Summoning the Holy Sword

Chapter 1172: Return to the Void Territory

It went without saying that the undead creatures were no match for Rhode's group. Even before Rhode took action, the pitiful undead creatures and vampire vanished into thin air from the ruthless attack of his group.

"Alright then, Your Majesty Rhode. I shall take my leave now."

The trouble around Erin wasn't even worthy of her attention. She looked at the sky to confirm that she had indeed returned to the Dragon Soul Continent and smiled at Rhode to bid her goodbye. Even though this moon princess seemed relaxed throughout the journey, it was impossible for her to not be homesick after so long, after all. Rhode empathized with her, which was why he nodded silently in agreement. Gazing at his expression, Erin smiled and left after metamorphosing into a dazzling light that burst into the sky. Up until this moment, Rhode turned to his surroundings and spotted the group of mercenaries staring blankly from the side.

Lavita and the mercenaries were astounded. A few moments ago, they were surrounded the masses of undead creatures and about to be wiped out. But now, in the blink of an eye, the undead creatures were all annihilated without leaving behind any remains. The group couldn't help but sigh in relief. They thought they were going to be dead for sure and didn't expect to face such a situation. Of course, they didn't think that these people were summoned by Lavita, which was why they raised their guard against them, as they suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They were afraid that they had entered the tiger's den after merely surviving death.

Erin's departure also attracted their attention. Up until this moment, the middle-aged man finally spotted Rhode standing at the side.

"Bos—!"

The middle-aged man screamed instantly and within a split second, he covered his mouth abruptly. If he didn't just escape death, he wouldn't have behaved in such a disrespectful manner. After all, Rhode was the Void Dragon. Even though the middle-aged man and the mercenaries often bragged about how they fought alongside the Void Dragon before, it was all in the past, after all. Rhode might have changed and who knew what would happen to the middle-aged man for acting rudely.

Even though the man's voice wasn't soft, it didn't sound too loud either. However, Rhode obviously heard his yell. He turned around, gazed at the mercenaries, and twitched his brows.

"Oh, it's you. Come on over."

"Aight, Boss."

Upon realizing that Rhode wasn't bothered by his action, the middle-aged man let out a mischievous laughter before beckoning his men. The middle-aged man was a straightforward person. Since Rhode didn't fuss about it, he didn't need to overthink the situation. He went over, bowed, and asked curiously.

"Boss, what are you guys doing here? This…"

The news of Rhode's departure wasn't made known to too many people. In the Void Territory, only Marlene and the other important people were aware, while the rest weren't mindful of not seeing him around. It was especially so for Rhode's followers who knew that he wasn't a nosy person during the building stages of the guild. Most of the intricate matters were handed over to Marlene and Lize. Even after Rhode became the Void Dragon, his personality didn't change much either. When everyone realized that Rhode wasn't around, they reckoned that he must have gone somewhere else at the very most, which was why the middle-aged man wasn't too surprised to see him here.

"We went for a spin somewhere, but it's nothing much. By the way, what are you guys doing here? What's with the undead creatures?"

Facing the middle-aged man's question, Rhode waved his hand airily and changed the subject. Erin was around earlier, which was why he didn't want to make things difficult for her. Now that she was gone, he had no more concerns to ask about the undead creatures.

Upon hearing his questions, the middle-aged man chuckled and told him everything that happened in the Dragon Soul Continent during this period of time. Meanwhile, the other mercenaries widened their eyes and looked at this scene in bewilderment. Perhaps others might not be aware of how Rhode looked like, but anyone who joined Starlight would surely know. Come to think of it, it was kind of an amusing misunderstanding. Even though Rhode no longer bothered about Starlight's affairs after becoming the Void Dragon, the higher-ups in Starlight didn't slack off. Among them were basically veterans who followed him in the past. They knew that Rhode wasn't a lazy person. Even if he became the Void Dragon, he would still return to Starlight occasionally. If one were stupid enough to mock his appearance, one would surely be slaughtered. The higher-ups understood Rhode's taboo well. Back then, they witnessed countless idiots who were killed by Rhode for criticizing his appearance. This was why under their strict orders, there was an additional unwritten rule in Starlight: anyone who joined Starlight must look at Rhode's portrait for at least once, in order to never not recognize him for the wrong person.

