are pretty daring. Don''t you fear us messing up the capital? Even if there is the Supreme Daughter she wouldn''t be able to install the barrier instantly.¡± The one who spoke this time was Kun Peng and he stood angrily.


    He had been rtively silent until now but the way this prince was talking irked him to no end.


    This whole situation was shit and he didn''t understand why they were even listening to this kid as if they were his pet.


    ¡°Sit down.¡±


    Sol spoke while looking at his eyes, causing Kun Peng to freeze. In the current situation with him standing up and Sol sitting on his throne, Sol had to look up to him but he had a distinct feeling that he was being looked down on instead.


    As if he was just a shrimp facing a giant, this feeling caused his blood to boil in his veins and he was about to speak again when,


    ¡°I do not want to repeat myself a third time. Sit down.¡±


    This time, Kun Peng could feel goosebumps go down and while Sol had not even started showing his aura, the feeling was not something he could go against.


    Cold sweat covered his face as his pride fought against his reason. His heart was beating so fast in his chest that his field of vision started to narrow. His flight and fight instincts were going crazy and definitely leaning towards flight.


    ¡°Brother. Sit down.¡±


    He stopped himself and suddenly the world seemed once again wider when his hand caught his.


    Looking down, he could see the Flood Queen holding his hand and shaking her head before forcibly pulling him down.


    Meanwhile, it was the Bull King who stood up this time while cupping his hands.


    ¡°I apologize for my little brother¡¯s rude behavior. He is a brash but he did not mean wrong.¡±


    The only sounds after this apology wereing from Sol¡¯s fingers rhythmically tapping at the armrest.


    The tension was thick and Flood couldn''t help but nudge Kun Peng who, after hesitating a little, gritted his teeth before standing up and cupping his hands as well.


    ¡°I beg your forgiveness.¡±


    He had never felt such a humiliation in his life. Not even being basically one shot by Setsuna had been as humiliating.


    But he knew that men had to bend their waists sometimes. He did not fear for his own life but negatively affecting his brothers and sister because of his own stupid and petty pride was uneptable.


    Soon, all the other Great sages, even the Flood Queen, also stood up and cupped their hands.


    They were silent but their wills were there for all to see.


    ¡°What a beautiful disy of brotherhood.¡± A smile spread on Sol¡¯s face and the tension seemed to melt down instantly.


    ¡°I ept the apologies. But know that it''s only because I was moved by the solidarity between you.¡±


    For someone like Sol who valued family above all else, such disy always moved him immensely.


    This was the proof that even in a world full of selfishness, love still had its ce.


    He had to admit, it was quite funny that the country of Wrath was the one who had the most familial value.


    ¡°Well. Either way to answer your earlier question. I have no worries about you causing any trouble in the capital. In fact¡­I would be impressed if you actually managed to do so in the current circumstances.¡±


    An enigmatic smile formed on his face as he decided to put an end to the discussion with the sages.


    He had other things to worry about. Such as a certain snake girl.


    He had not been able to have a deep discussion with her or rather¡­with the two of them because of how busy he had been.


    But now¡­Perhaps it was time to speak to the murderer of his parents in more depth.

 Chapter 574-575

    Chapter 574-575


    Once Sol made his decision, he decided to move fast. He may have established a 7 days ceasefire but nothing said Wratharis would listen to it. Of course, if they didn¡¯t this would be to his advantage. Sol would be happy to see the King ruin his chances and make himself even more hated by the popce. This would make Sestuna''s ascension to the throne even easier than it should already be.


    Obviously, the Wolf King, for all his arrogance, should not be that stupid.


    There was also another reason why he had chosen 7 days; if everything worked as he intended, everything would be different. The symbolism behind these numbers would be extremely powerful and useful for him to reach his goal.


    Ignoring the rushing sound of the rivers and the thousands of strings that only he could see, Sol started walking forward and the girls followed, leaving only the 7 sages who did not know what to do in the current situation.


    ¡°You guys should sit down or mingle somewhere, you can also go to soothe the captured soldiers if you wish.¡±


    Sol¡¯s voice drifted to them before he finally left.


    ***


    Once the girls were far enough, Athena finally had the courage to ask,


    ¡°Is it wise, Your Majesty?¡±She had been staying silent all along because opposing her superior in front of outsiders would only show an ugly side. There was also the simple fact that for all intent and purpose, Sol had shown and proved to be a verypetent ruler and while not all his orders always made sense, they were usually correct.


    This was all the more reason for her to ask. Falling intocency and believing that the King would always be right and would never make mistakes was a recipe for disaster in any kingdom.


    It was important for some retainers to keep an objective mindset at all times even if they might get disliked because of this.


    This time, neither Setsuna nor Lilin intervened. They knew to differentiate between a respectful question and one done with an insult in mind.


    Furthermore, Athena and Setsuna had be something of close friends as they had very simr mindsets and shared the role of protecting Sol. Even if this role seemed to be nothing but a decoration in the current situation.


    Sol simply shrugged. Now that he was not in front of people he needed to keep a mask, his cold impression vanished greatly and he once again seemed like nothing more than a young boy.


    ¡°Honestly. Whether it¡¯s wise or not depends on what you think. For all their faults, the sages are prideful bunches. They will not hurt nor threaten the poption of Lustburg. This would tarnish their honors. As long as we treat them well, they will not fight back.¡±


    Athena hesitated a little and opened her mouth without speaking, to which Sol only chuckled, ¡°You must be thinking that it¡¯s pretty stupid to put the security of the poption at risk while believing in something as flimsy as honors.¡±


    ¡°...Indeed. Far from me to insult the honor of the Sages. But when reality knocks, honors and pride can be thrown to the wayside.¡±


    Athena was first and foremost a Commander. A knight and a soldier she may be. But she would always be amander and as such she always had to keep an objective outlook on any battlefield.


    Sol, Lilin, and Setsuna had proven they could easily put down the sages but as was shown during the earlier fight, all the sages needed were a few seconds to cause irreversible damage.


    Even the Witch of Time and the Witch of Life, with all their power, were unable to bring back the dead to life. Leaving the Sages free without even one shackle to limit their powers was akin to keeping a bomb ready to explode at any moment and she could not understand the logic behind this reasoning.


    ¡°Not only that. I also do not understand the reasoning behind leaving 7 days of rest to the army of Wratharis. Those 7 days are variables during which the King of Wratharis could cause more problems for us. Whereas if we attacked now. Wratharis would have no means of resisting and we would be able to reach the gate of the capital in a few days.¡±


    Athena really felt like pulling her hair, grabbing Sol by the cor, and shaking him awake while screaming and shouting. The only thing stopping her was her allegiance to the throne and the knowledge that such action would most likely be deadly should she carry on.


    ¡°Your expression is quite scary.¡±


    Sol coughed awkwardly. Not finding it in him to rebuff Athena. He knew that his actions seemed iprehensible to many and that if not for his sess they would have taken him for crazy.


    But,


    ¡°Everything I do is for a reason. I cannot speak of this now. But I just want you to understand that the reality is different from what you think. If Lupus attacks now¡­His chances of victory would be higher. If he leaves me the full seven days though¡­Heh. Let¡¯s just say that 7 is my lucky number.¡±


    Sol shrugged and continued to walk on, ¡°As for the Sages, I already told them but there are ways to stop them frommitting stupid crimes. I will have the witches watching them. Some witches wish to help a little and slowly integrate into our society. Soon, I will establish a police system that will monitor the entire Capital and eventually the entire Kingdom while being under the surveince of the witches.¡±


    Sol knew that what he was doing was breaking everyw of freedom and right of privacy that could have existed in his old world. In a way, perhaps he was even more of a tyrant than Lupus. Albeit in a different sense.


    But to such a thing, Sol could onlyugh.


    Privacy was the least valuable thing in this world where even the goddesses would peek at you while you were making love.


    For Sol, privacy was just a myth and nothing but an illusion. Why should he care about the privacy of other people then?


    Hearing Sol¡¯s project, Athena decided to express her apprehension,


    ¡°Your majesty. While I understand and admire your wish to right the wrongs the witches suffered from, I believe you are giving them a little too much power too soon.¡±


    Athena had learned about the truth of the Tower creation and she also learned about everything Jupiter did and how the witches were nothing but innocent victims in this matter.


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    As a woman and even as a decent human being, what Jupiter did was both disgusting and atrocious. He had essentially used and abused someone who cared deeply for him before literally imprisoning them for years.


    Furthermore, because of those actions, thest millennia have been fraught with deceit and hatred between witches and humans.


    Humanities owed so much to the witches that they might never be able to repay their debts even generations after her.


    But¡­


    While she could understand and feel sad for them as a <em>human and a woman, </em>As a <em>noble and a soldier, </em>she could not let herself be blinded by their plight. Giving power to people who were oppressed for years generally did not end well for the previous oppressor.


    ¡°The witches now might be happy with the power they have but what about in 20 years? Hundred years or even a thousand years? What if the witches try to control the nobles or the royal court or if they get greedy and simply abuse their power?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­I guess it will be for the people of that time to deal with it?¡±


    Sol shrugged. He could analyze oues and indeed, the chance of the witches one day trying to seize power from his descendant was possible. But¡­¡±Such is life.¡±


    Sol did not know how long he could live. His lifespan was essentially in the tens of thousands and once he became a Demigod, it would be near infinite. He might care about the first few generations of his children but as the number rises, his feelings would change.


    He couldn''t babysit the royal family for millennia. More than anything else¡­Sol stopped himself from thinking further and smiled at Athena, ¡°Let the future generation deal with the headache.¡±


    ¡°This is a very irresponsible thing to say.¡±


    Athena gave a bitter smile. As a noble, worrying about the future was the norm as each decision they made was done with the feeling of duty that was taught to them since their birth.


    ¡°The power you have now is the result of the hard work of your ancestors. Do not disappoint them and do not disappoint your descendants. Only by doing so can our line prosper.¡±


    Athena muttered, ¡°This is what my father used to tell me when I was young before his death. This is also what my Grandfather continuously taught me. As nobles, we must never forget that our current situation was the result of generations of hard work. Our first ancestor may have been a farmer or a soldier but the one after him climbed higher and so did the one after him and it is our duty to make sure the one after us will not suffer. <em>Noblesse oblige </em>is not just a concept that shapes the way we deal withmoners. It also shows the way we must act as nobles.¡±


    Athena cringed inwardly even as she spoke. She may have gone too far in trying to exin her vision to the prince and she had a feeling it came out as a little too preachy. She had seen firsthand that Sol did not take well to being looked down upon, even if it wasn¡¯t her intention.


    Sol, seeing her reaction gave a bitter smile and he turned to Setsuna and Lilith to ask, ¡°Am I that scary?¡±


    He knew he had done a few <em>slightly </em>extreme things when ites to people who showed no respect to him but Sol was not so far down in hubris that he would refuse well-intentioned advice from someone who truly cared. Even more so when said advice was worthy of respect and learning.


    Sol had been trained all his life as a noble but the emphasis had been very different. Be it because of his previous life or how neither Lilith nor Camelia taught him to have pride in his title as a King, he saw himself more as the big guy with powerful sticks rather than a true ruler.


    This impression and this way of thinking colored his perception of the world and his interactions with people. This was also one of the reasons he had never liked Mars. Everything he heard about Mars painted him as a rightful individual and he sacrificed himself for the world and his kingdom. But perhaps¡­Also to insure a better future for Sol.


    ¡°Noblesse Oblige, huh.¡±


    Mars may have failed his family but as a King, his actions and decisions were perfect for he had given as much as he had received from the Kingdom.


    What about him? Was he a good king?


    Sol smiled. A few months ago, he would have been able to answer and say <em>No</em> without a shadow of doubt. He had always put his own desire and the well-being of his family and those he loved above that of the need of this kingdom.


    Thinking about it. He had always been very selfish,


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Athena was bewildered at the unexpected show of gratitude but Sol simply continued to walk ahead, a brighter smile tugging at his lips. He had once again learned something more about himself.


    He may not be fit to be a ruler but he loved ruling above people. He had no desire for conquest but he longed for the safety that controlling the world would bring him. The ce he was now, the power he wielded, and the people he loved. All of this would have never been possible if some people did not fight for theirnds, willingly giving their lives for what they believed in.


    He would most likely never sacrifice himself for his kingdom but¡­He would make sure the sacrifice of those who were willing to die for their country would never go to waste.


    Sol was not a good king.


    But he would be the best king he could.


    ¡°I will slightly amend my decision. Once we go back to Lustburg. I will arrange a meeting for you with ra so that you can prepare reasonable limitations to the power and responsibilities the witches will be bestowed.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Sol raised his hand and stopped her, ¡°You can call me Sol. You have more than earned that right. You taught me a valuable lesson and gave me a great opportunity and realization.¡±


    He gazed at Athena, his gaze solemn, ¡°Athena Hignd. Kneel.¡±


    Athena, feeling the seriousness of the situation, took a knee immediately with her head lowered.


    A ceremonial sword came out of Sol¡¯s dimension andnded in his hand, ¡°Athena Hignd. Proud Heiress of the Ducal House. I hereby swear in my name. As long as your house will be loyal to the royal family, and as long as I am alive, the Hignd House will never lose its title.¡±


    Athena¡¯s eyes opened wide when she felt the heavy weight of the sword on her shoulder, ¡°Do you swear your allegiance to the royal family?¡±


    ¡°I swear!¡±


    Even amidst her bewilderment, there was no hesitation in her words. This was without a doubt the achievement of a lifetime. As long as nothing wrong happened, Sol was destined to live generations even after her death.


    ¡°Very well. You can now rise. This ceremony is not an official one. I will reward you openly and properly once the war ends.¡±


    Athena rose again, her face flushed with excitement and barely hidden giddiness. She couldn¡¯t believe that her brash advice would bring forth such results.


    Only in moments like this was one able to see that for all her bluster and confidence, deep down, she was still a young woman.


    ¡°Congrattions.¡±


    Both Setsuna and Lilin pped quietly, they were both very happy to see this.


    ¡°I will also appoint you as one of my personal advisors alongside ra. This was something I should have done long ago but we did not have much time.¡±


    All the nobles had been moring non-stop about how having a Beast woman and an elf as his closest advisor was unbing. He of course understood that this was just them wishing to add one of their chest pieces or some honey trap for him.


    At least with Athena, all of them could only shut up. Athena had proven that she was not just a Yes woman. While ra and Milia would also question his decision at times they were too enamored with him and might hesitate in fear of making him angry.


    Furthermore, both of them always took his well-being first in the equation above that of the Kingdom. If he truly wished to be a better king, impartial people such as Athena who cared greatly for the Kingdom were essential.


    ¡°Now then. We have wasted enough time I believe. It¡¯s time to go.¡±


    He had taken one more step and understood a little more what it meant to be a ruler. This was a very good harvest. This episode also served as a small reminder.


    He was not perfect.


    He was not a god.


    At the very least¡­<em>Not yet.</em>

 Chapter 576-Chapter 577: 1st Day

    Chapter 576-Chapter 577: 1st Day


    <em>And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.</em>


    <strong><em>Upon the sound of the first trumpet, hail and fire mingled with blood is thrown to Earth, burning up a third of the trees on the, and all green grass</em></strong>


    <em>Words of a scripture</em>


    The first day came and went for Sol and he realized that he had much more to do than he initially nned. His discussion with Athena had given him some realization and he needed to capitalize on them.


    For one, the looks he had been getting from the soldiers changed instantly. They already knew that he was powerful after he showed them the difference in power but nothing like a fire and destruction beam to bring forth respect in a bunch of battle-hardened men.


    The faith they had in him skyrocketed and this was something Sol was happy to see as faith would eventually be an importantmodity for him. This was one of the reasons why he was always filming and sharing his most epic moments.


    Faith was a feeling born from fear, respect, or love and the purest faith were those who had a mixture of everything in them. Faith was both illusory and intangible but at the same time, Faith could be converted into true currency or power source.


    It was something very precious and something one could never have enough of.


    Sol wanted to be stronger. Very fast. His power allowed him to avoid being blindsided too easily but he was not omniscient. Still, of the three paths, <em>Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence, </em>he was climbing steadily on Omniscience and the amount of skills he could use was also growing.His main problem, if one could call it such, was that he could notpletely bring the skill of his dimension in the real world without going for a dimension encroachment. But in the same way, the power he could bring with such was rtively limited as he did not have the power of a demigod backing him.


    Currently, Sol was sitting on the hard ground in his room while in deep meditation. His goal was not to pierce the secret of dimensional magic yet but simply to digest the insight he had received and how to apply it.


    At this moment, he was akin to an artist with a nearly finished work of art and all he needed was to add the color. By now, Sol already knew what name he wanted to get and he knew how to get it.


    This was the perfect asion for him and once he became a King, many things would change for him. Both visible and invisible things.


    ¡°The path of Omnipresence, huh.¡±


    Sol mulled over this. If all things were considered, the three paths, while seemingly different, were in fact interconnected. If one was omnipotent then one could make themselves omniscient and Omnipresent.


    If one is omniscient then are they not omnipresent in a way? This was an interesting way of seeing things.


    ¡°I should not take the three paths as exclusive.¡±


    One could not reliably be one without the others. So why fight? Why separate? All roads lead to one destination and One destination could create millions of roads, which then could create smaller and narrower roads.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Sol started thinking. His mind wandered, his eyes closed and his power surged and he entered his dimension. The Inverted dimension. A ce where the entire universe was seemingly flipped upside on.


    A ce where he could inverse even concepts such as how he did when facing enemies such as Lucifer. Though called Lucifer seemed quite wrong in this situation.


    Observing the dimension. Sol had one thought.


    ¡°Is it truly my dimension?¡±


    Up to now, what he did was akin to using the Dimension as a key, a portal between the two universes. He did have some control over it and could do some interesting things but was it truly his dimension?


    How could he call it such when he did not have full control over it? But then how to have full control over it?


    Sol pondered and then looked at the sky he thought. <em>Let¡¯s do things one at a time. </em>He was in a hurry. He needed to grow faster and better than anyone else. But haste always led to waste. Only by advancing steadily could he reach his destination.


    Pondering about deeper control of his dimension would be something to look forward to when he became stronger and had higherputational power. Of course, not all this would necessarily bring more power.


    Dimensional mages were rare and territories were scarce. Hecked frames of reference and could not do much about that at the moment.


    ¡°I wish Tiamat was here.¡±


    That old woman who liked to be called Big Sis had been a treasure trove of information when it came to growing stronger. She undoubtedly had one of the better understanding of ¡°How to get stronger¡± rather than some random individuals who might not even have a tenth of her experience.


    Sadly, while he wished toe to have a deeper discussion with her, it would beplicated unless he became a demigod. But once he became a demigod, he would not be able to see her either and she would lose all need to teach him anything.


    Truly a somewhat problem. After all, once the mortal realm was stolen, he may or may not be an enemy with the goddesses and this wouldn¡¯t be very good for him if Tiamat started chasing him like she seemingly did in the alternative timeline with his other self, things would be veryplicated.


    This was a point to look forward to and analyze. He did not seek perfection. But he would make damn sure he reached as close to perfection as possible.


    ---


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    The second day started and as the Sun rose in the sky, Sol started walking outside. His steps were slow and it seemed as if he was walking with no particr direction in mind.


    He was still in his dimension after his night of meditation and realization. This night had been more than a little useful for him and now all the enlightenment he had were starting to coalesce together in an interesting whole.


    It was still a world full of monochromatic gray or at least it should have been so. But as Sol advanced, the color started to spread all around. Those were not the color of the natural world but more akin to a softer yellow, showing the presence of light.


    ¡°This is not bad.¡±


    Sol nodded to himself. He was happy with the progress he was making and now all he needed was something a little something toplete his ns. That little something though was quiteplicated to acquire and even then he still felt like he would be missing more.


    ¡°Well, one thing at a time.¡± Sol sighed. Striving for perfection would be foolish but what he was doing needed something very close to perfection. If he failed, he would have severe repercussions and he could anticipate that it wouldn¡¯t be something he would like.


    ¡°I could take the easy way out.¡± He wondered. Hesitated, pondered. The easy way might create an imbnce even more severe but at the same time. The piece would fit quite snugly on the whole. Sol hesitated for an instant and he tried to read a possible future. But all he could see was a fog. Not even the threads of destiny could guide him for the current choices he wished to make. Clearly, there were simply too many implications.


    This was another reminder that he was not all-knowing nor all-powerful. The Eye of Akasha was undoubtedly a godly weapon of a very high caliber but the limitations it had were also clear. Of course, there was also the fact that he was too weak. No matter how powerful he was as a Duke. He was still <em>nothing more</em> than a Duke.


    A special Duke but still a Duke. This was a level of life that limited too many of his abilities. Thankfully, soon he would reach the next level in life and be something more.


    The King level was an essential transformation of the very being. One that brought even an increase in lifespan. This was because she reached the King level Lilith had been able to survive longer than she should have as a homunculus.


    Once he was satisfied with the current situation, Sol broke through the walls of his dimension and started stepping into the real world. Now that he was stronger, this process that had always seemed instantaneous to him seemed slower. Not because he became worse at it but because he was able to notice far more details.


    Walking out of his dimension felt like plunging into a deep and immense sea that stretched to infinity and only after jumping out of the ¡°water¡± could he surface back in the <em>real </em>world.


    This was an uncanny sensation. One that showed him that there was much he still did not understand in this world. The kind of truth that could only be understood when one reached the level of a god, or perhaps even beyond.


    ¡°Perhaps Order and Chaos would have an idea?¡± He mused. This he had an idea, a small idea of course, but he sadly did not have enough information to confirm it. But if he was right, then this universe was far, far broader than he could imagine.


    After all. If his Inverse dimension could be a universe, then¡­ What say there weren¡¯t other universes out of here?


    What about Earth, the ce he came from? Was it in this universe or apletely separate one? The theory of a parallel universe was nothing new for someone who lived on Earth. The he was currently on, the Mortal realm, was incredibly simr to Earth. So much that one could argue that<em> it was Earth. </em>Only during a much different time.


    If Earth and Gaia were parallel universes and if his own inverted dimension was another nascent parallel universe then it was possible that out of here, there existed many more parallel universes. Ones that were much different from the one here or very simr.


    ¡°Well. This is something that doesn¡¯t concern me now.¡± He had no way to verify this theory for the time being, and even if he did find the truth, it would not give him any advantages.


    His own Truth was not tied to understanding the existence of parallel universes. This would be a nice enlightenment but not one that would advantage him particrly.


    ¡°Sol! You are back!¡± His musings were interrupted by a small ball full of joy that rushed at him before settling on his head as if it were her natural seat.


    Riding a dragon, even if he was in human form, was not something many people could dare to do. Even Theresa nearly paid a high price when she tried to mount ze in the past. Since Sol was bing closer to his dragon¡¯s side it would have been normal for him to be angry at this clearck of respect.


    But all he felt was helplessness and a low chuckle escaped him as he brought his finger up and flicked gently at the intruder, who simply giggled like he was tickling her.


    ¡°How have you been?¡± He asked as he walked out of the tent.


    ¡°Super! Duper! The battlefield was a little mopey at first but now since no one is fighting it¡¯s just fun!¡±


    ¡°I am d you are having fun.¡± Solughed. Who else but Scheherazade could it be? She was perhaps one of the rare people in existence who did not worship nor love him but who also did not fear him.


    Sol loved the candidness of this little ball of sunshine. A woman who had suffered her fair share of hardship and discrimination but who could still smile andugh at the darkness of the world.


    For Sol, Scheherazade was a friend and a benefactor as well as someone who, despite her ditzy appearance, could teach him much about life. Of course, there was never one without two.


    ¡°Hi¡­¡± Sol hugged the Dark haired girl who also approached him once he left the tent. After all, wherever there was Scheherazade, there was obviously Isis.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± He asked after separating slightly and looking at her pale face. Isis always had a pale countenance, but it became a little worse since thest time he saw her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I was affected by the battlefield because of all the surrounding death. It was hard for me to¡­ You know what.¡±


    Isis was a Death Phoenix. A walking inconsistency as she held two very opposite but alsoplementary concepts. For Isis, a battlefield was nothing more than a ce to thrive. The reason why she went personally on the battlefield wasn¡¯t just to protect Setsuna. Sol had needed her there for another reason and this was taxing on her.


    ¡°Thank you. You only need to hold on for a few more days. I am sorry for all the anguish.¡± He was sad to see her clearly holding back and in pain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. I am d to be of help and obviously, this is also helping my path. If your n works, I will not have to fight my father for more authority. Though this is a very daring path.¡±


    ¡°Heh. You are following a very daring man after man.¡±


    ¡°Well. I guess I did vow <em>to work together with you to achieve our goals.¡± </em>This had been one of the parts of her vow and she was determined to follow through it;


    ¡°All for our beautiful future.¡± He held his hand tenderly and the two of them gazed at each other. Love and affection swam in their gaze. The two of them were not just lovers. They were friends, equals, andpanions walking a treacherous path. Their rtionship may have been short but they had shared many moments together.


    Slowly the two of them brought their faces forward and even the exuberant Scheherazade covered her face with her hands though, of course, she left a small gap between her fingers.


    But, just as they were about to kiss ~<em>Crunch</em>~ The atmosphere was broken as the sound of someone munching reached them.


    Sol gave a bitter smile and looked at the person standing further behind Isis. A beautiful silver-haired woman d in a maid uniform and holding what looked like a bag of chips, looking at them with a clueless expression while she munched on her food.


    ¡°Nuwa.¡±


    Indeed. This was the small problem he needed to work on. Looking at her nk face, Sol sighed and patted Isis on the head.


    This was definitely going to be moreplicated than he thought. After all ¡ª He might need to sign a contract with her.

 Chapter 578-Chapter 580: Meeting Echidna

    Chapter 578-Chapter 580: Meeting Echidna


    Sol¡¯s rtionship with Nuwa was¡­Well, it was veryplicated to exin. All in all, the two of them had spent only a few days together before Sol left for the Astral realm.


    Then, when he came back, Nuwa was already on the battlefield and he could not spend time with her. When the war finally started, Sol was too busy to even have a proper rtionship with his lovers, much less Nuwa.


    As if this wasn¡¯t enough, unknown to everyone else, Nuwa was possessed by Echidna who technically was the enemy of Lustburg. She might not have killed ze and Mars personally. But there was no denying that she was the main cause of this situation. After all, she attacked Lustburg first.


    He still didn¡¯t even know how to announce it to Lilith and the others and he knew the more he waited the more this would be dangerous. This was no different from a stupid bomb waiting to blow up. This whole set up was leading to one of the most cliche situations where, while giving their all during an important fight, someone had their deepest secret revealed and that secret fucked up everyone.


    He knew that Camelia could see souls the same way Isis did. The moment Camelia sees Nuwa, she immediately understands everything. There was even the possibility of the enemy discovering it or Echidna herself appearing at the worst timing.


    Sol could see thising miles away and he knew that he needed to make a decision fast about how he would deal with Nuwa and Echidna. The good thing at least was that destroying Echidna¡¯s soul without hurting Nuwa was notplicated in the slightest.


    Either way, because of all those problems, here they were in a situation that was extremely awkward no matter how they looked at it. Well¡­At least, Sol was awkward.


    Nuwa had no intention of considering all the possible ramifications of her current situation. She had never been one to think too much about things she could do nothing about after all.


    Sol could not see the slightest feeling of fear or worrying from the young girl in maid uniform and he found himself impressed. This was a level of carefreeness that went past all limits.¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Nuwa¡¯s eyes looked at him curiously. She didn¡¯t understand why he was asking her this question. Her time had been very good without the slightest bit of exaggeration.


    After she defended the base from the attack she had been rewarded handsomely and even proposed a position of Lieutenant in the army with and as noble. This was something she knew many people aspired to. She was not stupid and she could see the looks of envy mixed with the respect she received at that time.


    But Nuwa had simply refused. She did not want to be a noble. Even more so a noble with an entirend to manage. It seemed like so much work to do for not much. She was fed well in the Tower, she was around people she liked and she was treated well. She had no reason to lose all this.


    As Nuwa exined all this to Sol while the four of them walked toward the transportation circle. Well, only three of them were walking. Sheherazade was still ooing and cooing as she observed everything while sitting on his head.


    Even Isis seemed to be quite starry-eyed as she observed the fortress. She was interested in the barrier that was covering this ce as while it wasn¡¯t powerful in her standard, it was still quite well done.


    <em>I¡­Well. This is quite weird. </em>


    Sol was reminded once again that both Sheherazade and Isis were undoubtedly the most stable and carefree people that were close to him and Nuwa seemed to be in the same position.


    In particr her disinterest in power because of how much work it would have reminded him of well¡­Himself? It seemed like so long ago but the truth was that not long ago, he had not even wanted to be the King of Lustburg and now, he was on his way to try and conquer the world.


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    ¡°Anything funny?¡± Nuwa asked as she raised her head at him. After all, she was quite petite whenpared to Sol.


    ¡°Nothing. I just realized I have been thinking too hard about something that in reality was quite simple.¡± He chuckled once again and patted Nuwa¡¯s head. Who simply closed her eyes and enjoyed the caress while taking another chip.


    Indeed. He had been thinking too much. So entangled in his threads that he had forgotten that sometimes, the simplest things had the simplest solution.


    ¡°Say, Nuwa. Do you want to sign a contract with me?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    A bitter smile spread on his face. He had asked bluntly and Nuwa simply answered bluntly. Then looked at him curiously. ¡°I thought it was already decided that we would sign a contract?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­Indeed.¡±


    <em>Man, I feel so dumb. </em>


    Sol sighed and dismissed those feelings. Sure it was great that they managed to settle on this rather fast but there was another problem which was admittedly not so much a problem.


    ¡°What kind of contract should we sign?¡±


    He spoke out loud. A lust contract was¡­Sol frowned and looked at Nuwa who seemed more like a squirrel than anything else with her mouth stuffed.


    As funny as it seemed, a Lust contract was all but about lust. It was a contract made based on love and the vows were not dissimr to marriage vows in his old world. For the contract to even work, both participants needed to be truly in love with each other and if their love vanished, the contract would also vanish.


    Did he love Nuwa? The answer was self-evident. He barely even felt lust for her. Nuwa was definitely a beautiful woman but he had long since gone past the level where he would get excited just because a woman was beautiful.


    Her personality and action were endearing and she was a loyal member of his house. But if he had to be honest¡­She looked more like a loyal pet to him. Something cute like a hamster. Taking out a treat from his dimension he gave it to Nuwa who immediately epted it and started munching on it. She was eating in such a cute way.


    <em>Yeah, definitely a hamster.</em>


    He might be able to develop greater feelings for her in the future but definitely not in six days and he could definitely not use Medea¡¯s time dtion for this or it would mess up all his preparation.


    Then, ¡°Nuwa, do you love me?¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­?¡± She swallowed and asked curiously, ¡°What is love exactly? But I do like you. I think. You are warm and I like having my head patted. It gives me fuzzy feelings. Is it love?¡±


    Sol gave another bitter smile and pinched her cute face, ¡°Forget it. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    This was all the answer he needed. At this moment, Nuwa was no different from a nk sheet. In this situation, he would feel like he was abusing an innocent child if he made a Lust contract with her.


    Thankfully ¡ª It wasn¡¯t as if there was only one kind of contract and looking at Nuwa, the best contracts with her were more than evident.


    <em>Either a Sloth or a Gluttony type contract. </em>


    His eyes shone. This was¡­Quite interesting. Up to now, he already had individual contact with four goddesses and at this point, he was one hundred percent sure that whatever type of contract he chose, one of the goddesses would try to talk to him.


    Then the final question was¡­Were G and Acedia on Luxuria¡¯s side or on Invidia¡¯s side?


    Whether or not those goddesses were on his side was extremely important for his iing contract. Sol knew that one of the reasons he was still alive, more than his own merits, was the protection of Luxuria and their desire to not hurt their rtionship because of him.


    In short ¡ª They were still underestimating him.


    Some like Invidia may see him as a future threat but at the very most, in their opinion, he would be lesser or equal to Anubis. Someone powerful but who, ultimately, could not really hurt them nor affect their rules.


    His stunts with Lilith may have made them warier, but this was all.


    <em>If I seed by getting the Name I want though¡­Things could get ugly.</em>


    This was something his intuition was screaming at him and this was why he would make sure that his ascension as a King happened in his own dimension far from prying eyes. He would also make sure to get Aurora''s help to hide things.


    Thankfully, while the potential of things getting ugly could be high, the true problem would be if they realized that he had for goal to steal the Mortal Realm.


    This would definitely not fly well at all and he would most likely be besieged by the goddesses if he was not careful.


    He needed to advance step by step, build his own force, exchange with his own allies, and make sure that all would be well.


    There was also the prophecy Lucifer had given him. By now, Sol was starting to have some inklings about what this could have meant, and for this reason, he needed even more urgent allies.


    This was why ¡ª-


    ¡°Sheherazade, move away please, we need to enter my dimension and I still cannot stop the emotion maniption effects from affecting you.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Sure! Don¡¯t take too long! I will go steal some cake from Lilin!¡±


    Sheherazade chirped and flew off in the distance, causing Sol to chuckle. This little fairy was a true little ball of pure joy and delight. She always illuminated his day when she was near.


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    ¡°Should I go too?¡± Isis asked and Sol waved his hand, ¡°You are the only Duke who can enter my Dimension without worrying. Let¡¯s go, we have been wasting too much time on this.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± She was interested in witnessing the discussion that would happen next. After all, in a way, the one they were about to face could have been one of her stepmothers.


    This was going to be a very interesting discussion.


    ***


    The moment they entered Sol¡¯s dimension, while Isis was able to fend off the rules that were trying to invert her feelings, Nuwa was not so lucky but the changes that happened to her were different.


    Her previous dull and somewhat absent-minded eyes were filled with intelligent and alert light. Herzy demeanor switched to one that was full of authority and the feeling of facing a friend and someone of the same age vanished as it was reced with the impression of standing in front of a very old being.


    ¡°My. I did not think you would try to speak to me again so soon.¡± Even though the voice was the same, one did not need to be a genius to see the stark difference between the usual Nuwa and the current one.


    ¡°For someone who is forced to live like a parasite in the body of her daughter, you have quite the haughty tone.¡± Sol grinned meanly and ignored the deadly re she threw at him before causing three made out of ice to appear. ¡°Do not worry. I have considerably increased the temperature and altered the surface.¡±


    He sat on his chair and Isis did the same on the chair close to him. Observing this, a twinkle danced in Echidna¡¯s eyes before she sat as well.


    ¡°I initially thought your n was to erase me. But it seems like you are much more ambitious than this.¡± Once she wasfortable, she spoke her mind without a veil.


    ¡°What makes you think this?¡± He asked quietly.


    ¡°The fact that you did not kill the main cause of the death of your parents is already telling enough. Then again, I suppose this is not wrong. After all, from your point of view¡­They are not really your parents, right? Foreigner.¡± Echidna snickered as she gazed at Sol and Isis. She was also quite surprised to see that Isis was still calm.


    <em>So she knew already? Interested. Those foreigners generally hide their identity.</em>


    ¡°So you know about reincarnation.¡± Sol mused to which Echidna shrugged, ¡°Why do you think I was so interested in attacking Lustburg repeatedly? Each of the rulers of Lustburg were precious research material. It was imperative for me to get some of their blood and gic information.¡±


    In her long life, Echidna had obviously observed many reincarnated individual and their very existence was fascinating,


    ¡°A foreign Soul in a new body. The concept itself of reincarnation is nothing extraordinary even if extremelyplicated but it¡¯s something marvelous in essence. All Foreigners show tremendous talents that cannot simply be exined by their being Blessed or not. Their very existence should be impossible but the sturdiness of their soul gave me many ideas.¡± The more she spoke, the more hurried her breathing became, ¡°I have studied this principle for years and was able to create my own version of reincarnation by skipping the process of the cycle of reincarnation and entering a new body, thus keeping my memories intact. Had it not been for that damned thieving dwarf! Ugh!¡±


    Echidna felt like pulling her hair when she thought how the results of thousands of years of research and careful nning were foiled because of some lowly dwarf that was not even at the Duke level. This was a level of humiliation of the like she could never ept.


    ¡°Pfft!...Sorry, sorry.¡±


    Isis fought to contain herughter and waved her hand in apology. She had met Theresa a few times and she had indeed noticed that the diminutive woman was quite the maverick.


    ¡°I guess Theresa is once again the MVP without even trying.¡± Sol smiled nonchntly. At this point, he wondered if he should name Theresa as the mascot of Lustburg. She was the one who captured the vampire that escaped. She was the one who created his Divine weapon and the one who created his nascent mech army. She was dealing backstage to help him conquer the dwarves and she also foiled Echidna''s n.


    All this without being a Duke.


    This was a level of impressiveness that made even the legendary luck of Blessed seem quite mundane if he had to say.


    ¡°Well. Toe back to our discussion. I indeed do not feel much rage for you. It would be hypocritical of me to act differently. I am indeed also keeping you alive because I need your help. But ¡ª Make no mistake. Your importance is certainly not even nearly equal to the happiness of those I care for. Once I reveal your existence, I will leave your fate in their hands.¡±


    Sol showed his two hands, ¡°On one hand, If they decide to keep you alive. You will live. On the other hand, should they decide you need to die, I will immediately destroy you without the slightest hesitation.¡±


    His smile grew as he looked down at her, ¡°So tell me, Queen Echidna, Mother of Thousands monsters, what does it feel like to know your very existence is at the mercy of the mortals you always despised and disregarded ?¡±


    Echidna had to admit. It felt quite shitty.


    ***


    Echidna was the first primordial monster in the Mortal Realm. In terms of seniority, she was not inferior to any of the Second Generation divine beasts. In terms of Power, she was only inferior to the likes of Tiamat and Lucifer or Michael when she was at her peak.


    Echidna was not born weak. She was born nearly perfect and indeed because of this, the way she saw the world was very different from how mere mortals might have seen it.


    This current situation of weakness was something she never encountered. This feeling of helplessness was not something she was used to and the fact that her life would be outside of her own control would have never even been considered by her.


    Even so, there was one thing he was wrong about,


    ¡°Let¡¯s make things clear first, ¡° Echidna released a calm sigh and looked straight at Sol, ¡°I have never looked down on mortals. Much less despised them.¡±


    Only the aura of a Duke came out of her but at this moment even Sol had to put a little more of his guard. The pressureing out of her was not a matter of pure power but more the simple power of her Truth. The aura of someone who was born strong and who terrorized the entire era with her lonesome ¡ª One of the first three Demigods of the Mortal Realm.


    She could ept Sol insulting her. The strong had the right to control the weak after all. She could ept Sol making sure she could hurt no one and she could even ept Sol using her for his own goal.


    But! She would never ept anyone insulting her aspirations,


    ¡°I have long since understood that direct creation of the Goddesses could never cross the threshold. It is nearly impossible for Me or even the other divine beasts to be God. Only mortals can! Only by studying the mystery of their bodies can one reach this fabled level and I believe I have reached a higher level of understanding than anyone else in this world. No one and I mean absolutely no one! Understand mortals more than me.¡±


    Her speech finished, Echidna stood up and advanced toward Sol, ¡°You. You wish to be a God, right? There is no other reason for you to keep me alive.¡± Echidna grinned, ¡°I see it in your eyes. A great thirst for power. You may hide it behind a mask of indifference but you cannot fool me. You who have crawled from a normal human to what you are know more than anyone just how important power is and you wish for more. Far more.¡±


    Sol frowned at Echidna who was so close to him their face could nearly touch. He did not like seeing this expression of pure madness on Nuwa¡¯s cute face. This was not something that suited the cute girl and absent-minded girl that she was.


    At the same time, he could not ignore Echidna¡¯s words. cing a finger on her forehead, he pushed her away and spoke quietly, ¡°You are right. I want to be a god and though you failed. I believe you have precious information.¡±


    His voice was calm and he ignored the worried look Isis was giving him. Lately, he had been more and more aware of his own weakness in the grand scheme of things. He could terrorize weak Dukes in the Mortal realm but this brought no joy to him.


    Sol already had ns to snatch the mortal world and protect all those he cared about there but there was one thing he did not want to and this was to be a prisoner in a prison of his own making.


    Taking the mortal world would make him mortal enemies with the goddesses without a doubt and while this pun was totally intended, the situation at hand was in no way funny nor amusing. Even Anubis, for all his power, did not dare to steal the entire Afterlife realm and in a way, the Mortal realm was vastly more important for the goddesses.


    ¡°I do not think I can be a god on my own.¡±


    Sol was hundreds of percent sure that he could be a powerful demigod. Even a false god in fact. As long as his ns did not fail and he obtained the Name he was gunning for, he might truly be the strongest demigod to have ever existed. This was his pride and his confidence. But it was necessary to remember that even his alternate self, despite obtaining divinity and being strong enough to erase all timelines, still<em> did not be a true god.</em>


    Bing a god was clearly not just a question of power. It needed something more. Something he might never find if he fumbled alone. But why did he have to fumble alone?


    Even his alternate self only managed to find the secret of absolute time rewind by getting the help of Anubis and Ambrosia as well as Skuld and her sisters. What if he managed to get Echidna''s help as well?


    ¡°I want your help. Not just yours. Ambrosia, Anubis, and many others. I do not think I can walk this road on my own.¡± He hides nothing. He knew trying would be useless and nothing but an insult to Echidna.


    ¡°Heh and what do I get from helping you? You said it yourself, right? You will kill me if those lovers of you decide for my death. Why should I help you sincerely when I know I can die at any moment?¡±


    ¡°Oh. You will help me. Of that, I have no doubt.¡± Sol smirked which Irked Echidna somewhat. ¡°What makes you so sure?¡±


    This time, it was Sol''s turn to stand up and advance toward Echidna. As she was in Nuwa¡¯s body, she was quite petite so he could easily look down on her, ¡°Earlier, you acted as if you could understand me and perhaps you understood some part of me indeed. But you see, I can do the same for you.¡±


    He held her gaze with his and enunciated slowly, ¡°You will help me. Because you are Echidna. Your madness knows no limits and your desire to create a True God is as deep as the abyss. You care not for death or life. Your greatest reward will be my ascension to godhood. To realize this dream of yours, even selling your soul is not impossible. Am I wrong?¡±


    The two of them looked at each other. Their gazes filled with their own brand of madness but in the end, the first one to wield was Echidna. Arge smile formed on her face and soon she exploded inughter.


    It was a beautifulugh. One filled with amusement and joy as if she relished this feeling of being understood and when she finishedughing, she nodded, ¡°You are right. Creating a god is my life purpose and for it, I would sacrifice my life dly.¡±


    ¡°Then<strong> do we have a deal</strong>?¡±


    He brought his hand forward and, after looking at it for a short while, she quietly looked up at Sol before nodding and shook his hand in response, <strong>¡°We do.¡±</strong>


    No sooner were those words pronounced than thousands of strings appeared all around them before covering their hands.


    This was not just a light agreement. But a full vow. One that was extremely unfair to Echidna but one she epted nheless.


    <em>How cunning.</em>


    Echidna had a great understanding of the soul even if it was to a lesser extent than Anubis and she could feel a new binding coiling around it. One that was even more powerful than the self-destruction node that had been added recently.


    But she did not care.


    ¡°Since you have Anubis'' child with you then you should have a certain understanding of what kind of things we did.¡±


    ¡°The G.O.D project.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. This was a project made with our own masteries fused all together. Soul, Magic, and Body. We may have failed but I have managed to create something more. Something different and I would have used this something had I the full control of this body.¡±


    ¡°What did you create?¡±


    Echidna tapped her head, ¡°Anubis once gave me an idea while speaking to me about the principles of cultivation in the fictions of his world and I realized one thing. The current way of reaching the level of demigod is through the evolution of the soul. Firstly finding one Truth. Then sublimating the soul by obtaining a name and only then do you try to ascend by evolving the body and the soul together. But ¡ª What if it was wrong? What if¡­One should also cultivate the body properly. Once I reached this thought. I began wondering about many things as well. Was it possible to ascend through the body alone? Could an individual reach a level so high they could stand toe to toe with even a God? Without being naturally born with such a body like a dragon?¡±


    Sol was listening to her, his breath slowly elerating as he was beginning to understand what she was implying.


    She tapped her chest this time, ¡°I found a way to strengthen the body through Devouring. But what I wanted was different. Just having a strong body was not enough. After all, mortals are the key and chances are none of them can use the power of Devouring. So I needed to create a new way and finally, after centuries of studying I reached an answer.¡±


    Her smile became sorge it seemed as if it would split, ¡°Yes it was possible!¡±


    ¡°You created a way for body cultivation.¡± This was something Sol would have never imagined and he once again realized how much of a treasure trove this crazy woman was.


    ¡°Indeed and I call it ¡ª Seven Chakra Opening.¡±

 Chapter 581-582: Everything Finally click

    Chapter 581-582: Everything Finally click


    <em>The Seven Chakra Opening? </em>


    Sol tilted his head and wondered when the genre changed from Western fantasy to Xianxia. But then, remembering the way Lilith and Lilin fought, as well as the power system of Wratharis, he wisely decided to shut up.


    In moments like this, he always missed not having Khali with him. She was the only one in this world who could understand his joke outside of Anubis. She was sure that she would be already screaming if she was here to listen to this.


    ¡°What is the principle of this technique?¡± Hiding his thoughts, Sol asked and Echidna was more than happy to exin.


    Echidna smiled like a child in front of a Christmas present she proceeded, ¡°Let¡¯s y a game. What makes humans different from all other races?¡±


    Sol had the feeling that he was back in ss with Medea as she exined magic to him, ¡°Humans can only use magic after awakening and even then they cannot use True Magic properly speaking without forming a contract.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Humans can only use Reinforcement and dding to strengthen themselves. One would think that theyck talents in magic but you see I discovered something interesting while studying. On a ratio, Humans are physically weaker than other races. But in terms of dding and reinforcement primarily speaking, Humans are actually the best on average. It¡¯s just that since their base body is so weak, it makes their dding seem weak.¡±


    This was pretty easy to understand. dding was a multiplier. If the base body of a human was 10 then someone like Sol even while defenseless would have 100 at minimum. Even if the two used the same level of dding, the final results would bepletely different.


    ¡°How big is the difference?¡± Sol was still quite nonchnt but what he heard made him stop.¡°On average, humans are between 5 to 10 better at dding than any other races. Even divine beasts for that matter.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± This was quite the bomb.


    ¡°When I understood this I became even more curious. I started studying things that were taken for granted such as mana Veins, Horns for high-quality beasts, and the Core for Divine beasts and slowly I started to realize hat the understanding of the body as a whole was erroneous or rather insufficient. I studied simrities and dissimrity and finally concluded my thesis.¡±


    She tapped her head, ¡°Seven Main chakras, or simply Seven main nexus of energy in the body, Five Main Chakra for the soul, and finally a grand total of 107 small chakra points through the entire body each at key points of the mana veins. The Soul, Body, and the Energy. Only when the whole is connected can a God be created. At least in my understanding.¡±


    There was a certain smugness as well as self-mockery in her tone. Those three points perfectly represented Echidna, Anubis, and Ambrosia. She was sure that had the three of them continued to work together, they would have unlocked the true sess of Godhood. Sadly, they were unable to do so.


    ¡°Do you mean to say that Anubis and Ambrosia also have such secrets?¡±


    ¡°Obviously. I do not know about Ambrosia but Anubis should be far higher in the understanding of the soul rtively speaking. Unless he did not advance because of his constant explorations.¡±


    She shrugged before taking a more somber expression, ¡°I need you to understand first that those things are not something I created. They always existed and were always used by us from time immemorial. The only thing is that all of us did it unconsciously. The way of the five soul chakra is something naturally followed when one grows stronger. For example, the Soul star Chakra, one of the five is the Equivalent of the Gate of the Truth. While the Earth star Chakra is manifested by our Zone.¡±


    Sol shook his head. In essence, nothing changed but in reality, everything did. Everyone knew how to run naturally but professional runners would study this art as a science and find the most efficient way of running to reach the greatest result with the least amount of energy spent.


    In the same way, the witches who mastered and studied witchcraft would always be more dangerous than normal magical beasts who simply used their magic following their innate talents.


    ¡°Knowledge is power. You do not need to teach me this.¡± This was the very first lesson Medea taught him.


    Echidna smiled, ¡°I am d we acquiesced on this.¡± She pointed a finger at her head and continued, ¡°The Horns are the first of the Seven Chakra I studied. I call it the Crown Chakra. It¡¯s the one that boosts magic to a new degree and only magical beasts with horns can easily use magic as if they were breathing. Then there is the Heart, the source of all life. After studying humans, I was able to find and understand that the Heart Chakra was the reason they were so proficient in their dding and that¡­Only Humans have ess to this Chakra.¡±


    ¡°...Wha¡ª¡± ¡°Let me finish.¡±


    Echidna waved her hand and ced it right at her Sr plexus, ¡°Finally the third of the seven chakra. The one that is only avable to the divine beasts. The Core.¡±


    She grinned, ¡°After much research, I found that all magical creatures can obtain one or two or even three Chakra outside of the Heart Chakra. Like how Divine beasts have Horns and Cores. In the same way, humans can only have the Heart Chakra.¡±


    Sol frowned. The desire to reach Godhood gued many powerful individuals and each of them came with an answer on their own. But Echidna''s understanding was the one closest to the conclusion he had reached. To obtain godhood. One needed Omnipotence, Omnipresence, and Omniscience.


    Not one or the other. But as a whole. But as it was, not even the goddesses could be said to be truly all of the true. They were near. But not fully. Following this logic, Echidna''s theory made much more sense but then there was one problem. It was ¡ª


    ¡°If humans can only have the Heart Chakra and other races can never have the Heart Chakra. Doesn¡¯t it mean that no one can ascend to Godhood following your¡­¡± Sol stopped and Isis who had been listening all this time in silence gasped. Their eyes grew wide as realization finally settled in and Echidna''s grin grew even wider as well.


    ¡°It seems like you finally understood. There is one exception. Only one kind of person can obtain godhood in the current world following my understanding and that is ¡ª¡±


    ¡°A hybrid.¡±


    ¡°Tututut.¡± She waved her finger, ¡°Not any kind of hybrid. But it needs to be a Perfect Hybrid who was born between a Human and a Divine Beast. Only then can that person reunite the conditions of having both the Core Chakra and the Heart Chakra. Worse, do not forget the necessity of the Soul. I would need someone reincarnated. Someone extremely talented as well.¡±


    She startedughing as if she was possessed, ¡°When I came to that conclusion I felt despair. How was I even supposed to find someone like this in this world? This was simply impossible! The probability of such a thing happening had more Zero than I could ever count! What was the use of a technique that no one could actually use!? So I stopped all research in this direction and focused on simply strengthening the body through the conversion of energy. But now¡­¡±


    Her eyes shone, like a snake who finally found its prey, ¡°Now I have the perfect specimen in front of me. This is simply a miracle!¡±


    <em>A miracle, huh?</em>


    Sol closed his eyes. His mind is going toward a certain goddess. He did not know whether this was a miracle or not. At the very least, this was a man-made miracle or should he say a goddess made one?


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Sol grinned. Realizing another very interesting fact. Something that would make someone he knew have veryplicated feeling


    <em>I wonder what Nent will feel once she learns about this.</em>


    Nent had made many dubious choices in her life but, if Echidna¡¯s theories proved to be true¡­Then it would mean that Nent had not been wrong in her research.


    Perfect Hybrids were indeed the way. She had simply missed crucial information. Even then, she had thrown her bet on Sol and it seemed like she had made the right bet.


    ¡°What are the others Chakra?¡±


    ¡°You already know one.¡± She pointed at his forehead, ¡°The Third Eye chakra. All seers and those able to see the future naturally opened that Chakra and not only them.¡± Echidna gave a nce at Isis as she spoke, ¡°You also have it unlocked. Those eyes of yours.¡±


    Isis nodded. She was learning many interesting things and did not wish to interrupt.


    ¡°Then you have the Throat chakra. Race such as mermaid and subus generally have it unlocked.¡±


    Sol had to fight the urge to make a very corny joke but he simply coughed, ¡°What about the rest? You named five currently.¡±


    The Crown, The Third Eyes, The Throat, The Heart, and The Core.


    ¡°The Final two are the Sacral Chakra located at the navel and the Root Chakra located at the base of the spine. That is all. I am pretty sure all Dragons have this one naturally unlocked. As for the Navel, this Chakra naturally opens once one reaches the Level of Demigod and creates their territories or¡­¡± She shook her head, as if she found it absurd, ¡°When they have a dimension.¡±


    ¡°So you are saying¡­¡±


    ¡°You already have all of the Seven Chakra naturally opened. All you arecking is proper guidance for you to make your energy circte in the best way possible and this is where my 7 chakra Opening will intervene. It will be more than enough to create a body so strong you might be the First Duke able to face a King head on and win.¡±


    She chuckled evilly, ¡°Of course, if I give you the wrong cirction route you might destroy your entire body irreparably and cripple yourself. So what will it be? Will you leave your future in my hand?¡±


    Sol smiled and sped her hand, ¡°I believe in you or rather, I believe in your desire to see the birth of a god. Teach me.¡±


    Of course, this was half bullshit. There was no way Sol would believe in Echidna fully. But things were pretty simple.


    If things went wrong ¡ª He simply had to die and undergo Nirvana.


    <em>Once again, everything feels perfectly in ce. </em>What an uncanny feeling this was.


    As Sol contemted the meaning behind Echidna¡¯s theory, he started wondering if it waspletely urate.


    The goddesses as far as he knew were not hybrid. Furthermore, were the goddesses not the creators of all life? How could they not understand the imperfection in their own creations?


    In the end, Sol was able to glean two three conclusions;


    For one. As things stood, either Echidna was wrong and her theory was a mistake or iplete and there was another path to godhood.


    The second possible solution was that Echidna was right but there wasn¡¯t only one path to godhood.


    The final conclusion was that¡­Perhaps everyone was wrong and there was no path to godhood in the first ce or that path was broken.


    Either way, this was the most concrete theory he had obtained to date and he would explore it until he was sure that it was right or wrong.


    After reaching this conclusion, Sol focused on Echidna once again, ¡°I need to learn this in the remaining 6 days. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Since you already opened all of them it will only take a few days to synchronize everything perfectly and get the machine rolling. It won¡¯t be some instant power increase. This technique has for main goal of vastly increasing your toughness be it on the interior or the exterior. Wider mana veins, stronger core, better dding. But the more you circte this technique the more perfect your body will be.¡±


    Echidna looked at him up and down, the technique she had created still had a few minor imperfections and through Sol, she might be able to cover them. If she seeded, she could make sure anyone would be able to use this technique even if not to the full potential.


    ¡°Sol Luxuria, you understand what this technique means, right? If this technique is perfected and shared across the world, the average level will increase dramatically. I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that this is an epoch-changing technique.¡±


    Sol grinned, ¡°Don¡¯t pat yourself on the back too much. You certainly are not the only epoch-changing genius I know.¡±


    Sol truly wondered what would happen if Echidna, Kali, Mris, and Theresa teamed up.


    What if he added Anubis and Ambrosia?


    Sol shivered just at the thought. This would either be the strongest all-star team ever created or this would be a team that would sink faster than the Titanic because of how chaotic all those personalities were.


    With such a team I could perhaps even conquer the Astral realm.


    Sol chased away his crazy thoughts. He did not want to enter full war with the goddesses if it was possible. For all his desire to be independent from them and his opinions that they were nothing more than children with too much power, he was still grateful to them for bringing him into this world.


    ¡°Well. Now that we made our deal. About the contract. If you wish to make one, I would advise you to take the Gluttony one. It will be the best way to maximize Nuwa¡¯s strength and G will certainly be on your side.¡± Once she was done with saying her piece, Nuwa looked down at her hand.


    She was very happy. Taking over Nuwa¡¯s body may have been a failure but she was realizing that the current situation was even better than anything she could have ever imagined.


    She would do it. She would create a god and once this was done¡­ Echidna closed her eyes. She did not know what she would do once she seeded and truthfully it did not matter. It was too soon to think about this. All she could do was continue walking and take things slowly.


    Who knows? Perhaps Sol would kill her once she was of no use anymore. At the very least this would take away the need to ponder about what to do if her goal was achieved.


    This would definitely be a satisfying end to her very long life.


    ¡°Now then, if you do not have more to say, allow me to fall into slumber. I need to search deeply in my mind and soul in order to remember all the parts of the technique.¡± On those words, the overpowering aura of Echidna slowly vanished and gave ce to thenguid aura of the Nuwa they knew and loved.


    She tilted her head, her eyes slightly heavy. The difference in power between her soul and that of Echidna was so high that it needed no exnation. While Echidna took control, she had a feeling simr to being slowly crushed by a rock.


    But at the same time, she felt as if she was being smothered in a fluffy cloud full of warmth and gentleness. It was truly hard to exin as such she did not try to.


    ¡°I am tired.¡± Nuwa¡¯s voice was low and slow, a clear proof of her current situation and Sol did not wish to tire her more than that was necessary. But now he needed to act fast. He had no time to waste and every minute should be used in the best way.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave first before my dimension starts affecting you. You can rest in the real world while I work. We will spend the rest of the week together.¡±


    The discussion with Echidna had been greatly enriching and now he simply needed to digest things.


    The time for him to finally reach the King level was fast approaching and he would leave no stone unturned in order to obtain the name he so dearly wished.

 Chapter 583-Chapter 585: Second Day

    Chapter 583-Chapter 585: Second Day


    <em>God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning and so went the second day.</em>


    <strong>With the sound of the second trumpet, something described as "a great mountain burning with fire" plunges into the sea and turns a third of the ocean to blood. Soon after, a third of all sea life and a third of all ships will be destroyed.</strong>


    Words of a scripture


    A new day came for Sol as he entered the Church. The world may have been in war but this ce was still one of the few oases for him as he knew that he could rest in all certainty that he would have no one bothering him.


    In such a moment where everything new was nothing more than a source of headache, it was important to know that he coulde here.


    Sadly, his goal this time was not to rest or even to enjoy a moment with Camelia. No. He was here for something much more important.


    Reaching the small chapel, Sol stopped. He did not have to wait for long as a gentle voice came from the other side,


    ¡°You know you can enter at any time right? Not like I can stop you from doing so.¡± Aurora¡¯s voice was as beautiful as she was. It had a clear tenderness showing her age but at the same time a certain maturity that went beyond the experience she should have.


    ¡°I know that you cannot stop me. But I believe that one should be polite to his allies.¡± He chuckled.Entering the chapel, Sol was reminded of the first time he discussed with Aurorar in this ce and how it changed everything. Sol knew that one of the reasons he had managed to get the goddesses off his back was Luxuria. Without her, the so-called rules meant absolutely nothing and Invidia would not hesitate to attack.


    But here down in the mortal world, the one who had been most essential to his n was none other than her.


    Aurora Castitas. A woman full of mysteries and power that defied all understanding. Power so high that she could even hide from the goddesses without any fear and could hide even more people.


    This power alone, while not much usage inbat, was such a game changer that Sol could only have doubts about what kind of person this woman might have been in her past life.


    At first, he thought she might have been a false god.


    Only such things would make sense. False gods were all entities who, for all purpose and intent were equal and sometimes, superior to the goddesses themselves. But they allcked something and that something stopped them from taking the final step.


    The fact that a false god would die and reincarnate was not impossible. <em>Very unlikely, sure</em> but definitely not impossible. Sekhmet was the proof of this as while she had not reached the level of False god she definitely was a very powerful demigod.


    Now though¡­Sol realized that he had been ignoring one other possibility. One so oundish that he had not even thought it was possible.


    ¡°Aurora¡­Can I count on you for the war?¡±


    Aurora showed a puzzled expression. ¡°Have I not shown enough by now? Or were all my efforts for naught?¡±


    ¡°You did and I am thankful for your work. But I believe that soon. Something will happen and by then you will have to make a choice. Will you stand with me or against me? I do not know the answer to this question.¡±


    Sol advanced toward her. His gait was slow but menacing and the world seemed to change even as he walked, ¡°The cold rational side of me is telling me that I should kill you now. That I am no different than my father in letting someone who can obviously stab me in the back walk so free and that I may regret it if I do not end you now.¡±


    His hand approached her throat as if it was ready to crush it at any moment.


    ¡°Yet you do not crush my throat. What is stopping you?¡±


    Despite having his hand around her neck and knowing full well that Sol could kill her in a sh, Aurora showed no fear, only interest and curiosity.


    Slowly taking his hand away, Sol shook his head, ¡°Why? I do not know myself. I cannot answer this question. Is it guilt? Gratitude? The false belief that I am charismatic enough to change a possible enemy into an ally?¡±


    She raised an eyebrow, ¡°Do you not believe in the restriction you put on me?¡±


    ¡°I do believe in them but not so much that I will let my guard down. You are a woman who can fool even the gods and you are an entity so old I am sure my current experience is nothing but a grain of dustpared to yours. It would be nothing but hubris on my part to think I canpletely control you through threat alone.¡±


    Sol was not naive. Against powerhouse, threats could only go so far. There was a limit to what he could go and force her to do and Sol knew that when shit truly hit the fan, having a willing ally would be far better than an unwilling one.


    This was one of the reasons why he had changed his approach to Echidna. Threatening someone as mentally unstable as her could only be a temporary solution. Only by giving her what she wished for was she sure that she would give 120% for what he needed her to do.


    ¡°So. What do you propose?¡±


    ¡°I thought deeply about this. One of my ideas was to make you my woman but for some reason, this idea seemed very repulsive to me, and from your current expression it seems like you feel the same.¡± He smiled at the small expression of disgust she showed.


    It should have bothered him more but Sol found that he simply did not care. What he cared about was knowing if the woman with the greatest assassin-type skill he knew would betray him.


    ¡°I decided to make things simple. Once this war ends. You can choose for yourself. Leave Lustburg or stay. If you leave, I will consider my debt to you paid by not going after your life. Of course, I will keep my restraints on you but I will ask nothing of you and you can do anything you want. Of course, if youeter as an enemy I will be without pity on the other hand. Once this war ends, you can stay. The restraints will be weakened and I will consider you as one of my allies in the truest sense. But you will have to show your soul to Isis and tell me the truth about everything.¡±


    ¡°Everything?¡±


    ¡°Everything. Who you are. What you are. Where youe from and most importantly¡­If there are more who are like you and where they might be.¡±


    Sol observed Aurora as he uttered those words but her expression did not even twitch at those words. One might have been fooled by this but Sol could feel how her aura wavered for a short moment and thanks to that, he knew that he had hit bullseyes.


    ¡°Why make things soplicated?¡± Aurora sighed and massaged her forehead.


    ¡°I wish to give you a chance. What I am doing is honestly stupid and reckless and I might even regret it in the future. But I feel like I would regret more not giving you this chance.¡±


    When he finished, Sol turned and started walking away. A bitter smile formed on his face. Lilith once decided that he should be more intimate with women because she wished for him to learn how to not fall for their tricks so that he would not end like his father.


    But here he was making contracts with crazy or mysterious women who could backstab him at any moment.


    He wondered what Lilith would think if she learned about this. Even if she was now more carefree than ever, this would be more than enough for her to be very angry.


    <em>Well, I will cross that bridge when necessary.</em>


    She would perhaps understand since letting Aurora alive wasn¡¯t just because of his feelings.


    His eyes became cold as he remembered Lucifer¡¯s prophecy.


    <em>¡°</em><strong><em>The End of the world ising. A new Era is approaching. Doomsday will soon be upon us and at the end of all of this, ¡®They¡¯ will finally arrive.¡±</em></strong>


    ¡°He did not know who ¡®They¡¯ were but what he did know was that he needed to be ready to wee them. Whether they were enemies or allies.


    ***


    When Sol finished his discussion and gave his warning to Aurora, he immediately left the Chapelle and started going towards Camelia¡¯s office.


    Since he decided to reforge his rtionship with Camelia, it was important to have some good time with her from time to time. Camelia may have manipted him but all of this had been for his own good.


    They said the way to hell was paved with good intentions and Sol could see this firsthand from the events that happened. He could not entirely fault Camelia for the reason she did what she did was simply because he was unable to inspire her with confidence back then.


    He stopped short in the hallways when he saw Camelia holding her hand near the open window for a small and cute red bird to sit on.


    A small breeze made her golden hair float while a sun ray shone on her hair, giving her a halo and a holy aura beyondpare. When looking at her in such a setting, it was hard to see her as some super pervert woman who enjoyed taking it in a ce where the sun didn¡¯t shine.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°I can feel very rude thoughtsing from you.¡± Camelia arranged a strand of hair and the bird, startled, immediately flew away. There was a regretful expression on her face but it vanished soon as she turned to pout at Sol.


    ¡°Heh.¡± Sol smiled and approached her before hugging Camelia. A hug that was reciprocated as she settled in hisrge and muscr arms.


    ¡°I always feel strange when I realize that you are now taller than me.¡± This was not the first time she had noticed this but every time she did she always marveled at this reality.


    This was also a constant reminder to her that Sol was now a man and that he did not need cuddling from her.


    ¡°So. Have you decided what you will do with Aurora?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    Camelia looked in the direction where Aurora should be and frowned, ¡°I understand that you want to believe in her but I believe it would be better to end her.¡±


    It was quite the drastic measure even for Camelia but after all, once bitten, twice shy. Lilith was not the only one who had been traumatized by what happened all those years ago. In fact, Camelia might have been hurting even more if in a different way.


    ¡°Even to this day. My deepest regret was not listening to my instinct and leaving Ibuki to join our team at the insistence of Mars.¡±


    The fight against Echidna may have been gruesome but they had everything handled and were about to seal Echidna. If only Ibuki had not stabbed them in the back then history would have been very different today.


    If only she had been assertive. If only she had been more careful. If only she had believed in her guts and done what she thought was right.


    Myriads of regrets that would exist forever in her heart as she continued to wonder. What if¡­What if¡­Again and again.


    Thinking about this, Camelia soon took a decision but,


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about going behind my back.¡±


    She was startled and looked up only to be met with a calm confident look. As if he could see all her thoughts.


    ¡°I know what you are thinking. It truly isn¡¯t hard to do so and here I will tell you again. Don¡¯t. Do not act without my explicit order in this matter. Otherwise, all you will aplish is messing with my ns. Understood?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Sol wished to tell her that there were no buts. That there was nothing to discuss. But he knew that such actions would only result in the opposite of what he wished to happen.


    He scratched his hair a little before finally sighing. ¡°I guess I have no choice but to tell you what I believe I have found out. But I will do so after the war. By then I should be able to confirm my theories. This is why it¡¯s imperative that you listen to me. Do not hurt her. Do not even try. Leave her alone.¡±


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me?¡±


    Sol asked while cringing inwardly when he saw her hurt expression. This sentence was like a prebuilt sentence for wannabe maniptors and the first step toward pure gaslighting in most cases. What was the person supposed to answer in such a situation? Say ¡®No I don¡¯t trust you.¡¯?


    Sol knew very well that he could corner Camelia easily in the current situation. But this was not his goal. An eptance born from coercion and maniption would always be filled with doubts and hesitation and at the most decisive moment, it would crumble like a sand castle.


    This is why. He changed his words,


    ¡°Please. Trust me on this case. I am not blind to the situation. I know what and why I am doing so. So, all I can ask you is¡­Believe in me and my judgment.¡±


    Camelia bit her lip strongly. So much that one could wonder if blood may even be drawn out.


    This was a very important decision but looking at his pleading expression she knew that Sol would not relent.


    Was she about to make a mistake again? Would history repeat itself? Camelia wished in moments like this that she could read the future. She did not know what could be the best decision in this situation.


    In the end, though¡­She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at Sol with resolution.


    ¡°I believe you. Even though this is eating at me. I promise you that I will not act behind your back.¡±


    ¡°Thank yo¡ª¡± ¡°But!¡±


    Camelia interrupted him. This was something rare for her but she was fighting her inner demons, ¡°I have a few conditions and I beg you to ept them.¡±


    She knew she could not force her so-called condition on him. But this was the only way she would ept keeping a potential traitor. If he refused then she would kill her no matter what.


    Even if it would tear her apart to see him hate her. Sol needed to be alive in order to hate her and a live Sol was better than a dead Sol.


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°In fact. I only have two conditions. One she needs to be bound by a curse that will end her if she makes a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Already done. I told you I knew what I was doing.¡±


    Camelia nodded, ¡°Two. I want her to leave the Church and go live in Babel.¡±


    If there was one secure ce in this entire world. Then it was Babel. As long as Ambrosia had her gaze on this woman then she had nothing to fear.


    There was nothing much Sol could say about the conditions Camelia proposed as they were quite sound and logical. If there was one little problem though,


    ¡°Ambrosia is going to think I am using her as a jail guardian.¡± He believed he was the only mortal in the universe who could keep ordering a demigod around and use her as some kind of glorified keeper and supervisor.


    Another problem was that Aurora was more dangerous than one could imagine, ¡°If it was in a normal situation I would agree with you. Keeping her in Babel would be the smartest move but not with her.¡±


    Babel was filled with many people he cared about and was his center of power. Aurora was dangerous. Extremely so and if she could hide from the goddesses, then unless Ambrosia had something simr to his Eye of Akasha there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop Aurora from acting.


    Moving Aurora to the tower would make it clear that he did not believe in her and might break any chances he had of pulling her on his side. They had managed to build some modicum of trust between them and it would be stupid to lose this for a false sense of security.


    He could have forced Camelia to listen to him but he wanted her to be able to understand his reasoning.


    Trust was something that went both ways and he could not expect her to believe in him if he didn¡¯t believe in her. Reciprocating was always the best.


    ¡°Then¡­ Do you truly believe we should leave her alone and unsupervised? Is this the best way?¡±


    ¡°I cannot tell you for sure. What I can tell you though is that Aurora will be an invaluable ally.¡±


    Sol spoke no more. Lustburg was Luxuria and Castitas¡¯s territory and he knew that as long as he was there, Invidia had no means of spying on them as long as Luxuria didn¡¯t allow her to. But, it was still better to be prudent about this.


    At the same time, it was also a reminder of how important Aurora would be to his ns. Her ability was simply a game changer and it was important for him to control such a trump card.


    ¡°Also. Camelia. Do you remember how I was able to induce an evolution for Setsuna and Lilin¡¯s growth?¡±


    ¡°You mean how you made them enter some deadly fight against their nemesis?¡± Camelia raised an eyebrow. She was still surprised how Sol had managed to know that this would be the best way to act. From what she understood, the divine weapon Theresa created was simply a cheat in many ways and helped Sol make decisions with great implications.


    But Camelia understood that believing in prophecy and the future was the surest way of falling into a deep pit. The future was never settled. If it was, then the goddesses would not be so helpless.


    ¡°What is this about?¡± She asked carefully and took his hand as the two started walking toward her office. It wasn¡¯t as if she was expecting something to happen. She knew that now was not the time for such a thing. But still, a girl could dream, right?


    Sol smiled at Camelia. It wasn¡¯t as if he could see the kind of thought she had and he indeed hadn¡¯t been giving her much lovetely. But now wasn¡¯t the time. Not yet. ¡°I believe that a simr event will happen to you soon. My form of foresight cannot tell me who or what kind of thing you will face but, it¡¯s pretty easy to deduce with the hints I have on hand.¡±


    He ignored the curious look Camelia was giving him. She was quite cute when she was clueless rather than having her perpetual know-it-small smile at the corner of her mouth.


    It may not be not so novel anymore but it was a feeling that he was relishing. ¡°I feel like I am being insulted.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I just find you cute.¡± He tapped her forehead gently. Causing Camelia to blush a little, ¡°Your sweet tongue will not be enough to get out of this mess young man.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I believe my sweet tongue can do way more than just help me speak.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± This time she was positively crimson, which caused Sol to explode inughter, ¡°I am surprised. Where is the woman who proposed to me some kinky love making on our first time together?¡±


    Sol raised an eyebrow. One had to remember that on their first night together Camelia literally offered her ass to him before showing him that she was also into soft BDSM. Compared to this, the teasing he was giving her was not worth mentioning.


    ¡°Well¡­I was more or less putting on a facade, you know? It wasn¡¯t like I had any experience in the first ce.¡± She pouted quietly. An action that would have looked ridiculous on almost anyone but on Camelia, he could only say that it made her seem even more charming.


    Camelia shook her head. She had indeed been a little too bold back then. However, she would not hesitate to repeat this as it was one of the best memories she had. Even if it was slightly unconventional, the first time she had with him would stay forever in her mind as a fond and precious memory.


    It was the day their rtionship changed forever and while it may not have been the best thing she could have done. It was something she would never regret. No matter how shameful it might have been.


    Like this, both Sol and Camelia started to settle into a calm discussion. They did not talk about the war, about the sad past nor about the troubled future. They simply jokes, smiled, teased, and overall enjoyed each other presence.


    The beauty of love and life was sometimes in the most mundane moments of everyday life and it was important to remember that this simple life was won after many sacrifices.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t forget about Aurora, you know?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡± and so the two walked away.


    It was hard to say what tomorrow held in store for them. But right here, right now, they were simply happy and were enjoying life.


    The rest of the day went in a rather tame way and while what Camelia expected did not happen, Sol made sure she understood how valuable his tongue could be and all she could do to stop the deluge of pleasure was to beg him to stop.


    The day ended with them cuddling together in the bed before Camelia finally drifted into sleep, her lust partially taken care of.

 Son of the Hero King Book 1 finally available on Audible

    Son of the Hero King Book 1 finally avable on Audible


    Hi! I am really happy to say that one of my dreams came true.The Audiobook version of SHK B1 is finally avable!!!Thanks you guys for all your support. This would not have been possible without you.


    If you never add a Audible subscription you can have a free trials of one month and get one credit which mean any Audiobook for free.I would be really happy if you would use this credit on SHK. Would really help me out. Also leave a kind review. Haha.I am really excited today.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the /pd/Son-of-the-Hero-King-Audiobook/B0D42K153D

 Chapter 586: 3rd Day

    Chapter 586: 3rd Day


    <em>And He said, ¡°Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one ce, and let the drynd appear, Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth.¡±</em>


    <strong>With the sounding of the third trumpet, a great star called Wormwood falls to the Earth, poisoning a third of the''s freshwater sources, such as rivers and springs. Many will die from the bitterness of its taste</strong>


    Words of a Scripture


    When the third day started, Sol found himself looking at the rain falling in his dimension.


    This was something new. Because this now was actually not happening in the real world. In the actual world, only snow was falling.


    This might seem extremely minorpared to some of the craziest thing he did with his dimension but this was truly the first that out of his own will be was able to manipte the weather outside of when he inverted Lucifer¡¯s dimension.


    Smiling, he went ahead and lied down on the grass and let the rainwater bath him. He knew that Camelia and ra would have a fit if they ever saw himpletely drenched as he was now but he didn''t care.


    He simply wished to enjoy. Perhaps even sleep a little but he knew he couldn''t. He needed to spend a little more time with Nuwa but he was starting to realize that she did not fit his n.


    His rtionship with her was simply too shallow and while he wished to sign a Gluttony contract with her, they still needed a certain level of rtionship.The way things were going, he would fail and even if he didn¡¯t fail, the link between them was too weak to satisfy what he wished to aplish. Failing now was not such a big deal but it would destroy most of his n and slow him down considerably.


    The more his mood changed the more turbulent the rain became and soon, the winds started picking up as well, changing the peaceful atmosphere to a dangerous one filled with thunder.


    ¡°You seem to be agitated.¡±


    A feminine voice reached him, causing him to break out of the negative spiral of thoughts he had inadvertently entered. Lately, his emotions had been harder to control. His mind was stressed because of everything he had to take into ount and the way the appearance of the real world seemed to slowly crumble around him.


    This content has been uwfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Even the way he was looking at people slowly started changing the more he interacted with the threads of destiny. The more he used his power the more he realized how much power things such as destiny had and how powerless most mortals were.


    ¡°Sol?¡± This time Sol focused on the person speaking to him, doing his best to gather back all his stray thoughts.


    ¡°Lilith. How have you been?¡± Lilith was one of the rare individuals who seemed to truly love staying in his dimension. For the Witches, even though they were not affected by the inverted emotion, they did admit that they did not feel at ease while in this ce.


    Something about feeling like they were constantly attacked or in enemy territory. Lilith though, suffered no such thing. In fact, she was more akin to a fish in the water in this ce.


    ¡°I think I am the one who should be asking this,¡± Lilith spoke as she fought a rebellious strand of hair that refused to settle down.


    She was as beautiful as always and her elegance was not diminished by her younger face. She was wearing a youthful flowing white robe and had a ck sword at her hips. The form of the sword was enough to not understand that this was no great sword as Lilith had been used to.


    ¡°Well, I guess you could say I am doing good.¡± Sol shrugged, unwilling to let them worry now about the problems he was facing. This was his cross to bear so to speak and while he was sure that they would be able to give him somewhat valuable advice, he had to admit that the macho in him refused to ask for help.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡± He grimaced as Lilith used a tone of voice he knew was impossible to fight against. It was the kind of voice parents used to scold their children in such a way that the children would be traumatized for life.


    In the end, Sol decided that fighting against this just wasn¡¯t suitable for him. There was also the fact that he was giving so much grief to Camelia about hiding the truth from him because it was for ¡®his own good¡¯ would always be bullshit. ¡°I am worried I guess.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Speak to me. I might have quite a problematic family life but I believe my years of experience can give you better insights.¡±


    Lilith smiled at the rain that had vanished suddenly from the surroundings and was reced by a small sun floating on the horizon.


    Bing a full demigod was not easy and since she had managed to do so in a way, now would be the perfect asion to explore the world and try to find the best ce for her territory.


    This was a step all demigods had to go through if they wished to be stronger. The territory may not be movable but it was extremely useful for the Demigod.


    Lilith though did not have to go deep into dangerous ces to find herself bing stronger and creating her territory. She had just to create her in his.


    Thinking about it, a sudden thought joined him, ¡°You know, I think I have never asked this. Mars was a true demigod right?¡±


    ¡°Yes and one very strong at that.¡±


    ¡°I see then ¡ª Where is his Territory?¡±


    The answer he received was sadly immediate. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I am serious. I don''t even know how Mars managed to get the space necessary for his territory.¡±


    Sol pinched his brows. He should have kept his mouth shut. Now he had another problem on his te.

 Chapter 587:

    Chapter 587:


    In order to be a demigod, one needed first to ascend. This ascension was not something anyone could do and generally, it ended up with death but those who did seed became something more. They became demigod in a way without truly being one. They could not even be called False demigods. Only half step one.


    The final step was the creation of a territory.


    Only by creating the territory and fusing with the core to have full control of that ce could one be a true demigod. This was a lengthy process and depending on how attuned one was to their power it could go between a year to several years.


    Some kings who had reached a level near ascension but were unable to create a territory would simply steal a territory that was deteriorating after the death of the demigod that created it.


    Those kings who became demigods in such a way were called false demigods. For the simple reason that despite having the power of one theycked the true nature. The territory they stole generally did not match the truth and the name they developed.


    This was the case for the demigods that faced Tiamat and Anubis back then. In a way, since all demigods were weakened when outside their territories, there was not much difference in power between an average false demigod and an average demigod. Those guys had just been stupid enough to fight Anubis and Tiamat.


    ¡°One of the reasons we have so few demigods in the mortal realm is because finding a space for a territory is extremely rare andplicated. The space is too hard to cut. Everything is too stable and more importantly the goddesses aren¡¯t exactly happy when this happens.¡± Sol mused.


    For this reason, all territories always existed in the Astral Realm. The space was far more malleable there and easier to cut for the creation of a territory. The stronger a territory was, the stronger the demigod would be even when outside of it. This was another reason why faith coins were so important to strengthen a territory and evolve it until eventually, at least in theory, it became the Divine Kingdom.


