219: Chapter 220 Marian's Loyalty

The mythical grade skill book was actually on her?

Upon hearing this, Lin Muyang raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly and looked at the pale-faced blonde woman, Marianne, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

It seemed that her status and the level of trust placed in her within the American Empire faction were far higher than he had previously estimated.

To have such an important mythical grade skill book entrusted directly to her for safekeeping meant she was no longer just an executor, but more like a member of the core decision-making team or a custodian.

Her status and position were likely on par with the importance of Xu Ruohan in the Xia Kingdom.

Since that was the case, it saved quite a bit of trouble. Lin Muyang did not like beating around the bush; getting the item directly was best.

"Oh?" Lin Muyang nodded, his tone flat. "Fine. Hand over the skill book, and you may leave."

He agreed quite readily. To him, the value of a mythical grade skill book far exceeded the life of the woman before him.

Moreover, there wasn't much difference between killing her or not. Letting her return might even bring greater chaos and deterrence to the American Empire.

However, upon hearing Lin Muyang's prompt promise, the pale-faced Marianne didn't show any joy; instead, deeper suspicion and struggle appeared on her face.

She bit her lower lip, her eyes, which had regained some luster but were still filled with terror, staring fixedly at Lin Muyang as she proposed a condition: "I need to leave here first, go to a safe place, and then place the skill book somewhere... then I will tell you the location, and you can retrieve it yourself. Otherwise, I cannot believe that you will truly let me go after obtaining the skill book."

Her voice carried a faint, imperceptible tremor, filled with both fear and the persistence of a desperate gamble. This was her final bargaining chip, a struggle to secure a glimmer of hope and initiative for herself.

From her perspective, this request seemed reasonable—who could guarantee that the other party wouldn't immediately turn against her after getting the item?

Unfortunately, she was facing Lin Muyang.

A Lin Muyang whose patience was running thin and who never played by the rules.

Lin Muyang's brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of obvious impatience flickered across his face.

From receiving the news to traveling all the way to Crocodile Shark Island, and then being ambushed, counter-killing, and subduing Hansa Bami... he had already spent quite a bit of time on this matter.

He was never someone who liked to drag things out, and he especially hated having to play games of trust when he already had the situation under control.

"Why is there so much trouble?" Lin Muyang's voice turned cold, carrying an unquestionable indifference. "My patience is limited."

He couldn't be bothered with more nonsense; he didn't even have the interest to haggle. With a slight shift in his thoughts, he directly issued an order to Gui Wanwan through their mental link.

The Yama Maiden, who had been sitting quietly on her black scythe, swinging her legs and observing Marianne with great interest, immediately curled her lips into a cunning and dangerous arc.

She gently raised her fair, slender hand and pointed from afar at Marianne inside the cage. Innate Skill—【Yama Prison Decree · Modified】!

This time, it wasn't just imprisonment. The translucent cage, originally formed by grim netherworld energy, suddenly underwent a change inside!

Countless energy chains, as thin as hair and pitch-black as ink, appeared out of thin air and, as if possessing life, wound themselves toward Marianne!

These chains were not physical entities but bindings that acted directly on the soul level, carrying a cold aura of death and the irresistible power of rules.

Marianne's expression changed drastically. She felt a soul suppression far more terrifying and profound than before descending, as if it were about to drag her soul directly into the endless netherworld!

She screamed, instinctively trying to mobilize all her mental power to resist, and the several pieces of mental protection jewelry she wore simultaneously erupted with brilliant light!

However, in the face of the 【Yama Prison Decree】 cast by Gui Wanwan—who now had updated equipment, significantly improved stats, and especially a skyrocketing mental attribute—her defenses appeared so fragile.

Those dense black chains ignored physical and energy barriers, passing through her body like illusory shadows and wrapping around her soul!

"Urgh!" Marianne let out a painful groan, feeling as if her soul were being pierced by countless cold needles simultaneously, and tightly bound by invisible shackles, rendering her not only unable to move but also making her thoughts sluggish and cold.

