Chapter 1257: Next Step
Chapter 1257: Next Step
"You will become a hindrance, so I have to eliminate you. Your role is complete," Souta muttered.
His hand stretched out, shooting thin spider webs. Each string drilled through Dihra’s body, completely erasing him from the face of this world.
Just like that, Dihra, the traitor of the Rulman Household, died without anyone knowing.
After that, Souta pulled back his hand and exited the cave. He glanced in the direction of the Bodam Kingdom before turning toward the Creasant Republic.
"The Bodam Kingdom has made a move while the Creasant Republic remains silent. Another clone is in the Rulman Household, observing their situation. The next step is to stir up the Tarrant Nation," Souta muttered.
"Since the Creasant Republic wants to stay silent, then let me take advantage of this. It will be too late before you can react."
...
A piece of news spread across the Tarrant Nation. The Rulman Household had been attacked by the Kraken Clan from the Bodam Kingdom. The Grand Elder of the Kraken Clan, Kras’ah, perished in the battle along with the other elites.
The Tarrant Nation was stirred, as they never imagined that the Kraken Clan would enter their waters and cause such a commotion. The higher-ups of the nation sent people to investigate why no one had spotted the members of the Kraken Clan entering their territory.
The attention of various forces turned to Wave Bond City, especially the Rulman Household.
In just a short amount of time, the Rulman Household experienced betrayal and invasion.
...
Bodam Kingdom, Imperial Palace.
A man was sitting on a throne with a cold look on his face. He had purple skin, gills on his neck, a pair of green horns on his forehead, and two pairs of eyes.
He was the king of the Bodam Kingdom, Erlius Savarin.
"Kras’ah is dead... What a huge loss. The Kraken Clan is done," Erlius muttered.
Various forces within the Bodam Kingdom would devour the Kraken Clan now that their strongest being was dead. He knew it, but he wouldn’t stop it since the Kraken Clan was basically useless to him now.
Kras’ah’s death was a huge deal, as he was one of the strongest entities in the Bodam Kingdom. An Advanced Fifth Stage monster was extremely powerful, and it prevented anyone from making a move against the Kraken Clan. Even in the entire Bodam Kingdom, there were only four Advanced Fifth Stage monsters, and one of them was the Guardian Beast of the Kingdom.
"What happened to the Rulman Household? Even Freida wouldn’t escape unscathed against Kras’ah, especially when he gained Immortal Regen," Erlius said.
"Your Highness, we have no information regarding the Rulman Household. They’ve locked down their entire territory, suppressing all information from getting out. I believe Freida is injured. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have imposed a lockdown. They probably lost a few elders in the battle," the Minister of the Bodam Kingdom said.
"Hmm... Too many eyes are watching the Rulmans. Once they’ve fallen, the Tarrant Nation will basically lose its wings," Erlius chuckled.
Soon, their kingdom would devour the Tarrant Nation. The Creasant Republic remained on the sidelines, but Erlius was also watching their movements.
...
Tarrant Nation.
The nation was ruled by the Supreme Council with ten seats, each representing the most powerful families within the nation.
Supreme Palace. On the highest floor, a round table with ten seats was present.
Among the ten seats, only one was vacant, and it was Freida’s position. Freida had a seat here since the Rulman Household was one of the most powerful families in the entire nation.
"Where’s Freida?" a council member asked, his tone laced with impatience.
"I don’t know. After the battle, she locked down her entire territory," another replied calmly. "It’s safe to say she suffered at the hands of Kras’ah."
"Safe to say?" a third voice snapped angrily. "How the hell did those monsters from the Bodam Kingdom manage to enter our borders without anyone noticing?"
"Regardless of that," a composed voice interjected, "Freida still managed to kill Kras’ah. That alone reduces the overall might of the Bodam Kingdom."
"Tch... not enough," another muttered. "They’re getting bolder. We need to tighten our defenses and make them pay for this."
"For now, let’s not act rashly," a measured voice said. "We should contact Freida first and understand the situation."
No one knew that Freida had disappeared except for the elders of the Rulman Household.
Once this news spread, it would cause a commotion throughout the entire Depth of Banquet. The elders were doing their best to seal this information for as long as they could, buying themselves time to prepare for the worst.
