Chapter 690: 168. Overwhelming Beauty
Jasmine listened to Valentina’s self-introduction in front of her, feeling a bit startled before quickly retracting her hand, as if she had touched something dirty.
She instinctively glanced back at the sky, the direction in which Raphael had left, her gaze resembling that of a child sent to kindergarten by their parents, looking back for their guardians after being bullied by classmates, as if saying,
“Raphael, look! This Ice Chicken says she’s Fisher’s wife!”
But at this moment, Raphael was not by her side, and she was here to support him, so she simply withdrew her hand, watching Valentina with a certain wariness, mumbling a few words like a small animal unsure of what it was saying.
Captain Alagina sighed, but this was not the time for mutual grievances. The creations born from Heow’s chaos were still pressing in from behind, so she raised her hand to call upon the mechanisms around them, easing the atmosphere.
“Anyway, our goal hasn’t changed. We need to continue towards the Golden Palace to relieve Fisher’s pressure.”
This comment was subtly reminding the one holding the “Holy Sword,” Valentina, to rein in her energy for the moment. Valentina understood her meaning, just instinctively activating her detection radar in preparation for retaliation, but at this moment, they had a common enemy in front of them.
“Cough, cough.”
She cleared her throat, smiled at the awkward Jasmine in front of her, and took the initiative to ease the atmosphere by saying,
“Priestess, thank you so much for your support. Let’s continue towards the Golden Palace. With the Dragon Queen relieving the pressure at sea, we need to step up, especially since there’s a powerful enemy ahead.”
“Mm.”
Jasmine pursed her lips, raising her eyes to look at the various enemies on the street before her. She stepped beside Valentina, and with a flash of golden light, she was suddenly clad in Whale Folk armor and wielding a longsword.
“I’m more familiar with this place. I know the shortest route. Follow me.”
“Okay.”
Valentina stood beside her, calling upon everyone around to follow as they continued to advance.
Meanwhile, Isabel, clad in a full cloak, had somehow appeared beside Jasmine. At first, Jasmine couldn’t recognize her due to the tightly wrapped cloak, but once an extremely familiar feeling surged within her, she slightly jolted and turned to look beside her.
“Isabel?”
Isabel looked at Jasmine, removed the fabric covering her face, and smiled slightly at her.
“Jasmine, long time no see.”
“You’ve changed over the years.”
Jasmine’s mouth fell open. After all, five years had passed—a significant amount of time for a human. For Jasmine, it felt like the blink of an eye. The young girl who once stood beside her had matured.
Isabel smilingly reached out, pinching Jasmine’s cheek just as she used to, then donned the cloak again and looked ahead.
“I’ve been doing well over the years. I didn’t expect you to have become a priestess of the Dragon Court. Come on, let’s keep moving.”
“Mm-hm.”
Valentina quickly sensed the quiet conversation between Isabel and Jasmine. She blinked, realizing when Jasmine had met Fisher. Since that was the case, Alagina should know this Whale Folk too.
Looking at the expressionless Alagina beside her, for some reason, Valentina felt a twinge of sympathy.
“Roar!”
But the rotting corpses ahead were already closing in on them. Valentina no longer thought about these trivial matters and unsheathed her weapon like everyone else, slicing through the street as a cold moonlight flashed by.
“These monsters can’t be killed! We keep moving forward!”
Valentina spread her wings and leaped upward, slicing through with her blade and guiding her companions from above.
Jasmine pulled the golden sword blade from the rotting corpse, her ears twitched slightly as she instantly heard the sound of heavy footsteps from not far away—it was the Nali army.
“Nali reinforcements have arrived!”
“Keep moving forward!”
Valentina gritted her teeth. Wings wrapped around her as an explosive sound erupted. The street ahead suddenly became solemn, violently tearing apart due to the great impact. Amidst the rubble and dust, the outline of the cathedral became faintly visible.
“Fire!”
Many Cangniao soldiers behind her were about to follow Valentina’s lead to clear the path, but on the other side, a calm female voice rang out, and countless beams of magic pierced through the airborne Cangniao soldiers like sparks from ironwork.
Jasmine and Isabel’s expressions shrank slightly, then quickly turned to look in that direction. Jasmine’s wrist trembled, but after a moment’s hesitation, she sheathed her sword and began to use her life force to heal the injured soldiers around her.
“Yes, yes. Sister is here.”
Isabel looked at Jasmine, her voice slightly trembling, while Jasmine’s breathing quickened. Various emotions blossomed within her heart at this moment.
