Traveling through the second dimension, the joy system encourages me to laugh heartily!

Screams, the sound of weapons breaking, and the sound of bodies falling to the ground filled the air. The remnants of the second prince's army, which Ariel had finally managed to take over, suffered heavy casualties in an instant!

However, for Chen Ming, this sudden attack was not all bad news.

The good news is that the handsome young knight named Luke Notos Grellat was unfortunately struck in vital areas by several sword energies at tricky angles during the indiscriminate sword energy attack of the [Sword Realm of Deprivation], and died on the spot.

This can be considered as eliminating a potential major threat to Chen Ming—Luke is an apostle of God and Man, and in the original work, he even held a sword to Ariel's neck, forcing Sylphie to kill Rudeus...

It was because of this unsightly handsome guy that Chen Ming didn't help with the defense, instead using someone else to do the dirty work.

Anyway, Ariel is perfectly safe!

The hundred layers of [Divine Protection] halo surrounding her rippled slightly, with a noticeable ripple appearing on one of the outermost rings, causing the light to dim a little.

Clearly, the sword aura domain of the Water Goddess Leda, covering the entire arena, is extremely effective at bullying those at or below the Emperor level. However, against beings of the same level, it can only serve a suppressive purpose.

The sword energy struck the divine-level defensive magic, only consuming a portion of the magic power contained in the outermost layer of [Divine Protection], without even completely breaking through the first layer!

This means that if the water goddess Leda Lia wants to break through these hundred layers of divine shields and harm Ariel, she would need to unleash a full-force attack continuously more than a hundred times!

This is a truly desperate defensive fortification.

As for Chen Ming himself?

He would naturally not neglect his own protection.

In addition to the hundred layers of [Divine Protection] that he also inflicts on himself, his defensive abilities and items are simply outrageous: [Fountain of Life], [Iron Body], [Golden Body of the Moon], [Stillness Pocket Watch], [Rebirth Cross]... and a series of other combinations as backup plans.

It's no exaggeration to say that even if all seven of the world's greatest powers were to arrive at this moment and join forces to attack, Chen Ming would have enough trump cards and confidence to calmly deal with them, and even win. Not to mention that what he was facing was merely the water goddess Leta Lia, who, although renowned, was ultimately old and frail, and whose skills were limited to swordsmanship.

"This...this is...?!"

The water goddess Leda Lia, who had been calm and composed, was shocked to see that her strongest technique, [Sword Realm Deprivation], had only stirred up a tiny ripple of light on Ariel, without even touching the hem of her clothes; and the black-haired youth hadn't even blinked, his body also radiating a heart-stopping, heavy glow.

For the first time, obvious shock appeared on her wrinkled old face, and cold sweat began to pour down her forehead.

"This is terrible... Darius, how did you get involved with such a 'monster'?"

Darius, slumped on the ground, lost all color in his face upon hearing this. His lips trembled as he asked incredulously:

"...Wh...what? Even you can't handle him?!"

These words, like a final death knell, tolled in the hearts of the First Prince Gravel and all his remaining supporters who still harbored illusions.

"Plan changed."

The water goddess Lyda Lia did not look at the limp Darius, nor at the ashen-faced Gravel. Instead, she turned her head slightly and looked at the rear of the First Prince's camp, where a knight stood quietly from beginning to end, wearing bright silver full armor and with his face covered by a full-face helmet.

“Izalute, I’m sorry,” Leda said apologetically, “Could you please help Darius escape from this place immediately? The sooner the better, and the direction… you decide for yourself.”

This sudden order caught many people present off guard.

First Prince Gravel, in particular, looked up abruptly, staring at Leda in disbelief, his lips moving as if to ask, "And what about me?"

"Yes, Master."

A cool, clear female voice responded.

The silver-armored knight who had been called out stepped forward from the crowd, and with a swift and decisive movement, raised his hand and removed the magnificent helmet that completely covered his face.

What emerged from beneath the helmet was the cold, aloof face of a young woman.

Water Queen - Izuru Tei Keir!

One of the most outstanding successors of the Water God Style in the present day, he has mastered two of the Water God Style's secret techniques and is hailed as the most likely genius swordsman to inherit the title of "Water God" in the future. He is also a personal disciple of Lieda Lia.

She usually lives a secluded life, mostly serving as Leda's assistant, and rarely makes a move in public. However, her name as the "Water Queen" is known to everyone in the kingdom's upper echelons and swordsmanship circles.

At that moment, a faint hint of doubt flashed in Izuru's eyes. She tilted her head slightly, looked at her master, and asked directly in her cool voice:

"Master, why... is it Darius?"

She paused, glancing at the pale-faced First Prince Gravel, before continuing, "Logically speaking, even in an unfavorable situation requiring evacuation, shouldn't His Highness Gravel be the priority for protection? Minister Darius, though important, is ultimately just a subject..."

This question voiced the doubts in the minds of many nobles from the First Prince's faction, and it also rekindled a faint hope in Gravel's eyes.

