A masculine voice rang out, and right after that, a figure appeared right beside Lylia.

"Noan!" The moment Lylia saw him, she was instantly overjoyed, but then fear surged up and she hurriedly said, "Run, now! You are not her opponent! She is..."

Noan glanced at Lylia, smiled, and cut her off. "Don’t worry, leave this to me."

Even though Lylia was still extremely anxious, with countless questions in her heart, in the end every question could only turn into a single sentence: "Then... be careful."

Noan gave a slight nod, his gaze shifting to Neline.

Truthfully, she was very beautiful, her looks able to rival Lylia’s. It was just that... her beauty carried a chill and a gloomy darkness, as if the whole world owed her something.

Neline furrowed her brows slightly, confusion rising in her heart. She had been certain that within a five mile radius, she had already cleared everything out.

She wanted to make sure no one would save Lylia, forcing her to submit and become Neline’s slave.

Neline truly did not want to kill Lylia. After all, they used to be close friends. Besides, Lylia’s troop type had tremendous potential. Letting her die would be far too wasteful.

That was why Neline chose to drive Lylia into despair, to make her willingly become Neline’s slave.

But she never expected that a man would suddenly appear, which genuinely caught her off guard.

However...

"Who are you?" Neline asked softly.

Noan shrugged and said with a smile, "I’m her boyfriend."

As he spoke, he flicked his hand toward Lylia, and a stream of light wrapped around her.

Lylia flinched when she saw that light, but when she felt its warmth, she immediately lowered her guard.

Even the wound on her hand began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving no scar behind.

Neline frowned. Her eyes carried a hint of wariness as she looked at Noan, her finger lifting slightly, and then...

"Oh my my~ Girl, you shouldn’t do that."

A gentle, feminine voice rang out. Yet Neline felt as though her heart was being gripped by an invisible hand. She feared that in the very next second, her heart would burst.

Neline could feel the space around her freezing solid. The wind and snow still howled, but at this moment, sweat appeared on her face.

Yes, a lot of sweat. Beads as large as soybeans rolled down her cheeks, only to freeze almost immediately.

Neline glanced toward the Harpies, wanting to signal them to attack, but her gaze froze at once, because they were all bound in midair by strange crimson chains that stabbed through space itself.

"Y-you... you..." Neline stammered, forcing the words out with difficulty, yet she still couldn’t say anything else.

Noan looked at her, then looked at her troop type, silently considering how he should deal with her.

Lylia pressed her lips together, took hold of his hand, and said softly, "Noan! Don’t kill her."

Noan frowned. "She wanted to kill you, and now you want to forgive her?"

Lylia shook her head. "No. Neline had no intention of killing me. If she wanted to, she could have done it long ago. She wanted to take me, turn me into her ally."

"Noan, she’s my friend from childhood. I know her very well. It’s just that... time, and her family, turned her into the person she is now."

After hearing that, Noan drew a deep breath and said softly, "Fine. I trust you, but I can’t trust her."

He looked at Neline, his voice carrying an order that allowed no refusal: "Either become my slave, or die."

Hearing that, Neline bit her lip. A trace of discomfort appeared on her face, but along with it came hesitation and anxiety.

Lylia spoke up then: "Neline, you’ve already lost. If you want revenge, then you have to keep living. Only by living can you continue pursuing your goal. If you die, everything is meaningless."

Neline clenched her teeth. Her eyes carried a stubborn glint as she gritted out, "I... will..."

"Good!" Before Neline could finish, Noan swung his hand, and in the next instant, the space around his palm compressed to the point that even space itself twisted.

Neline jolted. At this moment, she could clearly feel that death was standing right beside her.

She gritted her teeth, her heart overflowing with discomfort and unwillingness. She had come so far, made it to this point, yet she still could not escape defeat.

In the end... Neline let out a long sigh and said, "I... surrender."

...

Inside the castle.

When Lylia saw the pile of supplies Noan had brought, she was so happy she could barely contain it.

"Noan! Thank you."

Noan smiled and waved his hand, saying softly, "You are my woman, so of course I will not be stingy with you." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Neline stood to the side. Seeing this, she let out a sigh, and her heart shook even more when she learned that Noan was only a Rank D Lord.

A Rank D Lord could actually appear in an area reserved for Rank A Lords. What was more, he even possessed terrifying power, enough to make Neline submit.

Neline glanced toward the beautiful woman sitting on the sofa, drinking hot tea.

She was very beautiful, beautiful to the point that Neline could not feel jealous, only inferior.

It was a gentle kind of beauty, like a mother. When Neline looked at her, she felt as if she were gazing at an ocean on a sunny day.

Lylia also noticed Yuna and asked a little shyly, "Noan, she is...?"

"The Hero I summoned, Rank SS," Noan said.

"What?!" Lylia opened her mouth wide, her face filled with disbelief as she looked at Noan, then looked at Yuna.

Neline was the same. She did not want to believe it, but... it seemed that Noan had no reason to lie to her.

Yuna smiled and gave a slight nod, as if greeting them.

Lylia also nodded out of habit, then immediately asked Noan, "Oy! Noan, you... are you telling the truth? She is a Rank SS Hero? But I remember your rank is only Rank F, so how could you summon a Rank SS Hero?"

Noan smiled and shook his head. He did not know where to start explaining, and in the end, he could only say, "I was lucky enough to find a summoning scroll in an underground ruin, so that is why..."

At this moment, Yuna nodded, understanding why Noan could survive in the chaotic zone up to now, and how he could even reach this area reserved for Rank A Lords.

Perhaps... that Rank SS Hero was an existence that surpassed even the System’s restrictions, able to help him travel anywhere.

However, Lylia had guessed wrong. Even if Yuna was a Rank SS Hero, she still did not have the ability to break the System’s rules.

It was just that... Noan’s power had surpassed every principle of the System, so he could use "Space" power to reach other areas.

As long as he had enough energy crystals and had an "anchor point," he seemed able to go anywhere he wanted.

Of course, Noan had no intention of explaining any further. After all, he had no intention of letting others know the secret that he possessed an SSS rank talent.

Suddenly, Lylia pouted, her face showing extreme displeasure.

Seeing this, Neline sneered. In her heart, she thought, "So... Lylia is just an ordinary person after all. Seeing someone else possess a Rank SS Hero, she will also get jealous, even if that person is her lover."

"Ah! Feelings really are trash. Even if people love each other, they still cannot escape jealousy. Good, then. If my ending is bad, others should not have a good ending either. It would be best if you two broke up."

Neline crossed her arms, her eyes carrying a hint of mockery as she looked at Lylia and Noan like a spectator ready to watch a comedy.

Noan saw her expression and felt confused. He scratched his head and said, "Lylia, is something wrong?"

Lylia pouted, speaking sulkily, "I have a feeling she is also your woman. Noan, exactly how many women do you have?"

Neline: "..."

Noan: "..."