### Chapter 194: Land of Dragons (Part 1)
Boom boom boom boom boom…
A terrifying rumble roared in from the distant south, cutting off a man’s speech as if the earth itself was collapsing.
The raven cawed in the sky, and countless white birds startled from the trees all around, sending the ground trembling. The horned horse grew restless, raising its front hooves and letting out a long neigh, while the young cleric nearly got tossed off its back. The abrupt situation startled me awake, my head still spinning as my body was suddenly launched upward by the giant beast.
“Ah!”
I exclaimed, hastily gripping the reins.
“Watch out!”
“What’s happening? What in the world—”
The clerics nearby shouted in panic. I clutched the reins tightly, pressed my backside down, and squeezed my legs around the beast’s back just in time to avoid the embarrassing predicament of being thrown off. When that thunderous noise faded, the giant beast snorted, regaining its composure. I finally lifted my head, looking towards the direction of the roar.
The creek snaked away in front of us, flanked by towering green trees and an endless expanse of forest. The mountains in the distance were obscured behind them, and we could hardly see anything.
But the previously azure sky to the south now had a small area that appeared distinctly crimson from our vantage point.
“What’s going on…?”
“Is it the ruins…?”
“That red cloud, what is…”
The clerics exchanged anxious glances, puzzled and uncertain.
After the loud noise, the depths of the forest returned to their usual tranquility. Due to the distance, I couldn’t determine the specific source of the sound, but judging by everyone’s expressions, something unexpected had clearly happened.
“Is something wrong…?”
“Jeffrey Priest!”
Seeing the clerics bewildered, I shouted toward the older priest, “What’s going on?!”
“I don’t know…”
Jeffrey Priest looked up at the strange red above, seemingly lost in thought, and muttered, “But I think we might not need the raven to guide us…”
He meant that the thunderous noise probably came from the entrance of the ruins—what they called the Land of Dragons—at least from that direction.
Something’s gone wrong…
“Quick! Don’t stop—”
The older priest tightened the reins and shouted, urging the beast to gallop again. The giant creature sprang into action, darting out of view.
I took a deep breath.
A terrible feeling settled in my gut; I couldn’t help but grow anxious. I shouted to get the horned horse to keep up with Priest’s pace, and the three clerics, now alert, followed suit.
The wind whipped up, hooves clacking against the ground as I raced after Jeffrey Priest, yelling, “That way, is it the direction of the ruins?”
“……”
His expression darkened, eyes flickering as if he were deep in thought. After a moment, he quietly said, “I think so.”
The man paused.
“Perhaps they’ve started fighting again… No, wait, that doesn’t sound like a battle. Lady Silvya, it’s possible… I mean, I don’t know how the Land of Dragons opens, but it must be quite a spectacle. That thunderous noise might just be the precursor…”
The Land of Dragons is about to open…
Even though the priest wasn’t entirely sure, our speculations aligned.
What in the world!?
“There should be a Faith Organization nearby, is the Bishop there?”
I stared wide-eyed at him, and Priest went silent for a moment.
“Maybe they’re all dead.”
“……”
d*mn it…
At that moment, a young cleric catching up from behind us looked pale, beads of sweat on his forehead, as he anxiously asked, “Priest, what should we do now!?”
“What should we do? Get there as fast as possible! What other options do we have!? You want me to fly there!?”
Jeffrey Priest replied with irritation, huffing, urging the giant beast to go faster, leaving us lagging behind. The five of us tore down the creek bank. I glanced at the man’s back, my mind racing.
Fly there…
I could fly there.
Even if I unleashed all my frost powers, leaping through the forest along the creek would surely be faster than riding the horned horse… But the energy expenditure would be massive. If I leaped for hours over such a long distance, I’d end up exhausted. What if I faced the dancer then…
Am I left with no choice but to harness the powers of the Abyss here?
I couldn’t help but glance at the cleric running beside me.
Right in front of them…
My dark eyes glimmered in the wind, indecision swirling in my heart.
At this juncture, I found myself no longer fretting about revealing my Abyssal powers and what the church might do to me afterward. I didn’t even want to contemplate those consequences. My only concern was whether matters would spiral further out of control.
After unleashing my chaotic power, would the clerics’ suddenly fluctuating attitudes lead us down an even worse path? I was genuinely unsure.
I felt the pressure mounting.
It seemed the church had entirely pinned their hopes on me to eliminate the demons; if I faltered even slightly… I had no idea if they had a backup plan. Judging by the current situation, the odds appeared slim.
What Jeffrey had told me earlier only proved they were willing to risk their lives to get me to the Land of Dragons to avert a disaster. This had to be a last resort; the church had no alternatives. Hoping for a sudden appearance of more Pope Knights was clearly unrealistic, and even angels might not show…
It looked like it was all up to me now.
This placed even greater pressure on me. Since that thundering noise rang out, the situation took an unexpected turn. My palms had been sweating, my chest heavy, and I felt slightly breathless.
If I fail…
The consequences are too dreadful to contemplate.
So, I cannot afford any slip-ups.
I was slightly terrified of unleashing the abyssal power at this moment, turning the already grim situation into something worse.
But if I do nothing, just riding on the horned horse…
They said it would be near dark when we arrived; do we have enough time?
What am I supposed to do…
Breathe in, exhale. The wind whipped past my ears, my long hair blowing wildly behind me as my body jostled with the rhythmic galloping of the horned horse. Jeffrey Priest’s form swayed in my sight, and after staring at him for a moment, I looked up at the crimson light in the sky.
After a moment, I made my decision.
I might as well fly over…
Because it’s the fastest way right now.
“Jeffrey Priest!”
I called out, and the man turned to look back from atop the beast.
“Tell me, once I get there, what should I do? k*ll the heretics or destroy the bl**d Pearls… How can I find that demon?”
I had set my mind. As soon as Priest answered my question, I wouldn’t give them time to react. I’d fly up into the sky, leaving them behind and heading straight for the ruins.
Of course, this was a reckless move. In the worst-case scenario, even if I made it there, I’d be utterly lost; I’d probably never even see the demon or the heretic, just waiting helplessly for the dancer to return with the demon from the Land of Dragons.
But it seemed I had no other choice…
As I mulled over this, I caught a glimpse of a similar resolve in Priest’s gaze as he looked back at me.
“I may have a plan, Lady Silvya…”
After saying that, the man suddenly tightened the reins, raised his hands overhead, and shouted “Stop!” Turning the beast’s head around amidst the group’s puzzled stares, he continued, “We don’t have that much time.”
He paused, scanning the young faces of the three clerics one by one.
“Get ready, summon the Ancient God’s Eye.”
