Summoning the Holy Sword

Chapter 1243: Dragon Soul Trial

"Inheritance ceremony?"

Rhode was surprised. He knew that even though the inheritance ceremony was important, it didn't seem like an appropriate time for it now. That was why he puckered his brows at the two dragon young ladies.

"Now? Don't you think it's rather inconvenient? I suppose you're aware by now just how unstable the situation is outside… Besides, something is also wrong with the Dark Dragon. I think… We should resolve the other issues before discussing it…"

"Of course we're aware of that."

Before Rhode finished his sentence, he was once again disrupted by them. Regarding the situation outside, Rhode ordered Angelina and the rest to give them an explanation. But it seemed like they were unmoved. He couldn't figure out what was going through their heads. Upon detecting his gaze, the dragon young lady who seemed like the elder sister nodded at him and continued.

"Regarding that issue, we've already engaged in an investigation. That thief has indeed stolen the former Dark Dragon's power. Due to that reason, we need to complete the inheritance ceremony as soon as possible, in order to find a suitable heir for the former Dark Dragon."

Right!

Rhode recalled an important question that was unanswered, and that was…

What exact methods did Ion use to obtain the dragon soul powers?

If it were said that Rhode doubted Angelina's report earlier, the appearance of these two dragon young ladies and also the pure aura of the Dark Dragon he sensed made him feel even more suspicious. It seemed like there were indeed unique inheritance methods for each dragon. In the past, this content wasn't uncovered by players in the game, so it was a new and interesting discovery for Rhode. And now, it was apparent that Ion used some underhanded method to acquire the dragon soul powers without passing the inheritance ceremony. Judging the situation from this angle, perhaps the Light Dragon had similar inheritance ceremonies. However, now that the Country of Light had crumpled, so perhaps no one would know the true answer as to how the Light Dragon inherited their dragon soul powers. After all, Lilian was still the weakest among the five Creator Dragons, even after she awakened her strength. In the past, Rhode thought that perhaps Lilian was too young and her dragon soul powers would become stronger as she grew older. But now, it seemed like the situation wasn't as simple as he thought.

"… What exactly is going on?"

After sounding out his doubts to the two dragon young ladies, Rhode asked in suspicion. Facing his question, the two dragon young ladies remained relatively calm. It seemed like they had also discussed and investigated this topic.

"That was what happened, Your Majesty Void Dragon. The thief used a certain, special method to acquire a portion of the Dark Dragon's soul."

One of the dragon young ladies said. She paused and gazed at Rhode.

"I suppose you've also met the Dark Dragon who was imprisoned along with the young lady."

"…"

Upon hearing her words, Erin couldn't help but shiver. She lifted her head and gazed silently at the dragon young lady. However, her eyes were flowing with uncertainty and worry. Despite that, the dragon young lady wasn't mindful of her expression. She merely swept a glance at Erin and continued.

"The Dark Dragon is the mother who gave birth to that thief of a dragon soul heir. Due to that reason, she resonants with his soul. Even though she can't use dragon soul powers like him, she is still linked to the dragon soul power. The thief must be aware of this, so he locked her up in here and used the dragon imprisonment ritual to transfer her power."

"Is there a way to resolve this issue?"

Rhode knitted his brows and asked. Upon hearing his question, the dragon young lady nodded.

"There is a way. We sense the strength of Chaos growing stronger. In order to stop Chaos from eroding the dragon further, we decided to destroy the dragon imprisonment ritual in the shortest time possible and kill the Dark Dragon. That is the only way to stop Chaos from threatening the dragon soul itself."

"No!"

Erin stepped forth and yelled. Upon hearing her scream, everyone was stunned. Meanwhile, Rhode remained silent. He had already received relevant information about that Dark Dragon from Angelina and knew that she was the mother of Ion and Erin.

Ion, that bast*rd, how could he hurt his own mother? How much more shameless can he get?

At this thought, Rhode shook his head.

Seems like not much more.

However, now wasn't the time to criticize whether Ion should be part of the legal system program on television over his domestic abuse. Therefore, Rhode threw this matter to the back of his head, extended his arm to hold Erin back, and looked at the dragon young lady.

