Chapter 1198: Surrender
“Oh-no-no, they sure lost terribly…”
Di lost his demeanor as he sat on the ground powerlessly. After receiving that punch of holy light and the strafing of meteor rain from Mini Bubble Gum, the pitiful vampire’s luxurious clothes were tattered and covered in holes. Not only that, but his neatly combed hair was also roasted like a fluffy henhouse. Elena didn’t have it any better either. As she was Canary’s target, her exquisite set of armor was completely dishevelled and broken, without the possibility of refurbishment and could be thrown into the trashcan right away. Elena’s helmet had also been taken off. Frankly, Elena wasn’t outstanding in her looks as a woman. If she were to be judged on the scale from 1 to 10 and Rhode’s harem was mainly between 8.5 to 9, Elena would be a 6 at the most. But it was due to this reason that Rhode admired Di even more. Even though it was often said that one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, if one’s appearance weren’t acceptable in the first place, one shouldn’t blame others for not recognizing one’s value. This was applicable for males and females. If one were to not shower for half a month or do a foolish hairstyle and wear unattractive clothing, it was only natural that one would be disregarded by others. Of course, if these weren’t due to objective reasons such as poverty or whatnot, one was simply asking to be judged.
Elena wasn’t considered beautiful, but emanatied a heroic attractiveness instead. Perhaps it was due to her being a master swordswoman during her lifetime, she stood on the spot like a straight, unsheathed longsword. What was most eye-catching about her was the blade scar that ran down the middle of her forehead, which seemed to be the reason for her death. But this wasn’t what Rhode was interested in. Instead, he realized that this death knight actually had feelings.
Humans often said that undead creatures were fearless. But as a matter of fact, this saying was wrong. Undead creatures weren’t fearless. Most of them were entirely devoid of emotions, which explained why they weren’t afraid of anything. What they had in them was merely the lowest level of instinct. This was the reason why undead creatures were fearless, but also knew to shriek and flee from pure, holy energy. Just like a finger—it didn’t have any emotion and didn’t know what pain and happiness were. But if one were to p.r.i.c.k it with a needle, it would instinctively shrink away. The so-called emotions of undead creatures were almost similar. Even though undead creatures seemed capable of smiling, they were as though preset and robotic. It was just like how waiters greeted and welcomed customers with a smile as it was the most appropriate expression for the moment. But even so, it didn’t represent the genuine feelings of the waiters.
Among undead creatures, vampires were considered to have deeper and richer emotions. They didn’t abandon their bodies like undead creatures, but relied upon the strength of blood to maintain their flesh instead. Therefore, relatively speaking, the emotions of vampires were much closer to their souls. However, it was an entirely different matter for the souls of death knights when their corpses were reawakened. Rhode thought that even if Di were to reawaken Elena, she wouldn’t have any feelings for him. To vampires, this was as though placing a wax figure of their lover by their side to reminisce old times. But after looking at Elena, Rhode realized that he was wrong. Her gaze toward Di was filled with trust and love. Among undead creatures, this was rarer to find than diamonds.
“Alright, we’re your prisoners now, Your Majesty Void Dragon. Honestly, I’m stumped…”
Di forced a smile, stood up, and shook his head helplessly. This time, he suffered a wronged loss. Because no one expected Canary to ‘swap’ with Mini Bubble Gum in the middle of an intense battle. The reason why Canary abandoned her defenses and focused on casting a legendary spell because at the moment, she had switched her target from Di to Elena. Meanwhile, Mini Bubble Gum gave up battling against the death knight who kept tangling with her and targeted Di instead.
It was actually a simple strategy, but they won by surprising the enemies. The most crucial point was that Canary and Mini Bubble Gum didn’t communicate with each other at all, with not even a hand gesture or exchange of gaze. A few moments ago, they fought against their own opponent, but at the very next moment, they switched their targets without any signs, catching Di and Elena off guard. If Canary and Mini Bubble Gum were to have a single interaction, it wouldn’t escape the keen eyes of Di and Elena. However, the two young ladies didn’t interact from beginning to end, which was why Di and Elena couldn’t react to the sudden change in situation in time.