Fisher had told her everything that had happened years ago. She certainly knew that Muxi’s death was related to Elizabeth, and the dire situation she was in at that time had merely been a manipulation set up by that woman.
To Jasmine, Elizabeth was a nightmare.
It represented the first layer of darkness she encountered upon coming ashore as a naive child, bringing her terror even greater than when she was surrounded by Barbatos and Ag on the Southern Continent.
But it was not only fear. The anger and resentment intertwined within her, causing Jasmine to be uneased.
“Ouch.”
“It hurts!”
As she healed the wounded one by one, her face became slightly pale. Yet, looking at Valentina, who was still clearing a path ahead, and the rotting corpses that continued to crawl around, she calmed herself again, no longer as helpless as she had been five years ago.
“Isabel, you break through with everyone else. Leave the rest to us.”
“Mm.”
Isabel nodded, raising her dagger and nimbly charging forward, while the cold, calm command of Elizabeth like that of the Reaper rang out again.
“Stop!”
“Stop right there!!”
Valentina had also noticed the army at their flank and saw the golden-haired woman standing in front of the magical knights and cannons.
Her long hair was pulled back into a fierce bun, complementing her expression, which was icy enough to freeze anyone in place.
At this moment, there was no phantom of Pandora beside her. This might be an opportunity!
In mid-air, Valentina momentarily paused her movements, suddenly turning toward Elizabeth. The Moon Princess Sword in her hand spun as a sonic boom expelled, charging towards Elizabeth like a fierce bird caught in a bitter wind.
“Protect the Empress!”
“Protect the Empress!”
The guards around attempted to surround Elizabeth, but her hollow golden eyes trembled slightly, realizing that Valentina’s rank far exceeded that of the soldiers beside her. In the collision, even if they managed to block, there would be heavy casualties.
In just a moment, she made her decision. The Godlin Sword suddenly appeared in her hand, and just as the frontline soldiers were about to encapsulate her, she kicked over several soldiers in front, forcing them down to the ground, the sound of her magical armor cracking loudly.
“Ouch!”
“Your Majesty?!”
“Get out of the way!”
Elizabeth leapt up, sword in hand, and rather than retreating, she charged forward toward the descending Valentina, causing Valentina to momentarily freeze.
Has she gone mad, Elizabeth?
Even if her rank was far above that of ordinary humans and she had around a tenth rank, it still paled in comparison to Valentina’s fourteenth rank.
Then…
Countless rays of moonlight exploded around Valentina, transforming into sharp strikes toward Elizabeth.
“Swish, swish, swish!”
But Elizabeth took to the ground, expressionless, lifting off the ground as she spun, dodging one strike after another, resembling the most graceful ballet dancer in the world. But suspended in the air, she fell perfectly within Valentina’s range of attack.
“Capture the leader first!”
Valentina, cloaked in cold winds, reached out to Elizabeth, intending to seize her, but golden flames suddenly erupted from Elizabeth herself, particularly from the Godlin Sword in her hand.
She’s glowing?
No, wait! It’s coming from the ground!
In the blink of an eye, Valentina raised her wings, utilizing them to slow her speed as a massive golden pillar burst from the ground below, just barely stopping her before the immense flames.
What is this fire? Why is it so terrifying?
Fortunately, if she moved any closer, she’d become a roasted phoenix.
But before she could catch her breath, that wall of fire suddenly tore apart, revealing Elizabeth’s radiant face illuminated by the flames. Her golden eyes sparkled like a demon as she raised her sword and struck down towards Valentina’s head.
Valentina quickly raised the Moon Princess Sword to defend herself. As the two swords met, there was a deafening metallic clamor, so loud it seemed capable of shattering the entirety of Saint Nali, and Valentina was sent crashing down to the ground by the sheer force.
“Boom!”
As soon as Valentina landed, she flapped her wings to maintain her balance. Her palms shook as she lifted the Moon Princess Sword, only to see that the curved blade had begun to crack like a spiderweb, spreading spontaneously.
This can’t be happening; even the Moon Princess Sword isn’t strong enough?
What kind of sword is that…?
Raising her head, she saw Elizabeth’s expressionless, mountain-like human form swinging her sword down towards Valentina’s forehead. Looking closely, Valentina noticed Elizabeth was engulfed in that same terrifying golden flame. To Elizabeth, it was inconsequential, but to Valentina, it was exceptionally daunting.
