Round Two Ends; Round Three, an Even Fiercer and More Spectacular Clash Among the Gods, Begins at Once! (Continued)

Rhine was a little surprised to see White Vulture.

"You're that demigod from the Golden Land?"

White Vulture smiled warmly. "Our last meeting was too brief for me to introduce myself. It's a pleasure to meet you, Prince Rhine. I'm White Vulture, leader of the Demon Sword Sisterhood."

"The Demon Sword Sisterhood. I've heard of you."

Rhine nodded, then asked, "Miss White Vulture, your employer is dead. What do you want with me?"

White Vulture beamed.

"Why, to find myself a new employer, of course!"

She rubbed her hands together and asked tentatively, "Prince Rhine, I know Hain isn't short on demigods, but... from what I understand, you can't call on much official support during this visit, can you?"

Rhine and Hela had killed an ancient dragon, stolen the legacy of the Primal Gods, stirred up the Golden Land, and claimed the dwarves' sacred ground for themselves...

None of these actions, not a single one, complied with the Hain Empire's ironclad laws.

So White Vulture had judged that Prince Rhine could probably call on only one ally during his trip to the Golden Land: Hela Hain, the woman he was close to.

"To be honest, I can guess some of the reasons for your visit to the Golden Land, Your Highness. But there's no need to be nervous. Since you've heard of the Demon Sword Sisterhood, you should know..."

White Vulture gave him a suggestive smile.

"The most precious thing in the world to us isn't gold, a divine weapon, or some dwarven holy land. It's... new life."

She looked at Rhine with a smile. "And I know you can give us that."

Rhine was silent for a moment. "...The Azalea Secret Ritual?"

White Vulture nodded repeatedly.

She figured that by now, Rhine Hain had understood why she had come.

Rhine Hain,

Prince of the Hain Empire, the blood brother of the demigod Italien, and the descendant of the Crystal God with the noblest bloodline in all the mortal world.

If he knew enough to mention the Azalea Secret Ritual, then he must know what White Vulture wanted.

This was a deal.

All Rhine had to do was agree to participate in an Azalea Secret Ritual.

In return, White Vulture would accept his employment and help him open the Golden Land.

And then...

After a few seconds of solemn thought, the dashing, extremely lecherous prince reached his final decision.

Rhine: "All right."

White Vulture was overjoyed. "You agree?!"

Rhine smiled at her, looking a little bashful. "You're a rare beauty, and you're willing to risk your life fighting for me... Why would I refuse?"

"Oh my, have you already chosen me as your flower bud, Your Highness?"

White Vulture blushed and smiled, giving a gentle nod.

"Sure."

And just like that,

the deal was struck.

White Vulture bade Rhine a fond farewell and left his room. On her way back, she tilted her head, pondering the matter. Something felt off.

So...

The Hain prince had agreed that easily?

Even a mere prince was fiercely protective of his bloodline. So why did Rhine, the heir to the Hain Empire, seem... not to care at all?

Wasn't all of this a little...

too easy?

And come to think of it, did Prince Rhine even realize?

His Imperial Guards had heard every word of his conversation with White Vulture.

.

After seeing White Vulture off, Rhine returned to his room.

His desk was piled high with ancient texts about the Golden Land that the dolls had found for him.

To pass the time, he calmly read through materials he had already gone over countless times.

The turmoil in the Golden Land had not ended.

The madness of the previous night continued, and conspiracies and killings were still breaking out all across the Golden Land.

The chaos kept spreading, and the Nether Realm's power grew stronger and stronger within the Golden Land.

By late afternoon,

golden ripples appeared in Rhine's eyes.

"Rhine."

Olivia's voice came from nowhere. "I don't recommend staying here any longer."

"I know, but I have no choice, Princess Your Highness."

Rhine spoke calmly. "Now that I have the New Single-Handed Sword 01, I have to open the Golden Land."

Olivia sounded a little helpless. "It's true that [Rhine] can activate the Golden Land... but are you really sure it has what you're looking for?"

Since ancient dragons and Golden Dwarves were both ancient races who served the Primal Sequence, Olivia knew quite a bit about the Golden Land.

But as far as she knew... what the Golden Land held was completely useless to a mortal emperor!

Rhine, however, was utterly resolute.

Rhine: "I'm absolutely certain. It has something I need."

Olivia: "Hmm..."

All right, then.

Olivia shrugged and said no more.

Ever since she had blessed Rhine with Enzhu's Dragon Eyes, she had been keeping an eye on his actions.

Even a fool would have noticed by now, let alone the Ancient Dragon Princess.

Rhine knew far too much!

That knowledge, those bits of information—none of it was something a spoiled prince raised in the Imperial Palace should know!

It made sense that he knew Dreamland belonged to Olivia and had come to negotiate with her.

But to dig up the skull of the elves' chief god? Wasn't that going a little too far?!

His terrifying command of life divinity, his prediction that Leta was the King of the Moon... None of it was something he could possibly have known!

If Olivia were mortal, Rhine Hain would have seemed like an unknowable, incomprehensible monster to her, one who could only inspire fear and wariness.

But...

She was a god of the Nether Realm.

Across the endless ages, all she had ever wanted was more surprises, more thrills.

And in Rhine Hain...

she saw endless fun!

Excellent!

Then let's wait and see!

Let's find out what kind of spectacle my adorable collaborator is going to stir up next!

But,

setting that spectacle aside for now,

there was one thing Olivia was a little unhappy with Rhine about.

Olivia: "By the way, Rhine, don't you think you're being a little too hard on your Imperial Guards?"

Rhine paused. "You mean Hela?"

Olivia: "Yes."

Olivia had been watching the changes in Rhine and Hela's relationship all along.

Thanks to Enzhu's Dragon Eyes, Rhine Hain's superb acting, and his strength—which was unrivaled in every sense of the word—

Olivia could see how Hela felt about Rhine now, no matter how she had felt about him in the past.

And now,

all Olivia could see in Hela's eyes was one thing.

Love.

She had fallen in love with Rhine.

Even though he was merely mortal, Hela, a demigod, had given him her heart. She had become utterly lost in him, unable to pull herself away.

Rhine, however, didn't seem to cherish Hela at all.

Olivia: "Don't forget our contract. I'm very eager to know when you'll begin the first sacrifice you promised me."

"There's no need to rush, Princess Your Highness."

Rhine smiled but said nothing more.

It was true that he could fulfill his contract with Olivia and perform a sacrifice right now.

But this was far from the best time.

Earlier that day, White Vulture had come to negotiate with Rhine, and he had gladly accepted.

But what Rhine had said...

hadn't been meant for White Vulture.

It had been meant for Hela!

Rhine: "Actually, I've been waiting. Patiently waiting."

Olivia asked curiously, "What are you waiting for?"

Rhine smiled. "For the moment everything comes to a head."

Just then,

a Spatial Rift opened silently behind Rhine!

No demigod emerged from the rift.

Instead, a complicated gaze—filled with grief, confusion, love, and longing—fell upon Rhine.

Rhine looked surprised, but inside, he was perfectly calm.

Look.

She's finally here.

The next moment, a pale arm grabbed Rhine and pulled him into the Spatial Rift. He vanished without a trace.

62. Your command is my everything... my love

Morning.

In an unfamiliar villa, Rhine threw on some clothes, left the bedroom, and made himself a cup of coffee.

Not long after,