“I’m not as surprised though.”
Facing Di’s lamentation, Rhode remained calm. Even though there wasn’t much difference in levels between both sides, Rhode was confident in Canary and Mini Bubble Gum. In the guild, they were always best partners, especially in PK, where they were most feared by players for their ‘double spells combination’. Canary was able to face destruction and death boldly under Mini Bubble Gum’s protection, while Mini Bubble Gum was able to beat up the enemy under Canary’s cover. Both sides had tacit understanding with each other, so close that they didn’t need to communicate to coordinate. Frankly, in terms of experience in joining forces against enemies, Di and Elena couldn’t compete against them. After all, Di could cast spells and was half a military adviser. Most of his abilities were already laid out on the table and he couldn’t be like players who naturally gained experience through partic.i.p.ating in life or death battles. It was due to this reason that Di wasn’t aware that after Canary and Mini Bubble Gum became a popular duo, they were basically surrounded by everyone as soon as they entered the arena. They were up against a dozen players and players who were known for being shameless and despicable. In any case, Di and Elena emphasized on ‘triad customs’ more than players, but players went ahead and fought without mentioning a word. In such harsh environments, if Canary and Mini Bubble Gum were to send signals to each other, they would have been eradicated innumerable times.
“Alright… I’ll get to the point now.”
Rhode said and turned to the vampire with a forced smile.
“Since both of you are my prisoners now, I shall have an interrogation.”
Facing Rhode’s words, Di maintained his forced smile, tidied his clothes, and gave a respectful bow.
“As you wish, Your Majesty Void Dragon.”
The reason why Di initiated the battle was due to the differences in standpoints and he wasn’t willing to get his hands tied and wait to be captured. Now that he had given his all but still lost the battle, it wasn’t considered treason anymore. This explained why Di felt relaxed and began to describe his experiences.
After hearing Di’s narration, Rhode discovered that the Country of Darkness had changed a lot.
Di was supposed to s.h.i.+ne in the war against the Country of Light and become Ion’s favorite. However, as Rhode resisted the Country of Darkness’s attack in the Land of Atonement, it led to Di being transferred back before he could show his abilities. Even though Di achieved impressive results after receiving orders from Ion later, he wasn’t put in an important position. And this time, Di and Elena were transferred back to the Darkness Capital for a strengthening ritual.
As a matter of fact, Di felt odd after hearing about the strengthening ritual. He was a master in transforming spirits, so he naturally knew how rigorous the process of strengthening undead creatures were, and issues would occur easily if there were any mistake. Vampires were a cautious race. Besides, with Di’s love for Elena, he wasn’t willing to risk losing her. After a.n.a.lyzing the strengthened low-level units, Di realized some problems that left him anxious and worried. But back then, Di had no other choice. After all, the Country of Darkness was a strict, hierarchical country. One could only accept orders from higher-ups without question.
For some unknown reasons, the Darkness Capital suddenly activated the Dark Curtain and the entire city was in lockdown. Fortunately, Di wasn’t caught in it. He decisively found an excuse to bring Elena and some strengthened units, sneaked into the army in the front lines, and slipped away thereafter. Di initially decided to find a place to settle down and investigate the mysterious strengthening process before making other decisions. But now…
“I see…”
Rhode pondered for a few moments and nodded. If the Darkness Capital had activated this ultimate defensive mechanism, it was no longer surprising that he couldn’t sense or summon Angelina. The enchanted field enfolding the Darkness Capital was indeed tough to crack. Back then, Rhode and other players spent months and couldn’t break it apart. Since the Dark Curtain was activated, it proved that something was definitely wrong in the Darkness Capital…
“Do you know exactly when it happened?”
“Apologies, Your Majesty Void Dragon, I’m not too sure about that. But half a month ago, communications from the Darkness Capital were cut off completely.”
“Half a month ago, huh…”
Rhode pondered. If he recalled correctly, it was also about half a month ago when he and Erin returned to the Dragon Soul Continent. And now, the Darkness Capital activated the Dark Curtain half a month ago…
Seems like Erin is in huge trouble.