Infinite wealth In A New World-Chapter 426: South Pole
[Next Day.]
[The South Pole.]
WHOOSH!!!
The wind screamed, a cacophony of frozen fury, but it was easily sliced apart by three colossal shapes. Three huge dragons—one crimson red, one bone white, and one obsidian black—dominated the grey sky. Each beast was five times the size of a trailer, their scales glistening with frost as they shot into the air storm, heading south with incredible speed.
Sitting atop the heads of these mythical beasts were the First, Second, and Third Ghosts of the organization.
"There is something I want to say."
Patricia’s voice was barely a whisper against the gale, but her mana carried it clearly. She pulled her cloak tighter, shivering not just from the biting cold that seemed to bypass her mana barrier, but from a deeper dread.
"What is it?" The Leader asked. He stood statue-still on the head of the black dragon, his mask betraying no emotion, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the horizon.
"I kind of..." She exhaled, her breath misting in the air. "I left out some information about those four who saved Esther."
"Left out some information?" Executioner raised an eyebrow beneath his hood. He rode the red dragon, the largest of the trio and a Mythical Grade summon that radiated a terrifying heat, keeping the blizzard at bay.
"Yeah..." Patricia nodded her head, her gaze dropping to the white scales beneath her boots.
"Ok, what is this information?" The Leader asked, his tone terrifyingly calm.
"Well... They aren’t from this world."
"You already said that." Executioner pointed out, his voice booming with enhanced mana. "We know they are outsiders."
"I know. The thing is, they don’t have Mana," Patricia confessed, the words rushing out. "They have another energy with them... The summon card I used to escape, it sensed this energy... It was a hundred times stronger than ours. It felt... ancient."
"Wait!! Did you just say Escaped?!! I thought you retreated on your own decision?!" Executioner yelled in disbelief. Patricia was the Second Ghost, a warrior who had faced an SSS-Rank summoner and held her ground. The idea of her fleeing in terror was inconceivable.
"Patricia."
The Leader called her name. It was soft, almost gentle, yet the calmness in his voice made both Executioner and Patricia tremble. The air around the black dragon seemed to freeze solid.
"You should have known this is a very important information," he said, still not looking at her.
"Keeping this information back to hide your shame is like sending our members on a suicide mission." He raised both his hands, bringing his palms together in a slow, deliberate clap.
"If you weren’t my younger sister, or one of the founders of this organization, I would have killed you right here."
A red card materialized between the Leader’s joined palms. It shattered instantly, swirling into a vortex of shadows that coalesced into a 20-centimeter humanoid dark elf with butterfly wings.
"I am so sorry... I know I was wrong." She lowered her gaze, her shoulders slumping. "I will accept all punishment."
The Leader was silent for a long moment, the wind howling around them. Then, he gave an order to the summon hovering before him.
"Go back to the base, head to the communicator, and send this message to all members: none must face those four in my absence... I am sure they have more than two mythical cards."
"Yes, Master."
The summon bowed and shot away, trailing dark particles, moving at ten times the speed of the dragons.
"Shit!! We’re in the South Pole, so all standard communication is cut off!" Executioner gritted his teeth in rage. He turned to the Leader. "I should also retreat and see how things are going. If they are that strong—"
"No, Executioner... You’re needed here. I have a feeling we will encounter the Commandments in this journey," The Leader cut him off. He finally turned his head, the soulless eyes of his mask boring into Patricia.
"Just make sure none of our members get killed due to the lack of this information... If that happens, you know your punishment, right?" he asked.
Patricia slowly nodded her head, pale as death.
’Did he mean that punishment?’ Executioner thought, a shiver running down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold. ’If he can do that to his own younger sister, what about us?’
He looked at Patricia, a flicker of pity in his eyes. ’Just hope no one got killed by those four.’
Suddenly, the Leader stiffened.
"Uh!!!"
He gasped, his black dragon coming to a jarring, full stop in mid-air. Its massive wings flapped vigorously, creating a localized hurricane to stabilize itself.
".....?!!"
Patricia and Executioner pulled their mounts to a halt, turning to him in confusion.
"What happened?!"
"Denton," the Leader muttered, clutching his masked head as if in pain.
"What happened?!" Executioner asked, panic rising. "Did something happen to the Sixth Ghost?"
"No... He sent a soul message." The Leader answered, standing upright. His fist clenched so hard the leather of his glove creaked.
