Divine Kingship

Chapter 545 Will Rand also have a chance to save Berlan as a hero?

In theory, the Mother Goddess only accepts living creatures as offerings.

These offerings, which were supposed to be sacrificed to Grand Prince Vladimir, were theoretically considered inanimate objects.

In fact, it wasn't just the Mother of the Black Goat who only accepted living beings as sacrifices; almost all evil gods accepted only living beings as sacrifices.

Rand is a master of sacrifice; he is very perceptive about such matters.

Grand Prince Vladimir did something that caused these offerings to remain in a state of temporary suspension after they were sacrificed.

In short, although they have been sacrificed, they have not yet been truly used, and at least for now, they will still be regarded as living beings.

Offerings in this strange, lingering state may only be used to open a passage; they may be rejected by the Mother Goddess, but that doesn't matter.

This is what Rand can take advantage of.

He didn't need these offerings to do anything; he only needed to prevent them from being used by Grand Prince Vladimir.

At this time, Grand Prince Vladimir was unaware of what had happened.

He could only sense that the previously stable descent ritual had stopped.

Grand Prince Vladimir, who was originally arrogant and proud, and felt that he had everything under control, suddenly became sharp-tongued, like a rooster being choked.

"what have you done?"

Grand Prince Vladimir asked a pointed question.

"I'm just making the causal relationship work." Rand had no intention of explaining anything. The opponent was a demigod, and who knew what methods he might have to reverse everything? Explaining would give the opponent a chance to turn the tables, which would be bad.

What causal relationship?

"The villain dies from talking too much."

Only Ellie understood what Rand was saying, because Rand would occasionally tell Ellie these jokes.

For example, villains often die from talking too much.

Therefore, in this serious situation, hearing Rand's absurd answer still made Ellie chuckle.

Grand Prince Vladimir already knew that Rand was playing a trick on him.

The projection that had arrived in the main world ahead of schedule stopped speaking, its crimson eyes fixed on Rand standing on the altar.

"I'm going to kill you all."

Grand Prince Vladimir let out a piercing scream.

Rand breathed a sigh of relief. The Mother Goddess had indeed refused the sacrifice, but it didn't matter. Grand Prince Vladimir would never have the chance to use these offerings again.

He is now forcibly descending.

The consequence of such a forced arrival might be sudden destruction by the rules of the main world.

But Grand Prince Vladimir could no longer tolerate staying in that scorching, hellish place.

The White King Berlan and the Archmage Ellie, of course, would not allow this evil demigod to succeed.

Frost and magic raged and expanded across this land, which already possessed a somewhat hellish atmosphere.

Grand Prince Vladimir's fragmented form, which had squeezed into this main world, emitted a thick mist of blood that seemed poised to engulf everything.

A huge, sharp hand stretched out and struck the crowd, spraying blood mist and stirring up a gale.

However, it was still blocked by frost and magic.

Grand Prince Vladimir's power as a demigod is indeed formidable, but he attempted to forcibly descend before the passage was even opened...

This meant that he couldn't exert much power at this point.

Meanwhile, the one who is stopping this demon on Rand's side is none other than the strongest human being in the public eye, the White King, Berlan Calant.

Lady Berlan's cold is about to freeze this land, which is gradually becoming like purgatory, into permafrost indistinguishable from the rest of the North.

At least Grand Prince Vladimir, who is attempting to descend, can feel some of the chilling force of it.

Rand is ready to provide support at any time.

Even if Grand Prince Vladimir had a thousand tricks up his sleeve, he would find it difficult to use them under the current circumstances.

Theoretically, the operation was almost a success. Rand remained on high alert, ready to deal with any unforeseen circumstances, simply to avoid any mistakes.

And right now.

Grand Prince Vladimir, who had been frantically trying to squeeze into this main world, suddenly stopped.

He had realized that everything was about to truly fail.

His previous struggles were simply because he was too unwilling to accept it.

He prepared for His coming for over a thousand years.

But now he's being stopped by a black-haired young man who seems to have appeared out of nowhere, whose age is probably not even a fraction of his own.

He prepared so many backup plans, yet almost all of them failed.

The previously chaotic and noisy battle scene suddenly quieted down.

