Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 36: Journey to the End of the World (36)

Dragon Raja 4

“Set sail, Charon, the celebration is about to begin,” Macallan said lightly，“Please, Lady Saint, proceed to the foredeck and preside over the celebration.”

Vincent respectfully retreated, not even daring to sit in his usual wheelchair. He moved to a corner where he wouldn’t disturb Macallan and Chu Zihang and then activated the call button, speaking urgently to someone on the other end. Moments later, a whistle blew, and white mist rose from the Yamal’s smokestack. With a clanging sound, the iron anchor, which had been firmly lodged in the ice, was pulled back. The massive ship slowly backed away from the ice field but did not head back. After leaving enough distance for a charge, it boldly surged toward the eternal glacier.

The axe-like bow of the ship slammed into the iceberg, splitting the iceberg that was over ten meters high. The snowstorm created by the ice fragments swept across the deck. The sturdy ship’s side squeezed against the iceberg, pushing it apart. The steel creaked as if it was about to break, but the ship created a new passage in the untraversable sea. Every meter forward consumes the life of the ship, but no one cares. On the path to the throne, kings never worry about how many horses are lost along the way.

Reginleif was bathing in the small chapel, her head covered in soap bubbles, humming a song as she carefully cleaned the gaps between her nails with a small brush. Next to the bathtub, the clothes rack held a silver vine-decorated gown, with its large skirt embroidered with a sky full of stars, a white sash embroidered with silver threads, and a Roman short sword gleaming with light. Two hours ago, Vincent had notified her to get dressed, but she had been procrastinating, though Vincent had not urged her.

Hervor stood by the porthole, and Olrune guarded the door, both openly holding their weapons. Everyone knew what the Saintess was thinking. She had planned to escape the ship several times; once, she even considered using bed sheets to make a giant kite to fly to shore while the ship was docked for repairs. However, she had no opportunity to study aerodynamics, and the kite she made couldn’t even leave the deck area. Hervor’s communicator beeped, and Vincent’s urging finally came. Hervor frowned and scolded, “Are you done?”

Olrune walked to the edge of the bathtub and threw a towel over Reginleif’s face. “You have three more minutes! Otherwise, the one urging you will be the whip!”

Neither of them liked Reginleif. Although in a sense they were sisters, there was a huge hierarchy among the clones. Reginleif was worshiped as the Saintess successor because she inherited some of the powers of Maria of the Stars, while they were merely Vincent’s subordinates and enforcers.

Reginleif was also punished by Vincent when she caused trouble. They could use whips to leave marks on her, but they couldn’t deny that Reginleif was irreplaceable among them. No matter how much “love” Vincent gave them, Reginleif was more important in his heart.

“Three minutes is enough.” Reginleif stood up, water dripping down her well-defined body, as if she were a marble statue of a female warrior bathing in the rain.

She walked lightly toward Hervor and Olrune, moving in the tiptoe manner characteristic of Xia Mi, with prominent veins on her tensed feet.

Initially, Hervor and Olrune focused on her naked body. Although there wasn’t much genetic difference among clones, they had to admit that Reginleif had honed herself to a more extreme level. With her slender waist, athletic legs, and not a trace of excess flesh, her faint scars gave off a dangerous, wild aura, while her porcelain-like face still bore a smile.

Olrune was the first to react, tying a huge skirt around her waist and drawing out a knight’s sword from her lower back. “I warn you! Don’t try any tricks!”

Hervor then swiftly retreated and pressed the switch on the wall. An iron cover descended outside the porthole, and a heavy iron grille dropped outside the door. Both the cover and the grille were electrified, and high-strength steel plates were inserted in the middle of the cabin wall. This was how they had always dealt with Reginleif over the years; otherwise, if she were left with even a spoon, she might dig a hole in the wall to escape. When Chu Zihang first came, the chapel was preparing for a ceremony, which allowed Chu Zihang to come and go freely.

Hervor drew out the pair of Kriss daggers from her skirt and cast a glance at the horsehair whip hanging on the wall. She felt there was no need for further words; only the whip could make Reginleif obedient. Together with Olrune, they could steadily suppress Reginleif. They had once made Reginleif cry when they teamed up, but tonight Reginleif seemed a bit different. Her imposing aura forced Olrune to step back with every move. Reginleif walked to the wall, casually taking down a heavy halberd and continuing to advance, the ancient and mottled weapon contrasting sharply with her porcelain-like body, both seductive and dangerous.

“Sorry, sisters, but I’m going to run away,” Reginleif said. “You don’t really think I’m going to that ceremony, do you? Who knows what role I’ll play in that ceremony. If I’m lucky, I might be a priestess; if not, maybe I’ll be the sacrificial offering? Don’t be foolish enough to believe that following that old man will make you a god. What’s the point of becoming a god? I haven’t had enough fun in this world yet.”

Hervor sneered, “Dear sister, do you still have some hidden power you haven’t shown us?”

