Raiden was caught in his own daze, barely catching a break from what just happened as Nico dragged him through the scorching desert. Something nagged at him about that voice. Why did it sound so familiar?

They were barely outside MK's detection range. Even the slightest movement from him would give him a glimpse of their activities. And yet they still intended to avoid this desert completely.

However, before they could get any further, something else caught Nico's attention. He halted on his feet, prompting Raiden to do the same, snapping him from his daze.

Nico's hand trembled as he motioned in the distance. "More… more are coming."

Confused, Raiden turned to follow its path, then gulped hard. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he saw four figures approaching. One radiated such an overwhelming dark aura that it made the others' presence hardly noticeable.

Yet, just like his encounter with MK, his danger detection was dormant.

"You need to stay behind me, Nico. Let me handle this."

Nico didn't hesitate. He hurried to position himself behind Raiden as Raiden assumed his stance.

All confusion about Sulli's familiar voice disappeared. If these people wanted to fight, this could get tough.

But it didn't take long for a realization to dawn on him. There were five of them, with one buried beneath the intense dark aura.

But that wasn't what held him captive. He knew them. All of them.

The figure radiating an intense dark aura had long dark hair adorned with enchanted stickers. It was Soul, the girl he had sworn to protect.

Beside her stood Noelle—short dark hair framing her face, cigarette between her lips, her usual detached expression replaced by genuine worry.

Next to them was a girl with short dark hair and excessive piercings, a jacket tied around her waist, and another with a lazy posture, her jacket slipping carelessly from her shoulders. Snow and Anya.

He let his guard down in an instant. But it was the short, dark-haired girl with piercings who caught his attention most. Snow.

His heart hammered against his ribs as the sight of her unleashed all the memories he had been trying to suppress. Before he knew it, tears were streaming down his cheeks.

Not only was this person the third captain of Chaos Armada, but someone he had also served under her as a lieutenant. She was the servant of Deathsight. His own brother. The person he had lived his entire life for, and yet had killed with his own hands.

He couldn't move despite desperately trying to flee, and remained paralyzed, enslaved by his own actions.

What was he going to say? What if Snow also wanted him dead?

Before he knew it, Soul and Noelle were dashing toward him. Tears ran down Soul's face as Noelle wore a somewhat relieved expression.

It was obvious they weren't going to attack him, yet he still wanted to flee. Since he couldn't, they both wrapped him in a tight hug in no time, squeezing the soul out of him.

"I thought you'd gone insane, Raid," Noelle said, her voice barely recognizable.

Raiden gulped as his legs buckled. Soul's emotions made sense, but Noelle? Why did she care? From what he could remember, they weren't on good terms before his disappearance. The source of this content ɪs n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

"What is going on?" Nico emerged from behind Raiden.

He took a careful look at how they hugged each other and smiled.

However, before Raiden could shift his attention from Nico, Snow, and Anya had already approached, with Ekko behind them.

Snow pulled them out of the hug and slapped Raiden across the face. Raiden's skin crawled, but he understood her pain. He was her enemy now.

"How could you be so stupid?" Snow blurted with an angered tone.

"Do you think Ling would have expected this from you?"

Raiden's eyes widened in confusion. What was she saying? She wasn't supposed to know Ling was his twin brother, so why say such words? She just had to hate him for killing her master.

"What are you saying?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't realize you're the twin brother he always talked about?"

Snow held his shirt and ripped it off, showing his torso as she gestured toward the dark chain tattoo binding him captive.

"Every breath he took, every year of his life, was poured into mastering Chains of Fate… all because he knew the same hand that brought him here would eventually bring you too."

Raiden stared at the tattoo, trembling as the pieces fell into place. Just as he had been able to see through Ling's eyes and recognize him, Ling had reached the same realization.

Watching him perform their family's secret techniques had confirmed everything—he was his twin brother, reborn in a different body. That explained why Deathsight could repeat the techniques flawlessly after seeing them only once.

So their battle wasn't a battle at all. From the beginning, Ling had already decided to lose, since only one of them was allowed to leave the battlefield alive.

He clutched his chest tightly, emotions flickering across his face. This was the second time Ling had sacrificed his life for him. How could he not have recognized him? He was his goddamn twin brother!

"Stop being such a loser. All he ever wanted was to come back to you. Don't you think he'd do everything possible to make sure he couldn't just die before that?"

Raiden's heart sank as his head snapped in Snow's direction. A lingering hope surges through him.

"He's already prepared three ways to escape death, though returning may take time. That's why he gave you Chains of Fate—because with it, no one, not even a god, can kill you. Only he can."

Raiden's hands shivered as he pressed them to his chest, a smile spreading across his lips. Snow wasn't lying. His golden eyes were powerful enough to pierce through any deception. It was true—his brother would return. He was indeed the Poison Dragon, the most enigmatic of all the primordial dragons.

However, Noelle pulled his cheeks instantly. "Now that you are back, we have urgent matters to attend to."

Raiden locked eyes with her, and in that moment, overwhelmed by relief, he couldn't help himself as he pulled Noelle into a hug.

"Thanks… thank you all."

The moment he spoke, Noelle also pulled him in even tighter embrace.

"When you're finished, meet us. We're heading to the Laughing Princess's absolute domain."