It served as both armor and weapon, and the searing heat kept Valentina at bay, while her route to escape had already been consumed by the golden flames.
“Clang!”
Elizabeth swung her sword down hard. Valentina had no choice but to block with the Moon Princess Sword again, and another thunderous explosion resonated. But Elizabeth’s eyes blinked not for a moment, hell-bent on landing another crushing blow.
“Clang!”
The other human soldiers behind all covered their ears, while Valentina kept her gaze glued on Elizabeth before her.
Elizabeth stood above, not even looking at her, only fixating on the ring on Valentina’s finger gripping the Moon Princess Sword.
“…”
Elizabeth took a deep breath and swung down again, this strike directly causing the Moon Princess Sword to shatter, and the ground was blasted open, creating a gigantic fissure.
Valentina stared blankly at the weapon now reduced to half a hilt in her hand, momentarily stunned by the force of Elizabeth’s assault.
As the saying goes, one burst of momentum brings energy; it ebbs and wanes with each strike. After three blows, Valentina didn’t just feel a numbness in her grip but even in her legs, as though they were scorched by flames.
“Hahaha.”
“Buzz…”
Elizabeth began to breath heavily, her expression still cold as she raised her sword, pointing it toward Valentina, speaking in a chilling tone:
“Take off the ring.”
“…”
At this moment, the momentarily dazed Valentina abruptly looked up at Elizabeth in front of her.
She had never undergone training regarding combat; holding a gun on the snowy mountain was her first experience of taking a life. And after becoming a phoenix, despite possessing ranks and holy artifacts, she lacked combat technique, while the Duke of Peach never taught her this.
After all, at her present rank, if she met a formidable enemy, fleeing was the best option. Against those lower than her, she could rely on her rank to overpower them.
So earlier, observing Valentina’s fight, she either rushed to clash or used the Moon Princess Sword to strike from afar, as even if the rank was lower, there’d be no escape.
But encountering Elizabeth, a seasoned soldier equipped with Pandora’s eye and the Godlin Sword, every one of her movements could be accurately predicted.
Without any combat experience, her once inspired vigor transformed into reluctance upon witnessing that intimidating golden flame. Engaging in a frontal battle would completely place her under Elizabeth’s control.
And let’s not forget, Elizabeth’s eye could manipulate others’ desires.
Once a hint of cowardice sprouted in Valentina’s heart, it would be magnified infinitely by the eye, until that sentiment completely consumed her, each direct collision of their swords reinforcing the feeling like a nail hammering into her core, potentially incapacitating her with fear.
“I…”
“I said, take it off.”
Elizabeth’s sword drew forward. To Valentina, everything before her seemed filled only with those empty golden eyes, and Elizabeth’s irrefutable voice.
Valentina parted her lips while her fingers trembled uncontrollably. Under the influence of Elizabeth’s eye, she instinctively began to raise her hand to remove the ring Fisher had given her.
But the temperature of the ring, contrasting starkly with the scorching heat of the nearby golden flames, caused her body to shiver slightly. Simultaneously, a loud voice rang out from behind her, like thunder, awakening Valentina,
“Be careful! Miss Valentina! The sword Elizabeth uses is my mother’s. The flames are powerful! But Elizabeth’s rank is low and can’t unleash the sword’s full might. Don’t be afraid of her! I’m coming now!”
It was Jasmine from the Whale Folk!
Valentina abruptly awakened, while Elizabeth wasn’t foolish enough to glance toward Jasmine’s direction. She merely focused her attention back on Valentina, tightening her grip on her sword.
But Valentina abruptly raised her head and gritted her teeth.
“This was given to me by my husband. If you want me to take it off, you have no chance!”
“Very well…”
Elizabeth’s veins bulged at her temples, furious as she raised her sword, the surging golden flames once again erupting in a tide aimed to engulf unarmed Valentina completely.
But let’s not forget, Valentina still had a sword at her disposal.
The Phoenix King’s sword!
In that moment, Valentina took a deep breath, suddenly standing tall. Although her hands were empty, she had already made a sword-drawing gesture in advance. Her waist twisted slightly as her wings burst open.
As she accelerated to slash, the legendary Phoenix King’s sword quietly materialized in her grasp, emanating a bone-chilling cold that could contend with the golden flames surrounding her.
Elizabeth’s eyes flickered slightly; her swinging arm instantly changed, transforming into both hands bracing against the sword’s blade.
“Boom!”