The mental energy field around her collapsed instantly, and those glowing mental protection jewelry pieces all dimmed simultaneously, even developing fine cracks.

She clearly felt that if she struggled forcibly or attempted to break through this cage, her soul would suffer irreversible damage, or might even shatter directly! This was even more terrifying than mere death!

Almost at the same time Gui Wanwan made her move, on the other side, Seraphina, standing on the back of the ice-blue giant dragon, also moved.

Her stunningly beautiful face was cold and detached, and there was not a ripple of emotion in her light purple eyes, as if what was about to happen was not a slaughter, but an ordinary cleanup.

She raised her fair hand slightly, and behind her, moonlight and shadows intertwined. Dozens of 【Blood Shadow Flying Dagger】, condensed into substance with edges flowing with blood-colored luster, instantly formed, each radiating biting killing intent and bone-chilling coldness.

Immediately after, the moonlight and shadows beside her twisted, and three 【Blurring Shadow】 clones, with silhouettes identical to her own but composed entirely of deep shadows, emerged quietly.

These three Shadow Clones also raised their hands, and behind them, an identical number of 【Blood Shadow Flying Dagger】 instantly condensed!

The main body plus the three clones, totaling over 120 blood-colored flying daggers, floated in mid-air like a well-trained army, emitting a heart-stopping wave of death.

Seraphina's gaze was cold as she locked onto an Elf Archer in the field who had just slightly awakened from a charmed state, confusion and fear still lingering on his face. She flicked her jade finger lightly.

Swish, swish, swish—! The sound of breaking through the air was shrill and piercing! Over thirty Blood Shadow Flying Dagger shot out from behind her, like a swarm of bees that had smelled blood, tracing fatal trajectories!

At the same time, the three Shadow Clones beside her moved in synchronization. The other ninety-plus Blood Shadow Flying Dagger arrived later but caught up, merging with the daggers released by the main body into a despair-inducing rain of blood-colored blades, instantly enveloping the legendary Elf Archer—who was over level 250 and quite famous in the American Empire!

The Elf Archer only had time to let out a short, sharp cry, his eyes reflecting the sky full of blood-red light; he didn't even manage to complete the action of raising his emerald longbow to block...

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft—! The dense sound of Penetration, like rain hitting banana leaves, rang out, mixed with the teeth-aching sound of bones shattering.

His legendary leather armor, amulet, and automatically triggered natural shield were torn apart as easily as paper in front of such dense, sharp Blood Shadow Flying Dagger that also carried special armor Penetration and soul damage!

As the blood mist slowly dispersed, only some scattered, charred fragments and equipment remnants that were rapidly losing their spiritual light and dimming remained on the spot.

A renowned top-tier Elf Archer, without even being able to put up a decent resistance, was left with neither corpse nor soul!

This bloody, efficient, and cold-to-the-extreme instant kill made everyone who witnessed this scene, including the three Xu Ruohan, feel a chill!

However, this was just the beginning.

Seraphina's movements did not pause in the slightest; she didn't even cast another glance at the blood mist. Her gaze had already shifted to the next target—the old mage wearing deep blue robes who specialized in ice magic.

Again, she flicked her jade finger; again, the main body and the three Shadow Clones moved simultaneously, and over 120 Blood Shadow Flying Dagger gathered once more into a torrent of death, whistling away!

The old mage reacted slightly faster; the moment the Elf Archer was killed, he realized the fatal crisis and burst out with difficult, short incantations. A rhombus-shaped ice crystal giant shield, several meters thick and crystal clear, instantly condensed in front of him. At the same time, a deep blue magic shield lit up around his body, and the many gemstones embedded in his robes shattered one after another, erupting with intense cold air in an attempt to freeze and slow down those flying daggers.

However, everything was in vain.

The Blood Shadow Flying Dagger, carrying a soul-tearing shriek, easily pierced through the giant ice crystal shield that could withstand the full-force strike of a legendary warrior, like a hot knife through butter.

