Chapter 691: 169. Chaotic Orientation (Happy New Year)
“Buzz, buzz, buzz!!”
As Pandora’s phantom suddenly fell, a dazzling golden light erupted from her eyes, and it was Captain Alagina who reacted first among Valentina and the others.
“Run!!”
She shouted sternly, and the mechanism devices on her body instantly lit up. Numerous flames were ejected from the flagship machine that was on standby behind them, quickly flying forward to block in front of them.
“Crack, crack, crack!”
As they blocked Pandora’s line of sight, a series of crisp sounds erupted from them, and upon closer inspection, they had already turned partially into stone and could no longer move.
At this moment, Jasmine and Valentina finally regained their senses, their expressions changing as they retreated towards the army behind them.
Captain Alagina was also pulled up by a flagship machine and quickly flew towards the rear.
“Now you know to run?”
Elizabeth sneered and stepped forward to kick over the mechanism that had turned into stone. She then reached out to grab Pandora’s phantom’s hand beside her, floating up while turning back to instruct the soldiers behind her who were preparing to follow,
“There’s a legion ahead responsible for intercepting them; you go back to maintain stability and ensure there is no stealing or other incidents occurring during this time. If the Saint Nali people die because of this, I’ll take your heads.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, we will ensure the mission is completed,” said the leading soldier, saluting, but then he added to Elizabeth, “The Navy General has sent word earlier, terrified that they cannot withstand the enemies from the Dragon Court, and requests Your Majesty’s orders for the next step.”
“Tell them to retreat; don’t go to your death.”
“Yes!”
Originally, Elizabeth was about to pursue immediately, but this little delay caused her to hold back, yet even if she let her subordinates go to their deaths before the already mythical-ranked Raphael, it would be pointless. Before she left, Elizabeth added,
“Have them wait at other ports; there’s no need to worry about Saint Nali.”
“Yes!”
Having finished all this, Elizabeth was then dragged by Pandora’s phantom towards the direction where Valentina and the others were escaping.
To Pandora’s phantom of the Nineteen Rank, the time they spent fleeing hardly counted as anything. The fierce wind brought by the rapid speed pressed tightly against Elizabeth’s military uniform, yet she remained unmoved, quickly wielding the Fluid Sword that shimmered with golden light to chase after them.
Just in time, they were also about to meet up with their troops.
From above, it seemed the outcome was already decided; while she would gladly play a cat-and-mouse tormenting game with this group of scum, as the commander of the army, she naturally understood the principle that hesitation can lead to change.
Thus, at this moment, let them be completely annihilated along with their troops.
“Miss Valentina! Captain Alagina, you’re back!”
Aoxi, who was still fighting bloodily ahead, floated in the air, suddenly hearing the sound of breaking air, turning to look this way. However, the leading Valentina’s expression changed as she shouted at her,
“Don’t come over!”
“What—”
“Crack, crack, crack!”
Aoxi was just about to say something when a flash of golden light appeared before her, causing her cloak to uncontrollably start turning into stone.
Captain Alagina, who was following closely behind, turned pale, gritting her teeth as she hurriedly overloaded her mechanism, rushing to catch Aoxi in her arms before she could turn to stone, using the mechanism to shield against the incoming golden light.
“Boom!”
The last flagship machine that turned to stone crashed to the ground, attracting the attention of the Wutong Tree powers engrossed in battle. The first thing to catch the eye was the sight of Alagina quickly plummeting with Aoxi in her arms.
“Alagina!”
Valentina, who was in mid-air, paused slightly. However, Alagina was still a mere mortal; when she hit the ground, a sound of bones fracturing echoed, causing her face to contort in pain, but she still tightly held Aoxi in her arms, shouting to the sky,
“Don’t stop! Keep flying; their target must be us!”
Because of Fisher, Elizabeth visibly loathed them. Moreover, they were the de facto leaders of the Wutong Tree power, so logically, Elizabeth would surely prioritize taking them down.
Valentina’s lack of combat experience flaws were once again revealed as she turned back to check on Alagina; it was completely reflexive. She quickly realized the peril they were in, but in front of the Nineteen Rank, even a second’s worth of hesitation could be fatal.