"The Tenth Ghost, Hunchback Poison, is dead. Killed by the newcomers, and Denton had absorbed all his summons... He used this power to send this message before it faded."
"....?!!!!"
The two were dumbfounded.
"What!!" Patricia exclaimed in disbelief, her hands flying to cover her mouth.
’Did I cause this? Am I... Why?’ She thought in horror, guilt crashing over her.
"It seems those guys have some special powers." The Leader turned slowly to Patricia. The air grew heavy, suffocating.
"You have no idea about this power, but as I said... If we lost one member to those four, you will be punished."
"But---"
WHOOSH!!
Executioner only saw a flash of crimson light. It was faster than thought, striking Patricia squarely on her right chest, penetrating deep into her body.
"AHHHHHHH!!!"
Patricia screamed in agony. Her connection to her summon severed instantly. The white dragon she rode dissolved into motes of light, and she plummeted from the sky into the icy abyss below.
"Shit!! Go!"
Executioner yelled. His red dragon folded its wings and dove, a streak of fire against the ice. He reached out, mana reinforcing his grip, and caught her princess-style just before she was swallowed by the storm.
He stared at her face. She was gritting her teeth so hard he thought they might crack, sweat freezing on her brow as she tried to hold back the pain.
Executioner swallowed hard, watching a horrifying sight. A black, vein-like object moved under her skin, slithering from her chest, down her arm, until it reached her hand. It pulsed towards her pinkie finger.
He watched, helpless, as the finger turned necrotic black and then shattered into dust. There was no blood. Just dust.
’He actually did it to her,’ he realized, looking up at the Leader, who hovered impassively above them.
’Cutting off her finger, and even stopping the flow of Mana to pause healing. The Leader is truly ruthless.’
He tapped the head of his dragon, signaling it to ascend. "Let’s go."
He gently placed her down beside him on the dragon’s broad back. She lay on the warm scales, shaking uncontrollably from the phantom pain and the shock.
’Losing a finger isn’t this painful to us... But the process... it attacks the soul.’
His dragon pulled up beside The Leader’s.
"Let’s continue," the Leader said simply, and his dragon shot ahead, not sparing his sister a backward glance.
’Does he even take her as his sister?’ Executioner wondered, confusion warring with fear as he followed. ’And if by chance we encounter the Commandments, shouldn’t we be at our best?’
"Mmm..." Patricia slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry. She stared up at Executioner standing guard beside her.
"I am sorry for the trouble, Love," she whispered weakly.
Executioner lowered his gaze to her, his expression softening behind his hood. "Even when you’re injured you’re still joking around... Just rest well," he said, turning his eyes back to the harsh path ahead.
"But..." Patricia’s voice dimmed as consciousness slipped away. She whispered under her breath, "I wasn’t joking."
"Huh? Did you say something?" Executioner looked down at her, but she was already asleep, her breathing shallow.
He smiled softly, a rare moment of tenderness in a brutal world. "Always joking." He shook his head.
___
[City X.]
[Hidden Base – Guest Quarters.]
Sunlight streamed into the luxurious room, hitting the sleeping figure on the bed.
"Ahh! I can’t believe I slept so good!" Treasure yelled, stretching her arms wide and sitting upright. The silk sheets pooled around her waist.
"What do you expect when we’re treated as Rulers?"
"Ehh!!"
Startled by the unexpected baritone, Treasure jolted back. She tangled in the sheets and fell off the bed with a loud thud.
"Why are you so scared?" Destiny asked with a tilt of his head, standing in the corner of the room like a shadow.
"What the?! Why are you in my room?!!" Treasure yelled, jumping to her feet. She pointed an accusatory finger at him, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Don’t you have shame?" she asked.
Destiny blinked, his golden eyes devoid of guilt. "Sister Jinx asked me to call you. Esther’s grandfather will arrive in some minutes." he said calmly, and turned to walk towards the door.
"So creepy..." She thought, staring at her brother’s retreating back.
"Wait." She sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing her temples.
"We are ten years old, but due to what Dad did, our mentality is that of an adult, just to match our growth speed... But still..." She sighed softly, looking at the door Destiny had just closed.
"Shouldn’t he know that entering a girl’s room without knocking is bad?"
She shook her head, pushing the thought away. There were more important things today.
"I should get ready."
