Summoning the Holy Sword

Chapter 1153: Duel under Order

Air waves scattered and the earth rumbled. The sky that couldn't bear the formidable force made a mournful groan. Cassidy and Alice had already retreated faraway and watched as Charlie and Marlene collided with each other. In that instant, the brilliance of black and white clashed and split the entire sky into half.

Charlie slashed several blade rays at the young lady before him, shrouding her entirely. But even so, Marlene didn't waver. Her expression remained the same, though the staff in her hand continued to spin on its own. At the next moment, the dazzling black radiance punctured Marlene's body, but it didn't leave a single trace of damage. Marlene moved the staff gently and shortly after, blade rays that were almost identical to Charlie's erupted from behind her. The only difference was that unlike the pitch-black, corrupted energy, Marlene's blade rays were flickering in white magical radiance.

This was the power of the Wisdom Deity Warden.

She didn't need any weapons and was able to cast all sorts of skills. Even if she was unarmed, she could release power equivalent to blade rays released from godlike weapons. Of course, Charlie's sword was no ordinary blade. It was a weapon that proved his existence as an ex-archangel. This holy sword of flames had accompanied him through countless years and annihilated innumerable evil spirits. After he became corrupted, this holy sword of flames devoured countless mortals by mercilessly burning them into ashes. This was Charlie's trump card. In the face of his flames, nothing could stop it. The flames weren't materialization of elements, but was a concept of 'destruction' instead; it was an existence that was one with this fallen angel.

If Marlene were an ordinary human, she would have been destroyed entirely from Charlie's first attack. No matter what she defended herself with, be it spiritual spells, magic spells, or special equipment, they would instantly crumble upon contact with the flames. But to Marlene, the flames didn't pose a problem at all.

If the flames were truly a concept of 'destruction', even Marlene didn't dare to face it head-on. But the problem was that Charlie's concept of 'destruction' was impure and could only be achieved by relying on the fusing of the holy sword and his strength instead. Facing this type of power, Marlene wasn't concerned at all. As the Wisdom Deity Warden, she had a thousand ways to analyze, copy, and be immune to his attack.

Swish!

As the staff trembled, several blade rays appeared around her and flew ahead to clash with Charlie's assault. The powers of destruction collided and merged like two steel gears biting each other, spinning constantly and erupting scorching flares, as well as surging airwaves. Shortly after, a burst of blinding lights exploded. Charlie retreated swiftly to draw a distance away from Marlene.

"Are we still continuing this battle, Your Highness Charlie?"

Marlene asked, hovering in midair and gazing at the fallen angel quietly. She appeared incredibly calm, but as a matter of fact, she was exceedingly anxious. She didn't want to blow up the matter. Even though the Country of Darkness had crossed the line after dispatching so many troops, they didn't stand a chance against the deity wardens, so they weren't considered any threat at all. It was like two people playing games and the winner caught the loser cheating. At the very most, the winner would mock or warn the loser a couple of times, and wouldn't flip the table and accuse the loser—only incompetent people or one caught in a war would fly into a rage out of humiliation and choose to resolve things using this method. This was also why Marlene put up defenses skillfully and didn't choose to attack. After all, the Country of Darkness didn't cause any huge damage to the Void Territory. If it were possible, Marlene would rather keep the peace and turn a blind eye to the situation until Rhode's return. But if Charlie were to do anything hurtful to the Void Territory, perhaps Marlene and the rest would need to operate the magic fleet and invade the Country of Darkness.

Marlene was anticipating that Charlie would realize the great disparity between their strength and stop the battle. Even though it would be humiliating for him, it was better than being obliterated, wasn't it? But what surprised Marlene was that not only did this fallen angel not stop attacking, but he also became more aggressive with his attacks the more he suffered in battle. Until a few moments go, Marlene sensed an atrocious aggression from him as though he wanted both sides to end in mutual destruction.

This astounded Marlene. Even though she had been in several battles alongside Rhode, she had never experienced a battle where the enemy was simply throwing away his life. Although Rhode had also faced various accidents, he would never risk the lives of his men as it was a foolish thing to do.

"When you no longer have any regard for your life, that is when this world has nothing worthy for you to recall."

