Chapter 1301: The Big Three
Rhode finally met the last three holy sword card spirits. They left a deep first impression in him. Even though there were only three of them, Rhode felt as though he were facing the auras of the commander-in-chiefs of thousands of troops and horses. Not only that, but the three card spirits were also unique.
Standing before s.h.i.+ra and Celestina was a young lady wrapped in a black, loose-fitting, and tattered cloak. Her face was concealed under the pitch-black hood. The only thing visible was her two eyes that were glinting in spiritual radiances. She wielded a ma.s.sive, razor-sharp scythe blazing in blue flames in her hands. Unlike the others, this young lady dressed like the Grim Reaper floated in midair. Besides, judging from the snowy skin under the cloak riddled with holes, this young lady wasn’t clad in any underclothes and was completely bare on the inside.
But after learning a lesson from the past, Rhode didn’t have much to comment about this Grim Reaper. He also knew that this era didn’t have the various sorts of underclothes on Earth. The underclothes that females wore in this world were really simple. For rich n.o.ble young ladies like Sonia who received formal education, they wore something called a corset, which was similar to a bra.s.siere and was more of a troublesome type (Troublesome in terms of unhooking, according to Rhode’s evaluation). On the other hand, a mercenary like Anne wouldn’t pay particular attention to it. After all, mercenaries relied upon battle for food, which was why many female mercenaries wore either cloth or something similar to keep from getting in the way. Anne might be a cheery and outgoing young lady, but regarding this aspect, she knew to take care and protect herself.
The most unconstrained ones were clerics and spell casters like Lize. After the incident with Lesa, Rhode discovered that most young ladies in the spell-casting cla.s.s disliked wearing underclothes. They preferred to put on baggy, comfortable clothes because to them, sense of self was the most important factor during battles. If one were to feel restrained during an incantation, things would get dicey. That was why most spell casters would rather wear extra coats to hide embarra.s.sing ‘b.u.mps’ and other issues and not bind themselves up. They mostly wore some sort of an ‘unders.h.i.+rt’ as a layer of concealment. Of course, some of them simply went without any…
This was also something that Rhode learned from Lize. Back then, Lize was so embarra.s.sed that her face turned burning red…
However, this kind of gossip just went through his head for a moment. Right now, he wasn’t concerned about such a small issue.
On the other side and in contrast to the Grim Reaper was a knight covered in white, s.h.i.+ny armor. She had four pairs of wings on her back that were formed and outlined by the cohesion of pure light elements. The elegant wings swayed gently in midair as though they were drifting in water. Like the Grim Reaper, this knight of light also wore a white cloak and its hood covered her face entirely. Fortunately, her entire body wasn’t glowing darkness like the Grim Reaper. The dim brilliance she emanated vaguely accentuated the beautiful curves of her face. But unlike the Grim Reaper, the armor she wore had no risk of exposing her body.
Light Angel…
Gazing at the perfect pairs of wings coalesced from pure light elements on her back, Rhode nodded in satisfaction. Light Angels weren’t beings of the main plane. As a matter of fact, they were natives of the light elemental plane. It could also be said that any angels with wings, including an archangel like Lydia, were considered ‘main plane knock-offs’. However, Light Angels, just like its name implied, were created entirely of the light element, which was why they weren’t powerful in the main plane. For instance, the ‘Frozen World’ ability of the mermaid warriors that could freeze even nuclear bombs in the water elemental plane couldn’t even deal damage that was anywhere close on the main plane. Every race had its favorable and unsuitable environments. Elemental creatures that were created by pure elements naturally wouldn’t be as powerful in the main plane where all sorts of creatures gathered.
For that reason, Light Angels were actually rather rare—somewhat rarer than mermaids. There weren’t many of them and all of them were waiting silently in the core of the light elemental plane. Even for players, unless they entered the light elemental plane, they seldom had the chance to meet one.
And now, the fact that this Light Angel appeared in the main plane meant that she was stronger than the other Light Angels. However, Rhode didn’t have a rough idea of just how much stronger she was. In the past, he always thought that the 10 holy sword card spirits would be almost equivalent in strength. Take Celestina, for instance; even though she had an arrogant personality and was often overwhelmed by s.h.i.+ra, Rhode knew that it wasn’t due to the fact that Celestina couldn’t beat s.h.i.+ra. They just had conflicting personalities, like how even the most powerful people had their nemeses. Celestina wasn’t great at dealing with someone like s.h.i.+ra, in the first place. Moreover, their strength was similar. In that case, it felt as though Celestina were being overwhelmed by s.h.i.+ra. However, if reasons surrounding personalities were eliminated and s.h.i.+ra and Celestina were to fight head-on, their chances of winning were 50-50.
Karin was even weaker because she was a pure human. It could also be said that if she were to fight Little Five or s.h.i.+ra, it would be useless even if she could defeat them 10 times. Because whether she could eradicate them entirely was a totally different issue.