“Of course! Hasn’t Vincent told you? You’ve never seen me in my full state!” Reginleif swung the massive weapon above her head, creating a fierce wind.

She leaped into the air and slammed the halberd down onto the ground. The halberd was so heavy, and she so light and slender, it seemed like a white ribbon was tied to the halberd.

Hervor and Olrune’s weapons could not directly counter the halberd, so they jumped to the sides and attacked Reginleif’s lower body simultaneously after rolling on landing. Even someone with basic combat knowledge could see that at this moment Reginleif’s technique was full of flaws on her lower body, as the heavy halberd shifted her center of gravity too high. Reginleif wielded the halberd, sending out countless iron-blue arcs of light, shattering everything in the room. This was an extremely powerful but exhausting style of fighting. Hervor and Olrune circled around her, occasionally probing attacks, but as soon as the halberd swept towards them, they would immediately dart away like birds. They were more experienced fighters than Reginleif; if raw power constituted Reginleif’s so-called full state, then she was truly still a child.

Reginleif’s footing gradually became unsteady, and Olrune’s attack pace quickened. She breached the halberd’s control range, and the knight’s sword repeatedly struck at Reginleif’s eyes and throat. Reginleif attempted to block with the shaft of the halberd, but at that moment, Hervor’s snake-like Kriss daggers glinted coldly as they approached her neck from behind, leaving several bloody scratches on her back. Hervor was still holding back; without Vincent’s permission, they did not dare to execute Reginleif.

“Is this your full power, dear sister?” Orlun shook her sword, flicking away the blood. Moments earlier, she had successfully injured Reginleif’s shoulder.

This farce was about to end. Reginleif was already exhausted, leaning on her halberd for support, panting heavily. A mere kick could knock her down. They should have beaten her earlier to stop this nonsense.

“Hahaha! Far from it!” Reginleif stood up straight after taking a deep breath. “Let’s get serious! Coo-coo!”

She suddenly imitated the call of an owl. In some places, people considered owls unlucky, but few truly feared them. Yet, Herveil and Orlun’s expressions changed. Coo… coo-coo… coo-coo-coo-coo… The sound of owls calling echoed from all directions as if giant owl nests were hidden within the ship’s walls. An inexplicable pressure bore down from all sides, making it hard to breathe.

Thick black smoke surged from Herveil and Orlun, and in the next moment, they seemed to dissolve into the air. Two blurred shadows raced towards Reginleif. She swung her ax, and in an instant, their weapons clashed countless times.

Herveil and Orlun’s attacks were like a fierce storm, aiming to subdue Reginleif quickly. A knight’s sword pierced through the smoke, cutting off a lock of her hair. As she dodged, Herveil’s kris dagger shot out, aiming to pierce her from under her shoulder blades, intending to cross through and lock her down. While this wound would be severe, for someone like Reginleif, it wouldn’t be fatal, but it would immobilize her.

Reginleif had nowhere left to escape, but at that exact moment, the floor beneath her cracked open. Spider-like claws emerged from the floor, one piercing Orlun’s abdomen, the other pinning Hervor’s wrist. The girls screamed in terror, clueless about how these claws had been hiding beneath the ship’s deck. Had Vincent or Macallan been present, they might have guessed the truth: the creature in the sealed chamber had spread its tendrils throughout the ship. The vessel itself had become part of its body.

The claws gave Hervor and Orlune no chance to struggle. Once they opened, they became incredibly nimble, firmly locking the two girls in place. Reginleif didn’t even bother to glance at them. She calmly walked back to the bathtub, using a wooden ladle to wash the blood off her body. After some quick bandaging, she dressed herself—not in the ceremonial gown—but in a Bohemian-style dress that Macallan had gifted her. She donned white over-the-knee boots, a warm outer coat, and lastly, a fluffy hat and gloves. This wasn’t the attire of a saint; it was just a girl ready for some winter fun.

Herveil and Orlune finally understood why she had fought them naked. It wasn’t to show off her body, but to avoid getting her clothes bloodstained.

“This is my ultimate form, but I don’t want to fully transform. I don’t care if I can beat you or not; I just want to stay in the form the boys like.” Reginleif slung her backpack over her shoulder, pulled out a suitcase from the wardrobe, and it seemed she had been preparing for this escape for a long time.

As she approached the door, the iron bars automatically opened for her as if she were the true master of the ship. But she paused, turned back, and took the horsehair whip from the wall. She delivered a solid beating to Hervor and Orlune’s backsides, then tossed a first-aid kit at their feet. She had finally gotten her revenge. Vincent often made Hervor or Orlune punish her, and they’d always humiliate her by making her bend over a table for a whipping. That’s why she later developed the habit of whipping herself.

The radio on the table was still broadcasting cheers from the front deck. Reginleif kicked it across the room, then strolled out, dragging her suitcase and carrying her halberd over her shoulder.