    ¡°Finding Mars¡¯s territory is basically impossible since we would have to search through the entire Astral Realm and there are no hints as to where it could be.¡±¡°Hum. I think at least it would be close to the dragon territory but indeed. In such case, close is rtive and it would be hard to measure. Either way, it doesn¡¯t matter. Perhapster I can go ahead and search his territory. No matter false or true, having an additional demigod would be really helpful.¡±


    There were definitely kings be it in the mortal realm or the astral realm who would kill to obtain a territory. Only those who had the slim hope of bing gods or at least false gods cared about the origin of the territory they owned.


    Lilith frowned a little, something Sol did not miss, ¡°Does it bother you?¡±


    She hesitated a little but, having learned that one needed to be more honest when it came to what they felt. She did not want a repeat of what happened not long ago with her bottling all her feeling and causing so much pain in those she loved.


    ¡°If we ever find Mars¡¯s territory, I hope that it can be kept for your descendants. Only one of your children will be Blessed¡­¡± Lilith frowned and shook her head, ¡°At the moment, only two of your children will be Blessed. Perhaps three if you ever take Nuwa as a concubine. But the rest will not. Bing a King is not easy. Bing a demigod even less so.¡±


    Sol shook his head, ¡°That is a bad idea. I can already see the level of Drama this could bring.¡±


    The status of Blessed was something that could not be chosen and as such, there were generally no inheritance wars between royal children for the simple reason that everything was already decided from the start. Cases such as what happened to Setsuna were incredibly rare and only happened because there was a vacuum.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    The existence of a Territory as an inheritance though waspletely different. To which of his children should he give such things?


    Bing a demigod meant basically getting eternal life. Even his wives would most likely fight to make sure their child was the one getting it. Sol knew very well that his harem was already pretty unstable.


    Lilith grimaced as she realized that this proposal of her could only end in bloodshed and very negative feelings.


    Sol was undoubtedly the most promiscuous King in the history of Lustburg and now such things were creating problems.


    ¡°I am sorry.¡± She became a little crestfallen when she realized that she was the one who pushed Sol on this way. The reason he had so many rtionships was because she had pushed him to know and understand women more. Because of her fear of what could happen in the future.


    Sol was confused at first, wondering why Lilith was apologizing. But it didn¡¯t take long to connect the dots and once he did, heughed.


    ¡°Don''t apologize. While it¡¯s true that your order back then spearheaded everything, you never forced me into anything. It would be hypocritical to act as if I was an unwilling participant when I very much enjoyed everything. Also, do you truly think Camelia for example would have waited for your green light before pouncing on me?¡±


    Hisugh caused Lilith to smile slightly. It was true that some of Sol¡¯s rtionship would have happened with or without her intervention so indeed she did not have to take all the me on her.


    ¡°My future life will definitely be tumultuous and the children might not like each other. But either way, I do not n to have any children now.¡±


    At the very least, he didn¡¯t n to have any children until he could deal with that whole reincarnation thing.


    Sol very much did not want one of his children to have memories of their past life. What if he was unlucky enough to get some psychopath? Furthermore, the existence of memories would make bonding as a family extremely hard.


    All of this was drama he did not want to deal with and would certainly not deal with as long as he took the proper measures. As for any possible session war between his children, that would be for the future him to deal with.


    ¡°Well, the good thing I guess is that all my children will generally have something to seed on.¡± Most of his harem members were already leaders of certain forces so it would make things easy or rtively easy at least.


    Furthermore, he did n to rule the entire world. Surely there would be enough legacy for everyone, right?


    <em>Now I am getting worried. </em>


    Sol snorted and shook his head, ¡°Enough about this. Why don¡¯t we talk about more immediate future? What do you think of your fight with Wukong?¡±


    ¡°I will fight him and I will win. Simple.¡±


    Sol gave a feeble smile. He believed in Lilith but Wukong was no easy opponent. Still, if she wished to fight then so be it. If her life was in danger, he would have the witches jump Wukong. Honor be damned.


    ¡°Then, about creating a territory here, are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I am. I am only waiting for the war to end but once it does I will try creating a territory here. I believe it will seed and I believe it will make you stronger. At the same time, I will have a mobile territory in a way. So I have not much to lose. The rewards outweigh the risks by too much.¡±


    Sol knew that she was doing this mainly for him and he was d but this was definitely dangerous and the results could only be guessed.


    If this worked then it would be huge. truly so. It would be revolutionary but if it failed¡­Lilith might never be able to be a true demigod in her lifetime. Was it really worth it? He didn¡¯t know but he would know soon.


    ¡°I guess I should start working on making this ce inhabitable for people below the King rank.¡±


    The two of them smiled, there were not many days left before the final battle so they needed to use all those days in the best way possible.


    Sol knew that what he had to do now was simple. Learn the 7 chakra opening and finally¡­Make a contract for his fourth Slot and he knew exactly who he wanted and what kind of contract it would be.

 Chapter 588: 4th day

    Chapter 588: 4th day


    <em>And He said ¡°Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years. let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.¡±</em>


    <strong>Following the sounding of the fourth trumpet, a third of the light that shines from the Sun, moon, and stars bes dark from the celestial bodies being "struck." This catastrophe causesplete darkness for a third of the day, even through night hours. This is the final trumpet that sounds before the three woes, also known as the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets.</strong>


    Words of a scripture


    For once, Sol was not in his dimension but rather, he was walking outside and observing Lustburg. He had been able to bring more and more change to that ce. Changes that werepletely independent of the real world and while those changes were still small in scale, he knew that very soon, he would be able to manipte his dimension as he wished.


    His dimension¡¯s control aside, Sol knew that he could not ignore the reality of the world and this was one of the reasons he was looking at Lustburg. At the end of the day, the reports he received could never really cover everything that needed to be known and this was in spite of ra and Milia¡¯s best efforts.


    This was why Sol was not in the Capital at the moment. The Capital was safe and there was no unrest. People knew that even if worse came to worst, they would be protected by the Holy Territory of the Supreme Daughter.


    The border though was a different matter. They were the ones that had been the most affected by the war and they were also the ones who were in need of more protection and reassurance.


    ¡°Where are we now?¡± He asked quietly as he observed the small city. In terms of size, it was only about a quarter of the capital, and the infrastructure made clear that it was definitely not as developed as the capital.


    Spreading his awareness, he could see small crimes happening there and here as well as people begging for food on the street and hiding in the slum. Sol frowned. He wasn¡¯t so naive that he thought he could solve all the problems in the world. Much fewer problems such as poverty. But, even then, this was a little too much.


    ¡°Your Highness, this is the ex-Gorfard Duchy. This was undoubtedly the ce that was touched the most by the war since there is no new proxy lord who can control the vacuum they left.¡±


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    Milia, who was walking alongside Sol, exined calmly. Despite their best efforts, they had not been able topletely take care of the Duchy. Gorfard had always acted more like a criminal lord than a ruler and he had many dealing with the dark forces.


    After his fall, the vacuum caused fight after fight to break out and Milia had been forced to send a few members of the crown¡¯s shadow to eliminate all those with problematic behavior.


    Sadly, after the war started, even the nobles had been causing small troubles. Those troubles were not high enough to kill them but when they all umted, their result was what could be seen.


    The worst was that Gorfard¡¯s territory was not even close to the battlefield but they were more chaotic than Mris and Hignd¡¯s duchies who were all at the frontline.


    ¡°After the war, we will have many things to do. I have promised to give this ce to the witches and it would be wrong of me to give them a problematic duchy.¡±


    Sol doubted the witches were used to ruling over humans with no special power. He could already foresee much chaos when the handover happened. So it was necessary to decrease their workload.


    ¡°How is the creation of the school for officials going?¡±


    Lustburg did have an academy. But as could be expected of a world of swords and magic, the academy only taught some basic skills when it came to reading and other such mundane topics. The rest of the lessons were focused onbat.


    Another popr academy focused more on military tactics and formation but that academy was mainly focused on nobles rather thanmoners.


    What Sol needed now wasn¡¯t that. What he needed were schrs who could improve the kingdom. He couldn¡¯t only use undead for the administration forever, right?


    Once Sol finished inspecting the duchy and a few more counties and baronies to have a deeper understanding of the situation he found himself standing on a small cliff with the light of the setting sun shining on his face.


    The visit may have been short but it had been truly useful. The more Sol acted as a ruler and a leader the more ideas he had and the more he realized how important this duty was.


    Being a ruler was not about what one wanted but what those you ruled needed. A true ruler could not be selfish and should always put the well-being of his domain over even his own desires. A ruler was a father, a mother, and a guardian.


    ¡°Every day I realize that I am really not cut to be a ruler.¡± This was nothing new. Sol had many times called himself a selfish prince. Because he knew that the security and the well-being of those he loved would always be put above the security of the kingdoms.


    Was it fair? Not at all. His position, his power, and all the advantages he had in life were obtained because he was a prince. Because he was blessed. As a prince, he was born with a diamond spoon, received an education that peasants could only dream of, ate the best food, slept in the best bed, and was trained by the best warriors.


    Looking at himself with his Eye of Akasha, Sol could see thousands or rather millions of small threads that were all attached to him. This was an inescapable Karma. A link that could never be severed.

 Chapter 589: A new contract

    Chapter 589: A new contract


    Listening to his words, Milia tried to intervene, ¡°Your Highness.¡± But Sol waved his hand to stop her.


    ¡°I am not whining. Oh, woe me. It would be hypocritical, don''t you think? And while I am undoubtedly quite the hypocrite, I do not want to hide my head like an ostrich. As the crown prince and future king, I <em>own</em> Lustburg and all its citizens. At the same time, I <em>owe</em> Lustburg and while I cannot put it as my first priority, I must make sure the people are safe and able to live fulfilling life.¡±


    Sol had many ideas he wished to implement and unlike his predecessors, he had the resources necessary to do so. He did not think that he was a messiah who could change the world but he had people he knew he could count on. People he knew would move even the earth for him if he so asked.


    Once he became a demigod, he would be able to cover the entire mortal realm without much of a problem and by then he might even be able to bring a modicum of peace.


    ¡°I am sure your highness can bring peace.¡±


    Sol shook his head, ¡°I cannot. As long as free will exist, evil will always exist. This is an absolute reality. The only way to get rid of evil for good would be to get rid of free will in its entirety. But getting rid of free will is perhaps one the greatest forms of evil that could exist.¡±


    Sol did have such a great goal as getting rid of all evil. He simply wished to bring happiness to those he cared for and those he had a duty to care for.


    ¡°Milia. Do you remember, you told me that I should not sign a contract with you because it would be a waste of my precious capacity?¡± He asked with a soft voice. Since Milia was standing behind him, he could not see her expression but he could feel her heartbeats increase.


    But these weren¡¯t the only things that were wildly moving. The gears of fate itself were moving, changing, adjusting. The choice he was about to make was not the most optimal if logic was solely observed and the strings of fate itself had decided that Sol should take Nuwa as his 4th contract rather than Milia.This was the logical choice between the two. No matter how one looked at it, Milia was nothing more than a bad copy of Echidna and an inferior version of Nuwa. For all the power she possessed, she was wed and the power she wielded could notpare to that of Echidna and Nuwa.


    But ¡ª So what?


    Sol grinned as a faint golden luster shone in his eyes before swiftly vanishing. His goal had always been to fight against Fate and to control his own destiny. He refused to simply be apdog that followed the Threads of Fate without trying to think. Doing so would be the same as epting that Fate was absolute and could not be changed.


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    Milia, standing behind him became flustered, this was a feeling she was not used to. After all, she had always been the one in control of the situation and as well as her feelings.


    ¡°Your Highness¡­¡± She took a deep breath and steadied her feelings, ¡°Sol. I believe that you are making a mistake. Even if you have enough capacity to have Nuwa after me, keeping the remaining capacity for a possible alliance would be better. Furthermore, once you bond with Nuwa, you will realize that the power we gave you is the same. Only, Nuwa is the superior version.¡±


    A contract allows one to obtain power. Even though Sol¡¯sbat style was already pretty muchplete, there was nothing wrong with having more skills. Furthermore, it would be possible for Sol to sign a contract with an elf or a dwarf and thus have an alliance with those kingdoms.


    She knew that Sol needed the earth element from what he told her and surely he could obtain it from her but once again having a contract with a dwarf would give him the same element.


    No matter how she looked at it, there were only losses and no advantages to signing a contract with her.


    ¡°Your Highness, I understand that you wish to do right by me. Perhaps you are confused because I am the first woman with whom you had a rtionship. Perhaps you feel pity because I am the weakest out of all those close to you. But please do not let emotions cloud your judgments. My loyalty to you is eternal and my love will not waver. I need no proof of the feelings you have for me either.¡±


    Her voice started breaking a little even as she spoke thosest words and she lowered her head or at least she started to but she was stopped by arge and warm hand that cupped her cheek and raised her face.


    With the sun at his back, she could barely see the expression on his face but she could only be dazed by the sight of a halo-like light forming around him. She had the impression that she was surrounded by nothing but love and warmth and at the same time, she felt like she was standing in front of a beingrger than life.


    ¡°Milia, listen to me.¡± He lowered his face and brought it closer to hers, ¡°I am not a confused boy nor do I feel pity for you. Milia, you are my rock. You are the one I know I can count on more than anyone else. You are the shadow to my light and there is not a single person in this world I would wish to have as a bond more than you.¡±


    Their foreheads gently touched, ¡°I know you feel inferiorpared to those who surround me. I know that you only have my best interest at heart when you say that you do not wish to form a contract with me. You always did this and I am thankful for everything you have done for me. But this time I am not talking to you as simply a servant.¡±


    His voice was oh-so gentle and oh-so-sweet even as he continued to address her, ¡°I ask you, Milia. Not the perfect maid you portray yourself as, not the leader of the crown shadow nor even as experiment number 26. I do not ask for reasons or logic. I only wish for you to answer. Do you wish to form a contract with me? Do you wish to stand beside me for all eternity as the shadow that will grow with my light?¡±


    Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes and for the first time in years, Milia cried as she uttered the words that she had been keeping close to her heart.


    ¡°Of course I do!¡±

 Chapter 590: First Letter

    Chapter 590: First Letter


    Her voice came out more like a strangled cry or a choked sob and this was undoubtedly the most emotional Milia had ever been.


    Throughout her life, Milia had suffered through three great upheavals and those events shaped the woman she was now.


    The first one came from the death of her parents because of the war between Lustburg and Wratharis all those years ago. Living as a street urchin had not been easy, Milia had learned how toy low and how to not attract the attention of dangerous people or perverts who might hurt her for their sick pleasures. After all, even as a kid she had quite the early development.


    Her best efforts had not been enough though as she was captured as an experiment by those under the order of Neptune Luxuria and what she went through there was pure hell.


    A hell that she only survived by slowly killing all the feelings inside her heart while also relying on the few who had survived alongside her. Those people became family or at least as close to one as it was possible. They were people she cared for and was ready to die for.


    Sadly, reality once again pped her in the face as even those feelings had not been enough to stop the greed and jealousy of a few, which prompted their betrayal and as such ¡ª Their execution.


    This was the final nail in the coffin, the event that birthed the creation of her Zone, <strong>Mncholia. </strong>


    Each of those events had broken pieces of her heart, and her tears hadpletely dried up as she realized that no one would wipe away her tears for her.


    She was alone. An abomination that had no reason to exist, a heartless monster who killed those she swore to protect. Those days had been dark for her, days she wished she could end her own life but she had been too much of a coward to even do such things.


    Things changed when she found Sol. He was like a ray of sunshine in a world where only darkness and shadow reigned and he slowly became her only reason to live.


    Milia was not stupid. She had enough knowledge about psychology to understand that her love and obsession for Sol was a twisted feeling born from her depression and her feeling of loneliness.


    Those feelings did not shine as brightly as those lovely young girls such as Isis, Setsuna, or Lilin had for Sol. Hers were dark, disgusting feelings that crawled like maggots and bugs that were attracted to the light shining on them.


    Did she want to form a contract with Sol? What a senseless question. Of course, she wanted to! She even dreamed of it. There was little she wanted more than this. Her very purpose in life was to be of use to him and signing a contract would put a part of her soul in his while bringing a part of his soul in her. She would be his strength and a support for him to bring to greater heights.


    How could she not want it?


    If Nuwa had never appeared, she would have happily epted to sign a contract with him and give even her soul to him. But Nuwa did appear and she was nothing but a straight upgrade to everything Milia had to offer to Sol.


    Milia wished to be Sol¡±s strength and It was exactly because she wanted it so much she knew that she could not form a contract with him.


    Because if she did, rather than bing his strength, she would be nothing but a weakness. A dead weight that would bring him nothing but trouble. Even if Sol assured her that everything would be alright, deep down she would always wonder if Sol could not have gained more by signing with someone else.


    She could not allow her rationality to get clouded by her emotions and selfish desires. She could not let Sol make a mistake that he might regret in the future either. She had to make sure that Sol became as strong as possible. This was her duty and her duty trumped her feelings.


    ¡°Sorry, I cannot ept this contract. It¡¯s simply not right.¡±


    She sniffed a little but her gaze was clear and her decision was made. Even if it tore her inside, she would not budge on this unless she was sure that this decision would not bring down Sol.


    Her feelings would never be as important as his sess. This was the absolute truth by which she lived.


    ¡°Milia¡­¡± Sol uttered her name quietly as he watched the tears fall uncontrobly from her face. Sol could guess the thoughts filling her mind at the moment and he could feel the strong reticenceing from her.


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    He knew that at this moment, he could not convince Milia if he stopped at emotions. The only way to convince her was to make her understand that this action was undoubtedly the best one possible.


    This was not something wanted. He did not wish for his rtionship with Milia to be based on something like pure logic and interest.


    <em>Calm down and think. </em>


    Sol had many choices at his disposal. Force Milia by using his own way, going ahead imposing his feelings without thinking of hers, and getting what he wanted by making her listen to him.


    Milia was loyal to a fault to him and she would undoubtedly obey him if he ordered her to sign a contract with him. But this was not what he wanted. He did not wish to cause grief to those he loved, much less ignore their feelings.


    Thankfully, Sol¡¯s choices had not been fueled simply by hot-headedness, ¡°Milia, I want you to¡­No, I hope that you believe me when I say this. Signing a contract with you is undoubtedly risky. But¡­The risks are outweighed by the possible rewards.¡±


    He grabbed her arms before sliding slowly until he held her hands. They were so small and frail. He could even feel small tremors as her shoulders shook because of her sobs.


    ¡°Look at me.¡± She did as he asked and held his gaze with hers, ¡°I would never lie to you and you know me more than anyone else in this world so you should be able to know that I am telling the truth. If my n works, you will be thest stone to everything I have been trying to build until now, and for everything to work, I do not just need someone powerful, I need someone whopletes me and whose feelings for me are so strong that no doubt about them can exist.¡±


    The strength of a contact depends on the type and the rtionship between the two parties. Even if Sol wished to make a contract with Nuwa, the simple fact was that he was not close enough to her and this was not something that could be changed in less than seven days.


    Even if it was simply a Gluttony-type contract, the link between them would be too weak.


    ¡°Listen to me well. Getting a power-up from the contract would be nice and Nuwa <strong>Devour </strong>is definitely superior to yours when ites to self-growth. But I can get itter from her when we be closer. What I need now though isn¡¯t the power of Devouring. What I need is threefold. I need shadows, I need earth and more importantly, I need a powerful and unbreakable link. Because once my n starts¡­Only the strength of the bond I have made will be able to help me seed.¡±


    His eyes started shining, ¡°Milia¡­ What I am trying to do is something that has never been done in this world and the only way to do the impossible is to break through convention and logic.¡±


    As sappy as this may seem, what he truly needed was undoubtedly the power of emotions. He needed all his contracts a temte and Milia fitted everything to a T. More so than Nuwa could.


    ¡°Is it¡­¡± Milia felt a small hope burn through her heart and almost asked if what Sol said was truly the truth but, looking at his eyes, she swallowed the rest of her words.


    There was no need to ask, there was no need to even ponder or hesitate. Sol was undoubtedly telling the truth at this moment.


    She did not know what made her happier. The fact that she could be useful to him or the fact that she could indeed make a contract with him and reach a level of intimacy and closeness that was even beyond marriage.


    ¡°I am sorry for making you cry.¡±


    Milia closed her eyes as she felt Sol wipe away her tears with his thumb. His movements were slow and gentle as if he was trying to soothe a small child.


    She opened her eyes wide when she felt his lips on hers but soon closed them once again and let herself go as the two of them exchanged a deep and passionate kiss. Somehow, this kiss was different from all those they had until now. This was not a kiss filled with passion and desire.


    No. This was a soft and gentle kiss, one that was filled with love, reassurance, and longing as well as a promise for a better tomorrow.


    When their lips finally separated, she found herself blushing, as heat spread across her cheeks and this heat did not diminish as Sol teased her about it for a short while before finally taking a serious expression, ¡°Are you ready? What kind of contract do you wish to make with me?¡±


    ¡°Do you even need to ask?¡± She smiled tenderly before taking two steps and gave an elegant curtsey.


    Even if Milia had been a virgin and so able to form a Lust contract with Sol, she would have not taken this road. Her love for Sol was undeniable but it was like a candle to the great fire that was the devotion and loyalty she had for him.


    Sol was her lover but he was also her master, her lord, and even in a certain way ¡ª Her god.


    Sol understood this and did not need to argue. ¡°Then, let¡¯s start.¡± He took a deep breath and searched for the power and feeling that came when he formed a contract.


    His eyes shone with luster as he called upon thew of the world,


    <strong>¡°I call the attention of the world</strong>¡­and that of the goddesses¡±


    The world listened and thus answered. Arge grin formed on Sol¡¯s face even as the magical circle appeared below him and Milia.


    <em>So I was right.</em>


    He fought the urge tough even as the very structure of the world and the fabric of reality seemed to have no secret in front of his eyes.


    Therge tree of light and the unending river of time had never seemed so close yet so distant. He had the feeling that he could almost touch them as if the veryw of the world were at his fingertips.


    At the same time, the name that had been so blurry before seemed clearer in his mind now, and he could even see the first letter of his name forming in his very soul as if branding him.


    That letter was ¡ª <strong>¡°D¡±</strong>

 Chapter 591: Lunaria

    Chapter 591: Lunaria


    The appearance of this only letter was akin to thunder and lightning roaring in his mind. No sooner did this happen that even the sky above him seemed to shake, dark clouds gathered and rain threatened to fall while a powerful wind picked up.


    Milia could feel terrible pressure exercising on her shoulders. It was a power filled with a terrible thirst and a desire for absolute destruction as if it wished to bring everything to an absolute end.


    At the same time, it was a power filled with warmth and joy that brought life and happiness wherever it went.


    Such a contradiction in intent should not be possible but here it was. Something that should be impossible. Something that should not exist in this world.


    Faced with this strange and inexplicable phenomenon, Milia did not feel fear or danger.


    All she felt was a deep exhration once she understood that this event was caused by none other than herself, her lord, and her love.


    Her eyes shone with deep love and fanatical loyalty as she finally started her vow,


    ¡°I, Milia, leader of the Crown¡¯s Shadow and fervent servant,e on this day with a new vow of allegiance.¡±


    Unlike the Lust contract where the two participants swore their love to each other and lived as equals, the Pride contract was a one-sided pact where one side swore his loyalty and allegiance to the other.The higher the feeling of subordination the deeper the pact was and the more power could be obtained from it.


    ¡°Milia, what are your vows?¡±


    Milia, ignoring the raging wind and the dark cloud above her, took a knee on the soft ground and ced it above her chest.


    ¡°I swear to serve and protect you, my lord, to be loyal and true in all matters, and to uphold the honor and dignity of your name and household.¡±


    The magical circle born from the call of the world started to shine brightly. It did not change into the pink hue that came when he did the Lust contract but rather a powerful and regal purple.


    ¡°I pledge to you, my lord, my sword, my strength, and my loyalty. I will defend you and yournds with all my heart and skill, and I will uphold your honor andmands above all else.¡±


    Milia spoke, her voice stronger and faster but each time her vow became stricter,


    ¡°I vow to you, my lord, unyielding loyalty, unbreakable resolve, and unwavering courage. I will shield you from harm, and honor your name until myst breath.¡±


    Each time she spoke, purple chains would appear and bind her to Sol. This vow was one that would bind their soul forever in a way beyond anything. The strength of her vow was already such that it could be said to have been extremely rare even when scouring through annals of history.


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    But Milia would not stop here, she refused to stop for the previous vows could not cover the height and depth of her loyalty.


    ¡°I pledge my body, heart, and life to you, my lord. In your service, I give all that I am. I will stand with you in the darkest of times, offering my strength and my will. Your cause shall be my purpose, and your well-being my highest priority, until the end of my days and even beyond.¡±


    Sol frowned but he did not speak as Milia lifted her head and looked at him, her eyes shining in a deep purple light even as the chains coiled around her heart. Those words were her deepest thought and she decided that she would serve him even after death by bing an undead if it was necessary. Stopping her now would be an insult to her loyalty and her devotion.


    When she realized that Sol would not stop her, Milia let out a sigh of relief and ced down her second knee before lowering herself as her front touched the muddy ground. Rain was already falling but she had no care for such things.


    ¡°Finally, I offer not only my body, heart, and life, but also my eternal soul and unwavering faith, O my Lord. As your humble servant, I dedicate every fiber of my being to your divine will. My existence shall be but a vessel for your divine purpose, and my faith in your righteousness shall guide me through all eternity.¡±


    Lightning shed in the sky as a new chain flew at Milia and entered deep into her body, holding and restraining her soul. This was not just a vow to a lord but one to a god.


    At this very moment, if Sol so wished, only one thought from him was sufficient to extinguish her soul or change her into a puppet with absolutely no will. This went beyond any Pride contract recorded or not and might be the only such contract even in the future.


    ¡°Milia, do you stand by your words?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Will you be my shadow?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Even if my desires go against yours?¡±


    ¡°Your will is my will.¡±


    ¡°Even if I be the enemy of the world?¡±


    ¡°Your enemies are my enemies. If following you is a sin¡­Then I will dly be a sinner.¡±


    Sol smiled softly. What could feel better than knowing that you had someone who would give their everything to you?


    Once again, he realized that his true blessing was not because of all the power but rather all the people he had around him.


    A sword made of golden light appeared in his hand and he ced the de against her shoulder


    [Bestow her name.]


    The magical circle moved as thest step of the ceremony was reached. Sol gave a look at Milia,


    ¡°What name do you wish for?¡±


    Milia smiled. She had no need to think deeply. She had no need for a pompous name or a very important-sounding one. She simply needed one name.


    ¡°Lunaria.¡±


    Since Sol wished for her to be the shadow of his light, then her name would represent the moon that could only shine by using the light of the sun. Sol could only be more moved as he understood the meaning behind this name.


    ¡°Henceforth, I, Sol Dragona Luxuria, as your lord, your love, and your god, will shoulder the weight of your life and your eternal soul and bestow you the name Lunaria. Do you ept it?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡ªAnd so the ceremony ended as both Sol and Milia¡¯s souls were tied down together. For all eternity.

 Chapter 592: Meeting the Goddess

    Chapter 592: Meeting the Goddess


    When Sol opened his eyes, he was not surprised to find himself once again in a different space. His experience with Castitas, Ira, and Invidia had been more than enough for him to know that the goddesses would not let pass the chance to have a private discussion with him.


    He only wondered which goddess would be the first to act. Milia was a beast woman so she was under Ira and Patientia. At the same time, she was a modified chimera and had the gene of Echidna. As such she was theoretically also under G and Temperatia. Finally, the contract they signed was a Pride type so Superbia also had her share.


    Looking around him as the space slowly started to morph until he found himself in some kind of dining room with arge rectangr table and fifteen luxurious chairs arranged all around it. The room itself was quitevish, a soft music filled his ears, while small golden light floated on the ceiling, illuminating the whole room.


    The table itself was covered with mouth-watering food and Sol could feel his stomach growling as a seemingly insatiable hunger started filling his body.


    Eat eat eat eat eat! This one singr thought was repeating endlessly in his mind, as if it wished to drive him insane and change him into a monster who had no desire aside from eating.


    Sol frowned a little as he fought against this feeling and took a seat. His steps were slow and measured as he fought the influence of thepulsion that was tearing him apart but in the end, he was able to properly sit and look at the person sitting on the other side.


    ¡°Goddesses G. Happy to meet you.¡±


    ¡°You are as impressive as the others said. I am surprised you were able to fight the urge to eat. Not that it would have changed anything. I prepared this food for you after all.¡±


    Sol grinned, ¡°Why the surprise? I have already shown that I can fight thepulsion goddesses naturally emanate.¡±Even as he spoke, Sol made sure to not have G''s face in his direct line of sight. G was undoubtedly far stronger than he thought at first and he did not want to take any risk as he thought about what could happen if he made a mistake here.


    ¡°Heh. You underestimate how impressive this is. Out of all of us sisters, both Luxuria and I are undoubtedly the strongest and this is because while the other''s sins and virtues are <em>emotions </em>or<em> actions</em>, Lust and Gluttony are tied down to primordial need. They are things that no one can really escape from. Even more so for mortals.¡±


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    Sol nodded, quietly tucking away the information about the power level of the goddesses. He could feel that G was pretty chatty and was directing no hostility toward him. In such a situation, it would be stupid of him to start the hostility and push away a potential ally. Even more so when she was seemingly part of the top 2 most powerful.


    ¡°So, with what should I begin?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Are you not worried that I might have poisoned the food.¡±


    Sol shrugged, ¡°I believe someone whose concept is rted to hunger would not desecrate food.¡± That and he was also sure he could survive if she did try to poison him.


    ¡°You are funny. I like your confidence.¡± She giggled lightly, giving Sol the impression that he was facing nothing more than a young woman who was still discovering the world. ¡°Then¡­Let¡¯s eat? Only after eating while we talk about serious things.¡±


    The meal proceeded in silence and Sol watched, bemused, as the food seemed to be literally inhaled by the dainty and slim woman in front of him. If at least she was eating disgustingly, he would have not been so surprised. Instead, she was eating in a stylish and well-mannered way that contrasted greatly with the amount she was ingurgitating.


    Ignoring the human-shaped vacuum cleaner, Sol focused on the food he was eating and he nodded as he realized that while the food did not possess some mind-blowing taste, it had a certain warmth that filled his body and made him feel calmer.


    His nerves, taut because of all the stress he had been undertely started rxing and he could feel his sense of danger lessen greatly.


    ¡°One of the spices I used is a special one that grows in the Afterall realm and grows by feeding on the water of the river of forgetfulness. It is a rare ingredient that is extremely useful when ites to helping the soul grow.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Sol looked down at his food. Wondering for one small moment if he wished to know more about the food he was consuming but then, realizing that all it result would be to upset him or destroy his appetite he decided to simply smile and keep eating.


    He ate and ate and did not raise his head even as two shadowy figures appeared and sat on either side of G. All he knew was that the food was good for his soul and he certainly was not going to miss this asion.


    When the food finally vanished entirely from the table, Sol finally gazed at the two new goddesses who had joined them.


    He didn¡¯t really need to hear their names to know who they were. He simply needed to focus on the feeling they were bringing out. This was more than enough,


    ¡°Goddess Superbia. Goddess Temperatia. I am surprised you are joining us. I thought it would once again be a one-on-one meeting.¡±

 Chapter 593:

    Chapter 593:


    Sol had expected many things during this meeting but meeting three goddesses at the same time was certainly not what he had been expecting. Still, he was grateful. This way of acting showed that the goddesses were looking at him less like a bug or an ant they could casually step on and more like an equal or someone who could potentially be their equal.


    This was both something he appreciated and something that worried him as well. Sol had not let hubris cloud his mind and he understood that one of the reasons he could still live so peacefully, or as peacefully as it was possible to live with an ongoing war, was that the goddesses did not see him as a threat yet.


    They were underestimating him and because they were doing so, he could fly under their radars. But the moment they stopped doing so, things could get quite dicey.


    <em>I will have to take this into ount.</em>


    Temperantia answered his question quite simply, ¡°This was the n. Until I realize that my idiot sister would most likely end up eating with you without speaking of anything important until the end of the limited time we have.¡± Her voice had a distinct and mature feel to it as well as a certain edge.


    ¡°As for me? I simply joined because I did have not much to say. I am just curious.¡± Superbia seemed like some tomboy who was simply having fun while looking at the chaos. Sol could feel that she was very dangerous and if Tiamat''s power was any indication, chances were high that Superbia was part of the top 3 or top 5 strongest goddesses. Which made her undoubtedly he had to have on his side.


    Furthermore, if the information Skuld had given him were any indication, Goddesses may have a way to directly control divine beasts and thest thing Sol wanted was to be hunted down by Tiamat.


    Doing his best to hide his thoughts, Sol looked around before asking, ¡°I gather, Goddess Ira will not join us?¡±


    ¡°She told us that she had already shared everything she wanted to tell you and that any more discussions would be unnecessary.¡± Sol grinned at those words. Temperantia''s answer was within his expectations. His discussion with Ira after he signed a contract with Setsuna and Lilin had been quite the enlightening one and he had formed a certain respect for the goddess who openly admitted her fear but was also steadfast in her way.


    He might not like all the goddesses, but this proved to him that he could not look down on them and that some of them were worthy of respect even if they sometimes acted like spoiled children with too much money.


    ¡°Very well, dear goddesses, may I ask now why I was called?¡±


    The three of them looked at each other before Temperatia finally took the floor, ¡°I have three demands, and if you respect them. I believe my sister and I would be willing to support you when Invidia inevitably snaps and tries to attack you again¡­¡±


    G gently wiped the crumble from her mouth with a napkin as she continued, ¡°Echidna must live. We have invested too much divine power in her and having her die would be a waste of our investment. Furthermore, she is our cute little daughter¡­¡±


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    Sol wondered if someone like Echidna could really be called cute but he did not speak.


    ¡°...Nuwa or Echidna must be your wife and bear your child. Once you be a god. Ideally, it should be your first but we care not about such a thing¡­¡± Temperatia continued once again. Her choice of words irritated Sol. It was even more so since he did particrly have such a feeling for Nuwa at the moment. Even if he had such feelings, he hated having the goddesses try to meddle in his life in such a way.


    ¡°I can feel your displeasure but we are simply stating the terms that will make us believe in you¡­¡±


    ¡°...You have shown that unlike some of your ancestors you attach great importance to those you care about¡­¡±


    ¡°So your solution for us to work together is to try and ckmail me emotionally?¡± He asked quietly incredulously. The way the two goddesses bounced off each other sentence didn¡¯t help in making him calmer.


    ¡°ckmail?...¡±


    ¡°...Why would we ckmail you?¡±


    ¡°Is alliance by marriage not somethingmon in the mortal world?...¡±


    ¡°...Is it not the way you used to convince Invidia¡¯s blessed to fall under your g?¡±


    Sol closed his mouth for he knew that he had no retort to this. The actions he had undertaken to control Pandora were things he was not particrly proud of even to this day.


    This was one of the reasons he had been slightly avoiding her and not spending time with her. It was truly horrible for him and he understood that. But he did not know how to talk to her.


    This was undoubtedly his most awkward rtionship to date.


    ¡°It seems like you still feel shame.¡± Superbia who had been silent all this while snickered which caused Sol to take control of his emotions and release a sigh.


    ¡°I withhold any judgments until I hear about thest demand.¡±


    The goddesses once again looked at each other and G took Temperatia''s hands in hers.


    ¡°Young hero, you might not understand this but us sisters only had each other as support for eons and this truth will be the same for eons toe...¡±


    ¡°...At the moment, we are divided simply because we struggle between our desire to see the birth of a new god or the desire to support our dear little sister. But¡­¡±


    ¡°...Make no mistake.¡±


    ¡°We are forever bonded to each other.¡±


    ¡°We will always protect each other.¡±


    ¡°If you be mortal enemy with Invidia in the truest sense¡ª¡±


    ¡° ¡ªWe will protect her.¡±


    ¡°So what are ourst demands you ask?¡±


    ¡°Use your wits.¡±


    ¡°Use your legendary charms.¡±


    ¡°¡°And make Invidia fall for you.¡±¡±


    Sol waited for a moment, the words slowly making sense in his mind as he processed them,


    ¡°...I beg your pardon?¡±


    He had received many requests until now but this was undoubtedly the most nonsensical one to date. The boisterousugh that came from Superbia was the proof that might have had quite theical expression at the moment.


    ¡°We said our pieces. The choice is yours. In the end, everything will only matter if you be a god. So¡­Do not disappoint us.¡±


    Sol was not able to answer as he was sent away from the Divine Territory.

 Chapter 594--Chapter 595 7th Day

    Chapter 594--Chapter 595 7th Day


    <em>And on the seventh day He finished His work which He had made, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made</em>


    <strong>The sound of the seventh trumpet signals the "third woe." This is the final trumpet and the final woe. Loud voices in Heaven will say: "The kingdom of the world has be the kingdom of our Lord and His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever."</strong>


    When Sol came back from his visit to the goddesses which honestly hade to a rather baffling end, a few more days went by as he finished all the spiritual preparation he had begun.


    The girls pped and cheered for Milia when he announced he formed a contract for her and even ra seemed happy for her. Though Sol had been able to see a distinct sadness in her eyes.


    This was something he would have to take care of after this war. After all, Sol was not blind. One would need to be denser than a ck hole to not notice the affection ra had for him or should he say obsession? Either way, it was true that she felt for him, and while Sol could not say that he loved her as much as the others close to him, ra had be someone dear to him thanks to all the work she had been doing without asking for much in return.


    Outside of ra, his small discussion with the goddesses also opened his eyes to how he had been treating Pandora because of his guilt. This was something unforgivable and he did his best to remedy it by spending a little more time with her and having a heart-to-heart discussion.


    It was sadly a short one as Sol had to start his training with Echidna but it was enough to lighten the situation slightly and make sure they had the chance to spend more one on er. Sol did not know how his rtionship with Pandora would continue but he would be damned if he didn¡¯t try to make it work as this was the least he could do.


    Outside of his rtionship, Sol made sure to hire as many bards as possible and they were all under the control of ra. Milia had joined him in his training because it seemed like she was also on the limit of transitioning into a King rank.


    Her name seemed obscure still but the barrier that had been stopping her progress was no more.This was a very much appreciated news. After all, one more king would make Lustburg stronger but he had to make sure to control her progress. He needed her to still be a Duke until he finished everything he had to do, which would thankfully not take long.


    As for ra, she was doing a great job and more legends about him were being spread all over the world. This had been something he had started since the moment he healed Lilith and soon he would reap the reward for this.


    His spies were also observing Wratharis, as it was important to avoid being attacked while everyone believed in the Ceasefire. Lupus had yet to answer, so it seemed like the war would start again tomorrow.


    Sol hoped Lupus would move the way he anticipated as only then would he be able to get the best of both worlds. He didn¡¯t want to enter a killing spree if it was possible after all.


    ¡°Focus.¡±


    Sol sighed and nodded as he felt two dainty hands on his back. On this new day, He sat cross-legged, eyes closed and in deep meditation.


    Sitting behind him in maid clothes and with her hand against his back was Echidna. She had once again taken over Nuwa¡¯s body. This was another point he needed to work on. He had been worried at first, wondering if the constant switch was affecting Nuwa negatively but it waspletely the opposite. It seemed like Echidna¡¯s soul was working like a sharpening stone and was making Nuwa¡¯s soul sturdier.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you if all your mana veins get tangled.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Sol chuckled before releasing a sigh and focusing on the matter at hand. He had been working on the cirction of his energy and learning all the nodes he needed to follow. Even for someone like him with his powerful memory, it was a great amount of work. This made him all the more impressed with what Echidna studied. She was truly a genius of a different kind.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the two of them to bepletely still, while the sun''s light shone softly on them as they sat on green grass.


    There was neither snow nor rain and one would have the feeling that they were in summer rather than winter.


    This was Sol¡¯s dimension and for once, it was neither bathed in monochromatic light nor a mirror to the real world. This was a space he was able to maniptepletely at will.


    It was still very small, rtively speaking but he now had near absolute control over a hundred meters square in his dimension and could do more than simply inverting things.


    Sol and Echidna were not the only ones present in this ce. Surrounding them, all of them cross-legged and in meditation were Isis, Setsuna, Lilin, and finally ¡ª Milia.


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    Although only dukes were present in the scene, the aura of power and the pressure that they were emanating would have been enough to make even some kings hesitate slightly.


    This scene was only possible now because as long as they stayed in those hundred meters, Sol could protect all of them from the emotional inversion power of his dimension.


    ¡°Listen well, I will push a little bit of my mana into your body and you will follow the cirction closely. This will be the first time for me to have someone with all the seven gates opened so it will be slow but once the first cirction is done it will be up to you. You already memorized all the points, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. 72000 nodes, 114 pathways, and 7 chakras. I have memorized them all.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± She nodded and looked at the other girls. She could see the suspicions in their eyes and knew that if she made a mistake at this moment they would immediately incapacitate her. Her eyes lingered a little longer on Milia before taking her eyes away.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s start I guess. This will be fast.¡±


    ***


    For some people, the body was akin to an entire universe. Filled with enigmatic treasures and seemingly endless.


    Up to a few days ago, Sol had never really taken the time to observe and understand his own body despite the fact that it was one of his greatest weapons.


    Now though, as he followed the flow of energy Echidna was transmitting to him, he realized his own ignorance and marveled at the beauty that was his body.


    72000 nodes, 114 pathways, and 7 chakras. which tranted to hundreds of thousands ofbinations possible. Out of all of thosebinations, many were wrong and would lead to death or destruction, while only a few would bring clear and positive results.


    Sol remembered the notes Echidna had given him. She had created many derivative techniques that focused on the different chakra since most races only had a few of them open. The number ofbinations was vastly inferior after all.


    Some of the techniques she created could tremendously increase the dexterity of the user or they could increase their speed or strength. But when the seven chakras were open, things changedpletely and the results were an all-around boost to all physical ability and an increase in physical attack resistance.


    If Echidna''s results were to be believed, it would be possible for someone with the seven chakras to grow with their physical body alone and without needing any enlightenment they would be able to reach the King or even the demigod rank in terms of pure power.


    Of course, truthfully thinking such things seemed superfluous. After all, while having a powerful body was important, a powerful realm was even more so as the usage ofws became the main way of fighting.


    Sol understood this more than anything as he had been able to manhandle Surtr and Nihil thanks to his superior control of thews while he used his dimension.


    It didn¡¯t matter that Surtr was stronger than him. He was simply rendered helpless.


    Since learning physical body enhancement was useless, few people dedicated themselves to this practice and Echidna could be said to be a true pioneer in the domain.


    <em>I feel warm.</em>


    The energy of Echidna was warm but at the same time extremely heavy. There was a hunger to it, an all-epassing feeling simr to the hunger he had felt when he met G, the goddess of Gluttony.


    ¡°You should be able to use this power, right? Feel it and move it. Use your core to absorb the energy in your body and use the power of devouring to digest the purest essence.¡±


    Sol did not bother answering and simply did as he was told. Indeed. His union with Milia had brought him quite a surprise. While he had not been able to obtain directly the power of Devouring from the contract itself and only obtained the power of Earth, he realized the startling fact that he was able to copy and use all the power and technique Milia had.


    This went both ways as Milia had received many minor boosts to her physical prowess and even obtained resistance to magic that was simr to his Chaos Dragon body. Finally, even her shadow seemed to have be something akin to a Minor dimension and while she could not use skills such as dimension encroachment as the dimension itself was too small, she was able to keep things in it.


    She called it the shadow dimension.


    ¡°I am about to take back my energy. Are you ready? Once the cirction starts, you cannot stop, you will have to expel all the impurities umted in your body and reach a perfect union between body and mind. I believe once you seed you will be the best punching bag a King could dream to have. ¡±


    Sol breathed deeply and rxed while ignoring the Joke Echidna threw at him. Reaching the King level with his physical body would not make him strong enough to face the threats but it would certainly give him more confidence.


    <em>It seems like the path of being a cockroach and expert at survival is something I can never escape from.</em>


    He allowed himself onestugh before his mind emptied and the flow of energy in his body became like a torrent rushing in his ears.


    It did not take long for aplete map of his internal mana veins to appear in his mind as he followed the flow given by Echidna and as this flow slowly vanished, Sol reced it with his own flow, slowly filling one node after another.


    <em>Ugh¡­</em>


    Sol groaned and the sweet taste of blood filled his throat. His energy thread was akin to a needle poking and piercing through everything on its way. Each opening brought an excruciating pain and the thought that he had to do it 71690 more times made him feel like he should stop.


    <em>Why does it have to be painful every time? For once couldn¡¯t we get something sweet and easy? </em>


    Sol fought the urge to curse. Be it the first time when he grew his core or when he advanced his body with the dragon blood. Each and every time had felt like hell on earth and now it looked like he was on a new road trip to hell. One that was beyond anything that he had ever felt.


    Thankfully, after all the beating Sol went through in his short but intense adventures, he had developed quite a high pain resistance and was able to go through the worst of this situation easily.


    When thest node was connected and the cycle began anew, Sol knew that he had already done the greatest part of the work and now, he moved the energy and started sending it to his Chakra.

 Chapter 596: Kingdom of Dawn

    Chapter 596: Kingdom of Dawn


    Seven chakras.


    Starting from the root Chakra located at the end of his spine, climbing to reach the Sacral Chakra located in the novel, and then the Sr Plexus chakra, which represented the core, Sol focused more than he had ever done in his life.


    He could not afford to make any mistakes now. Carefully, very carefully, the energy climbed and reached the ce known as the Heart Chakra and the location was more than clear.


    Sol gritted his teeth as the pain exploded once again. It was as if thousands of needles were poking his heart and threatening to make it explode. But he could not hurry this part. It was necessary to stimte his heart as much as possible to get rid of the old blood and bring in new blood.


    The impurities in his body were caused by the mixed blood bath he had taken. After all, while this was mostly made with Tiamat blood, which was one of the purest things in the world, it did not change that neither her blood nor the blood of the dragon belonged to him and some part could not be assimted.


    Even with his eyes closed Sol knew that his body was expelling all the bad blood, not unlike what happened when he first formed his core. The sticky sensation and the fishy odor reaching him were not something he could easily ignore and were pretty disgusting as they came out from nearly every orifice of his body.


    Once he was more or less done with the Heart Chakra, the energy continued to climb, reaching the Throat Chakra which prompted him to open his mouth and vomit blood and pieces of organs that were destroyed and reced inside of him as if cleansing the interior of his body.


    Soon it reached the Third Eye chakra and Sol acted even more carefully. After all, this ce was rted to his Divine weapon and he knew that once he finished, even his divine weapon would be stronger, which would push him further in the path of omniscience.


    The itchy feeling that spread in his mind was numbing and distracting but it was nothingpared to what he felt when he finally reached thest chakra ¡ª The Crown.This was the final connection, thest energy point, and as Sol filled that ce andpleted the first rotation, he felt like his mind quite literally exploded as pure Whiteness covered his vision.


    His body feltrger as if he was a giant that could reach a mountain and pluck the stars in the sky. His heart started beating louder as if responding to a beat only it could hear. The power of his heartbeat seemed to make the ground itself tremble under its might.


    Slowly, his skin started tearing apart as new skin grew under it. His muscles grew and shrunk repeatedly, bing sturdier as time passed and so did his mana vein as they became wider and sturdier to bring in more mana at a faster rate.


    Soon, the ambient mana was absorbed greedily and helped in making his body stronger.


    Echidna, who had been observing his change in real life, immediately distanced himself and shouted at Isis and the other girls, ¡°Let out your mana!¡±


    The girls did not hesitate and did as they were told. Soon a full tornado of mana filled the area and the mana became so dense it was almost liquid, soakingpletely Sol in the energy and bringing even more magical changes to him as his body devoured the mana like a starved beast.


    Soon, golden mes covered Sol¡¯s body, causing Nuwa to open her eyes wide as she realized that Sol was also using the phoenix mes to purify further his body even as he absorbed the energy. This diminished the quantity of mana but the quality was greatly enhanced.


    <em>Just what kind of transformation will happen? </em>She wondered curiously. She was bing more and more curious about this.


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    ***


    Sol meanwhile, was unable to focus on all of this. Hundreds of pictures and sounds were shing in his mind and he felt as if he was witnessing things that were beyond hisprehension.


    His connection to the river of time became more and more intimate and he slowly realized that he was looking at pictures of possible futures but those were all too blurry for him.


    Soon though, things changed, as if going backward. The pictures moved and became clearer as Sol could see things that happened days or even months ago. From his fights against the sages to his return in the mortal realm or his fight against Surtr and even his first time with Milia.


    Each time those pictures went by him, he had the feeling that he could grab one of them and bring them out in reality but something was screaming at him that doing so would be the stupidest thing he could do.


    He wondered for a moment if this was how his other self in the alternate future with Skuld was able to reset the entire timeline. Even though he could only see, he had the distinct impression that it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for him to enter those timelines and change the future by affecting the past.


    <strong>You shouldn¡¯t even think about it. You are still far from this level. All this would result in, would be the creation of a parallel timeline. </strong>


    <em>What?</em>


    <em></em>


    Sol looked around him. Feeling like someone had been talking to him but he was unable to see anyone.


    He soon was distracted as the image reached his period as a child, the first time he met Medea was when he got lost with Setsuna. The first time he meets Setsuna, then Milia, then Lilin, then Camelia, and finally Lilith.


    Then the memories went even beyond, to a time even he could barely remember. He could see a beautiful woman with hair as red as fire looking down at him with a smile filled with affection and not far from her was a golden-haired man.


    It was pretty easy to deduce who they were. ze and Mars, his parents in this world. This was the first time he saw Mars outside of his portrait and he had to admit, the man had a certain aura around him that brought confidence.


    He wondered what was about to happen when Mars slowly approached him with a sad smile,


    ¡°If that woman is right, we will most likely not survive this ordeal. Are you sure you want toe with me?¡±


    ze shook her head, ¡°You know I do not believe in destiny. Not even Tiamat can say things with such assurance. Much less a mortal who came from who knows where.¡±


    ¡°And yet you already prepared the ceremony to take out your core and horns as fast as possible.¡±


    She shrugged, ¡°We are about to face a demigod. Preparing my legacy is only right.¡±


    Mars sighed, clearly understanding that he would not be able to convince his wife. As such he did the only thing that he could. He gazed at the baby and spoke


    ¡°I do not know. Whether the foreign soul awakened or not. Perhaps you do not even see us as your parents. But let me leave you with a discovery I made and that might be useful for you.¡±


    He looked around, ¡°Many people wonder how I was able to be a demigod and where my territory could be. More importantly, how did I be so strong? The truth is ¡ª I was lucky and I will share a great secret with you.¡±


    ¡°Firstly, I am a false demigod.¡±


    Sol gasped at this shocking news but Mars was far from finished. What followed was nearly mind-numbing.


    ¡°False demigods are kings who reached the level of demigod by luck thanks to finding an abandoned territory. But then, how was I able to be this strong? Well, it¡¯s because what I found wasn¡¯t a territory but a<em> crumbling Divine Kingdom</em>. Do you understand?¡±


    There was an intensity in his voice but the voice slowly became faint and Sol was having a difficult time listening in, ¡°This means that once upon a time ¡ª gods that were neither the fourteen nor Destruction, Time, Space, Death, and Life existed and, there may be more crumbling divine kingdoms in the mortal realm. As for the crumbling divine kingdom I found, it was called ¡ª The Kingdom of Dawn.¡±


    Those were thest he heard before everything became entirely dark.

 Chapter 597: Second Letter

    Chapter 597: Second Letter


    When Sol awakened, he found himself deep in a crater, energy swirling around him and constantly filling his body while being purified. His energy reserve, and his mana veins were all growing at tremendous speed but most of this energy was diverted toward his body, causing it to grow even more monstrous than it was.


    In the past, thanks to the dragon blood, his resilience had been somewhat equal to that of a weak king but this only meant that he had been a good punching bag.


    Now though, the feeling of power that was coursing through his entire body gave him the impression that he could fold a King in half if that one was not careful.


    <em>Damnit. Not now.</em>


    But the changes did not stop there. All this time, he had been stopping his realm from increasing and reaching the level of King. He had no intention of simply bing a normal King-ranked being.


    Now though, it seemed like he had absorbed too much energy and could not stop the process. Already a new name was forming in his mind and trying to overwrite the letter he had previously formed when contracting Milia.


    That name was only halfway created but Sol knew what it represented, <strong>¡®Invic</strong>¡¯


    The name whispered sweet promises of power and victory to his mind. <strong>Invictus</strong>. Ever victorious. Never defeated. Unconquered.


    The synergy he had with this name was incredible and unlike Hyperion, the previous Name he had rejected, this one here had truly great potential and could have allowed him to be a top-ranked King without any problem.<strong>Sol Invictus. </strong>


    This would be perfect for him and his situation and this thought made him hesitate. For one very short instant, he wondered if he should stop chasing after a wild dream with low probability and settle for this incredible power.


    But in the end, Sol fought against the temptation and buried the feeling of hesitation deep into his stomach.


    Sol knew that bing a king was a dream for many people. Even the legendary great sages had been blocked in the Duke level for so long. They would most likely scream in agony if they knew what he was about to do now.


    But Sol had no care for such things. The ceiling so many strived for was a floor that was simply too low for him.


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    <em>Break!</em>


    Sol felt like a part of himself broke as his will pushed against the name that was trying to form in his consciousness.


    Bing a King was an important step and the result of the legend built by the user. From what Sol managed to understand by using his own knowledge of the other world, the closer the actions, personality, power, and legend of an individual were to a certain myth or legend on earth, the higher the chances of receiving that name.


    This was why Sol was not surprised by the name Invictus as it was without a doubt the results of his actions during the war both in the mortal realm and the astral realm. In both cases, he had remained victorious and in both cases, his actions had been witnessed by arge number of people.


    Invictus was the result of his efforts and he loathed the thought of destroying it. But it was inevitable.


    Crack~


    Blood spurted from his mouth and this time it was not some bad blood that needed to be purified. The pain was tremendous and soul deep but this did not deter him in the slightest.


    In the course of history, a few daring, courageous, or lucky individuals rejected their King names and started from the stages of Duke. Tiamat, Lucifer, and even more recently, Lilith.


    But in all history, Sol was perhaps the only one to have rejected a name Twice.


    Crack~!!


    This time, the namepletely dimmed and was broken into thousands of pieces. Causing Sol¡¯s eyes to roll over as his consciousness threatened to copse. But Sol bit his tongue and forced himself awake.


    He could ck outter. Now though he had work to do.


    Focusing, on the broken shards of Invictus''s name Sol started gathering them and pouring them toward the letter <strong>¡°D¡± </strong>that had been on the verge of destruction. Invictus contained the legend of the Unconquered Sun and ever-victorious god. There was no way he was going to give up on those concepts as they would perfectly fit what he wished to aplish.


    What he was doing at the moment was something that should have been impossible but Sol felt like thew fragments were like docile sheep in his control and they followed his order. Perhaps this was a result of creating a perfect cycle with the seven chakras. It did not matter. What mattered thought was that the letter D started swallowing thew fragments greedily and shone brighter.


    He could feel the wounds he had caused on his soul heal at a faster pace than he would have anticipated until no pain even remained and his aura continued to grow.


    This wasn¡¯t all, the control he had over his dimension increased greatly and extended to more than 500 meters square now and it was still growing.


    He did not know how much longer he stayed like this. Perhaps an hour, perhaps two? It was hard to say.


    When he opened his eyes, Sol realized that he waspletely different from the inside out. His power had skyrocketed and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the current him could easily toy with his previous self.


    All those changes were startling and even exciting but for Sol, the greatest and most important change was in his sea of consciousness.


    After all, a second letter had formed and it was <strong>¡°E¡±</strong>

 Chapter 598: Thousand eyes

    Chapter 598: Thousand eyes


    <strong>[Tartarus]</strong>


    In the depths of Tartarus, hidden behind many seals, three women were sitting together, weaving mana slowly and carefully and handling each thread of mana as if they were extremely fragile.


    The three women d in flimsy white tunics that looked ready to fly at the slightest gust of wind and reveal the little they were covering. When looking at their faces, one would be immediately struck by the eerie simrity between the three of them. As if they were looking at the same person at a different moment in time.


    Their pink skin glistened with sweat while their crimson pupils moved erratically, left and right, trying to capture even the slightest moment without blinking.


    They were the Norns sisters. The Weavers of Fate.


    Urd ("That which transpired") was the oldest as well as the calmest of the three sisters and had power over the past.


    Verdandi ("That which is transpiring") was the most worrywart among the three sisters and could observe the present.


    Skuld (¡°That which would transpire¡±) was the most carefree and chaotic among the sisters and could predict thousands of futures.


    In the past, they were one of the worst enemies the Order had for their power was simply insidious and pervading. For what theycked in power, they made it with smarts and cunning and the number of failed operations resulting from their machination was innumerable.Those Norns were now using their most prized skill and weaving the tapestry of time and space to look for a better future and walk toward it.


    This was incredibly simr to what happened when they had to help Sol finish his transformation and walk toward the Duke level. Only, at that time, Skuld and Verdandi had been the only ones present.


    One might think that the absence of Urd was minimal as her power represented the past and in a way, they were not wrong. Even so, a man without a past had no future and her absence had definitelyplicated things. This time, the three of them were together and the results were incredible.


    ¡°Sisters. What do you see?¡±


    Skuld asked quietly even as more and more strands of mana were filtered by her. Her brows showed clear signs of tiredness but she did not stop working.


    ¡°I believe I have found thest dragon traitor. Urd?¡±


    ¡°Fifty years ago, the young dragon signed a pact with Chaos. Surprising. I would have thought it would be an older one. It seems like all the elders who were rted to this fled long in advance.¡±


    ¡°No matter. This has nothing to do with us. If Tiamat had hired us sooner we could have dealt with this more efficiently. Only the shrimps and the idiots were left.¡±


    Skuld sneered as a small golden pair of scissors appeared in hand and then with the simple sound of a snip, the threads were and started darkening.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame though. This body had so many bright possibilities.¡±


    ¡°So did all dragons. Betraying Tiamat because of their greed or feeling of inferiority was simply pure stupidity.¡± Skuld did not waste time feeling sorry for the dragons whose future was not her problem.


    Now that they singled those out, Kiyohime would go on and start a new massacre. Skuld would have felt bad for Kiyohime if she cared. But she did not. No matter how many dragons killed each other it did not matter. All that mattered was that with this, her deal with Tiamat wasplete and soon it would be time for her to ¡ª


    ¡°Oh?¡± Skuld stopped, feeling a disturbance in the river of time. Urd also eximed quietly, ¡°Someone is exploring the past.¡±


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    This was a very small disturbance, one so small they would have never detected it if they were not weaving using the mana from the river of time at the very moment but they did.


    ¡°Is it Bastet? That woman is one of the few who can hide in the river of history.¡± Wondered Verdandi.


    Bastet had managed to survive nine times by recuperating her past self from the river of time even when her body was destroyed. This was an incredible feat even for the Norns and they knew that Bastet could have truly be a false god if things had been different. Sadly for her, after each death, her chances of sess lowered and now they were ever so close to zero they might as well not exist.


    Urd tilted her head, as if listening, as if watching, her eyes growing ever so vacant and empty but soon a strange expression crossed her face.


    ¡°I cannot see?¡±


    Her voice was bewildered. She was the Titan of time, Urd ("That which transpired"), the river of time held nearly no secret for her and only the goddesses and a few False gods could hide their pasts from her.


    How could she not see anything?


    She focused, trying to force through it, ¡°Sister, stop!¡± Skuld screamed, realizing what was the cause of this weird event.


    Even though Urd was surprised, there was no way she would not have heard Skuld''s warning and as such she tried to take a step back. Sadly for her, she was a little toote.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    What did it feel like to stare directly at the sun? Truthfully, this was a question that had no meaning for someone like Urd. After all, she was a titan. Unlike Mortals, staring at the sun for an hour would not even affect her.


    Now though, as she covered her eyes with her hands and leaked tears of blood, she understood what it means to stare at the sun with naked eyes.


    ¡°Are you alright!?¡±


    Verdandi asked worriedly while Skuld cursed under her breath, ¡°What did you see?¡±


    ¡°Sister! Don¡¯t you see she is hurt?¡± Verdandi was shocked by Skuld''s action but the small Titan did not pay heed to her and only gazed at Urd who answered with difficulty,


    ¡°I do not know. I felt like I was facing a giant of light walking in the river of time. One covered in thousands of eyes. I was not able to see much more than this, thankfully.¡±


    Urd''s voice was filled with fright even as her vision recovered. She had no doubt that had she gazed deeply at creatures before Skuld warned her away, she might have truly be blind or worse.


    ¡°What was that <em>thing!¡±</em>


    Urd asked after wiping the blood away and looking at Skuld whose face was covered by a giant grin.


    ¡°The All-seeing and the Crown. Sol had finally obtained this power.¡± [1]


    Skuld fought the urge tough madly. In the past, Sol was not able to obtain the Eye of Akasha and as such did not have the Seven Chakra open. Even so, there was no doubt that Echidna''s Seven Chakra opening was one of the cornerstones that allowed him to climb as high as he did.


    ¡°Things are moving faster than I anticipated.¡± Beneath her joy, there were also worries hidden. After all one of THEM should have already noticed Sol before this and with this event, THEY might all discover him.


    Even THOSE aside, it was very possible for the goddesses to also notice him. If this happened, Sol might be designed as the number one enemy like what happened in the past.


    <em>Thankfully, things onlysted an instant and none of those rted to the power of time should be awake yet.</em>


    She started madly biting her lips until she even drew blood. She could not afford to let this up to luck. This was simply too important. Sol should be about to carve his new name. She did not know what the name would be. Not even the previous Sol could deduce it. But whatever it was, it would be incredibly powerful. She could not let THEM disturb him or start attacking him now.


    ¡°Sisters. are you ready to risk your life with me?¡±


    Trying to mess with the reverberation of the river of time to hide information from the gaze of gods would most likely cost the equivalent of hundreds if not thousands of years in lifeforce.


    But it was necessary and this was how, with a gaze filled with Madness and determination, Skuld proposed what nearly amounted to suicide to her sisters.


    Thankfully for her, even as she proceeded with hiding his traces, the price they paid was far inferior to what she had anticipated.


    Almost as if ¡ª Someone was already hiding him.


    Who might this be?


    [1]: Been a while since I did one of those lol. The All-Seeing was a title bestowed to the giant primordial giant whose epithet Panoptes, "all-seeing", led to his being described with multiple, often one hundred, eyes. The epithet Panoptes was also applied to the god of the Sun, Helios.

 Chapter 599: Dawn

    Chapter 599: Dawn


    Skuld¡¯s intuition was not wrong in deducting that someone was indeed interfering and hiding the reverberation from propagating and being noticed by those with a certain level of understanding in the river of time.


    Sitting alone in her chapel, Aurora felt the blood dripping from her nose, eyes and lips. Her eyes, damp with blood, could barely open but her face only showed a mixture ofplicated feelings.


    <em>He grew stronger again.</em>


    Aurora had only woken up a few years ago in this era but thanks to her own memory and the general knowledge avable to someone of her station, she knew more about the power system of those mortals and she knew that bing a King was not something that should happen so easily.


    How long had it been since Sol even awakened? If the time spent in the astral realm and so one was added, it would not even necessarily reach a year.


    In less than a year, the boy had gone from one with no power to nearly a King. She knew that even for someone with supreme talent, it was definitely a little too fast.


    Of course, Aurora or rather, Dawn, did not care about the power level of a normal King. Even the strength and power someone like Lilith disyed did not enter her sight. She had no care about how powerful mortals could be. At the end of the day, even the strongest mortal would only be a mortal.


    But Sol was different¡­


    Dawn summoned a ball of water with her hand and wiped away the blood from her face. If anyone saw this disy, they would be quite surprised as humans were not able to control elements unless they had a zone that was closely rted to an element.Dawn was not bound by such restrictive rules. As the goddess of the night and the moon thanks to the authority she devoured from her sister, Dawn possessed minor divinity rted to the moon and water. Manipting thew in this case was pretty easy for her.


    Once her face waspletely clean, she opened her bloodshot eyes and looked at the status of Castitas in the chapel.


    Sol¡¯s existence was not something that should be normally possible. Back then, in order to put Adam down, all the gods had to unite and fight back. Even then, they would have and should have failed. Adam was simply that much powerful.


    But for some reason they seeded and were able to scatter Adam¡¯s soul in all corners of the universe.


    Dawn did not know how they did it. After all, she died before the sess of the n. But she had been the one to design the n and even in the worst case, Adam¡¯s shouldn¡¯t have been able to awaken, even if partially, in a new vessel before another one or two thousand years.


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    Something was wrong. Someone had brought forward the reincarnation and possible resurrection of Adam.


    <em>I should have also awakened earlier.</em>


    It was pretty strange how she became Casitas'' divine daughter and how she was unable to find her own Divine Kingdom.


    <em>Luxuria, Castitas, what the hell are you doing?</em>


    Dawn couldn¡¯t help but feel lost and confused. Adam was supposed to be the enemy. Why were those two stupid girls ying around by bringing him forth sooner?


    Just trying to think about all this gave her a headache and the blood loss certainly did not help in making her feel better.


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t like I can speak.¡±


    She couldin all she wanted about her two sisters stupidly giving help to someone who would be an enemy to be an act even more stupid than their usual antics.


    But Dawn herself had repeatedly helped Sol and made sure to keep him alive and hidden. Even a few minutes earlier, as she felt the reverberation in the river of time, the smartest thing to do should have been to take away her divine blessing of secrecy.


    If she did this, all the goddesses, even Ymir would have felt Sol¡¯s power and would have known that he is too dangerous to be left alive. All their so-called rules would have been thrown in the backburner and even Luxuria would not have been able to stop his execution.


    In the end though¡­She did not make the smartest choice. She made the stupidest choice. One based on emotion, all because she wished to have an answer to a question that had been tormenting her for a very long time.


    ¡°Why?¡± Dawn caressed her throat as she asked herself.


    Gods were immortal. Once a god fused with a concept, it was nearly impossible to kill them and even if they were ¡®killed¡¯ they woulde back to life sooner orter. Unless of course the concept itself was devoured as Dawn did with Nyx, her twin sister.


    The other possibility was to be killed by the very concept of the END. There was no reincarnation possible in this case. Only pure and simple extermination.


    At least this was what she had managed to summarize. But this truth brought a different problem in mind.


    Those killed by the power of the End could nevere back and yet, here she was, surely weakened, but alive and well after getting decapited by Adam.


    She should have died for good.


    Her soul should have been extinguished.


    But neither happened and she was not the only one.


    Why?


    Why did Adam bring the Twilight of the Gods? Why did he kill some using the power of the End and kill others without?


    Was it a small hypocritical feeling ofpassion after betrayed those who trusted him? Or was it something more.


    ¡°You have to survive.¡±


    It was stupid, reckless, short sighted, ignorant and very dangerous but, until she managed to obtain a straight answer to her question, she would not be able to rest and for that ¡ª Sol needed to live.


    That was all. There was no other intention.


    This was what Dawn thought as she closed her eyes and ignored the small seed of hope in her heart that refused to die out.


    After all, she still did not know what she would do once she obtained an answer.

 Chapter 600: Decision

    Chapter 600: Decision


    [Wratharis]


    As the night of the seven day slowly rolled out, the citizens in the capital and those in the provinces were bing more and more restless.


    The seven-day ultimatum had caused much more chaos than even Sol could have anticipated. After all, it was only in times of danger that one true nature would reveal itself.


    Many people made the mistake of thinking that the weak were always righteous and the strong evil. The reality was that the weak showed the true ugliness of their heart when they had nothing else to lose.


    Those seven days had been nightmare inducing. Many people started turning to religion, wishing to pray to the goddesses in hope to be saved. Others started selling their houses and leaving their viges. This mainly happened for those who lived close to Lustburg, as they would be the closest target.


    This resulted in what could only be called a mass exodus, as more and more people did their best to join the capital as fast as possible. After all, they knew that it was possible for the Supreme Daughter to erect a holy territory and protect them from any danger.


    Those leaving their home faced much danger, while the criminal rate in the capital skyrocketed. The price of housing increased by more than 1000% and the cost for daily necessity increased as well as war merchants understood that this was the best moment for them to enrich themselves.


    Meanwhile, as more and more people littered the street with no way to have a house nor even get food, new slums were created one after another.


    It was hard to believe that all of this basically happened in only seven day. How things went from peace to absolute chaos also left many people bewildered.Kuki and Shuten had been working hard to keep things frompletely spiraling out of control, but there were limits to how much the two of them could do. Of course, even as they did so, Shuten did not forget to make sure to push the public opinion in the direction that suited her the most.


    The funny thing was that, in this case, she had no need to even do anything. While some people might feel resentment, there were very few people who actually hated Sol outright in Wratharis.


    Beastkins were war beasts, animals born for war and battle. They, more than anyone, understood that Lustburg had been very lenient during this war. Thanks to the existence of the Rangers, as well as Setsuna, Lilin and more importantly, Sol¡¯s disy of power, there was no doubt in their mind that the amount of casualties could have been far higher.


    Furthermore, they were the one who dered war on Lustburg, so this made this situation doubly embarrassing and miserable.


    Though the citizen hatred was not directed at Sol, this did not mean that it did not exist. In fact, all this hatred was focused on one individual.


    Lupus Tiangou Ira ¡ª The tyrant.


    For thest few days, more and more protests had exploded while citizens surrounded the main pce. They shouted at the top of their lungs for Lupus to step down from the throne and surrender it to the righteous heiress.


    This was even more since they knew that once the war resumed, Lustburg would be truly merciless in its action.


    And so they reunited, and so they raged! Their voices reached the top of heaven to bring down the Tyrant who sat high up.


    ***


    In the depth of the pce, sitting cross-legged with a long golden spear resting on hisp, Lupus was breathing deeply and slowly. His face was slightly emaciated and sickly pale, all signs showing a greatck of blood.


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    Even now, holding the spear, his veins bulged out while the spear shone with crimson light as it drank his blood.


    The room he was currently in looked more like an abandoned dungeon than anything else, and the only decorations were two chairs and the mat where Lupus was meditating.


    Lupus was not alone in this small training room that was akin to a dungeon, as the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, rested with his back against the wall and his own staff resting on his shoulder.


    ¡°Those so-called Divine Weapons seemed more demonic than anything.¡±


    Wukong mused as he looked at the pitiful state Lupus was in. The Divine weapon was sucking his life force like a vampire, and he had undoubtedly lost more than a few decades in his lifespan.


    ¡°There is nothing I can do. Divine weapons cannot be wielded at their true maximum potential by mortals. Only by using the divinity in my blood as nourishment can I use it. This is no different from the creation of a Holy Territory by a Supreme Daughter.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s because you are weak. I see. It makes sense.¡±


    Lupus¡¯ lips twitched a little. Sun Wukong had a way with words that infuriated him deeply, but at the moment he needed the help of the man. So Lupus simply swallowed his words of anger.


    ¡°By the way. You are surprisingly calm. I thought by now you would be screaming and asking for those people screaming to be beheaded.¡±


    Lupus was nearly at the peak as a King, and Sun Wukong could be considered a half demigod. Even as deep as they were in the pce, it was no problem to hear the outraged cry of the masses.


    Lupus simply caressed the spear with a hollow smile, ¡°Half of them must be people working for Kuki while the other half are just ignorant pebbles. Their cries change nothing. They can do nothing. Their actions are meaningless. The weak do not get to decide their destiny.¡±


    His smile slowly changed into a wolfish one, ¡°No matter how much they cry, scream, protest, riot, or curse. Once I kill my niece tomorrow, they will have no choice but to lower their tails and show their bellies while begging for forgiveness. That is all they amount to.¡±


    The rules of the world were clear, and there was nothing the citizens could do against him at this moment.


    ¡°Still. It must sting, right? Knowing that you have no allies, that everyone hate your guts and wishes you would simply die. Then again, I guess you never had anyone stand on your side, so you must be used to it.¡±


    The smile on Lupus¡¯ face twisted a little as he lowered his head and caressed the shaft of the divine spear.


    ¡°I once had an ally. He was a stupid man who would cheer me on whatever I did. A man who would raise me up when I failed and would reward me when I seeded.¡± His voice was soft.


    ¡°Oh? What happened to that man?¡±


    ¡°I killed him and I took everything that belonged to him.¡±


    ¡°The previous King, huh.¡±


    Silence settled between them as Lupus tilted his head, ¡°Are you not curious. The reason I killed my brother? Everyone always asks me why.¡±


    ¡°I am not.¡± Sun Wukong shook his head, ¡°Do not be mistaken, Lupus. I have no interest in you. Your reasons, your desires, your justification is all worthless in my eyes. But I do not hate you either. Because you are weak. I only pity you.¡±


    Sun Wukong stood up and started walking toward the exit, ¡°You said those mortals were worthless as they cannot change their destiny and in a way, you are indeed right. They are weak. But this does not give you the right to look down on them. Do you want to know why?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°Because ultimately, they are not alone. They have friends, lovers, and people who care for them. Their struggle may be meaningless, but they are risking their lives to fight for an impossible dream in order to assure a better future for their loved ones and themselves. As for you?¡±


    A low chuckle escaped him, ¡°Even if you manage to win this war. You will still be all alone. Nothing but a lonely Tyrant that no one loves and cares for, destined to sit on a bloody throne until the day you die and even after your death you will be remembered as nothing but a stain. How truly pitiful.¡±


    On thosest words, Sun Wukong left the room, leaving Lupus alone in the room, or at least that should have been the case.


    ¡°I must say. This man is really terrifying. I feel like he would have noticed me if I didn¡¯t use this divine weapon to hide my aura.¡±


    A voice full of amusement sounded behind Lupus, but he did not bother turning around,


    ¡°So, dear King. It seems like this is the end. What will be your answer?¡±


    Lupus closed his eyes,


    ¡°I have made my decision.¡±

 Chapter 601: Eve of the Final clash

    Chapter 601: Eve of the Final sh


    Under the full moon in the starry sky, Lilith and Lilin were crossing swords at the top of the Tower of Babel in the Hanging garden full of snow.


    Their steps were light, their swords were fast, and the exchange of shes happened at a speed few people could truly understand. This was akin to a dance. A dance only reserved for a very select few.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    Camellia muttered as she sat under a blooming Sakura tree with a steaming cup of tea in her hand and looked at the impressive disy of skill. In the current weather, it should have been impossible to have a blooming tree, but such a thing became lessplicated when you had the Witch of Life and a Phoenix with you.


    Tucking a strand of hair behind her hair, Camelia took away her eyes from the two people that were showing off. This all started because Lilith wanted to test Lilin¡¯s skill after they came out of Sol¡¯s dimension. After all, in the iing fight, Lilin would be at the vanguard to fight Lupus.


    No matter how much they looked down on Lupus, this was only based on his morals. Power wise, Lupus was no pushover and out of all of those who were going to fight him, Lilin was undoubtedly the one with the weakest defense even though she had theoretically the second-strongest attack.


    As if they had all discussed beforehand, as the fight between the two dragged on, more and more of the women rted to Sol came to the tower. At first, there was only Sol, Milia, Lilith, Lilin, Nuwa, Setsuna and Isis. Then Camelia came with ra and Scheherazade because she wanted to discuss with Sol and asked the way to the elf and the little fairy.


    Following this, the four witches, Persephone, Medea, Freya, and Kali also appeared followed by their mother, Ambrosia, and the Subus queen Pandora.


    From this, Milia immediately took things in her hand as she was used to doing, and a small gathering was organized in a sh.Looking down at the tea in her hand that was reflecting her appearance, Camelia could see that she was sporting a very conflicted expression.


    The people who were in this ce were technically all at the highest possible level in terms of power, influence, or even appearance. Yet here they were, all turning around a young man as if they were a orbiting the sun.


    From her ce, she could see the looks that they gave him, the hunger in their eyes, and the way they sweetened their voices.


    This scene was something she was used to and brought many memories of the past. The actors were different and the overall power level was also different. But there was no denying that this was simr to Mars being surrounded by many of herpanions.


    The only difference was that Mars had acted voluntarily in order to not hurt the feelings of anyone in the groups. In her mind, this had been much more cowardly than truly being dense and not understanding the feelings of the women around him.


    ¡°A Penny for your thoughts?¡±


    Persephone asked as she sat next to Camelia and shared a small cake sent by the maid. The training session between the two swordswomen had quickly be a sumptuous pic. Pandora was also behind Persephone.


    ¡°I was just thinking about how familiar this current scene was.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Pandora gave a sly smile as she sat on the other side, ¡°Looking at his team, truly reminds me of the past. It was pretty fun back then.¡±


    Camelia nodded, she had been the only one in the group to not have feelings beyond friendship toward Mars in the group, and it had been pretty frustrating to watch all their weird antics at the same time, it had been one of the best times in her life.


    Exploring the world, fighting alongside people she could trust, getting morepanions, and escaping from dangerous dungeons after cleaning them up. They were young but strong, and their sense of justice was even stronger.


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    Slowly but surely, the ragtag group of young ruffians with a dream bigger than their eyes became known as strong adventurers and then powerful heroes.


    ¡°How do you think this will end?¡± Pandora asked quietly.


    ¡°I am surprised you are worried about him. I was pretty sure you would hate him or at least keep your distance.¡± Persephone chimed in, prompting a bitter smile from Pandora.


    ¡°Well, I was indeed a little resentful. Being outyed and slightly coerced by someone I thought I could manipte easily is definitely not a great feeling. But,ter on, we had a more level-headed discussion. We both tried to use each other. I was simply less skilled. But now, the two of us are allies in the truest sense.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I like this. I thought your story would end in tragedy, but it seems like it became more akin to a romanticedy.¡±


    Pandora sighed, ¡°Anyone ever told you your way of seeing the world is creepy?¡±


    ¡°I was told it was pretty cute.¡±


    ¡°Then the one who said this must have rotten eyes.¡±


    ¡°Still better than the expression you made when Sol dominated you in bed.¡±


    The two womenughed and exchanged insults easily while keeping a smile on their face.


    As for Camelia, she was very thoughtful, and in the end she expressed her thoughts, ¡°You asked how this will end, right?¡±


    ¡°Pandora and Persephone stopped their banter and looked at her.


    ¡°Had you asked me this a few months ago, I would have most likely said that this would end with Lilith and me most likely dying orpletely crippled. We were the only war deterrent of Lustburg and while we had a few Dukes, none of them was really game-changing outside of the White Knight. Lustburg was weak and helpless, and the only things we could do was act bigger than we were. Sol was not even a Duke so it would have been impossible for him to lead the charge. Meanwhile, we were still at odd with the witches.¡±


    No matter how one looked at it, the situation of Lustburg had been very grim and desperate. If a war truly urred back then, their losses would have been tremendous.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t help that our internal structure was a mess, since Lilith had no true legitimacy. The nobles became more and more restless, and traitors appeared out of nowhere. In order to change the situation, I used all my wits. Lilith was dying, I was the only true war potential and Sol was weak. I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders, and so I started fighting dirty. I lied and manipted the man I liked and plotted behind his back because I was sure I knew better.¡±


    If she had to be honest. ¡°I do not regret what I did.¡±


    By risking her life, Sol was given three boons, by manipting Gerald behind his back, she was able to kill a vast majority of traitors. She did not regret her action. No what she regretted was,


    ¡°My greatest regret is underestimating him.¡± She grinned, ¡°It has only been a few months but in his hand, Lustburg current situation is akin to aplete reversal.¡±


    Internally, Sol managed to get the allegiance of the three remaining Duke houses and proceeded to gradually clean up the kingdom while using the Crown¡¯s Shadow. The fortune of those nobles were seized and used for the country.