Despite that, she was inferior to the big three of the holy sword card deck and still ranked the fourth. Besides, it also seemed like the insane s.h.i.+ra never objected to anything she said.
That was why the rankings of the holy sword card deck weren’t sufficient to prove the level of strength they possessed. However, the three of them were different. Judging from the fact that Karin had specially sealed them in the books, it went to show that these three holy sword card spirits were really powerful.
Rhode couldn’t help but s.h.i.+ft his gaze to the last holy sword spirit.
Unlike the other two who followed ‘mysticism’ and wrapped themselves up entirely, this holy sword spirit standing before him wasn’t as mysterious as them. Or rather, she wasn’t wearing too much, but too little instead. Even if the Grim Reaper was naked on the inside, at the very least, she wore a thick, baggy black cloak, so much so that not even dancing to disco music would make her expose herself. On the other hand, this holy sword spirit… Rhode’s eyes were immediately drawn to her chest the moment he s.h.i.+fted his gaze to her.
It wasn’t that Rhode was perverted, but that her attire was just… How should he put it?
Yes. Shameless!
Standing before Rhode was a young lady who was slightly taller than him and looked like a perfect berserker. She wore a shoulder pad on her right arm. Both of her hands were wrapped in heavy leather gloves and she wielded a large weapon that resembled a chainsaw more than a sword. She had also put on a pair of steel combat boots. Well, it didn’t seem like anything strange according to these descriptions.
But the problem was that apart from these few pieces of equipment, she didn’t put on anything else.
Even for Rhode who was bombarded with online information on Earth, he was stunned when he saw her. He simply couldn’t bear to look at the large area of nudity. And at the very least, even though her teats and lady part were barely covered by small patches of cloth like a tiny bikini, apart from that, everything else was exposed.
Rhode had only seen such dress ups in adult magazines on Earth, and even in one of those leaflets, this scene would be hidden from the public. This went to show that the shamefulness of this costume was such that even the adult magazine industry in the business of pleasing readers knew not to display it in public!
Is this considered a blatant display of indecency?
After looking at the young lady, Rhode couldn’t help but twitch his lips and come up with this thought immediately. His reaction wasn’t surprising. After all, no matter how most people liked it, there was still a limit to things. Rhode also loved conducting intimate activities outdoors. His favorite pastime was to pull Anne or Lize to a deserted place and have a quickie, in turn enjoying the thrill from not being discovered. But despite that, he would never in his lifetime do something like that in public where everyone was watching.
And now, it was the same for this young lady’s bikini. In private, men would definitely stare all they wanted. But no matter how perverted men were, they would still turn away with a blush and anxiety if they saw this in public!
“Shameless!”
And now, staring at the young lady, Mini Bubble Gum spat immediately. As her ‘younger sister’, the other projected Mini Bubble Gum also nodded in agreement.
“That’s right, only prost.i.tutes dress up like that! We must watch carefully. What should we do if Leader were to bring her to our bed?!”
The two Canarys who stood at the side turned around hurriedly as though they didn’t witness anything. At the same time, they didn’t forget to cover Icy Snow’s eyes. Unlike Mini Bubble Gum, Icy Snow was a precious, innocent young lady and could never be tainted. Even though the rest didn’t say anything, upon seeing Marlene’s and Lize’s blushes and Anne’s widened eyes and mouth, it was obvious that they were just as thunderstruck.
“Woah… That must feel so cooling. Anne wants to try it too…”
“No, Anne! You can’t do that!”
Lapis lowered her head, pulled Anne away as much as she could, and said with a flushed expression. Her resistance to such things was already poor, to begin with, and she felt like she almost pa.s.sed out just by looking at that!
But strictly speaking, this young lady wasn’t considered a human.
Because Rhode quickly found out the biggest difference between her and humans. This young lady wasn’t so much a human, but was more like a hominid instead. Although she wore very little, she didn’t have fair, delicate skin at all. A thick layer of short fur similar to the fur on a leopard’s body covered her body instead. It could also be said that other than her face being that of a human’s, she looked more like a werewolf that failed its transformation. And just like a leopard, spots and patterns could be seen on her body, making the bikini actually dispensable. If it had been someone else, a human face matched with such an animal body would look disturbing. But surprisingly, this young lady looked so perfect as if she were meant to look like that. Not only that, but Rhode also discovered that her race was a little odd. Judging from her appearance, she should be a half-beast or beast lord like Anne or Gillian. As a matter of fact, her leopard-looking body did prove it. But strangely, he was surprised to find that she didn’t just possess the characteristics of animals. Generally speaking, whether she was a half-beast or beast lord who could transform into a human form, she should have some special features like Anne and Gillian. Anne, being a hybrid, had the upper hand on the human side and unless she unleashed all her power, she wouldn’t turn into a half-beast. As for Gillian, not to mention anything else, just those pair of fox ears and big fluffy tail were enough to make people realize her true ident.i.ty.
