Chapter 233: Spoil Of The Secret Realm [Bonus - ]
"Hahaha!" Tasmin laughed softly, twirling her daggers with effortless grace.
FWOOSH!
Using her shadow control, Tasmin flicked her wrist launching Vesper’s captured longsword right back through the air like a thrown spear, sending the steel flying straight toward her Lord.
WHOOSH!
Vesper charged forward through the falling snow with her right hand shooting out like a striking cobra and catching the leather hilt of her sword cleanly out of the air.
"That won’t be enough to stop me..."
Without breaking stride, Vesper poured a massive roaring tide of her Gold Core mana directly into the steel blade.
The silver sword instantly ignited with a radiant, blinding golden aura that melted the falling snow within a five-meter radius.
"Oho~ That’s how you want it then, I will deliver!"
Tasmin’s eyes went wide with thrill as she stomped her boot into the ground, unleashing the full extent of her S-Rank shadow mana, coating her twin shortswords in a dense crackling layer of pitch-black void energy!
BOOM!
Both combatants surged toward each other across the snowy field with their boots kicking up massive clouds of white powder.
’Master sure is talented... If I was in such a situation, I wouldn’t be moving like this.’ Tasmin thought.
CRASH!
Their blades collided in the dead center of the training grounds with a deafening thunderous impact.
BOOM!
A massive shockwave of pure energy erupted outward in all directions, blowing away the surrounding snow cover and exposing the dark frozen dirt beneath!
Golden light and pitch-black shadow energy roared and swirled violently around their locked weapons, crackling like lightning in the winter night.
Tasmin gritted her teeth, pushing forward with every ounce of physical strength in her S-Rank body with her Eclipse-Thread chains burning crimson as she tried to force her Lord back.
’Should I even shout? Does that fit a woman like me?’
Vesper dug her boots deep into the dirt, channeling her dominance through her single right arm and the golden Gold Core aura flared twice as bright, completely overpowering Tasmin’s shadow energy!
CRACK!
SWOOSH!
With a massive surge of force, Vesper completely shattered Tasmin’s guard, sending her shortswords flying out of her grip and spinning wildly through the air before embedding themselves deep into a nearby wooden fence post.
FLICK!
Before Tasmin could even take a breath, the cold tip of Vesper’s silver longsword was resting gently against the front of her throat.
The wind died down and the swirling energy dissipated into fine dust.
Tasmin stood completely still, staring up into Vesper’s glowing purple eyes.
A soft breathless smile slowly spread across the Commander’s face as she raised both of her hands in complete surrender.
"I admit defeat, My Lord," Tasmin whispered, her voice filled with deep pride. "Even in a completely unfamiliar body with only one arm... you are truly absolute."
Off to the side, Thora jumped off her wooden barrel, clapping her hands together wildly and roaring at the top of her lungs.
"WOOOOOOOH! THAT WAS BLOODY AMAZING! GREAT FIGHT, VESPER!"
The patrolling girls who had gathered around the fence let out a collective gasp, instantly bursting into loud cheers and applause for their Lord’s display of combat mastery.
Vesper lowered the longsword, taking a long breath as she let the golden mana fade from her veins.
She smiled warmly at Tasmin, offering her a nod of respect.
"You’ve gotten insanely fast, Tasmin," Vesper praised her genuinely. "Those shadow tendrils completely caught me off guard. You’re going to be a nightmare for our enemies on the battlefield."
Tasmin bowed her head deeply, her heart overflowing with joy. "Thank you, My Lord!"
Vesper turned to Thora, walking over to the edge of the ring.
She reached up with her single hand, grasping the black metal ring on her left ring finger, and pulled it off.
FLASH!
A bright blinding burst of golden light erupted around her frame.
In a fraction of a second, the female vessel of Vesper vanished completely.
Standing in her place was Silas Graves... restored to his full six-foot-two height, his broad shoulders, his dark hair, his golden-ringed eyes, and both of his calloused muscular arms.
