Chapter 338: As Yuliya
The shout that just arose in the Golden City came to an abrupt halt, replaced by a tremor of extreme fear.
Just a glance, but it felt like an invitation to the abyss, dragging people into hell, filled with endless madness and nowhere to escape.
“What… still…”
“This… is beyond what a human can handle; I can’t even bear to look.”
“It’s over, it’s all over…”
Some folks had already begun to mumble, while others simply shook in a heap on the ground.
Yuliya took half a step back for support but raised her head proudly, locking eyes with a dragon eye even larger than the sun.
Asmavasa could not possibly be here.
This was just a temporary descent ritual, merely a distant glimpse from where He was straining to project from.
Just an illusion!
Yuliya straightened her posture, proud and unyielding.
Sure enough, the pressure seemed to ease a bit.
The dragon head in the sky squinted slightly, casting a gaze that shaped itself, enveloping Yuliya.
She felt it: her body, memories, past and future were all being scrutinized.
Suddenly, something drifted out from Yuliya’s body, starting to emit a brilliant golden light.
The golden flare disrupted the gaze of the dragon god, scattering His attention.
The dragon god widened His eyes slightly, and Yuliya looked toward the emerging object.
A scale.
A dragon scale.
But the aura of this scale was vastly different from the dragon god’s presence.
Could it be that there was more than one mythical dragon?
Yuliya had no time to ponder; she grabbed the scale and faced the dragon god once more.
The dark clouds in the sky began to shrink, and the whirlpool showed signs of collapsing.
The descent ritual should be wrapping up soon.
The dragon god sensed this and finally opened His massive mouth, unleashing a few syllables that thundered through the skies like heavy rain.
Those who heard it were momentarily stunned, but no one could decipher the sounds. It felt as if something had settled heavily upon their hearts.
Except for Yuliya.
The language was ancient and obscure, like a song echoing from before time, yet she understood it inexplicably.
“As Yuliya…”
Yuliya opened her mouth, instinctively preparing to repeat it, but suddenly jolted awake, clamping down on her voice.
Aslan had once said that she had a name, a name that, according to the queen mother’s prophecy, would bring calamity.
“Yuliya” was merely a short form.
The dragon god’s syllables transformed into notes, drifting, gradually settling near Yuliya, even attempting to penetrate her body.
She furrowed her brows, her body shuddered, but she couldn’t shake them off.
So she lifted her head and shouted to the sky, “I am Yuliya Frankel, the last princess of the Golden Kingdom, the queen of the Golden City! Stupid lizard, who are you calling out to?!”
The dragon god’s pupils contracted, but soon turned into cold disdain.
Several notes “burst” into pieces, dissipating, yet a tiny fraction merged back into Yuliya’s body.
She glanced inward, discovering a few traces.
She knew this was the dragon god marking her.
“Heh.”
She let out a cold, mocking laugh, raised her head again, and with a similar disdainful look and tone to the dragon god’s, shouted, “Stupid lizard! One day, I will stand before you myself! I will reclaim everything you’ve stolen from me!”
The dragon god cast a glance at her, making no further movements.
The dragon head slowly faded, and the dark clouds and whirlpool rapidly dissolved.
Eventually, the sky returned to a bright day, and the world became clear again.
All pressure evaporated, and the still-trembling crowd finally exhaled in relief.
They snapped back to reality and stood up.
They checked and double-checked again, finally confirming that it was truly all over, and no more terrifying entities would emerge.
Instead of cheering again, they felt a sincere gratitude wash over them.
Everything’s fine.
Meanwhile, outside the Golden City, the swarm of monsters seemed to wake from a nightmare.
They squawked and started to move again.
Siege!
However, in the next moment, the pressure hit hard, and the majority of monsters lost their mobility once more.
Yuliya leaped into the air above the Golden City.
She surveyed the area and pressed her hand against the barrier.
The barrier’s durability began to rise again, and in a short while, it returned to full capacity, shining anew.
She glanced around, observing the encircling monsters, then pointed a finger at the radiant column above the Golden City.
The next moment, part of the light column split off, shifting in the air and dividing into countless smaller beams, painting parabolas like flowers scattered by a heavenly maiden, showering down outside the Golden City.
The Golden City had offensive capabilities.
Following a burst of light cannons, a substantial portion of the monster swarm outside the Golden City was instantly wiped out.
Those BOSS monsters positioned further away were no exception, all gone in an instant; those closer to the walls managed to survive due to the angle of attack.
At this point, the monsters outside posed no real threat to the Golden City anymore.
Yuliya stood in midair, closed her eyes, and remained still.
The people below stared, some bewildered.
However, someone soon noticed and shouted, “The main quest isn’t over yet! We still have over forty minutes until the countdown hits zero!”
“Oh! So we continue to defend the city? That’s a lot easier now!”
“Defend my b*tt! We should attack!”
“NND, those BYD monsters were so cocky before, strutting around, and now it’s time for us to hit back!”
“Let’s go! Smash ’em!”
Cheers and shouts echoed through the Golden City.
They opened the city gates and charged into the wilderness.
The monsters had regained their mobility, but seeing the current state of the Golden City, not even an ounce of fighting spirit was left; they began to flee in a panic.
It was an epic chase, with adventurers pursuing the now much-diminished number of monsters, a wild role reversal ensued.
Yuliya remained high above, eyes closed.
A mechanical yet not cold voice resonated in her mind.
“Your Highness, welcome back.”
“Golden Hometown?”
“Yes.”
Yuliya clenched her fist, “Waking up at this time is a bit early.”
“We were following your original plan, but encountered interruptions at the outset due to Jormungandr, forcing us to proceed early.”
“No worries. Just proceed based on your judgment according to the situation then.”
Plans can’t be perfect down to every step, and the insight of the Golden Eyes mechanism can’t see everything.
Yuliya tilted her head in thought, “I’ll still continue to call you Sister Tong.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The Golden Hometown is essentially the embodiment of the system, a vast barrier enveloping many realms.
It doesn’t actually belong to the Golden Kingdom; “Golden Hometown” is merely a later name—its original name seems to have been erased from memory.
Right now, it is still just a portion of its full self.
“Sister Tong, the gold coins in my treasury should have been taken by you.”
“…”
“Too many are missing; I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable.”
“Your Highness, it was all for your awakening…”
“That’s a separate matter; gold coins have extraordinary significance for the Golden City.”
“You still have quite a fortune, though.”
“I don’t mind having more.”
“…”
The system fell silent.
It was indeed an unapproved theft, no denying that.
So, when they find someone, gathering a few more should be possible.