The old mage's magic shield lasted only 0.1 seconds before shattering with a bang. The next moment, his body was pierced, cut, and torn by countless Blood Shadow Flying Dagger... following in the footsteps of the Elf Archer, turning into filth mixed with ice shards and flesh.

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Next were the two melee bruisers. They roared as they activated their battle qi, swinging greatswords and warhammers in an attempt to knock down or block the flying daggers. However, the Blood Shadow Flying Dagger's trajectories were tricky and their speed incredibly fast. Furthermore, they contained terrifying Penetration and soul damage. Their battle qi armor and heavy plate were as if non-existent, and they were instantly riddled with holes. Their massive bodies crashed to the ground, blood staining the earth beneath them.

Then there was the assassin in the shadows, who tried to escape by melding into the darkness. But the Blood Shadow Flying Dagger seemed to have its own tracking, easily tearing through the shadows to force him out of stealth and then ruthlessly strangling him.

One by one, it was like the Grim Reaper calling names.

Mavis, the Space Slicer Yves Martin, and several other top powerhouses from various factions with all sorts of bizarre abilities... Under Seraphina's ruthless, seemingly cooldown-free quartet of 【Blood Shadow Flying Dagger】, they were like lambs to the slaughter, falling one after another and turning into blood mist and fragments.

The entire scene was terrifyingly silent, save for the shrill whistle of the Blood Shadow Flying Dagger cutting through the air and the dull thud of flesh being pierced and torn. The air quickly filled with a bloody stench so thick it was nauseating.

Xu Ruohan, Time Utterance, and Heartstring had long since been left dumbfounded, their spines tingling. It wasn't that they hadn't seen slaughter; as top powerhouses, they had experienced countless battles. But to easily slaughter eight or nine of the world's top powerhouses in just a few dozen seconds like cutting grass or butchering chickens... this visual impact and mental shock were unparalleled. That Night Elf Maiden standing on the back of the Ice Dragons clearly possessed a cold and holy face like the Moon Goddess, yet she acted a hundred times more decisive and ruthless than the coldest executioner! Moreover, the frequency and power of her skill releases... had completely defied common sense!

Marianne, who was imprisoned by the enhanced version of the 【Yama Prison Decree】 and whose soul was suffering in torment, witnessed this one-sided massacre in its entirety. The color had long since drained from her face, her lips trembled uncontrollably, and her forehead was covered in fine cold sweat. Every time she saw a former companion or ally vanish in the rain of blood-colored daggers, her heart would twitch.

These were all powerhouses standing at the peak of the world! The ace shooter of Australia, the legendary mage of the Western Federation, the guardian of some ancient family, the top assassin of the Shadow Council... Any one of them was enough to intimidate a region and be famous throughout the world. But now, they were like the cheapest cannon fodder, crushed at will by that Night Elf Maiden without even being able to cause a decent ripple.

Lin Muyang... what kind of monster-like subordinates did he have? It was so for that Night Elf Maiden, it was so for that Nine-tailed Fox Maiden who had displayed terrifying charm before, and it was so for that black-haired girl who had released the bizarre soul cage... And Lin Muyang himself, who could easily subdue Hansa Bami, to what extent of terror must he have reached?

“Once the others are all dead, if you still haven't handed over the skill book, it will be your turn.”

Lin Muyang's cold voice sounded as if it came from the Nine Netherworlds, jolting Marianne out of her boundless fear and shock. She turned her eyes with difficulty to look at the black-clothed youth who had been terrifyingly calm from beginning to end. He didn't even have much of a change in expression, merely gazing at her with those eyes as deep as an ancient well, looking at her indifferently as if he were looking at an insignificant object.

“Anyway, leveling up is easy for me. Even without that skill book, it's just a matter of gaining a few dozen more levels...” Lin Muyang added a sentence in a casual tone, as if he were talking about missing a meal today.

These words were like the final straw that broke the camel's back, completely crushing the last bit of luck and bargaining thoughts in Marianne's heart.

Yes... she had previously taken it for granted that this skill book was vital to Lin Muyang and was her bargaining chip for survival. But looking at it now, how laughable that thought was!

