Summoning the Holy Sword

Chapter 1134: Bizarre Transforming Object

Rhode wasn't aware of what was going on in the Dragon Soul Continent right now. He put his hands behind his back, stood quietly by the side, and gazed at the sacred palace ahead. At that moment, everyone had arrived at the central plaza of the first floor and were examining the area. This place was rather similar to the center of Rhode's Grandia with its stairs paved with white slates, encircling the entire round plaza. The verdant plants that grew on both sides hadn't decayed as though time hadn't passed at all. The stone pillars surrounding the plaza were engraved with the shapes of all sorts of mysterious creatures. But a single glance from Rhode made him recognize most of them as creatures of the Dragon Soul Continent. They also portrayed the story where the Void Dragon and other four Creator Dragons joined hands to create the Dragon Soul Continent amongst the chaos. With the person involved (his younger sister) here, Rhode wasn't interested in admiring the murals, but began to ponder on the information he had received from her instead.

In general, this wasn't considered anything serious. All the murals described and recorded was the day when the Void Dragon and her subordinates encountered monsters and had gotten into a clash. However, they couldn't defeat the monsters and had no choice but to retreat. On the other hand, Marybelle stepped up and eradicated the monsters effortlessly. After she returned, not only did she reprimand the subordinates who roamed around freely, but she also strictly prohibited them from wandering to dangerous places. But come to think of it, the murals in sacred places were meant for one to praise, so it would be ridiculous if one were to record every embarrassing detail on them.

Rhode wouldn't be surprised if this were to happen in the Dragon Soul Continent. But it was entirely different here. This was Earth and according to his younger sister, the subordinates that Marybelle led were level 70 at minimum. At this level, not even dealing with devils would require much effort, not to mention eliminating dinosaurs like Tyrannosauruses, who were nothing more than oversized chickens. Rhode felt strange no matter how he imagined Celia and Celestina fleeing desperately from the chase of a group of dinosaurs. Moreover, even though Marybelle defeated the monsters quickly, she strictly prohibited her subordinates from wandering too far away. This also astonished his younger sister because among the deity wardens, Marybelle was the most prudent, which was why the Void Dragon had chosen her to lead the team. But for this Presence Deity Warden to act so cautiously against dinosaurs that were a flock of oversized chickens, something must be wrong somewhere. Considering that situation, the latter was more possible than the former.

But it was a pity that the murals didn't provide too much information regarding this matter. It simply mentioned a few details and the latter began displaying records of how the Void Dragon's subordinates arrived here, built the sacred palace, and established territory. This was why even though Rhode and his younger sister felt suspicious, they couldn't gain much with the information and could only advance patiently.

On the other hand, Erin and Lydia were fascinated by this place. They admired the murals leisurely along the way. The two Mini Bubble Gums became uncharacteristically obedient as they stood by the side with a fake smile, apparently intending to become the final BOSS of this 'sci-fi thriller film'. Rhode observed as they whispered into each other's ears and was sure that they were up to no good. Meanwhile, the two Canaries sat by the side in the distance, appreciating the beautiful scenery of this sacred palace.

At that moment, Thomas and the rest apparently didn't care about Rhode's group. Everything would be fine as long as they didn't wander off by themselves. Even though they were moved by this magnificent palace, they weren't familiar with this place, after all. After some examinations to ensure nothing was dangerous, Thomas discussed with the people around him. Then, he waved his arm and said, "Alright then, we will stop here for today. Let's get ready to begin our exploration."

Upon hearing his order, Rhode puckered his brows. This sacred palace was a replica of Grandia, and the first floor was the size of several plazas. There were many rooms around so if this group of men were to search each and every room, perhaps it would take more than half a year to finish exploring them. Rhode had intended to sneak in after they left, but it seemed like they had the intentions to 'live and work together' with him. It was apparent that Thomas wasn't assured in leaving Rhode's group alone and definitely didn't want them to roam about freely.

It seems like…

At this thought, Rhode couldn't help but turn to the two Mini Bubble Gums ahead who were whispering into each other's ears.

Maybe we're really stepping into the plot of a sci-fi thriller film.

After this thought emerged in his mind for a second, Rhode didn't say much. He gazed at the group before him and the fingers on his right hand twitched. Along with this movement, a radiance flashed and coalesced into a mystical ritual that revolved silently before vanishing entirely into light dust.