    New posts and administrative jobs were opened, and they even had the help of tireless undead to make the job easier. As if it wasn¡¯t enough, Sol healed Lilith, brought Isis, and helped awaken Setsuna while making Lilin far stronger.


    Externally, he managed to make a true alliance with the witches, brought Envilya to their side and will also make sure to bring Southern Pride. As if it wasn¡¯t enough, he found a secret Dwarf dungeon thanks to his rtionship with Theresa, he managed to create one of the most terrifying special forces in the world.


    Camelia witnessed miracle after miracle, watching how the young man she underestimated became a charismatic and powerful leader while bringing more and more dangerous people under his umbre.


    She sipped her tea quietly, ¡°Even though there has never been a case of a Duke beating a King in history, I can say with full assurance that Sol will win tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Why? Do you know his secret n?¡±


    ¡°I do not know and it does not matter. Sol said he would win tomorrow, and so he will win. The how and the why does not matter.¡±


    ¡°Blind devotion is dangerous, you know?¡±


    Camelia chuckled at Pandora¡¯s words and finished her tea, ¡°I was born blind, and I thought I was able to see clearly after my eyes were opened when I awakened. What I did not know was that my pride and prejudice blinded me once again from reality. Now though¡­¡±


    She looked in the direction of Sol, who coincidently looked at her while pushing Scheherazade with his finger. The two of them exchanged a smile and Camelia felt her heart pounding with joy, love, and happiness.


    ¡°...My sight has never been clearer.¡±

 Chapter 602-603: 8th Day

    Chapter 602-603: 8th Day


    As the sun slowly rose in the sky and the light of dawn graced the world, citizens of Lustburg and Wratharis were either kneeling and praying or were sitting anxiously and waiting.


    They knew that on this day, the final direction of the war would be decided and everything would depend on the answer of the King of Wratharis.


    No citizen liked war and though Lustburg had the advantage now, everyone knew that once the King level started fighting, everything else would be meaningless. Of course, the ones with the most worry were those from Wratharis.


    No matter how much they rioted or protested, they knew very well that the final decision was not in their hands. Only Lupus could take the decision that would either doom them or save them.


    ***


    In the shrine of the maiden, Kiku was not in her usual slovenly state, her golden tails were swishing in the way while she swung the branch of a sacred tree. She was d in a red and white kimono and her wrists were drenched in nearlypletely golden blood.


    Next to her, Sakura, the Holy Daughter, was performing a careful dance. Steps by step, slowly dragging her feet on her ground and with it her own trail of blood, as she formed a ritual circle. Unlike Kiku, Sakura¡¯s blood only had a few hints of gold in it. After all, Kiku was the biological daughter of a divine beast as well as one of the oldest Supreme Daughters.


    The only reason she had yet to reach the Demigod level was simply because the path she followed was simr to that of her mother, which slowed her down and blocked her path.


    A little more afar, Shuten Douji was holding her gourd with a trembling hand. Shuten was a smart and cunning woman. One who had nned the demise of many of her enemies and had fought many bloody battles in her life.Despite all this wealth of experience and despite her not even standing on the battlefield at this very moment, she could not help but feel like she was suffocating.


    After all, this was it. Her ns and machinations were finallying to a conclusion and what would happen soon would decide if her gamble had been the right one.


    After all, there was no way Lupus hadn¡¯t caught on by now and if he managed to survive or keep his throne, the Oni would most likely lose their ces in Wratharis from now.


    Meanwhile, even if Sol seeded and Setsuna took the throne, there was no way to know what would happen next.


    When she had started all this, her n had been on the basis that Lustburg should have been slightly inferior or not much stronger than Wratharis. Lustburg would win greatly thanks to her intel and in the end, Lustburg would be too weakened to do a true power grab on Wratharis.


    In the end though, she had been too naive or rather she had underestimated how unfair a Blessed could be when Fate was on their side and in a matter of weeks, Lustburg went from being more or less inferior in terms of firepower to being so vastly superior it was not even funny.


    Her machinations seemed more like a joke now and she realized once again that in front of absolute power, all strategies and tactics were for naught.


    When Sakura finished her dance on a song only she could listen to, she stopped and the magical circle shed as Kiku continued to murmur silent prayers and like a dream, it vanished.


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Shuten asked to which Kiku answered with a nod, ¡°The magical circle is ready. I can now activate the Holy Territory with just a thought.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be someplicated ritual?¡±


    ¡°It is. But I have the advantage of having more divinity in my blood than many. The only one who could match my speed would be the angels or the demon. Of course, there was Echidna as well but she is dead.¡±


    Kiku sighed and massaged her neck. ¡°Thest time I had to prepare this ritual was nearly a hundred years ago. I never thought I would have to do it again against Lustburg.¡± The solemn atmosphere around her vanished and became more rxed but there was still a glint in her eyes.


    ¡°So this is it.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    The two were silent while Sakura, who had been dreaming of some potion for blood replenishment asked, ¡°Master, I do not understand. Is Lustburg not our ally?¡±


    She was pretty confused by the current situation. Though she was happy to have gotten the experience of creating this circle, she did not understand why they were preparing against their own allies.


    ¡°Well¡­ Let¡¯s just say that this is more a measure of precaution than anything else.¡±


    Kiku caressed Sakura¡¯s hair as she answered softly, ¡°I have a feeling that we will need it and what did I tell you about feeling and initiation?¡±


    ¡°Never ignore them.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Blessed are the beloved and ves of Fate. This is why, when we feel something is happening, we never ignore it. We can act on it or refuse to. But we absolutely never ignore it.¡±


    Kiku insisted on the ¡®never¡¯ before focusing on Shuten. ¡°So, old friend, what do we do now?¡±


    Shuten chuckled as she forcibly stopped the shaking of her hands and drank a mouthful of alcohol.


    ¡°I am going to the front.¡±


    Since she had her hand in this situation, it was only logical for her to see the end of this.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t think Lupus will surrender?¡±


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    Shutenughed and stood up, ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions you already know the answer to.¡±


    If Lupus wished to surrender, he would have done so days ago.


    Now there was no option for surrender avable.


    Only war.


    ***


    Everyone waited with a breath. The army of Wratharis had been pushed quite far and while the Capital was still not in sight, it was only a question of time.


    Many soldiers stood helpless and confused, not knowing what they should do and whether they should try fighting off the approaching Lustburg army or just wait and observe the iing Lustburg army.


    Should they fight? But then was it truly worth giving their life for the Tyrant Wolf? But then if they surrendered now and Lustburg lost or simply came to an agreement with Wratharis and retreated. Wouldn¡¯t they be considered as traitors?


    This was perhaps the hardest choice in their entire life, many soldiers had to make and they knew that the choice they made now would decide their entire life.


    To say that this was nerve-wracking would be an understatement.


    The soldiers of Lustburg who were marching had a different mindset. This was perhaps the most rxingst battle they ever had to go through. They knew that even in the worst case, they would not have to fight. In fact, they had received express order to not even approach farther than a certain point and another order they received was to be ready for mass teleportation at any time and not even try to resist.


    The soldiers understood what was happening. The battle that would happen soon was not a battle little soldier like them could participate in. This was a battle between the ruler and only the highest power in Lustburg and Wratharis would join in.


    Except for the recent battle where Lilith faced the necromancer who infiltrated Lustburg, and the world had not seen a fight at the King level for a decade now.


    Thetest fight was the coup d¡¯etat orchestrated by Lupus against his brother.


    Still, the soldiers knew that staying close would be suicide and they were more than happy to listen to those orders.


    ***


    The silence was oppressive and the two armies stood facing each other with a distance of approximately one kilometer separating them.


    A distance that seemedrge in appearance but could be crossed in but an instant by most soldiers.


    When the Sun finally reached a high point in the sky, a few people gulped as they looked up at the sky and were finally able to see <em>him</em>.


    A young golden-haired man with a tall stature, wearing regal clothes entirely white and blue, with thread of gold depicting a Phoenix and a Snake.


    He was sitting on a throne vastly different from the ice one they had witnessed seven day ago.


    This throne seemed to have been molded and sculpted from rock. It was an intricate design full of majesty and elegance.


    His eyes were close as if he was sleeping or simply had no interest in what was going on below him.


    Even so, his mere presence was suffocating and all those who tried to look up directly at him for more than a few seconds would feel great difort, as if they were mere mortals trying to gaze at the sun for too long.


    The young man was not alone. Adding to his presence was a giant ck Phoenix with feathers floating in the wind and looking like the incarnation of Death itself.


    A Phoenix had never been seen by any of the people here and its mere presence was more than enough for many of them to buckle under thebined pressure of those two monsters.


    They even wondered for an instant if they were not looking at the two kings but the aura those two showed was definitely that of a Duke rank.


    This simple fact reminded them why the current prince of Lustburg was so frightening.


    After all, under the regtions and warws, since he was ¡°only¡± a Duke. No particr limits were restricting him and he was free to cause as much chaos and destruction he wished on the battlefield.


    The number of monsters did not stop there.


    Standing on the right of the prince on a throne made out of ice was none other than the second Blessed of Wratharis. Setsuna Ira.


    She was d in the traditional armor of Wratharis and two sheathed swords could be seen on herps. Her expression was quite mncholic as she caressed one of those swords but her bloodthirst was also palpable.


    All of them, even the youngest ones, knew the story of Setsuna Ira and they understood clearly that by the end of this day, Wratharis would most likely have one less Blessed.


    On the left of the prince, was a purple haired young woman, Lilin Luxuria, the Sword Demons. Unlike Sol and Setsuna, Lilin was not sitting on a throne.


    She was standing on a long and rtively thin sword. Her purple hair swaying and her body was covered by a thin skin-tight ck suit and a red Qipio above.


    She may be young but her prowess were undeniable and her power was frightening.


    Watching this small team of four, the only thought that graced everyone mind was that, as long as they didn''t die, Lustburg would undoubtedly enter a new golden era.


    ***


    As time passed more and more soldiers felt like hundreds of tons were weighing on their backs and that the only reason they did not outright kneel was more because of the Prince''s leniency and his disinterest in humiliating them further.


    ¡°It''s time.¡±


    All the pressure vanished and his soft voice covered immediately the distance and reached all their ears.


    Opening his eyes, Sol Luxuria straightened up on his throne and looked at the horizon.


    Immediately, more than ten screens appeared all around them in the air. No one was surprised by this fact as this was not the first time this technology was used.


    The soldiers on both side also stood straight and sported more serious expressions.


    ¡°The Seven day ceasefire officially ended and we now enter the 8th day. I believe I have been extremely lenient and charitable. Don''t you think so?¡±


    No one answered and no one needed to answer for they knew that they were not the target of those words.


    ¡°I, Sol Dragona Luxuria, hereby dere on this auspicious day¡­. Surrender and you will be spared. Resist and you will be exterminated. Make your choice very carefully. This will be thest mercy I give.¡±


    It was hard to say to whom Sol was speaking but the answer soon became evident.


    ¡°I do not kneel! I do not beg!¡±


    Awooooo!!!!


    A long howl filled the sky, and dark cloud gathered alongside lightning sparkle and electricity.


    Light bloomed, lightning shed, Thunder grounded and he appeared.


    d in golden armor, holding one long spear in hand and entirely cloaked in lightning.


    Lupus Tiangou Ira. Tyrant, King, Usurper and Murderer.


    He was known by many monikers. One less ttering than the other. But out of all those monikers, there was only one that he epted readily. That of the Celestial Wolf who howl at the Heaven and devour the Sun.

 Chapter 604-605: Fighting on all fronts

    Chapter 604-605: Fighting on all fronts


    Lupus Tianngou Ira. The current king of Wratharis and the first stumbling block on Sol¡¯s path toward conquest.


    While Sol had seen the man many times through pictures and the likes, this was the first time that he met the man he heard so much about.


    One might imagine someone as evil and selfish as the Tyrant looking like some evil being, ugly and all. But as expected of a Blessed, the very possibility of not being good-looking did not exist or at least this should have been the case.


    At this moment, the man who should have looked like a warrior in his prime had an emaciated appearance, a gaunt face, and sunken eyes. For anyone present, it would look like Lupus was already on the verge of death but no one present could underestimate the aura of power and danger from him. This aura was even more evident when one focused on the spear in his hand.


    At the moment, the color of the spear was a mixture of golden and blue hues that were entwined around the shaft of the spear-like Yin and Yang., The aura he was emanating was quite frightening. Even for someone like Sol.


    On the side, next to him, Setsuna became fidgety and it was clear that she was about to go all out. But a hand from Sol managed to calm her down. She knew that now wasn''t the time for her to fight.


    Once he made sure that Setsuna would not act rashly, Sol focused on the problem at hand.


    So he pulled out his divine weapon from the start.


    Sol clicked his tongue. The best-case scenario would have obviously been for the Tyrant to rely on his egotistical pride and underestimate his team. Had this happened, they would have most likely ended this fight in one go. Now though, they had to be careful about what kind of weapon Lupus was holding. Sol¡¯s eye of Akasha was so powerful that it was frightening even though it held no direct attack power.


    He did not even want to imagine what would a true divine weapon focused onbat could do.


    <em>Well here goes n A.</em>


    It was a shame but it was not a surprise.


    Nowadays, unless his opponents werepletely stupid or simplycked knowledge, there was no way they would ever underestimate him. Not after what he did recently in front of the fortress when he faced the Great sages. Sol¡¯s eyes only briefly stopped on Lupus before looking at the one sitting cross-legged on a white cloud.


    ck spiked hair, a golden band around his forehead, a flying nimbus, and a long staff in his hand.


    If Lupus gave him an uneasy feeling, this man made Sol feel like he was standing in front of an apparently calm and vast sea with a tumultuous undercurrent.


    Even the already silent battlefield seemed to be a little quieter now as the man appeared.


    ¡°Sun Wukong. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven.¡±


    A few people muttered on both sides, causing a small stir in the crowd, but this soon settled as no one wished to make too much noise and get singled out.


    Sun Wukong, the Stone Monkey, Monkey King, the Crownless King and the Great Sage. Each of those titles were proof of the legend this man had left in this world. Both in the mortal realm or the Astral realm.


    Excitement started to brew as many soldiers from Wratharis went from slightly fearful to hopeful. A feeling that had not appeared even when Lupus stepped in the battlefield.


    Lupus only inspired terror in the heart of the poption while Sun Wukong was the idol of many of those soldiers and the title of Uncrowned King was born from a hidden desire of rebellion.


    It was a way for the poption to clearly tell Lupus that he was unwanted and that if he wasn''t blessed, he would have never been King.


    Sol briefly analyzed his chances of winning and realized that even with his current power, he could only be a punching bag for Sun Wukong at the moment.


    Smiling, he spoke, ¡°I guess we know who is the true ruler of Wratharis at the moment.¡±


    His voice was low but managed to spread through the entire battlefield and even reached Lupus.


    But the man was stoic, something which was quite rare.


    ¡°Enough of the joke. King of Lustburg.¡±


    His reaction caused Sol to be more serious. The less flustered and angry, Lupus acted, the more dangerous he was.


    ¡°Firstly, I am still just a prince.¡±


    Sol smiled. It was important to keep things straight. After all, bing a king now would diminish his danger factor in the eyes of many.


    Sol was not yet ready to defy the angels, after all.


    ¡°But you are right. Enough of the joke. I believe it''s time for an answer, even though I can already guess what you will say.¡±


    Sol left his throne and two wings appeared on his back, tearing apart his shirt and revealing his muscr frame.


    ¡°Will you surrender now? Or will you fight to the death!?¡±


    His voice this time was loud, causing the ground to shake and the wind to stir.


    Everyone waited, everyone watched, and some people forced themselves to not blink in fear of missing what would most likely be one of the turning points in history.


    Feeling all the gazes on him and even from beyond, Lupus felt his heart beat surprisingly calmly.


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    For the first time in years, the ever-constant feeling of anger had cooled down, and his mind felt extremely calm and serene.


    He was currently standing at the top of the world, his figure was reflected in the eyes of all the 7 races.


    They were looking at <em>him.</em>


    <em>His</em> decision would change the course of history for <em>decades</em> and even <em>centuries</em> toe.


    Lupus grip tightened around his spear and his aura rose like a furnace that was finally unleashed after being held down for far too long.


    ¡°This opportunity is quite hard toe by.¡± He grinned, ¡°Well then, amuse me.¡±


    No sooner did his words end that the world was bathed in a sea of lightning.


    ***


    The fight did not start with great fanfare but rather with a shower of lightning and the rumbling of thunder.


    The attack was sudden, and it came straight at Sol in a speed that was hard to react to. But all he did was smile and wait.


    <strong>></strong>


    Unsheathing her sword, Lilin immediately activated her zone and shed at nearly everything that came at her. Thanks to her sword being forged with some scales from Sol, her sword had anti-magic properties and was perfect for this situation.


    Sadly, even for her, the attack of Lupus was too much to entirely block. Thankfully, she knew that she was not alone.


    <strong>></strong>


    Ten shadowy snakes with crimson eyes and razor-sharp mouths appeared from Sol back and immediately rushed at the remaining lighting,pletely devouring it.


    ¡°I will not let you touch my master.¡±


    Milia¡¯s voice floated in the air before quieting down as the snake vanished. Milia had always been a very powerful Duke but thanks to her contract she was able to reach a new level. Furthermore, her contract with Sol allowed her to find a new truth and thus change her Zone from <strong>Mncholia</strong> to <strong>Nihility</strong>.


    Sol was happy to see the current result. After all, his two lovers had managed to block the attack of a King.


    At the same time, this also made him understand that Lupus was indeed not someone he could afford to underestimate. After all, it had taken two of them to block what was most likely a light greeting.


    ¡°I guess this is your greeting.¡±


    ¡°Just a light greeting on my part. I thought you would face me alone.¡±


    ¡°No need to goad me. I am sure I could but why should I fight honorably against someone without honor?¡±


    Sol grinned before giving a small nce in Wukong¡¯s direction. It was easy to see the growing frustration on the face of the monkey king, and Sol knew that if he didn¡¯t do something soon, then this man might interfere in their fight.


    ¡°Monkey King.¡±


    Sol threw something at him. When Wukong caught it and looked down at his hand, he tilted his head in confusion,


    ¡°I did not think you swung this way.¡±


    In his hand was a small golden ring with no decoration.


    ¡°What? No¡­ This is not what you think. Put it on. Your fight is not here.¡±


    Wukong nodded once he understood what this was and with no hesitation, he ced the ring around his right annr.


    A white portal immediately opened next to him and he understood that once he went through it, he would be sent to another dimension.


    ¡°Perfect.¡±


    Sun Wukong stood up from his floating cloud and gave onest look at Sol, Setsuna, the other girls, and Lupus. He knew very well that once he came back, there would only be one ruler standing.


    He truthfully did not care which one it would be.


    ¡°Farewell.¡± and so he gave his goodbye and entered the Portal. One would die, one would rise.


    At least this was the thought that floated in his mind as he went through the portal but ¡ª the moment he stood on the other side and felt the all-epassing sword intent that seemed ready to tear him to shreds, all thoughts about Sol and Lupus vanished from his mind.


    After all, he realized that he might not even be able to walk out of this ce alive.


    In front of him, was a purple-haired young woman floating with her legs cross-legged in lotus position, and all around him was a field of thousands upon thousands of swords.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­.¡±


    All the lethargy in his movement vanished and his grip around his staff tightened.


    He immediately knew who she was. Even if she looked vastly younger than in her pictures, no one else other than her could have such a power.


    ¡°Truly befitting the title of sword saint.¡±


    ¡°I am ttered.¡±


    ¡°Those are my honest words. I believe at the moment, in the mortal world, outside a few expectations, you and I are most likely the strongest ranked, and unlike all of them, you are just a mere human or rather¡­Were.¡±


    He gave her a look. While her appearance was still human, her current scent was strange. Was it perhaps because she became a demigod? He did not know nor did he care.


    ¡°I have also heard you and I wished to fight you. I have to thank Sol for this.¡± Lilith spoke as she stood up and held a sheathed sword in her hands. Her all-permeating aura slowly receded until it seemed all nonexistent. At the moment, for all intent and purpose, Lilith looked like nothing more than a normal and weak mortal.


    Wukong gave a bloodthirsty grin as he was in no way led astray by this appearance. In fact, his senses were screaming at him that at the moment Lilith was even more dangerous than she was a few moments ago. How long had it been since all his senses had beenpletely awake?


    He did not even dare to blink as he felt like he would immediately get cut if he made the slightest mistake.


    <em>What a marvelous feeling!!</em>


    The feeling at the precipice of life and death, the power to shatter mountains and move seas.


    Thest time he had felt like this was during his fight against Fafnir, the Dragon King. But a while back then, he had felt like he was fighting a wall with near imprable defense, now he had a feeling he was facing the sharpest de held by the best sword master in this world.


    Wukongughed in happiness. This feeling so long forgotten was even better than the best alcohol he had ever drank and he would make sure to savor everyst bite of it until the end.


    ¡°I am Lilith Luxuria, de of Luxuria and I shall defeat you today.¡±


    ¡°I am Sun Wukong and I have never known defeat.¡±


    Two different battlefields and two different battles. It was hard to say how this would end but those fights would be forever recorded in the history of Lustburg and Wratharis.


    ¡°Grow! Ruyi Jingu Bang!¡± Sun Wukong shouted as his golden staff elongated.


    ¡°Cut! Muramasa!¡± said Lilith as she unsheathed her new sword.


    The sh between the two started with a bang. There was no intention to prob, no desire to take it slow.


    Wukong¡¯s eyes shone as his golden band broke and he uttered his mantra.


    ¡°Through Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Honored one. My true name is


    <strong>></strong>


    ¡°I will cut Gods, I will cut Devils and I will even cut Buddha. My name is¡­¡±


    <strong>></strong>


    The two of them were ready to go all out.

 Chapter 606-607: Sun Wukong vs Lilith

    Chapter 606-607: Sun Wukong vs Lilith


    The sh between the two strongest entities of their respective kingdoms was one to behold. Even more as they immediately summoned their King name without the slightest intention to waste time.


    Thanks to her zone, <strong>></strong>the entire battlefield was covered by her swords and intent, allowing her to strike Wukong from absolutely every side even as the two were in a deadlock because of the sh between the sword Muramasa and the staff Ruyi.


    Wukong showed no change in expression as the swords neared him and in fact gave a small sneer and it was soon easy to understand why.


    ¡°This is useless!¡±


    The thousands of swords struck him but to no avail, and he simply ignored them and changed the length of his staff, shortening it, causing Lilith to falter, before sweeping down the staff toward her head.


    <strong>></strong>


    This was the technique created by Wukong after he observed Fafnir. Unlike the man, Wukong had no interest in providing absolute defense for an army. All he needed was to make sure no one could hurt him. The Vajra body was in his opinion, no weaker than the War Form of Dragon Kings and the results were clear.


    Lilith managed to avoid easily the staff as she mocked Wukong,


    ¡°Do you think you can easily block all my attacks? With your bare body?¡±Not even Sol could do something like this despite him having a body nearly immune to magic.


    Indeed, at the end of the onught, Wukong could feel a few parts of his body with small wounds open. They were not bleeding and in fact were already healing. But this was the proof that indeed, he had been wounded.


    This was quite a surprise for Wukong. His body was impervious to water, fire, and metal, his defense was perhaps one of the highest in the world.


    ¡°Your sword intent¡­¡±


    ¡°There is nothing in this world I cannot cut. This is my belief.¡±


    Her aura went up in crescendo and reached a level so high, that Wukong doubted this was something a mortal could reach.


    ¡°Beautiful.¡± He muttered and increased his aura, causing them to sh. The resulting pressure born from those two aura would have been enough to erase the entire army if they fought in the mortal realm. After all, the two of them were demigods.


    Looking at the new swords that were appearing all over the ce, Wukong knew that he could not let the situation continue as it was.


    Thankfully,


    ¡°You are not the only one who can fight on multiple fronts.¡± Dodging ten swords that were ready to skewer him.


    Lilith opened her eyes wide when a myriad of Sun Wukong appeared all over the ce, their numbers nearly matching the number of her swords. The worst was that she could feel those clones were in no way weak. Each of them was more or less equal to a Duke level.


    Sheughed. This was indeed a reminder of why people like them were not allowed to participate in war. Her swords could kill thousands of Dukes without her moving a single step, and clearly Wukong could do the same.


    What followed could only be described as a dance of death between two armies. One made out of swords and one made out of flesh.


    None of the clones of Wukong could survive her swords but at the same time, the energy in the sword would be spent after killing a clone and Lilith would have to create a new one.


    Even as the clones and swords fought, Lilith and Wukong did not stay idle. With his cloud under his feet and a flying sword under hers, the two of them were zipping around the battlefield exchanging hit and sh one after another, showing the depth of their martial art and weapon technique.


    Because the range of her attack was restricted by her weapon and her swords were blocked by Wukong clones, Lilith found herself in a dangerous position and passiveness as she had to constantly defend against the ever-changing range of Wukong¡¯s magical staff.


    Not only could the Ruyi Jingu Bang grow and shrink at will, it could also be increase and decrease its thickness. Something she learned the hard way as she was swatted like a fly by what looked like a mountain and crashed down.


    <em>Cough~This is not good. I would have been in really bad shape if this was my previous body.</em>


    She coughed and cleared her throat from the congested blood and immediately moved away as a giant pir came down where she previously was. Her body felt horrible but a body recreated with divine energy, dragon blood and phoenix nirvana would never break down so easily.


    Something that would have broken her bones in the past was now just a minor inconvenience.


    <em>I understand now why Sol loves to act like a meat shield.</em>


    Sheughed out loud even as she escaped from more and more close call. All her life, Lilith had been fighting in a body that was too weak to support her might. Her high reserves of mana were useless as her body could not conduct mana fast enough and she had to waste too much energy in dding herself because the slightest mistakes would mean death.


    Always acting carefully, always paying attention to the slightest details, always cursing her limitations.


    She realized that her previous thought about sacrificing herself to beat Sun Wukong had been extremely short-sighted. Had she fought him as she was in the past, she would have lost.


    Now though¡­Now things are different.


    Lilith¡¯s heart beat faster and faster in her chest and the movement of her body became better, while her mana continued to increase as if it was endless.


    <em>She is getting faster? </em>Wukong was astonished by the performance Lilith was putting on. On paper, outside of her Sword Art, there was no domain where Lilith should have been better than him.


    Even less so when it came to speed, strength and resilience. His own body was equal to dragon kings after all.


    <em>There is no doubt no. There is no way she is a human.</em>


    But if not a human then what? He did hear rumors about Lilith being partially subus but even such a thing should not have been enough. Demons of now in the mortal realm were nothing but fallen Divine Beasts after all.


    <em>Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.</em>


    Wukong stopped flying and gazed at Lilith in the distance. His clones were dwindling and the number he could create was limited. If things continued like this, he might really lose after wasting all his energy.


    Such a defeat was a humiliation he would never ept.


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s time to stop running away.¡±


    He threw his staff in the air and pped his palms together.


    <strong>></strong>


    The world shuddered and space twisted as five pirs simr to fingers appeared all around, creating a fighting ring no one could escape from.


    <em>What is happening? </em>


    Lilith was surprised by this sudden disy of power, and even more surprised by the apparent effect.


    ¡°This is a cage, a ring made exclusively for battle. A zone born from my desire for battle uninterrupted that I created after observing a Holy Territory from the Supreme Daughter once in the past. There is no escape and the space will continuously shrink. Even a dimension mage would find it hard to forcibly break down this space. The only way to leave¡­ is by beating me.¡±


    Wukong caught his staff as it fell down and twirled it. This was a zone he rarely used but every time he did, the results were always the same. The expression of his opponents would morph into despair as they realized they would be imprisoned in a ring and forced to fight.


    This was why¡­


    ¡°So you''re telling me. That we are stuck here and that this space would not get affected by this dimension no matter what we do or how hard we fight?¡±


    Wukong found himself very disturbed when he saw Lilith smiling with all her teeth out as if she was a kid receiving the best present in the world.


    He had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.


    ***


    The distance between Wukong and Lilith was less than 200 meters now. It was still a considerable distance for many, but for the two of them, this small distance might as well not exist.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why create this ring when arger range gives you a greater advantage with your weapon.¡±


    She did not know how far his staff could reach if he so-willed, but she knew that it gave him an incredible breath of movement.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t create this ring just to restrict your movement.¡± Wukong chuckled as he started twirling his staff in his hand. His form was slowly changing as well. His height increased, and so did his hair, and a patch of golden fur covered his skin, leaving only his chest open.


    ¡°You¡­You are still holding back, right?¡± His elegant appearancepletely vanished and left the ce to a more savage one. His muscles twitched as if they could barely hold his power and his hair swayed under the wind. ¡°I do not understand why. Perhaps because you are buying time? But it should not be just this. I thought about something but then I made a deduction. Most likely, you have a power or a skill that could negatively affect this dimension.¡±


    Not all warriors were equals and while Wukong did not think he was weaker than Lilith, there were definitely means and techniques that she possessed that he did not. Wukong had always been quite straightforward as a fighter. Simply relying on his innate strength and godly defense to crush all that stood in front of him.


    In front of absolute strength, all tactics and strategies are useless.


    This was his motto.


    ¡°Then, what will you do?¡± He brought his hand forward and taunted her.


    Lilith sighed when she saw Wukong''s transformation and felt how much more threatening he became.


    <em>So this is the path Sol is following at the moment.</em>


    Absolute strength and absolute defense. Using one strength to defeat a thousand techniques was not something anyone could do. Only people like Sol and Wukong could recklessly fight and care for nothing else.


    Wukong was right. She had indeed been holding back. But it was different from what he might have thought. Sol had already taken into ount the possibility she might lose and prepared subsequently by bringing the witches in his dimension.


    Even if Wukong won against her, the situation would not change and this dimension would be his prison until Sol decided otherwise.


    The reason why Lilith had been holding back was simply that her strongest attack would most likely destroy the wall separating this dimension from the mortal world.


    Sol¡¯s dimension became far stronger than she fought against him in the past and his control over it was admirable. But she had also grown exponentially stronger after obtaining a new name and reaching her current level.


    She could destroy the wall of his dimension, so when she was literally at the verge of death and when she was only a King. She could do so even more easily now with her new name and her power as a half-step demigod.


    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t regret this.¡± Lilith swung Muramasa slightly causing the sword to hum. A few cracks were running alongside the de, likely a result of blocking the repeated attack from Wukong¡¯s staff.


    But it was still more than good enough.


    <em>Focus.</em>


    To fight, one needed to breathe the right way. Lilith exhaled slowly as all the mana that had been dispersed in the air and in her swords started to gather toward her, fusing in Muramasa.


    Once she was done, Wukong and Lilith gazed at each other before rushing at full speed once again.


    The sound of metal shing resonated once again. This time there was no gimmick, only pure strength and technique.


    Wukong¡¯s eyes were burning with fighting spirit as he showed why no one wished to fight in closebat against him. Lilith blocked a downward swing from Wukong, causing the ground to crack under her feet because of the weight of his attack


    From the sound that reached her ears, the ground was not the only thing that cracked as she did the same and her own bones groaned.


    ¡°Incredible. Ruyi weighs more than 7000 kg, you are truly strong.¡± Wukongughed and tried to lift his feet to kick her but Lilith anticipated his action as she nted her heel on his feet before taking a step forward and striking his sr plexus with her elbow.


    Wukong did not even bother avoiding her attack. Even if her arm was covered in sword intent, it was impossible for it to be as strong as it would have been had she used a weapon.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    He simplyughed and ignored the small amount of pain that was transferred to him before leaning down and headbutting Lilith causing her to stagger.


    ¡°Kuh~!¡±


    Lilith groaned, her forehead was bleeding. This was proof that not all the changes she received were positive. In the past, dding herself in sword intent had been one of her strongest techniques as she saw herself as a sword and her King name reflected this reality.


    Now though, she was a sword master and while her strength with a sword in hand increased, her body lost in sharpness.


    <em>I simply need to change gears.</em>


    She was not discouraged, she sidestepped the iing attack from his fist, ignoring the sharp wind that was caused by the friction of his smash and how much damage she would have received if itnded on her then used his chest as a springboard and pushed herself backward.


    Wukong was about to ignore her attack once again but he grimaced when he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.


    ¡°You!¡±


    He looked down, only to realize that she had breached his defense by attacking twice the exact same emcement, and on the point of her leg was a small de filled with sword intent and mana.


    <em>The wound is shallow. But the wound is taking time to close.</em>


    Lilith¡¯s sword intent seemed to be filled with a strange power that had only destruction and annihtion as a goal. This was a powerpletely foreign for him but he knew that he could not let things continue as they were.


    Lilith meanwhile knew that she could notst long in this fight. She barely reacted to the Wukong attack and her strength was a limiting factor. in the face of the weight he could use.


    ¡°You should give up. You cannot win against me.¡± He spoke with confidence and she had a hard time denying his words.


    The fight continued like this for a few minutes, neither relenting, each of them giving their all in order to win and gain the title of strongest. Their wounds umted, slowly but surely.


    Sun Wukong was less wounded overall but Lilith used any asion to stick small des in his body, causing him great pain. Theck of healing did not help. Lilith meanwhile was bruised on nearly every part of her body.


    Not much damage could be seen externally, but she was sure that her organs were a mess at this moment.


    <em>We are more or less evenly matched.</em>


    Neither could say that they were superior to the other, and they knew that any error at this point could be fatal.


    This was a dangerous moment. One where their very life was at stake and yet, the two of them showed exhrated expression.


    For Wukong, his heart was bursting with happiness because he was finally able to have the kind of fight he so dearly wished for, while Lilith was delighted by her ability to use all the techniques she had long stopped using.


    Even as they fought, they kept growing in power and technique. Proving that they were indeed singrities. Beings who could ignore Fate to a certain extent or use it for their benefits.


    The two separated, Lilith''s breath was ragged as she grabbed the hilt of her sword with her right hand. No matter how much her body was trembling and shivering because of tiredness, her grip stayed steady.


    She scanned the surroundings, the ring created by Wukong had shrunk, leaving only a diameter of about 20 meters now. Beyond this ring was Sol¡¯s dimension, a somewhat white and ck monochrome world with hints of colors appearing.


    <em>It should be enough time, right?</em>


    She sucked in a deep breath. She did not know what was happening on Sol and the girl''s side but she believed in him and she knew that he would keep Lilin safe.


    <em>I was really arrogant.</em>


    Sheughed at her past self, who thought she could have easily won against Wukong if she went with the mindset of sacrificing her life. Thanks to Sol, she was able to fight at one hundred percent, but she was reaching her limit.


    This situation felt somehow amusing for Lilith. In the past, she had been the one to protect Sol. Because he was weak, because he was young, because he was not mature enough.


    So many reasons and yet, all of it boiled down to the fact that she lived for years with the mindset that everything rested on her shoulders. A sense of responsibility that was so strong it was crushing her.


    Now though, she was free from all this sense of responsibility, because she knew that even if the sky was to fall down, he would be there to hold it for them.


    A smile graced Lilith¡¯s lips. One different from the one born because of her joy of fighting a worthy opponent. Her stiff joints became rxed, her erratic breathing calmed down and calmness filled her mind and heart.


    At this moment, she could feel it. A moment of absolute calmness, the moment when she and her sword became one.


    <em>There is nothing I cannot cut.</em>


    This was the belief in her heart. The reason she created the Immortal ying Art and upgraded it to God ying Sword Art.


    <em>I will cut everything in his path.</em>


    She was no more a sword seeking a master and yet as a swordsman it was necessary for her heart to be filled with a purpose and at this moment she had decided what would be her purpose.


    <em>I want to see it.</em>


    Sol wanted to create a world only for them. One beyond the grasp of even the goddesses. This was a selfish goal but at the same time, this was one filled with selflessness as it showed the love he had for those he cared for.


    <em>I want to help him create such a world.</em>


    For that he would be a vanguard. Someone who would cut down those who oppose him.


    <em>I will cut everything.</em>


    Be it the strings of fate, the angels, or even the goddesses. Nothing would stop her sword and nothing would stand in his path.


    At this very moment, Lilith reached enlightenment as she swung her sword,


    <strong>></strong>


    A scream of metal getting crushed echoed from the sword even as shepleted her movement and sliced through the air like a beam of light at a speed nearly equal to it. The entire space along the trajectory cracked apart.


    At that moment, Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes dted as he faced a crisis like never before. A gigantic sword strike, rendering space and time itself meaningless, was hurled toward him.


    Chills ran down his spine as the light filled his vision. All his instincts were screaming at him.


    You must not stop this attack with your body.


    Sadly and in an ironic twist of fate, there was no possibility of escaping as his movements were limited by the very prison he created.


    For the very first time in his entire life, Wukong faced the prospect of true death. A primordial fear filled his veins at his possible and iing demise.


    <em>Ah¡­So this is it.</em>


    Both Lilith and Wukong were singrities, and both of them were geniuses with few equals. Light filled his eyes as he realized something at this very moment between life and death.


    He was Sun Wukong.


    Even in the face of death, he would never give up. Never stop forward.


    Since he could not flee ¡ª he would just have to block it.


    <strong>></strong>


    This was not enough. Not even close to enough. He needed more. Way more than this.


    Golden light filled his body as he shouted toward the sky,


    <strong>></strong>


    Like this Wukong was entirely swallowed by the sword strike. Thest thing he heard was the sound of a sword breaking reaching his ears.

 Prior warning and explanation.

    Prior warning and exnation.


    Hi everyone, here is Hikaru Genji.


    *<strong>Beware ye who enter here. The starting chapters are an insane put-off full of smut. I dropped this at least 3 times out of annoyance. However, this novel picks up its pace quickly and actually develops a good story. Skip the earliest smut (they''re not even good onespared to after) and just get into the story. Solid writing and somewhat realistic characterization.*</strong>


    This is one of the reviews I received and I believe this pretty much gives an idea of this story. I will be honest. I started this story Three years ago. More precisely it was first posted on Scribble on the 1st of September 2020. Time sure flies. I mainly was on Patreon/Webnovel/Scribble Hub. This story was contracted to Web Novelst year but I recently terminated the contract and decided to focus on RR and eventually Amazon in the future.


    If you visit my Patreon you will see that SHK Is still ongoing and has around 600 chapters (normal chapters+Bonus and interlude) for a hefty 900K+ words count (still ongoing) and you will also see that I have quite several Patron.


    So, why I am writing this?


    If you didn''t skip yet, I will exin.


    I am not ashamed to say that SHK started in my mind as a pure smut. I was a student and I traveled to Paris for myw studies (my mainnguage is French and I started studying English six years ago or so because I wanted to read scan trantion fast since French trantion was very slow back then haha).


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    I needed cash and needed a way to not put too much weight on my mother. I wanted to be independent. So I started writing. This was the only thing I could do without affecting my studies. Firstly fanfic then my first true Original. SHK. I wrote smut because let''s be honest. Smut sell. Because of this,<strong> the first part: The Witch</strong> is filled with a little too much horny energy.But...I grew up and as I continued to write, I realized that while smut did sell, if you didn''t write a good story it would never stay long. So I changed slowly. I reduced the explicit scenes and focused more on the plot. I believe this bes apparent by ch 20+ and even more so in the iing chapters.


    I know most Royal Road readers aren''t exactly fans of such settings. My ratings are the proof haha. But I believe I am writing a very good story. If you are interested but find yourself dissatisfied by the smut. Skip it. You might like what I have to show.


    Finally, Royal Road is a clear rule that forbids stories to have more than 10-15% content explicit scene, and thankfully, my story does not stray and the explicit content diminishesrgely. As an example, after a while, I could go for more than hundreds of chapters without any such scenes. The story focuses on the Growth of Sol as a character and as a prince. As well as his power level. The Progression has some inspiration from Xianxia and so on.


    SHK is an Isekai Fantasy story filled with references to Mythologies as I am a huge fan of such and If you like Myths as much as me, you will like SHK. My skills now as a writer are very different from those three years ago. I already edited some of the earlier chapters. But anyway, this was my message to you.


    If you read until here. Thanks for doing so. Even if you skipped don''t worry.


    In Short: SHK has less than 10% explicit scenes. They may be numerous early on but the number and frequency shrink fast. Give it a try, ignore the smut if you don''t like it. The story bes better I think.


    I know saying something like It Be Better at X chapter can be prettyme but heh, I rather share my feelings here.

 Chapter 608-609: Ultimate Spear

    Chapter 608-609: Ultimate Spear


    A few moments before the decisive strike between Wukong and Lilith, in the mortal realm, the soldiers were fleeing for their lives as they finally understood why King ranked were forbidden from simply going crazy and ending all conflicts.


    The sky was overcast, dark clouds all around buzzing with electricity, the rain was falling like a torrent, and the wind was so strong that some people were almost lifted up despite wearing armor.


    In the midst of all this, Lupus was facing Sol and his team and the fight could only be said to be of catastrophic proportion as lightning strikes fell all around indiscriminately, rocks were lifted and hurled, ice chunks and mountains were formed then destroyed and dark mes filled the sky with steams in a corner.


    <em>Tch! </em>


    Sol clicked his tongue as he signaled Milia to not move while he swatted a lightning bolt awayzily. He knew that Lupus was simply ying with them at the moment but so was Sol.


    <em>We need to make him use his weapon on our terms. </em>


    Wratharis¡¯ divine weapon. While they were not able to receive clear and direct intel about the effect of the weapon in itself, they did know from what the Supreme daughter of Wratahris told them that this weapon was filled with a curse. One of unknown origin but one that helped the past kings bring victory constantly when they used it.


    But like all divine weapons, using the power of the spear would have a price. But in exchange for that price, it was possible to bring out an ¡°absolute¡± effect. One that could break down even thew of causality.


    As long as Sol could not be sure about what it was, he could not afford to gamble.{Girls, we are going with the strategy. This is a raid. Everyone knows what they have to do.}


    Sol spoke softly, this was not a whisper but a deeper skill as he was directly talking to his mind. At this moment, all their souls were linked to him. He was akin to a transmission tower and could receive their thoughts and bridgemunications between the girls.


    This kind of thing was quite heavy on the mind but for him it was nothing. He simply had to ignore the four women chattering in his head sometimes.


    {Understood.} Spoke Setsuna.


    {Let¡¯s end this.} added Lilin;


    {I can finally fight. Nefertiti is going to be so jealous haha.} Isisughed giddily.


    {I will keep my guard up, your highness.}


    The main advantage of this discussion was that the speed was nearly instant and they could have near entire discussion in the span of a few seconds.


    Wings and scales covered Sol¡¯s body as he entered his war form, fighting in his giant dragon form against a King rank who would be asking for a beating.


    Sonic bomb sounded as he flew at full speed toward him and punched at Lupus. The shockwave that followed the sh of their two fists was enough to cause the rain that was falling to pause for the space of a second.


    ¡°Hahaha! Lupus! Let¡¯s see how strong you are!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time for your elder to teach you a lesson.¡±


    What followed was a disy of martial prowess as the two entered into a fist fight and closebat. Since he was the one with the highest defense thanks to his Chaos body and Seven chakra opening as well as strongest insight thanks to the Eye of Akasha, Sol was able to keep up with Lupus despite the clear difference in speed. It was also obvious that he yed the role of tank in this party.


    Even if Lupus brought out the absolute effect of his spear, Sol was sure that he could survive it.


    Even then, Lupus was not an easy enemy. For every two hits Sol managed to block or dodge, he would receive four more. Lupus was fast. Extremely so. If he did not count demigods, nor Nent, Lupus was undoubtedly the fastest person he knew.


    Thankfully ¡ª- They were ready for this.


    ¡°<strong>>, >, >, ></strong>¡±


    Far in the back, with her ck robe billowing, Isis was covered in ck mes as she threw curses at Lupus. Though she was unable to use most of her skills as a necromancer, this did not stop her from participating as a Debuffer. After all, the art of ck magic did not just stop at resurrecting the dead.


    Sol had learned about how Drei had sent a bunch of curses against Lilith during their fights and he vividly remembered the effect they had on himself back then. While Isis was not a King rank like that man. Her curses were still extremely powerful, and Lupus was slightly affected.


    {Tch! Only Slow and Confusion really affected hm. His life force is weird. I cannot affect it. I think I only slowed him down by 10%. His uracy should also be affected.}


    {This is more than enough. Keep refreshing the debuff.}


    10% might not seems a little but suddenly losing 1/10th of your speed would affect anyone even if only for an instant and this was why,


    <strong> ¡º Zone ¨C::¨C Eternal Memories ¡»</strong>


    <strong>¡º A Step into the Present :¡ª: Fimbulvetr ¡»</strong>


    For one moment. One instant ¡ª The world froze and though this time freezested nothing more than an instant. This was more than enough for Lilith and Setsuna who were both the designed damaged dealer in this battle.


    Crimson blood light shone close to a bluish one as the two swordswomen unleashed the strongest technique they knew.


    <strong>¡ºRe Immortal ying Sword: Ashura¡»</strong>


    <strong>¡ºTemporal Sword: Indra¡»</strong>


    When Lilin and Setsuna fought together ¡ª Time and space became meaningless. This was their strongest strike, the result of the power born from years of training and frustration.


    Two beautiful arc were created as they instantly reached the frozen Lupus, cleaving him in two¡­Or at least this should have been the case.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.


    ¡°I see. The five of you are definitely powerful. Perhaps, you could even take down a weaker king with thisbination. But ¡ª It seems like you underestimated me.¡±


    His voice reached them as Lupus slowly but surely started moving in the frozen world.


    ¡°Sol Luxuria. You are the first target.¡±


    <strong>¡ºDrill! </strong><strong>Gae Assail</strong><strong>!¡»[1]</strong>


    His spear gleaming with a crimson light was thrown at Sol, destroying the frozen entirely on its way.


    For the first time in a long while ¡ª- Sol felt truly the shadow of death approaching.


    ***


    Ever since Sol had obtained the Eye of Akasha, he had been enjoying the advantage of what was essentially the power to observe and alter fate. A power designed to be more of an incredible burden than anything else¡­ ended up bing a toy to enjoy and abuse as he wished in his hand.


    At his moment though¡­ Sol came to the realization of a very distinct and detestable feeling¡ª the feeling of having Fate itself work against him.


    Time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl as he witnessed the spear streaking with crimson arcs of malevolent light break all restraint and lunge at him in full force. From his perspective, employing his <strong>Eye</strong>, Sol could observe and even vaguely feel thousands upon thousands of strands, all colored in the same Fate, tying him down on the spot as the spear shot through the air, aiming for his life.


    There was no escape, that was the only conclusion he could reach. He had a hunch that even fleeing in his dimension or creating infinite distance between him and the spear would ultimately be meaningless. The spear would bend reality, alter fate, jump through time, and ignore all causality to reach him and reap his life. No matter how he tried to alter its course or destroy its advance, nothing changed.


    The oue was already decided from the very moment Lupus threw the spear at him. Cause and effect had beenpletely inverted to serve an irrevocable purpose. An absolution that may have surpassed even Fate itself, or maybe it was just the machinations of Fate all along, he didn¡¯t know for sure. As annoying as it was, he shouldn¡¯t have been surprised by this oue. The spear was a <strong>Divine Weapon </strong>that was on the same level as his Eye of Akasha after all.


    In this very instant, Sol found out one of the abilities of the spear¡ª <strong>Absolute uracy</strong>. The spear would always reach its target no matter the scenario.


    Realizing that escape was an impossibility, a frigid light shed in Sol¡¯s eyes and he decided to change his frame of mind, trying to observe the scenario from a different perspective.


    He stopped trying to change the <strong>Fate of getting struck in the heart by the spear.</strong> to the <strong>Fate of getting struck slightly below the heart.</strong>


    It was a minuscule difference, all things considered. A change that could only offer him a few inches off the total trajectory. However, those few inches also represented the difference between life and death, and Fate seemed to have responded to those changes. The bastard hadn¡¯t abandoned him after all, it seemed.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    While the world moved at a slow pace from Sol¡¯s perspective, thanks to his enhanced senses, for the rest it was but an instant.


    They all watched with bated breath how the <strong>King of Wratharis</strong> went from seemingly being cornered to throwing a devastating attack at the Prince of Lustburg. A spear with deadly uracy and heavenly might flew straight at him, so fast that there was next to no chance for anyone to even react.


    The key word being <strong>next to</strong>.


    <strong>¡º Ultimate Technique -:- ck Hole ¡»</strong>


    From Sol¡¯s back, an enormous inky-ck snake made out of smoke and mana zapped forward with its maw opened wide. All the mana in a ten-meter radius was immediately sucked dry with the advent of the snake¡¯s strike, resulting in the spear ¨C destined to strike Sol¡¯s heart ¨C deviating ever so marginally from its absolute trajectory.


    An impossible oue, that was the thought of the observers.


    It should have been impossible for a Duke to react to the attack of a bonafide King-realm being.


    It should have been impossible for her to mount a somewhat effective defense at such short notice.


    ¡ª And it definitely should have been impossible for her to nudge the weapon away, even if marginally, as she did.


    However, as if ordered by the whims of Fate itself, all those impossibilities became reality and the spear that should have pierced Sol¡¯s heart¡ª <strongnded slightly below its intended destination. </strong>


    The impact created a shockwave and Sol was shoved downward until he hit the ground below them, causing a cloud of dust to rise.


    <strong>{Sol!}</strong>


    Btedly reacting to the horrific phenomenon, Setsuna and Lilin shouted out loud while Isis moved to rush towards him but,


    <strong>{Do not break formation!}</strong>


    A stern reminder was immediately ryed to them by Milia, even as the snake was utterly destroyed in its attempt to destroy the spear, but had still seeded in modifying the trajectory of the spear.


    <strong>{His Highness is not dead. Now focus! We know the second effect of this spear. Magic nullification. It¡¯s not an absolute effect, it seems. But with the difference in power, it might as well be one. Isis, send a new wave of curses. Setsuna, transform, now! Lilin, cover the nk and I will be providing support from the back. We have to hold out until His Highness recovers and rejoins us in battle.}</strong>


    Milia was positively going crazy with uncountable worries threatening to rip her head apart. She was fighting every fiber of her being to not just break down the formation right here and now and rush over like a crazed madwoman to see how Sol was doing. However, she knew it was not the time to falter.


    If they broke down the formation right now, they would be picked apart and destroyed with no hope of even fighting back properly.


    Her words seemed to have done their due as Setsuna immediately transformed into a gigantic golden-furred wolf with a ravenous expression of rage and lunacy. While taking on their full form was something most warriors avoided as it simply meant painting oneself as a giant target to take down to the enemy, in this case, the added durability that came with the form was too much to pass on. Indeed, Milia¡¯s judgement had been right as not even a full secondter, Setsuna received a sucker punch packed with pure lightning of destruction on her snoot that dizzied out her whole world for a split instant.


    ¡°Haha! Dear niece, it seems like your prince is not able to protect you any longer.¡±


    Lupusughed while he took a step back andzily avoided the downward sh aimed at his cor by Lilin, while a wall of viscous, nearly solidified, water appeared on his left and blocked a ball of fire thrown in haste by Isis.


    A new wave of curses followed soon after, and he grunted as he felt his strength lower yet again, while his speed was cut down drastically.


    Despite his appearance, Lupus was definitely not in a good condition right now. <strong>Gae Assail</strong> was definitely a top-tier divine weapon, even amongst the other simr weapons of its rank. It had many powerful effects alongside the absolute effect of <strong>Always reaching his target as long as the target was within his line of sight.</strong>


    However, as befitting something with such a powerful effect, the price to pay was equally substantial and¡­ painful, in a word.


    He had been feeding it his blood and divinity for weeks now, terribly weakening himself before the fight had even started and despite the terrible price, he could only use the weapon a few more times before he had to recharge it once more with his lifeblood and divine powers.


    This was the only reason he was minimizing his movement and was not just blitzing those worthless bastards at a moment¡¯s notice.


    <em>I nned to use it on Camelia or one of the witches if they appeared on the battlefield.</em>


    It was a shame to waste one of its use on a mere Duke. But it was almost worth it since it was to take down a troublesome Blessed like Sol.


    With his greatest threat taken down, he could slowly put those girls down at his leisure.


    ¡°It''s time for you to learn that a Duke can never win against a King. <strong>Recall</strong>.¡±


    Lupus stretched his hand forward, intending to recall his spear but¡ª


    <em>Huh?</em>


    He could not feel it any longer.


    [1]: Not to confuse with Gae Bolg. Gae bolg was Chu weapon in myth. Gae Assail belonged to Lugh the god of light. The weapon is in a way very simr to the spear Odin.

 Chapter 610:

    Chapter 610:


    One of the most important functions of Gae Assail was the malevolentbination of lethal absolute uracy, alongside the nifty recall function. While the second function of the weapon was not an absolute authority, like the first, it still allowed the spear to be used as a very effective throwing weapon. The weapon was built in such a fashion that taking down enemies from afar without worrying about losing the weapon was practically a trademark application.


    Until now, that is. Lupus was surprised to realize that no matter how much he tried to call forth his weapon, it would not respond to his call, going radio silent. It almost felt like¡­ it was somehow trapped at an iparablyrge distance away.


    <em>Fuck!</em>


    Lupus swore internally as his hair started bristling all around him. His aura density caused the air to tremble as his wrath was manifested in its full might in real-time.


    ¡°Where is it!?¡±


    Since the beginning of this epic battle, this was the first time Lupus was showing any signs of losing hisposure. Even when he had been cornered by Sol and his ragtag group of Dukes and other lower beings ¨C in Lupus¡¯ eyes at least ¨C he had been the very example of pride and confidence. That was the level of assurance the King of Wratharis had of his victory, no matter the scenario. That assurance was slowly crumbling down into nothingness at this instance, however.


    It didn¡¯t even take a moment for Setsuna to notice the change, nor did it take for others with the suffocation that permeated the air with the king¡¯s wrathful aura. However, despite the difficulty in breathing induced by a difference in power, Setsuna¡¯s lips curved into a smirk, which tranted to a snarl in her present bestial form.


    ¡°You find this funny?¡±


    Lupus gazed at her, his eyes filled with malevolence and all-consuming anger. ¡°I guess your prince must have done something then? Very well, let¡¯s see how long you can keep that smile on your face, little girl. I am done ying nice.¡±<strong>¡º Zone -:- Midnight Moonlight ¡»</strong>


    In but a single instant, the world surrounding them changed into the vision of the Wolf King. The induced change was simr, in nature, to dimensional encroachment as thews of nature were being rewritten in real-time in front of the girls. The sun transformed into the moon, and with it, the day made way for night.


    People looked up with fear and awe as a gigantic silver-white moon hovered above in the sky where the sun should have been shining in full glory. Lupus¡¯ zone worked simrly to the Bull Sage or Setsuna¡¯s zones. It induced a pseudo-domain into reality, taking over the husk of the naturalws and superimposing it with a nature that constantly buffed its wielder, increasing the host¡¯s power to unimaginable heights.


    Midnight Moonlight was the zone born for this very reason. A world created by Lupus¡¯ will to ensure his well-being. That was the realization of his truth. As befitting of a King-ranked being, no one could underestimate the danger brought forth from his zone. Not only did the domain-esque zone apply multiple buffs to him throughout the board it also brought his healing factor to nigh immortal territory. As long as he was under the moon, he believed himself to be invincible.


    Furthermore, the zone also applied mild debuffs on his enemies¡ª slowing down everyone he deemed necessary, and even adding the <strong>Fear</strong> effect on the weak-minded and less able. Once the debuff took hold of the target, even the smallest of fears would be amplified to an unholy level while the Zone was in effect.


    It was a zone perfectly tailored to the Wolf King¡¯s tastes. Not only would he constantly gain strength inside the area of effect his enemies would only keep getting weaker and face their worst fears as they wallowed in despair and agony in front of his regal might.


    Arcs of incinerating lightning crackled and buzzed in Lupin¡¯s surroundings, with him as the center, and a veritable armor of water superimposed by the zapping arcs manifested around his body. An aura of invincibility flowed out of his very being the moment the armor solidified.


    ¡°Setsuna. You will soon learn the difference between the two of us and you will watch as your futile struggles amount to nothing in the end. At the end of the day, no matter how strong or how talented you are, you all are only Dukes and a Duke¡­ <strong>can never beat a King</strong>.¡±


    A golden pir of incandescent light exploded from Lupus¡¯ body, invoking a barrier of wind to assail the girls and push them far away from the Wolf King.


    ¡°I am Lupus Tiangou Ira, King of Wratharis, Blessed of Ira, the Celestial Wolf and I will never lose against mere low-lifes like you! Come at me!!¡±


    His voice was tinged with malevolence and evil. And with that, a bodily transformation was set in motion; his golden fur grew and covered his body and his whole frame began to morph and expand, crack after crack resounded in the silent battlefield as bones broke and reformed until what was left of the Lupus was a hulking two-meter-tall humanoid golden wolf of invincible might.


    ¡°You all¡­ will perish¡­ forever!¡±


    His words came out as a beastly growl but the thick killing intent behind it was unmistakable. Even Milia, who had experienced many horrible fights in her life, felt herself tremble on her feet for the faintest of moments.


    This was undoubtedly the greatest challenge of her life and Sol was still not responding despite their multiple calls. The situation was definitely dire, however, there was still hope toe out alive of this predicament. They still had one recourse.


    Milia thought as she gave a firm look at Isis, making her nod with a grim determination on her face.


    <strong>{Setsuna, are you sure you want to continue? The danger has increased and we might all die if we are not careful.}</strong>


    Setsuna¡¯s answer was an earthshaking howl as she summoned a storm of ice and lightning. Her wrathful words echoed in the air, reaching all the people who were running away in the distance,


    ¡°A king who needs to constantly preach, I am the King, is no true King! Lupus, next year this day will be the anniversary of your death!¡±


    Both Setsuna and Lilin rushed at a sneering Lupus who did not even bother blocking Lilin¡¯s sword as he dodged it with minimal movements of his body and proceeded to push back Setsuna with a simple swat of his beastly palm.


    The shock was enough for Setsuna to ck out for half a second but she bit down her tongue, forcibly keeping herself awake as she sent a dense stream of lightning to strike Lupus down.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Lupusughed as the lightning stopped short of reaching him and started twirling around his body as if he had seized control of it.


    ¡°Poorss. You might be a Cmity Wolf now but I am still a Lightning Wolf at the King rank. Do you truly think your control of Lightning can match mine? How foolish!¡±


    Heughed and the dense web of lightning arcs fused in his hand, transforming into an arrow of condensed lightning.


    ¡°Taste this for yourself.¡±


    All the danger sensors in her mind screamed simultaneously, a single-tuned melody of caution and warning, driving Setsuna to hastily create two temporal clones while she retreated with desperation.


    With the snap of a finger, the two clones were immediately destroyed as the supercharged lightning arrow pierced through their forehead and heart, killing them on the spot before they could even exude their presence.


    Setsuna shuddered in fright as she watched the horrifying scene of the Wolf King¡¯s dominance. While those clones were weaker than her, they still had the strengths of an ordinary Duke backing them. Had it been her in their stead, she would have at least been gravely injured if not dying outright to that beam of concentrated power.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the vition.


    <strong>{Fight girl! Don¡¯t worry, as long as you don¡¯t die, I can heal you!}</strong>


    Setsuna could only leak out a bitter chuckle as the Isis¡¯ excited words full of horrible advice reached them, making her share a knowing nce with Lilin.


    Indeed. They had been too greedy. Having the thought of fighting a King-ranked being, and a Blessed on top of that, without even considering losing a limb or two at the minimum had been excessive of them. Their minds had muddled with their newfound powers, but they had already made their resolve.


    ¡°You ready?¡±


    ¡°I can do this all day.¡±


    Thus, the two girls enacted a dance, treading the thin line between life and death, as they gave up all means or desire to defend themselves from any of Lupus¡¯ attacks. They could only believe in Isis and Milia to keep them from getting killed.


    This was suicidal, to say the least, however, they did not falter.


    Was it because they believed in each other?


    Of course not.


    Lilin and Setsuna were one thing, but the four girls did not have a tacit understanding born from years of fighting together nor did they share deep and meaningful moments together as the duo in question did throughout the years.


    What they had inmon though was a singr and deeply rooted belief that bordered toward fanatism¡ª all directed towards a single entity.


    Sol Dragona Luxuria. Their lover and lord, the master of their faith and irrevocable love.


    Even in the face of overwhelming odds, they did not lose hope because they had a fanatic level of belief in him. Nay, it wasn¡¯t just belief, it was knowledge¡­ a foregone conclusion! They knew that Sol would return, stronger than ever and would change this situation no matter the state or oue.


    All they had to do in the meanwhile was hold on and victory would be theirs. Of that, they had no doubts.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The fight immediately resumed but for the observers, it was difficult to call the event a fight by any means.


    Rather than a fight, what they were witnessing was more akin to a joke. A horrible joke where a man was ying a group of girls like a fiddle that was hardly even a speck in front of his almighty presence.


    Lupus was strong himself but he was also a Blessed on top of that. Even with his current state of weakened strength, due to the usage of his Divine Weapon, he was still head and shoulders above anything mere Dukes were capable of dishing out against him.


    For the next few minutes, Lupus showed his absolute andplete domination in the fight. Lilin¡¯s sword techniques could attack from all distances, but the power behind each sh was nowhere near enough to cut through his hardened skin. Even the light wounds he barely received every now and then were immediately gone as though they were merely illusions, thanks to the exemry healing boost he received with his zone deployed. Meanwhile, the trickier, more lethal, attacks that came off her de were easily dodged with the most minimal movements thanks to his extreme speed and swift reactions that were beyond anything the girls could break through.


    On the other side, Setsuna was treated like nothing more than a glorified ragdoll of giant proportions thanks to her beastly form. It only took a few minutes for her body to be battered beyond what her healing factor could bear.


    She had lost arge patch of fur from her pristine and regal body, one of her eyes was as good as gone, and even a single one of her forelimbs was now in a limp state, most likely broken on the course of the horrifying battle. She was forced to forcibly block the mana flow that would cycle through her wounds to obtain just that extra portion of mana that was basically a prerequisite to barely keep up with Lupus¡¯ relentless assault.


    Her breathing had gone harsh and wanting, her lungs being punctured with the broken ribs that were practically her whole ribcage being the culprit. Her mana was also at an all-time low due to the relentless assault without having any time for recovery.


    Despite seeing his niece in such a pitiful state, Lupus showed no joy, only a note of frustration. Why wouldn¡¯t he? Golden mes soon emerged from Setsuna, covering her whole body and healing most, if not all, of her grievous injuries, achieving at least an 80% recovery rate wherever the healing mes touched. Whenever he tried to stop the healing process, a slithering snake in an inky ck hue would lunge at him, hacking away at the slightest opportunity it found, forcing him to dodge the assault and abolish any thoughts of attacking Setsuna.


    Lupus growled as he turned his attention towards Isis and Milia, those women were the sole reason this joke of a fight showed no signs of ending anytime soon. It was frustrating and downright insulting for the king.


    None of Milia¡¯s attacks could really hurt him but he could feel his mana constantly drain whenever those disgusting shadow snakes touched his body or any part of his aura. With his current, weakened self, there was no avenue for him to lose even the slightest trickle of mana. He had to preserve it for the off chance that someone jumped him out of the blue, or in the extremely unlikely scenario of Lilith defeating Wukong.


    This led to this frustrating, insulting, and maddening oue¡ª no matter how much he hurt Setsuna, she would stand up after being healed by that phoenix as if she were an undying warrior who feared no pain.


    ¡°You should give up already. Even though your prince managed to seal my spear by some wretched means, no doubt, it is clear that he is unable to leave from wherever he stored my spear at the moment. As for the rest of you, even if you keep getting healed, there is nothing you can do outside of being my punching bag. You have already lost.¡±


    He spoke to them, wishing to break their spirits with his words but the only oue that he reached was a wave of frustration as only augh escaped Setsuna¡¯s bloody maw in response to his mockery. Lilin even went as far as tough out loud while holding onto her chipped sword.


    ¡°We will win.¡± Her words were short and precise, a fanatic belief as though it was a foregone conclusion. The pain from all the wounds she had received did not vanish, a few were them were still open and bleeding even now, however, the brilliant light that shone in her eyes never wavered for a single second. Not when Sol was effectively neutralized from the battlefield, nor when Lupus showed her the immense difference in power between them.


    No matter how much pain Lupus was inflicting on her body, they were iparable to the pain she felt when she ran away like a criminal from her own home, her homnd¡ª Wratharis. Barefooted, without a single thing to eat or drink, while she was still a kid, she made a journey to nowhere with the heavy mind of leaving everyone and everything she loved behind her to rot as she clung to her life. The pain she went through and the pain she was constantly going through¡­ were iparable to any physical pain anyone could bring to her.


    ¡°Do you truly think you win!? Against me!? When you cannot even break my defences!?¡±


    He could not understand their reasoning.


    Lupus could see that despite the situation at hand, those girls were not losing hope and there was not a single drivel of fear in their hearts. They did not doubt their victory, leading to an unwavering heart that was ready for any adversity.


    How could this be possible!? What allowed them to stand up again and again despite the clear disparity in power between them and an invincible being like him? He had no way of knowing.


    ¡°I am sure we will win.¡± Setsuna¡¯s body faintly quivered as her leg was finally healed and she stood straight, the blood on her body could not hide her prideful elegance and poise.


    ¡°Why!!?¡± Lupus nearly shouted, anger filling his heart at the sight of Setsuna standing up once more to continue this farce.


    ¡°Because my lord, Sol, has dered as such.¡±


    Lupus stopped, his eyes opening in utter disbelief,


    ¡°Just that?¡±


    ¡°That is more than enough for me and everyone else.¡± A cold wave rushed from her body as she sought to slow him down again and freeze him while Lilin was ready toe at him from behind with her sword in hand, damaged or not, but Lupus ignored everything as his mind kept reying Setsuna¡¯s words over and over again.


    Those girls were willing toy down their lives simply because they believed in one person?


    <em>How utterly ridiculous!</em>


    Once again, Lupus found himself hating and envying Sol. Has there ever been anyone who looked at him with such trust and belief in their eyes?


    A forgotten memory started to resurface, one mixed with blood and eyes filled with sadness and betrayal. A bitter memory he had forcibly pushed down for so many years that it had be a blurred afterthought. Lupus squashed those memories once more, not letting them grow any bigger. Thinking about what he had destroyed with his own hands was nothing but a waste of time that would serve no purpose for him.


    ¡°I have decided.¡± Lupus did not dodge Lilin this time and caught her sword with his right hand. Blood started to pour out but he ignored it and looked at the girl with eyes filled with so much hatred that it became tangible.


    ¡°I am going to bring you the ultimate despair.¡± He clenched his fist and broke the sword before immediately piercing Lilin¡¯s stomach with his wed left hand, his hand opening arge hole in her body as blood and guts poured out incessantly.


    <strong>¡º Avatar -:- Lycaon ¡»</strong>


    The light dimmed in Lilin¡¯s eyes as she was flung away like a lifeless doll.


    ¡°Do you still believe you will win?¡±


    A toothy grin stretched Lupus¡¯ lips as he saw Setsuna flinch. He tasted the warm blood of Lilin from his hand.


    Only by watching the light of hope in their eyes vanish could he sweep away this bad taste in his mouth.


    He would break them, in mind and body, and relish their despair. Slowly, carefully, painfully, and with all the atrocity this world could never hope to reenact.


    This he swore in his name and invincibility¡ª on the name of the Celestial Wolf.

 Chapter 611:

    Chapter 611:


    Sol stayed silent, digesting the information he had just received. Chaos and Order, the two highest goddesses in this world and those who were publicly known as the creators.


    For all their powers, the two goddesses were shrouded in deep mysteries and few people actually directly worshiped them, even the Wing of Freedom and rted members prayed first to Ymir, while the people of the Mortal world and Astral world prayed to one of the fourteen goddesses.


    Sol had many questions about them and why they were still asleep even now.


    ¡°I don''t know why or how Eve went through the road of separation. This is pretty dangerous and because of the opposite concepts the two halves hold, they are more likely to fight each other. But the situation is what it is.¡± Adam intoned, his voice a little indifferent. It was quite hard to reconcile the emotions he was showing with the fact that Eve was supposedly his wife.


    ¡°Well, either way, I can¡¯t tell you much more about this. What I can tell you is that, after my Death, Eve should have be the de facto Guardian of this universe. She has the highest authority and her words dictate fate. But this authority was split. Weakening the Crystal wall and allowing the possibility for intruders to enter through a specific means.¡±


    ¡°¡­Reincarnation?¡±


    ¡°Bingo. You are pretty smart, as expected of me.¡± Adam grinned. ¡°There is a different way to enter a new universe. But you see, universes don¡¯t like intruders and in fact make sure to suppress them as much as possible. A foreign god entering a universe might be only as strong as a demigod and this suppression bes worse the stronger the universe is. I say if a god tried to enter my universe, they would only be as strong as a King at most. Even the gods from the Prime Universe.¡±


    There was a clear pride in Adam¡¯s voice and he made no effort to hide it. After being forced to live as a soul body for so long, it feels good to be able to brag even if a little.


    ¡°To avoid this suppression, the best way is Reincarnation. Going through the cycle of life and death in the new universe and getting imprinted by it. In a way, I guess you could say it¡¯s not unlike getting a permanent Visa or a Naturalization. The goddesses have been abusing this system it seems. They took souls from the Prime Universe and brought it here, allowing for reincarnation.¡±Adam''s smile twitched a little. Those girls were reckless. They were lucky that no foreign gods managed to slip through and get reincarnated here. But that was because most foreign gods were wise enough to avoid this universe, even after his ¡®Death¡¯.


    They would know very well that provoking him would yield nothing but a headache.


    In fact, he started to wonder if Sol''s reincarnation here was a coincidence. Some of the gods might have guessed that Sol''s previous life was rted to Adam so when Luxuria searched for a soul they could have made sure to send Sol in order to get rid of a possible bomb.


    Adam exined his spection to Sol, leaving him speechless.


    ¡°You are me. But the version of you as a human definitely would have never seeded in controlling the End. The only possible result was you going berserk and destroying the Prime Universe. Who knows, perhaps one of the gods even has a hand in your death.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Sol did not know what to feel at this moment. Should he be happy? Sad? Angry? In the end, he sighed. All of these were only spections. There was no need to worsen his mood about this.


    ¡°Well. I believe I have told you more or less everything of importance. But all this is so far away from the current you¡­You now understand now why sometimes wise people withhold information? You know all this and yet nothing has changed.¡±


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    ¡°So now, let me give you information that will actually affect you and your future going forward. Though you already found the way by stumbling by yourself.¡± Adam waved his hand and one of those universes appeared closer. From this distance, it looked more like an egg than a.


    ¡°Let¡¯s resume things. I have told you that there exist many many universes. But how are those universes born? The thing is¡­All universes have a creator. You must know the legend of Pangu and how he separated Heaven and Earth, right? It¡¯s something simr albeit different.¡±


    Adam caressed the egg with a gentle expression, ¡°Some individuals are born with what I call a seed or an egg. Those individuals are beloved by destiny and hold infinite potential. Potential high enough to give birth to a new universe. I was such an individual. I called my Seed [The World]. Back then, I would have never guessed how urate it was.¡±


    He chuckled then pointed at Sol, ¡°You also have a seed. What you call the Mirror Dimension or the Inverted World. But your seed is very different. Because it was affected by thews of this universe, it became a so-called Dimension and mirrored many of thews of my universe. Normally this would have been pretty bad. But you were lucky. After all, it copied My universe.¡±


    Adamughed. Normally a seed should have had nothing. Only pure chaotic energy. Then once the creator started the beginning of time, newws could be made.


    Back when he was a mortal, Adam¡¯s seed, [The World] was developed in a way that copied thew of the Prime universe. In order to do so, Adam had to personally learn absolutely all the fundamentalws of the world. Gravity, Time, space, Electromaism, strong force, and weak force. Just remembering all the efforts he put in this made him want to barf.


    He went even further and incorporated thew of Dream and Reality, thus incorporating the power of Legends.


    This was why the main of the Mortal Realm was so simr to Earth in the Prime universe.


    This was also why Names and Legends from Earth had so much influence here and could give birth to kings and demigods and even some gods.


    ¡°You are different and I must say, I am quite jealous.¡±


    Was it because Sol and Adam shared the same soul origin? Or perhaps because of some unexpected influence? Adam could not say. But in the end, while Adam had to build everything from scratch, Sol was able to start with a full-on temte and a world filled withpletew.


    ¡°Of course, everything isn¡¯t without consequence. Because you started in such a way, your control over the Universe is extremely minimal. Not only that. Your universe has no spark of life and no World Will. A dead universe that is nothing more than a copy of a copy. At your current level, this might seem powerful and it is. But only after tasting the power of Fate, you should realize how limited this is.¡±


    Adam was not trying to insult Sol. He simply stated things as they were. Sol dimension was just that. A dimension. If nothing changed, the highest level it could reach would be something simr to a Divine Territory. This was perhaps the lousiest result someone who had a seed could reach.


    ¡°But fear not. You have three different options.¡± Adam raised three fingers, ¡°The first one is to do nothing. Really, you don¡¯t need to do anything. It isn¡¯t like you seek to be the strongest. As long as you have no n of ever leaving this universe what does the strength of your seed even matter? I am sure that you will be able to reach a level simr to Ymir and even surpass it. But that''s it. Don¡¯t even dream of fighting Eve. Even if she split her soul and body, she is still this World''s guardian. The apex of existence.¡±


    Sol frowned but continued to listen. If possible, he didn¡¯t wish to fight Order or Chaos. But leaving his future to the whim of those two crazy goddesses left unsure.


    ¡°What about options two and three?¡± Sol asked.


    ¡°Your second option is topletely separate your universe from mine and start everything from scratch. It will be painful and it will take time, perhaps billions of years really. You will fall into a deep slumber as you fuse with the Origin of the universe in order to bring a new Beginning and ignite Light and life. This way has 100% chances of sess and zero dangers.¡±


    ¡°But¡­?¡± Sol knew there was always a but in this kind of situation.


    ¡°But you will also be a foreigner to my universe. In fact, I think as a Universe creator you will be considered the highest level of enemy by my universe so even entering back will be night impossible. As for your women or should I say the women who managed to survive by the time you seeded, they will also be considered as foreigners in your universe. The only way to not face continuous suppression will be for them to die and reincarnate in your universe.¡±


    Adam chuckled, ¡°But I know you. There is no way you would choose this option. You should know more than anyone what reincarnation truly means.¡±


    Sol nodded. Reincarnation was not just somebody''s change. One would never be the same after reincarnating, even if they managed to keep their full memories. This applied to Sol and the same would happen to his women. Sol would never choose this option unless he was left with no choice.


    ¡°So, this left us with option three. You already have the gist but you need to think bigger. Grow your dimension, strengthen it to the highest level possible, and finally ¨Cfuse it with my universe. Wrestle control from Eve and the goddesses and stand as the new God King!¡±


    Adam opened his arm wide in a dramatic fashion, shouting those words with emotion as if he could already see the epic battle on the horizon.


    Sol sighed, nonplussed. He could see that Adam was having too much fun with this. ¡°You already knew that I wouldn¡¯t take the first two options. Why not start from here?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. What can I say, I like drama after all. So, what will you choose?¡± Adam asked, his eyes twinkling.


    ¡°Is there any need to ask?¡± Sol stood up and started walking away, ¡°I guess I need to add universe conquest to my list of things to do.¡±


    His voice was calm but his decision was made. He had already nned to steal the Mortal realm. So, things didn¡¯t really change all things considered.


    The target only became bigger¡­Much bigger.

 Chapter 612: Negative Distance (2)

    Chapter 612: Negative Distance (2)


    Lupus recoiled so hard one would think he was pped in the face, and they would be right as that statement was nothing short of that. The worst part about it was that¡­ Setsuna did not just stop there. Even with her broken arm, she gritted her teeth through the pain, lifted it, and¡­ showed him the glorious middle finger.


    Her face may have been a bloody mess, her body may have beenpletely broken, and her consciousness may be growing dimmer with each passing instant but her spirit never wavered. Not even for a single moment.


    Even though Lupus held her neck in his hands, being able to twist and crush it with just a single movement, there was a fierce, almost savage smile on her lips as she gazed at him with a defiant look¡ª her actions would make even the most daring of warriors whistle aloud in acknowledgment.


    ¡°You wench!¡±


    Lupus shouted, fully intent on pummeling her face on the ground. However, his actions couldn¡¯t pass through as Setsuna chose to spit blood on his face, marring his mane in a bloody hue.


    Setsuna did not fear death, she was far from such baseless fears. As a warrior hell-bent on revenge, she knew that death was her constantpanion, waiting patiently for the chance to take her in its embrace.


    Yet she was not suicidal either and would not have provoked Lupus in this situation without any contingency put in ce beforehand.


    What she spat was not just any blood; mixed into it was her own innate lightning and divinity. Thanks to how close the two of them were and with his mind clouded by anger, Lupus should not have been able to respond to this sudden attack. However, as befitting a King-level being, his reaction time was beyond what they could even fathom.


    Thankfully, they had even taken this possibility into ount.> > >¡­ >


    As if waiting for this exact moment, Isis spammed the curse of stagnation more than a few dozen times on Lupus without a single break. It did not matter how resistant Lupus was, the few curses that did take effect were enough for him to slow down for an instant and all Setsuna¡¯s spit needed was an instant to reach and pierce his right eye, causing the Wolf king to let out a blood curling scream of pain and rage at the humiliation of losing his eye against a group of Duke he did not even initially pay attention to.


    The attack forced him to loosen and even let go of his grip around Setsuna¡¯s neck and the poor girl fell helplessly on the ground, too weak to even move a single inch.


    However, things did not stop there. There was no way Setsuna would have waited for this moment only to take one eye from Lupus¡­ as satisfying as that action was for her, it was not the end but only the beginning.


    <strong>{Now!}</strong>


    The ground shook as threerge shadowy snakes burst forth from underneath Lupus¡¯ feet and brought forth their relentless onught, ensnaring him in their venomous holds. Milia¡¯s snakes were created with her power of <strong>Devouring</strong> and as befitting its name, the voracious snake immediately started draining the energy of the prey they ensnared.


    Milia leaked a grunt as Lupus¡¯ never-ending energy was transferred to her at the highest speed she was able to drain him. The difference in the reserves between a Duke and a King was as vast as the ocean itself and her mana veins were screaming under the relentless strain of a never-ending stream of power, almost making her feel that her body was about to explode this instant.


    She did not relent, however, not even for a single moment. How could she even think about doing something like that when Setsuna sacrificed so much just for this very moment? As long as she could absorb even 10% of Lupus¡¯s current reserves, she would consider it a win.


    Lupus could feel his mana draining at rapid speeds, far faster than they ever did since the start of this battle, and ignored the throbbing pain in his eye as he started tearing apart the snakes restraining him from all sides. Even though new snakes were constantly generated to keep him restrained, there was no way Milia would be able to keep him at bay for long.


    ¡°You think such chatan tricks can stop me!?¡±


    He shouted, his roar causing the air to screech. however¡­


    ¡°Of course, we know this alone is not enough.¡±


    Lupus stopped short as Isis, who had been staying at the very back of the group up until now appeared close enough to take his head between her hands, her eyes glowing with a mix of crimson and gold.


    ¡°Lupus Ira. It¡¯s time for your sins to be judged. <strong>Show me your soul.¡±</strong>


    Her voice seemed toe out of the very depths of the greatest abyss and violently permeated his whole spirit.