In an immense explosion, Elizabeth was uncontrollably hurled away.
“Your Majesty!”
“Protect the Empress!”
“Crack, crack, crack!”
She gritted her teeth, embedding the Godlin Sword into the ground to slow her descent, but still couldn’t withstand the tremendous force crashing into the soldiers who transformed into a human wall behind her, finally coming to a breathless halt.
She looked up and saw Valentina, sword in hand, standing tall—the glimmering ring dazzling in the light from her fingertips, looking particularly striking.
“Hahaha.”
Valentina rose, gratefully glancing at Jasmine, who had rushed in with troops, coming from behind. If it weren’t for Jasmine, she would have surely been downed by Elizabeth just now.
That woman truly is…
Terrifying.
Valentina looked uneasily at Elizabeth, who was reestablishing herself amidst the throng of soldiers but still lifted her sword towards her, saying,
“Let’s stop here, Elizabeth, for Fisher’s sake.”
“Heh.”
Elizabeth smirked mockingly, eyeing Jasmine in the distance, as well as… ah, the Captain of Sardinia. She silently took the long spear from a nearby soldier and suddenly hurled it in her direction.
Valentina easily sidestepped but the spell atop it erupted suddenly, causing her to clumsily cover her ears as she dodged.
“You little brat, do you think you understand love? You think that by speaking as his wife, you truly are his wife? This is merely your self-indulgent role play. Compared to his other women, you’re just a naïve little child; you can’t compete with anyone!”
“What, is it because you have nothing that you’re saying this?”
Valentina spread her wings, and at that moment, Jasmine and Alagina also arrived at the scene while other troops continued heading toward the central Golden Palace of Saint Nali.
“Elizabeth!!”
Jasmine strained to keep calm, but her first words inevitably carried an undercurrent of anger. Meanwhile, as Alagina stood near her, numerous mechanisms also followed suit. The past devastating power of these terrible mechanisms had already been witnessed by the Nali army, but with the Empress present, the soldiers behind her remained completely still, ready to fight to the last.
“Boom!”
“Bang!”
Above the ocean, Rafael was participating in the battle at the mythical rank. Even comparing it, the original fleet of the Dragon Court and the elite armored ships of Nali submitted to a significant gap, yet they could still attain victory.
This was the power of rank.
Even though at this moment the two fourteenth ranks, Valentina and Jasmine, stood before them, the thousands of soldiers behind could hardly be said to block them for even a moment; it was solely because Elizabeth stood in their way that they maintained their suicidal determination.
Jasmine took a deep breath, her eyes fixated on Elizabeth’s face, suppressing the tremor in her speech as calmly as she could maintain,
“Elizabeth, neither of us is something you and your army can handle. There’s Rafael at the mythical rank at sea; your fleet can’t hold out much longer. Please stop immediately.”
“And you, why aren’t you speaking, Alagina?”
Yet Elizabeth didn’t respond to Jasmine’s words. Instead, she turned to the silent Alagina, surprising her, but Elizabeth spoke up again.
“Is it because your rank is on par with that of commoners? Even if you have mechanisms, facing these two women whose ranks and status far exceed yours, are you too afraid to speak?”
“I…”
“That Dragon Race is at a mythical rank, capable of penetrating my fleet with just one person, leading to the annihilation of my elite forces prepared over several years. And humans? Even with magic and their own ranks, they remain motionless. Isn’t this the tragedy of this world?”
“I just lack eloquence.”
Alagina opened her mouth, ultimately saying this. Elizabeth only sneered and ceased looking at her, shifting her focus back to Jasmine and Valentina.
“In the past thousands of years, while the mythical beings still existed, humans were like weeds; now, having barely obtained a breath, they await the resurgence of myth and universal annihilation. Even taking a step back, if the destruction ends with you, then what? Nali, the entire Western Continent, and humanity will watch as you high-ranking beings create your own realm and reach the pinnacle over a century before becoming slaves again?”
Valentina took a deep breath and promptly spoke.
“I would never allow that. The parasol tree treats all beings equally.”
“Yes, you wouldn’t. But your children, your grandchildren, your future generations will. They will gradually misunderstand why their ancestors chose to share resources that originally belonged to them with lower and weaker humans, and that growing discontent will gradually deepen and change this world until one day, one of your descendants can no longer bear it and strips them of everything.”
In fact, ever since Elizabeth ascended to the throne and through Erwind, the eye, and the ultimate chaos saw the essence of this world, she had been pondering the issue of ranks.
