CHAPTER 455: THE GROUP.

‎Rasmus felt a raindrop hitting his face then another until it suddenly started raining heavily. He looked up and the clouds were darker than usual, similar to what he saw during the battle in the capital city of the Sun Empire. He could see a faint dark purple energy that lingered in the sky.

‎"Another one..." Rasmus muttered and watched a thick black smoke appear from thin air and begin to absorb the demonic energy. "Another nation has fallen," he said with his eyes closed, feeling the raindrops hitting his face

‎Rullein appeared from the black smoke and began to spin around happily from absorbing the demonic energy. She had been doing this for the past two weeks and she treated this like snacks.

‎"It has been happening so often lately. It’s like they’re trying to warn us," Aris rode her horse close to Rasmus’.

‎"Yes, and to show us that they’re coming. Every rain, it reveals that they have conquered a city or a nation, either way, their numbers have increased exponentially," Rasmus opened his eyes and watched Rullein dancing in the sky, absorbing the remaining demonic energy. "This rain, the more people get exposed to this, the weaker they become," he pointed out.

‎"And they’re not aware of this because they would think this was just an ordinary rain. It will make the demons devour their nations faster and easier. It will be a matter of weeks before every nation falls under Satan’s control," Aris agreed with what Rasmus said.

‎Rullein landed after she feasted on demonic energy, neutralizing it and turning it into her own power. She floated in front of Rasmus and Aris, showing the remaining demonic energy that she held in her hand.

‎"It’s getting thicker and stronger. Looks like they’re getting closer and closer," Rullein said as she stared at the dark purple sphere of energy on her hand. "What’s the closest nation to us?" She raised her brows and looked at Rasmus.

‎"There are three nations that are close to us, at least the ones behind us. Not sure which one it is, but the Ruzia Empire is one of them," Rasmus answered as he looked over his shoulder at the dark clouds as far as his eyes could see. "Either way, they won’t be coming toward us. They will go around and swipe the remaining small nations before they’re going to invade the Holy Nation," he added and looked at the bright sky ahead of him, where the Holy Nation was located.

‎Rullein hummed and slowly turned into a thin black mist before she completely disappeared. The mist moved toward Rasmus and slowly entered his body. Aris glanced at Rasmus, wondering if he felt uncomfortable because Rullein used his body as her host.

‎Ever since that day when Rasmus and Rullein became one, Rullein’s essence accidentally stuck within him. The reason was the Dragon’s Blood within Rasmus’ body recognized Rullein’s existence and embraced it, knotting with each other. It was both a blessing and a curse because Rullein’s essence could prevent the Dragon’s Blood within Rasmus from awakening, but at the same time, Rasmus had to contain Rullein’s existence and power that could corrupt him because Rullein was a Dark Spirit.

‎"You’re not feeling any different?" Aris asked.

‎"I feel different. It feels heavy, like something is pulling me inside constantly," Rasmus answered as he looked down at his chest. "It’s uncomfortable, but not to the point it bothers me," he added as he pressed his right hand against his chest.

‎"I’m surprised that Rullein is comfortable there, knowing the Dragon’s Blood is near her. I’m worried that either you, Rullein, or the Dragon’s Blood will get corrupted by each other," Aris said, looking at Rasmus’ clenched hand on his chest. "It would be best if you were the one that devoured both of them," she glanced at Rasmus’ eyes, knowing that the possibility of the three outcomes were equal.

‎"Tsk... tsk... tsk, do you want me dead that badly? I thought we both were good friends," Rullein appeared behind Aris, sitting behind her saddle and rested her chin on Aris’ shoulder with a smug face.

‎"I would prefer Rasmus over you," Aris answered with a straight face as she glanced at Rullein’s bright orange eyes.

‎"Fine, then I’ll have a reason to steal your food and drink from now on," Rullein smirked and became a puff of black mist before she disappeared completely. "I know you’re going to miss me when I’m gone," her voice was barely above a whisper, like a breeze of wind.

‎"You heard our conversation, so stop staying inside him and just come out. You know you’re making him uncomfortable," Aris said, glancing at the faint dark energy in the air.

‎Rasmus glanced at Aris and smiled at her, knowing that Rullein might be telling the facts. He had observed those two together long enough that they had created a bond. They were no longer sparring partners, they had become friends, two beings that seemed to not fit in this world and yet shared a lot in common.

‎After a whole day of galloping, Rasmus and Aris arrived at Holy Nation territory. There were a lot of farmers outside of the city wall, trying to save the crops from the constant rain. There was a long line of people trying to enter the city, refugees that had nowhere else to go.