"Well..."

Upon hearing this, a very faint smile appeared on Lieda's wrinkled face.

She seemed to have come to terms with something, and decided to ignore the tense situation at hand, instead explaining a long-forgotten story.

"It means... an old woman like me will never forget kindness."

She spoke softly, her gaze seemingly traveling through time and space back to the distant past.

"This happened when I was a young girl—back then, I was praised by the world as a swordsmanship genius, and I made a name for myself in the Suijin-ryu school at a young age. With such early success, it's no wonder I became arrogant and conceited. Once, in the dojo, I sparred with a boy from a noble family. I didn't hold back and beat him... completely bruised, making him lose face in front of everyone."

She shook her head slightly, as if lamenting her youthful arrogance.

"Later, naturally, I was retaliated against. The noble boy's family was quite powerful, and they gathered a group of thugs who surrounded me on my way home alone. I was outnumbered and outgunned, and I was beaten half to death in no time, lying in the mud. At that time, they not only wanted to cripple me, but the leader even threatened to cut off my hands that held the sword... For a little girl who aspired to become a swordsman, that was worse than being killed."

Leda's voice remained calm, but the listener could feel the despair that seemed to have traveled through time.

"Just when my swordsmanship was about to end in humiliation, someone came to my rescue... He was a nobleman of higher status than the young nobleman who took revenge on me."

Leda's gaze slowly fell on Darius, who was slumped on the ground, obese and bloated, his face filled with terror, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"He was very thin and young back then."

A murmur rippled through the banquet hall.

No one could have imagined that Darius, now known as the cunning and greedy "old fox," had such a "righteous and courageous" side in his youth.

Leda continued her story, her tone returning to calm: "After I recovered from my injuries, I worked hard and eventually became the 'Water King.' Later, I was invited to become the court swordsmanship instructor of the Kingdom of Asura. I thought, finally, I have the opportunity to formally thank my benefactor for what happened back then. I eagerly inquired about him, but..."

A helpless smile tugged at the corners of her lips: "He's completely changed. Not only has he gained weight and become like this, but his personality has also become... twisted and perverted. He doesn't even remember me at all!"

Leda sighed softly.

"Of course, I was also disappointed at the time, and even a little angry."

She confessed, "After all, I thought he was a person with a strong sense of justice from the bottom of his heart. You know how girls think... I used to fantasize that if I met him again in the future, I would repay him with my body... Hehe, now that I think about it, it was really a silly idea full of unrealistic girlish sentimentality."

"And so, that hazy first love fantasy of my teenage years came to an end silently, without even a beginning."

Leda concluded, "But it wasn't to the point of resenting him. At that time, I thought, he saved my life, and I helped him gain a foothold in the court, so we were even, and the debt of gratitude was settled. Thinking like that, I felt at peace."

It was as if he were confessing.

In the brief span of her life, which may be drawing to a close, Leda spoke in the simplest of words about the past that was of great significance to her.

"To be honest, even I gradually forgot about it over the long years that followed. After all, there are too many things to face in life... But not long ago, on my way back to the Kingdom of Asura, I suddenly received a revelation in a dream. It said that as long as I return to the palace as the 'Water God' to take up my post, I will have the opportunity to repay the kindness of that year."

She chuckled self-deprecatingly: "It's laughable, isn't it? Even I had completely forgotten about it long ago... But..."

I've only just come to this realization at this age. After setting aside those unrealistic romantic fantasies and rethinking things with a more mature mindset, I've finally understood—what's this talk of settling debts of gratitude? It's pure self-deception! The weight of a life-saving debt, especially one extended in the most desperate moment of one's life, cannot be 'offset' by any subsequent insignificant help. It remains unchanged, untouched, always there!

At this point, Reda gave her most prized disciple, Izuru, a relieved and open smile:

"So now you understand? I've come to repay a debt of gratitude. Therefore, in this situation, I naturally prioritize saving my benefactor Darius, not Prince Gravel..."

Upon hearing this, the last trace of doubt in Izuru's heart vanished completely, and she nodded vigorously: "I understand, Master. Leave it to me."

After saying that, Izuru came to Darius, who was slumped over like mud. Her seemingly slender arms contained amazing strength. With one hand, she grabbed the back of Darius's fat and heavy body by the collar and lifted him off the ground as easily as lifting a bag of potatoes!

Darius let out a pig-like scream, flailing his arms and legs wildly, but he couldn't break free from Izuru's iron grip.

Without pausing, Izuru sped off toward a side entrance on the other side of the banquet hall that wasn't blocked off! Clearly, she had already planned her escape route.

After explaining everything, the water goddess Leda slowly turned around and faced Chen Ming, who had been standing quietly as if watching a drama unfold.

"Ugh……"

She let out a long sigh, a helpless, bitter smile appearing on her aged face. "What a headache. To have to fight such an 'impossible' existence in the final moments of my life. This is really not something an old person should be doing!"

Even so, her eyes suddenly became incredibly sharp, like a peerless sword drawn from its sheath!

