Man on the ark, forced to become king

"…What do you want to do?"

We followed them into a deserted alley. As darkness fell, the tall buildings almost completely blocked out the light, making the place even darker.

Honestly, if the person in front of him wasn't Lin Lu, Chen would almost have thought that he had some ulterior motive, otherwise why would he have gone so deep?

"Just watch. Draw your sword. It's the one the Guard Bureau issued you. For your first lesson, the teacher will show you something good."

Swish!

Chen assumed Lin Lu was going to demonstrate some powerful sword techniques, so he didn't say much, simply drew his sword, and handed it over.

"Why give it to me? Take it yourself."

Lin Lu took out a silver-white commemorative bullet with the Holy Mark from her pocket and wrapped it around her wrist. She took a few steps and walked around to Chen's back, grabbing both of her arms from behind and placing her palm on Chen's sword-wielding hand.

"What do you want to do!"

Chen was startled, his body stiffened, and his question was tinged with panic, far less confident than usual.

This was the first time I'd been in such close contact with someone of the opposite sex. In an instant, all the plots from the comics and novels I'd read flashed through my mind, and my head became a jumbled mess.

Even so, she did not break free.

Shh~ Don't speak, just feel with your heart.

Their bodies were pressed close together. Lin Lu whispered in the girl's ear, gently bending her slender wrist to hold the sword horizontally. With her other hand, she placed her hand on Chen's wrist, bringing it close to the blade near the hilt. Then she opened her hand, palm and back of hand overlapping, a soft glow emanating from the holy mark.

"Feeling, feeling what?"

Chen's voice trembled slightly, and the warmth from her ear made her blush. She quickly changed the subject.

"look carefully."

Lin Lu chuckled softly as she gently stroked the sword with her hand.

snort~

A faint burning sound exploded in the air, and a wisp of red light shone from the hilt of the sword, growing more and more intense. Blood-red flames rose from the blade, covering the entire edge as the hand moved, turning the pitch-black Royal Guard standard longsword blood red. The flames danced in the dim light, illuminating Chen's cheeks.

Chapter 79: Beyond Enlightenment, Hope Can Be Seen

Crimson flames danced on the blade, exuding an aura of madness and bloodlust, yet they were not scorching hot.

Chen felt her face getting hot, which was most likely not because of the standard longsword covered in blood flames in front of her, but she couldn't care less about that now. The prayer of the blood-flaming blade had drawn all her attention, and she didn't even care that she was being held in a man's arms.

As Lin Lu guided her hand across the blade, she could vaguely feel an unfamiliar power flowing within her body, transforming into crimson flames that covered the sword in a way she had never experienced before. It was not very clear, but it was definitely there, and there was no resistance to it. It was completely different from the process of learning Originium Arts—she was very likely to be able to learn this spell, with a high probability.

Swish!

With palms overlapping, he manipulated the standard longsword to cleave through the air, creating a sharp whistling sound. The bright sword light bloomed in the dim alley, dazzling yet deadly, making even the blood flowing in his body seem to boil.

"Feel it?"

Lin Lu whispered something in her ear, and Chen, who was in her arms, suddenly woke up. Only then did he realize that he was still being held in someone's arms. He quickly broke free and awkwardly turned his head away to look at the crimson sword burning with blood flames in his hand.

"I can feel something... What is this?"

"Blood Oath Prayer - Bloodflame Blade, you wouldn't understand its specific origin even if I explained it to you. Just remember its effect - it can amplify the destructive power of weapons and also draw out the blood in a living being's body. After accumulating multiple times, it can detonate the restless blood and cause massive damage."

Lin Lu didn't intend to explain the Blood King thing, since no one here knew anyway. He only told Chen about the effects of the Blood Flame Blade.

This type of enchanted prayer is perfect for warriors skilled in melee combat. When used properly, it may not be weaker than those ornate prayers. It would be best for Chen to learn it. Before she can truly control the Crimson Sky sword freely, the blade infused with the power of blood can significantly enhance her destructive power, especially against living beings.

"Can I learn it?"

The crimson burning sword was both magnificent and dangerous. This spell, called Bloodflame Blade, undoubtedly piqued Chen's interest. However, when it came to learning it, she was still somewhat unsure of herself. This stemmed from her previous failures in learning Originium Arts. To this day, she had never used a complete spell. Even with extensive theoretical knowledge of Originium Arts, she was still struggling. Now, directly encountering this completely unfamiliar power... could she really succeed?

"Believe in yourself, you can do it."

Lin Lu placed her hand on the girl's slender shoulder and encouraged her, "As long as you transcend your ignorance, you will see hope!"

"By transcending ignorance, one can see hope..."

As the flames faded, Chen looked at the longsword in his hand, closed his eyes, and then suddenly opened them again: "Teacher, please teach me!"

-------------------------------------

"Mostima, do you think my choice was right or wrong?"

On the desolate plains, as night falls, the golden giant trees radiate a soft glow in the darkness. The light carries a warmth like that of sunlight, and when draped over one's body, all weariness seems to vanish instantly.

Mostima enjoyed the feeling. She sat at the foot of the golden tree with her eyes closed, leaning against the trunk with a contented expression.

Upon hearing Fiameta's question, the Sakota girl opened her tightly closed eyes slightly and lazily retorted, "When you asked that question, didn't you already have the answer in your heart?"