However, this young lady before them was entirely different. Her body showed features of a leopard, but had a tiger tail wagging behind it. Not only that, but Rhode also witnessed a pair of bull horns on her forehead.
What exactly is she?
Even Rhode couldn’t figure out her true ident.i.ty. She looked exactly like a hodgepodge of many animals.
And there, he got it. The last three holy sword cards. And also the three strongest ones.
Dark Harvester—Eleanor.
Chant of Light—Catherine.
Elemental Controller—Dona.
They were the last three members of the holy sword card deck. And now, along with their return, Rhode’s collection of the 10 holy sword cards was finally completed.
“My lord, it’s nice to meet you.”
Shortly after, the Light Angel nodded at Rhode. She raised her sword with dignity, saluted, and introduced herself.
“My name is Catherine.”
Meanwhile, the body of the Grim Reaper on the other side twitched. Then, she nodded under the hood.
“Eleanor…”
Even though the ghostly voice of death that sounded from under the dark hood wasn’t loud, it clearly gave Rhode a bone-chilling sensation. At that moment, he realized that while she wasn’t as striking as the Light Angel, as soon as he noticed her presence, he felt a chilliness in his gut. It was just like how one deduced the coming of winter when one witnessed dried, withered leaves in autumn. She stood there like a shadow. The mere sight of her presence made him realize the inevitable fate to come, the shadow of death that loomed over all things.
“Dona.”
The last half-beast didn’t speak much. She drew a pattern in midair with her longsword and introduced herself simply. It could be seen that they were exceptionally confident in themselves and couldn’t care less about how others viewed them. Looking at this scene, Rhode nodded at them.
“I am Rhode.”
This self-introduction was so simple that even the other card spirits felt weird. Celia knitted her brows at Rhode, gaping her mouth as though she were about to speak. But eventually, she didn’t say a word. While on the other side, this was the first time Celestina puckered her brows. She swept a careful glance at Eleanor and turned to Rhode to shoot him a meaningful and secretive look, before s.h.i.+fting her gaze away quickly. Upon realizing her gaze, Rhode had a change of heart. It was at that moment when he figured that even though the holy sword cards were fully gathered, the atmosphere felt rather odd. Although he didn’t meet these three holy sword card spirits before, apart from Karin who stood at the back and Little Five who was the latest member, the other seven card spirits had spent quite some time with him. That was why he understood them to a certain degree. But judging from their reactions, they didn’t seem elated to be reunited with their comrades, but looked a little worried instead.
“Alright then. Get prepared for the final test.”
Karin was the only one who put up an indifferent expression. She spoke and extended her arm. Shortly after, along with this action, the sword in her hand metamorphosed into steel threads that spread out like a spider web, isolating Rhode and the three of them swiftly!
“Big Sister Karin. Erm, we should… Let Master prepare himself first, shouldn’t we?”
Looking at this scene, Celia finally couldn’t help but speak up. After all, she spent the most time with Rhode and was one of the most used holy sword cards. At that moment, Celestina on the other side also let out a snort.
“Wait, Big Sister Karin, there’s no need to be in such a hurry, right? The three big sisters have only just awakened. What’s the point of rus.h.i.+ng like this?”
What’s going on?
Upon hearing Celia’s and Celestina’s remarks, Rhode scanned the surroundings swiftly, only to discover that the other holy sword spirits were separated to the side in the shape of a circle that surrounded him, Eleanor, Catherine, and Dona.
“Those are the rules. Besides, Master’s strength does need to be reevaluated too. This is also the reason why we set the rules in the first place.”
Facing Celia’s and Celestina’s objection, Karin explained plainly without looking at them. She turned around, looked at Rhode, and perhaps noticing his confusion, she finally said.
“Perhaps you are not aware of this, Master; we have a special ritual where, after you awaken all the holy sword cards, you will face a challenge from our three big sisters. And only after you defeat them will you be able to gain recognition from all of us holy sword spirits.” At that moment, Karin paused for a moment, before continuing to speak.
“Apologies for not informing you beforehand, but these are our rules and rules must be followed strictly. Despite that, you don’t have to worry as we will not let our three big sisters take you on at once. You can choose two partners to face this challenge against them. And of course…”
Karin said and looked meaningfully at Mini Bubble Gum and Canary.
“Those who have unique spiritual connections with you are not permitted to join the battle.”
It was apparent that this was the polite way of telling Rhode that the Phantom Guardians weren’t able to fight alongside him.
Okay, I didn’t actually expect there to be such rules…
After hearing Karin’s words, Rhode wasn’t all that surprised. As a player, he had encountered this kind of ritual several times… But this time, it was indeed somewhat tricky… If he possessed the power of the Void Dragon now, he would have no issue taking them three at once. But now, the situation was different… Since the Phantom Guardians couldn’t join him, it meant that Canary and Mini Bubble Gum who always followed him around were banned from the battle.
In that case, who should I choose instead?