Volume 3, Chapter 88 – Invasion

With the departure of Miss Yumo, only Karina and the members of the Blackrose Family remained in the vast prison. Now that Mother was gone, Karina saw no reason to continue playing the good child. The cute and adorable expression on her face gradually faded, replaced once again by her usual indifferent and emotionless gaze.

In front of Yumo, Karina was a sweet and caring daughter.

When Yumo was away, Karina’s expression and the atmosphere around her often struck terror into those nearby.

Watching Karina revert to her former state, the members of the Blackrose Family couldn’t help but feel a surge of nervousness.

After all, back when they were young and Lady Yumo was busy, it was Lady Karina who was primarily responsible for looking after them. Everyone present, including Saibok and Qiu Mingtong, had been “educated” by Karina. They still harbored a certain psychological trauma from their former “stern teacher”.

Consequently, some members of the Blackrose Family began to lower their heads in guilt.

However, the current ‘Inferno’ had no intention of educating them.

“Sigh, Mother has left.”

Lamenting softly, Karina slowly stood up from the floor and glanced out of the corner of her eye at the spot where Miss Yumo had previously been sitting.

Even after an entire night had passed, a lingering fragrance seemed to remain where Miss Yumo had sat.

Karina felt a pang of regret that she couldn’t stay close to her mother for a little longer. But on second thought, she had already spent the entire night by her mother’s side, and she had her almost entirely to herself. This thought brought a satisfied expression to her face.

In the past, back in the Deepwinter Forest, she had to share her mother every night with her younger sisters and that annoying older brother.

When was the last time she had enjoyed such quiet, private time as she did last night? Back then, Li Mo and Li Yu hadn’t even been born yet.

Furthermore, this time wasn’t like those monotonous nights sleeping in the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons. Last night, she had enjoyed her mother’s meticulous care and gentle caresses for the entire duration.

‘Indeed, Mother is even better after her transformation.’

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Karina was a child who was easily satisfied.

After carefully reminiscing about the happy night they had shared, Karina brushed aside her lingering regrets, her crimson eyes filled with a sense of relief. Moreover, to be honest, as an older sister, she was quite worried about that new younger sister of hers. Charging into the Sky Dome so mindlessly was simply too dangerous.

‘I hope nothing goes wrong, and I hope the plan isn’t disrupted.’

After a moment of thought, Karina stood up and looked down with some exasperation at the golden longsword thrust into her chest.

In the next moment, the girl furrowed her brows.

It wasn’t because of pain, as Karina’s tolerance for pain was exceptionally high. Her displeasure stemmed from the residual aura on the longsword—the aura belonging to the Chosen Son, Xue Tian’ao.

Any power other than Shadow Essence naturally made Abyssal Demons feel uncomfortable, let alone an aura originating from the Chosen Son.

It was no wonder Karina frowned and wore a look of utter disgust.

“Hey, say, Saibok.”

Karina shifted her gaze to the white-haired old butler and pointed at the longsword in her chest. “I’m asking, can this sword be pulled out now? It’s very uncomfortable.”

Hearing this, Saibok was first stunned, then he wore a bitter expression and shook his head helplessly, speaking in a kind tone.

“Lady Karina, I can understand your feelings. But…”

As he reached the word ‘but,’ Saibok’s tone shifted slightly, revealing a rare flash of resolve.

“It is not yet appropriate, Lady Karina. Please endure it a little longer. If Lady Yumo suddenly returns, the ruse will be exposed.”

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“…Sigh… I suppose you’re right.”

After considering it for a moment, Karina nodded noncommittally. “Then, how long do I have to wait?”

“That…”

Saibok scratched the back of his head somewhat awkwardly. “For the time being, the ‘setting’ of this sword is that it will be activated by Xue Tian’ao to threaten your life, Lady Karina. So… to pull it out, we must at least wait until the male lead is heavily wounded and his ‘link’ with this divine sword is severed. At that time, even if Lady Yumo returns, we will have an explanation. Don’t you agree?”

“True… but how much longer will that take?”

“How much longer?”

At this, Saibok lowered his head thoughtfully, pulled back his sleeve, and stared at the watch on his wrist. After a moment’s calculation, the old butler spoke slowly. “Since half of the Royal Knight Corps and the Imperial Guard have fallen to the Abyssal Demons, Xue Tian’ao will definitely go there now, whether it’s to deal with the Abyssal Demon swarms outside the city or to eliminate Yuan’er who broke into the Sky Dome.”

“Is that so?”

Upon hearing Saibok’s answer, Karina playfully raised her hand and twirled a strand of her crimson hair around her finger.

