Chapter 1357: Problem and Truth
The moment Rhode saw the scarlet eye, he had a really bad feeling. Because he knew very well what that scarlet eye was. However, why did it show up here?
“———!”
As the scarlet red eye widened, Rhode felt the incomparably powerful pressure of Chaos exploding into the surroundings as if an invisible mountain were bearing down on everyone. And at that moment, he no longer had the time to consider what was happening. Even though it was true that the Chaos Eye could appear anywhere, the fact that it was now inside Karin’s mental world was in itself a serious matter.
It was until now that Rhode realized what the problem was. Earlier, he felt like something wasn’t quite right with this compet.i.tion of Karin’s and was also rather messy. And now, it seemed like this mess indeed wasn’t something that Order could create. But to the camp of Chaos, such was their nature!
Could Karin’s body be influenced by Chaos?
As soon as this thought came to mind, Rhode couldn’t stay calm any longer. Honestly, if that were the case, there would be a lot of trouble. He and the others were in the mental world, and a bad situation could turn into a huge problem if Chaos hurt them. Moreover, the Chaos Eye appeared in Karin’s mental world, and Karin was also the one who first proposed to enter the mental worlds for coordination with the card spirits.
Could it be that she had already been influenced by Chaos when she raised the proposal, which was why she used this method to harm him? That wasn’t entirely impossible… was it?
Thinking back, however, Rhode calmed himself down. He didn’t quite believe that Karin was influenced by Chaos and plotted this to hurt him because the holy sword card spirits were interconnected with one another. If there were anything unusual about Karin, it was impossible for Gracier and the others to not discover it. Moreover, when Karin made this decision, Rhode’s younger sister, as well as Marybelle were also present.
If Karin were truly influenced by Chaos, his younger sister and Marybelle would surely notice. Back then, when Lillian was a bit influenced by Chaos, Marybelle was already determined to send her to the afterlife once and for all. If Karin were really influenced by Chaos, Marybelle would most likely point her magical staff at her and eliminate her from the holy sword card deck.
Did the Chaos Eye simply appear out of nowhere? It doesn’t seem quite right.
It did seem capable of appearing anywhere. but this was the mental world, after all. In the game, Rhode didn’t remember having a similar experience, so in the face of this Chaos Eye, he wasn’t sure if this was premeditated or happened on a whim (which was also the most frustrating part when it came to judging the actions of Chaos Creatures). Whichever the case was it, by the looks of things, the Chaos Eye clearly came with ill-intentions.
“Hmph!”
Upon sensing the overwhelming pressure, Rhode’s expression changed slightly. He glared at the Chaos Eye in front of him and grunted. The aura of the Void Dragon erupted, pus.h.i.+ng back against the pressure of the Chaos Eye. Rhode wasn’t like Mini Bubble Gum and Icy Snow; his current attributes were that of the Void Dragon. In terms of aggression, there was definitely no reason for him to lose to the Chaos Eye. Otherwise, wouldn’t the Dragon Soul Continent be swallowed by Chaos already?
“———!”
Along with his outburst of aura, the pressure released by the Chaos Eye dissipated a lot. This made Little Five, Eleanor, and the rest, who were also under the pressure of the Chaos Eye, feel much better. But before they reacted, they felt the solid ground beneath their feet crumbling, and under the confrontation between Chaos and Order, the pressure and force brought an unimaginable blast to them.
And now, as the clash between Rhode and the Chaos Eye intensified, the mental world that was already on the verge of collapse faltered even more. It was like an already tattered board of wood having to bear loads of unparalleled pressure, almost to the point of breaking.
Boom!
Neither Rhode nor the Chaos Eye had any intention of backing down. The vast land fissured due to the ma.s.sive collision between both sides. Countless high-rise buildings crashed to the ground in just the blink of an eye. At a glance, powerful winds blew across the ruins and created wreckage in their path as if a tornado sweeping everything into it and sparing none.
Except for the tornado eye.
At that moment, Rhode crossed his arms and stared with a gloomy look at the scarlet eye floating in midair. Little Five and Eleanor couldn’t bear the horrifying pressure of the wind and hid behind Catherine. Fortunately, Catherine’s trait made her immune to this level of attack; otherwise, they would have been blown away.
It was no longer possible for Rhode to stop his attack. The moment the Chaos Eye appeared in front of him, he knew that it was forcing him to make a decision. Although destroying Karin’s mental world would bring a certain level of risk, if he couldn’t resolve this issue with the Chaos Eye in front of him, there would be nothing to talk about in future.