"Alright then, we…"

Thomas totally didn't realize that Rhode was up to something. At that moment, he was delightfully researching the murals around him while carefully storing the plants that he had gathered. Just as he was about to give an order to leave, the entire palace rumbled all of a sudden. Then, large steles appeared around the passageway and flew forward. Looking at this scene, everyone flustered and hurried ahead to leave this place. But after several loud rumbles, the exit was sealed completely by the thick, heavy steles. In an instant, everyone was trapped in the hall.

Thomas panicked. He turned to Rhode's group quickly and snarled, "I told you not to touch anything!"

Upon hearing his remarks, Rhode, Lydia, and the rest didn't respond. On the other hand, the two Mini Bubble Gums turned grim. This old fart was obviously finding trouble with them. There were so many people in the palace and several soldiers also stood guard, and yet he just had to blame them for it? But they knew that since they were the final BOSS, they had to have the self-restraint of a BOSS. They couldn't take the bait like a small role. That was why when facing Thomas's accusation, they didn't say a word, but exchanged glances with each other, lifted their heads to look at the scenery instead. After all, they were unlike a commoner like Thomas. They knew the history of this sacred palace. Meanwhile, the fact that Rhode wasn't flustered at all meant that this incident was most likely caused by him, which was why the two Mini Bubble Gums said nothing. They watched and laughed in their heads as Thomas and the rest turned ashen as they investigated the situation.

Thomas stopped focusing his attention on Rhode's group as he knew that they were only going where the crowds were. But for this to suddenly happen, Thomas was feeling unusually anxious. He didn't witness anything bizarre in this place, which was why he was assured to complete his task. But now, he was bewildered that this place was completely sealed off. Fortunately, they brought compressed food and water for emergencies so they wouldn't die of hunger anytime soon. However, if this were to continue, they would be in huge trouble.

At that moment, Thomas lost his good mood. He extended his hand and tapped his wrist lightly to activate the communications device. However, all he heard was the sound of static. This turned his already ashen expression even uglier. He looked at the surrounding soldiers and knitted his brows. After a few moments of consideration, he spoke.

"Get the explosives and blast this door open."

"Yes, Sir."

After hearing his command, the soldiers immediately ran toward the door, set the explosives, and evacuated. Shortly after, in a red flash of light and a loud explosion, explosives strong enough to blast open a mountain path instantly set off a burst of dust. But after the smoke dispersed, the stone door was still in perfect condition. Not only that, but the floor below it also wasn't scratched at all.

Witnessing this scene, Thomas's expression turned even uglier. On the other hand, Rhode stood in silence as he watched. After all, this palace was considered to be built by the deity wardens and was also protected by an imprisonment spell. It would be a joke if humans could break it apart using explosives. Even though the might of the explosion was as though the strength of one to two fireball spells, Rhode clearly knew that not even 10,000 fireball spells could do the trick unless they were part of an offensive spell cast by one in the Peak Legendary Stage. On Earth, a small nuclear warhead could blast it apart… perhaps.

"Hmm?"

While Rhode observed Thomas as he ran around in circles anxiously, he suddenly felt like something was amiss. A few seconds ago, he sensed something within the palace moving as though a presence that had been hibernating just let out a yawn. Although it was only for an instant, the aura exuding from it put Rhode on the alert. The aura was rather gloomy as though carrying a certain smell of death. Not only that, but it also left Rhode astonished… He was unfamiliar with this aura, but it somewhat startled him as though a sleeping monster that could devour them all was right beneath them. As soon as it widened its mouth, it could wipe out all humans above it.

At this thought, Rhode's heart sank. However, he wasn't afraid as he had never witnessed any enemies who could overthrow Lydia and Erin at their peak even in the Dragon Soul Continent. Even though he didn't have his dragon essence right now, he had nothing to be afraid of with Mini Bubble Gum and Canary around. On the other hand, although the real Canary and Mini Bubble Gum weren't strong, Rhode had followed his younger sister's instructions to adjust their strength using the system before they left Earth. If they were in a battle, the strength of their projected selves would be copied to them as soon as Rhode used his powers. When that happened, Rhode could be considered to have formed a top-notch seven-man raid team. With this powerful team, as long as he wasn't facing a dragon soul heir, he didn't need to be afraid of anyone. Although he felt unusually odd and concerned about what was underneath, he wasn't all that alarmed yet.

But before he considered any further, Thomas ordered helplessly. It seemed like it was impossible to open this door anymore and they could only continue moving deeper to find other ways to leave this huge palace. Fortunately, Thomas used the satellite to scan the entire location once before entering, which gave them a clear image of the specific locations of the passageways. Thereafter, everyone headed toward the pitch-black passageway under the escort of the soldiers.