    Past memories of his life right from the very day he was born shed through his mind. His life as a child. His life as a teen. His first kill.


    Everything about him was like an open book to Isis.


    "Get out of my head!!"


    He let out a roar of pain and anguish, as the world around him changed and a constant stream of memories manifested and wreaked havoc in his mind.


    In the deepest part of his mind, he could see the phoenix girl sitting on a throne while on her right side, a wolf-like monster the size of a house was crouching down, looking at him with hunger evident in its eyes.


    Behind her, a ck scale was floating steadily while measuring two objects. On one side was a golden feather, and on the other side was a heart that was beating at a crawling pace.


    Lupus was confused and for the first time very first time¡­ started to feel true fear, as he looked at the ominous scene. This was a skill he had never even heard about, nor could he even fathom how a mere Duke was capable of using such power.


    <strong>[You are being judged.]</strong>


    An answer came to his mind while chains covered and restrained his spirit and soul. They tried to make him kneel but the pull of the chain was not strong enough for such action against a dignified <strong>King</strong>.


    ¡°You!? Judging me!? Don¡¯t make meugh!¡±


    He ignored the image of his brother and sister-inw dying at his hand. His own guilt may eat at him but his pride was too strong to let anyone other than himself judge him for his sins.


    ¡°You have no right to judge me!¡±


    He rejected his past and ignored his sins, and then, a crack began to appear in the world that governed the mind and housed the soul.


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The Eyes of Judgment. One of Isis'' deadliest skills and a skill she used on very rare asions. The difference in power between her and the party she judged was extremely important as the <strong>Weak</strong> could never judge the <strong>Strong</strong>. But even so, it was notpletely ineffective even against people stronger than her.


    Everything depended on their sense of guilt and the magnitude of that guilt on their inner mind and if there was one thing she could perceive from Lupus¡¯ soul, it was that he had a lot of guilt pent up inside him and locked away at the deepest depths of his being. This was the only reason she had epted this crazy, nearly suicidal n.


    Isis felt a sour taste in her mouth as blood and bile rose at the same time. Trying to judge a <strong>King</strong> was hard. Trying to judge a <strong>Blessed King</strong> was nearly impossible. The backsh from her mind realm breaking was extreme but she could not stop here.


    <strong>{Even if he gets judged I cannot give him the death penalty. Killing and taking the throne was a Divine Ordainment as he was given a Blessing. His act of fratricide does not surpass the Divine Law. As a King, he also has power of life and death over his subject so nothing he did is considered a crime by thew of this world. At best, we can seal a part of his strength by using his guilt.}</strong>


    Isis had already exined this to them and they knew she could do nothing while Lupus was under judgment. However, the same applied to Lupus and now Milia was free to pump as much energy as she could.


    However, this was still not the end, this was still not a decisive strike. They were not just stalling for time or hoping to weaken Lupus. All this time, they moved toward a singr goal¡ª killing Lupus.


    Isis was frozen in ce as she judged Lupus¡¯ soul. Setsuna could not even muster enough strength to move and Milia was facing the strain of a King¡¯s mana threatening to destroy her whole existence.


    But there was one person¡­ one who had acted as if she waspletely done for, waiting exactly for this instant.


    Purple mana started swirling around Lilin as she pushed herself out of the ground, while her wounds healed at visible speed until only a faint scar was left. Her form changed as long leathery wings formed at her back and two curved horns formed on her forehead.


    Lilin¡¯s subus blood may not be pure but it was extremely strong and the current transformation brought out all the strength she could muster and beyond.


    <strong>¡º</strong><strong> Zone -:- Boundless Sword </strong><strong>¡»</strong>


    The entire surrounding was covered by her sword aura, rendering distance meaningless as her strike would reach her target no matter where she stood as long as her target remained in her zone. However, Lilin knew it wasn¡¯t enough to finish Lupus.


    What she needed now was not a multitude of shes but rather a single all-powerful sword attack that would end this entire fight once and for all.


    Bending down slightly and spreading her feet apart, Lilin took hold of the hilt of a sword as it remained sheathed, entering a traditional Iai stance. It was not her sword but rather the sword that belonged to a woman who once swore vengeance on Lupus.


    The sword of Setsuna¡¯s servant, born from resentment and curse toward the one man who took everything away from her. Known as Neun for years, her true name was Ayame¡ª the maidservant who once took care of Setsuna in her childhood.


    Lilin focused inwardly, discarding all distractions; her sword intent flowed naturally and condensed under careful, delicate, and meticulous control.


    Once again, she was one with the sword and one with the world as well. Her breathing steadied and heart beat calmed down to a crawl, almosting to a stop.


    Everything except her target vanished from her field of vision. Like a calmke, her silence descended on the battlefield. She ignored the bleeding Isis and the shouting Milia. She did not pay attention to the destruction of the shadow snakes that were restraining Lupus down, nor did she see how Isis was already taking steps back while bringing Setsuna with her.


    Her entire mind and soul were focused on this one single instance, even as a part of her remembered the first time she used this technique. Back when she fought against the dwarf gunslinger.


    Lilin was not the young inexperienced warrior of then who needed <strong>Three Steps</strong> to attain her target and yet she knew that only by taking those three steps could she reach the maximum velocity and striking power.


    All the ideal conditions were reunited.


    Lupus was as weak as he would ever get. No divine weapon, no divinity, exhausted mana reserves, along with Isis¡¯ judgement had culminated to seal more than 50% of his remaining powers.


    Now all she needed to do was¡ª take that first step.


    <strong>{Lilin, now!}</strong>


    ¡°One step to go beyond the speed of sound¡­¡±


    This would be the strongest strike she ever swung in her life. Already, her muscles screamed as she broke past all her limits.


    ¡°Two steps to go beyond the speed of light¡­¡±


    Blood exploded all over, even her skin started to burn from the ferocity of her mana and the strain the world put on her to perform this attack. It was clear that she would be immobile after performing this attack.


    ¡°Three steps to reverse causality!¡±


    Time and space were erased. The past and the Future fused into the present and Cause and effect were reversed.


    <strong>¡º</strong><strong> God ying Sword Art -:- Negative distance </strong><strong>¡»</strong>


    The very moment Lilin unsheathed her sword, Lupus¡¯ eyes opened wide in disbelief as he saw the world spinning around him. His head had been cleanly separated from his body and blood sttered all over from his decapitated head as his body slumped on the ground.


    When Lilin sheathed her sword again, she nearly screamed out loud as pain unlike anything she had ever experienced assailed her whole body. Falling on the ground, she remained immobile as she became unable to even support her own weight.


    Even so, she did not mind her state. This pain was more than worth it. They did it! They had won! Without the help of Sol, the four of them converged their forces and took down a bonafide King.


    Many things had to be put in ce, like strings needing to align on a set course, for this moment toe to fruition.


    If Sol did not take the divine weapon with him.


    If Lupus had not been weakened when nourishing the divine weapon.


    If he had not underestimated them or tried to y with them like the sadistic maniac that he was.


    So many ifs, so many whats, and so many instances where even a single thing going out of ce would lead to all of their deaths.


    However, such thoughts didn¡¯t matter anymore. ¡°Setsuna we¡­¡± Lilin forced herself to look up even though her vision was momentarily blinded as blood covered her eyes. She wished to see her friend and share this moment of victory with her.


    After all, Lupus had died from the sword of Ayame.


    ¡°Well, well, well¡­ Now aren¡¯t you happy you made a deal with me?¡±


    She stopped short and not only her but even Isis, Setsuna, and Milia froze in ce as they looked at a man who appeared seemingly out of nowhere and was standing right beside the bleeding head of Lupus.


    It was an unassuming man. Even now, those who could see him would have difficulty describing what he looked like. The only thing they would be able to remember would be his monocle.


    The man was not alone, on his side was a tall woman with two long horns on her forehead holding arge metallic bat filled with spikes.


    ¡°Hello everyone. Happy to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Milia asked, her hand trembling and veins bulging while her eyes were bloodshot. The side effects of housing far more mana than she could possibly contain were showing themselves already.


    The man took off his top hat and ced it against his chest as he gave a theatrical bow.


    ¡°Through history, I had many lives and many names. But for now, you can simply call me Eins.¡±


    Time seemed to go still. This name was not foreign to them. Eins, the second highest ranked of the Wings of Freedom and more importantly.


    ¡°A demigod.¡±


    Isis murmured breathlessly. Things were definitely taking a turn for the worse. They had already given their all to barely match and win against an extremely weakened King. Even in their peak condition, and no matter how many things fell into ce to push them forward, they stood no match for a demigod.


    ¡°Well then, youngdies. Would you be so kind as to follow me? I need some bargaining ship to recuperate the spear.¡±


    Even though he spoke those words, directing at them, he didn¡¯t even look at their general direction as he went past them and took Lupus¡¯ head in his hand before walking toward the body. He was the epitome of confidence as he knew that absolutely no one could match him at this moment on the battlefield


    Or at least that should have been the case in theory. The reality was vastly different, however.


    ¡°It seems like Sol was right. I still have my part to y.¡±


    His smile slowly vanished as a feminine voice reached them from high up in the sky. There, a tall golden-haired woman d in a white robe with streaks of blue manifested out of thin air,


    ¡°Camelia Castitas.¡±


    He muttered the name with confusion, wondering what a supreme Daughter was doing so far from her Church.


    However, he soon realized what was about to happen. After all, the Kings of the Seven Kingdoms were not the only ones who could use divine power. Sadly for him, the realization far came toote.


    cing her hands together, Camelia muttered a prayer,


    ¡°Dear goddess,e to me and help me purge those faithless traitors.¡±


    <strong>¡º</strong><strong> Forbidden Technique -:- Goddess Descent </strong><strong>¡»</strong>


    Radiant holy light came pouring down from the sky in a pir of light, streaming down like a waterfall. And with that, six pairs of wings, all wielding eyes of varying sizes, all closed, manifested on Camelia¡¯s back.

 Chapter 613: Its time

    Chapter 613: It''s time


    While the divine light enveloped Camelia''s body in heavenly radiance, far away from her position, a woman of short stature was standing while holding a pair of binocrs in her hand. A luscious set of revealing, almost scandalous kimono covered her short and petite stature and two horns were protruding out of her forehead.


    The short woman¡¯s body was trembling intermittently, even the binocrs in her hand were on the verge of breaking into pieces with the pressure she was exerting on the tool.


    ¡°Lady Doji, we need to leave this instant. A fight between two demigods could level the entire battlefield.¡±


    One soldier spoke to her with a worried frown. The earlier fight had been an incredible sight, no doubt about that, but the shing individuals had avoided the rallying armies during their sh, whether consciously or unconsciously as the subtle action may be.


    However, the fight that was about to transpire at the moment was in a whole different realm than anything they had witnessed and could dare to witness.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Shuten Doji took a deep breath as she lowered the now-destroyed binocrs in her hands. Initially, she had joined the battlefield more out of morbid curiosity than anything else, wondering how the fight would dish out with the King of Wratharis.


    What she saw, however, went beyond her expectations or even any of her wildest imaginations. Four Dukes had made history by beating a King on their own. Lupus'' state did not factor in the slightest in how incredible the feat they had achieved had been. The sheer ludicrousness of the feat was enough for people to remember them for ages. They would surely be added to the pages of history for what they had achieved.


    Well, that should have been the case¡­ if not for the intruders butting in at the end of the battle. <em>She has changed a lot.</em>


    She was taller, far stronger than before. Her hair had also changed into a beautiful golden and her horns were seemingly covered in a metallic sheen.


    Shuten gnashed her teeth with aplicated expression on her face as she thought about the woman who followed the man named Eins.


    Ibuki Doji. The previous leader of the Oni tribe as well as Shuten Doji¡¯s mother. There were only very few people in existence who Shuten hated more than her mother¡ª Ibuki. The vile woman was a selfish, egotistical monster whopletely gave up on her tribe and even her family, forsaking them to fend for themselves, just for the sake of fighting more powerful individuals to fuel her battle lust. She didn¡¯t even let her family tie her down from fulfilling this selfish goal of hers.


    If that had been the length of her misdeeds then her actions could have simply been chalked up as the whims of an entric with too much zeal and no social cues whatsoever.


    However, she did not just stop there. Far from it, in fact. Not only did she leave them but she even betrayed their faith and joined up with a terrorist organization that wanted to destroy all the realms!


    The fact had been unknown by most individuals and even Shuten, Ibuki¡¯s own flesh and blood, had been in the dark about this matter¡­ until now that is. With her appearance on the battlefield at this juncture, Shuten had no doubt that people wouldn¡¯t be able to make the connection and identify the woman as Ibuki.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    Turning around, she walked away from the vantage point, intent on erasing even the sight of the woman from her memory.


    She needed to start working on keeping the reputation of her n intact since the news of her mother¡¯s arrival, and eventual betrayal would soon spread throughout the continent.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The soldiers who served as her guards let out a sigh of relief. It was clear for anyone to see that they weren¡¯t exactly keen on witnessing the battle between two demigods.


    Unlike them, however, Doji''s head was cold andposed even amid the precarious situation. In her mind, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder about one fact.


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    <em>What is the prince doing?</em>


    One of the biggest factors of Lupus¡¯ demise had been undoubtedly the loss of his divine weapon early on in the battle. Shuten Doji was close to Kiku and she had a great understanding of how much a divine weapon affected a Blessed. The amount of special power that had to be sacrificed to use the weapon¡¯s powers couldn¡¯t be described in words.


    While absent for a major part of the battle, it was undeniable that the victory of the Four Dukes was only possible due to Sol¡¯s actions.


    But this begged the question¡­ where was he now?


    And more importantly, would his presence or absence change anything in the uing sh?


    After all¡ª for everything he had aplished, the prince was only but a Duke.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    In a different dimension, hovering in the air with a spear still stuck in his stomach and his wounds refusing to close, Sol had been observing the past and present events with a focused expression. The Divine Weapon was not to be taken lightly, given its continuous attempts to erode both his body and mana and slowly, painfully drive him to death¡¯s embrace. Any other Duke in his ce would have either died to the first strike alone or would have died soon after without exception.


    His fists were bleeding as he had to continuously clench them and force himself to not intervene in the fight between the girls and Lupus. The only thing that stopped him from acting was his belief in the girls to manage to pull it off one way or another, and they did more than just pull off their weights. They had gone way beyond his expectations, oveing all limits and boundaries to win the fight.


    The growth the fight brought was necessary for both Setsuna and Lilin. Unlike the other two, they were newly appointed Dukes and had to attune to their powers and stablize their realms.


    Now that they won, however,


    ¡°I knew that someone would intervene in the end.¡± Sol couldn¡¯t help but mutter under his breath as Camelia started the goddess descent and brought down power beyond what her mortal body could bear. The divine descent was a time-limited skill that a Supreme Daughter could only use once in their entire lives. After all, the only oue for a mortal body that housed the power of a Goddess was either death or living the rest of their life as a cripple without any power.


    Most Supreme Daughters didn¡¯t have the connection to the respective goddesses they served, or even the power necessary to house their divinity in their bodies. In the past, Castitas had refused to descend into Camelia¡¯s body when Nihil attacked Lustburg.


    The only reason they had even epted the request for the descent at this moment was quite clear to Sol. The goddesses were starting to get worried. It seemed like in their minds, Nihil, the leader of the Wings of Freedom, was less of a threat than Eins, her close second.


    Sol sighed, erasing all thoughts about the uing sh. From the tears and numerous voids sprawled about in his dimension, he could feel that Lilith¡¯s fight had alsoe to an end with her as the final victor. Sun Wukong was not dead, but he seemed content in staying down and not moving, despite having lost an arm and being almost cleaved in two by Lilith¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Lilith, go help them.¡±


    His voice traveled directly to her ears, and he opened a portal to help her descend to the battlefield.


    While Lilith was quite a bit tired from the battle, he had no choice but to send her to keep Zwei in check and avoid situations where she hurt the girls who were all but depleted after their fight against Lupus. Thankfully, with the intervention of the Wings of Freedom, this was not a war between Wratharis and Lustburg anymore so Isis was able to use her undead without thinking of any repercussions that maye her way.


    <em>Now I need to focus on myself.</em>


    Taking a deep breath, he focused on the feeling of divinity that the spear piercing through his stomach emanated. This spear was a true work of art and a powerful weapon to boot. And Sol could only flee endless glee at having obtained the spear to devour as he wished.


    He had been troubled about what he could do to catch a big fish this time around but Lupus had been very helpful. More than he could ever imagine.


    ¡°Thanks for the dinner.¡±


    <strong>¡º</strong><strong> Inverted Dimension -::- Inverted Causality </strong><strong>¡»</strong>


    Sol had not stayed idle during his stay at the dimension. He had been studying and analyzing the flow within the divine weapon. Thanks to his intimate rtions with Setsuna and having seen Ira in person, Sol was able toplete his analysis with ease and minuscule waste.


    As for the control¡­pared to the divine power he used in the past to temporarily reach the Demigod realm, the current level of divine power was far too weak to even bepared.


    The flow of divine power that was trying to harm him and erode him stopped briefly before subtly reversing altogether. This was no different from how he changed the flow of the Witch¡¯s curse, only at a much higher level.


    Thanks to Milia and Echidna¡¯s teachings, he was finally able to devour all the divinity that the weapon housed. All of his seven main chakra pathways filled to the brim with the power of divinity. The divine power flew along his veins, giving him the feeling of being bloated but never stretched. Sol nearlyughed out loud with the glee he felt. Divine power was euphoric, and it made him think of all he could do with that power, even though it was not enough to make him be a demigod.


    However, he didn¡¯t need to be a demigod this time around. After all, his wish wasn¡¯t to acquire a temporary power-up likest time.


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡±


    Sol sat up and pulled out the now dim spear devoid of divine power from his stomach before tossing it away like garbage.


    Indeed, it was time.


    The time to be¡­


    A King.

 Chapter 614: Assemble!

    Chapter 614: Assemble!


    While Sol was busy going through the final preparations for his ascension to the King realm, Lilith was gazing at the new portal in front of her with a vacant gaze.


    Utter exhaustion would be the best way to express the state of her body and mind. Thest sword strike she enacted was performed by putting everything she had in her, all her being and soul. And now, she could barely move with all the exhaustion that was guing her whole existence. Her energy was rapidly filling up, however, and she could only thank her special constitution for this replenishing effect.


    Sol had been clear and concise about his n. If he asked her toe back despite having fought Wukong then it could only mean the situation was about to take a turn for the worse and could go down a route that they didn¡¯t even want to imagine at any given time.


    ¡°You are still alive, right? Why don¡¯t you get up?¡±


    Lilith shifted her gaze towards Wukong, a dejected glint in her eyes. For her, who bragged endlessly about being able to cut anything and everything, the fact that she had been unable topletely cut down Wukong was quite the blow to her pride. At the veryst moment of her strike, just as he was about to die, Wukong managed to gain enlightenment and thus strengthened his defenses by a great margin which allowed him to survive her full-powered strike.


    Well, at least she could console herself with the knowledge that the arm the warrior lost would never heal in this life, even if the wounds in his torso may heal somewhat. Her attack was simply that powerful.


    ¡°Why should the loser move? I am just waiting for you to deal the final blow.¡±


    Wukong¡¯s voice was calm even in the face of defeat. What he had just lost in this duel wasn¡¯t just his arm or a part of his soul. The name he received when he advanced to the King realm, <strong>Victorious Fighting Buddha </strong>was based on the principle of continuous victory.


    It would have been one thing to lose to someone in a realm higher than him or someone far older, wiser, and experienced, but since he lost against Lilith who was both younger and objectively weaker than him, his name had officially be meaningless, desecrating the power that came along with it.The current state of his powers was not unlike that of the Queen of Elves after she had fought and was subsequently defeated by the Witch of Life, thus effectively losing her path towards the demigod realm forever.


    Now, unless he discarded his King name and even his Zone and started everything from scratch, he would never manage to be a true Demigod as he was.


    ¡°You seem quite calm for someone who has lost so much.¡± Lilith sheathed her sword and took a deep breath, calming down her aura. She needed to focus every second avable to her on recovering more and more of her mana if she wanted to be of any help to whatever precarious scenario that she was about to face on the other side of the portal.


    As if to help her get a grasp on what she was about to involve herself in, the Mirror dimension ¨C or the Inverted Dimension as Sol now called it ¨C changed form and now, they were able to see what was happening on the other side of the portal.


    Her eyes immediately locked on Zwei and all thoughts about taking a break vanished from her mind.


    Zwei, was once known throughout the Mortal Realm as Ibuki Doji. A short-termpanion in their adventurer group and the ultimate cause behind Mars and ze¡¯s demise.


    Lilith may have lost the excessive infatuation she had for Mars, but that did not mean she would ever forget the sole person who was responsible for his untimely demise on that ursed day.


    As if responding to her ever-soaring killing intent, innumerable swords of all shapes and forms manifested in her surroundings and whirled to form a veritable storm.


    ¡°It seems like you have a bone to pick with that woman.¡±


    Lilith nodded wordlessly to the fallen warrior¡¯s words.


    ¡°I will help you.¡±


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    Wukong stood up, his wounds still bleeding and his arm missing that would never recover. However, his expression showed no particr worry about his critical condition.


    ¡°You want to help me?¡± confusionced Lilith¡¯s voice as she asked the question with a frown on her face. It had not even been a few minutes since the two were literally trying their utmost to annihte the other, and now, she had even destroyed his path to further power and effectively crippled him for life.


    For people with mindsets simr to the fallen warrior, the current situation was even worse than death itself. And yet¡­ Sun Wukong was wearing a serene expression as if he was free from all worldly shackles and desires.


    ¡°You might not be able to understand it, however, I needed this loss. Losing against you was probably the best thing that happened to me as I am now.¡± Wukong''s remaining hand moved and caught Ruyi Jingu Bang.


    ¡°In the past, my Zone and Name were based on my own pride and desire for battle. This was also my folly. After all, who can be ever-victorious in life? My path may have seemed bright, but it was limited¡ª a path filled with endless danger and transient glory. The path that I was walking would never allow me to be truly strong or even be a False God. That was my fate.¡±


    He grinned and twirled the Ruyi in his hand while his skin started to shine in a golden hue. The wounds on his body started to heal at a visible rate and even the stump of his arm stopped bleeding altogether.


    ¡°When you meet Buddha, kill him. This was what I learned from Lady Tiamat once when I was younger. However, I could not understand her words¡­ until now, that is. After this fight, I will kill the Buddha in my heart and walk on a new road that belongs only to me and me alone.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You are going to do everything from scratch?¡±


    Wukong nodded as if it was a given, ¡°Indeed. Is it not what you have done, as well? Your power is very different from what was known in the annals.¡±


    Lilith nodded her head with a sigh. When Sol saved her, Lilith made the bold decision of destroying her name and zone and threaded on a new path.


    However, things were far different for her than what was for Wukong. When she had essentially changed her whole identity and trode on the new path, she was backed up by an unsurmountable level of energy and was essentially able to speed-run through the ranks like it was nothing.


    If Wukong broke his path, he would have to start from scratch, and it would take him months or years to even regain his former powers and attain the King realm. Worse, there was a 9 out of 10 chance that Wukong would not be able to seed in attaining the path he sought.


    ¡°I will seed.¡±


    Wukong words were filled with assurance and unequivocal confidence. Not even the slightest bit of fear reflected in his eyes as he boldly started to advance toward the portal Sol created.


    Lilith could only leak out a deep sigh as she looked in the distance. While it was faint, thanks to her connection to the dimension, she could feel faint tremors travelling all over the ce. The dimension was changing, strengthening, and broadening far beyond its initial capacity.


    She knew nothing about dimensional mages, but she knew that such changes could only happen when the wielder was undergoing a metamorphosis in their powers, and it was not hard for her to guess what Sol was about to do right now.


    ¡°Be careful please.¡±


    Lilith felt uneasy, more than she ever did. She may not be a Blessed but as a singrity, she was also sensitive to Fate and her heart was telling her that whatever was about to happen now might change Sol forever.


    She hesitated a moment before giving a small cough, her face turning red as she muttered those words at a volume so low not even Sun Wukong would be able to catch them with all his powers.


    ¡°When all this ends, I will give you a reward. Anything you want and by that, I mean¡­<em> Anything</em>.¡±


    Giving onest very suggestive emphasis on the anythingin her words, she immediately bolted out of the dimension alongside Sun Wukong.


    Meanwhile, further in the dimension, Sol couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as he heard his aunt¡¯s promise. He may have been feeling a little stressed out about what he was about to do, but thanks to Lilith¡¯s bold encouragement, his heart calmed down as he realized that he was not doing all this for himself or by himself.


    ¡°Are you guys ready?¡±


    He spoke without turning around as the sound of heels reached him.


    ¡°Always are. After all, we are about to be part of a story like no other.¡± Persephone, the Witch of Life, gave an elegantugh as she stopped in a very specific direction.


    ¡°You are always so reckless.¡± Medea, the Witch of Time, gave a worried nce as she looked at the spear he had thrown away but still obediently stood in her position.


    ¡°I hope you have not forgotten your promise.¡± Freya, the Witch of Space, d in her usual pink witch¡¯s clothes, giggled as she stood opposite Medea.


    ¡°Ugh. I didn¡¯t think we would have to do another superplicated ritual so soon.¡± Kali, the Witch of Destruction, adjusted her witch¡¯s hat as she stood opposite Persephone.


    The four witches of Salem, the Four Directions were all gathered once more with Sol sitting cross-legged at their very center.


    Finally, directly right above him, ¡°I hope you will seed in your endeavor.¡±


    There was Ambrosia, the All-Knowing.


    Sol grinned as he looked up, ¡°Trust me one more time. Soon, all your investments will be paid back in full and then some.¡±


    He was about to start what would perhaps be the greatest ritual in all the history of the Mortal realm.


    All so that he could be a King. Truly, things always tended to reach a whole other level when he was involved. For a short instant, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what he would have to do to be a Demigod.


    Well, he let the future him deal with that headache as he focused on bing a King for now.

 Chapter 615-616: Ritual

    Chapter 615-616: Ritual


    After cing the witches in the positions he needed them, Sol immediately cut his wrist to let blood flow out in small trickles. He would''ve wanted the process to be faster, but keeping the wound open was a pain in the ass due to his regeneration. So, all he could do was repeatedly cut his wrist to gather enough blood for the ritual.


    <em>I guess I really cannot fault Camelia after this.</em>


    Joking inwardly, to give himself some levity, Sol started manipting the flow of his blood with his hands to draw the magic circle he had in his mind.


    The first step was obviously to form a full-onrge circle as the outermost perimeter. He made sure that all of them were inside the outermost circle and soon added a second blood circle inside the first circle that only contained him alone.


    Finished with the overall architecture of the magic circle, Sol proceeded with the second phase.


    This time, two stars with four branches each were drawn in such a way that they looked like a singr star with eight branches extending outward. The first star formed with its branches stopping just shy of the outermost circle, while the second star, with smaller and shorter branches, stopped at the inner circle that he was positioned inside.


    Each of the witches stood precisely on the branches of thergest star.


    ¡°Apass?¡± Ambrosia muttered under her breath as she observed the fascinating formation that Sol constructed. From her position, directly above them, she could see the full scope of the magic circle Sol was drawing and no matter how she looked at it, the shape and content of the magic circle could only be surmised to be apass. Each of her daughters was standing on one of the branches extending from the star, and from the orientation, it was easy to see that those branches represented the North, West, South, and East.


    <em>Interesting. </em>Ambrosia could more or less understand what Sol was trying to achieve as her eyes paused on the star whose branches represented the North-West, South-West, South-East, and North-East directions.


    With him as the center and her daughters as the four directions and then the four nk spaces in between¡­ things were taking quite an interesting turn. Her gaze soon moved to what was happening outside of Sol¡¯s dimension and settled on the bleeding girls ¨C the four Dukes who had defeated Lupus ¨C and she couldn¡¯t help but let out a small smile.


    Sol was very daring this time. She could only wait and see what the King of Lustburg had up his sleeve.


    ***


    Finished with his preparation, he couldn¡¯t help but nod his head in satisfaction at his creation. He would have never thought that the few lessons he had received from Medea about witchcraft would prove to be so useful to him in critical moments¡ª be it with what happened with Lilith not long ago or now with him.


    Using his blood meant the circle was imbued with his divinity rather than the sum he had stolen from Lupus. He couldn¡¯t afford to waste the divinity of a King-ranked being after all. Even more when it was far more concentrated due to him being a Blessed on top.


    Meanwhile, he made sure to consume as much of his own divinity as he could. The concentration of the divinity he consumed was so much that some parts of his hair even showed signs of losing the golden glow that signaled his Blessed status and slowly veered towards bing a lustrous silver-white.


    <em>So this should have been my original hair color, huh?</em>


    He was reminded of what happened with Camelia when she acted as if she had lost her divinity and blessing. Her original hair color had been brown, it was the vestiges of a time when she had not yet received her Blessed status back when she was still a teen.


    ¡°Well, the first phase of the ritual isplete.¡±


    He took another deep breath, doing his best to fight against the seemingly insurmountable pressure of what was ahead and calm down his wildly beating heart. He was betting a great deal now with his current ns and could not afford to fail. Not to mention, he had the feeling that if he was unable to obtain the <strong>Name </strong>he sought right at this moment, he would never be able to obtain it in the future. Even if he started from scratch like Tiamat or Lilith, the name he sought would be lost to him forever.


    <em>For a better future¡­ For a future with no tragedy¡­ I need to seed right now.</em>


    He would not have the same ending as his alternative future self. ¡°Girls, whatever happens next¡­ do not intervene. Do not move. I simply need you to provide me with your power and concepts.¡±


    A solemn voice leaked out of his lips as he made sure that they would not act and destroy what was pretty much his life¡¯s work due to their worries regarding his safety and state.


    ¡°It¡¯s finally time.¡±


    So, lifting his hand, Sol summoned the spear he had thrown away and, after turning it around and bringing the point toward him he pierced his heart in a sharp and swift movement.


    Blood sshed, his expressions contorted and all the witches, Ambrosia included, watched with pure iprehension on their faces.


    ¡°Only by facing death can Ie closer to The<strong> End</strong>.¡±


    For a dragon such as Sol, simply having his heart pierced would never be a fatal wound. Even more so since the weapon was devoid of any divinity it was originally imbued with.


    However, things changed a great deal when he lowered all his defenses on his own ord and let the spear do its job.


    And so, Sol faced deathfor the second time in his two lives. Deep in his sea of consciousness, the letters <strong>D</strong> and <strong>E</strong> shone with unprecedented light. Meanwhile, in his dimension, the witches looked at each other in dismay before Medea took in a deep, trembling breath.


    ¡°Sisters, it is time.¡± She said with as much confidence as possible.


    Medea, the Witch of Time¡ª the Witch representing the West.


    Freya, the Witch of Space¡ª the Witch representing the East.


    Persephone, the Witch of Life¡ª the Witch representing the South.


    Kali, the Witch of the Destruction¡ª the Witch representing the North.


    The four directions shone with a bright hue, each of them focusing on the concepts and power that constituted their very existence on this ne. Their respective powers started flowing into the outermost circle that they were bound within and soon flowed into the different branches of the first part of the star. The four branches channeled their power into a singr point and soon, all of their powers brewed into one and focused on Sol alone.


    ¡°We need to be careful with whates next,¡± Persephone spoke as she gazed at him.


    Kali gritted her teeth, as she felt some resistance in her side. Her power of Destruction, while close enough to the concept of Death in a certain way, was causing certain dissonance as it did not mesh particrly well with the power of Life that channeled out of Persephone.


    It was a core flow of her being, ever-present, a constant reminder of her inferiority and difference from her sisters. Not being able to learn the concept of Death had been her life¡¯s greatest regret that haunted her still to this very day¡­ which was ironic when taking into ount that as a Reincarnator, few should be more acquainted with Death than her.


    It was only after she finally stabilized the meshing of her concept as far as possible could they finally transitioned to the next phase of their roles.


    ¡°Sol is fucking crazy. I swear this is thest time I participate in one of those rituals.¡±


    She cursed; even as crimson light shone in her gem-like eyes.


    <strong>¡º</strong><strong> Avatar -::- Shiva </strong><strong>¡»</strong>


    Stolen novel; please report.


    The current procedure Sol was enacting was simr to the process they went through when changing Lilith''s race, thus saving her life. Kali couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Sol had some suicidal tendencies, seeing as though he was enacting such a life-threatening procedure once more. However, she knew that, at this juncture, all she could do was to believe that he would pull things through somehow as they did during Lilith¡¯s case.


    As such, simr to her role in Lilith¡¯s life-saving procedure, Kali used her power of destruction to attack the interior of Sol¡¯s body. Unlike the time with Lilith, however, Kali¡¯s first target was not Sol¡¯s veins, but rather¡­ the remaining divinity that was settled inside Sol¡¯s body. As a Chaos Dragon, Sol was extremely resistant to any form of magic, so she had to make sure she didn¡¯t use too much power in the process or else his bloodline would negate her magical powers.


    The procedure was a very delicate process where she had to make sure to not destroy his body while destroying only the targeted areas within his body that they needed for thepletion of the procedure. Not only the procedure itself, but the divinity that she was trying to extinguish was actively resisting against her will, making the procedure far harder than the case with Lilith. Even so, she continued the procedure with as much care and meticulousness as she could muster at the moment, trying her very best so that Sol wouldn¡¯t be affected beyond a certain threshold.


    When she was finally finished with her ever-so-delicate task, Sol¡¯s majestic golden hair had beenpletely reced with a lustrous silvery white, a stark contrast to his original appearance. However, she still didn¡¯t have the leisure to marvel at the sudden change.


    <em>I am bing an expert in burning bloodlines.</em>


    Starting with Lilith and now Sol. She hoped that this would be thest time something like this happened.


    <em>Ugh, I feel like I just set up a g.</em>


    ¡°Persephone,¡± Kali said.


    ¡°I know.¡± Persephone was not flustered.


    This time, Persephone acted before Medea. Her goal was not to heal him, only to heal any damages that might have happened to his vein and counter the power of destruction.


    <strong>¡º</strong><strong> Avatar -::- Demeter </strong><strong>¡»</strong>


    An endless assortment of flowers blossomed all around Sol as the energy of life overflowed. This time, Persephone did not have two Phoenixes like Hathor and Isis to give her a hand, so she had a lot more on her te than ever before. However, she was not worried about the extra pressure¡­ because she knew that this was not the ending of Sol¡¯s journey, his story wouldn¡¯t be cut short yet.


    ¡°I am done. Medea, it¡¯s now your turn.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Medea was only able to give a shaky nod to her sister. It was now time to stop Sol¡¯s body in time. Once again, his Chaos physique proved to be a problem due to its resistant nature. Being toopetent came to bite back on their hands this time around, as Sol had even developed resistance against the machinations of time itself. However, as he was putting no conscious effort into defense, the difficulty was somewhat lowered.


    <strong>¡º</strong><strong> Avatar -::- Chronos </strong><strong>¡»</strong>


    <em>Please, Sol, please, you have to be alright.</em>


    More than any resistance Sol¡¯s body could put, the most difficult thing Medea had to ovee at this instant was none other than her shaking hand. It was imperative to keep Sol suspended in time, as they had to stop his body¡¯s regeneration process and make sure that Luxuria¡¯s divinity did not form inside him for the time being.


    She hated every passing instant of what she was doing to Sol, her mind already envisioning so many ways this whole charade could go wrong, however, she still chose to go through with her task obediently. Not because she had no opinion of her own, but simply because she believed in Sol and believed in hispetence, on his sess.


    And on the off chance that he failed? She would make sure that he didn¡¯t have a trip to the underworld alone.


    ¡°Freya, help. Now!¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡± Freya did not show her flippant attitude this time around, the situation was too important for her to be acting frivolously. Since Sol, the owner of this dimension, was unconscious, she needed to use her powers to limit the space inside which Medea¡¯s powers took effect. Only through this method would they be able to reach the highest efficiency possible, consuming less energy to attain better results.


    <strong>¡º</strong><strong> Avatar -::- Ouranos </strong><strong>¡»</strong>


    Space warped at her fingertip and a bubble covered Sol¡¯s body, making sure that all the energy channelling inside him was kept inside that space and didn¡¯t leak out.


    From above, Ambrosia observed each of the steps taken by her daughters. Many of the experiences and theories she created over the years were being executed in front of her, and she appreciated the chance of being able to observe all of them firsthand.


    She was also ready to act and share her own energy once it became necessary. Meanwhile, she could also see that things were getting quite rowdy outside the dimension. The new demigod was fighting Camelia while Lilith had engaged the Oni and the two were now in a standoff. Lilith was no slouch but her opponent was undoubtedly extremely powerful just from the bare minimum that Ambrosia was able to sense.


    As for Wukong, the monkey king joining their side was quite an unexpected development, but it was very wee for them in their current scenario. For some reason, Lupus¡¯ head had once again fused to his body, but he now resembled a monstrous abomination at the brink of losing his sanity. Whatever deal he made with the Wings of Freedom and whatever power he had gained in return had clearlye with a steep price to pay.


    Thankfully, with all the King-ranked beings and above busy as they were, Setsuna and the other girls were free to move as they wished while they healed their injuries. Things were definitely heading in a very good direction.


    <em>I hope you will not disappoint me.</em>


    Ambrosia had a feeling she was about to witness an epoch-making moment and she hoped it would be through Sol¡¯s victory. It would be quite hard to find another son-inw so capable, after all.


    ***


    Sol¡¯s n hinged on many aspects and luck was definitely one such factor. For most people, luck was nothing but an abstract concept that could not be measured or manipted, but for Sol, things were a little different from the ordinary. Sol knew that there was a certain someone who would never stay still without acting once the ritual started and he was betting on that.


    In the capital of Lustburg, Scheherazade was flying frantically with a worried expression etched on her tiny face. At present, she was apanying Chloe inside the church and she could not help but fidget restlessly for a particr reason. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Chloe asked, but Scheherazade could only show her a weak smile in response, ¡°Sol told me to not intervene this time. Because what he is trying to aplish involves many Kings and Demigods, and I might die if I try interfering.¡±


    Scheherazade clearly remembered what state she ended up in when she helped Sol while he was trying to be a Duke. Her powers had been very useful back then but she did nearly die as a result and if Sol didn¡¯t awaken when he did, she would have perished without a trace of her left in this world.


    Now the situation was far worse and deadly. However, she knew that she could not just stand by and do nothing.


    As such, cing her hands together, she prayed. She could not do much if nothing at all for that matter. She was only but a Duke, in the end. But, even so, she made a small wish, a wish for good luck and sess in all of his endeavors.


    It was nothing but a small wish, but her body froze and here she found herself falling toward the ground. Had Chloe not caught her, she would have crashed helplessly.


    Holding on to her fading consciousness, Scheherazade made another wish. She wished that at the end of the day, they would all be reunited and have fun just like they did with everyone present before the war separated them.


    ***


    Scheherazade was not one of the failsafes Sol had in mind. She was too weak to change much at the moment, but there was something else. Someone else who had power high enough to skew the events to his advantage.


    For what he wanted to do, it was necessary to affect the order of the world while following its intricate rules. To be a King a being needed their own legend.


    Sol had worked tirelessly for his legends to pass, for him to seed at this juncture, but out of all his measures, the one measure with the most chances of sess was without a doubt the girl who had acted alone all this time without any input from him.


    Nefertiti.


    Presently residing in the forest of the elves, Nefertiti was focusing on the link between her and Sol. This link was something she had selfishly asked him to give her back when they were in the dragon territory because of nothing but her sense of insecurity and inferiority.


    Now, though, this link between them was paramount in her having the right timing.


    ¡°Girls, are you ready?¡±


    Hiding all the worries in her heart, Nefertiti turned around and showed a bright smile to the small assembly of elves watching her. They were all people she had slowly and carefully converted to a small degree. Sol had expressed his wish of not wanting her to abuse her power of <strong>Servitude</strong> and that made her worry what what she could do without using this power.


    Thankfully, Nefertiti discovered that she did not need the power to aplish what she had set out to do. The elves were already too entranced by what dragons represented, and it had been easy for her to ensnare the less experienced ones who had no firm faith in any of the other dragons.


    A chorus of voices answered her, and the weight on her shoulders seemed to lighten alongside their symphony. She didn¡¯t know how helpful what she was about to do would be but she knew that now wasn¡¯t the time yet.


    She had to wait. Just a little bit more.


    ¡°Very well, we will soon start the litany.¡±


    It was time for her to help her lord.


    ***


    In the Astral Realm, holding the threads of destiny in her hand and weaving them in an intricate pattern, the three sisters of Fate were hard at work.


    Skuld was panting and breathing hard as if she had been running non-stop for a thousand kilometers. She could feel it in her bones, the moment she had been waiting for was fast approaching.


    A new nexus, another point that would forever change Fate and advert the dark timelines she had been trying her heart and soul to avoid.


    <em>They will wake up, and those who have already woken up might go into a frenzy.</em>


    As things were reaching this far, she knew that those who had been asleep even in the Dark Timeline would now wake up to intervene. This would mean that from today onwards, all her future knowledge would bepletely useless and even her powers to see the future would be severely affected by the newly awakened adversaries¡¯ influence.


    Once all of them woke up, the future might even be worse than what they had anticipated or had to go through already in the other timelines. In the worst case, even Order and Chaos might wake up and enter the fray. Such a scenario would lead to certain doom, there was no doubt about that.


    However, Skuld knew. As someone who could see and affect the future, she knew and understood this one truth more than anyone.


    ¡°If you let all the possible ways something can go wrong stop you from acting, you will never take a step forward.¡± She spoke to herself, trying to control her fears.


    For every action taken, hundreds of thousands of bad things could happen as a result and yet people had to act and make choices. Even refusing to make a choice was a choice in itself and for that very reason¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight for a better future.¡±


    They had to fight, fight for the future they envisioned. Her hands never stopped, even as she thought of all the possible ramifications of what was about to transpire.


    A new age would descend in the world and her darling would be at the forefront.

 Chapter 617: I will succeed

    Chapter 617: I will seed


    While the world moved and all the pieces Sol had prepared took their respective positions on the board to y ording to the n he had prepared, Sol opened his eyes in his sea of consciousness, floating amid crystal clear water with endless depth.


    This ce was no different from what he remembered when he became a Duke. An endless sea below and a clear blue sky above, also stretching endlessly to who knows where.


    With vacant eyes, Sol gazed at the empty sky and slowly felt his position in the world of his consciousness. His current position was on the surface of the endless sea, not exactly where he needed to be toplete the current phase of his metamorphosis.


    Deeper. Far deeper. At the very depths of this seemingly endless sea.


    Sol did not move an inch, however, his body soon started to sink deeper into the endless sea. Contrasting to the nk world above, the deep sea showed a far more turbulent world than he remembered it to have.


    It was an aquatic world, filled with strong currents yet no life. The deeper he sank, the more the feeling of suffocation became prominent for Sol.


    The truth behind everything that happened during his ascension as a Duke and how the Avatar of Ymir was destroyed.


    He could feel that his life was hanging by a thread, and he was steadily approaching death.


    Death was an aspect that Sol was very intimate with. After all, he had already died twice and it was not in a hypothetical sense.Once when he was still nothing but a normal human on earth and a second time not long ago when he faced Nihil and Surtr.


    What was Death? Even with all his experience, dying not once but twice at that, it was still a question that was hard, nigh-impossible for Sol to answer. However, many would consider Death to represent the End of a person¡¯s story¡ª bringing the climax to their life and putting a period on everything that made a being who they were. For a select few, Death was part of a cycle, a necessity in a world that should never be erased.


    Sol closed his eyes when he felt his back touch the hard ground. He had reached the deepest depths of his Sea of Consciousness. At the end of the day, for Sol, Life and Death were nothing but a cycle. There was no life without death as even thergest stars would reach the end of their lifespan and then would die in a blistering explosion of astronomical scales.


    ¡°If Life and Death are a cycle then¡­ I guess the End and Beginning are also cycles. If there is a Beginning, then there must be The End, the culmination of one¡¯s journey, and if The End exists¡­ then undoubtedly a new Beginning would also exist for that particr individualter down the line. What do you think?¡±


    Sol looked toward the slightly ajar gate and questioned in an indifferent tone. The one shut-off gate was now slightly open, showing only the Darkness thaty beyond the surface.


    Sol did not mind theck of answer and stood up before walking toward his Gate of Truth. He could see the markings on them, a vivid illustration of the Tree of Knowledge.


    When he finally stood a few steps away from the door, a giant pupil manifested from beyond the gate, as though appearing out of thin air or the endless darkness thaty beyond. The scene was eerie enough to spook even Sol, and that would have been the case if he had not already readied himself for something spooky to happen.


    Even though all he could see was an eye, he had the distinct impression that the eye was smiling at him, and his experience told him that it was not just a feeling or his brain ying tricks on him.


    ¡°I would love to keep on prattling about philosophical ways of looking and understanding the world that surrounds us, but I do not have time for such things.¡±


    While Sol had been sinking into the depths of the sea, images kept pouring inside his mind that reminded him of a distant past. Pictures and sounds, memories he had forgotten and had been sealed up for him to ess when the time was right.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Adam.¡±


    Now he knew the identity of the being observing him from the other side of the gate. He also knew who was the source of all the dreams he had been experiencingtely and all the strange information that was filling his mind.


    However, the knowledge changed nothing for him. In fact, it was only a confirmation that all his preparations until now were not useless worries.


    [It seems like the young chick is ready to take its first flight.]


    A clear, deep, and powerful voice reached him as the eye closed its lid and was reced by a blurry silhouette with no distinct features to it, not even the shape. It was like mist, omnipresent.


    ¡°ying mysterious again, are we?¡±


    [No. I am simply being myself. After all, this might be thest time I have the chance to speak.]


    Once again, Sol felt Adam smiling while gazing at him. Deciphering a faceless expression should have been impossible but it seemed to not matter when it came to Adam.


    [We are one, if not the same. So, it¡¯s normal for you to be able to guess what I am feeling easily.]


    ¡°Correction. We are not one, nor are we the same.¡±


    [Is that so?]


    Adam¡¯s tone was light, clearly finding Sol¡¯s words extremely amusing, and mildly interesting. An irritating gesture, but manageable.


    [Then, dear Sol¡­ What do you wish for, right now? Why seek me once more?]


    ¡°I want to awaken a Name and be a King.¡±


    [With your strength and talent, you could have be a King at any moment, and a very powerful one at that. Why seek more power when you already have enough?]


    ¡°Enough?¡± Sol chuckled, ¡°Now that my memories have returned, all my suspicions about Aurora were proven. It¡¯s honestly a miracle she did not strike me down. Do you truly think I have enough power to deal with all the mess you have left for me?¡±


    Adam stayed silent for a while, before ultimately sighing, an impossible feat with his blurry existence but the world wasn¡¯tcking in impossible things now was it¡­


    [I guess more of them survived than I thought.]


    ¡°You seem d. Happy even. It¡¯s quite interesting. Why show relief when they all hate you after you killed them?¡±


    [The Twilight of the Gods was an inevitable oue. I seek the forgiveness of no one. I have simply done as I needed to.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [As for those who have survived¡­ You should not worry too much about them at the moment. Without their territories, they are unable to get back their full powers.]


    ¡°I do not want to bet nor leave my life to the whims of Fate. It¡¯s a very fickle existence, known to strike when you let your guard down. As such, I ask you to move out of the way.¡±


    The only thing stopping him from reaching the power he sought was none other than Adam himself.


    Adam said nothing as he watched Sol walk and then phase past him like nothing.


    [Hey, that is hell you are walking into. Once you go beyond this gate, nothing will ever be the same.]


    Sol stopped for a moment,


    ¡°I know.¡±


    [Yet you still decide to take such an illogical decision?]


    ¡°I will not break. Because unlike you, I am not lifting this burden alone.¡± Solughed, his steps light, almost jovial, ¡°Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. This may have all started because of my desire and selfishness, but at its core is a wish. A wish to save everyone I care for.¡±


    [Even if that life¡­ is that one where you must give up on your sense of self? Bing nothing but a tool and a sword for Fate?]


    ¡°I refuse to give up, even on the slightest thing. Even if the path I walk is one drowned in lies, hypocrisy, and selfishness¡ª I will be a monster if I have to if that means I don¡¯t have to give up on anyone or anything I hold dear.¡±


    [I see.]


    Adam did not look behind him. His gaze still focused forward, while his mind reminisced a past he wished to forget but was condemned to remember forever.


    [You were right, Sol. You are very different from me.]


    ¡°Heh, you teach me nothing. As long as my heart beats, I will control my Fate.¡±


    Sol pushed the gate wide open and stepped through, leaving Adam alone in the sea of consciousness.


    At this very moment, with Sol deep inside the gate, it would be so easy for him to emerge and take full control of his body. Sol should have known that and yet he did not try to stop Adam.


    ¡°Haha¡­ What a courageous fool. At least, there are still some simrities.¡±


    Adam cackled out loud but did not move from his spot. He wanted to see whether the answer Sol would find at the end of this path would be one he woulde to regret in the future.


    Until then¡ª he would wait patiently, eager to watch the story that Sol would weave.

 Chapter 618: Everyone fighting hard

    Chapter 618: Everyone fighting hard


    Stepping through the Gate of Truth, Sol was not sure what to expect when he reached the other side. Everything from here on would be a new experience for him that went beyond his calctions.


    The fact that a source of unknown power had taken root in his heart for the whole of his existence had been a great bother to him from the moment he was aware of its existence.


    It was definitely dangerous to have an unknown power slithering inside of him and he had no choice but to seek out such a power. Even though there was a high chance it would swallow him whole, leaving nothing left, Sol continued to march on without any hesitation.


    <em>I should find something soon, right?</em>


    One step¡ª just one step was all it took for him to find himself transported to a whole new world,pletely different from any ce he had traversed before.


    What did the other side of his Gate of Truth hold? What kind of things could he see? What trials would await him?


    The answer was now clear to him.


    Nothing.


    <strong>He could see nothing.</strong>As a hybrid dragon, being able to see even in the deepest darkness should have been a given for him. But not here, not in this abyssal ce. Even the strings of Fate that usually upied his vision were nowhere to be seen.


    <em>Did Adam stay in this ce all this time?</em>


    Sol shuddered at the mere thought of living in such a ce, and when he looked back, darkness was all that greeted him. The door to lead him outside didn''t exist any longer, perpetual darkness recing its existence.


    The situation was clear to him now. Either he found a way to escape from this abyssal ce or he would be forever imprisoned in this ce with nothing but darkness as his partner.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Sol opened his mouth, cursing under his breath for finding himself in such a fucked up ce. However, he soon stopped, realizing that no sounds came out no matter how much his lips moved. This¡­ did not make sense, he was currently inside his sea or consciousness¡­ his words and thoughts should virtually have no difference.


    <strong>He could say nothing.</strong>


    He moved around, trying to find at least some sense of direction but soon, doubt began creeping upon his mind. No sound reached him. Not the sound of his heartbeat, not even the sound of his steps.


    <strong>He could hear nothing.</strong>


    <em>Ah¡­.</em>


    Sol blinked or at least he thought he did, he tried to pinch himself but he realized that he felt no pain.


    <strong>He could sense nothing. </strong>


    By now, Sol realized that he was truly in deep shit. As ast resort, he even began sniffing, and as he feared¡­


    <strong>He could smell nothing.</strong>


    He did not know when, he did not know how, but slowly, all of his senses had been deprived of him, leaving him with nothing but his own sense of self.


    <em>Is this the<strong> End</strong>?</em>


    Absolute perpetual nothingness. A sad and lonely world¡ª the destination of all things with their embers of existence extinguished. Every single thing in existence must meet its end, and they would eventually end up in this ce.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Slowly, even his <strong>sense of self</strong> started to get eroded, the feeling that his consciousness was drifting somewhere far, far away was soon encroaching upon his existence.


    <em>¡­ Huh?</em>


    He tried to reach out his arm, trying to grasp at something, anything¡­ but he started to forget how to do that as well.


    <em>Focus!</em>


    It wasn¡¯t just his arms. Since he was still able to think for himself, he realized he was sure that his head was still attached to his body, and so would be the rest of his limbs. However, even though he knew they were there, he couldn''t recall how to move them at all. He surmised that his body should be in one piece but even that thought began to drift and be doubtful to him.


    <em>¡­ I still cannot feel anything.</em>


    If he could describe his situation in a nutshell, then it would be that his mind was wandering on its own, disconnected from his entire body. He could not see, hear, or feel his magic and for the first time, Sol started to realize just how important the five senses were when it came to keeping a person''s sanity in check.


    <em>I have to get it together.</em>


    He finally understood why Adam had given him that warning, that nothing but hell awaited him if he were to cross the Gate. He could not feel anything, and his fears started to creep in, attacking his weakened mind. This was worse than any hell one could ever imagine themselves experiencing. A hell of nothing but one''s sense of self existing and that too dwindling with each passing moment was too horrifying.


    <em>¡­ I am still alive, right?</em>


    As his perception of time started to distort, doubt began creeping in, and even though he continuously pushed away those thoughts and tried to focus¡­ the fears were relentless, never stopping their onught on his mind.


    <em>Walk.</em>


    He thought to himself, he did not know if he was walking or he was staying put, but he still continued to focus on this single action¡­


    Walking.


    The direction did not matter, nor did the distance. All he needed was a singr point to keep his sense of self intact otherwise, he could feel that his mind would start to drift without any sense of purpose until it got extinguished by this endless void of nothingness.


    <em>I am Sol Dragona Luxuria</em>


    Sol repeated this firmly.


    He was Sol.


    He was the prince of Lustburg.


    He always won, no matter what.


    He would seed in this Trial too.


    <em>The girls must be fighting now.</em>


    It would be quiteme, right¡­ if he was to be defeated in his own mind while all his loved ones gave their all with all of their hopes and beliefs pinned on him.


    Even if it was only for this vain purpose, he needed to win. To survive and toe out stronger than ever, just so he could be there for his loved ones.


    But¡­ Could he even do that?


    Sol smiled bitterly in his mind. He was biting on far more than what he could chew at this moment. Had he been alone, defeat would have been all but certain, for no mortal mind could face the solitude of endless darkness and still even hope to stay sane.


    Thankfully, even if he could not see the Thread of Fate in this forsaken ce, and even while fear and doubt assailed his mind, he continued to walk as he was never alone. And he would never be alone, he promised himself that.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    In the Mortal Realm, the transcendental fight between Camelia and Eins raged on, and the Supreme Daughter of Lustburg slowly felt herself reaching her limits.


    Eins was surprisingly not that powerful all things considered. She did not know if it was because he was holding back or if he was really only this strong in the first ce, but she knew that as long as she got a clean hit, she could win.


    Thereiny the first problem. Being able to hit the slippery bastard.


    ¡°What is the matter? You cannot find me? I am to your right, you know?¡±


    His mocking voice reached her, making her grit her teeth. She did not know whether or not he was telling the truth and that worried her. Eins had shown a power thatpletely isted all her means. He seemed to be capable of manipting her perception of reality, thus messing with all of her senses, be it mortal or divine.


    Because of this, right and left, up and down, forward and backward, were all scrambled up, making it difficult for her to even sense him properly, hitting him was a faraway thought.


    The one saving grace was that she was too powerful for him to hurt as well, but thereiny the second problem.


    He was a true Demigod while her power was only borrowed and said borrowed power was also reaching its limit.


    <strong>[You should stop the descent and flee, you still have a chance to survive if you get away from him¡­]</strong>


    The worried voice of Castitas reached her but she ignored it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not time yet. I have to hold on.¡±


    She knew that even now, Sol was working hard. So all she had to do was make sure all of his ns came to fruition.


    Even if¡­ she had to risk her life for it.

 Chapter 619: The End?

    Chapter 619: The End?


    <em>One plus one is two¡­ </em>


    <em>Ten times ten equals one hundred¡­</em>


    <em>Four plus four equals eight¡­</em>


    <em>The theorem of Pythagoras is¡­</em>


    <em>Wait, what was I even doing just now?</em>


    <em>¡­ Oh, yes! Math! I was reviewing the basic arithmetic functions that I learned in my childhood. </em>


    <em>Ha¡­ haha¡­. </em>


    For no particr reason whatsoever, Sol felt a genuine surge of happiness for the first time in a while, prompting him tough inwardly from the bottom of his heart.


    It was an innocentugh, like a child¡¯sughter full of purity. And that told him¡­ he was reaching his limits soon. It had been long, so much he had even forgotten how much time he spent inside this endless void of nothingness. After he stopped counting the time at 100 days, he started experiencing an internal meltdown, his sanity already on its limits.


    Had it been five months? Six? Or perhaps years? Decades? Centuries? Millennia?


    There was no way to measure time inside this ce bereft of basically everything. He could only guess while employing some ridiculous methods. He was sure that it was more than probable for only an instant to pass in the outside world, however, that wasn¡¯t enough to calm him down or bring anyfort. Such was the solitude brought about by the<strong> End</strong>.


    Perhaps he was already dead and was floating aimlessly in some part of the Afterlife. The very fact that he could even think coherently at the moment was nothing more than a miracle and the result of his inhumane mental fortitude and inherent nature.


    Sol couldn¡¯t help butugh inwardly at the thought. Strange, he was sure that he wasughing wholeheartedly right now, but he could oddly feel that there were tears in his eyes. Of course, he couldn¡¯t actually cry, but he imagined himself sobbing right now. Only by constantly bringing such thoughts of emotions into his mind could he keep himself sane for so long.


    How did things get so bad?


    He simply entered the Gate because he wanted to find the strength that would allow him to save everyone. To find the key to his future. Had he been too selfish and confident in himself?


    <em>Was I not strong enough to handle this challenge?</em>


    Had he truly been mistaken? If he was somehow able to escape from this abyssal hellhole¡­ should he just run away, leaving everything behind? Should he perhaps gun for a weaker name instead?


    <em>Do I even have to do this?</em>


    As a Blessed and Dimensional Mage, his path to power was more than just assured. Once he attained the King realm, the path toward attaining the Demigod realm would be nothing but a breeze as he would face none of the restrictions that marred the path of others aiming for that realm.


    With his Divine Weapon and Zone, even False Gods had no means of beating him. Even if he technically couldn¡¯t win against them, he could make sure that they would never win against him either.


    Murmurs echoed in his mind, tempting him, slowly bringing him toward a desire for eptance. To settle for less, to give up.


    This was the safe path. The logical path, one with no risks nor danger, and yet¡­


    <em>I don¡¯t want that.</em>


    Sol tried to chase away the darkness encroaching upon his mind once again and shut down the murmurs creeping in, however, they proved to be more than a bit persistent this time around. Even if he could go back to the past, he was sure that would still take the same path. That was his decision and yet¡­


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    <em>I am so tired.</em>


    More than anything, more than even his fading sense of self, what gnawed at his mind the most was none other than his loneliness.


    In this life, the longest time he had gone without someone at his side could be counted in hours or days at most, and even then¡­ he was sure that he would be exaggerating the time to some extent. All his life, he had both people who loved him and people who hated him at an arm¡¯s distance. No matter where he was, there was someone beside him.


    But now? Now, there was no one.


    His memory was starting to be faint with each passing moment. The faces of those he loved and cherished began topress into a blur and their voices were nothing but a distant indistinguishable noise and unstable glimpses.


    <em>I don¡¯t want this!</em>


    He roared in his mind, trying to gather those scattered memories that he cherished more than life itself.


    There was nothing he couldn¡¯t defeat. If he wanted to give up, he would kill himself before he could ever enact such a thought.


    <em>If I didn¡¯t even have this resolve, I would have nevere here.</em>


    Sol swore to himself that he would find a way out of this shitty. god-forsaken ce. He had faced Death multiple times already, fought demigods when he was a mere Duke, defied and schemed against the goddesses themselves, and was nning to conquer the entire mortal realm and put it under his control.


    There was no way he would falter now! Not when he was so close to achieving all of his goals.


    Yet the trial he was facing could never be ovee by a mortal.


    Then¡­


    <em>I simply have to be something beyond human.</em>


    Sol thought back to all the changes that had slowly been happening to him over the course of a few weeks back in the real world as he came closer and closer to the source. His mind changed, and his perception advanced further than ever before.


    All this time, he had been fighting against that feeling, trying to stop himself from drifting too far away, fearing that he might lose himself and vanish forever. But now¡­ he knew that he had no choice. If he did not change his thinking from a fundamental viewpoint, his consciousness would not be able to hold on and eventually scatter.


    <em>I feel like I¡¯ve be a cicada. </em>


    Some species spent close to 20 years underground until they died. They had one chance in their 20 years to shed their skins, to break away from their confines and earn their sweet freedom¡­ however short that freedom may be. They could be new creatures and fly through the skies. The cicadas who missed their chances died thinking that the ground was their whole world, never to be aware of the existence of the infinite horizons above.


    <em>I will never die in a shitty ce like this. </em>


    Sol sharpened his will and stopped fighting the darkness. He had to ept it, embrace it, and be one with it.


    Everything had its own<strong> End</strong>¡ª the conclusion of their story.


    Some were sad, some brought relief, while others brought grief and woe.


    No matter what people tried, all would eventually reach their predetermined<strong> End</strong>, such was the inescapable <strong>Fate</strong> of everything in existence. A basic rule etched onto reality and imposed upon all existence. It was a rule that had been bestowed upon all existences at the very moment of their creation, and by that rule, even he would reach his own<strong> End</strong>, basking in the embrace of <strong>Finality</strong>.


    <em>But not now.</em>


    Every <strong>Beginning</strong> had its own <strong>End</strong>, and reaching the<strong> End</strong> brought about a new <strong>Beginning</strong>. It was a cycle that epassed all, and Sol was left with no choice but to ept that he had no way to escape this cycle.


    <em>I see¡­</em>


    Realization started dawning on him and enlightenment burned in his heart.


    <em>From one¡¯s perspective, this world and this entire universe would begin with our Life and end with our Death. As long as there was someone left to observe the world, the world can never reach the</em><strong><em> End</em></strong><em>.</em>


    They said to think is to exist. <strong>I think</strong>, therefore <strong>I am</strong>.


    And so, what he must do from now on was set in stone. To reach the end of his story, he needed to cease all of his thoughts by doing so, he would finally erase his existence.


    Truly the gamble of a lifetime.


    <em>All or nothing! </em>


    If he was wrong and if he failed, his existence would truly be extinguished for good and there would be no path left for him to return.


    Slowly, Sol stopped trying to maintain his consciousness, and like a candle under a gust of wind, the me started to flicker until it waspletely snuffed out.


    Thus ended the existence of one called Sol.

 Chapter 620: The Four....

    Chapter 620: The Four....


    Standing in front of the Gate of Truth, Adam looked on with unbridled curiosity brimming in his eyes. The void of the<strong> End</strong> was not somewhere one could ever escape from. Once they entered, there would be no returning for them. The <strong>Shadow of Finality</strong> inevitably brought everything to nothingness.


    Sol was not the first of his reincarnations. Many before him came and many before him managed to reach this final step as well and yet all of them failed¡­ all because they tried to control the never-ending power and authority that came with the<strong> End</strong> of all things, or¡­ if they tried to reject the notion of facing the<strong> End</strong>.


    Adam found the notion itself funny if he had to be honest. After all, in the first ce, how could one even control something that was the antithesis of all existence? If the<strong> End</strong> of all could be controlled, could it be truly called the<strong> End</strong>?


    Such a philosophical problem resulted in one thing.


    <strong>Failure.</strong>


    Be it in this universe or the others, all his reincarnation inevitably failed at this step, failed to revert or deny the<strong> End</strong>. Thus, in all timelines, the<strong> End</strong> inevitably swallowed them all, annihting their world as Fate foretold.


    <em>Luxuria, you are really a stupid little girl.</em>


    Making sure that his soul would never reincarnate in this world had not been an easy feat as he had to remove himself from the source of the world in its entirety and travel through a different universe before his self waspletely destroyed.


    Ultimately, by using his power over Origin, he was able to start a new <strong>Beginning</strong> for himself and remove his existence from his original world and everything he once held dear. ¡°This was supposed to be thest reincarnation.¡±


    As long as Sol''s previous incarnation lived and died on Earth, this would have been the end for Adam, the finality of his existence, his consciousness and thoughts wiped out in its entirety, and everything reset to the base self.


    His existence may survive, but Adam would reach his own<strong> End</strong>, the conclusion of his story. There would have been no more chance for this particr soul to awaken the <strong>End</strong> and bring the total destruction of a world.


    Sadly his n was destroyed by someone unexpected. Someone from this world managed to yank his Soul back to its original ce, thereby rendering all his previous sacrifices to naught.


    ¡°I will dissipate either way after this but¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t do much anymore.


    Only thest ember of his powers remained now, and with it, there was little to nothing he could do to change the ultimate fate that would descend upon this world.


    If Sol failed, the world he sacrificed everything to protect¡­ would have to finally face its own End<strong>. </strong>


    ¡°How ironic.¡±


    In trying to protect his world, he brought destruction to many worlds. Sadly, Karma seemed to have finally caught on and delivered him hiseuppance.


    While such bleak thoughts gued Adam¡¯s mind, Sol¡¯s Sea of Consciousness began to quake and crack away, breaking down into pieces. Fissures ran along reality and the once deep blue sea turned colors into a deep bloody red.


    <em>Huh?</em>


    Confusion colored Adam¡¯s mind. The current change was definitely a first in all of his reincarnations.


    These signs could only mean one thing¡ª Sol was dying. But this should have been impossible. The power of <strong> End</strong> necessitated a living vessel to manifest in its purest form.


    So, though it would take over the consciousness of the wielder, it would not actively destroy its host until it delivered the<strong> End</strong> to the world.


    <em>What have you done?</em>


    A paradox had just urred. If Sol was truly dead, Adam should have started dissipating as well after getting absorbed by the Gate of Truth for onest time, and yet here he was¡­ still free and left to his own devices in Sol¡¯s Sea of Consciousness.


    Nothing about this made any sense by any means.


    Perhaps that was why¡­


    Adam could feel a growing anticipation within him¡ª a hope, a wish, a possibility for sess.


    <em>If it¡¯s you then¡­</em>


    A grin formed on his face as a long-lost feeling of excitement filled his heart for the first time in who knew how long. Either way, this would be thest time for him, anyway¡­ He had already invested once in Sol back in the Astral Realm, so why not invest in the madd once more¡­


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    <em>All or nothing, right?</em>


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    At the same time, in the Mortal Realm, Lilin, Setsuna, Milia, and Isis all felt their hearts miss a beat as a feeling of emptiness washed over them in sync. A feeling that seemed to be conveying to them that they had just lost something that they held dearest to their heart, something that had always been with them for a long long time.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    None of them panicked but they understood that the worst-case scenario hade to pass. Knowing that, they immediately started spreading apart, making the distance to enact the emergency n that was nned for this very moment.


    Thanks to Lilith and Wukong keeping the two kings busy, they were able to move about with rtive freedom. Soon, they were standing at the exact position representing the direction of the South-East, South-West, North-East, and North-West in the second circle Sol had drawn inside the Mirror World.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to start.¡± The cry of a phoenix resounded in the sky as a pir of mes connected heaven and earth with blinding brilliance.


    Isis thought of the ritual Sol had prepared over thest seven days while infusing her surroundings with the power of Death. Thus, she started reciting the words Sol had passed onto her, all for this very moment.


    ¡°Once the sound of the Sixth trumpet resonates, the second woe will descend. The four riders of the Apocalypse will be freed from the river of apocalypse and bring forth the<strong> End</strong> of mankind. I am <strong>Death</strong>, the <strong>Pale Rider.</strong>¡±


    <em>I am sorry, father¡­</em>


    She started muttering a short litany and those words resonated with the world, bringing her power. Isis had always rejected the concept of Death as she did not want her path to sh with her father¡¯s road to godhood. She knew that he would undoubtedly give in to her if she so wished, however, that was what not she wished but her hands were tied.


    Still, Sol told her that she did not have to worry about ruining everything her father built. He assured her that if he seeded, two Deaths, would be able to exist independently. She believed him even though what he was saying made no sense and as such she decided to enact this gamble.


    Her aura changed as the previous King''s name she had worked her entire life on¡­ eroded before her own eyes and apletely new path opened up for her.


    Close to Isis, Lilin took a deep breath while her mind went past everything that happened in recent times. Unlike Isis, Lilin had no particr path she wanted that shed with anyone else.


    She had long given up on the pure path of the sword and more so wished to use the power of her killing intent to pave a new road for herself. This was a path of demons, a path toward bing a Shura.


    Her hair and eyes were dyed red as she brought forth the full power of her killing intent and manifested it into existence,


    ¡°I choose the path of <strong>War </strong>and thus be the <strong>Red Rider</strong>.¡± Blood coalesced into a sword and a name started forming in her sea of consciousness. A path riddled with a sea of blood and endless death. But she knew that this was the path best suited for her.


    Standing opposite Lilin was none other than Setsuna. Out of all of them, she was the most wounded and still needed to recover. But she refused to let her wounds slow her down. Her path had been one filled with thorns for more than ten years and now, one of her greatest wishes was about to be aplished.


    Lupus would die and she would regain the throne that was rightfully hers. An all-freezing chill settled around Setsuna, billowing into a white mist, and a crown made of frost and frigid snow manifested above her head akin to a floating halo.


    ¡°I am Setsuna, the <strong>White Rider</strong> and thus, I will embody <strong>Conquest</strong>.¡± A kingly path that was worthy of a Queen. If Sol wished to conquer the world then she would stand at the forefront with no hesitation whatsoever, decimating all his foes.


    Watching the three girls all reaching a new level, Milia felt nothing but pride in her heart. After all, those girls were all under the rule of her one and only master.


    For Milia, her path had long been decided, long before this n ever came into fruition. Shadowy silhouettes of slithering reptiles billowed into existence and surrounded her, opening their maws with a bone-chilling hiss. As a child, she had been bestowed the power of Gluttony and yet she was not satisfied. She wanted more, like a deep ck hole wishing to devour all creation.


    This was why,


    ¡°I shall thus be <strong>Famine, </strong>the <strong>ck Rider.¡± </strong>Devouring all creation would be the eventual path that would lead her to godhood, and she cared not that a goddess already stood on that very path. If necessary, she would eat even the gods themselves if that is what her lord wished.


    In the distance, Eins could feel that something was going horribly wrong. He did not know what kind of ritual was happening, but his intuition screamed at him that he needed to stop it, and yet he was unable to as Camelia seemed to have given up all thoughts of any defense and relentlessly attacked her surroundings while covering the four girls in holy territory.


    ¡°Are you crazy, woman!? Do you not care about what happens to your friends!?¡± Neither Lilith nor Wukong were in the Holy territory, and they were truly at risk of death at this rate, but Camelia did not stop.


    She would rather eliminate everything in her surroundings than let this ritual be interrupted at this crucial moment.


    ¡°Girls, do not stop! No matter what, you must seed!¡± She shouted at Isis and the others, prompting them to nod and redouble their efforts to focus on the connection that had vanished from their soul.


    Even though it was gone, the emptiness in itself was akin to a hole that needed to be filled. As the only one present with the deepest understanding of the soul here, it was Isis¡¯ job to focus the powers and concepts that the girls embodied into bringing Sol back from the other side.


    <strong>Death, War, Conquest, and Famine.</strong>


    Four concepts rted to the Apocalypse from what Sol told her, and thus the very embodiments that delivered the world its the<strong> End</strong>.


    Holding this power felt like holding pure unadulterated energy so unstable it was ready to explode at any moment. But under her careful control, this unstable power calmed down and started filling her and the missing link.


    <em>Please, Sol. Please!</em>


    Isis did not believe in the goddess, only in Sol and thus she prayed. Prayed that he was not wrong and that his gamble was not a mistake. All she wanted was for Sol to survive and for them to spend another day together.


    Yet nothing seemed to happen.


    Isis was on the verge of a breakdown. After all, Sol seemed to have truly vanished for good this time. But just as she was about to wail in despair, she heard it.


    {Thanks.} Sol''s voice sounded in her mind.


    It was only one word. But for her, this word was worth everything, even the world itself.

 Chapter 621: King level

    Chapter 621: King level


    In the beginning, there was nothing¡ª a void of infinite darkness, silent, still, perpetual. Time itselfy dormant, uniformed, and the cosmos awaited for its first spark of creation.


    Right here was the beginning of the universe. If you were topare it to a river, it would be considered as the source¡ª the beginning of everything.


    The outside of the universe was not a space where a living creature could survive. No, not even a materialistic object could exist in that space. Thews of physics didn''t exist there, and to be precise, it couldn¡¯t exactly be identified as a space or a location.


    It just <strong>was</strong>.


    A point where an unlimited amount of universes and unlimited possibilities were beingpressed into pure energy. But at the same time, time was frozen to a standstill. Although it had infinite possibilities, there was no spark for any of those possibilities to be realized. Although it was the beginning, nothing was starting.


    Was it Fate or simply a series of coincidences? In this source where nothing started, one mote of consciousness gained self-awareness.


    Up until now, it had never had a clear recognition of itself. Up until now, it had been the only existence in the infinite darkness, so there had been no need for differentiating between it and the rest.


    But slowly, this one unique consciousness started to understand the most important concept of all.


    That of the self.¡ª and thus the most important question in the history of creation was asked.


    What am I?


    This one thought, small and nearly inconsequential was the spark needed to start the creation of the universe¡ª for a universe could only exist when there was someone to observe it.


    Then, in an instant, the veil of nothingness was torn asunder by a force of unimaginable power. From this primal rupture, a radiant explosion of energy erupted, a symphony of creation that filled the void with its majestic crescendo. This was the birth of all things, the <strong>Big Bang</strong>¡ª a cataclysmic genesis that set the universe in motion.


    Blinding waves of incandescent light surged outward, painting the cosmos with their ethereal glow. Colors beyond mortalprehension swirled and danced in the cosmic expanse as if the heavens themselves were ame with the joy of existence. The raw energy, seething and untamed, forged the very fabric of reality, weaving together the very fabric of space and time.


    <strong>He</strong> witnessed it all. More than a creator, <strong>he</strong> was the first observer. The one who started everything, the one who set everything in motion.


    So he named himself Adam ¡ª <strong>The Origin</strong>.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    As the power of the four riders filled him, memories from a distant past manifested in his mind, and the consciousness that had ceased to exist woke up once again.


    <em>I am Sol.</em>


    From nothingness came something. In a world where no light existed, a naked body slowly began forming, with golden hair, curved horns, a muscr body, and a humanoid appearance.


    Two cerulean blue eyes opened and Sol stood up alone, his gaze slightly nk as he tried to remember the sight of the beginning of the universe. Now, he knew the true name and nature of Adam, his oldest self.


    <strong>¡°Genesis.¡±</strong>


    He muttered and realized that he could now speak, and yet the void he existed in had seemingly not changed in the slightest.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Sol spoke, sending his thanks to both Adam and his girls.


    He had won his gamble. He survived and woke up from his eternal slumber that would have finally ceased all of his existence.


    Slowly, in his Sea of Consciousness, a third letter started forming alongside the <strong>D</strong> and the <strong>E</strong>. Even though it was still faint, he could see the contour of the letter. It was an ¨C <strong>N</strong>.


    <strong>END</strong>


    Though thest letter was not fully formed, the horror and power of this name were enough to make all the risks Sol had taken till now worth it. Sol was sure now.


    All he had to do was to ept this letter and once he did, he would obtain a power like no other in the entirety of existence. With this power, once he ascended as a demigod, the goddesses would not even dare to face him and the reincarnated gods would fear the sight of him.


    But this power came at a price, that of losing his own sense of self the more he used it until he became nothing but a machine of infinite destruction and a void of nothingness.


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    Mana overflowed into his body and filled his lungs. Like a snake approaching with a sweet apple, sweet temptations reached his ears once more.


    All he had to do was be the embodiment of the End of all Life and all Creation.


    The moment he thought this, ayer of himself was shed, and new senses started to sprout inside of his being. It was like an explosion, not unlike the creation of a new universe, and a new set of letters, even more blurry than the previous ones appeared before him, carving out a new name in his Sea of Consciousness.


    <strong>ORIGIN</strong>


    This was undoubtedly a gift from Adam. A way for Sol to push back the inevitable emptiness of his soul and existence. Though he could not see the strings of Fate at the moment, Sol felt like he could already see the possible future if he took this road.


    In terms of power, Origin was no weaker than the End, even if not geared towardbat as much as its counterpart.


    Still, this would be enough for him to stand above all. A path already walked by Adam would help him grow in power far faster since he wouldn¡¯t have to learn things by himself.


    As for the power of the End, even if it started encroaching on his mind, he would have lived a long thriving life and could even perhaps leave it to his next reincarnation. Perhaps do like Adam and leave this universe and bring the End in others.


    This was a tempting proposal. One filled with less risk but clear rewards.


    Two roads now stood in front of him. One toward the End and another toward the Origin. Sol had the distinct impression that he was standing at a crossroads.


    Yet a smile formed on his face. There was no need to hesitate, for he had long since prepared for this. Why else would have brought the witches alongside him for this ritual?


    He may have not understood what Origin was when he prepared for this, but he had more or less been conscious of the End and now, more than anything, he was sure of his hypothesis.


    ¡°This world is full of opposites thatplement each other.¡±


    Be it the 14 goddesses who represented sins and virtues or even the two mother goddesses, Order and Chaos. Everything in this universe followed thisw.


    But,


    ¡°It¡¯s iplete.¡±


    He felt that this way was limited in many ways and that the right way was one towardpleteness.


    The two greatest hints toward this for him was none other than Dawn and Kali. Dawn possessed two concepts at the moment¡ª <strong>Day and Night</strong>. Those two concepts were part of cycles and with them in hand, even as a Duke, Dawn was able to hide the secrets of heaven even from the infinitely powerful goddesses themselves.


    As for Kali, through fusing the power of Earth, Wind, Water and Fire, she managed to understand the concept of Destruction.


    ¡°I want the same. I want everything.¡±


    One could say it was greed for more power or a daring mind to explore the unknown. Sol did not really care.


    All he cared for was the feasibility of this n and so he started scheming. Using the witches as the basis, he started guiding Setsuna and Lilin toward the path that would be the most advantageous for them and also for him.


    ¡°The Four Riders represent the End while the Four Directions represent the Origin.¡± Those eight women had been the anchors for his source of power.


    The links necessary to fill his body and mind with myriads of opposite powers. Even then, this might not have been enough. But thanks to Adam¡¯s intervention, thest obstacles lying before his path topleteness were destroyed.


    Throughout his short but eventful adventure, Sol had observed many bright individuals, each of them walking a path they made for themselves. Be it, Tiamat¡¯s <strong>Defiance</strong>, Lucifer¡¯s <strong>Rebellion</strong>, or even Nefertiti¡¯s <strong>Servitude</strong>. Each of those paths represented the heart of the individual who walked on them.


    ¡°I am not the<strong> End</strong>.¡±


    Sol crushed the ¡®N¡¯ with no hesitation. Though he had epted the end, his path did noty on it.


    ¡°Neither am I the<strong> Origin.</strong>¡±


    Then what was Sol¡¯s path? What concept did he seek?


    ¡°I am Everything, for I am Nothing. I am a concept¡­ of concepts. Life and Death¡­ Good and Evil¡­ Reality and Illusion... Chaos and Order, all these things I know and affect¡­ but never do they touch me,¡± His voice resonated violently as he gained more and more confidence on the path he wished to tread.


    ¡°My concept is that of<strong> Bnce</strong>. I will be the one who walks between all Boundaries of existence and nothingness.¡±


    This was his path toward omnipotence. His path toward Godhood.