As the mercenaries didn't witness how Rhode treated those fools like their seniors did in the past, they weren't as afraid of Rhode. But despite that, they were highly respectful toward him because he didn't depend on his family background like typical nobles, but fought his way up to the top instead. Be it establishing a guild, occupying a land of Chaos, resisting the undead army, or opening up the Void Territory in a land of Chaos, Rhode took the lead every single time. He also didn't yell commands like the nobles and run away whenever the situation turned sour. This was why he was loved by the mercenaries. And now, due to the new rule that one could be resurrected once for worshiping the dragon, the mercenaries' reverence toward Rhode was at its maximum. Mercenaries lived by their swords to survive and it was a dangerous job. Now that they gained one chance to escape the Grim Reaper, they were naturally thankful for the dragon soul protection.

Even though the mercenaries often heard their leader describing how Rhode led them into dungeons and overcame challenges, they felt as though their leader had made up those stories. Rhode was one of the Creator Dragons, so how was it possible for him to bring around a group of measly mercenaries? And now, after personally witnessing how their leader spoke with Rhode straightforwardly, they were astonished. Due to the unwritten rule, it went without saying that the mercenaries recognized Rhode. But they didn't expect this Creator Dragon to be so approachable and not as solemn and imposing as they had imagined.

"Is that so?"

Mercenaries had rich sources of intelligence and much information was exchanged privately. Moreover, with the disorderly mess happening in the Dragon Soul Continent right now, the watchful eyes of conscientious people allowed them to receive plenty of intelligence. Shortly after, Rhode learned about the current situation in the Dragon Soul Continent. But what surprised him more was Lilian's injuries.

"Is it true that Lilian is hurt?"

"About that… I'm not too sure. But the Country of Light is in an uproar right now, so I don't think that's fake news."

"Got it."

Upon hearing the middle-aged man's answer, Rhode nodded in response. However, he still felt really doubtful. He thought that no matter what, Lilian couldn't possibly be hurt. Could it be that troubles were stirring up in the Country of Light again? A leopard never changes its spots, so it wasn't impossible for recalcitrants to cause trouble for Lilian. But Rhode didn't think that there was a high possibility for that to happen. But apart from that, he couldn't think of other reasons.

We should head back now. Something isn't quite right.

At this thought, Rhode's relaxed mood was gone. He thought of bringing his younger sister around the Void Territory to explore the beautiful scenery. But now, it seemed like it was no longer possible. Rhode let out a long sigh before gazing at the man before him.

"We're going to head to Grandia and check on the situation. Can you bring the rest of them back on our behalf?"

"Sure, Boss. Leave it to me."

Upon hearing Rhode's words, the middle-aged man beat his chest and said. Rhode nodded and smiled. Then, a bright radiance emanated on the ground and flew skyward. In the blink of an eye, Rhode and the rest disappeared into the endless night sky. The middle-aged man stared blankly at the night sky and scratched his head dubiously after a few moments.

"Huh? I didn't provoke Boss, did I…? Why did he smile at me?"

Meanwhile, in Grandia, Gillian, Marlene, and the others had already sensed Rhode's aura. As Rhode was in a different world from them earlier, they couldn't communicate with one another. But now, after he returned, communications between them were restored as they were his card spirits. In the blink of an eye, as the group stepped out the entrance of the palace, Rhode's group was already present.

"Rhode!"

Upon seeing him, tears welled up in Marlene's eyes. After not seeing him for so long, she felt really lonely. If it weren't for the affairs of the continent occupying her mind, perhaps she would crumble to this bitter yearning. She came to a halt, widened her eyes, and stared strangely at the young lady beside him. At that moment, Christie, Cassidy, and Alice were also looking at her with odd expressions. After a few moments, Christie blinked and shortly after, an illusory spirit drifted out of her body, staring at the young lady ahead. Then, she asked.

"Marybelle?"

"Long time no see, Big Sister Christie."

Upon hearing Christie's question, Marybelle took a step forward, revealing a kind smile on her usually expressionless face. This surprised Rhode. Of course, he knew that the deity wardens were as close as sisters. But he didn't expect the feeling of closeness to remain the same despite all these years. Marybelle rarely displayed such a gentle expression. For her to present such a smile, it was enough to prove how deep their relationship was.

"Big Sister Marybelle!"

At that moment, in a loud, high-pitched scream, Cassidy pounced over and wrapped her arms around Marybelle.

"I thought you were never coming back! Big Sister Marybelle, everyone misses you so much!"

"I didn't expect myself to return either."

As Marybelle stroked Cassidy's hair softly, she couldn't help but let out a sigh. In her days of being imprisoned on Earth, she kept reminiscing about the little details of them. If it weren't for the beautiful memories, perhaps she would have forgotten who exactly she was.