Sure enough, when she was a second late to spread her wings to fly again, the chilling sound had already sounded behind her,
“Crack, crack, crack!”
Her wings were turning to stone!
The pain that transmitted from her feathers caused her body to stiffen and cry out. Fortunately, at a critical moment, Jasmine shot out, throwing the golden sword she held with all her might towards the approaching Elizabeth.
Elizabeth snorted coldly, and the nearby Pandora’s phantom instinctively reached out to deflect the golden longsword with a sonic boom, and looking over there, Valentina, who was turning to stone, had already vanished.
Looking down, it turned out Jasmine had saved Valentina, but both fleeing individuals were already injured, and no matter how fast Jasmine ran, she could now only fall into the Wutong Tree’s territory.
I’ll see how you scum escape.
Elizabeth showed no expression, but the golden light on Pandora’s phantom was even more intense, and it looked like it was about to turn all existences in the territory into stone. Jasmine glanced at Valentina, whose large feathers were turning to stone, and looked up with unwillingness towards the sky at Elizabeth.
“Enough!!”
At this moment, a Wutong Tree warrior in a cloak stretched out a hand to block in front of Jasmine and Valentina, but Elizabeth remained unmoved, and the ground beneath began to transform into an inorganic gray.
“Enough!! Sister!!”
As Elizabeth’s executioner’s knife was about to fall, the cloaked figure started to tremble all over, the originally unsteady voice now filled with a trembling cry.
She pulled off the cloak and mask on her face, revealing her now slightly darkened countenance.
But that head of golden hair, that familiar face albeit changed, and those golden eyes that belonged to the Godlin family all indicated the identity of the person to Elizabeth.
“Isabel.”
Elizabeth froze for a moment, and at the same time, the dangerous light on Pandora also dimmed.
“Enough, sister, enough, don’t kill anymore; I beg you.”
Isabel’s eyes were red, and trembling with fear before Elizabeth’s power, yet even so, she still opened her arms to block Elizabeth in front of her.
“…”
Elizabeth pondered for a moment, brought down by Pandora’s phantom, while beside her, the Nali Army surrounded the Wutong Tree’s already sparse forces tightly.
At this moment, they had all passed through the Saint Nali Cathedral and arrived in the large plaza in front of the Golden Palace’s city wall.
“Every night since leaving Saint Nali, I have nightmares about you killing brother, dreaming that we lie in a pool of blood, countless hands pulling us down to hell.”
Elizabeth cast a glance at Jasmine, who was hiding behind Isabel, striving to treat Valentina during this time. The Godlin Sword in her hand trembled slightly but was not raised again, instead, she fixated her hollow gaze on the trembling Isabel before her.
Only in Isabel, did Elizabeth’s eyes reveal the sort of disturbance that emerged only when she saw Fisher.
“That was just an accident, Isabel.”
“An accident? Sister, you’ve been planning this for so long without telling me; did you really not intend to kill brother when you reached that point?”
“No, Dexter’s head will inevitably fall that day. But letting you see it was an accident, Isabel.”
Elizabeth propped up her sword, watching the Wutong Tree people who had already reached a dead end before her. As she talked with Isabel, she was also considering how to bring Isabel back, so she could kill everyone in front of her.
But Elizabeth noticed that Isabel held a dagger in her left hand; if something occurred, she might harm herself.
“You should have remained obedient at school that day, but you suddenly returned. The Golden Palace had just fallen into chaos due to my entry, allowing you to get in as well.”
“How could I not come back? So much happened in Saint Nali that day; I was worried about your safety, worried about brother’s safety, not expecting to see that scene. He clearly begged you for mercy before dying; yet sister, you…”
“What does begging for mercy mean?”
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, trying to keep her tone as calm as possible.
“Just because he begged for mercy that day, should I let him go? When I was executed, would he let me go if I begged? When you were forced into marriage, would he let you go if you begged? Years ago, when the Shivali army invaded, all the generals treated it as a hot potato, and before I was forced to lead an army to attack, didn’t I beg him for mercy?”