His hunched body straightened up a bit, and he exuded a tragic and resolute aura, as if he wanted to burn this old body to ashes!

No longer caring about the limits of her aging body, she unleashed the full power of [Sword Realm Deprivation], wielding the strongest and final sword strike of her life at 200% overclocked speed!

The golden sword burst forth with a dazzling light, as if the sun had fallen!

There are no fancy moves, no complicated changes of direction.

Only a torrent of golden sword energy, condensed to its extreme, surged toward Chen Ming with a terrifying power capable of annihilating everything!

The sword energy was continuous and fierce, as if it formed a golden pillar of light between Chen Ming and Lieda!

The hall's floor, walls, and dome were bathed in golden light, blinding the remaining nobles who could only feel the terrifying sword intent that seemed to burn their very souls!

however--

The torrent of golden sword energy, powerful enough to destroy a city, struck Chen Ming as if it had crashed into the world's most solid, invisible barrier.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle—!"

The golden sword energy clashed and annihilated with the halo formed by hundreds of layers of [Divine Protection] around Chen Ming, bursting out countless tiny golden sparks and magical ripples. The momentum was terrifying, but it could not penetrate even a little!

He stood calmly in the center of the golden torrent, not even the hem of his clothes fluttering, as if he were watching a grand fireworks display.

"Huh...huh...huh..."

After her all-out attack, Leda's aura visibly weakened, her face turned from flushed to ashen, and her hand holding the sword trembled slightly. The backlash from overclocking the ultimate technique was frantically eroding her already exhausted body.

Looking at Chen Ming, who was completely unharmed, the last glimmer of hope in her eyes vanished, leaving only utter relief and a sense of absurdity.

As expected... the gap is too big, so big that it's despairing!

Chapter 349: Enjoying Life (The Finale)

Just then, Chen Ming made a move.

He calmly extended his empty right hand toward the exhausted and panting Leda, his five fingers slightly clenched.

Randomly activates magic—[Heart Control]!

As its name suggests, this magic can ignore most physical defenses and magical barriers, and extract the heart of a designated target from a distance! It is one of the highest-level instant-death magics, and among the many god-level magics that Chen Ming has mastered, this type of magic that directly targets the source of life and has an instant-death effect is not uncommon.

Chen Ming chose this magic spell as his first move not out of cruelty, but rather out of respect for his opponent.

After all, Leda is the world's recognized "water goddess" and one of the legendary figures who stands at the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

Moreover, [Heart Mastery] has a unique characteristic: if the target is strong enough or has special means of survival to resist, even if the heart cannot be directly extracted, the magic will forcefully act on the target's life core, causing a brief state of full-body stiffness and magic/battle aura disorder, creating an excellent opportunity for subsequent attacks.

Chen Ming had even prepared a follow-up combo plan in his mind—taking advantage of the opponent's potential stun, he would immediately follow up with the control spell [Tree World Descent] to imprison her, then connect with [Annihilation Thunder Pool] and [Death Decay] for a devastating blow. If this combo still couldn't eliminate Leda, he would add an exile-like [Dimensional Exile] to throw her into an unknown space to fend for herself...

Chen Ming's fighting style is always so steady. Before he has fully figured out all the details of his opponent, he always thinks of multiple countermeasures in advance to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

But this time...

All the filings are completely unnecessary.

The water god of this world is far too weak.

"Pfft."

A very faint cracking sound came from between Chen Ming's loosely clenched fingers.

"Uh……!"

In the center of the banquet hall, the water goddess Leda Lia, who had just exhausted her fighting spirit and was barely supporting her body with her golden sword, let out an extremely short groan.

Her eyes, which had once retained a sharp glint, instantly lost all their luster, becoming empty and listless. The golden sword that had accompanied her throughout her life clattered from her hand and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Immediately afterwards, her aged body, like a puppet stripped of all its support, slumped softly to the ground, stirring up a small cloud of dust.

The [Sword Realm of Deprivation] domain, which had enveloped the entire hall and exerted an immense sense of oppression, vanished silently and completely with the death of the caster, like a soap bubble in the sunlight. The omnipresent pressure of sword energy disappeared instantly, and the air resumed its flow.

"Grandma...Grandma—!!!"

A piercing scream came from near the side entrance of the banquet hall!

It's Izuru, who has returned!

She had already grabbed Darius and was about to rush out the side door, but her keen senses as a swordsman made her feel an extreme sense of foreboding the moment Chen Ming made his move. She subconsciously glanced back and witnessed the entire process of Leda collapsing to the ground!

Without a second thought, Izuru released Darius (who fell to the ground with a thud) and turned to rush back at top speed!

She thought that her master, her grandmother who had been an invincible symbol in her heart since childhood, would surely find a way to escape, or at least save her life, even if she was no match for her!

Grandma stayed behind to cover the retreat, just to buy time!

She never imagined that the figure, as insurmountable as a mountain, would... fall so easily!

"Grandma! Grandma, wake up! Don't scare me!"