This time, no one was in the mood to admire the scenery along the way. The entire palace was several meters tall and had no windows, apart from the colorful sunroof on the dome above. But everyone knew not to rely upon it. Putting aside the fact that Thomas and the others couldn't climb that high, whether they could even make it out even if they succeeded was another issue. Instead of taking the risk, they might as well continue advancing and perhaps find another exit.

Meanwhile, Rhode's group felt increasingly strange the deeper they headed. Ordinary people like Thomas and the others didn't realize it, but Rhode, Lydia, Erin, and the rest sensed the growingly dangerous aura. It was like an everlasting aura of death that had existed for millions of years, rolling around them with dense murderous intent. It was so strong that even Mini Bubble Gum and Canary couldn't handle it. If it weren't for Rhode who urged them repeatedly to restrain themselves and not do anything suspicious to be discovered by Thomas and the others, perhaps Mini Bubble Gum would have already cast a defensive barrier. But even so, everyone remained on high alert.

"The aura of death here is so strong, Your Majesty."

Gazing at the surroundings, Erin lowered her voice and said vigilantly to Rhode.

"Frankly, I stayed in the Country of Darkness for a long time, but have never been to a place with such a strong presence of death. What makes it strange is that this aura of death doesn't seem to be left by humans. Instead…"

"Ahhh!"

Before Erin completed her sentence, a scream from the front interrupted her. Everyone was taken aback immediately. They lifted their heads and looked at where Thomas and the others were. Right there, a soldier who was holding up a flashlight and shining the path ahead shuddered as though he were bitten by something and quickly dragged away. Everyone merely witnessed the radiance of his flashlight flitting across the darkness and he vanished to nowhere.

Looking at this scene, the others were flabbergasted. Before Thomas was able to give a command, he heard yet another blood-curdling scream. Three to five of the soldiers who escorted the civilians were immediately dragged away by some mysterious presence from the darkness. After several screeches and gunshots, there were no more movements. At that moment, everyone tensed up instantly. The captain of the soldiers waved his arm and the soldiers quickly surrounded Thomas, Rhode, and the rest in the middle. Then, the well-trained soldiers tossed flash bangs ahead one after another upon the captain's orders. In an instant, the dark surroundings lit up like daytime, but no mysterious presences were seen. Apart from the surrounding walls, there was nothing. Rhode's group witnessed several shadows dart across the place the instant the flash bangs burst, but didn't get to witness their true identities.

Shortly after, the blinding radiance of the flash bangs faded away. At the same time, Rhode keenly sensed the eruptions of death aura from all directions as they ambushed his group.

"Attack!"

At this moment, Rhode was no longer interested in putting up an act anymore. He didn't wish to become the protagonist who was chased by monsters in sci-fi thriller films. In fact, the reason why Rhode and his group put up a disguise was to prevent other countries from figuring out what they were up to. But now, his goal was considered achieved after entering the ruins. That was why he didn't disguise himself anymore. He dashed forward and a burst of light erupted from his hand where a dazzling sword appeared. At the same time, Lydia, Erin, Canary, and Mini Bubble Gum also made their moves, launching attacks on the enemies from all directions!

First to attack were the two Mini Bubble Gums. As clerics, their first move was undeniably to set up strong defenses. They had held back for so long after abiding by Rhode's command and now, they couldn't tolerate it any longer. As soon as they heard his command, they cheered and tossed aside the self-restraint of a BOSS, attacking at the same time. A golden radiance flickered in an instant. White runes scattered in an explosion to form two barriers that protected everyone. Meanwhile, the dark aura of death arrived, pouncing on the spiritual barrier before retreating swiftly after.

At the same time, Rhode, Erin, and Lydia carried out their attacks.

Even though the aura of death was deadly to ordinary humans, Lydia wasn't afraid of it at all as an archangel. She laid out her blades in a crisscross stance where several golden blade rays flickered, slicing and shredding the dark mist effortlessly. Shortly after, in the sound of anguished wailing, the death aura rolled back, desperately fleeing from her holy brilliance.

But they didn't expect Erin to be waiting patiently at the side. She didn't release her aura, but drew in the air with a finger instead. The scattered dark shadows around her transformed into razor-sharp blades with this action of hers and clinched the death aura, devouring them entirely. As the princess of the Country of Darkness, Erin wasn't any less experienced than Lydia in dealing with undead creatures. In a few moments, a huge mass of the peculiar dark shadows disappeared.

Meanwhile, Rhode's hand flashed in a white radiance. A white card appeared out of thin air and flew toward the enemies ahead!