Silas stretched his left arm out wide, cracking his knuckles as he tossed the black disguise ring back to the dwarf forge-mistress.
"Here you go, Thora," Silas said, his deep, gravelly male voice returning. "Thanks for letting me test it out."
Thora caught the ring easily, tossing it into her pocket with a confident nod.
"Don’t worry, My Lord! I’ll take this back to the anvil and see if I can tweak the conduit paths! If I can figure out how to add a second arm to the transformation without breaking the illusion, I’ll let you know immediately!"
"I appreciate it, Thora," Silas smiled, turning to look at Tasmin as she retrieved her weapons from the fence post. "Great spar, Tasmin. Get some rest."
"Goodnight, Lord Silas!" both women called out in unison, bowing respectfully.
"Goodnight," Silas waved them off with a smile.
He turned and walked away from the training grounds with his heavy boots crunching through the fresh snow as he approached the grand entrance of the Keep.
He pushed open the heavy timber doors, stepping inside the quiet warm main hall, and pulled the doors shut to lock out the cold night wind.
Exhaustion was finally starting to catch up with him after a long day of class upgrades, library visits, tavern chaos, and disguise sparring.
’Not to mention the Secret Realm stuff... I wonder how Seraphina is doing, hopefully I don’t get attacked or something.’
He walked across the polished stone floor and began ascending the grand wooden staircase, heading up toward his private quarters on the upper floor.
As he walked down the quiet, torch-lit hallway of the second floor, he passed by Aeliana’s room.
The door was slightly ajar, and a quick glance inside revealed that her bed was empty... she was likely still down in the grand Library, passionately rewriting her novel Chapter based on his feedback.
Silas chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head as he reached the heavy oak door of his own private master bedroom.
He reached out, pushing the door open, expecting a quiet empty room where he could finally collapse onto his bed and sleep until morning.
Instead, the moment the door swung open, Silas froze.
Sprawled out across the massive, plush king-sized bed in the center of the room were the two SSS-Rank divine beings that Aeli had dropped off earlier.
Eluned and Morwenna were completely, utterly out cold from Thora’s hyper-concentrated "Blessed Drink."
They were tangled up in the silk sheets, occupying every single inch of space on the mattress.
Eluned’s long, silver-green hair was spread out like a wild forest vine across the pillows, while Morwenna’s leather-clad legs were kicked out sideways across the blankets.
Silas stared at the occupied bed, letting out a long, weary sigh as he rubbed his temple with two fingers.
’Great...’ Silas thought bitterly. ’They took over the whole bed. Maybe I should just go find another empty room down the hall...’
He turned on his heel, preparing to step back out into the corridor...
THWIP!
Before his foot could even touch the hallway floorboards, a thick glowing green plant root suddenly whipped out from under the bedsheets like a striking viper.
The root wrapped tightly around Silas’s waist, yanked him backward into the bedroom with terrifying SSS-Rank strength, and slammed the heavy oak door shut.
THUD!
Silas was forcefully yanked through the air and stuffed right into the middle of the plush mattress, sandwiched directly between the two unconscious women.
Eluned, still fast asleep and completely out cold, immediately wrapped both of her arms and legs around Silas’s torso like a territorial python.
She buried her face deeply into his chest with her soft lips puckering up as she repeatedly kissed the air while sleep-mumbling softly into his coat.
"Mmm... my Lord’s chest... mine... no pirate allowed... mmph..."
On his other side, Morwenna let out a rough sleep-drunken grumble.
The Pirate Queen threw her entire heavy, leather-clad leg over Silas’s thighs, pinning him down, and reached up to blindly bite down right on his left earlobe.
"Ouch! Hey!" Silas winced, turning his head as Morwenna mumbled incoherently into his ear before snoring softly against his neck.
Silas lay flat on his back, completely trapped between a territorial Nature Goddess kissing his shirt and a feral Pirate Queen using his ear as a chew toy.