    Changes started on Sol¡¯s body, and his blue eyes took a rainbow hue. This was an evolution of his divine weapon. More than simply observing the strings of Fate, it would help him see the fundamentalws of the universe themselves.


    He would see everything.


    He would hear everything.


    He would feel everything.


    The <strong>N</strong> that had been formed in his sea of consciousness was crushed and used as energy, and so did the name Origin.


    ¡°I will be The One Above All.¡±


    Finally, after so many adventures, so many schemes, and so many preparations, Sol had reached the second step toward his ultimate goal.


    The two roads that once stood in his left and right vanished and were reced by one gigantic road that seemed wide enough to epass all creation.


    ¡°From now on¡­¡±


    Two new letters, <strong>U</strong> and <strong>S</strong>, appeared and were added to the previous <strong>D</strong> and <strong>E</strong>.


    ¡°My Avatar name will be¡ª <strong>DEUS</strong>!¡±


    The void trembled as if rebelling toward the advent of a new order and the birth of a new King.


    ¡°My first order is¡­.¡±


    He pped his hands together and shouted,


    ¡°Let! There! Be! Light!¡±

 Chapter 622: I am Here

    Chapter 622: I am Here


    In the mortal realm, the battle between Camellia and Hypnos was slowlying to an end. Camelia was able to put up a great fight, but the ephemeral nature of her power made it so that she would only be weaker as time went by. This fatigue of hers was exacerbated by her need to protect the girls while they continued the ritual to assist Sol in his ordeal. And her opponent, Hypnos, understood this fact perfectly as he continuously attacked the girls instead of targeting Camelia herself, making her waste even more energy than she normally would fighting against him head-to-head.


    <em>Did Sol seed?</em>


    <strong>[¡­.] </strong>


    Silence was all she received as an answer from Castitas, the goddess she served. The connection between them was so weak right now that she was unable to receive any more words from the divine being.


    Camelia understood that her powers were slowly waning and with it, so was her Blessing. Her chest heaved up and down, the burden of the powers of a demigod weighing in on her. Her sight grew blurrier and the golden luster of her hair slowly receded, now showing a dull brown. She had reached and, in truth, even went beyond her limits long ago. Now, all the powers she showed resulted from her burning her divinity and life force, just to maintain this temporary state.


    <em>It seems like Sol was right about triggering a g.</em>


    She could feel her life force trickling away and with that the remaining time she had remaining in this world, however, she did not feel even a shred of fear. Her heart was calm and her mind serene. She had already prepared for death long ago, far before even Sol came to this world.


    Still,


    <em>So, this is how it ends, huh?</em>Dying was quite a shame but at the same time, she was about to go down, fighting a demigod while protecting her lover and those he cared for. It was definitely a worthy death by all means¡ª a death not too different from Mars and ze¡¯s death even.


    <em>Fufufu! I wonder if ze will chew me up for seducing her son or for joining her so soon.</em>


    Another stray thought overcame her as her wings of light vanished one after another. Crack after crack slowly formed on the barrier she had created as her powers continued to trickle away. Even without Hypnos acting, the barriers would vanish soon on their own it seemed.


    ¡°Camelia Castitas, you should give up now. Your chances of victory are non-existent as you are now.¡± Hypnos'' voice sounded from afar, far away than what should be for a bonafide demigod. Despite Camelia looking like she was at death''s door and only had a single golden wing left, he still did not dare to approach her.


    Thest struggle of a dying beast was when it was at its most dangerous state and Hypnos was not about to let overconfidence be his downfall.


    <em>If I show more than this, they will definitely be suspicious.</em>


    Hypnos clicked his tongue as he gazed at the four girls who were steadily losing their energy for an unknown reason.


    Hypnos did not like the unknown and as such did not like the current situation he was in. If only Camelia could let him kill those girls or die faster then¡­


    <em>Should I just pull out of this operation?</em>


    He had been feeling jittery for a while now, and all those unknown variables were not helping him feel any better. The original operation was just about getting Lupus under their control and recuperating the Divine Weapon while they were at it.


    While it was a shame that they could not get their hands on the weapon, at least one of their goals had been aplished sessfully.


    His eyes once againnded on the four girls, the only reason he was still loitering around here while constantly fearing the unknown. His instincts were screaming at him that if he did not kill them now, he would certainly regret it.


    ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s unlock the first seal for now.¡±


    Hypnos¡¯ power set was not geared towardbat, and yet that fact did not matter at this point. At his current level, even if he couldn¡¯t use the power ofws to increase his destructive potential, he still had enough energy to put Camelia down for good in her weakened state.


    Lifting his hand, a golden spear of light started manifesting above his palm, easily reaching a length of more than ten meters beforepressing until it was only about 3 meters in length. The height decreased but the destructive power only grew stronger than ever¡ª the application of powerpression.


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    ¡°It was an enjoyable fight, but, it¡¯s time to end this.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When Camelia felt Hypnos¡¯ power level increase rapidly, she understood that there was nothing more she could do at this juncture.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡± Camelia muttered, her gray empty eyes looking ahead of her in the direction she thought Sol should be. Her hair now had only a strand of gold and was brown for the most part. Her sight waspletely gone, and even staying in the air was proving to be a challenge for her.


    Camelia was born blind, and it was only normal for her to sink back into the darkness once again as she was about to lose the Blessing that healed her disability.


    In this near darkness that felt oh so familiar yet oh so distant at the same time, the only thought she had was that she needed to block the iing attack with all her remaining strength. In the distance, Lilith and Wukong were still fighting against their opponent. No one could save the girls outside of her and there was no way she would let things end with their death, not when she was still breathing.


    ¡°You were a worthy enemy. Now die in peace.¡±


    Camelia ignored the Hypnos¡¯ parting words. She had no care for the praise of an enemy, focusing her all on standing in front of the girls, her arms opened wide, ready to block the iing spear with her body if necessary.


    She could feel intense heat and lighting at her at an incredible speed and at that moment of levity, she understood that she would not be able to block the spear, her body would be helplessly torn apart by the spear of light andpressed energy.


    Yet a smile formed on her face for she knew she had aplished nearly everything she wished. She could feel that the flow of energy from the ritual had stopped and even though she could not see the results, she was sure that Sol would seed in his endeavors. She could now die in peace.


    If there was only one regret left in her heart, it was that she was unable to see Sol onest time. ¡°If I ever get reincarnated, I hope you will be there for me and finally take me on a date.¡± She muttered as the light finally reached her, light so bright that even with her diminishing sight, she could clearly see it.


    ¡°Why wait for reincarnation?¡±


    Space rippled, a pale hand with no callus stretching out of it, and the spear of light was stopped dead in its tracks as it came in contact with the frail-looking hand. There was no explosion of power or any reaction in particr. It simply looked like the spear was blocked by an immovable wall.


    Then <strong><em>Crack~</em></strong> the palm clenched into a fist and with that simple action, the spear of light was destroyed. This time, arge explosion urred as all the energypressed inside the spear was released, and yet Camelia felt none of the heat from the explosion. It was as if an infinite distance stood between her and the spear.


    ¡°This is quite the clich¨¦ entrance, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°Sol?¡±


    Warmth enveloped her as she felt someone embracing her body from behind. Though she could see nearly nothing at the moment, she had never needed her eyes to see and recognize the souls of people around her.


    For Camelia, Sol¡¯s soul had always been the same. A beautiful and radiant sun that bathed her in its warmth. She should have been able to immediately recognize him and yet at this moment, his soul waspletely different from what she knew it to be.


    It was more radiant than ever, so much that if she wasn¡¯t already on the verge of bing blind, she would have surely lost her sight now, but more importantly, his soul was not just a sun anymore. It was so much more than that.


    What stood in front of her was a giant¡ª a colossal being of radiant light. Its form shimmered and glowed, a beacon in the midst of darkness that enveloped her world.


    Covering its immense body were a thousand eyes, each one a swirling gxy of colors and secrets, constantly shifting and blinking in unison. Atop its head rested a magnificent crown, forged from starlight and adorned with jewels that twinkled like distant suns. The giant exuded an aura of ancient wisdom and overwhelming power, a divine presence that both awed and humbled her, making her feel as insignificant as an ant, everything significant about her stripped away at the divine being¡¯s mere presence.


    She should have been afraid, her body and soul were screaming at her that she was facing something far beyond this world, and yet,


    ¡°Wee back, my love.¡±


    She showed a hearty smile, radiant and unwavering, even as her life force dwindled to its final flicker. Her spirit shone through her eyes, defiant and full of warmth, a stark contrast to the cold inevitability of her fate.


    She may have started liking Sol because of his soul, but she started loving him because of who he was and the man he had be along his journey. Even a thousand-eyed monster would not change the affection she held for him.


    She was simply happy that in her final moment, she was able to see him.


    Sol seemed momentarily surprised by her words but soon, a smile also appeared on his face, ¡°I am back.¡±


    He floated down gracefully, an ethereal presence descending from the heavens. As he gently ced Camelia on the ground, a bed of flowers bloomed beneath her, vibrant petals unfurling in a symphony of colors and fragrances. The earth seemed to cradle her, embracing her with a softness and beauty that mirrored the tenderness of his touch. ¡°You can rest now. When you open your eyes, everything will be resolved.¡±


    Sol looked at the wounded and bleeding Setsuna, the smiling Milia, the tired Isis, and the cheerfullyughing Lilin. His gaze lingered on each of them, absorbing the diverse emotions etched on their faces. Setsuna¡¯s pain, Milia¡¯s serene joy, Isis¡¯s weary determination, and Lilin¡¯s mirth¡ª all these scenes painted a poignant tableau of their enduring spirit and unwavering camaraderie amidst the chaos and dangers they went through.


    Sol had demanded much of them, and they did not hesitate in risking his life for him. Yet he did not apologize, for such words would only belittle the risks they took for him.


    Instead, he said,


    ¡°Leave everything to me. It will end before you wake up.¡±


    It was now time to put an end to this war, once and for all¡­

 Chapter 623: I CHOOSE YOU!!

    Chapter 623: I CHOOSE YOU!!


    With that single action, the whole battlefield seemed to havee to a standstill. Be it Lilith, Wukong, the abomination that was now Lupus, Zwei, or even Eins for that matter¡ª all of their attention was now solely focused on one person alone.


    Sol.


    The current appearance of Sol was more than a bit different from how he usually looked. The dissimrity was so prominent that even though the rest of the individuals here couldn¡¯t observe the souls of other individuals, like Camelia and Isis are capable of, they still felt threatened and even overwhelmed by his sheer presence.


    His initially short golden hair was now a long silvery-whitey-white that reached the lower part of his back. His previously deep, cerulean blue eyes had also changed significantly¡ª the left eye still retained the initial blue color but the right one had now turned a bright majestic gold, now giving him heterochromatic eyes. It was a sign. A sign of¡­


    <em>Divinity. </em>


    This was an unmistakable sensation and power, yet no one could recognize the source of this divinity or to be exact¡­ only a single person was able to recognize the source of that unimaginable power.


    Eins ¨C who had been watching Sol hold Camelia in his embrace, have a small discussion, and then ce her down on the bed of green he had made with his powers ¨C was perhaps the most astonished out of everyone gathered here. Literal goosebumps trailed all over his skin as he couldn¡¯t help but backpedal from the recoil he felt in his mind at witnessing Sol¡¯s new form and power.


    ¡°This is¡­ Impossible¡­! It cannot be¡­ N-Not yet.¡±


    He mumbled those words while his eyes trembled in fear and despair, hundreds of scenarios ran through his mind in a fraction of a second at the sheer outrageous scenario he was now facing. The sensation was different, the divinity seemed to be mixed with another concept and yet, this prickling sensation on his skin was clearly unmistakable.What he was feeling now¡­ was definitely the power of both <strong>End</strong> and <strong>Origin</strong> without a shadow of a doubt. It was practically the exact same sensation he felt during that one fateful day that destroyed everything and everyone.


    <em>Ugh.</em>


    Phantom pain shot through his head as he remembered the feeling of having his head cut off clean. Despite the thousands of years and hundreds of reincarnations he had gone through, he could still vividly remember the sensation of his head separating from his body even now.


    <em>I need to run.</em>


    He needed to re-assess the situation and, if necessary, change the n altogether. He didn¡¯t care that the person facing him was only a newly ascended King ranked being, or that his current body was nothing but an avatar created through his authority. He had to leave this ce right this instant. In front of this sickening power, even an avatar¡¯s destruction could cause serious damage to his main body.


    <em>I need to send back the information to my main body first.</em>


    But¡ª


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    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no need to try anything. This ce was already entirely cut from the Mortal Realm the moment I entered this ne.¡±


    Eins couldn¡¯t stop himself from shivering at those words. Slowly, ever so slowly, shifting his head to the right. He did not even know when he moved, but Sol was now standing beside him with a sunny smile on his face. A smile that only fuelled the terror he felt.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    It was only now that Eins realized that something had changed,


    <strong>?Dimensional Encroachment -::- The World?</strong>


    ¡°This is not possible.¡±


    Eins was no stranger to dimensional mages, few understood them more than he did, as he had been studying Nihil for a long time after all.


    Dimension Encroachment was a skill that went against thew of the world, as one individual tried to impose his dimension in another world. This always resulted in a sh between the dimension that invaded and the one being invaded. ¡°There is no friction?¡±


    He looked all around, trying to decipher the changes in the reality surrounding him and looking for the sh between dimensions. After a long while of deep examination, he was only able to find a small trace of friction¡ª the remnant of the sh between dimensions. However, those frictions were so infinitesimal that they might as well not exist.


    ¡°Pretty neat trick, right?¡±


    There was something about the nonchnce Sol was showing that was extremely disturbing and off-putting. As if he was not part of this world. Yet, Eins could not focus on this feeling too much, for he knew that his situation had taken a turn for the worse.


    Still, not all hope was lost, clearly, Sol wished to discuss with him and this was undoubtedly his only way of survival, and he needed to spend as much time as possible to find his way out of this ce.


    ¡°I didn''t want to believe it. But is it really you, father?¡±


    ¡°Father, huh¡­ Such a strange feeling to be called so by a man so old.¡± Sol ced his hand behind his back and walked forward, ¡°But no. You are wrong. I am not Adam. Even though I obtained some of his memories, I am Sol, only Sol, and will always be Sol. No one else.¡±


    The two gazed at each other and Eins found that while Sol¡¯s face was smiling, his eyes showed a certain indifference as he gazed down at him¡ª an indifference that he was eerily familiar with.


    ¡°Well, now that we have exchanged some niceties, let me give you thest grace. Leave after I erase the memories from your avatar. I do not n to hurt the children of Adam¡­ yet.¡±


    Even though he heard Sol¡¯s words, the new information he received was processing in his mind at a rapid pace. Sol was undoubtedly Adam¡¯s reincarnation. But it seemed that even after getting Adam¡¯s memories, the main personality was still that of Sol Dragona Luxuria, a happenstance that should have been impossible.


    Sol Luxuria was only a young man who had yet to reach his twentieth year. Adam was a god who lived for millions of years and had literally seen the very beginning of the universe. Compared to the weight of Adam¡¯s memories, Sol''s life was just a blip and yet, Adam¡¯s personality did not prevail.


    But¡­ if that was really the case here then¡­


    <em>Perhaps I can win?</em>


    Strength starteding back to his eyes. Fighting a King-ranked Sol waspletely different from facing a King-ranked Adam. No matter what divinity or concept Sol obtained, it was impossible for him to have a high proficiency in them, even more so without wielding the vessel of a demigod.


    <em> Indeed, it¡¯s too soon to give up and if I¡­ no, once I win, I will be able to obtain the power he holds. </em>


    ¡°You nearly fooled me.¡±


    ¡°I see, so this is your decision.¡± The indifference in Sol¡¯s eyes vanished as a devious light filled them and a toothy grin showed on his face


    ¡°Truly, thank you. I am d you are such a dumbass.¡±


    <em> After all, letting the man who beat my woman go would have been quite a frustrating scenario.</em>


    ¡°Ambrosia¡ª I choose you!¡±


    ¡°Never would have thought I would one day be treated as a hunting dog.¡±


    Eins had no time to react to the feminine¡¯s voice as a pir of light engulfed him whole.

 Chapter 624: Too weak

    Chapter 624: Too weak


    Sol ignored the sudden sh of light as well as the subsequent sounds of relentless lightning bombardment that echoed from behind him, and the muted, drowned scream of Eins. It was a foregone conclusion for Sol, as Ambrosia was one of the strongest demigods he had evere across.


    Things might have unfolded in a different route if Hypnos was present here in his real body, instead of one of his avatars. There was no way an Avatar of any demigod, be it from the past or the present, could ever hope to match Ambrosia.


    <em>I wanted to test my power against a proper demigod but now isn¡¯t the time for that.</em>


    Thinking so, Sol leisurely walked toward the four Kings who were now at a standstill. The world had never felt so vivid for Sol. Everything he did had a distinct and natural purpose, every step he took, every breath he made, all were small actions that determined events on a much, muchrger scale.


    <em>I feel great.</em>


    He felt high, he felt more powerful and stronger than he ever did in any state. All he required now was to test this power and figure out all the intricacies.


    ¡°Therees the perfect victim.¡± Sol ignored Zwei who was currently keeping Lilith busy. After all, the opponent his aunt was facing was but a simple avatar, nothing more¡ª definitely not worthy enough to warrant his personal attention. Yet the fact that she could create an avatar so powerful could only mean that she had newly ascended to the demigod realm, a cause for concern.


    ¡°Lilith, end the fight quickly, it''s just a puppet. You don¡¯t need to hold back.¡±


    With a simple wave of his hand, space fractured and both Zwei and Lilith vanished from his sight as if they had teleported somewhere. In the past, Sol could only switch ces between things in his dimension or rather <em>invert</em> their positions.Now though, he did not need to use the principle of inversion. He had nearly full control over the space in this ce now.


    Watching this, Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but twitch a little. If he had to calcte, less than an hour went by between the moment they first met today on the battlefield and now.


    Yet, the current Sol was in a whole other dimension than the one he had first met. Such a difference and power could not be brought simply by an increase in realm.


    ¡°Thank you for helping, I will take things from here.¡±


    Sun Wukong tsked and ced his staff on his shoulder with his remaining arm.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Let me help you with that.¡±


    <strong>?Boundaries of Spacetime -::- Rewind?</strong>


    A small clock manifested over Sun Wukong¡¯s arm and immediately started revolving counter-clockwise before infusing into his arm. In just a few seconds, the wounds that had been seemingly unheble were now gone, the severed hand now bing as good as new.


    Wukong looked at his arm with a stunned expression. He had been resigned to being armless for the rest of his life as the power Lilith had used while inflicting this wound on him made it so that all forms of healing became impossible.


    But now¡­ Wukong couldn''t help but show a bitter smile.


    ¡°I guess monsters can only bring birth to greater monsters.¡±


    He sighed and walked a certain distance before using his staff as a pir to rest.


    He wished to see it¡­What would most likely be the end of the one known as the Tyrant Wolf?


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    ***


    Wind stirred as Sol and Lupus faced each other.


    ¡°You truly look ugly.¡± Sol showed clear disdain on his face as he looked at Lupus.


    The current Lupus was nothing but a shell of what he once was. All his pride as a warrior and a king was all but gone; and what was left was a mindless monster that looked like a giant deformed wolf.


    His golden fur was now pure blood crimson and his blue eyes were only darkness, ruthlessness, and not a smidgen of intelligence left.


    In a way, he looked pitiful. A man who sought the heavens, only for him to fall to the depths of hell, all because of his greed¡ª truly, it was one of the most pitiful sights someone could witness.


    ¡°Let¡¯s end this dark story.¡±


    The Wolf despite itsck of intelligence seemed to understand the intent behind his words and howled at the sky. Clearly, while he was afraid of Sol¡¯s power, his instinct and desire to live overpowered his fear.


    As the howl went on, mana particles gathered in such high quantities that they became visible. The Wolf swallowed the condensed ball of light and then¡­


    <strong><em>Whoosh~!</em></strong>


    A beam of pure light wasunched towards Sol at staggering speeds. The distance between Sol and Lupus was less than 20 meters, and at such distance, the attack might as well have been made point-nk.


    This was an attack fast enough that few people should have been able to respond to it and yet,


    <strong>?Boundaries of Spacetime -:: Slow?</strong>


    Thews of Spacetime distorted and the light beam slowed down to a crawl, allowing Sol to avoid the attack simply by taking a few steps aside at a leisurely gait. A huge shockwave rocked the terrain when the beam finally came in contact with a small hill hundreds of meters away.


    The explosion that followed was powerful enough to ruffle Sol¡¯s hair, however, he received no damage.


    ¡°You know, I have been thinking about how I should handle you many times you know?¡±


    Sol waved his hand and started walking slowly toward the beast,


    ¡°I have considered torturing you, making you understand even a hundredth of the pain you inflicted on Setsuna.¡±


    Another attack came but this time Sol did not even bother using a skill and simply swatted the beam away as if he were dealing with a mere fly.


    ¡°I wondered if I should imprison you and put you to trial in front of the whole of Wratharis.¡±


    The Wolf howled and lunged at him; its body was covered in a lightning cloak, enhancing all its abilities so that the beast could tear Sol apart before he even had the chance to react. However, all he managed to hit was air as Sol teleported right above the deranged wolf.


    ¡°In fact, I even imagined that we might have quite the epic fight. One where you repented and showed your chivalrous spirit and pride. Onest hurrah for a not so clich¨¦ viin. I truly had high expectations of you.¡±


    Hended on Lupus¡¯ head, his hand in his pocket and a mncholic look on his face.


    Lupus tried to shake Sol away but,


    ¡°<strong><em>Do not move</em></strong>.¡±


    His golden eyes shone as he spoke and what came out of his mouth was not just an order. It was an absolutew as if a god had ryed them to a mortal, words that could never be disobeyed. It was a rule Lupus could never hope to go against¡­ because he was just that weak.


    Yet, there was no glee on Sol¡¯s face, only deep disappointment. He found no joy in beating a mindless monster.


    <em>Should I heal his spirit?</em>


    Sol considered for an instant but ultimately shook his head. <em>Lupus</em> had already died under the de of Ayame in the hand of Lilin plus thebined efforts of all his girls.


    What stood here was nothing but an abomination.


    ¡°In the end, I realized one thing. You were not even a mad dog. Dogs at least are loyal. You were nothing but a hyena. So die like the pitiful beast that you were.¡±


    <strong>?Boundaries of Thermodynamics: Heat Death?</strong>


    Sol closed his eyes as a chilly air covered his body. The cold made him feel right at home as if he was once again part of the whole universe.


    <em>Adam¡¯s memories are affecting me a little.</em>


    Sol jumped andnded lightly on the ground,


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Truly you were a disappointment until the very end.¡±


    Behind him, all that was left was the frozen body of Lupus. Cracks and fissures started spreading and limbs broke and fell and soon, nothing but snow and ice dust were left drifting in the wind.


    Watching the end of what was once the King of Wratharis and a Blessed, Sol found himself feeling quite mncholic.


    After all¡­ ¡°I didn¡¯t even have the chance to use my Avatar.¡±

 Chapter 625: Deserving Death

    Chapter 625: Deserving Death


    In the distance, Zwei and Lilith faced each other in silence. They had ended up at this ce after Sol randomly teleported them away here. Sword drawn in Lilith¡¯s hand while a club loosely ced on the shoulder of Zwei, the two of them didn¡¯t don anybat stance, neither did they even show any signs of resuming their battle.


    They both understand that fighting anymore is useless. The situation was already settled. Zwei, however, did not let her guard down. She distinctively remembered how much Drei suffered after Lilith sliced his very soul through his avatar. Even though her projection worked in an entirely different principle, she was not willing to take any chances.


    Not at this moment, at least.


    ¡°To think that out of all of the group, the two of us would be the one to be a demigod. It¡¯s quite amusing don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°¡­ So, you truly became a demigod?¡±


    ¡°What can I say? I have always been a genius. I justcked the opportunity. Though finding a good territory was a tedious task and took the most time.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I see.¡±


    From the way both of them conversed, one would have never guessed that they were mortal enemies. Yet all of their words were filled with utmostposure and a serene undertone, making it seem like they were two longtime buddies having a casual talk right now.


    ¡°You are far calmer than I expected you to be. The Lilith I remember would have been swinging her sword like a lunatic by now while swearing revenge for her beloved brother.¡± Zwei tilted her head in puzzlement, ¡°But now, just look at you. All grown up and mature. I almost feel like you don¡¯t hate me at all.¡±¡°Oh, I wish for nothing more than to kill you. You do not need to worry about that fact.¡±


    ¡°My, is that so? It is a relief then; I would have been disappointed otherwise.¡±


    Lilith tightened her grip at the nonchnce in Zwei¡¯s voice, ¡°You truly are a hateful woman. I should have cut you down back then.¡±


    Zwei only gave her a cheeky smile in response, ¡°You were too weak back then and you are still too weak now.¡±


    The bloodlust hidden in their smile slowly intensified and the pressure they exerted on their surroundings reached a level where it was practically on the verge of materializing into tangible phenomena.


    Lilith was not in a good state at the moment. Fighting Wukong had already exhausted her to no end, and then she even had to fight against Zwei directly after finishing her fight with Wukong, without even being able to rest. There was no chance for her to ignore her as Zwei would have interfered in the ritual otherwise.


    She had already gone beyond her limit and was running on fumes right about now. Meanwhile, for all her power, the Zwei in front of her was only a projection. She couldn''t give a deadly blow to Lilith and she even had to worry about what would happen next.


    ¡°Hum?¡± Zwei leaked out a defeated sigh when she felt a great aura vanishing as though it was a lie. ¡°Lupus died.¡±


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    There was not much emotion in her voice as she mentioned the death of one of their own. ]From the power Sol had shown since he appeared, it was clear that he was a monster on apletely different level. Still, ¡°It¡¯s a shame. Lupus could have be a reliable teammate. Sadly, it seems like he went against the wrong man. Should I say as expected of Mars¡¯ son?¡±


    ¡°Sol reached his current level on his merit. This has nothing to do with Mars.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­?¡± For the first time, Zwei seemed to have truly looked at Lilith seriously. Even now the face of the young and inexperienced Duke-ranked Lilith would sh in her mind. In the first ce, the current Lilith looked very much like her past and younger self.


    Still, if there was one great difference it would be the feeling of serenity the current Lilith was constantly emanating in all of her actions. Lilith of the past was like a starved restless child that wished nothing but to continuously search for a notion of eptance, acting like she was chasing after Death itself.


    But the most important thing was the unhealthy obsession the girl had for Mars in the past.


    Now though, all of those negative factors that slowed Lilith down were no longer present.


    ¡°You have be dangerous now.¡±


    Zwei¡¯s smile grewrger. She was truly happy by this realization. Happy to see that her enemy had reached such a level in power.


    ¡°Our nextbat will be truly legendary.¡±


    It would be a fight to the death after all.


    ¡°Well, there is nothing much to say. My main self will sadly not be able to get the desired information. Even so, I am sure she will see your growth as a beautiful surprise.


    ¡°So, let me give you a taste first.¡±


    She ced her club on her other shoulder with her other hand and crouched down on the ground. She would die. Even if Lilith did not kill her, there was no way for her to escape this ce.


    But Zwei did not care. She lived for battle, breathed for battle, and wished to die in the most epic battle there could ever be.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go all out, hahaha!¡± Sheughed as sheunched herself at Lilith who also rushed at her with her sword drawn and ready for a sh. Truly what could be more exciting than a great fight and dying in a ze of glory?


    Truly it would be¡­


    ¡°I apologize but¡­ could you guys please stop the drama already?¡± Out of nowhere, a clock manifested between her and Lilith, severely slowing her down.


    Thissted for but an instant but in a fight between powerhouses at their level, a missed instant was the moment that decided life and death.


    <strong><em>Swoosh~!</em></strong>


    A clean line was drawn on her body as Lilith''s sword shed down, ¡°Hah~¡±


    ¡°I believe scum should die like scum. Who gave you the right to die as a warrior?¡±


    Steps reached her even as her vision dimmed. She recognized the voice, that of Mars¡¯ son.


    <em>So, this is how it ends?</em>


    It was quite regrettable to die like this. But there was not much she could do now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I may not feel much for those parents of mine, but it would be quite remiss of me to not make sure the one who betrayed them dies in the worst way possible, don''t you think so? This will be a little punishment for you.¡±


    She looked up with difficulty but all she could see from her position was a shadowy face and two bright eyes shining with a frigid light that seemed to be freezing her very soul.


    There was no hatred, no desire for revenge. Only endless indifference, as if he was looking at an insect crawling on the ground.


    Looking at those eyes, for the first time, Zwei felt an emotion different from the excitement she felt when she was about to fight.


    It was¡­


    ¡°See you soon.¡± A finger approached her and finallynded on her forehead.


    ¡­ Fear.


    Zwei reached this realization as an unimaginable pain assaulted her whole existence. This was a pain that went beyond anything she had ever felt in her long, long life, attacking straight at her very soul.


    She could hear someone screaming and it took her a few moments to understand that those screams came from none other than her.


    A hand gently caressed her face, ¡°Projection or not does not matter. Let¡¯s see how long youst before your main body cuts the connection, alright?¡±


    Those horrifying words were told with a gentle tone and a brightly smiling countenance. That look was all it took for Zwei to understand that she was about to face even greater pain.


    ¡­ This was the first time Zwei wished her prediction might be wrong.

 Chapter 626: Thanks for the Meal

    Chapter 626: Thanks for the Meal


    The ongoing fight between Hypnos and Ambrosia was not faring well for Hypnos. Hypnos had always looked down at the Demigods. He had once been a god after all and would soon be one again once he found his territory.


    Struggling against a demigod made him seethe with anger at his powerlessness, but he knew that there was not much left for him to do. This was different from his fight against Camelia. Facing a genuine demigod with a mere avatar and hoping to win would be a foolish notion.


    ¡°Seems like Lupus died. Your partner has also been captured.¡± Hypnos gritted his teeth as he looked at Ambrosia. A book was floating next to her and she acted as if he was not even a threat to her. Still, she was speaking the truth.


    <em>This whole operation is a monumental failure. </em>Hypnos was enraged.


    Not only was he unable to secure Lupus or the divine weapon, but he was also unable to send back the important information he had gathered to his real body.


    <em>We need to kill Sol, now while he is still weak. Forget about hiding and umting more power. </em>


    They had so many ns, made so much preparation, and yet everything was about to go down the drain just because of one fucking individual. The frustration agonizing his heart right now was not what mere words could hope to exin or convey.


    They had been hiding for eons. Growing and healing their souls and now¡­ there was only just one step left for them to reach their goal.


    ¡°I can feel your thoughts going at hundreds of miles a second at the moment. Must be very frustrating, right? Don¡¯t worry, I understand. My son-inw is a man of many talents.¡± Ambrosia chuckled.Hypnos eyed Ambrosia, his anger at an all-time high seeing a puny demigod mock him so, but did not give in to his anger. His eyesnded briefly on the sleeping girls who were being healed on a flower field alongside Camelia. However, he could feel the presence of the Four Directions near them, hiding in between dimensions to protect them.


    Normally he wouldn¡¯t fear four King-level beings, however, with a demigod here to keep him in check¡­ there was no way he would be able to bypass them. Attacking them and trying to take them hostage was useless.


    In the end, there were only two options left in front of him. Realizing this fact Hypnos stopped fighting and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.


    ¡°I give up,¡± Hypnos said calmly.


    Ambrosia eyed him with a suspicious look in her eyes. She stopped the spell she had been weaving to attack Hypnos and decided to keep in a semi-activated for good measure.


    ¡°What are you scheming?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Scheming? Nothing. I will be like an open book.¡± He grinned and spoke, ¡°Sol, I wish to bargain.¡±


    Hypnos was not surprised to see Sol manifest before him out of thin air the moment he called him. Even though he could feel multiple presences with Sol¡¯s energy signature, one near Lilith, one near Sun Wukong, and the other now standing before him, he was still not surprised.


    <em>Three avatars at the same time, huh? No, perhaps even a fourth?</em>


    This alongside the differentws Sol showed was proof that Sol was trying to walk the path of Omniscience, Omnipresence, and Omnipotence simultaneously. Yet, the knowledge was still not enough for him to have an estimate of the concept Sol chose to embody.


    ¡°Speak,¡± Sol ordered, and Hypnos showed no irritation at the clearck of respect and decorum.


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    Releasing a sigh of defeat, he continued, ¡°We have no reason to fight each other. You do not follow Luxuria and the others and more importantly, I can see that you are not my father, Adam. You are not our enemy, and our goals also differ and do not converge. I believe an alliance between our two sides would be possible.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You speak so eloquently and yet; do you think you even understand my goals?¡± Sol shook his head but Hypnos was not deterred by his nonchnt attitude.


    ¡°I might not have understood it in the past¡­ But I can guess that you are trying to conquer the Mortal Realm. Now that I have seen the evolution of your dimension, I can guess that you have an exceedingly more ambitious goal.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Then, what about yours? Why are you trying to gather the power of the Seven Divine weapons?


    Hypnos closed his eyes for a moment, only for a moment though as they swung right open instantly¡ª a zing determination rippling in his pupils, ¡°Our goal is simple really. We wish to bring back the era of the gods.¡±


    The wind stirred as if the words he uttered in themselves were enough to shake everything and yet¡­ Sol showed no particr surprise.


    ¡°You speak as if you revealed some grand truth when you gave me a whole lot of nothing. I hate when people take me for an idiot.¡±


    Hypnos clicked his tongue, realizing that Sol was not fooled by his half-baked words.


    ¡°We n to face the goddesses and recuperate our Divine Thrones in the Divine Realm. Furthermore, we also n to get back our rightful ce as the rulers of this world. For you, nothing would change if you ept this alliance.¡± Hypnos still hid as much information as he could but decided to be more forthright by sharing one of their main objectives.


    ¡°Heh...¡±


    This time Sol outrightughed, ¡°So you mean to say that despite knowing I am Adam¡¯s reincarnation, you feel no enmity with me and even after conquering the universe, you will quietly let me rule the Mortal Realm?¡±


    Hisugh slowly vanished as a sneer covered his face, ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh.¡±


    ¡°You can trust us. In fact, we can even make an Oath on the World if you so desire. I am sure none of my siblings wish to have someone like you as an enemy.¡±


    Hypnos was serious as he spoke. Though he definitely would find a wayter to break the contract, at the very least, having Sol as an enemy now was nothing but an inconvenience.


    The enemies they needed to face were strong enough already and they did not need more of them.


    ¡°My answer is clear¡­ I refuse.¡±


    <em>Negotiations failed, huh¡­</em>


    Hypnos acknowledged the situation and understood that there was nothing he could do now.


    There was no escape. However, he could not let Sol obtain any more information from him.


    This was why,


    ¡°Farewell, I hope you will not regret your choice. <strong>All seals unlock!</strong>¡±


    Hypnos¡¯ body began to swell and shine with an incandescent light. The power of divinity was not something an avatar could contain, not when it was to such a degree, and that¡¯s why¡­ the inevitable was about to ur.


    Ambrosia was startled and immediately started retreating toward her daughters. She had no wish to face such a self-sacrificial attack head-on. She was not worried about Sol, she knew the boy would survive.


    Sol¡¯s expression meanwhile did not change even as he watched Hypnos reach his very limit.


    He knew from the start that containing and imprisoning a demigod like Hypnos would have been nearly impossible.


    So, he never had any ns to even bother. When the power was finally at its breaking point, Sol snapped his finger,


    <strong>?Famine -::- All Devouring Beast?</strong>


    A giant maw made of darkness loomed, its edges jagged and irregr. It was covered with thousands of eyes, each one unblinking and filled with a malevolent glow. The eyes darted in every direction, scanning the surroundings with a hunger that could not be sated. The mouth opened slowly, revealing rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth, each one glistening with an unnatural sheen.


    As it opened wider, a deafening silence filled the air, as if the very essence of sound had been swallowed. Hypnos, now nothing but a pulsing orb of brilliant light, floated helplessly before the gaping maw, he was still conscious and thest thing he saw was unending darkness.


    With a swift and voracious snap, the mouth closed around him. The darkness seemed to ripple and writhe as the explosion was devoured; the light consumed by the abyssal teeth. The eyes blinked in unison, their glow intensifying momentarily before fading back into the depths of the darkness.


    In an instant, the mouth vanished, leaving no trace of the energy it had consumed, only an echo of the insatiable hunger that lingered in the air.


    ¡°Thanks for the meal,¡± Sol said as he suppressed a burp. The energy of a demigod, even if only an avatar, was perfect to shorten the time needed for him to be a Demigod.


    He had to say, enemies who left gifts like this were truly the best.

 Chapter 627: This is just the beginning

    Chapter 627: This is just the beginning


    Sol looked up as the edges of his dimension began to recede from the world. While he had managed to devour the explosion of Hypnos in advance, the dimension was still affected by the ensuing might, causing the boundaries between the real world and his vision of an ideal reality to break.


    Still, it mattered little in the current situation.


    ¡°Finally, the war is over.¡±


    His silver hair swayed in the wind while his golden eyes twinkled. It was not the end. While they had gained victory this time, managing to hide most of the information regarding his powers and state, things were not yet resolved. The enemies would still wonder how the avatars died at this ce.


    At the very least it should buy us some time.


    Sol did not know exactly how many of Adam¡¯s children had woken up outside of Hypnos and Dawn. However, there was no doubt that they would all be extremely troublesome.


    There is also the matter of the goddesses.


    Sol caressed his hair. For his vessel to amodate the power of Bnce, he had been forced to give up almost all the divinity of Luxuria.


    At the moment, only embers were left in his body but even those embers would soon be consumed and entirely reced by the power of Bnce. He had some insurance and was sure of the fact that Luxuria would still be on his side.However, Invidia would undoubtedly use this to her advantage if she were to get wind of what was happening. After all, if Sol lost his Blessing, then he would also lose his legitimacy to the throne and the right for his family to rule over humanity.


    What about Dawn? How should he face her now that he knew who she was? How about the forces of Chaos?


    Sol groaned and closed his eyes. One problem was resolved but hundreds more seemed to be waiting for him.


    ¡°Sol!¡±


    Surprise colored Sol¡¯s face as someone jumped at him like aet. The fact that someone managed to sneak up on him was more the surprise than anything else but when he looked down and saw who it was, a smile spread out on his previously astonished face.


    ¡°Isis¡­ How are you?¡± Sol asked.


    Isis ruffled her head against his chest before looking up, ¡°I am alright. But what about you?¡±


    There was a worried expression on her face and Sol realized that the source of her worries was the frown he had been sporting as he pondered the uing adversities.


    The thought made him survey his surroundings. He could see Lilith, Lilin, Setsuna, Milia, as well as the four witches.


    Outside of Setsuna and Lilith who had suffered very obvious and significant wounds during the fights, the others were also not in good shape by any means. Since they had been used as batteries, for ack of a better word, for the monumental ritual, the strain on their bodies and even souls must have been substantial. Camelia, in particr, should havepletely passed out by now, and yet¡­ she was struggling to keep herself awake.


    They were all exhausted but they were still looking at him, waiting for his words.


    Realizing this, warmth spread in his heart and a hearty smile stretched his lips.


    ¡°It¡¯s over. We won.¡± Sol realized that he had not been focusing on the right things. The past was already long gone and there was no way to affect it. The future was an ever-changing mystery, so there was no use in worrying about it.


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    What mattered was the present. They had won a great victory against impossible odds and fought against their assigned fates. All of them survived and came out of it far stronger than before¡­ together.


    This was the greatest gift he could have received.


    It was as if his words cut some intangible strings, holding everyone tight with tension, as everyone sagged in relief at his words. They had been worried a new enemy woulde again but now they could rest.


    They had so many questions they wanted to ask but none of them were in the right state of mind at the moment.


    ¡°Fuck, I want to sleep so bad now.¡±


    Kaliughed as she slumped on the ground, showing none of her charisma as a revered witch. Even Persephone did not show her usualposed smile as she looked at the ground with longing. Lying down would be a supreme bliss right about now.


    Setsuna had aplicated look on her face as she looked up at Sol. She could not exin the emotions she was feeling right now. After all, the one who changed her life forever was now dead.


    The revenge she had chased after for more than ten years was nowplete and yet time continued to move without a stop. The world would not wait for her and his death did not change anything.


    A certain emptiness filled her heart but she did not dwell much on this feeling, or rather she was not allowed to as Lilin reached her with a sword in hand while wobbling.


    ¡°This sword has aplished its duty.¡±


    Setsuna received Ayame¡¯s sword from Lilin¡¯s hands and only then did reality start to settle in her mind.


    ¡°Mom¡­ Dad¡­¡±


    Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes and yet¡­ they refused to fall. ¡°You know there is nothing shameful in crying, right?¡± Lilin kneeled and put a hand on Setsuna¡¯s shoulder.


    This was thest straw as tears soon started to fall like a waterfall, prompting Lilin to give her best friend a tight hug. She needed it.


    Next to Camelia who was listening to the scene in silence was Lilith, ¡°It¡¯s quite heartwarming, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Camelia murmured, her eyes empty and Lilith chuckled, ¡°Indeed.¡± Herugh was forced, something Camelia did not miss.


    ¡°Seems like she escaped.¡±


    ¡°She was only an avatar.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ well, you simply have to kill her the next time, right?¡±


    ¡°Your words are quite bloody for a saintess.¡±


    ¡°Ex saintess you mean¡ª I have lost all my Blessing. There is noing back this time. It¡¯s a miracle I am still alive.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Do you regret it?¡±


    Camelia gave a toothy grin, her pearly white teeth shing, as she looked in Sol''s direction. If all the people around her were like bright stars in the sky, Sol was akin to an entire neb, eclipsing everything in its presence.


    Regret?


    ¡°What a stupid question. You act as if you wouldn¡¯t have done the same.¡±


    For once Lilith had nothing to say in retort. It was indeed a stupid question. A smile formed on her face as well and her gaze inevitably drifted towards Sol and the other girls. Lilin in particr caught her attention.


    Lilith knew that she had made many mistakes in her life and she had many things she regretted. But, seeing Lilin all grown up now, she realized that all those mistakes were necessary to pave the road for her beloved daughter.


    To the world, Lilin might be nothing but a clone and a homunculus like her but to Lilith, she would forever be her beloved daughter. And now¡­ her daughter was ready to spread her wings and fly high up in the sky. This was indeed a beautiful day.


    ***


    Out of all the participants in the fight, the only one who was only moderately tired was Ambrosia. She did spend some energy fighting Hypnos but it was nothing much.


    This was why she was able to marvel at everything that had been aplished in this ce and all of this was done by one young man who was not even one hundredth her age.


    Truly incredible.


    Betting on Sol had been one of the best decisions in her long life and yet¡­ she knew that it was too soon to rest. The trials that awaited them would be even more dangerous and even one mistake could end with them facing the goddesses and a group of demigods.


    Yet strangely, she did not feel worried.


    I have so many questions.


    Ambrosia sighed. Curiosity filled her mind but she knew that asking too much right now would not be the right thing to do. Even so, there was one thing she needed to know.


    ¡°This is not the end, right?¡±


    Sol hugged Isis and looked at everyone. The victory today would not have been possible without their help and the help of many more such as Nefertiti, Skuld, and the others. He refused to forget this fact and be engulfed in arrogance. He still had much to learn and much, much higher to reach for that.


    New enemies woulde and he would trample on them all. After all,


    ¡°No, this is not the end.¡± Heughed as his eyes became blue and his hair gold, the result of sealing his divinity.


    Turning around, he spoke with a voice filled with confidence, ¡°This is just the beginning.¡±

 Chapter 628: Long live the Queen

    Chapter 628: Long live the Queen


    When the barrier separating the dimensions finally came down, the soldiers of Wratharis and Lustburg ¨C who had slowly approached toward the edge of the shattering barrier to get a better view ¨C were greeted with the appearance of Sol and his girls¡ª Isis, Setsuna, Milia, Lilin, and the wounded Camelia. Behind them, Sun Wukong and Lilith stood next to each other and followed.


    The soldiers had already witnessed what happened after Lupus was beheaded¡ª how the Wings of Freedom appeared on the battlefield as if they were waiting for that very moment. Their appearance proved that the Tyrant had betrayed the forces of Order and joined hands with the terrorists of Chaos.


    Now though, they could see no trace of Lupus as well as the other intruders and it was not hard for them to guess what might have happened.


    ¡°¡­ We¡­ won?¡±


    One soldier from Lustburg asked with a trembling voice, eyes filled with disbelief. Even though Lustburg¡¯s victory against the forces of Wratharis had been more or less certain due to Sol¡¯s presence, the intrusion of the Wings of Freedom put a wrench in that certainty, drastically lowering their chances of victory. Many of the soldiers even thought that Sol was already dead after being pierced by Lupus¡¯ spear.


    Yet now here he was, standing with no wounds whatsoever. Not to mention, there were no wounds on the women who fought with him inside the dimension, which meant they had already been healed to a certain extent.


    An excited glint lit up in the eyes of the soldiers when they started to understand what had transpired inside the isted dimension¡ª understanding who ultimately got the upper hand and had the finalugh.


    ¡°Hah¡­¡±


    On Wratharis'' side, things were entirely different, as a few soldiers let the spears and swords they were holding fall on the cracked ground. A mixture of despair and relief filled their hearts and minds, while their eyes shed in aplicated light.They lost and, in a way, they still won. For the less ardent supporters of Lupus, what would happen next was a result they weed. Those who had bet everything on the Tyrant king, however, found themselves paralyzed in fear, wondering what would happen to them in the future.


    Sol was able to take in all those emotions, missing none. His eyes brieflynded in the distance, where Ibuki Doji¡¯s daughter was present at the moment, but he soon lost interest. Shuten Doji would be his subordinate sooner orter. He could have a more in-depth conversation with herter.


    He looked at Milia, only for her to nod imperceptibly. More than a dozen screens manifested in the air, showing Sol¡¯s face from different angles.


    The current Sol had his characteristic Golden hair and blue eyes, definite <em>proof </em>that he was still Blessed.


    ¡°My courageous soldiers. Rejoice! After a long period of war and the death of many martyrs, I can now proudly announce the death of the Tyrant, Lupus Ira!¡±


    Sol¡¯s voice was strong in itself, but the gravity of his words was even more significant. He did not differentiate between the forces of Wratharis and Lustburg, clearly showing his desire to embrace them all.


    ¡°I know what is in your heart and how much many of you have sacrificed. But with the Tyrant down, a new era of peace awaits us.¡±


    Sol could not tell them yet that this was nothing but the prelude towards even more conquest. But at the same time, his only real problem was the dwarves and the angels.


    The dwarves should be easy to deal with but with their superior weapon, a confrontation would be detrimental unless Kali and the other mad geniuses decided to build more MK armors.


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    As for the angels, if Chloe¡¯s words could be trusted, they had multiple weapons of mass destruction in their arsenal. Going against them would be extremely taxing and damaging.


    Still,


    ¡°I am honored to have fought with or against all of you and no matter what the circumstances, I hope that Lustburg and Wratharis will be able to walk hand in hand toward a brighter future. I swear to make this my endeavor.¡±


    Sol intoned as his aura started to spread throughout the battlefield, allowing all the people present to realize one simple fact.


    ¡°The prince has reached the King''s realm.¡± A few muttered, almost in a trance.


    This was an incredible achievement. Reaching the level of an enlightened one at such an age was something very few could aplish.


    However, Sol was not finished with his speech, ¡°On this day, in this ce where many of ourpatriots have shed blood and lost their lives to fight for what they believed to be the correct, I would like to announce one thing.¡±


    Sol smiled and took a step back, handing the stage over to the tired Setsuna. While Sol had healed her, he made sure to not erase the blood on her clothes and armor.


    At this moment, those clothes were still stained in her blood and yet this appearance did nothing to diminish her charm and dignity.


    ¡°I am Setsuna Ira.¡±


    The projection shed in all parts of Wratharis and Lustburg as well as in the surrounding kingdoms.


    Setsuna was young, incredibly so, but no one could underestimate her for even a second. She had already shown her power in the ensuing war, on the battlefield, and she had shown her courage by standing up against the King anding out victorious.


    No one would begrudge her for her victory against Lupus, winning thanks to the aid of the other girls. She would beuded and acimed as a legendary figure for doing the impossible.


    Facing the crowd and imagining those in the distance who might be watching her, Setsuna felt a sudden bout of dizziness in her head. Her chest was beating so fast she felt like it would explode and her lips felt drier than a piece of cardboard.


    This was it. This was the moment she had waited and dreamed for years and she now found herself lost for words when she achieved it all.


    What could she say in this situation?


    {Don¡¯t worry. I am here with you.}


    Sol talked to her through a whisper and Setsuna found her inner calm. Indeed, she did not need to overthink. Whether her speech was grandiose or awkward, nothing mattered in the slightest at this moment. The only thing that mattered was for her to talk.


    ¡°A little more than 10 years ago, I was nothing but a little girl ignorant of the world. A princess born with everything and who had nothing to envy.¡±


    Her voice was a little hoarse but she paid no heed to it.


    ¡°I thought I would always live in happiness, surrounded by those I loved.¡±


    This was a dream many had. A goal everyone wished to aplish and yet,


    ¡°Reality, however, was cruel.¡±


    People were riveted to her words instantly. Setsuna was by no means a great orator but the story she told was one many could vividly imagine. It was a story that many had lived their entire lives.


    In Wratharis, many looked down on the elderly who remembered the time of the previous king. Wratharis back then may not have been the strongest kingdom, but it was stable and the citizens were happy.


    ¡°Everything changed when the Usurper took the life of my parents.¡±


    The day of betrayal¡ª a dark day that would forever be a stain in the history of Wratharis. It was also a day many had been helpless against.


    While many called him a usurper¡­ Lupus, as a Blessed, had the right to aim for the throne. Even if it meant his means were less than savory, there was no question against his right to the throne.


    ¡°On that day, all my family and retainers sacrificed themselves to help me escape a sure death, perhaps a fate worse than death even. I ran and ran in the body of a child, with no food and nowhere left to call home. I felt suicidal, yet, I refused to give up.¡±


    Despair may have filled her heart but rage clouded her mind and helped her resist the urge to give up and perish. There was no way she would have allowed herself to die before killing Lupus with her own hands.


    ¡°Now here I am. Alive and victorious.¡±


    Now Setsuna¡¯s voice was filled with confidence. Her voice rose and her eyes shone with the light of a proud wolf.


    ¡°So let me say this¡­¡±


    She grinned and shouted at the top of her lungs, ¡°The King is dead. Long live the Queen!¡±


    ¡°¡°Long live the Queen!!!¡±¡±


    It was hard to say who reinforced her words¡­ But soon, those words repeated again and again, everywhere on the battlefield and in all of Wratharis.


    This was the rise of a new Queen and a new Dynasty.

 Chapter 629: Radiant Lord

    Chapter 629: Radiant Lord


    [Wratharis]


    Kiku, the Supreme Daughter of Patientia closed her eyes and listened to the chants of victory reverberating throughout Wratharis from its citizens.


    In a way, it was quite sad to see how not even a single soul shed a tear at the death of Lupus. His name would certainly be hated for the years toe as it had been hated in the years that went by during his rule.


    Kiku had no feelings to spare for the man. He had made his bet and paid the consequences for the gamble. Had he died as a Blessed, she could have at least sent him on his way with some shreds of respect she mustered up. But even that was impossible since he had betrayed the goddesses in hisst moments.


    How pitiful.


    Sighing at the pitiful end of the overly ambitious man who once wished to conquer the world, Kiku focused on Setsuna¡¯s image.


    ¡°Long live the queen, huh¡­¡±


    She drank at the thought, a smile on her lips. She could still vividly remember the young girl who had been forced to leave her country on a trail of tears and blood with only revenge in her heart.


    Now looking at the person reflected on the screen, Kiku was happy to see that she had grown up in a splendid and respectable woman. One that was worthy of respect.If there was one problem then,


    ¡°I guess Wratharis won¡¯t escape the fate of being annexed by Lustburg.¡± Kiku could only sigh at the somber thought.


    Lustburg and Wratharis had a long history filled with endless conflicts both small andrge. But clearly, this war will be thest one for a long time.


    ¡°Indeed. I thought it might be possible to stoke the mes of ambition in Princess Setsuna¡¯s heart. But after seeing this fight, I believe it would be nothing but a fool¡¯s errand.¡± A young woman''s voice interrupted her but she was not surprised.


    ¡°Shuten. You are back.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. There was nothing more to see. So I came back. It¡¯s necessary to start the preparation to wee our future queen after all.¡± Shuten took ce next to Kiku before lying down and cing her head on Kiku¡¯sp.


    ¡°You seem tired.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Shuten made no attempts to hide her exhaustion this time.


    ¡°Is it because you found her?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Shuten¡¯s silence was all the answer Kiku needed. She did not wish to talk much about her mother. However, as agonizing as it may be, it was time to discuss about that woman, ¡°Her appearance has been seen by everyone. My political position will be in quite jeopardy. Hopefully, the princess doesn¡¯t take out the anger of her lover¡¯s family on me.¡±


    ¡°We can only hope. But¡­ you don¡¯t need to worry too much. I will take care of you.¡± Kikuughed and caressed the head of her old friend. Behind her tough exterior, she knew that Shuten was a woman with numerous weaknesses.


    She had worked harder than anyone else to prove, both to herself and everyone else, that she was not a traitor like her mother, and yet,


    ¡°Even as we speak, the n leaders are talking about how I am not much different from my mother. They are quite quick to denounce me.¡±


    Kiku winced. That was indeed the problem at hand. By now, it should be easy to guess that Shuten had her hand in many of the strange urrences throughout the war. Even though no one would have concrete proof against her, Ibuki¡¯s existence in and of itself was enough to smear Shuten¡¯s name. Now, more than ever.


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    A new power would take hold of Wratharis and the politicalndscape would reshuffle in its entirety. Kiku could see the ominous days that were ahead of them. She was sure that all those old n leaders would show the ruthlessness and ambitions they had hidden deep in their hearts. They would do everything to climb the hierarchicaldder and get a spot close to Setsuna, the new queen.


    ¡°But will you lose?¡±


    A grin stered Shuten¡¯s face at Kuki¡¯s question. The fact that so many people were after her now only filled her with immense glee instead of tension. Why wouldn¡¯t it? It would allow her to retaliate and snuff all her opposition in one fell swoop and gather even more power.


    Losing against those decrepit bastards? No way in hell.


    ¡°I will win.¡±


    She may not be as strong as Sun Wukong or Kuki when it came to pure might. But as a politician, she had no equal.


    ¡°Speaking of¡­ Aren¡¯t you worried about that Supreme Daughter? Camelia.¡± Shuten asked, but this time it was Kiku who shrugged.


    ¡°Camelia is a strong woman. She survived once, something that should have been impossible. I am sure she can do it a second time, and who knows? I have a feeling she might evene out of it stronger.¡±


    Still, if there was one thing she was curious about, it was the identity of the next Supreme Daughter.


    It looked like there would soon be a meeting between all the active Supreme Daughters to wee a newbie in their midst.


    ***


    [Southern Pride]


    While Setsuna¡¯s deration reverberated throughout the battlefield, stirring the hearts of all the soldiers and citizens of both Wratharis and Lustburg alike, Nefertiti¡¯s gaze, and her heart, were only fixated on the image of her one and only lord. His visage, standing with pride at the victory he achieved through a long fight, was a sight she would not fail to etch on the deepest murals of her heart.


    She knew that this was only the beginning of a long road and she was ready to walk it alongside him.


    For better or for worse, no matter the oue, she will always apany her lord.


    ¡°Lady Nefertiti. Your hair¡­¡± A female elf caught Nefertiti''s attention, breaking her reverie. The elf was one of her lord¡¯s most ardent followers and someone she was considering introducing to Sol once he came to Southern Pride.


    Even so, ¡°What might be the matter?¡± A visible displeasure radiated from Nefertiti at being interrupted. She didn¡¯t have many chances to observe Soltely and she desperately needed her fix so to speak. However, when she finally focused on her hair, as the elf mentioned, her eyes opened wide.


    As a hybrid phoenix, she was not born with the recognizable scarlet the people had. Still, her hair had always been brown with a reddish tint.


    At this moment, however, while the upper portion of her hair still kept the same color, the lower extremities told apletely different story with their bleach-blonde locks that gradually progressed to a deeper golden-blonde hue.


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±


    Nefertiti cked out for a moment at the surprise she felt with the abrupt change. A change of color was nothing particrly rming. But thingspletely changed when it was rted to two specific colors.


    Waving her hand, water coalesced until it took the form of a small mirror, and as she thought.


    ¡°Blue¡­¡± One of her eyes was now entirely blue.


    The implication of this change her heartbeat elerates nearly as fast as it did when she had her first time with Sol.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± She was dumbfounded. She knew very well that Sol had nned to create a sort of pseudo-religion and increase his influence and legend to reach a higher level as a king.


    It seemed like she had far too underestimated the ambition of her lord.


    ¡°Lady Nefertiti, are you alright? Should I call the doctor?¡±


    Nefertiti smiled benevolently as she observed all the members in the current congregation. She now realized that she was witnessing history in the making and was actively a part of that very history.


    ¡°Do not worry. I have never felt better.¡± Indeed. This was great news. Her beloved lord was paving the road toward the godhood he rightfully deserved. What more could she ask for? ¡°Why don¡¯t we pray in respect for the Dragon Emperor¡¯s victory?¡±


    She was happy to see their expression light up. For now, this was just a seed, a small cult without any roots. But soon, this would be a raging inferno that would engulf the entirety of the mortal realm.


    It seems like I should start working on the ts of the church.


    She was also going to need a new title to add to that of Dragon Emperor. Sol was much more than just a Dragon after all.


    She didn¡¯t know when Sol nned to arrive and negotiate with the high elves for their allegiance, but she would be ready to wee him with a great surprise.


    The first bible in his name.


    An idea shed in her mind as she ced her hands together in prayer.


    Why don¡¯t we start with this?


    ¡°Genesis of the All-seeing Radiant Lord.¡±


    It was a mouthful at the moment, but she was sure they would find a way to refine it.

 Chapter 630: New Future

    Chapter 630: New Future


    In the Astral realm, the Norns were all lying down on the ground, breathing hard, the results of hours upon hours of them using their full power while sparing nothing.


    ¡°Did we¡­ seed¡­?¡± Verdandi asked, her voice hoarse, blood incessantly spewing out of her tightly closed eyes.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be the ones asking that? You are the one who can see the present.¡± Groaning in pain, Urd¡¯s voice did not have its usual soft timbre. She was the least tired out of the three sisters, with enough energy to even move for a short period if she so wished. However, she had no will left in her to move even an inch.


    Like her sister, blood flowed out in torrents from her closed eyes, eyes that had momentarily gone blind. With the state of her ocr functions, she should be unable to see anything. However, being a demigod had provided her with additional senses, both magical and physical, and she could use them to get a good feel of her surroundings.


    After witnessing the giant with a thousand eyes for the very first time, Urd knew that what Skuld was plotting was no joke. Even equipped with such knowledge, however, she never expected the events to escte as they did. Both her and Verdandi¡¯s eyes were destroyed, resulting in a loss of their vision. The good news was that it was only a temporary setback for the sister. But for the foreseeable future, the pair of sisters were rendered useless, unable to use any of their fate-peeking powers.


    Speaking of the future, ¡°Skuld¡­ Are you alright?¡±


    A forced cough was the only indication Skuld could give, indicating to her sisters that she was still of this world. At the same time, that action told the sisters just how bad their youngest¡¯s condition was.


    Out of the three sisters, Skuld undoubtedly sacrificed the most. It was to such a degree that they felt being alive was nothing short of a miracle for the youngest.


    Skuld¡¯s current appearance made her hardly recognizable. Simr to her sisters, she was crying a river of blood, but things did not stop there. Her blood was flowing down from her lips and even her ears, while her body looked so emaciated, that one would think she had been starving for months.If those were the extent of her damage, then her sisters wouldn¡¯t be much worried about her. The wounds, albeit more profound than anticipated, could still be healed. The main crux here though was Skuld¡¯s aura. It was so weak that it seemed like a candle that could be blown away by the smallest breeze.


    ¡°You look like shit.¡± A cool feminine voice resounded from the skies above. A heroic woman with dragon wings jutting out of her back slowly descended inside Tartarus, the prison of the spawns of Chaos. Even with their inability to see anything in their current state, it was easy to realize that it was none other than Tiamat.


    No one could replicate the unique, majestic aura that belonged only to her.


    ¡°Hahahah¡­¡± Skuld gave a weakugh as she felt Tiamatnd next to her but was not able to do much less. This action of her alone was enough to sap most of the energy she had managed to gather.


    Tiamat nced at the wounded Titan with undisguised pity in her eyes.


    Her rtionship with Skuld was not friendly by any definition. Skuld had never tried to hide her hatred for Tamat, simrly, Tiamat never bothered to cover her disdain for the diminutive Titan.


    Even so, was it because she was quite lonely? Tiamat found her rtionship with Skuld to be entertaining. Few in the entirety of existence could act so forthright in front of Tiamat.


    ¡°You power¡­ Is this state of yours temporary?¡± Tiamat asked as she examined Skuld, a faint imperceptible hint of worry shed in her eyes. The Dragon Empress could not even sense the faintest embers of Skuld¡¯s powers as she was. Not to mention the King rank, her power levels had even dropped below a random Duke¡¯s.


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    If she had to give aparison, she was barely at the level of a newly awakened human.


    For an exulted Titan as ancient as creation itself, someone who had both witnessed and survived all the wars that shaped their current world, her current state was a shocking setback, in more ways than one would expect.


    Unlike creatures of Order who could train to increase their power, Titans, and Chaos Spawns could only devour and evolve. It was one thing in times of war but in the peaceful times they lived, getting back her powers would be a nigh-impossible task for Skuld.


    ¡°I¡­Regret¡­Nothing.¡± Skuld opened her mouth and spoke those words with more difficulty than one could even imagine. She lifted her trembling hand, demanding the Empress to help her up.


    Reluctantly, Tiamat decided to entertain her wishes, lifting all three Norn sisters at the same time for good measure. A stream of water moved under her silentmand, enveloping the three sisters and washing away all the blood and dirt before evaporating instantly.


    ¡°I infused some of my energy in the water. It should help you girls in recovering for the time being.¡± Though Tiamat¡¯s healing prowess was notparable to Kiyohime¡¯s, as the creator of all dragons, Tiamat still had a high level of mastery in the draconic healing arts.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Skuld still seemed quite weak and her appearance was fragile but at the very least, it did not seem like she was about to pass out and die at any moment.


    ¡°So, can you tell me what exactly you did?¡± Tiamat asked but Skuld only smiled in response.


    ¡°I would love to answer you¡­ but please¡­ answer one question of mine first.¡± Skuld said.


    Tiamat¡¯s eyebrow arched at her response, ¡°Even at death''s doorstep and weaker than an ant your sassy personality never dies.¡± In a way, it was impressive in and of itself.


    Tiamat would have normally pped anyone else who gave her such an unruly attitude, but she found herself extra forgiving when it came to Skuld.


    She sighed, ¡°Go on.¡±


    Blood started flowing from her lips again but Skuld showed no care. She only had one question, one thing she needed to know more than anything at the moment and it was¡­


    ¡°Can you still see it?¡± Skuld asked weakly.


    Tiamat stopped short, realizing what Skuld was asking and her gaze immediately shot up towards the sky.


    Though the sky of Tartarus showed nothing but red clouds, this changed nothing for Tiamat as this entire ce was inside her dimension¡ª The Sea of Stars.


    She started searching, again and again, looking through all the stars representing dragons until¡­ she found what she was looking for.


    The star that belonged to Sol.


    She was startled to realize that the star had more than tripled in size, dwarfing all other stars in her dimension. Even those belonging to the Four Dragon King paled inparison to the star of her beloved grandson.


    It was a pure behemoth of sparkling white, shimmering with power and unbridled radiance.


    But more than the change in color or size, what made Tiamat truly gasp in surprise was¡­


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    In the past, she was able to gather hints about Sol¡¯s fortune. But now, she found that to be impossible. It was like a haze was obstructing her sight, blocking her from gathering any information on him.


    Even the current size and color of the star were more akin to thest information that was imprinted on her dimension before the haze covered everything from her eyes. Chances were high that Sol¡¯s star could have been evenrger at the moment.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ I see.¡± A crazedugh escaped Skuld. So much so that Tiamat wanted to point out that Skuld could see nothing since she was currently blind.


    Theughter mixed with a bloody cough continued for a while before Skuld stopped. Her chest heaved up and down showing how tired she was. But Jubtion filled all her veins.


    After all¡ª they had finally seded!


    All this pain. All those sacrifices. Everything she had done was for this very moment.


    Darling¡­ I am sure you would have been happy if you could see this.


    Skuld silently mourned the future that would nevere to be, even though she felt happy that such a future would nevere to pass. The sadness was overshadowed by jubtion and hope for the future.


    And yet, this was not the end. There was still much to be done and from now she would not be able to rely on her powers.


    However, Skuld felt not even an ounce of fear.


    The future may elude her from now on, however, she had exchanged her future sight so that her darling may be all-seeing.


    ¡°You asked me what I did, right?¡± Skuld spoke, a state of inner peace washing over her mind and soul. A sincere smile bloomed on her face as the peace that soothed her broken existence.


    ¡°I¡­No¡­We helped create a new future.¡±


    One that would lead to a world filled with joy and happiness for them all.

 Chapter 631: Petty Goddess

    Chapter 631: Petty Goddess


    somewhere, in a space filled with unsettling gray fog, a castle floated quietly amid the eerie fog and the silent surroundings.


    The castle''s interior was deste, but at the same time imposing and magnificent.


    Directly under the towering ceiling of the immacte white castley a golden table with fifteen high-blue chairs on either side in a symmetrical arrangement. 7 on the right, 7 on the left, and 1 on the helm that represented the leading seat of the assortment¡ª the seat of Order.


    The back of each chair dazzled and shone faintly with visible golden light, drawing the outlines of abstract constetions that differed from reality yet were somehow very much real.


    Sitting around either side of the table were fourteen women whose features were shrouded in veils of darkness.


    In the middle of the table, arge chessboard was ced and a game seemed to be ongoing for who knew how long.


    A heavy silence shrouded the gathering of women, sky-high tension floating in the air. A few of them gazed between Luxuria and Invidia, not knowing what they should say or do.


    As always, Diligentia opened the discussion between the assortment of sisters. She was one of the twin goddesses responsible for the Angels, representing the virtue of Diligence.


    ¡°We need to talk.¡± Diligentia cleared her throat and looked at the chess pieces ced on the board. The pieces represented the current generation of Blessed still alive and active in the Mortal realm and obviously, many changes had transpired to the pieces in an extremely short amount of time, enough to astound the assortment of sisters.Camelia¡¯s piece broke down and shimmered out of existence in motes of dying light, the same happened to Lupus¡¯ piece. Lastly, Sol¡¯s piece changed appearances and was thus promoted, bing a full-fledged King.


    ¡°We lost one Blessed to the force of Chaos. This has not happened in years. Not since the incident with Michael¡¯s daughter, Dahlia.¡± Diligentia shook her head in disappointment and sadness, ¡°Ira, what do you have to say about this?¡±


    Ira had a serious expression on her face, far more than her usual nonchnce, ¡°I have nothing to say. I do not even know when he met this man and decided to betray me.¡±


    Ira, as befitting her name, was writhing in anger at the way things panned out. It was a source of immense shame for the goddess of wrath. However, more than anger, she felt a deep sense of fear take over her. Ira had freely admitted to Sol that she was a coward under all her godly exterior, and cowards were always scared of the unknown. Ira had found herself pitted into a situation that went beyond her understanding, and it scared her to her very core.


    ¡°From the very moment he started nourishing the divine weapon, I have been keeping an eye on him, and yet I am unable to remember when they made this pact. Worse, I do not even remember when exactly Lupus was able to receive the energy of Chaos.¡±


    This entire situation made no sense to her, and she hated this.


    Worried expressions manifested on the other goddesses as well, everyone was perturbed by this scenario. While they were in no way omniscient, their godly powers did give them much freedom. It could have been one thing if the power of chaos was used to obscure their gaze, but even that did not happen and thus everything pointed to a single event.


    ¡°This man, Eins, has a power equal to us. No. Since he was able to hide from our gaze, his concept may be superior to ours.¡± Luxuria spoke, breaking the silence that once again settled between the sisters. She revealed the bitter truth that everyone present had been dreading but did not want to ept.


    To be able to hide from their eyes without using the power of a dimension mage would mean that they had mastered a concept that was superior to them in all aspects.


    It wasn¡¯t an impossibility per se. History showed them many such instances of something simr, Anubis being the most ideal example of this phenomenon. Few goddesses could say with confidence that they could beat Anubis without relying on their vast stores of godly powers for a battle of attrition.


    A new False God was certainly worrying but nothing worth much discussion. Their current predicament however was vastly different for many reasons.


    ¡°I was not going crazy, right? You all felt the familiarity in his power, right?¡± G, the goddess of Gluttony asked. Since she had already made a deal with Sol, her eyes were always observing the battlefield. She was immediately drawn to the fight between Eins and Camelia among other things and she could not help but feel something strange.


    ¡°Castitas, you were the closest during this fight. What do you think?¡± G addressed Castitas, the goddess of chastity. Since Castitas¡¯ Blessed, Camelia had fought directly against Eins and even used goddess descent to allow Castitas¡¯ powers and perception to flow through her, no one here had a better understanding of the situation than her.


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    ¡°I¡­ I am not sure.¡± Castitas spoke with clear hesitation. It was hard to put what she felt in words but, ¡°What I can say with certainty though is that Camelia¡¯s opponent used a concept very simr to the power of Dreams. The same concept as Hypnos.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± A few goddesses groaned. Superbia, the goddess of Pride, spoke out loud, ¡°Do you think this is a case of a mortal finding an artifact belonging to them? Like Anubis?¡±


    One of the many, many reasons Anubis was so strong, contending against some goddesses in sheer might, was due to his soul housing the Divine Weapon of Death in its depths. The Book of the Dead was the ultimate treasure of the concept of Death and allowed its wielder nigh-endless authority over death itself. In the same vein, they also knew that Mars Luxuria had managed to find something belonging to Dawn which exined his rapid rise to power.


    ¡°My sisters, you are too optimistic. We must always consider the worst-case scenario in this kind of situation.¡± Invidia, the goddess of envy, stopped the chatter that was definitely going nowhere. It had been a long time since the goddess had spoken to her sisters, however, her siblings did not have the mood to tease her for it.


    Invidia stood up and leaned forward as she ced her hands on the table, ¡°This case is different from Anubis. You are all aware of it, right? We should all consider this carefully. Rather than a simple inheritor of Hypnos¡¯ power, what if¡­ what if it was Hypnos himself.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    They all gazed at her, unable to speak, the words getting caught in their throat due to the implications her words contained. Many wanted to contest the idea, saying that it was impossible. That there was no way it was the case.


    But deep down, they could all feel it. Something was screaming at them that Invidia was right.


    ¡°If it¡¯s him ¡­ How? And why now?¡± Caritas, the Goddess of Charity, spoke in a gentle voice and looked up at the vast territory of the Divine realm. There she could see the crumbling divine kingdoms still floating in space. ¡°Father killed him, right? How did he survive?¡±


    Invidia waved her hand dismissively. ¡°For starters, do not call that thing father. He is at most our creator. But that is all. Secondly, the why and the how do not matter at the moment. What we need to ask ourselves is¡­¡± She looked at her sisters and raised three fingers. ¡°One¡ª Is he the only one who came back? Two¡ª Does he or do they n to fight us for control over Heaven? Finally¡­¡±


    She looked down at the chessboard and pointed at Sol¡¯s piece, ¡°Is he one of them?¡±


    ¡°Invidia¡­¡± Luxuria spoke in a tired voice but Invidia raised her hands with her palms outstretched, gesturing her to stop and let her finish.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he is not suspicious. You should have all sensed this, right? Even if it was only for an instant¡­ We were unable to see him.¡±


    Invidia grinned, ¡°This happened once, right? All the way back during his ascension to the Duke realm. For a short instant, we felt as if he was equal to us and his Fate became something none of us could observe. What about now?¡±


    All her siblings could feel the jubtion in her words, ¡°This happening once was negligible at best, but a second time in quick session? What is his realm? Nothing but a mere King!¡±


    She shouted. ¡°A small worthless King rank. A mere mortal who has yet to cast away his shell managed to do such a thing. Do you truly think this is normal? Not even Anubis was such a monster at this level.¡±


    She took a deep breath, ¡°I have been racking my brain. Wondering how this was possible. How can a simple mortal constantly aplish such miracles again and again? But if he was a reincarnated god all along, it would make perfect sense!¡±


    She ced her hand on the piece representing Sol, ¡°I will make my proposal once again. I suggest a swift and immediate execution or¡­¡± She continued ¡°I suggest we apprehend him and imprison him until his identity is proven.¡±


    Invidia was sure of her victory this time around but G raised her hand in protest, ¡°I believe we should not act in haste. Your deduction seems sound but you forgot one important fact. What is his concept?¡±


    Invidia showed no surprise when G intervened. Indeed, all the gods who died on that day had a specific concept. Even Hypnos could not hide the power rted to dreams but as for Sol.


    ¡°It¡¯s an entirely new power. Do you truly think if he was a god, he would give up on a power cultivated for eons, all to bet on a new concept that was never threaded upon?¡± G gave a reason few could disprove. Bing a God was already nearly impossible with the way things are. One would need to be aplete madman to risk it all and thread on a path never walked.


    Even if Invidia could argue that it wasn¡¯t impossible since many mortals did the same, she knew that all her arguments would just fall on deaf ears. As things were now, Luxuria had too many goddesses on her side so whatever she said would not be considered.


    But it wasn¡¯t as if she hadn¡¯t already anticipated such responses from her siblings. That was the very reason she could afford a smile at this moment.


    ¡°You are right. Why don¡¯t we talk about something else then?¡± Invidia''s smile changed into a grin, ¡°You remember the abomination¡­ what was her name again? Lilith, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± G¡¯s eyes narrowed. She did not like where things were going.


    ¡°If I remember well¡­You girls told me she was an undead, right? That no matter how ridiculous this statement was, I had no way of proving that she wasn¡¯t one. You told me I should just ept my loss.¡±


    The goddesses looked at each other and Temperatia spoke, ¡°That was the final decision we have reached. Do you want to contest it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, not at all. Far from me to contest the wisdom of all my dear sisters.¡± Her tone was dripping with undisguised sarcasm, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Hum. I seem to recall that the Mortal realm had a rule about war. What was it again? Diligentia, could you help me remember?¡±


    Luxuria closed her eyes and Castitas sighed.


    Diligentia knew what Invidia was doing but there was not much she could do in the current situation. After all, ¡°Necromancy and the use of any undead is strictly forbidden during a war opposing two kingdoms.¡± She gave the rule.


    ¡°And¡­ What is Lilith Luxuria at the moment?¡± Invidia asked again.


    ¡°¡­ An Undead.¡±


    ¡°Well, dear sisters. It seems like we are at a crossroads.¡±


    Invidia sat down and ced her chin on the palm of her hand,


    ¡°Either Lilith is not an undead. In this case, Sol will not face judgment by the angels. But he will be a criminal who defied Divine Laws. Or Lilith is indeed an undead, and he will face Mortal Laws.¡±


    Sheughed, ¡°It¡¯s going to be an interesting event, don¡¯t you think dear sisters?¡±


    Invidia knew it was but a small victory for her but a victory was still a victory and she was willing to take it. It didn¡¯t matter how strong Sol was at the moment.


    The stronger he was, the better it would be for her. After all, once the angels judged that Sol was too dangerous¡­ the Mortal realm would be at risk ofplete annihtion.


    So, what will you do for my sister of mine? Will you watch as the world burns or will you give up on your favorite mortal?


    The feeling of anticipation was too great.


    As for the return of the gods? Invidia was not scared. Those gods may have been stronger than them back then, but things were quite different now.


    This world belonged to the Fourteen of them and no one else.

 Chapter 632: Other side

    Chapter 632: Other side


    <strong>[Nihil¡¯s Dimension]</strong>


    In a world filled with crimson lighting from a looming blood moon of ominous proportions, Hypnos was standing in front of Nihil¡¯s cocoon, observing her current state.


    She had been healing inside the cocoon since her deadly bout in the Astral realm. However, for some odd reason, her healing speed seemed to have progressed significantly, like a rapid shift in gears.


    Still, the state of her recovery was hardly of importance for the reincarnated god.


    What bothered him at the moment was something of far higher importance than Nihil''s well-being.


    ¡°I lost contact with my avatar,¡± Hypnos muttered as he adjusted his monocle. His expression was still calm but it was hard to hide the tumultuous waves that were visibly shifting in his head, fueling his unease and apprehension.


    ¡°So, I was not the only one.¡± A feminine voice resounded behind him.


    ¡°Zwei. Did you finish your task?¡± Hypnos asked but Zwei simply shook her head.


    ¡°I tried establishing my territory in Nihil¡¯s dimension as you suggested but it was a failure. This dimension is not stable enough to contain a territory.¡±¡°A failure, huh¡­¡± Hypnos released a sigh. He wasn''t disappointed by the oue. It was something he already expected. Dimension under the control of a Dimensional mage where nothing but Minor space orbiting around the main realms.


    The rules andws inside were iplete and for that reason, they couldn''t support the creation and growth of a new Territory.


    Still, it was quite a shame. After all,


    ¡°If you try to establish your Territory in the Astral realm, the goddesses will immediately find you.¡± He said.


    Zwei was different from the other believers of Chaos. Titans and the Chaos spawns did not create a territory when they reached the equivalent of the Demigod realm.


    This was why they could flee and hide in the abyss with no fear.


    But Zwei belonged to the forces of Order initially, and as such was beholden by itsw. Unless she established her territory, she would always be considered an iplete demigod.


    ¡°This is troublesome but shouldn''t we worry more about the loss of our avatars? Honestly, I am quite surprised by this oue.¡± Zwei grinned as she cleaned her ear with her pinky.


    She didn''t care much about Hypnos'' goals and machinations. Truthfully, she didn''t care much about bing a demigod either.


    She had already nned to visit the abysster on and establish a territory there if necessary.


    Fighting against the horrors hidden there would be quite a novel experience.


    What she cared about at the moment was, ¡°Despite you berating Nihil for her failure, it seems like your grand master n faced quite the unexpected setback wouldn''t you say?¡±


    She cackled out loud like the delinquent she was, ¡°You sacrificed the precious essence of Chaos to convert a Blessed in its entirety but the man is dead for good. We have no divine weapons in our hands. Our Avatar died mysteriously and we do not have the slightest bit of information or clue as to what happened at all.¡±


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    She looked at Nihil, ¡°Meanwhile, the goddesses by now should be more or less aware of your presence and the Mortal realm will be more careful about our approach. Creating another functional Avatar at the demigod level will take a few months and plenty of divine power. Divinity is pretty scarce since no one worships you any longer. A King rank Avatar might do but well, it seems like fodder at this point with what happened to our avatars.¡±


    Hypnos gazed expressionlessly at Zwei. He could see the madness in her eyes. Despite everything she seemed to genuinely enjoy the current situation.


    Truly, ¡°You are really a crazy bitch.¡± He spat with clear distaste.


    ¡°I will take this as aplimenting from you.¡± Zwei showed no care despite being insulted.


