Chapter 2857: Triumphal Return

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City

It was just another busy day in the treacherous city—once known as the City of Southern Hope—until the bloodstorm clouds hanging overhead began to thin and break, their crimson rain fading as waves of green light spilled across the sky, slowly deepening into violet while their edges still glowed faintly green.

The city ground to a halt. Heads tilted upward almost in unison. No one could say when it began, only that the suffocating storm had parted, making way for a sight so mesmerizing that even the wicked paused to watch.

Ribbons of violet and green shimmered above—not like glitter or neon, but like something alive, breathing in slow, immense currents. They moved with quiet purpose, vast and unhurried, utterly indifferent to the crowd below, necks craned and thoughts still.

The colors folded into one another—green into pink, into a white so bright it felt almost loud. Bands of light curled and drifted, drawing every gaze along their path, only to slip away and reappear elsewhere. And somewhere in that silent spectacle, people forgot what had driven them outside in the first place.

Under their watchful gaze, a massive white cloud drifted into view, appearing to be carrying a giant white turtle. Its broad head led the way while four enormous flippers pushed against the air in slow, steady strokes, propelling it forward.

Beneath the vast sweep of violet-green lights, even something that large felt small. It didn’t block the view of the sky; instead, it moved under it, trailing along the shifting colors. The lights washed over its curved shell, painting it in soft hues as it passed.

From below, it looked less like a cloud and more like a great white sea turtle crossing a luminous ocean, gliding through waves of light that parted and flowed around it.

On the turtle’s broad shell, people began to make out familiar figures. There was no one in the city who didn’t recognize them. One was the Southern Hero, Field Marshal Lorn. The other two were the city’s own—its proud son and daughter—Dalton V. Wyatt and Corey Bright.

A murmur rippled through the crowd, spreading faster than the drifting lights above.

Then the ribbons of color began to pulse, slow at first, like a heartbeat finding its rhythm. Before long, strands of that light broke away and drifted downward, falling over the figures on the turtle’s back in a gentle shower.

Only then did it click for those watching below. This wasn’t just one of nature’s spectacles.

It was the will of the Card World itself, offering its blessing for the slaying of devils—something the more attentive had already begun to suspect after seeing Corey’s posts on the grimoire network and the VR universe.

Soon, loud cheers rolled through the city, swelling from street to street as people celebrated the triumphant return of their new ruler.

But not everyone was swept up in the noise. Those who paid closer attention began to sense there was more to it than just the slaying of devils. The timing, the quiet departure, the way everything had unfolded—it didn’t take much to piece together that the real burden had been kept out of sight.

It was clear enough: their new ruler had taken the hardship on himself and returned only with the relief.

After everything the city had gone through these past few days, the pattern wasn’t hard to read. And for those who didn’t see it—or chose not to—they simply let the moment be, holding on to the calm for as long as it would last.

The blessing lasted for a few minutes before the lights faded, and the bloodstorm clouds rolled back in, swallowing the sky and releasing their violent rain once more.

Thanks to the protective array covering the city, not a single drop reached the ground. Even so, many were startled to see that the crimson rain didn’t stain the massive white turtle still floating overhead—it slid off its form as if the creature existed outside the storm’s reach.

The Cloud Turtle lingered high above the city, steady and unmoved, while those on its back descended one by one. By the time the crowd thought to look for them again, they had already vanished from sight, leaving only the storm—and the memory of what they had witnessed—behind.

...

"Holy shit, I’m so psyched. My grimoire’s blowing up with notifications."

"Aaah, I’m popular!"

"I can’t believe I’m top trending on the grimoire network and the VR universe."

Corey wouldn’t stop going on about it—the likes, the shares, the flood of comments—as we made our way back to Fine Gold and TSR Guild’s new campus on the outskirts of the city. Karl caught up with us along the way, carrying the unconscious body of the Emissary like it was just another piece of luggage. I had excluded him for obvious reasons.

"The videos of us getting blessed by the World’s Will for slaying devils are trending too. They’ve even made some crazy edits, though the titles are... bizarre."

"Corey, I didn’t think you cared for fame. Though I suppose it’s not surprising—you are a teenager, after all."

The Field Marshal found Corey’s reaction fairly typical for someone her age. It was hard to reconcile, given how much power she wielded at such a young age. Apart from her, the only other person with that kind of prowess so early was her young lord.

What truly baffled her was how normal it had started to feel.

"Have all the leaders been assembled?" I asked, ignoring Corey’s pointless rant. Seeing the Field Marshal nod, I added, "Corey, once we’re inside, behave yourself. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to make an example out of you. Honestly, no one would mind if you skipped it altogether."

"You would never do that—and I always behave myself," Corey said, as if it were a fact set in stone. "I can’t skip the assembly. I’ve got some serious points and ideas to discuss and pitch to our new members."

The Field Marshal snickered as she listened, catching the faint lines forming on my forehead out of the corner of her eye.

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