If it really can’t defeat the Chaos Eye…
At that thought, a trace of apology flashed in Rhode’s eyes.
If it were impossible to eliminate Chaos, he could just erase Karin’s memories and spirit and manipulate her completely as a doll. After all, the reason why Rhode and Karin didn’t get along was because the latter couldn’t match up with the former. And in the current situation, it was the only thing to do. As long as the resistance of one side could be eliminated, everything would be much easier for the other side.
The 10 holy sword spirits had deep feelings for one another. If Rhode were to erase Karin’s memories and turn her into a doll, they surely wouldn’t like it. Even if that could save the emergency, it would still cause potential problems in the future. But now, Rhode didn’t have the luxury to ponder about the future. The Chaos Eye was coming in strong. If he didn’t solve this problem, perhaps even he would end up dead here!
And at that moment, Rhode suddenly witnessed the Chaos Eye blinking abruptly and emanating a red beam that swept across the air. Along with the s.h.i.+ning red beam, the wall of tornado around them ripped open and several figures appeared on the surface. Rhode wasn’t familiar with them, but they weren’t total strangers either. They were precisely the other group of four that he met with in the square earlier.
However, they didn’t look great. Not only were they covered in bruises, but they also looked like they were exhausted from battle. Rhode never thought that they would be able to find this place with the mental world collapsing. Looking at this scene, he was apparently surprised. It seemed like the strength of these core personalities was far beyond his imagination.
Willpower determined the reality in the mental world, so even if all the earth collapsed, it was impossible for one to fall into the Bottomless Abyss. But despite that, it was still tough to counteract the pressure created during the battle between him and the Chaos Eye. And now, these people had not only killed their way out, but were also able to get here, which proved that they were capable. But…
At this thought, Rhode let out an inward, helpless sigh. With them being spent forces, staying here would only make things worse!
As expected by Rhode, the moment the exhausted personalities appeared, the scarlet eye that was still confronting him suddenly s.h.i.+fted its attention and squinted at them. Soon after, it emanated a dazzling red beam that swept across the air again, charging straight at the four of them. The four of them who had a hard time breaking through the tornado earlier apparently lacked the strength to resist it. In the face of the a.s.sault, only Catherine, who led the group, raised her arm. Along with her action, a dazzling s.h.i.+eld of light emanated in front of her, forming a solid barrier that enveloped the four of them. The instant she cast her s.h.i.+eld, the red beam bombarded it mercilessly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The powerful strength of Chaos blasted against the s.h.i.+eld of Order, exploding with a force that was no weaker than the aftermath between Rhode and the Chaos Eye. But it was a pity that Catherine wasn’t as capable as Rhode. After hanging on for a while, she almost crumbled to her feet. Rhode looked at the scene sternly. He wanted to provide a.s.sistance, but didn’t expect the Chaos Eye to react so quickly, where not only was it confronting him, but it also divided its effort to attack the group of four.
In an instant, Rhode couldn’t react in time. And when he returned to his senses and took action, the Chaos Eye used its finis.h.i.+ng blow. In that case, even if Rhode were able to annihilate the Chaos Eye while it was distracted, the group of four wouldn’t be able to defend themselves. For that reason, he had no choice but to stop his actions and think of other ways.
And at the same time, suddenly, a silvery light drifted in front of Rhode’s eyes. And upon seeing the light, his narrowed pupils dilated all of a sudden. Although he couldn’t say that he was familiar with each and every one of his card spirits, at least he wasn’t totally unfamiliar with them; he still knew a lot about their fighting styles. And now, the one that appeared in front of him was precisely…
“Karin!”
Whoosh———!
Along with Rhode’s scream, three young ladies appeared out of nowhere, forming a triangular formation that surrounded everyone. At that moment, the three Karins raised their arms and innumerable silver threads spread out in all directions like spider webs.
In just the blink of an eye, the silver threads formed countless intricate and magnificent magical rituals that rotated slowly and interlaced with each other like mechanical gears. The moment these magical rituals were created, the power of Chaos that bombarded the group of four was as unresponsive as a chicken with its neck grabbed. Not only that, but Rhode also felt like most of the overwhelming pressure from Chaos earlier were diminished by half as well.
“Hmph!”