Marlene remembered that moment when she stared at Anne when Rhode said this to Anne. Back then, Anne seemed to pretend to be naive. Marlene had to admit that she never witnessed anyone throwing their life away while being with Rhode. Anne sought thrills and dangers in adventures. It was her duty to give herself up to protect others but that didn't mean that she enjoyed losing her life. However, Charlie was entirely different. He wasn't mindful of Marlene's attack at all, not even when her assaults were lethal. On the contrary, he continued his aggression crazily, which caught Marlene unprepared. After all, she had no intention of killing Charlie before this battle began.

"What's wrong? What are you hesitating for? Attack! Fight me!"

Raising the holy sword high, Charlie's pupils were entirely enveloped by the blazing flames. He stared at Marlene, totally unconcerned about his wounds. The strong black armor had become tattered in the clashes and was also the result of Marlene holding back her power. If not, he wouldn't still be standing here.

"Hmph!"

Looking at this scene through the crystal ball, Ion turned grim. Meanwhile, Garcia and Balende were so stumped that they couldn't utter a word. Of course, they knew how powerful the young ladies around Rhode were, especially after Balende experienced it for himself. However, they didn't expect the three deity wardens to be that powerful. The entire army that Charlie led consisted of the elites of elites. Even though they were lesser in number than Balende's army, they were adept in ambushes from the rear as 'air troops' and experienced in facing multiple enemies at once. Judging from this fact, the strength of Charlie's army was considered the best amongst all the undead armies.

But now, these elites were annihilated entirely in an instant. Before they reacted, or perhaps struggled or retaliated, these air troops that the Country of Darkness was proudest of vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Your Majesty!"

Balende couldn't hold it in anymore. He turned around and knelt on the ground respectfully.

"Please order His Highness Charlie to retreat. It isn't too late yet!"

Almost everyone present in the battlefield knew why Marlene didn't kill Charlie. No one thought that Marlene wasn't capable enough because Alice and Cassidy were still watching the show casually from the sidelines. If they really wanted Charlie dead, Balende was sure that even the four legendary generals would be demolished instantly as soon as the three deity wardens attacked at once. Right now, Charlie was barely standing as a result of Marlene's mercy, which was great news for Balende's side. As long as there weren't any official clashes or deaths between the higher-ups, everything could be discussed. But if the situation became one where they fought to their last gasp, it would be a nightmare for him!

Balende knew that counting on Charlie to back off on his own was totally impossible. Charlie was hungry for battles and had always been searching for true death. That was why not only was he not afraid of Marlene's overwhelming power, but it also aroused his fighting spirits. And now, the only person capable of making him return was the Dark Dragon!

"Your Majesty, I hope you can reconsider your decision too!"

Garcia half-knelt on the ground and looked up at the Dark Dragon anxiously. The Country of Darkness suffered gravely this time and if they were to sacrifice another legendary general, the damage would be even worse, like they were suffering a double loss! When that happened, the Country of Darkness would have nowhere to hide! This involved the life and death of the entire nation!

"…"

This time, the Dark Dragon didn't give a command immediately despite their persuasions. On the contrary, he stared at the image displayed from the crystal ball and gnashed his teeth in silence. In fact, no one knew that Ion was also terribly perplexed at that very moment. It was especially so when he witnessed Charlie's army being wiped out. He felt as though he were struck in the head by a club and his mind cleared up abruptly. He was clearly aware of what Charlie and his army meant to the Country of Darkness. But now, they were almost ruined by his decision.

Was I really wrong?

This time, Ion searched for an answer in his heart. He also wasn't sure of the reason. From the start, he had the intention of probing the Void Territory's strength, which was why he launched an attack on the Void Territory using the undead army. It was like a game to him in the beginning, but after hearing news of defeat from the front line, he became increasingly furious. Deep inside his heart, there was anger burning and swelling. He couldn't believe and accept why he failed again and again.

If Rhode were here, Ion could still find an excuse to blame that this wasn't the first time Rhode destroyed his plans. But the problem was that Rhode had left this world entirely, so he couldn't possibly stop Ion.

I've failed again! Are the people of the Void Territory really that powerful?

