novelraw Chapter 245: Palace
Chapter 245: Palace
"But, Luigi said it was in the center region." Mirabella muttered, turning her head to her mother. Her mind, honed by years of navigating the deceitful System of Galaxy Fall, struggled to reconcile the intelligence she had gathered with the gleaming miniature structure floating before them. The center region was a notorious death zone; it had made sense to her that a Supreme Class artifact would be hidden there.
"That is a bit of misinformation I left behind... Why would I leave such a powerful artifact outside?" Genevieve asked with a mischievous smile. The ancient matriarch’s cunning shone through, a stark reminder that surviving centuries in a world of apex predators required more than just brute strength; it required outsmarting empires.
"You have only read about the golden Palace in your previous life, but haven’t actually seen it in person... Why don’t you bond with it, so I can instruct you on some things." Genevieve suggested, gesturing gracefully to the Palace hovering mid-air. It hummed with latent, world-shaping energy.
"A drop of your blood will do." She added.
Mirabella nodded. Without hesitating, she bit her finger, drawing a bead of crimson blood. She raised it above the 20-centimeter tall Palace, her eyes locked on the intricate, microscopic runes etched into its golden roof, and let her blood drop on it.
BOOOOM!!!!
A concussive wave of pure, unadulterated energy burst out from the Palace, spreading all over the place and rattling the very fabric of the pocket dimension. The moment next, one blinding golden light flew out from the artifact’s core and violently merged with Mirabella’s forehead. Due to the sudden surge of overwhelming energy bypassing her defenses, the dormant Star revealed itself, glowing fiercely on her skin.
"This?" Genevieve was horrified. The playful demeanor of a mother instantly vanished.
"No... How... How did he." She paused, lost in thought, her ageless face turning paled as she recognized the specific signature radiating from her daughter.
"Mom? What happened?" Mirabella asked in confusion, rubbing her forehead, unable to see the glowing brand that had suddenly manifested.
"That Star... When did you encounter the Great King?" She asked, her voice tight with suppressed panic.
"Star?" Mirabella tilted her head in confusion. In all her battles, this was a variable she hadn’t accounted for.
Genevieve snapped her fingers, and a sleek, silver mirror appeared before Mirabella, showing her the radiant Star pulsing on her forehead.
"This? When did this appear here?" Mirabella exclaimed in shock, stepping back as if the mirror itself had attacked her.
"You don’t know?" Genevieve sighed deeply, the sound heavy with ancient grievances. "That scoundrel actually dared marked my daughter as his bride. Does he think because he helped you in the past gave him that right?!" She asked, as her energy flared up, rising like a devastating typhoon.
"This?"
Both Mirabella and Cupcake were stunned, taking a step backwards. The winged cat’s fur stood on end, watching as the space cracked around them. The sheer, suffocating pressure of a Level 500+ entity losing control over her aura began to fracture the garden’s reality, splintering the air like shattered glass.
"I should have killed him in the past!! That fool is still entangled in that stupid prophecy!!"
"Mom!!!!"
Genevieve blinked, and turned to Mirabella. Seeing the genuine fear in her daughter’s face—a warrior who rarely feared anything—she exhaled, forcing the raging energy back into her core, and calm herself.
The violent energy subsided, and slowly faded away. The creaks on the space mended together, the space of the dimension reasserting itself, and the garden returned to its peaceful state.
"I am so sorry, Mira... He just made me so angry. How dare him mark you!" She muttered coldly, a lethal edge lingering in her tone.
"You know the Great King?"
"Yeah, he is one stubborn pig!! Like the Sun family, his family, the Aethelgard family are the second strongest... He’s our rival, or I should say, My rival." She said with a heavy sigh. The Aethelgard family’s mastery over void and spatial laws was legendary, making them one of the few bloodlines that could genuinely threaten the Sun Family’s dominance.
"I don’t have my full strength to destroy that mark, but I can seal it until you have the strength to destroy it." She said, staring at Mirabella’s confused expression, calculating the penalties of such an action.
"Won’t be sealing this mark lock the powers I got from him?" Mirabella asked in a low voice, her pragmatism warring with her autonomy. To survive Galaxy Fall, every skill mattered.