He looked up at the dark wooden rafters of his ceiling, letting out a long defeated sigh.
"Alright, alright..." Silas muttered softly, a fond smirk touching his lips despite the chaos. "Have it your way."
He relaxed his body into the soft mattress, closing his eyes as the warm divine scents of forest flowers and ocean sea-salt wrapped around him.
And with that, the Lord of the Blessed Land fell fast asleep.
...
The next morning, Silas sat down behind the heavy mahogany desk in his second-floor office, resting his chin in his hand as he looked out through the tall arched windows.
The heavy winter storm that had battered the Keep for days had finally broken.
The snow was no longer falling. Instead, a brilliant, almost oppressive sunlight was blazing down from above, blindingly bright against the white expanse of the Blessed Land.
Rays of intense warmth beat against the glass, and outside on the roof tiles and stone ledges, thick icicles were already melting rapidly, sending steady streams of water dripping down onto the courtyard cobblestones.
Silas squinted at the sudden shift in climate, letting out a long, incredulous sigh as he shook his head.
"Can’t Asgard fucking control their weather?" Silas grumbled aloud to the empty room, rubbing his eye. "What kind of wars can you even be having up there in the higher realms to be causing all these sudden, ridiculous changes in season?"
CLICK!
The heavy oak door of his office swung open smoothly.
Aeliana stepped inside, carrying a crystal chalice filled with freshly pressed, ice-cold fruit juice on a silver tray.
The elven arcanist wore a soft radiant smile with her green eyes gleaming as she set the drink down right on the edge of his mahogany desk.
"Good morning, Lord Silas," Aeli greeted him warmly. "All of the women in the Territory are currently gathered outside in the central courtyard waiting for you."
Silas picked up the crystal chalice, taking a long refreshing gulp of the sweet juice as he stood up from his leather chair.
"Everyone’s already out there?" Silas asked, setting the empty glass down.
"Yes, My Lord," Aeli confirmed, stepping aside to clear his path. "Every single one."
Silas descended the grand wooden staircase, stepping out through the heavy timber doors of the Keep into the bright, sunlit courtyard.
The scene outside was bustling with life.
Gathered in front of the Keep’s wide stone steps was the entire population of the domain... all 74 women currently bound to his territory were present. From the elite, high-tier combatants like Morwenna, Eluned, and Talira, to the frontline commanders like Brida and Tasmin, all the way down to the newer soldiers, Rangers, and support mages.
Even the Blessed Wolves were present, with the three pups nuzzling against Reina’s legs while the adult Alpha wolves stood calmly at the perimeter.
Seeing their Lord step out onto the porch, a sudden energy swept across the crowd.
Silas looked over the sea of loyal faces, a genuine, warm smile touching his lips. He raised his hand in a casual greeting.
"Good morning, everyone," Silas called out with his deep voice carrying clearly across the wide courtyard.
"GOOD MORNING, MY LORD!"
All the women echoed back in a loud roar of absolute devotion that rattled the wooden eaves of the surrounding buildings.
Silas chuckled, waving his hand to ease their formal posture.
"As you all know," Silas began, leaning his arm casually against the carved stone railing of the porch, "I recently ventured into a Secret Realm... And as with any high-tier realm clearance, we brought back spoils. I have brought back rewards that will most certainly boost our territory’s assets."
He paused, a dry smirk appearing on his face as he added.
"Though to be completely honest, most of the divine artifacts inside were a total joke, considering the god who built the place was a joke himself."
A few chuckles broke out among the crowd, particularly from Aeliana who knew firsthand how cheap the ancient deity Ititius had been.
Silas still couldn’t understand how a literal god could be so remarkably stingy with his tomb rewards.
"However," Silas continued, reaching into his spatial storage Inventory, "there was one very good thing that came out of the expedition."
Silas pulled his hand back, opening his palm to reveal the Realm Seed.
FLASH!