Chapter 19: The Volcano Dragon
"Want a real body."
Joshua repeated 3's wish in a low voice, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He didn't seem troubled by it at all. "That's actually a pretty reasonable wish."
Thinking back, when 3 was in the Lord's Manor, she often focused her attention on Ying and Lin. Although it was hard to tell why due to her eyes, it was clear she harbored this desire.
Moreover, as fellow artificial lifeforms, one possessing a body while the other did not—that would indeed stir envy.
After pondering for a moment, the warrior gave his answer: "Whether it's materializing a spirit body or creating an artificial vessel, research in both areas has already made some progress."
He looked relaxed, as if this were no big deal. "When I get the chance later, if I can get in touch with the Mage Association or those academies in the Eastern Plains, this won't be a problem at all."
"That's my promise."
"..."
3 didn't reply. She just stared seriously at Joshua's face, as if confirming whether his words were true or false.
Soon, she revealed a faint smile. "Mm."
The Artificial Intelligence Girl took the initiative to end the communication. Before she cut off, Joshua vaguely heard a sentence: "I'll work hard!"
"Looks like, even though she says it doesn't matter, she still needs a little reward to work harder."
The warrior chuckled softly, then put away the communication array.
Now, it was time to head to the Imperial Capital.
Meanwhile, in another world, on the other side of the Great Aias Volcano's space-time passage.
A sunless sky, black clouds churning in the firmament. The mountain peaks were covered in a thick layer of black ash, and the entire world seemed to have lost its color, shrouded in a grayish-white haze. The air was filled with a pungent, acrid smell, and the ground was littered with fragments of pumice and volcanic glass.
On a mountain road several dozen kilometers away from the volcano, an armored vehicle was speeding along. The vehicle was covered in a layer of grayish-white volcanic ash, and the soldiers inside were all wearing protective masks. Their faces were grim, and the atmosphere was tense.
"Report! The survey team has lost contact! Over!"
"Damn it! The volcanic activity has intensified! The seismic readings are off the charts!"
"Retreat! Immediately retreat!"
The captain of the squad, a middle-aged man with a scar on his face, roared into the communicator. "Mission aborted, repeat, mission aborted! All personnel return to Zone 0, repeat, all personnel return to Zone 0! Over!"
"9 reporting! What about the survey team's data? Over!"
"...Then bring the data! Hurry!"
The Tyrella Squad was indeed the Federation's most elite force. Within minutes of the order, all members had rushed back to the armored vehicle assembly point at full speed. Several soldiers were carrying cardboard boxes or instruments. They quickly boarded the armored vehicle, which didn't even wait for everyone to sit down before it started, turned, and sped down the mountain.
—Wooooooooo—
Like a lament, like a dirge, a scorching gale hot enough to melt steel erupted from the center of the volcanic crater. The massive pillar of smoke instantly thickened, even pushing open a gap in the thick black clouds above, causing the clouds for dozens of miles around to churn. A sliver of sunlight leaked through, shining upon the mountain, rolling with a golden luster, appearing sacred.
Although the gap was quickly sealed, everyone was stunned by the sight.
—This was the power of nature!
But soon, they had no energy left to be stunned.
—Boom—Rumble rumble rumble!!!!!!!—
First came silence, then the eruption. The summit of Sigma Volcano suddenly exploded violently. The original ring-shaped peak was completely shattered, turning into countless fire meteors that plunged deep into the clouds. Golden-red lava, like blood spurting from an artery, splashed violently onto the surrounding land.
What kind of scene was this? The soldiers in the armored vehicle couldn't describe their shock in words. They could only stare fixedly at the spectacle.
After a while, the red fire meteors left the earth, then fell back from the sky. The meteorites, hurled high into the air by the volcanic eruption, turned into bright fire lines as they descended, striking the ground one after another. The danger wasn't limited to the area around Sigma Volcano; there was a risk of being hit within hundreds of kilometers.
The howling volcanic meteorites crashed into mountains, forests, and hills. Mountains shook, forests burned to ashes, and hills turned into basins. One fire meteor was heading straight for the area where the armored vehicle was. Amid the captain's roar and violent tremors that made thinking impossible, the armored vehicle's engine let out a roar. It carried the soldiers away from the danger zone at overload speed, while a violent explosion erupted right behind them.
A supersonic shockwave rapidly approached the armored vehicle, followed closely by a scorching hot wind. However, their speed decayed sharply and they didn't catch up. The soldiers watched as the land behind them turned into molten lava and scorched earth from the meteorite impact. Trees were roasted into charcoal, then burned fiercely. The all-consuming heat swept over the dust, crystallizing quartz into glass-like sparkling crystals, which were then covered by lava and ash.
They couldn't help but pray to the gods. This was beyond human power to stop; they could only pray.
The volcano erupted again, hurling countless lava and ash into the sky. Golden-red fire lines streaked across the horizon, then fell to the earth, bringing with them blazing heat. The forests burned fiercely, turning hundreds of miles into a sea of fire. Lakes evaporated, rivers changed course, and countless water vapors rose, mixing with black volcanic ash to form muddy fog and heavy rain.
"The map is going to be rewritten..."
Inside the armored vehicle, someone said this, and no one objected, because he was telling the truth. That was indeed the case.
Even if Sigma Volcano stopped erupting, the destruction caused by the catastrophic impact wouldn't be undone. The fire meteors triggered countless mountain collapses and ground subsidence. Violent earthquakes shook areas thousands of miles away. Underground waterways were completely destroyed, and all the forests turned to scorched earth. If the Federation hadn't evacuated most of the surrounding population, this eruption would have caused casualties in the millions, with disasters lasting hundreds or even thousands of years.
Everyone fell into deep thought over this foreseeable future. They were also members of the Federation. Even if their hometowns weren't here, this feeling of sorrow wouldn't change.
What a disaster-ridden year this was.
Just as the captain was thinking this, a surprised voice suddenly sounded from beside him.
"Look! What's that?!"
A soldier stood up, pointing at the observation hatch at the back of the armored vehicle, exclaiming loudly, "Use the telescope to look at Zone 83! Quick, look!"
Zone 83? Wasn't that near the crater?
The captain and the other soldiers were puzzled, but they still curiously picked up the telescopes hanging at their waists and looked toward Zone 83.
Through the lens, amidst the golden-red lava flow, a huge black shadow lurked. This black shadow was slowly rising, then completely breaking free from the magma, stepping step by step onto a towering cliff rock.
Scorching lava flowed past its side, outlining its massive body and robust physique. It was a terrifying creature, half-dragon, half-horse, entirely pitch black. On its chest was a string of bright golden crystal cores, flashing with a light like the sun. On both sides of its front legs were two inconspicuous bony protrusions, like the rudiments of a pair of wings.
Amidst the continuous volcanic eruption, a ring of crimson elemental energy began to appear around this creature. It wrapped around the giant beast's side like armor, repelling the ash, meteorites, and lava.
"...What... kind of creature is that?!"
And then, a dragon's roar, as if drowning out the volcanic eruption, pierced through time and distance, reaching everyone's ears. (To be continued.)