He knew He could not descend.

but…….

Blood-red eyes stared at the three people standing at the front, one man and two women, through the barrier of the world.

"Then come and keep me company," Grand Prince Vladimir's malicious voice echoed throughout the world.

The passage he had just created wasn't large enough for him to descend, but it was enough for the three people in front of him to come to Purgatory together.

Whether the three people in front of them are willing to come to Purgatory is not up to them.

This place was originally part of a sacrificial ritual leading to purgatory.

This young man named Rand, through some unknown means, prevented him from using the remaining offerings.

However, as long as he, as a demigod, is willing to pay the price, it is still possible for him to select three mortals as sacrifices to enter purgatory during the ritual.

Rand was, of course, keeping a close eye on the battlefield.

When Grand Duke Vladimir realized that a forced arrival was impossible and decided to abandon the idea of ​​silencing the battlefield, Rand became even more tense, ready to interfere with the sacrifice or activate the blessing at any time.

Therefore, Rand reacted immediately.

Grand Prince Vladimir's meaning is quite clear.

He intends to capture Rand, Ellie, and Berlan and punish them in purgatory.

The method of its use is also obvious: sacrifice.

Rand herself is exempt from sacrifice.

But he needs to protect Ellie and Berlan.

Just as Ellie couldn't bear to lose Rand and Berlan, just as Berlan couldn't bear to lose Ellie and Rand.

The same goes for Rand.

Fortunately, Rand always liked to make thorough preparations before taking action.

[Name: Moonlight
Type: Ring

Ability: Avatar

This is the artifact of the Azure King.

The White King entrusted this artifact to Rand because he was worried about Rand's safety.

Now it seems there's finally a use for it. Clearly, it can only be used on oneself, and obviously, it can only be used once in a short period of time.

One can only say that Rand is glad that he has reached a higher level and that he is a [outsider] by nature.

Ellie and Berlan's bodies shattered and then reformed.

The only one who vanished from this world due to Grand Duke Vladimir's revenge was Rand.

Only Rand's clothes remained in place.

A woman with icy blue eyes immediately paled. She had never shown such a panicked expression since becoming queen. To be precise, even before becoming queen, she had always presented herself as resilient and determined.

The other woman with ice-blue eyes wasn't too worried. She roughly knew what had happened. She was well aware of Rand's evil identity and her abilities. She patted her shoulder, feeling the air around her grow colder because of the woman, and comforted her, "He has a strange resistance. He'll be back soon. Don't worry."

Meanwhile, Rand was face to face with Grand Duke Vladimir.

The Rand before him was a true demigod, an ancient vampire, the Crimson Moon, and Grand Duke Vladimir.

Dressed in a noble outfit with an ancient style, his eyes were full of malice and mockery.

"How admirable, Lord Rand! Are they all your good friends?" Grand Duke Vladimir's greatest hatred was naturally for Rand. Since Rand had been captured, it wouldn't matter if the other two were spared. "Was it worth sacrificing yourself to save them?"

The White King's magical disguise was naturally exposed to Grand Duke Vladimir.

“Five,” Rand uttered a single word.

"So, Lord Rand, you've ruined my plans, forcing me to stay in this disgusting place called Purgatory. Are you prepared to suffer a fate worse than death?" Grand Duke Vladimir mocked maliciously. "Don't even think about suicide. I won't let you, my toy, die so easily."

Rand had no interest in communicating with Grand Duke Vladimir, and simply said in a calm tone, "Three."

"Playing dumb won't work."

"two."

Grand Duke Vrankimir remained silent.

He now genuinely suspects that Rand has some way of continuing to annoy him.

After all, this Rand who appeared out of nowhere always managed to inexplicably disgust Him.

"one."

Nothing happened.

Grand Duke Vladimir breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Rand with a mocking and amused expression: "Now let's see what tricks you have up your sleeve..."

"zero."

Rand disappeared into purgatory.

There was no one in front of Grand Prince Vladimir.

It was as if Rand had never come to this scorched and scorching land of Purgatory.

And all of these, Rand naturally left to Grand Duke Vladimir to enjoy alone.

Grand Duke Vladimir must like these features of purgatory, after all, He has enjoyed them for thousands of years, hasn't He?

