Chapter 709 - Nightfall (VII) (1/2)

Chapter 709: Nightfall (VII)

The dusky radiance enveloped the world in a flash.

No, this description wasn’t accurate.

Rhode lifted his head to gaze at the snow-capped mountains and land. The fortress in the distance had vanished entirely. Shortly after, he witnessed a golden brilliance. Countless rays spread from him in the middle and scanned everything in their path.

At the same time, Rhode trembled. A dusky beam of light erupted from his body and rushed into the sky.

“This is…”

Rhode gazed at the system interface before him that had displayed an entirely different system of gorgeous, sacred, and ancient text. But for unknown reasons, he realized that he understood their meaning.

[Detected a breakthrough in boundary. Interface Extension.]

[Countdown begins…]

[3, 2, 1…]

[System reboot]

The instant this row of words emerged, Rhode let out an abrupt shiver! Violent, immense pain erupted from his body as though his internal organs trembled instinctively from an assault. Then, an invisible, powerful blast spread out!

———!

Lilian dropped the exquisite teacup in her tiny hand and it shattered on the white marble floor. The steaming tea splashed, but she wasn’t mindful of it. She looked up at the azure sky with widened eyes.

The little girl trembled from her head to toe.

Lilian clenched her fists before her chest. Her clear, round eyes glinted in astonishment. She stood up abruptly and disregarded the Light Parliament members who were grumbling to her. Archangel Serene, who was supposed to remind Lilian of her etiquette and behaviors, also knitted her brows. She lowered her head with a stern expression and gazed at the thick book in her hands.

“.. Ahh…”

Rhode half-knelt on the ground and clutched his chest with his right hand. The immense pain had faded away, but the aftermath left his heart throbbing in pain. At this moment, he felt as though he was a rusty robot.

“Phew…”

After a few moments, Rhode came back to his senses and gasped for air. He sensed the surging energy inside him gradually calming down as though his body were slowly getting used to it. He wasn’t too surprised because he had often heard a rumor among players that it was common to suffer in pain when breaking through into the Legendary Stage. In that instant, the sealed power in their bodies surged like flames from an open-lid stove. The more powerful the talent was, the more damaging it was. Therefore, a tough body was definitely necessary to endure the pain. However, players basically didn’t need to endure it since they couldn’t feel the pain in the game. This was strictly prohibited among all virtual technologies.

Rhode subconsciously forgot about this point. After all, players in the game didn’t have such experiences. It felt as though they were just randomly tapping on the system interface and finding out what their new talent was.

I almost died…

Rhode shook his head and stood to his feet. Then, he was speechless.

There was no heaven and earth before him.

It was complete darkness from top to bottom. Or perhaps, it could be said that this world didn’t exist at all. There was no gravity, but he couldn’t feel himself floating. He merely existed there.

Where am I?

Rhode extended his hand curiously and his sleeves swayed along with his movement. However, that stopped shortly after. He relaxed his arm and stood quietly on the spot. He wasn’t feeling any restraint and even his strength had completely lost its effectiveness. It was too illogical.

Rhode knitted his brows. He didn’t recall breaking into the Legendary Stage to be this state. He subconsciously scanned the surroundings and what surprised him was that the system interface didn’t emerge for once! Everything before him was in complete darkness.

What exactly is going on?!

Rhode lost his head. Then, he calmed himself down quickly. He turned around but couldn’t spot anything apart from the pitch-black space as though he were in the deep sea, but miraculously, he didn’t feel frightened at all. Instead, he had a premonition that this was what he was supposed to experience, just like a player triggering certain missions while following the strategies.

However, he had no idea what was going on.

In this space, time didn’t seem to exist. He gazed forward blankly. No. Perhaps standing was incorrect and yet, he couldn’t be described as floating in air. It could be said that he was as though waiting silently in a strange environment. At this moment, a crisp laughter sounded.

“Hehehe…”

An indistinct human silhouette emerged before him. Shortly after, just like a painter sketching his work, the silhouette slowly materialized and shaped into clothes, limbs, and a delicate face. Then, the dusky figure turned vibrant and a little girl finally emerged. Rhode’s heart skipped a beat.

“Christie?”

That little girl was indeed Christie. Purple pupils, straight, long hair, and a face like Rhode’s. However, unlike the Christie that he remembered, this little girl wore a pitch-black, luxurious dress with layered white ribbons and lace that shaped into a beautiful pattern. Despite these, Rhode wasn’t unfamiliar with her.

“You are…”

“Greetings, Master.”

The little girl gently lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed. Then, she lifted her head and presented a gentle smile. Her voice was ringing and melodious, but her tone was completely different from Christie’s. Christie’s tone had always been innocent, childish and harmless. On the other hand, this little girl sounded elegant, confident, and even filled with a deep sense of pride.

“… This shouldn’t be our first meeting, right?”

Rhode pondered for a moment while the little girl grinned in response. He knew that the little girl’s proud behavior was due to his presence. But he couldn’t figure out which part of him did the little girl value. Could it be due to Christie?

“Yes, Master. We’ve met twice before. Back then, you didn’t have enough strength, so I couldn’t express my intentions. But it seems now that you’re much wiser and farsighted, which assured me… It seems that my guidance wasn’t too bad.”

Anyone would figure out with such obvious ‘guidance’.

Rhode cursed inwardly. Now that the little girl had mentioned, it was due to his lack of strength that he couldn’t hear what she tried to tell him before. But…