A being who could counter-kill eleven top pursuers in a few minutes, subdue the Giant Dragon Summoner Hansa Bami, and whose subordinate young ladies could effortlessly insta-kill a group of top powerhouses... did he really lack this one mythical grade skill book? Perhaps it would be an improvement for him, but it was absolutely not as indispensable as she had imagined! Just as he said, leveling up was easy for him. Without this skill book, it was nothing more than spending a bit more time to gain a few dozen levels. With the terrifying strength and potential he had shown today, that was not a difficult task at all.

And what about herself? In the other party's eyes, her life was probably not even worth as much as that skill book. Continuing to use the skill book as a threat served no purpose other than to enrage the other party and make her die faster and more miserably.

Besides... wasn't Hansa Bami's end a living example? Even a powerhouse like him chose to submit and sign a soul contract. Compared to Hansa Bami, how much tougher could she be? Continuing to resist would only lead to death. Perhaps... submission was the only way to live? It might even be a completely different path leading to a broader world?

Once this thought arose, it grew wildly in her heart like weeds. To have climbed to her position today, Marianne was by no means a fool; she knew even better how to judge the situation. The current situation was already clear as day: stubborn resistance would only lead to being cleared away like trash. Look at those powerhouses who once shook the world around her; what had they become now? Nothing more than a pile of blurred flesh and shattered equipment.

Just as Marianne's heart was in a fierce struggle and her thoughts were churning, Seraphina's cleaning work also reached its end. The last mage, who attempted to cast a forbidden spell to perish together with her, was also interrupted and pierced in advance by over a hundred Blood Shadow Flying Daggers, turning into another cloud of blood mist.

Thus, except for Marianne, who was imprisoned by the 【Yama Prison Decree】, and Hansa Bami, who had been subdued by Lin Muyang early on, all the hostile powerhouses who participated in the siege of Lin Muyang and those who blocked Xu Ruohan's trio outside Crocodile Shark Island were slain! The azure seawater below seemed to be stained with a faint layer of red.

Above Crocodile Shark Island, besides Lin Muyang's group, Xu Ruohan's trio, and the several dragons temporarily assigned to the young ladies, only the imprisoned Marianne remained alive.

Seraphina retracted all the Blood Shadow Flying Daggers, and her three Shadow Clones quietly dissipated. She gently brushed her sleeves, which were not stained with any blood, her expression still as cold and beautiful as ever, as if the bloody slaughter just now had nothing to do with her. Riding her ice-blue dragon, she slowly flew back behind Lin Muyang and stood there quietly.

Dead silence filled the area.

Marianne felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest. She knew the moment that would decide her fate had arrived.

She took a deep, deep breath, even though it was filled with the smell of blood. She looked up at Lin Muyang. In those eyes that were once charming and passionate but were now bloodshot and filled with fear, the last trace of struggle and calculation disappeared, replaced by a calm that was almost like resignation, as well as a hint of... humble pleading.

“I... am willing to submit to you.” Her voice was somewhat raspy, but it rang out clearly over the silent sea.

At the same time, she with difficulty raised her right hand, which was not completely bound by the Soul Chains. Her fingers trembled as she touched an exquisite necklace adorned with a deep purple gemstone around her snowy-white neck. As she injected a faint bit of mental power and recited a short incantation, the gemstone on the necklace flashed with a faint light.

A thick book, emitting a soft and holy pale golden light with profound runes flowing on its cover and faint waves of powerful summoning laws emanating from it, appeared out of thin air above her palm, floating quietly.

It was precisely that mythical grade Summoner skill book that countless factions coveted and for which they did not hesitate to set up such a killing trap—【Double Contract】!

Marianne held this precious skill book with both hands. Although her body was imprisoned by the Soul Chains and her movements were difficult, she still tried her best to make a respectful gesture of offering, turning the skill book toward Lin Muyang.

“Master... the skill book is here. Marianne is willing to swear by her soul to remain loyal to you from now on and never betray you.”