"Is there no other way?"

"This is the safest."

Even though the two dragon young ladies were fair and reasonable earlier, they weren't willing to take a step back as the situation was a matter of principles. This was within Rhode's expectation. After all, Marybelle was also similar to them. Even though Marybelle seemed approachable, when it involved matters of principle about Chaos and Order, she would rather kill 1000 innocents than to let that one person off. Back then, Marybelle chose to kill Lilian for safety's sake when she was contaminated by Chaos. In the end, she settled for second best after Rhode forced Marybelle to stop. Judging from this point, it was obvious to Rhode that these beings who engaged in wars against Chaos treated their threats really seriously. Even if the dangers were minimal, they weren't willing to let up.

"Alright, what if we pass the inheritance ceremony and inherit the dragon soul powers?"

"There's not enough time."

The other dragon young lady curled her lips and said, apparently disinterested in Rhode's question.

"Your Majesty the Void Dragon, surely you're not thinking that the inheritance ceremony is just for show, right? We, as the supervisors, have to evaluate the strengths of the heir. If the heir isn't strong enough to pass the trial, the heir will be locked up forever."

"It doesn't sound reasonable."

At that moment, Anne retorted. As a civilian of the Munn Kingdom, she knew more less about the identity of dragon soul heirs. But after hearing their explanations, Anne couldn't tolerate it anymore.

"Aren't they already dragon soul heirs? Why can't the power be passed on directly? Why must it be such a hassle?"

"It is to prevent the dragon soul powers from being misused by evildoers. Not everyone has the right to use the power of darkness. If one fails to display one's views and mastery over the power of darkness and is manipulated like a puppet, one will surely be unfit to become the Dark Dragon's heir."

All of a sudden, Rhode felt like Lilian was being ridiculed for nothing. At that moment, Erin knitted her brows and opened her mouth, but eventually didn't speak a word. On the other hand, Anne curled her lips and gazed at the two dragon young ladies in disdain.

"Tsk, what's the point of saying it so nicely. Wasn't the dragon soul power still taken away in the end?"

"…"

In an instant, Rhode felt the temperature of the entire living room falling below zero. The brass cheeks of the two dragon young ladies also became as white as ice…

Ouch. You can't say that, Anne. You got to save them some 'face'… Looks like I'll have to teach you some manners after we head back. Just look at the two young ladies—they are so angry that their tails are standing upright now.

"In that case, I have a suggestion."

Since the situation had fallen into an awkward silence, Rhode decisively relied upon himself to resolve the impasse. He waved his hand airily, gesturing for them to forget about the unpleasant discussion and head straight into the main topic.

"Since both of you haven't killed the Dark Dragon, it means that you're unable to destroy the dragon imprisonment ritual completely. How about we make a deal? If we pass the trial of the inheritance ceremony and gain the dragon soul inheritance before you destroy the dragon imprisonment ritual, can you let her off in return?"

Even though Rhode didn't clearly mention it, everyone knew that 'her' referred to that Dark Dragon.

"And what is the point of that, Your Majesty the Void Dragon?"

Facing his suggestion, the two dragon young ladies revealed obvious doubts on their faces. Then, one of them continued.

"The Dark Dragon has been trapped in the dragon imprisonment ritual for years. Besides, the transfer of power also brings a lot of harm to her. The reason why she is able to survive isn't because she has strong vitality, but she relies on the dragon soul powers that flow inside her body instead. That is why even if every one of you passes the inheritance ceremony and inherits the dragon soul power, the dragon soul power inside her body will diminish immediately. After losing the support of dragon soul power, it will only be a matter of time before the Dark Dragon dies, isn't it?"

"…"

Upon hearing her reply, Rhode didn't continue speaking. He was aware that this was the truth. And now, it was up to Erin to make the decision.

"Even so…"

To his surprise, Erin broke the silence. The moon princess lifted her head and her pitch-black pupils glinted in unprecedented sorrows and determination.

"… I would still like to give it a shot."