    ¡°Say, how do you think our Avatar died? Surely it must have been in an epic way? Besieged by enemies on all fronts, fighting against traps we could not have imagined. Squeezing everyst drop of blood and energy until inevitably falling at the end by the endless assault of our enemies. A battle like no other. One worth to be remembered for decades toe.¡±


    The more she spoke, the more excited she became. Hypnos closed his eyes. It seemed like he was only surrounded by dumb and crazy maniacs.


    Honorable death? What could be honorable in dying?


    Only someone who never died could say something so stupid and distasteful.


    He caressed his throat with a determined expression.


    He would not die again. He would rise back to the throne of gods and reach true immortality this time around.


    But for that, they needed a stronger power. Something that could face even the all-extinguishing power of the <strong>End</strong> in all its glory.


    Otherwise, they would forever live with a shadow of death looming over their lives at every turn. Never knowing if or when Adam would awaken and start his ughter all over.


    ¡°I will send a Duke-level Avatar. I should be able to condense one in a week or so and let it roam the mortal world for some time. We need information. We need to know what happened in this forsaken battlefield and more importantly¡ª we need to decide on our next course of action.¡±


    He gazed at Nihil, still sleeping in her cocoon.


    This naive woman was essential in the many ns he had. She was one of the cornerstones he could not afford to let go.


    Ideally, he would have preferred to use the seven divine weapons instead but it did not matter.


    They would make do with what they had.


    ¡°I have no other choice.¡±


    The number of sacrifices necessary to rece the missing divine weapons would be¡­ staggering, to say the least. So much that even if they sacrificed the entire mortal realm, it still might not be close enough.


    They needed something more. They needed¡­.


    <em>Hum?</em>


    A grin split his face as he realized just where they needed to go to find what they required.


    The body closest to godhood if the reincarnated gods were not added. The nearly perfect being, created with the image of Chaos in a body that belonged to the forces of Order.


    The Mother of Thousands of Monsters.


    ¡°We need to unseal Echidna¡¯s body.¡± He said.


    It would take some time, yes.


    However, time was hardly a problem for them. They simply had to sink in the shadows while they prepared for what was toe.


    <em>You won the first round.</em>


    Hypnos thought of the prince of Lustburg. He did not know what the prince had done to annihte their avatars, but whatever it was, victory was theirs at the moment.


    This was something Hypnos had no choice but to ept.


    Even so,


    ¡°We will be thest ones tough.¡±


    He would make sure of it. He would not let a mortal humiliate him a second time.

 Chapter 633: Settling

    Chapter 633: Settling


    The news of the war ending and the subsequent victory of Lustburg swept through the world extremely fast as Sol disseminated carefully edited videos of most of the fight.


    The video mainly highlighted the fight between Setsuna, and the other, against Lupus. While this made him slightly look bad as he had vanished from the fight early on, Sol did not mind giving more spotlight to the women he loved.


    This was even more so as the more popr Setsuna was, the easier it was to make her get control of Wratharis.


    It had now been one week since the end of the war properly speaking and the poption of Lustburg was jubnt as Sol had announced fully paid holidays for all citizens for two weeks and taxes reduction for the next two years and the start of celebration.


    The brave soldiers and personnel received a minimum of double the normal rewards. Even if they, unfortunately, lost their lives in the war, Lustburg¡¯s administration had made sure their mourning families would receive the reward in their stead.


    Sol had taken a strict stance with the rewarding process, making it so that anyone stupid enough to attempt swindling money would face his wrath. He wasn¡¯t about to allow some nobles to grease their hands, no matter how unrealistic and difficult the logistics of the matter would be.


    Anyone who took even one coin that did not belong to them would be sent to the mines for life. No matter the position they held.


    Sol was already a matchless existence in Lustburg in the past, however, his poprity had elevated to such a stage after the war that even the most idiotic of nobles would not dare think of testing his tolerance.


    Things were slightly moreplicated in Wratharis, however. Citizens of Wratharis lived tribalistic lifestyles, prompting the influence of respective tribal leaders to be far more overarching than the Dukes of Lustburg and in some cases the rulers themselves. By employing Shuten Doji¡¯s help, however, Sol was able to establish some resemnce of control. He even made sure to make the date of victory a national holiday with Setsuna¡¯s influence. This way, the popce would be able to rejoice in Lupus¡¯s death and Setsuna¡¯s ascension as Crown Princess.


    Unlike Sol, Setsuna had no family members who could y the role of regent for her so she was set to ascend as a queen in theing months. But for now, Kiku used her authority and position to take the realm¡¯s control.


    This was just one of the thousands of small matters Sol needed to take care of. Such was his life.


    ***


    Inside Wratharis¡¯ royal pce, in a room that was set up as a makeshift office room, Sol and Setsuna were busy wafting through endless hoards of paperwork.


    On the far side of a couch up ahead, a snoring Lilin was dozing off, a stack of paperwork bundled up in her hands. She had graciously proposed to help them with the paperwork a few days ago. Now, it was clear that the girl had reached her limit after days of soul-crushing boredom.


    Isis had long since fled back to Lustburg, iming she needed to give her full attention to healing Camelia.


    She was lying through her teeth, Sol knew, but he could not refuse when she was taking care of Camilia. That¡¯s why he sent her back with Lilith.


    The powerhouses of Lustburg needed to hold the fort as they had juste out of war and were prime targets of invasion.


    The witches were also back to Lustburg but it was for one very different reason.


    After all¡­


    ¡°Your Highness. The kitchen prepared some tea. I have already inspected it. No dubious substance was found in.¡±


    Milia opened the door, breaking Sol¡¯s train of thoughts. A small tray of tea and snacks was held in her hands, eliciting them to take a small pause from the mind-numbing boredom that they were being subjected to.


    Focusing on the night sky, Sol caught the sight of fireworks sporadically illuminating the sky. Some amount of focus in his ears also allowed him to hear the cheers andughter of Wratharis¡¯ citizens.


    ¡°Setsuna. Let''s take a break.¡± Urged Sol, a bitter smile on his lips as he observed her head slowly peek out from the behemoth stack of papers. Reddened eyes and frazzled hair, paired with hands covered in ink¡ª testaments of the sheer amount of work both of them were constantly subjected to for thest few days.


    ¡°Soooll¡­¡± Setsuna drawled, her eyes looking at him pitifully as her hands still continued signing away papers like an automated machine. ¡°I can''t stop now. I feel like if I stop I am going to crash and never recover again.¡±


    A look of pity was all Sol could muster in response. While Setsuna had received training as a princess, it had been more than ten years since she was a proper princess. Moreover, since she hadn¡¯t been a Blessed, the training she received in both governance and politics was severelyckingpared to contenders for the throne.


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    ¡°Mighty with the sword and weak with the pen, how pitiful, my dear.¡± He stood up and skipped towards her before stretching her cheeks.


    The helpless and funny expression she showed made himugh and heughed doubly so when Lilin woke up with a start and fell from the couch.


    It was amusing how these highly aplished warriors, daring enough to even go toe to toe against a King-ranked while being Dukes, now acted as though they faced their greatest enemies in paperwork.


    However, he fully understood their plight as he looked at the endless stacks of paperwork surrounding him in utter disgust.


    ¡°This is why I wasn''t interested in world conquest.¡± He sighed and stopped bothering the half-dead Setsuna before approaching Milia and smothering her in a tight hug.


    ¡°I am also sorry all of you guys have to work despite your lingering wounds.¡±


    World conquest seemed extremely morous in one¡¯s imagination. However, the realityy in the behind-the-scenes¡ª the work that took ce in the shadows, away from prying eyes.


    Wratharis was a Mess with capital M.


    Lustburg had been messy when he took over, forcing him to kill off a horde of many rebellious nobles with Lilith¡¯s help and some well-ced schemes. Even now they had to use undead for some parts of the administration.


    However, the problems with Lustburg paled inparison to the mess that was Wratharis.


    The economy was in shambles. The administration was nearly non-existent. The war coffers only had spider webs in them and thews were not even worth being jokes.


    More than 100 different tribes, each with its own leaderprised an equivalent of 100 small-sized kingdoms.Each with differentws, different rules, different needs, different poptions, and so much more.


    The needs of the rabbit tribe were obviously different from those of the wolf tribe, for example.


    This was a strength and simultaneously a fatal weakness of Wratharis. Wratharis was vastly different from Lustburg, that¡¯s why Sol knew he could not rule it like he ruled Lustburg. Trying to do anything remotely simr would result in total failure.


    What would do when he added demons, elves, and dwarves to the mixture?


    Sol groaned before sipping on the tea and massaging his forehead. So much work to do, so many little things to pay attention to, and not nearly enough time.


    ¡°I wanted us to familiarize ourselves more with thends but I don¡¯t see any other option. We might have to delegate more power to Shuten, earlier than we had initially nned.¡± Sol looked at Milia who only nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I have already talked to her. I am sure she will be open to further negotiations. Furthermore, I have called for the White Tiger lord and the Seven Sages to return. They will be valuable allies to our cause.¡± Milia offered, prompting Sol to smile contentedly.


    As always, Milia continued proving herself as his most reliable support when it came to ruling.


    The White Tiger lord had been used by Lupus as cannon fodder at the start of the War. Impressed by his strategic expertise, Sol had recruited him after a thorough subjugation of his forces.


    As for the Seven Great Sages¡­ nothing needed to be said about their influence and power in Wratharis.


    ¡°Great. After this, all of you girls need to enter seclusion in my dimension. I am now able to slightly elerate time inside, only double the usual rate but it will have to do for now. Rest, heal, and use the insights you earned to reach higher levels.¡±


    The war had left many troublesome things in its wake, but it was nothing short of miraculous for consolidating and elevating their power.


    Thanks to participating in the ritual, Lilin and Setsuna were able to consolidate new names while Milia and Isis were ready for thest push toward the King realm.


    Sol was a little worried but most normal people didn''t need some superrge-scale ritual where they had to face the nothingness of the <strong>End</strong> just so they could advance to King.


    The hardest part was already done and now all they needed to do was advance at their own pace.


    But this wasn''t all.


    Be it Medea, Kali, Persephone, or Freya, they all received innumerable benefits from the ritual, ultimately gaining a deep connection with his dimension.


    Due to their newly established connection, they had been able to confirm one theory Sol had been developing and now¡ª they had a clear path towards the Demigod realm.


    ¡°Congrattions, Your Highness. Soon, you will be the uncontested ruler of this world.¡± Milia smiled as she fed him a cake.


    Four new potential demigods, four new potential kings, as well as Lilith and Ambrosia. Not to mention, Sol himself.


    A genuine smile stretched his lips as he savored the cake.


    Politics was a pain.


    The war still had many aftermaths to address.


    But if there was one thing clear, it was that all he needed was ample time. Soon, a year or two at most, he wouldn¡¯t need to move a single finger to conquer the entire world.


    The iing year was definitely going to be eventful.


    The most interesting?


    Bing a demigod himself was no big deal. He needed no ritual this time nor a dangerous gamble.


    After all¡ª he was a Dimensional Mage.


    A huge, contended smile stretched his lips as he rested his head against Milia¡¯s soft thighs while she fed him with delight.


    Life was good right now and he was going to enjoy it.


    For that,


    ¡°I believe it''s time to finish the preparation for my wedding.¡±


    Ascension, evolutions, and all were great. But it was important to never forget that he did not grow strong for the sake of power alone.


    And now¡­ he had a Witch to marry.

 Chapter 634: Short discussion

    Chapter 634: Short discussion


    The next day, Shuten Doji could be seen entering the Celestial pce, guarded by a few soldiers of Lustburg.


    The fact that Lustburg¡¯s soldiers were slowly entering the frontiers and taking up key posts under their control could be seen by all those at a certain level but they also understood that it was inevitable.


    ¡°How wasteful,¡± Doji muttered as she observed the wall made of smooth jade and glittering gold. The mural on the wall depicted a lightning wolf howling toward the moon¡ª a king¡¯s war cry before he charged towards the battle.


    A royal family undoubtedly had to show their might through murals, sculptures, depictions, and other forms of art. However, Lupus had been on a whole other level.


    <em>Taking care of all of this will be hard.</em>


    She sighed and continued to walk in the rtively deserted pce.


    Before the war¡¯s conclusion, nearly all the servants and retainers living in the pce had fled. Even though a few had returned Doji surmised that many others were just waiting for things to cool down a bit more, maybe some even felt guilt and would never return.


    Most likely they made use of the chaos to steal some expensive trinkets or expensive artworks, setting themselves up for life.


    Their actions were perfectly normal. Rats would always scurry when a boat was about to capsize. She had already anticipated this and even banking on this fact, as it would allow her to subtly introduce people under her influence into the pce, injecting her spies in the right ces. ¡°Quite the shy pce, don''t you think?¡± Doji froze for a heartbeat as a young masculine voice echoed in her ears, far too close for herfort. Years of training and experience allowed her to hide the shock and grimace from appearing on her face. She even made sure to keep her muscles rxed.


    Turning on her heels, she showed a smile before curtsying, making sure to show appropriate Lustburgian manners, as she bowed before the man who had tried to y a nasty prank on her.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°At ease.¡± Sol waved his hand dismissively, ¡°You are one of the four great leaders of Wratharis. You do not need to bow to Lustburg.¡±


    His tone was t, but an amused glint danced in his eyes as he eyed the Oni woman. Shuten had to quite literally force herself to not roll her eyes in exasperation.


    They both knew it was nothing but lip service. The moment Setsuna officially sat on the throne, would be the moment the entirety of Wratharis would bow to Lustburg.


    ¡°You are quite yful,¡± Shuten said, raising her bent back with practiced elegance. Shuten was not born yesterday, it would take much more than a glorified prank to fluster her.


    If Sol Luxuria wished to y with her then she would dlyply.


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ I am starting to like you.¡± The smile stretching his lips widened, and he presented his arm to her in a gentlemanly gesture. She dly epted his invitation. ¡°Let''s walk together, shall we? Queen Setsuna is waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way, Your Majesty.¡± Shuten smiled sweetly and thus the two sauntered down the deserted ce while exchanging some amicable, if pretentious, chatter.


    Seeing them, no one could imagine they were about to negotiate the future of an entire kingdom and millions of citizens.


    ***


    The walk, albeit short, allowed Shuten to garner a deeper insight into the man she considered to be her greatest opponent.


    Sol Luxuria was young. Be it from the perspective of your average human or even magical beings with lengthier lifespans, he was only a young adult at best. Yet, he possessed a mind that was well beyond the age he showed.


    No one could ever im that he was just a lucky guy who went through life without any struggles.


    His experience, albeit short, was enough for many centuries-old monsters to have cold sweat.


    Yet she felt confused in his presence. He seemed arrogant yet not. Old yet young. Mature but still retaining a semnce of youthful childishness.


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    The duality of this man confused her and in a way, frightened her.


    ¡°You seem confused.¡± Sol, as if ignoring her probing, spoke quietly, prompting Shuten to direct him an odd look.


    ¡°Your Majesty is a true enigma.¡± Shuten was direct in her words.


    ¡°Well, they say mysterious men are attractive. Don''t you think so?¡± Heughed but she only shook her head.


    ¡°With my line of works, I can only feel at ease with a man I can read like a book.¡± Shuten was not one for rtionships or love. She had no need for a man she could not control.


    ¡°How sad. Seems like I got indirectly rejected.¡±


    Shuten chortled at the words Sol just spewed. ¡°For someone who has been rejected, you do not seem particrly affected.¡±


    ¡°What can I say, I have a mind of steel.¡± He shed her a big-hearted smile and they stopped at the door of the office.


    ¡°Well, as enjoyable as this discussion has been, it seems like this is as far as I can apany you.¡± Sol slipped his hand out of her and stepped back.


    ¡°Oh? I thought you would be participating in the negotiations.¡±


    A shake of his head was his reply. With a smile, Sol added, ¡°This is Setsuna¡¯s job. Not mine.¡±


    Hearing him, Doji was able to perceive a new dimension to the rtionship between Sol and Setsuna.


    She had always wondered if Setsuna being Queen was just a front¡ª a sham to basically allow Sol to annex Wratharis with little resistance.


    But be it in the war or even now, Setsuna was showing a surprising degree of independence.


    That could only mean that Setsuna was not just a glorified puppet for Sol, at the very least.


    <em>I guess there is still some good news amid all this chaos.</em>


    ¡°Very well, Your Majesty. I wish you a good night.¡±


    She bowed, in the same Lustburgian style she had curtsied before, before lightly knocking on the door.


    ¡°I, Shuten Doji, leader of the Oni n beseech Her Majesty the Queen to grace me with her presence.¡±


    Shuten could hear Sol snicker from a mile away but she was not embarrassed. She had enough practice, from all the embarrassing titles and jibberish she had to spout to Lupus just so she could receive an audience.


    Still, it seemed that her words were quite shocking to Wratharis¡¯test ruler. Choking noises echoed out from the inner chamber, obviously belonging to Setsuna.


    <em>I guess the new queen isn''t a fan of such appetion.</em>


    ¡°You can¡­ Ahem. You may enter.¡± Setsuna¡¯s voice came from the other side.


    Shuten hid the knowing smirk that tried to curl her lips. Her new queen was cute, that¡¯s for sure. Opening the door to enter, Shuten was not surprised to see the White Tiger lord standing behind Setsuna like a secretary.


    She knew she was about to enjoy this meeting that was shaping up to be quite interesting, to say the least.


    ***


    When Shuten closed the door behind her, Sol¡¯s shadow started wriggling until Milia manifested out of the abyssal darkness.


    ¡°Was it wise, Your Highness? I apologize but Lady Setsuna is still not ready.¡±


    Sol shook his head, ¡°Setsuna will never be ready if she doesn¡¯t get the necessary experience toplement her knowledge. Don''t worry. She will be better with time. This is the perfect moment for her to gain all the experience she requires.¡±


    With Shuten taking things easy and the Tiger lord at her side, it would not take long for Sol¡¯s beloved wolf to be a respectable Queen.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s drop this matter. How are things at home?¡±


    Arge smile threatened to split Milia¡¯s face at the question. ¡°The preparations for both your marriage and your coronation are well underway. But are you sure a triple marriage is sound?¡±


    Sol nodded before exining, ¡°Setsuna, Medea, and Isis. Marrying the first three at the same time and announcing my engagement with Pandora will make my influence skyrocket.¡±


    As the daughter of Anubis¡ª once the Son of the Demon King and a True Demon, Isis was in a way royalty for the demons. On the other hand, Pandora was the Queen of Invidia. Once she ensured the safety of her daughters, they could announce the engagement.


    There was no need to exin Medea''s influence and how officializing their rtionship would help his standing with the witches. And Setsuna would link him with Wratharis.


    Thinking about it, a bitter smile tugged Sol¡¯s lips. ¡°I am quite the horrible man.¡±


    This was supposed to be a joyous asion but all he could think about were the underlying machinations.


    Sol soon pped his cheeks, hard enough to leave the downward spiral of negativity that his decisions invoked in him.


    He needed to remind himself. To make sure to never forget.


    He did not chase power for power''s sake.


    All he wanted was to ensure the happiness of his beloved women. The power, influence, and all the additions he obtained were just coteral, mere tools to ensure he reached his objectives.


    ¡°Very well, let''s go. Setsuna will be able to start her closed meditation soon. Same for you. As for me¡­ It''s time to spend time with Camelia. I did promise her that after all.¡±


    A genuine smile soon crept up his lips at the thought. While they may have spent a steamy night before the war, he had not spent true quality time with his beloved nun for quite some time, he admitted.


    Though she technically wasn''t a nun anymore.

 Chapter 635: Shocking Truths (1)

    Chapter 635: Shocking Truths (1)


    That night, Sol had gone to sleep for a much-needed rest. Just as he was about to drip off to dreand, he was pulled into a dream, deep in his sea of consciousness.


    Opening his eyes, he blinked a little as he found himself once again in front of hs Gate of Truth. Unlike in the past though, the Gate was wide open, showing an interior simr to a shrine with arge book on it.


    Walking in, Sol gently caressed the book that looked more like an old grimoire and decorated with an apple on the Cover.


    ¡°Pretty beautiful, don¡¯t you think?¡± A voice, eerily simr to his own, asked from his side. No surprise etched Sol¡¯s face.


    ¡°I thought you were supposed to vanish,¡± Sol mentioned as he pivoted toward the man. His rtionship with Adam was¡­plicated, to say the least.


    ¡°How cold, brother. After all I did for you, not even a ¡®d to see you¡¯. I feel hurt, you know?¡± The man made a mock gesture as he ced his hand on his chest but Sol simply gazed at him expressionlessly.


    ¡°...¡±


    In the end, Adam simply sighed out loud, ¡°Well, know that while I would love to vanish from this space¡­ I can¡¯t. Or rather, I could, but I don¡¯t want to affect you negatively.¡±


    Sol furrowed his brow but soon realization dawned upon him. ¡°I am assimting your existence.¡±¡°Bingo. I must say the Law you obtained is quite nasty. Either way, it¡¯s slowly devouring my power and using me as a source of energy for your advancement.¡± He shrugged before adding, ¡°I don¡¯t really care about that, but it seems like if I let myself go you will also assimte my memories.¡±


    The frown etching Sol¡¯s face only grew deeper. Scratching his head, he sighed out loud before offering, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Obtaining Adam¡¯s power and memories would mean getting the power and knowledge of someone who was once the supreme overlord of this entire universe. However, that came with its own set of existential baggage.


    ¡°My existence is still too small,¡± Sol said in a calm voice. Even if he added the years he lived in his other life, he would only have a few decade''s worth of memories. How could he ever hope topare to the billions of years that Adam had under his belt?


    If he made a mistake, he would likely stop being himself and either be Adam in all but name or be a third entity resulting from the fusion between him and Adam.


    Neither of those possibilities interested Sol.


    Adam grinned. His white faceless figure slowly morphed until all that was left was a ck-haired tall young man, seemingly in his twenties, wearing a pair of sses covering bright golden eyes.


    Looking at him, one would never think that they were facing some kind of universe creator.


    In fact, from the modern clothes he was wearing, Sol had the impression he was facing a university student from Earth. This was quite unnerving to say the least.


    ¡°So, this is your true appearance?¡± Sol asked, curiosity filling his words. He could objectively say that the young man was very handsome but outside of that it was not the impressive figure he imagined.


    ¡°Prejudice is not a great thing you know? Did you imagine me as some old guy with a white beard?¡± Adamughed and then stretched. ¡°As for this?¡± He looked down at his hands and clenched his fists. ¡°Well, you could say that it¡¯s indeed my original appearance with a few modifications that I picked up along my journey.¡±


    He sighed and approached the book, caressing it with a nostalgic expression.


    ¡°Anything I should know about this book?¡± Sol asked.


    ¡°The Book of Genesis was once my friend and closest ally. Sadly, its spirit died. A pity, I once promised to give her a new name but until the very end, I only called it Genesis.¡±


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    Sol felt silent, there was a feeling of incongruity that was continuously gnawing at his mind.


    Nothing was making sense here. He had seen some of Adam''s memories and from what he knew, Adam was born with this universe, and as such was its origin.


    However, why then was Adam showing his current appearance? Why was he donning clothes from his old world if he was an entity of this one? And why the hell was he iming this to be his original appearance?


    ¡°You must have many questions.¡± Adam eyed Sol as he spoke, causing him to roll his eyes in exasperation.


    ¡°I swear to everything I hold dear, If you say something like, it¡¯s too soon, or I am not ready yet, or it isn¡¯t time, I am going to riot.¡±


    Sol hated cryptic bullshit. Yet, it kept happening to him in each step of his journey.


    Adam exploded inughter, which once again unnerved Sol. The Adam he remembered had an otherworldly feel to him, a clear presence that screamed his godly power.


    The Adam he was facing almost felt¡­ human.


    <em>Seriously?</em> Sol thought. <em>It cannot be, right?</em>


    If his suspicions proved to be correct, the ideas he had about this universe would need a lot of reshuffling.


    ¡°I can see your brain overworking from here.¡± Adam stoppedughing and shook his head.


    ¡°To start, I would like to urge you to not worry. Previously, I couldn¡¯t share the secrets with you, not only because you were too weak to protect that information but also because those matters had no reason to be of any importance to you. Now, though, things are very much different. You are starting to step into very dangerous waters, so I owe you some exnations.¡±


    Adam closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°I am sure you have many questions, but answering them one by one would feel very disjointed and a waste of our time. So, let me steer the direction of this discussion, ok?¡±


    ¡°You are the boss. I am listening.¡± Sol nodded and two chairs appeared, between them. This discussion was going to take some time.


    ¡°So, where should we start?¡± Adam pondered, causing Sol to chuckle.


    ¡°How about, from the very beginning?¡± Sol snickered.


    ¡°I like your wordy.¡±


    The two shared a smile but soon Adam adopted a more serious expression, after all, he was about to share one of the greatest truths of this world.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with one simple truth. One you should be aware of by now.¡±


    Sol waited patiently for Adam¡¯s next words.


    ¡°This first piece of information is pretty clear. For you who have been reincarnated in this world you should be aware of it by now, right?¡±


    Adam closed his eyes as if savoring the words he was about to utter.


    ¡°The universe we live in is part of a greater whole. Oneposed of a near infinite convergence of different realities.¡±


    Sol was not shocked. This was indeed easy to guess. After all, he was not from this world and no matter how he searched, it was clear that Earth in itself was not part of this universe.


    Yet, so many things from Earth influenced this world.


    Adam opened the book and thousands upon thousands of shinings manifested on its pages.


    ¡°Consider each of theses as a verse. Once you have enough power, you will be able to breach the crystal wall and enter other verses. The coordinates are all here. Quite handy, right?¡±


    Sol stiffened as Adam bragged about having coordinates of thousands of universes as though he was collecting marbles. He had never even heard about this crystal wall he mentioned but its functionalities were quite easy to deduce.


    Adam was happy that Sol did not interrupt him and so he continued, ¡°The Crystal Wall is the natural protection of a universe or a dimension. The stronger the World Will of a universe, the stronger its crystal wall. As for the World Will, it¡¯s what you call Fate. An unfeeling, emotionless system with the sole mission of protecting the universe it oversees.¡±


    It seemed like Adam was determined to shatter all the understanding Sol had of the world as he kept bringing more and more new terms and from the smile on his face, he took great pleasure in it.


    ¡°To be honest, I wouldn¡¯t try leaving this universe. At least not until you reach Eve¡¯s level. Otherwise, you will most likely die getting crushed by the void between worlds, get stranded, or get captured by some outer gods.¡±


    ¡°Eve¡­?¡± This time, Sol simply couldn¡¯t help but ask. Which prompted Adam to nod.


    ¡°Eve. She was¡­ I guess you could say that she was my wife. Though it seems like she went crazy and split her soul after I died. Nowadays, she goes by two names.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me.¡± Sol gasped.


    ¡°You must have guessed by now.¡± Adam smiled bitterly as he shared another shocking truth about this universe, ¡°The ones known as Mother Goddess of Order and Mother Goddess of Chaos were once the same entity.¡±

 Chapter 636: Shocking Truth (2)

    Chapter 636: Shocking Truth (2)


    Sol stayed silent, digesting the information he had just received. Chaos and Order, the two highest goddesses in this world and those who were publicly known as the creators.


    For all their powers, the two goddesses were shrouded in deep mysteries. The ambiguity of their existence resulted in very few people directly worshiping them. Even the Wings of Freedom who waved the g of Chaos and its subsidiaries prayed to Ymir. Meanwhile, people of the Mortal Realm prayed to one of the fourteen goddesses or a pair of the twin goddesses.


    Sol had many questions regarding them, one of which was why they remained asleep for so long.


    ¡°I don''t know why or how Eve went through the road of separation. The process is extremely dangerous. Due to the opposing concepts the two selves hold, they are more likely to fight each other than cooperate. But the situation is what it is.¡± Adam intoned, his voice carrying hints of indifference and apathy. It was hard to reconcile his current emotions with the information that Eve was supposed to be his beloved wife.


    ¡°Well, either way, I can¡¯t tell you much more about her. What I can tell you is that, after my Death, Eve should have be the de facto Guardian of this universe. She has the highest authority and her words dictate fate. But this authority was split. Weakening the Crystal wall and allowing the possibility for intruders to enter through a specific means.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Reincarnation?¡±


    ¡°Bingo. You are pretty smart, as expected of me.¡± Adam grinned. ¡°There are various ways to enter a universe. But you see, universes don¡¯t like intruders and make sure to suppress them as much as possible. A foreign god entering a universe might be only as strong as a demigod, and this suppression worsens the stronger the universe and its World Will. ording to my estimate, if a foreign god tried to enter my universe they would only be able to project the power of a King realm. Even the gods of the Prime Universe can¡¯t escape this suppression.¡±


    Unbridled pride echoed off in Adam¡¯s voice, he made no effort to hide it. Forced to live in a soul body for so long, it seemed he wanted to feel good by bragging about his aplishments, even if a little.


    ¡°To avoid this suppression, the best way is Reincarnation. Going through the cycle of life and death in the new universe and getting imprinted by it. In a way, I guess you could say it¡¯s not unlike getting a permanent Visa or a Naturalization. The currently ruling goddesses have been abusing this system, it seems. They took souls from the Prime Universe and brought them here, allowing them to reincarnate into my universe.¡±The smug smile hanging on Adam¡¯s face twitched as he mentioned the shenanigans of the goddesses. Those girls were reckless. They were lucky that no foreign gods had managed to slip through their recruitment and reincarnate in this universe. However, there was another dimension to it. Most gods were wise, thus, they did not dare intrude into his universe even after his supposed death.


    It went without saying that they knew very well how much of a headache provoking Adam would yield.


    He started to doubt the circumstances behind Sol¡¯s reincarnation in this universe. Some of the gods might have guessed that Sol''s previous life was rted to Adam so when Luxuria searched for a soul they could have made sure to send Sol to get rid of a possible time bomb, so to speak.


    Adam exined his spection to Sol which only left him speechless.


    ¡°You are me. But the version of you as a human definitely would have never seeded in controlling <strong>End</strong>. The only possible result was you going berserk and destroying the Prime Universe. Who knows, perhaps one of the gods even has a hand in your death.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Sol did not know what to feel about this piece of information. Should he be happy? Sad? Angry? In the end, he chose to sigh. The spections were, ultimately, just that¡ª spections. There was no need to worsen his mood by ruminating on this topic.


    ¡°Well. I believe I have more or less told you everything of importance. However, you are still far away from grasping such concepts. You now understand why sometimes wise people withhold information, right? Knowing all this doesn¡¯t mean you can do anything about it¡ª nothing changes.¡±


    ¡°So now, let me give you a piece of information that will affect you and your future path.¡± Adam waved his hand and one of those universes appeared closer. From this distance, it looked more like an egg than a.


    ¡°Let¡¯s resume things where we left off. I have told you about the existence of innumerable universes. But how are those universes born? The thing is¡­ All verses have a specific creator. You must know the legend of Pangu and how he separated Heaven and Earth, right? It¡¯s something simr albeit.¡±


    Adam caressed the egg with a gentle expression, ¡°Some individuals are born with what I call a seed or an egg. The embryonic forms of a verse. Those individuals are beloved by destiny and hold infinite potential. Potential high enough to give birth to a new universe. I was such an individual. I called my Seed <strong>The World</strong>. Back then, I would have never guessed how urate it was.¡±


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    He chuckled then pointed at Sol, ¡°You also have a seed inside you. What you call the Mirror Dimension or the Inverse World. But your seed is quite different from mine. Because it was affected by thews of this universe, it became like a dimension and thus mirrored manyws of my universe. Normally this would have been pretty bad. But you were lucky. After all, it copied My universe.¡±


    Adamughed. Normally, a seed should have had nothing. Only pure chaotic energy. Then once the creator started the beginning of time, newws could be made to house the creator¡¯s ideal world.


    Back when he was a mortal, Adam¡¯s seed, [<strong>The World</strong>, developed a path that incorporated thews of the Prime Universe. To do that Adam had to fundamentally learn all the corews that bound the Prime Universe¡ª Gravity, Time, Space, Electromaism, Strong Nuclear Force, Weak Nuclear Force, and innumerable branches that shot off from the fundamentalws. Just remembering all the efforts he put into this made him want to barf.


    He even went further and incorporated thews of Dream and Reality, thus invoking the power of Legends.


    This was the reason the main of the Mortal Realm was so simr to Earth in the Prime universe.


    This was also why <strong>Names</strong> and <strong>Legends</strong> from Earth had so much influence in this universe, thus capable of making Kings, Demigods, and even Gods.


    ¡°You are different, and I must say, I am quite jealous.¡±


    Was it because Sol and Adam shared the same soul origin? Or perhaps because of some unexpected influence? Adam could not say. But in the end, while Adam had to build everything from scratch, Sol was able to start with a full-on temte and a world filled withpletedws.


    ¡°Of course, everything isn¡¯t without consequence. Because you started in such a way, your control over your Universe is extremely minimal. Not to mention, your universe doesn¡¯t have a spark of life or a World Will. A dead universe that is nothing more than a copy of a copy. At your current level, this might seem powerful and it truly is. But after you taste the true power of Fate, you will be able to realize the limits of your powers.¡±


    Adam was not trying to insult Sol. He simply stated things as they were. Sol¡¯s dimension was just that¡ª a dimension, an ideal superimposed on reality rather than a reality in itself. If nothing changed, the highest level it could reach would be something simr to a Divine Territory. This was perhaps the lousiest result someone who had a seed could reach.


    ¡°But fear not. You have three different options to choose from.¡± Adam raised three fingers, ¡°The first is to do nothing. Really, you don¡¯t need to do anything. It isn¡¯t like you seek to be the strongest. As long as you have no n of ever leaving this universe what does the strength of your seed even matter? I am sure that you will be able to reach a level simr to Ymir and even surpass her. But that''s about it. Don¡¯t even dream of fighting Eve. Even if she split her soul and body, she is still this World''s <strong>Guardian</strong>. The apex of this world¡¯s existence.¡±


    Sol frowned but continued to listen. If possible, he didn¡¯t wish to fight Order or Chaos. But leaving his future to the whim of those two crazy goddesses felt unwise.


    ¡°What about options two and three?¡± Sol asked.


    ¡°Your second option is topletely separate your universe from mine and start everything from scratch. It will be painful and it will take time, perhaps billions of years really. You will fall into a deep slumber as you fuse with the <strong>Origin</strong> of the universe in order to bring a new Beginning and ignite Light and Life. This way has 100% chances of sess and zero dangers.¡±


    ¡°But¡­?¡± Sol knew there was always a but in this kind of situation.


    ¡°But you will also be a foreigner to my universe. I think as a <strong>Creator</strong> you will be considered the highest level of enemy by my universe so even entering back will be nigh impossible. As for your women or should I say the women who manage to survive by the time you seed in creating your verse, well, they will also be foreigners in the universe you create. The only way to not face continuous suppression will be for them to die and reincarnate in your universe.¡±


    Adam chuckled, ¡°But I know you. There is no way you would choose this option. You should know more than anyone what reincarnation truly means.¡±


    Sol nodded. Reincarnation was not changing one¡¯s body. One would never be the same after reincarnating, even if they managed to keep all of their memories. This applied to Sol, and the same would happen to his women. Sol would never choose this option unless he was left with no choice.


    ¡°So, this leaves us with option three. You already have the gist but you need to think bigger. Grow your dimension, strengthen it to the highest level possible, and finally¡ª fuse it with my own universe. Wrestle control from Eve and the goddesses and stand as the new Almighty God King!¡±


    Adam opened his arm wide in a dramatic fashion, shouting those words with emotion as if he could already see the epic battle on the horizon.


    Sol sighed, nonplussed. He could see that Adam was having too much fun with his theatrics. ¡°You already knew that I wouldn¡¯t take the first two options. Why not start from here?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. What can I say, I like drama after all. They didn¡¯t call me <strong>The Magician</strong> for nothing. So, what will you choose?¡± Winking at Sol, Adam asked with bated breath, eyes twinkling with mischief.


    ¡°Is there any need to ask?¡± Sol stood up and sauntered away from the gate. ¡°I guess I need to add Universal Conquest to my list of things to do.¡±


    His voice was calm, but his decision was made. He had already nned to steal the Mortal Realm. So, things didn¡¯t change all things considered.


    The target only became bigger¡­ Much, much bigger.

 Chapter 637: I only need time

    Chapter 637: I only need time


    Adam watched Sol leave with a small smile, cracks branched along his skin, pouring out a dim glow.


    ¡°I don''t have much time left.¡±


    By all rights, he should have already vanished long ago. However, he was serious when he said he did not want any harm to befall Sol due to him.


    With Sol¡¯s strength and will, he could resist the ovepping effect to some extent. However, it was inevitable for him to be irreversibly changed.


    <em>Not time yet.</em>


    He clenched his fists and willed the cracks to stop spreading and branching out. Immediately, the cracks winked out of existence, leaving his skin and body pristine as though they had never existed in the first ce.


    <em>I should be able to hold on for a few more years.</em><em>At the rate he is growing, the time should be more than enough. </em>


    Of course, Adam had not been entirely selfless in his decision. He had his own goals and thoughts¡ª one of them being able to see his beloved once more or rather beloved, now that he thought about it.


    He sighed, remembering the innocent smile of the short and bubbly woman who stood by his side no matter how nonsensical the circumstances they were pitted against. He knew that his death and the massacre he caused would have affected her negatively. However, he still hoped that her mental strength was enough for her to not fall apart.


    Now though¡­ He didn''t know.


    <em>Would things have changed if I had been more forting?</em>


    He closed his eyes. What was the use of thinking about it now? The events had taken ce uncountable eons ago, leaving only pain and regret in its wake. Thinking about it wouldn¡¯t change anything.


    <strong>[...]</strong>


    Suddenly, an ethereal voice imperceptibly murmured in his ears, making Adamugh. He gazed fondly at the oversized grimoire ced in the Altar.


    ¡°Old friend. It seems your return is imminent. Though I guess you won''t be the one I once knew by then.¡±


    The true spirit that birthed alongside the creation of the weapon had already perished. However, Genesis was a Divine Weapon, of the highest magnitude too.


    Now that Sol had awakened the book, it was only time for a new weapon spirit to form and the book to usher its divine knowledge once more.


    ¡°Speaking of¡­ I wonder what happened to my second divine weapon.¡±


    A puzzled look enveloped Adam¡¯s face. The Book of Genesis and the Pen of Knowledge. One divine weapon was bestowed upon him while the other was created by a mortal and elevated to Divinity. The Pen of Knowledge wasn¡¯t dissimr to Sol¡¯s Eye of Akasha in that regard.


    His other Divine Weapon was both powerful and dangerous, no matter the hand it fell on.


    He frowned for a moment but in the end, decided to stop thinking about it. The Pen and the Book were connected. Now that Genesis was about to awaken, the World Will of this universe would attract the Pen to Genesis one way or the other. The two divine weapons would surely reunite.


    As for what would happen then, it would be up to Sol to figure out.


    This was going to be very entertaining.


    ***


    Leaving his inner world, Sol found himself back in Lustburg.


    His conversation with Adam was both deeply enlightening and somber, highlighting the truths that constituted reality. All this talk about infinite verses and their intricacies was far too removed from his current circumstances.


    <em>At least I should be able to share some of that information with Anubis.</em>


    Sol distinctively remembered that one of Anubis¡¯ ultimate goals was finding the way back to Earth, their home in the Prime Univers.


    His desire was so deep and haunting that he embarked on a journey to explore the whole universe. In turn, a rift formed in his family and he had to sacrifice the time he could allot for his wife and daughter.


    <em>If I can make Anubis stop exploring the universe, I will have another powerful demigod close by when something happens.</em>


    Anubis was one of the strongest demigods alive. Having him close by would be extremely beneficial for Sol. Anubis was also a demigod born in the Mortal Realm, and using that identity he could enter the realm without facing any suppression and limitations.


    <em>Now I should focus on our growth.</em>


    Though relying on external powers was a valid option, the nature of his ns did not promote that. To speak facts, personal growth, namely the power of his Dimension, was at the core of all his future endeavors. No matter what he did, be it integrating the Mortal Realm or the whole Universe that Adam created, he would need to strengthen and nurture his dimension.


    The good thing was, he already knew how to make the Inverse World stronger. He had all the pieces for that on hand.


    Simply by allowing others to use his dimension as a ce to create their territories, he would be able to increase the vitality of his universe and reinforce thews that governed and shaped his verse.


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    <em>If I can make Ambrosia move her territory to my dimensions it would be even better. But I shouldn''t be too greedy.</em>


    Ambrosia was the Thousand Spells Witch. Her book of Akasha held all the knowledge of all witches who had ever existed. Even if it wasn''t quite at the level of Law, all this knowledge would change his dimension and elerate the growth tremendously.


    But even if he couldn''t have Ambrosia, he had the other four witches.


    The four of them were unable to be demigods in Adam¡¯s universe. However, that was not a problem for his dimension.


    All thews were free for the taking.


    In fact, ¡°What if I make a False God enter my dimension?¡±


    Tiamat¡¯s path to power was blocked because the Concept of Pride had already been taken. Even after changing her road, it was hard to shake off Superbia, the goddess of Pride¡¯s, influence on her.


    But the Concept of Pride was ownerless in his dimension.


    Theoretically speaking, it should be possible for Tiamat to be a goddess in his dimension.


    Sol clenched his teeth.


    ¡°I can not just be satisfied with theories.¡±


    How could he swallow Adam¡¯s universe if his dimension couldn''t even amodate the birth of a god?


    Sol focused as he made an important decision. The day he could create gods would be the day he wouldpete for the hegemony of Adam¡¯s universe.


    For now, however, the Mortal Realm would have to make do.


    <em>I think I can absorb a part of the Astral Realm now. </em>


    He was quite confident of his chances, however, he did not wish to hurry and fumble. He simply needed to conquer all the kingdoms. Since he had an excuse in Luxuria giving him such a trial, he would be able to act with a certain impunity without any of the goddesses noticing his true goal.


    <em>Speaking of the goddesses¡­ Things have been rather calm. I thought Invidia would have done something by now.</em>


    A frown colored Sol¡¯s face as he thought about the matter. Even though he only had a few dealings with the goddess of envy, they were enough for him to get a good grasp of the shrewd goddess¡¯ personality.


    Sol¡¯s ns were not perfect by any means, and the suspicious movements they enacted during the final battle were enough for the extremely petty goddess to be spurred into action.


    <em>Something is fishy. </em>Sol thought grimly. He wasn''t naive enough to think that it was luck. This seemed more like the calm before the inevitable storm.


    As if answering to his worries,


    ¡°My Lord. I bring an important message.¡±


    A feminine voice echoed from beyond the door and Sol recognized ra¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    The door opened, showing the fiercely loyal and beautiful elf, ra.


    For Sol, many people yed an important role during this war. ra was undoubtedly one of the MVPs for him. Shecked the power to affect the battle but her skills pre and post-war were invaluable.


    ra was usually the image of calmness and serenity, however, he was rmed to see a worried expression marring her face.


    ¡°What is the matter? You seem worried.¡± Sol asked, causing ra to react in surprise as she schooled her expression.


    ¡°Many news came one after another and I am¡­¡± She spoke but she shook her head. ¡°I apologize.¡± As a servant, spewing excuses like this was quite unsavory.


    She gave a slight bow before continuing, ¡°Your Highness I am the bearer of both good and troublesome news.¡± She adjusted her sses as she looked at her King.


    ¡°The first set of good news is that Southern Pride finally agreed to organize an official meeting with them on neutral ground. The Queen herself dered that she would be part of the meeting as a form of respect towards the Dragon Emperor.¡±


    Sol chuckled, ¡°I guess they don''t want to look like they are bowing their heads to Wratharis. No matter. We can allow them to keep their pride.¡±


    Sol couldn''t help but think of his beloved Nefertiti. Another MVP of this war. He owed far too much to her with far too little to show for it.


    ra nodded at Sol¡¯s words, knowing it was necessary to not meddle with the elves¡¯ pride. The elves were extremely proud by nature and the Queen would lose all support if it looked like she was bowing down to a human prince.


    The title of Dragon Emperor was a helpful tool to provide the illusion that she was keeping face.


    ¡°You said there was both good and bad news, right? What about the bad?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± ra hesitated slightly but continued, ¡°There are two bad news but in a way they are linked.¡±


    She cleared her throat, ¡°We received two messages. The first one came directly from the flying city of angels and stipted that Chloe Diligentia¡¯s training was shortened and she needed to be back to the flying city in three months.¡±


    Sol¡¯s expression darkened ever so slightly but he waved his hand, ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°As for the second news¡­ The dwarves sent a notice of Impeachment to the International Court and the angels and used Lustburg of propagating and promoting the usage of undead, thus mocking the sanctity of life.


    ¡°They also used us of breaking the International convention and using Undead during the war.


    ¡°Finally, they used us of breaking the tacit understanding that was reached regarding the upation of foreign territories during the war and thus disturbing the peace that was so hard fought.¡±


    Sol was speechless. Listening to this made him feel like Lustburg was some kind of evil organization that wanted to conquer the world.


    The fact that they technically were not wrong was irrelevant, however.


    ¡°The Dwarves have quite the n, huh.¡±


    His next goal had been to silently develop and assimte Wratharis before doing the same with Envilya. But now he was starting to wonder if he should just dere war and erase those greedy bastards from the map.


    ¡°Half of what they said is bullshit,¡± Sol intoned.


    He massaged his forehead, his eyes gleaming with dark thoughts.


    ¡°The dwarves are cowards. There is no way they would openly try to impeach us based on those flimsy reasons. Unless of course, they already have someone to back them.¡±


    Sol grinned. If he was right, it seemed like the angels had decided to send the first probing move and the dwarves were nothing but the cannon fodder they used.


    ¡°Well, since this is what you guys want to do. Don''t mind me breaking your pawns.¡±


    Sol stood up, his eyes gleaming.


    ¡°What is the date of the next international convention?¡±


    ra felt a chill go down her spine at the coldness dripping from his voice. However, she did not feel fear only joy and anticipation.


    The darker Sol acted, the more excitement she received.


    ¡°Four months.¡±


    ¡°Four months, huh¡­ I guess they are truly the nation of sloth.¡±


    Heughed. It seemed like the angels were confident of their power.


    But Sol would make them understand that the worst all his enemies did was give him time. For ageless creatures like angels, four months might be nothing but a blip in their lifespan.


    But for Sol¡­ four months was more than enough to change the world.

 Special Chapter Camelia (1)

    Special Chapter Camelia (1)


    (AN: Those events happen prior to the 8th Day. Between the event of CH 601 and CH 602)


    After the conclusion of Lilith and Lilin¡¯s disy, the party slowly came to a lull. They all knew that very soon¡­ they would have to fight for their life. While some had roles of a different nature than the rest, all of them needed to get into the right mindset for war.


    Still, as if they had nned beforehand, the girls waved or kissed Sol goodnight before leaving one after another until¡­ only Camelia was present.


    Looking at the awkward smile stered on her face, Sol was more than certain her presence was no coincidence. That smile also told him that Camelia was aware he had seen things through.


    ¡°What a beautiful night, don¡¯t you think?¡± Camelia cleared her throat and spoke in what she thought was apletely nonchnt way. Yet, the faint trembling of her fingertips, the rise in her body heat, and the gradually rising drums of her heartbeat did not escape Sol¡¯s keen senses.


    Camelia had be¡­ meek, ever since that particr incident happened. Always walking on eggshells as if she feared offending him and permanently breaking off their rtionship.


    A change that irked Sol much. When he distanced himself from Camelia, his goal was not to make her bow and cower. All he ever wanted was a rtionship of equality between them. One where they could trust each other without needing to manipte each other.


    ¡°I heard your discussion with the others,¡± Sol spoke, interrupting her as she tried to make idle small talk.


    Camelia was startled but then, looking at the sincerity in his eyes, she felt herself calm down, ¡°I¡­ I simply shared the way I felt. I regret many things and while I know I cannot change what I did, I am happy I was able to open my eyes before it was toote.¡± She stopped then looked at him with clear hesitation in her eyes, ¡°It¡¯s not toote, right?¡±Sol approached her and took her hand in his, ¡°I already told you that you had nothing to fear. But it seems like I have to teach this to you more thoroughly.¡±


    Camelia tilted her head in confusion, wondering the underlying meaning of his words. However, her thoughts soon vanished, a yelp escaping her lips, as Sol effortlessly swept her off her feet before holding her in a princess carry.


    ¡°Sol?¡±


    shing her a proud grin, Sol looked down at the bewildered Camelia and murmured, ¡°Tomorrow will be a perilous day and you will y a very important role. Can¡¯t have you be in a confused state of mind now, can we?¡±


    Chuckling, he started walking toward the exit of the Hanging Garden while Camelia held him in silence, her thoughts running wild as she wondered what he was about to do with her.


    ***


    A few minutester, Camelia had a flushed look as she found herself lying down on Sol¡¯s bed with her arms tied down above her head by a mana string. Compared to some of their earliest y this was quite minimalist but this time, Camelia truly had the feeling that she could not free herself from the restriction tying her down.


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    ¡°This is¡­¡± She released a hot sigh, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°It seems like your preferences are still as perverted as always.¡± Sol chuckled, his words making her avert her gaze.


    Looming above Camelia, Sol got a first-hand chance to appreciate her mesmerizing beauty once again. She may not have the youthfulness of his other lovers like Isis and Setsuna, but she made up for it with her mature aura and her incredibly voluptuous appearance.


    Her body was everything a man could dream of and time seemed to have left no traces on her immacte self. Even when lying down, her breasts stood proud and defied gravity while her narrow waist was a delight for his eyes as he trailed down andsciviously took in her wide, plump hips.


    Sol had made sure to disrobe her nearly entirely beforehand, leaving her in nothing but a pair of pure-white lingerie. White stocking that reached her mid-thigh, a garter belt, and frilly crotchless panties. Her bra was not much better as there were open slits that revealed her perky nipples, giving ess to them.


    ¡°I always wonder what the other nuns would think if they realized the kind of underwear the so-called Supreme Daughter of Chastity wore beneath her clothes.¡± Sol was simply mesmerized by her lewd appearance. He knew very well that Camelia put that risque lingerie on entirely for his sake.


    As always, knowing how far his girls were willing to go for him was an extreme ego boost for him, even his junior agreed with him on that front.


    ¡°I don¡¯t usually wear this. I just thought¡­¡± Camelia mumbled to herself, fumbling with her words in shame. Telling Sol that she had prepared beforehand in case she got lucky was more shameful than she would have thought. The more women joined Sol the more insecure she felt. After all, they were all so cute. Her only advantage over them was knowing Sol for longer.


    Still, from the fiery look of lust in his eyes and the obvious swelling in his pants, she was d to see that her preparation had not been for nothing.


    Suffice to say, her insecurities did not escape Sol¡¯s keen mind. And it only made Camelia more cute in his eyes, his love for her only growing stronger. There were many things he wanted to say. But he knew very well that words were not enough in this situation.


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess I simply have to show you, how much I want you.¡± He breathed in her ear before proceeding to nimble it, causing her to shudder.


    Camelia looked curiously as Sol stood up and went to his drawer beforeing back with a sleeping mask in hand.


    ¡°You can say no, you know? Just in case, let¡¯s say the safe word this time is <em>war</em>. Say the word and I will immediately stop.¡± Sol had no n to go heavy in the SM today. Just a small y but just in case, it was always good to have a way to stop things. In a SM y, the one in control should always be the M.


    Sol was very careful on this as he knew that Camelia had once been truly blind, and he did not wish to arouse trauma in her.


    He covered her eyes with the sleeping mask he had specially prepared for this very asion.


    ¡°From now on, you don¡¯t need to worry about anything; just leave everything to me.¡±


    Camelia''s heart drummed violently against her chest, an erratic rhythm, after losing her sight. The raw sensuality in Sol¡¯s voice did not help. Her excitement and shame were at an all-time high.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡±


    She spoke but got no answer. The only thing she could hear was the rustling of clothes, which told her that he was disrobing himself. For a King-ranked being like Camelia, all her senses were extremely sharp, and the loss of her eyesight only sharpened those senses further.


    She didn¡¯t know what Sol had in mind for her, but she held no doubt that this night was going to be absolutely wild.

 Special Chapter Camelia (2)

    Special Chapter Camelia (2)


    Camelia could feel her heartbeat elerate greatly.


    There was a big difference between closing one¡¯s eyes and having them covered by someone else. All her nerves had gotten so sensitive that even her breathing sounded loud to her. The dryness of her parched lips and saliva going down her throat as she swallowed could be felt keenly enough to be called excessive.


    All of her senses seemed to havee alive now that she could not see with her eyes. The feeling of the meager clothing on her skin had never been so vivid, and her nipples started to be painfully erect and brushed against her undergarments, heightening the pleasure and excitement that was building up inside her.


    ¡°It seems like you are even naughtier than I first thought.¡±


    His voice sounded right next to her ear and feeling the hot breath in tandem with his sensual voice made her quiver. She could only imagine what she looked like now, with her hands tied above her head, her eyes covered, and her body only d in sexy lingerie.


    She heard Sol chuckle with amusement and felt something touch her abdomen, just below her breasts. He then tugged at her brassiere that wrapped around her smooth, jiggling breasts and then caressed her soft and malleable mountains.


    A moan of pleasure escaped her lips. The anticipation building up inside her threatened to ravage her mind. She wanted nothing more than to be touched, more and more, at every nook and cranny of her body by her beloved.


    When she bit her lips out of habit, Sol grabbed her lower lip with his index finger and thumb. He grasped and caressed her supple lips with his hand and yed with it to his heart¡¯s desire.


    It was a very strange feeling.¡°We have plenty of time to ourselves.¡±


    His voice sounded so full of desire; as if he was about to devour her and leave no traces of her existence on this earth. She had never felt so deeply desired after in her entire life. This made her realize how ridiculous her fear of Sol abandoning her had been.


    ¡°Open your lips.¡±


    He said in a low andmanding voice. She swallowed down hard, even forgetting to breathe, from the nerves she felt; her throat hurt due to the dryness she felt. Her face was tinted in a shade of luscious pink as she hesitated to follow through, but in the end, she let her lips fall apart slightly as he so wished.


    Soon, his lips firmly pressed against hers and a soft piece of wriggling flesh entered her mouth.


    His tongue smoothly ravaged the insides of her mouth. He slowly made his way around her teeth and the sides of her cheeks. A jolting pleasure unlike any other shuddered through her body when their tongues met and shed.


    It was a hungry kiss but alsoforting, a strange mixture. Camelia felt herself melt in his embrace, forgetting all the problems that gued them, even the war toe. In this very moment, all that mattered was the two of them.


    A throaty moan escaped from deep within her body, reverberating through Sol as he pushed on with the kiss. The hungry kiss gradually heated up further. He kept making her breathless until she reached her very limits. Then he parted his lips from hers, and after letting her catch her breath, started once more.


    Breathing had never felt so sweet and agonizing for Camelia. But Sol did not let her rest for long and started kissing her again.


    Their kiss continued that way for many more rounds. Camelia¡¯s shoulders, which had been stiff from nerves, gradually rxed, drooped, and even shuddered intermittently. His kisses were sweet and soothing. When he parted from a particrly long kiss, Camelia lightly gasped for breath. With only this much, it felt like she had been fighting for hours.


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    ¡°Now shall we get to the main course?¡± Sol said.


    A violent shudder ran through Camelia as she felt her bra beingpletely stripped off her. The cold sensation of air, brushing against her now-naked body was vividly felt by her enhanced senses, heightening her pleasure. She could feel her nipple stiffen further, growing rock-hard. While her lower abdomen heated up and leaked gushing streams of sticky love juices.


    ¡°You are gorgeous,¡± Sol muttered right into her ears before nibbling her earlobes with his lips. ¡°Tell me, how does it feel to be in the dark?¡± He seemed curious.


    Her heart swelled with a strange, ticklish feeling while her brain seemed to melt because of his words. As he gently rubbed on her naked skin, all her nerves jolted as if possessed by the very incarnation of pleasure itself.


    The fingers that had been on her lips moved down to her corbone, down her arm, brushing across her torso and upper body. Her body trembled in response to the hand that stroked her sides, gently avoiding her breast every time¡ª a masterful tease.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± She was confused. This was different from the sensation of Darkness she had in her memories, for obvious reasons. She knew that she simply needed to move what was covering her eyes to be able to see again. All she felt now was unending pleasure.


    ¡°I see. I guess I need to work harder then.¡± Though she could not see him, she felt him nod to himself. Then a clear chuckle escaped him as his hand finally reached her most intimate ce once again.


    ¡°You are even wetter than at the start. It seems like I am doing something right, at least.¡± His voice held a tinge of amusement as well as pride as he teased the outer lips of her moist garden.


    As soon as he finished speaking, Sol¡¯s fingers began sliding into her tightening folds. Her eyes shed at the sudden intrusion and she instinctively buckled. The pressure took her breath away as well as her senses as his thick fingers stirred her insides.


    Obscene sounds echoed out of her moist pussy. Each time a long finger pressed in deep, his thumb rubbed exquisitely against that sensitive bundle of nerves near her entrance.


    As Sol¡¯s hand pushed up again and again on her clit, Camelia¡¯s vagina got wetter and wetter with each passing second. Sloppy, sticky, and transparent love juices sshed out of her vagina with every movement of his digits.


    Camelia sobbed and shuddered with his brazen movements. Her legs went weak from the rush of pleasure and her mind was bing hazier by the second.


    But Sol showed no signs of stopping.


    While he worked on her vagina with his fingers, he traced his lips from her neck down to the vicinity of her breasts.


    A jolting pleasure from her breasts forced her to let out a short moan. He took a mouthful of her jiggling breast and sucked. As if milk wasing out of her breasts, he licked her nipples meticulously and without any pause. He kissed her nipples and bit them with just the right amount of pressure, making sure to stimte her enough without hurting her.


    Her body couldn¡¯t stay still with this ticklish and strange feeling growing inside of her. Her upper body bent upward slightly as her breasts jiggled with the writhing of her body.


    A familiar feeling ran along her spine, causing her to curl her toes in delight. Her breathing turned sharp, and she couldn¡¯t think of anything but the feelings that were brewing inside her chest.


    ¡°Sol¡­ It¡¯s¡­¡± She could hardly speak and words stoppeding out when a tingle surged up, flooding into her body and causing her muscles to spasm as euphoria circted throughout her entire body for what seemed to be an eternity. A long cry of throaty pleasure left her mouth as she reached a new height of pleasure.


    The short moment of bliss passed, and her senses dulled, while her body had no strength left in it to even move a single finger. She felt content. Even more so when Sol started caressing her hairfortingly. The feeling of his fingers smoothlybing through her hair as the climax slowly washed off her body was hard to describe. She missed these moments.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Sol asked, knowing the answer fully well. But Camelia did not disappoint him with her words.


    ¡°It was incredible.¡± Truly it was. This was pretty softcorepared to some of her entric tastes, but it also allowed her to enjoy quietly the ever-growing pleasure.


    ¡°I am d you enjoyed it.¡± Sol smirked, ¡°Time for round two.¡±


    He was going to enjoy this night thoroughly.

 Special Chapter: Camelia (final)

    Special Chapter: Camelia (final)


    During this period of war, Sol had done his best to restrain his libido as much as possible, It was only after the seven-day ceasefire that he was able to let his restraints loosen and finally rx.


    Even so, it wasn¡¯t as if he waspletely rxed. Though he projected an image of absolute confidence, he was filled with endless worries deep down. The weight of the expectations on his back could not be easily ignored, nor was he willing to ignore them. For the uing events, even the simplest mistake may cause him to lose his life or the lives of his loved ones.


    It was stressful, very much so.


    But right here, right now, holding Camelia in his arms, Sol could feel his heart finally find a semnce of peace. Though he knew he would have to fight for his life tomorrow, all that mattered at the moment was this woman who had been ready to give her life to him.


    This was why he fought. To spend blissful times with his loved ones.


    ¡°I will untie you for now. But let¡¯s keep the blindfold on.¡± He did not wait for her to protest before acting on his words.


    It¡¯s now time for the main event.


    A smile stretched his lips as he ced his rough hands on Camelia¡¯s smooth, plump thighs.


    Camelia moved her hips in surprise as she felt his hands on her limbs. A small shriek escaped her when he took hold of her ankle and spread her legs wide out of the blue.Shame burned her cheeks when she realized how ridiculous she must be looking with her legs spread apart like so.


    ¡°I want to devour you right now.¡± He said while kissing her ankles and leaving a trail of slobbering mess behind as he progressively went lower, inching closer to her moist hole.


    Camelia¡¯s hips moved involuntarily, chasing the sensation of his kisses, while her brain supplied her with an imagined vision of the entire scene. She knew she was dripping wet right now and the waterworks were not about to stop anytime soon.


    Sol could no longer hold himself back at the sight before him. His lower half had gotten beyond hard for some time already. So much so that it had started to hurt him.


    He held her hips with his hands, a bit roughly just how she liked it. Her long slender legs clumsily wrapped around his hips almost immediately, as if on instinct, bumping here and there through the process.


    ¡°Hold onto me,¡± Sol said, naymanded. He had to force himself to calm down and reign in his impatience but some of it still managed to leak out. With such a lovely woman in his arms, who could even me him?


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    She followed his order and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His muscles felt firm yet also flexible. Even though she could see nothing, the perfect definition of his body was enough to further intensify her excitement.


    ¡°I am going in,¡± Sol warned.


    He raised his upper body and centered himself against her, gradually adding his weight onto her voluptuous body. Soon, he inserted his manhood inside her inviting hole, inching through her quivering folds. She was still wearing her crotchless panties, making this scene more intense than it should have been.


    Camelia grunted as she felt him enter.


    His penis pressed in and stuck along the walls of her wet pussy. Her soft, fragile, and pink-hued inner walls trembled as they spread with the insertion of his member, making way for his cock. She furrowed her brows as she felt the gradual intrusion of the foreign object inside her.


    She felt like her body was twisting from the inside. Her wet internal walls had already wrapped and tightened around him. Her nail dug into his shoulder, but Sol did not even flinch nor groan in pain. This was absolutely nothing for him.


    He nibbled and licked her neck and chin, careful not to leave any marks on her body, and slowly made small movements along his hips.


    Like this, the oldest dance in the world started once again inside the confines of this room.


    He went on carefully; as if he was handling ss, fighting against his heart that wanted to rough up her body to his desires. One of his greatest struggles was always to make sure he did not end up hurting his women during the act. They were so fragile, after all. Even a King like Camelia would be in danger if he used all his strength if she didn¡¯t protect herself with mana.


    As the movement started to elerate, the pleasure on both sides continued to intensify. Her red inner walls, which twisted and swelled up, slowly began to wrap around his member and pulled him in, as if it had adapted to his size. Every time he thrust in, there was a lewd and obscene sound that rang from the inside of her body.


    She moaned out loud. She looked to be in pain, but her body still twitched with pleasure and reciprocated his movements. When he pulled out, she felt a searing burn along her inner walls, but once he pushed in again, her entrance swallowed him with a hunger that she had a hard time understanding. Her soft inner walls continuously stimted his shaft.


    The sound of flesh pping against flesh and the sloshing sound of lewd liquids being spilled and stirred stroked her ears obscenely, bringing endless pleasure to Camelia.


    Sol hugged her upper body tightly against his and changed his posture. She was ced on hisp, and his cock stuck her deeply due to her weight. Seized in a position that felt like the center of her body had been pierced to her depths, Camelia held her breath.


    Gradually, she lost all senses in the lower half of her body, and her mind felt weird and hazier than ever. She felt like she was on drugs even though she had never even taken drugs in her life.


    ¡°Hha¡­ Hha¡­¡± Her rough breaths increased, flooding the room alongside their lewd pants.


    ¡°Your insides are shaking like crazy, you know.¡± Sol breathed hard.


    He firmly held onto her hips as he bore deeper into her. Her juices flowed out from her down to her buttocks. As he continued to thrust, the viscous fluids created a constant and moist pping sound.


    He slowly changed the direction of his thrusts as he prated deeper into her folds, inching toward her womb. He concentrated on her panting and groaning and stubbornly hammered into all the sweet spots he remembered.


    ¡°Ah! Aah¡­¡±


    Her insides squeezed and started to spasm. He saw that she was about to climax and plunged deeper into her.


    Her body froze and she let out a long, throaty cry. Her entire body began to tremble. He was far from reaching his limit but stopped holding himself back.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum.¡± He warned and groaned immediately as he felt his penis swell and finally release everything he had been holding in.


    The two hugged each other tightly for a long few minutes, bathing in the pleasure their bodies elicited in the other.


    Camelia felt herself filled with strength. She wanted more, she wanted to continue. But a kiss from Sol managed to calm her down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep for now. We need to conserve our energy for tomorrow.¡± He smiled and took away her blindfold.


    The sudden intrusion of light was a bit hard on her eyes, but after blinking a few times, Camelia gazed at Sol and hugged him even more tightly. As if she wished she could fuse with him.


    ¡°I love you.¡± She knew those words might be corny to say after they just had sex, but those were her honest feelings. She loved him, more than anything or anyone in existence.


    Sol kissed her forehead, her words filled him with tion. He knew that she loved him, but the feeling when she uttered those words would never grow old.


    ¡°I love you too. More than you can imagine.¡± He said gently and with this, both closed their eyes, drifting towards dreand.


    The final act of this war was inching ever closer, but for now, they would rest.

 Chapter 638: Greed and Dwarves

    Chapter 638: Greed and Dwarves


    Far in the rocky mountains, civilizations had been developing for nearly a thousand years, steadily building up their power while spreading their influence over the world thanks to their rtively advanced technology.


    This civilization, once ves under the control of the Elves, was now recognized as one of the Seven Great Kingdoms. Relevant enough that they could share the power and control over the entirety of the Mortal Realm.


    They were called Dwarves and their kingdom was named after the goddess of Greed.


    Greed Dike.


    Known as thend of innovation by many, and respected by others for its superior technological advancement.


    Still, dwarves, for all their glorious advancement knew that they were still far from the very heights of technological advancement even in the Mortal Realm itself.


    Above them, and it was quite literally at that, reigned the supreme angels. The first-generation Divine creatures created by the goddesses. While they may have lost most of their divine power, they were still above everything that could evere out of the Mortal Realm.


    ***


    ¡°Your Lordship, as you have ordered I have sent the impeachment motion to all the kingdoms. I believe by now, Lustburg should have already obtained the news as well.¡±In avishly decorated room with the insignia of a hammer hitting an anvil decorating the wall, a rtively short but muscr man bowed respectfully while reporting the current situation to the short and slim woman, leisurely sitting on the sofa.


    ¡°I see and what did the king say?¡± The woman''s voice was beautiful; a singsong voice that made one think she was singing rather than talking. The man''s eyes lit up ever so slightly but he controlled his emotions and shook his head causing his short golden hair to flutter.


    An expression of disdain shed in his blue eyes at the mention of their king.


    ¡°The king is not the man he once was. He has been steadily losing his authority over the years and now he is only short of being considered nothing but a puppet of the council. Though he was against the motion, he did nothing outside of simplyining and throwing his usual tantrum.¡±


    It was clear that the man was intentionally berating the king, deting his authority, but the woman did not react to his words.


    ¡°You are a new Blessed. It would be wise to not let the feeling of euphoria from being destiny¡¯s chosen cloud your judgment.¡± The woman, who had simr features, slightly rebuked the young man. Her golden hair shimmered under the light as she looked down at the man before her.


    ¡°But of course, mydy. Do not worry. I have everything under control. Soon, I will ascend to the throne and everything will work out as they always did.¡± There was clear confidence in his voice. A confidence that no matter what he did, absolutely nothing could go wrong.


    The woman, seeing his attitude, could not help but sigh inwardly and look down at the crown prince of Greed Dike. Only pity and utter disdain bubbled up inside her whenever she set her gaze on the young man. He had no idea of the current situation, she was sure.


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    At the same time, she could not me him. It was a problem omnipresent in the new Blessed. Once one had a taste of absolutely everything going right for them, they generally became unable to think properly.


    As for her, she had been a Supreme Daughter for a few decades already. She already knew how to control her emotions and look at the broader picture. Fate was a fickle mistress and she would always let you down at the worst moment, crumbling everything you had built up throughout your life.


    ¡°Very well. I will believe you. What about the matter with Theresa? Is she still refusing toe back?¡± She had more interest in this matter. The king of Greed Dike was indeed limited in what he could do. But Theresa was different. She had known Theresa for years now. She even changed a few diapers for Theresa and her brother when they were kids.


    This was why she knew perfectly well how much of a monster Theresa was. The Supreme Daughter got a front-row seat to watch how little Theresa destroyed her brother from the inside out after all. A traitor he may have been, but Theresa''s callousness was deeply imprinted in her heart.


    Her martial power might be close to insignificant, but she made it up with her ridiculous luck and her skills.


    At the mention of Theresa, the prince showed an awkward expression. Clearly, even for all his pride and self-confidence, Theresa was a tough bone to break.


    Greed Dike was not so dissimr to Wratharis in that the king alone did not hold all the power. The only difference was that, in Wratharis, what mattered was thew of the strongest.


    In Greed Dike, it was thew of the richest.


    And Theresa had a crap load of money.


    Just thinking about all that made the prince¡¯s head hurt.


    ¡°I have solicited her on multiple asions, but clearly, she smelled the trap and refuses to leave Lustburg. I even threatened to seize all her ounts and business but sheughed at my face through the inte.¡±


    The Supreme Daughter could only show a bitter smile at the knowledge. There was no way the prince would be able to seize the assets of Theresa for no reason. If he did that then all the members of the councils would go in a veritable frenzy.


    After all, if THE Theresa could have her assets seized for made-up or no reasons, then what about them?


    For all their stupid greed, Dwarves became extremely clear-headed and united when their direct interests were affected.


    ¡°She also said that if I were to use underhand tactics to affect her business, she would simply defect to Lustburg and share all the patents and technology she has under her control.¡± The prince felt like he was on the verge of tearing his hair from frustration.


    If Theresa was physically in the Kingdom, even with all her influence, it would have been possible to control her. But since she was in Lustburg there was nothing much they could do.


    ¡°So, you have no solution?¡± She asked in a lighthearted tone, clearly not expecting much.


    His eyes became cold, ¡°I have prepared some of the Death Sworn. A few of them reached the duke rank and many are close to that level. They will be able to retrieve her and if not simply assassinate her. Those are the orders I have given.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± Her eyes twinkled at his response, both surprised and intrigued. Assassination wasmonce in Greed Dike. But the Death Sworn of the royal family was on a whole other level. ¡°I believe you made sure they leave no trace in case of failure, correct? We cannot give Lustburg any ammunition against us at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Since Lustburg is quite heterogeneous, a groupposed of Dwarves is not enough to me us. Furthermore, each of them has a death switch in case they are captured. But this does not matter. They are the best. Lustburg has no way of even catching them.¡±


    The prince showed a smug smile. He believed in the skill of his squad. They had never failed him.


    Lustburg was nothing but a backwater Kingdom that still followed outdated practices and was filled with barbarous individuals who could only swing their swords.


    In the first ce, weren¡¯t they only able to win the war thanks to the armor created by Theresa?


    Their prince might be strong, but that was all there was to those barbarians.


    ¡°I believe that soon, we will get very good news.¡± He chuckled to himself.


    As for the Supreme Daughter, the more confidence he showed, the more she felt like things were about to take a turn for the worse. As a Blessed, she knew to never dismiss such feelings.


    I guess I need to start preparing a retreat route.


    A crafty rabbit should always have three burrows after all.

 Book 4 Audiobook available on Audible

    Book 4 Audiobook avable on Audible


    Hi everyone ! SHK B4 now avable on Audible. The B4 cover the events with Lilith and awakening of Setsuna.


    With B4 now out I received 3 audible codes for credit. One credit allow you to get one Audiobook of your choice.


    I got 3 Free codes for Audible Credits. The codes are only avable for people in the US Sadly. If you are interested write inments. The winners will be randomly chosen.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Like the title say. This willst for one week. On Sunday I will enter the names of those whomented and randomize to get the winners.


    Please reminder that the codes only work if you are located in the US. The participants will be here on patreon and Royal Road. I will give two codes for Patreon and one code to RR.


    Once again leave ament if interested.

 Chapter 639: Discussion

    Chapter 639: Discussion


    A few days rolled away after Sol received the news of the impeachment motion.


    While this news brought with it someplexplications, ultimately, Sol did not fear it. He had ensured that Lilith had not fought openly during the war, only entering the fray to fight against the goons of the Wings of Freedom.


    The angels would have little legal ground to deal with him. What mattered more at the moment was protecting Lustburg from external attacks.


    Chloe¡¯s warning still echoed in Sol¡¯s mind. He was sure he could protect Lustburg by employing his dimension, but he was not sure if he could keep the encroachment deployed full-time as Tiamat does in her territory in the Astral Realm.


    To ensure the protection of Lustburg, he employed the witches to work on a new project. An ultrarge-scale n was employed to envelop the whole of Lustburg in a dome-style defense. To top it all off, he nned to use magic circles as the base for his eventual hijacking.


    Toplete this project Sol had been bleeding nonstop for days on end. His blood was an essential medium for the circle. It was an endlessly ufortable chore, albeit, extremely necessary, he knew. The only good thing was that Kali and Persephone came out of his dimension not long ago and could make sure the other witches wouldn¡¯t steal his blood for some of their experiments.


    Not like they would be able to glean anything out of it anyway. He had made sure to not mix in his new divinity in that blood. Sol didn¡¯t trust the other witches enough to risk his secret so soon.


    ***


    Sitting on a reclining chair, Sol rested his mind in the confines of the church office. This was different from his normal ce of work but there was a reason for this sudden workce shift. The office was not so different from his usual one in terms of design alone. Courtesy of Milia and ra working hard to make sure he was not disturbed.


    The only visible difference was the Phoenix insignia on disy instead of the encircling Snake.


    ¡°So, why did you take over my office again?¡± Camelia¡¯s voice echoed from his side. Leisurely sipping some coffee from her seat, she had voiced out her opinion in a nonchnt voice.


    She was not wearing her usual white and gold nun clothes but rather a simple dress that gave the former Supreme Daughter a more approachable appearance. Her long brown hair was neatly tied in a ponytail. Her eyes did not look in his direction but from the titling of her head, he knew that she was waiting for his answer.


    ¡°The atmosphere in the Tower is pretty stifling.¡± Sol shrugged. His brows furrowed as he looked at the documents detailing a plea for a raise for the Crown¡¯s Shadow. It seemed like they had been quite activetely.


    Because of their victory against Wratharis, spies from Wratharis, Envilya, Southern Pride, and even Greed Dike had been entering Lustburg in troves. He even had reports of people suspected to be chimera entering the border.


    Most likely they recognized Echidna¡¯s power from Milia and wanted to obtain more information regarding her.


    Sol counted, ¡°Freya is hounding me because of the promise we made but at the same time she is hounding me because of the wedding preparation, throwing more and more crazy ideas my way. Medea left the dimension but she is still meditating on her path towards the control of Time. Lilith meanwhile is avoiding me out of embarrassment because of the promise <em>she</em> made. Lilin is directing funny nces at me because she learned about Lilith¡¯s promise. My rtionship with Pandora is as awkward as ever. Some of the maids are literally in heat and get frisky with me.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but release a stretched-out sigh.


    Camelia raised an eyebrow while chuckling to herself. ¡°It seems like being free with your love is nowing to bite you back in the ass.¡±


    ¡°How crude,¡± Sol chided.


    ¡°What? I can¡¯t say ass?¡± Sheughed out loud and finished the coffee with a long sip before donning a more serious expression. It was time to get down to business.


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    ¡°Your love problem aside. What about that woman? Do you know where she is?¡±


    ¡°Dawn?¡± Sol looked up, his eyes trailing a golden string, ¡°She is always in my line of sight. At the moment, it seems she has holed herself up in Wratharis.¡±


    Another change after the war. Lilith was not the only woman avoiding him. Dawn had been using all possible excuses to avoid an audience with him. They both knew that if Sol wanted to see her, no number of excuses would change the situation.


    But Sol was willing to give her some space, for now.


    A few days ago, Dawn had asked to be transferred to Wratharis for a relief mission and also an apprenticeship under the Supreme Daughter of Ira. Technically, there was nothing bizarre about her request. After all, Holy Daughters had an obligation to serve and follow the Supreme Daughters of other goddesses.


    This was one of the reasons why Chloe was still in Lustburg. But be it Sol, Camelia, or Dawn herself, they all knew that Dawn needed no such things.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible she thinks that her Divine Kingdom is on the border between Lustburg and Wratharis. So, she must be exploring,¡± Sol nonchntly exined his ideas.


    ¡°You are¡­ quite rxed about this matter.¡± She didn¡¯t know what to say to the boy. This was quite literally a Divine Kingdom they were talking about. A direct path toward godhood.


    Sol had not revealed all his secrets but he had exined the threats they were facing. Old godsing back to life being their primary concern. Most of them had their Divine Kingdoms in the Divine Realm, which would make them nearly inessible due to the presence of the fourteen goddesses. However, there was always a catch. Some of those old fogies had their Divine Kingdom ced in the Astral Realm or Mortal Realm.


    Those old gods were far more dangerous since if they recovered their Divine Kingdoms¡­ they would directly get ess to their full powers.


    ¡°I am not worried about Dawn.¡± Sol smiled. He was constantly following Dawn. No matter how far she was, she could never leave his sight. In fact, he was even keeping an eye on Hypnos.


    Though the matter with Hypnos becameplicated due to him being a False God. But since Sol only made sure to observe possible variables, things were still in his hands.


    ¡°I think I have more or less located the Divine Kingdom already. Had she asked me, I would have given her the coordinates. Sadly, she fled. Her loss, I guess.¡± He was finding the situation extremely entertaining.


    Camelia did not share the same sentiments, however. ¡°Giving back the Divine Kingdom? Why not use it for ourselves?¡±


    If what Sol said was true, it was thanks to that Territory that Mars managed to be a Demigod so fast.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless for us.¡± Sol showed obvious disdain at the thought of using their territory. ¡°It would be one thing if Dawn was truly dead and her concept was free. But she is not. Anyone who fuses with her Divine Kingdom will only be a False Demigod at best. If they are lucky or talented, they might unearth some potential and grow close to bing a False God but the chances are so miniscule it is as good as being not a possibility at all.¡±


    Camelia could only show a bitter smile. Sol was showing disdain toward the so-called False Demigod realm but she knew that only very few people would refuse such a thing. After all, even the weakest Demigod was still a Demigod, false or not.


    Sol did not try to exin himself. He knew that his vision of the world had greatly changed with the things he learned along his journey, especially after his talk with Adam.


    The False Demigod realm might seem incredible for many but for the current Sol, it was only a waste. His sight had long since settled on Godhood and beyond that. But there was no need to focus on this now.


    ¡°How is Chloe?¡± Sol asked. Camelia knew he was obviously trying to change the topic so she simply nodded and answered, ¡°She has been quite down recently. But she is preparing her luggage. She ns to leave once the Christmas celebration and your coronation and wedding areplete.¡±


    ¡°Christmas, huh.¡±


    Christmas was quite a weird holiday in this ce. After all, there was no Christ nor Santa here. Yet this was a holiday that had been introduced by his predecessors. Perhaps because they missed Earth.


    Either way, since there was no worship of Christ, the date for Christmas was extremely loose and could be moved anytime in this period. Some consistency was generally required but Sol had pushed back the holiday because of the war.


    Now though. He wanted to allow his citizens to have as much fun as possible while peace was still present.


    It was his way of atoning in advance for all the wars he was going to wage.


    ¡°I will take a look at Chloeter. I wish to have a good talk with her before she returns to her home.¡± Sol knew he could easily capture Chloe and use his power to make her spill everything she knew. He could also use her as a hostage. She was a Holy Daughter after all.