As a human, she instinctively questioned why, since the gods created everything, there existed ranks; why humans always stood at the bottom of the rank and had to rely on vigilance against other creatures to survive.
In the time when myths were fading away, humanity had always been revered, and among them, Nali was particularly notable.
As the Empress of Nali, she bore the responsibility to maintain its greatness.
When she observed various mythical ranks rising in the world alongside the Red Dragon Court, the Parasol Tree, and the ocean, yet humanity’s rank remained unchanging, even with magic as a tool; magic could not surpass myth. Once mythical beings existed, it was a catastrophic disaster for humanity.
With Fisher’s regret, her responsibilities to Nali, and her disillusionment with the world…
All these reasons could drive Elizabeth towards chaos in an attempt to reshape a new order. Thus, when Valentina and Jasmine naïvely urged her to cease, she found it utterly ironic.
As Elizabeth, unable to turn back from Fisher, she also had no path to retreat; as the Empress, when myths returned, Nali had no road back.
Valentina fell silent, but Jasmine gritted her teeth and proclaimed vehemently:
“Despicable rhetoric!! Elizabeth, what about the times when Nali was revered? When you were strong, did you ever spare the weaker subhumans of the Southern Continent? You plundered their land, seized their wealth, and slaughtered their lives—isn’t that what the weak feared the most, what mythological beings did to them? What grounds do you have to speak of fear? What right do you have to betray a world you’ve harmed?”
Unexpectedly, after hearing Jasmine’s words, Elizabeth did not become angry; instead, she wore an expression of ridicule Jasmine had never seen before.
That gaze instilled a sense of doomed mockery and unease in her, but without an answer from Elizabeth, Jasmine felt lost regarding the reason.
Yet after a moment of silence, Elizabeth didn’t disclose the unsettling truth that had made Jasmine uneasy. Instead, she chose a cruel justification to replace it:
“Then you can consider Nali’s betrayal as a means to avoid revenge from those of you once harmed by them. I am their Empress, solely accountable to my citizens, my soldiers, and my nation.”
“You… scoundrel!!”
That ominous, unsettling feeling was swiftly overshadowed by the fury ignited by Elizabeth’s audacious words. Jasmine gritted her teeth, raising the golden sword to point at her, while Valentina sighed, her eyes steeling.
“Since that’s the case, let’s cease the idle talk.”
“You think you can win?”
Yet Elizabeth’s golden gaze flickered, as if witnessing a scene from the crevice.
She let out a cold laugh, covering her face.
“Hehe… Hehe.”
Jasmine could no longer hold back and prepared to draw her sword forward, but in an instant, a chilling sensation surged within their hearts.
It felt as though their hearts were gripped by an incredibly strong hand, leaving Valentina and the others gasping for air.
This is…
Valentina and Jasmine looked up in disbelief, only to see a phantom shadow flying down from the crack, landing beside Elizabeth like a beam of light.
“Boom!”
That overwhelming pressure, that terrifying rank…
Elizabeth dropped her hand from her face, and left before them, only her strikingly cold and murderous countenance remained.
And now appearing beside her was the phantom of the nineteenth rank Pandora!
Her golden eyes hollow, raised the golden sword in her hand, pointing it at the three before her.
“Since you adore mythical ranks so much, then I shall let you experience the taste of being crushed by one firsthand. You lowly beings associated with Fisher, each of you, I will see what you are capable of today.”
“Come!!”
Valentina’s expression became serious in an instant, not because she felt intimidated by Elizabeth’s terrifying aura, nor because of her strength igniting a desire to retreat. She was only thinking, if the supporting phantom of Pandora came down, it would imply that the chaos manifestations above no longer needed to contend with Fisher and the others.
In other words, Fisher and the others might currently be in danger!
Sweat slid down Valentina’s forehead involuntarily, while Jasmine fixated on that terrifying shadow, the enormous rank disparity even giving her a sensation reminiscent of seeing a flash of light.
Nineteenth rank…
What to do?
Both Valentina and Jasmine, the ones most aware of rank perception, paused slightly, while Elizabeth scoffed, and Pandora’s phantom beside her sparkled more brightly. Silently, the broken ground beneath them began to fade, turning into stone-gray.
At this moment, the one who reacted the quickest was, surprisingly, Alagina.
Though she wasn’t articulate, in rank, she was unmatched by the nearby little Whale or Ice Chicken.
“Run!!”