Rand returned to the royal city of the Wisteria Kingdom, shrouded in blood mist and scorching with blood.

A warm body rushed over and hugged Rand tightly, as if something lost had been miraculously regained.

Rand knew these things well; it was Ellie, his wife.

Rand playfully pinched Ellie's nose: "You know I can come back, so why are you so worried? Unlike your sister, who remains calm even if she doesn't know."

The figure that lunged at him quickly released his grip, took a few steps back, and became indifferent and serious: "Ahem, it's nothing. The matter is settled, we can go back now."

Rand felt that Ellie's way of speaking was not like her, but it was normal for her to be a little unsettled after just "losing Rand", so Rand didn't pay much attention to it.

“Wait a moment, there’s one last thing,” Rand said.

“What?” Ellie asked again.

“Those offerings,” Rand explained, “I need to mourn them.”

The Mother Goddess did not accept these offerings, but such a vast amount of sacrificial energy could still accomplish many things. Moreover, given that Grand Prince Vladimir had devised some means of retention, it's not necessarily true that all gods are so picky as to refuse to accept them.

Perhaps the Apostle of Calamity, the God of Struggle, or the "Blood of Nourishment" would like it?

Rand had no idea.

But Rand had no intention of making a sacrifice.

Just as initially thought, Rand had no interest in sacrificing humans, nor in the nourishment that these human sacrifices would provide.

Even if the Mother Goddess accepted the sacrifice, Rand would still try to leave the Mother Goddess's gift here after stopping Grand Duke Vladimir's conspiracy.

The Mother Goddess doesn't want the sacrificial power now, and Rand has no intention of "utilizing" it.

Rand was well aware of the consequences of choosing a particular path.

These offerings, numbering in the tens of thousands, would not be his choice.

This world is not like the cultivation worlds in the cultivation novels that Rand read in his previous life, where one needs to refine their heart or something.

But Rand did not want to follow the path of a cult.

Let these sacrificial powers with "unknown effects" simply dissipate. Rand will not allow this power to be used by some hidden cultists and cause any further harm.

Rand snapped his fingers, a standard disguise for releasing Lust Sharing, but this time he wasn't actually activating Lust Sharing; he was simply watching the lingering sacrificial power dissipate from the altar.

After a long while, when all sensations had faded, Rand reached out and plunged his hand into the ground.

The earth cracked open, and the altar, rooted in the ground, was forcibly uprooted by Rand's immense strength. Rand looked at Ellie and Berlan, who had been watching them intently: "Now that it's over, let's go."

[Blessing 8: The Everlasting Legacy of Rand]

Will N disappeared and became Blessing 8, and it seems that the one who blessed it was Rand himself?

Rand didn't pay much attention to it; he had many other things to deal with, and he would study this ability later.

"There's something I need to tell you." Ellie, Berlan, and Rand were walking at the front of the caravan. Berlan leaned in close and whispered.

Rand felt that Berlan's way of speaking was a bit strange, somewhat like Ellie's. Given Ellie's somewhat odd behavior before, Rand looked at her strangely. Could it be...?

"What is it?" Rand asked.

“I’m Ellie, and she’s Berlan,” Berlan explained helplessly, covering his face. “I know you might not believe me, but that’s how it is.”

Rand fell silent, then said, "I really don't believe it. Please prove it."

Rand actually believed it, but he had to rule out the possibility that Berlan had been persuaded by Ellie to put on an act in front of him.

"Berlan" leaned over and whispered some things that only Rand and Ellie knew.

Rand fell silent and asked some tricky questions that were unlikely to have been discussed beforehand, but he answered them all.

Rand went to Ellie again and asked her some questions that only Rand and Berlan knew, and then asked some tricky questions.

It's basically confirmed now.

Ellie and Berlan swapped bodies.

What a ghost.

It must have been a mistake he made when he forced the outsider to use [Moonlight] twice when he attacked Grand Duke Vladimir.

[Moonlight] has now been completely destroyed due to overuse.

What should we do now?

Rand looked at "Berlan" and then at "Ellie." The current situation was somewhat like that of the "prince" and "princess" of the Takagi Kingdom, except that Ellie and Berlan had actually swapped bodies.

(End of this chapter)