...
Dream Realm, borders of the Blood Realm.
Franklin and Kessa floated silently, staring into the vast darkness before them.
"Where’s the Land of Vanko?" Franklin muttered, his voice low.
There was nothing.
Their memories were clear. This was the exact location where the Land of Vanko should have been. Yet all that stretched before them was an endless, suffocating void.
Kessa frowned, her massive form remaining still as she scanned the empty space.
"Did our boss change the location of Vanko?" Franklin said, his eyes narrowing as he continued to observe the darkness.
Suddenly, the energy around them shifted.
The space trembled and then, as if an invisible force tore it apart, a passage slowly opened, its edges distorting like a wound in reality itself.
"Hmm?"
Both of them focused on it. Beyond the opening lay an unfamiliar land, vast and indistinct, as if it didn’t belong to this place at all.
"Come in."
A voice echoed from within.
The moment they heard it, their tension eased.
After all, the voice belonged to Souta.
Without hesitation, Franklin and Kessa entered the passage.
The instant they stepped through, their vision expanded.
A vast land unfolded before them, stretching far beyond what their eyes could grasp. Mountains, plains, and distant horizons overlapped in layers, giving the impression of a world far larger than it should have been. It was several times bigger than the Land of Vanko.
They found themselves high above, near the moon, as if placed at the very edge of the sky.
Below, two figures floated in silence.
Souta and Yuko.
Both of them were looking up, waiting.
Souta smiled upon seeing Franklin and Kessa. He explained, "This is the Blood Realm. I created this place using the Land of Vanko and the Land of Reem."
Kessa nodded at his words.
Franklin understood, but he was still surprised as he gazed down at the vast land. He had knowledge of dream power, so he knew that creating such a place was an extraordinary feat. It meant that Souta had transcended the core of Vanko and Reem.
"It seems that the two of you experienced a lot of things," Souta said, as he could feel the aura around Kessa and Franklin.
"Yeah," Franklin nodded and turned to Yuko. "Yuko has reached the Fifth Stage. Based on her aura, I’d say she recently achieved it."
Kessa transformed into a small snake and swiftly moved toward Souta’s arm. She wrapped herself around his wrist.
Souta smiled at Kessa and patted her. Then he turned to Franklin and asked, "What happened?"
Franklin slowly narrated what had happened to him and Kessa.
During the battle against the demons, Souta had thrown Kessa into the Dream Realm when the boundary between dreams and reality was shattered. At that time, the conflict had reached a level where Freedom Realm experts were involved. If he hadn’t sent Kessa away, she would have been caught in the aftermath, as she was still weaker than those at the Freedom Realm.
Afterward, Kessa returned to Vanko, where she met Franklin. The two of them stirred chaos within Vanko before leaving to explore the vast Dream Realm. Over time, they ventured through unknown regions, encountering and fighting various entities. Through those battles, they obtained resources that steadily elevated their strength to a higher level.
Souta nodded as he listened, his expression calm and unreadable.
"Where are the others?" Franklin asked, looking around.
"They’ve been handling their own matters. You’re the first to arrive," Souta replied. He then added, "I just woke up a few weeks ago. I fought several battles and reached the Fifth Stage. In addition, my douion has improved significantly, which allowed me to advance my plans and create this realm earlier than expected."
"Plan?" Franklin raised his eyebrows.
Souta’s eyes narrowed slightly as he nodded. "I intend to gradually expand my rule and influence. For now, I have already taken control of a kingdom. Next, I’m targeting an underwater territory, one that will not be easy to dominate."
He paused briefly before continuing, his tone carrying a quiet weight.
"I will open a passage there into the Dream Realm. I want you to guard it."
"I understand." Franklin nodded. Though he still had questions, he kept them to himself.
"Also, I will make use of the people in this land," Souta said, looking down at the Blood Realm.
"I see..." Franklin nodded, then asked, "Can I do whatever I want in the passage?"
"As long as you fulfill your role, you can do whatever you want," Souta replied.
"Understood."
A faint curve formed at the corner of Franklin’s lips. It was subtle at first but as his thoughts settled, it slowly deepened into a wicked smile, revealing a hint of something far more dangerous beneath his calm demeanor.