Even though he didn’t know how Karin did it, he naturally wouldn’t let go of the chance of beating a drowning dog so easily. Moments ago, the Chaos Eye already had a hard time dealing with Rhode and the group of four. And now, the appearance of three Karins overwhelmed it and broke the balance.
Meanwhile, Rhode seized the opportunity. He raised his head and at the next moment, a mighty, enormous dragon bellowed and soared into the air, striking the Chaos Eye with its sharp claw. The Chaos Eye apparently didn’t expect him to engage in physical combat so domineeringly. It also howled, flew backwards, and at the same time, emanated countless red beams of light yet again, blasting the people below it like a rainstorm.
If it were before, Rhode might need to more or less watch over the rest. But now, Little Five had Catherine as an invincible meat s.h.i.+eld with her, while the three Karins, who appeared out of nowhere, were defending the other side. Moreover, the Chaos Eye came with obvious malicious intent. And since it was here, it could forget about escaping. If Rhode didn’t defeat it this time, he would have his name written backwards in dishonor!
As a Void Dragon, his speed definitely wasn’t slow. With just a flap of his wings, he closed the distance between him and the Chaos Eye swiftly. And at that moment, he finally got a closer look at the Chaos Eye. Previously, he wasn’t able to have a clear view of it due to the darkness in the distance. But all in all, it looked like a moon with an eye; it was just that the moon was scarlet and decayed. And of course, it wasn’t as huge as the real moon.
But even so, the size of the Chaos Eye was huge. While Rhode was also enormous in the form of the Void Dragon, the Chaos Eye before him was at least half of his size. Furthermore, the disgusting tentacles fluttering behind its body made it hard for him to look straight at it.
In the face of Rhode’s attack, the Chaos Eye also launched a frantic counterattack. But unfortunately, head-on combat wasn’t its strong suit. The Chaos Eye was more like a cleric like Mini Bubble Gum, which was fine for casting buffs and such. But if it were to fight an enemy head-on, it would only end up dead.
Its light beam was quite threatening, but Rhode gnashed his teeth and pounced on it. He knew that he had finally gotten such an opportunity and shouldn’t put it to waste. After all, the Chaos Eye was overly mysterious, so much so that it was impossible to find it on a normal day. Not only that, but it also fled so fast that it couldn’t be caught. But now, things were different. Even though the Chaos Eye could appear anywhere, it still had its limitations, after all.
Previously, Rhode couldn’t capture it because it was very cunning and refused to appear in a defined s.p.a.ce. As soon as it was discovered, it could return to Chaos by leaving the Dragon Soul Continent right away. That was also the reason why Mini Bubble Gum and Icy Snow couldn’t catch it earlier.
But now, the situation was different since it entered Karin’s mental world. This was one’s mental world, which meant that this s.p.a.ce was enclosed. If this happened on a normal day, the Chaos Eye might have been able to escape. But today was a whole different story. Rhode was the Void Dragon, who held authority over s.p.a.ce. Although he couldn’t pa.s.s through planes of existence freely like his younger sister, the authority to control s.p.a.ce itself was still available to him. And no matter how powerful the Chaos Eye was, it naturally couldn’t match up against a Creator Dragon.
Hence, the moment Rhode encountered the Chaos Eye, he immediately thought of leaving it behind in this world. However, due to the urgency of the situation and Karin’s mental s.p.a.ce also collapsing entirely, it occupied his mind and he couldn’t find a good solution for the time being. After all, he was in defense at that time and the Chaos Eye could just leave freely, while he couldn’t chase after it. After all, he still had to clean up this mess.
But now it was different. With Karin’s help, Rhode switched from defense to offense and sealed the s.p.a.ce around it. At that moment, the s.p.a.ce turned into a prison that one could neither enter nor exit. Thus, even though the Chaos Eye watched as Rhode launched an attack on it, it couldn’t escape, and could only embrace itself and engage in a counterattack instead. However, it was no match for Rhode. He endured the bombardment of a light beam and clawed the Chaos Eye, striking it down to the ground.
The moment the Chaos Eye crash-landed onto the ground, the magical rituals in Karin’s hands spun rapidly and constantly around it. The Chaos Eye struggled, but in only a few moments, its scarlet brilliance dulled. When Rhode landed back onto the surface, the lifeless Chaos Eye had been enclosed in a huge crystal, showing no threat at all.
“Phew…”
At that moment, Rhode let out a sigh of relief, turned to the three Karins who approached him, and asked.
“I suppose you can tell me what’s going on now.”