"No, you won’t lose the Dragon bloodline, because it belongs to you... But you will lose the Ultimate Void skill and the Bride of the Great King’s title. Your hold on Luigi will also be lost... Should I do it?"
Mirabella was speechless, staring at her mother for some seconds. The Bride of the Great King title offered immense passive buffs, and the Ultimate Void skill was a huge trump card. But being chained to an ancient prophecy without her consent chafed against everything she fought for. She asked:
"Is there any disadvantage with this mark on me?"
"Yes!!" Genevieve yelled, and sighed softly, lowering her voice to a grave whisper.
"Yes. With this mark, he will be able to feel your emotions, keep an eye on you no matter where you are located, and can also take some heavy damages you receive, transferring it to himself. Not only that, he can listen to your thoughts, and know everything about you... He’s like a fly you can’t slap away." She announced, laying out the absolute breach of privacy the Aethelgard magic entailed.
’Huh? I hate having someone always keeping an eye on me, especially my thoughts, but it also comes with some gains... I don’t know if he’s an enemy or an ally, but...’ She exhaled, weighing the tactical advantage of having a cosmic meat-shield against the violation of her mind.
"The gains is good Mom."
"Huh?" Genevieve’s eyes widened, shocked that her daughter would even consider accepting the leash.
"But I want it off." Mirabella completed her word, her tone absolute. She would forge her own path to the top; she didn’t need to be anyone’s prophesied bride to survive.
"Haha! That’s my girl!! But before we do that, let me instruct you about the Palace’s abilities." Genevieve finally cooled down, her pride in her daughter’s independence overriding her anger. She turned back to the golden Palace.
"Now, connect with the bond and open the palace." She instructed.
Mirabella nodded, and closed her eyes. She reached out with her energy, feeling the dense, Supreme Class energy signature of the artifact. After ten seconds, she found the core node and made the bond. The next moment, she, Cupcake and Genevieve vanished from the pocket dimension, seamlessly entering inside the palace itself.
___
[Golden Palace Dimension]
WHOOSH!!
Mirabella, Cupcake, and Genevieve appeared on a barren land, their gazes fixed on the 50 meters tall Golden Palace before them. The sheer scale of the architecture was staggering up close, constructed entirely of divine metals that radiated warmth.
"So big?" Cupcake muttered in shock. They were outside the outer gate of the palace, and the walls alone were 20 meters tall, casting long, imposing shadows over the empty terrain.
Mirabella moved her gaze on the land, a little confused by the stark contrast between the majestic palace and the lifeless dirt surrounding it. "Where are we and why is it barren?" She muttered in confusion.
"We are in the golden Palace, and as for the place... Well, that’s up to you to rebuild it." Genevieve explained. The Golden Palace wasn’t just a fortress; it was a foundational world-seed, reacting entirely to the will and elemental affinity of its bound master.
Mirabella closed her eyes. She tapped into her newly expanded energy pool, visualizing the vibrant life of her soul sea. It was a test of creation, not destruction. After a whole minute of grueling mental focus, a single blade of grass finally grew before Cupcake. From it, more grew rapidly, spreading outward like a green wildfire, and life instantly filled the desolate place.
Cupcake watched in amazement as a lush green field covered the whole place. Suddenly, the spatial fabric rippled, and the Egg Mirabella kept safely stored in her soul sea appeared before them, along with Adira.
".....?!"
The Divine Fairy moved her gaze around the massive new space, a little stunned by the sudden relocation from the soul sea to a physical, supreme-class domain.
"Done." Mirabella opened her eyes, her face paled, the physical toll of acting as a minor god evident. "Building this place surely consumed spirit energy." She muttered, her legs trembling slightly.
"Sorry about that, Master!" Adira quickly flew towards her. The fairy placed her tiny hands on Mirabella, glowing brightly as she began channeling her endless spirit energy into her, instantly refilling hers and stabilizing Mirabella’s core.
"A divine fairy? How did you get one?" Genevieve asked in genuine surprise, staring at the rare, mythical being that had just effortlessly restored a Level 390’s spirit energy reserves.