"Yes, I chose the Golden Tree... I yearn for its power."

Fiameta sat next to Mostima, hugging her knees, looking somewhat hesitant and uncertain.

“I’m not sure if this counts as betrayal for Laterano… It doesn’t really matter. Do you think if we bring Remian here, the power of the Golden Tree could awaken her?”

“Her current condition is not suitable for leaving Laterano, and we are not absolutely certain that we can safely cross half of Kazdel with an unconscious person.”

Mostima shook his head slightly, not optimistic about the idea.

This land is fraught with danger, especially in Kazdel now. Their current strength is far from sufficient to run rampant in this chaotic country.

Danger could strike at any moment, and such good intentions might lead to bad consequences, which they could not bear.

"However, it's not necessarily necessary to bring her here. Don't forget, Lin Lu is the owner of the Golden Tree, and he might have other ways."

"...Maybe. When he comes back, I'll go and beg him?"

Fiameta raised his head hesitantly, but Mostima shook his head again.

“Equivalent exchange applies everywhere. Before asking someone to do something, you must first offer something of equal value. We have received the blessing of the Golden Tree, but we haven’t achieved anything yet. How can we ask for more? I know you’re anxious, but… let’s wait a little longer. Once we’ve truly integrated into this place, Lin Lu will definitely not refuse.”

"...That's true. It seems I'll have to go all out."

"Then good luck, Tree Guardian?"

With a mischievous smirk, Mostima glanced at Fiameta and uttered her new codename.

"Don't call me that! I don't accept those weird nicknames!"

The young girl from Liboli immediately bristled, stood up angrily, and was about to retort.

"Do you have someone very important who needs the Golden Tree's healing?"

Suddenly, Melina poked her head out of the golden tree without warning. A head popped out of thin air from the thick trunk, which was quite frightening. Even Mostima was startled and almost jumped up from the ground.

"Where did you come from?!"

Fiameta, still shaken, patted her chest and glared angrily. How could this woman appear and disappear like a ghost, crawling out of the tree? Is that something a human could do?!

"that's not important."

Melina stepped out of the tree trunk, smoothed her hair, and repeated, "You need the Golden Tree's healing? If so, just go and tell Lin Lu. He's the most terrifying nightmare for enemies, but he's never faulted by his own people."

"He may not refuse, but we cannot make excessive demands."

Mostima said this, and Fiameta nodded in agreement. There is a reward for every effort, and they would not take other people's generosity for granted.

"Such awareness...no wonder Lin Lu values ​​you so much."

Melina was somewhat surprised and didn't say anything more. She turned to look at the three mercenaries sitting at the very edge of the golden tree's light and whispered, "Those three over there are much worse than you. Are they planning how to escape?"

Chapter Eighty: Burning, the fire that burns away the gold!

It's no wonder Melina made malicious speculations. The fact that Hedley and the other two deliberately hid at the edge of the darkest light, whispering to each other furtively, didn't seem like they were discussing anything good. Coupled with the mercenaries' usual lawless behavior, it was hard not to suspect that they were planning to run away.

But they didn't.

Hedley wasn't stupid. The elite agents and garrison of Babel had all been wiped out here. Once those leaves were integrated into the body, they had an even stronger binding force. To act rashly without understanding the situation would be suicidal.

Moreover, their new boss is no saint; he's a ruthless character who dared to directly confront the Demon King's army, and what's more, he won!

Even the higher-ups of the Tower of Babel had to leave with their tails between their legs, so how could they dare to have any ideas?

Originally, Hedley came to Ramtu with the intention of negotiating with Babel Tower, so he only brought Ines with him. The main force of the mercenary group was still stationed elsewhere. However, he did not expect that his nemesis would come along again as soon as he arrived. The two of them were stuck here, and he did not even dare to send a signal to summon his subordinates.

It's one thing to be unlucky, but there's no need to drag everyone else down with you.

If there's still no news from him, a new leader will definitely emerge within the mercenary group. This is common practice in the mercenary world, so Hedley isn't too concerned about that. What he's thinking about now is how to get along with his new boss.

Judging from W's unharmed experience, that person doesn't seem to be a vicious villain, so the situation might not be too bad.

"Let me make this clear beforehand: if you're going to run away, don't take me with you. I don't want to go crazy with you."

W glanced warily at the devastated ground in the distance, where large and small pits, charred black from being scorched by the high temperature, were scattered everywhere. Recalling the destructive fire unleashed by Lin Lu, she still felt lingering fear. Only someone who had lost their mind would try to do something stupid.

Anyway, Lin Lu doesn't seem to have any intention of mistreating her; on the contrary, she wants to train her. So why run away?

These days, it doesn't matter who you work for; it's all about making a living, so there's no shame in it.

"You've misunderstood, W. I didn't intend to run away. Do you think I'm that stupid?"

Hedley's gaze lingered on the golden tree that illuminated the earth, and he shook his head with a wry smile: "If we're talking about escaping, you're probably the only one with a chance now. We've all received the blessing."

"Don't talk nonsense, I don't want to leave."

W rolled her eyes, opened her clenched palm, and a crystallized stone with charred marks lay in her palm. Even though several hours had passed, she could still feel the terrifying heat through the stone.

Fierce, scorching, chaotic—that kind of flame was practically born for destruction, it was...perfect for her.