    But that was not his wish.


    Chloe was his first friend. Someone he cared for greatly and he did not wish to harm her.


    At the same time, Sol was not one to let sentiment cloud his judgment. The very moment Chloe left Lustburg, Sol would forgo all their friendship and consider her as a future enemy if necessary.


    He respected her loyalty to her Kingdom. But Sol respected those who were loyal to <em>him </em>even more.


    He sighed and looked at thest document on his table. His hand had never stopped moving even as he talked with Camelia. This one document made him pause a bit.


    After all, this was a plea from soldiers on the frontier. They were pleading for Gerald to have a second trial with his achievements in the war added to the case.


    They wished for him to be pardoned or at least have a lighter sentence. Sol could have dismissed it but he decided to think deeply about it.


    Back then, Sol had been devastated by Gerald''s betrayal. What''s more, unlike Kali, Gerald didn¡¯t have a demigod-level mother protecting her. So, Kali ended up receiving a light sentence while Gerald received a far harsher one.


    Now, looking at it with more mature eyes, he still did not regret his decision. Gerald¡¯s crime was worthy of death. So, a simple exile was already leniency.


    Yet his feelings were less raw. Less hurt.


    He closed his eyes and approved the document, putting it in a separate list. A copy of this would be sent to the Hignd family.


    What they decided to do with this information would be up to them. For now, Sol would rather focus on the people that he truly cared for.


    Such as,


    ¡°So¡­ Camelia. Did you think about my proposal?¡± He asked her gently. It was now time to deal with her problem.

 Chapter 640: Listen to me please

    Chapter 640: Listen to me please


    Sol observed Camelia in silence. Camelia had once been one of the strongest Supreme Daughters to ever exist. The sole fact that she was able to enact the Goddess Descent ritual was proof of her nigh unparalleled strength.


    At present, however, she was hardly stronger than an average mortal. She had lost all of her powers, her realms broken, her mana veins destroyed, and her road to supremacy all but shattered. It would be impossible for her ever to be a powerful warrior.


    In the first ce, it was a miracle that she was still alive. A miracle that Sol knew would be impossible without his exponential power boost.


    ¡°Back then, I managed to save you but the wounds you received are simply too deep. You also consumed much of your life essence and went beyond your limits to maintain the goddess descent.¡±


    There was obvious guilt in his voice. With how strong Camelia was and with Castitas being as careful as she always was with her favorite Supreme Daughter, the Goddess Descent should not have posed Camelia any danger¡­ given it had notsted as long as it did.


    But to make sure his ritual would not be disturbed, Camelia went above and beyond all of her limitations, even going as far as to stake her life.


    Even though she looked like the picture of health, her lifespan was all but exhausted. A few years, that was the time she had left in this world.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t give me that look. Even now, I do not regret my decision.¡± Camelia smiled in Sol''s direction. ¡°Fate was at work; I should have died on that day. But you still saved me. Being here, with you, it is already incredible.¡±


    She would be lying if she said she did not mind living as a mere mortal. Not to mention, she had lost most of her influence in the church, and only the staunchest loyalists were willing to just listen to her. Camelia did not feel sad. She was no longer a blessed. Everything was up to Aurora now. However, by a twist of fate, Aurora left and nominated Camelia as the regent and bearer of her authority.


    But¡­ Even so¡­ If she was given the choice, she would choose to do it once again without the slightest hesitation.


    ¡°I know.¡± Sol nodded his head. He did not need to be reminded of the devotion his lovers had for him. Nor did he need to remind them of his own devotion and love for them.


    ¡°Still, you cannot stay like this.¡± His voice was resolute.


    Sol did not look down on the mortals or weak people in general. However, the matter of lifespan was not something he could take lightly.


    With him being part dragon, Sol¡¯s lifespan was already in the tens of thousands. With him ascending to the demigod realm and further, his lifespan would only be a string of numbers until¡­ he would achieveplete immortality.


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    Sol had no imagination of living all eternity by his lonesome. He did not want to stand alone on the lonely top with no one he loved at his side.


    That thought was one of the fundamental reasons why he made sure to constantly strengthen his lovers. He would, at the very least, bring all of them to the demigod realm. Gifting them eternal life was his first agenda.


    ¡°I am fighting so hard to reach that happy ending for all of us, not one where you aren¡¯t there by my side. ¡± It might be incredibly greedy of him but he nned to keep them all by his side forever no matter the cost.


    To aplish this, he would fight even the goddesses if that was necessary. This was his path, the determination that filled his heart and supported him to tread on his treacherous path.


    Camelia nodded but then shook her head, ¡°I know you mean well, and trust me. I am not like Lilith was. I have no wish to die. But there is nothing we can do. Not now.¡±


    ¡°Camelia¡­¡± Sol started but Camelia raised her hand.


    ¡°I know you have your ideas but listen to me please.¡± A begging note entered her tone, prompting Sol to be silent. Once he closed his mouth she continued, ¡°I should be dead. But I am alive. Do you think the goddesses aren¡¯t suspicious?¡±


    A sigh escaped her lips. ¡°Still, even if they are suspicious that is all. My chances of surviving weren¡¯t zero. So, let¡¯s say by some fluke I survived and got healed. Then I should be a cripple forever. What do you think will happen if I make a miraculous recovery? Even if you can manage to hide it like you did time and time again, I believe by now the goddesses are also reaching the limit of their patience and tolerance.¡±


    Camelia knew very well how the goddesses¡¯ minds worked. ¡°Right now, all theyck is an excuse. Simply one and we will lose Luxuria¡¯s protection for good. Meanwhile, what YOUck, is time.¡±


    She looked at Sol, though all she could see was a blurry outline, her empty eyes seemingly throwing an intense re at him.


    ¡°I will not! Let you heal me! Not now when you need to rest and umte.¡± Her voice rose an octave, but she leaked out a lethargic sigh in the end.


    ¡°Sol¡­¡± Her voice was softer now, more vulnerable. ¡°You are the most incredible genius I have ever witnessed. No, in terms of talent alone, you are a monster of the likes that has never been seen in all the realms. In less than one year you went from nothing to the King Realm. A King who can fight the demigods. No words can describe that feat.¡±


    She praised Sol, ¡°Now is the time when your growth will elerate even more. Since you are a Dimensional Mage, there is no bottleneck between you and the demigod realm. 3 months? 6? A year? No matter what, soon you will be an exalted demigod. But you still need that time.¡±


    ¡°You need time to grow stronger. Time to conquer all the mortal kingdoms. Time to build alliances. Time to better understand your skills and power.¡± She spoke with an earnestness that Sol had never heard from her before.


    ¡°Please. Do not squander that time. Look at therger picture. Think ahead. Prepare not for the present only but for the future as well.¡±


    Time was the greatest currency. One that could never be taken back.


    ¡°Once you be a demigod. You can do whatever you want. But for now, please, listen to me, okay?¡±


    Camelia could have simply refused to be healed. Sol could not force her after all. But she had learned her lessons after what happened in Lustburg with the whole Gerald debacle.


    There was no need for her to hide her reasons. All she had to do was sincerely exin what she had in her heart and converse with Sol about them.


    Only sincerity and open discussion could keep a couple alive after all.

 Chapter 641: Very well

    Chapter 641: Very well


    Camelia¡¯s sincere plea made Sol hesitate. No matter what he thought, the truth was that¡­ Camelia was right. This was not the best time to heal her. Even if he could do this with the power of Secrecy, he knew that this would be yet another thorn in his path, with a high chance ofpletely setting the goddesses on destroying him.


    As he was now, Sol could not win. He was more than assured about his chances against a false demigod. Even a true demigod would have a hard time winning against him.


    But gods and false gods were on apletely different level. It was too soon to discord all cordiality and face the goddesses.


    <em>Should I take a step back? </em>


    He mused for a short while before making his decision.


    His voice softened as he stood up from his seat, ¡°Let¡¯s make apromise, okay?¡± Approaching Camelia, he kneeled before her, taking her hands in his gently.


    His gesture warmed her heart and she smiled. ¡°I am listening.¡±


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t want me to heal you now and since you are indeed correct about the dangers of this action, I will not insist.¡± Sol was not an unreasonable person. ¡°But I refuse to leave you here.¡±


    ¡°Sol¡­¡± Camelia began but Sol stopped her mid-sentence.¡°No, you, listen to me this time.¡± His voice was utterly serious, leaving Camelia no room to interject. ¡°You are no longer a Supreme Daughter. You are not a Blessed and you are not a King-ranked being. Not even a Duke. As you are now, even the weakest assassin could kill you before I reach you.¡±


    Not only had Camelia lost all her strength, but even her power to influence others had be nigh non-existent. She truly had no way to protect herself.


    ¡°The Witches are working on our defenses and the Crown¡¯s Shadow are extremely skilled, yes. But¡­ the bitter truth is that you are now a liability, Camelia.¡±


    Sol knew his words were harsh. However, he also knew that Camelia had to understand her current status.


    Sol had many contingencies in ce and his power was growing constantly. Against Hypnos, Sol had been able to cover the world with his dimension without much problem. But it had been only temporary. Far from what Tiamat could do.


    Still, Sol was confident. He was growing stronger by the second. His soul was growing stronger by the day and so was his control. Thanks to opening the seven chakras, his body was also continuously strengthening, making him more of a cockroach than he already was.


    Camelia was right. What hecked the most at present¡­ was time.


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    ¡°Leave the Church and enter the Tower. There you will have many people observing your health and protecting you. People that I trust.¡± It went without saying that Sol did not trust most of the nuns of the Church. Not because he suspected them of being traitors, but for the simple reason that they were not his subordinates.


    They were believers of Castitas. The staunchest, most devoted believers of the goddess of chastity.


    Castitas may be their ally at the moment but there was no telling what could happen in the future.


    Even beyond the hypothetical scenario, Hypnos was a far more dangerous enemy than he was willing to admit, boasting a power few could counter or resist. If he decided to infiltrate the church and capture Camelia, even Sol might find it hard to detect him in time and protect his beloved.


    Sol was sure that after killing a demigod-realm avatar, there was just no way for him to produce another in a short time. However, in Camelia¡¯s current state¡­ Hypnos did not even need a Duke realm avatar to pose a threat to her life.


    <em>The church is not safe at the moment</em>.


    Sol could not help himself from leaking a dark chuckle at the thought.


    The Tower of Babel, on the other hand, was filled with only people who followed his orders. Camelia, in her obsession, had made sure to train all the maids and make them extreme loyalists.


    The mortals in the tower aside, Sol doubted there was any ce in the Mortal Realm that was better guarded than the Tower of Babel. Anyone who tried to infiltrate would face quite a nasty surprise.


    Camelia did not hesitate for long. She was not blind to her current circumstances, even though she indeed was blind in vision. She knew she was a liability, and she refused to let her weakness be the shackles that put Sol in harm¡¯s path.


    ¡°Very well. I will follow your wishes.¡± Camelia squeezed his hand and nodded obediently. ¡°But, what about the church?¡±


    ¡°Let the White Knight take care of it for you.¡± Sol shrugged. He did not care much about the church, in all honesty, but he just could not leave it in the hands of someone he did not trust either.


    The White Knight had continuously proven his loyalty to Camelia, even if that came with the distasteful vor of his own form of love for her. Funny as it was, Sol knew the man was more of a Camelia worshiper than a Castitas worshiper.


    It was quite interesting how the three highest-ranked members of the church were, in fact, not believers.


    ¡°The White Knight?¡± Camelia nodded after hearing his name. ¡°Speaking of him¡­ You have prepared the reward ceremony, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course?¡± Sol sighed and took a seat next to Camelia.


    The aftermath of the war was truly the most troublesome. Sol had made many promises before the start of the war and now it was time for him to fulfill them.


    He simply needed to work on the right order of things.


    ¡°I will officially reward all those who need to be rewarded after my Coronation. But I made sure everyone received the physical rewards such as money and territory.¡± Sol wished to stop there and be done with it, but ceremonies existed for a reason.


    It was important for him to show off his generosity.


    ¡°This will also be the best time to announce our alliance with the Witches.¡± Sol had already nned everything down to thest detail.


    ¡°This is why¡­ I believe it¡¯s time to prepare ourselves and reach out to the Elves.¡± He grinned. This visit promised to be quite intriguing.


    But before going to the legendarynd of elves, he had three tasks to take care of.


    One was catching Lilith and stopping her from hiding. The second was to have a heart-to-heart discussion with Pandora and even Freya, for that matter. As for thest task¡­


    ¡°I guess I need to take care of some midgets,¡± Sol murmured as his gaze seemed trained on something far, far away.


    A derisive smirk arose on his face at what he was seeing.


    He had been feeling stifled and stressed as ofte. However, it seemed that some entertainment wasing his way, very soon.

 Chapter 642: Rats

    Chapter 642: Rats


    As they said, an elder at home was akin to a treasure. Meanwhile, Sol had the eldest being in the entire universe housed right in his soul. It would have been stupidity to not make use of this tremendous chance and learn from Adam.


    Sol had learned many things over this short period of super growth, new skills new power, and a way to cover the entirety of the capital with his power.


    The skill he was trying to learn was what Adam referred to as <strong>The World</strong>. Adam developed this skill based on his own World Seed when he was human. Since Sol had a slightly simr seed. Adam judged it would be possible for Sol to learn it.


    He was right. Sol had been able to learn the basics very fast. But Sol underestimated just how powerful <strong>The World</strong> was.


    When Sol unleashed his version of <strong>The World</strong>, a perfect domain enveloped him where absolutely no secret could be hidden from him. Though it sounded cool, the sudden influx of all knowledge and information of the minutest details that were enclosed within this domain flooded right into his brain. Therger the domain, the higher the information flux.


    This was just the first stage of the skill. ording to Adam, in theter stages, Sol should be able to analyze allws in the domain and have absolute control over them.


    This skill only served to tell Sol how much of a monster Adam was. Even with all of his capabilities that transcended an ordinary King, Sol had been positively overwhelmed by that power. But Adam had been supposedly a mortal when he obtained that skill.


    From what Adam told him, he had managed to awaken and support [The World] thanks to receiving enlightenment from Buddha himself.


    In all honesty, his words only seemed like pure bullshit to Sol. But after everything he had seen, he could only acknowledge the truth.Since Sol did not have the luck of receiving enlightenment from a heavenly being, the skill was very taxing on his mind and he generally only kept it up for a limited amount of time. However, he always made sure to repeatedly cast and maintain the skill every one or two hours.


    Even when he was discussing with other people, the skill was still kept on in the background. From what he was seeing now, that seemed to be a good decision.


    ¡°Anything the matter?¡± Camelia asked as she saw an amused smile stretch on his face.


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    ¡°Nothing important. Only a bunch of rats.¡± Sol stopped paying any heed to their presence after sensing only three Dukes among them.


    There was no need for him to waste his precious time on pests. He had exterminators specialized in dealing with such problems.


    ***


    In front of the Capital gate, a small group of merchants were negotiating with the guards.


    ¡°From what I remember, the entry fee was only 3 gold. Please, we already lost some merchandise to the beasts on the road. Our ie will diminish greatly.¡±


    One of the merchants, a pot-bellied dwarf with arge red beard, was wiping his sweat as he begged the guards. Said guards only directed looks of ridicule at him, however.


    ¡°The entry fee has increased to 10 gold. Pay up or beat it. You are slowing down everyone else,¡± The guard answered with a look of arrogance and derision.


    Ever since their victory against Wratharis, there have been more and more caravans regrly entering Lustburg.


    In the past, the atmosphere had been drastically different. Lustburg was partially dependent on dwarven steel so the guard acted very respectfully to the dwarven merchants who came to Lustburg. But since the first embargo by Greed Dike; the rtionship between the two countries has deteriorated rapidly.


    If Lustburg was not a melting pot of different species, dwarves would most likely have not even been allowed entry to the capital.


    Even so, the taxes for dwarves merchants of Greed Dike had increased tremendously. Meanwhile, the native dwarves of Lustburg were spared from such discrimination.


    The merchant gritted his teeth. He could see that no one would help him so he ultimately decided to give up.


    He threw a small pouch at the guard, who caught it with a victorious smile.


    ¡°If you had the money, you should have just given it sooner,¡± Snickering, the guard finally stepped aside, allowing the convoy entry.


    ¡°Remember. Don¡¯t cause any trouble. We have our eyes on you. You should register with the merchant guild. The pass you received will only work for one week.¡± He gave them onest look before ignoring them altogether. He returned to his work, collecting the entrance fee from the others who required entry into the capital.


    The merchant gave a warm smile and nodded repeatedly, assuring them that he knew the proper procedures, before entering through the gate with his group.


    It was a groupposed of ten dwarves. Seven were armed guards, while thest three were the merchant, his wife, and his daughter.


    The small caravan advanced slowly through the street reserved for them, and the merchant showed a merry mood as he sat inside the coach with his daughter and wife.


    ¡°Dear, do you n to go to the merchant guild now?¡± The wife had rtively tanned skin and a slim body. Her mouth spewed words of love but her eyes were as calm as a stagnantke.


    The merchant dwarf shook his head, ¡°We don¡¯t need to. After all¡ª one week will be more than enough for us.¡±


    A coldugh escaped his merry lips, his eyes focused on the tower in the distance. The phase one of the n went quite well. He was more than a bit disappointed in Lustburg¡¯s defense. The prince had overestimated these buffoons.


    What the dwarves didn¡¯t know was that the guard who had extorted money from them was showing an equally cold smile as he observed the slowly advancing caravan from behind. With a silent whisper, he transmitted a message regarding the intruding dwarves.

 Chapter 643: Promotion

    Chapter 643: Promotion


    While the elite spies and assassins of Greed Dike were passing through Lustburg¡¯s entrance, inside the secret chamber of the Crown¡¯s Shadow, Milia sat on her desk while filtering through the reams of reports her subordinates had handed over to her periodically.


    ¡°So, this time it¡¯s the dwarves?¡± She mused to herself, wondering out loud. Her words elicited a small chuckle from her friend, Katia.


    Like Milia, Ketia was one of the orphans who was kidnapped and subsequently experimented on by King Neptune, Sol¡¯s grandfather. He was the so-called Puppet King, a disgrace in the history of Lustburg. Though her loyalty could notpare to Milia¡¯s she was still a valuable asset of the kingdom, serving faithfully beside her friend through the years.


    ¡°One of the agents we stationed on entrance guard duty managed to identify them as highly suspicious and dangerous individuals. He couldn¡¯t correctly assess their power level, but that in itself was strong proof of their suspicious nature. There is no way this is your run-of-the-mill caravan of merchants.¡±


    Milia nodded, agreeing to her friend¡¯s assessment. The influence of the Crown¡¯s Shadow had steadily grown ever since Sol took control of the organization and now they basically had infiltrated all sectors of society. From the red lights of the lowly brothels to the sparking chandeliers of high nobility, their eyes and ears were everywhere.


    It went without saying that Milia held more than a bit of pride in her organization.


    ¡°We need to know what their objectives are. Observe them from afar for now. But make sure to immediately capture them at the first instance of any suspicious movement, no matter how slight.¡± Milia did not want to capture them now as they were still technically merchants. Capturing them would only bring in another wave of international diplomaticplications for Lustburg given they were from a different kingdom. With everything that was going on for them, they did not need another set of trouble, especially something they could avoid by being patient.


    However, if the situation called for it, she would act first and ask questionster. Sol had officially delegated enough power to her that she now wielded the necessary authority to ughter nobles, if they proved to be suspicious, without asking for his input.


    Pushing the documents aside, she focused on the more important matters.¡°How is the reorganization of the grouping along?¡± They needed to expand more, fast. Now that Sol had taken over Wratharis, they needed to create a base of operation there and make sure they had eyes and ears everywhere in the Beastkin Kingdom as well.


    It was necessary to have enough experienced members and someone trustworthy at the helm.


    ¡°Everything is working well. I am preparing to move soon. All I need is to have a chat with the princess to bid my farewells, then I can leave.¡± Katia answered Milia.


    She had once been Lilin¡¯s maid and her most trustedpanion. The two of them spent years together, even after Lilin had journeyed beyond Lustburg and into the world. Katia had been there beside her as she explored the world to broaden her horizons, always there to help her in need.


    In terms of loyalty, she was far more loyal to Lilin than to Sol or the country. Milia did not find this situation troublesome. As long as Ketia kept her ideals and loyalty to herself without influencing the recruits noplications will arise.


    ¡°As for the matter of recruiting new blood¡­ as sad as it may be, the reality is that the war had stripped many children of their parents, rendering them orphans. No matter how much the Crown Prince helps financially, he can¡¯t help everyone after all.¡± Ketia found the measures Sol put in ce to be very admirable.


    However, she did not find them realistic. There was a limit to how much he could protect and save people with his actions. Many soldiers and civilians had died, creating many widows and orphans. Be it in Lustburg or Wratharis.


    Though the situation was worse in Wratharis.


    ¡°Princess Setsuna seems to be taking action to implement aid and relief to the victims of the war in Wratharis, however, she barely has any semnce of control of the country. Furthermore, unlike us, Wratharis seems to be in a deficit. I doubt she can realistically implement the same programs as us without bankrupting the Kingdom.¡± As an orphan herself, Ketia wished to help. However, the reality was working against her.


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    Milia nodded in acknowledgment, ¡°The prince has decided to lend some money to Wratharis, but there is a limit to how much we can offer. After all, our own coffers have fallen dangerously low due to war expenses.¡±


    She waved her hand, ¡°Either way, try recruiting as many orphans as possible. We will offer them training and resources. The only problem is fostering loyalty in them.¡±


    Creating strong soldiers was an extremely long and arduous initiative.


    Creating strong and loyal assassins and spies, on the other hand, was a whole different ball game.


    At times, years of meticulous training and relentless indoctrination were required to create just one capable assassin, sometimes even that wasn¡¯t enough. However, they did not have much choice in their hands.


    <em>Time huh¡­ </em>Milia could not stop herself from leaking a wistful sigh.


    Her own training to reach the King realm should have been her top priority. However, <em>time </em>was not something she had droves of and her responsibilities were many. There were simply too many things that needed her attention.


    The only good thing was that ra took care of most of the administration problems, leaving Milia to handle the less savory side of the issues, the problems she was suited to resolve.


    The security of the state was not something to be taken lightly after all. Even though she knew she had to delegate more of her duties to others, she did not have any suitable candidate in mind¡­


    <em>Oh?</em>


    She stopped short, remembering the name of someone who had more than enough loyalty and was worth training.


    <em>Should I give it a try?</em>


    She hesitated for a brief instant but, in the end, decided that she had nothing to lose by just trying. The woman was already Sol¡¯s official retainer. So, there was nothing wrong with giving her a few more responsibilities. She was of course thinking about Athena Hignd.


    <em>I doubt Athena will be useful in the Crown¡¯s Shadow but ra would surely love to have an assistant to take some load off her shoulder.</em>


    Athena Hignd was an extremely straightforward, honorable, and loyal woman.


    If she was used as the face of Lustburg¡¯s administration, with her high pedigree and her identity as a pure human, many of the problems ra and Milia faced would vanish.


    After all, there were still many nobles who hated the fact that a prideful, obnoxious elf was positioned in such an important role by Lustburg¡¯s king. No matter how many times ra proved her skills, there was virtually no way to convince the people who had set their minds on thinking otherwise.


    <em>While ra takes Athena, I can take Ares.</em>


    A well-structured n was forming in her mind. Ares was not as strong as her sister and he was also not the heir of the Hignd family, however, he was as loyal as her while not being as bullheaded in certain aspects.


    He was a talent worth recruiting.


    Once her course of action was decided, Milia stood up from her seat. She needed to meet His Highness and exin what she needed. The Hignd family was too high-ranked for her to mess with without explicit approval.


    ***


    In the basement of the mansion belonging to Hermes Traver, Theresa was busy drawing away while sitting on a small tool, perfect for her height.


    Different schema and diagrams littered the ground but she had no care as a crazed look filled her eyes. Her mind was working in overdrive and more and more lines andplex shapes were added to the schematics.


    ¡°This is it! This is the way!¡±


    She was filled with pure jubtion. Ever since she discovered the golem and worked on the Rangers, Theresa felt like she had entered a new world of pure bliss. She had apanion who could exchange with her necessary and overqualified workforce as well as near unlimited funds.


    The Rangers were powerful. Perhaps one of the greatest things she created after the creation of Sol¡¯s Divine Weapon¡ª The Eye of Akasha. However, that came no way close to satisfying her. She wanted¡­ needed more. She had to reach the height of creation itself.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± A crazedugh bubbled out of her mouth like foam. Her hair was frayed as she had not bathed in days. Her hands were stained in ink smudges and her eyes were bloodshot with heavy bags stretching long beneath them.


    But she had never been so excited in her entire life.


    If Sol was present, he would look at Theresa in utter disbelief since he would notice that she had unknowingly entered the Duke realm and was instinctively using her Zone to increase her focus.


    If he looked at her soul, he would realize that the True Name of a King was slowly forming in her soul and a concept was building based on her insight.


    In fact, Theresa herself was not conscious of all the changes happening to her. All she knew was that she had entered a moment of epiphany and that she would sell her soul to keep this moment going even if for a fraction of a second longer.


    As for what she was creating¡­ If Kali could take a look at the schematics littering the ground, she would realize that she, perhaps, should not have talked about Nuclear Fission, Thermodynamics, and other such concepts with someone as crazy as Theresa.

 Chapter 644: Promotion (2)

    Chapter 644: Promotion (2)


    Even though Sol had been unable to sense anything at first, the slow but steady increase in his power, paired with the distinct whispers of the threads of fate made sure that he couldn''t ignore something incredible happening right under his nose.


    <em>What the heck? </em>


    He nearly jumped when the threads of fate started twisting around him, warning that something dangerous was about to happen.


    ¡°Sol, is something happening?¡± Camelia asked from Sol¡¯s embrace. She had been snuggling in his embrace, drifting blissfully into sleep. That was why her voice was incredibly groggy, stirred awake from the sudden jolt she felt. But Sol shook his head and shushed her. Giving a kiss on her forehead.


    ¡°Sleep. I will exinter.¡± There was no need to exin now.


    Camelia nodded and simply closed her eyes, drifting back to sleep. Meanwhile, in the room, a second Sol appeared out of nowhere and nodded to the Sol who was sleeping with Camelia before walking through the wall.


    This was one of the skills Sol had obtained after ascending to the King realm. As long as it was within his sphere of control, he was able to create a projection of himself and by dividing his thoughts, he could control all of his projections simultaneously.


    In a way, this was a nascent form of Omniscience, allowing him to be in many ces simultaneously. Since all his projections existed in his sphere of control, they could act as ry stations and allow him to use his power and skills wherever his projections were ced.


    ***Sol¡¯s projection flew through the air toward the ce where he felt the disturbance, invisible to all. At his level, impeding the perception of ordinary mortals was extremely easy.


    If he used the full extent of his powers, creating a projection directly at his destination was not a problem for him as it was under his sphere of influence. However, Sol refrained from it as it was not exactly necessary for him.


    <em>The direction is¡­ Duke Hermes¡¯ residence? </em>


    Sol was quite surprised. Hermes was a Duke both as a leader and a warrior. There was no one else in the house with a simr sense of talent or power as him.


    Well, there was one¡­


    <em>Theresa? Really?</em>


    He was positively mystified by his knowledge. As far as he could remember. Theresa has always been a weak but extremely resourceful woman. Some may even say she was¡­ too resourceful.


    Sol held immense respect for the diminutive woman. Sol did not doubt that he was a one-in-a-generation genius. But many factors had aligned perfectly to bring about his current achievements.


    Theresa was different, however. She was the ultimate genius, the apex of all geniuses. An epoch-changing monster who could revolutionize an entire era with her talents alone.


    <em>What kind of discovery did she make this time?</em>


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    He thought inwardly as he stopped above Hermes¡¯s mansion, wondering if he should enter or not.


    From where he stood, he was able to look through the entire house and witnessed Theresa furiously sketching in her canvas as though she was possessed by the God of Schematics themselves. Her current condition did not allow her to stop, lest something irreversible may happen.


    ¡°An epiphany?¡± Sol nodded to himself,ing to an understanding of her current situation. It was impossible to disturb her at the moment.


    In fact, he had to make sure there would not be the slightest disturbance to her. Thinking up till here, he moved his hands and created a miniature space bubble, encasing Theresa¡¯s room within it and isting her from the outside world. No one could enter now.


    <strong>{Hermes. No one is to enter the basement where Aunt Theresa is working. I have already set up a barrier but better be safe than sorry.}</strong>


    Sol could see Hermes jump at the sudden whisper entering directly into his mind but he ignored the man¡¯s antics. The epiphany of a genius such as Theresa was something that should never be halted even if it meant the world would end the next second.


    ¡°I wonder just how much of a monster she will be now.¡± He could feel his blood rising in excitement at the thought.


    Theresa had been a monster since practically forever. However, she was greatly limited by her mortal mind. Her ability to process information could never go past a certain level.


    Now that she was a Duke and even had the potential to be a King, her processing power would simply be off the charts,pletely different from anything she had been previously capable of. She might be able to work, 10 or perhaps 100 times faster than ever.


    Thinking about this, two new projections appeared and flew in separate directions. One toward Milia and one toward ra.


    Sol had many ns for Lustburg''s growth and Theresa was proving to be an essential piece for those ns to be reality.


    To ra, the message was simple. They had to start preparing more workers for the genius dwarf. The witches were extremely skilled but they couldn¡¯t simply rely on them for everything.


    It was necessary to find more skilled personnel from Lustburg itself rather than just depending on external entities. The initial screening would be left to the elf. He believed in her skill and judgment. The final screening would be done by him. There was no way he was about to let even the faintest possibility of something bad happen after all.


    All the people who will work close to Theresa need to bepletely and absolutely trustworthy.


    As for Milia, the message he sent was even clearer.


    ¡°Capture all the spies who infiltrated Lustburg. No questions asked. No hesitation. Anyone who resists should be immediately executed.¡±


    His orders were cold and blunt, leaving no concessions. He initially nned to leave the spies to y around a little and go back home with nothing to show. This way, there would be fewer spies infiltrating their kingdomter.


    However, Theresa¡¯s current condition had changed his mind. He would not leave anything to luck. He would make sure to exterminate all spies and possible assassins.


    ***


    Milia had been walking toward the church when she found Sol appear next to her and share his orders before promptly vanishing like he had never existed in the first ce.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± She sighed before tracing her steps back. She didn¡¯t know why Sol went from mere observation to capture on sight and even elimination at the drop of a hat, but it wasn¡¯t her ce to question his decisions in the first ce. Unless she thought it would do more harm than good that is.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s the best time to let the crew exercise their limbs a little.¡± Thest time they were in full destruction mode was when Sol ordered the death of many rebels from the noble households.


    Equipping hermunicator, she promptly sent orders to all avable agents.


    ¡°Ketia. Code Yellow. Full Freedom of action is allowed. Avoid disturbing the civilians at all costs and make it clean.¡± She unequipped themunicator and vanished into the shadows,plete silence descended at her departure.


    This night promised to be extremely bloody and gory. After this night, she was sure that few would dare to bring their spies into Lustburg ever again.

 Chapter 645: Promotion (3)

    Chapter 645: Promotion (3)


    The sudden, unnatural spike in Theresa¡¯s aura did not rm Sol alone. The aura of an unknown King was a cause of concern for practically everyone who could sense it and necessitated identification.


    Lilin, Isis, and a few others gazed at the distance, wondering if someone had be daring enough to attack Lustburg again. However, feeling Sol¡¯s aura that he was intentionally emitting to affirm his presence, they calmed themselves down almost immediately.


    They knew that since Sol was there, there was nothing to worry about. Everyone lost all interest in the matter and focused on their own tasks.


    ¡°It seems like this happened in the direction Miss Theresa was located in.¡± Isis mused, causing Lilin¡¯s eyes to narrow.


    ¡°I guess this means we need to elerate our training as well.¡± After the recent war, everyone noticed a substantial boost in their powers. Thus all of them were racing to reach the next realm of power.


    Isis and Lilin were no different as they were meditating on the names and concepts of their King state.


    ¡°To be honest. I knew that I would be a King eventually. But I thought it would take me years if not decades to reach the realm.¡± Lilin clenched her fist as she felt the raw power coursing through her veins.


    The power of War filled her body and mind at all times, propelling her to the next level. Not only was she bing incredibly stronger but killing techniques appeared one after another in her head.


    Different types of war existed and the one Lilin chose to embody was the primal destructive nature of war. A primal concept that relied on pure martial power, brutality, and absolute might.The more she focused on this feeling the more concrete the name in her mind felt.


    ¡°You have Sol to thank for this. Thanks to the contract relying on us, Sol¡¯s growth and power affect ours and vice versa. Furthermore, we were partly integral to his contract and got many benefits in return.¡± Isis was not as excited as Lilin for obvious reasons.


    She could have already be a King a year ago if not for her desire to not follow the same concept as her father which would have ultimately caused a sh in their road to the pinnacle.


    However, since Sol promised her that no such thing would ur, she was able to rest easy. She could simply focus on building her new name.


    <em>It¡¯s quite the pain.</em>


    She had used the name <strong>Erishkigal</strong> for years on end already and had gotten used to it. Having to build up and control a new name was something she would have liked to avoid. However, thinking about such matters was pointless now.


    ¡°Speaking of that, I am surprised that Aunt Theresa is bing a King. She did not seem very talented in the way of cultivation.¡± Lilin spoke about her doubts regarding Theresa. She was pretty close to the genius dwarf since the two of them fought together during the invasion of Lustburg enacted by the Wings of Freedom.


    From what she remembered, Theresa herself had admitted that she was not particrly talented in cultivation which was one of the reasons she was so enthusiastic about machinery.


    ¡°My Father likes to say that all the roads eventually converge on the same destination. At the end of the day, as long as she finds her own Truth, nurtures a True Name, and finally obtains her concept, she will carve herself a road towards Ascension.¡±


    Lilin readily epted Isis¡¯ reasoning. Remembering Arachne Mris as a great example. That woman became a Duke by virtue of her own excessive talent in arts. Thinking that way, it was strange that someone as monstrously talented as Theresa never managed to be a Duke until now.


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    ¡°Well. We should focus on our own problems for now,¡± A bitter smile was etched on Lilith¡¯s face as she mentioned the troubles they were going through. But Isis only giggled when she saw her being so bitter.


    ¡°Heh¡­ What is going on?¡± On Isis¡¯ head was a small fairy. Scheherazade had been sleeping for a long period since the end of the war. She had intervened despite being told not to but everyone appreciated the devotion the loveable small fairy had shown.


    Isis was not too worried about her friend''s current state. She could feel that the small fairy was also growing stronger at an elerated rate.


    She had a feeling that soon, the Tower of Babel would be filled with King-ranked warriors and magicians.


    ***


    While Lilin and Isis were rtively indifferent to the changes happening to Theresa, there was a certain someone who could hardly ignore it.


    ¡°Oh. I thought you would continue to avoid me.¡± Sol, who had been waiting above and making sure that no one would disturb Theresa, smiled at the neer.


    ¡°Well¡­ I have been busy. Training, fighting Wukong, and some other important matters that needed my undivided attention.¡± A feminine voice answered him as the neer stopped in front of him.


    Lilith Luxuria. Once the Regent Queen of Lustburg, she was one of the few with the power to truly ascend as a demigod. In more ways than one, she could be considered a Demigod even now. All shecked was the creation of a Territory toplete the process and receive a substantial boost to all of her abilities.


    ¡°Other matters huh¡­¡± Sol gave an amused nce at Lilith who simply looked away from him, too embarrassed to hold his gaze. Neither of them had forgotten the promise she had given in the heat of the moment and while Sol was not one to pressure someone, he sure as hell intended to cash out on the wish.


    ¡°No matter. This is not the ce to talk about such things.¡± Once he made her a little embarrassed, Sol decided to not tease Lilith too much for the moment. ¡°At first I thought that Theresa was simply building her name. But it seems like she is ready to be a King in one go.¡±


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Lilith was speechless when she heard Sol¡¯s ount of Theresa¡¯s current state. ¡°People sure are different.¡±


    She still remembered how she only managed to be a King after losing her brother and ze during the war. Now, Theresa was about to go from nothing to King rank in one night?


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Honestly, Theresa should have already be at least a Duke long ago. What you are witnessing is the results of decades of umtion, all ignited by one spark of inspiration.¡±


    Theresa had created a divine weapon and dozens of high-ranked weapons throughout her lifetime. She was the leader of a project that allowed mortals to match Dukes through the usage of armor and now she was working on an even more grandiose subject.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that she never managed to grow until now because of herck of confidence or some other psychological reasoning. What matters now is that soon, I will have another King under my banner.¡±


    ¡°I doubt she will be much of a fighter, even as a King,¡± Lilith interjected but Sol merely shrugged.


    ¡°True. But her mind alone is worth more than anything. Don¡¯t you want to know for yourself? The kind of wonders a King-level Theresa can create.¡±


    ¡°The kind of monstrosities you mean.¡± Lilith shuddered just imagining what would happen when that crazy lunatic ascended to the King realm.


    Theresa had always been a daredevil. She was the woman who did not hesitate to steal an egg from Echidna while being chased by a Chimera.


    The only limitation Theresa had until now was her realm. Now that limitation was about to vanish. The more she thought about this, the more she paled with fright.


    Theresa was truly someone who could easily change thendscape of power. What made her even scarier was that her increase in power did not just affect herself alone.


    She would be affecting everyone around her with her change.


    What if she was able to create an armor that would allow the Rangers to fight toe-to-toe with a King rank? What if such a weapon could be mass-produced?


    ¡°You seem scared.¡± Sol couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at Lilith¡¯s reactions, ¡°Well, you have every right to be. If I am not wrong¡­ what Theresa is designing is truly outrageous.¡±


    Sol¡¯s memories of his past life on Earth may be cloudy after all this time¡­ but he knew that he definitely had never worked as a physicist. Even so, it was not hard to guess one of the things she was working on.


    ¡°Trust me, Lilith, history will be changed forever starting now. The new era of warfare is about to begin.¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes twinkled as he watched Theresa as if he were watching some supreme treasure he could absolutely not part with.


    Clearly, after this, he would make sure to increase the protection surrounding the crazy dwarf. She was now no different from a national treasure.


    As he thought, Theresa''s aura seemed to reach a crescendo before it finally stabilized after breaching thest obstacle.


    ¡°Sess.¡± Despite all her worries, a smile filled with warmth bloomed on Lilith¡¯s face. Theresa was her friend and an oldpanion. Seeing the crazy small woman be stronger may be scary but it also made her incredibly happy.


    <em>Arachne is going to be so pissed once she learns about this.</em>


    Lilith giggled internally. After all, with Theresa in such a situation, it means that out of all the people in their past team. The only non-King was Arachne.

 Chapter 646: King Name

    Chapter 646: King Name


    Theresa could instinctively feel that whatever source had fuelled her initial inspiration was slowly dying. Yet she did not try to keep holding onto it, epting the end as the natural cycle of things.


    More than anything, she believed in herself. Believed that she could achieve greatness without needing some spark of inspiration from Fate or anything of the sort.


    Her surroundings had gotten strange amid her reverie. This was not the interior of her Hermes¡¯ estate nor any building she knew of.


    All she could see was a forge, filled with a beautiful crimson me that seemed ready to burn for all eternity, an anvil, a b of metal, and a hammer. She realized what this ce was immediately.


    <em>My inner world.</em>


    It was the ce that every being could enter once they reached a level close to or surpassed that of a Duke. The soul pce was the Gate of Truth. In this ce, time and space were meaningless. An eternity could go here and only an instant would have transpired in the real world.


    ¡°It seems like many things have changed.¡± She muttered to herself. Now that her mind had stepped out of the reveries, she could fully focus on the changes that her body had undergone over the days of her blindly pursuing the spark of inspiration.


    <em>I am stronger.</em>


    She thought with no particr passion. She had never particrly sought strength.Things might have been different in her youth when she did not truly understand her worth and was filled with a feeling of inferiority byparing herself to the monsters she had as apanion. But, after all those years, Theresa realized that she did not enjoy fighting as much as herpanions did. She felt no thrill in growing her strength nor in subduing her enemies.


    What made her truly happy was scientific research, discoveries, and smithing¡ª bringing the schematics in her mind to reality.


    The feeling of metal as it bent to her will.


    The satisfaction she felt when people marveled at her creation.


    The pride she had in being one of the best smiths in the world.


    All those feelings were irreceable and made her who she was now. A crafter, a tinkerer, a seeker of truth, and a mad woman who would stop at nothing to attain her objectives.


    Realizing this, a pure smile spread on her face. A smile that was born from the joy of understanding her inner self to a higher degree.


    ¡°Nothing has changed.¡± She was still Theresa and her goal was still the same. Surpassing the gods by creating something none of them could.


    If so. What then was her Truth? What was the ultimate feeling hidden behind her gate? She smiled as she lifted the heavy hammer. Her dainty hand clenched around it and her eyes trailed over the b of metal before her. Her Gate, the one leading to her Truth.


    It was pretty simple.


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    ¡°I believe that Mortal Wisdom is superior to that of the gods.¡± Sheughed while uttering sphemous words. Yet she showed no hesitation and struck the gate with a mighty blow.


    A heavy ng resounded as she made contact. Her hands trembled because of the recoil. The Door was so hard that it seemed like nothing she did to it would change anything.


    But she did not waver and once again struck with all her might.


    This was her Truth. The realization that was born deep in her heart and the foundation of her Zone.


    In this world, mere mortals could never hope to face a goddess. The simple thought was nothing but pure madness and ignorance. Yet wisdom had nothing to do with power and strength.


    What did it matter if a goddess could erase her existence with a wave of her hand? This did not make the goddess wise now, did it? Only strong and unbending.


    ¡°Mortals can make even the gods fear.¡±


    <em>ng~!</em>


    Another sound. One close yet subtly different from the previous. one. This sound caused Theresa to grin further and strike again and again and again.


    At first, her hits were fric but it did not take long for her rhythm to change and her technique to evolve.


    She was pouring everything into this work. Her knowledge, her fears, her desire, her dreams.


    ¡°I wish to be remembered in the ages toe.¡±


    ¡°I wish to be the best crafter in the world.¡±


    ¡°I wish to make even the goddesses beg me to forge for them.¡±


    Childish dreams, serious dreams, dreadful dreams. It did not really matter.


    ¡°I want to make mortals fly without using mana.¡±


    ¡°I want to reach beyond the sky and explore the immensity of space.¡±


    She would not let the shackles of reality slow her down or stop her from aplishing her objectives.


    ¡°I will make the impossible possible.¡±


    Even if someone told her that such a thing was impossible. That she was deluding herself and chasing after clouds, she would stand proud and mock them directly.


    After all,


    ¡°It always seems impossible until it¡¯s done!¡±


    One final strikended on the gate, causing it to break entirely and a new one formed above her.


    A gigantic gate. One much more magnificent than the previous one. It was a work of art in the truest sense.


    In Theresa¡¯s mind, four names slowly appeared. Each of them represented an aspect of her skill, power, and aspiration.


    The first one was Hephaestus.


    She rejected that name. She could feel great power from it but it did not suit her or what she wished to aplish.


    The second name was Prometheus.


    Theresa could feel a deep resonance with this name. It was a powerful name. One she was sure would bring her to a new level and yet she rejected it without batting an eye.


    This name gave her a feeling of selflessness and dedication. But at her core, Theresa knew that she was not a person of virtue. She did not wish to help mortals for their own sake. Only for her pride and aspiration alone.


    The third name was Sindri. [1]


    This name made Theresa hesitate the most among the names. She had a feeling that she would be able to create unsurpassed divine weapons with its assistance. However, her aspirations did not stop there. Furthermore, she had already created a divine weapon that would go down in history and would exist as long as Sol lived.


    Finally, her eyesnded on onest name.


    It was weaker than Hephaestus. It did not possess the grandeur of Prometheus and it did not promise her sess like Sindri.


    It was a humble mortal name. But from that name, Theresa saw what she researched. The potential to do the impossible and to reach even the sun.


    Seeing this, Theresa showed no hesitation. Bringing her hands forward, she grasped that name and fused it with her soul.


    She knew this might seem foolish but she felt no regret for her decision. For what better than a Mortal¡¯s name to show the true potential of Mortal¡¯s Wisdom?


    ¡°From now on¡­¡±


    Theresa muttered, her eyes shining as one of the highest Concepts imaginable filled her soul.


    ¡°My Avatar is Daedalus.¡± [2]


    If necessary, she would fly to the sun.


    ¡°As for my concept¡­¡±


    Sheughed heartily, joy filling every corner of her being¡­ She wondered what Kali would feelter on when they met. After all,


    Her concept was <strong><<Creation>>.</strong>


    That night. A new King was born. One that would illuminate the world not with her power but with her Wisdom.


    This night would represent the start of a new Age. The Age of Mortal Triumph.

 Chapter 647: Crazy Dwarf

    Chapter 647: Crazy Dwarf


    When Theresa finally came to herself, she immediately noticed the barrier surrounding her, seemingly isting her from the world.


    ¡°Congrattions!¡± Sol¡¯s voice reached her before a bout of confusion could assault her mind about the purpose of the protective barrier. A sigh of relief escaped her as she saw the barrier crumbling before her, giving her ess to reality.


    The sigh was followed by a radiant smile, ¡°Thank you.¡± She understood that Sol had ced the barrier to protect her and ensure no one could disturb her epiphany.


    ¡°This is the least he could do after everything you have done and are doing for Lustburg.¡± On the side, Lilith chuckled and approached the dwarf before lifting her up like a child and hugging her.


    ¡°Congrattions.¡±


    Theresa¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock at the totally unexpected disy of affection. For good reason too as Lilith was not known for showing much affection.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± But her surprise was short-lived as she hugged her friend back. Ascending to the King realm was unexpected but a weed change, if she had to be honest.


    She had always felt the limitation of her mind so the power boost was definitely wee.


    ¡°So, do you have a good feel of what you can do?¡± Sol asked with curiosity to which Theresa answered with a shrug.¡°I am a little vague on that front but my power is based on the concept of Creation. I think¡­¡±


    She mused a little before tapping Lilith''s shoulder, prompting her to free the dwarven woman. Once her feetnded on the ground, she walked toward a b of metal and inspected it carefully.


    Then, with a thought, sparks of zapping lighting flew everywhere before the b vanished and a handleless short sword took its ce.


    Theresa looked at the de silently and swung it left and right before concluding,


    ¡°For now. It seems like I can manipte the structure of the object I hold.¡± She stopped for an instant, organizing her mind on the conclusion. ¡°I do not think I can create things out of nothing at the moment. But I think with higher mastery I should be able to manifest any construct as long as I have enough understanding about its structure.¡±


    Sol raised an eyebrow and praised her generously, ¡°This is very impressive.¡±


    ¡°Heheheh, right!? Even now, I can feel new ideas popping up in my mind constantly. This will help me save so much time!¡± Theresaughed with pure joy, glee coloring her face.


    Sol admired her craftswoman spirit. Even now, all she could think about was her next creation and how to use her powers to implement her imagination.


    Still, her power was indeed very impressive. More than his initial estimations even. If he started analyzing this power, he might be able to duplicate it but it would certainly not be an easy task.


    <em>But I don¡¯t need to analyze it the normal way now, do I?</em>


    Theresa bing a King had already surprised him greatly, but the nature of her powers simply blew his mind away.


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    <em>Sadly, I don¡¯t have much knowledge when ites to science.</em> He mused despondently. If he could he would share all the information he had about science from Earth but all his knowledge was superficial at best.


    He nodded to himself, his mind churning at unimaginable speeds as he processed the ramifications of Theresa¡¯s powers and the advantage they brought with them.


    More than anything,


    ¡°Say, do you wish to be a goddess?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Theresa and Lilith immediately shot looks of surprise at Sol. For varying reasons.


    ¡°Sol¡­ are you finally¡­?¡± Lilith asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Indeed. I believe I have the final piece to truly set the base for my dimension to reach the next level.¡±


    His power was Bnce. What he needed more than anything else was stability and now Theresa brought with her the stability he had been desperately searching for.


    Creation and Destruction. Time and Space. Life and Death.


    The three most important Cycles for the stable functioning of an ideal dimension were now set in stone. He even had ess to the four elements.


    This was more than enough for him to set the perfect foundation for his dimension. If he just proceeded with these bncing concepts, he was sure his dimension could easily amodate the birth of multiple Demigods and eventual gods with no problems.


    <em>I won¡¯t have to support everything alone.</em>


    His Concept was all-epassing but having help was definitely wee.


    Theresa was a little confused about Sol¡¯s proposal. However, seeing Lilith¡¯s reaction, she understood that Sol was being serious.


    ¡°I always knew I had a godly disposition.¡± She grinned, causing Sol tough out loud. He knew that a woman with a devil-may-care attitude like Theresa would immediately be on board.


    ¡°You will have to move in my dimension once I am ready. But it will not take long. I just have to find onest person.¡±


    He thought about Dawn. From what he knew, she had both the authority of Night and Day coexisting in her being. Even though her concepts were not exactly essential for his ns, why reject something that was basically handed to him on a silver tter?


    <em>Though I wonder if I can convince her.</em>


    Sol grimaced while thinking about theplicated rtionship tying him to Dawn.


    As for Theresa, she started packing all the documents she had been working on, breaking Sol¡¯s reverie.


    ¡°So, even though I fear to ask¡­ what exactly have you been working on?¡± He knew that Theresa could be¡­ dangerous if left unchecked so he wanted to be aware of her ns, all the know-how and the sort.


    ¡°Nothing really. Just¡­ I was wondering. Wouldn¡¯t it be cool if we could make our own flying castle or some flying cavalry? Just think about it. All angels can fly, right? And in Lustburg only the Wyvern Knights can fly. So what if we could make it so the Rangers could fly or even better¡­ Create a carrier for even normal humans to fly freely.¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyebrow arched in response to her proposal. Was Theresa thinking about creating nes?


    ¡°Then, I started wondering just how much energy would be needed to make something so big fly at such altitude. We would also need an energy shield to avoid them bing simple targets.¡± The more Theresa spoke the more excited she became.


    ¡°So, I thought about energy. How to condense and convert mana into a clear focused source of energy or if there was anything that could rece it. The mana crystal would be great but I wanted something that was easier to reproduce and I got some ideas thanks to Kali.¡±


    Theresa took thest of the document on the ground, her eyes gleaming dangerously as she looked at it, ¡°Then I thought¡­ All such condensed energy should be highly vtile, right? What if¡­ and I really mean it¡­ What if we could condense it even more? Increase the vtility, increase the energy. Then¡­ Just watch as everything explodes.¡±


    She gazed at Sol, ¡°Just how powerful that explosion could be? Would it be enough to kill a Duke? A King? Could enough condensed energy be enough to even kill a Demigod?¡±


    She chuckled darkly, ¡°I believe it would be impossible to kill a demigod with just this much energy. But a King? It should be theoretically possible. I just need the right form. What I have now can only erase a city. It¡¯s definitely not enough to kill a King.¡±


    Looking at Theresa proffering such scary words, Sol decided here that he would do everything to keep Theresa as a friend rather than an enemy.


    This woman definitely had a screw, or a dozen, loose somewhere in the head.

 Chapter 648: Two Otaku

    Chapter 648: Two Otaku


    In the Tower of Babel, Kali sneezed out of the blue, making an adorable noise as she did.


    ¡°Winter getting to you?¡± Freya asked absentmindedly while sewing a small insignia on a napkin.


    As much as she would have loved to work on Medea¡¯s wedding dress she had been explicitly forbidden from even approaching the general direction of the dress, let alone fiddling with it.


    The one in charge was none other than Duchess Arachne Mris. As much as Freya had confidence in her talent, there was no denying that Arachne was vastly superior to her.


    Hearing her sister, a snicker leaked from Kali, ¡°You know that is impossible. If a King would fall sick just because of the weather, well, then it would be the least of my worries.¡±


    King-rank beings were already on the road toward transcendence. Common diseases had no way of affecting them nor could the seasons have any effect on them.


    ¡°Anyway, forget about your sneeze. What do you think of this? Two snakes coiling together. You know? Since Sol is a Blessed of Luxuria and Medea is under Asmodeus'' authority, it seems fitting, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Freya showed the napkin to her sister. The main background was the usual pink but it seemed like Freya had been wise enough to add more color into the mix.


    Of the two snakes coiling, one had gold scales and an unusual pair of horns sticking out of its head. From Kali¡¯s perspective, it looked more like a Chinese dragon than a snake. The second one was entirely white with monochrome eyes of gold and red.


    Well, Kali had to admit¡­ the embroidery looked wonderful. However, she also spotted a major problem. ¡°It¡¯s great and all¡­ But you know that there will most likely be hundreds of important invitees and thousands of normal guests, right? Do you n to sew all of them by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Do you take me for an idiot? I just need toplete this temte and my girls will take care of it.¡±


    Listening to Freya¡¯s retort, Kali barely kept herself from mentioning that Mris had an entire supply and production line¡ª immensely useful for mass production tasks. She knew that her sister had formed a weird sense of rivalry against the duchess for some reason only she knew.


    Which was hrious when Kali thought about it since, in terms of pure power alone, Freya could crush someone like Mris without even breaking a sweat.


    ¡°Now that I think about it. Shouldn¡¯t you have gone to the Hermes¡¯ Mansion? That dwarf girl is your friend, right?¡± Freya asked absent-mindedly, wondering if there was anything else she could add to her design to make it¡­ pop.


    ¡°That she is. But if my hunch is right regarding what triggered her enlightenment I believe it would be wise for me to hide here for some time.¡± Kali giggled and Freya put down her work, gazing at her sister with suspicion.


    ¡°Kali, just what in hell have you done this time?¡± Freya knew that Kali could be a crazy, mad bitch when she let her mind run wild. After all, she had even temporarily joined the side of Chaos once just to attain her goal. Even hundreds of years ago, she started studying so many elements and somehow managed to fuse them and control the concept of Destruction perfectly¡ª a feat that was once considered the height of lunacy.


    Freya had met many unconventional people in her long life. But Kali took the cake or she did¡­


    <em>Now that I think about it. That girl, Theresa, and also Mris are not quite right in the head either. </em>


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    ¡°Well¡­ Technically, nothing. But¡­¡± Kali started¡­


    ¡°Kali,e to my office. We need to talk.¡± However, she was interrupted mid sentence by Sol¡¯s call. Unexpectedly, she could not trace just where he was even though she could clearly hear his voice.


    Freya snickered, ¡°Good luck. Seems like he¡¯s angry.¡±


    Freya had made a promise with Sol before the ritual and she nned to get what she was promised. At the moment, however, she was more focused on making sure her sister, Medea¡¯s wedding would be perfect.


    Kali grimaced and stood up. She felt like she was a troublemaker student being called to the principal¡¯s office. Things were clearly not going well for her.


    ***


    A few minutester, Kali found herself sitting in Sol¡¯s office with her head bowed down and eyes shut. She had been wondering how she could feel his energy signature in many ces simultaneously but knew better than to question him about it.


    <em>Well, he doesn¡¯t seem angry, at least. </em>She mused to herself in the silence. She had seen what an angry Sol could do. She did not want to get on his bad side.


    The suffocating silence lingered between them for a few more seconds.


    ¡°Do you know why I have called you here?¡± Sol asked out of the blue, voice calm, not letting his emotions slip. That made Kali¡¯s worries skyrocket. A calm Sol was far more frightening as there was no way to judge his mood.


    ¡°Can I plead the 5th?¡± She asked timidly.


    ¡°Kali¡­ She is making a bomb! A Fucking <em>nuclear bomb</em> powered with mana.¡± Sol had to force himself to not shout.


    ¡°Okay! Okay! I apologize, okay!? I didn¡¯t mean to do that. How was I to know she would be able to draw the design of a nuclear bomb from just a few exnations? Hell, even I don¡¯t know how to make one and I wield the power of <em>Destruction</em>!¡± Kali eximed. She found the whole situation extremely unjust.


    While she had some knowledge about sciences thanks to her studies, she was no pro. She had mostly been a recluse otaku before her death. All she talked about with Theresa were a few theories and personal ideas, as well as a heavy dose of anime and manga knowledge.


    Who in their right mind would think someone could use such fragmented knowledge and procure such a frightening result?


    Sol groaned to himself. He knew that this was not the time to point fingers. How Theresa was able to attain such results was not important anymore. What mattered was that she had achieved.


    <em>This reminds me of something. Lilith created her sword art after Mars told her a few Xianxia¡¯s stories, right? </em>


    Thinking along those lines, he could only sigh out loud. Clearly the people of this world were dangerous geniuses who only needed the right boost and the general knowledge about things to aplish wonders. That or he was just surrounded by literal freaks.


    ¡°Look¡­ Okay, I get it.¡± He waved his hand, calming down Kali before she really cried due to all the indignation she was feeling. ¡°What is done is done. There is no putting back that genie in itsmp. The only way would be to quite literally kill Theresa. Otherwise, the more we constraint her, the crazier she will be and even rebel.¡±


    Sol had a certain measure for geniuses like Theresa. He knew that restrictions and doubts would only create problems for them. What he needed was to give her the freedom to create what she needed but also make sure to think of all the potential problems and solutions for the problems that apany the creations.


    ¡°My head hurts. It was supposed to be a time for me to rest. Not for worrying about possible nuclear warfare and the subsequent fallout.¡± Sol groaned with his head between his hands and Kali could show him a sheepish grin in response.


    ¡°Hey, look at the bright side. At least we will be getting a flying ind. Pretty cool, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Sol red at Kali, but soon his gaze softened, ¡°You are right. That will indeed be pretty awesome.¡± Kali understood too well that deep down, Sol was as much an Otaku as her. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t be excited about such a thing.


    Like this, the two reincarnators sharing the same singr brain cell started working on possible regtions to stop Theresa from potentially destroying the world in the future.

 Chapter 649: Moon

    Chapter 649: Moon


    While Sol was busy using multiple projections and taking steps to ensure Theresa¡¯s safety, things in Lustburg were also slowly calming down.


    Ever since Milia made a contract with Sol, her powers had been exponentially increasing as she did Sol¡¯s bidding. Not to mention that the stronger Sol became, the greater she grew in strength. She had a grasp on the reason behind this growth.


    She was Sol¡¯s shadow. As the moon was to the sun, she could only truly shine by reflecting an infinitesimal part of his incandescent light. But that part, as small as it was, was enough to illuminate the whole world.


    More than anything¡­ it allowed her to share that glorious light as well.


    ***


    In the depths of infinite shadows, a few figures with no features hid inside the clock tower. They observed the passing pedestrians with a gleam in their eyes.


    ¡°So, I need to ask again¡­ Why do we have to stand on the highest building in the residential area?¡±


    Edgar, one of Milia¡¯s friends, queried as he adjusted the tight-fitting ck uniform around his body. It had been some time since he did any sort of field work and he was feeling the aching need of exercises to loosen his body.


    Still, more than his progressively expanding belly, he was more curious about why they had to waste time climbing such a high building when they would inevitably have to go down. ¡°Atmosphere. His Highness always told me that no matter what you did, the atmosphere was very important. He also told me that standing in a building, hidden by the shadow, under the moonlight was one of the best ways to bring this atmosphere.¡±


    The list of things Edgar wanted to say might have been miles long, but remembering the fanaticism with which Milia viewed Sol, he wisely chose to shut up. One did not need to fear someone insane. However, they did not need to meddle with them either, provoking them for no reason.


    ¡°I see.¡± He simply cleared his throat and observed the surroundings once more. His eyes fell on the members of the new division Milia was building.


    ¡°So¡­ Those are the hounds, correct?¡± The Hound had once been the name of their division. During those times, they were considered little more than ves. Edgar did not understand why Milia would desire to back this ursed name.


    ¡°I can practically hear your thoughts, and all I can tell you is that. A hound''s honor depends on its master.¡± Milia grinned maniacally. In the past, the Hound was only a shameful designation to them. They were nothing more than trained mutts. To be used and discarded at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Now though, ¡°The hound will follow me on the hunt. They will be our official face to the world, the one that will strike fear in the heart of our enemy.¡±


    The Crown¡¯s Shadow would follow its name and stay hidden from the world, working silently, faithfully for the empire. But the hounds were different. They would be in the light. They would be known and they would be feared.


    ¡°Everything is still in the experimental phase. So I don¡¯t know how much you can do. So let¡¯s make it a game, shall we? The more you capture, the more reward you receive and the number one will be allowed to have a direct meeting with his majesty.¡±


    Milia smiled as she felt the atmosphere be colder. The members of the Hound she had selected all had one thing inmon. Something that made Milia worry far less about the chances of them ever betraying them or rather betraying Sol.


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    After all,


    ¡°May the blessing of the Moon be with you.¡±


    They were all Elves.


    ***


    Elves. One of the proudest races in the world. It was a race renowned for the beauty of its members and the naturallyrge lifespan they enjoyed by dint of their existence. Once the rulers of the world, the elves are both respected and hated by many.


    What many people did not know was that the elven race was one of the most subservient ones in the entire continent. They would only bend their back for one master and one only.


    Dragons. The focus of their worship.


    Elves were fascinated by dragons. Their faith was so high that they started worshiping the four Dragon Kings and in many cases, one could say that they were more faithful to the dragons than the goddesses.


    Lustburg, as the greatest melting pot in the world, had its fair share of elves. Be it elves born in the country itself or elves who came from the great forest. But, ever since the first time Sol showed his might to the world, the number of elf immigrants and wanderers who decided to settle in the capital skyrocketed.


    It was estimated that at this rate, by next year, the elven poption of Lustburg would more than triple.


    They all had the same goal. Venture on a pilgrimage to Lustburg to offer their prayers to the Dragon Emperor.


    How could Milia let go of such an asion that was falling right in herps? Fully trained, mature, and loyal soldiers wishing for nothing but to serve her lord.


    Milia knew that she could not bring such a hastily made-up group close to the secrets of the Kingdom. However, it was possible to use them for less important things, and now it was time to test her new powers.


    <strong>?Famine -:- </strong>Hollow Pit<strong>?</strong>


    This was a very simple name. But Milia found it very poetic. What did it feel like to be hungry? Only those who once starved could understand. The gnawing feeling of nothing filling your body was not something that could be exined.


    This power was not unlike a curse. But it also had many advantages. Using this power on her subordinates, she was able to greatly lower their inhibitions. Increase the strength of their senses to drastically lower the time needed for them to locate their targets and even increase their reaction time.


    <em>I should be able to hold this for five minutes before they really go crazy.</em>


    Milia mused as she observed the hounds jumping from the tower and rushing like starved dogs toward their target.


    Truly, she found the sight amusing. This was a power she would have expected from Setsuna. Not herself. Still, Milia would not refuse a power that could make her more useful to Sol.


    ¡°Do you think just a few starved dogs will be enough? There are a few Dukes who also entered Lustburg this time.¡± Edgar asked as he prepared himself to jump as well.


    ¡°I will take care of the Dukes. They are not much of a threat and¡­ do not underestimate them. They are not just mad beasts.¡± Milia smiled as her King¡¯s name shed in her mind.


    <strong>¡º Lunaria ¡» </strong>


    This was a name personally bestowed on her by her lord.


    Milia did much research about the King¡¯s realm. She knew that a King would whisper destiny and power in the ears of the user. Those names represented legends and stories from the world beyond.


    Lunaria was not such a name.


    It was a name that concentrated on not just one legend but all legends that were rted to the moon. A never-seen-before name and one that bestowed her with much power.


    For example,


    <strong>¡ºPhantasm Domain</strong> -::- Moon¡¯s Secret<strong>¡»</strong>


    She was not yet a King. But her power was close enough. Under the moonlight, no deceit shall hide from her. Her powers spread, covering the entire capital in but one instant.


    Crimson aura dotted the world below and only those connected to her could see those aura. This was a new power, a hint of the Concept of Night and Secrecy.


    ¡°Hunt down all the enemies of the crown. Permission to execute anyone who retaliates.¡±


    She smiled and jumped from the tower, followed by Edgar. The hunt would be swift and merciless.

 Chapter 650: No rest for the dead

    Chapter 650: No rest for the dead


    Inside an inn, the dwarven merchant family, the ones who had entered Lustburg recently, were ready to execute their tasks. A thing to note was that they were not d in ck. They simply wore their usual clothes. Experienced assassins as they were, they knew that the best way not to be noticed was to look like everyone else.


    After a little research, they managed to collect information about Theresa¡¯s whereabouts. Theresa was not particrly elusive or hiding her location after all.


    After the war, she would either spend her time in some bar or stay in the Hermes mansion.


    Duke Hermes had the blood of dwarves running in his veins and had kept many connections with Greed Dike, umted throughout his life. Even now he was one of the main emissaries lobbying for peace between the two kingdoms.


    In their initial n, they would have met Duke Hermes at his mansion under the guise of messengers from Greed Dike, and with a blitz attack, they would have either captured or eliminated the duke swiftly.


    Even though Hermes was also in the Duke realm, there was just no way he could be their match.


    Their first and main objective was to eliminate Theresa. Capturing her was only to be done if there was a decent possibility of that.


    At least that was the initial n. Now though, things seemed to have taken a turn for the worse before they had even made a move.


    ¡°How is the situation?¡± The mother dwarf asked. Her expression was taut and her hand wasnguidly resting on her dagger.The deathsworn of Greed Dike worked in <em>family</em> cells. The Mother or the Father was the leader of their group. The children were the second rank and the guards represented the third rank. They were obviously not rted by blood. But this was extremely useful when it came to infiltration.


    ¡°I do not know what happened. But that explosion of power was definitely from the Birth of a new King.¡± The father dwarf scowled as he looked at the direction of the Hermes mansion.


    ¡°Theresa?¡± The daughter asked, almost rhetorically.


    ¡°Impossible. Theresa is not even in the Duke Realm. She has not managed to advance in decades. Even if she did have some miraculous epiphany, she would at most be a Duke.¡±


    Only those who had ascended to the Duke Realm could understand how far away the King Realm was. It wasn''t something that could be attained with just effort and time. It was a power only those supremely talented and blessed with luck could hope to reach.


    In every generation, the number of Kings that were not Blessed was extremely limited. In some generations, no such person would even exist. As long as one didn''t count the witches, of course.


    This was howrge the disparity was between a Bless and Non-Blessed. The probability was so minuscule that it was inconsequential.


    ¡°For Theresa to be a King from nothing in one night. She would need to realize her Truth, build her Legend, and find her¡­¡± The more he talked, the weirder his expression became.


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    Realizing her Truth? Theresa was without a shadow of a doubt one of the most self-serving women he had ever known.


    Build her Legend? Even if most people did not know the name of the creator, the Rangers were currently building a true legend for themselves. Everyone in the world knew about them. After all, this was the first time in history someone created a way for a mortal to actually face literal Dukes.


    Even before that, Theresa was a household name in Greed Dike. She had so many feats to her name that, he wouldn¡¯t be able to count them all even if all night went by.


    ¡°This¡­ Really?¡± He asked out loud. Though the probability was minuscule¡­ it wasn¡¯t exactly zero, which only served to be against them.


    He closed his eyes. ¡°We abort the mission for now. Tomorrow we will go to the guild and take our certificate then act like normal merchants for some time. We will find a way to determine whether she had really ascended to the King Realm.¡±


    There was no need to hurry. Deathsworn they might be but that did not mean they would mindlessly throw their life away. They needed to seed and even if they failed, confirming Theresa¡¯s current realm would also be a great service to the kingdom.


    ¡°Well. I thought you guys were only third-rate at best. But I see you are not so ipetent.¡± A feminine voice reached them abruptly.


    The ten dwarves were elites, the ones with roles of Father, Mother, and Daughter were all bonafide Dukes. The seven guards were also very close to ascending to the Duke realm and could put up a decent fight against one if they joined forces.


    The very moment they heard the voice, whispering so close to them, they all realized that the intruder was far beyond their level. In such a situation the first action should have been to flee. But they knew it was not the best option.


    <em>Attack!</em>


    They all moved simultaneously. The three Dukes were already prepared to release their Zones. No matter how strong that person was, as long as they weren¡¯t a King there should have been some effect if they retaliated desperately enough. But¡­


    ¡°How cute.¡±


    They found, to their horror, that they werepletely unable to even move. They did not know when, but wriggling shadows were slowly climbing up from their legs and covering, nay devouring, their entire bodies.


    The shadow did not just paralyze them, it also gnawed away at their mana,pletely devouring their reserves. They were¡­ powerless.


    <em>The mission is a failure. </em>


    Father Dwarf thought calmly in his mind.


    Once they epted that there was no escape possible, they only had one option left. All of them bit hard on their mr, breaking down the poison hidden in their mouth, and swallowing it in one fell swoop.


    No one could ever say that they would stay silent in the face of torture. This was why all deathsworn had lethal poison on them. In fact, they had more than one type of poison as contingency. Just in case they were stopped from taking the first.


    The poison was very effective, and Father Dwarf could feel death slowly creeping in, ready to take him in its embrace. He only had one question as his body lulled away toward death¡¯s embrace,


    <em>But why did she not stop us? </em>


    Those were hisst thoughts as the ten dwarves slumped on the ground, their bodies now devoid of life.


    While the whole suicide spectacle took ce, Milia leisurely watched their antics, sittingnguidly on the bed. She had no intention to stop them. There was really no need to.


    After all,


    ¡°I will leave everything to you. Miss Isis.¡±


    They had a necromancer in their rank. Death was never an escape in front of Isis. Far from it, in fact.


    It was the road toward eternal envement.

 Chapter 651: Karma Severing

    The hunt ended, the night receded, and a new day graced the world as the sun rose over the horizon.


    In a memorial park that was being built and engraved with the names of all the people who died during the war against Wratharis, Sol was sitting with his true body and throwing seeds for the doves and pigeons to feast on.


    The events of the prior night hardly disturbed any citizens, only a few were even aware of the happenings. Thus Sol watched as the people of Lustburg continued their regr lives. Some families came to the monument with flowers and broke down in tears. Some people came with bitterness and resentment in their hearts. A few widows came holding their children or with their growing bellies, filled with a new life.


    It was a bitter reminder, a sight that no amount of statistics could perfectly convey¡ª the depth of emotions.


    War was sad. War tore families apart. Forever separating them. The only profit it brought was to the ruler ss of a country, but not regrly. Meanwhile, themoners were left with facing the harsh consequences and subsequent pain and suffering that was left in a war¡¯s wake.


    <em>I am sorry. </em>


    Sol apologized inwardly. His eyes left the wailing people and focused on the eager pigeons, they seemed to have gotten a bit too fat for their own good. This was the first true war that Lustburg went in after eighteen years. Unfortunately, it would not be thest.


    Sol needed to conquer the world and even the entire universe to aplish his selfish ambitions. For these ambitions, for his selfishness, many people would have to die. Even more innocents would have to suffer.


    All he could do, to alleviate their suffering by even a minuscule margin, was be stronger so fast that very few people would even dare to face him and question him. That way, fewer people would have to suffer a sorry fate. ¡°Sol¡­¡± Lilith muttered.


    The pigeons ignored the intruder, all too content in gorging themselves on the delicious food the stranger had brought for them.


    Sol, meanwhile, smiled at the purple-haired woman. Lilith was as beautiful as always.


    ¡°Take a seat and feed them with me. I¡¯ve found this to be exceptionally calming.¡± Lilith eyed the small bag of seeds. She could feel Sol''s energy in them and wondered why he was wasting his power feeding pigeons.


    However, she did not refuse the seat offered to her, sitting right next to her nephew on the bench. The pigeons promptly ignored Sol and flocked toward her as she started spreading the heavenly food.


    ¡°Traitors.¡± Sol chuckled, finding the way they immediately ditched him to be amusing.


    The two stayed silent, not speaking for some time. Sol gazed at the sky, lost in thought, while Lilith fed the pigeons. Sol was right, it was indeed calming.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± She asked, confused.


    ¡°I infused this whole ce with my power. In a way, you could say that this is a small holy ground.¡± Sol answered nonchntly. He had been conducting many experiments to obtain better control of his power. [The World] had proven itself to be extremely valuable and the more his mastery increased, the more control he had over his dimension. Another thing worthy of note was that the goddesses were literally unable to detect his divinity.


    Clearly, the Concept of Bnce was at a higher level than ones rted to emotions, such as the Seven Sins and Virtues. As long as he didn¡¯t do things too overtly, he had nothing to fear.


    ¡°Well, I suppose you didn¡¯te here to chat about my new toys. Any questions?¡± Sol was in a very good mood.


    ¡°About yesterday. What happened?¡± She asked him.


    ¡°Everything got handled quite fast. Milia¡¯s new division was very effective and with Isis as a backup, those guys had no way of escaping even in death.¡± Heughed. Isis was very handy to have around for these situations.


    Sol could have inverted their emotions, but he was not certain how that would work on them. If they did not hate him in the first ce, they wouldn¡¯t start loving him now, would they?


    ¡°At the end of the day, the majority we caught were nothing but small shrimps. Sacrificial pawns that were sent to die in exchange for any information they could glean about us. This time though, we got a rtively bigger catch. Dwarves from Greed Dike.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What do you n to do?¡± Lilith asked, but Sol shrugged, ¡°Initially I hoped those guys would have some information about smiting or something that could help Theresa. Theresa is limited by her ability to multitask. No matter how fast her mind moves, she only has one body after all.¡±


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    ¡°No luck?¡±


    ¡°No luck indeed. Isis did find a few interesting thoughts in the depths of their minds but nothing particrly useful for us.¡± Learning that the Prince of Greed Dike wanted to kill Theresa was one thing, but it was not very useful, nor would it negatively affect anything for them.


    ¡°I could use it as leverage. Affect Greed Dike even if only slightly, but that would ultimately be a waste of time. I am not inclined to y more games with them at the moment.¡± He snorted dismissively.


    Lilith was pretty sure that only Sol could look down so thoroughly on an entire Kingdom. However, she had to admit that he had the capital to do so.


    ¡°Still, I know you. You are not the kind of man to take these things lying down.¡± Lilith grinned and Sol returned it with a toothy grin of his own.


    He certainly was not going to let this slide. Selfish and vindictive were prominent among his middle names.


    ¡°I debated holding on. But if we hold on too much, people will start thinking we are an easy target. Furthermore, it will appear suspicious no matter how one would look at it. So, I asked Theresa if there was anyone she wanted dead, and she gave me a list.¡±


    A list appeared in his hand, naming more than dozens of nobles and businessmen that Theresa wanted to be silenced. Many of them were part of Greed Dike¡¯s councils and some of them were people who tried to steal from Theresa or have her eliminated, while a few others were linked to the Wings of Freedom and funded some of their activity.


    Lilith was definitely intrigued by the list, remembering that Theresa was also quite the vindictive woman in her own right.


    ¡°So now what? Are you going to send the Crown¡¯s Shadow? It would take a few days for them to kill everyone off.¡± She was curious about his next actions.


    ¡°No need to. I can simply kill them from here.¡± His voice was calm even though the words he conveyed could chill one to their very core.


    ¡°... What?¡± Lilith took a second to properly register what he had just said.


    ¡°Karma is a funny thing, you see. It links us all. Some way or another. Some links are very fragile, while others are pretty sturdy. Well, at the end of the day, it matters not. In the Mortal Realm. All those below the Demigod realm are antspared to me.¡±


    His eyes changed. For a brief instant, the sky blue color was reced by a rainbow hue.


    <strong>?Divine Weapon -:- </strong>Eye of Akasha<strong>?</strong>


    If Isis or Camelia were present, they would have witnessed the slumbering giant that was Sol¡¯s soul opening all its eyes simultaneously.


    The world that Sol viewed with his eyes now was on a higher ne of existence. One where time and space werepletely meaningless.


    Below him was the river of time rushing without a stop, nourishing the colossal tree of endless possibilities. Meanwhile, the threads of Karma surrounded him from all sides, golden lines linking him to all individuals in the world.


    The amount of information rushing at his mind at the moment was mind-blowing, and if he had tried this before bing a King, he would have onlysted a few seconds before his mind was fried like a chicken. But now, all this amounted to was only a slight headache.


    In this dimension, there was no Sol. Only a giant covered in a thousand eyes with a crown on its head.


    The eyes moved, observing and ignoring the threads he had no care for. Simply holding one of those threads would give him all the information about a mortal. From the moment of their birth until the present moment and even the different futures and possibilities that their life would venture towards.


    This was for all intent and purposes a power that entered the Divine Territory.


    The giant was not worried. Slowly, but surely, he found all the threads he was searching for. The links were flimsy, but it was more than enough for him.


    Gathering all those threads in one hand, a scissor appearing in another, the giant muttered.


    <strong>Be proud. You are the first victims of this power.</strong>


    <strong>?Boundaries of Life and Death -:-</strong> Karma Severing]


    One snip was all it took for dozens of people to die thousands of kilometers away from Sol.


    ***


    Back in the real world, Lilith shivered, her eyes ovee with terror. As a near demigod with a concept rted to Severing herself, she was more sensitive to powers affecting Karma.


    Yet, her mind was unable topletely grasp exactly what Sol did. It simply; refused to.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± She asked with some difficulty.


    Sol, appearing a little more tired, sighed to himself, ¡°Nothing but a paltry trick. This was a power I used against Nihil during the Astral War. At the moment, I can only kill those in the Duke realm and can severely affect all King realms in the Mortal Realm. It¡¯s harder to affect Divine Beasts regardless of their realm or those individuals rted to gods like the Blessed.¡±


    Sol waved his hand nonchntly and stood up. He did not find such a feat to be particrly incredible. Powerful Kings could still partially resist his power, and there was nothing impressive about Killing Dukes anymore.


    ¡°Remember. In the future, our enemies will be demigods and even gods. You need to change your perspective.¡±


    Heughed and took Lilith by the hand, prompting her to follow him in his stride.


    ¡°Enough about such trifling matters. Now, it¡¯s time for us to go on a date and for you to honor your promise.¡±


    Having fun with Lilith was far more important than a bunch of dwarves. As for that prince, he would make sure to kill himter.


    A smiling Sol and a bewildered Lilith thus started a new day together, hand in hand.

 Chapter 652: Cause and Effect

    As the sun rose in the skies above, illuminating the world with its incandescent light, a mournful air seemed to have washed over Greed Dike.


    The usually boisterous council room was inordinately silent at the moment. Nearly half of the seats were empty and the remainder that were filled were seated by dwarves giving each other uneasy nces. It was as if a dangerous grip was tightened around them, ready to crush them at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Meanwhile, one knee on the ground, the current Crown Prince was recounting the harrowing events of dawn today to the current King of Greed Dike and the present council members. The more information the prince recounted, the worse all of their expressions became.


    In one morning, fifteen high-ranked dwarves were found dead.


    Death was nothing strange in Greed Dike. It was a country where parents killed their children and children killed their parents as long as it aligned with their interests or threatened them.


    Assassinations were amon urrence in this god-forsaken country,bats to the death as well.


    This time though. Things were beyond theirprehension.


    One councilman had his body age up so quickly that he died in his sleep. The autopsy conducted on him revealed that his body age had gotten nearly 400 years old, making him die of natural causes.


    This was impossible. After all, that councilman was only eighty this year.One noble died during a banquet. An autopsy conducted on the nobleman revealed that his body was riddled with a deadly disease for several years, ultimately causing his untimely death. Even traces of treatment had been found on him. His body was also considerably aged.


    Another urrence that could only be impossible. The noble was a strapping young man who never had to visit the doctor in his entire life.


    The prince personally witnessed the horrifying death of a second councilman. The man''s body seemed to crumble and twist in front of the prince''s very own eyes. The body twisted and inted, then burst out loud, sttering blood everywhere. Even now, the prince was riddled with the blood of said councilman.