“National affairs in Nali came first; I repeatedly compromised with him and father. In the beginning, it was fraught, but when I truly achieved results, how did he repay me? He and father betrayed me and my army, revealing my whereabouts to the enemy, almost getting me killed on the battlefield! This is the consequence of begging for mercy; I have learned it once and will not give him a second chance.”
“For power, Dexter can betray the army that fought for this country; for the sake of stability, father can betray our father-daughter bond for so many years. Perhaps this bond was only my one-sided affection, as he was already secretly planning whom to marry me off to when I was just sixteen. Amid the clinking of wine cups, one of his daughters became a guarantee for him to exchange benefits with others.”
Isabel’s face turned pale as the family relationship she had long cherished was ruthlessly trampled upon by Elizabeth’s words.
The cruel words caused her to gasp, tears flowing down her face.
Those tears cascading down her cheeks might be the pain of the misunderstandings of happiness that Isabel had endured over the years, but it was Isabel who cried, and at this moment, Elizabeth felt heartache too.
Even though she already thought herself cold-hearted enough, there were still a few things in this world that could interfere with her emotions and prevent her from remaining calm.
Not long ago, standing by the seaside before Fisher was the same, and facing Isabel at this moment was no different.
Unbeknownst to her, her tone softened.
“For all these years, I have only protected you too well; they had to check my expression before even bringing up any dissent towards you. Because I have experienced this and seen this, I don’t want my siblings to be so miserable; I want you to be happy. So even if you were away all these years, when I realized you actually didn’t want to come back, I didn’t push it because perhaps being with these Sardinians is happier for you than being with me.”
Isabel wiped her tears and shook her head, saying,
“Sister, I have not blamed you these years; I just don’t know how to face you. I know, sister, you have gone through a lot of bad and wrong things to become like this, but Dexter and father’s actions were wrong; they have repaid their blood debts; it’s enough; do not continue to kill.”
She trembled as she pointed to everyone beside them, whether human or subhuman.
“All the people of the Wutong Tree probably have never come to Nali before today; they might not even know sister and harbor any deep hatred. Clearly, sister, you understand right and wrong, understand to keep me away from a wrong family, letting me feel the warmth of love, so why, after everything ends, must you add more grievances and errors?”
“Even if it’s for Teacher Fisher, must the conflict really reach a point where we cannot rest until we kill each other? Sister, I beg you, stop; do not kill another person. When will this end? How long will you have to live like this?”
Elizabeth paused slightly, looking up at the sky above, where the battle still raged. Even at this moment, Fisher still had not given up; she opened her mouth and simply said,
“I have wagered everything on this gamble; I’m sure Fisher has too; he has to win me, or how will he protect the women around him?”
Isabel tightened her lips. Her gaze burned fiercely, locking onto Elizabeth before her. After a long while, she spoke with sadness.
“All along, it’s only you who wanted to win.”
“…”
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, and for some reason, she recalled what Diane had said to her before the war began.
She didn’t understand the reasoning in that speech, and even now, Isabel has said something, yet she still held her ground.
The Empress born from blood and mud did not understand mercy and love; perhaps in her eyes, it was merely a matter of responsibility and obligation between her and her people. Between her and her sister, it was protection and a gift of avoiding the past. Between her and Fisher, it was a game of possession versus non-possession.
Thus, her eyes only held the interests of victory.
That hint of softness and wavering born from Isabel was once again engulfed by the desire for victory. She looked at her frail sister before her, and the blade directed downward gradually raised its head. In this moment, Valentina’s state might have warmed, but killing them was, of course, still possible.
“It’s alright, Isabel; my hands are stained with blood, so afterwards, you won’t have to.”
With tears all over her face, Isabel momentarily froze, but Elizabeth’s emotionless beautiful face and the increasingly dangerous aura of Pandora’s phantom beside her made her understand her sister’s choice at this moment.
“Sister!”
Her legs felt weak, yet she still couldn’t help but try to stop her. However, Jasmine pulled her away, keeping her away from Elizabeth and their battle.
“Take care of Princess Isabel; if anything happens, I’ll hold you accountable.”
“Yes!”
