Chapter 870: Battle Preparations

For Rhode, the unpredictability of fate was just too much. He didn't believe nor deny the existence of fate. Even on Earth, where technology dominated all humans, humans were still ignorant about whether luck and destiny existed. These were all meaningless because to him, if fate could bring young ladies to him one after another, he would never resist it. But in turn, if fate took away young ladies from him, he would resist until the very end.

Ultimately, fate wasn't too different from other things. As long as it could bring him happiness, he would gladly accept it. But he would decisively eliminate it if it were disadvantageous. He wouldn't accept how Marlene gave her entire life to the hands of fate or deny her. After hearing her explanation, he finally understood where her inexplicable dedication came from when they were having 'intimate interactions'. Although Marlene didn't make it clear, Rhode easily guessed her thoughts judging from the plethora of online novels that he read—it was most likely that she had the mindset of having to give her everything to the fated one.

Rhode wasn't too particular about this matter. He didn't mind if she was genuinely in love with him, had the mentality to manipulate him, or had other external factors as she stayed by his side. The so-called "even if you don't have any advantages, I will still love you" sort of pure love was basically the fantasy of youths. There must be some reason for a female to express her love to the other party, be it the other party's charming appearance, wealth, or pitiful background. No matter what, one must have suitable conditions to admire one and females had different choices in their lives. There would always be a reason for love or hate.

Rhode understood Marlene's sense of guilt. No matter if she was born a noble or how much education she received, he was the first person whom she had given her everything to. She was still a young lady and it went without saying that she hoped to fall in love like other ordinary women. But with such a hidden motive, she naturally was embarrassed to tell him the truth. However, Rhode consoled her lovingly, so she laid down the huge burden on her mind. But what bothered him was that even though Marlene didn't seem to be concerned about this matter anymore later on, her actions seemed to have become somewhat decisive as though she had made up her mind about something.

This young lady wouldn't do something silly thanks to that so-called fate, right?

Rhode let out a gentle sigh before tapping the sword in his hand.

"That's all for today."

"Yes... Sir."

The three Humanoids who had crumbled to the ground answered in unison. Although they were physically stronger than humans, not anyone could tolerate the intensity of Rhode's training. Moreover, Rhode turned up the intensity after learning from Marlene that their strength and tolerance was much more impressive than ordinary humans.

In the end, the three pitiful humanoids couldn't even stand on their feet as sweat poured from their foreheads. Standing before them were Celia, Celestina with her crossed arms, and Gracier.

"Haze, your movements are too slow. Besides, the spirits aren't for you to waste. You don't even have a sequence of attacking moves and you're sacrificing them like nothing. Did you really think that you can simply come up with an endless supply of spirits?"

Rhode swept a cold glance at the man who finally stood to his feet, The man bent over and bowed respectfully, accepting the valuable criticisms. Perhaps from the start, he was dubious of Rhode's strength, but after the days of 'training', he discovered that Rhode was on a totally different level. As the strongest guardians of the Tinder Origin, they felt as though they were helpless babies learning how to walk from an adult before this young man.

"Rain."

Rhode called and shifted his gaze to the older sister who struggled to stand up. Although she was drenched in sweat, she gnashed her teeth and forced herself up. Thereafter, Rhode realized that this young lady's rule was 'heal'. Under the right conditions, she could instantly heal her summoned spirits, which was a great support for a Soul Messenger Spirit Swordsman like herself. But it was a pity that it wasn't enough to stop Rhode as he could sneak past her spirits and defeat her instantly.

"You're learning fast. Next, you'll be using your abilities to battle with spirits. Although your rule makes you suitable to stand by the rear, you can form an impenetrable wall in the frontline under the right conditions. But before that is possible, you need to learn how to simultaneously command the spirits to attack and defend. I guess this shouldn't be too hard for you."

"Ah... Yes, Master. I will do my best."

Rain blushed and answered hurriedly. After that defeat, this young lady always blushed whenever she saw him. Not only that, but her eyes were also wandering all the time. It seemed like what happened was a huge blow to her. But... for some unknown reason, she had called him 'Master' ever since that day. Although Rhode felt it was ridiculous, he was used to others calling him that, which was why he simply let her be.

"You should stop being bothered by unnecessary thoughts. Perhaps you may feel embarrassed if you exposed yourself by accident, but your enemy won't care if you're a man or woman. If you can't continue to unleash your skills, you will end up worse than unconscious the next time."

"Ah... Yes, Master. I will take note."

The young lady lifted her head frantically like a little rabbit, nodding with might. Then, she blushed after exchanging looks with him and once again lowered her head. Rhode shook his head helplessly and shifted his gaze to the little fella who looked like a grudgeful kitten.

"Heart... You're foolish beyond cure. Next time... No, I won't be surprised if I see your corpse on the battlefield in the future. You possess such powerful strength, and yet you tried to launch an ambush? Maybe I should summon the Hell Hound for you to have a heart to heart talk with it."

"Hmph...!"

Upon hearing Rhode's mockery, Heart let out an angry snort and turned away. In fact, she improved a lot during these days of training. But due to her rude attitude when they first met, Rhode enjoyed messing with her, which turned her into a fuming kitten every time she met him.

"That's all for tod-.... No, for this segment."

Rhode gazed at the trio before turning to the lake glittering under the radiance of the tinder. He knitted his brows and clenched his fists. It was almost time. Everyone including the residents and guardians of the Tinder Origin got into defensive formation. The enemies that they would be facing were the Chaos vortexes and an endless amount of Chaos Creatures. As soon as the battle began, everyone could only describe the number of enemies as...

Unlimited.

Yes, an unlimited number of Chaos Creatures would launch their attacks on the Tinder Origin, in an attempt to destroy the only tinder of Order. The battle would continue until Rhode awakened the tinder and eradicated Chaos. There wouldn't be time for breaks and the enemies wouldn't retreat, unless the Dragon Soul protection was reawakened and eliminated all Chaos.

"Take a break, we'll continue tomorrow."

Rhode nodded to the trio. Then, he walked to the edge of the plaza where Marlene and another white Humanoid stood. However, this Humanoid was much older than the trio—he was the elder who was responsible for the maintenance of the Tinder Origin.

"How's the progress, Sir Elder?" Rhode asked while the elder nodded.

"All preparations are ready: the defense mechanisms are in place and the people need another half a day to clear out the area."

"Alright then, let's get to it the day after tomorrow."

Rhode pondered in silence and gnashed his teeth after making his decision. Next, he needed Marlene to use her mysterious staff to open the entrance that would lead to the tinder. After he awakened the tinder, the tinder would erupt with defensive powers. But at the same time, it also meant that the attacks of the Chaos vortexes would also begin. Therefore, the defense preparations needed to be completely ready by then. They had to evacuate the elderly and children into the deepest underground shelter while others would defend the Tinder Origin until the final moments. Meanwhile, Rhode would lead 10 of his selected men to where the tinder was located and complete the awakening ritual.

At this moment, Rhode felt rather tense because he understood how powerful the Chaos vortexes were. In fact, the reason why players formed parties of at least a hundred members before entering the Land of Chaos was because 85 percent of them would be defending against the Chaos vortexes. On the other hand, the remaining 15 percent would be more than enough to enter the maze. But now, even though Rhode had the support ofthatmany natives, how many would survive after he awakened the tinder?

"By the way."

Rhode recalled something.

"Where's Christie?"