Rosie's Games
Chapter 550 550: The Return

"What she didn't yet realize was that everything beyond her own body had already changed. 'Rosalind,' now seen as a goddess, found herself in a desolate landscape, with Atior and Josephine standing before her. The ruins stretched in all directions, surrounding her. The portal had vanished, leaving only the chaos in its wake.

Not far from her were Belisarius, Lucas, Martin, and Dorothy, along with representatives of the seven families.

"You called for me?" Rosalind said, her tone surprisingly devoid of emotion. "Was it you?" She turned her gaze to Atior.

"It was me," Atior immediately bowed. "Please, Divine One, find it in your heart to forgive this humble human for summoning you."

Rosalind looked away, then fixed her eyes on Dorothy. "You—" With a wave of her hand, Dorothy began to levitate towards the goddess. Dorothy's feeble struggles were in vain.

"I remember you," the goddess inhabiting Rosalind's body murmured, her hand closing around Dorothy's delicate neck. She offered a chilling smile. "You carried the taint of a demon."

Dorothy attempted to speak, but Rosalind interrupted. "She should have slain you when you ventured to the north," Rosalind declared. Without waiting for a response, Dorothy's neck began to wither.

"AHHHHHH!" Dorothy screamed.

"Please, Lady Goddess, spare my daughter—" Martin attempted to intervene but froze when he witnessed his daughter's body disintegrating as though it were made of paper.

Before everyone's eyes, Dorothy's form darkened and gradually dissolved into nothingness.

"Verily, avoid transgressions if you don't wish to face retribution," the goddess answered. Then she turned to look at the others around her. "Many years have passed, but the nature of mortals remains the same...." She snorted. "Still the same filth, still the same sins."

Finally, her gaze landed on Lucas.

There was a flicker of recognition in her gaze before she turned and was about to leave. However, Atior immediately stopped her.

"Your Divine Goddess…" Atior bowed. "I implore you to please rid us of the demons. The demons are trying to break the barrier, and—"

"Don't think that I'm unaware of your intentions," the goddess hissed. "I am not a fool, I assure you."

"Your Divine Goddess—"

"Be cautious," the Goddess warned. "You tried to deceive me once. Do it again, and I will punish you."

"I—"

"Your Divine Goddess, we have no intention of deceiving you!" Josephine chimed in. She immediately knelt in front of Rosalind. At first, Josephine had doubts about awakening the Goddess, but after seeing her close the portal in a few seconds and obliterate the demons, she believed that the Goddess was a powerful being capable of vanquishing the demons.

"Josephine!" Lachlan tried to intervene but froze when the Goddess looked at him.

"Your Divine Goddess, I would like to apologize for using such a method to awaken you. However, this world needs you. The demons have created a portal to come to this continent. We are not strong enough to prevent the barrier from breaking. Please... I beg of you.

Please save humanity."

"Save humanity?" the goddess snorted. Then she looked at Lucas. "You always surprise me..."

After a few seconds, she looked at Josephine once again. "Humans will face the consequences of their actions."

With that, she floated away from everyone and walked into a small portal that was only big enough for one person to enter.

Meanwhile, a suffocating silence immediately enveloped the atmosphere the moment she left. However, this didn't last long before it was shattered by a scream of agony.

In front of everyone, Atior's arms had been cleanly cut off. She tried to defend herself, but the next attack easily broke through her defenses, cutting off her other arm in just a few seconds.

In less than thirty seconds, the once magnificent and powerful sorcerer fell, her limbs cut off, her head separated from her body. No one knew who had attacked her until Atior was already dead.

Everyone watched in horror as Duke Lucas Rothley stood beside Atior's broken body, his eyes red, his expression blank.

Then just like the goddess, he disappeared into thin air.

.....

In another location, another large portal appeared. However, this time, the usual strong vortex around it was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the portal was surrounded by pure black fire.

"Is it working?" another person asked Ena Thun, who stood not too far from the portal.

"It should work," Ena said as she stared at Federico Lux's body beneath the portal. "That body has been through a lot. It should be able to harness the lord's abilities." Ena smiled. The prospect of becoming more powerful excited her. She couldn't help but be thrilled when she thought of all the possibilities once the Lord broke the barrier from the inside.

Just the thought of this made her giddy, sending shivers down her spine.

Her plan to distract the others with a portal near Aster worked really well.

Once the others were already occupied with fighting, Ena immediately decided to leave. She didn't care if they managed to close the portal or not. Her priority was that they managed to get Federico's body using some spies and bring him here.

Who would have thought that the body of the old man would one day bring her so much happiness? She had always thought that the old man was already dead. So, hearing the spy's reports surprised her.

At first, she never thought it would be the same, Federico. After all, the spies spoke of Federico being unable to wake up again despite his ability to heal himself. How was that possible?

However, her suspicions were cleared when she personally saw Federico's body.

As she contemplated the situation, it became apparent that the old man, Federico, possessed the ideal vessel for the Lord's extraordinary powers. Federico's innate ability to heal himself was a tantalizing prospect. If the Lord inflicted harm upon Federico's body, he could tap into Federico's gift to mend his own injuries, couldn't he?

The notion of such a perfect vessel filled her with uncontainable joy. Her anticipation soared as the atmosphere crackled with thunder and flames, swirling around the portal. Gradually, a sinister black shadow materialized and seamlessly merged with Federico's form.

With a surreal, almost spectral grace, Federico's body began to float, defying the laws of gravity. It was as if he were a puppet, controlled by forces beyond the realm of the living. The fusion between his physical form and the encroaching shadow appeared seamless as if they were destined to become one.

The very essence of the Lord and Federico intertwined, their souls connecting in an unholy union. As the shadow and the old man became one, a surge of power radiated from their conjoined being. The air crackled with eerie energy, and an ominous aura filled the surroundings, sending shivers down Ena's spine. Seeing this, Ena could not help but gasp in awe.

She knew what power was; she had seen it once before. However, this was the first time she had witnessed such an abundance of it.

"The ritual was a success!" she declared with a triumphant smile. Ena no longer concerned herself with the demon who

had initially promised Lucas Rothley's body. Her focus had shifted entirely. The fusion between the Lord and Federico was reaching its climax, and that was all that mattered to her now.

Then, before their very eyes, Federico opened his eyes. His once-white hair slowly turned black, and the creases of his old face disappeared, revealing the handsome face of a young man with black hair, sharp brows, and almost god-like features.

For a while, Federico did not move. Then he slowly descended into the snow and started examining his new body.

He touched his face and stared at his hands.

Then finally, he looked at Ena, who seemed to be mesmerized by what she saw. "Pray, who are you?"

His words seemed to wake up Ena and she immediately bowed. "My Lord... This humble one is called Ena."

"Did you unseal the portal and prepare the vessel?" Federico asked.

"Yes, my lord. I hope the vessel was to your satisfaction."

Federico started checking his body once more before nodding. "Acceptable."

He then cleared his throat. "It seems there was a problem with the way I speak... this body is good enough to house my soul. Its ability to heal will help me. For that, I will—"

"An Archduke...." A cold voice interrupted Federico. "I did not expect a mere Archduke to be here...."

Everyone turned towards the source of the voice and was surprised to see Rosalind standing not too far away from them. No one noticed when she arrived or how she got there.

For a while, Federico said nothing. He simply stared at Rosalind, his face devoid of emotion.

"You are—"

*BOOM*

Before Ena Thun could finish her words, her body exploded into smithereens.

"This conversation is not something a mere human can be a part of," Rosalind said without even looking at Ena. "Do you agree with me, Archduke?"