"Your Majesty Rhode, what exactly…"

Alice padded over, revealing a rare look of surprise. As the History Deity Warden, she knew the exact reason of Marybelle's disappearance back then. Thereafter, the other sisters were heartbroken as they thought they could never meet Marybelle again. Due to that reason, the seven deity wardens became what was known to be the six deity wardens. Despite that, Marybelle had always been an unforgettable pain in their hearts. And now, everyone was thrilled upon seeing Marybelle standing before them, perfectly unharmed.

"That will be a long story for later."

Rhode forced a smile to Alice's question. At that moment, he heard a crisp, melodious voice.

"That's right, Big Brother. Those are small matters. Right now, we need to pay attention to the Dragon Soul Continent."

"Huh?"

Upon hearing this voice, everyone was taken aback. They turned around and spotted a young lady who wore a black dress and looked exactly the same as Rhode, sauntering toward them with a warm, gentle smile. The instant the group saw the young lady, they were rooted in their place and at a complete loss for words.

Even though everyone was eager to catch up with one another, Lilian's situation couldn't afford to be delayed any longer. That was why Marlene wasn't caught up in the loving moment. She calmed herself and explained the happenings in the Dragon Soul Continent to Rhode, as well as the ambush on Lilian, and the Dark Dragon's strange behaviors.

"Let's head there now."

After hearing Marlene's narration, Rhode was shocked. Despite that, he didn't comment much, but quickly headed to the temporary imperial residence beside the palace in Grandia. Back then, as Lilian loved the environment here, Rhode gifted the residence to her. Lilian treated this place as her home and didn't leave this place before. On the other hand, Rhode felt like it was also a good decision on his part. After all, Grandia had tight security measures, strong defenses, and Sonia to watch after her too, so there shouldn't be any problem.

But something terrible still managed to happen.

At this thought, Rhode couldn't help but arrange his thoughts, let out a sigh, and extended his arm to push open the door.

"Your Majesty Rhode."

Upon seeing his arrival, Sonia stood up hurriedly to bow. As Rhode's summoned spirit, Sonia had already sensed his return. She initially wanted to welcome him personally, but Rhode spoke to her through the spiritual communication and asked her to look after Lilian instead. That was why Sonia remained in this place and waited for him. But after noticing the young lady in a black dress following closely behind him, Sonia couldn't help but shift her astonishing gaze back and forth between them.

"Alright, she is my younger sister. Stop eyeing."

Rhode wasn't too mindful about Sonia's reaction because almost everyone had the same reaction as her when they witnessed his younger sister. Rhode simply waved his hand airily without explaining further. Then, he looked down at the bedridden Lilian. Upon looking at her complexion, Rhode couldn't help but knit his brow. The little girl had lost her vigor. Her fair, tender skin turned dry and yellow and her body had also thinned. She lay on the bed with her eyes closed as though she was severely ill.

Her right arm that was dangling outside of the bed was startling—skinny and pitch-black like it was all skin and bone. If it weren't for the white bracelet on her wrist emanating a spiritual radiance to stop the black presence's erosion, perhaps the situation would be worse by now.

"Her Majesty Lilian hasn't eaten for days."

Sonia cleared her mind and reported in Rhode's ear softly. She was apparently in a bad mood.

"Even though Miss Marlene and the rest tried to think of ways to stop that black presence from eroding her, Her Majesty Lilian didn't regain her consciousness and has been having nightmares. I don't have any way to help her…"

"Got it."

Upon hearing Sonia's guilty response, Rhode patted her shoulder gently and turned to the young lady beside him.

"Marybelle, do you have a solution?"

Looking at this scene, Rhode turned grim. The joy in him from returning to the continent was long gone. Of course, he knew that those Chaos beings were a mysterious bunch, but he didn't expect Lilian to be hurt so seriously. According to Marlene, if it weren't for her constitution, which coincidentally restrained the undead attribute of Chaos, perhaps not even he could come up with any ideas.

"Please let me take a look, Your Majesty."

Marybelle said and took a step forward. She puckered her brows, carefully observing the black presence that eroded Lilian's arm. Meanwhile, no one spoke a word as they watched Marybelle work her magic. After all, she had fought such presences for the longest time and was the most experienced. And now, they could only rely upon her to deal with this mysterious erosion of Chaos.

Marybelle examined cautiously. After almost an hour, she stood up with a solemn look and everyone's heart sank.

"Marybelle, how is it?"

Rhode let out a cough and asked. Upon hearing his question, Marybelle turned to him and shook her head slightly.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I don't think we can keep Her Majesty Lilian's arm by relying upon my power only."