Unknowingly, anger turned into action like a gambler who lost. Ion began to increase the number of troops sent into battle, but didn't receive any good news. On the contrary, reports from the front lines made him furious again and again. Without a channel to vent his frustrations, the wrath bottled up inside him grew stronger and he eventually made a desperate decision.

But now, after witnessing the annihilation of his main forces, he wasn't infuriated at all. Instead, he felt as though he were splashed in cold water from head to toe and the burning anger inside him almost disappeared.

What have I done? Come to think of it, why did I make such a foolish choice? There is totally no need for that, isn't it?

At this thought, Ion raised his hand. As he was about to speak, a snarl resounded from the crystal ball all of a sudden.

"This is the final attack! I shall see how much longer you're gonna avoid my attack, woman!"

Charlie roared, gripping the sword with force. All of a sudden, the sword coalesced from scorching black flames erupted in all directions and as though attracted by an unknown force, they wrapped around his wings. At that moment, the fallen angel was completely shrouded in black flames.

"This is…"

Looking at this scene, this was the first time Marlene's expression became stern and grim. She clearly felt the concept of 'destruction' surrounding Charlie becoming stronger and it had even broken the rules of this continent. The rules were in disorder. The land, sky, time, and space… everything was as though infiltrated by a violent storm and was on the verge of collapse!

"He destroyed Order!"

Cassidy bellowed, reaching for the sword on her back with her hand. Alice knitted her brows and flipped the book in her hands. To the deity wardens of Order, nothing was more important than maintaining Order itself. And now, Charlie actually destroyed Order. He totally had no right to remain as an inhabitant of Order anymore!

At that moment, Marlene turned grim. No matter what, it was a rule that inhabitants of Order weren't allowed to destroy Order and not even deity wardens like them could change this rule. Due to this reason, even though they possessed unique powers, their powers ultimately operated off of 'Order'. But if one were to destroy Order, it was an entirely different issue! Marlene initially decided to be merciful toward Charlie, but now decided to give up that intention. As matters stood, even if Charlie decided to pull back, as a guardian of Order, Marlene would never let him off!

"Ze Miyuas!"

For the first time, Marlene raised the staff in her hand and chanted an incantation loudly. Shortly after, dazzling, circular, and blue magical rituals appeared all around her and Charlie, enveloping them completely. The circular rituals emanated magical brilliances that coalesced into intricate, mystical, and ancient runes that extended to separate themselves from this world. Charlie bellowed and slashed the sword in his hand. The surging black flames rumbled and whizzed ahead. Everything in their path fell to pieces, where even space cracked like a broken mirror and began to roll. Meanwhile, Marlene clutched the staff and tapped it ahead with force!

———!

Hundreds of incomparably dazzling magical radiance filled the entire space. The blazing black flames twisted frantically, colliding with a glaring magical light, and only to be devoured completely like a tiny boat sparing no effort and spiraling in massive waves, attempting to resist the storm above. But eventually—there was only one consequence.

The black flames vanished entirely in a flash. Marlene raised the staff and unlocked the sealed enchanted field. Alice placed her hand on the book and pointed a finger forward. Then, the broken fragments of space within Charlie's flames restored their original state.

And Charlie was nowhere to be found.

"You've gone too far."

Marlene said and glared ahead. The fallen angel had been completely smashed into bits by her magical torrent. But Marlene wasn't concerned about the death of an insignificant legendary general. She was at a loss for words over the fact that Charlie had actually destroyed the Order of the Dragon Soul Continent. After a few moments, she shifted her gaze to Alice and Cassidy. The former remained silent, while the latter knitted her brows..

"I suggest we show that reptile what we're made of, Marlene. He has obviously forgotten his identity. We must make him recall why he was chosen as a vessel by the Creator Dragons!"

"I know what you mean, Cassidy, but now…"

Marlene said with knitted brows. This was a heavy offense. Of course, Marlene knew what it meant when the people and representatives of Order destroyed Order. But Rhode wasn't around now. She also couldn't possibly attack the Country of Darkness just like what Cassidy mentioned. In the end, she pondered for a while and let out a sigh.

"I will report this matter to Her Majesty Siena and Nalea," Marlene said. "I suppose they have the responsibility to handle this incident."