The Sage's...

"Righteous one, please don't look. I'm going to be very cruel!"

Little Cartethyia gave a wicked smile. She looked adorable, but to Ugly King, she was the devil incarnate.

"All right, do whatever you like."

Rover and Abu instinctively turned away, giving her room to work.

"Ahhh!!!"

For a time, screams rang out without end.

"Are you going to talk or not? Talk or not? Talk or not!!"

A moment later...

Ugly King had gone limp as a puddle of mud.

"That felt great!"

Cartethyia looked utterly satisfied, radiant and full of energy.

"Did you get anything out of him?"

Rover asked.

"Ask him what?"

Cartethyia froze for a moment, then looked utterly bewildered.

Rover and Abu immediately froze in place.

When they looked back, the light had gone out of Ugly King's eyes. He had completely lost his love for life.

"You... you demons, you beasts!"

He leveled his accusation in a trembling voice.

"You kept asking whether I'd talk or not, but ask me something! I never said I wouldn't talk!"

At that, Cartethyia gave an embarrassed smile, looking very sheepish.

"It felt so good just now that I couldn't help myself..."

"You animal!"

Ugly King cursed. If he had been strong enough, he would have charged at them and taken them down with him long ago.

But the next moment, his whole body flew into the air. Before he could land, the Blood Oath Covenant shot toward him, pierced him, and pinned him to the barrier of the space.

"I hope you won't be stubborn from here on. You can try none of my methods, or you can try every last one."

Meeting those golden eyes, Ugly King shuddered violently.

From this person, he felt a fear that surpassed death.

Who on earth was this man?!

"I'll talk. I'll tell you everything..."

"What is the purpose of this base?"

"It's..."

Ugly King's eyes darted about, and he stammered, clearly hiding something.

"To resurrect... resurrect the Sentinel, Imperator..."

Rover narrowed his eyes. Judging by how evasive Ugly King was being, could Imperator herself be nothing more than a smokescreen?

If that was true, then this group's plans were rather ambitious.

"Hadō #4, Byakurai!"

A bolt of lightning shot out again, piercing his chest. Pain spread through him, making him struggle violently.

"Stop... I'll tell you everything. Please, don't torture me anymore!"

He was barely breathing and utterly spent, genuine fear churning in his eyes.

"Resurrecting Imperator is just an experiment in pursuit of our ultimate goal. Our real purpose is to create... the Sage's..."

The three held their breath, but before Ugly King could finish, something unexpected happened.

A raging red light came surging out of his body, rampaging wildly.

Ugly King's body rapidly twisted and broke apart, turning to ash inch by inch.

"Lord Xiutake, and the supremely great Edward III, please forgive my sins. I should not have harbored rebellion against the Creator and revealed the supreme secret. I shall destroy the enemy with my death, and hope to find redemption!"

As his words fell, his eyes turned blood-red, and he stared at the people before him like a beast.

"You insolent fools, how dare you defy a messenger of God! Go to hell with me!"

His body swelled wildly, giving off waves of destruction.

"This guy's going to self-destruct!"

"You two, come to me."

Abu kept his cool in the face of danger and stepped forward!

"Boom!!"

Dazzling flames swept over them, and the entire White Vault Space shook as if it might collapse.

"Flying Elephant!"

"Guarding Warrior!"

Abu unleashed his moves in quick succession. Two colossal figures stood one behind the other, forming an airtight barrier before them like a wall of sighs, completely blocking the flames.

"Let me swallow it!"

Immediately afterward, Abu gulped and gorged himself, devouring every last bit of the explosion's aftermath.

"Thanks to you, Abu!"

Cartethyia lowered her sword and couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief.

"Of course! I'm the most reliable partner there is!"

"Ugly King was wiped out in an instant, as though he'd triggered a self-destruct button. Whatever he was about to blurt out must be the ultimate taboo."

Rover's expression was grave as he spoke.

Things here were getting more and more complicated.

"Why worry about all that? Let's fight our way in!"

"I was thinking the same thing!"

"Then let's do it!"

The three reached an agreement and pushed forward like bulldozers, smashing everything in their path. No matter how many Constructs there were, they couldn't slow them down in the slightest.

"How strange. We've caused such a commotion, yet no formidable fighters have come to stop us. Could we have scared them all away?"

Cartethyia slashed with her sword, tearing the Thornblade Construct blocking their path to pieces.

For them, the journey really had been too smooth.

"There's a gate ahead!"

Lying on Rover's shoulder, Abu pointed ahead as he spoke.

"Let me..."

Rover's lips moved slightly as spiritual pressure gathered.

"Hadō #33, Sōkatsui!"

A burst of pale, explosive flame erupted from his palm, tearing the gate to pieces!

At that moment, a fork appeared before them, splitting into two paths and bringing the three to a temporary halt.

"Righteous one, which way should we go?"

Cartethyia left every decision to Rover. Teamed up with him, she had no need to use her super wisdom; she only needed to unleash her super strength!

Rover closed his eyes and sent his spiritual pressure down both passages to probe them. A moment later, echoes came back.

"There are powerful auras at the ends of both paths, and they both ultimately lead to the same destination."

"So the enemies haven't run away. They're lying in wait for us, right? Could anything be more wonderful?"

Cartethyia's eyes lit up. Clearly, she hadn't had her fill of the fight just now.

At this moment, the power of the Threnodian and the power of the Sentinel within her had reached a state of balance, and she was yearning for a great battle!

"Rover, should we split up?"

"That's our best choice. Abu, you and Cartethyia take the left path. I'll take the right one alone!"

"No problem!"

The two hit it off at once and headed down the left path without the slightest hesitation.

"My turn..."

Rover stood still for a while. The path on the right was pitch-black, and a faint red light flickered within it, like the eyes of a beast waiting for its prey to arrive.

"Heh..."

He chuckled and strolled inside.

In an instant, a feeling of weightlessness came over him, and his whole body plunged rapidly downward!

After about three breaths, light emerged, bright yet still giving off an eerie feeling.

Thud!

He landed heavily on the floor. This was a secret chamber.

"Welcome to the Twin Space, honored guest. Please allow me to introduce this place: it is your tomb..."

As the words fell, a tombstone rose abruptly from the very center of the room.

A human figure appeared on it, bearing Rover's true likeness in every detail!