Meanwhile, within the Grand Arsenal Hall of the Snownight Royal Palace, a man dressed in a yellow robe with brilliant short golden hair rushed into the great hall. He moved at high speeds by mobilizing the magic power within his body while simultaneously speaking into a communication magic stone with extreme impatience.

“Do you understand?! Commander Aikino!”

The man couldn’t help but roar into the communication magic stone.

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“In short, block the attacks of those Abyssal Demons and absolutely do not let them break through the defenses! If it comes down to it, use the Magic Fission Bombs!”

“Fission bombs? Your Majesty, if we do that, the people in the northern district will also-“

“They’re just a bunch of worthless commoners, it doesn’t matter.”

“But-“

“No buts! Do as I say. Also, notify the Third and fifth Legions and tell them to come and support us immediately! The capital must not be lost! Right, and the Ashurmos Church forces in the south! Inform them at once!”

Stripping off his cumbersome royal robes, the golden-haired man issued further arrangements to the commander of the Royal Knight Corps, Aikino.

This man was, naturally, the Chosen Son of this world, His Majesty Xue Tian’ao.

Due to the intrusion of a demon king tier Abyssal Demon, the civilians at the Dragondance Plaza had completely lost control, and everything was in chaos. Since his words were no longer having any effect, Xue Tian’ao did not plan to stay at the plaza any longer. After handing over command to his subordinates, he had rushed to the Grand Arsenal Hall.

This was the treasury within the imperial capital where his various weapons, equipment, and magic scrolls were stored.

Originally, seeing the Abyssal Demons crush his army and feeling the skeptical gazes of the populace, Xue Tian’ao felt a profound sense of humiliation and intended to personally go out and crush the Abyssal Demon swarms outside the city. Although he didn’t know why the strength of these swarms had suddenly increased so much, he knew that these Abyssal Demons were no match for him.

He wanted to annihilate the Abyssal Demons in front of the citizens and numerous foreign envoys to clear his name and re-establish his grand image in the hearts of the people of the Snownight Empire as much as possible. However, after that black light charged into the city, Xue Tian’ao changed his plans.

Compared to the swarms, that demon king tier Abyssal Demon attacking with such hostility was clearly the top priority! She had to be dealt with first.

In Xue Tian’ao’s view, the appearance of this demon king tier existence at this time meant she was undoubtedly connected to the massive Abyssal Demon assault on the perimeter. Furthermore, wasn’t this newborn demon king tier the daughter of the Duke Family? Was she using her status as the young lady of the Duke Family to join forces with their old subordinates to cause trouble in the Northern Frontier, hoping to use the Abyssal Demon attack to rescue the Marquis and his wife? Was that why communication with the Northern Frontier was cut and the Abyssal Demons moved south so quickly?

Xue Tian’ao continued to make various conjectures in his mind.

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But regardless, as the saying goes, to catch the bandits, one must first catch their leader. Once this demon king was dealt with, the swarms outside would naturally be resolved.

With this thought, Xue Tian’ao cut off the communication with his subordinate and accelerated with all his might toward the top of the Grand Arsenal Hall. As he ran, something seemed to occur to him, and his brows furrowed tightly.

‘Wait, what if the Abyssal Demon attack isn’t because of the Duke Family’s daughter? What if it’s because of the Blood Butterfly?’

At this thought, Xue Tian’ao’s expression turned grave. Although he couldn’t sense the typical brutality of other Abyssal Demons from that demon king lady, she certainly had a reason to act. He couldn’t just ignore it. Even if he didn’t want to completely burn bridges so soon, it would still be best to have Lockephy go and keep her under control.

‘What if she really is the instigator?’

While pondering how to allocate his forces, Xue Tian’ao reached the top of the Grand Arsenal Hall.

However, the moment he stepped onto the top floor, a thick scent of blood hit him full in the face, causing his expression to change instantly as his consciousness was snapped back to reality.

‘What is going on?!’

He saw that the vast hall on the top floor was now splattered with blood. Dozens of subordinates he had stationed there to guard his Divine Might Armor were all lying in pools of blood. Judging by their vacant eyes, these subordinates he had painstakingly trained had already lost their lives.

Looking at his tragically murdered subordinates, the volcano in Xue Tian’ao’s heart, which was already in a foul mood, completely erupted.

Extreme rage caused Xue Tian’ao’s face to become incredibly distorted as his bloodshot blue eyes stared fixedly ahead.

He stared at the mysterious black-robed figure standing leisurely beside the pile of corpses, appearing as though they had been waiting for him for a long time.

“You… who exactly are you! How dare you break into the Grand Arsenal Hall!”