The armored knights beside her instantly moved forward, knocking the dagger from Isabel’s hand and restraining her, rendering her struggles futile.
Elizabeth glanced at Alagina, who was trying to stand up while covering her wounds, and softly said,
“Sardinian people, while it wasn’t my intention that you were betrayed by the Black Chieftain before, it was ultimately because of my sister. Over the years, you have been caring for her; in this aspect, you owe me.”
Alagina’s silver hair tumbled messily down, but it couldn’t mask her unwavering gaze fixed on Elizabeth.
“…”
“I won’t kill you; you can leave with your people as long as you have no further dealings with Fisher. There will be a place for you in the new world.”
Alagina remained silent for a moment but still shook her head, saying,
“I choose to be with Fisher; I will not abandon our feelings, and he has not given up on us. Furthermore, the Sardinian people firmly believe in friendship and faith; the Wutong Tree took us in earlier, and it is the future home for my sisters. Leaving Valentina behind and abandoning them would be an act of betrayal, and I cannot do that.”
Valentina bit her lip as she looked at Alagina’s determined back, feeling a stir in her heart.
Her gaze also grew resolute. Supporting the Phoenix King’s sword, she stood beside Jasmine and Alagina, saying to her,
“Even if today is our end, we will fight to the end with you, Elizabeth.”
Seeing Valentina and Alagina’s increasingly resolute beliefs and understanding before her, Elizabeth paused slightly, suddenly realizing that originally there were contradictions and gaps between these women related to Fisher, which had unexpectedly smoothed out due to her presence.
In other words, she seemed to have unintentionally helped Fisher resolve conflicts.
Alright, alright.
Thinking of this, Elizabeth’s anger ignited within her; the veins on her forehead bulged, and the divine light surrounding Pandora seemed even more terrifying.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz!”
But just as she raised the slaughtering knife, above her, the sound of steam-powered explosions suddenly resonated from the sky, targeting the Nali army below as well as Elizabeth from before.
Elizabeth’s expression shifted slightly as she turned to look. Surprisingly, a red meteor wrapped in countless steam was descending, it was Raphael, the Dragon Queen of the Dragon Court.
Right, earlier, to avoid unnecessary losses, she ordered the fleet at sea to retreat, and Raphael had instantly arrived to rescue her sisters from the sea battlefield.
Yet from Elizabeth’s rank, there was no time to respond appropriately to this sudden ambush.
“Pandora!”
She quickly called out to the nearby Pandora’s phantom to stand in front of her, but at that moment, the red figure wielding a long spear had already charged before her.
“Elizabeth!!”
Although Pandora’s phantom was powerful enough, this phantom was controlled by Elizabeth, and at her level, she simply couldn’t react to this sudden assault.
Thus, the next moment, with a deafening crash that shook the heavens and earth, Raphael’s long spear suddenly pierced through Pandora’s phantom, the colossal force sending both Pandora’s phantom and Elizabeth soaring into the air, crashing directly against the city wall of the Golden Palace.
“Sister!!”
“Raphael!”
The two figures smashed into the wall with tremendous force, driving straight through it and continuing into the front court and middle court, emerging from the opposing city wall.
“Boom!”
This powerful blow directly collapsed half of the Golden Palace, sending countless debris crashing down, lifting a cloud of dust that left everyone dumbfounded and frozen in place.
Fortunately, Valentina reacted quickly. She brandished her sword and shouted,
“All Wutong Tree people, follow me to break out!!”
“Kill!!”
The sounds of slaughter erupted again, whereas Jasmine anxiously glanced over in that direction, but temporarily couldn’t disengage.
She knew that Raphael wouldn’t hold off Pandora’s phantom for long; but perhaps the key moment in the battlefield below wasn’t critical, the crucial point still lay above in the crevice.
Unbeknownst to them, amid the cacophony of slaughter down below, the originally crimson crevice had already been swallowed by golden light.
Looking up, it turned out to be a tangle of complex knots, appearing extremely chaotic.
Happy New Year, dear book friends!
Alongside, I request your votes, tips, and support, as they are very important to me!
Thank you immensely for your support!
(End of this chapter)