    Another autopsy conducted on the man revealed that the cause of his death was a road ident. This ludicrous statement was so incredulous that even a toddler would have a hard time believing it. Very much so if they directly witnessed his demise like the prince. But as more and more reports came to their attention, they were all forced to ept the reality.


    The final nail in the coffin was the death of a minister. The autopsy revealed poisoning and his wife was the culprit. She had fed him a slow-acting poison that took ten years topletely fill the body, slowly weakening it.


    If the incident just stopped there, they would have been relieved. At least this type of death was quite natural in this ill-begotten country.


    However, things took a turn for the bizarre when the wife pleaded non-guilty. She had indeed brought the poison. But she had not even yet administered it to him. She had nned to only administer the poison to him if she caught him cheating on her.


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    The poison was found and records proved she had only brought the poison two days prior.


    A dozen people died all at the same time, right where they stood. However, all the causes of death werepletely different and iprehensible without question.


    Some thought that perhaps the royal family was messing with the autopsy results but their own agents reported the exact same information. That left no room for any doubts.


    It was as if¡­ the cause of the death for all of them, irrespective of time and space, was brought to the present.


    They were unable to understand the means that were used to cause such an iprehensible and incredulous phenomenon. And the unknown caused fear to ravage their soul and minds.


    This was definitely a man-made event. So what would happen if the culprit or culprits decided to kill them as well?


    The prince seemed to have seen better days. His forehead was sweating and his eyes were darting around.


    ¡°What is themon ground between all the dead?¡± The King asked his son.


    He had also concluded that someone was behind this act. It was simply too precise to be a natural curse or ident. The <em>How </em>did not matter. But they needed to know the <em>Who</em> and more importantly the <em>Why</em>.


    The prince gritted his teeth, as dim-witted as he was, he had been able to make the connections almost immediately.


    ¡°They are all enemies of Lady Theresa.¡±


    Everyone started mumbling to themselves, livening up the council room. It might be a coincidence but it was too precise to be a coincidence.


    The King¡¯s eyebrows arched for a moment before he spoke in a nonchnt voice, ¡°Theresa is in Lustburg. Let¡¯s say she has the means to enact such an iprehensible event or knows someone who can do it for her. The question is, why now?¡±


    The prince closed his mouth, refusing to answer but that action alone was more than enough for all the councilmen toe to a conclusion.


    One way or another, the prince had provoked Theresa, and now she was clearly retaliating. They looked at each other, utterly lost regarding this situation. They just could not decide on what they could even do.


    Theresa was in Lustburg and while they weren¡¯t her enemies, they were certainlypetitors.


    As if that wasn¡¯t enough already, Lustburg and Greed Dike were currently in a bad rtionship because of all the decisions they made until now.


    ¡°I will contact Theresa.¡± The King spoke in the end, causing all their eyes to light up. How could they have forgotten that the King and Theresa had a rtively amicable rtionshippared to just about everyone else?


    ¡°Your majesty!¡± They all stood and bowed. The influence of the King had been waning as ofte. Even more so as more people decided to follow the Crown Prince.


    Now though, the majority of those who followed the prince were dead and the few who were alive would not risk their lives to follow the downward trend for no reason.


    ¡°The council is dismissed. I need to talk to my son. Nothing else should happen now, but if it does, do not hesitate to warn me.¡±


    They all shared uneasy nces but did as they were told. The King held the power of salvation at the moment. There was no way they would antagonize him now when they needed him the most.


    ¡°Additionally, call the Supreme Daughter. I have to talk to her as well.¡±


    Like sheep in a herd, they all trudged on, leaving the room empty save for thest two individuals.


    A father and his son.

 Huge surprise

    Hi! For those who didn''t know. I have been working on making a manwha for SHK. Currently it''s entirely self funded and only a teaser.


    But, I have very high hope for this. I will not go too in depth about all the contract talk with the studio for now lol.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.


    So for now. Here the first ever Manwha adaptation of SHK. Think of of this as a Trailer of sort.


    I made this Teaser avable to all my readers. Because I wouldn''t be here without you guys. It''s avable for free to all on Patreon.


    Can''t exactly share a pdf doc on Royal Road lol.


    The link in post author note.

 Chapter 653: Gambling everywhere.

    The silence was deafening. Now alone in the room with the king, the crown prince did not know where to look. So he simply chose to keep his head pointed down.


    Because of the culture in Greed Dike, children and parents were generally very restrained in their feelings of affection for one another. It was a highly toxic culture, no doubt. A culture that the king had been trying to change but his efforts had been futile.


    Now, even his rtionship with his son had be estranged.


    The Supreme Daughter did not make them wait long. She had already guessed that she might be called when she heard the harrowing news of the fallen dwarves and did her due diligence.


    ¡°Your Majesty. Your Highness.¡± She greeted them with a light smile and took a seat opposite the king of Greed Dike. As a supreme daughter, she was in no way inferior to the king in authority alone. However, now did not seem like the right time for the supreme daughter to unt her authority.


    ¡°Your Holiness, I will not waste your time with futility in such a grave moment. Do you know of the situation?¡± The king promptly asked, his voice grave


    ¡°I was and I made my own judgment on the matter. The deaths were unnatural. Someone twisted thews of Time and Fate simultaneously, bringing forward the Destined Death of the victim to the present. This way of killing is unprecedented. Not even a full-fledged demigod should be able to do something of this caliber.¡±


    The crown prince groaned out loud, eliciting a side-long gaze from the supreme daughter. But when the king proceeded to exin themon factors between all the victims, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    ¡°I am not one to believe in coincidence. Fate is a very fickle thing and as a Blessed, we need to always think of it as a force that can go against us at any moment. There is no proof, no way to know when, but I am willing to bet that the culprit is rted to Theresa.¡± Her words were clear. Inwardly, she also decided to cut all links she had with the crown prince and wash herself clean.¡°Then, why not attack me?¡± The crown prince was grasping at straws, how could he have provoked someone with such power?


    ¡°For one, as long as we, Blessed, are not reaching the end of our grace, we are the Darling of Fate. Whoever made this move must have decided that it was not worth risking a bacsh from Fate just for you. Or perhaps that individual wishes for you to live in fear. There are many possible reasons for the individual to choose not to harm you. How could I guess the thoughts of such a powerful individual?¡±


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    What she was sure of though was that the crown prince was now nothing but a dead man walking. Theresa was an extremely vindictive woman. She never forgot, and definitely never forgave.


    She might also be in danger, but she had long since prepared for a countermeasure. By now, a messenger of hers should have reached Lustburg with a letter to exin the ns of the crown prince and warn Theresa.


    She didn¡¯t anticipate the situation to turn so grave so fast, but it was better than doing nothing at all. All she had to do now was to promise a few gold mines as an apology and make some concessions.


    The king observed everything with a keen eye. He was far more informed than many could even wager a guess. After all, he had a direct means ofmunication with Theresa.


    He knew who the killer was.


    He knew his son had thrown his lot behind the angels.


    He even knew about the traitors who joined Chaos.


    But he would say nothing.


    He was weak. He did not have the might, nor the ambitions, so many other kings seemed to be bestowed with.


    This era was an era of great upheaval. Heroes would be born and thendscape was destined to change. In such an era filled with the dangers in all corners, the only way for him to actually protect his kingdom was to keep it divided.


    He would bet on Lustburg.


    His son would be on the side of the angels.


    Others would bet on Chaos.


    At the end of this long ordeal, the loser would definitely be wiped out, and he was ready to die as well if he made the wrong bet. But¡­ at the very least, the dwarven race as a whole would survive, no matter who the victor was.


    After a few more minutes of discussion about how they should handle the situation and what they should do about the dead dwarves and other rted matters, the king now found himself alone in the room.


    ¡°I am tired.¡± He sighed, his body sagging against his throne and his brows furrowing heavily. Thest few months have been more stressful for him than all the years before thisbined.


    Everything started that night when the witches fought near the border of Greed Dike. From that day on, events more astonishing than the prior kept happening and now here they were, at the cusp of what could be a world war.


    What choice should he make as a King?


    Was it truly possible to continue walking on such a tightrope? Should he decisively cut down his son now and all the traitors and bet everything on Sol, or would it be wiser to bet on the angels?


    He groaned to himself. He might not have powers rted to Fate, but he knew that he was at a crossroads, and he needed to make a choice.


    He had been able to stall until now, but things were rapidlying to a close. He needed to decide by the time the four months were up.


    Whether he would continue like this or go all in.

 Chapter 654: Decisions

    After dealing with the dwarves through his <strong>?Karma Severing?</strong> Sol stopped caring about them altogether.


    This should be more than enough for a lesson and if the crown prince or whoever incited this event dared to act again against the people he cared about then Sol would not be so merciful.


    He wouldn''t just stop at a dozen dwarves. After all, if he truly wanted, exterminating all the nobles of Greed Dike wouldn''t be hard. The amount of bacsh he would receive from manipting the causality of such weak people would only cause him minor stress. Nothing more.


    Right now, he was more focused on one important fact.


    ¡°So, what have you been doing while you fled from me?¡± He asked, a teasing note in his voice.


    Sol chuckled as he held Lilith¡¯s hand. His rtionship with Lilith was¡­plicated, to say the least.


    Lilith was a creation of his grandfather, Neptune. She had been destined to be a tool to serve the royal family and a way for him to eventually create the perfect being.


    She was once nothing but a failed experiment. A homunculus with a limited lifespan.


    Now though, thanks to Sol¡¯s power, she was her own individual and the first of apletely new race.¡°Well¡­¡± Lilith groaned to herself at the query. Knowing fully well that she did not have any excuses for that. But it wasn''t as if she had really just been fleeing from her cheeky nephew.


    ¡°I have been thinking about my new race and the advantage it could give me. I was also reading the Seven Chakra Opening sutra.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Sol became slightly intrigued. He couldn''t even say exactly what Lilith was at the moment.


    What he knew was that using his blood as the basis, Lilith should be some sort of a dragon. But she did not seem to have the advantage of the Chaos Dragons at the very least.


    ¡°Can you transform?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Partially.¡± She waved her hand and it transformed into ws. ¡°I think I should be able to transform into something equivalent to your War Form with some adequate training. This should get rid of my greatest weakness.¡±


    Lilith always had a body weaker than others on her power level. Though that was not exactly the case any longer, the fact remained that her body needed to be more outstanding to stand against her foes. If she could transform, however¡­ she would have the greatest form of defense alongside the greatest attack power.


    Sol shuddered just thinking about it alongside her absolute sword techniques. She was truly bing an absolute monster.


    ¡°So, outside of that, what about any special talents?¡± All magical races had talents. Be it elemental power or special innate skills.


    ¡°I think¡­ my concept of Severance is slowly attuning itself with my blood.¡±


    This was another surprise for him. Concepts could not be shared. Sol''s children would never possess the power of Bnce, Origin, or End simply because of his blood.


    Though they had a high chance of being chaos dragons.


    But if Lilith''s power was integrating with her bloodline, as she imed, then her children would be true monsters as well.


    <em>Is it because I was more attuned to the End when healing her?</em>


    She was a box full of mystery and wonder.


    ¡°Well, I guess our children will be very talented.¡± Sol said nonchntly, causing Lilith to choke on her spit, quite literally.


    She opened her mouth to protest but, looking at the amused glint in his eyes, she could not help but sputter. Ultimately, she bowed to hide her extremely reddened face, unable to speak anything in the end.


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    ¡°Perhaps.¡± She whispered in a low voice. Her stomach felt tight and her heartbeat thumped violently against her chest even though she was not engaged in mortalbat.


    Those were novel feelings, feelings she had not felt in so long. At the same time, another feeling of joy filled her heart.


    Children.


    After getting Lilin, Lilith had never really thought about the prospects of children. It was simply impossible for an abomination created from the amalgam of so many different DNAbinations to give birth naturally.


    Lilin was a miracle bestowed on her by the monster that was her creator.


    She did not particrly crave motherhood. But there was arge difference between not wishing to have children and being unable to because of their birth.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± She intoned, wishing to change the track of their conversation, ¡°The power of Severance is coursing through my blood. So I guess I should be called a Severing Dragon?¡±


    She was joking but Sol found the topic extremely interesting. If Kali was present he was sure that she would be bursting with excitement, trying toe up with a name.


    ¡°Well, I think Dragon of the End sounds pretty cool too. But it''s a mouthful and sounds more like a title than a whole race.¡± He mused, ¡°In fact, are you even a dragon? Technically you are closer to a superior version of a human. The cool transformation is just a bonus. Homo Superior?¡±


    Lilith listened with a bemused smile as Sol excitedly started listing off different names for her race.


    She found many of them pretty funny or exaggerated to no end. Yet she did not stop him.


    His earlier disy of power had made Sol feel very distant for a very short moment, but distant nheless. It was as if he was bingpletely different from the regr Sol. This was a feeling she had for quite some time now.


    She feared that he would slowly be nothing but an emotionless god, looking down on the world and them as well. Impartial in his feelings for all creation.


    But moments like these made her realize that though Sol may change and grow beyond her wildest imagination, at his core, he would always be the same loving man who was willing to kneel before anyone to save his loved ones.


    She could not give a clearbel to what she felt for him at the moment. But, she thought spending the rest of her life with such a man would be an enjoyable experience.


    ¡°There is no need to find a name for now. It is not like it''s particrly important at the moment.¡± Lilith suggested to Sol. She knew names had power. So she wished to think about the perfect name for her race or at least one that she felt adequate.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Sol did not insist. He doubted they would find a good name now even if they tried.


    ¡°Speaking of, there is one promise I made to myself as well, back when you were training me.¡± Sol stopped rattling names and muttered loud enough for her to hear.


    ¡°What promise?¡± Sheughed sheepishly. She had been quite harsh when she trained Sol after his awakening. But there was nothing she could do. Hising-of-age ceremony was close and they needed a crash course with him crashing head-first against her de.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Sol gave a devilish grin as he leaned down and muttered in her ears, ¡°I promised that one day when I became strong enough, I would spank you as revenge.¡±


    This time, Lilith was unable to hide the reddening of her face. She was not so naive that she did not understand the innuendos.


    As she was about to react, her eyes widened as she felt Sol¡¯s face approach her. She was a half-step demigod. Her processing abilities were beyond what any human could ever hope to imagine.


    But as his lips and hers finally touched, all she could feel was pure nkness. She was unable to fully understand the situation or react for that matter.


    ¡°Don''t make me wait too long, okay?¡± It was only after Sol muttered those words while parting with her lips that she finally came to her senses.


    ¡°I have something to do!¡± Lilith said and immediately jumped on a projected sword before flying away at full speed.


    Sol cackled out loud as he watched her run once again. It seemed like the kiss had been too shocking for the poor woman.


    Lilith was bing very cute. The gap between her past and current self was simply incredible.


    <em>She is not ready yet. </em>


    Sol was in no hurry. They were building the foundation towards a new rtionship. This sweet and fresh feeling was something to cherish and enjoy.


    <em>For now, I need to go meet Pandora</em>.


    A sad smile formed on his face. Lilith had not been the only one to run away.


    His rtionship with Pandora was so barebones that even the rtionship with the maids he had random hookups with was more fleshed 0ut.


    This was a rtionship born out of pure profit and interest. One made because he thought he was not strong enough.


    <em>I don''t need such a rtionship anymore.</em>


    Turning around, he started walking towards the Tower.


    Since Pandora would share life with him, he would make sure to bring her happiness.

 Chapter 655: Meeting Pandora

    Sol could have sent a projection to Pandora, choosing to deal with more important problems that required his true body¡¯s undivided attention. Still, he thought doing that would be incredibly disrespectful, that too to a woman he had already wronged.


    As he walked into the entrance of the tower, unnoticed by everyone, his feet slowed down as multiple murmurs reached his ears. Sol knew that there was no one physically close enough to him for their murmurs to reach him.


    Those murmurs did note from anyone he knew either. They were indistinguishable voices that had been gradually increasing in volume. When the phenomenon started, Sol almost had the misconception that Hypnos was attempting a mental attack on him. Or he was just slowly turning insane.


    The reality, though, was much stranger than his head-canon.


    <strong>Prayers.</strong>


    For some reason, he suddenly gained the capability to hear prayers. Naturally, he was incredibly confused at first, regarding why he even got that ability and more so regarding just who would pray to him.


    Undoubtedly, to be a King, one had to build a legend and Sol was certainly well respected in his Kingdom. But there was no way anyone would <em>pray </em>to <em>him¡ª</em> he wasn¡¯t even close to bing a demigod yet.


    However, listening to Milia¡¯s report as well as gaining a deeper understanding of the Hounds division under her, Sol got a good grasp of the overall scenario.


    It seemed like Nefertiti went above and beyond his wildest imagination. She was quite literally building a religion in his name, using his title of the <em>Dragon Emperor</em> as cover. Since the elves already more or less worshiped dragons, even the goddesses giving their tacit understanding on the issue, people who believed in him would not be persecuted.


    Still. <em>Impressive.</em>


    Nefertiti was worthy of her name, and now Sol found himself with a bonafide Cult.


    She hade in a clutch many times and was religiously proving how invaluable she truly was.


    She was so efficient that Sol was starting to wonder if he should just leave her to deal with the Elves so she could enroll even more of them into his newly established faith. After all, it would be harder to preach to a human.


    <em>My name is also reacting very well to the changes. I can feel my divinity growing wonderfully.</em>


    A small smirk stretched his face. The boost he was receiving was minimal at best, extremely so, in fact. However, it was still a boost at the end of the day. The more faith he gathered, the stronger he would be.


    ¡°I see that you are in a good mood.¡± A feminine voice stopped his musing, causing him to gaze down.


    He had found his way to the lower gardens. The flowers here were obviously not as beautiful or well arranged as the hanging garden above. However, there was also a certain charm to the ce. It was cozy and made him want to simply lie down on the ground and rx.


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    Clearly, he wasn¡¯t the only one who found the ce rxing and pleasing to the senses. After all, Pandora was sitting on a mat with some white bread, meat, jam, and some beverages surrounding her.


    ¡°I am always in a good mood.¡± Sol joked as he advanced a few steps forward and asked, ¡°Can I sit? This impromptu pic looks pretty good, and I happen to be hungry myself.¡±


    Pandora gave him a dubious nce but simply shrugged her shoulders, in the end, ¡°Everything here belongs to you. I can¡¯t stop you even if I want to.¡±


    Sol did not mind the prickly thorns in her words, deciding to take a seat beside her. ¡°So, what have you been up to? I am surprised you came to the lower gardens.¡±


    ¡°Nothing really. The hanging garden was taken over by Freya and Persephone for the wedding preparation. So they waved me away. Since the time is too nice to simply stay in my room, I decided to breathe some fresh air.¡±


    She answered him politely, but the politeness in itself was the greatest proof of the distance between the two.


    He shook his head with a sigh. ¡°Thest time I enjoyed an outdoor pic was quite some time ago. I am constantly going from office to office, filling them with so much paper that they are overflowing.¡±


    Pandora couldn¡¯t stop herself from snorting. ¡°Hah. You should be happy you even have paperwork. As the Demon Queen, I was forced to listen to the grievances of the different demons. As you can imagine, it became a pain in the ass very fast.


    ¡°Having to exin to an ancient zombie why he cannot drink the blood and eat the flesh of mortals. Stopping a n of vampires and werewolves who had been at war for nearly 100 years from literally destroying the whole kingdom. Help keep the status quo, and eliminate people who can negatively affect the situation.¡± ??¨¢?????¨º??


    She rapid-firedint afterint before taking one of the wine bottles and downing it in one go. It was clear that she was very upset and had many grievances in her heart.


    Thankfully, from an optimistic perspective, it was clear that Sol was not at the top of those grievances.


    ¡°Seems like you had your hands full with your kingdom. Must be tough¡± Pandora¡¯s smile became a bit more gentle at those words. Her brows stopped furrowing and her voice was now back to her normal singsong note.


    ¡°I am sorry. It¡¯s just that¡­ the situation in my kingdom isn¡¯t easy. Even more so since that bitch took power. There is not much I can do with her around and I have been more or less relegated to a mere figurehead.¡±


    She sighed and ate the meat with big bites of frustration. Pandora, the Subus Queen, and Queen of Envilya. In essence, she had one of the most enviable positions imaginable in the world. A Blessed born with a powerful race.


    What more could she ask?


    Well, the answer was far moreplicated than one could exin. In the end, Pandora was simply born in the wrong era. The current Supreme Daughter was simply too powerful and because of her transcendental power, most of the authority that should have been Pandora¡¯s was stripped away from her.


    ¡°I came to Lustburg to seek help, but instead I got devoured by a big bad wolf, or should I say a big bad dragon?¡± She gave a side eye to Sol, but the smile never left Sol¡¯s face, he even snickered at her.


    ¡°For me, what happened was an agreeable conversation where we reached amon ord.¡± He gesticted a little exaggeratedly, his movement even as he spoke seemed to bring more impact to his words.


    In the end, the two of them chuckled for a short time but soon, Pandora simply found herself drowning in wine again.


    ¡°Thinking about it. I am about to be a stepfather, right? Should be an interesting experience,¡± said Sol,ughing as she watched Pandora choking on her drink.


    Sol had just brought up a topic she had been desperately trying to avoid. Now though, it seemed to her that there was no more escape possible from reality.


    ¡°Well¡­ I think they will take it well?¡± Though she said those words, Sol did not buy it. He imagined that his future stepdaughters would most likely<em> no</em>t take it well once they learned of this news.

 Chapter 656: Wholesome (?) discussion

    Sol chuckled for a while before lying down on the nappe, a smile stretched his face as he muted out the sounds of the prayers reaching him. He wondered if the goddesses went through the same things he did but now wasn¡¯t the time to think about them. He had a queen to focus his attention on.


    His hand approached some of the food, but Pandora gently pped it away. ¡°No touching.¡± Sol merely snorted at her jest. However, it did not take long for a wide smile to stretch his lips as she willingly gave him a sandwich.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± said Sol and she waved him off.


    ¡°I mean. Technically, it¡¯s your food. So I am just giving back to the original owner.¡±


    Sol did not bother arguing with the passive-aggressive woman and simply bit into the sandwich. Nowadays, his need for food is basically non-existent. He could sustain himself for years by simply absorbing the mana in the atmosphere.


    Still, good food would always be good food and he could wager there was no being in existence who did not like eating tasty food.


    ¡°You act like you haven¡¯t eaten anything in days.¡± She spoke, resting her chin on the palm of her hand as she observed Sol.


    Recently, Sol had been so busy that it was incredibly hard just to get a glimpse of the man. However, Pandora knew that she had not particrly sought him either. Their rtionship was still very, very awkward.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Swallowing the food in his mouth, Sol said, ¡°I have been very busytely, and I need some energy now.¡± ¡°I doubt a sandwich can fulfill the energy needs of a dragon.¡± Pandora could not help herself from shaking her head in disbelief at his remark.


    ¡°Heh, no matter. The taste alone is good enough to fill my belly. Is Milia the one who made this?¡± He asked with curiosity in his voice.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you all-knowing or something? Why not find just the truth?¡± She smiled and Sol answered in jest, ¡°Then where would be the fun left in life?¡± Knowing everything that was about to happen before it could even happen was not fun by any means.


    Sol was extremely attuned to the Karma Threads by now. Seeing the future when it was affected by many powerful entities simultaneously was still hard for him, true, but figuring out who made the food was trivial at best.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like saying something as clich¨¦ as me wishing to keep a semnce of normality. But it¡¯s really what I think.¡± He finished the sandwich and sighed to himself.


    ¡°I will live a long life with all of you guys. Wouldn¡¯t it be a shame if I became bored with our shared future just because I was too curious?¡±


    ¡°<em>Our</em> Shared Future?¡± She could not help but question him.


    ¡°Indeed. <em>Our</em> future. You are included in the Happy Ending I envision. Our meeting was not on the best terms, and I will be the first to admit that I regret some of the decisions I made at the time. But I refuse to live forever in regrets and self-doubts. What about you?¡± He asked, his eyes staring fixedly at her enchanting face.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Pandora opened her mouth and hesitated for a brief time beforeying out the thoughts in her mind, ¡°I do not think I love you, Sol.¡± She decided to start by making a clear confession to him.


    ¡°I think you are an admirable man. You brought on many miracles over the few months since you became active and many people now either fear or respect you, myself included. Young, skilled, talented, powerful, and so many more qualities that I believe I am unable to list them all. Still, I do not think what I feel for you is love. Though I can definitely say that I feel lust.¡±


    She gave a self-deprecatingugh. However, she did not feel ashamed. Sex with Sol had been¡­ well, she could not describe it exactly since she mostly passed out towards the end. But it had been a world-rocking experience.


    Sol was not surprised, they had only met two times before they had their first time together. The rtionship was as unstable as they came. But he was kinda used to these unstable rtionships by now. After all, he had a very simr rtionship with Persephone in the past.


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    ¡°I understand.¡± He did not push her, opting to fully listen to what she wanted to ry to him.


    ¡°Though I do not yet love you and my experience with you is very limited. I believe you are a man worth trusting and following.¡± Pandora had been a silent observer. She had watched how Sol went above and beyond to save Lilith and how seriously he took his job as the interim king of his kingdom.


    Sol was a man she would love to get a better understanding of. ¡°Furthermore, whether I want it or not, we are g-getting m-married soon, r-right?¡± She stammered every so slightly at the end, blushing at the thought.


    A marriage sounded so distant to her in the past. She had never been one to long for such a thing throughout her life.


    ¡°Though it will just be a marriage of convenience, I wish to be of help to you.¡± This was an ord they went into for the purpose of achieving their respective goals. She would help Sol conquer the world, and he would help her control her kingdom ording to her rules.  ????¦¢¨º?


    ¡°It won¡¯t just be a marriage of convenience.¡± Sol finally stopped her there. ¡°Well, at least I hope it won¡¯t just be a marriage of convenience.¡±


    He gave a sheepish grin and looked ahead. ¡°Do you know what my dream is?¡±


    His question seemed pretty random given the current topic, but she decided to not stop him from exining himself to her. ¡°Bing the strongest? Ascending to godhood? Be the Emperor or maybe God King of the Lower realm?¡±


    She even gave a few examples of what she thought his ambitions to be based on what she had gathered about him.


    ¡°You see¡­ The thing is, bing the strongest, having everyone bow to me. All of those sound pretty good, yeah. But the reality is that that is pretty good. But in the end, those points are not what I seek. Only to attain that goal.¡±


    Sol waved his hand a ball of light floated on top of his palm. ¡°When you seek power for the sake of attaining more power, all that results in is finding yourself alone on the top with no one to apany you. My wish is much simpler and yet much more difficult than just that.¡±


    He gave her arge boyish smile, his eyes curving into crescents, his mouth showing his teeth, and the light of the sun shining from behind him.


    ¡°I wish to reach my Happily Ever After with all my loved ones. I wish to bring them all eternal happiness and ensure that, even when I stand at the peak of this universe, I will never be alone.¡±


    Love, happiness, fullfilment. Those were the feelings that had always filled his heart.


    ¡°Pandora. Let me ask you this¡­ Do you wish to be part of my Happily Ever After?¡± It was a very direct question. But Pandora knew what she wanted.


    ¡°I do.¡± Love could be developed. But she could make do with Trust for now.


    ¡°I like your goal.¡±


    As a subus, she was a follower of the Dream Path. Sol¡¯s goal was indeed nothing short of a Dream at the moment. But she found it to be one of the most beautiful dreams anyone could ever have. A simple yet endlessly challenging dream. A dream worth having.


    Her heart beating a mile a minute, her hand went down in her basket, hoping to take some ham and make a sandwich for herself. However, she was soon met with a feeling of nkness.


    <em>Huh?</em>


    She looked down, only to be met with apletely empty basket, leaving her stunned. When she looked to her right, she could see the back of Sol as he ran away while holding the remaining food in his arms and even a ham sandwich in his mouth.


    ¡°Hold on a moment!¡± She called out but was baffled at the brazen response she soon received.


    ¡°You will never catch me!¡± Was all the answer she received as the distance continued to grow between thr duo.


    What started as a simple pic ended up as a fric and blood-pumping chase scenario as Pandora ran after Sol to stop him from devouring everything.


    When she finally reached him and tackled him on the ground, she found himself mounting him,


    ¡°I got you.¡± Her heart was beating faster than she probably had ever felt it beating, and she knew that it wasn¡¯t because of the small game of tag they had around the gardens.


    Sol gazed at her with a mischievous smirk, his eyes twinkling. ¡°Indeed. You caught me. What now?¡±


    His voice was low, suggesting a clear invitation. But he made no clear advances on his part. This time, everything would depend on Pandora.


    The answer he received was quite immediate as she bent down and bit down on the sandwich he was holding in his mouth. Once she swallowed arge chunk of the sandwich she could not stop herself from chuckling out loud. Her hand gently caressed his chest while her nails deftly tore his shirt apart.


    ¡°Well, now it¡¯s time for me to feast on my prize, don¡¯t you think?¡± She asked with a sultry voice.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope the hunter doesn¡¯t transform into prey once again.¡± Pandora blushed in shame at his smug remark. She remembered the first time they had sex. She also went ahead, filled with bravado and confidence in her racial traits, only to be handed a miserable defeat.


    But this time. This time it would be different.


    As for Sol, he simply pulled them both in his dimension. Fun times were about to start.

 Chapter 657: Pandora (1)

    Hovering above Sol, gazing down at his handsome face and confident smirk, Pandora realized she was more than ready. She was positively drenched.


    Heavy,bored breaths leaked out of her while her eyes had grown moist with unconcealed lust. Ever since meeting Sol, Pandora was introduced to many interesting feelings. The stirring in her chest, the aching throbbing in her crotch, and the rising anticipation almost gave her the illusion that she had finished running a country wide marathon few times over.


    She did not even ask his permission before shoving her ample chest right into his face, wishing to bury this bad man between her mountainous peaks.


    Of course, her attack waspletely ineffective.


    Her breasts were so soft that, Sol felt like he was drowning in an ocean of horniness. One did not wish to escape from, forever, if he could help it.


    Yet, he was stopped from reaching the highest peaks of pleasure by a small barrier of clothes. The open chest of her blouse left her bustier exposed, showing a deep cleavage that seemed to be winking at him, nudging away at his lust. The top of the bustier had frills that wonderfully decorated her deep cleavage. He could not help but think that the whole design was a surprisingly cute for someone known as the Subus Queen.


    She pressed herself against him, driving him right to the ground, while her hands held him tightly against her hefty chest. She was fully intent on not even letting him move a single inch. Unless he used some part of his strength to move her aside, that is.


    Pandora snickered, wondering what he would do now. But Sol showed her that, when it came to sex, things such as shame did not exist in his dictionary.


    He used the most yful weapon in his arsenal. He directly deployed his mouth. Sol bit and pulled the bustier down while feeling the warmth of her chest smothering his face. Her heavy breasts finally popped out of their tight confines, pping his face with its heavenly softness.


    Her smooth and fine skin must have been an acquired trait from her demonic blood. Her breasts were alsorger than he had remembered them to be. Out of all his women, only Milia couldpare with those two heavy mountains.


    The nipples were a slightly darker shade of pink than he was used to in his women, and therge aree entuating the small button gradually faded into the hefty peaks¡¯ milky white surroundings.


    Drawn by the sweet aroma of her pillowy bosom, Sol began sucking one of the buds with practiced force. Immediately, Pandora¡¯s whole body tensed and twitched, a small gasp leaking out of her unwillingly.


    He licked at the tip and rolled it around in his mouth while it grew more and more erect and hard. Her breathing gradually increased with his skillful actions, but she had gotten a grasp on her mouth so that no sound would leak without her own will. Ultimately, she did not stop him from continuing.


    He held that pillowy soft flesh in his mouth, tugging it with enough force that the hefty mound was finally freed in its entirety from the cumbersome clothes.


    <em>A pity they do not produce milk.</em>


    Having just her tits pulled out of her clothes made thoserge globes look even more lewd than they would have been while she waspletely naked. A thing to note was that, even though those heavenly mounds did not produce milk, they were still supremely delicious. Sol almost felt that he was sucking on some ripe strawberries. It was a fairly unique yet pleasurable feeling.


    Pandora let out a sigh of pleasure, but she knew that she could not let the bad dragon continue at this pace. She had intended to take the initiative, and now here she was, letting Sol y around with her breasts.


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    <em>Get a grip. </em>


    She told herself inwardly before looking down at the naughty boy.


    In the next moment, she turned her body around, straddled him again, and stuck her butt out toward his face. Her skirt had ridden up her butt, revealing her scandalous ck panties that were almost wedging her fat cheeks.


    Sol raised an eyebrow at her abrupt series of actions, ¡°Are you sure you want to try this again? Thest time, you lost quite miserably.¡±


    Pandora blushed in utter shame as she remembered how she nearly passed out just by gulping down his cum. Now that he was even stronger than back then, she could only imagine how much energy his body could contain.


    <em>He obtained some divinity, right?</em>


    Pandora gulped hard, a mixture of fear and anticipation catfighting in her heart for dominance. She was starting to reconsider the whole situation. Just how good would he taste? How much of a mess would he reduce her to if they were to continue? Was she even ready for this? ????§°??§§?


    Her memory of their first time was now faint, but the overwhelming pleasure she felt back then was practically carved into her mind and soul. She could never forget that.


    <em>Well, there is no way to escape anyway. </em>


    She rationalized, trying to convince herself, even though she knew very well that Sol would not force her if she just told him to stop.


    Before she could jumble herself down further in her spiral of thoughts, Pandora moaned out loud, interrupted by Sol¡¯s firm hands grabbing her round derriere.


    ¡°You can¡¯t put something so delicious in front of me and expect me to stay put, right?¡± Sol jested in a tone full of mirth.


    He bit at the already wet patch sticking to her crotch and pulled hard to reveal the soaked crevice below the cloth.


    Pandora knew that she did not have much time left to decide. So she kept his head pinned between her butt and thighs as she worked to strip off his pants, revealing his already hardened shaft.


    Knowing that directly licking the tip would only knock her out faster, Pandora started by massaging the elongated shaft with her dainty and agile fingers. Then, her lips moved down and gently licked his engorged sack.


    ¡°Ohh..!¡± A small groan leaked out of Sol at her skillful ministrations. He liked how her soft lips and nimble hands made him feel.


    Over and over again, her tonguesciviously snaked back and forth between his balls and the base of his dick. She used the frothy saliva that umted from all the slobbering to slide her fingertips along the shaft and bulbous head to skillfully drive his manhood to its limit.


    Pandora¡¯s technique was exquisite, it had always been like that, and now that her head was not muddled due to his cum, she could fully demonstrate all her knowledge. All of it amounted to Sol rapidly reaching his limits.


    Still, the more she breathed in his manly scent, the foggier her mind became. She wished to lick the top so much, engulf the wet head with her warm mouth, and then drain every drop of his cloudy liquid. But she fought down those instincts for now. She could not let herself be distracted.


    On the other end, Sol was not to be undone by any means. Once he had removed her panties and undone her skirt to fully bare her lower body, he slowly spread herrge butt before his eyes and admired her glistening pink vulva.


    It was an incredible view. One that filled him with a different kind of hunger than usual. Unlike Pandora, Sol did not fight against his instinct and plunged right in.


    He moved his tongue skillfully. A result of all the experience he received while pleasuring so many different women. All women were different, and it was important to find the pleasure points that made them tick just right.


    But Pandora was as easy a target as they came. His scent alone was already driving her to the brink of madness, so a simple probing from his tongue was enough to set off literal fireworks all over her mind.


    She groaned, her whole body convulsed, but Sol paid no heed to herplications. Mercilessly, he continued assaulting her defenseless garden dripping with nectar,pping it up relentlessly with his slithering tongue. His fingers were not idle, either.


    Pandora seemed to experience a few more light climaxes from the pleasure she received from thepping of his tongue alone. Each time, her butt would twitch heavily and squeeze tight against his tongue. But that did nothing to stop him from pleasuring her further.


    A normal man would have suffocated already, but Sol did not need to breathe and he definitely was not a normal man.


    In the end, Pandoraid down powerlessly,pletely exhausted while Sol snickered,


    ¡°Well, it seems like round one goes to me.¡±


    Sex was always fun for him. But beating someone who thought they could win was always another kind of pleasure rush, not unlike a drug.


    ¡°Round two now, or are you ready to admit defeat?¡± He taunted her and sure enough, Pandora¡¯s eyes flickered as she sat up and straddled him.


    At this point, the notion ofpeting itself made no sense. However, she did not wish to lose so pathetically.


    So, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for what was toe, she raised her butt and arranged it above his rock-hard penis, before lowering herself on him.


    Her petals offered no resistance and opened up for him to enter and his penis to slide in.

 Chapter 658: Pandora (2)

    Once she pushed his penis deep inside her leaking folds, Pandora leaned back with her golden curls swaying. Meanwhile, Sol slightly raised his upper body and hugged Pandora tightly in his embrace.


    ¡°You¡¯re filling me up inside!¡± She groaned, her wordsing out with some difficulty. She was still notpletely used to his size, but her demonic body adapted fast.


    The breasts bared by her pulled-down dress jiggled violently, moving in scandalous motions. The simple act of pration alone filled them both with so much pleasure they found it hard to move. So they just sat there, smothered in the pleasant warmth of each other¡¯s embrace for some time.


    They both moved their faces in for a kiss, devoured each other¡¯s tongues, and exchanged copious amounts of saliva. Kissing while he prated her made them feel even closer than when they had simply kissed before.


    As a subus, Pandora¡¯s fluid was no different from the strongest aphrodisiac. Meanwhile, as someone who had obtained divinity or simply as a dragon king himself, his entire body was filled with the purest form of energy.


    This resulted in the two of them intoxicating each other with the natural qualities of their bodies alone. Sol had an easier time because of all his natural advantages and superiority in realm, but Pandora was simply swept away by the raging feelings. She kissed him deeper, as if wishing to drink all the fluid in his body.


    In their current position, Sol could not move as much as he wanted. But Pandora had no such limits.


    She ced her hands around his shoulders to bnce herself, spread her legs to ce her feet to either side of him, and slowly began moving her hips up and down along his hardened rod. Though it was easy to notice she was not used to the motion. Her knees shook with each thrust and her hip movements were awkward at best.


    The soft and intricate folds of her honeypot writhed around his shaft, sending a sweet tingling down Sol¡¯s member and a heavy shudder throughout her body. Her oversized tits bounced and swayed erratically in front of his eyes. That paired with the the Subus Queen¡¯s desperate attempts to pleasure him almost made him lose his mind from arousal alone.


    ¡°Ah, Ahn¡­ I can feel you reaching¡­ so deep inside. Ahhh~¡± She moaned between breaths, not even in the state to speak properly anymore.


    This position naturally allowed the bulbous head of his dick to reach deep within her vagina. The pleasure was so great that, her movements slowed to more of a simmer than a boil.


    ¡°I will be moving now.¡± As amusing, and endearing, as it was to observe her, Sol found his pleasure growing hot with desire. Not to mention, he wished to see her flustered appearance, her writhing body overwhelmed with so much pleasure that she simply lost herself in it.


    He grabbed her narrow hips with his rough hands and thrust straight up from below. He had a bit more room to move now since she was moving her hips up and down in slow and prolonged motions. Pandora was already writhing from the pleasure of the deep pration, so this sudden attack elicited a high-pitched shriek.


    ¡°Ahn! Not so sudden¡­ ah, ahhn¡­ it¡¯s too good¡­¡±


    His thrusting made her body jump and her sunstreaked-golden hair danced around her shuddering face. Her breasts shook violently, practically tempting Sol. Giving in to the temptation of her jiggling melons, Soltched his lips on the small buds while moving his body simultaneously.


    ¡°Ahh, it feels so good¡­ I¡¯m¡­ going to lose¡­ my MIND!¡± Pandora meanwhile was already lost in pleasure, forgetting all the ideas she had about the smallpetition they should be engaged in right now.


    The way she writhed in pleasure sent his heart racing with lust and he could not stop his hips from moving frantically, searching more and more of her depths to explore. ?¨¢?¦¯B§¦S


    ¡°Ah, ahh¡­ yes, yes, yesss! Ah, ahn, AHHNNN~!¡± Her eyes were losing focus and saliva was dribbling down the corner of her mouth.


    She moaned as love juices gushed in torrents from their union. A lewd, sticky-wet sound echoed when their hips made contact. Had they not been in his dimension, a crowd of onlookers would have joined them by now, perplexed by their shameless disy.


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    Pandora had been moving her hips rather hesitantly throughout the lovemaking, but now she waspletely at his mercy as he thrust his hips recklessly from below. She lost her bnce, now clinging to his body to bnce his body and grasp at thest vestiges of her sanity. Her boobs were squished between their bodies, spilling out from the sides.


    Sol could feel pleasure rushing down his spine from prolonged contact with thisscivious woman.


    Moving his own hips, he rubbed his cock against her hot wet flesh even more roughly. He genuinely felt that his cock was melting right about now.


    ¡°Ahn, it¡¯s too much¡­ ¡±


    Her sweat stered her golden locks, her brows, and even her neck. The wetness only added to her sexiness, the moans and groans intensifying her sensuality. She was a woman made for sex, Sol concluded.


    Pandora must not have been able to contain her desires because she hugged and kissed him once more. Her lips would leave his when a thrust from below bounced her body up, but soon would rush for his lips again on the next moment. It really felt like she was set on devouring him here and now.


    This uncharacteristic behavior finally brought his arousal to its peak.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to cum.¡± Sol dered while controlling his own breathing.


    The urge to cum inside her rose from deep in his crotch and took control of his entire body.


    ¡°So am I! Let¡¯s cum together! C-Cum with me¡­ ah!¡± By now, thest thread that held her sanity had all but snapped.


    In this position, there was no avoiding cumming inside her. And instead of trying to lift her hips out of the way, she rubbed her butt against his crotch to ensure he came as deeply inside her as possible.


    Pandora wanted this. She needed this. More than anything right now. His scent and saliva were already driving her to the very brink of utter madness and beyond. She could not even imagine what his sperm viting her womb would make her feel. She moved her hips up and down with frantic speed. The fluids began to froth and bubble at their union. The sticky threads were enough to almost join her hips with his thighs.


    With her renewed eleration, Sol could not help but think that his cock was going to melt from the intense, sticky friction.


    He wanted to cum, but he also wanted to experience this feeling longer. He was trapped by that dilemma. But in the end, the desire to release won over.


    He forcefully pushed his hips up and finally released everything he had been saving up inside of her. Deep inside Pandora¡¯s vagina, the bulging head of his cock mmed against her cervix, releasing all of his cloudy liquid straight to her womb.


    Pandora released a high-pitched moan as she felt the semen enter her. Her sticky folds contracted recklessly, overworking itself to juice every bit of semen out of Sol¡¯s balls. Leaning her head back with a violent jerk, her curly locks messily scattering everywhere, she moaned so loud that it almost felt like a screech for dear life.


    Her eyes started rolled back in their sockets as her body devoured the energy Sol released inside her. What she had once felt during their first time seemed iparable to what she was feeling now.


    She felt like she was floating through heavenly clouds, reaching a new high, a dimension she never thought existed. It was a ce she never wished toe down from.


    Pandora gave her all to hang on to her consciousness. She felt like if she passed out now, she would bepletely addicted to this pleasure and never have any semnce of control. She would be this bad dragon¡¯s eternal ve.


    Like this, her orgasmsted for a few more seconds. Then, with a pussy packed full with Sol¡¯s cum, the Subus Queen leaned limply against Sol, trying her utmost to catch her breath and hold onto her consciousness that seemed to grow fainter by the second.


    They held each other in their arms while still connected, but soon, that warmth was not enough for them. They kissed passionately, exchanging saliva, trying to devour each other.


    A pleasant lethargy enveloped them while time seemed to pass with a serene note to it. Pandora still felt like her mind and body were not her own. But this feeling was slowly vanishing, and she wasing down from her high.


    Sol did not know how long they stayed like this, but once he felt her heart calm down, he asked in a soft whisper, ¡°Should we take a bath?¡±


    Pandora could only nod. She got down from hisp and pulled on his arm, but her legs were still wobbly.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Sol asked as he helped her stand. He quickly supported her slender body and she clung to his arm. When he looked down, he saw his cum dripping down her thighs, dropping down to the ground in thick droplets.


    The amount of cum he had delivered was rather extreme if he said so himself. But it was not a miracle that she did not pass out. After all, Sol had done his best to retract as much energy as possible from all his fluids.


    Sex was an enjoyable act between partners. It wouldn¡¯t be fun if Pandora was stone-cold because of too much pleasure and passed out immediately.


    Pandora was not stupid, she could guess that she wasn¡¯t able to stay awake with her own power. But at this point, that piece of knowledge did not concern her.


    She realized thatpeting or whatnot was only a waste of time and energy. The most important thing was bringing pleasure to the two of them.


    So, with a newfound understanding of their rtionship, she followed Sol into the bath.


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 659:

    One thing Sol liked almost as much as sex was the aftercare. A moment of soothing rxation after an intense effort. Where they would sit together in a hot bath and cuddle and kiss tenderly, perhaps they would talk about their feelings or perhaps about love. Perhaps they would simplyugh and talk about useless things or perhaps they would simply embrace and find peace in the silence and warmth of their intertwined bodies.


    Those moments were extremely precious for him, as they were the best asion to have some much-needed heart-to-heart talks. It was a conversation that explored the depth of their bond, deepening their rtionship in a way that the mingling of flesh and the throes of pleasure could never aplish.


    Both Sol and Pandora were now sitting near the edge of his giant bath. He always felt it was a waste of water, but Milia assured him that the water was created through magic and that it was essential for the inner economy of the Tower.


    One day, while using his dimension, he saw some disturbing things the maid did with his bath water and since then, Sol decided to not ask any more questions about this topic. Fearing that exploring further could unveil information that could scar his mind forever.


    ¡°So, how was it?¡± Sol asked, an amused glint in his eyes, as Pandora rested against his chest. Her breathing was faint and droplets of water were covering her sinful body, causing Sol to harden ever so slightly.


    ¡°Calm your little friend down. I am not ready for another round.¡± She tapped his legs, almost as if she was protesting indignantly. But her words only made Sol cackle.


    ¡°Never would I have thought that I would hear a subusint about sex.¡± Spending time with Pandora was quite delightful.


    ¡°Well. You still don¡¯t know much about me.¡± She gathered her feet together. Her eyes grew a little vacant.


    ¡°I want to know more. Tell me about your daughters, for example. Were you able to contact them recently?¡± It was Sol¡¯s earnest wish to understand Pandora on a deeper level. This way, he was sure he could create a harmonious rtionship with the Subus Queen. ¡°Well. I have two daughters. The eldest is Anastasia. In fact, I took on her disguise to enter Lustburg.¡±


    ¡°And we all know how your infiltration ended.¡± He jested and was rewarded with a pinch on his leg.


    ¡°As I was saying, before you <em>rudely interrupted me</em>, I have two daughters. Anastasia, the eldest, and my youngest is Minerva. She is the one who received the Blessing. But you should already know that.¡±


    Of course, Sol knew all that. He had done very extensive research on Envilya in recent times. It was his main target after Southern Pride, after all.


    ¡°I do know, but at the end of the day, those are only information obtained from spies. I would like to learn more from you.¡± He gently caressed her damp hair, making her shiver as she leaked a heated sigh.


    ¡°Well, you do know what to say,¡± She shook her head, ¡°Minerva is the heiress and she has unparalleled talent. I think she would not pale inparison to some of the people in the tower. As for Anastasia. While she does not have much talent when ites to our innate gift as Subi, she incorporated some of her illusion power in her swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Sol¡¯s interest was immediately piqued. After all, those two would be his stepdaughters¡ª his family. Anastasia seemed like someone who would feel right at home here in the midst of all the sword junkies. She was already friends with Lilin so there shouldn¡¯t be much problem for her to fit in.


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    As for Minerva¡­


    ¡°What makes her so talented?¡± For Pandora to make such an assertion despite knowing the people who lived in the tower would mean that Minerva was definitely someone worth his attention.


    ¡°As you know, we Subi use the power of Dreams to affect reality. My own Zone, Dreamscape, is something I developed after a very long time. It allows me to bring people directly into the world of dreams even if they are awake.¡±


    Her power had many limitations. After all, Subi were not a fighting race.


    ¡°Minerva is different. She did not need to develop anything. She was born with special eyes that can pull people to dreams no matter their state. You could say that she was born with the power of my zone inside of her. There is more, of course, far more. Why do you think I was able to sneak out of Envilya without a soul noticing?¡±  ?


    Sol mused. This was indeed something he had been curious about. No matter how easily he subdued her, Pandora was at the King Realm. Her aura, power, and skills were not things that could be imitated by a simple doppelg?nger.


    ¡°This is the second innate skill of my daughter ¨C <strong><<Acting>></strong>. She can change illusions into reality and take the appearance of people she dreams of bing. Manner of speech, skills, power, aura. She can copy nearly every single aspect that makes up a person. The more she knows the person the more perfect she can copy them.¡±


    There was also a limit to this power obviously but as long as the difference in realm wasn¡¯t too wide, Minerva could reproduce all the skills of someone she was copying. The greatest limitation outside of power was that she could only copy one person at a time. But Pandora was sure that such limitation would slowly vanish as Minerva grew stronger in the future.


    ¡°Her powers are definitely intriguing. This might be one of the closest concepts to omnipotence.¡± Sol felt like he was enlightened by this knowledge. Thanks to his power over bnce, he was able to affect the boundaries of Dream and Reality.


    He did need to copy anyone else''s skills or power yet. But being able to transform dreams into reality was the closest one coulde to being almighty.


    ¡°Now I am impatient to meet them. I hope our first meeting will go well.¡± Sol ruffled Pandora¡¯s hair, which caused her to let out a coquettishugh.


    ¡°Well, I left home to search for an ally and I will return with a husband and a father who is nearly the same age as them. How do you think they will react?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you teach them that age is just a number? Also, how could a woman resist someone as handsome and gentle as me?¡± Solughed as she felt him pinch his thigh with far more strength than before. They both knew that such action could not hurt him in the slightest. This was just a cute way for Pandora to protest against her lover.


    ¡°You are quite the narcissist,¡± Pandora could not help butin.


    ¡°Well, is it really narcissism if it¡¯s true?¡± He asked with a raised eyebrow as if challenging her to find even a single fault in his words.


    ¡°You were definitely not gentle the first time we met.¡± Pandora definitely did not shy away from using his weakness against him, causing Sol to cough to hide his embarrassment.


    ¡°Ahem~ Let¡¯s just say, I yed a little rougher than usual.¡± He hugged her closer with his left arm while his left arm slowly trailed down until it reached her lower part. ¡°Also, I remember distinctly someone acting like they had everything under control before fainting helplessly.¡±


    He gently pinched the quivering bud between her legs, causing Pandora to pant and twitch. At the same time, his other hand climbed up and cupped her bountiful breast.


    ¡°I¡­ I thought we¡­ were supposed to talk.¡± Talking was difficult for Pandora as she felt her temperature rise.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Sol muttered sultrily in her ears, ¡°We have all the time in the world to talk with our bodies.¡±


    He whispered before biting her earlobe. A new round of exchange began between the two lovers.


    This time there was nopetition. Pandora did not try to win or gain an advantage. She simply enjoyed the pleasure she received and tried her best to deliver just as much pleasure back to Sol.


    <strong>(AN:</strong> The first arc ends like this. Next chapter will be an interlude for Pandora or Envilya. Then after that, we start the next arc. Which is the Southern Pride visit. Finally, time to meet those elves and meet the best girl, Nefertiti.<strong>)</strong>

 Interlude 17: Nefertitis Cult

    Interlude 17: Nefertiti''s Cult


    <strong>[Southern Pride]</strong>


    In the past, the great forest of the elves would always be rtively silent. Thanks to the longevity of the elves, they tended to go about with their lives at a slow pace. After all, why be in a hurry when you have all the time in the world?


    They were unlike humans, who had extremely limited lifespans.


    Nowadays, the notion of silence is considered a thing of the past. As dawn approached and the morning sun illuminated the forest with its radiant rays, a woman with a mix of reddish-brown and golden hair was standing in front of an assembly. She was d in a skin-tight nigh-transparent white robe while holding a thick book in her hand.


    The book had two different covers. The front cover depicted arge tree with thousands of branches. Each branch was covered in eyes of all shapes and forms, opened wide as if they were observing the entirety of creation. They gave off the feeling that absolutely nothing could be hidden from them.


    Meanwhile, the cover on the back depicted arge sun, an eye splitting the orb in the middle, opened wide and observing. Below the sun was the image of a snake biting its own tail.


    No matter which angle one observed the cover, the symbol could only be considered bold, sphemous even. After all, the insignia of the snake was generally representative of Asmodeus. The Demigod under the direct order of Luxuria. But in the mortal world, it was more a representation of the witches of Ouroboros. The daughters of Asmodeus.


    ¡°The Lord once told me. Love is a powerful force. A force that helped him fight through all the adversities that tried to block his way.¡±


    As she opened the book, a soothing voice spread in the square, erupting the listening elves with murmurs and cheers. Men, women, old, or young. At that moment, no notion mattered. No discrimination could take root. They were simply believers listening to the words of the Lord. Some were doubtful, some were simply curious, and others were most likely spies sent by the leaders of the different tribes and even the queen herself.


    But Nefertiti did not care. As long as they were listening to the words of her lord, then they were wee in his embrace.


    ¡°Would the Dragon Emperor really love all of us? He is not a god after all.¡± A feminine voice echoed but Nefertiti¡¯s smile never wavered. The rude interruption did not affect her in the slightest.


    She knew the voice belonged to just one enemy among many and this was not the first time this happened either.


    ¡°My lord¡¯s love is both boundless and selfish. If you believe in him and follow him, you will receive his love. My lord may be all-powerful but he does not seek the salvation of the world. Only his own.¡±


    Nefertiti knew she could have easily ensnared more people by changing her words. Yet she refused the very thought itself. Her lord would soon be a full-fledged demigod. What he needed now was pure faith gathered in his name and existence. Not one that would taint and sully him.


    ¡°But what miracles can he do?¡±


    ¡°What miracle have you witnessed from the other Dragon Lords?¡± Nefertiti asked with a smile, causing the elf to wince.


    Elves were in general all fervent believers of the Dragons. They saw them as superior beings and only considered such a proud race worthy of their allegiance. But all elves did not believe in all the dragons. They were separated in their beliefs.


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    Yet one truth held firm for all of them. Insulting the dragons¡¯ prestige was not permitted.


    ¡°I apologize. My words were disrespectful.¡± The elf immediately apologized for her mistake. She could already feel many hostile gazes zero in on her.


    ¡°There is no need for any apology. My lord is not so petty that he would be angry for being doubted.¡±


    Nefertiti eyed the elf as she spoke. To distinguish the tribe of an elf, the color of their skin, their tribal tattoos, or the clothes they wore was the best indication.


    <em>Slightly gray skin and the mark of a coiling dragon on her thigh</em>.


    Silver elves generally believed in the Water Dragon King¡ª Kiyohime. The coiling dragon mark was the ultimate proof of their allegiance.


    Moon elves followed Fafnir. Sun Elves followed Welsh. Silver elves followed Kiyohime and Dark elves followed Hydra.


    ¡°You might not know, but my Lord''s love does not stop only at mortals like us.¡± A strange expression shed in everyone''s eyes when a Phoenix called herself a mortal. But Nefertiti simply ignored them.


    ¡°The Lord''s love spread even to the mighty dragons, and the Water Dragon is his mate.¡± Of course, this was a different kind of love. But she knew that her lord certainly had nock for such a form of love. One could even say he was overflowing with it.


    The elf who had started the small fight opened her eyes wide in utter shock. She had heard some of those rumors recently. Those rumors were born because of a book that had been spreading in the forest.


    <strong>[The Sulfurous Adventures of the Prince of Lust]</strong>


    The book itself was scandalous, to say the least. A very entertaining book and one that did make her feel a little hot and bothered. But if the events depicted in the book weren¡¯t just the imagination of a delusional lunatic¡­ Her face reddened slightly at the image of the Queen she revered being held down under the body of the new Dragon King. No, the Dragon Emperor.


    Nefertiti hid the smile of victory that hung on her lips. The nature of elves made it oh-so-easy for her to manipte them. In the first ce, most did not have any deep hostility against Sol himself.


    They might follow orders but the respect they had deep down for dragons was paramount.


    Nefertiti wondered if those feelings were natural or if Tiamat had used her power of Pride to engrave this feeling of subordination deep in the heart of the elves. But she did not care much about it.


    After that small episode, Nefertiti was able to continue uninterrupted. Her words flowed without end or pause. She was fully immersed in sharing the light and the power of her Lord. But she did not forget to share his desires and his faults.


    Gods did not need to be perfect to be worshiped. But they definitely needed to be powerful.


    In a world where everyone could potentially be a demigod, faith was a hard thing to gather. But the elves were the perfect test subjects for Sol.


    After the elves, her next target would be the humans.


    ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s end with a litany in the name of our Lord.¡± She closed the book of faith and opened her arm wide. The atmosphere immediately shifted as many of the already converted elves closed their eyes and lowered their heads. Those who did not yet believe in Sol were forced to do the same to not stand out.


    ¡°O¡¯ All-Seeing Radiant Lord, Whose gaze pierces the veil of time, We stand in Your eternal light.¡± Nefertiti started.


    ¡°¡°May Your vision guide our path; may Your brilliance cleanse our souls.¡±¡± The crowd answered.


    ¡°In every shadow, You are the light that cannot be hidden, The sun that never sets, the me that never fades.¡± Her voice flowed all around.


    ¡°¡°O¡¯ Radiant One, we bask in Your endless glow, illuminate our hearts, and drive away the darkness within.¡±¡± The fervor in the crowd reached a crescendo.


    ¡°With a thousand eyes, You watch all that is and all that will be, Nothing is hidden from Your radiant vision.¡±


    ¡°¡°O¡¯ Watcher of all things, see into our hearts, purify us with the brilliance of Your light.¡±¡±


    ¡°From the highest heavens to the deepest abyss, there is no secret that escapes Your sight, no heart unread by Your divine eye.¡± Her voice seemed to reach the deepest depths of their hearts.


    ¡°¡°O¡¯ All-Knowing Lord, see into our souls, judge us not by our fears, but by the light we seek.¡±¡± They prayed alongside her.


    ¡°You are the beacon for the lost, the dawn after every long night, The torch that leads us through the wilderness of doubt.¡±


    ¡°¡°O¡¯ Radiant me, warm us with Your divine presence, let no shadow linger where Your light shines.¡±¡±


    ¡°With eyes of stars and voice of sunfire, You have cast Your gaze upon all creation.¡± She ced her hands together. Her heart was filled with love and devotion. She could not hear his voice but she could certainly feel his grace. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that her words were reaching him.


    ¡°¡°May we forever be worthy of Your sight, and may Your radiance never turn away.¡±¡±


    And so, the prayer ended as the devoted believers of the Dragon Emperor chanted in unison.

 Interlude 18: Siegfried

    In the Depth of the World Tree, one of the trees gifted to the elves by the Demigod Yggdrasil, one man could be seen meditating with his eyes closed and legs crossed next to a small greenke. His green hair reached his tailbone and seemed to sway under a non-existent wide.


    His upper body, devoid of clothes, was showing a deep tan that covered nearly everything.


    Everything expects a specific spot on his back in the shape of a leaf. Only in that spot was his skin pristine white.


    His long ears twitched as the sounds of light footsteps reached him.


    ¡°You have be sloppy, sister. I would have never managed to catch you approaching in the past.¡± His eyelids opened, showing beautiful green eyes full of vitality.


    ¡°Siegfried. We need to discuss.¡± Sate ignored the words of her brothers and sat on a rock not far from him.


    ¡°I miss the days when you would cutely call me big brother and follow me around everywhere I went.¡± Siegfried sighed and stood up. Then stretched a little. His back and bones made a series of sickening sounds as he slowly adjusted his body.


    ¡°It was more than 1500 years ago. We are not children now.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we are not. But I believe one should endeavor to keep a young heart. Only then can they think like an adult.¡±Siegfried smiled and approached a giant sword that was chained to the right wall. After inspecting the sword and making sure everything was okay, he was happy to leave for now.


    ¡°You still refuse to use your sword.¡± Siegfried''s smile lowered a little when those words came out from his sister.


    Gram. One of the highest-quality weapons. Something he had used to kill Ladon, his brother-inw.


    ¡°That year was a mistake. You had no choice back then.¡± She said,


    For an elf, threatening a dragon was no different from the vilest act possible. But he, Siegfried, had killed a dragon and became renowned as a Dragon yer.


    It had been necessary. Ladon had gone on a rampage after Jupiter¡¯s death, and Siegfried was the only one with the strength necessary to subdue it or eliminate him. In his own name.


    ¡°I know. My mind understands this. I had no choice but to kill him. The angels had no intention to join despite causing this mess and the old demon in Envilya will never reveal himself unless necessary. So I did what I had to do ¡ªAnd I have been regretting it every day of my life for one thousand years. Even my realm stopped growing, and I have no more hope to reach the Demigod realm.¡±


    Siegfried was a singrity and an elf. Not all singrities necessarily achieved a high realm and were limited by their lifespan. As an elf, he did not have to worry about longevity.


    Yet, ever since what happened on that fateful day, he had been unable to reach the next step. He had broken a taboo and now this taboo was like a nail in his heart.


    He knew very well that once he went through it, he would find himself reduced to ashes and fail the ascension.


    ¡°Your situation is not so different from mine.¡± He gave his sister a wan smile and ignored the anger in the eyes of this girl. Siegfried wasn¡¯t the only one whose path was broken one thousand years ago.


    At that time, she had been so high and mighty, that nothing seemed to be able to block her rise. Bing a Demigod might have been an uncertainty for most and a gamble for a few, but no elf had any doubts about her surviving the tribtion.


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    Sadly, everything was destroyed on the day she faced Persephone Asmodeus. The witch of life. This single defeat had broken the invincible heart of Sate and reduced her Pride to dust. Her path to ascension was severed, and so she stagnated as a King for all those years.


    ¡°So tell me, oh dear sister, what do you wish from this cripple?¡± Siegfried, seeing the impassive expression of his sister, smiled in relief. A few hundred years ago, just mentioning this matter would have sent her into depression.


    He was sure that she simply needed two or three short centuries before building her confidence again and rising as a Demigod.


    ¡°I need your help.¡±


    ¡°Oh? The proud Sate asked for help. What is happening?¡± He raised an eyebrow. Most of her pride may have been destroyed but it was highly unusual for her to ask him for help.


    ¡°We have many problems. The first one is¡­¡±


    Sate started telling everything that happened in thest few months. The war between Lustburg and Wratharis, the rise of the so-called Dragon Emperor, the development of a new faith in the midst of the elves, and even the fact that his daughter was currently residing in the Mortal Realm.


    ¡°Oh? Nidhogg is here as well?¡± He showed aplicated expression. Siegfried was Hydra''s son-inw in a way. After all, he was the mate of Hydra¡¯s blood-born daughter. The result of that union was Nidhogg.


    Sadly, he had not been a particrly good father to her. In the first ce, Nidhogg''s mother only chose him for his seed, and from her words, since he killed a dragon he needed to give a new dragon.


    After she became pregnant, he was kicked out of the nest and had little say in how Nidhogg was raised.


    ¡°Well, I guess she is not interested in meeting me.¡± He gave a bitter smile and shook his head, focusing on the more important matter.


    Sol Luxuria. He knew that ze had a son. In fact, after ze died he even wished for her son to be raised in Southern Pride or be sent to the Dragon Realm. But Asmodeus had made clear that such a thing was not permissible.


    ¡°As expected of Her Highness¡¯ son.¡± He was ted. ze had been a true friend to him in many ways. Someone he respected greatly and even a subject of his faith. In his opinion, had she been alive, there was no doubt that she would have be the true ruler of Dragon instead of Kiyohime.


    Hearing about the prowess of her son, he could only click his tongue in wonder. Indeed. Blood did not lie.


    <em>Should I make a formal visit to Lustburg? </em>


    He idly wondered but was curious about something else, ¡°I still do not understand why you need my help. Do you wish for me to stop the spread of that cult?¡±


    He had no faith in the goddesses. Those willful and childish women were nothing but oversized children with too much power in his eyes. Only someone as regal as Tiamat or ze was worthy of his faith.


    If the phoenix girl was spreading faith to prepare the road for Sol¡¯s ascension to Demigod, then while he would not help, he would certainly not hinder her.


    Sate shook her head, ¡°No. I simply need you to follow me. We will negotiate soon with Lustburg and I can already predict that the way things are going ¡ª We will lose a great deal.¡±


    Southern Pride had a few king-ranked powerhouses hidden and far more Dukes than Lustburg could ever hope to have. If Lustburg and Southern Pride where to go to war, then she was sure that Southern Pride would win 9 out of 10.


    But ¡ª Sol was a dragon.


    ¡°His identity alone is enough for many of the elders to not even fight. The younger generation would be less affected but with the action of that girl, Nefertiti, everything changed. I believe the moment I even dare to suggest war, I will have an uprising on my hands.¡±


    Elves were not peace-loving creatures. Siegfried had be more or less a pariah after killing a dragon, and that was despite the fact that said dragon had gone crazy.


    If she went to war willingly against Sol ¡ª Her country would crumble from internal strife before any kind of war could happen.


    Listening to her, Siegfriedughed out loud. Anyone who was not an elf would feel disbelief at her words, but he knew very well that she was even understating some of the facts.


    Elves were crazy and full of obsession.


    He could already imagine peopleing after Sate''s life or challenging her for the crown.


    After wiping a tear away, he chuckled and nodded, ¡°I will help you, and I also want to see the Son of the Dragon Queen for myself.¡±


    This was certainly going to be an interesting meeting.


    (Siegfried was first introduced during the Dragon arc. Firstly by Fafnir thenter on when Kiyohime spoke about what happened 1k years ago. He is also the son-inw of Hydra.)

 Chapter 660: Three special book

    As much as Sol loved spending quality time with Pandora and building up their rtionship, the time he had at his disposal was severely limited. He needed to make every second count.


    All his temporary avatars moved tirelessly, working around different issues of his kingdom. He also tucked one avatar away inside his dimension to focus on building his power.


    Truthfully speaking, calling them avatars was more or less wrong as their existence was closer to having multiple minds working simultaneously. But giving form to these temporary avatars helped in channeling more focus into the different tasks that were strictly assigned to each of them. Simultaneously, the separation significantly lowered the dissonance he generally felt doing so many tasks parallelly. Separating his thoughts into fixed forms helped him immensely.


    While his main body was cuddling with Pandora, and they were preparing for a good night¡¯s sleep, one of his avatars was in an important meeting with his advisors and an interesting fourth participant.


    Athena, Milia, ra and¡ª La Befana. The representative of the Witches.


    Those three women are the only people he could unconditionally trust to handle the administration of his Kingdom. As for La Befana, as the current leader of the council, all decisions went through her to the witches. Only Medea and Ambrosia had more authority than her and could directly rule over the council.


    Initially, Medea was supposed to be sitting on this very table. But it was decided that such things might create doubt in the minds of the witches. After all, they all knew about his rtionship with Medea. With that in mind, it was hard to say Mede would have the best interests of Salem in her mind.


    There was nothing Medea could really do about this situation. Her Karma from one thousand years ago was still hindering her. It would be unreasonable to ask the witches to fully believe in someone who caused them to be exiled and hated for over a thousand years. The fact that the true culprit was Jupiter did not really matter.


    Athena was still a little green on these matters, but ra was making sure to teach her everything she had learned over the years. It was the most surefire way to ensure that Athena would serve him to the best of her abilities without any major failures or setbacks. When Sol shared his decision about Gerald, Athena showed a brief smile of joy before immediately correcting her expression. Then, after a deep bow, she thanked him on behalf of the Hignd family.


    Sol did not need such thanks, nevertheless, he epted them magnanimously. The Hignd family was a staunch loyalist, and Sol knew how to reward those loyal to him.


    He decided to slightly increase their territory and resources that would go to them in the future after he dealt with the witches.


    ¡°So, this is the new draft for the witches¡¯?¡± Sol looked down at the document with a deep frown etched on his face. To officialize his alliance with the witches, two things were necessary. Marrying Medea and handing out the promised territory and titles.


    ¡°Grand Duchess, huh.¡± The first thing in order was the title that would go to Ambrosia. As the creator and ruler of all the Witches, she was a queen in all but name. But she was still human, making it impossible for her to get a title of the same standing or superior to him in Lustburg.


    In the end, he received a proposal from Befana. ¡°You do know that such a title is only fitting in an empire?¡± He asked her while considering the document quietly.


    Grand dukes, also referred to as Archdukes were more or less equal to Kings. In many ways, this was a suitable title. One he would use for the rulers of all the Kingdom he would conquer in the future. But at the moment, it was not particrly suitable for them.


    ¡°Your Highness, since we have already captured Wratharis and are about to negotiate with Southern Pride, it¡¯s necessary to start now. After this meeting, I would like to show you the draft I have prepared for a new temte. The number of Dukes we have will increase tremendously, and we will have more Grand dukes. We might also need to create more titles on the lower level.¡± ra pointed out on the side. While she did not like Befana, ra had to give respect to the vastly older woman.


    Befana had been elected many times in the council and even with the strict rotation, she sat on the chairman chair more than once. In terms of pure skill, experience, and knowledge of governance, no one here was her match.


    Sol groaned inwardly but did notin. If before, he was doing this whole conquest thing more out of necessity than anything else. Now he truly wished to conquer the entire world and increase his power.


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    After all, how was he supposed to take over the universe if he could not even control one of the main Realms thatprised the whole damn thing?


    ¡°Very well. For now, we will nominate Ambrosia as Grand Duke of Salem. As for you, Miss Befana. You will receive the title of Duchess. Most of the territories that were previously under the Gorfar family will be under your control. What do you say?¡±


    Befana simply perused the map ra gave her, and chuckled, ¡°I am only the temporary head of the council. Soon, someone will rece me. I would not be fit as a Duchess.¡± Her tone was polite but the intent to refuse his proposal was evident.


    The witches followed a system that was as close as possible to democracy while still focusing heavily on meritocracy. Only the best of the best were allowed on the seat of the council and the head seat was never permanent due to the rotation.


    ¡°It¡¯s no matter. You witches might not be used to the way we measure time. But a term of fifty years is no different from the passage between two generations here. You still have your two terms. So you will be able to act as a Duchess for nearly a hundred years.¡±


    Befana clicked her tongue. She truly did not want to be a Duchess of Lustburg. She was sure that the next period would be filled with all kinds of chaos and continuous expansion. Furthermore, the whole system of Lustburg was a mess filled with so many holes she felt pain on behalf of the administration. Even though half of the whole administration was undead.


    Looking up, she could see Sol gazing at her with a wide grin that threatened to split his face, as if he had sessfully pulled a prank. She did not need to be a genius witch to understand that he would not budge on his matter.


    Sighing she put down the maps and said, ¡°On behalf of all the witches of Salem I can only say¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. Duchess Befana, you will have to discuss with the other Dukes and Duchesses regarding the cement of the witches. It¡¯s necessary to avoid a second form of segregation.¡±


    If all the witches were concentrated in one zone, then it would be no different than the current situation the witches were facing.


    Sol was not worried about the witches'' integration in Lustburg. He just had toy the foundations for now. In just a century or two at most, no one would even remember the witches were once considered enemies of humanity.


    <em>My sense of time is slipping already.</em>


    Clearly, after spending so much time with so many long-lived species, even his own sense of time had been severely affected.


    ¡°Your Highness, we also need to reschedule many matters on our agenda. I have received a report from Southern Pride and it seems that things are moving in quite a strange way. Queen Sate wishes to bring forward the meeting once more.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think she is doing this?¡± Sol asked and ra answered with mirth in her eyes, ¡°Take a look, Your Highness. I am sure you will find this very interesting.¡±


    Sol became speechless as he gazed at the three books she put on the table.


    <strong>[Bible of the All-Seeing Radiant Lord]</strong>


    <strong>[The Sulfurous Adventure of the Prince of Lust: Pink Edition]</strong>


    <strong>[The Tales of the Dragon Emperor: Collector¡¯s Edition]</strong>


    Eying the title, he was forced to tilt his head and wonder just what the hell was happening here.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Sol asked, dreading the answer.


    ¡°Your adventures, Your Highness,¡± ra said.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Sol covered his face and sighed in defeat. He thought he had managed to transcend shame. But this was definitely on another level.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Let¡¯s ignore this for now. Why do you have the so-called Pink and Collector¡¯s Edition here?¡± He was genuinely curious but ra looked at him like he was the strange one.


    ¡°For my own collection. I bought the normal edition of each book and will read them at my leisure. The current Collector and Pink editions are covered in a special spell that will protect them only for two hundred years. How could I bear to read them? Sadly, no special edition yet is out for the Bible.¡± The way she seemed genuinely sad was quite baffling to Sol.


    ¡°.... Then why even bring them here?¡± Shouldn¡¯t she keep them in her collection and bring over the normal versions of the book?


    ra smiled and sped her hand, she had no reason to hide her goal, ¡°Once you touch the books, I will save your imprint on them using another spell. This will make their value skyrocket. Of course, it would be my honor if you would sign them with your mana or just a word.¡±


    The way she gave him puppy eyes was simply¡­ unbearable. Still, he had no reason to refuse. But, just as he was about to sign,


    <em>~Ahem~ </em>


    Milia cleared her throat gently and took out a dozen books from her shadow dimension.


    ¡°The Hounds asked for this as a reward until you can meet them.¡± She seemed quite ashamed, but from the way she was holding three books close to her heart, it became evident that some of them were not really for the hounds under her.


    Like this, before he even understood what was happening, a serious discussion about the distribution of power in Lustburg transformed into a glorified signing session.

 Chapter 661: Schedules

    As fun as it was, the signing session itself did notst long. It was but a fun little prank. Sol was d that ra and Milia were still up for joking around with him.


    Anyway, Sol already had an idea about who the author was. His suspicions were only confirmed when he looked at the author''s name. Nefertiti did not try to hide her identity so her name was written in bold and noticeable characters.


    He didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry at this situation. He had honestly not expected much when he initially sent her to the Nation of the Elves. But again and again, Nefertiti was proving to be a valuable asset to him.


    Sending her to the elves might have been one of the best decisions he had made in his entire life.


    Ignoring the book about his rtionship with multiple women and the one about his adventures, Sol focused on the Bible itself. The veritable gospel of his religion.


    A Bible. A holy book that shares information about a god, its feats, and his mythology or legend. The concept of a holy book was obviously not foreign in this ce. The 14 goddesses all possessed one. So did Ymir for that matter.


    Interestingly enough, while Chaos and Order were mentioned and recognized as the highest goddesses in all religions, there was not a specific faith dedicated to them.


    Adam had once exined to him that gods or goddesses who had fused with the primordialws of the universe did not need the faith of any being to grow and sustain their powers¡ª a fundamental demarcation line that differentiated them from the lesser gods and goddesses. As long as this universe existed, even if all life were to be wiped out, the two Mother Goddesses would continue to exist.


    ¡°I will study this Bible.¡± He ignored the reluctant expression ra was giving him and focused on Milia.¡°So, about the Hounds. Is there anything I need to know?¡± Camelia had already put back the books in her dimension before clearing her throat.


    ¡°Your Highness, I promised the winner that she could spend time with you. I already had your permission on the matter.¡± She was quite hesitant, but Sol waved his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have no reason to refuse, and I am really happy with the results we have obtained with their employment.¡±


    As a King, what he needed the most were talented, skilled, or rich people who could support him in many fields.


    Why would hein now when he was getting everything he needed? Elves were a prideful bunch, and this pride was not just vain bravado.


    Elves may be slow learnerspared to humans, but they reced this handicap with the ability to umte decades worth of books in their minds without forgetting anything.


    Any elf past a certain age was a walking treasure trove. How could he not be excited?


    ¡°I will take care of them tomorrow. To be honest, I am impatient to get more information about the queen and the Supreme Daughter from them.¡± Sol would rather avoidplicated situations if he did not need to. But the elves were now his servants and it was his duty to take care of them.


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    Milia nodded and passed a folder to everyone present.


    ¡°I would also like to change a few things. Our initial schedule has not been able to keep track of the situation and with the Elf Queen bringing the meeting forward, we need to reformte everything.¡±


    They had so many things to do that it was downright maddening but everyone managed to calm their nerves.


    Sol looked at the list, and a smile formed on his face. He loved all the events noted on the list but their timings were left ambiguous.


    ra took over and started exining. She made him remember to take care of the matter regarding Chloe.


    Chloe was an angel and the angels had requested her return. It was necessary to decide his stance on this matter.


    <em>If I can convince her. Then¡­ </em>He thought to himself. If he could get her then this would help greatly in his fight against the angels. He grinned, he truly couldn¡¯t wait to fight the angels.


    ¡°Lady Chloe aside, we have four months until the impeachments follow through. Ideally, in those four months, you should do whatever you want. But I believe there is a way to make things even better and more efficient.¡±


    She proceeded to exin her n and the way she came up with for him to acquire more than everything he deserved.


    ¡°If we have to summarize all the major uing events then. Weddings, coronations, alliances, rewards, punishments, protection, and a few more.¡± ra clearly enunciated everything on the agenda. Her voice was calm and gave everyone a feeling of confidence.


    ¡°The first order is the alliance. We need you to meet Elf Queen Sate and discuss the future of Southern Pride. Ideally, you should take one princess or the queen herself in marriage. But it¡¯s important to know that while we technically follow a form of freedom of choice and movement, the power of the Queen is not that great.¡± To be Queen one needed to prove themselves.


    Things such as favoritism were not allowed, otherwise, the elves would not appreciate the chosen princess.


    ¡°Following you will be Lady Persephone and Lady Camelia and Lady Pandora if possible. Two are very strong and should be able to handle everything I think Lady Camelia needs to breathe some fresh air. The Fountain of Youth might be able to heal the wounds her body has sustained in the war. As for Pandora, I believe Lady Sate will be more inclined to listen if she realizes the gravity of the situation.¡±


    Sol smiled. This Fountain of Youth might serve as a way for him to hide the way he healed Camelia. This was the perfect camouge for him.


    ¡°While you are dealing with the elves, I would like to request the assistance of Lady Lilith to keep an eye on the witches as they work on the protection system of our capital and surrounding ces of importance. I would also like to ask for Lady Kali to follow us.¡± Kali was one of the most skilled and knowledgeable Witch after Ambrosia and ra wanted her.


    Befana showed no surprise when the fact was revealed. She knew very well that it would be stupid of Sol to leave everything to them without any supervision.


    ¡°I guess after youe back, we will finally be able to deal with your wedding.¡± La Befana said with a smile, prompting Sol to smile back in return.


    Sol had not forgotten Medea, how could he? He was waiting impatiently for their wedding to take ce, and for that, everything needed to be perfect.


    ¡°Then, after the wedding¡­ It will finally be your coronation,¡± Milia said with a smile, a single tear rolling off the corner of her eyes.


    Seeing Sol now made her nostalgic. He had changed so much after all. But she liked this feeling. She liked those changes and she hoped he would be able to live a long and fruitful life.


    For Milia, the most important was the coronation. In fact, she even argued about putting it before the wedding. But now that she had a good reflection on the matters, good things should always be kept forst.


    She closed her eyes and imagined her lord walking majestically through the throne room before finally sitting on the throne that was rightfully his and bing the official King of all humanity, recognized by the whole world.


    She simply had to wait for now.


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