Chapter 417: Ruins of Return
Marguerite flicked a crescent shaped violet moon blade toward the fleeing Empress.
The demonic body remained completely unharmed, but the Empress hidden within suffered a violent shock to her soul. Her mind rang painfully, her memories began to blur, and the noble composure on her face gradually faded into vacant confusion. Fortunately, the vitality of a Divine Chosen was extraordinary. Once she was determined to escape, catching her was no easy task.
Relying on her familiarity with the ruins, the Empress gritted her teeth and accelerated, narrowly evading Marguerite’s follow up attack. She drew a dagger, and as it flashed with golden light, her figure instantly vanished beyond the ruins.
"Phield, you cursed Calamity. The next time I appear, I will crush you without mercy."
The Empress shot one hateful glance back at the ruins before accelerating westward.
As she flew, confusion clouded her thoughts.
"This shouldn’t have happened. I clearly glimpsed a future where Riemann was the Chosen One. How could he have died so easily? Where did everything go wrong?"
"No. I have to find a lord to form a contract with as quickly as possible. Without the support of a lord and a territory, my injuries will never heal."
Marguerite teleported outside, only to see the Empress disappearing into the gray mist.
She made no attempt to pursue her.
Instead, in a voice as cold as an icy spring, she called after the fleeing figure.
"Do you really think you can escape? Heh. I’ll seal your soul inside every female creature I can find and make you suffer until you beg for death. Killing you now would be far too merciful."
After speaking, she turned her gaze toward Phield’s group, studying them for a long moment.
With a wave of her hand, a massive gate appeared from thin air.
Marguerite stepped through it and vanished.
Once both women had departed, the grand formation within the ruins collapsed. The demons ceased appearing, leaving behind nothing but devastation. Not a single living creature nearby was even breathing.
"So... it’s finally over?"
Phield immediately felt the invisible restraints disappear, leaving his body light and refreshed.
Then he remembered the infuriating Empress.
His expression darkened.
"Wow, they both ran incredibly fast!"
Rosalia returned with a helpless expression.
"I couldn’t catch either of them. Besides, I was worried someone might ambush you."
Even with the enhancements granted by the Incarnate Synergy Battle, her speed still fell short. Against a top tier expert like the Empress, someone willing to sacrifice everything just to escape, catching her was nearly impossible.
As for the Nether Divine Chosen, her abilities were simply too unpredictable. If she suddenly returned and drained Phield dry, Rosalia would regret leaving his side forever.
That was why she had immediately chosen to come back.
"The other Calamity ran away just as quickly."
Tisiana placed her hands on her hips and pouted.
"I thought she’d come back to thank us. After all, Phield was the one who revived her."
"Hmph. Thank us?"
A dangerous smile appeared on Rosalia’s lips.
"Before they’re contracted, Calamities want to kill everyone they see."
She paused.
"After they’re contracted, the only person they don’t want to kill is their lord."
She was not joking.
"My Lord, look at her..."
Tisiana hurried behind Phield, clutching his arm.
"I’m scared."
"Hey! Get your dirty hands off my adorable foot slave!"
Rosalia instantly became furious.
"You’re the Holy Light Divine Chosen. What exactly are you afraid of?"
She immediately chased after Tisiana.
Ignoring their playful quarrel, Phield explained calmly.
"Nether isn’t like Firomina. Firomina died and was brought back to life with my soul power replacing her soul. Nether never died in the first place. She merely absorbed my soul power. She has always possessed her own independent will."
"I see."
"No idea where she went, but I have a feeling she doesn’t harbor much hostility toward us. She may even be somewhat friendly."
Phield sighed softly.
"It would have been wonderful if we could have gained another Divine Chosen. Unfortunately..."
"Besides, the Empress of the Ancient Moon Empire will never let this go. I’m afraid she’ll become a long term threat."
The Empress possessed both incredible combat instincts and unparalleled battlefield experience.
An opponent like that was terrifying.
"No worries!"
Rosalia repeatedly swung her sword through the air.
"If she dares to come again, she’ll never leave alive!"
"Fortunately, now that she’s stuck in that demonic form, most people won’t trust her so easily."
After a brief moment of thought, Phield nodded.
"Our territory still needs to grow. We need to become even stronger. Only true strength can free us from fearing any challenge."
"As long as everyone is safe, that’s all that matters."
Tisiana placed a hand over her chest and smiled brightly.
"And besides, we already got the loot."
Rosalia had completely maxed out her Incarnate Synergy Battle, while Firomina had advanced to the second tier.
Overall, the expedition had been worthwhile.
The only regret was letting the Empress escape at the very end.
"That’s right. Time to head home and get back to farming."
Phield’s spirits lifted once again.
Scooping the unconscious Firomina into a princess carry, he gave his next order.
"Rosalia, have the Corrupted Dragon load up the gold and the Magic Cores. We’re going home."
A tremendous rumble echoed through the ruins.
With the formation gone, the underground palace began collapsing. Countless corrupted creatures surged in from every direction.
The group mounted the Corrupted Dragon and fought their way out of the palace.
The moment they emerged, an astonishing sight greeted them.
The battleship Riemann had arrived on had only just lifted into the air when it was swarmed by thousands of corrupted flying creatures.
A rain of energy projectiles bombarded the vessel.
Within moments, the mighty warship became a blazing fireball that plummeted from the sky.
Countless monsters descended upon the wreckage.
The screams of its passengers echoed across the heavens.
"The Merfolk are probably in for some very difficult days."
Phield shook his head.
"Why do you say that?"
Tisiana asked curiously.
"The two Divine Chosen the Merfolk sent to search for the treasure were only third tier."
Phield analyzed calmly.
"Not only that, they were both support types with almost no combat ability."
"That tells me their race is extremely weak."
"Now they’ve lost two Divine Chosen. I don’t even want to imagine the nightmare awaiting them."
He grinned.
"Still, we should keep an eye on the slave markets. We might find some Merfolk slaves there."
Phield chuckled to himself.
He had always been interested in raising fish, especially the kind that wore nothing but two little seashells.
Meanwhile...
On the western sea beyond Dawnfall Domain, dozens of warships formed an immense fleet stretching across the ocean.
Aboard the golden flagship protected by an escort fleet, leaders from numerous maritime factions had gathered for a meeting.
"Why haven’t we heard anything from Mr. Riemann? Don’t tell me he found the treasure and ran off by himself."
A female pirate narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Impossible."
Someone immediately shook his head.
"Riemann’s twin brother is still here. Where could he possibly run?"
"I’m sick of waiting."
Another captain grumbled.
"We’ve already run out of beer on my ship, all the prostitutes have died from disease, and there’s absolutely nothing entertaining left around here."
"Mr. Luke, shouldn’t we send someone to look for them?"
After a lengthy discussion, everyone’s attention turned toward Luke, Riemann’s younger twin brother.
"Do any of you still have Divine Chosen available to send?"
Luke answered absentmindedly while gently turning an icy pendant over in his hand.
His fingers trembled ever so slightly.
The extraordinary item could detect another person’s heartbeat.
The pendant remained ice cold.
That meant his beloved brother...
...was unquestionably dead.