‎The Holy Nation was built with a purpose to be big enough and spacious enough to take in more than a million refugees. The city alone could give half a million refugees with their families homes to live in. Ever since they took in refugees, the city was still half empty because of how big it was. Not to mention the area outside the city could be used as a place to live as well, allowing a million or two more people to live in the tents that the nation had provided.

‎"You know you can just walk past these people and reveal who you are. They’ll let you in immediately," Rullein said, sitting behind Aris in the same saddle.

‎"We are not in a rush, why bother?" Rasmus asked as he joined the line with the people that wanted to enter the city. "You can’t wait to meet Serena and Videl?" He asked with his brows raised.

‎"Of course! I have seen your memories and Aris’ memories about them. I also miss that pretty lady, Erlina and her partner Carrion. Everyone who follows you, they’re quite fun to be with, so I want to experience it myself," Rullein answered with a mischievous smile on her face.

‎"You should consider paying the damages in advance, Rasmus. This woman is going to cause a lot of trouble for them," Aris looked at Rasmus with a smirk on her face.

‎"Said the one who caused a lot of damage to the palace. You should look at yourself in the mirror before you speak anything bar about me," Rullein giggled, reminding Aris that she also caused a lot of trouble when she visited the Holy Nation during her spar with Videl

‎Aris sighed and had nothing to say, which only made Rullein laugh. Aris decided to keep her mouth shut while Rullein kept teasing her playfully. In the end, Aris couldn’t stay quiet and tried to find a way to make Rullein quiet. They both argued like they always did, and Rasmus on the other hand listened to them while waiting to enter the city.

‎When they were near the gate, the Paladins noticed Rasmus’ face and immediately walked in fast pace to inform Aurelia. Rasmus knew that and chose to stay calm, and the other Paladins didn’t make a move either because they could see that Rasmus wasn’t trying to cause trouble for them.

‎Aurelia was in the garden with Monica, Isador, Maximilian, and Alexander, enjoying their cup of tea under the cozy gazebo. The four of them finally saw each other again, reunited just like how it used to be in the academy. However, when the Paladin reported about Rasmus trying to enter the city, the four of them jolted from the chairs and hurriedly walked to the gate.

‎The news spread, and everyone heard about Rasmus’ arrival. Astrea, Lenin, Julius, Moriganne, Eveline, Lazarus, Arthor, Nior, Thalior, Serena, Uriel, Xena, and Arandil were sitting in the meeting hall when they heard the news. Serena who had seemed to be uninterested in the group, her face brightened and a smile appeared when she heard Rasmus’ name. She immediately excused herself and summoned Videl and the others to meet with Rasmus.

‎The others had no choice but to postpone their discussion and to meet with the man that had influenced every situation and their lives indirectly. Everyone walked out of the palace and used both carriages and horses to reach the gate.

‎The first ones who arrived at the gate were Serena, Videl, Carrion, Erlina, Daryus, and Javi. Serena ordered the Paladins to let Rasmus in, and when his name was mentioned, the people near the gate were surprised and terrified when they learned Rasmus was in the city.

‎The Paladins didn’t want to let Rasmus in and they wanted to wait for Aurelia because they only followed Aurelia’s order. Rasmus looked at his friends with a smirk on his face, to finally meet them again. He didn’t make a fuss of the situation and waited patiently outside the gate.

‎When Aurelia came with the others, she walked down the carriage and looked at the Paladins that were crossing their spears in front of Rasmus. Maximilian, Alexander, and Monica, the three of them were in disbelief to see their teacher, the man who taught them how to see all kinds of realities again after more than a year.

‎"What are you doing? Let them in," Aurelia looked at the Paladins with a serious expression.

‎The refugees were shocked and confused when Aurelia allowed a criminal like Rasmus to enter the city. They didn’t know the history behind those two, and soon they would find out about it.

‎The Paladins lowered their spears and moved aside, allowing Rasmus, Aris, and Rullein to enter the city. As soon as Rasmus got off his horse, Erlina embraced him and wrapped her arms around his neck with a smile on her face.

‎Serena, Videl, and Daryus were shocked to see the changes in Rasmus. Rasmus had grown taller, his hair had become a bit silver, and his eyes had become bright blue. The man they had remembered had grown, and became a lot stronger.

‎"What a group of people..." Marina crossed her arms, seeing the energy that each individual oozed. "And they all follow the same man. If they can’t defeat those demons, nobody can’t," she chuckled softly.