CHAPTER 387: CHAPTER387-ISABELLA

[Isabella]

[Level: 1000]

[Divine Domain: Enchantment and Song]

[Current Tier: Demigod Rank]

[Skills: Omitted]

[Description: Countless years ago, she was sealed here by Zhu Lie, falling into an eternal slumber.]

Daniel could scarcely believe what he was seeing.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the figure before him was actually a Demigod Rank existence.

The moment he laid eyes upon her, a tide of power surged outward, and Daniel was immediately caught in its current.

His heart skipped a beat, his breath quickened, and his emotions churned uncontrollably, as though a storm had broken loose inside his chest.

It was enchantment—pure, irresistible, and overwhelming.

Almost instantly, Daniel realized something was wrong.

Years of battles and trials had honed his instincts, and he wasted no time.

He called upon a cleansing skill without hesitation, flooding his body and soul with purifying light.

At once, the invasive pull subsided, and his state stabilized.

Relief washed over him, but unease lingered in his chest.

Even so, Daniel was far from at ease.

He activated the Eye of Insight, carefully examining his mind, spirit, and soul for lingering corruption or hidden wounds.

Only after confirming that his inner self had not suffered damage did he finally let out a long, measured breath.

"As expected of a Demigod Rank powerhouse," Daniel murmured inwardly.

"That strength... it’s on another level entirely."

The realization left him shaken.

The woman before him was bound by seals, trapped in slumber, her full might restrained.

And yet, even in that state, she had managed to reach out and nearly sway his will.

For a fleeting second, Daniel even considered using the Universal Gauntlet to shatter the bindings and set her free.

The artifact undoubtedly had the power to undo the prison that held Isabella.

But fortunately, his clarity returned in time.

His decisiveness, honed through countless life-or-death gambles, saved him.

He halted the reckless thought before it became action.

One wrong move, one impulsive choice, and he might have unleashed a power far beyond his control.

"This one needs to be handled carefully," Daniel told himself.

"A Demigod is not someone you approach lightly."

Layering multiple protective buffs onto himself, reinforcing his spirit and mind, Daniel finally dared to turn his full gaze upon Isabella.

She lay not far from him, still wrapped in an endless dream.

Freed for the moment from her influence, Daniel could now take in her appearance.

And what a sight it was.

She was breathtaking.

Her figure was strikingly alluring, her every curve sculpted to perfection, her beauty luminous in a way that defied mortal standards.

Daniel could not deny it: she was a presence above all others, the very image of seduction and grace.

But he was not naive.

He quickly rationalized what he saw.

"For someone who has clawed her way to Demigod Rank, reshaping appearance would be a trivial feat.

If she wished to look flawless, nothing would stop her."

Yet even knowing that, Daniel felt uneasy.

For some reason, the mermaid before him seemed even more captivating than the gods he had encountered.

It was as if she was beyond flawless, a being whose existence was crafted to tug at the very essence of desire.

A goddess of perfection.

Closing his eyes, Daniel invoked Mental Deduction, running through possible scenarios in rapid succession.

What risks lay ahead?

What opportunities?

How might he use this discovery to his advantage?

But before he could reach a conclusion, a faint mind power slipped into his consciousness.

"Are you here to save me?"

The voice was soft, gentle, tinged with helplessness.

It carried the tremble of a child abandoned, the vulnerability of someone longing for protection.

Hearing it stirred something deep inside him—a sudden urge to shelter her, to draw her close and swear to keep her safe.

Had it been any ordinary man, his reason would have crumbled then and there.

He would have been lost, ensnared in chains of desire so subtle he would welcome them.

For Isabella’s voice did not merely ask—it commanded the soul to yield.

But Daniel was no ordinary man.

His will was shielded by a God Rank Skill, and he had long prepared against this kind of assault.

Even so, he could not deny the pressure he felt.

It was terrifying.

If not for his protections, if not for his awareness, he would have been undone.

A chilling thought surfaced:

Had I come unprepared, this encounter might have been my end.

Yet even as that realization sank in, another question arose in his mind.

Why was Isabella sealed away here?

Before he could ponder further, her mind power brushed against his thoughts again, tender and pitiful.

"Please, save me. I beg you.

If you rescue me, I will do anything you ask.

Anything at all."

The plea was heartbreakingly sweet, stirring emotions Daniel would rather suppress.

He could feel the phantom sensation of her body—warm, soft, trembling—nestling into his embrace.

His protective instincts flared against his will.

Daniel sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out, steadying himself.

Compared to this Demigod of Enchantment, the demon clan’s succubi were laughable imitations.

Their charm was crude, clumsy, mere sparks against the roaring inferno Isabella wielded.

At once, Daniel shifted tactics.

He cast Psychic Perception, peering past the facade and directly into the thoughts within Isabella’s heart.

Her true voice surfaced, thoughts unguarded:

[How strange. He resisted my charm.]

[I must find another way. If I can trick him into freeing me, the rest will follow.]

[Damn Aurelia! If not for her jealousy, I would never have ended up here. All because I was more beautiful...]

[No matter. For now, I’ll focus on convincing him. A few empty promises won’t cost me anything. Most contracts don’t bind me anyway.]

Daniel’s lips curled faintly.

So this was her game.

The desperation she displayed was merely another mask.

Meanwhile, Isabella leaned further into her act.

Her voice shimmered with fragility as she cooed:

"Handsome human, won’t you help me?

My shoulders ache so badly... could you rub them for me?"

And behind the sweet tone:

[If I give him a little taste of my body, surely he’ll fall.

He won’t resist me.

Even females cannot look upon me without longing.

Once a male touches me, his will is doomed.

No matter how strong he thinks he is...]

Her calculations were cold, confident.

But what she did not know was that Daniel was reading every word of her inner thoughts, each scheme laid bare before him.

Without hesitation, Daniel activated the stolen power of Time Stream, calling forth the ability he had plundered: Corridor of Time.

His plan was audacious—he would store Isabella herself, along with the seal that bound her, directly into the corridor.

"Rescuing you isn’t the problem," Daniel said at last, his smile harmless, almost playful.

"But how I save you—that will be according to my arrangements."

Helpless, sealed, and unaware her heart was an open book, Isabella had no means of resisting.

And so, an even bolder idea began to form in Daniel’s mind...

Far away, in the northern frontier of the human lands, Malkar lifted his gaze to the sky.

No sun shone overhead.

Instead, what blazed above was the Dark Star Jarvan, which had stolen the power of the true sun.

It radiated heat and light, but its brilliance was a pale imitation of Apollo’s blazing majesty.

Still, the Dark Star was enough.

Its glow gave the creatures of the continent a moment’s respite, a fragile illusion of stability.

Malkar’s vines trembled faintly as he stared at the sky.

His heart ached.

He had not yet seen the true Apollo with his own eyes, not once since leaving the abyss.

Yes—he had left the abyss behind.

He, once Emperor of the abyss, had stepped onto the surface world.

And when he emerged into the light, it was here—amid the frigid, unforgiving lands of the human northern frontier.

Though he had steeled himself for whatever lay ahead, the sight before him still left him shaken.